A military meeting lasted for a full hour and a half. It was mainly a question and answer between Liu Yang and Zhao Kuangyin. The other generals, except those involved in corresponding military affairs, were basically observers.
As Liu Yang stood up and announced the adjournment of the meeting with a smile, the originally serious atmosphere in the hall suddenly relaxed, especially when he mentioned the banquet that had been prepared, it made the generals happy. After all, I drank a lot of tea, but if it is tasteless, it will be more popular without meat and wine.
The high-ranking generals attending the meeting were all members of the aristocratic class of the Han Dynasty. They had begun to evolve and transform into the upper class over the years, but they were still military generals after all. Some of them were made from humble beginnings and were rough men with martial arts in their bones.
Liu Yang did not go to the banquet directly, but ordered Murong Defeng to lead Zhao Kuangyin, Gao Huaide, Cao Bin and Guo Tingwei to the study. This was obviously because they had other important matters to discuss.
The room was very quiet. Several people were seated, and they all seemed to know what the prince wanted to talk about. Without any more nonsense, Liu Yang looked at them directly and said in a deep voice: "You must already know about the edict to prepare for the war in Goryeo. It was not mentioned in the meeting just now. I want to hear your opinions?"
Judging from Liu Yang's slightly solemn expression, he has a conservative attitude towards this. Hearing this, the four generals and ministers all showed similar expressions and hesitated, but I don't know whether it was for Goryeo's ambition or his uncompromising attitude towards the emperor.
Facing the prince's calm gaze, Guo Tingwei did not remain silent for too long. He spoke first: "The little Goryeo, so ambitious, dares to covet the land of our heavenly dynasty, and wants to take advantage of the situation. It must be taught a lesson! I suggest that we start first. To be strong, take advantage of the moment when he is hesitant and hesitant to send his troops south, break his army, seize his territory, and dispel his delusions!"
Guo Tingwei's attitude is clear. It is not surprising that he has this idea. After all, since the Battle of Suzhou Port, the role of the Donghai Navy he led has plummeted. In the past few months, it has almost completely been reduced to the logistics of the Liaodong Army. Guard of supplies.
So many navy ships are either staying in the military port or can only be used as escorts. What's even more outrageous is that Han Hui came to communicate before, hoping to allocate some warships to them as transport ships. How can this be tolerated.
Next, no matter which direction the Liaodong war situation develops, the role of the East China Sea Navy will be minimal, and warships cannot operate on land.
And if a war can be waged against Goryeo, the navy's status will suddenly become highlighted. After all, if you want to attack Goryeo, you will have obvious obstacles if you march on land. However, through the sea route, you can directly attack the western coastal areas of Goryeo, which is their best area.
Therefore, Guo Tingwei's mind has directly skipped the precautions and preparations for war, and directly considered the issue of active attack, which can be described as radical.
Of course, such important matters are not decided by Guo Tingwei. First, it depends on the emperor, second, it depends on the prince, and third, it depends on these generals and ministers.
"General Guo, don't be impatient!" Sure enough, Zhao Kuangyin first spoke to reassure him about his radical suggestion: "The matter has not reached that point yet, and His Majesty has not given any explicit orders to attack. He only teaches us to prepare for war. We bear the heavy responsibility of the Liaodong war situation, and the Northern Expedition The key to victory or defeat is not to act too hastily. Now that Goryeo is still hanging in the balance and has taken the initiative to send envoys to see you, we should not rashly provoke a war!"
"Having said that, since the Goryeo people have now shown their ambition, they will not give up if they fail to achieve their goals!" Guo Tingwei said: "There is news from the south. Goryeo's navy has been assembled and on standby. On the south bank of the Yalu River, there are more than 70,000 Goryeo troops. They are ready to cross the river and head north at any time to attack the southeastern part of Liaoning! The Koreans are already eyeing them. Do the Han kings still want to act based on their looks?
Since Your Majesty is preparing for war in Liaodong, it proves that he will not hesitate to fight to fight back against Goryeo. The general believes that instead of waiting for Koryo to take action, it is better to take the initiative. Otherwise, if our army uses a defensive weapon, even if we prepare a back-up response, we will inevitably fall into embarrassment after losing the opportunity! "
"General Guo has said it!" Cao Bin pointed out calmly: "Judging from the performance of Goryeo before, they may not really dare to be enemies with the Han Dynasty. Nowadays, the situation on the southeast front is becoming increasingly delicate. Goryeo has suppressed such After a long time, they were still hesitant, which shows that they were still wary of the Han Dynasty and did not dare to easily intervene in the Han-Liao war.
In this case, if we act excessively and irritate the Koreans, once the Koreans seriously raise their troops to move north and the Han-Li War breaks out, the Khitans will be the winners in the end.
Although Goryeo is small, it is a country that can raise 200,000 troops after all. If it rashly triggers a hostile war, it will definitely lead to changes in the situation of the Liaodong war. If it happens repeatedly, it may even affect the overall situation in the Northeast and even the entire Northern Expedition. Don't be careful! "
After speaking, he glanced at the prince whose brows were furrowed even more tightly. Cao Bin continued in his calm tone: "The current situation in Liaodong is hard-won. If we can avoid any mistakes, we should try our best to avoid them."
"If we follow Privy Council Cao's words, then we should simply abandon Liaodongnan and retreat voluntarily to satisfy Goryeo's gluttonous ambitions!" Seeing Cao Bin's conservative attitude, Guo Tingwei immediately sneered twice and refuted: "In that case, Goryeo will be satisfied? Let Goryeo successfully take over the cities of Kaiyuan and Laiyuan, and hand over the hills and mountains of Liaodong, which are the key to victory? Then, let the Goryeo army directly threaten the Liaohe Plain without any hindrance?"
Although Cao Bin has reached the position of deputy privy envoy and has a profound background, Guo Tingwei is not polite when it is time to lose face. Of course, I also know that Cao Bin has a mellow temperament and is not so sharp.
However, even so, after hearing what Guo Tingwei said, Cao Bin couldn't help but feel a little angry, his face turned red, and he looked at Guo Tingwei: "Hai'an Hou, you know that I don't mean this, why are you forcing me like this?"
"Old General Guo, you've spoken too much!" Seeing that Cao Bin, the "good old man", was almost irritated, Liu Yang hurriedly spoke to comfort him and said to Guo Tingwei with a straight face.
Seeing this, Guo Tingwei immediately put away his aggressive posture and said with cupped hands: "Your Highness, I was emotional and made a blunder. However, the veteran still believes that in the face of Goryeo's provocation, our army should take active measures, take the initiative, and strike first." ! Your Majesty’s edict has been carefully studied by me. There is absolutely no reason to compromise or retreat towards Goryeo!
Before, Goryeo remained hidden and did not appear, so that was it. Now, taking advantage of the opportunity and spying on the Liaodong city, it has become a disaster. We must not let this disaster expand! "
"I understand what the old general means!" Hearing this, Liu Yang sighed: "Your Majesty is strong and hard to bully. I know that Goryeo's move has already offended Sheng Gong, otherwise there would be no such order. However, now Liaodong has not yet Stable, the remnants of the Liao army still exist, and the disputes in the Northeast continue. At this time, if we start a war with Goryeo again, I am afraid that the whole body will be affected by one move!"
"Your Highness, I think that if our army and the Liao army are fighting fiercely and the stalemate is in full swing, and the Koryo army goes north, even if they don't send envoys to request them, they will still occupy the lands and cities near Koryo. Even if we They are dissatisfied and there is nothing they can do about it. But they are really not smart enough to choose this moment!" Gao Huaide, who had been silent, spoke:
“Right now, the overall situation in Liaodong and even Northeast China is under our army’s control. Under the current situation, the role that Goryeo’s 100,000 troops can play and the threat they pose are greatly reduced.
Now that His Majesty's edict has been issued, we might as well prepare for war and proceed according to the situation of the two countries going to war. As long as we are fully prepared and respond in time, the Han Dynasty will still be invincible. "
"The war between the Han Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom is not something that just Goryeo can interfere in!" Gao Huaide said, with a chill in his eyes.
Zhao Kuangyin glanced at Gao Huaide in surprise. After all, he didn't agree with directly breaking up with Gao Li, and he considered it from a different angle. As the de facto commander of the Eastern Route Army, Zhao Kuangyin naturally hopes to assist Liu Yang in taking over Liaodong, pacifying the Northeastern region, and smoothly gaining meritorious achievements.
The last thing you want to see is of course an accident. Although Goryeo is not looked down upon, it is still considered a "little power". It can command an army of 100,000. Such variables are not small. Moreover, in the past, the two countries were good neighbors and friendly for most of the time, but this has suddenly changed, and they have directly turned into warring enemies. It would be reckless for the Han Dynasty to take the initiative to destroy the relationship and send troops to attack.
As for Gao Huaide, he was not as thoughtful and scheming as Zhao Kuangyin. Compared with Zhao Kuangyin, he also understood Emperor Liu's brother-in-law better, the emperor's attitude, and his analysis of the situation. Even if there was an enmity with Goryeo or even war, it would not be a big problem. The situation in Liaodong could not be changed, so he decisively agreed.
In addition, he was a relative of the emperor and the right commander of the Eastern Route Army. He had been suppressed by Zhao Kuangyin since the Northern Expedition. How could he not have any ideas in his mind?
