In mid-October of the eighth year of Kaibao's reign, after more than a year, Emperor Liu once again visited Baishui Lake in the north of Saibei. This was something he did not expect. Although he has been on many tours in recent years, traveling all over the world, such as the east, west, north and south, he can be called a model worker. However, for the huge Han Empire, most places he visited once would take several years or even ten years before he could visit again.
Therefore, for this lake in the north of Saibei, it may become a "blessed place" in the future if it can continuously receive the emperor's favor in a little over a year.
Of course, this is a treasure land in itself. Baishuiluo is the largest freshwater lake in Monan. It has rich water and grass, prosperous fishing and animal husbandry, and is truly a treasured place on the grassland.
However, compared to last year, Emperor Liu saw a different scenery when he came to Baishuilu again. The wind is blowing and the water is cold, the reeds are withered, the water birds are no longer gathering in the lake, and there are no fishing boats on the water. The whole place is deserted and desolate.
Not only because of the climate and season, but also because of the destruction of the Han-Liao War. The fierce collision between the two great empires in East Asia would cause the greatest harm to the grasslands, towns, farmers and herdsmen on the Han-Liao border.
The Liao army broke through the pass and headed south. Although it invaded and looted a lot and caused great damage to the Han Dynasty, it did not last long and the Han army's counterattack was powerful enough, so the final damage was limited.
At least, most of the people were saved. Except for the two destroyed county towns and the people who were unable to escape and were killed, most of the people who were taken into the cities and hid in the mountains were saved.
Outside of the army, the actual loss of Shanyang's population was less than 10,000. As long as people are still there, there is hope and they can return to their fields and rebuild their homes. Of course, for Shanyang Road, which is vast and sparsely populated, the value of each person is much higher than that of the inland states and counties. The loss of 10,000 people cannot be said to be serious.
Compared with Shanyang Road, the one that really suffered from the war was the huge Saibei Monan. The ownership of this basin grassland centered on Baishuiluo was originally controversial. It was a legacy issue after the First Northern Expedition. The Liao Kingdom was unwilling to give up this treasure land, and the Han Dynasty also wanted to use it to communicate with the grassland and protect the frontier.
Therefore, for more than ten years, both parties have been operating independently, and they have been together for ten years. As the largest communication window between Han and Liao in the past, its development naturally has unique advantages. Han and Liao officials, Hu and Han herdsmen, and merchants from all over the world jointly promoted the prosperity of this area. Even in the beginning of the eighth year of Kaibao, the population of both Han and Liao tribes living in this area was nearly 200,000.
However, with the Han army's Northern Expedition and the beginning of the war, all the prosperity disappeared like clouds of smoke. From the time Liu Tinghan led the Han cavalry to the north for the first time, for half a year, the armies of both sides were like two plows and hoes. The land was plowed over and over again. The tribesmen who originally lived in this grassland either fled or died in the war.
At the beginning, when the Han army came out, the Liao army did not dare to go deep south, but they did protect a group of Han people in Bonan. But when Yelvxian led his army southward, it was the last round of destruction, burning, killing, looting, and leaving no grass behind.
When the war ended, all that was left was a place of depression and devastation, making the world more remote and lonely, and the howling north wind seemed to speak of infinite desolation.
Baishui Town, the largest town built by the Han officials and people on this land, was naturally not spared. Emperor Liu had lived in the town when he met Yelujing last year. Now, only a piece of rubble remains.
He led the crowd around the ruins of Baishui Town. When he left, his shoes and robes were covered with dust. In the end, Emperor Liu just sighed softly: "What a pity!"
Seeing that Emperor Liu was in a bad mood, Prime Minister Li Ye, who came from Youzhou to accompany him, couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, the Liao army has been defeated. Monan will be completely owned by the Han Dynasty. Although a town has been destroyed, given time, the Han Dynasty will be able to build it again." One, ten towns!”
"It takes ten years to build a town, but it only takes one night to destroy it!" Emperor Liu expressed his emotion that it is easy to destroy but difficult to build, and looked at Li Ye: "This is so poor, rebuilding is not easy. The most important thing is to have a A capable minister leads the people! Li Chuyun is seriously ill and is already unbearable. I think my uncle seems to be interested, so why not take up this responsibility and shoulder the task of rebuilding Shanyang and Monan?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ye's shrewd face suddenly showed a grimace, and he just said that he wanted to forgive Emperor Liu. He is a good prime minister and the second in command of the political affairs hall is not good enough. Why bother to come to northern Xinjiang and suffer?
You know, during his official career, Li Ye has stayed in the most remote place, which is Guannai Yuanzhou. If it was in his early years, that would be it, but now? Li Ye's current position can be regarded as a success, and he still needs to go to Shanyang to accumulate his reputation.
What's more, the Queen Mother has passed away. If she was sent to Shanyang, let alone how well she did and how much hard work she had to put in, how much effort would it cost to return to the court in the future?
Therefore, there was no need to waste his brains to make a choice. After roving his eyes twice, Li Ye had something to say, and he held up his hands and smiled: "Your Majesty, there are countless things that you can do better than ministers in court to rebuild, revive, and bring peace to peace. I believe that if we want to send ministers from the court, Prime Minister Song is the most suitable candidate. His ability in governing and governing the people is well-known. He was the first Shanyang Shepherd and was familiar with local affairs.
At the beginning, Shanyang was in ruins and was in ruins, but within a few years, results were achieved. Now, it is even easier to manage Shanyang. Apart from Prime Minister Song, I can't think of anyone else who is more suitable! "
After saying this, Li Ye wanted to give himself a silent compliment. He was in the center, with Zhao Pu, a holy family member who was prosperous and capable of doing things, pressing down on him, and below him a group of ministers and ministers who were convinced but not convinced by him. Song Qina's stubbornness often gave him trouble.
If we can take the opportunity to exclude Song Qi from the court, it will not only solve the current embarrassment, but also re-establish the authority of Li Guojiu and Li Xianggong, just like those corrupt officials who were concocted when he was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. , Unlawful honor.
"What do you think, Your Majesty?" He raised his eyes and observed Emperor Liu's reaction, but saw a little amusement in Emperor Liu's eyes, which made Li Ye's embarrassment worse.
"Song Qi is indeed suitable!" Emperor Liu said with a slight smile, but did not continue the conversation on this matter.
Of course, Emperor Liu did not have any intention of letting Li Ye take up the post of Shanyang. For no other reason, Li Ye was not the material. It might be okay to let him do some conservative work based on the work of his predecessors. For such a need He can't do the hard, plain and heavy-duty pioneering and construction work. Furthermore, Shanyang is a real border area. Not only does it require the ability to govern and manage people's finances, but it also requires familiarity with military, defense and ethnic affairs.
As for the playfulness in his eyes, it was because Emperor Liu saw Li Ye's thoughts. Emperor Liu knew very well about the disagreement between him and Song Qi.
Li Ye, the prime minister, has nothing particularly outstanding in terms of ability. What little shrewdness he has is basically used in fighting for power and showing off his strength. But he is a relative of the emperor, and more importantly, he knows how to please himself and who to follow. When Emperor Liu delegates power to the political affairs hall, Li Ye is an important chess piece placed by Emperor Liu in the political affairs hall.
"Have you made an inventory of the battle results and losses?" Emperor Liu asked the bachelor Zhang Yong as he headed to the camp beside Baishuibo.
At this time, along the bank of Baishuiluo, there was a huge company camp. All the soldiers and horses participating in the Shanyang Battle gathered here to rest and recuperate. It was very spectacular.
"After reports from all armies and verified by generals, in this battle, our army defeated a total of more than 50,000 Liao troops, killed more than 20,000 in formation, captured more than 13,000 people, captured nearly 20,000 war horses, and the remaining livestock and property, There are still countless weapons, and there are tens of thousands of weapons and handles.
Due to the hard fighting in the pursuit, our soldiers suffered a lot of casualties. They were killed, missing, and lightly or seriously injured. The total number of soldiers in the army was 21,350. Among them, Tian Zhong's march to the north and Kangbao's troops who intercepted it suffered the most heavy casualties. General Tian Chongjin was injured seven times and has just woken up from a coma..."
Compared with the heavy losses suffered by the Liao army, the Han army's battle losses were still within an acceptable range. After all, in this battle, the Han army did not have an absolute advantage. It just fought to gain a certain advantage, and the Liao army also gave it a chance. There were many bloody battles.
"Every war and every victory is soaked with the blood of the Han soldiers!" However, Emperor Liu still sighed with emotion, but he was less distracted than before. When he said this, his expression was not the same. Didn't seem too touched.
"Treatment of wounded soldiers and aftermath matters must be done well!" Emperor Liu explained.
