"If you were the commander-in-chief of the Shiwei people, how would you deal with Wanyan Jurchen's attack?" Emperor Liu pondered there for a long time, and suddenly raised his head to greet Liu Min, formally seeking his opinion.
Liu Min was not pretentious at all, and there was a hint of serious thinking on his dark face. This serious look was quite appreciated by Emperor Liu, who just liked serious people.
Speaking of which, among the many sons, only Liu Min and the thirteenth son Liu Ye have darker skin. Although Liu Min was not fair at first, he was still normal. However, after passing through Mobei and his party, the darkness on his face could not fade away. Of course, it was not a big problem, at least he looked stronger and stronger.
Liu Min didn't notice that Emperor Liu was careless about his skin color, and without thinking too much, he said: "The battlefield situation is changing rapidly, and any outcome is possible. In terms of war preparations, Wanyan Jurchen has been preparing for nearly two years, whether it is In terms of soldier training, or in weapons and equipment, the Jurchens had the upper hand.
Although the Shiwei people are fierce and brave, in this regard, the Jurchens are not much weaker. Therefore, the advantage of Shiwei people is probably that they have strength in numbers.
If your son is the commander-in-chief of the Shiwei people, he should give full play to this advantage and use his power to overwhelm others as his father said. Now the two sides have been in a stalemate for a long time. Although the Shiwei people are passive, as long as the 30,000 Shiwei troops are there, they are a great deterrent and threat to the Jurchens.
Even if the current situation is maintained and dragged on, the people of Shiwei will benefit. Therefore, those who are eager to break the situation now should be the Jurchens. Shi Wei only needs to remain patient and stabilize the situation. However, for Shiwei people, whether they can have this patience is doubtful.
However, it is very difficult for these foreign races in the Northeast to fight a long and fierce battle without sufficient national strength, manpower, and financial resources to support them.
Since the collapse of Khitan rule in the Northeast, although the various countries, tribes, and forces have been in constant disputes, there have been almost no long-term battles or confrontations. Like this time, the two parties have been in a stalemate for more than two months, which is unexpected.
If the people of Shiwei want to take the initiative, it will be difficult to attack Tie Li City. Wanyan Bahai leads the army and is cruising outside, and his cunning is hard to find. So they should not get entangled with them and divert their attention to attack the enemy and save them! "
As he spoke, Liu Min slightly bent down, picked up a few red flags from the sand table, moved them southward, and planted them hard on the Wanyan Jurchen tribe's territory in the south of the Huntong River. He said firmly: "Send a division south, cross the Huntong River, and attack directly. Yan Jurchen’s lair, instead of concentrating all the troops to confront the Jurchen in Tieli City!”
After hearing Liu Min's opinion, Emperor Liu couldn't help but his eyes brightened, and he said: "If this is the case, then Wanyan Nuzhen will be in real danger. If there is a loss in the rear, even if the Shiwei people are finally repelled and Tie Li is captured, region, it’s not worth the gain!”
"And once the Shiwei people go south, the stalemate in Tieli City will most likely be broken!" Emperor Liu's tone was more certain than Liu Min's.
"It's just..." There was a rare hesitation on the young face, and Liu Min said: "If the Shiwei people really cross the Yangtze River and invade the south of the Huntong River, how will the Liaodong garrison respond? Once the Wanyan Jurchen fails, How can the imperial court sit idly by and watch after being defeated and even in danger of annihilation?"
Liu Min's words made Emperor Liu think deeply, and said in a low voice: "Yes! The imperial court is watching from the sidelines to watch the fun, but once the situation gets out of control, it will inevitably be involved after all!"
In fact, the imperial court has long been involved. Whether it is strategic layout or policy direction, the imperial court needs to pay attention to the development of the situation there. Starting from supporting the Wanyan Jurchens with weapons, cavalry, food, salt and other supplies, and supporting their northern expedition to Tieliang, the imperial court was already deeply involved.
To the court, it didn't matter how the Jurchens and Shiwei people fought in the Tieli area, how long they fought, or how many people died. However, once the Shiwei people turned against the guests and led their troops southward, bringing the war to the south of the Huntong River, the court would definitely be unable to sit still.
Because that is not only a manifestation of the continued expansion of the Shiwei people, but will also affect the security of Huanglong Mansion. Having a Wanyan Jurchen with certain strength and barely obedience on the side is already the maximum tolerance of the imperial court.
"Dad, I'm a little confused!" Seeing Emperor Liu's thoughtful look, Liu Min couldn't help but bow his hands.
"It's okay to speak out!" Emperor Liu waved his hand in response.
Liu Min: "What is your attitude towards the Shiwei and Jurchen tribes?"
"You are on to the right point in your question!" After hearing the question, Emperor Liu smiled slightly and said: "One thing must be made clear, that is, no matter how chaotic and quarrelsome the tribes, vassal states, and forces in the Northeast are, the imperial court's Attitude is the key to victory or defeat. Let the chaos be chaotic, but the situation cannot be separated from the control of the imperial court. Once it is separated, or there is this trend, then it is time for the imperial court to arbitrate!"
Seeing that Liu Min was thoughtful, Emperor Liu emphasized the word "strong" in his indifferent tone and said coldly: "Shi Wei, first did not submit to the Liao, and later did not submit to the Han. It is necessary to teach him a lesson.
In the past few years, they have indeed grown a lot in the Northeast region, and have annexed many territories, vassal states, and populations of the original Liao Kingdom. How can such an unruly force be allowed to run rampant and sit back and watch it develop and grow.
Nowadays, Liaodong is in peace and is still recovering and developing. To rashly use the king's army to go north and go deep into the barren land to conquer that remote and cold place is not appropriate at the time, so it can only be done by fake hands.
The reason for supporting Wanyan Jurchen was naturally based on these considerations. However, judging from the situation in the Wanyan Department, these Jurchens cannot be trusted.
Although they are supported, it does not mean that the imperial court can tolerate their real growth. Otherwise, suppressing a Shiwei and rising a Wanyan Jurchen will not be of much benefit to the imperial court. They are all obstacles to the imperial court's control of the situation in the Northeast.
You know, there is more than one Wanyan tribe of Jurchens, they are widely distributed, almost all over the mountains and forests of the Northeast. The scattered Jurchens are not a cause for concern. However, if one group can rise and even integrate all the Jurchen tribes, the threat to the imperial court will be doubled, and the danger will be even greater than that of Shi Wei.
Therefore, letting Wanyan Jurchen occupy the hometown of Tieli is my bottom line. Once this bottom line is exceeded, then I cannot let it go. If it is time to suppress, I will suppress it decisively.
The best situation is for the two forces to be hostile to each other in Huantong Jiangbei and consume each other to maintain a balanced situation. Once the balance is broken, it is time for the court to take action! "
After hearing Emperor Liu's explanation, Liu Min not only did not feel relieved, but his brows became even more furrowed, he raised his eyelids and hesitated to speak. Seeing this, Emperor Liu showed a fatherly smile and said, "If you have any opinions, just say so!"
Liu Min said: "My father's idea is good and can even be implemented as the court's basic policy on the situation in Northeast China. However, I always feel that this is not a complete solution. It is not easy to maintain this balance.
On the contrary, the influence and control of the imperial court on the various ethnic groups in the Northeast is still too weak at present. Wanyan Jurchen is so respectful and surrendered, just because she is close to Huanglong Mansion, under the attack of Wang's army, and needs the support and support of the imperial court, so she has to surrender.
As you said, I am afraid that Wanyan Nuzhen also wants to use the power of the imperial court to expand. Once it becomes stronger, it may not be as obedient as it is now.
In addition, provoking fights among the tribes and forces in the Northeast can certainly act as a check and balance and consume their strength, so as not to pose a threat to the imperial court.
However, it also gave them the possibility to rise. The threat of the tribes who emerged from the blood and fire was far greater than those of normal hunting survivors. "
"I've heard some words about setting fire to one's body. Do you also hold this opinion?" Emperor Liu was slightly surprised after hearing what he said.
Liu Min nodded, pondered for a moment, and said: "I think we can create conflicts among the tribes in the Northeast, support those who are close to the court, and suppress those who are disobedient. However, we still cannot let them attack privately, and we should try to maintain a stable situation. This situation will be beneficial to the tranquility of Liaodong and the imperial court's control of the Northeast!"
Emperor Liu had heard a lot of similar suggestions in the past. However, when he saw that his young sixth son also expressed his opinions seriously and pertinently, Emperor Liu did not show any displeasure, but was greatly relieved.
"You have indeed grown and improved in the past few years! Not to mention other things, your knowledge of military and political strategies has increased!" Emperor Liu looked at Liu Min with a smile, a gentle look on his face, and even extended his hand. Patted him on the shoulder.
Facing Emperor Liu's praise and feeling his loving father's encouragement, Liu Min felt a little embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly and responded restrainedly: "I'm short-sighted. I'm just talking casually. There's more we need." A place where Dad learns from the princes of the imperial court!”
"Haha!" Upon seeing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but feel happy.
When the laughter subsided, Emperor Liu's expression also became calm. His eyes stayed on the sand table for a while, then turned to the huge map of the Han Dynasty in the palace, staring straight at the Northeast region, and said softly: "No policy or strategy is static. , Regarding the future of Northeast China, we still have to look at the future!
This battle between Shiwei and Jurchen should be regarded as an attempt. Let’s see the effect first. As you said, neither side has enough strength to last for a long time. After such a long struggle, there should be an outcome.”
After a pause, Emperor Liu said again: "What you said just now is right. The imperial court's control over the Northeast is still a bit weak and needs to be further strengthened..."
