After a brief discussion with Zhao Pu and Cao Bin, they made a quick decision and issued the order. Two teams of post riders, carrying sealed orders and talismans, came out in the rain and galloped northward, heading for Shanyang and Yanshan North Road.
In response to the death of the Khitan Lord Yelu Xian, the condolence team sent by Emperor Liu was truly grand and huge, with eight thousand Han cavalry, fully equipped, one man and two horses, marching in two directions, with the target pointed directly at the Onan River.
In the direction of Shanyang, five thousand troops led by the brave general Kang Baoyi went north, followed by Yang Yanlang, the second son of Yang Ye. This was the main force and an army that attracted attention.
The other branch came from Linhuang Mansion and was led by Cao Guangshi, the commander of the Ma Army. Cao Guangshi was a native of Ya'an in Jiannan Road, a Yi people, and a strong local. When Wang Shi pacified Shu, the rebellion in Shu also spread to Yazhou, and his family was destroyed by the enemy.
Cao Guangshi left his mother behind and escaped with his life. In order to seek revenge, he found Guo Jin who was pacifying the Liren rebellion in southern Sichuan at that time. He gave him a map of Yazhou and an introduction to its forces, and asked himself to be the guide of the Han army.
Guo Jin was on the rise in southern Sichuan at that time, and the rebellious Shu army and the Yu people had already surrendered. Knowing the situation in Yazhou, his interest naturally increased.
I had a good impression of Cao Guangshi, who came here on his own initiative. After listening to his stories and testing his talents, he felt that he was a talented person, so he decisively sent a general and an army, and Cao Guangshi led the way to Yazhou to quell the rebellion.
Needless to say, the result was determined in half a month, and Cao Guangshi killed all his enemies, including their families. This is probably the reason why Guo Jin saw Cao Guangshi. They were all ruthless people...
After Sichuan and Shu were pacified, Cao Guangshi officially joined the Han army. Because of his contribution to the pacification of Yazhou and Lizhou, he was worshiped as the military commander of Yazhou. Among them, Guo Jin naturally had the credit for recommending him and introducing him to Xiang Xun.
Later, Guo Jin took office in the northwest. He thought of Cao Guangshi, who suppressed the rebellion in southern Sichuan, and transferred him to his command. From then on, Cao Guangshi followed Guo Jin to lead the army in the north.
During the Northern Expedition, he also followed Guo Jin into the Western Regions, attacked the Khitans in the Western Regions, and defeated the Black Khan army. At that time, many people realized that this southern barbarian was really good at fighting, and he was not acclimated to the climate in the north.
After the Northern Expedition, Cao Guangshi had become a backbone general of the Han army, and his identity as a barbarian had also become a symbol of the Han Dynasty's openness to all rivers and Emperor Liu's eclectic approach to employment.
With Guo Jin's recommendation and Xiang Xun's guarantee, Cao Guangshi was transferred from the west to the east and served as the commander of the Linhuang Prefecture's military and horse capital, guarding the northern part of Yanshan North Road, and became the first general under Dong Zunkiao. This time Emperor Liu wanted to take the opportunity to cause trouble against the Mobei Khitan, so he naturally thought of Cao Guangshi, who was stationed in Linhuang Mansion.
The eight thousand Han cavalry were naturally a powerful force, but compared with the overall strength of the Mobei Khitan, they were not enough. In normal times, the Han army of this size going north was just a daily harassment and raiding of grassy valleys. In the five previous times when Li Jilong went north, the largest number of his troops was only 4,000 cavalry.
But there is something wrong with the Mobei Khitan itself. Since the flaw has been exposed, it is inevitable that the big man will show his fangs and take a bite. If nothing is done, then Emperor Liu will not be able to understand his ideas again.
The reason why Zhao Pu and Cao Bin agreed with the Han Dynasty to send troops was not only because the scale of the troops was not large, but also because they were submissive and coaxing Emperor Liu.
However, even if the order to dispatch troops was issued, a special explanation was still given to Kang Baoyi and Cao Guangshi, who led the army: the purpose of going north this time was to disrupt the situation in Mobei. If you can fight, fight, if you lose, leave. Don't seek merit, but seek success. There is no fault, the priority is to preserve the strength of the soldiers.
This kind of gesture completely reflects the "shit-stirring" nature of the Han Dynasty. Of course, in the battle to the north, the Privy Council gave clear independent command rights, and Ren Kang and Cao made decisions on the fly. After all, it was an expeditionary battle, with vast grasslands and vast deserts. Even if the court wanted to engage in micro-management, it did not have the conditions.
At the same time as the military order was issued, the Wude Department, the Military Intelligence Department and even the Imperial City Department, the intelligence agencies of the Han Dynasty, also immediately mobilized, and a large amount of news from the Mobei Khitan began to be gathered to Tokyo.
The Imperial City Division also sent a group of spies to Mobei Khitan. The number was small and the scale was not large, but they did exist. This was a continuation of the original action of sending people to Mobei to search for traces of the expeditionary force.
Later, Zhang Dejun simply set up a detailed team to target the Mobei Khitans. Of course, its main purpose was to please Emperor Liu. After all, the Khitans were not destroyed, and Emperor Liu was uneasy. As a loyal dog, Zhang Dejun still paid attention to his master's feelings.
On the other hand, it is also a manifestation of the expansion of the influence of the Imperial City Division. After all, from the beginning of its establishment, the scope of the Imperial City Division's spying has been limited to the two capitals, and their main responsibility is only to monitor public opinion in Tokyo. But as long as he has a little bit of ambition, he will not restrain himself, and Zhang Dejun is not willing to let himself be "trapped" in the capital.
Therefore, in recent years, the Imperial City Division's spies have also spread out outside the capital and launched control in major cities. This was naturally a bit overstepping. Emperor Liu was also aware of it, and Zhang Dejun also reported it. Emperor Liu had no attitude, but in fact he acquiesced.
Of course, when it comes to affairs with the Mobei Khitan, Wu Desi still takes the lead. After all, they have been in business for a long time, and they can mobilize more resources and have a wider scope.
Taking advantage of the fire, fishing in troubled waters, and stirring up trouble are also what Wu Desi is good at. The instructions Wang Yinwu received from Emperor Liu were also very clear. In addition to continuing to spy and collect information about the Khitan, he also continued to win over and divide. Even though the Han's ethnic policy had cut off the possibility of most Khitan tribesmen going south to join, but After all, it is inevitable that there will be wavering, and it is quite tempting to maintain friendly relations with the Han Empire.
The Han Dynasty's various measures will obviously bring more variables to the situation in Mobei Khitan. Emperor Liu probably felt that he was overreacting. When talking to Zhao Pu, he asked if it was unkind to do so.
Regarding Emperor Liu's question, Zhao Pu was a little speechless. Military and political orders had been issued, and both overt and covert weapons were ready. Emperor Liu's expression of joy and interest was still so vivid when talking about this matter...
However, there were many situations where Emperor Liu pretended to be the emperor and established himself again. Faced with Emperor Liu's "embarrassment", Zhao Pu had to put on a cheerful face and comfort him against his will, saying that the great Han and the Khitan were life-and-death enemies. It was a good opportunity. , You should do whatever you can, your Majesty should not have any moral psychological burden, and so on.
Zhao Pu's answers and explanations always satisfied Emperor Liu.
Yelvxian's death has affected the nerves of the two countries. The future development of the Khitan situation is temporarily unknown, but the Han Dynasty has quickly entered a new round of military changes.
The reason why Emperor Liu was unwilling to make major adjustments to the frontier troops was that, in addition to maintaining the stable implementation of the Humin policy in northern Xinjiang, the threat of the Mobei Khitan was also one of the reasons.
When the possibility of external aggression is reduced, we can naturally promote internal affairs with more peace of mind. After several discussions with military and political ministers, we finally decided to reform the Han military system.
It is said that it is a reform of the military system, but at its root, it is still a financial issue. Of course, Emperor Liu has always been cautious about military affairs. With his attitude, it is impossible for him to abandon his martial arts due to financial pressure.
Therefore, Li Jilong's suggestions were approved by Emperor Liu, and the result of the discussion was that in the future, the military system of the Han Dynasty would be transformed from a recruitment system to a combination of recruitment and conscription. When it was implemented concretely, the huge number of registered soldiers would also be improved. Real cuts.
