At this time, although he felt some subtle changes in attitude from Emperor Liu's tone, Liu? did not intend to express his feelings directly, but chose to adopt an impartial attitude.
After pondering for a while, Liu Yu said: "The Anxi army has abundant animal power, many mules and horses, and the marching speed can be guaranteed to be fifty miles a day. The governor's office plans to use a month to march, half a month to rest, and then look for opportunities to attack Talos. Enemy troops. I asked Privy Councilor Pan for his opinion and believed that the plan was feasible.
In addition, the Governor's Office reported that the Dashi Allied Forces suffered heavy losses after last year's defeat, and their military morale has long been shaken. In addition, there are many internal conflicts, inconsistent orders, and mutual constraints, making it difficult to cause a serious disaster. During this great victory in Yangcheng, the Talas enemy troops marched eastward for rescue, but it was just a show of force. Before they had advanced two hundred miles, they retreated as soon as they came into contact with the outpost of Li Jilong's army...
Therefore, General Anxi believes that this is a good opportunity to defeat the enemy and cannot be missed! "
"You think so too?" Unsurprisingly, Emperor Liu finally asked about Liu?'s attitude.
Facing Emperor Liu's obviously scrutinizing gaze, Liu? calmly said: "You can fight!"
Seeing this, Emperor Liu curled his lips slightly and showed a satisfied smile. But it didn't last long. His expression became solemn and he added: "According to the previous report, even after the Battle of Broken Leaf, the enemy coalition forces suffered heavy losses, but the remaining enemies of Talas were still no less than 20,000. Plus the additions of more than a year. , is still a stubborn enemy and should not be underestimated.
How many soldiers are there in our army in Anxi now? Has the Privy Council's deployment been implemented? "
After hearing the question, Liu? replied familiarly: "After more than a year of adjustments and additions, the number of combatable soldiers under the Anxi Governor's Mansion has reached more than 32,000, half of whom are veterans of the battlefield, and the rest Except for some volunteer soldiers, most of them have undergone at least one year of training as rural soldiers. The transfer and hoarding of grain, grass and ordnance are enough to start a big war..."
"You have a good understanding of the situation in Anxi!" Emperor Liu said after listening to his description.
Hearing this, Liu? frowned slightly, raised his hands and said calmly: "At present, Anxi is the only place where heavy troops gather on the border, and it is the only place where the Han Dynasty engages in foreign wars. I should pay more attention to it!"
Emperor Liu seemed to just express his thoughts casually. He nodded and said with emotion: "With such strength in his hands, how can Liu sit still? If you want to fight, let's fight hard and kill those who dare to attack Tianwei." The thieves and bandits were eliminated in one fell swoop, and heavy troops were stationed at the border for a long time. The burden on the court was too heavy, and it was not a good thing for the court..."
From the current point of view, Anxi is the largest heavy military group in the Han Dynasty. It is an army that can carry out strategic operations. Its strength is second to none, which cannot be matched by Anton.
Over the years, although the security war in Anton has never stopped, the imperial court's troops in Anton have been continuously reduced. By the 25th year of Kaibao, there were only 9,000 infantry and cavalry left on the books. .
In contrast, the number of servants' tribal armies is constantly increasing. This is also something that has to be done. If you want to control the huge Andong area with just that army and four to five million Han people, It is unrealistic and we have to rely on the indigenous barbarians.
Of course, this is not an unselective recruitment of indigenous people. The Anton Dudu Mansion selects tribes that have been trained for a long time and have a strong mentality of obedience to the big men. Therefore, in recent years, whether it is to clear up the white mountains and black waters, they have directly It was still to expel the Mengwu Shiwei who kept invading the south. The main combat force was servant tribe warriors.
The life of a son of the Han family is always more expensive, so try not to waste it on public security. In the previous battles, the Han army in Anton acted more as a supervisor to supervise the war and check for leaks and plugging deficiencies. This has become a pattern.
The only thing that needs to be guarded against is these slave barbarians eating the master, but for now, the problem is not big. Liu Xu and his son were particularly vigilant in this matter, and they also used their skills, sticks and red dates to train them to be extremely obedient. They also split and reorganized them from time to time to ensure control.
Compared with the changes in the military structure of Anton, Anxi is much more pure. Although there are some servant troops, they are not large in scale. The combat effectiveness of the army dominated by Han people is naturally much stronger. Of course, most of the tough battles were fought by the Han army, and the losses suffered were naturally greater. These were the reasons for the endless opposition to Anxi within the court, and the burden was really too heavy.
It was somewhat unexpected that Emperor Liu said this at this time. At least in Liu?'s view, Emperor Liu could "actually" consider things so calmly and rationally. Although these problems are not complicated, Emperor Liu in the past seemed not to be able to see them, or deliberately ignored them.
No matter what he thought in his heart, Liu Xi still complimented with a smile: "Your Majesty is wise!"
"It's already autumn, I'm afraid Anxi has already mobilized troops, let's wait for the results!" Emperor Liu breathed a sigh of relief, and said softly: "There are so many heroes, they should not let me and the court down! "
Let’s take a look at the current powerful people in the Anxi Army: Liu Wei, Li Jilong, Xiang Deming, Yang Yanlang, Kang Baoyi, and Liu Ye, the thirteenth son of Emperor Liu. Let's not talk about other nobles. These two princes and one son-in-law are enough to show their importance. Compared with that, the more than 30,000 troops are not so important.
"According to Liu's past habit, Yang Cheng's offer of victory must be accompanied by many requests. Tell me, what did he ask for from the court this time?" Emperor Liu's tone was ridiculing, but his old face was kind and kind. .
Liu?, still with a serious face, responded: "Nowadays, the Anxi army is most in short supply and urgently needs support from the court, namely gunpowder and artillery. The sixth brother hopes that the court can deploy another hundred artillery pieces for combat, and at the same time, Send some craftsmen who make cannonballs and repair artillery to serve in front of the army..."
"This boy has a big appetite!" Emperor Liu cursed immediately after hearing this.
At present, Dahan's artillery has reached the third generation of research and development, and the explosive ammunition has also reached the stage of testing. However, the main ones that can be maturely produced and used are "first-generation" artillery. The total output is not high. After all these years, it is only more than 2,000. Putting aside all kinds of losses, the number serving in the national army is not large. Many armies are still looking forward to putting them into service.
Against this background, Emperor Liu went to Anxi to deploy more than 200 artillery pieces. Only his own son received such treatment. Now Liu Xiu opened his mouth and opened a hundred artillery pieces. Not to mention the reaction of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War, Emperor Liu couldn't get through here in the first place.
"It's thousands of miles away, and the artillery is heavy and heavy. When it arrives in Anxi, I'm afraid the war will be over. Liu? This guy is a bit of a ghost!" Emperor Liu smiled and said: "The gunpowder and the craftsmen who maintain it are all. You can transfer some of them, and as for the artillery... transfer twenty to him from Hexi, and there will be no more. As for Hexi, the Ministry of War will make up for it later!"
"yes!"
"In addition!" Although weapons are important, they are not fundamental. Immediately afterwards, Liu? added: "Compared with weapons and ordnance, what Sixth Brother hopes to supplement more is population!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but frown, and there was even a hint of impatience in his tone: "If I had the ability to spread beans and make an army, I could send her several carts of beans. Isn't that right... ...Besides, with the current situation in Anxi, how can we retain people? Let’s think about it after the war is over!”
Liu? first nodded, and then explained: "What the sixth brother means is that the Tuqishi tribe around Yangcheng is on both sides of the fence. They are undecided and can no longer be trusted. He has also lost his patience. What the sixth brother wants to do this time They are not the good people of the Han Dynasty, but the Hu tribes along the border.
The area around Yangcheng has abundant water and grass, a pleasant climate, and is suitable for grazing. The sixth brother wants to balance the local tribal power by moving tribes from the country to grazing production..."
Hearing this, Emperor Liu was obviously interested. He thought about it and asked, "What do you think?"
Liu? He cupped his hands and said: "I have considered this matter. In the border states and in the mountains and fields, there are still some active tribes that do not accept the king's rule. The activities of these tribes have caused serious damage to the local security.
I thought that if I sent an envoy to appease him and allowed him to keep his customs, but at the cost of moving to Anxi, I might be able to get the best of both worlds! "
Emperor Liu was a little surprised when he heard Liu Yu's suggestion. He looked at Liu Yu and pointed at him: "It's a good idea. Do you think this strategy can work?"
Liu? said calmly: "It's hard to know the effect if you haven't tried it!"
"Then go and try it!" Emperor Liu waved his hand.
He withdrew his gaze from Liu He and turned to Liu Wenhuan, who had been sitting aside, silently listening to his father's conversation.
Looking at his favorite grandson, Emperor Liu showed a kind expression and said jokingly: "Wen Huan, I have an errand for you! Your sixth uncle needs a batch of ordnance supplies. You are responsible for escorting them to the Anxi battlefield. But dare?"
