Huan Wen was so understanding that Li Yue was embarrassed to rip him off again.
Since the second half of last year, Jingxiang has been implementing trade controls, restricting the sale of bulk grain, copper, crossbows, and armor to the Central Plains.
Merchants going south will also be strictly interrogated.
Huan Wen's fear of Liang Guo is self-evident, and there is basically no chance of trying to rip him off again.
It's OK to bluff, but if you really lead troops south, you will break the window paper.
Huan Wen has given so many things, which makes both sides look good. It is very necessary to maintain the current relationship with Nanmian.
However, Liang Guo's various actions indirectly stimulated Yan Guo.
The news from the scouts was that Murong Jun was also expanding his army aggressively, taking two out of four to form an "army" of 300,000.
This made the court quite afraid.
"The Yan army originally had about 200,000 troops. Now it has been expanded to 300,000 troops. The 110,000 black cloud elites are difficult to resist. I suggest that the army be expanded immediately!" Jiang Qian cupped his hands and said.
Military expansion is not simply about increasing the number of troops. The power of states and counties will also increase.
Then the strength in the hands of people like Jiang Gan will also increase.
Dong Run said worriedly: "Murong Ke, Murong Chui, Mu Yugen and others are good at using troops. Yan State has many talented generals. There are many people in Youzhou and Liaodong who are good at fighting. Your Highness should make preparations early."
Li Yue glanced at Chang Wei, looking at ease.
In addition to the old ministers of Ran and Wei, many military generals also advocated military expansion in order to cope with the increasing pressure from Yan.
Li Yue laughed, "Back then, Shi Hu occupied the north of the Yangtze River and had the power of ten states. He ruled nearly ten million people. When he attacked Liaodong, he only managed to gather an army of 450,000. How much land and population did Murong Jun have? The newly acquired land of Youbin has not yet been managed, and Liaodong has always been bitterly cold. Murong Jun raised an army of 500,000 people, how to feed it?"
War is not a game of numbers. Whoever has more numbers on their books wins.
Even though Cao Cao claimed to have an army of 800,000, he was defeated by Zhou Yu's army of 30,000 at Chibi.
Murong Jun was so reckless, Li Yue couldn't ask for it.
It is equivalent to overdrafting Yan's national strength in advance.
By doing this, Li Yue felt that there was no need to rush to fight. He only needed to hold on to a few major fortresses, and the Yan Kingdom itself would collapse.
"What your Highness said is absolutely true. Murong Jun's expansion of the army by 300,000 will ruin the country's agriculture. Once defeated, the Yan Kingdom will fall apart!" Chang Wei coughed and supported Li Yue's conclusion.
The Central Plains has a population of more than seven million, and its national strength has basically returned to what it was when Shi Le was in power. Li Yue did not dare to do this.
Why should he, Murong Jun?
If God wants to destroy it, it will go crazy.
Murong Jun was somewhat hysterical.
From this point, we can draw a conclusion that Murong Ke could not fully control the Yan Kingdom.
If he is King Yan, then the Liang-Yan conflict will last for a long time, five, ten, or twenty years is possible.
Because there will be a process of decline, the Yan State is still one of the best in the world in terms of military strength.
Although there is a slight decline in front of Liang Guo, it is not irreparable. It only takes one big victory to reverse it.
However, Murong Jun acted like a gambler.
If you go all-in, you will either win or lose. You will never let Liang Guo develop with peace of mind. The potential of the Central Plains is too strong. If it continues to develop like this, Yan Guo will have no chance in a few years.
To a certain extent, Murong Jun's decision was not wrong, but it was just too radical.
If Liang is not killed, Yan himself will be crippled...
"Murong Jun is so heartless and crazy, it just shows that he is very incompetent. You don't have to worry too much. He will mess with him, and we will do our own thing." Li Yue appeased everyone.
Liang Guo has reached the present, and every step has stepped on the node of the times. Relying on the right timing, Liang Guo has grown to its current scale.
In terms of strategic decision-making, Li Yue has absolute authority.
"Your Highness is wise!"
No matter what faction they are, they will not challenge Li Yue's current prestige.
On the surface, everyone does their own thing, but privately, there are no shortage of small tricks.
The School Affairs Office and the Honglu Division were engaged in various troubles in the Yan Kingdom, sowing discord and instigating rebellion. They used all possible means.
The Han people in the north have a somewhat psychological sense of belonging to the Chinese dynasty of Liang.
No matter how much Murong Jun dressed up Yan State to look like a Chinese dynasty, he could never eliminate his Xianbei bloodline.
After the fall of Jie and Zhao, the Yan State took in many Jie people and barbarians from the Western Regions, which split the Han people's sense of identity with the Yan State.
With the secret support of the school affairs office, thieves occurred frequently in the Yan Kingdom. People who did not want to be driven to the battlefield gathered in the mountains and forests to attack each other and occupy the territory. The local tyrants took the opportunity to expand their power, just like at the end of Shi Hu's reign.
Yang Lue secretly sneaked into Youzhou with 108 generals from the school affairs office, and secretly negotiated with powerful people.
According to the secret report sent back, the local powerful put forward three conditions.
First, Liang needed to recognize their local interests.
Second, their land and population must not be inventoried.
Third, do not pay taxes.
As long as they agree to these three items, these people will immediately raise troops to give Murong a big blow.
When Murong Ke captured Ran Min alive in Lian Tai, his power reached its peak, but even so, Su Lin, a strong man in Zhongshan, raised his troops without hesitation, claiming to be the emperor, and cut off Murong Ke's retreat. Mu Yugen and Murong Ke attacked from front to back and threw themselves into the army. It took nearly 100,000 troops to put down the Sulin Rebellion.
These people have courage and strength.
Now seeing that Murong was dying, he was very dissatisfied with Murong Jun's army expansion, so he turned to Liang Guo.
This is a force that cannot be ignored.
But their asking price is a bit high.
Once you agree to these three articles, it is equivalent to entrusting the place to them.
Where is Youzhou? The most beautiful place in the world, the northern gate of the Central Plains, if it cannot be fully grasped, it will cause endless harm.
But when doing business, it’s important to pay the high price at the end of the day.
Each stage has its own price, which can be negotiated slowly according to changes in the situation.
Anyway, there is still time, the big battle will have to wait until next year.
Li Yue wrote a letter to Yang Lue. The first item was acceptable, but the second and third items were non-negotiable.
Agreeing to these two articles is equivalent to giving them financial and military power.
It's their business how to talk about it. The essence of politics is actually compromise.
The powerful people are willing to talk and offer a price, which is a good start in itself.
"Your Highness... Recently... An Le Gong received a mysterious visitor in the palace..." Zhang Shengye came to report with a solemn expression.
Cui Hong was sent to Qiao County, Yang Lue went to Youzhou, and the affairs of Yecheng were handed over to Zhang Shengye.
"Ran Zhi?" Li Yue was stunned. Unexpectedly, Prince Ran Wei, who had been silent for several years, became restless.
On the eve of Liang Yan's decisive battle, he took action and had a profound impact.
After taking over Ran Wei, Li Yue treated the Ran family favorably. Dong was granted the title of Lady of Wei, and Ran Zhi was granted the title of Duke of Anle County. They are still supported in Yecheng Palace to this day. Li Yue's family lives in Tongque Terrace.
Ran Zhi's behavior is a bit ignorant.
"No, Ran Zhi lives in the palace and is under the supervision of the Dong family. How can people outside get in touch with him? Someone must be there to guide him!" Li Yue's eyes suddenly became sharp.
After Cui Hong was released, the investigation into the truth about Shen Jong's assassination and Liu Qun's suicide was relaxed.
Now that the school affairs office is stirring up trouble in Youzhou, how can the Yan State not stir up trouble in Yecheng?
(End of chapter)
