Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

In the study room of Jinxiang Palace, Zuo You knelt on the ground, holding a roll of things in both hands. The eunuch on duty, Wang Zhong, stepped forward and carefully took it away, and put it on the table in front of Guo Shao.

"Zuo Shaoqing get up." Guo Shao glanced at him, stretched out his hand and gradually unfolded the picture on the table.

A pair of blueprints with well-proportioned and fine lines gradually appeared in front of his eyes. Guo Shao's eyes lit up, and he saw "Youzhou" written next to a circle. When the picture is fully unfolded, the title "Picture of Sixteen States of Youyun" is written from right to left on the top, and the names of the painters on the right are Wang Pu, Zuo You, and Zan Jurun.

There is even a scale bar on the lower right. Because Guo Shao always draws maps in this way, and the people around him learned to make maps in this way according to the emperor's habit.

This picture is better than Guo Shao himself, and the civil servants are better than Guo Shao no matter whether they consult topographical records or Danqing skills. Guo Shao almost forgot the existence of Zuo You for a while, carefully admiring every line on the drawing, his rough fingers with short nails trimmed along the road on the drawing, and his eyes became extra focused.

The sixteen prefectures of Youzhou, this land that has been lost for decades, and the place names that have always appeared in the history of Qing Dynasty, are right in front of us. From the picture, Guo Shao seemed to see the expansion of his territory. An inexplicable ambition in my heart was ignited by this fine thing.

It is not only a territory, but also the prestige of a generation of emperors, and the cornerstone of the national defense.

Guo Shao raised his head and asked, "Why do you offer the pictures?"

Zuo You bowed cautiously: "Your Majesty may need it, and I will share your worries with you."

Guo Shao pondered for a moment, glanced at the name on the right side of the picture, turned to Wang Zhong and said, "Send someone to pass the decree, summon Wang Pu... and Wei Renpu, Zan Jurun to meet."

Wang Zhong bowed and said: "The servant obeys the order and will do it immediately."

Zuo You retreated and waited outside first.

While Guo Shao was waiting, he walked around the window for a while, then sat on the chair again, flipping through the files on it. Some records about various aspects of the Liao Kingdom... The emperor of the Liao Kingdom was Yelujing, Guo Shao didn't know much about him, and Yelujing lived in Shangjing thousands of miles away, so he was originally a very distant person. According to the things collected by the Privy Council, Yelujing's reputation is not very good. He is cruel, addicted to alcohol, and sleepy.

But Guo Shao didn't look at Yelvjing's reputation, he only looked at this person's actions and the past events of the Liao Kingdom. Guo Shao felt that the responsibility for the current situation of the Liao Kingdom did not lie with the Liao ruler, but was indeed caused by old enmity.

If Yelvjing can establish great achievements and prestige, the situation is not impossible to change.

For a moment, Guo Shao felt that his situation was somewhat similar to this enemy... No matter how Guo Shao and his supporters excused, they changed the nature of usurping the country. They had to forcibly prevent it, or re-establish their position with great achievements, otherwise his position would not be so secure.

He now understands that the state of mind of the emperors is not so steady. Even if they keep preaching about the divine right of the king, loyalty, filial piety, respect and inferiority, etc., they are always afraid of being pulled down from the throne!

If you rush to prevent the internal checks and balances of the generals, it is inevitable that the force will be weakened. At this time, the gates of the country are wide open, from Hebei to the Central Plains, and being threatened for a long time, this emperor will not be too steadfast; sitting in this position, how can he not be responsible for the world?

Guo Shao looked at the scene outside the window for a long time, the flat brick floor, the magnificent building, very solemn.

At this time, Wang Pu and the others had already been brought into the study, they were already working in the imperial city. The four of them kowtowed together, Guo Shao came back to his senses, asked them to get up, and gave them a seat and a screen to retreat to the left and right.

Guo Shao asked straight to the point: "Do you think that with the current strength of the Great Zhou, is there any chance of defeating the Liao Kingdom?"

He did not mention capturing the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, because that territory was equally important to the Liao Kingdom; attacking Youzhou would be equivalent to a full-scale war with the Liao Kingdom, which was basically the consensus of the courtiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Several people looked sideways at Wang Pu, and Wang Pu said solemnly: "Whether we can defeat the main force of the Liao army is really hard to say..."

Guo Shao said casually, "What does Wang Shijun imply, that it is not appropriate to start a war?"

Because in a war with little chance of winning, the best choice is not to fight; if there is a choice. This is the principle of the use of troops in ancient and modern times. War is originally to achieve a certain purpose.

However, Wang Pu said: "The imperial court's intention is to recover the sixteen prefectures of Youyun, not to compete with the Liao army. The veterans have repeatedly deduced that as long as the city of Youzhou can be captured quickly, there is a great chance of winning."

Wei Renpu said: "The minister and the envoy Wang have discussed the strategy, and there is a feasible strategy: first advance to Youzhou at super fast speed; if you can capture the city as soon as possible, when the reinforcements from the Liao army arrive and the Zhou army has a large number of elite infantry relying on Youzhou City, you can fight decisively. It is very difficult for the Liao army to defeat the main force of the Great Zhou, let alone take back Youzhou City. As long as this situation is achieved, the Great Zhou will be able to occupy Youzhou. The key is whether you can capture Youzhou City with confidence."

Wei Renpu pondered and said: "Youzhou is a mighty city, easy to defend and difficult to attack since ancient times. But your majesty can take Jinyang in half a month..."

Zan Jurun looked respectful: "Your Majesty has led the army to attack all times, and all the attacks have been invincible. The Zhou army has excellent armor and weapons, and now it is different; the Liao Kingdom has been riding on the head of the Central Plains for many years. It is time for our country to compete with them!"

"How many of you feel that the time for the Northern Expedition has come?" Guo Shao asked cautiously.

Wang Pudao: "Assaulting Youzhou is a trick. The veteran agrees to try this strategy. It is just as Wei Fushi said, because His Majesty has captured Xiongcheng many times... If the veteran considers this important matter, after the war with the Liao Kingdom, it will be a national strength. Great Zhou can have a large national power and population to consume with the Liao Kingdom. Of course, if a big country goes to war, both parties will lose."

He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty asked about the time, but I thought the time had come, but it hasn't."

Guo Shao looked at Wang Pu calmly, and asked casually, "How do you say that?"

Wang Pu said: "At this time, the Great Zhou annexed other countries, greatly increasing its national strength, and there was little to worry about in the rear; however, the Liao Kingdom's government was dark and the internal strife had not yet ended, so it was a favorable time for the Great Zhou to go to war.

The minister also said that the time has not come, because he is worried about the variables after falling into the war. Just as I thought, the war with Liao might be a long-term war of attrition. At this time, the country of Great Zhou is a little settled. If there is no progress and a large amount of national power is consumed, the situation may not be good... However, it would be best if the battle can be resolved quickly. "

Guo Shaodao: "The Great Zhou is now on the offensive. We can fight whenever we want, and we can stop when we want. If the Liao army dares to attack, the chances of the Liao army would be better then when the emperor withdrew from the Northern Expedition and the court was in turmoil."

Wei Renpu praised: "Great Zhou established the country by force. Never feared war. Your Majesty is the Ming Lord after the late emperor. The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were lost in the (later) Jin Dynasty. They should return to China (the dynasty that established the country in the Central Plains) by Your Majesty."