Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

Zuo You walked from the base of Jinxiang Hall to the steps, and couldn't help but stop slightly and look towards the west. There were dark clouds in the sky, but the one on the west was the brightest, and the sun was hidden in it. At this time, apart from listening to the bells and drums on the tower, the most intuitive way to judge the time is to look at the height of the sun.

He walked out of the imperial city from the side passage of Xuande Gate on foot, and was about to get into his carriage waiting on the imperial street, but saw Wang Pu's guard of honor, so he stopped and stood by the roadside. Sure enough, Wang Pu also got off the carriage. Officials have their own ostentation, so they are easy to see on the street.

Zuo You bowed to the opposite side across the imperial street. Wang Pu also returned the gift beside the carriage.

After the etiquette, Zuo You walked through the Imperial Street with his servants to meet Wang Pu.

At this time, Zuo You looked at a construction site on the east side of the southern part of the imperial city, pointed and said, "Is that the temple built with money from the inner treasury?"

Wang Pu said calmly: "It's called the Xuanren Gongde Pavilion. All the civil and military personnel who have made great contributions to the country and the people in this dynasty will have memorial tablets after death, and there will be portraits and monuments recorded in their lives for future generations to worship and cherish every year."

Zuo You said: "Before the lower officials read the memorial, it seems that it was originally built to burn paper sacrifices for the fallen soldiers."

"Exactly." Wang Pu said.

The two talked for a while, and suddenly fell silent at the same time. What Zuo You wondered was whether his portrait would be hung in it, and whether he would become a respected official in later generations... I guess Wang Pu was thinking the same.

After a while, the two looked at each other, and Wang Pu said, "It's getting late, I'll go ahead first."

Zuo You blurted out: "Wang Shijun's house is also to the east, why don't you take a car together for a while?"

After hearing this, Wang Pu laughed and said, "Since I invite you, I'd rather be respectful than obedient."

At this time, the focus of the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not to guard against courtiers forming cliques. The more serious military generals called brothers and brothers, and there was no control, and the civil servants didn't care who they had personal relationships with. So they ride in the same car without any hesitation.

Zuo You got into the car and asked in a low voice, "Wang Shijun also advocates using troops against Liao first?"

Wang Pu pondered for a long time, and said: "At the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, after the rule of Wenjing, he recuperated and recuperated. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty cut down the vassals, he went to war with the Xiongnu..."

After hearing this, Zuo You thought to himself, if Da Zhou had recuperated for two generations, what would happen to us?

Wang Pu continued: "But this time is different from the Han Dynasty. After the Warring States period in the early Han Dynasty, the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty, and the melee at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the world was depressed and the population dropped sharply. It is said that Han Gaozu couldn't find four horses of the same color; at that time, it was impossible to have the strength to fight against the Xiongnu.

The situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty was much better than that in the early Han Dynasty. In Shu and the south of the Yangtze River, there were decades of cultivation and recuperation, and there was little damage. The Central Plains still had sufficient soldiers.

In addition, the Liao Kingdom is currently in civil strife and the interior is relatively loose. The timing is excellent at this time; but their strength is not damaged, and as long as a strong leader appears, they can quickly restore their offensive power. Therefore, the old man advocated a few years ago that at least it should not be too late to start a war with Liao. "

"It really can't be too late." Zuo You fully agreed.

Wang Pudao: "From the first emperor to the present, there has been a wave of turmoil within the Great Zhou (to put it mildly), the original idea of ​​the old man is that the country still needs to be stabilized, and the plan for a long-term war with the Liao Kingdom should be made after sufficient preparations.

However, Wang Pu was surprised by the Battle of Jinyang, but he changed his view on this. If you can quickly capture Youzhou and recover Hebei first, the situation will be great. "

Zuo You was not very proficient in military affairs; while Wang Pu was a civil servant, but he had served in the Privy Council for a long time, so he was very familiar with military strategies. Zuo You asked: "If you can capture Youzhou, can you recover Hebei?"

Wang Pudao: "Of course, at least the chances of winning are great. Youzhou City is an important city, dominating Hebei, and there is no such thick city in the south of Yanshan Mountain. If you occupy this city, you will have support."

Zuo You couldn't think clearly about this general statement.

Wang Pu also seemed to see that Zuo You was not an expert in military affairs, so he took a breath and said in a deep voice, "The situation is like this. From the many confrontations with the Liao army over the years... (The Zhou army is stronger than before), the Zhou army is not afraid of the Liao army in the field, otherwise there is nothing to attack; staying in the city and fighting against others, how can we talk about attacking?

However, after the main force of the Liao army went south, there were more cavalry soldiers and stronger maneuverability; it was impossible for them to fight us and win the battle. As long as the general of the Liao army knows how to fight, he will definitely continue to try to find opportunities. Even if he loses ten times, he can repel the attack of the Zhou army as long as he wins once, and even gather and defeat the main force of the Zhou army's infantry.

But once Dazhou occupied Youzhou City, it would be different.

The infantry defended the city, and the cavalry moved inside and outside the city. If the Liao army attacked the cavalry outside the city first, the cavalry would move closer to the city, and the infantry and cavalry would fight against it in coordination;

The timing was unfavorable, and the Zhou army retreated to the city and waited for a fighter. The Liao army had no chance to pull out Youzhou City, and a large number of horsemen went out. As time went on, the waste was greater than that of our dynasty. "

Zuo You pondered for a long time, and then asked: "Is there enough food and grass in Youzhou?"

Wang Pudao: "The Liao Kingdom has been managing Youzhou, and there is a large amount of food stored inside and outside, not to mention the food on the battlefield, and the food and grass gathered after the army attacked the city in the early stage; even if it is temporarily sent to the city, there is still time. The Liao army is not strong enough to besiege the city. How can we prevent Da Zhou from transporting food from the country?"

Zuo You said: "The cavalry attacked the grain road."

Wang Pu frowned, and glanced at Zuo You: "If Youzhou is in our hands and has a strong offensive force, the main force of the Liao army must be stationed in the north, otherwise what will happen to their food roads and rear?

There are thousands of miles of plains in Hebei. Unless the Liao army can completely cut off the traffic in the south of Youzhou and encircle Youzhou from the periphery, it will not be able to stop our supplies; raids are inevitable, and there will be a lot of losses in the field of food delivery. The Zhou army also has cavalry. "

After hearing this, Zuo You breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "I don't intend to argue with the king's envoy, but the ministers are planning for the king, so I don't dare to know half of it."

Wang Pu said calmly: "I understand."

Zuo You deliberately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's a good fight today, maybe the situation on the battlefield is better planned than ours."

Wang Pudao: "Exactly, when we debated, we didn't weigh the masters of the two countries. The Emperor of Great Zhou was wiser than the Lord of Liao... The battlefield is changing rapidly, and ultimately it depends on the hearts of the superiors."

He pondered for a moment and then said: "The old man changed his opinion, and there are many trade-offs. The most important reason is that even if the Northern Expedition fails, according to His Majesty, the situation will not be too bad; the current situation of the Liao Kingdom still cannot do anything to us."

After hearing this, Wang Pu became more and more enlightened. At this time, the entire court trusted the emperor, because the emperor would not be defeated if he prepared for the battle according to experience.

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