Zuo You walked from the platform of Jinxiang Hall to the steps, and could not help but stop and look to the west. There were dark clouds in the sky, but the light was brightest in the cloud hanging to the west, where the sun was hiding. At this time, in addition to listening to the bells and drums on the tower, the most intuitive way to judge the time was to look at the height of the sun.
He walked out of the imperial city through the side passage of Xuande Gate. Just as he was about to get on his own carriage waiting on the Imperial Street, he saw Wang Pu's procession and stopped by the roadside. Sure enough, Wang Pu also got off the carriage. Officials all had their own pomp and circumstance, so it was easy to see them on the street.
Zuo You saluted across the Imperial Street, swaying and bowing. Wang Pu also returned the greeting beside the carriage.
After the formalities, Zuo Youcai and his servants crossed the Imperial Street to meet and greet Wang Pu.
At this time, Zuo You looked at a construction site on the east side of the south of the imperial city and pointed and said: That is the temple built with money from the inner treasury.
Wang Pu said calmly: "It's called Xuanren Merit Pavilion. All the civil and military officials who have made contributions to the country and the people in this dynasty have tablets set up in it after their death, and there are also portraits and records of their lifetime achievements engraved on the tablets, for future generations to worship and remember every year."
Zuo You said: I read the memorial before, and it seems that it was originally built for the purpose of burning paper to commemorate the fallen soldiers.
Exactly. Wang Pu said.
The two talked for a while, and suddenly fell silent at the same time. Zuo You was wondering whether his portrait would be hung in the palace, and whether he would become a respected official in the future. He guessed that Wang Pu was thinking the same thing.
After a moment, the two looked at each other, and Wang Pu said: It's getting late, I'll go first.
Zuo You blurted out: "Envoy Wang's home is also in the east, why don't we take a ride together?"
After hearing this, Wang Pu laughed and said: Since you have invited me, I would rather obey your command respectfully.
At this time, the focus of the Zhou Dynasty court was not to prevent the court officials from forming factions. What was even more serious was that the military generals were calling each other brothers, and there was no control over it. Civil officials did not care about who they had personal relationships with. So they rode in the same car without any hesitation.
Zuo You got on the carriage and asked in a low voice: "Does Wang Shijun also advocate using troops against Liao first?"
Wang Pu pondered for a long time and said: At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, after the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, the country was restored to health. After Emperor Wu of Han reduced the power of the feudal lords, he went to war with the Xiongnu.
Zuo You thought to himself, if the Great Zhou had been recuperating for two generations, what would we have to do with it
Wang Pu continued: But this time is different from the Han Dynasty. After the Warring States Period and the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty and the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the world was depressed and the population dropped sharply. It is said that Emperor Gaozu of Han couldn't find four horses of the same color when he wanted to find them; at that time, he couldn't have the strength to fight against the Huns.
The situation in the Great Zhou is much better than that in the early Han Dynasty. The area south of the Yangtze River in Shu has been recuperating for decades and is almost undamaged. The Central Plains advocates martial arts and has sufficient soldiers. At this time, the granaries are full of food and fodder, and the imperial guards are strong and powerful. We have the strength to continue the war.
In addition, the Liao Kingdom is now in civil strife and is relatively loose internally, so now is the perfect time; but their strength is intact, and as long as a strong leader emerges, they can quickly restore their offensive power. So I advocated a few years ago that it should not be too late to go to war with the Liao Kingdom.
It really can’t be too late. Zuo You fully agrees.
Wang Pu said: From the previous emperor to the present emperor, there has been a period of turmoil within the Great Zhou, which is a more euphemistic way of putting it. My original opinion was that we still need to stabilize the country and make plans for a long-term war with the Liao Kingdom after we are fully prepared.
However, the battle of Jinyang surprised Wang Pu and changed his view. If they could quickly capture Youzhou and recover Hebei first, the situation would be very good.
Zuo You was not very proficient in military affairs; Wang Pu, although a civil servant, had served in the Privy Council for a long time and was very familiar with military strategies. Zuo You asked: If we can capture Youzhou, can we recover Hebei
Wang Pu said: Of course, at least the chances of winning are very high. Youzhou City is a major city, dominating Hebei. There is no other such a strong city south of Yanshan Mountain. If we occupy this city, we will have something to rely on.
Zuo You did not quite understand this general statement.
Wang Pu seemed to see that Zuo You was not a man who could understand military affairs at once, so he took a breath and said in a deep voice: "The situation is like this. Judging from the many battles with the Liao army over the years, the Great Zhou army is now stronger than before. The Zhou army is not afraid of the Liao army in the field, otherwise there would be no point in attacking; staying in the city and fighting with others, how can we talk about attacking?"
However, after the main force of the Liao army moved south, they had more cavalry and were more mobile; they could not possibly fight us in one battle. As long as the Liao army commander knew how to fight, he would definitely keep trying to find opportunities. Even if he lost ten times, he could repel the Zhou army's attack as long as he won once, and even defeat the main force of the Zhou army's infantry; and even if the Zhou army won ten times, it could not completely destroy the Liao army's reinforcements, and would not dare to besiege the city under the threat of the Liao army unless its military strength far exceeded that of the Liao army, so it would dare to besiege the city while fighting a decisive battle with the Liao army's reinforcements; otherwise, it would be defeated faster from both inside and outside.
But things would be different once the Great Zhou took control of Youzhou City.
The infantry defended the city, while the cavalry moved inside and outside the city. If the Liao army first attacked the cavalry outside the city, the cavalry would move closer to the city, and the infantry and cavalry would cooperate to fight against them; if the Liao army dared to attack the city, the infantry would stand in formation with their backs to the city, and the cavalry would threaten the Liao army's flanks at any time.
The timing was not favorable, so the Zhou army retreated to the city and waited for an opportunity to fight. The Liao army had no chance to capture Youzhou City, and a large number of cavalry went out to fight. As time went on, the loss was greater than that of our dynasty.
Zuo You pondered for a long time and asked again: Is there enough food and grass in Youzhou
Wang Pu said: Liao has been managing Youzhou for a long time, and there are a lot of grain 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 they send more food temporarily, it will be in time. The Liao army is not strong enough to besiege the city, how to prevent the Zhou from transporting grain from the country
Zuo You said: The cavalry attacked the grain route.
Wang Pu frowned and glanced at Zuo You: If Youzhou is in our hands and has strong offensive capabilities, the main force of the Liao army must be stationed in the north, otherwise how will their food supply and retreat be handled
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 outside, they will not be able to stop our supply. Harassment is inevitable. There will be heavy losses in delivering food on the battlefield. The Great Zhou army also has cavalry looking for opportunities to counterattack, so the Liao army's harassment is also risky.
After hearing this, Zuo You heaved a long sigh and bowed, saying: “I have no intention of arguing with Envoy Wang, but we are planning for you, and I dare not know only half of the facts.”
Wang Pu said calmly: I understand.
Zuo You deliberately breathed a sigh of relief and said: The emperor is good at fighting, and perhaps the situation on the battlefield is better than our planning.
Wang Pudao: That's right. When we were debating the war, we didn't weigh the rulers of the two countries. The Emperor of Zhou was wiser than the ruler of Liao. The battlefield was changing rapidly, and it ultimately depended on the hearts of the superiors and subordinates.
He pondered for a moment and said: "I have considered many factors before changing my mind. The most important reason is that even if the Northern Expedition fails, with your majesty's wisdom, the situation will not be too bad; the current situation of the Liao Kingdom still cannot do anything to us."
Wang Pu was more enlightened after hearing this. At this time, the whole court trusted the emperor very much, because if the emperor prepared according to experience, he would not be defeated. With everyone working together, there was no reason why he could not win.