"Coupled with the battle in the first year of Qianyou, the Shu army directly lost more than 50,000 soldiers in the hands of our dynasty. Even for Meng Shu, who has accumulated more than 20 years, it hurts his muscles and bones. This battle in the southwest lasted for half a year, and the large amount of money and food, military strength, and civilian power consumed by Meng Shu was three times that of our army. Wei Renpu said:

"As Your Majesty said, the two Beikou passes, both ended in the loss of troops, and then, it will be difficult for Meng Shu to look north, but will worry that our army will take advantage of the big victory to send troops to seize Shu!"

"Come to Beijing to report to the army, in addition to the battle situation, there are also Fengxiang generals, jointly on the table, hoping to send troops south, capture the four states of Qin and Feng, and completely send the Shu army to the south of Qinling!" Guo Rong followed Wei Renpu's words and said.

Liu Chengyou opened the letter of invitation and browsed it, his eyes fell on the string of signatures, led by Zhao Hui and Yao Yuanfu, who were basically generals and colonels of Guanzhong, and smiled lightly: "The military heart is available, and the generals of Fengxiang can't wait to make contributions to the country!" ”

"What do you think?" Liu Chengyou asked Wei Renpu and Guo Rong.

Guo Rong said: "Qinfeng Prefecture, in my court, is a key border defense area, trapped in the Shu State, its two northward exits, both easily into Weishui, directly threatening Guanzhong, a few stabbing hearts. If it weren't for the service of our Han soldiers, the Shu generals would be dull in their troops, even if it was difficult for them to break through Fengxiang, they would also cause major damage to our Weinan land.

Although it is unlikely that the Shu army will go on another northern expedition after that, the strategic places will not be able to manipulate the opponent and be constrained by its threats from time to time. His Majesty's wisdom has long known this.

In the opinion of the minister, it may be possible to let the Fengxiang army and horses rest for a while, and the Chen Shu army will be defeated and try to attack! ”

Liu Chengyou nodded and surrendered his gaze to Wei Renpu. Wei Renpu was still as humble as usual, and did not rush to answer, but pondered for a while, and then said calmly: "Your Majesty, the previous instructions given by the imperial court to the southwestern armies were to guard the Shu army, consume its national strength, and exhaust its army and people. Whether it was Fengxiang or the imperial court, they were actually not ready to march to recapture the four states.

Your Majesty said that you will not fight an unprepared battle! The front-line generals asked for their lives, and they all fought in Donghe Village, severely damaged the Shu army, and gave birth to the heart of meritorious service. With the situation at this time, if you send troops, you should have some gains, but if you can recover the four states and seize the land of Hanzhong, it is an unpredictable thing.

Therefore, in the opinion of the ministers, temporarily eliminate the heart of the attack, rectify the southwest military equipment, collect grain and weapons, seek another good opportunity to destroy Shu, and try to win all the merits in one battle! ”

Liu Chengyou didn't speak, but Guo Rong said: "The opportunity was originally made, and the victory of Donghe Village was unexpected." When the opportunity appears, it should be broken by the situation and move with the trend. If you don't take advantage of the new defeat of the Shu army and the turmoil in the hearts of the people, you will miss the opportunity.

Rectifying the soldiers and horses and hoarding grain and grass is a safe policy, but on the other hand, when our army is fully prepared, it also gives the Shu army a chance to recover. At that time, what price will our army have to pay to capture the four states.

At present, the war in Huainan has ended in March, the forbidden army of the two divisions has been rested, and the summer grain in various places is also being harvested and put into storage. Soldiers, horses, money, food, and equipment can all be continuously transported to Guanzhong.

As long as Your Majesty makes up your mind, the four states of Qin and Feng can fight! ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Rong stepped forward and lowered his hand, waiting for Liu Chengyou to make a decision.

For the difference of opinion between the two, Liu Chengyou is not surprising, just because of his personality, Guo Rong is a very decisive person, and he is good at seizing opportunities and resolutely promoting implementation.

Of course, Guo Rong's opinions are often substantial, and there is never any waste. However, at this time, Liu Chengyou's mind did not seem to be on whether to send troops or not, but looked at Guo Rong and Wei Renpu with interest.

The Privy Council and the Ministry of War stand side by side, sharing the power of military and political affairs, and there is not only cooperation between the two governments, but also contradictions and conflicts. Especially after Guo Rong served as the deputy privy envoy, with his strength, the friction between the ministers has obviously increased a lot.

Guo Rong was serious, Wei Renpu was tranquil, and after observing the two for a while, Liu Chengyou withdrew his gaze, thought seriously for a while, and said: "Erqing's words are all reasonable, just a matter of urgency!" ”

"Your Majesty." Wei Renpu admonished again, and said unhurriedly: "In the matter of military disputes, it is never only about sending troops to fight. Although the Tokyo Forbidden Army had rested, the Central Plains Li Shu did not recover so quickly due to the fatigue of the war. Moreover, in the past few months, the aftermath of Huainan, the rewards of the soldiers, and the Fengxiang soldiers have all consumed a lot of money and taxes in the imperial court.

In addition, in the past few months, the imperial court has been constantly moving, the Hedong has been restructured, and the border army has been reorganized, all of which need time to consolidate the results. Guanzhong's financial clean-up is only now on the right track.

Therefore, the minister thought that rashly starting another big war and capturing Qin Feng would do more harm than good to the imperial court, even if it could grit its teeth and support it.

Of course, Guo Shumi's consideration is indeed reasonable. But the minister still suggested that His Majesty should stop the army for the time being, sort out military and political affairs, and then plan for Qin and Feng later. It's not too much, it only takes half a load, and it's not too late! ”

The fingers gently tapped on the imperial case, which was Liu Chengyou's habitual action when considering decision-making, and one by one, it fell on the ears of the two ministers in the palace. Rush and slow attack, each with its own pros and cons, the trade-off seems to be a little difficult for Liu Chengyou, which makes him hesitate.

Regarding the military and political situation of the Han Dynasty, Liu Chengyou is not clear in his heart. It's just that maybe he didn't realize it himself, since the attack on Huainan, his mood to dominate the world has become more and more impatient. I can't take Jinghu Lake in the month, destroy Shu in half a year, calm the Tang Dynasty in one year, and annex the world in two years......

He has found a good opportunity and has the possibility of implementation, so he is willing to try. In fact, to a certain extent, Liu Chengyou's temperament is somewhat similar to Guo Rong, but he is more restrained than Guo Rong.

"Plus!" Seeing that the emperor seemed to be a little difficult to decide, Wei Renpu got up and said calmly again: "The minister thinks that there is still room for feasibility in the previous 'tired strategy'.

If Your Majesty wants to calm Shu, he will not suffer from his military horses, but only worry about his mountains and rivers. Regardless of going south to the west, thousands of miles of road, there are many checkpoints, which can be described as one step at a time. ”

Hearing Wei Renpu say this, Liu Chengyou's interest was suddenly aroused, and he looked at him: "Go on!" ”

"Feng Xiang reorganized the army, he might as well make a big show and make a gesture to capture Qin Feng, but he didn't trigger it, so that the Lord of Shu increased his troops to Qin Feng. If you move troops on a different day, you can also slow down the attack on Xu Tu! ”

Wei Renpu said it succinctly, but with Liu Chengyou's shrewdness, he immediately understood what he meant. The military strength of Hou Shu, regardless of its combat strength, in terms of numbers, must not be underestimated, after all, it is supported by the heritage of millions of people, even if there are many losses before and after, and it is not a big problem to arm 200,000 soldiers again.

If it is to attack Shu, relying on its national strength and military strength, it is by no means easy for the Han to defend according to the danger. According to Wei Renpu's strategy, using the four states of Qin and Feng as bait, lured out the main force of the Shu army, fought a decisive battle in Qin Feng, and annihilated its military strength outside Sichuan and Shu. Then, if you break through Shu, the difficulty will definitely be reduced.

And to play such a big game of chess, the Han side should really be in a hurry, and must be fully prepared in all aspects, just like the Tang Dynasty.

As for whether Houshu will be on the set and "obediently" transfer the main force, Liu Chengyou believes that there is a possibility of operation. Unless Meng Chang is willing to give up Qinfeng Sizhou directly, this possibility is not very large.

"Guo Qing thinks, what?" His brows furrowed, and Liu Chengyou looked at Guo Rong.

Hearing this, Guo Rong directly responded: "Wei Xiang is planning the overall situation, and his vision is far-reaching, I might as well too!" ”

Guo Rong has already expressed his attitude when he says this, obviously, compared to taking the four states of Qin and Feng alone, he is also more in favor of a big plan.

"As Wei Qing said, put aside the march for the time being, and send an order to Feng Xiang!" Liu Chengyou made a direct decision.

"Yes!" Guo Rong responded.

"In addition, this time the three princes of Yushu, Zhao, Yao, and Shi have worked hard and made great achievements, and they will summon the three to Beijing, and I will personally meet and reward them!" After thinking about it, Liu Chengyou instructed again: "Before the army, Xiang Xun will be the southwest capital supervisor, lead the military horses of all roads, train the soldiers, and prepare for the destruction of Shu!" ”

Liu Chengyou's edict is another bird with one stone.