The thing that worried Zhang Pu was Xiao Jian's attitude towards the Southern Expedition.

The conquest of Nanzhao was the first important military decision put forward by Zhang Pu after he re-entered the prime minister. The original purpose of the Southern Advance faction was only to oppose the Northern Expedition insisted on by the Northern Advance faction, and as for punishing the bureaucrats who had rebelled in the southwest and teaching the arrogant Southern Zhao State a lesson, it was not the key to decision-making. In a sense, the Southern Expedition was just a slogan. Even if it has the support and acquiescence of a large number of generals in the army led by Xiao Jian, it is still just a slogan. For a long time, except for the Ministry of War setting up a fictitious camp in Jiazhou and appointing Xiao Jian as the head of the Jiaxing camp, the imperial court never made any practical measures against the so-called "Southern Expedition". Speaking of which, perhaps few people believe that for more than a year, the Ministry of War did not formulate a specific strategy for the southern expedition, nor did it change the generals on the front line, nor did it gather troops in the southwestern states, nor did it even significantly increase the supply of grain and military supplies to the southwest; All this shows that neither the Nanjin faction nor the imperial court seriously considered fighting against the Nanzhao State. As for Xiao Jian, the head of the camp, he stayed in Jingshi, and except for repeatedly insisting that Shang Cheng, who was then the fake governor of Yanshan, be transferred to Jiazhou to serve as his deputy, he hardly did anything related to the Southern Expedition. In the eyes of outsiders, this is the old general's desire to promote Shang Cheng by valuing his juniors, but in the eyes of those who understand, this is actually a trick by him and Zhang Pu to jointly make a trick, the purpose is to prevent the southern expedition from being truly implemented. Shang Cheng governed Yan Shanwei quite smoothly, what did he do with him for no reason? Besides, if Shang Cheng is transferred out of Yanshan, who should be asked to fill that pit, and who can fill that pit? Therefore, whether it is Zhang Pu's southern expedition, or Xiao Jian's clamoring to find a deputy, or the strategy of the northbound faction, its essence is the same, it is a confrontation between the southern and northern factions for the decision-making power in the court. However, because Da Zhao had just experienced the defeat of the Northern Expedition in the 19th year of the Eastern Yuan Dynasty, the government and the opposition had quite a lot of complaints about the Northern Advance faction, so it seemed that Zhang Pu and the Southern Advance faction had a slight upper hand.

However, when Shang Cheng threw out a military strategy against the left wing of the Turks at the beginning of the winter of the previous year, and won an undefeated situation in the war last spring, Zhang Pu and his men had to seriously put the slogan of "Southern Expedition" into practice. Since last summer, the military department has been hoarding grain, grass and ordnance in the direction of Jiazhou, and more than a dozen brigades of the Liyuan battalion are gradually moving to Jiarongya Sanzhou, and Xiao Jian has also been ordered to plan the strategy of the southern expedition......

In Zhang Pu's opinion, with Xiao Jian's prestige, supplemented by Da Zhao's tens of thousands of heroes, it should be easy to deal with the small Nanzhao Kingdom. Xiao Jian also once said that there are 30,000 Liyuan forbidden troops and 20,000 southwest garrisons with a total of 50,000 horses, whether it is the rebellion of the bureaucrats or the trouble of Nanzhao, it must be determined in a moment. However, in less than two months from last year's lunar month to now, Xiao Jian has revised his strategy many times, and when he came back to the prime minister's office, he had to mention the difficulties of the southern expedition, either because he was worried that the grain and grass people would not be enough, or that the troops were insufficient, and then he was worried that the flank would be restrained and threatened by the Tubo people. Recently, he even brought up the old story again, asking Shang Cheng to be sent to him as a deputy. These can't help but teach Zhang Pu to worry about one thing: Is Xiao Jian cowardly before fighting?

To be honest, as the prime minister, Zhang Pu is not well-versed in military affairs. But he has also read some military books and knows the truth that "there is no way to win a war without the heart of victory". At present, Xiao Jian has already revealed the intention of cowardice and avoiding war, and the outcome of the southern expedition is difficult to predict. He can't afford not to pay attention to this issue! He didn't know what kind of considerations Xiao Jian wanted to transfer Shang Cheng to Jiazhou, but for the sake of the southern expedition, in order to maintain the court situation that he had managed to restrict, and also to maintain his personal prestige, he must let Xiao Jian go to the southern expedition without worry, and he must ensure that the southern expedition will be victorious! So he asked Zhen Qian to test Shang Cheng's tone. After Zhenxiang's temptation was fruitless, he personally went out again, trying to persuade Shang Cheng to change his mind. Who knew that Shang Cheng didn't save face for him as a right minister at all, and before he could open his mouth to get to the point, he refused outright!

Of course, this result is also normal. Although Shang Cheng is not a northward faction, he is also different from him after all, and it is reasonable for him to refuse to be the deputy head of the Jiazhou camp. Besides, Shang Cheng is now ordered to "raise" in Beijing, and with this premise, before the time when it is absolutely necessary, the prime minister's public office and the military department are reluctant to let him come out to do things in the face of himself. Even if Zhang Pu talked to him today, it was under the guise of moving him to invite himself to be the deputy head of the Jiazhou camp. Obviously, this is unlikely......

When Zhang Pu was thinking about how to continue the words, Shang Cheng did not speak. He didn't think about the Southern Expedition, but looked at the room.

This is the place where Zhang Pu handles daily official business, and it is only a room between the ears, so it cannot be called generous. On the east and west walls of the room are large bookshelves, on which are densely packed with bookcases and documents. A large table and two chairs in front of and behind the desk take up almost a third of the room. There was no brazier in the house, but it didn't feel cold at all, and it seemed that it was either burning the dragon or there was a heating wall. The large window on the north wall is slightly open to make the room less stuffy...... He found that although he and Zhang Pu were obviously two people, they still had a lot in common, such as the furnishings of Zhang Pu's office, which was exactly the same as his office in the Yanshan Health Department!

Zhang Pu refilled Shang Cheng's cup with some more tea soup, and continued the previous topic like a friend chatting about family life, and said: "General Xiao wants you to go to Jiazhou with you, what do you think?" "Since I can't think of a good excuse, I might as well just put the problem on the table.

Shang Cheng tapped the index finger of his left hand twice on the case, thanked Zhang Pu for pouring tea for him, and then said: "My body is not very good, headaches and eye diseases are still attacking from time to time, I can only live up to the kindness of General Xiao and the trust of Zhang Xiang and the deputy ministers." ”

"If you are appointed as the head of the Jiazhou camp to preside over all the matters of the southern expedition, is Zida willing to go to the southwest?" Zhang Pu asked bluntly.

If this was from someone else's mouth, Shang Cheng would definitely refuse immediately without thinking about it. But when Zhang Pu said this, the meaning was completely different, and he could not but treat it with caution. He held the teacup, lowered his eyelids and thought carefully for a long time, and then said solemnly: "I still can't go." ”

Zhang Pu keenly captures Shang Cheng saying "can't" rather than saying "don't want to". Although "can" and "think" are only one word, the meanings are completely different. He immediately asked, "What do you mean by 'can't'?" ”

Shang Cheng didn't speak for a long time. Why 'can't'? There are many aspects involved in this issue, and it is not easy to talk about it for a while. Of course, he was not worried about the contradiction between himself and Zhang Pu. The contradiction between him and Zhang Pu was the difference in the military strategic direction that they adhered to, which was official business, had nothing to do with personal relations, and had nothing to do with the disputes between the north and the south. One reason why he did not want to participate in the southern expedition was because he felt that Da Zhao's minority policy was wrong, so he provoked the bureaucrats in the southwest to revolt, and if he did not change the policies against the bureaucrats, there would be no way to cure the problem of the bureaucrats and the people, and it would be impossible to maintain stability in the southwest for a long time. Another reason is because he really didn't take Nanzhao seriously. Nanzhao is just a small country the size of a palm, political, economic, military, organizational, environmental, and transportation...... Wait, wait, there is no aspect that can be compared with Da Zhao, to clean up this kind of small feudal country that doesn't know the height of the sky, and still need Da Zhao to send Shangzhu State to command? Even sending a pillar country is a bit excessive. If you really want to dispatch two pillar states, it is not to clean up the Southern Zhao, but to coordinate the various garrisons in the southwest. The most critical reason is that he still doesn't know what Zhang Pu and Xiao Jian's purpose is to fight Nanzhao. Is it to compete with the Northerners? The problem is that after Dong Quan stepped down, now the Beijin faction in the court has gone to the root of the wall to lick their wounds, where do they need Zhang Pu to contend with them! Is it to establish the prestige of Da Zhao's great power? Just picking up an arrogant Nanzhao country, how much prestige can it show? If you really want to play majestic, then go and fight the Turquoise! Even if you fight Tibet, it is much better than conquering Nanzhao......

He couldn't help but ask, "Zhang Xiang, what is the Southern Expedition for?" ”

Zhang Pu was stunned for a moment, and said: "Nanzhao instigated the people in the southwest to make a rebellion, and occupied many prefectures and counties in my Zhao realm. ”

Shang Cheng smiled. This is an official article, and it makes sense everywhere, but there's no need to say it here, right? He asked again: "What is the specific purpose of our fight against Nanzhao?" When tens of thousands of troops are dispatched, there must always be a goal. Do you want to occupy the land of the Nanzhao Kingdom, or do you want to take their population captive, or do you want to empty their belongings? ”

Zhang Pu opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything. He had never seriously thought about it yet. Not only him, but also the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of War, Xiao Jian, and many generals who supported or acquiesced in the Southern Expedition, probably not many people have thought about this issue. He thought for a while and said, "At least we have to hit Dali, the capital of Nanzhao......

"And then?"

"Follow the old practice of the former Tang Dynasty and set up a local ...... in the prefecture"

Shang Cheng laughed silently. It's typical of where you think and where you go. A mature and sophisticated politician like Zhang Pu should not have made such a mistake, but he made such a mistake anyway, apparently because he had not seriously thought about the twist in advance. He dipped in the tea soup, and casually drew the southwest geographical map of Dazhao on the case, and the surrounding Tubo, Nanzhao, and Dayue all outlined a general outline, pointed to Nanzhao and said: "Judging from the map, compared to our Dazhao, Nanzhao is very small. However, the envoys who have always sent envoys to Nanzhao have reached as far as Dali, the capital of Nanzhao, so we don't know anything about the specific situation south of Dali. If the south of Dali is also the land of Nanzhao, then when we occupy Dali, there is Dayue in the east, Tubo in the west, and Nanzhao people in the south, and we will encounter enemies on three sides, and we will be in absolute passivity strategically! How is the imperial court prepared to deal with this situation? ”

Zhang Puke was not interested in discussing military issues with a general, so he asked directly: "Ying Bo thinks that in such a situation, what should the imperial court do?" ”

Shang Cheng looked at the clear tea soup in the cup, was silent for a while, and said, "The imperial court wants me to preside over the southern expedition, one by one!" He immediately added, "But I have one condition." If you don't fight in the south, you have to prepare for a big fight! He pointed to the rough drawings on the case. At present, the Jiazhou camp has nearly 60,000 soldiers and horses, distributed in the prefectures and counties of Liyajia Rongrong, aside from the 10,000 horses guarding the two states of Liya and Tubo, there are almost 50,000, which is enough to sweep Dali. Therefore, I have a preliminary idea one by one" He raised his head and looked at Zhang Pu, and said slowly word by word: "After occupying Dali one by one, the army will continue to force southward with one section, exert military pressure on Nanzhao, and the main force will go east, with the assistance of various garrisons in Guangnan, to destroy Dayue." He added two words "Zhenla" to the south of the Great Yue on the map. "If the imperial court can recruit enough sea ships, and the sailors on the southeast coast can help in the war, it is okay to destroy Zhenla. If this strategy can be implemented, then the problem in the southeast will be completely resolved. Without the barrier of Da Yue and Zhenla, even if there is still a bit of land and population in Nanzhao Kingdom, it will not be able to jump for a few days under our two attacks, and sooner or later it will be a fate of destruction. ”

Zhang Pu watched Shang Cheng erase Da Yue, Zhenla, and Nanzhao on the map one after another, and only said after a while: "It was Nanzhao who instigated the bureaucrats and people to make chaos in the front, and violated my border in the back, and it has nothing to do with Dayue Zhenla......

"I remember whether it was recorded in the "Historical Records" or the "Book of Han", that place didn't seem to be called Dayue or Zhenla earlier, whether it was called Nanyue or Xiangjun."

"Qin Zhixiang County ......"

Shang Cheng nodded and said with a smile: "Zhang Xiang still remembers clearly." Since you also said so, it seems that the places occupied by the two small countries of Da Viet and Chenla originally belonged to us. We were so busy with things at home that we couldn't get rid of our hands and feet, and the two good neighbors Da Yue and Zhenla came to borrow a place to live temporarily, which is nothing. But now our family is fine, and there is no extra place to place our brothers and sisters, so we have no choice but to let them move out again. ”

Where would Zhang Pu have thought that he was just persuading Shang Cheng to become the deputy head of the Jiazhou camp, but in the end, Shang Cheng came up with such a huge strategy for going south, and his brain was quickly planning all kinds of gains and losses, so he asked casually: "If they refuse to move, then how should they take measures?" ”

Shang Cheng laughed out loud and said, "If they refuse to move, then I have to help them move." I didn't expect them to want to move. If you refuse to move, it's the best, and you will all be killed and dragged to reclamation! "He's wearing a golden-winged scarf, he's wearing a red robe, that's what he does!

Zhang Pu didn't know what to say to this murderous general at all. The picture drawn by Shang Chengdan's command made him feel that he was one step closer to his ideal. But the stakes are very high, and he can't make a decision alone, so he has to say to Shang Cheng: "Can Uncle Ying first propose a strategy and let the court discuss it?" ”

There is certainly no problem with this. He asked Zhang Pu for pen and paper, and wrote a rough plan with just a few strokes. However, at the end of the strategy, he emphasized that the real implementation of this plan will take at least two years of preparation and two years of implementation, so he hopes that the imperial court can consider the whole situation according to the five-year war.

Because it was expected that the war would last too long and that the money and food would be consumed, the Prime Minister informed Shang Cheng a few days later that the general strategy for the entire three southern countries had not been approved......