In the study of Jin Xiangdian, Zuo You knelt on the ground, holding a scroll in both hands. Wang Zhong, the eunuch on duty, 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 well-proportioned and fine drawings gradually appeared in front of him, Guo Shao's eyes lit up, and he first saw a circle with "Youzhou" written next to it. Waiting for the picture to be fully unfolded, the title "Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun" is written from right to left, and there are also the names of the people who drew the picture on the right, Wang Pu, Zuo You, and Zan Jurun.

Even the scale bar is marked at the bottom right. Because Guo Shao drew his drawings like this, the people around him learned to make maps in this way according to the emperor's habits.

This map is better than Guo Shao's own drawing, and the civil officials are stronger than Guo Shao in terms of topographical records and Danqing's skills. Guo Shao almost forgot Zuo You's existence for a while, carefully admiring every line on the drawing, his rough fingers with short nails caressing along the road on the drawing, and his eyes became extra focused.

The sixteen states of Youzhou, this piece of land that has been lost for decades, and the place names that have been appearing in the history of the Qing Dynasty are right in front of you. Guo Shao seems to see the expansion of his own territory from the map. An inexplicable ambition in my heart was ignited by this delicate thing.

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

Guo Shao raised his head and asked, "Why are you offering pictures?" ”

Zuo You cautiously bowed: "Your Majesty may be able to use it, and the ministers will share your Majesty's worries." ”

Guo Shao pondered for a moment, his eyes swept over the name on the right side of the picture, and he turned back to Wang Zhong and said, "Send someone to deliver the decree and summon Wang Pu...... There are also Wei Renpu and Zan Jurun to meet. ”

Wang Zhong bowed down and said: "The slave and maid obey the order, and do it immediately." ”

Zuo Yu bowed back and waited outside first.

While Guo Shao waited, he paced in front of the window for a while, then sat on a chair and looked through the file placed on it. Some records of various aspects of the Liao State...... The emperor of Liao is Yelujing, Guo Shao doesn't know this person very well, Yelujing lives in Shangjing, thousands of miles away, and is originally a very distant person. According to the things collected by the Privy Council, Yelujing's reputation is not very good, cruelty, alcoholism, and snooze, and the current internal turmoil in the Liao State is not good, and there are also reasons why the "faint king" is in power.

However, Guo Shao doesn't look at Yelujing's reputation, he only looks at what this person has done and the past of Liao. Guo Shao felt that the responsibility for the current situation of the Liao State was not the lord of the Liao State, and it was indeed caused by the old hatred and old grudges.

If Yelujing can establish great merit and prestige, his situation is not unchangeable.

Guo Shao felt that his situation was somewhat similar to that of this enemy for a while...... No matter how Guo Shao and his supporters exculpate, they have changed the essence of usurping the country, either forcibly guarding against it, or re-establishing his position with great merit and might, otherwise his position of power will not be so secure.

He only now understands that the emperors' state of mind is not so down-to-earth, even if they continue to preach the divine authority of the monarch, loyalty, filial piety, humility, etc., they are always afraid of being pulled down from the throne!

If we are in a hurry to guard against the internal checks and balances of military generals, it is inevitable that the force will be weakened. At this time, the country is open, from Hebei to the Central Plains, Pingchuan, has been threatened for a long time, and this emperor will not be too down-to-earth; Sitting in this position, how can you 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 **.

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

Guo Shao asked straight to the point: "Do you think that with the strength of the current Great Zhou, there is a chance of victory over the Liao State?" ”

He didn't say that he would capture the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, because that territory was equally important to the Liao State; As soon as you attack Youzhou, it is equivalent to a full-scale war with Liao, which is basically the consensus of the courtiers of the Great Zhou.

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

Guo Shao said: "The meaning of the king's words, it is not appropriate to go to war?" ”

Because of a war with little chance of winning, the best option is not to fight; If there is a choice. This is the principle of the use of troops in ancient and modern times, and war is originally aimed at achieving a certain goal.

However, Wang Pu said: "The intention of the imperial court is only to recover the sixteen states of Youyun, not to divide the high and low with the Liao army." Lao Chen has repeatedly deduced that as long as he can quickly capture Youzhou City, he will have a great chance of winning. ”

Wei Renpu bowed and said: "The minister and the king have discussed the strategy, and there is a feasible strategy: first enter Youzhou at the speed of God; If the city can be captured as soon as possible, as soon as the Liao reinforcements arrive, the Zhou army will have a large number of elite infantry relying on Youzhou City, and the decisive battle will be fought. It was difficult for the Liao army to defeat the main force of the Great Zhou head-on, let alone recapture Youzhou City. As long as such a situation is reached, Da Zhou will be able to occupy the land of Youzhou. The key is whether you are sure to capture Youzhou City. ”

Wei Renpu muttered: "Youzhou is a majestic city, which has been 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 the attack has been overcome. The Great Zhou army was well-armoured, but now it is not the same; The Liao State has been riding on the head of the Central Plains for many years, and it is time for our country to compete with them! ”

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

Wang Pu said: "Raiding Youzhou is a trick, and the old minister agrees to try this strategy, as Vice Envoy Wei said, just because His Majesty has captured Xiongcheng many times...... If the old minister considers this major event, after the war with the Liao State, it will be the national strength. The Great Zhou can be thick with the national strength and population, with the Liao State to consume. If a major power goes to war, of course, both sides will lose. ”

He arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty asked the timing, and the minister thought that the time had come, but it had not yet come. ”

Guo Shao looked at Wang Pu quietly and asked casually, "How do you say this?" ”

Wang Pudao: "At this time, the Great Zhou annexed the countries, the national strength increased greatly, and there were almost no worries in the rear; The Liao government was dark and the civil strife was still not over, which was a favorable time for the Great Zhou to start a war.

The minister also said that the time had not yet come, because he was worried about the variables after falling into the war. As the minister considered, the war with the Liao State may be a long-term war of attrition, at this time, the Great Zhou is slightly settled, once there is no progress, and a large amount of national strength is consumed, the situation may not be good...... However, it would be best if you could do it quickly. ”

Guo Shaodao: "Now that Da Zhou is on the offensive, let's fight if we want, and stop if we want." If the Liao army dared to attack, after the withdrawal of the first emperor's Northern Expedition, it was a time of turmoil in the imperial court, and the Liao army had a better chance at that time. ”

Wei Renpu praised: "The Great Zhou Dynasty established the country by force, how could he have been afraid of war, His Majesty is the Ming Lord after the first emperor, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were lost in the (later) Jin Dynasty, and they should be restored to China (the dynasty established in the Central Plains) from the hands of His Majesty." ”