In the evening of the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Guo Shao felt very bored listening to Guo Zhang's memorization of the articles he had just learned, so he asked him to rest. Only Guo Zhang's mother, Li Yuan'er, was left by Guo Shao's side.

"The right way is that the tiger father has no dog son, and our youngest Guogong (Li Jilong) has good qualifications. I heard Dong Zunzhi say after the banquet that Li Jilong's march was very fast and orderly, which was very rare for a son of this age. Guo Shao said in a casual tone.

Li Yuan'er said: "There are too many qualified young people in the world, and it is not for His Majesty's grace and trust that he has the opportunity to serve the country." ”

Li Yuan'er's more round and delicate face had a deferential expression, with a slight smile in the softness. But the most difficult thing in this world to penetrate and force is people's hearts, and Guo Shao can't guess that there is a bit of sincerity in that smile.

Guo Shao couldn't help but sigh, remembering Li Yuan'er's sincerity back then, he reached out to hold Li Yuan'er's little hand, looked apologetic, and said: "Li Gong's death, I am also very sad. ”

Li Yuan'er almost burst into tears for a moment, but after a little silence, she said softly: "The people of Liao have sinister intentions, Your Majesty is wise and martial, and has taken revenge. The Father's spirit in heaven should be relieved. ”

The implication of her words is that Zhongli, who poisoned Li Chuyun, is a spy of the Liao State, which is also the official words of Daxu.

Guo Shao had to nod and said, "The concubine can understand the general situation, I am very pleased." ”

Li Yuan'er said softly: "Your Majesty has great kindness to both the concubine and the Li family, and the concubine can't repay it even if she is a cow or a horse, and the concubine's affection for Your Majesty still does not change her original intention." ”

At this time, Guo Shao felt an indescribable distress in his heart, he actually wanted to talk sincerely with people close to him, but ...... Since they all have the three palaces and six courtyards through great power and rules, does Li Yuan'er or anyone dare to vent their innermost emotions to Guo Shao?

And now Li Yuaner's performance is very much in line with her identity and situation. Guo Shao felt that there was nothing wrong with her.

…… In the early spring, the days are still short and the nights are long, and the next day Guo Shao left the palace of the concubine early to go to the Jinxiang Palace, and the sky was not bright at all.

He talked a lot with Li Yuan'er last night, the harem has become a political rule, and there is almost no heartfelt word in a thousand words, but Li Yuan'er's unintentional unchanged original intention made Guo Shao very impressed.

Today is the three-day meeting of the central ministers, so Guo Shao came to the council hall early.

He took a lamp from the eunuch Cao Tai and shone it on the wall behind the throne, on which hung a large map, and under the nearby light of the lamp, he could see every line on the map. It is difficult to make accurate maps, but the current map has changed the habit of drawing mountains, rivers and cities very large and intuitive, and has turned to the concept of proportion, focusing on size; So this picture is very few drawings, it is full of lines and circles.

This is the territory of his rule.

After a while, Guo Shao found Cao Tai standing next to him from the afterglow and glanced up, and he guessed that a certain minister had come early.

Guo Shaotou said without looking back: "Since I ascended the throne, I have not only gained glory, wealth and supreme power, but also must assume mission and responsibility. Each dynasty has its mission, some want to cultivate life and recuperate and restore the Han population, some want to expel foreign troubles to avoid the extinction of the country, and some want to end the division and unify the rivers and mountains. What do you think is Daxu's mission? ”

Cao Tai was stunned and didn't speak easily. The people behind him were probably also a little surprised, as if the emperor still had eyes on his back.

The man said: "Back to Your Majesty's words, since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the countries that have divided the territory and divided the land have stood side by side, and it is the general trend to recover the lost territory and dominate the world. ”

Hearing the voice, only then did Guo Shao know that the person who arrived early was Zuo You.

Guo Shao turned his head to look and saw Zuo You standing in the middle of the empty council hall with his fists clenched. The two glanced at each other from a distance, and the deaths of Luo Yanhuan and Li Chuyun really made Guo Shao difficult to let go, so much so that he also had an inexplicable feeling when he saw Zuo You...... At the beginning, he almost killed Zuo You, an old friend who had been with him for many years, in a single thought.

He continued to shine the lamp on the line on the map, and said casually, "There are still places such as Dali and Jingnan Army that have not yet been returned, but the overall situation has been decided." He pondered for a moment and then said, "My original intention is not limited to this. ”

Zuo You said: "I would like to hear Your Majesty's general outline." ”

Guo Shao put down the lampholder, turned around, and his eyes lit up: "Sweep away the haze in the world, establish a fair and clear institutional order, the people are rich, and the country is honored; And then let the country have a bright future. ”

Zuo You immediately bowed and said: "Your Majesty is eloquent and strategic, and the ministers are willing to do their best for Your Majesty's great ambitions." ”

At this time, Wang Pu, Wei Renpu and several other people came, and when they saw Guo Shao standing there, they also hugged their fists and worshipped.

Perhaps at first glance, a few ministers thought that Guo Shao was just saying some grandiose words. But Guo Shao recalled the enthusiasm of his younger years, and he really thought so, and his ideals when he fought in the south and the north were indeed like this.

Now he doesn't want to change his original intention, but he finds that he seems to have taken it for granted; Conspiracy and brutality not only happened to others, but also to himself! Bright dreams are just imagination after all. What's wrong?

Maybe it's not wrong, but everything has to have a process, a long process that takes thousands of years.

Guo Shao is reluctant to doubt his ideals in the system. Just as he would not doubt that progress in the mode of production is the way forward, the West has been guided by experience that the Industrial Revolution has dominated the world for generations to come...... Although in this world, he can't see that day anymore.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened, and more than 20 civil and military ministers arrived one after another.

After the courtesy of the monarch and the minister, Guo Shao put away his cranky thoughts in the morning, and said clearly: "Spring is coming, and the weather is gradually getting warmer. In the battle of Liao, I want to conquer in person. ”

There was a lot of discussion in the council hall, and Prime Minister Li Gu hugged his fists and said: "The world has been in turmoil for a long time, and after the unification of all countries, he has been fighting for many years. Our DPRK defeated the Liao army in Hedong, and at this time the northern expedition was renewed, and if the war lasted for a long time, the treasury could not make ends meet. ”

General Gao Huaide also said: "The official dragon body is just healing, if you want to conquer Liao, it is enough to send only one general." ”

Guo Shao said: "I have been raising in the palace for too long, so I want to take advantage of this battle to go into battle again. What he meant was that he had given the world the impression of being sick for so long, and now he wanted to prove his martial arts again.

Guo Shao turned his head to look at Li Gu again: "Don't worry about Xianggong Li, except for the battle to recover Youzhou, the Daxu army has always been quick and quick. This time is no exception, we are not going to compete with the Liao army in the northeast, the goal of this battle is to force the Liao to sue for peace. ”

Several prime ministers seemed to be relieved when they heard this, and Li Gu also changed his attitude and said: "Your Majesty is sympathetic to the people's feelings, and the world is very fortunate." ”

Guo Shao glanced sideways slightly and gestured to Wei Renpu.

Wei Renpu, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, walked to the top of the ministers as usual and hung up a map of Liaodong. He calmly bowed to the officials and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, the previous national policy of the imperial court in the north was to take the west of the river, build a horse farm, open up the Western Regions, obtain enough war horses and cavalry, and then turn defense to attack and deal with Liao. ”

Everyone seconded the proposal.

Wei Renpu said: "However, the situation has changed, and the old man and Wang Yuanjun all think that it is no longer appropriate to continue the national policy at this time." In the autumn of last year, the Liao State again lost more than 30,000 Khitan and Xi troops in Hedong, and in the past five years, it has lost more than 80,000 troops. At this time, Liao's internal troubles are even worse, and it is difficult to pose a threat to the outside world.

Our dynasty does not need to expend national strength to massively expand the cavalry, as long as the Liao lord and peacemaker are forced to take power, and the two countries negotiate a peace alliance. If you use the hand of the Liao State to subdue the northern provinces, you can solve the border troubles in the northern frontier. ”

The civil and military discussions were so noisy that Wei Renpu kept raising his voice.

The civil officials were obviously very supportive of the change of national policy, and Guo Shao was very aware of the economic and historical experience pursued by the civil officials over the years, and the beginning of the country should recuperate, especially when the external troubles were not serious. The generals were not satisfied, and the war could bring them military merits.

Shi Yanchao simply shouted: "We have fought so many battles with the Liao State and died so many brothers and people, will we be reconciled again now?" ”

Wang Pudao: "A month ago, Yang Ye wrote that the Hutuo River was filled with corpses of the Liao army, and the river was almost cut off, and the corpses were everywhere in the valleys. If we want to talk about blood debts, how can we stop hating the Liao people? ”

Guo Shao opened his mouth and said: "General Shi, don't worry, there are still a lot of battles to be fought. ”

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other, and the emperor seemed to have grasped Shi Yanchao's thoughts.

Guo Shao patted the imperial case, no longer paid attention to everyone's arguments, and said directly: "It's so decided, Deputy Envoy Wei continues to talk about strategy." ”

Wei Renpu bowed his hand and calmly pointed to the map with his palm: "Liaoyang Mansion is the seat of the Dongdan Kingdom (the old land of Bohai), and the army is divided into three ways to threaten Liaoyang. The main force rode out of Pingzhou, swept western Liao, and besieged Jinzhou; Jiaolong's army transported two routes from the water and captured Tiezhou (Yingkou) and Suzhou (Dalian).

Dongdan is the heart of the Liao State, and the Liao court must not sit idly by. They may gather a large army to save Liaoyang and fight with our dynasty; If they are not willing to fight, they can only accept peace. ”

Shi Yanchao opened his mouth and asked: "In case the Liao Kingdom does not give in, we don't have enough cavalry, so we have to build the castle all the way to Liaoyang Mansion like attacking Youzhou?" ”

Wei Renpu said: "Shi Dashuai asked well, if so." Let's retreat after recovering Jinzhou. ”

He looked back left and right, "After Liao Taizu Yelu Abaoji destroyed the Bohai Kingdom, the northeastern regions were under the jurisdiction of the Liao State. The Xu army went out to attack the territory of the Liao State, captured a city, and set up a stone tablet engraved with merits, even if the army retreated, it was not considered to lose the momentum. ”

In Guo Shao's view, it is impossible for the Liao army to set up a battle formation in Jinzhou, and the most likely thing is to wait for the Xu army to go deep and have nothing to rely on, and use cavalry to attack the grain road; So as long as you make up your mind and don't drive straight in, this battle will be invincible...... This is also one of the reasons why Guo Shao wants to drive the expedition in person. There was no need for him to risk his prestige at this point.

Wei Renpu said: "Of course, this is only the most unfavorable situation, although the Great Xu Army can be called a victory, but the income of a city is really not worth the cost of using a large army. The best result was to force the Liao State to give up being an enemy of Daxu and come to sue for peace. ”