Chapter 637: Zhao Pu Discusses Shu

The meeting in Chongzheng Hall was more like a victory briefing—using triumphant reports to inspire morale and unify thinking. After the discussion ended, Liu Chengyou deliberately kept back several military and civil ministers: Li Tao, Guo Rong, Wei Renpu, Fu Yanqing, and Murong Yanzhao.

"Gentlemen, please be seated!" Pointing to the palace chairs arranged by the eunuchs, Liu Chengyou struck a pose of ruler and ministers discussing affairs together, then slowly asked: "After the great victory at Liangquan, the enemy has been annihilated and the obstacles cleared. What are your views on the coming campaign and the situation in Qinfeng?"

Guo Rong, who had already been formally installed as Commissioner of Military Affairs, immediately clasped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, after this battle, the Cheng and Jie prefectures southwest of Fengzhou are already hollow—they can hardly pose any obstacle to our army's advance. We could even take them by proclamation alone, with ease. As for Qinzhou, the Shu army has long been trapped in a city of sorrow, waiting for death. Now that Fengzhou has fallen, there is no reason for them to hold out much longer. Within days, news of victory should reach the Eastern Capital!"

The civil and military officials present clearly all approved of Guo Rong's view. Wei Renpu nodded and continued: "The situation in Qinfeng is exactly as Chancellor Guo says—proceeding thus, there should be no deviation. However, we have been fighting for a long time now, and in the past few days have endured successive major battles. Though the gains are rich, the soldiers are inevitably weary, and the consumption of weapons and supplies has been especially heavy. In my view, we should temporarily halt the advance, rest and reorganize, observe the enemy's movements, and then resume the offensive!"

"Chancellor Wei is too cautious!" As soon as Wei Renpu finished, Guo Rong immediately said: "At a time of such great victory, we should press the advantage, sweep the enemy's nest clean, and retake all four prefectures in one stroke. Every day of delay gives the Shu army a day to catch their breath, and unforeseen changes are bound to arise. As for the matter of provisions and equipment, the spoils captured at Liangquan are considerable—more than enough to sustain continued operations!"

Guo Rong was still the same—bold and enterprising. Liu Chengyou, however, turned to his father-in-law Fu Yanqing: "What does the Prince of Wei think?"

Fu Yanqing was hale and vigorous, with a dignified and handsome bearing. Slightly surprised by the question, he thought for a moment and replied: "We are far away in the Eastern Capital; in the end, we cannot understand the frontline situation as well as the commanders in the field. Since Your Majesty has entrusted Xiang Xun with full authority, he will act according to circumstances and seize opportunities as they arise. In my view, no matter what happens, the lands of Qinfeng are already in Your Majesty's pocket!"

"Well said, Prince of Wei!" Liu Chengyou swept his dragon robe and said in a tone of natural certainty: "The four prefectures of Qinfeng are already goods in our bag—reach out and take them!"

His eyelids narrowed slightly, and Liu Chengyou's expression turned serious: "What I am hesitating over now is this—the four prefectures of Qinfeng were the original goal of this campaign. Now that the set objective is about to be achieved, should we next turn the army south and advance on Xingyuan?"

"Your Majesty, I second this proposal!" Guo Rong immediately rose, his eyes growing increasingly bright: "Since ancient times, Hanzhong has been the gateway to Chuanshu. If Shu holds it, they can resist the north. Now that the Meng Shu has suffered a great defeat at Fengzhou and their morale is crushed, this is precisely our opportunity to drive straight in. Once Hanzhong returns to our court, our great army can look down upon the Shu heartland, and the Meng Shu will find it hard to cling to peace in the Two Rivers!"

Clearly, Guo Rong wanted the southwestern army to press on without rest to take Cheng and Jie, securing all four prefectures—but what he truly and urgently sought was the Shu prefecture of Xingyuan, Hanzhong itself.

"Chancellor Guo's proposal is far too hasty! Not worth adopting! Though Fengzhou was a great victory, Qin and Long have not yet been recovered—how can we covet Shu?" Chancellor Li Tao rose and said, then looked to Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty, I must speak of old concerns: the roads into Shu are difficult, transport is inconvenient. Moreover, the front has been fighting long, the soldiers are weary, the conscripts long for home, and the court should show consideration for those below. Additionally, the cold winter is approaching, which is unfavorable for campaigning—let alone a long expedition. Better to let the soldiers rest. And at home, the Yellow River floods remain unresolved..."

"I, Guo, cannot agree with Chancellor Li's words. You see only a few difficulties, but not the benefits of taking Xingyuan. This bears on the destruction of Shu, on the great strategy of the Great Han unifying the realm. How can we shrink back from a few hardships?" Guo Rong immediately rebutted, arguing with him.

"Chancellor Guo is young and hot-blooded, eager for quick success!" Li Tao was equally blunt, clasping his hands toward Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty, I beg you to consider carefully—do not seek a moment's satisfaction!"

"Enough!" Seeing that the two were about to come to blows, Liu Chengyou finally intervened: "Both of you have valid points. However, the urgent task at hand is to take Qinfeng as quickly as possible. After all four prefectures are secured, we can plan further advances!"

From the Emperor's attitude, there was no clear leaning. Li Tao relaxed slightly; Guo Rong furrowed his brow. After a brief pause, however, Liu Chengyou instructed Guo Rong: "The Military Intelligence Bureau should become more active from now on. Step up intelligence gathering on Shu's domestic military situation, especially the defensive preparations at Xingyuan and other places!"

"Yes!" Guo Rong's brows lifted slightly as he acknowledged.

"Whenever I make a decision, among the ministers—civil and military alike—there are always divergent views and endless disputes. Sometimes it truly vexes me!" After the ministers withdrew, Liu Chengyou walked before the map of Qinfeng and, speaking of the dispute between Li and Guo, could not help remarking.

Zhao Pu sighed and calmly replied: "Ministers think differently, weigh different considerations, and base themselves on different grounds—hence their opinions often conflict. Your Majesty is an enlightened ruler who listens to all views; you need only keep a clear mind and sharp eyes, adopt the effective strategies, and implement them!"

"I know these principles well enough, but reaching clear judgments on affairs is no easy matter!" After this sigh, Liu Chengyou asked Zhao Pu: "In your view, after taking Qinfeng, should we halt the army to rest and consolidate the fruits of victory, or seize the opportunity to push south and take Hanzhong?"

"As Chancellors Li and Guo said, each option has its advantages and disadvantages," Zhao Pu said.

"I don't want to hear this impartial, useless talk of yours!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand.

Seeing this, Zhao Pu first made a bow, then calmly laid out his reasoning: "Since the founding of the Great Han, Han and Shu have fought each other three major wars, and in every one the Great Han emerged victorious. Across these three campaigns, Shu has lost over a hundred thousand troops, most of them elite and battle-hardened soldiers of Shu.

Knowing this, in order to guard against the Great Han's military might, the Shu imperial army has had more than half its forces transferred to the northern defenses. Even though the Meng Shu has a large population and a prosperous, wealthy state, it cannot bear such heavy losses.

By now, with the remnants of military strength in the Meng Shu, how could they stop our Great Han's tiger divisions? As long as Your Majesty is determined, taking Xingyuan will not be too difficult. As for Chancellor Li's concern about difficult supply transport—we can simply live off the enemy's grain!"

"So you too approve of continuing south!" Hearing his argument, a smile appeared on Liu Chengyou's face.

"I believe the army's rest should come after taking Hanzhong!" Zhao Pu bowed.

After a brief pause, Zhao Pu added: "There is one point Your Majesty needs to consider in advance!"

"Speak!" Liu Chengyou turned to look at him.

Zhao Pu: "The four prefectures of Qinfeng were originally Central Plains territory—taking them is justified, reasonable, and well-founded. But Hanzhong and the Two Rivers are different! The Meng father and son have been in Shu for nearly thirty years, and Meng Chang has ruled Shu for twenty, bringing it to this peace—the people's hearts have largely gathered to him.

Your Majesty wishes to pacify Shu—this is indeed a grand plan for the realm, to level the various states and end the age of chaos. But the common folk of Shu will not understand. In their eyes, the Great Han is an invader; when a great army passes through, disaster is sure to follow, destroying their peaceful lives..."

"Are you warning me to pay attention to the hearts of the Shu people?" Liu Chengyou asked, then shook his head: "As you say, Meng Chang has shown kindness to the Shu people for twenty years. I wield a sharp sword and raise troops—how can I compete with him for popular support? The people's hearts are precious, yes, but that is a matter for after Shu is destroyed!"

"Your Majesty's insight is extraordinary!" After this flattery, Zhao Pu continued: "Shu's peace comes only because its mountains and passes cut it off from the chaos of the Central Plains—that is how Meng Chang could use Shu's fertile lands to grow prosperous. As for the Shu sovereign Meng Chang's kindness to the people of Chuanshu, it amounts to no more than lenient governance and light taxation.

Yet from recent reports out of Chengdu, Meng Chang has already shown signs of neglecting governance, and after years of peace, abuses have proliferated throughout Shu. Its nobles, officials, and powerful families live in extravagance and corruption, seizing land and hoarding wealth as a common practice—and Meng Chang cannot stop it..."

"You've said so much—what do you mean?" Liu Chengyou asked Zhao Pu.

"I believe that after the Qinfeng war, Shu's national strength has been greatly weakened. To repel our court, the Meng Shu will inevitably strain every resource to strengthen its military. After Your Majesty takes Hanzhong, if you grant them a year or half a year's respite, it gives them the opportunity to conscript soldiers, levy grain, and raise money. Given the Meng Shu's political situation, where will troops, money, and grain come from? Only from the common folk of Shu. Those nobles, officials, and wealthy merchants who sit on fortunes—they hardly have the righteousness to sacrifice their homes for the state's salvation. Thus, before long, the people's condition in Shu will inevitably become dire!"

Zhao Pu's angle of vision was rather unexpected, and Liu Chengyou regarded him with fresh eyes once more. After a moment of reflective thought, he said: "If Guo Rong heard this, he'd be anxious again! This gives Shu a chance to catch its breath!"

"Your Majesty, I believe that since Shu's elite forces are spent, the strategy going forward should not rest on military struggle alone. In the art of conquest, relying on the Great Han's strong army to take cities, breach passes, and fight all the way to Chengdu to destroy Shu—none of that will be difficult anymore. What is difficult is winning the hearts of the Shu people. Therefore, I believe that before pacifying Shu, it would be best to first throw Shu into chaos!"

"Throw Shu into chaos?" Hearing Zhao Pu's words, Liu Chengyou was immediately intrigued, looking at him with curiosity.