The first prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 195: Military Power Again
What is the meaning of "first south and then north", what does this mean, please tell me, Zhao Kuangyin asked Zhao Xu to explain what this means "first south and then north".

"The so-called first south and then north refers to the geographical south and north. I think we should start from south to north."

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin knew what was going on, and at the same time there was a smile on his face, which was exactly what he thought in his heart.

Because he had already decided on such a strategy in his heart, and it was also decided after many discussions.

Now what the son said and the result of the discussion with them are the same, which makes Zhao Kuangyin very gratified.

What else can I say about having such a son, apart from being gratified, I am proud, and Zhao Kuangyin is still proud of this.

"Oh, it turns out that it's a case of going from south to north, so why don't you talk about your reason for going from south to north." Zhao Kuangyin's face was full of anticipation.

"According to what you mean, the Northern Han Dynasty should be attacked first, right? That's the problem?"

Zhao Kuangyin frowned:
"What's the problem with attacking the Northern Han Dynasty? The small and weak state of the Northern Han Dynasty is definitely not our opponent in Song Dynasty, and it is not our opponent at all. Can there be any troubles?"

I don't know if Lao Zhao's words are a test or if he really has doubts.

But what he said is also very correct. The Northern Han Dynasty lived in a corner of the north, the land was narrow and the country was weak, and there was no place comparable to that of the Song Dynasty.

If the Song Dynasty really wanted to attack this little Northern Han, the Northern Han really didn't have any power to parry.

Zhao Xu admitted that Zhao Kuangyin's analysis was correct. Although the facts were true, the current situation could not do so.

According to normal thinking, when everyone fights, they always look for the weakest opponent, which is also human nature.

The war between the two countries to destroy the country is like a fight between two people. The strong person always takes advantage, while the weak person suffers.

This point is that the Great Song and the Northern Han, the Great Song is strong and the Northern Han is weak, even if the two fight, the Great Song wants to win.

"Father, what you said is very correct. How can the Northern Han Dynasty be our opponent? I believe that the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty can be seen by all, but I still don't agree to attack the Northern Han Dynasty first."

Zhao Xu said firmly.

"Why don't you agree?"

Zhao Kuangyin's head is also full of question marks here, since you have said that it makes sense, boy, why don't you agree.

Aren't you contradicting yourself? You have said that the Northern Han Dynasty is not our opponent, but you still don't agree. You have to tell me that you are ugly.

Zhao Xu saw Zhao Kuangyin jumping up as if he wanted to be stepped on his tail, but he didn't laugh when he wanted to laugh:

"Don't worry, just listen to me explain the reason to you slowly, you sit down first." After Zhao Kuangyin sat down, Zhao Xu continued to talk.

His reason is really simple, that is, to ensure that he can deal with a certain country wholeheartedly, and other forces will not get involved.

Why not attack the Northern Han Dynasty first?That's because the Northern Han Dynasty still has its own use, the role of a cannon fodder.

Everyone knows that Beihan has a backstage boss, that is Khitan, and with Khitan as the backup, Beihan still has a little strength.

Although the two countries are using each other, will the Khitan sit back and watch the Song Dynasty perish and the Northern Han Dynasty?The answer is obvious.

The Khitan kept the Northern Han to block the Great Song, making himself indirect conflict with the Great Song, and let the Northern Han act as a pawn.

Otherwise, if you are so close to Khitan in the Northern Han Dynasty, and in the hinterland of Khitan, the Khitan will just do what they want to do to you.

Keeping you now means that you still have value to use, otherwise you would have been killed long ago, so there is no need for such a thing.

Therefore, it is harmful and not beneficial for the Song Dynasty to attack Khitan. It can be said with certainty that it is easy to destroy the Northern Han Dynasty.

"That's why I said it's better to preserve the Northern Han Dynasty first, thinking of blocking the shield of Khitan, concentrate on destroying the southern countries, and then focus on dealing with the north. In this way, the pace of unifying the world will be much easier."

After Zhao Xu finished his last sentence, he sat down and slowly tasted the strong wine he made himself.

He also felt amused, never thought that one day he would drink the wine he brewed by himself and pay for it all.

What Zhao Xu said just now was not aimless. Zhao Pu said this sentence in history, and the effect was that Zhao Kuangyin finally determined the strategic policy of "first south and then north" and "first easy and then difficult".

And this incident is also the famous "Snow Night Policy" in history, which established the unified national policy of the Song Dynasty.

Now that he has processed it himself, he believes that this cheap old man will definitely agree.

Sure enough, Zhao Kuangyin's reaction here was very intense:

"Hahaha, yes, you are indeed my good son. The strategy we discussed for a long time was not expected to be resolved by you in a few words. There are so many successors in the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Kuangyin praised from the bottom of his heart. He was really happy about this. What Zhao Xu said was that they had previously agreed to go south before going north.

This Zhao Kuangyin discussed with Zhao Pu, Zhao Guangyi, Miao Xun and the important ministers in the court. Today, Zhao Xu said similar things with minor differences, so he was very happy.

Under Zhao Xu's puzzled gaze, Zhao Kuangyin handed him a memorial, which contained exactly what Zhao Xu had just said, and some of them were more detailed than what Zhao Xu had said.

"Uh, father, I'm a fool. So you already know it all. Why do you want me to say it? Isn't this a joke on purpose?"

I feel that I am a prophet of the future, but I was given a trick by my father, so there is no reason for this.

"Hey, you can't say that. You are the prince of my Song Dynasty, so you should have your own opinions on everything. You can't always rely on these ministers, otherwise you would be a useless monarch."

No matter what you say is right or wrong, you must always have your own opinions, you must have your own backbone, and you cannot always rely on others.

We must know that the mountains are falling, even the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas we worship sometimes still worship ourselves, that is to say, we have to rely on ourselves.

If you, a prince, don't even have your own opinions, how can you be the king of a country in the future? This is a thought that Zhao Kuangyin conveyed to Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu kept nodding his head. He didn't expect that Zhao Kuangyin thought so, did he think Zhao Kuangyin wanted to test himself?

What surprised him was that Zhao Kuangyin also took the test, but it was not the point. The point was to have the ability to think independently.

"Well, I will keep this in mind, and what I want to say is that there are other reasons why I agree with this strategy of going from south to north."

When Zhao Kuangyin heard that his son had other reasons, he couldn't help but become interested. The test on him just now was over, and he wanted to hear what other ideas he had.

"Oh, you have other reasons. I'm very interested in this, so just tell me."

"This is what I think. Just now there are enough reasons for not attacking the Northern Han first. Now I will talk about why we should attack the South first."

First, there is no Khitan interference in the south, so we can go all out to deal with them, which is relatively easy.

This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the south is rich in products, which can provide me with a lot of food and grass.

As long as we capture the south, we will not be free to take those rich products, so we will have no worries.

Southerners all claim to be a land of fish and rice, which shows that their wealth is extraordinary, and everyone among themselves thinks so, let alone other people.

The south is relatively safe, and its combat effectiveness is not as good as that of the north. It is relatively easy, and one's own side can also reduce losses.

"I said so much because I regard the south as a granary. As for the others, they are secondary. As long as these places belong to Wanghua, we will have sufficient logistics reserves. Isn't it easy to conquer the world by then?"

Zhao Kuangyin fell into deep thought again. What Zhao Xu said was very correct. The south is indeed a good source of logistics.

The reason why Emperor Shizong of the later Zhou Dynasty wanted to seize the fourteen prefectures in Jiangbei in the Southern Tang Dynasty was not just because these places were geographically close to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

More importantly, these places are rich and prosperous, which is exactly what the Great Zhou needs, so Chai Rong spared no effort to take these places at any cost.

"Enen, you are right. I know this too. You considered this at the time. I am really pleased that you can think of this."

"However, these are our big goals, but we still have a lot of things to accomplish. The most important thing at present is the military power in the hands of Jiedushi."

Zhao Kuangyi has worked so hard for so long to ease the power conflict between the local government and the imperial court, and to balance the power of both parties, in order not to stimulate these powerful Jiedu envoys.

Who would let them hold this power in their hands? A little carelessness would cause a turmoil in the country, which the Song Dynasty could not bear.

Now facing the situation of unifying the world, these military powers can no longer be placed in their hands, they must be in the hands of the imperial court.

"Hey, this is a bad habit since the end of the Tang Dynasty. Now we must solve this matter thoroughly, otherwise the wish of the emperor to unify the world is really difficult to realize."

You must know that these Jiedu envoys are only subordinates of the imperial court in name, but they have become a whole by themselves.

They are the kings of a small country at all. It is really easy for them to make trouble for the court.

So Zhao Xu was afraid that these people would hold back the imperial court when they unified the world. At that time, it would really be over.

In the final analysis, it was still an issue of military power. The father and son had discussed this matter many times, and now they brought this issue before them again.

You still have to pay attention, don't worry, who can rest assured that you generals with heavy soldiers in your hands, you are always the scourge of the court.

Everyone is innocent, but pregnant is guilty. You may not be wrong, but it is a mistake for you to hold this military power.

In order to unify you have to make sacrifices, military power, in the final analysis is still military power.

(End of this chapter)