Throughout Wang Pu's "Pingbian Policy", he saw the threat of the Khitan shortly after Guo Rong came to the throne, so he avoided the real and attacked the weak, first easy and then difficult, from south to north, planning to use the power of the whole country to decisively fight the Khitan
.
From an overall perspective, there is nothing wrong with this strategy.
He is very far-sighted and wise. Among the five generations of talents, Wang Pu is the best, and it is true.
But Wang Pu could not have predicted that the Khitan would usher in its peak moment twenty years later.
There are wise kings above, famous ministers in the middle, and good generals below.
The Liao Kingdom was united as one, and the monarchs and ministers were united and worked hard to govern. The Liao Dynasty completely learned the methods of focusing on farming and mulberry cultivation, building water conservancy projects, reducing taxes, rectifying the administration of officials, and training the army.
Facing the Liao Kingdom like this, the difficulty of conquering it suddenly rose to a nightmare level.
Therefore, "Pingbian Ce" is correct from the perspective of this era, but when analyzed from Luo Youdu's perspective, there are huge hidden dangers.
If we really want to unify the south, destroy the Southern Tang Dynasty, destroy the Hou Shu, and destroy the Southern Han Dynasty, the Khitan will have too long a time to recuperate.
When they grew up, they sorted out the civil strife, cultivated famous ministers and good generals, and absorbed the culture of the Central Plains, transforming into a country that could compete with the Central Plains.
Guo Rong said in a deep voice: "Sir, do you know that Nanping was the first to recognize the existence of our great Zhou Dynasty, and has always respected and admired our great Zhou Dynasty."
Luo Youdu nodded and said, "Of course I know."
Nanping, also known as Jingnan, was one of the smallest political powers in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
When it was smallest, there was only one city called Gangneung.
The Nanping Gao family can survive in this chaos because of a face that can be used as a city wall.
No matter who he was, as long as he proclaimed himself emperor, he would congratulate him happily, and then express his surrender in order to obtain rewards. At his peak, he used the territory of a country to claim vassal status from the Southern Han, Min, Southern Tang, and Later Shu, and shamelessly asked for them.
Rewards are given to powerful forces in the surrounding area, and they are regarded as "high lords".
The current king of Nanping is called Gao Baorong, the son of "Gao Laizi".
Historical records record that Gao Baorong had a pedantic and stupid temperament and had no ability to govern the country. Therefore, he entrusted his younger brother Gao Baoxu to handle all matters, big or small. He only knew how to eat, drink and have fun.
Luo Youdu didn't think so. Gao Baorong was definitely hiding his clumsiness.
As a small country sandwiched between the Later Zhou Dynasty, Hou Shu, Southern Han Dynasty, and Southern Tang Dynasty, it had no room for development at all.
Therefore, after Gao Baorong came to the throne, he hugged Hou Zhou's thigh and kept showing his goodwill. He also persuaded Hou Shu from time to time that the Southern Tang Dynasty surrendered to Hou Zhou, and he was a proper three-good minister.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was also very happy with this three-good minister, and kept praising him. At first, he was the Grand Master of the school, and concurrently served as the minister. Later, he was granted the title of Prince of Bohai County, and concurrently served as the Secretary of the Central Committee. Finally, he was directly the King of Nanping, guarding the Secretary of the Central Committee, and rewarded him with a reward.
One after another.
When Guo Rong attacked the Southern Tang Dynasty, Gao Baorong responded by sending troops, commanding Wei Lin to lead three thousand troops and marched out of Xiakou to respond.
Then it’s gone, it’s just a show.
It can be clearly seen that Gao Baorong hugged Hou Zhou's thigh and kept calling him daddy, always doing his best for his dad, but he never did anything practical for him.
He is essentially a warlord who listens to orders but not propaganda, and has no hope that the Zhou Dynasty will be able to dominate the world in the future.
As long as the later Zhou Dynasty is not unified, he will be able to secure his position as King of Nanping.
If the Zhou Dynasty is really going to be unified, how can Nanping be able to hold on to it?
Guo Rong remained silent, he was not stupid.
Luo Youdu increased his tone and said: "I think we cannot aim at destroying the Southern Tang and Meng Shu. The Southern Tang and Meng Shu are trapped beasts. If we give them ten or twenty years to develop, they will not be able to threaten me in the slightest. But.
Give the Khitan twenty years to develop, and we, the Great Zhou Dynasty, will face a giant beast from the wild. Your Majesty, the Khitan's chaos is temporary, and we cannot give them too much time to grow comfortable and strong."
Wang Pu's expression changed slightly, realizing the problem he had ignored.
To conquer the Southern Tang Dynasty, Meng Shu needed to expend national power and time. The more time it took, the stronger the Khitan would be.
It is easy to defeat Meng Shu and the Southern Tang Dynasty, but if we really want to destroy them, it will not be solved in one or two years.
Guo Rong closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, and then said: "When do you think it's best to stop, sir?"
Luo Youdu said: "As long as they capture the four states of Qin, Cheng, Jie, and Feng, Meng Shu will not have to worry about them. Trapping them in Shu, with Meng Chang's ability, leaving them alone will lead to their own destruction. And in the Southern Tang Dynasty,
We can seize the rich and prosperous land in the Jianghuai River to strengthen the economy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and then divide the river with the Southern Tang Dynasty to rule. We can use force to force the Southern Tang Dynasty to surrender the title of state and surrender to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Let him pay us tribute of money and grain every year to help us in the northern expedition to Khitan."
Historically, when Guo Rong captured the fourteen states in Jiangbei and Huainan, he was already keenly aware of the shortcomings of the "Pingbian Policy".
Therefore, he did not continue the southern expedition in accordance with the policy of "Pingbian Policy". Instead, he chose to change his strategy and expedition to the north of Khitan, with the intention of taking over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
However, after capturing the three passes and three states, Guo Rong suddenly fell ill and had to return to Kaifeng. He died of illness soon after.
Some people say that if Guo Rong doesn't die, he will definitely be able to regain the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
If we only refer to this Northern Expedition, Luo Youdu would not believe it.
Early death often brings regrets and pity, so the possibilities are endless.
But the reality is cruel. There are sixteen states in Yanyun, seven states in the front and nine states in the back. It is a big game. Winning three or five states in the beginning is really nothing.
Take the Gaoliang River Chariot God as an example. Zhao Kuangyi led the exhausted soldiers who captured the Northern Han Dynasty and marched down five states in one go, reaching the gates of Youzhou City.
If Zhao Kuangyi died of illness at this time, without the legend of the car god, would he be more awesome than Guo Rong?
The deeper you go into the hinterland, the more difficult it will be to capture. If Southern Tang were to backstab at this time, Guo Rong would be in the same situation as during his first Northern Expedition, and the chance of success would be slim.
But there is still great hope that Guo Rong can live for another ten or twenty years, and of course the same is true for Zhao Kuangyin.
Guo Rong frowned and said: "It's okay to say that Meng Shu has natural dangers on the way to Shu. If the Southern Tang Dynasty is not destroyed, who can guarantee that he can stay safe on the Northern Expedition?"
Wang Pu said in admiration: "That's why we need to capture Nanping. There is no natural moat like Ruxukou in the north of the Yangtze River. If our army captures the land north of the Yangtze River, it cannot control the Yangtze River defense line. Instead, it is easily controlled by the natural moat. But if we can hold Nanping and Jiangling in our hands,
, then completely occupy the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. By training a navy in Jiangling and marching across the Yangtze River, you can take advantage of the natural moat of the Yangtze River. If the Southern Tang Dynasty dares to mobilize troops, the Jiangling navy can go south along the river anytime and anywhere and attack the Southern Tang Dynasty.
Du Jiangning.”
With that said, he bowed to Luo Youdu with sincerity, and then said to Guo Rong: "Congratulations to your majesty, Mr. Luo is ten times more talented than Pu. With your help, most of the world will be yours."
Luo Youdu hurriedly returned the gift and said he didn't dare!
Guo Rong laughed loudly: "Two gentlemen, you don't have to be humble. Wenbo is my Xiao He, and Youdu is my Zhang Liang. They each have their own strengths. In the future, when we conquer the world, Youdu will follow me, and Wenbo will sit in the rear and coordinate.
If our rulers and ministers are united, why worry about the uncertainty of the world!"