Luo Youdu arrived at Yanhe Hall with ease.
After returning from the Western Expedition, he was granted the title of Left Palace Attendant and Grand Secretary of the Duanming Palace, and was able to come and go much more freely in the front hall of the Imperial Palace.
Some of the soldiers passing by would even salute and say hello.
As his status became higher, military officials below a certain level no longer dared to jump in front of him, and the same was even more true for soldiers.
After waiting outside the hall for a while, Luo Youdu was summoned.
Striding into the hall, Luo Youdu bowed and greeted.
Guo Rong smiled and pointed to a chair nearby and said, "Sir, please take a seat."
Luo Youdu bowed to express his gratitude before sitting on the chair.
Guo Rong looked a little serious and said, "I came here to ask you for your opinion on something. Do you know the Dingnan Army?"
Luo Youdu nodded and said, "I know. I remember it was during the Zhenyuan Year of Emperor Dezong of Tang. Emperor Dezong set up two military governorships, Zhenwu and Shuofang, and appointed a military governor of Xiazhou. Later, the people revolted, Huang Chao rebelled, and the leader of the Dangxiang Tuoba tribe, Tuoba Sigong, went south to quell the rebellion and made a lot of efforts to support the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xizong of Tang commended Tuoba Sigong, gave him the military title of 'Dingnan Army', and gave him the surname Li, stationed him in Xiazhou, and governed the five states of Yin, Xia, Sui, You, and Jing. The current military governor of Dingnan Army should be Li Yiyin, and his father, Li Renfu, is Tuoba Sigong's younger brother."
Luo Youdu is not called Little Zhuge for nothing. He does not want to be like Meng Shu, who calls himself Zhuge Liang but can make Prime Minister Zhuge so angry that he opens his coffin and dies again. He really tries to understand the situation of the forces surrounding the Great Zhou.
He has a deep understanding of Southern Tang, Southern Han, Nanping, Northern Han, and Khitan.
The same is true for the Dingnan Army.
He kept his origin and future in mind, knowing that understanding these hostile forces would come in handy one day.
Sure enough, nothing went wrong when it was supposed to be used.
Guo Rong also praised: "Sir, you know everything about the world without leaving your house. It is true. The Dingnan Army is based in Yin, Xia, Sui, You, and Jing, and has developed and expanded the Tuoba clan for nearly eighty years. Its strength cannot be underestimated."
Luo Youdu thought to himself, not only should they not be underestimated, they will be a formidable enemy of the Central Plains in the future.
This Dangxiang Tuoba clan was the ancestor of the future Li Yuanhao of Western Xia.
Li Yuanhao was able to establish the Western Xia because of the mysterious and unpredictable methods of supporting the enemy by Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, which made the Western Xia fat and strong. But it was also inseparable from their constant efforts to stabilize people's livelihood during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, allowing the people of the five states to recuperate and thus establish a solid foundation in the northern Shaanxi plateau.
Guo Rong continued, "Sir, you know the Dingnan Army, so you must also know the Fugu Zhe Family."
Luo Youdu said: "Not only do I know, but before this, I also visited Duke Zheng in Luoyang on my way back."
Seeing Guo Rong's surprised expression, Luo Youdu told him in detail about how he and Han Lingkun met Zhe Yuxun and Zhe Saihua on the way, as well as his visit to Zhe Congruan in Luoyang.
When Guo Rong heard that Zhe Congruan was seriously ill, he could not help but sigh, "At the beginning of the year, I received Zhe Congruan's retirement letter. I just thought that he was old and wanted to enjoy his old age. I didn't expect that he would really fall ill again. I only learned about the situation from you today. It's my fault. Someone, immediately send an order to the Council of State, and ask them to send the Ministry of Rites to Luoyang on behalf of the court to visit and comfort him in my name, and let the imperial doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau accompany them."
After a moment's silence, Guo Rong suddenly realized, "That makes sense. That's how it is."
Seeing Luo Youdu's confusion, Guo Rong explained, "Today I received news that the Dingnan Army has blocked the connection between Fugu and the imperial court, and the convoys of the two sides are not allowed to have any contact. I guess the brothers and sisters of the Zhe family found out their whereabouts when they went south, and thus knew that Zhe Qing was terminally ill. The Zhe family has no one in the imperial court, so they cut off the contact between Fugu and the imperial court."
After hearing the reason, Luo Youdu said, "Your Majesty summoned me for this matter."
Guo Rong nodded and said, "Since the founding of the Great Zhou, the late emperor has been trying to win over the Dingnan Army and conferred the title of Longxi County King on Li Yiyin. However, Li Yiyin did not accept the title and chose to send envoys to submit to the Northern Han. The late emperor did not mobilize troops against the Dingnan Army for this reason, but always adopted a policy of both soft and hard tactics. After I ascended the throne, I also followed the late emperor's methods and used both soft and hard tactics against the Dingnan Army, and the relationship between us is relatively harmonious. They also turned a blind eye to the exchanges between the court and Fugu."
"Now they have suddenly blocked the road, making Fugu an isolated place. Someone in the court suggested that Fugu is isolated in the north, a hundred miles away from our territory, and is far less important than the Dingnan Army. It is better to give up Fuzhou and appease Li Yiyin."
When Luo Youdu heard this, his face suddenly changed, and he stood up and said , "Your Majesty, anyone who said this should be beheaded!"
Guo Rong was not surprised at all, and asked, "So, sir, do you agree to give up Fuzhou?"
Luo Youdu bowed and said, "The Zhe family of Fuzhou is loyal to the court. Although they are isolated in the north and have experienced hardships, they have never had the intention of disobeying the court. On the contrary, Li Yiyin of Dingnan Army has ambitions. Our Great Zhou is more powerful than Liu Han, but he chose to submit to Liu Han, which shows that he does not want to see the unification of our Great Zhou. They did not establish themselves not because of lack of ambition, but because of lack of strength. The five states owned by Dingnan Army have insufficient population and weak economy, so they rely on Liu Han on the one hand, and secretly communicate with our dynasty on the other, so that our dynasty and Liu Han can hinder each other, and they can reap the benefits."
"The world is in chaos and the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues are upside down. Your Majesty is kind-hearted and wants to help the world, which is why the Great Zhou is making great progress today."
"If word gets out that he abandoned a loyal man for a treacherous man, it will surely chill the hearts of loyal and righteous people all over the world."
"Your Majesty, have you not heard that Geng Gong returned to Han and the whole world praised him?"
Guo Rong smiled and waved his hands: "Sir, don't get excited. Your intention is the same as mine. I invited you here just to see what your opinion is. No matter what decision you make, I will not abandon any loyal and righteous people to my Great Zhou. However, the terrain of Dingnan Army is complicated, unlike the four states of Mengshu , which can be conquered by sending troops. How do you think we should deal with it?"
Luo Youdu said without hesitation: "Economic blockade, cut off all economic exchanges with the Dingnan Army, and secretly send envoys to Fuzhou to have the Jiedushi attack the trade routes between the Dingnan Army and Liu Han to maximize the economic losses of both sides. Fugu alone can provide enough soldiers and food, but the Dingnan Army relies on trade with our dynasty for many of its livelihoods. Over time, it will inevitably not be able to support it . At the same time, you can let Wang Jing, the Duke of Baoguo, transfer the garrison troops to the north."
"I have studied the situation of the Dingnan Army. The leaders of the Tangut tribe in Xiazhou are not completely subservient to the Tuoba clan. As long as there is external pressure, there will inevitably be chaos inside. In their current situation, they do not have the capital to fight us."
"They are most likely testing Your Majesty. Let them know the price of Your Majesty's anger."
Guo Rong smiled and said, "I am not afraid of a small army of Dingnan, but I don't want to delay the southern expedition. I feel relieved after hearing your analysis. By the way, I heard that the fool Shi Shouxin is causing trouble for you again?"
Luo Youdu bowed and said, "It's not a big deal. I have taught them a lesson. I believe no one will cause trouble again in the future."
Guo Rong snorted, "It doesn't matter if we take action when necessary. You dare to break into Kaifeng Prefecture. Will you get angry one day and break into my palace?"