"Li Dujian personally led the team to counterattack with fire and thunder bombs, and pushed the Liao army out of the city at Mao Shi. However, the enemy tower at the north gate of Chanzhou and the nearby city wall collapsed by more than 40 feet. Currently, they can only be reinforced with fences for the time being.
." Cao Li held his knees with his hands and reported intermittently while breathing heavily.
After receiving the urgent military information from the front line, he jogged all the way to the temporary palace, so exhausted that he could hardly breathe.
However, he didn't have much time to adjust his breathing. After a short pause, he continued to add, "Li Dujian's left shoulder was penetrated by a crossbow arrow. The doctor had used military first aid to pull out the crossbow arrow and gave him a blood transfusion.
There should be no major obstacles now. But the morale of the army is low, and the Liao soldiers are still digging trenches due west and east."
“As long as it’s not in the way, that’s fine, as long as it’s not in the way!”
"Fortunately, there are military first aid techniques and fire bombs."
…
All the important ministers present breathed a sigh of relief and put their hands on their chests.
However, in the next moment, everyone's expressions became extremely complicated.
Military first aid and fire and thunder bombs were all contributed by Han Qing to the Song Dynasty. However, the name Han Qing has almost become a taboo in the court. No matter who mentions it, the official's face will instantly turn ugly.
The bottom is still dark.
Li Jilong relied on fire and thunder bombs to push the Liao army out of the north gate of Chanzhou. However, fire and thunder bombs are no longer the unique weapon of the Song army. The Liao army also obtained many through various channels. It is even very possible
, have obtained the gunpowder formula.
As long as gunpowder can be produced, fire and thunder bombs will also be continuously produced by the Liao people.
Moreover, the Liao army apparently found another way to use gunpowder in a direction that the Song Dynasty might not have thought of, putting it in coffins to deal with city gates and walls.
These days, most of the city walls are made of clay, and the city gates are made of wood. The Liao army can use gunpowder coffins to blow down the north gate of Chanzhou, and they can blow down the east, west and south gates.
The city wall that the Song army relied on as a barrier would soon be greatly reduced in effectiveness.
As for Huazhou, Chenzhou, Bianliang and Yangzhou, the city walls and gates may not be much stronger than Chanzhou.
The Liao army became more and more skilled in bombing. In the past, the Song Dynasty soldiers held back the Liao army for several months with just a fortified city. I am afraid it will be difficult to repeat!
"Your Majesty, the Liao people have been living in the north for a long time. They like the cold but are afraid of the heat. I believe that the officials should go to the south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible to temporarily avoid the enemy. When the decree is issued next year, a good general will be selected to swear to the Northern Expedition and regain the rivers and mountains!" After a while,
Wang Qinruo calmed down his panic and suggested loudly.
"I agree that when the Liao army conquered Bianliang in the past, it was because of the unbearable heat that they hurriedly withdrew. Emperor Liu Zhiyuan of the Later Han Dynasty sent generals to follow and chase the Liao army back to Youzhou!" Privy Council members Feng Zheng and Wang Qinruo signed the letter long ago.
He reached an agreement secretly and stood up decisively to agree with his proposal.
"I second the proposal!"
"I second the proposal!"
"The Yellow River will freeze soon. The official family is the master of a country and should not live in dangerous places for a long time."
"The Yellow River is frozen, and the natural dangers cannot be relied upon. It is better to leave for Jiangnan as soon as possible!"
"The Yangtze River never freezes, and its water surface is several times wider than the Yellow River!"
…
In an instant, more than a dozen bachelors, imperial edicts, and Yushi Zhongcheng spoke one after another. On the surface, the reasons were all high-sounding, but in fact the content was exactly the same. They urged Zhao Heng to make up his mind quickly and lead the entire court to flee south of the Yangtze River.
"That's unreasonable!" Kou Zhun became furious after hearing this. He stepped forward, pointed at everyone and shouted loudly, "There are still two hundred thousand men fighting to the death with the Liao army in Chanzhou City. Have you ever encouraged the officials to leave at this time?
Have you considered them?"
"The Liao army invaded the south in a large scale last winter. This spring, summer and autumn, they have been advancing all the way without stopping. Did the intense heat in your mouth have any effect?!"
"Liu Zhiyuan was able to expel the Khitans back then by relying on hundreds of thousands of men from the Central Plains. What does it have to do with whether the weather is hot or not?!"
"Liu Zhiyuan expelled the Khitan and replaced him with the late Emperor of the Jin Dynasty. By encouraging the officials to cross south, are you expecting the second Liu Zhiyuan to appear?!"
Four sentences, each one more heart-wrenching than the last. Especially the last sentence, the power was doubled. Immediately, most of the officials who supported the "Southern Hunting" lowered their heads.
"Kou Pingzhang's words are wrong!" Wang Qinruo was well prepared and looked at Kou Zhun without fear, confronting him tit for tat, "If Shi Chonggui, the late emperor of the later Jin Dynasty, was willing to listen to Feng Dao and move the capital to avoid Khitan, where would Liu Zhiyuan's turn be?
Raise your arms and give a shout? As long as the imperial court orders the heroes of the world to rise up and serve the king, loyal and righteous people will naturally respond with their lives."
"As for the heat, has Bachelor Kou forgotten that throughout the spring and summer this year, Zhending City remained motionless? It wasn't until the weather turned cold again that the Liao army, with the response of spies, invaded Zhending City!"
"As for the 200,000 Song Erlangs in Chanzhou City, the officials have just moved farther away, but they have not abandoned them. What's more, the officials have temporarily gone south, but Prime Minister Kou can continue to sit in Huazhou and provide supplies for the frontline soldiers at any time.
All kinds of support.”
The first few sentences are considered arguments at least, but the last sentence is just nonsense. How can Kou Zhun listen to him with his temper?
Taking a sudden step forward, he pointed at Wang Qinruo's nose and scolded, "You are talking nonsense! The soldiers in Chanzhou are fighting to the death because they know that the officials are standing behind them. If the officials leave at this time, the sons and grandsons will be killed."
They will definitely think that the officials have abandoned them. Although I can ensure that food, grass and baggage can be sent to the front line in time if I stay, I cannot replace the officials no matter what!"
"It depends on how Kou Pingzhang and the frontline generals can boost their morale." Wang Qinruo had rehearsed with others yesterday and had already calculated all the possible reactions of Kou Zhun. Therefore, he smiled again and did not panic.
He responded hurriedly, "If the official family went to Jiangnan, could they no longer be the stewards of the Song Dynasty? What's more, the Yellow River is about to freeze, and the Khitan people can bypass Chanzhou at any time and ride their horses to kill across the river. The official family can go further,
It can also reduce the worries of the soldiers!"
"It's true, Kou Pingzhang, the streets in Huazhou City were already frozen last night. If the Liao army bypasses Chanzhou and rides horses directly across the Yellow River from elsewhere, there will only be Shangsanwei and Banzhi Town in Huazhou City.
Rongjun!" Feng Zheng, the Privy Councilor who signed the letter, was inspired by Wang Qinruo's words and agreed again with a smile.
"Kou Pingzhang, the Yellow River will freeze soon, and the fortified city will be blown up by the Liao army's gunpowder coffins. If the officials stay in Huazhou for one more day, the Liao army will have one more opportunity to take advantage of it!"
"We don't necessarily want to move south, but we are forced by the situation."
"If the official family continues to stay in Huazhou, can Kou Pingzhang be sure that the Liao army will still be unable to cross the Yellow River as before?"
"The war is fierce and dangerous, and the officials are not warriors. Staying in Huazhou will only distract the old general Li Jilong!"
…
Several other officials who advocated hunting in the south also calmed down and spoke again.
"Comrades, you are a little too timid!" Seeing that Kou Zhun was alone, another colleague, Zhang Pingshi Bi Shi'an, decisively came to help, "Not to mention that the Yellow River has not frozen yet, even if the Yellow River freezes,
How do you know that we, the soldiers of the Song Dynasty, cannot suddenly strike head-on against the Liao army?"
"Who is the general and where are the soldiers and horses?" Wang Qinruo immediately turned his eyes to him and asked with a sneer.
"Shi Baoji and Han Chonggui have led the Henan camp and are approaching Huazhou at night. Zhe Weizhong also reorganized the Yong'an Army according to the order and rushed to Chanzhou at night." Although Bi Shi'an is a civilian official, he knows some martial arts.
, and immediately brought out the two groups of men and horses who might be needed one by one.
After listening to his words, the smile on Wang Qinruo's face immediately became colder, "Shi Baoji and Han Chonggui have a total of ten thousand soldiers, of which six thousand are village warriors and four thousand are grain men who guard the grain depot. Previously,
The only thing that can stop the Liao army is warships! As for Zhe Weizhong, when has he ever led troops before? What's more, the Yong'an army was ambushed by the Liao army before, and its vitality was severely damaged!"
"Bi Pingzhang didn't want to bet with the official's life that the Liao army would eventually run out of food and retreat!" Feng Zheng, the Privy Councilor who signed the letter, saw the right opportunity and launched a decisive attack.
Bi Shi'an was not a sophist in the first place, and he was so angry that he could hardly speak, "You, you, you are slanderous. Bi, Bi's loyalty to the official family can be learned from the sun and the moon!"
"Then why do you insist on leaving the official family here to take risks even though you know that the Liao army can attack Huazhou at any time?" Feng Zheng succeeded with one blow and decisively took advantage of the victory to pursue him.
"Feng Qianshi, how do you know that the Liao army will definitely attack Huazhou? Could it be that the Liao army will inform you of the news in advance?" The people nearby were really angry after hearing this. Gao Qiong was commanded in front of the palace and took the initiative.
Speak up for Bi Shian.
"You are so rude! I am discussing state affairs with Bi Pingzhang. How can you, an uneducated warrior, get in the way to interrupt?" Feng Zheng was so angry at the question that he rounded his eyes and scolded him sternly.
"Haha!" Gao Qiong was not afraid at all and he rolled his eyes in return. At the same time, he retorted with a sneer, "It is true that Gao has little education, but he knows that a general is the courage of an army, and a commander cannot be moved lightly. You, Feng, do have a lot of education, but you still
He started his career with articles and became an important minister in the second government (i.e. Zhongshu and Privy Council). Now that the captive cavalry is so infested, why don't you write a poem to retreat to them?" (Note: The above are Gao Qiong's original words in history.)
"Common man, do you want to humiliate the world's scholars?" Feng Zheng blushed at the refutation and immediately started to set a trap for Gao Qiong.
Gao Qiong was determined not to be fooled, and sneered again in a low voice, "Haha, why bother talking about the world's scholars? How many of the world's scholars are as shameless as you? After many years of official salary, you have always been loyal.
, at a critical moment, but you only think about how to save your own life?"
"You are a common man, short-sighted..." Feng Zheng was surrounded by several civil servants who were close friends, and they quickly began to take sides.
The argument turned to the point of who was superior between the civil and military forces, which was too far away from the original issue. Zhao Heng felt irritated when he heard that. He suddenly grabbed the ink pen and knocked it hard on the imperial writing desk, "Shut up, shut up everyone."
.Attack each other in front of me, do you think I am an official?!"