"If there is no me today, how can there be a king tomorrow? Once the emperor of the Song Dynasty moves to another place to reward his honour, the king will also wear cloth clothes and ears."
The letter is very short, only about 20 words. It is not at all as gorgeous as Li Yu's usual prose, but it is concise and concise. This is written by Li Yu to Qian Chu, the king of Wuyue and the general of the army in the southeast of Shengzhou. Qian Chu had already submitted Li Yu's secret letter to Bianliang, and copied a copy of it and forwarded it to Zhao Guangyi, the head coach of the Tang Dynasty. At this moment, Zhao Guangyi was looking at a copy of Li Yu's secret letter.
This letter written by Li Yu to Qian Chu clearly showed his intention to incite rebellion. Shen Huzi, the prime minister of Wuyue Kingdom, was deeply convinced after reading it. He believed that even if Wuyue did not unite with Tang State to deal with Song State, Wu Yue should not send troops to destroy Tang State. Otherwise, once Tang State was destroyed, There was no possibility for Wu Yue to exist. Qian Chu could not become the king and he became the prime minister. Qian Chu followed his advice and immediately sent him back to his hometown. Then this secret letter fell into the hands of the Zhao brothers respectively. superior.
Zhao Guangyi smiled brightly. He had known that Qian Chu would not dare to rebel against the Song Dynasty. Perhaps, he still held on to the hope that his loyalty to the Song Dynasty and his act of helping the Song Dynasty conquer the world would move the Zhao family and open up the network. On the one hand, he wanted to preserve his harmless Wuyue Kingdom, but if Song really wanted to annex Wuyue, he would have no choice but to take advantage of the situation.
As a monarch, Qian Chu was not as talented and strategic as Zhao Kuangyin, nor as elegant as Li Yu, but he could see people very clearly, and he was also very clear about his own position. He had already seen that no matter whether Qian Chu participated in the war or not, the outcome of the Tang Dynasty would be the same. It’s the same, it’s just a matter of one day earlier and one day later, and the outcome of the Wu Yue Kingdom depends entirely on the wishes of the Zhao Guan family. Resistance or no resistance makes no difference to the Wu Yue Kingdom, but it makes a big difference to the Qian family. Same, so he made what he thought was the wisest choice.
Zhao Guangyi didn't pay much attention to Qian Chu's letter of loyalty. He glanced at it and focused on the military report. Qian Chu dismissed Shen Huzi as prime minister and continued to attack Yixing and Jiangyin, and surrounded Changzhou. , the letter said that the Tang army in Changzhou was fighting hard in the city, and its reinforcements were coming at night. The Wu and Yue troops decided to surround Changzhou and wait for reinforcements. They would only wait for the reinforcements to be defeated before conquering Changzhou, and then use it as a stronghold to cooperate with the Song army to form a The large encirclement of Tang Dynasty gradually tightened and forced towards Jinling.
Seeing that Zhao Guangyi's confidence became even more urgent, Cao Bin crossed Hukou, defeated Jinling, and was now attacking Wuhu day and night; Qian Chu even defeated Yixing and Jiangyin, and was besieging Changzhou, but what about himself? The army he led was the main force of the Song army, and it was The elite imperial troops brought from the capital are still working hard. If Cao Bin and Qian Chu arrive to pick him up and cross the river, how will he lose his face?
Zhao Guangyi put down Qian Chu's letter, leaned over and looked at the temporary sketch of the attack and defense map of Caishiji on the commander's desk, and frowned.
He wore a military uniform with bright armor. The armor shone with a cold light. Wearing such a suit of armor, he could only sit there upright, which was uncomfortable for a long time. But Zhao Guangyi liked this feeling and had not worn a battle suit in many years. He took off his robe, and when he put it on again, he had transformed from a young general in the army to a general in charge of the three armies. He liked the feeling of blood flowing in his fingers, and thousands of heads falling to the ground with a cry. Putting on this armor, He seemed to have returned to his youthful days.
But when he pointed his sword at the south of the Yangtze River in high spirits and came after a long journey, he was blocked in Caishiji. This made him feel a deep sense of frustration and anger accumulated in his chest. He looked down at the map for a long time.
He punched the commander's case hard, stood up and started walking quickly in the tent.
"I'm a thousand years old. It's late at night, so I'd better go back to my tent and rest first."
Wang Jien spoke slowly, picked up the pot from the clay stove, and filled another cup of hot tea for him.
Zhao Guangyi suddenly stopped, his thumb gently touched the brass of the sword at his waist, he pondered for a moment, and after returning to the commander's case, he ordered the two vanguard generals standing upright in the tent: "Yesterday, our army succeeded
Crossing the river, unfortunately, the backup force was weak, and the soldiers who landed on the shore were unable to resist the Tang people's counterattack, and finally failed. Early tomorrow morning, the three armies will rest for a quarter of an hour after eating, and then launch another attack on the defenders on the other side."
The two generals clasped their fists and saluted: "I obey the order!" The two generals moved, and the armor leaves on their bodies rustled, which added to the killing atmosphere in the tent. Zhao Guangyi turned his eyes and said to the general on the left: "
Wu Gaofei, tomorrow you will gather all the fishing boats you have collected and personally lead the army to attack Caishiji."
"Got the order!"
"Yang Haiqing, you sent the bamboo-cutting raft to carry the sergeant to follow me to help. Once Wu Gaofei succeeded, you immediately landed on the beach to help. Even if the whole army died in the battle, you must hold the beach and sail the raft back as soon as possible to pick up my follow-up.
The army crossed the river."
"Got the order!"
"Secretary Chang, please draft a letter of war and have a small school deliver it to the other side tomorrow morning."
Secretary Chang Hui grabbed the brush and spread out the paper, only to hear Zhao Guangyi say murderously: "Tell Yang Shou and Sun Zhen that although they won a small victory, it was only a temporary gain and loss, and they will eventually be unable to defeat the majesty of our heavenly soldiers. Those who understand the current situation, hurry up and
Nadi is called surrender, this is
The king guarantees them prosperity and a bright future. If they don't know what to do and resist to the end, I will cross the river and slaughter all the defenders. If he holds back my army for a day, I will massacre an entire city. They will slaughter a sea of blood. The two of them will shoulder the responsibility together.
, you can think about the detailed wording yourself.”
After Zhao Guangyi said this, he shook his armor and shouted: "Refund!"
Zhao Guangyi strode out of the Central Military Tent and headed towards his dormitory. Wang Jien glanced at the two generals, picked up the cup of tea placed on the commander's desk, drank it in one sip, and then took a small step.
He chased Zhao Guangyi in broken steps.
After entering Zhao Guangyi's sleeping tent, Wang Jien persuaded with a smile: "Qiansui, Qiansui, why are you in a hurry? Once Cao Bin's navy arrives, the water and land will become one, and quarrying Shiji will definitely be in the prince's pocket."
Zhao Guangyi said: "Cao Bin sent someone to deliver the news. The Hukou defenders came to their senses and sent a small fleet to harass them. Along the way, the Tang army kept firing rockets and driving piles in the river to block ships. The Wuhu defenders fought to the death.
How many more days will it take for him to arrive at Caishiji? How can I wait so long?"
As Zhao Guangyi spoke, his own soldiers took off his armor, then waved to Wang Jien and said, "You know, please sit down."
Wang Jien sat down with a smile and said: "Haste makes waste. Qiansui is eager to achieve great results, so he is also anxious. I'm afraid that if Yang Shou and Sun Zhen accept Qiansui's letter of challenge, they will strengthen their determination to fight to the death, which will be self-defeating."
.”
Zhao Guangyi sneered surly: "Southerners have always been timid, wouldn't they be intimidating?"
Wang Jien hesitated and said: "But...if Yang Shou and Sun Zhen really don't surrender, will Qiansui really want to massacre the city all the way?"
Zhao Guangyi sneered: "So what if we massacre the city?"
Wang Jien hesitated for a moment, leaned forward slightly, and said, "Did Qiansui forget about Wang Quanbin?"
Zhao Guangyi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Wang Quanbin is Wang Quanbin, and I am the king, how can we compare them to each other?"
Wang Quanbin, a famous general in the early Song Dynasty, had great military exploits and was like a god in his military use. Compared with Cao Bin, Pan Mei was no less generous. When the Song Dynasty destroyed Shu, he was the commander-in-chief of the three armies, and Cao Bin also served under him at that time. But this man
The general is too murderous and the occupation becomes
The queen of the capital allowed her subordinates to burn, kill, plunder and rape women, and mistreat prisoners of war, which finally sparked a civil uprising. The former Shu general Quan Shixiong rebelled. Eleven states including Deng, Shu, Mei, Ya, and Dongchuan responded one after another, and the rebels quickly
More than 100,000 people gathered.
As a result, Wang Quanbin was worried that the surrendered prisoners would join the rebels, so he made a stupid move and imitated Bai Qi, the God of Death, and killed them all, even the old, weak and disabled. This provoked the Shu people to resist to the death, so that
The Song Dynasty spent more than two years and paid a heavy price to quell the rebellion. Zhao Guan's family was furious and ordered him to return the stolen goods. He was demoted to the Chongyi Army Jiedushi and then sent to other places.
When Wang Jien mentioned Wang Quanbin, he also kindly warned Zhao Guangyi, fearing that the killing would be too serious and would offend the officials.
Zhao Guangyi disagreed and laughed loudly and said: "Wang Quanbin's crime is not that he allowed the soldiers to steal people's property and rape their wives and daughters, nor that he killed tens of thousands of prisoners of war, but that he provoked the Shu people to rebel, and the officials were angry
Kill him. The people of the Tang Dynasty are cowardly. If they see my vicious methods, they will
However, he is timid, and his vigor has been dampened. Who can counterattack? There are no dangerous rivers in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are no mountains and rivers to benefit from. How can we counterattack? Besides, I have requested orders from the officials, and I want to build a great cause for them to open up territory and expand the territory.
, if we don’t use money and silk women to motivate the soldiers, how can their morale be as high as a rainbow?”
He smiled and said: "You all know your good intentions, I know it, and you are tired. Please go back and rest early. Tomorrow morning, I will raise troops to seize Caishiji again. If this natural danger is obtained, the credit will naturally be given."
You all know your share, haha, you all know it and please go to sleep peacefully."
Zhao Guangyi personally sent Wang Jien out of the sleeping tent and said goodbye. Looking at Wang Jien's retreating back, Zhao Guangyi pursed his lips and revealed an indescribable smile: "How can we pacify Jiangnan within three months without giving a heavy reward? No.
If you do something that is too heavy-handed and unpopular with the people, how can you resolve the wariness of the officials?"
After ten years of service as the Yin of Kaifeng, he now overthrew Zhao Pu. In the Song Dynasty, he was already inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. Lu Duoxun and other three prime ministers learned from Zhao Pu's mistakes and did not dare to disobey him. However, he
His tentacles of power could still only expand among civil servants. In view of this, he took the risk and forcibly led the troops. This was a test that he mustered up the courage to do, and he felt uneasy because of it.
He also considered that his eldest brother might be wary of him because of this. Whatever he gained, he would lose. There was nothing he could do about it. However, he hoped to ensure that his vested power would not be damaged to the greatest extent. If he sent troops to Jiangnan, the three of them would
If he destroys a country in a month, has strict military discipline, does not hurt innocent people, and wins the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, then his glory will come to an end. But his painstaking efforts are not easy to tell anyone, even if Wang Jien and him
Very close personal relationship.
He returned to his tent and took off his clothes and went to sleep. He lay on the couch and tossed and turned, thinking about the chances of attacking Caishiji tomorrow. After a long time, he felt tired. Then he turned off the light, yawned, and was about to fall asleep. He heard
There was a rush of footsteps outside the tent, and a person shouted loudly: "Chitose, Chitose, our last general, Zhu Yuming, has something important to report!"
Zhao Guangyi sat up angrily and asked, "What's the matter?"
Zhu Yu Ming said: "Chitose, the patrol soldiers captured four people sneaking from the other side of the river..."
Zhao Guangyi asked anxiously: "But what about Tang Guo's detailed work?"
Zhu Yu Ming said: "One of the four people claimed to be Yang Hao, the left young minister of Honglu Temple in the Song Dynasty. It is difficult to tell whether he is authentic or not. I heard that he knew Qiantose, so he came to report Qiantose."
"Honglu Temple Zuo Shaoqing Yang..." Zhao Guangyi was shocked before he finished reading, and shouted: "Yang Hao? You said his name is Yang Hao?"
"Exactly, that person calls himself Yang Hao."
Zhao Guangyi shouted and lifted up the quilt, jumped to the ground in his small clothes, and ran out with bare feet: "Where are the people?"
"The Chinese army's tent is now under guard."
Zhao Guangyi ran away. Zhu Yuming was stunned for a moment, and then shouted: "Qiansui, you haven't even put on your clothes yet..."
At this time, Zhao Guangyi had already run to the Chinese army tent...
"In the past, Pei Gong met Li Sheng and greeted him barefoot. Today, Jin King met Yang Hao and refused to let the ancients lower his official rank. He was really moved."
As soon as he saw Zhao Guangyi with disheveled hair, wearing a small coat and a pair of bare feet, Yang Hao immediately stepped forward, but was held at knifepoint by two junior colonels. He stopped, bowed and said.
Zhao Guangyi took a closer look and found that this man was indeed dead. Yang Hao, who was awarded the posthumous title of Founding Father by the imperial court and the captain of the light carriage, was dressed in night clothes and had a string of gourds hanging around his waist. His image was no better than his.
Where to go.
Zhao Guangyi was surprised and said: "Didn't Yang Shaoqing die?"
Yang Hao sighed: "This matter... is really difficult to explain in words."
Zhao Guangyi saw a monk and two black warriors standing next to him, and said hurriedly: "Come, come, come and watch, let's talk in detail."
There was a small school in the tent to watch and tea was served. Yang Hao followed the trend and made up a story about how he came back from the dead. He said that he was assassinated that day, and when he rushed into the cabin, his wife, concubines, and servants had all been killed. He was filled with grief and anger.
I still have a glimmer of inspiration, remembering that time on the shore
There were two groups of assassins, who were not affiliated with each other. I was afraid that Li Yu of the Tang Dynasty and the Khitan envoy were both interested in killing him. They were suspicious, so they took a token and tied it on the wrist of a dead subordinate, then dived to escape and found his wife who brought him
guards, and then lurked.
Zhao Guangyi was full of doubts when he heard this, and couldn't help but ask: "Master Yang is worried that both the host and the guest of the Tang State and the Khitan are trying to harm you, so it is understandable that he is pretending to be dead and lurking for safety, but... why has he not been with Jiao Sicheng for so long?
Do you know that the court also mistakenly thought you were dead?"
"This..." Yang Hao said with a look of grief and anger: "Qiansui took great care of Yang Hao and made him his confidant. Yang Hao did not hide it from Qiansui. All his wives and concubines died tragically on the ship. If you don't avenge this revenge, you will be a man in vain.
.So Yang Hao sent me to my house
The guards retaliated and burned Yelvwen in the long alley, avenging my wife and concubines. Yang Hao sent private soldiers to avenge himself, fearing that he would anger the officials and punish his subordinates, so he already wanted to retire, so what?
I will inform Jiao Sicheng."
This makes sense. Zhao Guangyi was relieved: "Since you are determined to go into seclusion, how can you come to see me again?"
Yang Hao said: "Xia Guan has recovered from his injuries. He was originally disheartened and wanted to go into seclusion. Unexpectedly, the heavenly soldiers have arrived, and the commander-in-chief of the army is Chitose. Chitose is very kind to Xianguan and cultivates him with all his efforts. Yang Hao has the intention to do so.
I wanted to repay Chitose, so I took the risk and sneaked to Caishiji to inquire about the military situation, hoping to help Chitose. Fortunately, it was also a great blessing for Chitose. When I arrived at Caishiji, I met this scholar Fan."
Yang Hao pointed at Fan Ruobing, who quickly stood up and saluted. Zhao Guangyi said in amazement: "Is this monk a scholar?"
Yang Haodao: "Exactly, Fan Xiucai has long been determined to join us in the Song Dynasty. He pretended to be a monk, settled in a hut and quarried rocks. After several years of work, he drew a detailed water map of the Yangtze River. Chitose obtained this map and quarried rocks. The depth and speed of a section of water in Iso are well known, and a pontoon bridge can be built to allow the army to cross the river. After receiving such important information, the official decided to come to see Chitose and do his best for Chitose."
Zhao Guangyi was overjoyed and said: "Mr. Yang is really a lucky general of this king. You are well here, well done. If this happens, I will take credit from the officials for you."
Yang Hao hesitated and said: "But... the subordinate was so angry that he killed the Khitan envoy without permission, which might inflame the conflict between the two countries. It would be fine if I died first. Now that I am back alive, how will the court explain to the Khitan?"
Zhao Guangyi looked up to the sky and laughed: "A mere Yelvwen is dead, so what can the Khitans do? Master Yang learned that Yelvwen's father, King Qing, conspired to rebel in Shangjing and assassinated many Khitan dignitaries. Now the soldiers are rebelling. , and the Khitan leader was at war with each other. If you killed the son of King Qing, the Khitan leader would never blame you when he heard about it. Instead, he would be very grateful to you, hahaha..."
"Is this happening?" Yang Hao really didn't know anything about the rebellion in Shangjing. He couldn't help but stay there when he heard the news.
At dawn, Zhao Guangyi's face was full of spring breeze. The strong attack on Caishiji turned into a feint attack on Caishiji. A few broken boats took advantage of the morning fog and beat drums to attack the Tang army's camp. The craftsmen in the army brought a large number of plundered small boats. , rafts, and timber were used in the wide waters of the upper reaches to begin the construction of the first pontoon bridge in the history of the Yangtze River.
Fan Ruobing personally took the water map and pointed out where it was deep and shallow, where it was fast and slow, the length of the piles used, and the width of the water surface, all based on the water conditions in the Caishiji area that he usually measured. After the pontoon bridge was built, it could go downstream. The one he selected can just fit the two banks, and with a single stake, it can be firmly fixed on the water.
Mu Yu and two other guards who had detoured from the upstream waterway stood behind Yang Hao, looking at the construction scene in full swing on the river, and whispered: "My lord, I came at a critical moment to present the water map and build the pontoon. I have been promoted." Wang Chongxin, what are you going to do next?"
Yang Haodao: "I have been thinking about how I can enter the capital of the Khitan people. Although Yuluo rushed there first, even if she is somewhat familiar with it, how can she get close to the people in the palace? She has to rescue Dong'er back. , although I know where she is, the palace wall is like the abyss of heaven and earth, hard to reach. But I don’t want to fake my death, so it will be much easier. If I go to Khitan as the envoy of Song Dynasty, I can enter Shangjing in a grand manner. , the queen is now in charge of that country. Is it not easy for me to meet the minister she relies on? When I saw Dong'er, I planned to escape with her. She escaped and I returned to the country. I am Song Dynasty. As envoys of the country, no one can search my car. If someone is lost in the Khitan Palace, they will never think of hiding her in my car. Only by hiding this secret can we bring her out safely from the den of tigers and wolves."
Mu Yu asked doubtfully: "Then...how can we return to Luzhou in a dignified manner?"
Yang Hao looked at the long river in front of him, remained silent for a long time, and said softly: "It depends on human beings. I am also crossing the river by feeling the stones. Just take one step and wait and see!"
The Song Dynasty's offensive was weakening, and Yang Shou, the defender on the other side, was not without doubts. When the morning fog cleared, they patrolled along the river. Finally, they discovered that the Song Dynasty people were building a pontoon bridge on the river. Therefore, the place was wide, the pontoon bridge was not as good as the other side, and the two sides were steep.
It was difficult to gain a foothold, and some of the arrows he fired were deflected by the strong wind on the water. They could not stop the Song people from building the bridge, so Yang Shuang ordered his people to rush to Jinling to spread the news.
Li Yuzheng and a group of eminent monks and Taoists were praying to heaven with the bells and bells ringing in unison in the palace. They were shocked when they heard the news, and immediately summoned all ministers to discuss the matter. All the civil and military officials couldn't help laughing when they heard this: "People in the Song Dynasty do not know the nature of water, and they do not know that although water is
So soft, but
How powerful it is. It would be easy to build a pontoon bridge on a small river. The river is surging and seems harmless, but the water surface of hundreds of feet and the flow of thousands of miles are so powerful that it is unparalleled. Especially if the pontoon bridge is interrupted, it will be destroyed in one stroke.
It will never be built."
His trusted minister Zhang Jie also said: "I have never heard of such a thing in history. The people of Song Dynasty were too whimsical."
After hearing this, Li Yu felt relieved and said with a happy smile: "Yes, I also think that Zhao Guangyi is too childish. This must be because the people of Song Dynasty and Guizhou Province have poor skills, so they took this strategy. Now it seems that I have built a strong wall and cleared the country to repel the Song army."