A horseman flew up with a triangular red flag on his back, hunting in the wind. When the soldiers who were marching in a hurry saw the red flag on the knight's shoulder, they all gave way to him.
The knight rushed to Zhao Guangyi's chariot and dismounted, knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, Fuzhou Zhe Yuxun, Yinzhou Yang Hao, and Linzhou Yang Chongxun have met at Hehejin and are now marching together towards Lan.
state."
"I know." The imperial chariot agreed and continued to move forward.
The spacious royal chariot was like a house, with a front hall and a back bedroom, separated by a screen. There was a scroll case in the hall, and dozens of memorials piled in the corner. After hearing the messenger's report, Zhao Guangyi walked towards the room.
Murong Qiuzui had already taken the lead and grabbed paint strips of different colors. Brown, yellow, and blue curves were painted from Fuzhou, Linzhou, and Yinzhou to Hehejin, and then pointed directly at Lanzhou.
Zhao Guangyi looked at the marching route map carefully, smiled slightly and said: "It's too late. I thought he would have to play some tricks on the way to delay the departure."
Murong Qiuzui said: "How dare he? The imperial court originally planned to attack the Han Dynasty in early February, but it was delayed because of the Khitan affairs. Now more than half a month has passed. No matter how many reasons he has to prepare, he should make preparations.
Well, there is nothing to delay."
Zhao Guangyi nodded and said: "That's right. When it comes to Khitan, the officials of Shandong Road are really bastards. They almost missed my important event!"
Murong Qiuzui said hurriedly: "Shandong Dao officials did not dare to take on such a major relationship, so they hurriedly reported it to the court without finding out the truth. The matter has passed. Fortunately, it has not caused uncontrollable consequences. Please calm down the officials.
.”
It turned out that Zhao Guangyi was full of ambition and entertained the generals at a banquet in the Changchun Palace, and gave them fur coats, gold belts, pommel horses, etc. Just when he was about to swear to fight for the Northern Expedition, Shandong Dao officials suddenly reported to the court with a hundred thousand urgent military intelligence reports, saying that the Khitan people were suddenly there.
A large number of troops were gathered in the Wuqing, Yongqing, and Xingcheng areas, and small groups of cavalry appeared near the Baigou River and Juma River at the junction of the two countries, with unknown intentions.
Zhao Guangyi was shocked when he heard the news, and immediately ordered the newly assembled troops to advance to Shandong Road. At the same time, he sent a large number of spies to the northern country to find out the news. He also ordered the ministers of Honglu Temple to openly question the Khitan envoys. After a lot of troubles, he finally got the Khitan envoys.
The envoy's reply: My country is deploying troops to encircle and suppress the remnants of King Qing. This is our internal affairs of Khitan, and the place where the troops are used is also our territory. There seems to be no reason to inform your country.
Immediately afterwards, the scouts also reported back, saying that the Khitan had mobilized soldiers and horses from Beijing to encircle and suppress the remnants of King Qing in Wuqing and Yongqing. When they arrived, the remnants of King Qing had been wiped out and the Khitan soldiers and horses had returned to Zhongjing.
.
Not only did this whole process consume a lot of time, but the Song army gathered at the border and almost had an encounter with the Khitan border army. Zhao Guangyi was so annoyed that this back and forth delayed him for nearly a month. By the time he sent out troops to conquer
In the Han Dynasty, it was early spring in March when the ice and snow melted and the grass turned green.
Zhao Guangyi thought of the past and asked angrily: "Where are we now?"
Murong Qiuzui pointed out: "Guardians, please see, we have just passed Fushan, and we will be pacified if we go further."
Zhao Guangyi nodded and said thoughtfully: "Pinding, pacifying, it's a good thing."
Murong Qiuzui smiled and said: "Of course it's a good thing. Our Song Dynasty pacified all the countries in the world and conquered them all in one attack. Only the Han Dynasty was able to survive our Song Dynasty's three campaigns. It is really difficult to deal with, but this one
If you are personally conquered by the officials, the monarchs and ministers of the Han Dynasty will definitely be crowned heads, and the Central Plains... will be unified under your majesty's hands!"
Murong Qiuzui deliberately avoided the reason why the Khitan intervened in the previous attacks on the Han Dynasty. He said it nicely, and Zhao Guangyi couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He was unwilling to stand under the glory of Zhao Kuangyin forever. His imperial brother
He single-handedly created the Song Empire and built the Song Dynasty into the most powerful country in the troubled times of the Central Plains. He pacified the five countries of Jing, Hu, Shu, Han, and Tang. Among them, only one Tang country had a share of his contribution, Zhao Guangyi.
Now that the world is close to unification, it is no longer possible to surpass the imperial brother in terms of the number of countries to be pacified. The only way is to surpass him in difficulty.
After all, Han was the only country that Zhao Kuangyin failed to defeat after three attacks. Although Zhao Kuangyin had reached an alliance with Khitan and forced Khitan to give up aid to Han, it was no longer difficult to defeat Han. But after all, this peach picker
It was him, and how many ordinary people knew how different the Han Dynasty was today from the past.
Zhao Guangyi clicked on the map and said calmly: "Conquering the Han Kingdom is nothing. One day, I will take back Youyan, take back all the territories and people that have been lost to foreign races since the late Tang Dynasty, and conquer a big world.
A country like an iron barrel!"
Murong Qiu Zui said hurriedly: "The officials have great talents and great strategies, and their civil and military skills are far superior to those of the virtuous kings of ancient and modern times. They will surely succeed in the Han and Tang Dynasties and remain famous forever!"
Zhao Guangyi laughed and said: "The three northwest vassals have responded to the imperial edict and sent troops. Over in Xiazhou, you can leak the news in time. As long as Li Guangrui is not too stupid, he will definitely seize this opportunity."
Murong Qiuzui responded: "Yes, the news will be sent right away."
Zhao Guangyi then mused: "First south and then north, to unify the world, this is the national policy we formulated at the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty. Now that the south has been pacified and the national power is becoming more and more prosperous, it is time to point our troops to the north and leap to Beijing.
The North Kingdom is now orphaned and widowed, and the government is unstable. This is my best opportunity to take back the Sixteenth Province of Youyun. The opportunity is fleeting and I must not let it go. At this time, I must not let the northwest hold me back.
"
Murong Qiuzui said: "So, the best way is to let the Western Region continue to maintain a situation of division and checks and balances. Among the northwest vassals, Zhe Yuxun and Yang Chongxun cannot achieve anything great, but Yang Hao is not like that. He has the right time and location.
, Renhe, and Li Guangcen’s golden signature, it may not be impossible to replace Li Guangrui. Zhe Yuxun and Yang Chongxun have a very close relationship with him. Once he becomes the most powerful vassal in the northwest, these vassals will become
Once the group is formed, it will be monolithic, and it will be difficult to control it."
Zhao Guangyi said: "Li Guangrui is quite docile to me, and he has never had the ambition to stand on his own. Over the past hundred years, the struggle for power between the Li family and the Zheyang vassal has already become a fire and a war. On the other hand, Yang Hao is not the same. Not only is he uniquely endowed, but he also takes advantage of Li Guangcenyi's power."
With the benefit of his son, he recruited the seven Dangxiang clans for his use, and formed an alliance with Fuzhou and Linzhou to advance and retreat together. Moreover... this person may also have some ulterior motives with the Khitan. This is why I cannot tolerate him.
The biggest main reason.”
Murong Qiu drunkenly nodded and said: "What the officials said is that Yang Hao and the Khitans attacked Yinzhou at the same time. This is too coincidental. Although they each have their own desires, it is difficult to believe that they did not collude in advance.
.Especially because they cooperated too well in attacking Yinzhou. After the fall of Yinzhou, the Khitans, who are always greedy, actually abandoned Yinzhou and quickly retreated, handing Yinzhou over to Yang Hao. How could there be no incompatibility between the two?
A conspiracy to accuse? The Khitan has always been unwilling to be forced to give up the Han Kingdom. In my opinion, this Yang Hao is probably the puppet that the Khitan plans to use to replace the Han Kingdom and continue to contain the Song Dynasty, so it cooperates with it.
and support.”
Zhao Guangyi sneered: "To nip it in the bud, I'm going to borrow Li Guangrui's power to beat Yang Hao back to his original form."
Murong Qiuzui complimented: "Your Majesty kills two birds with one stone and has a clever plan."
"Haha, kill two birds with one stone?"
Zhao Guangyi smiled complacently, his eyes gradually turned sinister as he saw the situation ahead.
His guard of honor had just sailed out of Fushan. At this time, he was still on the high ground. Looking down from a high position, he saw three armies winding like snakes, marching through the mountains and fields. In front of them, at the foot of the mountains, a large army had walked out of the mountains and fields and was heading forward.
When Fang Xing left, a large flag was erected high in the army, but it had the word "Zhao" on it.
Zhao Guangyi's face darkened again. Murong Qiuzui took a look at his face and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, we are now close to the territory of the Han Kingdom. The Han Kingdom's horse army is waiting for Ma Feng, and the infantry army is waiting for Liu Jiye. Liu Jiye has always been full of tricks.
He is good at laying ambushes. In order to prevent the Han army from unexpectedly attacking our army, we should order the vanguard to take the lead."
"Well, what Aiqing said makes sense." Zhao Kuangyin nodded, and Murong Qiuzui bowed, stepped out of the chariot, stood beside the carriage and shouted to Bai Wenlie, the commander of the imperial army: "Your Majesty has a decree, order the vanguard to speed up.
Open roads across mountains, build bridges across rivers, and spy on the enemy's situation."
"Your Majesty has a decree to order the vanguard officer to lead his troops to march hundreds of miles, open roads in the mountains, build bridges when encountering water, and spy on the enemy's situation."
After hearing the order, Zhao Dezhao responded calmly: "I understand, send the order to speed up the march."
The vanguard battalion of the three armies immediately speeded up and moved away from the brigade. In the evening, a city appeared in front of it. Zhao Dezhao stepped back and asked: "What is ahead?"
Tan Ma reported: "General, we have arrived at Pingding City."
"Oh? It's getting late. Stop advancing. We'll be stationed in the city tonight to pacify it and enter the city."
Deputy General Gao Yin said in surprise: "General, the north of Pingding City is Mianman River, the south is Guoshui, and the front is an endless reed field. This kind of terrain is extremely vulnerable to attack. The official army will arrive soon, we should continue to move forward.
Just explore the water channels on the left and right, search the reed marshes ahead, and cut out a fire barrier."
Zhao Dezhao said with a smile on his face: "What General Gao said makes sense. However, this is the first time for me to lead an army, and the officials have repeatedly warned me to be cautious at every step. Now that the army has not arrived, the front is approaching the Han border. If I have three thousand soldiers,
It doesn't matter if the battle is defeated. It doesn't matter if the general has three advantages and two disadvantages. However, it has dampened the spirit of our army. How should we explain it to the officials? Let's go into the city. If the official army arrives to pacify the city tonight,
Since there are not enough troops stationed in the city, our vanguard battalion will move out of the city and station behind the city to protect the officials' houses. It is expected that the Han soldiers will be few and far between, and even if there is an ambush, they will retreat in the face of difficulties.
Hehehe, come on, enter the city."
Gao Yin suffered a setback. Seeing that Zhao Dezhao acted arbitrarily and ordered to enter the city, he had no choice but to turn his horse and retreat aside.
Zhao Dezhao rode his horse and stood in awe, watching the sergeants enter the city. He unexpectedly thought of his mentor's instructions: "The officials have evil intentions and made you a pioneer. They have no good intentions. They want to kill someone with a borrowed knife. But the reason he gave is high-sounding and cannot be refused.
.However, this is also a good thing. At least it proves that the official does not dare to do anything to you publicly. He is afraid, so you have a glimmer of hope.
You don't seek merit when you go here, but you seek no fault. You must be careful everywhere and be cautious. Although you are a vanguard, you must not charge in front. In the chaos of the army, the enemy may not be able to kill you, but you must be careful behind you.
No matter what, if you survive this level, it will be harder for the officials to find an opportunity to attack you. Only then will you have the opportunity to avenge the late emperor and kill this regicide."
Thinking of this, a sneer appeared at the corner of Zhao Dezhao's mouth. At this time, someone came to report: "General, the front camp has entered the city."
Zhao Dezhao turned his horse and said: "General Gao is behind you, and the Chinese army will follow me into the city!"
When Zhao Guangyi's vanguard troops arrived at Pingding City, Yang Hao, Zhe Yuxun, and Yang Chongxun's troops had already arrived in Lanzhou and were stationed on the banks of the Fenshui River. After the camp was set up, Yang Hao ordered his deputy Li Yide to set up camp, and he rushed to Zhe
Yu Xun's Chinese Army.
He brought Li Yide with him, of course, because all his close generals had other uses. The miscellaneous army he brought to the Han Dynasty really didn't have many people who could hold up the situation. On the other hand, it was not impossible to use Li Yide as a hostage.
The people of Yinzhou have a complicated relationship with the Li family in Yinzhou. If Li Guangrui's army comes to kill, it is difficult to guarantee that the Li family will not betray again for the sake of the future of the Li family when the army is pressing down. Because
For safety reasons, the only way to do this is to take the head of the Li family with you. The Li family will have to think twice before making any decision.
When Yang Hao arrived at the Chinese camp of the Zhejia Army, he saw Chi Zhong, the commander of the capital, digging trenches, burying wooden stakes, spreading thorns, and setting up horseback guards at the command post. Although the horses could not detect the enemy, the Han army could not take any risks.
The troops came from afar to attack them, but along the way, Chizhong was always meticulous in setting up camp and could not tolerate any sloppiness.
Yang Hao knew him well. When he led the people of the Northern Han Dynasty to move to the northwest, General Chi was the first to greet him and escorted him all the way to Fuzhou. Yang Hao smiled and said hello: "Chi
General, is Commander Zhe in the Chinese Army?"
Chi Zhong turned around and saw Yang Hao. A smile appeared on his usually serious face: "Shuai Yang is here. My commander-in-chief is in the tent. I originally said that he would visit Yang Shuai's army later. Please hurry up and invite me."
Yang Hao saw that he was going to lead the way for him, so he said politely: "How dare you bother General Lao Chi? The general is busy with your work, but Marshal Zhe is my sworn brother. There is no need to be so invisible. I will go there on my own."
Yang Hao walked towards the largest tent. Chizhong's lieutenant Xiao Chen looked at Yang Hao's back and sighed: "Oh, life's fate is really difficult to predict. Just two years ago, this Yang Hao was still a ninth-grade man.
Official, if it weren't for the title of imperial envoy, let alone our commander, even if you were the general, you wouldn't have to condescend to see him. He went to Bianliang for a while, and this official became bigger and bigger.
Now Commander-in-Chief is calling him brother and sister, and the general in the past was aloof and superior, but now he has to bow to him, and my subordinates feel really damn uncomfortable."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Go and do your thing!"
Chi Zhong opened his eyes and scolded, turned around and walked away. He walked far away and stood by the Fenshui River. Facing the long river, he looked at the waves on the river like gold and silver. Chi Zhong suddenly sighed softly.
With a sound, his mood waned.
Yang Hao arrived at Zhe Yuxun's Chinese army tent and received the news. Zhe Yuxun and Yang Chongxun came out to welcome him. Yang Hao smiled and said, "Second brother is here too?"
Yang Chongxun smiled and said: "We were just talking about you, and you came. Come, come, come, sit inside."
The three of them entered the tent and sat down. Zhe Yuxun immediately asked: "Is there any news?"
Yang Hao knew that he was asking about Xiazhou, so he shook his head and said with a smile: "It can't be that fast. I'm afraid it will take a few days to get the news from Xiazhou."
Yang Chongxun sighed: "The third child is really the material to do great things. If it were me, I would never dare to abandon the foundation and take the risk of sending all the troops to attack Li Guangrui's formation. If I did this, I'm afraid I would have to sleep and eat.
I'm sorry, but the third child seems to be completely fine. Such courage is beyond my control."
Yang Hao shook his head and said: "Why don't I feel uneasy in my heart? But the plan has been decided, and it is useless to think about it. I have already made a move, and now it depends on how Li Guangrui responds. If this plan succeeds, the two brothers will have a better future in the Western Regions in the next few decades.
The bloody storm of a few years ago has finally come to an end. This is a great blessing for me and for you. This risk is worth taking.
Now we are about to enter the Han Kingdom and join the official army. Han Dynasty is no longer what it used to be, so how can we fight? But is the official army just trying to show off its military power to the Han Dynasty that is in turmoil?
When the officials mobilize us to send troops, I'm afraid it's not just as simple as moving the tiger away from the mountain and giving Li Guangrui a chance..."
Yang Chongxun couldn't hold himself back and blurted out: "What do you want to say? Do the officials still dare to deal with us all?"
Yang Hao smiled lightly and said: "Of course he can't do such a thing, but using the soldiers of the Han Dynasty to destroy our power is just a mouthful. If you were Zhao Guangyi, would you do it?"
Zhe Yuxun sneered and said: "I have also considered this. The officials may not have this intention, but we are not puppets at the mercy of others. If he wants us to take the lead, won't we take the opportunity to let him off?"
Yang Hao smiled and said: "That's what I mean. When we go, we must work together to advance and retreat together. As long as the three of us brothers are of the same mind, it will be difficult for the officials to do anything."
At this point, he turned to Yang Chongxun and said: "Second brother, Liu Jiye, the infantry commander of the Han Kingdom, is your brother. This time, the Han Kingdom may not be spared. If your brother doesn't get out in time..."
What are your plans, second brother?"
The smile on Yang Chongxun's face disappeared, his cheeks twitched a few times, and he said in a deep voice: "Brother... we have not had contact with each other for more than 20 years. I protect our Yang family, but the eldest brother protects the Han people."
The Liu family of the country. Since he became the adopted grandson of Han Emperor Liu Chong, I have written books for him many times to persuade him to abandon the Han Dynasty and return. However, the eldest brother was grateful for the Han Emperor's appreciation and refused. The Han Emperor Liu Jun paid homage to the Khitan Emperor
After my father became the emperor, my eldest brother's name was erased from the genealogy of my Yang family's ancestral hall to prevent my ancestors from being shamed. Now, if he rebels before the battle and acknowledges his ancestors, I, Yang Chongxun, will still recognize him as mine.
Brother, otherwise, we can only meet each other in war, and the brotherly love will not be taken care of!"
What Yang Chongxun said was categorical, and Yang Hao was surprised and delighted when he heard it. He knew that Yang Jiye would never do the behavior of abandoning his master before the battle. Now, whether it is Yang Chongxun's awe-inspiring integrity or he doesn't want anyone to shake his position as the head of the Yang family in Linzhou, since
If you understand his intentions, you still have a glimmer of hope in conquering Yang Jiye.
The five famous generals in the early Song Dynasty, Yang, Cao, Zhong, Zhe, and Li, had descendants with many famous generals and outstanding military achievements. Now Cao Bin of the Cao family and Li Jilong of the Li family have returned to the Song Dynasty. Zhe Yuxun of the Zhe family is his sworn brother.
The Zhong family, who came from a family of civil servants and Confucian scholars and became a family of military generals, still doesn’t know where they are now. Whether the number one Yang family can fall into his hands depends on whether he can snatch Mr. Yang from Zhao Guangyi’s tiger’s mouth this time.