The Song Dynasty was indeed determined to win Youyan. Because the Song Dynasty conquered the world, it was inherently deficient. The Song Dynasty was no better than the Han and Tang Dynasties. The Han and Tang Dynasties inherited the territories of the Qin and Sui dynasties respectively. The northern and western regions were all in their hands. Before the Song Dynasty conquered the world, the Tang Dynasty
The dynasty had been destroyed for more than a hundred years, and the princes of the Central Plains were fighting each other. By the time the Song Dynasty unified the Central Plains, the Western Regions and the North had been controlled and ruled by foreigners for many years, and they had already established a solid foundation in the area.
The Liao Empire occupies the north. It owns the strategically important land of Youyun Sixteen Provinces. From a commanding position, it can ride southward and ride horses to the Central Plains at any time. There is still hope to recover the northwest. The problem is that the rulers of the Liao Empire are not short-sighted.
Mediocre people, they know that once the Song Dynasty wins the Western Region, it will be even more powerful, and it will be inevitable to attack Youyan at that time.
Once the Liao Kingdom loses the land of Youyan, it will not only lose a large area of territory, but also the initiative of war and peace will be in the hands of the Song people. Once a monarch with ambitions in all directions appears in the Song Kingdom, the army can march out of the pass at any time.
, defeated them, and even ended up like the Xiongnu and Turks, who were driven to the west by the Han people. Therefore, in order to protect Youyan, the Western Region must be protected first to contain the Song Dynasty, and cannot go all out in the Northern Expedition.
The Song Dynasty also saw this very clearly, so at the beginning of the founding of the country, it decided to unify the world first from the south to the north. Zhao Kuangyin built a seal warehouse to reserve military supplies, and only said to the outside world that he would use the money to redeem Youyan one day.
This was used to confuse the Northern Kingdom. By the time of Zhao Guangyi, the South had been completely pacified. Occasional rebellions could no longer shake the foundation of the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty had been gathering for ten years, with strong soldiers and horses, and mountains of money and food in the piles and warehouses, which was enough to support a campaign to mobilize the entire country's troops.
The war started.
Therefore, as soon as Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he took over the preparations made by his imperial brother and continued to make preparations for the Northern Expedition from all aspects. He set up granaries and armories along the northern route and trained the army quickly. What he lacked now was just a wedge and a
The right opportunity.
Now, it seems the opportunity has arrived.
Jurchen and Shiwei sent secret envoys respectively to proclaim themselves ministers to Song and begged Song to send troops to attack Liao.
The Jurchens and Shiwei were vassals of the Liao State. They turned their backs to the Liao State and turned to the Song Dynasty, which was a very proud event for the Song State. You must know that the number of vassal states in the Song Dynasty is far less than that of the Liao State. Now there are foreign tribes coming to surrender across the Liao State. Isn't that right?
Of course Zhao Guangyi was happy that all the barbarians surrendered to Zhengguang, but this submission came at a price, that is, the Song State would send troops to attack the Liao State in order to break the siege between the Jurchens and Shiwei. For this reason, Zhao Guangyi immediately summoned his close ministers to discuss the matter.
thing.
At this time, the Song Dynasty court, after a major purge, had been completely replaced by Zhao Guangyi's people. Pan Mei, Cao Bin, and other pillars of the army were now idle at home, taking care of themselves. As for the civil servants, even more
It has a completely new look. Except for Zhang Jie, who is just a wallflower, almost all of them are Zhao Guangyi's old friends when he was hiding in Kaifeng Mansion, such as Cheng Yu, Jia Yan, Song Qi and others.
Although the current civil and military ministers are all Zhao Guangyi's confidants, the ministers still have different opinions and are deadlocked on whether to conquer the Liao Dynasty, how large a scale of war to launch, and what strategic goals to achieve. Regarding this incident that took place in the northeast of the Liao Kingdom,
During the war, both the civil and military forces of North Korea and China believed that they should be exploited, but they had different opinions on how to help them, whether to send troops, and what purpose to achieve.
Luo Kedi is currently ranked first among the generals. Although Cao Bin, the Privy Councilor, is still in office, he has excused himself from serious illness and is idle at home. He only has an empty title. Luo Kedi is currently the number one person with real power in the army.
This was the first war he encountered after taking charge of the military, and his opponent was the powerful Liao Kingdom. Luo Ke's enemy was not without caution. After some careful thinking, he went out and said: "Your Majesty, your Majesty.
I think that the Liao Kingdom is now the well-deserved king of the north, a fierce tiger dominating the grassland. Compared with it, all the tribes in the north are like jackals. Fighting a tiger with a wolf is like hitting a stone with an egg. However, if a pack of wolves fights a tiger, then
Although the tiger is fierce, it cannot look at each other from head to tail, and the result is bound to be a lose-lose situation for both sides.
Therefore, the Jurchen and Shiwei rebellions are an opportunity for the Song Dynasty, and we should not let it pass. In my opinion, based on the Jurchens, the power of Shiwei is not enough to shake the foundation of the Liao Dynasty. If we want to take advantage of this opportunity, we can
Give the Jurchens and their wives Wei Cai, silk, rice, ordnance support to help them survive. At the same time, you can follow the Song Dynasty's strategy of sending troops to attack the Western Xia and Liao Dynasties, and mobilize a group of troops for the Northern Expedition to contain their main force so that they will not have the intention to fight on both sides, and quickly
End the conquest of the Jurchens and Shiwei."
When Zhao Guangyi heard this, he said with some displeasure: "Luo Qing, don't you know what I mean? What good will this do to our country, Song Dynasty?"
"Of course there are benefits."
Luo Kedi had thought clearly and spoke eloquently: "As far as I know, the Liao Dynasty oppressed and exploited its vassals very hard, and all the vassal forces were angry and dared not speak out. If the Jurchens and Shiwei can survive the difficulties safely, they can be saved.
If it grows stronger, it will inevitably inspire other grassland tribes. The pack of wolves will be dissatisfied and will always be in trouble with the Liao Kingdom. The Liao Kingdom will have to focus on one thing at the expense of the other. The national power will inevitably be weakened. At that time, our dynasty will use the power of the entire country to strike a fatal blow, and it will definitely be defeated in one battle.
.At the same time, tigers and wolves are tigers and wolves after all. Whether they are tigers or wolves, they are not good creatures. They can only be used and cannot be trusted. Please think twice about this."
Zhao Guangyi became a little anxious after hearing this, or he was following Luo Kedi's idea. In order to support and cultivate these vassals who were interested in the Liao Kingdom, they had to be careful. They couldn't do it overnight. They had to penetrate gradually. In the process of construction, they gradually
To control them, this step alone may take ten or twenty years to achieve results.
As for the Liao Kingdom, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. What's more, the current Liao Kingdom is far from being comparable to a thin camel. Now the Liao Kingdom has a young leader, orphans and widowed mothers. If you don't take advantage of such a good opportunity, you will have to wait until ten or twenty
Years later, when the young emperor is already in his prime, can he still be so easy to deal with? The most important thing is... by then, who will get the credit for recovering Yanyun? The predecessors planted the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade.
Either his son or his grandson would not be as satisfying as having this honor brought to him. This strategy is really not feasible.
Zhao Guangyi saw his uncle Li Jilong in a blink of an eye, his color softened again, and he hurriedly asked: "Tyranny, what do you think?"
Li Jilong, courtesy name Ba Tu, was originally from Shangdang. His father was Li Chuyun, the famous general who founded the Song Dynasty. Li Jilong's sister was arranged by Zhao Kuangyin to marry Zhao Guangyi, and she is the current Queen Li. Because Li Jilong's father Li Chuyun and Zhao Kuangyin's sworn brother Murong Yan
Jun was at odds with each other, so although Li Jilong was full of strategies, he was hindered by his father and was always suppressed.
Naturally, such a person would not be Zhao Kuangyin's best friend. After Zhao Guangyi came to power, because he kept saying that everything must abide by the old system of the previous emperor, he did not take any major actions at that time. It was not until this time that he took the opportunity to purge the veterans of the previous dynasty to promote Li Jilong.
, Li Jilong is now the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the bodyguard of Ma Jun, and he is also a powerful figure in the army.
Li Jilong thought for a moment and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, I believe that today's Liao Empire is far from the tribal alliance of the Xiongnu and Turks in the past. The strength of the Liao Kingdom is ten times stronger than the previous Shanyu Khans who brought trouble to the Central Plains. I think
In the early days of the Han and Tang dynasties, it was fashionable and expensive to deal with large tribes like the Xiongnu and Turks. Now that we, the Song Dynasty, are facing powerful enemies, we must not be greedy for success and act rashly. I think what Mr. Luo has said is very reasonable."
When Zhao Guangyi heard what his uncle said, he couldn't help but be disappointed. One of the generals in the military general class was Cui Han, the Marquis of Yu in front of the palace. Cui Han, courtesy name Zhongwen, was born in Jingzhao ten thousand years ago. He rarely has great ambitions and has a handsome appearance.
He once conquered Huainan from Zhou Shizong, defeated Shouchun, captured Guannan, and supplemented the military envoy with his merits. In the early Song Dynasty, he was moved to Yuma Zhi as deputy commander, and later appointed as the governor of Duanzhou. He was a veteran of the previous dynasty, because he had been serving in the army in recent years.
He served in a local position, so he was not affected by the great purge. The military generals in the DPRK promoted too many new people, and there had to be a few veteran generals to hold the line. Cui Han was very good at leading troops, so Zhao Guangyi transferred him back to Beijing to serve as the palace commander.
The former capital of Yuhou was regarded as an important position in the central department.
Cui Han saw that Cao Bin, Pan Mei and other veteran generals had stepped aside one by one. He was very cautious in dealing with others and paid special attention to observing his superiors. When he saw the emperor's face, he was unhappy.
After thinking for a while, he responded: "Your Majesty, I believe that the one who should take advantage of it is the momentum; the one that cannot be lost is the time. Taking advantage of the momentum of breaking the bamboo, it is very easy to gain it.
Now the Jurchens and Shiwei abandoned Liao and came to join us. They are the vassal of our Song Dynasty. The Liao people invaded our vassal. Our dynasty has a reputation for sending troops, which is its power. The Jurchens and Shiwei live in the east of Liao and in the north of Liao. They have to contain the Liao.
If the Song Dynasty seizes the opportunity to send troops to the North, the Liao Kingdom will be attacked from both sides and will be hard to support. Therefore, I think we should take advantage of this good opportunity to launch a large-scale Northern Expedition to recover Youyan. This opportunity must not be missed, and it will never come back."
When Zhao Guangyi heard that Long Yan was overjoyed, he turned around and asked all the civil servants. Although Zhang Ji was of poor moral character, he did have real talents. Not only was he knowledgeable about ancient times and the present, he was good at managing civil affairs, he was also not a layman about the military. He once reported to the imperial court
The court followed the strategy of training the frontier troops and achieved great results. After thinking about it carefully, he also felt that given the strong strength of the Song Dynasty at this time and the internal troubles of the Liao Dynasty, if the preparations were sufficient and the command was proper, the Northern Expedition might not be impossible.
If he succeeds, he will also agree.
However, the opinions of Jia Qi, Song Yan, Cheng Yu and others are not unanimous. They are all people who sincerely assist Zhao Guangyi, and they are also people with real talents and hard work. However, these three people are said to be cautious at best, but at worst.
The three of them thought for a long time and felt that sending troops to the Northern Expedition would be a bit risky. Although victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists, the Liao and Song Dynasties could learn from each other except when they attacked the Han Dynasty.
, the two countries have never directly declared war on each other.
Winning is the icing on the cake for the Holy One. Once it fails, wouldn't it be worth the loss? With this in mind, the opinions expressed by the three people are relatively conservative. Zhao Guangyi still attaches great importance to their opinions. Seeing that they are also hesitant, his enthusiasm is gone.
A little lighter.
After two days of discussion, there was still no result. Wang Ke's people sent back from the Liao Dynasty sent a secret letter to Zhao Guangyi's court. After reading the letter, Zhao Guangyi couldn't help being shocked and horrified: Yongqing has already lived in the Northern Dynasty?
It goes without saying that Empress Dowager Xiao must regard it as a rare commodity to live in. As soon as the interior is pacified and the troops and horses are strong, she will use Princess Yongqing's magic weapon and march her army southward.
Wang Ke also said in the letter that this matter needs to be inquired carefully, and there is no certainty at the moment, but...how can such a thing wait for him to find out the truth? It is better to believe that it is true than to believe that it is not true. Combined with the current situation of Liao Dynasty,
War is a stalemate of peace, and thanks to this letter, everything is solved.
The Northern Expedition was not only the long-cherished wish of his eldest brother Zhao Kuangyin, but also his long-cherished wish, because the success of the Northern Expedition represented supreme glory. What more could an emperor ask for? Isn’t it just achievements that will shine through the ages?
For him, there was another purpose. He needed this unparalleled achievement to vindicate his wrongdoings. As Empress Song, mother and son, were abducted and died in mysterious circumstances, various rumors about the death of the late emperor began to spread again, and they were once again
People mention it. Although these are invisible forces, the invisible pressure can also make people restless. What makes people especially worried is the name behind them.
If he can recapture Youyan, he will no longer have to worry about this. He is the second emperor of the Song Dynasty, and his future posthumous title will definitely be Taizong. His fate as Song Taizong will be like that of Tang Taizong, regardless of whether he killed his brother or killed his brother.
Even if a younger brother destroys his own heir, no matter how many evil things he does, he can still be praised as an eternal wise king with great talent and great strategy.
Because Confucians have always preached the four dimensions of the country, propriety, justice, integrity and shame. To protect the country is to decorate the four dimensions. If the four dimensions are not maintained, the country will perish. If a king has stains that cannot be washed away, his moral character is greatly lacking, but he can establish this
Despite his achievements, the world is peaceful and peaceful under his governance. How should he explain this to the world?
Therefore, heroes must be equated with saints, and those who have merit must be virtuous. Even if he does have any bad deeds, he can still use a clever pen to avoid the serious and trivial and pretend to be past.
And now, he has a third reason: Yongqing!
If you strike first, you will be stronger, if you strike later, you will suffer disaster!
Zhao Guangyi stood up with a slap on the case and said sternly: "Gu Ruoli, immediately tell the important officials of the civil and military classes to be waiting for you at the Palace of Imperial Instruments!"
Seeing his frightened expression, Gu Douzhi didn't dare to ask any more questions, so he quickly agreed and hurriedly retreated.
Zhao Guangyi put his hands on the case and took another look at the secret letter spread out on the desk. His eyes shone brightly: "The Northern Expedition must be carried out immediately! While you are sick, I will take your life. Kill three birds with one stone and end it all at once!"
"
The ministers were summoned to see him, and found that the Holy Emperor, whose attitude had always been somewhat wavering, suddenly became extremely determined. He no longer asked the ministers whether the Northern Expedition should be carried out, but ordered the civil and military officials to immediately draw up a detailed plan for the Northern Expedition. It would be June soon.
Well, the time has come for the Northern Expedition. Time has not waited for us, and we cannot delay it for another half day.
With Zhao Guangyi's edict, the entire Song Dynasty's huge war machine began to move. Those who prepared food, ordnance, and military pay, assembled and dispatched troops, mobilized migrant workers in prefectures and counties, and recruited horses and vehicles. The bachelors of the Hanlin Academy also
When I was idle, I wordlessly wrote an article to attack the Liao Kingdom. The content was nothing more than counting the historical ownership of the Sixteen States of Youyun, and then talking about the dire straits that the Han people in the Sixteen States of Youyun were in now.
, and let’s talk about the bad deeds of the Liao tribes over the years of harvesting grass and valleys and plundering the border areas. Finally, I will mention the Jurchens and Shi Wei who came from thousands of miles away to surrender. I pay tribute to the emperor’s benevolence and righteousness.
Under Zhao Guangyi's urging, with the full cooperation of the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, and with the many years of advance preparations for the Northern Expedition, it only took a month for all the preparations to be completed. Zhao Guangyi personally led the expedition and led the generals. Hundreds of troops, including 300,000 healthy soldiers and tigers, waved their weapons to the north and marched directly towards the Liao Kingdom in a mighty manner.
Zhao Guangyi had made up his mind, so he summoned his ministers to discuss the geography of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. The seven prefectures of Youyun, Ji, Ying, Mo, Zhuo, Tan, and Shun were located in the southeast of the North Branch of Taihang, and the remaining nine prefectures were in the northwest of the mountain. Youzhou is in the middle and is the most dangerous. His idea is to send his army north and capture Youzhou. By capturing this point, he can expand to both wings and connect with the Jurchens to the east, and then connect the Jurchens with Shiwei to form a swallowing sea. The jaws of Daliao.
The civil servants of the Liao Dynasty were shocked when they learned that the Song Dynasty was launching a massive Northern Expedition. The news was rushed to the palace, and Xiao Chuo couldn't help but became furious when he heard the news.
She immediately convened the civil and military officials to discuss countermeasures. The civil and military officials spent half a day in the palace planning and levying money and food one by one, and the edicts of the soldiers and horses flew out of the capital.
Xiao Chuo ordered Han Gong, Yelu Shanbu, Yelu Jian and other troops to go to Gu'an and Zhuozhou, and ordered Beiyuan King Yelu Xida, Yishi King Saha and others to lead troops to guard Yan. Liao Han troops stationed in Youzhou included Shenwu, Konghe, Yulin, Xiaowu and other armies mobilized the command of the king of Beiyuan; there were also Khitan, Jiu Nu, Xi, and the clan troops in the north and south Pishi all listened to their orders. At the same time, troops from Tokyo (Liaoyang Prefecture) moved non-stop. ), Zhongjing (Dading Prefecture) mobilized soldiers and horses, and the total force is expected to reach 250,000.
With such an arrangement in the military, a war of words also had to be fought. The literati of the Liao State worked hard and concocted a crusade against the Song State. Let's also start with a historical account of nearly fifty years after the fall of the Tang Dynasty. The Khitan had already been established. At that time, the world There was no Song State yet, and Emperor Shi Jingtang of the Jin Dynasty ceded the "Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun" to the Khitan. Legally and in fact, this area had become the territory of the Khitan, and the Zhou and Song Dynasties had not yet been established at this time. Regardless of whether it was Zhou Shizong's Northern Expedition Zhao Guangyi's Northern Expedition was actually an invasion of the Khitans.
The commemoration article also said that at the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, the country was small and weak, so it made good friends with the Khitan. In the seventh year of Kaibao, he took the initiative to send envoys to the Liao Dynasty and signed a peace treaty with the Liao Dynasty. The two countries were friendly and would not invade each other. Now that they unified the Central Plains, they immediately tore up the peace treaty and raised troops. Invasion, reneging on promises, greed for gain, and losing the dignity of a great nation...
Zhao Guangyi personally led his army into the Liao Kingdom. After seeing this appeal from the Liao people, he read the entire article without mentioning Yongqing, and felt a little at ease. He had already made the worst plan, preparing for the worst if the Liao Kingdom surrendered. Princess Yongqing came up with this chess move and forcibly placed the blame on the Liao people for the abduction of Lady Song, her mother and her son. Princess Yongqing was in the enemy's hands, so she couldn't say what she wanted. This was also within the territory of the Liao Kingdom, and her soldiers Ma had no contact with the Liao people except on the battlefield, and he could completely control the situation. Now that the Liao people didn't mention Yongqing, he naturally wouldn't ask for trouble. He just sneered and pulled up the memorial to the place where it was abandoned. Sword heading north, waving troops to attack and advance...
"Go and tie the rope to the tree."
Little Yang Jia handed the rope to the monkey. The monkey took the rope, looked around furtively, jumped up onto the tree, and quickly tied the rope according to Yang Jia's instructions. Yang Jia clapped her hands and laughed. The other end has also been tied, and a board is attached under the rope. A swing is now ready. Yang Jia sat on the board, holding the rope with both hands, and said excitedly to the maid: "Quick, quick, push me, Higher."
"Yang Jia, have you forgotten that you fell on your butt last time?"
Yang Shan led a little white dog over, like a little adult, and scolded her brother seriously: "If you fall badly again, let's see who will wipe your nose. Go and play something else."
Yang Jia got down from the swing in a daze, and Yang Shan's eyes flashed, and she suddenly ran behind him, sat down on the swing, and laughed loudly: "It's mine, the swing is mine, hahahaha..."
"You... bully people!" Yang Jia yelled angrily. Yang Shan shook her head and said with a smile on her face, "If you are not convinced, you dog, drive him away."
"Woof! Woof woof!" The puppy barked with force. Although the dog was not big, it grinned fiercely. Yang Jia turned around and ran away. Yang Shan was so happy that she laughed so hard that she burst into tears: "How dare you.
It’s so small, so worthless, even small dogs are scared, hahahaha…”
She was only proud for a moment when her eldest sister Yang Xue called out: "Xiaojia, what are you doing with Xiaobai?"
Yang Jia saw Yang Jia running back triumphantly. The puppy jumped up and barked again, and only barked twice. Yang Jia stretched out her hand and shouted: "Bite it!"
"Ouch~~" a wolf howled, and a huge, snow-white wolf jumped out from behind Yang Jia. Its ears were as sharp as knives, its teeth were white and sharp, and its two fierce eyes emitted a faint green light.
The puppy let out a whimper and lay on the ground, not daring to move. Yang Jia burst out laughing at the sight. She was smiling proudly. Yang Shan, who felt sorry for her puppy, jumped down from the swing and ran to his side.
He clucked his finger in his mouth and flicked it hard on his head.
"Ouch!" Yang Jia covered her head and cried with tears in her eyes: "Eldest sister, eldest sister, second sister hit me..."
Yang Xue walked out of the flowers on the side. Yang Xue had grown into a pretty little girl, with almond-shaped eyes and peach cheeks, and skin as smooth as snow. She looked like her mother Luo Donger. She was wearing a red jacket with a warrior shorts and deerskin at her feet.
Gripping boots, wearing a pheasant-feather white phoenix helmet on his head, a Roman-style waist knife with a golden mouth and gems on his waist, and a small bow made to measure on the back of his shoulder. Wow! Although he is not yet ten years old, he is already a little bit older.
The charm of the little beauty.
"Xiaoshan, you bullied your brother again!"
The eldest sister is the eldest sister. Yang Xue glared at Yang Shan, then touched Yang Jia's head and coaxed him: "Be good, be good, you are a man, don't make others laugh. Daddy said, wait until you are two years older."
, I will send you to Lingjiu Peak in Tianshan Mountain to study martial arts with Master Jingyin for a few years. When you have great skills, no matter how many times the second sister plays you, you will bounce back."
When Yang Jia heard this, she burst into tears and started counting with her fingers: "One, two, three..."
Yang Shan rolled her eyes and hummed: "If you dare to hit me, I'll tell aunt. Auntie said that men are not allowed to hit women."
Yang Xue glared at her and said, "Are you allowed to bully my brother? Come on, my second mother is going hunting. You come with me and practice riding and shooting."
"I don't want it." Yang Shan turned around and ran away: "I just remembered that I haven't finished writing the calligraphy my mother asked me to practice. I'm going to write. Sister, you can do it yourself."
Yang Shan said and ran away quickly.
Not far away, on a rockery pavilion made of earthen mounds, Yang Hao smiled as he watched his children playing around, and listened to Xiao Yan's report: "The envoy of Dingguo Jiedong, Song Xie, has been transferred back to Bianliang from Fuzhou.
When he went on an expedition, the Song court sent another commander, Kong Shouzheng, to garrison Hengshan, and brought 20,000 soldiers and horses to supplement the troops of Yunlin Prefecture and the two states. At the same time... Shangbo Qian of Longyou had sent people to negotiate peace with Yeluohe and Luo Dan.
The two sides agreed to use Huining Pass and Baishi Mountain as the line, and cease fighting based on east and west. From this, Tong Yu, Basa, Di Haijing and others returned, increased their troops at Xiao Pass, and strengthened the offensive against our Xiao Pass defenders."
Yang Hao smiled slightly: "This ending must be the result of Song Ting's intervention. Lin Mansion increased its troops and prepared a strong formation. Xiao Guan urged Shang Boqian to strengthen his offensive. Zhao Guangyi was afraid that I would hold him back, hahaha,
Let him go, let's have a good fight with Shang Boqian, and let him go north with peace of mind, but...if the fight goes too far, it will be a pure accident..."