In fact, there was no need for Yang Guangyuan to report the news, and Yelu Deguang was preparing to go south again.
Yelu Deguang also knew very clearly about various natural disasters that occurred in the territory of the Later Jin Dynasty.
Because of a very simple thing, the most disasters in the Later Jin Dynasty occurred in Zhenzhou and Dingzhou.
Both of these places are adjacent to Youzhou, which was ceded to the Khitan. The flood and drought disasters suffered by Youzhou are no less severe than those of Zhenzhou and Dingzhou.
However, the governance ability of the Khitan people was still better than that of the later Jin Dynasty.
Before acquiring the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, during the Yelu Abaoji period, the Khitan had already captured Pingzhou, Yingzhou and other places in western Liaoning that originally belonged to the Tang Dynasty.
Western Liaoning was originally a prosperous area under the jurisdiction of the Lulong Jiedu Envoy. There were a large number of farms, but there was a lack of Han people who knew how to farm.
Therefore, Yelu Deguang has been busy relocating the victims these days, moving the people of Youzhou who were severely affected by the disaster to the Yingzhou and Pingzhou areas in western Liaoning where there are fewer people.
However, don't think that the people of Youyun Sixteen Prefectures got a blessing in disguise, because the Khitans themselves also suffered disasters. This is the Liao of the Khitans, and they must take care of their own people first.
Therefore, Yelu Deguang's relocation of the victims was more like a journey of death. The old, the weak, the sick and the disabled died along the way, and only the strong men and women survived.
It can only be said that the Khitan people did a better job than the later Jin Dynasty who ignored it and continued to urge the autumn tax.
After relocating the victims, the attack on the Later Jin Dynasty was immediately put on the agenda by Yelu Deguang.
Because for him now, one troublesome thing is that this war, which was ostensibly to punish the Later Jin Dynasty, was turned into a war that must be won by Yelu Deguang.
Because before the war, in order to strengthen the determination of the Khitan tribes to support him and go south, Yelu Deguang was a little indulgent and allowed the later Jin Dynasty to insult him.
Jing Yanguang's words, "If you want to fight, then come and fight. In the future, your grandson will not be able to help but make fun of the world." This left a mark on Yelu Deguang that he could not retreat.
Because if he really had the reputation of a great Khitan nation and the dignity of a grandfather, he would not be able to defeat the stormy Shi Chonggui.
Then in the Khitan country, which values strength in everything, Yelu Deguang's prestige will suffer a devastating blow. Some people may even rebel and oppose him.
Therefore, Yelu Deguang not only had to continue to attack the Later Jin Dynasty, but also had to win. It was best to destroy the Later Jin Dynasty, otherwise the indulgence before the war would backfire on Yelu Deguang.
It was precisely because of Yelv Deguang's performance that Zhang Zhao completely saw the Khitan, especially Yelv Deguang, as a paper tiger.
Because Yelu Deguang clearly knew the enemy during the first Jin-Liao war.
He could attack steadily and conquer all the prefectures and counties north of the Yellow River in the Later Jin Dynasty step by step, and then take advantage of the fact that the Yellow River is frozen in winter to conquer the south of the Yellow River, and that would be a big deal.
But Yelu Deguang did not do this. He saw clearly the reality of the later Jin Dynasty, but he could not see clearly his own strength.
He thought he could easily destroy the Later Jin Dynasty, but in fact the Khitan at this time did not have such ability.
So Yelv Deguang, who didn't know himself, underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly. He ordered Zhao Yanshou to lead 50,000 soldiers and horses all the way to Beizhou. He also dared to divide his troops to attack Liu Zhiyuan in Hedong.
As a result, the Khitan army of more than 100,000 troops rushed into battle without a stable rear.
Both battles under Qicheng were unwinnable, and there was also the danger of being flanked by the Later Jin army.
In the end, they had to abandon their baggage and run away. The number of casualties alone was as high as 30,000.
The Battle of Qicheng caused two extremely serious consequences.
First, the soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty were no longer afraid of the Khitans, and even became a little eager to compete with the Khitans.
The second is to let Zhang Zhao completely see the reality of the Khitan army.
Zhang Zhao discovered that the Khitan people's only advantage when facing the Central Plains soldiers and generals who had been constantly cultivating Gu from the late Tang Dynasty to the later Jin Dynasty was mobility.
Zhang Zhao's Liang army happened to be not lacking in mobility.
Therefore, according to the calculations of the Liang Kingdom Qionglin Academy and a group of military officers, if the Khitans penetrate deep into the Central Plains, there is a great possibility that they will be defeated by the Liang Kingdom army.
But precisely because Yelu Deguang lost so humiliatingly last time, the war between Shanxi and Liao was determined to stop only when one side fell.
Moreover, although more than 30,000 soldiers were lost in the first war going south, most of them were the original Lulong Han army of Xi Ren and Zhao Yanshou.
The Khitan inner circle had lost less than a thousand people, so Yelv Deguang still believed that he could take over the Central Plains.
In the eighth year of Tianfu in the Later Jin Dynasty (AD 943), at the end of September, Yelu Deguang once again held a ceremony of shooting ghost arrows and burning wood to worship the sky outside Youzhou City.
This time, the Khitan emperor finally learned his lesson and did not divide his troops to attack Liu Zhiyuan in Hedong.
He even sent people to secretly contact Liu Zhiyuan before going south, implying that as long as Liu Zhiyuan did not act rashly, the Khitan troops would not attack Hedong.
This move was in line with Liu Zhiyuan's wishes, and he quickly summoned more than ten generals including Guo Wei, Wang Jun, Guo Congyi, and Guo Chongwei for discussion.
He also sealed Shi Chonggui and appointed him as the Commander-in-Chief of the School, and took out the appointment letter for the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Camp.
Seeing this, Guo Wei stood next to Liu Zhiyuan and sneered, "How dare the emperor entrust the defense of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan to the Taiwei? There must be other arrangements, right?"
Liu Zhiyuan was very satisfied with Guo Wei's use of the word "dare". In the current situation, Shi Chonggui wanted to use the word "dare" to Liu Zhiyuan but did not dare to use it.
Moreover, Liu Zhiyuan did not have good intentions. If Shi Chonggui really dared to hand over the defense north of the Yellow River to him, what he would get would definitely not be Liu Zhiyuan's loyalty.
"Of course he doesn't dare. Even if he dares, Feng Dao, Sang Weihan and others will persuade him to stop.
On the one hand, this Zhuzi appointed a certain person as the commander of the northern camp, but on the other hand, he appointed an incompetent person like Du Chongwei as the capital's envoy and took full military power.
In the future, major national affairs will definitely be ruined in the hands of this person."
Liu Zhiyuan looked down upon Du Chongwei. In the past, when Shi Jingtang was here, he dared to scold Du Chongwei, and now he is even more daring.
The room was a little quiet, because Liu Zhiyuan's scolding just now was directed at Shi Chonggui.
"In this case, the Taiwei cannot send troops, because the military power is in the hands of Du Chongwei. Once he sends troops, he will most likely be framed by Du Chongwei."
After half a cup of tea, Liu Zhiyuan's important confidant Wang Jun began to speak.
Liu Zhiyuan lowered his eyelids and nodded slowly.
There were more than ten civil servants and military officers in this room, all of whom were his confidants. Although no one said that he shouldn't call Shi Chonggui "Shu Zi", they did not rush over to support him and said that he was a good scolder.
It seems that the Jin court has not completely lost its people's hearts and cannot act too hastily.
"We must not send troops. We Hedong Erlang have the important responsibility of Hedong Erlang. Yelu Deguang has always been deceitful, so we cannot believe all his words.
Xiufeng, you take three thousand troops and horses north to Yanmen in Daizhou to prevent the Khitans from going south again."
Xiufeng is Wang Jun's name. The lesson learned from the last time Yanmen was defeated by King Wei led his army is right in front of him. Liu Zhiyuan also has to guard against Yelu Deguang this time.
"Wenzhong, please work harder and comfort Bai Chengfu's subordinates. These Tuyuhun people are our right-hand men. We must not make any mistakes."
Wen Zhong was named after Guo Wei. After giving instructions to Wang Jun, Liu Zhiyuan started giving instructions to Guo Wei.
At this time, Bai Chengfu had not yet exposed his weakness of being unable to fully control the hundreds of thousands of people in Tuyuhun tribe, so Liu Zhiyuan still relied heavily on Bai Chengfu.
And Guo Wei also knew what Liu Zhiyuan meant, and he couldn't make any mistakes. He was not saying to be careful of the Tuyuhun people under Bai Chengfu's tribe being relocated, but to be careful of being lured over by the Later Jin Dynasty, or even being lured back by the Khitans, which was not impossible.
"Don't worry, Lieutenant. I will go see Bai Chengfu, Bai Kejiu and others right away."
....
Liu Zhiyuan decided to wait and see, but the surging desire for war in Liang's country seemed unstoppable.
The urgent message Zhang Zhao received at the Great Zhen Pass was the news that Yelu Deguang was dispatching troops and generals to prepare to go south.
After receiving the news that the Khitans were going south, everyone in the Liang Kingdom was excited and thought it was an excellent opportunity.
Because at this time, all the ministers and generals in the Liang Kingdom believed that the Liang Kingdom had the strength to defeat the Khitan and Liao Kingdom in the Central Plains.
It is entirely possible to take the opportunity to capture Guanzhong, attack from both sides and destroy the Jin State, and then fight the Khitan in a decisive battle in the Central Plains.
However, Zhang Zhao knew that this time was not an opportunity, because the army of the Later Jin Dynasty would shine brightly in this battle. This was almost the most dazzling battle for the entire Five Dynasties Ya soldiers.
At an absolute disadvantage, they defeated Yelu Defa until he almost escaped on a camel alone, and more than half of the 80,000 Khitan army was lost.
It even created a trend of fear of the Jin among the Khitan army. A group of more than 10,000 retreating Khitan soldiers and horses heard rumors somewhere that the Jin army was coming, and they collapsed on themselves, trampling hundreds of people to death.
If Zhang Zhao had plunged into Guanzhong and lured the Jin army over, he would have truly defeated Yelu Deguang.
Du Chongwei and his ilk would expect Yelu Deguang to confer him the title of Emperor of the Central Plains, but they would never believe that Zhang Zhao would confer him the title of Emperor of the Central Plains.
Once Zhang Zhao enters Guanzhong, everything will be out of control.
....
In Tianshui City, since Yan Jin was transferred to the commander-in-chief of Xiongwu Town, Zhang Zhao and Zhang Zhao could only see each other a few times every year when Yan Jin returned to Liangzhou.
The general he relied on most in the past has become more and more stable.
In these years, Yan Jin, under Zhang Zhao's instructions, almost drained Fengxiang and Fengzhou of Qin Wang Li Congyu.
Nowadays, Li Congyao has no reputation. In addition to hundreds of life-saving tooth soldiers, the remaining elites of the Fengxiang Army have already been absorbed by Xiongwu Town. The few who have made up the number have returned to their hometowns and become farmers. If he wants to take over these two places, he only needs to
Just move your hands.
Moreover, Chengzhou and Jiezhou to the west of Fengxiang Prefecture, which was later known as Longnan City in Gansu Province, had long been cut off from the imperial court of the later Jin Dynasty.
Although Meng Shu had intervened in Jiezhou and had not yet captured it, most of the land had already passed into the hands of the Liang Kingdom.
Zhang Zhao smiled and asked Yan Jin not to salute, and even personally pulled him to sit down.
This Yan Jin is now almost the first person among the martial arts. He is also a member of the Yuancong sect, and he still guards the gate from Liang Kingdom to Guanzhong.
Zhang Zhao wanted to go against all odds and not easily enter Guanzhong, so he had to convince him first.
However, before he could speak, Yan Jin actually spoke first, "King of Heaven, I have been in Qinzhou for a long time and am familiar with the situation in Guanzhong, so I boldly want to speak. At this time, it is not time to take Guanzhong."
Hey! What a coincidence. Originally, Zhang Zhao thought of many arguments to persuade Yan Jin, but unexpectedly, Yan Jin refused to support entering Guanzhong.
"Come and listen. All the generals are in Longyou, Hexi Province. You are the only one who knows the truth and reality in Guanzhong best."
While Zhang Zhao signaled Yan Jin to speak, he also asked Xue Shouli to go out and called in Murong Nobunaga, Fan Shun and other generals who had followed him.
"Although the Jin court pressed too hard for this natural disaster, since the decline of the Tang Dynasty, it is not uncommon to press for taxes in such disaster years.
Although the people were suffering, the local soldiers made a fortune as a result, and the Jin court also received millions of grains of grain, which was sufficient for the military.
Therefore, although there is widespread resentment among the people, the army is not in chaos, and there will be a major disaster next year. On the contrary, this year there is peace."
Zhang Zhao nodded, thoughtfully, and he understood what Yan Jin meant.
This means that although the Later Jin Dynasty pushed the people into the abyss, it ensured the supply of the army.
In this era of warriors, if the soldiers are fed and they don't get up to make trouble, the country can say that there is nothing wrong with it.
As for the large number of civilian deaths, the destruction of farmland, etc., these sequelae will not appear until next autumn, or even the autumn after that, when the great famine will come.
Seeing that Zhang Zhao had listened, Yan Jin continued.
"In the army, because of the last battle at Qicheng, the generals have gained confidence. The generals have been suppressed by the Khitans for several years, and they have long been able to take a breath.
An Shenqi, Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, Huangfu Yu, Murong Yanchao, Xue Huairang, Yao Yuanfu, Wang Zhou and others are all brave generals.
In my opinion, the Khitans may not be able to get a good deal if they go south this time."
"Ambassador Yan is right in what he said. The Jin army is as brave as the Khitan soldiers and horses, and they have many complaints against the Khitan. In the event of a battle, they will definitely be united. If I, uncle Yelu, are not careful, I am afraid there will be a big defeat. "
Zhang Zhao did not expect that Murong Nobunaga actually agreed with Yan Jin's opinion.
Hao Daer spent more than half a year in the Later Jin Army and served as the commander of the Longwu Army. He also believed that the Jin Army was not weaker than the Liao Army, which corrected the judgments of others.
And there is a very key factor here, which both Yan Jin and Murong Nobunaga mentioned, which is the sense of dissatisfaction and humiliation among the military after Shi Jingtang's father joined the Khitan.
With the blessing of this atmosphere, the Jin army's combat effectiveness against the Khitans will be stronger than against others.
"What's more, the King of Heaven has always upheld loyalty and benevolence. If he marches into Guanzhong at this time, it will be easy for people in the world to associate us with the Khitan people.
They may even think that we are the accomplices of the Khitans, conspiring with them to invade the Central Plains from the east to the west. How can we start talking about our return to the country with great righteousness?"
"Yes! Chengjie is right!" Zhang Zhao nodded heavily. This is the most important reason why he cannot enter Guanzhong at this moment.
At this time, Zhang Zhao entered Guanzhong, and since he and Yelu Deguang were brothers, it was easy for others to think that they were colluding.
In addition, the Liang Kingdom has always had strong barbarian attributes in the eyes of the world. If you enter Guanzhong at this time, wouldn't it mean that you are self-assured?
"In my opinion, not only can we not enter Guanzhong at this time, but we have to send envoys to Tokyo again. Doesn't the Lord of Jin want us to return to the country? We can talk to him.
In addition, last time the Jin envoy hoped to buy a hundred folding horses from Hexi, we can also agree to it."
Well, Zhang Zhao is preparing to add another fire.
Give Shi Chonggui a boost. Anyway, with that bastard Du Chongwei here, there is no way Shi Chonggui can beat Yelv Deguang.
After Du Chongwei lured the wolf into the house again, it was time for Zhang Zhao to enter Guanzhong and the Central Plains.
------Digression-----
I got off the high-speed train at 6:30. I really couldn’t bear it anymore. I owe you another update and will make up for it later.