Chapter 303: The imperial commander personally marched and increased his troops to attack Xia
Zhao Ji, together with his princes Zhao Kai, Zhao Gou and veteran minister Zongze, had been inspecting military affairs on the northwest border for more than half a month under the protection of hundreds of imperial city officers and soldiers.
Zhao Ji inspected the Northwest Army of Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Liu Yanqing, and Yao Gu respectively.
During this period, he would receive good news every few days written by Guo Cheng, the head coach of the Xia army, and they were all delivered by fast horses over 800 miles away:
[Weijun Guo Cheng reported to the officials: The Xia Kingdom defeated Jianghui and was captured by our Song army. The enemy general Xifeng Manniu was killed in the battle. Wu Jie, Wu Lin, and Yang Zaixing were the first to break the city in this battle...
…]
[The humble minister Guo Cheng reported to the officials: Following the officials' plan, I attacked Pule City in Western Xia and won a great victory...]
[The humble minister Guo Cheng reported to the officials: I led the army to attack Yaode City and won a great victory...]
…
Zhao Ji personally patrolled various routes in the northwest. Every time he arrived at the northwest army, he would first conduct a military parade. This was not because he wanted to show off, but through military parades, he could see the morale, mental state of the soldiers, and their ability to pass the military parade.
Reviewing the military appearance, weapons, armor and equipment of the generals can better tell whether they are well trained at ordinary times, and which northwest army can be reused in the future national war to aid Liao and resist Jin...
Every time when Zhao Ji reviews the Northwest Army, he will announce on the spot the latest success of the Song Army's expedition against Xia to boost the morale of the Northwest Army and encourage them to seize the time to train hard and sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in war...
Many generals of the northwest armies did not have the opportunity to meet the saint, let alone the generals and soldiers. They were all encouraged and excited to see Tianyan.
As a time traveler, Zhao Ji of course also knows that using spiritual encouragement can only make the soldiers and generals temporarily excited and serve their lives. If the three armies are to serve for a long time, they must give confidence and guarantee to the soldiers and generals in the system.
During Zhao Ji's inspection in the northwest, every time he visited an important military place and every time he held a grand military parade, he would ask his veteran minister Zongze to announce the court's latest military merit level reward system. He also announced that the soldiers of the Song Dynasty would not be trained in peacetime.
The punishment system for reaching the standards, as well as the severe punishments for not fighting bravely and fearing the enemy in war, and for shrinking from the battle...
After hearing about the reward and punishment system formulated by Zhao Guan's family, soldiers from all walks of life in the northwest were both happy and worried. They were happy that if they trained hard and even went to the battlefield, if they killed more enemies and made meritorious deeds, they would be rewarded with titles; but they were worried that if they violated the training rules,
Those who are lazy, shrink from battle, etc. will be severely punished, and may even be beheaded.
However, after listening to the system of clear rewards and punishments formulated by the Zhao Guan family, every northwest army had to admire from the bottom of their hearts that these systems formulated by the Zhao Guan family are fair and just. As long as they are not afraid of death and dare to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, then they can
Fight to become rich and powerful, and you can even have a wife and a son.
"The official sage!"
"Long live my emperor..."
Every northwest army unit inspected by Zhao Ji would give out loud shouts of thanks to Zhao Guan's family.
During this more than half a month, every time Zhao Ji visited a Northwest Army station, he would summon his generals alone after the military parade.
He separately summoned the four northwest army generals Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Liu Yanqing, and Yao Gu, and told them to each draw 20,000 elite troops from their headquarters to prepare for the battle and act according to the order.
How dare Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Liu Yanqing, and Yao Gu dare to disobey the imperial edict. After receiving the order, they immediately mobilized the most elite 20,000 cavalry and infantry from their own troops.
These four northwest armies mobilized a total of 80,000 elite troops.
They all knew that the Zhao Guan family had already dispatched the northwest army of veteran general Guo Cheng to crusade against Xixia and achieved a surprising start by capturing many enemy cities after winning consecutive victories.
They thought that Zhao Guan's family asked them to urgently mobilize elite soldiers and horses to prepare for the Song army led by Guo Cheng, who was the vanguard, to launch a large-scale attack on Xia.
In fact, they only guessed half of the Zhao Guan family's intentions correctly.
Zhao Ji really wanted to let four famous generals, Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Liu Yanqing, and Yao Gu, each personally lead 20,000 elite troops to fight in Xia to assist Guo Cheng and Han Shizhong's Song army to expand their results.
However, the four famous generals do not yet know that the Zhao Guan family has a more long-term plan, which is to use the opportunity of entering the summer battle to allow these four generals to train in actual combat in advance, so as to prepare for the Song Dynasty in the near future.
He threatened Xia and sent troops to Liao to fight against Jin in preparation.
On the 19th day of the eighth lunar month, it was Zhao Ji who led his team to inspect Yao Gu's Northwest Army. When they returned to Yao Gu's Chinese army camp, they suddenly heard that Ba Baili was rushing to report:
"Report!" The Imperial City Division's reporting officer entered the military camp, knelt down and said:
"Han Shizhong led his troops to annihilate more than two thousand cavalry of the Xia Kingdom's Iron Harrier Army outside the city of Xipingfu in the Xijing of the Xia Kingdom, and achieved a great victory!! Wu Zhuangyuan Yue Fei captured alive the commander of the Iron Harrier Army, King Richard of Jin..."
Zhao Kai, Zhao Gou and Zong Ze who accompanied Zhao Guan's family were all shocked and excited...
When Yao Gu, the military envoy of Xihe who accompanied Zhao Ji, heard the good news, he was stunned for three or four breaths. After he recovered, he murmured to himself in disbelief:
"Three years ago, the Xixia Iron Kites Army, which I, the famous general of the Song Dynasty, Liu Fa, could not defeat, were actually defeated by the young Han Shizhong and his troops?!"
"The arrogant commander of the Iron Kites Army, the best warrior of Xixia, Brother Richard, the King of Jin, was actually captured alive by the new military champion Yue Fei?!"
"What you reported was not false?"
The Imperial City Report Officer, whose forehead was covered with beads of sweat and whose face was full of exhaustion, could not hide his joy as he replied:
"How can a villain dare to make false reports on important military and national affairs?"
He presented the good news.
The eunuch Liang Shicheng immediately received the good news and passed it on to Zhao Guan's family with a smile on his face.
Zhao Ji received the good news and started to watch it. It was just as the reporting officer said.
Standing behind him, Prince Yun Zhao Kai and Prince Kang Zhao Gou stretched out their necks to secretly watch the victory memorial unfolding in their father's hands...
Zongze, Yao Gu and other civil servants and generals standing in the Chinese army tent were nervous and happy, anxiously waiting for Zhao Guan's family to announce the good news to the public after reading the victory report.
Zhao Ji handed the good news that he had read to Yao Gu, the military envoy of Xihe, who was still in disbelief just now, and said with a smile:
"Yao Aiqing, please read this seal of victory in public."
"I obey the order." Yao Gu was flattered. He took the good news with trembling hands. After unfolding it, he loudly read out the good news from Han Shizhong's ministry in public:
"The humble minister Han Shizhong reported to the officials:
Following the official's ingenious plan, I led my army to make a surprise attack on Xijing and Xipingfu City of Xia Kingdom. Sure enough, three thousand soldiers of Xia Kingdom's Iron Kites Army came to the rescue. I, Shizhong, and my general Yue Fei conspired to defeat the enemy..."
"It is planned that our army will first show the enemy's weakness and lure the enemy's Iron Harrier troops into the ambush circle set by our army in advance..."
"Brother Richard led a large army to invade. Seeing that the defense of our camp was slack, the enemy divided his troops into four groups and attacked lightly. He fell into the trap as expected."
"Chen Shizhong's troops used the mountain cannons, grenades, muskets and other firearms given by the officials to open fire on the enemy, killing and injuring a large number of enemy troops, and defeated the Iron Kites Army in one battle."
"Yue Fei followed the plan and led his troops to pursue Brother Richard for more than ten miles, and finally wiped out all his troops, captured the King of Jin of Xixia alive, and the commander of the Iron Kites Army, Brother Richard..."
When Yao Gu finished reading the report, the Chinese army tent was filled with joy.
Zhao Kai and Zhao Gou knelt down and congratulated: "My father has planned the strategy and planned thousands of miles to achieve this great victory outside the city of Xiping Prefecture! I congratulate my father, long live long live!"
Zongze, Liang Shicheng, Yao Gu and his important general Yao Pingzhong and more than ten people knelt down one after another to express their congratulations:
"The officials strategized and planned thousands of miles to achieve such a great victory outside the city of Xiping Prefecture! My congratulations to my father, long live long live!"
"..."
Zhao Ji smiled slightly and said: "Everyone loves you for your safety. This battle was a great victory, the Iron Harriers were severely defeated, and the king of Xixia Jin Dynasty, Richard Brother, was captured alive. All the soldiers of the three armies sacrificed their lives and were not afraid of death. They were equipped with pyrotechnic weapons and fired first."
Victory is not all about my deliberation, as my dear friends have said."
The ministers were able to evaluate Zhao Guan's family in such an objective manner, but they did not want to be overjoyed with their achievements and gain goodwill.
Zhao Ji added: "Before Guo Cheng and Han Shizhong sent out troops, I secretly ordered their troops not to attack the Xixia Xijing City with high walls and deep ditches. We should first cut off its way out of the city and block the troops coming to aid Xia. Only in this way can our army be reduced."
casualties.
Only when the reinforcements of the army arrived outside Xijing City in Xixia could they attack the city on a large scale.
Of course, I also told them that in the art of war, "if the general is outside, the emperor's order will not support you". If there are big loopholes in the defense of Xiping Fucheng in Xijing, they can naturally deal with it flexibly according to the situation on the battlefield and decide whether to
Attack Xiping Fucheng."
The ministers nodded one after another, deeply approving of it, and there was a chorus of praise.
Zhao Ji was serious and did not lose his mind due to the praises of the officials.
He announced loudly: "According to the plan previously planned by me and the veteran generals Guo Cheng, Han Shizhong, Yue Fei and other generals, their two groups of troops combined their forces. Guo Cheng's troops advanced one city at a time to the outside of Xijing in Xixia, while Han Shizhong's troops
The troops marched straight into Xijing to surprise Xijing; now, both Guo and Han have achieved their set strategic goals.
Right now, I am about to take a look at the combat strength of the other troops and horses in my northwest army after summer begins!"
The civil and military ministers loudly said: "The officials are brave and the military sages are wise, and the ministers have listened to the imperial edict. I am willing to accompany the army to attack Xia. I will definitely not be afraid of death. One battle will put an end to the centuries-old troubles of Xixia."
Immediately, Zhao Ji issued an imperial edict and ordered the veteran Zongze to write it. He dictated:
"I am on this northwest tour, vowing to quell the summer troubles in the northwest.
Xixia betrayed its alliance and betrayed its righteousness. It first provoked Zhejianghui and Shi to rob the property of our Song merchants. Therefore, the Song Dynasty sent troops to attack Xia.
Now, Guo Cheng led his troops to send troops for more than half a month, conquered Zhejianghui, attacked Pule City, captured Yaode City, and advanced into the hinterland of Xixia, approaching Xijing of Xixia.
Han Shizhong led his extraordinary troops and marched straight in. Outside the city of Xijing in Xixia, our Song army achieved a great victory, annihilating the strongest cavalry force in Xixia, the Iron Harriers, and captured Jin King Richard Brother alive, Yue Fei.
At this moment, the enemy's morale has been greatly reduced and our army's morale has been greatly increased. It is the time to send out heavy troops to attack Xia and quell the worries in the northwest in one fell swoop.
I have sent this imperial edict in four copies to the four beloved ministers: Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Liu Yanqing, and Yao Gu.
I order you and the four beloved ministers to each draw 20,000 elite troops from their headquarters. After receiving the order, they will immediately go out to fight and gather in Xipingfu City, Xijing, Xixia.
Your four troops can choose the most convenient route in the Song Dynasty. After entering the Xia Dynasty, they must march from Zhejianghui, which has been captured by Guo Cheng's tribe, to Pule City, Yaode City and Xiping Prefecture.
Was intercepted by Xia Jun.
I am now in Yaogu's army. Therefore, I will enter the Xia Kingdom with Yaogu's troops. I will lead the expedition myself and hope that the three armies will use their lives.
I ordered you and other four troops to reinforce the Song army entering the Xia Dynasty, rush to the outside of Xijing City in Xixia as soon as possible, join forces with Guo Cheng and Han Shizhong's troops, and six groups of people work together to conquer Xijing City, enhance the prestige of the Song Dynasty, intimidate the Xixia court, and achieve the strategic goal as soon as possible.