The ninth and fifty-two chapters are based on the body
Beiliao is going to take the initiative to attack? Is this possible?
What Zhao Xi said made all the important ministers a little confused and confused.
This is simply impossible!
From the beginning of the war, although the Song Dynasty was not suppressing the Northern Liao Dynasty, it definitely had the advantage. It would not be said to be a crushing one, but it could be said to be invincible.
Otherwise, it would not have caused Bei Liao to send envoys to negotiate at this time and return the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun unconditionally.
Under such circumstances, would Bei Liao launch an attack on the Song Dynasty? It was impossible no matter how hard you thought.
"Officials, the theory of gods and ghosts is pure nonsense! Saints do not talk about strange powers and confuse gods..."
The army was approaching the Gaoliang River, and Wang Anshi thought that Zhao Xi was remembering the defeat of the Gaoliang River.
The defeat of Gaolianghe was different from that of Haoshuichuan. Haoshuichuan was led by Han Qi and Han Zhigui. The victory or defeat had no impact on the official family and would not have any shadow.
But the Gaoliang River is different. It is the ancestor of the Guan family. Once again leading an army to the Gaoliang River, it is inevitable that the Guan family will be a little uneasy...~
Therefore, when the officials commanded the Shuichuan well, they were able to achieve a great victory, but there was uncertainty in commanding the Gaoliang River...
If I had known this earlier, I might as well have dissuaded the officials from recruiting them themselves!
Wang Anshi was really worried about the impact of Taizong's defeat on the official family, and even raised the theory of ghosts and gods.
"Gaoliang River? Is it possible that we are almost at Gaoliang River?"
"I think back then, Taizong's personal expedition was defeated at the Gaoliang River. The combat power of the Song Dynasty at that time was really no worse than that of the Northern Liao Dynasty. It was invincible at the beginning, but was defeated in the end."
"The officials are thinking of the Gaoliang River, right? Otherwise they wouldn't have mentioned that Bei Liao would launch an attack."
"Officials can't have messy thoughts!"
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the sand table... It was obvious that the army was really not far from the Gaoliang River now.
"What do you mean, Prime Minister? What are you talking about about gods and ghosts? What does it have to do with ghosts and gods when I say that Bei Liao will launch an attack?"
Wang Anshi's words confused Zhao Xi. Where are you?
"Didn't the steward think about the Battle of Gaoliang River during Taizong's personal expedition?"
Seeing that the official didn't want to avoid it and was really confused, Wang Anshi asked.
"Taizong's personal expedition?"
Zhao Xi was stunned for a moment before he remembered this.
In later generations, his so-called ancestor was known as the God of Chariots on the Sorghum River.
How should I put it? There have been analyzes and comments about the defeat at Gaoliang River both now and in later generations.
The conclusion is the same, that is, that battle directly broke up the Song Dynasty's combat power. From then on, the Song Dynasty became a coward, and it also completely defeated the bravery that the Song Dynasty brought from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
There should be three reasons for this. The first is underestimating the enemy. Before Taizong raided the Khitan, he mainly attacked the small country of the Northern Han Dynasty. At that time, the Northern Han Dynasty relied on the Khitan.
Song Taizong attacked the Northern Han Dynasty, but the Northern Han Dynasty was defeated, and the Khitan came to the rescue. As a result, Song Taizong defeated the Khitan, and the Khitan reinforcements fled. After winning the victory, Song Taizong soon became proud and complacent, thinking that he was the best in the world, and felt that the Khitan was just a mere
, vulnerable to a single blow, it is easy to defeat the Khitan. If you underestimate the enemy in a war, you are basically doomed to failure.
Second, the logistics support was insufficient. Not to mention the rewards for the soldiers, we set out from Taiyuan Prefecture, crossed Niangzi Pass, Zijing Ridge, and went on an expedition to Youzhou.
In addition, Yizhou and Zhuozhou gave up resistance. As a result, the army advanced too fast in the early stage and the food and grass transportation failed to keep up.
The 300,000-strong army was far away from supplies and could not keep up with the supply. In addition, the division veterans were tired and were defeated by the Northern Liao who waited for work...
Third, the court at that time underestimated the combat power of Bei Liao. At that time, Bei Liao was in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and they were all generals who had experienced large-scale battles...～
It's nothing like it is now.
The current basic advancement is not to mention steady advancement, but food supply, soldier morale, armaments, etc. are not comparable.
I really don’t know why Wang Anshi thinks this way? Besides, Zhao Xi is not influenced by Taizong at all...~
"The official family, from the beginning of the army's steady advancement strategy, the veteran thought that the official family was trying to avoid the failure of Taizong's personal expedition..."
Wang Anshi is really rude.
"Prime Minister, you are overthinking. Now is now, and the past was once. I have no obsession."
"The reason for the steady advancement is based on the comparison between the Guo Dynasty and the Northern Liao Dynasty. Our Dynasty mainly relies on chariot troops, supplemented by cavalry, and it is not suitable to advance suddenly."
"Secondly, the two years of civil strife in Northern Liao were similar to the situation of our army in the past. At this time, our country should advance steadily."
"The other is the possibility that I have mentioned to you before. I think that it is almost that time, and such an opportunity will appear...~"
Zhao Xi definitely can't say that his soul does not belong to this era, and he has no feeling for Taizong at all...
"The officials are saying that Bei Liao will fight in the way the imperial court expected?"
At this time, Zhang Dun also answered.
Zhang Dun didn't believe that the official family would be influenced by Taizong.
With the current tactics established by the imperial court, there is no possibility of accidents at all.
There are nearly 400,000 troops, and every twenty to thirty miles is a mixed camp of chariots and cavalry, which stretches the entire defense line of Hebei Road.
There were scouts roaming between each camp, almost connecting the entire defense line seamlessly, and there was no possibility of Beiliao getting in and around.
The only possibility is what the court expected...~
"I guess the time has almost come..."
"Guan family, Northern Liao sent envoys to confuse our army?"
"It is possible. Otherwise, judging from the situation, Beiliao should have negotiated earlier. There is no need to wait until now."
Think about it too.
It has been almost two months since the war broke out. The Northern Liao Dynasty has been suppressed by the Song Dynasty, and the defense line has been continuously withdrawn.
If Bei Liao really wanted to negotiate, they should have started negotiations long ago. Even when the Song Dynasty wiped out the remaining 50,000 elite cavalry, Bei Liao should have sent envoys to negotiate.
Because at that time, the internal environment in Beiliao was already quite bad.
"I would like to ask, at this point in the war, what is the proportion of Bei Liao's battle losses?"
"Back to Your Majesty, according to statistics, the number of kills reported from the front is less than 150,000, which means less than 30% of the Northern Liao army."
Everyone knows the data, and Zhang Dun's continued discussion is just to continue the topic.
"Please analyze based on relevant information. According to the information from the Imperial City Department, Beiliao has not stopped recruiting troops since the war began."
"Based on the number of soldiers recruited by Bei Liao, it is estimated that the number of soldiers in Bei Liao is between 500,000 and 700,000. Almost all the people in Bei Liao are soldiers."
"In the entire Northern Liao territory, there are basically only the old, weak, sick and pregnant left. In addition, when the Northern Liao court suppressed the rebellion of Yelu Yixin, the Northern Liao court used all tribal soldiers."
"The army of almost six to seven hundred thousand has lost 150,000, and there are still half a million troops on the battlefield. It has not stopped recruiting troops even now. Under such circumstances, how could Beiliao want to send Yan Yun off?"
"Today's situation, for Bei Liao, has reached a point where the outcome must be decided, because it is already difficult to supply the five hundred thousand troops in Bei Liao."
"Logistical support is insufficient, and recruitment is still going on, and envoys are sent to negotiate...~ Taking into account various factors, I think Beiliao is going to take the initiative to attack."
At this time, all the important ministers in the camp began to read the reports from the Imperial City Department, and were also counting the number of kills in the battle reports, and kept comparing them with the sand table...
The official analysis is also correct, but I really don't think there is any difference between Beiliao's active offense and passive defense.
Such a large front, facing the defense of the Song Dynasty's chariots, there is no way to start.
Let alone 500,000, that is, an army of 700,000... The northwest defense against the Xizhou Uighurs requires part of it, at least 50,000.
On the Shangjing Road and the Xijing Road, even if we had to defend the Hedong Army of the Song Dynasty with suspected troops, it would still cost 30,000 to 50,000.
Although the Jurchens were annihilated, the Liaodong area has always been uneasy, and there must still be a large army left behind.
Coupled with Gao Yongchang's rebellion and leaving a retreat to escape, this requires troops. I really can't figure out how the Northern Liao could fight against the strong defense of the Song Dynasty's chariots.
"Guan Jia, how will Bei Liao fight?"
"I think it should be exactly what the court expected."
"Concentrate our forces to attack the palace camp?"
"exactly!"
When the imperial court first formulated its grand strategy, it based its judgment on the superiority of the Northern Liao cavalry.
Bei Liao has the most powerful cavalry, and its advantage lies in mobility. Even though the entire front is very long, Bei Liao can definitely concentrate all its forces to attack in a short period of time.
All along, the war situation seemed to be led by the Song Dynasty, which spread its troops widely.
This is based on the fact that Bei Liao thought it could still resist the steady advance of the Song Dynasty. When Bei Liao realized that this steady advance was difficult to resist, it should have chosen to concentrate its forces to attack.
At that time, Beiliao would no longer consider the loss of territory, but would adopt the tactics of "you fight yours and I fight mine", directly breaking through the defense line of the Song Dynasty, using the advantage of the cavalry, and directly inserting into the territory of the Song Dynasty...~
"Guan family, can we activate the Hedong Army now?"
The entire anticipated strategy was all official speculation, and no one thought it would actually happen.
If the Northern Liao really fought this battle as the court expected, the Song Dynasty could really achieve its strategic goal of annihilating the effective forces of the Northern Liao.
Earlier, the officials ordered the northwest troops to start first. Although the Hedong Army also had an order, they did not let the Hedong Army march eastward. They only broke through Yuzhou to show a supporting role, and did not let the army march from the north.
Liao set up a defensive line of suspected soldiers to attack... I dare not confirm the information about Xiao Lugu.
There was no attempt to encircle Bei Liao... Bei Liao's vast terrain and area were really not suitable for encirclement and suppression.
However, if Beiliao dared to concentrate its forces to advance suddenly, it would be playing into their own ambitions.
"It's time to start! Order the Hedong Army to go north and divide the army into two groups. After leaving Zijingling all the way to the east, go directly north to the west side of Nanjing Road in Beiliao and prepare for encirclement and suppression."
"The other way. Go north and then head northeast, occupy Juyong Pass, and try to block Beiliao to the south of Yanshan Mountain."
"At the same time, order the northwest army to speed up the eastward march, sweep the entire Bei Liao Zhongjing Road, and be sure to cut off the westward escape route of the main force of the Bei Liao Pishi Army."
As Zhao Xi issued military orders one after another, the entire camp became busy.
The person who drafted the edict had already started writing, and the officials were calling to deliver the order and the soldiers were waiting. Just waiting for the seal to be stamped, they returned to Hongling to deliver it directly from Feihuling to Hedong.
There are also people who are not busy, such as Di Qing, Wen Yanbo, Zhong E and others. Even Wang Anshi does not need to be busy.
Several veterans are still staring at the sand table...~
"The officials and the veteran believe that the point of attack from the Northern Liao Dynasty will definitely be the palace tent. The veteran suggested that the palace tent be retreated a hundred miles..."
Several senior ministers murmured for a long time, and both civil and military officials unanimously approved the official's analysis.
This means that the official family will be at risk.
Recovering Yanyun was indeed the obsession of the Song Dynasty, but even if the army reached the Shangjing Road of Bei Liao and annihilated hundreds of thousands of troops from Bei Liao, as long as the officials made any mistakes, it would be equivalent to defeat.
In other words, as long as the Northern Liao really attacked the palace tent and penetrated the Song Dynasty's defense line, causing the palace tent to be in danger, it would definitely affect the entire war situation and even lead to the possibility of an overall defeat.
Therefore, Beiliao's strategy of attacking the palace tent must not be allowed to show any signs of success.
"Back off?"
Zhao Xi was stunned by Wang Anshi's suggestion. How could he retreat at this time?
"Everyone, I know that you are worried that once Bei Liao really breaks through the defense line on the palace account, it may cause the morale of the entire battlefield to lose, leading to a rout, or the possibility of a repeat of the Battle of Gaoliang River."
"But think about it again, since I personally went on the expedition to boost morale, but now I retreat early, what will happen to the morale of the soldiers when the Bei Liao attack begins?"
"I think that by then, if one point is hit, it will lead to chaos across the board."
"So, I think that the palace tent should not retreat at this time, but should push forward fifty miles to give Beiliao hope."
In Zhao Xi's view, since Bei Liao had released a bait to send Yan Yun unconditionally, they should cooperate to encourage Bei Liao to fight according to the tactics expected by the imperial court.
As the saying goes, “Know yourself and know the enemy and you will be victorious in every battle~” Nothing fits this sentence better than knowing the opponent’s next battle plan.
"But……"
The officials may be right, but the risk is too great.
"It's nothing. If we can wipe out all the living forces in Beiliao, what if I use myself as bait?"
"Officials, absolutely not!"
"The official family, even if Yanyun's recovery is delayed a few years, the official family cannot make any mistakes!"
"Guan Jia, the veteran is a soldier who became a general, and he knows the thoughts of the generals very well. Once the Chinese army is trapped in a tight siege, the morale of the entire army will be weakened! You must not do it, Guan Jia!"
"Once the Chinese army falls into a tight siege, it means that it has lost its soul. The entire army will be at a loss what to do, and it will be a situation of total collapse! The government must not do this."
Everything was in chaos, and even the ministers, workers, and officials stopped and gathered around, looking like they were admonishing the officials...
Come on! It seems that it is really impossible for me to do something like using my body as bait.
In other words, Zhao Xi could make such a rash decision?
In the Song Dynasty, it was really impossible for the king to directly go to the battlefield like in the Northern Liao Dynasty.
"Everyone, I say that the palace tent is fifty miles forward and the king's flag is used as bait... How can I do that?"
"As for the issue of military morale...before implementing the plan, the entire plan must be communicated to the officers and soldiers above the rank of captain."
"Of course, this military order must be communicated step by step and in time."
"Before Bei Liao attacks the palace tent, inform the commanders of all the armies that the Bei Liao attack has begun. This message will be communicated to the Xiang level. When the armies are preparing for encirclement and suppression, or when the palace tent defense line is likely to be penetrated, the message will be communicated to the team leader.