Chapter 0653 The enemy is not terrible, the terrible thing is his own people
Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu led the army out of Youzhou City.
Cao Wei in Tongtai Pass got the news.
Inside the Tongtaiguan City Gate Tower.
After listening to the scout's report, Cao Wei frowned and said, "Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty mobilized men from various small tribes and formed a vanguard force. He wants to follow us."
Lu Yijian nodded and said: "Your purpose of using the city to consume the Liao soldiers and horses may be seen through."
Cao Wei said in a deep voice: "I'm not surprised that Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu can see through my mind. What I'm more surprised about is, why does Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu dare to waste time with us?"
Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu oppressed various small tribes, but this would cause a backlash.
From the time Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty came to the throne to the present day, the rebellions of various small tribes in the Liao Kingdom have never stopped.
The reason why they rebelled was because the Liao State oppressed them too much.
Now Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty ignored the danger of rebellion from various small tribes and forcefully removed soldiers and horses from each small tribe to form a vanguard force. It was clear that he planned to fight Cao Wei to the death and fight a war of attrition with Cao Wei.
It should be noted that the Liao Kingdom is indeed huge, but it cannot be said to be rich in resources.
Otherwise, the Liao people would not have been coveting the territory of the Song Dynasty.
Whether in terms of manpower or material resources, the Liao Kingdom was more than a little behind the Song Dynasty.
Under such an obvious gap, Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty still planned to fight a war of attrition with Cao Wei and fight to the death with Cao Wei. Cao Wei was naturally confused.
After hearing Cao Wei's words, Lu Yijian thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu has another plan?"
Cao Wei deduced carefully and shook his head slowly, "Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty's plan in the northwest came to nothing and he lost 150,000 elite soldiers. It is impossible to plan anything more.
Kou Ji is still in charge in the northwest, and Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty can no longer plan from the northwest.
Except for the northwest, Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty had no place to exploit.
So now, he can only rely on hard power to fight us openly."
Cao Wei thought for a moment and said quietly: "I am afraid that Emperor Yelu Longxu of Liao wants to fight a war with us that will put the fate of the country on the line."
Lu Yijian raised his eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?"
Cao Wei stared at Lu Yijian and said: "Use it forcefully, continue it at any cost, whoever retreats will lose, whoever cannot support first will lose."
Lu Yijian's brows furrowed into the character "Sichuan" for a moment, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Is he still the emperor of the Liao Kingdom? Isn't he afraid of using it up and draining the capital of the Liao Kingdom?"
Cao Wei glanced at Lu Yijian and said calmly: "If it were me, I would do the same thing."
Lu Yijian looked at Cao Wei in confusion.
Cao Wei said frankly: "Because if the Liao Kingdom fails to win this battle, whether it is depleting the country's capital or retreating after a big battle, the price paid will be the same."
Lu Yijian frowned and analyzed Cao Wei's words carefully.
After analyzing for a long time, he understood the meaning of Cao Wei's words.
If the Liao Kingdom loses this battle, it will definitely lose its dominance.
The Song Dynasty will become the new overlord.
Among the tribes that were attached to the Liao Kingdom, there must be many forces that would turn over and attach themselves to the Song Dynasty.
More importantly, once the Liao Kingdom loses its hegemonic status, some forces that are dissatisfied with the Liao Kingdom will definitely take the opportunity to raise troops against the Liao Kingdom.
Some small tribes who were oppressed by the Liao Kingdom would definitely take the opportunity to cause rebellion.
There will even be some small tribes who take the opportunity to approach the Song Dynasty and ask the Song Dynasty to send troops to help deal with the Liao Kingdom.
More importantly, once the Song Dynasty gained dominance, it rose up strongly.
The Liao Kingdom will definitely be attacked again.
Taking a detailed look at the past dynasties of the Central Plains, any dynasty that did not rise to power conquered the barbarians and wiped out all those who threatened the surrounding neighbors.
This was true in the Qin Dynasty, this was true in the Han Dynasty, and it was true in the Tang Dynasty.
As Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty Zhao Kuangyin said, there is no way to allow others to sleep soundly beside the couch.
Once the Song Dynasty rose strongly, how could it tolerate the threat of the Liao Kingdom?
The Song Dynasty had not taken advantage of the Liao State before, and it conquered the Liao State again and again.
The Song Dynasty must have taken advantage, so the Song Dynasty would not cling to the Liao Kingdom until the Liao Kingdom was destroyed?
If this battle is defeated, the Liao Kingdom will definitely fall into a situation where it is exhausted to deal with the enemy.
The surrounding neighbors who have been bullied by the Liao Kingdom for a long time, and the small tribes within the territory that have been oppressed by the Liao Kingdom for more than a hundred years, will take the opportunity to stab the Liao Kingdom.
No matter how tyrannical the Liao Kingdom was to everyone before, the resistance it would encounter would be fierce.
At that time, Liao's internal and external affairs will inevitably be turbulent.
The foundation of the country will inevitably be shaken.
So what Cao Wei said is correct.
The Liao Kingdom was invincible in this battle. Whether it was a fight with the Song Dynasty or not, the result would be the same.
Many years ago, in the battle of Chanyuan, the Song Dynasty won, but it regarded itself as a defeated country.
It gave the Liao Kingdom an opportunity to become king and dominate the world.
If Emperor Zhenzong, Zhao Heng, did not love peace so much, he would choose to fight to the death with the Liao Kingdom.
So it is not certain who will dominate the world.
Many years ago, if the Song Dynasty had a deadly conflict with the Liao Kingdom, Xixia, which was already strong enough and ambitious, would never watch helplessly.
They will definitely take the opportunity to tear into the flesh and blood of Liao Kingdom like crazy.
It can be said that the Liao Kingdom was able to dominate the world because of the opportunity given by the Song Dynasty.
Now the Song Dynasty no longer gives the Liao Kingdom a chance.
The Liao Kingdom suffered defeats in Xixia, northwest, and now Yanyun.
The myth of invincibility and invincible prestige have long since evaporated.
The fact that Xixia dared to scheme against the Liao Kingdom is proof of this.
In the past, Xixia was so humble and humble when facing the Liao Kingdom.
How dare you plot against the Liao Kingdom?
It’s too late to curry favor with the Liao Kingdom.
For fear that the Liao Kingdom would be unhappy, they would raise troops in Xixia.
But what about now?
Xixia's strength was not as good as before, but it still dared to plot against Liao.
It is enough to prove that the myth of Liao's invincibility and invincibility has been shattered.
As long as the Song Dynasty defeated the Liao Kingdom in the land of Yanyun this time.
Then the prestige accumulated by the Liao Kingdom over the years will be completely dissipated.
Goryeo, which has become the loyal dog of the Liao Kingdom, and the small tribes that have been oppressed by the Liao Kingdom for many years, will definitely take the lead in showing their sharp teeth to the Liao Kingdom.
When a person is invincible and no one can defeat him, then everyone will fear him.
But when an invincible and invincible person is defeated by others one after another, then everyone will feel that he is nothing more than that, and anyone with some strength will dare to bar their teeth at him.
After Lu Yijian clearly analyzed the profound meaning of Cao Wei's words, he said to Cao Wei: "Why did Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty think that he would waste us? In terms of human, material and financial resources, we are not weaker than the Liao Kingdom."
Cao Wei said in a deep voice: "Our human, material, and financial resources are all our own. But not those of Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu. Those small tribes that were attached to the Liao Kingdom, even if they spent everything, they all died.
Even Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty would not feel sorry for him.
But once we have exhausted half of the money in the treasury, the voices in the court begging us to strike will definitely sound again.
If we have used up 70% of the money in the national treasury, memorials to impeach us will surely fill the Chui Gong Hall.
If we use up all the money in the treasury, then the two of us will become great traitors in the civil and military affairs of the court.
We are at the front and cannot control the rumors behind us.
How they portray us is how we appear to the people."
Lu Yijian's face changed slightly when she heard Cao Wei's words.
As a civil servant, he was used to playing tricks and seeing tactics, so he knew that Cao Wei's words were not alarmist.
He deeply understands that many times, it is not the enemy who is terrible, but his own people.
A stab in the back by one of your own will hurt you more deeply than ten stabs by an outsider.
He cannot be as incorruptible as Zhang Zhibai.
It is a well-known fact that the Lu family is full of wealth.
It is also a well-known fact that the disciples of the Lu family have old friends all over the world.
His uncle Lu Meng was the prime minister, and he was also the prime minister.
The two generations are in love with each other, which is enough to make many people jealous.
Others describe the Lu family as the kind of aristocratic family that controls the government with ease.
No one is impeaching him now, that's because he holds great power, and that's because Zhao Zhen strongly supports him behind the scenes.
But once the rumors spread, all the ministers impeached him.
His fate is probably no different from Li Di's.
He once played with Li Di in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.
Offended many civil and military ministers.
Those people don't want to impeach him right now. They are just waiting for the opportunity.
Many of them were shocked when Kou Ji helped Li Di cry out in the Chui Gong Hall.
Many people were also shocked by official Zhao Zhen's attitude.
They are now waiting for Lu Yijian to reveal the truth, waiting for the flood to slowly gather, and waiting for Zhao Zhen to show his dissatisfaction with Lu Yijian.
The moment Zhao Zhen showed his dissatisfaction with Lu Yijian and Lu Yijian showed his leverage, that's when they let go of the flood and drowned Lu Yijian.
As for Cao Wei, even if he does nothing, his background is enough to be used as a basis for gossip.
Cao Wei's self-denial and ritual restoration did not have much effect.
Everyone sees the wealth of the Cao family.
The reputation of the Cao family on Zhending Road is many times greater than that of other big families in the world.
The wealth of the Cao family made not only the civil and military officials of the court jealous, but also the common people all over the world.
Even the Cao family didn't do anything bad.
The people will also feel that the Cao family became rich by plundering the people's fat and the people.
As long as you have enough excuses, moving to Cao Wei is easy.
Once Cao Wei exhausts the national wealth in the land of Yanyun, he will be firmly labeled as a disaster to the country.
Lu Yijian thought for a long time, stared at Cao Wei and said solemnly: "Whether we can continue to compete with the Liao people and whether we can win depends on the attitude of the officials?"
Cao Wei nodded slowly.
Whether the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty will be pushed to Cao Wei and Lu Yijian depends on Zhao Zhen's attitude towards them.
If Zhao Zhen shows dissatisfaction with any of them, then both of them will be in danger of being pushed down.
If the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty want to overthrow them, the key depends on whether Zhao Zhen agrees or not.
After all, with their current status, only Zhao Zhen can decide whether they stay or go in the court.
Lu Yijian said solemnly: "So far, the officials still have great trust in us."
Cao Wei nodded again, "As long as the officials keep trusting us, we can treat Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu like an eagle."
Lu Yijian said quietly: "If the officials don't trust us, we will be the two eagles who were tortured by Emperor Yelu Longxu of Liao?"
Cao Wei nodded with an unclear expression.
Seeing this, Lu Yijian pondered for a moment and said to Cao Wei: "I believe that the official... Although the official is young, he has great ambitions. He will never let an opportunity to regain Yanyun pass by in vain."
Cao Wei nodded slowly but said nothing.
There were some things he couldn't say in front of Lu Yijian.
His father once believed in his former official, and he was almost tricked to death by his former official.
In the third year of Yongxi's reign, Emperor Taizong went on a northern expedition, and Cao Bin served as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army. In accordance with Emperor Taizong's order, he led the army to advance rashly, but the troops were exhausted and lacked food, resulting in a major defeat at the Battle of Qigou Pass.
If he hadn't escaped in time, his fate would have been similar to that of Yang Ye.
He himself believed in the former officials and was almost tricked to death by them.
In the ninth year of Dazhong Xiangfu, during the Battle of Sandu Valley, Li Lizun led more than 30,000 troops from Yushan, Lanzhou, Gonggu, Maomaoshan, Yanhe, and Hezhou to prepare to invade the Song Dynasty. He actively prepared for the war and wrote to
The imperial court asked for reinforcements and more troops.
Emperor Zhenzong felt that he was afraid of Li Lizun and planned to change his general on the spot.
After Li Di's persuasion, he finally gave up the plan of changing generals, but did not give him more troops.
He led thousands of men and fought fiercely with Li Lizun's 30,000 horses.
Fortunately, he had a fierce general named Li Chao who led a hundred cavalry and rushed into the enemy's formation. With his superb archery skills, he shot and killed the enemy's leading general, causing the enemy to panic.
He took the opportunity to lead his army to attack and reversed the situation.
If the fierce general named Li Chao hadn't shot and killed the enemy general, disrupted the enemy army and bought him an opportunity, he would have died in Sandu Valley along with thousands of his soldiers.
The father and son were tricked by two officials. He didn't know if the current official sitting on the throne would trick him again.
Lu Yijian seemed to notice that Cao Wei was worried, and sighed slightly, "If Kou Ji were here, there would be no need to worry about this kind of trouble."
Cao Wei was stunned and nodded seriously.
Official Zhao Zhen's kindness to Kou Ji is disappointing.
As long as Kou Ji leaves the capital, the Emperor's Sword is standard equipment.
For fear that Kou Ji would be wronged outside, he quickly gave the Emperor's Sword to Kou Ji.
With the Emperor's Sword in hand, it's like I'm here in person.
As for the subjects of the Song Dynasty and the ministers of the Song Dynasty, you can only bully others, and others must not bully you.
In the Northwest Four Battles, there are many soldiers and horses, and military and political power is given to them at will, without any hesitation.
Obviously they were going to the northwest where the Zhe family was located, but official Zhao Zhen handed over all the military and political power in the northwest to Kou Ji in one fell swoop.
I am a minister in the same palace.
Cao Wei and Lu Yijian's eyes turned red with envy.
As a prime minister, Lu Yijian did not receive such treatment, let alone Cao Wei.
If Kou Ji is at Tongtai Pass, he will choose to fight with the Liao people.
Even if the memorials to impeach Kou Ji were piled up in Chui Gong Hall, Zhao Zhen would not touch Kou Ji in the slightest, let alone show any dissatisfaction with Kou Ji.
This matter was not just a random thought of Lu Yijian and Cao Wei.
But it's proven.
From the time Zhao Zhen ascended the throne to the present, there have been so many memorials to impeach Kou Ji that Zhao Zhen has never paid any attention to them.
Not only that, Zhao Zhen also told the Third Prime Minister of the Inner Court in private that no memorials to impeach Kou Ji could be delivered to his desk in the future.
Whether he threw it away or burned it on the spot, it was still a trouble for him.