Deciding to go on an expedition does not mean that you can go out immediately, just like being determined to go out does not mean that the success rate of the expedition is high, or that the person making the decision really thinks that the expedition will win.
At least from Zhao Jiu's point of view, the choice to take the initiative was largely because the situation had been involved, and he just had a sudden change of heart. Before and after this, the other senior officials also agreed and opposed when they should be opposed.
...For example, Zhang Jun always believed that it was time to go to war, but Liu Ziyu also opposed it from beginning to end.
However, now that the emperor has made the decision to go on an expedition, Liu Ziyu has no choice but to keep silent, because at this time, at least the officers and soldiers below and the people should think that the expedition is a must-win, and Liu Ziyu has to pretend to be convinced.
But again, going to war doesn’t mean you can go out immediately just by saying go.
How do we assemble a force of 100,000 people? Who goes first and who comes last? Which route does each take? If the troops are like this, how should we allocate logistics? With so many generals bumping into each other, who listens to whom?
All these things need to be arranged and resolved one by one.
But on this day, as Zhang Jun made another appeal, asking to send troops, and after 'persuading' Zhao Guan's family, things began to become complicated and cumbersome.
From a high-level planning perspective, the next issue is who will stay in Chang'an.
Zhao Jiu had already made arrangements for this. He first hung up a brand new Jinwu 绛瀛 in Chang'an City, and officially moved into the palace of Chang'an City... Although there were suspicions inside and outside Chang'an, the emperor's caution in moving to Guanzhong was still shocked.
The entire Jingzhao.
However, Zhao Jiu quickly dragged Yu Wenxuzhong into the old palace of Chang'an City and gave him the Jinwu 纛瀛.
Obviously, when Luoyang was about to be exposed, he still wanted to play psychological warfare with the people in Lou Shi, but let Yu Wenxuzhong stay in Chang'an in his own name.
As for the strategic point of Weiqiao, it was handed over to Liu Ziyu, while Zhang Jun was still in charge of logistics... and he himself was planning to go directly to the frontline camp to fight in person under the banner of Yu Wenxuzhong.
Anyway, the virtual and the real can have a little confusing effect.
In fact, this arrangement was more or less expected by the high-level civil and military officials. Zhao Guan's family did not intend to risk it for a day or two. From the day Tuogu was released, everyone basically had expectations.
However, after this high-level plan was quickly decided, when it came to the execution stage of dispatching troops, something happened that shocked Guan Zhao - the three troops from Guanxi who had been hiding behind Jing Zhao were already preparing to go out.
On the front line, but after hearing that the officials had come to Chang'an, under someone's instigation, they actually asked the city for rewards for the expedition.
How to say it?
While stunned, Zhao Jiu was not angry at all, and even felt that this incident was unexpected and reasonable.
This is reasonable, not that this matter should be like this, but that Zhao Jiu woke up almost immediately. This army is at this level... This is the original Western Army, and it has combat effectiveness.
The combat experience may even be richer, but in essence it is still an old army with "Great Song Dynasty characteristics". It is the army that directly gave up fighting on the battlefield because of insufficient silver bowls for rewards, and it is also the army that kills good people from time to time.
Troops that take advantage of the situation and sit back and watch friendly forces being destroyed.
Moreover, this army had experienced several major defeats before it had received military pay again for more than half a year. After seeing the equipment and treatment of the imperial camp troops and hearing that the Song Dynasty officials were here, it seemed unreasonable to ask for an extra reward for the sake of psychological balance.
It's not that I can't understand it.
However, compared with Zhao Jiu's calmness, Zhang Jun and Yang Yizhong were obviously embarrassed and angry because of this incident. The former, as the actual commander-in-chief of these troops, faced the imperial camp. The decisive action of the soldiers and horses was embarrassing to Wu Jie's performance in the Third Route of Northern Shaanxi; and the latter was obviously because of his previous speech to Zhao Guan's family about "defending the family and the country" and the combat effectiveness of these Western troops. feel ashamed of things.
Of course, no matter what, Zhao Jiu is already familiar with this kind of thing.
The reward, or departure fee, the Zhao family did not hesitate to let Zhang Jun pay... Otherwise? Increase taxes for the Southeast, increase taxes for Jingxiang, Bashu has advanced taxes for two years, Dongting Lake has begun to rebel, There will definitely be other troubles in the future. What is the purpose of being so desperate? Isn't it just that you are not restricted by money and food at the moment?
What's more, the Western Army is indeed poorer.
At the same time, Zhao Jiu asked Yang Yizhong to select thirty officers below the command level, all of whom were the most noisy in asking for departure fees, and then handed the list to Liu Xi, Liu Qi, and Zhao Zhe and the other two men were asked to kill him immediately in their respective names in order to serve as a warning to others.
Let us also say that Yang Yizhong did this not because his Imperial City Division was so effective after arriving in Guanxi, but because his grandfather Yang Zongmin was originally the general in charge of the defense of Guanzhong in Jingkangzhong and was stationed in Chang'an. Later, he was also in Chang'an. Those who died for their country when the Lou family was destroyed had local connections and prestige, so they could act expediently.
After killing the person, Zhao Jiufu officially announced his status as the emperor. On the grounds that the Jin army had been destroyed in Guanzhong and there was a lot of unclaimed land, he promised to grant land to the local sergeants for military merit. Each Jin army leader would be rewarded with ten acres of land. The imperial camp also had a similar charter, but it directly promised to take out the former Henan military camp and convert it from public to private for the purpose of giving rewards.
As for the Kansai people in the imperial camp who want to buy property in Kansai, they are also allowed to participate in the Kansai military meritorious land transfer.
Frankly speaking, this is a typical empty promise for Zhao Jiu, because the imperial camp is fine. After all, the Henan military garrison has the bottom line. But here in Guanzhong, he has only been here for a few days. How does he know how much money was left after the Jin army swept Guanzhong before? Idle fields? How do you know whether these idle fields have been taken advantage of by these military leaders, officials, and landlords?
But there is no way, at this time, he has to do this!
He made a wish to the upper-level military leaders by granting them official positions. This was done as soon as he arrived. At present, five or six strategic envoys, five or six military commanders, one commander, and one commander have been directly granted the title. , for the middle and lower-level officers, it is a reward of money and silk, which has just been thrown out, and for the lower-level soldiers, it is a promise of land... Since ancient times, if you want to motivate the army, what other means can you use?
And besides, if this battle is won, even if the Guanzhong fields are occupied, he can make those people spit out these lands. But if he loses the battle and Guanzhong is gone, what should he do?
All in all, as the Zhao and Song officials in Chang'an gritted their teeth and risked everything, no matter what, the huge war machine was hastily launched... And while these messy things were hurriedly dealt with, the rest of the armies in Kansai had already issued orders in accordance with Chang'an City. Various instructions were put into action.
Qu Duan, Liu Lin, and Li Yongqi were ordered to go south as quickly as possible;
Under the command of Wang De and Wang Yan, the Imperial Army's central army advanced from left to right, and divided its troops to advance rapidly towards the four cities of Pucheng, Meiyuan, Xiagui, and Fuping... That is the border location of Huazhou and Yaozhou areas, and it is also Wanyan Lou.
The room is located in the area opposite the junction of the Weibei Plain and the hilly plateau to the north;
On the 10th day of May, troops from Xihe Road, Lizhou Road, and Qinfeng Road, who had been rewarded with money and silk, promised military merit and acquired land, and of course had some heads chopped off as a demonstration, finally set off, and in front of their respective generals.
He led the troops across the Wei River and headed northeast to the main force of the Loushi Division.
At this point, the war between Song and Jin Dynasties suddenly entered a new stage.
Of course, if Academician Xiao Lin's estimate of Yue Fei's side was not wrong, it was Yue Pengju's imperial camp's former army who made the Dragon Boat Festival crossing north that really brought the war situation to a new stage.
But Zhao Jiu couldn't care less about Yue Fei's success or failure, or even the gains and losses in Luoyang. He clearly wrote a private letter to Li Yanxian to intercept all military information in Guandong and ensure that the Jin army in Luoyang could not invade.
Kansai, if he can do this, he will be the first-class meritorious official in this battle.
Of course Li Yanxian is very capable and trustworthy.
In fact, Zhao Jiu's only military response to Luoyang was to send Zhai Jin's eldest son Zhai Cong and his two hundred elite soldiers back to Luoyang from the South Luoshui Trail.
that is it.
On May 12, the height of summer, Zhao Jiu also left Chang'an. On May 14, he came to Fuping and Suyi Town behind Xiagui. This was the Weibei logistics base planned by the Privy Council Staff Division and was stationed by Zhang Jun.
And Zhao Jiu did not stop here. He just kept what everyone regarded as his " trump card ", that is, those three to four thousand soldiers who had the same identity as Zhai Cong and gathered in the same way, and then continued.
Head northeast.
In the morning of May 15th, after a summer rainstorm that came suddenly last night but left quickly, Zhao Jiu personally led the Imperial Banzhi and two troops carrying the Wei army to Pucheng, Fuping, and Meiyang.
The location between the four cities of Xiagui is about ten miles northwest of Jingyao Town.
This is the frontline camp set up by the 30,000-strong Xisanlu Army. It is presided over by Liu Xi, the military commander of Xihelu, who has the highest official position, the oldest qualifications, and the strongest subordinates among the Xisanlu Army... This place is very far away
The camp on the south bank of Baishui where Loushi is located is only seventy or eighty miles away.
"The officials will wait and see."
The sun was shining after the rain and the weather was rarely refreshing. Liu Xi, the capital commander, invited Zhao Guan's family who had just arrived to go to the high ground and live in Gaowang Camp. "I did not set up the camp in Jingyao Town, but set it up ten miles away from Jingyao Town."
Behind this swamp, one can escape the heat, and on the other hand, the Jin cavalry can be delayed by the muddy swamp..."
Zhao Jiu followed the instructions and saw that the unique plateau terrain of the northwest has appeared here... The so-called plateau means a platform with steep sides and a flat middle. This is because of water and soil erosion, causing ravines to cross the plateau, like lines.
Scribbling on the ground resulted in a terrain similar to an irregular chessboard.
Similarly, there are also the sayings of Yong and Mao. Yong is a land with a mountain ridge in the middle, and Mao is a land with a hillock in the middle. It can be regarded as a deformed plateau.
The camp that Liu Xi set up was next to a plateau with a hill, that is, Mao'er, at the foot of Zhao Jiu. However, he did not occupy this high ground. Instead, he chose to set up the camp at a lower position. This was because
There is a large green water pool in front of the open land.
Loess, water, plateau, and plains meet here, but the plain is not very flat, the ravines around the plateau are not very steep, the water is not very deep, and the loess is not completely covered by vegetation... According to the locals, this complexity
The terrain will continue all the way to Baishui City ahead, where Lou Shi is located.
In fact, according to the intelligence, Lou Shi also took the initiative to cross the Baishui River, next to a village standing in the water.
Back in front of him, after Liu Xi's mouth was dry and he had been talking for a long time, the official finally spoke: "You sent a message before to set up a stronghold here. Did you take a fancy to this piece of water?"
"Reporting back to the officials, that's exactly what happened." Liu Xi quickly explained. "Although there are explanations for the highlands and plateau ravines, it is the water that lags the cavalry that has the best effect."
Of course Zhao Jiu didn't understand this, so he nodded and asked again: "Are the troops and horses too elaborate?"
"No, the four surrounding cities are not far from each other, and the Jin army is eighty miles away from here. Once dispatched, it will be enough for the four cities to join forces..."
"What if they take the opportunity to occupy the city?"
"They are about to seize the city... Once they seize the city, they will lose the advantage of the cavalry. No matter how hard they are to break free, it will be like being trapped."
Zhao Jiu frowned slightly: "Jin Jun will really act as we thought?"
"Of course not." Liu Xi immediately responded. "Guan, this is just the best behavior of our army at the moment. It is to camp here and integrate it with the surrounding four cities to block the Jin army from entering Weibei.
posture, and if the Jin Army has other responses, we should take other responses..."
Zhao Jiu looked at the surrounding terrain again and nodded slightly... He probably understood what Liu Xi meant. He said that he was going north to attack Lou Shi, but it was impossible to directly agree on a date and then open up the battle formation together.
It is to seize the advantageous terrain, arrange troops, and then test each other, move and force each other like a chess game, and finally, according to changes in the situation, launch or induce the other party to launch a decisive battle.
This is an ongoing dynamic process.
As for the current situation, Song Jun made the first move as he thought. Jin Jun's subsequent response, or failure to respond, would change the situation... and it all depends on what Lou Shi thinks and does.
"When you arrived the day before yesterday, didn't the Jin army send cavalry to attack your stronghold?" After thinking about this, Zhao Jiu continued to ask.
"When the army marched the day before yesterday, naturally a few Jin Army cavalry crossed Pucheng in front and fought with our army's front sentry cavalry. Yesterday, there were more than a hundred cavalry-level battles near Changle Town where the Beiluoshui Bridge is located. However, because on the other side of the river,
Han Taiwei sent troops to help, so they evacuated without fighting for a long time. There has been no return today, but there is no smoke in Pucheng and Meiyuan ahead." Liu Xi answered fluently. "In general, the Jin army did not really go to war.
"
At this moment, Zhao Jiu was completely speechless. To be honest, he was just an amateur at arranging troops, and listening to the report was just to help him understand the situation better.
However, Zhao Jiu was speechless, but Liu Xi still had his own problems.
"Guan family." Liu Xi hesitated and asked tentatively. "I wonder where the imperial commander will be stationed?"
"I take the banner of Prime Minister Yu Wen as my commander, the Imperial Front Banzhi, the imperial camp's right army's front army and the two back Wei troops as the middle army, and the imperial camp capital commander Wang Yuan as the general of the central army's camp, and I will set up a stronghold behind you.
." Zhao Jiu simply answered. "If you have any military information, just come to me directly."
Liu Xi was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and finally said it: "The official family, the official family is the master of the people, and the emperor of the Song Dynasty has a high status. I am afraid it is not easy to get involved in the war... But now that Liu Canjun is not here, there are dozens of people around this place. There are nearly 80,000 royal troops in Li Nei, but there is a king and deputy commander. I am here, Pucheng and Meiyuan each have a king and deputy commander..."
"No need to say more, I have made up my mind." Zhao Jiu interrupted him directly as if he did not understand what the other party meant. "We will live and die with the armies, so there is no need to persuade me."
Liu Xi was silent for a moment, but he didn't dare to say anything after all, so he could only nod with all his strength, and then followed Zhao Guan's family and reined in his horse, turned around, went down to the plateau, and returned to the water.
When the official camp was established and the "Yuwen" flag was hurriedly hoisted, Liu Xi, Zhao Zhe, and Liu Qi returned to each camp, but finally couldn't help complaining to their own brother halfway through:
"There was a message from Hitachi Village in the past, saying that Qu Duan entrusted the troops and horses to Zhang Zhongfu brothers, and rode the iron elephant and fast horse to the south alone. I knew it was not good. After many days of fighting, this handsome position was still taken. This guy Qu Da has been taken away. It can be seen that no matter how hard you work on guarding the border, it can't compare to showing your face in front of the officials, let alone passing the imperial examination!"
Zhao Zhe pretended not to hear anything, but Liu Qi had no choice but to offer some words of advice, but he didn't say much.
Besides, everyone knows that it is impossible for Zhao Guanjia to personally lead the troops, and this official has always respected those who do not know how to fight as soldiers, so no matter how many layers of identities and flags the official has set up, there will always be one person who can do these more than ten things. The military commander of Wan Dajun!
When the imperial camp was divided into two, and Wang De and Wang Yan were unable to command each other, it was probably Liu Xi and Wang Yuan who were competing for the position. In fact, they had started fighting openly and secretly in Chang'an before. By this time When they set off for the expedition, Liu Xi went first and was ordered to act expediently. He almost thought that he was going to get the commanding position.
Who would have thought that the official's attitude was ambiguous, and Qu Duan headed south at such a speed that Liu Xi completely lost his mind.
After all, Qu Duan was the first general in Guanzhong and the actual military leader of Beisan Road. In the Western Army, which values seniority, Liu Xi really had no choice if he jumped out to snatch this position.
In fact, even Liu Xi's complaint seemed a bit like admitting defeat.
But just in the evening of that day, when it was still dark, the stronghold was hurriedly set up. As expected, a large number of horsemen rode directly in from the north to the large Chinese army camp, coming to see the saint. As the commander of the capital, Liu Xi naturally had some sentry posts. The cavalry spied it, and then hurriedly reported back. According to the sentry cavalry who saw the scene from a distance, he couldn't see his face clearly from a distance, and there was no flag, but everyone recognized the famous iron elephant in Kansai, which shows that Qu Da is real. came back.
At this point, Liu Xi's last thought has simply given up. He will just wait for the officials to gather everyone tomorrow and point out the leadership position in public.
"Are you Wu Jinqing?"
Zhao Jiu was halfway through shooting when he saw a yellow-faced general, led by Wang Yuan and Yang Yizhong, entering the shooting range behind the Chinese army's tent. He simply put away his arrows, then turned around and smiled. "I will guard for you." Fangzhou, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
"I am terrified." Wu Jie arrived with sweat profusely after running all day. He knew that the young man in front of him, wearing cotton clothes more expensive than silk, must be an official of Zhao Song Dynasty. He was really scared, but the military situation was urgent, and he Still kneeling down in a hurry to salute, he tried his best to raise his head and asked. "The minister's department is also an old one, so it's no problem. I just don't know what your majesty's instructions are for calling me here alone? Please let me know clearly."
"That's it." Maybe because this place is next to a swamp, Zhao Jiu, who didn't sweat much, simply dropped his bow and arrow, stepped forward to support the opponent, and smiled slowly. "Qing Jin should know that there will be a war in the country.
, here in Guanxi, Han Liangchen should be allowed to issue orders and command the military for me, but although he is in Tongzhou on the other side of the Beiluo River, he has other important responsibilities, so I want to send the only 100,000 tribesmen here in Guanzhong
I have entrusted you with the task of destroying the Lou family for me...but I don’t know if Jin Qing is willing?"
Wu Jie was dumbfounded... Let's say that the first thing that came to his mind was not gratitude, but the expression on Qu Dan's face when he came to Fangzhou to lend him his iron elephant to go south to the Holy Land.
That way, it was as if I owed him not a horse, but a military governor, Qu Da.