The fall of Hedong City itself was quite dramatic, but in terms of the result, it was inevitable and natural.
Therefore, the story of Wen Dunsizhong and the Jin general fighting against the enemy, returning to the government office after the failure, drinking tea and chatting, and finally assisting each other in committing suicide and generously sacrificing their lives for the country are destined to be recorded only in the notes of the hundred soldiers who accompanied the army in the southeast.
It will be dug out years later, forming the remaining marks of these two people in history.
And if we don't count these unofficial histories of officials, I'm afraid they may not even leave their mark. It's just a mention in the history books, or attached to the biographies of Wang Sheng or Han Shizhong.
As for Wen Dun Sizhong's intelligence, his pride, his sense of superiority from being born under Aguda, as well as the legendary deeds he experienced with Aguda, and even the great future he originally thought of as a prime minister,
No one even cared about how harshly they would retaliate against the Ulin brothers after gaining power.
However, this is nothing.
Just like the stage when this war just started ten years ago, there were countless similar cases in the Song Dynasty at that time. They were also dramatic failures, and they were also unquestionably helpless beyond the drama. Countless similar cases
A life with its own ideas, personality, and future suddenly disappeared.
No one cares about anyone else. On the battlefield, there are only ourselves and the enemy.
"When we meet in the army, there is no need to be polite. Everyone, please get up."
At the end of October, although Zhao Guan's family was delayed for half a day in Wenxi, they finally followed Lu Yihao's advice and rushed to Tieling Pass with Wang De, Li Qiong, and Li Shifu. Then they met Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian who had gathered.
The generals headed by Ma Kuo did not wait for everyone to salute, so they directly waved their hands and hurriedly entered the pass.
Come to welcome the generals, more than dozens of them with names, surnames and achievements?
Accompanying Zhao Guan's family were dozens of generals, dozens of ministers, and nearly a hundred Southeast Palace elites. I originally thought it would be an extremely solemn and warm meeting, but unexpectedly, the Zhao Guan family's attitude made people nervous and confused for a moment.
.
Could it be that Lu Xianggong simply died if he caught the cold?
What's going on?
Is it true that every time the Song Dynasty formally entered into war with the Jin Kingdom, a prime minister had to die on the front line?
However, they were nervous and their thoughts were random, but everyone could only follow the expressionless officials and swarm in.
As I said before, Tieling Pass is just a choke point, a long and narrow courtyard, plus two gate towers in the north and south, with three floors in the north and two floors in the south. When the Jin army controlled the entire Hedong, there was only one Mouke garrison.
It can fit at most three to four hundred people, which is really narrow. But now that Zhao Guan's family Long Huang has entered the pass, countless civil and military entourages have poured in, plus the Imperial Banzhi who must be here, but they have occupied the entire pass.
A clean one.
Those from the commander down are not qualified to enter the pass at all. Only those who are obviously older and more prestigious can be admitted to the top 100 Southeast Palace.
For a time, countless people looked at the courtyard and sighed.
However, even if you enter the courtyard, you may not be able to speak or participate in military discussions.
That's right, as soon as Zhao Guanjiafu entered and saw how cramped the Tieling Pass was, he simply gave up on talking to the gate tower and asked Yang Yizhong to put the dragon scroll up on the bare gate tower, and then directly went to the courtyard.
Sitting under the central corridor facing south, Liu Yan spread out the wooden sand table and started the military discussion.
When the military meeting began, the first thing that came up was to give the hurriedly prepared large banner and Ma Kuan.
But to be honest, just like the rushing process of making this large scroll, the awarding of the scroll this time is also a bit hasty... Moreover, there are not many of Ma Kuo's subordinates who are qualified to enter this courtyard, especially
Brother Liang had already been demoted to the rank of commander for disobeying military orders and marching eastward without permission. However, Zhang Heng, who had given the rebels a big face this time, was forced to leave long ago by Han Shizhong and returned to the left army of the imperial camp.
Even the words ‘a spark that started a prairie fire’ somewhat made Li Yanxian and his subordinates look unswerving.
Because in the eyes of these people, the official's choice of these four words seems to be taking advantage of the situation to beat them.
Of course, no matter what the atmosphere is, Ma Kuo won another great banner, which is of great significance among commanders, as a Jieduzhao. From then on, he went one step further and became one of the few "famous commanders" in the world.
.
Unexpectedly, President Wang Yanwang and Vice-President Wang Dewang's eyes were already straight. Even Wu Lin, who came to visit the officials on behalf of his brother Wu Jie, was also a little embarrassed.
Moreover, this big banner finally made Ma Kuo feel a little relieved. He really didn't care about these things at this time, let alone his own rank. What he wanted was that the Taihang Mountain Rebels would get a good result after this battle.
, but it is useless to say this when the battle is approaching.
It can only be said that the gift of the imperial edict more or less represents the official attitude.
In this way, the process of bestowing the seal seemed a little cold but solemn. Zhao Guan's family waited until the matter was settled, but almost non-stop, they directly asked Han, Li and Ma about Linyi's geography and military situation.
The three of them did not dare to neglect, but immediately stepped forward, pointed to the wooden sand table, and gave the official a detailed explanation. But to be honest, these things were not much different from the information the official had received before.
.
It actually gave the civil and military personnel who followed the army a general understanding of the military situation.
"In this way, the Linfen Three Prefectures and One Army have the main line of the west wing of Taihang Mountain to the east, and the main line of the southern section of Guji Mountain (Lüliang Mountain) to the west (Gushe Mountain). The middle is as flat as a plate, two hundred miles long from north to south, and east to west.
The narrowest point is only fifty miles, and the widest point is seventy miles, with a Fenshui River sandwiched in the middle. The overall terrain is like a thick long noodle stretching diagonally between two mountains from north to south... Is it true or not?" Zhao Jiu compared the accompanying Chixin team.
He put the sand table on the table and asked a question that seemed like nonsense.
"yes."
Han Shizhong, who was holding his belt, did his part and responded simply.
"Is this terrain beneficial to the Jin Army or to us?" Zhao Jiu remained motionless, his expression unchanged, and continued to look in front of him and asked.
"It can't be called advantageous." Han Shizhong, who turned to the side of the sand table, blurted out. "Let the officials know that such flat land is convenient for the Jin Kingdom's cavalry to travel from north to south, but it is too narrow from east to west, especially Fenshui.
It has not yet frozen, so the cavalry will have to work hard to cross the river, but the place is divided into two, making the terrain even more narrow... As long as our army has sufficient strength and is properly laid out, the Jin army will have the advantage of cavalry, but it will not be able to make much use of it.
possible."
"Then do our troops have sufficient strength?" Zhao Jiu suddenly asked again.
Han Shizhong was stunned for a moment, then looked back at the people in the courtyard, and he didn't know how to respond for a moment. Even the rest of the people were also stunned for a moment.
"Let me change the question." Zhao Jiu's expression did not change upon seeing this, and he continued calmly. "According to what Han Qing just said, the number of Jin troops currently deployed in the four counties of Linfen ranges from 40,000 to 60,000 to 70,000.
There are layers of defenses on both sides of the Fen River, right?" Zhao Jiu continued to ask, pointing to the wooden sand table.
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"Yes." Han Liangchen nodded quickly.
"Is it possible that the Jin people will continue to increase their troops?" Zhao Jiu continued to ask.
"Probably not." Han Shizhong shook his head. "And even if there are more troops, there is nothing to be afraid of, because in Fenzhou, between Yangliang North Pass and Yangliang South Pass, the Ratque Valley Road is narrow and long, thirty or forty miles.
In a narrow area, how to provide more logistics?"
At this point, Han Shizhong seemed to have thought of something, and couldn't help but say one more sentence: "If you think about it from this general direction, the terrain of Linfen will be beneficial to the king's division and not beneficial to the Jin army... If I were the commander of the Jin army, I would never dare to
It’s a matter of life and death here.”
"When I heard the news, I heard that Wang Sheng had rushed the military report, saying that Hedong City had been destroyed. Therefore, south of Huishui, our army has the entire imperial camp left army, the entire central army, and a cavalry army.
Ten thousand, the Taihang Mountain rebel army is at least thirty to forty thousand, right or wrong?" Zhao Jiu was noncommittal, still pointing at the sand table and asking questions with an expressionless face.
"Yes." Han Shizhong was inexplicably panicked.
"How much is that?" Zhao Jiu continued to ask, as if he didn't know how to do arithmetic. "Extract the Eight-Character Army guarding Zhiguanxing, and eliminate the necessary garrisoning of cities and towns along the logistics line."
"Although there are battle losses and reductions, there are also reductions and replacements. The gap is not much different from before the war, and some necessary garrisons have been removed..." Han Shizhong made an estimate in his mind, and then gave a number that made him more and more panicked.
"The main force of the Imperial Camp is always 112,000 cavalry and infantry, and there are also 30,000 to 40,000 Lianghe Rebels who can serve as auxiliary troops... And if we include the Royal Camp's rear army..."
"Don't count the imperial camp's rear army." Zhao Jiu immediately interrupted the other party, but used his eyes to find his brother Wu Lin who was sent by Wu Jie, and then calmly faced him. "The imperial camp's rear army is the general reserve team. It will not be used until the decisive battle.
, never use it lightly. Besides, Wu Jie gradually joined forces in northern Shaanxi, which was enough to tie up the Datong Jin Army, and it was also effective."
"Yes." Wu Lin hurriedly came out of the queue and responded.
"Then we came across the river, do we know the local geography?" Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged, but the questions he asked became more and more outrageous.
Perhaps realizing something, King Han simply stopped talking to Zhao Guan's family and just stood there thoughtfully, but he didn't know if he was re-calculating the number of troops.
"In the official family, although the Jin people have occupied Hedong for ten years, they cannot change the geography of the mountains and rivers." Li Yanxian looked at it coldly for a long time, then suddenly came out of the queue and answered proudly. "Not to mention President Wang (Wang Yan), Deputy Governor Xie
(Xie Yuan), they are all figures from Hedong. Even Ma Kuo (Ma Kuo), whose native place is not here, has been in the Taihang Mountains for many years... If we take another 10,000 steps back, there are still tens of thousands of Taihang Rebels and tens of thousands of Eight-Character Army.
Therefore, in terms of understanding the local mountains and rivers geography, I am afraid that the Jin Army is not as good as us."
Zhao Jiu nodded, still noncommittal, and continued to ask: "The weather is getting colder and the logistics transportation capacity is insufficient. I am afraid that winter clothing must be given priority and ordnance must be suspended... Are the ordnance sufficient now?"
"In the early stage, we will transfer to and stay in, which will be enough to advance the four counties of Linfen." Li Yanxian simply stated his words, which made many civil and military officials who were still guessing suddenly realize.
"It gets cold in winter, how to solve the problem of fuel?"
"Coal has been produced in Hedong since ancient times. There is enough coal and wood on the left and right. As long as there are enough manpower, we can get the materials locally."
"Where are the siege engines?"
"There are big trees in the mountains and craftsmen in the army. Just do whatever you want." Li Yanxian remained awe-inspiring.
"That's good." Zhao Jiu nodded. "I already know the situation. The terrain here in Linfen is long and narrow. At least it won't cause us much trouble before it freezes. Then, the main force of our army's imperial camp is twice that of the enemy's.
The main force of the West Route Army; at the same time, our army has a clear understanding of the local terrain; the logistics and auxiliary troops are also temporarily sufficient; and, it is not the real cold winter yet... right?"
"Yes." Li Yanxian's voice was high-pitched and his figure was upright.
"Then can we immediately start fighting with the Jin army for the four counties of Linfen?"
"Yes!" Li Yanxian was about to speak, but Wang De suddenly appeared in front of him, his voice was so loud that it overwhelmed everyone for a while.
"Well, I'm at Tieling Pass now." Zhao Jiu sat motionless behind the sand table, looking around and counting his family treasures. "There is one marshal in this pass, five Jiedu envoys, nine commanders, general managers, and deputy commanders.
Counting Wang Sheng, who is cleaning up the situation in Hedong City, there are ten people. Outside, there are also Wu Jie leading the main force of the 50,000 imperial camp rear army, plus tens of thousands of party auxiliary troops, as well as Khitan and Mongolian reinforcements, involved in Hexi and outside Hebei.
The military strength of the Kingdom of Jin... Which of you is willing to stand up and use the governor's entire army to capture these four counties for me?"
"I am willing to go!" Li Yanxian responded immediately.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Yan, the general commander of the imperial camp, Wang De, the left deputy commander of the imperial camp, Li Qiong, the right deputy commander of the imperial camp, and Li Shifu, the deputy commander of the imperial cavalry army, almost all spoke out at the same time.
Only Ma Kuo knew that he could not command the main force of more than 100,000 soldiers in the imperial camp. He was silent for a moment. Wu Lin also knew that he was just making up the numbers and stood quietly in the distance, while Jie Yuan looked at Han Shizhong.
Zhao Jiu also looked at Han Shizhong, but said coldly: "Han Qing, what are you thinking about?"
"Reply to Your Majesty." Han Shizhong quickly answered as if he had come to his senses. "I am thinking about the poem I submitted to the official in the secret letter that day..."
This time, it was Zhao Guanjia's turn to be stuck. After being silent for a few breaths, the official said in a daze: "I remembered that poem that day, and Han Qing's loyalty and courage were beyond words... Then just recite it! Han Qing
Let me read to everyone the poem you wrote for me last year!"
"Here!"
Han Liangchen bowed his head in response, then stood up and passed Li Yanxian and others beside him, walked to the end of the sand table, looked around the courtyard, then held on to his belt, held his head high and became impassioned.
His voice was clear and resonant, his breath reached the sky, and his power shook the entire courtyard:
"When I was drunk, I read the sword with the light on, and I dreamed about the trumpet blowing company camp.
Eight hundred miles away, the fire under his command is burning, and the sound of fifty strings is heard outside the Great Wall.
Autumn on the battlefield.
The horse moves so fast, the bow is like a thunderbolt.
Finish the affairs of the king and the world, and win fame during and after life.
Too bad it happened in vain!"
After saying the word, the whole courtyard was silent. Wang Yan, Li Yanxian, Ma Kuo, Li Qiong, Wu Lin and others were all dumbfounded. Those literary ministers and celebrities from the southeast were even more lost. Even Wang De and the others could not understand.
Yes, it didn't take long for them to notice the change in the atmosphere in the courtyard, and they flinched for a moment.
"His Majesty."
After reciting two sentences, Han Shizhong turned around, loosened his belt, and saluted solemnly again. "I have been favored by Your Majesty from Huaixi for more than eight years, and there is never a day when I don't think about the shame of Your Majesty Xue Jingkang.
Now your majesty has spoken, allowing all the generals to ask for battle. I am the marshal of the Hedong Road, and I dare not not ask for this appointment... Please give me one hundred thousand troops and keep them for twenty days. If you can't drive out all the Jin army in Linfen within twenty days,
In Shuque Valley, I gave up my title as king of this county and the military envoys of these three towns to warn future generations!"
"There are earthquake tiles in Wu'an, but there are no cold songs in Yi River." Zhao Jiu nodded, seemingly understatement. "A good minister's word of asking for battle today is enough to go down in history. With such heroic spirit, why do you need to make a bet with me? I will support you with my reinforcements.
We have brought a hundred thousand people, please use them!"
"I thank your Majesty."
"One more thing."
"Your Majesty's will."
"Below the Jiedushi envoy, if there is any disobedience, you will be killed first, but there is no need to come and report. There is no need to tell me about the appointment on the battlefield... There are only three things that must be reported seriously." Zhao Jiu said calmly. "One.
Therefore, the purpose of Wang's Northern Expedition is to punish the people. If there are those who commit crimes, plunder and harm the people, they must be sent to the customs, and I will personally approve and deal with them. Secondly, the lack of military supplies is related to the overall success or failure of the Northern Expedition.
Conceal it; thirdly, although I let you go, I still need to know the general military situation. Every advance and retreat of the front twenty miles from north to south must be reported in an orderly manner without any mistakes."
"How dare you disobey me!" Han Shizhong replied seriously.
"Then send troops!" Zhao Jiu couldn't urge him enough.
At this point, the civil and military forces in the hospital finally came to their senses.
PS: Thanks to the old boss from October for the cuteness, this is the 188th cuteness in this book.
Then continue to dedicate a new book, "Begin with Sanxing Cave"