Chapter 26 Chapter 26 The Last Moment
The hearts of the people in the world are floating, and there are rumors in the market, I am afraid that the Great Song Dynasty will come to an end here.
It is normal for the common people to think this way. Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, there have been a lot of princes. If you sing, I will appear on the stage. The title of the country is changed like a lantern. Now the kingdoms of Shu, Tang, and Han, which have already perished, have passed down the second generation and the third generation. In forty or fifty years, although the Song State unified the Central Plains, in truth, Guozuo has only been around for more than ten years, and it is far from reaching the point where the world has returned to its heart.
As a result, Youzhou was defeated first, and the 300,000 army was wiped out, and then Xixia issued the "Order to Discuss Zhao Jiong". Qi Wang Zhao Defang is the one who suffers.Before Zhao Guangyi could figure out how to deal with this crisis, his head was beheaded in the camp of an army of 100,000, and the crown prince hurriedly succeeded him.
Zhao Yuanzuo changed his orders from day to day and was indecisive. It seemed that some abnormal news stimulated by the sudden death of his father had already spread in Bianliang City.Don't look at the deep palace Jiuchongtian, in fact, there are very few impenetrable walls in the palace. The royal family of the Song Dynasty has always been close to the people, and the palace ban is not as strict as other dynasties. This is even more difficult to hide from the people of the capital. .
With such an official house on the stall, the tigers and wolves of the Daliao Dynasty went south in an instant, all of Longyou Guanzhong entered Xixia, the Bashu rebels rose again, and the south of the Yangtze River was in turmoil. Not to mention ordinary people, even the officials of the Manchu Dynasty were panicked.
When Xiao Chuo retreated from the Song Dynasty, he quickly drew up a counterattack plan. Relying on his strong morale, he integrated all the soldiers and horses to rescue Nanjing on the spot, and turned his defense into an offense.Now the turbulent Great Song Dynasty is facing a situation of domestic instability, changes in people's minds, and two-sided use of troops, all of which are powerful enemies.
Zhao Guangyi is a military theorist when it comes to military affairs, not as many as his brother, but if you really want to talk about military affairs with him, he can speak clearly and logically, while the crown prince Yuanzuo knows nothing about military affairs, such as the three principles and five constant principles, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. You can't use it for war, can you?Fortunately, although he is not capable enough, and his mental state is extremely unstable, Zhao Yuanzuo has no ideas, but Zhao Yuanzuo has no ideas, and he can only temporarily manipulate them according to their ideas.
Zhang Ji and Luo Kedi are two people, one does not cultivate personal morality, is mean and ungrateful, and the other has evil intentions, and has long betrayed his father's thoughts. Just these two people are the civil and military team left by his father.But in terms of talent, these two people really have nothing to say. In the current situation, no matter what they think in their hearts, they have to cheer up and defend against the foreign captives first. It is not a joke to really let the Khitan people let the Central Plains go.
In view of this, Zhang and Luo cooperated sincerely. After some discussions, the emperor agreed to deploy Li Jilong, Liu Tingrang, and Tian Chongjin to Cangzhou, Yingzhou, and Dingzhou respectively to defend the three passes.Originally, before this, Li Jilong was ordered to lead the frontier army alone when he was in danger. However, this encounter is not like going on an expedition, but a defense. In this case, each major pass must have its own general, who can make decisions at any time according to the situation of the enemy and ourselves. Let Li Jilong take over the military power. It will cause trouble, but it is not because he intends to divide his military power.
In the initial battle, both sides won and lost. Although the morale of the Song army was not high, after all, it relied on the geographical advantage, so the Liao army did not take advantage of it. After losing the battle, the Liao people did not seem to be as terrible as imagined.
But the commander-in-chief of the Liao Army is Brother Yeluxiu, who is a real commander-in-chief, and no one has yet realized how good he is. Song Guo self-examined the reasons for the failure of the Northern Expedition. I tend to think that the first emperor made a mistake in using his troops, which resulted in a big defeat, and brother Yeluxiu's victory was more due to luck.
In fact, the current stalemate is simply arranged by Brother Yeluxiu. He doesn't care about these small victories and defeats. His goal is the main force of the Song army. What he wants is to break through and advance to the Central Plains. He is waiting for opportunities and creating opportunities.This opportunity finally arrived.
After a few days of stalemate between the two sides, Tian Zhongjin gained a firm foothold and began to tentatively launch a counterattack. Tian Zhongjin's troops left Qigou Pass, defeated several Liao troops in a row, and even regained Zhuozhou for a while.Tian Zhongjin did not advance rashly. It was the intention of the imperial court to take the initiative. The official statement was to keep the enemy out of the country, but the real reason was that the morale of the army and the people were not available at the moment. The Song State urgently needed a big victory to restore everything.
Tian Zhongjin's victory was reported back to Kaifeng, and the whole city of Kaifeng was like a new year, and the people who had been in panic for a long time finally settled down.Zhao Yuanzuo was overjoyed, and immediately issued an order to order Liu Tingrang and Li Jilong to go out and recover the lost ground.Hearing the words, Zhang Ji and Luo Kedi hurriedly dissuaded them, thinking that they should seek victory in a steady state, and accumulate small victories into big victories, but Zhao Yuanzuo couldn't wait. Although he was indecisive in doing things, once he recognized a truth, he was paranoid Even Jiu Niu couldn't pull him back.
When the imperial decree was issued, they were ordered to stand still, and Liu Tingrang and Li Jilong, who stood firmly against the enemy, immediately sent troops to expand the results of the battle. They must fight back to regain the territory discarded due to the failure of the Northern Expedition.Liu Tingrang and Li Jilong received the imperial edict and had to follow orders. However, both of them were honest and prudent generals. After some discussion, they decided to act as safely as possible. Liu Tingrang's department was the vanguard, and Li Jilong's department was the rear army.
In fact, according to Li Jilong's intention, it is most appropriate to seek stability at the moment, but the difficulty of Song State is not only on the northern side, and the pressure it bears is not only on the military side. The victory of the territory is really important to the Song Dynasty, and its significance is not just a victory in war.Moreover, the Holy Majesty was in such a hurry, maybe he didn't want to save face for the late emperor in his heart.He is a general who eats the emperor's salary, and is the uncle of the current emperor. He has no reason to sing against him in public or private, so he can only cooperate with all his strength.
Brother Yeluxiu has been laying the main force in ambush and has not made any contact with the Song army. They are all cavalry, come and go like flying, and have strong mobility. The numbers of the flags were rather confusing, and it was even more difficult to see the details from a distance, so it was never known that the Liao army had hidden an absolute main force.
Liu Tingrang's troops marched northward first, and the vanguard was He Lingtu, the training envoy of the Pingzhou Regiment. Unafraid of the spirit of the tiger, he led his troops to attack the Junzi Pavilion in Hejian, Hebei, and encountered Brother Yeluxiu's troops. As soon as the battle broke out, the Liao army retreated without support.Immediately afterwards, Brother Yeluxiu sent an envoy to say that he was afraid of the strength of the Song army and intended to surrender.
Brother Yeluxiu sent someone casually, just to tease He Lingtu. He also knew that Song Jun could not be fooled, but it was only a matter of time. The main force of the army entered his encirclement, the troops in front of him were too thin for him, and this little sheep was not big enough for him to fit between his teeth.
However, an unbelievable scene happened. He Lingtu actually believed it. Not only did he believe it, but he was also very excited. He brought only dozens of soldiers and ran to Brother Yeluxiu's camp to accept the surrender.In the Battle of Gaolianghe, the Song State's 300,000 troops were driven back, and Zhao Guangyi was driven away. Liao State Da Yue Yeluxiu said so casually, and he really believed that people were afraid of his military might.
Brother Yeluxiu was planning a plan to encircle and wipe out the Song Army with the generals under his command in the tent of the Chinese Army. He was startled when he heard the report from his own soldiers. Maybe it's that stupid?
Brother Yeluxiu didn't believe the report from the soldiers until now, he ran out of the big tent himself, saw He Lingtu on the horse, and heard him personally report his identity. Knowing that it wasn't the soldier who was full enough to make fun of him, Big Yue, Brother Yeluxiu couldn't laugh or cry, and immediately asked someone to hang this innocent child up, seeing his virtue, Brother Yeluxiu was angry and funny , but no one beat him up.
However, since the vanguard officer came to his door, Brother Yeluxiu didn't want to be polite to him anymore, and ordered people to surround He Lingtu's vanguard troops and eat them up. Originally, Brother Yeluxiu wanted to use this Song army As the bait, the chief general He Lingtu was not there, no one was in command, and none of them ran away. As a result, the role of the vanguard was completely lost, and Liu Tingrang, who led the team behind him, was completely unaware of this.
As a result, Liu Tingrang got into Yeluxiu's encirclement, and more than 100,000 troops surrounded Liu Tingrang's 30,000 horses.Liu Tingrang's cloth ring formation resisted desperately, and the infantry of the Song army was invincible in the world. They fought head-on in positional warfare, and they were so majestic that they never broke through Liu Tingrang's defensive line.
Liu Tingrang sent someone to break through again and reported to Li Jilong urgently. Li Jilong, who came later, was shocked when he heard the news. The lieutenant who reported the letter, Sang Jing, was covered in blood, and he was supported by a hoarse voice: "My lord, General Liu is leading the army. It's a hard fight, if you delay for a long time, I'm afraid the whole army will be wiped out, please send reinforcements quickly!"
All the generals under Li Jilong's command were red-eyed, eager to fight. Li Jilong walked slowly for a long time, then turned his head and asked, "Liao Army, how many people are there?"
Sang Jing said: "From the general's point of view, there are at least a hundred thousand people. If General Liu has lasted for a whole day and night, there is no longer any delay."
Li Jilong narrowed his eyes slightly, shook his head slowly and said: "Since you have seen one hundred thousand people, then he has more than one hundred thousand people in his hands. One hundred thousand cavalry, on the flat land of a horse, attack the three who hastily rushed to the defenseless Thousands of soldiers, actually persisted for a whole day and night without being defeated? No... no..."
Sang Zhan was in a hurry, his eyes were red, and he roared angrily: "Li Jilong, what do you mean, are you timid and not fighting?"
Li Jilong's soldiers approached with swords and shouted: "Bold, what are you talking about?"
Li Jilong waved his hand to stop his subordinates from acting recklessly, looked up at the head and sighed: "We have been tricked, and going to the rescue is just a moth to the fire, as many as we go, we will throw in as many as we should have guarded. You shouldn't take the initiative to send troops at all, you shouldn't take the initiative to send troops at all..."
He turned around abruptly, and shouted sharply: "Order the three armies, the rear will change to the front, retreat immediately!"
"I can't! General Li, I can't!" Sang Zhan burst into tears, "Lord Liu is trapped in a tight siege, struggling to hold on. Thirty thousand brothers are waiting for us to save lives. General Li, we can't retreat!"
Li Jilong's face was ashen, and his cheeks twitched a few times. Seeing that the friendly army was besieged, but wanted to abandon them and flee, he was also heartbroken, but he knew that this time was definitely not a time to act emotionally, so he shouted loudly: " Didn’t you hear about my generals? Retreat immediately!”
He strode out a few steps, and shouted in a deep voice: "It's too late to withdraw the troops at this time, we can't go back to the original road, we can retreat to Leshou nearby, or we can take advantage of the danger of the city to protect our army!"
He said sadly: "We...we can't afford another failure."
"Li Jilong retreated?" Brother Yeluxiu, who was smugly waiting for Li Jilong to throw himself into the trap, was stunned for a long time before he reacted suddenly: "Xiao Talie, Yelushan, immediately lead your ambush soldiers to pursue Li Jilong, you must catch him, and wait for Ben The more Liu Tingrang is dealt with, immediately wave his troops to cover up and kill him." He hurried to the map and asked, "Which direction is Li Jilong retreating?" The Tanma reported: "Looking at its direction, it should be retreating to Leshou controlled by the Song Army." Brother Yeluxiu was stunned, and the excited expression on his face gradually calmed down. He repeatedly pressed his fingers on the map a few times, as if he wanted to poke a hole in the part marked with Le Shou's location. Xiao Talie couldn't wait to say: "Da Yue, shall we go on the road immediately?" Brother Yeluxiu gave a wry smile, and shook his head: "There's no need to chase, I can't catch up. Li Jilong, what a Li Jilong!" His eyes turned to Liu Tingrang's troops who were still defending under the hill, and his eyes gradually turned cold again: "This bait is useless, eat it!" In the Battle of the Gentleman’s Pavilion, Liu Tingrang broke out of the siege under the desperate guard of his generals, and fled back to the Song Dynasty with only a few dozen Qingqi. Tens of thousands of troops died here. The news was sent back to Bianliang, Tokyo. On the throne, the courtiers said something, but they didn't say a word.Later, he suddenly jumped up and issued an edict to launch a full-scale counterattack at all costs, but was dissuaded by Zhang Ji, Luo Kedi and others. Afterwards, Brother Yeluxiu took advantage of the great victory to surround Zhuozhou again, and fought hard for several days and nights. The city of Zhuozhou was broken, and the Song army in the city was forced to surrender. Brother Yeluxiu was incorporated into seven battalions of soldiers and horses, scattered into the Liao army, and marched south together. All the way to conquer Qizhou, Xin'an, Xiaolang village, and occupied Yizhou.When the news reached Bianliang, Zhao Yuanzuo was horrified, and ordered the defenders at the passes to fortify the walls and clear the fields, and not to fight. Luo Kedi believes that the enemy is strong, and it is appropriate not to fight hard, but the specific situation must be determined by the frontier commander based on the situation of the former enemy. It was also inopportune to go to war, which made Zhao Yuanzuo furious. Fortunately, Cheng Yu, Jia Yan, Song Qi and other old courtiers whom Zhao Guangyi trusted also felt that Luo Kedi's words were reasonable, and responded with their words one after another, so he was not punished. However, according to his wishes, he issued an edict to the border generals. After leaving the Meridian Gate, the small school led a war horse. Luo Kedi got on his horse and sighed. He felt that the current situation of Song Kingdom was out of control, but this emperor...changed from day to day, moody and emotional. It's changeable like a baby's face, crying and laughing when it says it's crying, it's obvious that it doesn't understand military affairs, but it just likes to get involved, and it's stubborn that it doesn't listen to anyone's opinion at all, the emperor is the head of a country, how can he act like this Indiscretion? The two edicts, just a few days apart, turned out to be different people. This alone was enough to wear down the courage of the frontier soldiers. How could he, Luo Kedi, have the power to return to heaven?Zhao Guangyi didn't want to protect Zhao Guangyi at all. Zhao Guangyi's position was not right, and the legitimacy of his son's succession to the throne was naturally a big problem. But right now, the Song Kingdom is in the hands of this unconscious young emperor, so he doesn't need to care about Zhao Guangyi. Father and son have two generations of kings, but how can this Han country allow the Khitan barbarians to trample on it? As a member of the Privy Council, and now the chief of the Song army, what should he do? "Lord Luo..." Another horse came at a gallop from behind, and the man on the horse was also wearing a military commander. When he saw Luo Kedi standing on his horse, he was startled, and the man reined in his horse to salute. Luo Kedi turned his head and recognized Zhai Musi, the Marquis of Yu, Sidu in front of the palace, and returned the salute in dismay: "Lord Zhai." This Zhai Musi was around forty, she was originally a mid-level general in the Forbidden Army, and her relationship with Jin Wang Zhao Guangyi was not far or close, compared to many high-level generals who had no relationship with the prince at that time, they were always much closer.Zhao Guangyi cleaned up all the veterans, and he also benefited from it. The promoted general, this person usually doesn't talk much, he is steady and mature, and Luo Ke respects him even if he is hostile. "My lord, are you worried about the border war?" Luo Kedi smiled shyly: "It's not just the frontier pass? On the other side of Guanzhong, Chen Bing is now at Tongguan Pass, not advancing or retreating. I don't know what his intention is. The Bashu rebellion is blazing, the south of the Yangtze River is about to move, and the people in the capital are disturbed. Alas! In such a situation, Luo is powerless. what." Zhai Musi smiled and said: "Your Excellency is brave, the lower officials are aware of it, but this important military matter has never been more serious since the founding of our dynasty, and it is really difficult for my lord. In fact... what is your lord worrying about alone here?" Why don't you ask someone for advice?" Luo Kedi said: "Ask for advice, who can I ask for advice from?" Cui Musi covered her lips and coughed lightly, and said: "Your Excellency is now in charge of the country's military affairs, but in terms of official positions, it is only a matter of the Privy Council. There are also Privy Council Envoys and Deputy Privy Council Envoys. The two adults have asked Yu to rest at home due to illness. Speaking of which, we should not bother, but at this time of national crisis, how can we ministers only care about our own safety? Cao and Pan have experienced many battles in their lives, and they always have experience. Maybe ...Can I give you some advice?" "Oh?" Luo Kedi's eyes flickered slightly, revealing a pensive look, Zhai Yuhou smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Let me say goodbye..." "Looking for advice from Cao Bin and Pan Mei? I'm afraid Cao Pan has been summoned, let him pass on a message... These two old generals who have already resigned from court and are at home want me to go. What exactly do you want to do?" Luo Kedi thought about it for a while, and wanted to go home and ask his father for advice, but at this moment, he was really moved. His father was accurate in judging people and politics, but in military affairs...he He is a literati, maybe Cao Bin and Pan Mei, the two famous founding generals, really have a plan to bring them back to heaven? Luo Kedi drove the horse forward for a few steps, then reined in the reins suddenly, swung the horse's head, and shouted to the soldiers: "Go, go to Privy Councilor Cao's mansion!"
"Li Jilong retreated?" Brother Yeluxiu, who was smugly waiting for Li Jilong to throw himself into the trap, was stunned for a long time before he reacted suddenly: "Xiao Talie, Yelushan, immediately lead your ambush soldiers to pursue Li Jilong, you must catch him, and wait for Ben The more Liu Tingrang is dealt with, immediately wave his troops to cover up and kill him." He hurried to the map and asked, "Which direction is Li Jilong retreating?" The Tanma reported: "Looking at its direction, it should be retreating to Leshou controlled by the Song Army." Brother Yeluxiu was stunned, and the excited expression on his face gradually calmed down. He repeatedly pressed his fingers on the map a few times, as if he wanted to poke a hole in the part marked with Le Shou's location. Xiao Talie couldn't wait to say: "Da Yue, shall we go on the road immediately?" Brother Yeluxiu gave a wry smile, and shook his head: "There's no need to chase, I can't catch up. Li Jilong, what a Li Jilong!" His eyes turned to Liu Tingrang's troops who were still defending under the hill, and his eyes gradually turned cold again: "This bait is useless, eat it!" In the Battle of the Gentleman’s Pavilion, Liu Tingrang broke out of the siege under the desperate guard of his generals, and fled back to the Song Dynasty with only a few dozen Qingqi. Tens of thousands of troops died here. The news was sent back to Bianliang, Tokyo. On the throne, the courtiers said something, but they didn't say a word.Later, he suddenly jumped up and issued an edict to launch a full-scale counterattack at all costs, but was dissuaded by Zhang Ji, Luo Kedi and others. Afterwards, Brother Yeluxiu took advantage of the great victory to surround Zhuozhou again, and fought hard for several days and nights. The city of Zhuozhou was broken, and the Song army in the city was forced to surrender. Brother Yeluxiu was incorporated into seven battalions of soldiers and horses, scattered into the Liao army, and marched south together. All the way to conquer Qizhou, Xin'an, Xiaolang village, and occupied Yizhou.When the news reached Bianliang, Zhao Yuanzuo was horrified, and ordered the defenders at the passes to fortify the walls and clear the fields, and not to fight. Luo Kedi believes that the enemy is strong, and it is appropriate not to fight hard, but the specific situation must be determined by the frontier commander based on the situation of the former enemy. It was also inopportune to go to war, which made Zhao Yuanzuo furious. Fortunately, Cheng Yu, Jia Yan, Song Qi and other old courtiers whom Zhao Guangyi trusted also felt that Luo Kedi's words were reasonable, and responded with their words one after another, so he was not punished. However, according to his wishes, he issued an edict to the border generals. After leaving the Meridian Gate, the small school led a war horse. Luo Kedi got on his horse and sighed. He felt that the current situation of Song Kingdom was out of control, but this emperor...changed from day to day, moody and emotional. It's changeable like a baby's face, crying and laughing when it says it's crying, it's obvious that it doesn't understand military affairs, but it just likes to get involved, and it's stubborn that it doesn't listen to anyone's opinion at all, the emperor is the head of a country, how can he act like this Indiscretion? The two edicts, just a few days apart, turned out to be different people. This alone was enough to wear down the courage of the frontier soldiers. How could he, Luo Kedi, have the power to return to heaven?Zhao Guangyi didn't want to protect Zhao Guangyi at all. Zhao Guangyi's position was not right, and the legitimacy of his son's succession to the throne was naturally a big problem. But right now, the Song Kingdom is in the hands of this unconscious young emperor, so he doesn't need to care about Zhao Guangyi. Father and son have two generations of kings, but how can this Han country allow the Khitan barbarians to trample on it? As a member of the Privy Council, and now the chief of the Song army, what should he do? "Lord Luo..." Another horse came at a gallop from behind, and the man on the horse was also wearing a military commander. When he saw Luo Kedi standing on his horse, he was startled, and the man reined in his horse to salute. Luo Kedi turned his head and recognized Zhai Musi, the Marquis of Yu, Sidu in front of the palace, and returned the salute in dismay: "Lord Zhai." This Zhai Musi was around forty, she was originally a mid-level general in the Forbidden Army, and her relationship with Jin Wang Zhao Guangyi was not far or close, compared to many high-level generals who had no relationship with the prince at that time, they were always much closer.Zhao Guangyi cleaned up all the veterans, and he also benefited from it. The promoted general, this person usually doesn't talk much, he is steady and mature, and Luo Ke respects him even if he is hostile. "My lord, are you worried about the border war?" Luo Kedi smiled shyly: "It's not just the frontier pass? On the other side of Guanzhong, Chen Bing is now at Tongguan Pass, not advancing or retreating. I don't know what his intention is. The Bashu rebellion is blazing, the south of the Yangtze River is about to move, and the people in the capital are disturbed. Alas! In such a situation, Luo is powerless. what." Zhai Musi smiled and said: "Your Excellency is brave, the lower officials are aware of it, but this important military matter has never been more serious since the founding of our dynasty, and it is really difficult for my lord. In fact... what is your lord worrying about alone here?" Why don't you ask someone for advice?" Luo Kedi said: "Ask for advice, who can I ask for advice from?" Cui Musi covered her lips and coughed lightly, and said: "Your Excellency is now in charge of the country's military affairs, but in terms of official positions, it is only a matter of the Privy Council. There are also Privy Council Envoys and Deputy Privy Council Envoys. The two adults have asked Yu to rest at home due to illness. Speaking of which, we should not bother, but at this time of national crisis, how can we ministers only care about our own safety? Cao and Pan have experienced many battles in their lives, and they always have experience. Maybe ...Can I give you some advice?" "Oh?" Luo Kedi's eyes flickered slightly, revealing a pensive look, Zhai Yuhou smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Let me say goodbye..." "Looking for advice from Cao Bin and Pan Mei? I'm afraid Cao Pan has been summoned, let him pass on a message... These two old generals who have already resigned from court and are at home want me to go. What exactly do you want to do?" Luo Kedi thought about it for a while, and wanted to go home and ask his father for advice, but at this moment, he was really moved. His father was accurate in judging people and politics, but in military affairs...he He is a literati, maybe Cao Bin and Pan Mei, the two famous founding generals, really have a plan to bring them back to heaven? Luo Kedi drove the horse forward for a few steps, then reined in the reins suddenly, swung the horse's head, and shouted to the soldiers: "Go, go to Privy Councilor Cao's mansion!"