Chapter 13 3. Invincible: Winning Yannan in 42 days

Since the Tang Dynasty, the northern Khitan has always been a worry for the rulers of the Central Plains.For a long time, different national cultures and expansion needs have caused constant conflicts between the Khitan and Han peoples.The nomadic Khitan envied the rich products of the Central Plains, and constantly raised troops to plunder, and the bravery of its people has always been feared by all countries in the Central Plains.Until Emperor Shi Jingtan of the Later Jin Dynasty ceded the land and asked for help, the Khitan's encroachment on the Central Plains reached an unprecedented peak. The cession of Youyun Sixteen Prefectures not only damaged the territory, but also gave the Khitan a springboard to invade the Central Plains.For decades, those with lofty ideals have hoped to regain control of this region.Zhou Shizong Chai Rong made a grand vow at the beginning of his succession, hoping to drive Khitan back to the north.

After several battles with the southern regime, Chai Rong has won a large area of ​​territory.Compared with the replacement of the five dynasties in the north, the south is in a relatively stable but weak position. Therefore, Prime Minister Fan Zhi and others suggested that he use the policy of "first the south and then the north" as the unified order.But the increase in national power made Chai Rong feel uneasy about this. He said to the generals: "Although the southern countries are easier to pacify, they are not what I want. I can subdue them at any time. I have always been entangled What is on my mind is the Khitan, the late emperor always hoped to drive them back to Mobei and regain the lost ground. My Great Zhou’s strength is increasing day by day, and I believe it is time for a decisive battle with the Khitan.”

The ministers were a little surprised at the sudden change in Zhou Shizong's strategic policy, and urged Chai Rong: "The real estate in the south is rich, recovering it as soon as possible can improve our financial resources, and wait until the army expands, and then attack the Khitan in the Northern Expedition. .” But Chai Rong still insisted on his own thoughts: "Soldiers rushing to the battlefield, how can they be afraid of difficulties? If they can only avoid it because the Khitan is too powerful, then even if I quell Tang, Shu, and Han, it will not guarantee that the world will be able to fight." Unification. Since the Khitan will go to conquer sooner or later, isn’t it the best time to take advantage of the strength of the army now?” He asked his generals Zhao Kuangyin, Han Tong and others: “I order you to send troops to the north now , Crusade against Khitan, don’t you all dare?”

Zhao Kuangyin, Han Tong and others quickly knelt down and said, "As long as your Majesty directs, the general will be willing to fight to the death!" Compared with the conservatism and prudence of the civil officials, Chai Rong appreciated the impassioned generals even more. He looked at Fan Zhi and others proudly, and said to Zhao Kuangyin: "From now on, we will send troops to the north and vow to conquer Khitan. Hurry back to Mobei!" Chai Rong appointed Zhao Kuangyin and Han Tong to lead the land and water armies to march towards Youzhou.Zhao Kuangyin remonstrated and said: "Youzhou has always been a place heavily guarded by the Khitan, and a large number of their troops are stationed here. If Youzhou is the first goal, a large-scale battle may be triggered at the beginning. But now the army The soldiers are not very confident about attacking Khitan, so it is not a wise choice."

Chai Rong said: "Even if Khitan is a piece of iron, there must be gaps in it. What we need to do is to find this gap and defeat it. What do you think should be done?" Zhao Kuangyin spread out the map, pointed to the location of Cangzhou and said to Chai Rong: "Cangzhou is the closest place to the Khitan border, but because its land is barren and barren, it has never been taken seriously and there are not many defenses. This piece of land is not coveted. Therefore, it has been temporarily stabilized, and if we can use this as a gap, we can directly attack Khitan." Han Tong, Marquis of Yu, the pro-army, is a battle-tested general. He objected to Zhao Kuangyin's proposal: "Although Cangzhou is located in a dangerous place, the Khitan army has always been dominated by cavalry. As long as they retreat in every battle, we will be helpless." .To tell the truth, our march is not as fast as Khitan's. If this problem is not resolved, it will be useless even if we go to Cangzhou."

Chai Rong nodded and said: "What General Han said is very true. The Khitan cavalry is their trump card. If we can't find a way to restrain the cavalry, our advantage in this battle will be limited." Zhao Kuangyin said: "I have already prepared for this. After wars with Tang and Shu in the south, I found that the speed of marching by water is also very fast. Khitan has always been good at riding horses but not good at water. If we can vigorously form a navy , can definitely become a magic weapon for defeating the enemy." Chai Rong and Han Tong were overjoyed and said: "Navy troops in the northern region are indeed rare. It is indeed a good idea to use water troops to defeat cavalry. However, Cangzhou has no rivers, so how to form a water army?"

Zhao Kuangyin said: "So the highlight of this battle is the formation process of the navy. I request to be stationed in Cangzhou and dig the river. Using Cangzhou as the base point, we will extend to Ningzhou in Khitan. As long as the waterway is unblocked, we can quickly invade , when the time comes to attack it unprepared, it will definitely be defeated in one fell swoop." Zhou Shizong Chai Rong was determined to win the Khitan, and Zhao Kuangyin's proposal of advancing by water was also very popular, so he immediately dispatched hundreds of thousands of troops, sneaked into Cangzhou, and built several waterways directly to the territory of Khitan through intensive excavation.However, because Cangzhou is located in a remote place, Khitan usually does not take it seriously, and is very lax in its observation and supervision, so that it does not realize that the Zhou army has been dispatched here and is ready to attack.

After the dredging of the river was completed, Zhao Kuangyin led Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi, Han Chongbin and others to practice the navy, and reported his preparations to Zhou Shizong Chai Rong.Seeing that everything was ready for him, Chai Rong couldn't help beaming with joy, and said to Zhao Kuangyin, "This is the moment that the Han people in the north have wished for for many years. As long as we drive straight in, we will definitely be able to drive the Khitan away." On the day of Hecheng, with the cooperation of Zhao Kuangyin and Han Tong, Chai Rong personally led the cavalry and water troops to set off.Zhou Jun quickly arrived at Ningzhou, which is the closest to Cangzhou, while Wang Hong, the governor of Ningzhou, was still asleep. Seeing Zhou Jun, who was like a divine soldier descending from heaven, he could only sacrifice the city and surrender in horror.The victory made Chai Rong very happy, and it proved that Zhao Kuangyin was correct in building the navy.

Chai Rong was overjoyed, and issued an edict to appoint Han Tong as the deployment of the land route, and Zhao Kuangyin as the deployment of the water route. They sailed along Hebei on a dragon boat and came straight to Khitan.After Zhao Kuangyin's long-term preparations, the water troops of the Later Zhou Dynasty were well-trained one by one, and hundreds of thousands of water troops stretched on the river, connecting boats and boats, with a majestic momentum.The team marched into Yijin Pass, an important Khitan town, and the unsuspecting general had no choice but to surrender the city.Zhao Kuangyin took the initiative to ask for orders and said: "Waqiao Pass and other places closest to Yijin Pass are impassable, but I believe that the Khitan must not be ready to meet them. Please give me 30,000 troops, and I will definitely take it and dedicate it to you." His Majesty!"

Chai Rong said: "Waqiao Gate Guard Yao Neibin is a mighty fighter, are you sure you can take him down?" Zhao Kuangyin said: "Now our Great Zhou army is driving straight in, and your Majesty's personal conquest has taken over several cities. It can be said that the morale is like a rainbow. As long as we take advantage of the situation, we will definitely be able to capture Yao Neibin." Seeing that he insisted, Chai Rong supported him with 30,000 troops. Zhao Kuangyin led Shi Shouxin to Waqiaoguan.When he returned to Zhouying, Chai Rong rode his horse to meet him and praised his bravery.

From the time when Zhou Shizong led the troops into Ningzhou, it took only forty-two days until now, and the momentum was like a broken bamboo. Even Keningzhou, Yingzhou, and Mozhou had 17 counties, and the territory recaptured from Khitan was unprecedented in five generations of.All the ministers congratulated, and even Fan Zhi, the prime minister who disapproved of the Northern Expedition, said: "With your majesty's bravery, no matter where you want to conquer, it will definitely be successful!" Chai Rong was also very satisfied with the speed of the march, so he feasted all the officials and rewarded them for their merits.All the generals recommended Zhao Kuangyin for his greatest contribution, which was well received by all.After this battle, Zhao Kuangyin not only improved his own prestige, but also won the favor of Chai Rong.Chai Rong said to him: "Now that we are marching smoothly, we should renew our military strength and take advantage of the victory to attack Youzhou directly!" Before Zhao Kuangyin could answer, the army deployed Han Tong and said: "Youzhou is a place heavily guarded by Khitan troops, and their main forces are gathered there. During this period of time, we have captured several states, and I believe they have raised their vigilance. Therefore, The final general thinks that he should take a short rest and wait for a better time before sending troops to Youzhou." Chai Rong was very displeased with this. He hoped that all the land looted by Khitan could be taken back as soon as possible instead of waiting for an opportunity. If we just wait blindly, how can there be a chance to fight? When we sent troops from Cangzhou, many people did not support it. But now we can count down cities, which shows how correct the original decision was." Zhao Kuangyin said: "Seizing Youzhou is a lifelong wish for the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Everyone hopes that Youzhou can be taken back to the territory as soon as possible, but what General Han said is also very reasonable. The soldiers have been exhausted by marching for days. Although We have won successively. But at the end of the crossbow, we cannot penetrate Lu Jin. I hope His Majesty will give the troops a rest time. After everyone rests, they will drive Youzhou for a long time and defeat Khitan." Chai Rong knew the importance of the morale of the army to the war, and at this time Zhao Kuangyin was also the most favored by him.Seeing his suggestion now, he nodded in agreement.According to the momentum of the Zhou army, if you attack Youzhou at this time, the decisive victory with Khitan is unpredictable.However, due to overwork, Chai Rong actually fell ill during the rest period, and finally had no choice but to return to the Daliang Palace to recuperate. This time the Northern Expedition to Khitan was a bold decision by Chai Rong, and it was also a concentrated expression of his courage.And the one who turned this decision into reality was Zhao Kuangyin.After this battle, Zhao Kuangyin has become the chief general in the Northern Zhou Dynasty's military power, alongside Prime Minister Fan Zhi, and has become one of Chai Rong's most capable assistants.The victory of Zhou Shizong Chai Rong in the Khitan War was the greatest victory of the Central Plains regime in decades, but he failed to fulfill his wish, which made people feel sad.And this war hit Khitan hard, which laid the foundation for the stability of the northern border after Zhao Kuangyin established the Northern Song Dynasty.