Chapter 14 7. First Expedition to Huainan

Chai Rong was determined to implement his strategy of "first south and then north", mobilized the power of the whole country, and after careful preparation, launched the war to conquer the Southern Tang.Although the Later Zhou Dynasty did not wipe out the Southern Tang Dynasty in one fell swoop, it has expanded its sphere of influence to the front line of the Yangtze River. Chai Rong, as the second emperor of the later Zhou Dynasty, has some similarities with Shi Chonggui, the second emperor of the later Jin Dynasty.Both of them were from the military, they were of a similar age when they ascended the throne, and they inherited a fairly good family background. There was no threat of internal rivals for the throne, and both wanted to revitalize the Central Plains to make a difference.However, the gap between the two in terms of strategic vision and governing ability is worlds apart.From the very beginning, Shi Chonggui had his eye on the most powerful Khitan in the world, and he did not hesitate to tear up the friendly relationship with Khitan. He took the initiative to attack and hit the stone with an egg. In the end, the country was ruined and humiliated, becoming one of the emperors with the worst ending in the Five Dynasties period.Although Khitan was hostile to Hou Zhou, and even though Khitan once declined after Liao Muzong succeeded to the throne, Chai Rong understood that Khitan was still the most powerful country in the world.Therefore, Chai Rong did not take the conquest of the Sixteen States of Yanyun as his primary mission, nor did he carry this on his shoulders as a mental burden.Chai Rong judged the situation, weighed things comprehensively, and made a move on the soft persimmon, which was Nantang in Huainan.

What is the situation in Huainan?Why did it become Southern Tang Dynasty? Xu Zhigao, who was in power in the state of Wu, had been in charge of the government of the state of Wu for more than ten years, and always wanted to usurp the throne and replace him with Yang Pu.But Yang Puqian gave way to caution, and Xu Zhigao couldn't find an excuse to do it.Later, Xu Zhigao got older day by day, and finally couldn't take it anymore. After a series of dazzling political tricks, he won the power of Wu State through Wendou.Because Xu Zhigao's original surname was Li, in order to "glorify the ancestors", he pulled the tiger's skin to pull the banner, borrowed and usurped the title of the Li Tang Empire established by Li Shimin, and pretended to be a descendant of Li Shimin.Xu Zhigao is a little more modest than Guo Wei, and he is only related to Li Shimin who was hundreds of years ago.Guo Wei was directly related to the royal family of the Western Zhou Dynasty thousands of years ago.

Xu Zhigao was not ambitious, nor was he warlike. He maintained a peaceful coexistence with his neighbors, and only wanted to live a peaceful life in the land of Huainan.Later, Xu Zhigao became obsessed with alchemy, and died of poisoning after taking too much medicine.Xu Zhigao reigned for seven years, and passed the Southern Tang throne to his eldest son Li Jing before his death.Li Jing was originally named Li Jingtong, but Xu Zhigao changed Li Jingtong's name to Li Jing after he proclaimed himself emperor. In 943 AD, Li Jing succeeded to the throne.At the beginning of this year, several regimes changed emperors.Shi Jingtang, the ancestor of the Jin Dynasty in the Central Plains, passed away and was succeeded by his son Shi Chonggui.Liu Fing, the emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty, was assassinated by his fourth brother Liu Hongxi, and Liu Hongxi usurped the throne.The year before, Qian Chuanguan of Wuyue State was killed by schizophrenia, and his son Qian Hongzuo had just ascended the throne for one year.

After Li Jing succeeded to the throne, before the coffin of his father Xu Zhigao (Li Sheng), he made an oath with several younger brothers, and the succession of the Tang Dynasty implemented the "brother ends up with brother" system.This covenant appeased several princes who held real power, eliminated open and secret struggles among them, and stabilized Li Jing's rule.During Li Jing's reign, the Central Plains was in chaos and wars were raging everywhere. Later Jin fought with Khitan and was destroyed.Li Jing separated Huainan and lived a good life.Later, in the civil strife in Chu, the Ma brothers killed each other, which created an opportunity for Li Jing to send troops to seize a large area of ​​Chu.

The territory of the Southern Tang Dynasty expanded rapidly, reaching Quzhou and Wuzhou in the east, Wuling in the south, Huxiang in the west, and Huaihe River in the north.No wonder Li Jing always felt that he was capable and had the urge to restore the Li Tang Empire and unify the world.The Southern Tang formed an alliance with Khitan for a while, then with Houshu for a while, and with the Northern Han for a while, supported Li Shouzhen for a while, and Murong Yanchao for a while, and always wanted to go to the Central Plains.But in most cases, the thunder is loud and the rain is little, and the bluffing is nothing.

Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty had a gentle and generous personality. He liked to study poetry and articles, and was not too diligent in government affairs. He used Feng Yansi, Feng Yanlu, Chen Jue, Wei Cen, Zha Wenhui and others.Wu people call them "five ghosts".In the eleventh year of Li Jing's reign, Jinling, the capital, caught fire.The fire turned into a fire all over the sky, menacing and raging, and it burned for more than a month before it was extinguished.After decades of construction, expansion and reconstruction by Xu Wen and Xu Zhigao, Jinling City has become a prosperous and famous city in the south of the Yangtze River, becoming a political, economic and cultural center and a military base.This fire burned Jinling City, and the ruins were everywhere, and it became a huge incineration dump.Such a capital fire dealt a heavy blow to the Southern Tang Dynasty and the public, making everyone feel depressed and depressed, suspiciously thinking that they violated some taboo and were condemned by God.

Blessings never come together, and misfortunes never come singly.In the second year of the Jinling fire, Huainan's agricultural harvest and grain production were cut off, and there was a large-scale famine.People starved to death everywhere, corpses littered the fields, the plague spread, and there was a hell on earth.The year is 954 AD. The first day of November in 955 AD. It was freezing cold. The river is frozen. The grass and trees are chilling. Chai Rong issued a general mobilization order to conquer the Southern Tang Dynasty.Later Zhou Empire sent Li Gu to be the commander-in-chief of the Huainan army, who was assigned to the front camp of Huainan Road and knew about Luzhou, Shouzhou and other government affairs.Wang Yanchao, the Zhongwu Jiedu envoy of Xuzhou, was Li Gu's deputy commander.Li Gu commanded the bodyguards and horse troops and commanded twelve generals including Han Lingkun to send troops.Chai Rong's employing staff likes to be exceptional. Either they are selected from unknown people to the central government, and let civilian officials do military posts, or let military officials do civilian posts.The composition of the headquarters of the expedition to Huainan is an example.Li Gu practiced martial arts in his early years, but he has been a civil servant for decades. Although he was the prime minister, he served as the general commander of the war against Huaihe River.Although Wang Yanchao has been in the army for a long time, he is not the number one general in the dynasty.Han Lingkun is only a second-rate rookie.However, this actually fulfilled Li Gu's rhetoric more than 20 years ago. At that time, the young and vigorous Li Gu expressed his ambition to his friend Han Xizai: If he became the prime minister of the Central Plains, he would definitely send his troops to pacify Jianghuai.

In order to raise enough food and money, Chai Rong transferred Zhang Mei, the order of the Privy Council, to be the general of the right leader and the acting envoy of the third division, taking over Jing Fan's position.Zhang Mei is a master of financial management. Under his careful planning, he guaranteed the war with Southern Tang Dynasty and other military expenditures for the war. Chai Rong was able to devote himself to the frontline war without any worries. Zhu Quanzhong's several expeditions to Huainan all ended in failure, which was the pain of Zhu Quanzhong's death.Zhu Youzhen fought a war with Huainan at the beginning of his succession, and in the next few decades, the Central Plains and Huainan hardly fought again.Li Cunxu and Li Siyuan had thought about this aspect, but they were just thinking about it, and they didn't have time to put it into action.The main reason is that the people in the Central Plains are not familiar with water warfare. Once they fight in the water villages with scattered rivers and lakes, the soldiers in the north will either get seasick or watersick, or they will be infected with the plague due to acclimatization.The result is often to no avail, or even failure.

The Hou Zhou Empire's goal of sweeping the world this time is to first target Huainan, are you sure?Is it not difficult? Of course there are difficulties, but we can find ways to solve them. The first is to overcome geographical difficulties through weather.Later Zhou chose to send troops in winter, which seemed to be a taboo for military strategists.Isn't spring and autumn the best time to send troops to fight?Not really, it depends on where and for whom.When fighting in the Central Plains, spring and autumn are the first choice, because early spring does not hurt the crops, and late autumn has been harvested, and there is less rain to facilitate marching, and the temperature is neither too cold nor too hot for fighting hard.But the Khitan did not do this. The most suitable season for them to send troops was early winter and early spring, and they mainly used cavalry to raid and plunder. The time was short and the battle was quick.The reason is that the original purpose of Khitans going to Central China was to plunder. They carried livestock and fodder in large carts and small carts, which could not last long.

The main reason for choosing to send troops to Huainan in November in the next week is that there is little rain in winter, the land is dry, the river branches are frozen, and there are few germs. It is easy to identify the depth of the water level and the direction.This point is very important to the troops of the Later Zhou Dynasty, mainly composed of northern soldiers. It can effectively avoid road loss caused by fluctuations in water levels, avoid the spread of plague caused by humidity, prevent soldiers' legs and feet from being soaked in rain for a long time and fester, and avoid muddy roads that hinder the transportation of grain and grass. .Therefore, winter is very beneficial for the next week.However, Zhu Quanzhong, who has been cunning and cunning on the battlefield, did not fully realize this point. Because he underestimated the enemy and was eager to fight, many major battles were selected in the rainy season, and he returned in a bad way.

There is another difference between Chai Rong's Nanzheng and Zhu Quanzhong's Nanzheng decades ago, that is, the opponents are different.Zhu Quanzhong's opponent was Yang Xingmi who was in his prime.Yang Xingmi is a hero in troubled times, he is capable of marching and fighting, and he is also a master of governing the country.It can be said that Zhu and Yang are quite evenly matched, and it is reasonable for Zhu Quanzhong to find a bargain.And Chai Rong's opponent is Li Jing.As the emperor, although Li Jing's status was much higher than Yang Xingmi's, his ability was far behind. In addition to carefully selecting the time for the expedition, Chai Rong also carefully selected the location.Shouzhou was chosen as the frontier for this attack on Tang Dynasty. Shouzhou (now Fengtai County, Huainan City, Anhui Province) is the northern gate of Huainan and the battleground of the North-South War.Shouzhou is a military center.Before sending troops to Huainan, Chai Rong did a lot of intelligence work. He learned that the water level of the Huaihe River dropped every winter, and the Southern Tang Dynasty would send additional troops to patrol and garrison along the river, which was called "Baqian".Since there has been no war between Huainan and the Central Plains for many years, everyone is busy with their own affairs, and no one can take care of each other. The area around Shouzhou is relatively peaceful.Wu Tingshao, the superintendent of Shouzhou, believed that the border defense was peaceful, and sending so many troops every year was just a waste of food and grass, so he suggested to the later Tang court that the annual winter "basal" combat preparation be cancelled.Liu Renshan, the envoy of the Qinghuai Festival, believed that war preparations were normal and should not be relaxed due to temporary special circumstances, and strongly demanded that the "shallow" war preparations be adhered to.However, the Southern Tang court did not listen to Liu Renshan's opinion. Nan Tang relaxed his vigilance and canceled his war preparations, which is of course good news for Hou Zhou. The feud between the Shouzhou Jiedu envoy and the supervising army is of course good news for Hou Zhou. In the battle between masters, negligence is the key to victory or defeat. In this case, Zhou Jun would be embarrassed if he didn't fight Shouzhou. After making preparations for the right time and place, Zhou Zhou also created a huge political public opinion, issued a crusade against one side of the Southern Tang Dynasty, usurped the title and proclaimed the emperor, recruited desperadoes, harassed the Central Plains, bullied the neighbors, and colluded with Khitan. Man and God are indignant.Chai Rong advertised himself as a righteous teacher who would act on behalf of the heavens and crusade against rebels. He used public opinion tools to suppress Southern Tang and isolate Southern Tang's international political relations in order to win people's hearts. Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty has been singing and dancing these years, and his neighbors are invincible. He was shaking his head and reciting poems against each other. When he heard the Shouzhou battle report suddenly, he was startled.Li Jing blurted out: "What's the matter, the Zhou army is coming to attack me in Huainan? Where did this start? Hurry up and call a civil and military meeting to discuss strategies to defend against the enemy." After some tense discussions, the Southern Tang Dynasty sent Liu Yanzhen, the commander of Shenwu, to deploy for the northern camp, that is, the generalissimo, and led 20,000 troops to the front line of Shouzhou to resist the Zhou army.Taking Fenghua Jiedu envoy and Tongping Zhangshi Huangfuhui as the aid envoys, they led 30,000 troops to garrison Dingyuan to build a second line of defense.Song Qiqiu, a senior counselor, was transferred back from the post of Zhennan Jiedu envoy to advise on state affairs.Song Qiqiu had assisted Xu Zhigao for decades, advising Xu Zhigao to seize the power of Wu State step by step, and contributed a lot. At this time, the most nervous thing is Shouzhou. The Huainan army stationed in Shouzhou has not fought for many years, is hardly used to fighting, almost forgot to fight, and almost forgot that they are still soldiers.Suddenly it was heard that Zhou's army came from the north in mighty force, and the city of Shouzhou seemed to be in a state of chaos.On the contrary, Jiedu made Liu Renshan calm down, quite like a general, calmly, methodically dispatching troops, dividing troops to guard important passes, and actively organizing defenses.The general is the backbone of the army, Liu Renshan stabilized his mind, and the troops and the common people calmed down a little. The so-called "surprise, attack unprepared".Zhou Jun attacked Huainan with lightning speed.The Huai army was defenseless and retreated steadily.Zhou Jun built a pontoon bridge at the Zhengyang Ferry of the Huaihe River, and tens of thousands of troops crossed the river.In December, Wang Yanchao and Bai Yanyu, a vanguard officer of the Zhou army, successively defeated the frontier guards of the Huai army outside Shouzhou city, and hit the city of Shouzhou in one breath. After crossing the Huaihe River, the Zhou army suddenly discovered that Shouzhou was not as easy to break through as they had imagined. Liu Renshan was very good at using troops, and the Southern Tang support army had already marched along the Huaihe River to Shouzhou.After discussing with the generals, Li Gu believed that the Zhou army was not familiar with water warfare, let alone boats, vehicles and warships. Facing the Huai army navy on the vast river, the Zhou army was at a disadvantage.After several generations of Yang Xingmi, Xu Wen, and Xu Zhigao have grown and grown, the Huai Army Navy has become the most powerful navy. All of the Huai Army are dragons in the water, and their combat effectiveness is unparalleled in the world.Fearing that he would be flanked by the Huai Army Navy in Shouzhou City and on the Huaihe River, Li Gu decided to temporarily withdraw to the north of the Zhengyang Floating Bridge to wait for reinforcements in the coming Zhou Dynasty. In the first month of 956 AD, Li Gu reported his plan to withdraw the army to Zhou Shizong Chai Rong.At this time, Chai Rong was about to go on a personal conquest, and was making various arrangements, preparing to leave the army at a certain date.Hearing that Li Gu was going to withdraw his troops, Chai Rong became anxious. He said, "How can you withdraw so easily? Once the troops withdraw, their morale will be demoralized." Chai Rong immediately dispatched Li Chongjin, the commander of the guard Ma Bujun, and the Jiedu envoy of Guide, to the front line of Zhengyang.Before Li Chongjin left, Chai Rong gave Li Chongjin an opportunity and told Li Chongjin: "Our army retreats to the north, and the Tang army will definitely pursue it. You rush to the front line. If the Tang army pursues, you must hit the Tang army head-on." There is a saying that it is difficult to march, and it is even more difficult to withdraw.Although Li Gu and the others took the initiative to withdraw their troops, there was still chaos, and a large number of gongs, drums, tents, food, grass and supplies were discarded, and the Zhou army was in a panic. When Chai Rong was about to go to Huainan in person, the privy envoy Zheng Renhui passed away.Zheng Renhui was responsible and loyal to Guo Wei and Chai Rong and his son, and he was the pillar of white jade in the court of the Later Zhou Dynasty.The death of Zheng Renhui made Chai Rong very sad, and he wanted to go to Zheng Renhui's home to express his condolences.The protocol secretary objected, "It's out of season for the emperor to go mourning and mourning at this time." Regardless of that, Chai Rong said, "Zheng Aiqing and I have a deep bond between monarch and minister. What's inappropriate for me to mourn?" When they went to Zheng Renjiao's house to weep and mourn, the Zheng family was also extremely honored. Chai Rong is a workaholic, with super energy, even excess.He does not smoke or drink, does not sing, does not dance, does not gamble, does not hunt, does not play hawks, does not walk the dog, is not lecherous, is not greedy, does not like luxury brands, does not ride luxury cars and BMWs, lives in luxurious palaces, and does not Plant flowers and plants, don't watch operas, listen to music, play football, wrestle, climb mountains, travel, practice alchemy, hang out with eunuchs, fight with treacherous children, don't hide property, and don't count money.There was such a big war against Huainan before him, but he still grasped other things very tightly without any delay.Taking advantage of the slack season in winter and spring, Chai Rong insisted on implementing his grand infrastructure projects.The imperial court ordered that more than 100,000 migrant workers from Kaifengfu, Cao, Hua, and Zhengzhou be recruited to build the outer city of Kaifeng. This is Chai Rong, a serious, resolute and persistent person. The emperor went to the front to fight in person, what is the most important thing?It is the safety of the capital, which is the foundation of the country, and to a certain extent is more important than the emperor.Therefore, before leaving Beijing, Chai Rong made detailed arrangements for the work of staying behind and watching the house.Xiang Xun, the envoy of Xuanhui South Academy, and Xiang Xun, the envoy of Zhen'an Jiedu, stayed behind in Tokyo, and Wang Pu, a scholar of Duanming Palace, was left behind as his deputy.Zhangxin Jiedu envoy Han Tong is the inspector of the guards and inspectors inside and outside Beijing, that is, the commander of the Beijing Garrison District and the chief of the police. In order to respond to Li Gu, Chai Rong had already sent Li Chongjin to the front line of Zhengyang. In addition, Bai Chongzan, the Jiedu envoy of Heyang, was stationed in Yingshang with 3,000 emperor's imperial guards.Zhou Shizong Chai Rong personally led a mighty army to Shouzhou. Rescuing soldiers is like putting out fire.Li Chongjin was entrusted with the emperor's order, so he rushed to the front line of Zhengyang day and night to intercept Liu Yanzhen's army from the Southern Tang Dynasty rushing to help Shouzhou.After Li Chongjin and Li Gu reunited, Li Gu still insisted on fighting steadily, intending to drag down Southern Tang with a protracted battle.He wrote to Chai Rong, urging Chai Rong not to come to the front line, but to garrison Chenzhou and Yingshang, so that he could echo Li Gu and the others, and more importantly, ensure the safety of the food road.Chai Rong read Li Gu's letter and felt that Li Gu lacked enterprising spirit and was too mature and prudent.Chai Rong showed displeasure with Li Gu's fighting style. It is said that when Li Chongjin hurried to Zhengyang North Ferry, he was encountering the reinforcements of Liu Yanzhen, Generalissimo of the Southern Tang and Northern Expeditions.This guy Liu Yanzhen doesn't know how to lead troops to fight at all. He acts like a domineering person on weekdays, amassing money and looting fiercely, offering bribes and accepting bribes.The reason why Li Jing chose Liu Yanzhen as the marshal of the Northern Expedition was because Liu Yanzhen spent money to feed a large number of powerful officials in the Southern Tang Dynasty.These powerful officials praised Liu Yanzhen like a flower in front of Li Jing. Liu Yanzhen rushed to Shouzhou aggressively.Hearing that Li Gu burned the pontoon bridge and retreated automatically, he couldn't help laughing and said: "Zhou soldiers are just idiots. I heard that my army came and fled without fighting. It's ridiculous. Come on, gather the soldiers and give me the chase. Zhou Jun, kill him to the core!" Liu Renshan, the envoy of the Qinghuai Festival of the Southern Tang Dynasty who was stationed in Shouzhou, hurriedly stood up to stop him and said, "Commander, the enemy has already run away before you arrive in Shouzhou. This is because they are afraid of your prestige. Since they have already voluntarily withdrawn, we There is no need to be in a hurry to fight. Besides, the entire Zhou army retreated, and the combat strength should not be underestimated. It is better for the commander to be prudent." Liu Yanzhen squinted at Liu Renshan, and said mockingly: "General Liu, you must have suffered a few defeats and were frightened by the Zhou army. Now I am the commander in chief, march and fight according to my orders!" Liu Renshan didn't dare to speak any more.The Southern Tang army bluffed and overwhelmed the Zhou army on the north bank of the Huaihe River.At this time, Hou Zhou General Li Chongjin had just arrived at the front line, and he hadn't had time to catch his breath and drink his saliva.Li Chongjin kept Chai Rong's instructions in mind, as long as the Huai army pursued and killed him, he must fight back vigorously, and he was by no means relentless.Li Chongjin led his subordinates Han Lingkun, Zhao Hongyin and others, and Li Gu went south to meet the Huai army. This was the first full-scale confrontation between the main forces of the Zhou and Tang armies. They were both fresh troops, and they had just arrived at the front line.A fierce battle broke out between the two sides on the banks of the Huai River.This battle killed the sun and the moon without light, the sky was dark, and it was soul-stirring.The sound of shouting and killing shook the earth, and the sound of weapons clashing went straight into the sky.The Huai army violated the taboo that arrogant soldiers must be defeated. They thought that as long as the Huai army crossed the river, the Zhou army would be frightened and flee.Unexpectedly, Zhou Jun showed incomparable fighting power, and everyone rushed and fought like wolves and tigers without fear. There has not been such a brave army in the world for a long time. Since Li Keyong's Shatuo Army and Zhu Quanzhong's Xuanwu Army, for more than forty years, there has never been such a well-trained, strict discipline, brave battle, and neat advance and retreat. army.The reason why Zhou Jun is so brave and good at fighting is mainly due to Chai Rong's drastic military reform and construction in the past two years, which really made this national army full of vigor and vitality and became a tiger and wolf army. Although the strength of the Zhou army was much smaller than that of the Huai army, after half a day of fierce fighting, the Huai army was defeated.Liu Yanzhen, the coach of the Huai Army, was beheaded and killed by Li Chongjin, and his deputy, Xian Shilang, was captured alive by Zhou Jun.More than 10,000 Huai troops were annihilated by the Zhou army, and their corpses were strewn across the field. Within 30 miles, there were all the corpses of the Huai army, broken chariots and luggage.The Zhou army won a complete victory and seized countless food, grass, armor, knives and guns.In this battle, Zhou Jun showed his prestige, morale, and momentum.Because Li Chongjin looks black, Huainan people fearfully call him "Black King".This battle shocked the court and the people of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and everyone panicked. They really felt that the enemy was approaching and the country was in danger.In this battle, Zhou Jun changed from passive to active, which once again verified the cleverness and success of Chai Rong's military strategy. Due to differences in military strategy between Zhou Shizong Chai Rong and Li Gu, Chai Rong decided to replace Li Gu with Li Chongjin as the Grand Marshal of the Southern Expedition.Li Gu retreated to the second line and did local administrative work on the land of the Southern Tang Dynasty occupied by the Later Zhou Dynasty, responsible for local construction, raising food, and raising money. Chai Rong went to the city of Shouzhou in one fell swoop, and recruited hundreds of thousands of peasants from Song, Bo, Chen, Ying, Xu, Su, Xu, Cai and other states to build fortifications.Zhou Jun surrounded Shouzhou in groups and attacked the city in turn day and night.But Shouzhou City is too strong, Liu Renshan is too strong, Shouzhou City cannot be attacked for a long time. While besieging Shouzhou, Chai Rong did not ignore other things.He sent someone to release the list in time to calm the people, telling the common people not to be afraid of Zhou Jun, not to be afraid of war, and to live as usual.Chai Rong also repeatedly ordered Zhou Jun to strictly observe military discipline and strictly prohibit harassment of the people.The purpose of Zhou Jun's doing this is to win the hearts of the people while fighting, and keep the war above the level of the army of justice.This is also Chai Rong's brilliance. After Chai Rong arrived at the front line, he demonstrated his unique powerful attack power.Chai Rong's style is that if you don't fight, it's enough. Once you start a battle, it will be like a thunderstorm, a violent storm, and waves of attacks, overwhelming the sky and covering the sky, until the opponent is completely destroyed. This time Chai Rong brought almost all the elite troops from the post-Zhou military circle, and the brave generals gathered in Shouzhou.Chai Rong took the command and dispatched armies from all walks of life to cross the Huaihe River in a fan shape to launch a fierce attack on the Southern Tang Dynasty.Li Chongjin's Corps, Zhang Yongde's Corps, Zhao Kuangyin's Corps, Han Lingkun's Corps, Wang Shenqi's Corps, and Wu Xingde Corps undertook attack tasks in different directions.Among them, Li Chongjin's corps mainly besieged Shouzhou, Han Lingkun's corps marched toward Yangzhou from the east road, Zhao Kuangyin's corps marched from the west road to Jinling, and Wu Xingde's corps marched toward Haozhou in the east.Zhao Kuangyin and Han Lingkun, the two rising stars, had the most aggressive offensives. They were invincible and invincible. In February 956 AD, Chai Rong sent Zhao Kuangyin to attack Qingliu Pass in Chuzhou.The man stationed at Qingliu Pass is Huang Fuhui, a general of the Southern Tang Dynasty.Huangfu Hui's army is said to have 150,000 troops.Do you still remember Huangfuhui?In "The Concubine's Prophecy" in the previous document "Iron and Blood Central Plains", this guy has just been published, and he is a soldier of the Beizhou garrison in the later Tang Dynasty.Later, he was promoted from the governor of Chenzhou in the later Tang Dynasty to the governor of Mizhou in the later Jin Dynasty.The Khitan destroyed the Jin Dynasty, and Huangfuhui was unwilling to surrender to the Khitan, so he took people to the Southern Tang Dynasty. When Zhao Kuangyin arrived at Qingliu Pass, Huangfuhui was fighting fiercely with Zhou Junfeng.Zhao Kuangyin didn't join the battle group directly, but quietly went around behind the mountain with all his troops, and killed them from the flank of the Huai army with shouts and hisses.Huangfuhui was taken aback, he didn't expect a "Cheng Yaojin" to appear on the way.The Huai army did not dare to fight, and hurriedly withdrew into the city of Chuzhou.While withdrawing to the city of Chuzhou, the Huai army cut off the moat suspension bridge, intending to avoid fighting and stick to Chuzhou.Zhao Kuangyin's eyes were sharp and his hands were quick. Seeing that the enemy army had crossed the moat, he lifted the reins, and his horse soared into the air. He waved his command flag and led his men across the river directly, chasing him to the city of Chuzhou.At this time, all the Huai army had entered the city, and the city gate was closed "squeaky", and Zhao Kuangyin's war horse almost ran into the gate of Chuzhou city. Huangfu Hui, who had already entered the city, stood on the tower, looking down at Zhou Jun.Only then did he realize that the Zhou army had only a few thousand troops.Huangfu Hui's mind recovered slightly, and his confidence increased greatly. He believed that with his strength of tens of thousands, he was sure enough to annihilate this expeditionary force.Huangfuhui shouted to Zhao Kuangyin: "Zhao Kuangyin, each of us is our own master. We are facing each other on the battlefield today. If we are heroes, let's fight each other. You and I will fight for 300 rounds." Zhao Kuangyin looked up at Huangfuhui and smiled relaxedly. He smiled, waved his hands, and said, "Okay, then come out." Zhao Kuangyin signaled Zhou Jun to get out of the city gate, withdraw from the place of a stone's throw, and let the Huai army go out of the city to form an array.Huangfuhui regrouped, gathered the elite soldiers, opened the city gate, rushed out of the city after the sound of the trumpets, and wanted to fight Zhao Kuangyin to the death with sharp swords and guns.Just as Huangfuhui was walking out of the city gate on his saddle, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly knocked the horse's ribs with his boots and spurs, Zhao Kuangyin's horse stinged in pain, and rushed out of the army formation with a long roar, hooves and palms.Zhao Kuangyin leaned over and hid behind the horse's neck, drew a three-foot-long epee from the back and held it in his hand.Zhao Kuangyin united his men and horses and rushed towards the Huai army's position like lightning.At this moment, Huangfuhui had just walked outside the moat, and the Huai army hadn't formed their formation, and even before they could clearly see the Zhou army's lineup, Zhao Kuangyin had already charged in front of him in the blink of an eye.Zhao Kuangyin swung his long sword and smashed Huangfuhui's head and face.Huangfuhui never expected that Zhao Kuangyin would do this to him.This is called soldiers never tire of cheating, Huangfu Hui has suffered from carelessness, some losses can be eaten, and losses can gain insight.Some losses were unbearable, a white light flashed, and Huangfu Hui yelled "Oops" and fell off the horse, his head bleeding profusely. Zhao Kuangyin's momentum was like a rainbow, and his horses rushed through the Huai army's position. While charging, Zhao Kuangyin shouted: "I only want to capture Huangfu Hui, let me go aside, or the head will fall to the ground!" The scene he posted was stunned and dumbfounded, he had completely forgotten his mission and self-defense reaction, and the Huai army flashed on both sides, giving Zhao Kuangyin a wide avenue.Zhao Kuangyin passed the enemy line like a whirlwind non-stop, at this time he captured another person alive under his arm, this person was Huangfuhui's deputy general Yao Feng. Among the Zhou army, not only Zhao Kuangyin reacted quickly, but Zhao Kuangyin's troops understood the commander's intention at the first time, and followed Zhao Kuangyin into the Huai army formation.In an instant, the Huai army was scattered and defeated. Zhou Jun entered Chuzhou. Zhao Kuangyin won a complete victory and occupied Chuzhou.On the night of the third day, a group of soldiers from the Zhou Dynasty came from outside the city of Chuzhou and asked to enter the city for a rest.After receiving the report, Zhao Kuangyin walked up to the top of the city and looked outside.In the dark night outside the city, there was indeed an army of thousands of people, and it looked like it was Zhou Jun.Zhao Kuangyin shouted loudly: "Who is outside the city?" One person and one cavalry came out of the Zhou army outside the city. The man's voice was loud and resolute, and he replied: "It is Zhao Hongyin, the deputy commander of the horse army of the guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty." Zhao Hongyin is Zhao Kuangyin's father.On the battlefield, father and son meet, what a touching scene.According to the logic of ordinary people, Zhao Kuangyin should hastily open the city gate to welcome his father into the city to rest.To the surprise and shock of everyone inside and outside the city, Zhao Kuangyin replied: "Father, although you and I are close relatives, we should have met to comfort each other. But it was getting late and the military situation was unknown. It was my duty to guard the city. Dare to be careless. I cannot invite you into the city!" When Zhao Hongyin heard Zhao Kuangyin's words, he was very angry and praised. Zhao Kuangyin was calm and could distinguish the seriousness from the seriousness.When you first occupy the enemy's territory, you really need to be more careful, especially in the dark, it is difficult to survey the military situation, and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false.It is not a big problem for Zhao Hongyin's army to sleep outside overnight.But if the Huai army pretended to be the Zhou army and attacked Chuzhou at night, it would be in big trouble. Zhao Hongyin led the men and horses to sleep in the open in the cold wind in early spring, and was able to enter the city to rest the next morning. In the process of conquering Huainan, Chai Rong paid equal attention to war and governance, and it was not a simple military conquest.Generals in the Zhou Dynasty were only responsible for attacking cities and conquering land, and additionally sent officials as state governors to reform the occupied territories according to the Zhou Dynasty's system and incorporate them into the Zhou Dynasty's governance system.Zhao Kuangyin conquered Chuzhou, and Chai Rong sent many officials to govern Chuzhou.Hanlin Bachelor Dou Yi came to Chuzhou to check the household registration and treasury money and food.Zhao Kuangyin sent his cronies to ask Dou Yi for a few pieces of cloth to reward the military academy.Dou Yi refused and said: "When Mr. Zhao first conquered the city, you could take whatever you wanted in the city, and no one could say anything about it. But now that it has been sealed up as the imperial property, no one can move it unless the emperor orders it." " Zhao Kuangyin, who had run into trouble with Dou Yi, not only did not become angry and jealous of Dou Yi, but instead developed respect for Dou Yi. In addition to sealing up the treasury, Chai Rong sent Ma Chongzuo, General Zuojin Wuwei, as the local official of Chuzhou.Among the leadership team assigned by Chai Rong to Chuzhou, there is another person named Zhao Pu who serves as the military judge of Chuzhou.In the process of restoring law and order in Chuzhou, due to Zhao Pu's meticulous work and interrogation and identification one by one, a large number of massacres were avoided.Zhao Kuangyin became interested in Zhao Pu, thinking that this young man was unusual and had extraordinary talents.Zhao Pu is the chief prime minister of the Song Dynasty who was famous in later generations for "ruling the world with half of the Analects of Confucius". Since Zhao Kuangyin's debut, he has won big battles, won small battles, and won all battles. He has won every battle and won many victories. His reputation in the Zhou army and Huai army has risen rapidly, and he has become a powerful young general.Zhao Kuangyin is tall and has a bold personality. He is loyal enough to be a buddy, likes to make friends, and has a very sunny temperament, which adds to his aura effect.His legendary story is talked about.Every time Zhao Kuangyin fights against the enemy, he must be an angry horse with bright clothes, bright armor, bright clothes, and a clear banner.Zhao Kuangyin not only dresses up beautifully and eye-catchingly, but also dresses up his war horses energetically.He decorated the saddle, bridle, and stirrup with brightly colored copper nails with tassels and buckles.Zhao Kuangyin stood in front of the formation of the two armies, like a god descending from the earth, with dazzling brilliance, very impressive.Zhao Kuangyin's colleagues kindly advised him not to be so ostentatious, so that he could be easily identified by the enemy and easily attacked.Zhao Kuangyin's spirit was dry, and he smiled boldly and said: "You are right, I just want the enemy to recognize me and know that I am Zhao Kuangyin!" Zhou's army was like a broken bamboo, attacking the city and pulling out the village, and defeated the Huai army.Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty was afraid and had the idea of ​​seeking peace. He sent someone to visit Chai Rong with a letter, expressing his willingness to stop fighting and the two countries repaired.Chai Rong glanced at Li Jing's letter coldly, but did not reply.Once Chai Rong made a move, he would never give up easily.He also has greater desires. The spies and detectives sent by Zhou Jun successively collected a large amount of information from all directions, and inquired clearly about the truth and falsehood inside and outside the Southern Tang Dynasty.The Southern Tang deployed the main forces on the Huaihe River, especially on the front of the Zhou army in the northwest.Some Southern Tang troops were sent to the southwest to defend against the sneak attack of Wuyue Kingdom.The southeast rear of the Southern Tang Dynasty was empty of troops.Yangzhou, the eastern capital far down the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, has weak troops and no heavy guards.After Zhou Shizong Chai Rong got the news, he came up with a bold plan. He wanted to attack Yangzhou thousands of miles and go straight to the hinterland of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Soldiers are expensive. Qi and positive coexist. Soldiers are expensive and fast. Chai Rong sent Han Lingkun to lead a cavalry army across the Huaihe River, and rushed thousands of miles to Yangzhou, the eastern capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty.Before leaving, Chai Rong told Han Lingkun: "Don't harm the common people, don't excavate and destroy the mausoleum of the Southern Tang royal family." Han Lingkun rushed to Yangzhou with lightning speed, and he sent Bai Yanyu to lead 500 cavalry into the city first.Bai Yanyu's Zhou army had already entered Yangzhou City in a big way, but the Southern Tang people in Yangzhou City didn't notice it.When Han Lingkun's army reached the outside of the city, the civil and military officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty in Yangzhou discovered that the Zhou army had fallen from the sky.Jia Chong, the envoy of the Eastern Capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty, set fire to the government houses, abandoned the city and fled. Feng Yanlu, deputy guard of Yangzhou, was one of the "five ghosts" of the Southern Tang Dynasty. When he heard that Zhou Jun had killed him, he was so scared that he peed Trousers, hastily shaved his head and pretended to be a monk, hiding in the temple.Later, Zhou Jun found Feng Yanlu in the temple, put him in a prison cart and sent him to Shouzhou in a wooden cage. According to Chai Rong's instructions, Han Lingkun set up a list to calm the people and strictly enforced military discipline, and soon stabilized the order in Yangzhou.In the previous document "A Thousand Mountains of Remnant Snow", we have talked about the demise of Chu State.The sons of Ma Yin, the king of Chu, were fighting each other and being useless. They were finally taken advantage of by Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty, taking up more than half of Chu's land, and Ma Xichong was also taken captive to Yangzhou.Now Ma Xichong and his descendants are still in Yangzhou, and Chai Rong decreed to implement a preferential treatment policy for these people, giving them food and drink, and protecting their families. Chuzhou fell, Yangzhou was occupied, and other passes either surrendered or were besieged. The whole area of ​​Huainan was in turmoil, the vegetation was full of soldiers, and people were in panic all day long.The Central Plains has been in chaos for decades, and the dynasties have changed four or five times. The emperor who appeared on the stage after you sang me was either a fool or a bastard. No one expected that a young emperor Chai Rong would be so powerful. , with the potential to overwhelm the river and sweep the world. Li Jing was desperate. Li Jing was defeated. Li Jing finally realized that he and Chai Rong are not on the same level. In order to save the last territory and face, Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty sent Zhong Mo, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, Minister of the Household Department, and Li Deming, a minister of the Ministry of Industry and a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences, to Shouzhou to meet with Chai Rong, expressing his willingness to pay tribute to the Great Zhou Dynasty and present Royal clothes, tea and medicine, goldware, five thousand taels, silver wares, two thousand pieces of silk brocade, five hundred head of military cattle, and two thousand altars of wine.This attitude of Nantang is pious enough, enough for grandsons, enough for bloodletting. The envoys of the Southern Tang Dynasty thought that relying on these should be able to impress Chai Rong. However, Chai Rong put on a mighty and majestic guard of honor to receive the two heavyweight envoys from the Southern Tang Dynasty.Before Zhong Mo and Li Deming could speak, Zhou Shizong Chai Rong stared at them with stern eyes, making them shudder.柴荣缓缓说道：“回去告诉你家主子，赶快来见朕，赔礼道歉，悔过自新，如此则平安无事。如若不然，朕将兵扫金陵，荡平江南！” 唐周虽在谈判，烽火并未停息。 韩令坤占据扬州后，又攻陷了邻近的泰州。南唐见后周态度傲慢不可动摇，转而打算向契丹求援，和契丹南北夹击后周。可是南唐派出契丹的密使在半路上被后周军队截获，南唐最后挣扎的努力化为泡影。 柴荣坚持认为刀枪之下论输赢，必须打下重镇寿州，才能彻底击碎南唐的心理和军事防线。于是，柴荣亲自组织和指挥对寿州的会战。他命人重新修筑了下蔡浮桥，构筑淮河水寨，研究攻打方案。为了攻打寿州，柴荣把赵匡胤调了回来。 赵匡胤乘皮筏子沿淮河进入寿州城外的护城河中，打算仰攻寿州。刘仁赡带领军民奋勇迎战，淮军使用了重型装备，从城头发射重机弩。这重机弩在前文书《风雨飘摇》之《刺史的约会》中出现过，我们详细介绍过这种武器的厉害。和人的臂膀一般粗细的弩箭呼啸着射向周军。周军这次损失惨重，弩箭在赵匡胤身边雨点般落下。危急时刻，牙将张琼挺身挡在了赵匡胤身前。一支弩箭射进了张琼大腿中，张琼应声倒下。 周军急忙撤出战斗。赵匡胤命人紧急抢救张琼。张琼在昏死中苏醒过来，众人七手八脚地要将弩箭从张琼腿中拔出来。可是铁质的箭簇已经射入腿骨，拔不动。张琼要来一大碗酒，仰头喝下去之后，说道：“你们拔吧，我忍着。”那个时代，没有麻药，也没有止疼药，打针输液更是不可能。众人用刀尖做杠杆，用力剜，才把这支大弩箭从张琼腿中拔出来。拔箭的过程中，张琼的鲜血流了一大盆。强忍刺骨钻心的剧痛，张琼神色自若，没吭一声，只是脸上豆大的汗珠子吧嗒吧嗒地往下掉。张琼的雄壮不亚于关二爷刮骨疗毒。 在中线滁州和东线扬州大获全胜的时候，西线也传来捷报。周将何超带领安、随、申、蔡四州兵马攻下南唐西北重镇光州。郭令图攻下了南唐西南长江重镇舒州（今安庆之潜山县）。随后蕲州、黄州也相继被周军占领。其中舒州被郭令图占领之后，又被淮南人夺取，幸亏后周铁骑都指挥使王审琦驰援郭令图，再次占据舒州。 求救契丹没成功，南唐皇帝李璟再次回到谈判桌上。这次他派出了右仆射宰相孙晟与礼部尚书王崇质来寿州拜见柴荣。唐使转达了李璟的态度，末唐以来，天下分崩离析，群龙无首，各占一方。臣李璟我沿袭前祖，苟安淮南。现在天命有归，圣人大周皇帝出世，我愿意臣服，作为外臣属国，服从您的领导。请您罢兵，如此也彰显您的怀柔圣德，天下人一定会佩服。同时，南唐再次进献黄金千两、白银十万两、罗绮二千匹。孙晟从金陵出发之前，对大奸臣冯延己说：“此行按职责应该你去，可如果我推辞，则有负先帝之恩。”冯延已奸诈地笑了笑，又拍了拍孙晟的肩膀，勉励他出使成功。 孙晟和王崇质来到柴荣大营，柴荣打发他们到寿州城下劝降刘仁赡。这个刘仁赡的确让柴荣很头疼。各地州城府县纷纷臣服周军，唯独这个寿州是块硬骨头，啃不动。刘仁赡见孙晟到来，他披挂整齐，在寿州城头施礼磕头，遥问朝廷和皇帝安好。孙晟仰望刘仁赡说道：“君受我南唐国家厚恩，绝不可开门投降。”听说孙晟不仅不劝降刘仁赡，反倒激励刘仁赡抗拒周师，柴荣大怒，要把孙晟砍了。孙晟说：“臣是唐国的宰相，岂可劝节度使叛国投敌呢？”柴荣觉得孙晟的话也有道理，觉得孙晟也算是有气节，最终还是饶过孙晟一死。 这次周唐谈判，南唐完全处于下风，孙晟和王崇质他们谈得很艰苦。南唐李璟再次做出重大让步，请求废除自己的皇帝称号，割让寿、濠、泗、楚、光、海六州给后周，在此基础上，每年进贡金帛百万。要说这个条件实在是很优惠了，也实在是很诱人了。可是柴荣的胃口也实在是太大。他认为淮南大部分土地已经纳入后周控制之下，几路大军捷报频传，进军顺利，形势一片大好。柴荣打算一鼓作气全部占据长江以北的土地。年轻气盛的后周皇帝柴荣再次拒绝了南唐的求和条件。 上一批来谈判的南唐使者李德明还在周营，他见柴荣如此坚决，而且周军如此勇猛，知道南唐大势已去，南唐根本不是后周的对手。为了保全南唐的最后一点点基业，他认为南唐只有接受柴荣的条件，割让长江以北土地，才可能求得和平共处的机会。李德明向柴荣请示，愿意回金陵劝说李璟划出江北土地。 李德明回到金陵后，提出割让江北的建议，在南唐朝廷中引发了轩然大波。南唐皇帝李璟觉得太窝囊，太不甘心，损失太大，对李德明的建议觉得很不高兴。大谋士宋齐丘认为周军虎狼之口欲壑难填，割让土地对南唐毫无帮助，指责李德明言过其实，太夸张。枢密使陈觉、副枢密使李征古一向与李德明不和，向李璟控告李德明卖国求荣。这次大争论是关系南唐命运的争论，是国家利害的集中交锋，刺激了南唐核心统治集团的利益。南唐皇帝李璟最终没有同意李德明的建议，恼羞成怒之际李璟把李德明作为卖国贼腰斩于金陵闹市。 既然柴荣欺人太甚，咄咄逼人，李璟决定也不再当孬种，决定破釜沉舟和柴荣拼了。宁可战死，也不能吓死。南唐皇帝李璟派出皇弟诸道兵马大元帅齐王李璟达统兵抗拒周军，派陈觉为监军使，前武安节度使边镐为应援都军使。中书舍人（皇帝办公厅主任）韩熙载向李璟建议说：“论信任关系没有比亲王更近的了，论责任没有比元帅更重的了，还用监军使干什么！”李璟不听，坚决按自己的主张办。前文书一节中，我们曾简述过韩熙载，他曾壮志凌云，要做南唐的宰相，然后要荡平中原。办公厅主任虽然不是宰相，可也是中枢要员，从这一点来看，韩熙载的职业理想应该是实现了，但荡平中原的理想恐怕是实现不了了。 在派出李璟达之后，李璟另外委任前永安节度使许文稹为西面行营应援使，以救援西部州城。之后，李璟又派出鸿胪卿潘承祐到各地招募骁勇善战的将校。潘承祐不负众望，果然招募到了一批猛将，充实到了淮南军队中。 夏季来临，四月的天气已经十分炎热。 寿州久攻不下，柴荣不禁有些急躁，他委任李重进为庐州、寿州招讨使，以武宁节度使武行德为濠州（今安徽凤阳东）城下都部署，准备调集重兵从水陆两条战线展开对寿州及其周边地域的猛攻。对武行德这个人，大家是否还记得？在前文书契丹灭晋时，就是他被迫为契丹押运铠甲武器，走黄河水路北上途中造了契丹的反，袭占河阳抗拒契丹。 兔子急了还咬人，南唐绝地大反击见到了效果。南唐右卫将军陆孟俊率领从南方常州刚刚打败吴越的生力军一万人，一战夺回了泰州，然后挥师进军扬州。韩令坤原本轻骑奔袭夺得扬州和泰州，其实他手下没有多少军队。韩令坤只有区区千把百人马，勉强维持扬州城内的治安还行，和南唐主力部队开战就力不从心了。见陆孟俊气势汹汹杀来，韩令坤担心寡不敌众吃亏，主动撤出了扬州。 扬州失守，战报传到寿州，柴荣情知形势严重，如果扬州被南唐夺回，将在士气上极大地打击周军，弄不好会导致连锁反应。于是柴荣派出大将驸马都尉、殿前都指挥使张永德火速去支援韩令坤，又派出赵匡胤屯兵金陵以北的六合县，左可支援扬州，右可预防金陵出兵来袭。 赵匡胤到达六合之后，下达了死命令，要求所部兵马严防死守，绝不动摇绝不退后。不仅如此，如果有周军从扬州退下来，赵匡胤命令所部只要见到这些逃兵，直接砍断他们的腿，绝不留情，绝不放过。赵匡胤实际起到了督战扬州的作用。在张永德的支援下，在赵匡胤的督战下，韩令坤拼出全力再次杀回扬州城。周军和淮军在扬州城东发生激战，擒杀了陆孟俊。 扬州成了周唐争夺的重镇，两军再次展开攻防战拉锯战围攻与反围攻战歼灭与反歼灭战。骁将陆孟俊阵亡，南唐皇帝李璟急忙召集临近各府道围剿扬州周军。可是赶来扬州的淮军实在太菜鸟，一万多楚州军被韩令坤在湾头堰击败，一万多泗州兵在曲溪堰被张永德击败。 南唐齐王李璟达统帅两万兵马从瓜步山下渡过长江，向扬州进发。走到距六合镇二十里的时候，李璟达命令安营下寨。周军众将建议趁淮军立足未稳，主动出击。赵匡胤摇摇头说道：“敌军安营下寨，不来进攻，这分明是有惧怕我军之意。我军不到两千人，敌众我寡。如果我们主动出击，敌军一眼就识破了我们的虚实。不如等他们来进攻的时候，我们再全力出击，一击必破。”就这样，周唐两军在六和对峙了四五天，各自没有动静。最后，还是李璟达沉不住气了，命令部队出击周军。 终于等到了淮军出击，敌人一动就露出了破绽。赵匡胤命令所部兵马誓死力战，绝不退缩。赵匡胤亲自提着长剑督战，只要发现有不卖力气不卖命的，他举起长剑照着那些士兵的皮斗笠就砍。这一战，周军人人都是敢死队，以一当十，人如猛虎，马如蛟龙，最后以少胜多，杀死杀伤淮军五千多人。淮军早已听说赵匡胤的威名，原本对赵匡胤就有恐惧症，剩下的一万多人不敢恋战，调头就跑。在争抢渡江时，淮军自相踩踏挤压溺水死伤大半。六合一战，南唐所剩的精锐部队全部报销，南唐主力损失殆尽。 第二天，赵匡胤召集军队检阅，逐一检查士兵的帽子。但凡帽子被剑砍裂的，都是临阵畏怯不戮力杀敌的。赵匡胤数了数，一共四十人。检阅完一遍之后，赵匡胤说道：“战场之上，奋力杀敌是将士职责。号令一出，必须服从。不畏凶险，敢于牺牲，是军人的品质。这四十个人昨天临阵畏怯，我当时假装督战，用剑砍裂了他们的斗笠。战争虽然结束，但是畏敌之罪不能饶恕，把这些败类拉出去砍了！”赵匡胤此令一出，全军震惊。从此之后，赵匡胤的军队人人竭死作战，无不奋勇争先，战斗力成为周军中的强中之强。 前线各军团攻城略地，捷报频传，可柴荣坐镇围攻寿州没有一丝进展。雨季来临，隔三岔五地就下大雨，周军行营里的积水没到了膝盖。一些常见的战争弊端出现了，瘟疫开始传播肆虐，粮草运输困难供应不及，战斗装备攻战工具和器械破败不堪，士兵民夫不堪其苦，开小差逃亡现象加重。另一方面，去金陵劝说李璟划江割地的李德明一去不返，身首异处。南唐由求和转而坚决抗击周军。这些因素对于远程长期作战的周军很不利。周军领导集团不得不考虑撤军的问题。 柴荣打算速战速决、短期内到达长江的目标，受到了不可逾越的阻碍。柴荣意志坚定，但并非顽固不化刚愎自用，这是他英明的一面。在看到这些不利因素时，经宰相范质等人极力劝说，柴荣十分惋惜地放弃了淮南战争，同意班师撤军。柴荣并没有匆忙撤军，更没有慌乱。他放弃寿州，但放出舆论说寿州已攻破，以迷惑南唐。而他则率军顺着淮河向东，到达武行德占据的濠州。再从濠州至涡口，一路上边打边退，安全平稳地回到了开封。 公元956年六月，柴荣班师，但他并没有全部撤走周军，而是做出了一番部署。他从京城调来宣徽南院使向训出任淮南节度使兼沿江招讨使、检校太尉，留下李重进继续围困寿州。 这次周师南征，似乎大获全胜，打得南唐只有招架之功没有了还手之力。 但周朝并没有彻底赢得这场战争。