Chapter 22 Chapter 22 My Name Is Li Yu

Now it's finally Li Yu's turn.After September 973 AD, Zhao Kuangyin stood in the city of Kaifeng, took the hand of his good brother Zhao Guangyi and looked south, only to see the guests of the land, could it be "Zhao" soil, except for a corner of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Well then, what needs to be done must be done after all, although the fierce fist does not smile and it is a crime to bully honest people, but... it has to be done. But for Li Yu's always being so docile, Zhao Kuangyin didn't want to do anything wrong.In the beginning, he just sent someone to pass on a message, saying that he missed Li Yu very much, and he missed him so much that whether it was the ceremony of "Chai Liao" in winter or "something happened to Yuanqiu" in mid-winter, he especially hoped that Li Yu could accompany him personally.

What about Li Yu?go?How dare he, his younger brother Li Congshan just paid tribute routinely, so he was left in Kaifeng and never came back.If he goes...you can imagine it. So he only fell ill again and again, but Zhao Kuangyin's invitation was more powerful every time, until Li Yu couldn't help it anymore, he simply stood up, and said to the envoy of the Song Dynasty-"The minister is respectful to the Song Dynasty. , originally to preserve the ancestral land, so persecuted, it is better to die!" As he spoke, he rushed towards the pillars in the main hall, wanting to hit him to death, but there were too many people present at that time, and he was too far away from the pillars... He didn't die, but his attitude had already been communicated.

When the news reached Kaifeng, Zhao Kuangyin shook his head, it seemed that he had to send troops again.It's just that he is a little depressed. For a long time, he feels that he understands Li Yu very well, "I don't want to make progress, but make compromises." Isn't that right?To deal with such a weak person, you have to go to war as you did to Jinghu, Houshu, and Southern Han. Can't you let him voluntarily surrender like Wu Yue? The answer is no, Li Yu, like everyone else, has his bottom line and principles, but unfortunately there are too few people who really understand him, maybe they have never had it at all, so those things are confusing and angry!

First look at his opportunities in the past three years. When the Song Dynasty bypassed his Southern Tang and attacked the Southern Han, his navy general Lin Renzhao rushed over excitedly—Your Majesty, the opportunity has come.The Song Dynasty destroyed Houshu, and now it is attacking the Southern Han Dynasty. It takes thousands of miles to go back and forth, and they are exhausted to death.Now their Huainan area has no more than 1,000 defenders in each state. If you give me tens of thousands of troops, I will cross the Huaihe River from the north of Shouzhou, and I will definitely be able to take our Jiangbei back!

Li Yu's reaction at the time was very slow, as if he didn't hear it. Lin Renzhao thought for a while, then said - Your Majesty, you don't need to worry too much.When I raise troops, you can declare that I led the troops to rebel.If this kind of thing is done, it will benefit you and the country; if it fails, you will kill my whole family to show the Song Dynasty that you have no intentions... Do you think this is good? OK? Li Yu pondered for a long time, for a long time, then he picked up a pen, spread out the brocade paper, carefully worded, and wrote a letter to Liu Yu of the Southern Han Dynasty, urging this neighbor to surrender to the Song Dynasty, and don't resist...

Lin Renzhao let out a long sigh, and stomped away. Lin Renzhao left, and soon Lu Jiang came again.This is the order of the Privy Council of the Southern Tang Dynasty and inspection along the river.He saw further than Lin Renzhao.He said—Your Majesty, don't forget that there is Wuyue, it is a feud with us, and it has been incompatible since the first emperor (Li Min).Once the Song Dynasty comes over, it will definitely become an accomplice. Why don't we destroy it first, so as to eliminate future troubles and strengthen our strength. Li Yu gave a wry smile - Lu Jiang, you can also say this.Don't you know that Wu Yue is different from before?It is a vassal of the great northern country, how can it send troops to it?

Lu Jiang took a deep breath, not angry or discouraged, he continued to talk, but he stopped talking about the policy and plan, but directly talked about the wonderful tomorrow and the specific methods - Your Majesty, in fact, it is very easy to destroy Wu Yue, as long as you nod.For example, I will go out and send false news now, saying that Xuanzhou (now Xuancheng, Anhui) and Shezhou (now Shexian, Anhui) in our country are in rebellion. You announced the conquest, but you are not strong enough, so go ask Wuyue for help.Wu Yue's gang will definitely send troops because they are greedy for cheap, and then you suddenly send troops to cut off their retreat, and I will lead the troops to attack Hangzhou, and Wu Yue will definitely be wiped out in one battle!Look... look, is this okay?

In the end, Lu Jiang's voice was still low, because his majesty was already distracted, and he didn't know what he was thinking again. Persuasion is useless, and Jiangnan people are not all good-tempered.A man named Pan You had a very small official position, but he was an internal historian, but he was angry and talked about state affairs.It may be because of his stubborn temper, or it may be because of Li Yu's excessive kindness in the past. This person compared Li Yu to "Xia Jie, Shang Zhou, and Sun Hao". Forget about the first two. Since ancient times, these two emperors will become big bricks to shoot at any current emperor at any time. Even when Liu Bang made a joke on Zhou Chang, Zhou Chang would stammer Cursing in the street——Your Majesty... Your Majesty is Jie... the king of Jie and Zhou!But Sun Hao is too sensitive, and he is too good at matching Li Yu.

The lord of the south of the Yangtze River, the king of the subjugated country... the captured man! Li Yu was furious, and put Pan You and Pan You's good friend Li Ping in prison together, but he didn't expect that Pan You was really kind. He wanted to die to admonish the king, so he committed suicide in prison.This made Li Yu ashamed, and in a rage, he gave Li Ping to death in prison.The reason is that the reason why Pan You committed such a crime was instigated by Li Ping. But no matter what, if he kills anyone in Jiangnan at this time, it will not cause any further sensation.Because the year before he was with Pan You and Li Ping, he actually killed... Lin Renzhao!

It was because of a message brought back from Kaifeng by his younger brother Li Congshan.It is said that one day Zhao Kuangyin took Li Congshan for a walk in the palace, walked into a side hall, pointed to a portrait on the wall while chatting and said——Aiqing, do you know this person? Li Congshan identified it carefully, and finally said hesitantly—it seemed to be Lin Renzhao from Jiangnan. Zhao Kuangyin nodded again and again—yes, it was General Lin, who had surrendered and would come to Kaifeng soon, and first sent a portrait as a token.As he said that, he pointed out——Aiqing, did you see that empty house?That is the new home I gave to General Lin...

Li Congshan immediately sent this "secret" letter back to Jinling as if he had found a treasure, and Li Yu didn't delay, and immediately gave Lin Renzhao a glass of poisoned wine. Lin Renzhao, Lin Huzi from the south of the Yangtze River... Alas, what joy is life in, and what pain is death in life, I pity you for your loyalty, it's like dung! But Li Yu's mood quickly calmed down. Really, no matter how many people are rude to him, and no matter who suddenly betrays him, he can quickly recover, because he has one place that no one can do. Even disturbing, there is no way to damage the spiritual sanctuary. his poetry. No matter how uncomfortable things happen, as long as the poetry is washed and filtered, Li Yu will have a new look and a new life.For example, he missed his good brother Li Congshan who was far away in Kaifeng day and night, and he had no choice but to pay for it. Word cloud - don't come to the middle of spring, you will feel sad and heartbroken.The falling plums are like snow, and the whole body is full after brushing.There is no evidence for the news of Yanlai, and it is difficult for Lu Yao to return to his dream.Leaving hatred is just like spring grass, it goes farther and survives. Congshan, my good brother, are you okay?It's hard for you to miss me so much in the enemy's country, help me, and send me such important news... How much I miss you. Li Yu was thinking wildly, but someone was sober-minded from the beginning to the end, and his heart was the same-Qian Chu, King of Wuyue. Qian Chu, like Li Yu, is Zhao Kuangyin's courtier in name, and his position is even lower. He is the Marshal of the Song Dynasty (in the first year of Jianlong, February 960, conferred by Zhao Kuangyin).This is in line with the status of Wu Yue and Southern Tang in the traditional sense of the rivers and lakes. Wuyue Kingdom was founded by Qian Chu's grandfather Qian Liu in 907 AD.But it is a little bit reluctant to say that it was established, it was sealed out - Zhu Wen, the Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty, named Qian Liu the "King of Wuyue".Since then, Wuyue's national policy and its role in the hearts of the northern kings have been finalized. National Policy——"Children and grandchildren do good things to China, and don't use changing surnames to waste things." This is Qian Liu's last words, telling future generations straightforwardly, no matter who is changed to be the emperor in the Central Plains, our attitude is only one, that is, "Good deeds". Role - to contain the Southern Tang Dynasty.This is really a long history. Since the predecessor of the Southern Tang Dynasty "Wu", the "Wu Yue" in the Zhejiang and Zhejiang regions have been at odds with their neighbors between Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian. In the Song Dynasty, there was only one order given to Wu Yue, that is, to firmly hold the neighbor's hind legs, and never let the former Wu and the current Southern Tang jump over the Yangtze River. These two things are the foundation of Wuyue's country. Although it is a task, it is also a guarantee. This allowed Qian Liu's descendants to live happily in the warm and fertile land of Zhejiang and Zhejiang for three generations until the fifth king Qian Chu. The mission changed. Zhao Kuangyin notified Qian Chu in July 974 AD, the seventh year of Kaibao, to stop restraining him and directly send troops to cooperate with me to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty.After receiving the order, Qian Chu fell silent, but Wu Yue's whole country suddenly boiled.Fighting the Southern Tang Dynasty, to relieve hatred, how many Wuyue people have died in the hands of the Southern Tang people for so many years, just use the Song Dynasty to take revenge! But the opinions in the officialdom are completely opposite.Shen Huzi, Prime Minister of Wu and Yue, found Qian Chu worriedly—Your Majesty, it is true that the Southern Tang Dynasty is our enemy, but it also blocks the Song Dynasty. Once it collapses, what will we do? Qian Chu remained silent, but he quickly made a decision.As always, Wu Yue obeyed the orders of the Song Dynasty, no matter what order he ordered, he would agree unconditionally. Shen Huzi was stunned, and then furious, so cowardly!Can't understand!Although Wu Yue is small, don't he have soldiers?Nantang is still so big, can't they unite?So what about the Song Dynasty, since ancient times, how many times have the big countries in the north of the Central Plains been defeated by the Yangtze River and had to fight against the small countries in the south?How could you not even have the thought of resisting, and admit defeat without even seeing the shadow of the enemy? ! Qian Chu was not angry, but smiled at him, as if he had a lot to say, but in the end he just told the prime minister lightly, you have been dismissed, go home.Afterwards, everyone in the world knew that Qian Chu was a subjugated monarch who was even more cowardly and weak than Li Yu. He didn't even have the courage to resist a little, and he even gave the enemy who seized the country a sword! But Qian Chu didn't care at all.He was still sitting peacefully in his palace, with a somewhat complicated but quite comfortable smile on his face. History has proved that maybe he is not as smart as Li Yu, let alone Li Yu's talent, but he is sober.Shen Huzi saw the situation that ordinary people couldn't see, but what he saw was far more profound than them. Maybe he should really ask his patriotic prime minister - if I oppose the Song Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty now, do you believe that Zhao Kuangyin will beat me first?At that time, do you think Nantang can send troops to rescue me?Can? ! Life's just a business, and everyone has to do it for themselves, isn't it? There is a question, when did Li Yu know that the Song Dynasty was determined to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty? Unable to verify.According to historical records, in 974 A.D., after Li Yu rejected Zhao Kuangyin's invitation not to go to Kaifeng for the last time, "the emperor decided to attack him." But that refers to Zhao Kuangyin. The question is how does Li Yu know that this is the "last time"? If he knew, he would definitely not do the following two things. The first one, after Zhao Kuangyin was rejected, suddenly made a new request.He asked Li Yu to immediately send someone to escort a family named Fan in the Southern Tang Dynasty to Kaifeng. The whole family must have no one less, and no one should have an accident. Li Yu couldn't figure it out, but he had just rejected Zhao Kuangyin, and he was frightened and thinking about how to please him, not to mention that according to the investigation, the person surnamed Fan is very ordinary, and the most promising one is a landed Juren named Fan Ruoshui.Then give it away, no regrets.So he ordered that it be done at once. Later, he regretted so much that he wanted to jump into the river, but at that time he and all his courtiers in the Southern Tang Dynasty couldn't figure out what was going on; The second thing is to push forward a little bit in time.In April a year ago, the Song Dynasty sent an envoy named Lu Duoxun. He was very kind, and he was not as insulting and mean to Li Yu as other envoys, so they got along very well.At the time of parting, the envoy Lu suddenly said——the imperial court is rebuilding Tianxia Zhi, and the Jiangnan states are missing in the history museum. Can you give me a copy for each state and let me take it back? For a trivial matter, Li Yu didn't even think about it, so he immediately ordered his subordinates to copy it overnight and rush to work, and it must be delivered to the riverside before the next morning, so as not to delay the Song Dynasty envoys from sailing.In this way, the Song Dynasty did not waste its efforts to sweep out all the state-level secrets such as the mountains and rivers, the distance of the settlements, the number of household registrations, etc. in the nineteen states in the south of the Yangtze River. It wasn't until these two things were done that Zhao Kuangyin made the final invitation to Li Yu. Li Yu didn't know what was good or bad, so the reason why the Song Dynasty sent troops to the south of the Yangtze River for the first time was recorded in history-"stubborn not to go to court". Because one person does not come, then more than 100,000 people will be sent there! In the ninth year of Song Kaibao, in September of 974 AD, Zhao Kuangyin ordered Cao Bin, the envoy of Xuanhui South Academy, to deploy the horse infantry army in the southwest of Shengzhou; Pan Mei, the governor of Shannan East Road, was the capital supervisor; (Pay attention to this person) As the commander of the vanguard capital, he commanded more than 100,000 troops and thousands of warships, and joined forces with Wu and Yue to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty in five ways. The first route: Cao Bin led the bodyguard Ma Jundu Yuhou Li Hanqiong, and the official Sifangguan Tian Qinzuo led the Jinghu navy to march eastward along the river from Jiangling, and captured the important places on the south bank of the Yangtze River east of Chizhou (now Guichi, Anhui). Directly to Jinling, the capital of the Tang Dynasty; The second route: Pan Mei led the infantry guard Liu Yu, the Marquis of Yu, and Liang Jiong, the envoy of Dongshanggemen, led the Mabu troops to assemble in the area of ​​Hezhou (now Hexian County, Anhui Province), and went straight to the riverside, and then stood by for orders. What else? don't care; The third way: order the navy in Kaifeng, Kyoto, to go down the Bian River, pass through the Grand Canal and enter Yangzhou into the Yangtze River, and then go east to join the Wuyue army to capture Runzhou, and turn back to the east to threaten Jinling; The fourth route: With the Marshal of the Song Dynasty and the King of Wuyue Qian Chu as the emissary to the southeast of Shengzhou, he led tens of thousands of Wuyue troops from Hangzhou to the north, first attacked Changzhou in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and then welcomed the Kaifeng navy. Advance into Jinling.In order to care and love, Ding Deyu, the general of Song Dynasty, was appointed as the vanguard and supervisor to care for and guide the work of Wuyue people at any time; Fifth Route: Order Huangzhou Inspector Wang Ming (the strong man who dug and filled pits outside Hezhou City) to deploy for the inspection and battle of Chizhou-Yuezhou River Road, and contain Wuchang (now Wuhan, Hubei) and Hukou direction The Southern Tang Army prevented it from going eastward to help, and guaranteed the main force of the Song Army to advance eastward. Things have come to this point, the Song Dynasty north of the Yangtze River has mobilized the whole country, and all the vital points around the Southern Tang Dynasty are under threat, but can you imagine?History can actually prove that Li Yu didn't know what was going to happen at this time! But Li Yu can't be blamed for this at all.Not only him, before October 18, 974 AD, it can be said that no one in the entire Southern Tang Dynasty knew what was going to happen. The time finally came on the 18th.In the Hukou area on the south bank of the Yangtze River, the Southern Tang garrison of 100,000 people suddenly discovered that the Song Army navy appeared on the river. They saw a large number of masts and sail belts covering the sky, and an unprecedentedly large fleet was sailing from the upper reaches of Jiangling. Drift down.Facing the enemy, the response of the Southern Tang army was to immediately gather the ships and close the gates of the village to avoid trouble. But they didn't panic, because it was more common. This was a routine patrol of the river by the navy of the Song Dynasty.The two sides had a tacit understanding on this for a long time. When Song Jun appeared, the Southern Tang Army only needed to restrain themselves and give Song Jun some face. But today is a little different, the ship is getting closer and further away, but you can't see the end of it.Because behind the battleships in front, there are unexpectedly huge bamboo rafts, civilian ships full of ropes, and thousands of strange-looking big ships who don't know what they are loaded with or what they are used for.This stunned the Hukou garrison of the Southern Tang Dynasty. When they finally came to their senses, the battleship at the forefront of the Song Army fleet had already passed them by far. In other words, Southern Tang's most forward line of defense, Hukou, has been breached. This is on the waterway.Later on October 5th, in the Chizhou area at the junction of the Southern Tang Dynasty and the original Jinghu Lake, Ge Yan, the defender of Chizhou in the Southern Tang Dynasty, also discovered the Song Army. His reaction was to open the city gate and go out with a large amount of wine and meat. Welcome and reward the army. It should be noted that he did not rebel, let alone a pervert. This was the master-servant relationship between the Southern Tang army and the Song Dynasty army.Usually, Song Jun will come and go after eating and drinking for a while.But this time it was different. Song Jun rushed forward and went straight to the city gate. When Ge Yan understood, the greatest resistance he could do was to save himself. He fled, and Chizhou, like Hukou, was captured by the Song army without a fight. This is how the battle against the Southern Tang Dynasty started. At this moment, the door of the country has been opened, but Li Yu is still in the dark.According to historical records, at this time, the kind-hearted, naive, and stupid Emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty also sent his other younger brothers Jiang Guogong Li Congyi and Water Ministry Langzhong Gong Shenxiu with 200,000 pieces of tribute silk and 200,000 pieces of platinum. Wan Jin entered Kaifeng again to pay tribute to Zhao Kuangyin.At that time, Zhao Kuangyin was standing on the long embankment of Bianshui outside Kaifeng City, watching his fleet move forward to conquer Li Yu... Here, stop laughing at Li Yu.He was wrong, especially when he personally ordered the execution of his strongest navy general. Otherwise, if there was Lin Renzhao in Hukou, no matter whether he could stop the Song Army navy, Lin Renzhao would rush out; and in Chizhou, let alone However, no matter how Li Yu emphasized that "a small matter is a big one, like a son serving a father", the generals who guard the gate have their own responsibilities.But they are also helpless. Looking through the history of Song Dynasty, there is a rather unfair reality hidden in it. No matter how Zhao Kuangyin showed the bright side, and no matter how the later historians pretended to cover up, the wars in the founding stage of the Song Dynasty never followed the rules.What is the crime of hanging people?What is preaching depends?Where did it come from to summon envoys, sever friends, and hand over the letter of war before officially breaking these bad rules?The emperor, who was born in a professional soldier, only knew one thing, whether it was for the enemy or himself, it was kindness to decide the outcome quickly. Therefore, whether it is against Jinghu, or the Later Shu, Northern Han, Southern Han, and even the current Southern Tang, the Song Dynasty has always been a sneak attack, a blitzkrieg, and an undeclared war. But for Li Yu, none of this is right.A person who reads Mingli can't use weapons lightly. Even if he has to be rude, there are many prerequisites and some cutscenes that must be gone. For example, when Li Yu saw the situation clearly, his first decision was to restore his status as emperor first.The reason is sufficient-everything is not right, and the words are not right. He wants to use the majestic Southern Tang Nine Kings to fight against the invasion of foreign enemies, and in this way, it can also arouse the hearts of the people of Southern Tang. But unfortunately, this also fundamentally changed the nature of this war, making it truly a battle between two hostile countries, and it was no longer Zhao Kuangyin bullying his subjects rudely. This is not over. After Li Yu became the emperor again, in view of the dangerous situation in front of him and the wonderful feeling of being the emperor again, he felt that it was necessary to say a few words to his old neighbor and dead enemy Qian Chu, so he raised his pen, More than 20 words were written - "If there is no self today, how can there be a king tomorrow? Once the Song emperor changes places to reward the honor, the king will also be a cloth ear." Concise and to the point.He was convinced that Qian Chu would withdraw his troops immediately after seeing the letter, and instead united with himself to fight against the Song Dynasty.Because it's so simple, their goals are the same, no one wants to go to Kaifeng and be an ordinary citizen! But why are things so evil?Qian Chu received the letter, and it is said that he also read it, but in the end, he handed over the letter intact to the emperor of the Song Dynasty in Kaifeng, and then continued to kill Li Yu non-stop.Li Yu was stunned, he was puzzled, did the letter not explain it?Still... But he smiled wryly before long. He remembered that just three years ago, he had done the same thing, passing the letter from Liu Wei to Zhao Kuangyin.Alas, retribution... Li Yu, a devout Buddhist, began to think about how to get rid of disasters and pray for wealth.But I want to emphasize that at this time, Li Yu is not nervous. The situation is really serious. The battle reports are flying like snowflakes. The fortresses are broken by the Song army one by one. The huge land is like a wall with air leakage on all sides. There are everywhere The enemy is drilling in, but not in despair. Please see, from October 18th of that year, the Hukou Fortress was slipped by the Song Army due to a momentary negligence. On the 20th, this Song Army navy suddenly landed and captured Xiakou Village in the Southern Tang Dynasty (now Guichi West, Anhui) , killing 800 defenders; then quickly marched into Tongling, and then into Wuhu, and further conquered Dangtu. Along the way, they captured more than 100 warships and captured 800 defenders. They have already approached the first fortress of the Southern Tang Dynasty on the Yangtze River. Quarry Rock. At this time, Nantang already knew that this fleet was led by Cao Bin, the coach of the Song Army, so obviously, it was the main direction of attack.But looking at its actions, first it broke through the mouth of the lake like a smuggler, and then won a small victory all the way, only killing more than a thousand people, its fighting power and appetite can be imagined.And looking at its equipment and number of people, it is not scary. How can you fight with so many civilian boats, bamboo rafts, and ropes?And it has already got into a dead end by itself, with Caishiji in front, the lake mouth in the back, and complete military fortresses at both ends. It is in a dilemma, with no way forward or backward! As long as Nantang can quickly mobilize the navy, it will definitely be able to wipe it all out. So at this time, Li Yu didn't panic at all. What he was worried about was that he was afraid that his navy would move slowly and let Cao Bin, a big fish, go away.Because there is intelligence that another Song army has rushed from the land to Hezhou on the Yangtze River from the Song Dynasty.But Hezhou...is not far from Caishiji.How obvious, this is Zhao Kuangyin sent to meet Cao Bin's escape! Therefore, we must seize the opportunity and capture Zhao Kuangyin's marshal. This is a brilliant victory that has never been seen in the history of the Southern Tang Dynasty! Li Yu was excited about it, but he never imagined that the devil of war was standing beside him at this moment, waiting for him to show that hopeful smile, and then suddenly smashed it, so that he could appreciate the genius of this poet. Frightened and hopeless. War is also an art, it is full of majestic momentum, amazing courage, smart changes and genius creativity.If you can understand it like a poem, you will be overwhelmed by the leaders of the war. Because it cannot be modified, it cannot be repeated, it can be changed at any time, and it is full of fantasy. Only you can't think of it, and no one else can't make it. Just like Li Yu at this time, even if he was a hundred times smarter, he would never have imagined why Cao Bin rushed in with a light boat and trapped himself in a tight siege, and why Zhao Kuangyin sent another army to approach Cao Bin in a hurry, and their rendezvous The location is actually a section of Caishiji, which is known as the most dangerous place in the Yangtze River Basin. What is all this for? But as the Southern Tang side, there is actually no need to know.As long as they maintain their geographical and numerical advantages and attack first, it is enough to win.For example, if they rushed ahead of the "reinforcements" of the Song Dynasty and immediately sent troops from Caishiji and Hukou to attack Cao Bin, Cao Bin would definitely collapse.The reason is very good - the comparison of forces. Caishiji’s guard at that time was Yang Shou, the deputy commander of the Southern Tang Horse Infantry Army, and Sun Zhen, the commander of the soldiers and horses, with a force of 20,000; while the guard at Hukou was named Zhu Lingyun, who was the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the Divine Guard of the Southern Tang Dynasty. , His strength is... 100,000!And most of them are naval forces, and the main fleet of Nantang is basically in his hands.With this kind of strength, if we can take advantage of Cao Bin floating alone in the heart of the river and work together to encircle and suppress him, at least we can drive Cao Bin from the river to the shore. That would at least destroy the civilian boats, bamboo rafts, and ropes that Cao Bin carried with him... It's a pity that Li Yu and the people of Nantang couldn't dream of what those things were for, otherwise they would be willing to exchange them at any price. But there is no if in history, Cao Bin is only cautious in his life, he does not give the enemy any chance.On October 23, he suddenly assembled warships and stormed Caishiji, a natural danger along the Yangtze River, from the front. Caishiji is the cliff at the end of Cuiluo Mountain facing the water in the Yangtze River. It is abrupt in the middle of the river, and the cliffs soar into the sky, choking the throat of the river, and the current is turbulent.If the northern tyrants of the past dynasties wanted to forcefully attack and cross the river, this was the place of life and death they had to pass through.In short...it is a natural danger. It is said that before the war, the soldiers of the Song Dynasty stood on the bow and kept looking at Caishiji. Some admired it, some were lucky, and some were thinking about how to fight later, but Cao Bin, the commander of the whole army, was absent-minded. Didn't even bother to look in the cabin.Natural danger, what kind of natural danger, he is tired of it.At this time, Cao Bin was already forty-three years old. A few years ago, he followed Wang Quanbin into Hou Shu. That was a natural danger, but so what? The natural danger required someone to guard it. At this time, he didn't have the heart to look at the big cliff with a height of more than 130 meters by the river. It was time for the general attack, so he just gave the order and it was over.In a word, he is annoying. The battle ended quickly, and Caishiji fell that day. In addition to the dead bodies all over the ground, the Southern Tang side also captured more than a thousand people alive, including two generals Yang Shou and Sun Zhen, and three hundred Many war horses. At this time, Jinling panicked the people, and the natural danger of the Yangtze River was gone. Cao Bin saw a large open field in front of him, and he would jump over and massacre them in the next moment.But an astonishing scene appeared again, they couldn't figure it out, Cao Bin actually retreated.And without delay, they directly withdrew to the north bank of the Yangtze River. People in the Southern Tang Dynasty were completely fooled, and the whole country began to think about what kind of medicine was sold in Cao Bin's gourd.But I still don’t know the answer, but according to the witnesses at the time, Cao Bin, who was in the emergency retreat, still took those bulky and cumbersome civilian boats, bamboo rafts, ropes and other sundries with him, and never left them for a moment. Immediately afterwards, the latest information came, saying that Cao Bin's final foothold was in Shipai Town (now Huaining, Anhui).Right there, the Song Dynasty people who had just stormed the natural barrier of Caishiji behaved strangely and went crazy collectively. People in the Southern Tang Dynasty could see that scene clearly, and they could explain it clearly, but they just couldn't understand it—what were the people in the Song Dynasty doing? I saw all the soldiers of the Song Dynasty dispatched. They left the warships and jumped into the piles of civilian ships, bamboo rafts, ropes and other sundries, as well as various nails, axes, chisels and other tools. They tied the boats with ropes, nailed wooden boards between the boats with nails, and kept measuring on the water surface to measure the position, and then drove the buoy posts into the water one by one... What is this? what are you doing? People in the Southern Tang Dynasty knew these things naturally. In fact, if they were allowed to do these things, they would definitely be much better than the two swords of the Song Dynasty.But...but is that really the case? At last they couldn't believe it, because that's what they were doing—building a pontoon bridge. Once confirmed, the Southern Tang people laughed immediately.No way, no matter how serious and important it is, I can't stop laughing.Boardwalk, that's not how it's built!Everyone in the south of the Yangtze River knows how terrifying the power of water flow is. You can build temporary pontoon bridges in small rivers, but what is the Yangtze River? , since human beings have never thought of building a bridge on the Yangtze River, no matter if it is a pontoon bridge or what kind of bridge! Even Li Yu, who had never done physical labor before, asked his confidant Zhang Ji in the imperial palace in Jinling—is this possible? Zhang Ji——Your Majesty, I have turned over the book, but it is not written in the book, so this matter must not happen. (Since the book was recorded, there has been no such thing, and this will definitely not happen.) Li Yu - ah, that's right.I also think this is a joke... (I also call it a joke.) The time came on November 9, 974 AD, and Cao Bin achieved his results. The pontoon bridge had been built across the river and reached both banks. On the same day, Cao Bin ordered the pontoon bridge to be moved up and returned to Caishiji.Right here, Cao Bin received the sharpest knife he needed in this southern expedition—Pan Mei. The army that rushed here day and night from the Song Dynasty was the Second South Army led by Pan Mei.Right here, in Caishiji, a mixed infantry and cavalry force consisting of tens of thousands of people will step on this pontoon bridge to kill across the Yangtze River. Unexpectedly, this is actually the breakthrough pre-selected by the Song Dynasty.But a problem arises. There are thousands of miles along the Yangtze River, and breakthroughs can be made anywhere, but why did the Song Dynasty choose the dangerous and hard Caishiji?Is this Cao Bin's personal hobby?Does he have the addiction to storm the natural danger?Or maybe this is Zhao Kuangyin's highest instruction, that he must break through at the strongest point, making the people of Southern Tang completely terrified from the very beginning? No, neither.Please recall one of the two strange orders that Zhao Kuangyin gave Li Yu at the beginning—send the whole family of Southern Tang people surnamed Fan to Kaifeng, and Fan Ruoshui, the former Mr. Juren in this family. Fan Ruoshui, formerly a Juren of the Southern Tang Dynasty, failed in many examinations, but his ambition was a thousand miles away.He took the initiative to write a letter to King Li Yu, carefully discussing national affairs and making various suggestions, but unfortunately, no one paid attention to him.There is no way to serve the country, no way to be an official, let alone a beautiful woman with gold and silver... So Mr. Juren was very sad. He threw down his books and decided to devote his love to the mountains and rivers. The specific manifestation is-boating and fishing.And he prefers one location, Caishiji.Right here, he kept fishing day and night, catching fish, and throwing them into the heart of the river from time to time like a net?Like a fishing line?Or a buoy tethered to stones?Anyway, he was haunted and alone, and he persisted for a long time.After that, people in Nantang never saw him again, and no one knew where he went. Until the emperor of the Song Dynasty suddenly pointed out that he wanted his whole family. Immediately afterwards, an unprecedented pontoon bridge appeared on the Yangtze River that had no foundation, but could firmly support thousands of troops and horses to pass quickly. Pan Mei quickly crossed the bridge.The history of China began to be rewritten. No matter whether Pan Mei was already murderous at this time, she just wanted to rush across the bridge to open Jinling City and capture Li Yu alive. The main force of the third cross-river battle after Chen. Just after crossing the Yangtze River, Pan Mei stepped on the land of the Southern Tang Dynasty when she ran into the soldiers of the Southern Tang Dynasty head-on.There were not many people, only 10,000, and the leader was Yuhou Duzhen, the capital of the Tiande Army in the Southern Tang Dynasty, who was sent by Li Yu to plug the gap.The two sides came together without saying a word.Pan Mei roamed the battlefield, and felt that something was wrong behind him. He looked back and found that the Yangtze River was also very lively. It was another rescue team from the Southern Tang Dynasty, led by Zhenhai Jiedu envoy Zheng Yanhua, all of them were navy troops, and the task was to destroy the floating bridge of the Song Dynasty in the first time.People in the Southern Tang Dynasty were very sober and knew that as long as the pontoon bridge existed, the Song Dynasty could send countless troops across the Yangtze River...so it must be destroyed, no matter what the price was. However, Nantang's performance in this area is extremely poor.Whether it was the destruction of the pontoon bridge that Chai Rong built in the Huaihe River before, or the pontoon bridge that Zhao Kuangyin built in the Yangtze River at this time, they failed to do it.Especially Zheng Yanhua at this time, this person is a coward. He watched Du Zhen and Pan Mei fight bloody battles in the Yangtze River, and gradually collapsed until there was not much left. Withdrew, left the battlefield. But Pan Mei and Cao Bin didn't have the heart to answer him anymore. Their real goal was still far away, so there was no time to delay! In the next moment, the battle line was fully spread out, and the Song army advanced by land and water, like a big net, trying to cover every inch of land in the south of the Yangtze River.But there is only one central point - Jinling City.This is the ultimate goal of all actions, and its tactical thinking is completely a replica of the Southern Han Dynasty, that is, to use the shortest time, take the fastest route, and quickly kill the opponent's capital. As long as the capital is captured, everything will be over.Because it is obvious that no matter how many differences Li Yu and Liu Yan have, their identities and situations are exactly the same.First, none of their countries has a second city that can rival the defense of the capital; second, they don't have the courage to fight for every inch of land, even if they retreat step by step, they still have the courage to make it difficult for the enemy. So they were doomed to stay in the capital, waiting for the enemy to get closer and closer, and finally the waiting before the terminal - everyone knew that the car would stop, the only question was how much time was left. Time is doomed to be short, because Pan Mei never drags his feet. He is a knife with a light blade and a thin blade. The offensive did not stop, and Xinlinzhai, Bailuzhou, and Xinlingang in the southwest of Jinling were breached all the way.In addition, Cao Bin followed Pan Mei to abandon the boat and landed, and at the same time sent two partial divisions to detour to the south to attack Lishui (now part of Jiangsu) and Xuanzhou on the outskirts of Jinling from behind, and completely surrounded Jinling City. At this time, the other three groups of people were not idle. It is said that even the king of Wuyue, Qian Chu, went into battle in person and besieged Changzhou, an important town in the southeast of the Southern Tang Dynasty.As for fierce men like Li Hanqiong and Tian Qinzuo, they had battle reports flying to Cao Bin every day, and then transferred to Kaifeng, and recorded in their respective credit books. In December, Jinling City, the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty, was forced to declare martial law and entered a state of war. Nearly 100,000 people were separated from the defenders in the city. division. The Song army stopped on the north bank of the Qinhuai River.The battle clouds on the other side were thick, and the Song Dynasty people decided to calm themselves down.It was not until the turn of the new year, on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month in 975 AD, that the Song army began to attack again. 却很难说是主帅曹彬的命令，因为直到这时，宋军还没有准备好运载大军渡过秦淮河的船只，但是潘美已经按捺不住了，他面对深冬时节的秦淮河冷笑，突然间纵马跃入河中，率先向对岸的南唐军杀去！ 强攻金陵的序幕就此拉开了。 潘美带水杀上对岸，与南唐近十万守军展开厮杀。没过多久，他身边就出现了一片火海。这是宋军大将，营马军都指挥使李汉琼赶到了。此人聪明，当天正是深冬，北风凛冽，他带来了超级巨大的战舰，里面装满了芦苇……还用多说吗？南唐的水寨片刻之间就灰飞烟灭，熊熊的大火和潘美雪亮的刀子让南唐人只能后退，一直退回到金陵城里。 潘美率部开始攻城，但是马上他也后退了。而且十万火急地一退再退，直接向长江边上跑。跑到江边之后一口大气都不敢喘，拔出刀子直接就冲向浮桥。没办法，南唐人又在打浮桥的主意，他们是坐着船来的，想想潘美得怎么跑？ 一路狂奔，满身血腥，潘美在浮桥边把南唐人赶跑，还抓住了带头烧桥的人——南唐神卫都军头郑宾。之后潘美再次回头，赶回金陵城下，这次的目标是金陵城的外关城。 至此，战火已经真的烧到了南唐皇帝李煜的脚下，不管他精美华丽的宫殿有多么的深邃，也不管他教坊里的歌声是怎样的悦耳，城外数十万人就在他不远处呐喊厮杀，想必他还是会听见的吧……那么，他现在正在做什么？ 在想着怎样迎敌？还是躲在罗绮深处美人丛中，在瑟瑟发抖，担忧害怕？ 不，都猜错了，李煜好着呢，他每天的生活跟战争没有半点的关系，一切和从前一样的潇洒安逸。 因为张洎对他说了，对付宋军其实很容易，四个字——坚壁清野。具体的作法就是，只要把地方都腾空了，把金陵城再守住，时间稍微长一点，宋朝人就会自己撤走。 李煜相信了，因为张洎是他真正的亲信，亲到了随时留在他身边，就住在皇宫深处的澄心堂里，和另外两个叫徐邈、徐游的人一起主持国政。至于南唐的宰相府、枢密院这些正规办公场合，已经成了摆设。史称“政令不出”。 而李煜也没有一味的贪图享乐，他每天都把大批的和尚、道士聚集在自己的深宫内院里，除了必不可少的法事之外，他还殆精竭虑深思密谋于一本旷世奇书里——《易》。 不知道他研习的是哪一个版本，但在传说中《易》是我们中华民族在传统意义上一切文明的起源。在《易》之中大千世界，包罗万象，一切知觉，纤毫毕现。只要你研习得法，入神照坐，那么哪怕你身处斗室之中，也会遍知宇宙之事……所以，李煜绝对没有脱离本职工作，他的日子过得紧张而有意义。 何况，他还把金陵城的城防任务交给了一位年轻有为的武将世家之子，时任神卫统军都指挥使的皇甫继勋。 皇甫继勋，这可是赵匡胤的故人之子，他的老爹就是当年滁州城的皇甫晖。皇甫老将军个难得一见的硬汉，不仅战场上勇猛，就算失败了也绝不投降，这都在江南人民的心中留下了光辉的形象，于是所有人冲着这份强硬的遗传基因，就都期待着皇甫小将军的表现。 李煜也是这样，他把任务交代下去之后，就重返深宫，再捧《易》经，不问外界的俗事了。毕竟，他有那么事的要做。就这样，日子一天天平淡无奇地过去，直到公元974年5月份的某一天。这一天里李煜静极思动，突然想到城墙上去走走。 虎踞龙盘石头城，金陵王气覆满江……李煜独上城头，突然发现外关城丢了，举目所及全都是无边无沿的宋军营帐！ 李煜惊呆了，他知道宋朝人打了过来，也知道长江被突破了，更知道浮桥搭在了采石矶江面，但他从来都不知道他的金陵城已经被敌军团团围困！ 这就是现实，宋军围困金陵已经达到了五个月，南唐国君居然还不知道……那一天在城头之上，温文儒雅的李煜终于怒吼了起来——皇甫继勋，皇甫继勋呢？要他马上来见我！ 皇甫继勋很快就来了，李煜手指城外，浑身颤抖——这是怎么回事？城下这都是些什么？ ! 皇甫继勋面不改色，很清晰地回答——宋军。 李煜差点昏倒，他很勉强地才能想起来下面还要再问什么——我是说，我为什么一直不知道？你为什么不报告我？ ! 皇甫继勋笑了笑，说出来的话非常地有哲理——那有什么区别吗？臣这都是为了陛下好。因为“北军强劲，无人可敌，即令臣日夜报闻，徒令宫中震惊而已。” Is not it? 李煜彻底昏倒，他再也没什么要说的了，他无力向卫士们挥挥手，示意赶快把这个如此“体贴”他的将军扔大牢里去，马上就扔！但他随即就改变了主意，直接把皇甫继勋砍掉了事。可砍人的时候还是发生了意外，只见城防士兵们，也就是这五个月里受皇甫小将军指挥的南唐大兵们突然间一拥而上，各自拔刀，一阵乱砍，把皇甫继勋当场剁碎…… 事后李煜才知道，在这五个月的时间里，他选的这位年少有为，具有优势遗传基因的皇甫将军在守城时不仅懦弱畏敌，而且非常无耻。他的口头禅就是——“北军强劲，谁能敌之！”而且一旦南唐兵败，他就会满脸笑容，逢人就讲——我就知道肯定得败，怎么样，被我说中了吧！（“吾固知其不胜也。”）更可恨地是，有一些偏将军眼看局势恶劣，想出钱召募一些敢死队，趁夜杀出去，动摇宋军的合围态势。皇甫继勋知道之后，立即把这些人都抓了起来，不论主从，一律鞭子侍候，抽完了之后还得再关起来…… 李煜长叹一声，只有自认倒霉。可是他事先怎么会知道，同样都是姓皇甫的，而且还是父子，做人的差距咋就这么的大呢？ !但是这时候说什么都晚了，李煜所能做的，就是最后再看一眼城墙下面黑压压一大片的宋朝攻城部队，然后默默地在心里盘算了一下自己的还剩下的家底。 惨了……李煜不禁悲叹，他发现这时还剩下的除了这座金陵城之外，就只有远在湖口的那十万人了。李煜苦笑了一声，命令不惜一切代价冲破重围，向湖口的朱令赟传令，要他火速起兵，带着所有人马来解救金陵。 信息真的发了出去，历史上没有记载，是谁，怎样冲破了宋朝连绵数里的军营，把李煜的求救命令送到了朱令赟的手里，记录下来的是朱令赟接到信时的反应。 朱令赟很民主，先问湖口众将——怎么办？ 众将答——冲过去，现在正是五月份，长江涨水，正利于战舰出动。 朱令赟却面色沉重地摇头——不，你们的头脑太简单了。想想看，我们如果出动，敌人会怎样？他们一定会跟在我们的后面（反据我后）。我们战胜了，什么都好说，可一旦败了，连粮道都保不住（粮道且绝），那时候怎么办？ 众将军面面相觑，听上去很高深啊，那怎么办？就这么干呆着，什么都不干？ 高深的朱令赟再次向他们摇头——唉，要说你们可真是头脑太……太简单了。怎么就想不出办法呢？这样吧，等我写一封信给南都留守柴克贞老弟，让他来代替我把守湖口，这样我们不就还有后路了吗？也就可以放心大胆地进攻了！ 于是写信，于是等信，于是他们都非常无奈地收到了那位柴老弟突发重病，实在是爱莫能助的消息……于是朱令赟也没办法了，他只好满脸失望地对南方不断向他呼救的皇帝陛下说抱歉，陛下……我，我也爱莫能助了。 没有外援，李煜开始了自救。首先，他内部挖潜，在金陵城里来了个壮丁总动员，其原则是只要还能动的，就得拿起家伙上城楼。 于是城头上就出现了许多“以纸为甲，以农具为兵”的白甲军，不管战斗力怎样，金陵城头上为之气象一新，人满为患。 之后，李煜思之再三，决定向赵匡胤使出自己的杀手锏——徐铉。 徐铉，是一个人，时任南唐修文馆学士承旨。说实话，这官可真是不大，但是此人满腹经纶，利齿伶牙，名震中外，只要提起他的名字，长江以北的那些不可一世的宋朝大臣们，立即就会晕倒一半。 文的那一半。 一点都没夸张，话说故老相传，李煜在某年按例给赵匡胤上贡，不知出于何种心理，派出的贡使就是徐铉，然后宋朝就开始举国发愁。不为别的，按照惯例宋朝得派出一名押伴使，全天候陪着徐铉，直到这人离境，但是这时全体的宋朝官员们都在找借口，请病假，说什么都不跟这个姓徐的见面。 因为丢不起那个人。 想想吧，大家都是文人，应名都是孔圣门徒，可是人家出口成章，妙语连珠，引经据典，而且人越多状态越好，你却总是瞠目结舌，不知所谓……这日子还怎么过？往小里说你个人声名扫地，可以引咎退休，往大里与一国文人都被人小瞧，碰巧赵匡胤还特别地重视这方面的成绩，这影响可就太大了。 于是最后连宰相赵普都没了主意，只好老老实实地向皇帝汇报，说这个人实在是搞不定，得请您亲自想办法。 赵匡胤哼了一声，面沉似水，似乎他也很烦。但他命令把殿侍（宫里站岗的）的名单呈上来，而且强调一定要一个大字都不识的那部分人的。之后就见他大笔一挥，几乎看都没看，就在一个人的名字下面打了个挑——就是他了。 大臣们面面相觑，不明所以，但好容易有人顶缸，立即照办。于是噩梦就此出现。只见一路之上，徐铉出口成章，语惊四座，没完没了，让江北所有文人心惊肉跳。但是那位主陪的殿侍仁兄却似乎充耳不闻，除了偶尔点头称是之外，全程都默不做声，一语不发。 徐铉大怒，这是藐视，这是挑衅，这是……还没说到位！于是再说，还是沉默，再说，继续沉默……如此N个回合，徐铉终于元气大伤，疲劳过度，等到他进了京，终于站在赵匡胤和所有宋朝大臣面前时，已经彻底走火入魔，武功全废…… 但这毕竟是稷史传说，正史不载，何况南唐已经到了生死存亡的关头，不论怎样，徐铉都只有一条路可以走了。那就是鼓足勇气，调整状态，再次进开封，一定要用三寸不烂之舌把赵匡胤拿下。 任务很艰巨，但并非全无可能。毕竟在几千年以前，文人们就曾经出使列国，游说天下，可以用只言片语去挑动战争，或者平息干戈。那么徐铉为什么就做不到呢？希望在李煜和徐铉的心中激情在剧烈地燃烧着，他们眼望北方，心潮澎湃，一句共同的心声可以充分代表他们的心情—— 赵匡胤，打仗，我不行；谈话，你不行；所以，一切还都是胜负未定…… 公元974年10月，南唐徐铉终于走出了重重围困中的金陵城，他坦然面对宋军的刀枪，从容地说，要见宋军的主帅曹彬。 曹彬接见，问明来意之后，派人护送他渡过长江，以敌国使臣的身份进入了开封。开封城里即刻气氛紧张，不为别的，徐铉博学强辩之名，实在是骇人听闻。但要强调的是，徐铉这时已经抱定了必死之心，他真的是要为李煜扭转乾坤。 来之前，李煜曾对他说——你既然要去，我立即就命令朱令赟按兵不动，不让他再来救金陵了。（汝既行，即当止上江援兵） 徐铉不解，问为什么。 李煜长叹一声——我派你去求和，但又召救兵，你不就危险了吗？（方求和而复召兵，汝岂不危？） 徐铉缓缓摇头——陛下，请把臣置之度外，该怎么办还要怎么办。（当置臣于度外耳。） 李煜当时就哭了，什么是忠臣？这难道还不是忠臣吗？但是局势危急，李煜只能忍痛让徐铉去冒险。为了多点把握，他又写了十几张纸的私人信件给赵匡胤，让一个叫周惟简的亲信道士藏好，这才让他们起程。 开封城到了，徐铉立即求见，然后马上就有人警告赵匡胤，对徐铉不能大意，必须要有充足的准备（宜有以待之），赵匡胤却哈哈一笑，说——只管把他叫上来，其他的你们都不懂。（第去，非尔所知也。） 徐铉上殿，他在当时宋朝最神圣庄严的地方，抬着头，声音响亮（仰而大言）地说出江南所有人的愤怨——“李煜无罪，陛下师出无名！” 宋廷震惊，这话很平常吗？不，这正中赵匡胤的要害。谁都知道，赵匡胤每次出兵都要有理由、有根据，不是由对方请求他出兵（荆湖），就是他被迫还击（后蜀、南汉），从来都没有不讲道理，上门欺负别人的时候。而这次征南唐，最冠冕堂皇最官方的理由也不过就是李煜“倔强不朝”，这无论如何都太勉强。 但是从来都没有人敢对赵匡胤说什么，现在徐铉上来就揭赵匡胤的底牌，从根儿上让他原形毕露。 人人都在看着宋朝的皇帝，赵匡胤这时可以有多种选择。他可以当场大怒，无论是胖揍徐铉一顿，还是把他轰下殿去，都很容易而且正当，毕竟徐铉以求和的身份，却说了指责批评的话，其实就算杀了他又能怎样？胜利者不受任何指责！ 但是赵匡胤却没生气，他很从容地叫徐铉走近些（帝徐召升殿），让他有话尽管说完。 徐铉更加气愤，南唐多年来种种委曲求全的事涌上心头，让他脱口而出——李煜事俸陛下，就像儿子对父亲那样孝顺，有过什么过失吗？你凭什么派兵征伐？（如子事父，未有过失，奈何见伐？）之后他反复论说，慷慨激昂，史称达到了“数百言”之多。但是很不幸，迅速进入辩论状态中的徐铉忘了自己从最开始时就走进了死胡同，留下了致命的破绽。 等到他终于告一段落之后，赵匡胤只平淡地回答了他一句话——你说我和李煜就像父亲和儿子，那好，你说父亲和儿子能分开住吗？（尔谓父子为两家，可乎？） 徐铉一下子愣住了，他脑子里电光火石一般地闪过一条无论如何都再没法辩驳的“真理”——君君臣臣父父子子，这是所有儒家弟子必须永远遵从的天地立心之本！ What more can I say?赵、匡、胤……算你狠！徐铉无比痛恨自己，没想到自己满腹的经纶，竟意外地败给了这个出身行伍，一肚子草包的强盗皇帝。 但是说什么都晚了，在他的难堪中，道士周惟简拿出了李煜亲笔写的信件，呈给赵匡胤，这是最后的努力了。让人欣慰的是，赵匡胤当场看信，但看完后说出的话让徐铉加倍的愤怒。 赵匡胤说——你们国主所说的话，我看不懂。（尔主所言，我亦不晓也。） 还能再说什么？徐铉一行人至此已经彻底失败，而且无话可说。因为赵匡胤从始至终，居然都是那么的宽仁大度，胸襟似海，让你找不到他半点的不是，你所能做的，就只有郁闷至死。 徐铉失败了，金陵、南唐还有李煜的命运就全都维系在一个人的手里了——湖口大营，朱令赟。那是江南战局最后的一点点变数，毕竟那里还有南唐的十万大军。 公元974年10月的中旬，也就是徐铉终于满腔愤怒地离开开封之后，朱令赟再也没有了选择，局势要求他无论如何都必须出兵了。 朱令赟倾寨而出，再不回顾，什么后路或者伏兵他都不在乎了。史称他集结了所有力量，对外宣称有十五万之众，然后让士兵们坐上能容纳千人的超大战舰，以及长百余丈的大木筏，顺流东下，直扑采石矶。他的战略意图很明显，还是要利用南唐水军的优势，拦腰切断宋军的进退之路，然后再顺江而下，直抵金陵，去拯救他的皇帝。 这个计划很老套，真的不新鲜了。但正中宋军的要害，其实在战争中南唐人一次又一次地瞄准了浮桥就说明了问题，这的确就是宋军的命门——无论是进退，还是必须的给养，都必须通过这座浮桥来实现。所以这就是南唐之战的关键，得浮桥者得胜利！ 宋朝方面，一直屯驻于独树口（今安徽安庆附近）的西路军主将王明发现了朱令赟的动向，他立即上报，要求调集重兵拦截朱令赟。而这个消息直接惊动了赵匡胤本人。 赵匡胤亲自批示——调兵来不及了，但必须得拦住。否则湖口之兵一天之间就能抵达金陵，那时我军必须撤退。 赵匡胤命令王明在朱令赟进兵必经之路的江面洲浦之间竖立桅杆形状的长木作为疑兵，他打赌，朱令赟一定会上当。果然，朱令赟迟疑了，他太谨慎了，人没法违背自己的本性，就算抱着必死之心出击，朱令赟还是在一片林立无边的“桅杆”前停了下来，开始小心观察。 就在他的观察中，曹彬赢得了千金难买的时间，他派出了部将刘遇率战舰增援。21日，刘遇和王明会合了，他们一刻都没耽搁，立即就向刚刚到达了皖口（今安徽安庆西南，皖水入江口）的朱令赟发起了攻击。 战斗刚开始，朱令赟就感觉到了凶险。他的强处已经变成了他的致命伤——超级巨大的战舰，尤其是他的座舰，史称舰有十余重，也就是说是已经达到了十几层的楼船。甚至连他们的木筏都有百余丈，那是三百多米长……可是这时是10月份，冬季水涸，航道又浅又窄，这样的大船简直寸步难移！ 但是朱令赟不愧是南唐数一数二的水军名将，他当机立断，不再用常规的水军战术。当时他在偏西南，宋军偏东北，初冬的天气里罕见地吹着强劲的南风，朱令赟命令把大量的桐油倒进江里，然后纵火点燃，顿时一片火海向北漂去，刘遇马上就支持不住了（遇军不能支）。 但是谁能想到，胜利的天平刚刚向南唐稍微倾斜，命运就再次残酷地捉弄了江南人。风向突然变了，南风猛地变成了北风，剧烈的变向让朱令赟措手不及，熊熊的火焰一下子就把他和南唐水军彻底包围……下面的事没法再多说了，南唐水军的船越大，可烧的东西就越多，火势就相应地越大。 南唐的湖口水军就这样全军覆没，朱令赟指天斥地，愤怨无及，最后投火自尽。至此，李煜最后的一点希望也破灭了。 朱令赟全军覆没的消息迅速传遍了大江南北，无论是开封还是金陵，都因为这个消息而变得安静。谁都清楚了，大局已定，南唐就连理论上的反抗都不可能了。 但是李煜却仍然不死心，他作出的决定让人费解，但是其实也非常的正常，因为谁都有挣扎求生的权力。李煜决定，派刚刚回到金陵的徐铉再次出使开封，为南唐的生存再进行一次努力。 出人意料，徐铉竟然又答应了，其实上一次他能从开封城里回到围城中的金陵，这本身就是极其的难能可贵的。不管成功与否，他都忠于臣节，