Chapter 33 ten broken dreams

Before and after the Wutai poetry case, Zhao Xu did not stop the reform process. In addition to personally adjusting the reform measures during the Xining period and continuing to implement the new law, he also embarked on a major reform of the official system. The official system in the early Song Dynasty followed the old system of the Tang Dynasty, but the three divisions (Taishi, Taifu, Taibao) and Sangong (Taiwei, Situ, Sikong) were rarely set up. Tongping Zhangshi is the prime minister, and Shen Zhizheng is the deputy prime minister. There are Zhongshu and the Privy Council in the palace. The Zhongshu is in charge of the government, and the Privy Council is in charge of the military. They are called the Second Mansion.The third department is in charge of finance, Yushitai is in charge of picketing and impeachment,

Three provinces (Shangshuling, Shizhong, Zhongshuling); six ministries (officials, households, rituals, soldiers, punishments, and workers); nine temples (Taichang, Zongzheng, Guanglu, Weiwei, Taipu, Dali, Honghe, Si Nong, Dafu); the Six Supervisors (Guozi, Shaofu, Jiangzuo, Junqi, Dushui, Sitian) and so on do not have special officials, but other officials concurrently serve. Zhi Zhigao drafted external edicts, which were called external systems; Hanlin scholars drafted internal edicts, which were called internal systems, collectively known as the two systems. Three museums (Zhaowen Museum, History Museum, and Jixian Academy) are in charge of compiling history.Sometimes three phases are set up and three halls are divided into three halls.

All members of the library are called bachelors, but they must pass an examination to obtain this position. Once they obtain the bachelor's position, they become celebrities.There are also officials such as Diange, who are also divided into bachelors and bachelors, but there is no quota, and most of them are given false names by other officials. In the third year of Yuanfeng (1080), Zhao Xu decided to reform the official system, and ordered Zhang Cheng, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and Zhang Cheng, a deputy of the Privy Council, to be responsible for this matter.In September, a new official system was introduced, and all old titles that had false titles would be removed and changed to official ranks.From Kaifu Yitong Sansi to Jiang Shilang, it is divided into twenty-four ranks.For example, the names of Lingshizhong, Zhongshuling, and Tongping Zhangshi were changed to Kaifu Yitong Sansi; leading left and right servants were changed to Tejin and so on.So far, the Song Dynasty had a certain official system.

In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the factional disputes among court officials were not obvious.The reason is that since the founding of the country by Taizu, the supreme ruler of the Song Dynasty has made great efforts to prevent his officials from forming cliques. Among the ministers, as long as there is a sign of forming a clique, they will be punished, or dismissed from office, or expelled from the capital.For example, during the reign of Renzong Qingli, when Fan Zhongyan presided over the New Deal, some people attacked Fan Zhongyan and others for forming cliques and being "cliques". Ouyang Xiu wrote the famous "Cliques Theory" to express his support for Fan Zhongyan.As a result, Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, Ouyang Xiu, and Shi Jie were considered cronies, and they were all expelled from the capital and demoted to other places.It made the vigorous Qingli New Deal seem like a flash in the pan and declared a failure.

Since Wang Anshi implemented the new law, the officials of the imperial court were divided into two factions, the old and the new, or called the old and new parties. The new school was headed by Wang Anshi, and the political ideas of Wang Gui and Cai Que inherited Wang Anshi's mantle and belonged to the new school. The old school was headed by Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo, and Sima Guang. There is also a school of Taoism, with Hu Yuan, Zhou Dunyi, Sun Fu, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Shao Yong, and Zhang Zai as the main group. Their political concepts are the same as those of the old school, and they all advocate conservatism.Hu Yuan is known as Mr. Anding; Sun Fu is Mr. Taishan; Zhou Dunyi is Mr. Lianxi; Shao Yong is Mr. Kangjie; Zhang Zai is Mr. Hengqu; Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi are the second Cheng of Taoism.

The old and the new factions were at odds with each other and were extremely incompatible, breaking the pattern of no friends in the early Song Dynasty.Although the new faction does not have an advantage in numbers, it has the backing of Emperor Zhao Xu and has occupied the position of prime minister for a long time.Therefore, in terms of momentum, the new faction has overwhelmed the old faction, and the old faction has been in a situation of being suppressed. Many old faction figures were demoted from the capital because they opposed the new law. After Zhao Xu reformed the official system, he intentionally leveled the balance between the old and new factions, properly quoted the suppressed old school figures, and expressed his idea of ​​appointing Sima Guang as Yushi doctor to the new school figures Wang Gui and Cai Que.Sima Guang is currently unemployed in Luoyang, Xijing.

Wang Gui and Cai were very alarmed when they heard that Zhao Xu wanted to use Sima Guang, because Sima Guang's reappearance would inevitably make the old school figures reused, which would weaken the power of the new school and shake the political status of the new school. Wu Chong had already retired at this time, and Wang Gui was the prime minister.After he retired from the court, he was worried that Sima Guang would weaken the status of the new faction after he became the censor doctor, so he approached Cai Que to discuss countermeasures. In order to prevent Sima Guang from entering Beijing, for personal benefit, Cai Que came up with a way to regain Lingzhou, regardless of national interests, so as to divert Zhao Xu's work focus and prevent Sima Guang from entering the court.

Zhao Xu wanted to level a bowl of water and balance the power of the old and new factions, but Wang Gui and Cai Que played tricks on him, triggering a war between the Song Dynasty and Xixia. Wang Gui adopted Cai Que's suggestion and recommended Yu Chong to the imperial court as the magistrate of Gyeongju, and then ordered Yu Chong to the imperial court to pacify Xixia.The overjoyed Zhao Xu looked at Yu Chong's performance and was really interested. He immediately turned his attention to the issue of the battle with Xixia, and had no time to consider Sima Guang's issue. Zhao Xu still ordered Wang Gui to be the servant of the left servant and also the servant of the sect; Cai Que was the servant of the right servant of the Shangshu and also the servant of the Zhongshu; Zhang Dun was the servant of the sect; Zhang Yu was the servant of the Zhongshu; You Cheng.Feng Jing was appointed as the privy envoy, and Xue Xiang, Sun Gu, and Lu Gong were appointed as the privy envoys.He ordered the people to raise horses and prepare for the Western Expedition.

Xue Xiang believed that raising horses would bring inconvenience to the people, so he suggested canceling this policy. As a result, he was impeached by the imperial censor Shu Yu, and was demoted to Yingzhou as a magistrate.Feng Jing also asked to resign.Zhao Xu ordered Sun Gu to know the affairs of the Privy Council, and Lu Gongzhu and Han Zhen both knew the affairs of the Privy Council. In April of the fourth year of Xining (1081), Yu Chong sent news from Gyeongju that there was civil strife in Xixia. Xixia regime.He suggested that the imperial court take the opportunity to send troops to capture Xixia.

Zhao Xu believed that the opportunity to conquer Xixia had come, so he immediately ordered Xihe Jingzhi Li Xian and others to summon the five-way troops from Shaanxi and Hedong to prepare for the conquest of Xixia, and ordered Zhong Er, the deputy general manager of Yanyan, to go to Beijing to report the situation immediately. Zhong Er is a person who talks too much, doesn't care about his words, and doesn't care about his words.In the early years of Xining, he went to war against Xixia without authorization, and was punished by the court by lighting the powder keg in the west of Song Dynasty.After receiving the order from the border court, he rushed to Bianliang immediately.When he learned of Zhao Xu's intention to go west, and asked him about Xixia's reality, he immediately became energetic, thinking that the opportunity to show himself in front of the emperor had come.Without hesitation, he said eloquently that Xixia had no talents, and Li Bingchang was just a child. After the Empress Dowager Liang usurped power, Xixia was ruled by a woman, and people's hearts were unstable.The implication is that the Song army's conquest of Xixia is like finding something out of a bag, and it will succeed immediately.

After hearing Zhong Er's performance, Zhao Xu strengthened his determination to conquer Xixia.He thought that Xixia was not to be feared, and taking Xixia was as easy as picking vegetables from his own vegetable garden. In the early years of Xining, Zhao Xu asked Fu Bi, the old prime minister, about the way to make the country rich and the army stronger. Fu Bi once warned: "When your Majesty ascended the throne, you should do good deeds and do good deeds. I hope that you will not talk about soldiers for twenty years." In the seventh year of Xining (1074), Song and Liao had a dispute over the boundary issue, and Zhao Xu wanted to launch an army to attack Liao. At that time, the Empress Dowager once warned him earnestly: "If the Liao Kingdom was easy to conquer, Emperor Taizu and Taizong would have recovered it long ago. Why bother?" Wait until today?" In fact, the words of the Empress Dowager are still applicable today.It's a pity that Zhao Xu completely forgot what Fu Bi and the Empress Dowager said, and started a war that shouldn't have happened. The next day, Zhao Xu held a military meeting in front of the imperial court and announced the decision to march west.Although he was strongly advised by Sun Gu and Lu Gong, he still did not change his decision to go west. Zhao Xu issued an order for the expedition: Li Xian from Xihe, Zhong'er from Yanyan, Gao Zunyu from Huanqing, Liu Changzuo from Jingyuan, Wang Zhongzheng from Hedong, divided into five groups, and marched towards Xixia at the same time.He also ordered Dong Zhan, the leader of Tubo, to lead the army to go out together. Sun Gu was very surprised to see that the imperial court ordered Li Xian to be the commander in chief. He thought that Li Xian was an eunuch who would never lead troops in battle and was not qualified for the post of commander in chief of the Western Expeditionary Army. "Can't an eunuch be handsome?" Zhao Xu asked back. "Of course not." Sun Gu said affirmatively, "Sending troops to fight a war is a major matter for the military. If an eunuch is the commander, does it mean that there is no general in the court and no one in China? Can the frontline soldiers obey the orders of an eunuch?" Zhao Xu said impatiently: "This is my order, who dare not obey?" Seeing that Zhao Xu was determined to appoint Li Xian as commander, Sun Gu had no choice but to stop talking about it, and then asked another question: "If there is no one who gives unified command, there will be chaos on the battlefield. " "Don't I know that there will be a commander-in-chief?" Zhao Xu said, "It's just that no one is qualified for the position of commander-in-chief." Lu Gongzhu echoed: "For such a major military operation, of course there must be a commander-in-chief. Since no one is qualified for the post of commander-in-chief, don't send troops!" Sun Gu said: "What the official book says is very true, please think twice, Your Majesty!" Zhao Xu said with a sullen face, "I've made up my mind, so don't say any more." Sun Gu and Lu Gong bumped their noses, so they had to give up. After retiring from the imperial court, Zhao Xu had just sat down when Empress Dowager Gao sent someone to invite him to enter the palace immediately. He didn't know what happened, so he rushed into the palace. Xixia, is there something like this?" "Yes!" Zhao Xu asked nervously, "Is there any question?" Empress Dowager Gao asked: "Is Gao Zunyu the coach of one of the roads?" Zhao Xu nodded, indicating that there was such a thing. "No!" Empress Dowager Gao said decisively, "The army and horses along this route must be withdrawn, otherwise we will miss a big deal." Zhao Xu asked puzzledly, "Why?" "Gao Zunyu is my uncle, and I know him best." Empress Dowager Gao said, "He has nothing to say about his loyalty to the court, but he has a fatal flaw, that is, he is too small-minded and greedy for merit, so he was ordered to guard the border. Yes, but ordering him to lead the army to fight will not work, not only will he not be able to make meritorious deeds, but he may also cause trouble." "Mother, don't worry too much." Zhao Xu said, "Jinglue Envoy (Gao Zunyu) has a high reputation in Huanqing, and he won't lose his chance in the battle! What's more, the five armies are marching hand in hand. Since he can't allow others to surpass him in military exploits, He must be unwilling to be the last one in the war, and this can just make him strive for military exploits." Empress Dowager Gao knew that Zhao Xu was headstrong and could not listen to advice, so she had to say: "I can tell you first, if something happens at that time, don't say that Queen Mother didn't remind you." After that, she retreated into the harem. Xixia's secret agents found out that the Song court divided troops into five groups to conquer Xixia, and immediately reported the situation to the mother of Xixia. Upon receiving this information, Liang hurriedly summoned all the generals to discuss defense strategies.The Xixia generals learned that the Song soldiers were coming, and they all geared up. They said that Li Xian was an eunuch who didn't know how to lead troops to fight, and that Zhong Er was the defeated general of Xixia. They are all wine bags and rice bags, and they are here to die.He also said that now that autumn is high and horses are fat, it is a good time to fight, and they all advocate dividing troops to meet the enemy. There was a veteran general who resisted all opinions. He advocated fortifying the walls and clearing the country to avoid the spirit of the Song army; gathering heavy troops in Lingzhou and Xiazhou to wait for work; and then sending elite soldiers to cut off the Song army's grain roads.In this way, the Song army will be in chaos without fighting. At that time, hundreds of thousands of Song soldiers, let alone fighting, may not have time to retreat.When the Song army retreats, the generals can kill as much as they want, and everyone can kill to their heart's content. The veteran's strategy won the approval of everyone.Mrs. Liang adopted this veteran's suggestion and ordered the generals to follow the plan. The Song army marched towards the territory of Xixia in five routes. Along the way, after the Xixia army resisted for a while, they retreated deep into Xixia without encountering stubborn resistance. In the eyes of Song Jun, the Xixia Army is simply vulnerable, and in Xia Jun's heart, this is to lure the enemy deep.The soldiers of the two armies have their own concerns and are playing a game of cat and mouse.They both thought they were cats and the other was a mouse. Li Xian commanded Xi, Qin Qijun, and the 30,000 troops of Tubo leader Dong Zhan, entered the territory of Xixia, captured the new city of Xishi, captured Nvzhegu, and took back Lanzhou in ancient times. government. Zhong Er led 93,000 soldiers out of Suide City and captured Mizhi City.Straight to Xiazhou, garrisoned in Suojiaping. Wang Zhongzheng led the troops from Hedong to capture Youzhou. Gao Zunyu led 87,000 infantry and cavalry all the way, went out of Qingzhou to kill Xixia, and recovered the Qingyuan army. Liu Changzuo led 56,000 soldiers and horses along the way, went out of Jingyuan to kill Xixia, defeated Xia army in Moyikou, and forced Xia army to flee to Lingwu. The Fifth Route Army succeeded one after another. Zhao Xu was ecstatic when he got the news in the capital, and ordered Li Xian to lead the Fifth Route Army to attack Xiadu. The generals of the Song army saw that after they entered the Xia territory, they had a smooth journey and successive victories, thinking that Xixia was nothing more than that, but in fact, they were jumping into a death trap. Kinder started from Mizhi City, conquered Shibao City, garrisoned Suojiaping, and pointed directly at Xiazhou.As soon as the prepared food and grass arrived, they raised troops to attack Xiazhou.At this time, suddenly received a report from the rear army, saying that the troops escorting grain and grass were ambushed by Xia Jun, and all the grain, grass and supplies were robbed by Xia Jun. When the soldiers heard that the grain and grass had been robbed, they immediately became agitated.When Senior Colonel Liu Guiren heard that the food and grass had been robbed, he became terrified, knowing that the battle could not be fought, so he led his soldiers and fled without saying hello to Chong Er.The Song army was already motivated. Seeing that some troops were retreating, they thought they were about to retreat, so they ran in a swarm, and the kind of orders had lost their effect.Just at this time, it was snowing heavily again. The poor soldiers and horses of Song Dynasty died of cold and hunger, and they were intercepted and killed by Xia Jun on the way, and they retreated to Yanyan, leaving less than 30,000 horses. Wang Zhongzheng started from Youzhou and marched to Naiwangjing. The food was exhausted, and the food road behind was cut off by the Xia army. In desperation, he had to withdraw his troops and returned to Qingzhou to count the troops. Nearly half of the people died of freezing and starvation. Liu Changzuo led his troops to defeat Xia's army at Moyikou, forcing Xia's army to retreat to Lingzhou. Song's army chased to Lingzhou city and surrounded Lingzhou city tightly.Liu Changzuo ordered his troops to launch a fierce attack on Lingzhou City. Seeing that the city was about to be broken, he suddenly received an order from Gao Zunyu to stop the attack.Liu Changzuo was Gao Zunyu's subordinate and had to obey the military order, so he had to stop the siege. It turned out that Gao Zunyu learned that Liu Changzuo was attacking Lingzhou during his march.He was worried that Liu Changzuo would attack Lingzhou and build an indelible feat on his own, so he immediately sent an order to stop the siege.A mistake made the Song army lose the opportunity to break the city.What Empress Dowager Gao worried about really happened. Gao Zunyu arrived in Lingzhou three days later. At this time, the morale of Liu Changzuo's army had been exhausted. Gao Zunyu's troops were also exhausted from the long-distance running. However, the Xia soldiers in Lingzhou City were deployed after a rest, and the defense was tighter and the guards were more tenacious. At that time, the Song army besieged for eighteen consecutive days. Lingzhou City was as solid as gold, and it was difficult for the Song army to cross the thunder pool. When the two armies were fighting fiercely, a group of Xia's troops quietly broke through the seventh canal of the Yellow River, and the torrential Yellow River rushed towards the Song army with the momentum of Mount Tai. Gao Zunyu and Liu Changzuo only cared about attacking the city and failed to guard against the move of the Xia people. In an instant, tens of thousands of Song soldiers were trapped in the ocean, and more than half of them were drowned. The clothes were soaked in water, and more than 20,000 people froze to death. They escaped by chance and were hunted down by the Xia army. Gao Zunyu fled all the way back to Gyeongju, and Liu Changzuo fled all the way back to Jingyuan. Only 13,000 people. Li Xian's journey, because of his contribution to reclaiming the ancient Lanzhou, and because he was the first to report victory to the court, Zhao Xu ordered him to be the commander-in-chief of the five-way army, and went straight to Xiadu. Li Xian led his troops to the east, set up a camp at the foot of Tiandu Mountain, burned the Nanmou inner hall in Xixia, destroyed the library, defeated the Xia army, and stationed in Huluhe.When he heard the news of the failure of the other ways, he dared not go any further, and immediately took the lead. The five-way army was defeated across the board.At that time, an official who accompanied the army wrote a "West Expedition Poem", which recorded the tragic situation in Lingzhou City: On Weizhou Road in Qinggang Gorge, ten times I go to join the army and nine times I don’t return. The bones of the dead are like rustling like snow, so don't go to Wangxiangtai with the Lord. The intensity of the war between Song and Xia can be seen from this. The soldiers of the five routes agreed to meet up in Lingzhou when they dispatched their troops, and the soldiers and horses of the four routes all arrived in Lingzhou. In different forms, they got the same end-a disastrous defeat.But Li Xian didn't reach Lingzhou all the way, so he suffered the least loss. The news of Lingwu's defeat spread to the capital. Zhao Xu was about to go to bed when he got up from the bed in shock. Afterwards, he said to his left and right: "When I sent troops to the west to march, Sun Gu could not remonstrate. I thought he was pedantic and refused to listen to him. The Queen Mother also said that Gao Zunyu should not be sent to lead the army and attack at will, but I did not listen. Now Sure enough, I suffered such a big defeat, it is too late to regret!" Punishment according to the crime: Gao Zunyu was demoted to be the Deputy Envoy of the Tuanlian in Yingzhou, and he was resettled in the state; Zhong Er, Liu Changzuo, and Wang Zhongzheng were all demoted and punished.Only Li Xian did not add any crime. Sun Gu believed that all soldiers and horses had arrived in Lingzhou, but Li Xian had not arrived. According to the military law, Li Xian should be executed. Not only did he not be killed, but he was not even punished, which was unreasonable. Zhao Xu sent an imperial edict to question Li Xian, asking him to explain the reason for withdrawing without authorization. Li Xian defended on the table, saying that because the grain and grass transportation did not keep up, the troops had no food to eat, so they had to retreat.He also said that he was preparing food and payment tools, and planned to do it again. Li Xian's sophistry confused Zhao Xu.Two days later, Li Xian launched a strategy of attacking Xixia again. Zhao Xu appointed him as the envoy of Jingyuan economic strategy appeasement system, and also knew Lanzhou, and appointed Li Hao as his deputy. Lu Gong wrote another letter to remonstrate, but Zhao Xu still refused. Lu Gong wrote that he was sick and asked to resign. Zhao Xu ordered him to be the prefect of Dingzhou. At this time, the reform of the official system has been confirmed, and the Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi is changed to Zuopushe, and the Shenzhizhengshi is the Menxia Zhongshu Shilang Shangshu Zuocheng. Zhao Xu ordered Wang Gui to be the left servant of Shangshu, Cai Que to be the right servant of Shangshu, Zhang Dun to be the servant of the door, Zhang Yu to be the servant of Zhongshu, Pu Zongmeng to be the left servant of Shangshu, and Wang Anli to be the right servant of Shangshu. Although the battle of Lingzhou failed, Zhao Xu did not give up his desire to eliminate Xixia. Li Xian was very good at thinking about Zhao Xu's thoughts. He knew that the emperor's determination to expand the territory had not changed, so he did what he liked and proposed Fa Xixia.When Zhao Xu was hesitating, Zhong Er reported to the court again, suggesting to build a fortress in Hengshan, take a high-level view to overlook the Xia territory, and advocated marching troops from Yinzhou to conquer Xixia. This suggestion was put forward by Shen Kuo, the magistrate of Yanzhou. Because of the defeat in the Western Expedition, Chong Er wanted to have a chance to make contributions, so he reported Shen Kuo's suggestion to the court. Zhao Xu attached great importance to Zhong Er's opinion, and immediately sent Xu Xi and his servant Li Shunju to Fuyan to implement the city building. Wang Anli believed that Xu Xizhi was too talented to be used to great effect, so he asked Zhao Xu to send someone else, but Zhao Xu refused. After receiving the decree, Li Shunju went to see the prime minister, Wang Gui, and said to Wang Gui, "In ancient times, it was said that there are many fortifications in the surrounding suburbs. This is a disgrace to the doctor! How can you entrust such an important matter to two ministers when you are in charge of the country? We ministers, only How can you be a general if you can do some cleaning and logistics work?" Li Shunju's attitude was very clear, playing gongs and selling sugar, each doing his own business, he and Xu Xi were both eunuchs, they could only do some things to serve the emperor, leading troops to fight was the job of generals, they should not be allowed to do it.His words spoke of a common problem in the Song Dynasty. Generals who could lead troops to fight stood aside, while those who could not fight went to lead the army to kill the enemy. Wang Gui felt ashamed and said with a smile, "Don't be too modest. I am a minister with you. I don't know how to lead troops to fight, and I can't go to the frontier court to make contributions. I'm going to use you to appease the frontier and make the court worry-free. I am good at being the Prime Minister of Taiping. You and Xu Xi are capable of writing and martial arts. They are rare talents. They should be generals and prime ministers, and contribute to the court. How can you say that you can't be handsome?" Li Shunju knew that it would be useless to say any more, so he sighed and had no choice but to withdraw. When Xu Xi and Li Shunju arrived at Fuyan, Xu Xi inspected the terrain and disapproved of building the city of Hengshan, and chose Yongle as the site for the city. Zhong Er believes that Hengshan is the best place to build a city because it is in a condescending position and overlooks Xingzhou and Lingzhou.To conquer Xixia, we must march from Yinzhou. Xu Xi believes that although Yinzhou is located at the confluence of Mingtang River and Wuding River, the southeast of the old city has been submerged by the river, and the northwest is blocked by natural moats. The terrain is not as dangerous as Yongle, and the city should be built in Yongle. Zhong Er said that Yongle is only twenty-five miles away from Yinzhou, which is the center of Yinzhou. Xixia must strive to build a city here. Building a city will not benefit the country, but it will cause war in Xixia. Xu Xi believes that building a city in a place that Xixia must fight for must make Xixia feel fear, so as to show the prestige of the kingdom. If you are afraid of him coming to fight, can you still sit on the frontier? The two couldn't agree on where to build the city, so they had to go to the court. Zhao Xu didn't know the details, but actually adopted Xu Xi's suggestion to abandon Hengshan and build Yongle. After Xu Xi received the imperial edict, because he disagreed with Zhong Er, he asked Zhong Er to stay in Yanzhou, and he personally led the generals to Yongle to build the city.It took only fourteen days to build. Zhao Xu was overjoyed and named the new city Yinchuan Village. Yinchuanzhai is twenty-five miles away from Yinzhou. The land is the key point of Yinzhou, and it is a must for the Xia people.Less than ten days after Xu Xi and others left, Xixia sent two thousand cavalry to attack Yinchuan Village. Qu Zhen sent someone to report to Xu Xi.Xu Xi ordered Shen Kuo to stay in Mizhi, and he, Li Shunju, Li Ji and others rushed to help Yinchuan Village. As soon as Xu Xi led reinforcements to Yinchuan Village, Xixia had mobilized 300,000 soldiers from all over the country to attack. Obviously, Xixia was determined to win Yinchuan Village, and this result was exactly what Zhong Er was worried about. General Gao Yongneng saw Xia's army coming in swarms, and suggested that Xia's army should be caught off guard when his footing was not stable. Xu Xi scolded: "Master Wang can't form a line without drums. How can he attack without forming an array?" It means that he wants to fight Xia Jun in a dignified manner. Fighting planes were fleeting on the battlefield, and Xu Xi missed a good opportunity to attack Xia's army.Qu Zhen saw that there were Xia soldiers all over the mountains and plains, and the soldiers had expressions of fear on their faces, so she suggested to withdraw the troops and return to the city to find a good strategy, but was reprimanded by Xu Xi, so she had to line up by the river. The iron cavalry of the Xixia Army crossed the river first. Seeing this, Qu Zhen hurriedly said: "This is the iron kite army! If you attack when he is halfway across the river, you will definitely win. If you wait for him to cross the river, occupy a favorable terrain, and rampage, you will be unstoppable!" But Xu Xi said, "I'm about to ask him to cross the river. If he crosses halfway, I will attack him. It won't kill them, but it will make them escape. Wouldn't it be troublesome?" Xu Xi didn't understand the art of war, and once again lost a good opportunity to attack the enemy.In his eyes, it seemed that Xia Jun was here to die, and Song Jun was sure of winning. Seeing that Xu Xi didn't know how to fight at all, Qu Zhen couldn't help sighing, "The situation is over! I will die without a place to die!" The opportunity to fight on the battlefield was fleeting. Seeing that the Song army did not attack, the Xixia iron kite army quickly rushed across the river, and did not line up after crossing the river. They rushed directly to the Song army. Cross the river and kill the Song army together.Quzhen's tribe couldn't resist, and they were defeated and fled immediately. Seeing that the momentum was not good, Xu Xi turned his horse's head and fled into the city.Qu Zhen retreated into the city with the defeated soldiers. The 300,000 Xixia army surrounded the Yinchuan village and cut off the water source.Xu Xi had no choice but to rely on Qu Zhen's troops to fight bloody battles with Xia's army, barely holding the city.There was no water in the city, and the soldiers dug wells everywhere, and many soldiers died of thirst. Although Li Xian and Shen Kuo led troops to rescue them, they were stopped by the Xixia army.Kinder resented Xu Xi and stood still.The soldiers of Yinchuan Village have almost become turtles in the urn, swimming in the bottom of the pot. The soldiers in the Yinchuan village almost lost their combat effectiveness due to hunger and thirst.In the middle of the night, it rained suddenly again, and the city was in chaos.The Xixia army took advantage of the momentum to break through the Yinchuan village. Xu Xi, Li Shunju, Li Ji and others died in the rebellion, but Qu Zhen fled in the rebellion, throwing away his helmet and armor. In the battle of Yongle City, more than 200,000 soldiers of the Song Army were killed.The Xixia soldiers chased Mizhi, and Shen Kuo defended behind closed doors. The Xixia soldiers attacked for several days and withdrew. Since the year of Xining, Zhao Xu has used troops to the west for several times, and obtained only the six cities of Jialu, Wubao, Yihe, Mizhi, Futu, and Saimen. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed and countless money, grain, silver and silk were consumed .In the battle of Yongle, the defeat was even worse. As a result, Shen Kuo was demoted to be the deputy envoy of Junzhou Tuanlian and resettled in Suizhou, and Qu Zhen was demoted to be the imperial envoy. The battle of Yongle City completely destroyed Zhao Xu Pingxia's confidence. From then on, he never mentioned the Western Expedition. In terms of military affairs, the Song Dynasty also changed from offensive to defensive. The Song Dynasty stopped going west, and the Xixia people were not reconciled. They still invaded and harassed the west and east on the Song Xia border, and wrote a letter to Liu Changzuo, the general manager of Jingyuan, accusing the Song army of invading Xixia.Liu Changzuo forwarded Xixia's letter to the court. Zhao Xu had nothing to say, so he had Liu Changzuo agree to come as an envoy and agree to make good friends with Xixia. Xixia sent envoys to the DPRK, and made a statement "begging for the invaded land, and still loyal to Qin". Zhao Xu issued an edict, saying that Song would not use troops against Xia, and hoped that Xixia would abide by the covenant, but he did not mention Xixia's request to return the land seized by Song. After the envoys of Xixia left, Zhao Xu ordered Shaanxi and Hedong Jinglue Division to patrol all the recovered cities within two or three miles, and the rewards for Xixia should still be allocated according to the previous amount. Xia Zhu wrote again, asking Song Ting to return the lost land, but Zhao Xu still refused, so Xia Zhu had two intentions and waited for an opportunity to retaliate. Liu Zhi impeached Li Xian, saying that the defeat of Yongcheng was caused by Li Xian's greed for meritorious service and that he should be punished. In the seventh year of Yuanfeng (1084), Li Bingchang, the lord of the Xia Dynasty, led 800,000 troops to besiege Lanzhou for ten days and nights. Li Xian tried his best to defend and keep the city intact. Retreat; Soon, they attacked Yanzhou Deshun Army, Dingxi City and Xihe Villages, but failed; they turned around Dingzhou, but were also repelled by Song Army.Li Bingchang had no success in all directions, so he had to withdraw his troops. Song Xia temporarily stopped the war, but they still had good relations. In December, Sima Guang wrote a book after 19 years. This book starts from the 23rd year of King Weilie of Zhou Dynasty and ends in the 6th year of Zhou Xiande (959). , and referring to the group of books, commented on the similarities and differences, a total of 294 volumes.Sima Guang presented the book for imperial reading. Zhao Xu was very happy when he saw this book, and praised that it was a great book that had never been seen in the previous generation, and it was much better than the "Han Ji" written by Xun Yue.So Sima Guang was awarded the title of Bachelor of Zizhengdian. One day, Zhao Xu was reviewing, and it happened that Pu Zongmeng came to see him. Zhao Xu patted the book and said that there are few talents in the world today, and fortunately there is Sima Guang. Pu Zongmeng was jealous of Sima Guang, and he replied casually that most of the talents were spoiled by Sima Guang's heresy, why did His Majesty say that instead? Zhao Xuzheng was very angry when he heard this, and he looked at Pu Zongmeng closely and said, "You don't like Sima Guang, do you? I ordered him to serve in the Privy Council before, but he refused to accept it. Sima Guang is the only one who can do it, who can compare to him?" Pu Zongmeng hit a big snag, and with shame on his face, he quietly withdrew. In the early morning of the next day, Zhao Xu dismissed Pu Zongmeng, appointed Wang Anli as the Zuo Cheng of the Shangshu, and Li Qingchen as the Youcheng of the Shangshu, and transferred Lu Gong to write to know Yangzhou. At the beginning of the first month of the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Zhao Xu fell ill. Empress Dowager Gao ordered people to pray to the gods and worship the Buddha and pay homage to the ancestral temple. However, Zhao Xu's condition not only did not improve, but became more and more serious.The ministers were in a mess.Wang Gui and others began to persuade Zhao Xu to establish a prince as soon as possible.Zhao Xu also seemed to have an ominous premonition, and nodded in agreement helplessly. Zhao Xu had fourteen sons, eight of whom died shortly after birth. Of the six surviving sons, the oldest, Zhao Gong, the king of Yan'an County, was only ten years old.The two younger brothers, Qi Wang Zhao Hao, who were born by the same mother, were thirty-six years old, and Jia Wang Zhao Kai was thirty-year-old. They were all qualified to be emperors in terms of prestige, status, and family background.King Qi was changed from King Chang, and King Jia was changed from King Le'an. Yuanwailang Xingshu wanted to make a difference and seek credit. He wanted to choose an heir to the throne among the two kings, Zhao Hao, King Qi, and Zhao Kai, King Jia, so he went to seek Cai Que's opinion. Cai Que hesitated for a long time and said, "What's the Queen Mother's opinion?" Xing Shu said confidently: "Both King Qi and King Jia were born to Empress Dowager Gao. Of course, the relationship between mother and child is deeper than that of the previous generation. It's too late to be happy to choose one of her sons as emperor. Can you disagree?" Cai Que thought for a while and said: "It's better to play the Queen Mother first, let's talk about it when you have a will!" Xing Shu went to visit Gao Gonghui, the nephew of the Empress Dowager Gao, with confidence. After the greetings, Xing Shu told the Gao brothers that the king of Yan'an County is too young, and King Qi and King Jia are very wise, and they can both become emperors. heir. After Gao Gonghui heard Xing Shu's words, his complexion changed drastically, and he said bluntly: "This is a matter for the royal family, how can I interrupt, aren't you trying to kill my Gao family!" After finishing speaking, he immediately got up to see off the guests. Xing Shu hit a snag, but in desperation, he had to leave disappointed. Xing Shu and Cai really saw that the plot could not succeed, so they had to think of another way. The ministers of the court and central government were eager to move about the appointment of the crown prince, and the two princes were also very concerned. They visited the emperor's illness more often in the palace. "Look at it angrily".The two princes often went to the palace to meet the Empress Dowager Gao in the name of asking for peace, trying to inquire about or discuss the establishment of the crown prince. Empress Dowager Gao was born in a noble family. Her great-grandfather was Gao Qiong, a famous general in the early Song Dynasty. Her mother was the granddaughter of Cao Bin, the founding father of the Northern Song Dynasty. Her aunt was Empress Cao of Emperor Renzong. It's a childhood sweetheart.Later, Renzong and Empress Cao presided over their wedding in person. At that time, there was a saying that "the emperor marries a daughter-in-law, and the empress marries a daughter".Empress Dowager Gao has experienced Renzong Lichu, Yingzong Puyi turmoil in the three dynasties of Renzong, Yingzong, and Zhaoxu, and the reforms in the Xining and Yuanfeng years of the Zhaoxu dynasty. She is well-informed and has rich political experience. Every move of the two princes did not escape the eyes of Empress Dowager Gao.Seeing that her two sons had ulterior motives, she immediately became vigilant. On that day, King Qi and Jia went to the palace to visit Zhao Xu's condition. Come into the palace, because the crown prince has not yet made a decision, it is difficult to guarantee that the ministers will not have innovative ideas, lest something should not happen, it is better to avoid suspicion." The two princes knew the weight of the queen mother's words, and after receiving the order, they hurriedly withdrew, returned to the palace, thanked the guests behind closed doors, and never dared to have any unreasonable thoughts. Empress Dowager Gao forbade the two princes from entering and leaving Zhao Xu's bedroom, in fact to tell them to stop thinking. A rainy day. Empress Dowager Gao made preparations in the palace, and Xing Shu and Cai Que were not idle. The two discussed secretly and decided to support Zhao servant and win the meritorious service. Xing Shu and Cai Ke agreed to invite Wang Gui to the palace to visit Zhao Xu's condition, but they secretly sent Cai Jing, the prefect of Kaifeng, to lead an assassin to ambush him, and if Wang Gui had the slightest objection, he would be killed.Unexpectedly, when Cai Que and Xing Shu made arrangements to make an appointment with Wang Gui, Wang Gui had already entered the palace. On the first day of March, Wang Gui entered the palace to be ordered by Zhao Xu, drafted a will, and named Zhao Gong, the king of Yan'an County, as the crown prince, and named him Zhao Xu. Five days later, Zhao Xu died. Zhao Xu pursued his ideals all his life, supported Wang Anshi's implementation of the new law, and hoped to rebuild a strong and prosperous country and recreate the prosperity of the Han and Tang Dynasties.When his dream was shattered, his life also came to an end. Zhao Xu reigned for 18 years, changed Yuan twice, lived at the age of 37, and was buried in Yongyu Mausoleum with the temple name Shenzong.