Start with detective Li Yuanfang

Chapter 974 Shi Jingtang ceded Yanyun before, but now Yelu has to lease Liao land again

Yunnei State.

This is the westernmost state of the Liao Kingdom, located on the border between the Liao Kingdom and Xixia.

The land is barren and the population is sparse. Since Xixia has been obedient to Liao in recent years, there are no heavy troops stationed there.

But recently, two armies appeared in Yunnei State, confronting each other far away.

On one side was the Yongning Army of the Yan State, who began to set up camp and overhaul the fort after arriving.

On the other side, judging from the white clothes in the center, it is known that it is the Xixia Army, and it is a high-level direct descendant.

Shangbai, a member of the party, Xixia calls itself Dabai Gaoguo, Dabai Shangguo, and those who wear white clothes as their troops are regular troops. At this time, it is the Central Guards who press down on the border of Liao Kingdom.

Xixia's central guard army has always been composed of three parts. One is the "Six Squads in the Royal Garden". It is composed of selected riders who are good at riding and arching from the chiefs of various tribes and powerful children, and serve as the emperor's guards. About [-], this is actually a hostage army, acting as a "hostage" in front of the imperial court, allowing the king of Xixia to control various ministries.

The second is the "iron cavalry", that is, the iron kite, with a number of [-], composed of brave men selected from the whole army, heavy armored cavalry.

The third is the Suwei army of the capital, which is similar to the imperial army of the Beijing camp. Its number is [-] to [-], and it is well-equipped and has [-] burdens. This army is the main force of the Central Guard Army.

At this time, in addition to the team staying behind in the capital, the king of Xixia drove to the border, bringing two thousand squadrons, two thousand iron kites, ten thousand elite guards of the capital, and [-] supporters, a mighty thirty thousand people. Well, it's not shabby to say it's shabby.

Li Qianshun stood on the central chariot with a poker-faced expression.

But judging from his appearance, the monarch of Xixia, who was only twenty-five years old, was actually quite vicissitudes and old. He looked as if he was nearly forty years old, and it was obvious how his life was going.

It is not surprising that this man ascended the throne at the age of three, and his mother's dictatorship continued to be a puppet until the age of sixteen when his mother's family was wiped out and took over the government himself. However, that was not his own ability. He aroused righteous indignation in the country and was finally overthrown. His mother, Empress Dowager Xiaoliang, was also poisoned by envoys sent by Yelu Hongji.

Li Qianshun had no choice but to ask Song Beiwei for peace, and at the same time propose marriage to Liao to consolidate the relationship between Liao and Xia through marriage. Yelu Hongji did not allow it at the beginning. It was not until Emperor Tianzuo succeeded to the throne that the daughter of the clan was made a princess and married to the Western Xia.

Relying on political attachment to the Liao Kingdom and a policy of reconciliation with the Song Dynasty in the military, Li Qianshun ordered the crumbling Xixia to gain a firm foothold and began to work hard to govern. However, in the next ten years, he was still violently beaten by the Song army until Jurchen established the country. Only then began to restore the decline, and then got the best of both sides.

But in this world, his backer is gone.

As early as when the Liao army failed to go south, lost Yanyun, could not enter Yanmen Pass, and made a detour, Emperor Tianzuo cut a piece of land from Xixia. Li Qianshun was so angry that he almost turned against him, but in the end he did not dare.

Now the Liao Kingdom is too busy to take care of itself, and the land it embezzled back then was easily taken back by Xixia. It was very happy in the past, but at this time Li Qianshun only felt terrified.

Because if Daliao is completely over and Xixia has no backing, if Yan continues the strategy of the former Song Dynasty and uses troops against him, how can he resist it?
Therefore, when Wanyan Aguda's son Wanyan Zongwang came to see him as an envoy, Li Qianshun received him covertly but warmly, and agreed to Jin Guo's invitation.

But when he really led the army to the border line, seeing the formation of the Yan army, deep worry appeared in his eyes again, and he endured it again and again, and sighed.

A woman in Chinese clothes came to her side, she was the princess of Liao Kingdom, now the queen of Xixia: "Why is your Majesty sighing? The Liao and Xia dynasties have been alliances, and now that the war is resurgent, it is even more important to fight against the enemy, and we must not be shaken!"

Li Qianshun looked at the wife: "I know you are eager, but now you just can't be anxious..."

The queen frowned: "The concubine is not in a hurry. In fact, Yanjin is fighting in Liaodong. The Xi clan is plotting rebellion. There is no delay. Send troops quickly to help the Liao Lord put down the rebellion. How can we miss this opportunity?"

Li Ganshun said indifferently: "I also want to do this, but the Lord of Liao has not moved to the capital so far. If he shows the heroism and heroism of going south in the past, I understand that Gao Guo would have sent troops to join him!"

This remark is very ironic, and it is said that Emperor Tianzuo jumped up and down when he should not behave, and the emperor personally conquered the situation, ruining the situation. Now the emperor of Daliao needs to come forward to quell the chaos. Instead, he shrank in Shangjing and waited to die.

The queen who was born as a princess of the Liao Kingdom obviously couldn't listen to this kind of evaluation, and her face was serious: "Did your majesty forget the kindness of Daliao to the Xia Kingdom?"

Li Qianshun slowly clenched his hands in his sleeves, and said in a calm tone: "Of course I have not forgotten, and I am willing to advance and retreat with Daliao. Otherwise, why bother to come here? I hope that the Liao Lord can cheer up, calm down the chaos, and the friendship between the two countries Long live!"

Only then did the queen's expression ease, and she urged a few more words to send troops, before bowing and leaving.

She didn't realize that the moment she turned to leave, Fu Lang's eyes became very cold.

The princess of Daliao is the son of Li Qianshun, and has been established as the prince of Xixia. Historically, the mother and son have always had a deep affection for Liao. Xixia chose to abandon Liao and formed an alliance with Jin. Later, she died of grief and anger. She was only seventeen years old. The queen was sad for her beloved son and died, worrying about the demise of the motherland.

In history, the two had been a couple for twenty years, and they had a deep relationship. Li Qianshun was very sad about the death of his wife and children. He did not establish a queen for more than ten years, but now the two sides have only been a couple for four or five years. Such things have seriously affected the relationship between husband and wife, and the relationship is neither salty nor weak. At this time, seeing that the queen is disregarding the interests of Xixia and only thinking about saving the Liao Kingdom, she is quite dissatisfied.

However, Li Qianshun didn't get angry directly, because he still hoped to use this marriage relationship to benefit from the perished Liao Kingdom, and the queen who turned her elbow outward was temporarily tolerable.

The most important thing is military strength.

After ordering Ban Zhi to send an order, a burly young official quickly came behind him and saluted: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Li Qianshun's attitude was different again: "Excuse me!"

This is his younger brother Li Cha, who was granted the title of King of Jin and is currently the General of the Army.

After the influence of his foreign relatives was wiped out, Li Qianshun adopted the method of entrusting the royal family to control power. There are important officials with real power in the court, most of whom are of royal blood, but some positions are also reserved for foreigners. The trusted younger brother holds the most critical military power.

Regarding this one, Li Qianshun didn't go around the bush, and asked directly: "Is there any change in the local situation?"

Brother Cha replied very straightforwardly: "Since the Hengshan Qiang voted for Yan, the tribe has many dissidents, the supervisory army is out of control, and the demands are endless. Now that His Majesty is here in person, he has restrained himself a lot. Except for the Xiangyou Army, the Jianing Army, and the Jingsai Army place, the rest are still unwilling to listen to the tune, let alone confront Yan."

Li Ganshun said: "The Xiangqing army and the brave army also don't listen?"

Brother Cha said: "Ask for rations. If you don't give rations, you won't send troops..."

Li Qianshun pursed his lips when he made such an excessive request, and finally asked, "Where are the capture troops from each department?"

Brother Cha said: "Your Majesty don't have to worry about this, the capture army has been deserted, they can't afford to make waves!"

Li Qianshun smiled wryly: "This is not good news..."

In addition to the Central Guard Army, Xixia also has local troops and capture troops.

When Li Yuanhao founded the country, he divided the whole country into left and right sides, and each side was divided into six local military regions. Stations, such as Xiangqing Army, Shenyong Army, Henan Army, Chaoshun Army, Gansu Army and so on.

Among these armies, the Xiangqing Army and the Brave Army have the highest status, with a full staff of [-], and the total number of troops under the command of the National Supervision Army Division is about [-].

In fact, although the system is very similar to the Song Dynasty, Xixia has its own national conditions, and the army still uses tribes as the basic organizational unit. The army participated in the war.

The problem now is that since the decline of Xixia, the tribal leaders are no longer willing to participate in the war.

After all, there have been no victories in these years. In the past, people from the Song Dynasty could be killed, weapons seized, armor removed, and good things could be distributed in the mutual market. All ministries participated enthusiastically. Now they are losing all battles, and the Xixia court was not responsible for providing military equipment and food. , are all brought by the soldiers, who would want to come?
Li Ganshun: Only when you come, can I win the battle!
Tribal Chief: We came only after you won the battle!

caught in a loop...

Of course, we can’t rely entirely on these ordinary soldiers, so there is another capture army, composed of elite cavalry selected by the leaders of each tribe, with a total of [-] people. As the name suggests, the purpose is to capture the enemy alive as slaves. During the battle, he played an important role and killed many Song people.

The result is also useless.

Because the old enemy Xijun is still guarding the border, they can't catch anyone at all.

In the past, whenever the dynasty of the Central Plains was changed, the foreign races around could benefit and pick up a bargain, but this time the Liao Kingdom was beaten to the point of being unable to take care of itself, and no replacements were brought along the border. They were still familiar faces who knew the basics.

After the Western Army was transferred to the Anxi Army, their mental outlook became better and better, their weapons and armaments were significantly improved, and their food did not depend entirely on the forts to farm the fields. They had to live frugally, provided by the imperial court, and enjoyed their own meat.

Xixia couldn't even match the Song Dynasty version of the Western Army, let alone this strengthened elite. They were beaten so hard that they couldn't find their way to the north, and the Qinsheng Army was also abolished.

Li Qianshun took a deep breath: "So, the only soldiers I can use now are the Central Guards?"

Brother Cha comforted: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The central guards are still strong. Once the Yan army invades, the tribes from all over the country will rise up to resist. They don't believe in the Han people."

Li Qianshun shook his head with a wry smile: "I don't believe the Han people because the former Song Dynasty did not sincerely benefit them. This king of Yan is much more powerful. I still don't understand why the Hengshan Qiang voted for Yan. Yes, everything will be different!"

Brother Cha gritted his teeth: "Since this is the case, let's not stop at the border between these two countries!"

Li Qianshun said: "You also insist on going to battle?"

Cha Ge said: "If we can't benefit from the Liao Kingdom, our Western Xia may be in danger of subjugation..."

Li Qianshun's eyes became firm: "That's right, you must go to war to make a profit, so that you can unite all the ministries and let Xixia regain its strength. How are you going to fight the enemy?"

Chage said: "Yan's army is dominated by infantry. There are no natural dangers and geographical advantages here, and there is no city to rely on. With the camp and fortress they built, they can use light cavalry to detour and attack from both sides!"

Li Qianshun asked: "What are the chances of winning?"

Brother Cha hesitated for a moment. He had observed the military appearance of the Yan army just now, and calmly analyzed: "It should be half of the Jin people who have been able to compete with the Yan army so far because of the superiority of the cavalry. Our army is not weak!"

However, Li Qianshun's expression changed: "There are iron cavalry and the capital guards, so there is only half the chance of winning? If our army loses this battle, I will have to return to the capital to linger. Is there a safer way?"

Brother Cha shook his head slightly: "The Yan army is much stronger than the Song army, but fortunately there are few cavalry, and our army only has half the chance of winning. I really dare not exaggerate..."

Li Qianshun fell silent.

It's not that he flinched, but that the [-] troops who came here with him now are all the direct troops that can be used except guarding the capital and other important places. On the contrary, the opposite is just an ordinary army in the Yan army.

For Li Qianshun, let alone a defeat, even a tragic victory, he couldn't accept it, because the Yan army could quickly bring in another army, but Xixia didn't have that qualification at all.

After a while, Li Qianshun asked, "Can war be used to force peace?"

Brother Cha gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice: "My brother will do his best!"

"I have to send envoys, let's find out first!"

Since he was going to leave a retreat for peace talks, it was necessary to send an envoy. Li Qianshun recruited a Han courtier to send an envoy to the opponent's military camp, using both soft and hard methods to find out information.

On the hard side, naturally, as an in-law and ally of the Liao Kingdom, he questioned why the other party appeared on the land of the Liao Kingdom for no reason.

In terms of softness, as long as it can get benefits, Xixia should be as soft as possible.

However, after the envoy returned to the military camp, the first reply he brought made Li Qianshun dumbfounded: "They said that Yunnei Prefecture is the land of Yan Kingdom? Has it been ceded?"

The envoy explained: "It was the work of Yelu Dezhong, the younger brother. In return for the Yan army's expulsion of the gold thieves, he leased many counties to the Yan State and used them as prefectures..."

Li Qianshun thought of Shi Jingtang in the later Jin Dynasty ceding the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, but he did not expect that now the feng shui will turn, and it will be the turn of the Liao Kingdom to cede land to the Central Plains Dynasty. And, losing power and humiliating the country is too shameful...

Soon he realized that something was wrong: "Lease to Yan Country... what is this saying?"

The envoy said: "The leased land is not permanent, and the Liao Kingdom can take it back in the future, but the land leased now is also the land of Yan... Commander Hu Yan warned our army not to step on the land of Yan, or you will bear the consequences. Don’t say it’s unpredictable!”

(End of this chapter)