Outlaws of the Marsh

Chapter 471 Surrender (please subscribe!)
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After Zhongshi's way of teaching became dumb, it doesn't mean that no one in the Western Army dared to stand up again.

Seeing that Zhong Shidao was silent, Yang Keshi stood up and said, "Grand Master, how will the overall strategic deployment be arranged for this troop dispatch? What's the situation with the Liao Army? It's not clear yet, and my subordinates think we should study it carefully." , Come up with a detailed plan before taking action, don't rush out."

Yang Keshi is known for his boldness, he was trained and promoted by Tong Guan, so he dared to speak in front of Tong Guan.

Before Tong Guan could reply, He Shen sneered and said: "General Yang, you usually boast that you are brave enough to defeat thousands of people, why are you so timid now? What is your intention? Do you want to spoil the important affairs of the government?"

Tong Guan then said: "What He Zhizhou said is true. Raising soldiers for a thousand days and using them for a short period of time, everyone must cheer up, strive to be warriors, promote the military might of our Great Song Dynasty, and make the Liao army frightened by hearing the news... Under the attack of the Jurchens, he was dying, the Liao Emperor had already fled to Jiashan, the Yan King Yeluchun usurped the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, and the officials and people all over Yanjing looked forward to the king's teacher. Take back Yanjing without a fight!"

After hearing Tong Guan's praise, He Shen felt very happy, and felt that his lost face was finally recovered.

He Shen stood up and said: "The people of Yandi are all living in dire straits. If the golden drum sounds, they will tie their necks around their shoulders and eat a pot of pulp to welcome the master."

Speaking of this, He Shen looked at Tong Guan, and said in a loud voice: "The lower official suggested that in the name of the Xuanfu Department, we should make a yellow list to show the public, and tell the officials and people of Yanjing that if they can come to donate the state and counties, they will give high-ranking officials a generous salary! "

Tong Guan very much agreed with He Shen's suggestion, and immediately ordered Liu Wei, the army staff officer, the father of Liu Ziyu, an important adviser under Li Yan, to draft the list of surrender.

Liu Kai's recruitment list reads as follows:

The Youyan side, which was originally our territory, has been subjugated by Khitan for nearly 200 years. Compared with Han and Tibetans, internal and external turmoil, the old master is still alive, and the new king usurps us.I, the Xuanfu envoy, obeyed Fengrui's decree, commanded a heavy army, and was close to the border for the second time. I received a speech to inquire about the crime, and my mission was to save the people, not to kill. You should all work hard to return to the plan as soon as possible.Those who have officials will return to the old times, and those who have land will return to their jobs as before.If you can lead a hero to make a difference, you will be given an official position, and you will be given gold and silk generously; Soldiers and common people, and Jiedu envoys, give money [-] guan, and a large house.But if we work hard, we will bear the captives with one heart, return to Han Yongbao, enjoy the joy of prosperity, and the Khitan tribes will be equal to the Han people.Soldiers who have been commanded are not allowed to kill a husband, or become unconscious or disrespectful, so they should be dealt with differently.In response to Khitan's own efforts, all horizontal restraints have been removed.Although the soldiers entered the border, the price of all the food, grass and carts and cattle feet required by the Yan people did not make the Yan people ready, and they were still exempted from taxes for two years.

Tong Guan ordered to recruit warriors from Xiongzhou, let them carry the bulletin across the border, go deep into the territory of Liao, and post it everywhere.

At the same time, Tong Guan also strictly ordered all armies not to cross the border to provoke, so as to avoid military conflicts.

……

The Yellow List of Surrender issued in the name of the Xuanfu Department was successively distributed to Yizhou, Zhuozhou, Yanjing and other places in the Liao Kingdom. Tong Guan and others patiently waited for the good news in Xiongzhou.

but!

After several days in a row, there was not a Liao official who came to donate the prefectures and counties, let alone Han people from Yandi flocking here.

Tong Guan thought: "What's going on? Is there something wrong with the information He Shen provided?"

Zhao Liangsi suggested: "You can't wait like this any longer. You should immediately send someone to Yanjing to find Yeluchun, explain your interests to him, and persuade him to sacrifice Yanjing."

Tong Guan felt that Zhao Liangsi's suggestion was good, so he personally drafted a letter to Yeluchun—Tong Guan and Yeluchun once had an acquaintance. Passing Yeluchun, the two chatted happily.

The content of the letter is as follows:

"The Taishi, the leader of the Privy Council, the envoy of Xuanfu in Hedong and Hebei, and Tong Guan, the Duke of Chu, wrote to His Excellency the King of Qin and Jin:
It is said that those who follow the sky will prosper, those who go against the sky will perish, those who win the hearts of the people can establish a country, and those who lose the hearts of the people will not be able to defend the country... The king is gentle and generous, understands the past and the present, and understands the opportunity of survival and death.Those who are good at strategizing, turn failure into success, and turn misfortune into blessing. If they can open the door to welcome surrender, return to the court and accept the land, so that the king will not lose the title of king for generations, and the people of Yan will not be in trouble with the axe. If not, When discussing to enter the army.The king is in poverty, the sky is tired of people leaving, if he wants to go north, he will have nowhere to go, and if he wants to go south, he will be safe. At this time, although he regrets, why pursue him?Kuang Daliao Fifth Road governs the state city, and the four capitals are already grassy, ​​and the swallows in the district must not be able to guard them.The king usually has a heart of benevolence, if he can know the chance of survival of the past, the fate of the whole Yanji will be saved, and the rest of the virtues will be infinite in the world.Guan and the king were fortunate to have a one-sided contract, and they dare not tell each other honestly, but they have to think carefully and make a plan, so that they should not be mistaken by mediocrity. "

After the letter was written, Tong Guan hesitated who to send to deliver the letter?

Zhao Liangsi said: "I'll go, I am very familiar with Yanjing, and I also know Yeluchun, so I can talk to him."

Tong Guan shook his head and said: "You are not suitable, let the court return officer Zhang Xian and Zhao Zhong go."

The so-called Guichaoguan refers to the Han people who used to be officials in the Yanyun area of ​​the Liao Kingdom. They later returned to the Song Dynasty and continued to be officials in the Song Dynasty, so they were called Guichaoguan by the Song people.

In fact, Zhao Liangsi can be regarded as a returning official.

In addition, the Song Dynasty also had the so-called "returning to the court", "returning to the Ming Dynasty", and "returning to the righteousness".

The so-called returning people refer to the Han people in the Yanyun area, that is, Han'er.

The so-called Guiming people refer to the ethnic minorities who were not originally Han people but later belonged to the Song Dynasty, such as the ethnic minorities represented by the Fan and Man in the southwest, as well as the Khitan, Mongolian, Jurchen and other ethnic groups.

The so-called returnees refer to people who were originally from the Song Dynasty, but were trapped in the Fan Kingdom, and then returned to the Song Dynasty, that is, traitors.

On the third day after Zhang Xian and Zhao Zhong left Xiongzhou, He Shen suddenly went to the Xuanfu Department to report to Tong Guan: "Just received a secret letter from Yanjing that Zhang Xian and Zhao Zhong were beheaded by Yeluchun." Already!"

Tong Guan was shocked when he heard the news!
In his impression, Yeluchun was a gentle, gentle, kind and benevolent person. How could he become so vicious and tyrannical as soon as he became emperor?

Liu Kai took a look at the secret letter and said: "Yeluchun's attack is so ruthless, which shows that he is quite resentful towards our Song Dynasty. It seems that there is not much hope for recruiting him. Judging from the current situation, Yan The officials and the people in Beijing are not like what He Zhizhou said, they eat pots of pulp, shoulder to shoulder, like boiling soup, is this purely He Zhizhou's imagination?"

He Shen's complexion is very ugly!
He was also very depressed. He felt that his judgment on the situation in Yanjing should be correct.

But the facts in front of him made him unable to explain.

He Shen suggested: "It's better to send Zhao Xu back to Yizhou to try to surrender. Yizhou is Zhao Xu's hometown. He should have many acquaintances there, and maybe he can gain something."

Zhao Xu was Dong Pang'er who led an uprising in the Liao Kingdom a few years ago. Later, he returned to the Song Dynasty. Zhao Ji gave him the name Zhao Xu when he met him.

This time, Zhao Xu and Tong Guan also came to the front line of Xiongzhou.

Tong Guan did not express his opinion.

Seeing this, Li Zongzhen, Tong Guan's chief aide, said, "You might as well give it a try, maybe you can gain something."

Tong Guan then sent someone to call Zhao Xu.

Tong Guan actually doesn't have a good impression of Zhao Xu, he thinks that this person is conceited and overbearing, and can't be reused.

really!

As soon as he was asked to return to Yizhou to surrender, Zhao Xu, who had already heard that Zhang Xian and Zhao Zhong had been beheaded by Yeluchun, immediately shied away and said: "I went back to Yizhou myself. The goal is too big, but the effect is not good. I have a good friend named Shi Cheng. He is a well-known figure in Yizhou. He has a wealth of wealth and likes to make friends with heroes. I write a letter to him, and the grand master can send someone to Yizhou to contact him. , Let him raise his troops and sacrifice Yizhou City."

After Zhao Xu finished writing the letter, everyone deliberated for a long time, not knowing who to send the letter to.

Finally, Tong Guan sent Tan Jiudianzhi and others, carrying Zhao Xu's letters and gifts, to Yizhou to surrender.

However, Shi Cheng didn't take Zhao Xu seriously at all. After reading Zhao Xu's letter, he immediately sent someone to tie up Tan Jiudianzhi and others, and then sent them to Yanjing and handed them over to Yeluchun.

Soon, Tan Jiudianzhi and others were also brutally killed.

Persuasion to surrender failed again.

This made Tong Guan realize that the road of persuading surrender may be difficult to follow. In other words, Zhao Ji's best and middle strategies have now come to nothing.

In the next step, Tong Guan intends to implement the worst strategy and let the army gather at the border in an attempt to exert military pressure on Yeluchun.

If it doesn't work, the teacher will return to the court and wait for the time to move.

However, Zhao Liangsi, who was not reconciled, suggested that Tong Guan send someone to Yanjing to try to persuade him to surrender.

Tong Guan felt unbelievable about this, and said, "Send someone again? Isn't it to die?"

Zhao Liangsi said: "No. If you send someone again, you must go there as an envoy of the Song Dynasty. The envoy represents our Song Dynasty. Yeluchun will never dare to kill our envoys of the Song Dynasty. If he really dares to kill We are the envoys of the Song Dynasty, so our army will have the reputation of being a teacher? The army can quickly go north and take back Yanjing by force."

Tong Guan thought for a while and asked, "Who can take on this important task?"

Zhao Liangsi replied, "I am willing to go!"

Tong Guan said: "You can't go, Yeluchun must hate you to the bone, if you go back to Yanjing, wouldn't you be falling into a trap?"

Zhao Liangsi then recommended Ma Kuo to go. He believed that Ma Kuo was brave and resourceful, and he would definitely fulfill his mission!
After Ma Kuo returned from his mission to the Kingdom of Jin, he stayed in the capital and was promoted to be a Xuanzansheren in Binmen.

Zhao Liangsi once talked with Ma Kuo about recovering Yanjing, and he knew Ma Kuo very well and admired him very much, so he recommended Ma Kuo.

Ma Kuo soon received Tong Guan's transfer order, ordering him to put down his work and rush to Xiongzhou immediately, but the letter did not say what he was asked to do in Xiongzhou.

Ma Kuo guessed that it must be related to the recovery of Yanjing.

Ma Kuo's father, Ma Zheng, guessed that Tong Guan probably sent his son to Yanjing to recruit Yeluchun.

When Ma Kuo heard this, he was very excited!
Going to Yanjing to recruit Yeluchun was a very challenging task.

Ma Kuo likes a challenge.

After Ma Kuo arrived in Xiongzhou, Tong Guan hosted a banquet for Ma Kuo in the Xuanfu Department, which made Ma Kuo a little flattered.

After drinking for three rounds, Tong Guan said honestly: "Ma Xuanzan is invited to Xiongzhou this time because the country has a very important task that Ma Xuanzan needs to handle. This task is very challenging. I wonder if Ma Xuanzan dares to undertake it?"

Ma Kuo said: "If Kuo's guess is good, the grand master should go to Yanjing to recruit Yeluchun?"

Tong Guandao: "Ma Xuanzan is really smart, no wonder Zhao Longtu admires you in every possible way, then... I wonder if Ma Xuanzan dares to take on this difficult task?"

Ma Kuo said: "As long as the grand master gives the order, the mountain of swords and the sea of ​​fire are willing to go!"

Tong Guan raised his hand and stroked the sparse beard under his chin, and said, "Okay! Zhao Longtu sure enough read you right, Ma Xuanzan, I do plan to send you to Yanjing to recruit Yeluchun... It's risky to go here, Yeluchun has already been killed We have several envoys, think about it carefully, and it will not be too late to answer me tomorrow."

For the envoy to Yanjing, Ma Kuo was already mentally prepared, so he just pondered for a while, and said: "Even if Yanjing is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, Kuo is not afraid, but for the sake of the overall situation, Kuo would like to make a few requests, I don't know if it is possible ?”

Tong Guan said: "Please tell me."

Ma Kuo said: "After the expansion to Yanjing, if there is a war between the two countries, first, the grand master should warn the soldiers of the army that it is strictly forbidden to enter the house to rob and search for treasures. Military orders must be strictly followed; To appease the hearts of the people; third, we must assess the situation and take advantage of the opportunity to march, and don't worry about expansion, expansion is just a small one, even if you die for the country, you will not hesitate!"

Tong Guan admired Ma Kuo's integrity and nodded in agreement.

The next day, Ma Kuo began to look for strong men from the barracks to go to Yanjing with him.

On the evening of May [-]th, Tong Guan came to Baigou Station to hold a banquet and personally honored Ma Kuang.

Tong Guan raised his wine glass and said, "I wish Ma Xuanzan every success and an early triumph!"

Ma Kuo drank generously, and then reminded: "The grand master must not forget the three requirements made by Kuo."

A dozen or so strong men accompanying them also drank the wine in their cups in one gulp. There was a tragic atmosphere of the wind blowing, the water cold and the strong men gone forever.

……

(End of this chapter)