Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty: In the beginning, Li Qingzhao and Li Qingzhao made a private decis

Chapter 488 Carrying the coffin to the battle
In Lingzhou City!

Fan Zheng looked at the panicked Lingzhou people all over the city and ordered in a cold voice: "Don't kill innocent people indiscriminately. Control Lingzhou City as soon as possible and raise enough food and grass!"

The reason why the Five Routes of the Song Dynasty's expedition to Xia gathered under Lingzhou City was that the most important food and grass were not available, and they wanted to capture Lingzhou City to support the war.

But in the end, due to the disagreement between the generals, Xixia dug the Yellow River canal and attacked it with water. If the general had been focused and directly attacked Lingzhou City, all the difficulties would have been solved. Even the Xixia water attack could not do anything to the Song army!

But now that the Song Army has broken through Lingzhou City, they have finally avenged their revenge and solved the food and grass problem!
"Reporting to Commander Fan, Lingzhou City is under control. However, when the Xia army saw the city was breached, they ordered the burning of grain and grass. Our army only got back half of the grain and grass!" Song Jiang came to report.

"Little half grain?" Fan Zheng frowned.

The Song army had a hundred thousand men and horses, and a small amount of food and grass could not guarantee that the Song army would have enough food and grass!

Fan Zheng thought for a while and immediately ordered: "Send the order and all ministries will collect food on the spot in Lingzhou!"

"Shuai Fan, think twice! Before the expedition, the imperial court issued an order to treat the people of Xixia preferentially. Only after Xixia is destroyed in the future can we appease people's hearts. If the army collects food on the spot, it may alienate the people of Xixia!" Zhong Shidao hurriedly advised.

Song Jiang retorted: "This statement is wrong. When Yuanfeng made five expeditions against Xia, the Song Dynasty treated the people of Xixia well, so that the army was timid and fell short of success. Today, our army has conquered Lingzhou, and we are only one step away from destroying Xixia." One step away, naturally we can’t make the same mistakes again!”

Fan Zheng waved his hand and said: "There is no need to dispute this matter. Food must be collected, and the food and grass for the army must be guaranteed!"

Song Jiang led the Haohan camp, and most of the Liangshan bandits made a living by looting, and they did not feel any guilt for robbing the people of Lingzhou to obtain food and grass.

When he saw Fan Zheng's evil recipe for the first time, he couldn't help but be surprised. Who would have thought that a small IOU could not only raise enough food and grass for the Song army, but also calm the grievances of the Xixia people.

"Ah! IOU!"

The Song army has sufficient food and grass. After destroying Xixia in the future, it can be returned to them. Besides, there will be a penny interest, which is enough to calm the grievances of the Xixia people.

All the generals looked at Fan Zheng in disbelief. No one expected that Fan Zheng would come up with such an evil recipe?

Zhong Shidao wanted to persuade again, but Fan Zheng changed his words and said: "Of course the people of Xixia still need to be appeased! In this case, when the grain was collected, each ministry wrote an IOU to the people who collected the grain, promising to return it with one cent of annual interest in the future. Come not only to ensure that the Song army has enough food and grass, but also to appease the people of Xixia!"

"Yes, if the Song army wants to stabilize its military morale, sufficient food and grass are essential. However, the forced conscription of food and grass will make the Song Dynasty lose the hearts of the people of Xixia, which is not conducive to future rule. In this case, we will write an IOU and promise interest. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone? ." Fan Zheng explained.

"If our army is defeated..." Master Zhong said hesitantly.

Thinking of this, Zhong Shidao couldn't help but sigh. If Yuanfeng's five-pronged attack on Xia and the Song army had such evil methods, the outcome of this battle might have been rewritten.

Master Zhong also reacted and quickly said, "Fan Shuai is wise!"

"Fan Shuai is wise!" Song Jiang complimented, and couldn't help snoring in his heart. These generals of the Song Dynasty are just too fond of false reputations. If the Song Dynasty loses this battle due to lack of food, no matter how good their reputation is, what's the use!

Other generals also talked about it, some opposed the grain requisition, and some agreed to the grain requisition.

"I'll understand later!"

"This method is great!" Song Jiang Zhongpu and others exclaimed.

But Zhongshidao was different. He knew that the Song Dynasty had just captured Lingzhou and its position was already unstable. If it conquered Xixia's grain and grass, there might be trouble.

The people of Lingzhou were crying looking at the IOUs in their hands. They didn't know whether the Song army was a civilized army or a bandit.

Fan Zheng continued: "Dangxiang and Han people live together in Xixia. You must pay attention when collecting food and be tolerant to the Han people. After all, if you want to rule Xixia stably in the future, you cannot do without the local Han people!"

All the generals nodded and immediately went to collect food!
"IOU!"

Like bandits, they forcibly borrowed food from them, and even issued an IOU afterwards. In this way, they don't know whether to hope that the Song Army will win or that the Song Army will be defeated!
After all, from the standpoint of the people of Xixia, the Song Army was the invader, so they naturally hoped that Xixia would defeat the Song Army. However, the Song Army forcibly borrowed a large amount of their food. If the Song Army won, there was still hope of returning it. If the Song Army was defeated, The IOUs in their hands may be in vain.

Suddenly all the generals looked at Zhong Shidao like a fool. The Song Dynasty had been defeated. If they returned to the Song Dynasty, who would care about the people of Xixia.

Those who can be forcibly borrowed food by the Song Army are local rich households and leading figures. These rich households have the final say whether the local area is in chaos. Now the Song Army owes these rich households food and grass, which unexpectedly surprised the Song Dynasty's rear. It's so stable that even Fan Zheng didn't expect it to have such an effect!
With the help of IOU Yifang, Song Jun quickly raised enough food and grass! No more worries about looking back.

"Give me the order to clear out the surrounding Xixia troops and prepare to cross the Yellow River and attack Xingqing Mansion!"

"Attack Xingqing Mansion!"

All the generals couldn't help but be shocked. No one thought that Fan Zheng could not wait to attack Xingqing Mansion just after the Song army captured Lingzhou.

"Shuai Fan, think twice! Although our army now has sufficient food and grass, when attacking Lingzhou, most of the gunpowder bombs were consumed, and there is no way to continue attacking Xingqing Mansion!" Zhong Shidao quickly advised.

In this battle, the Song Army attacked Lingzhou. It can be said that they used gunpowder weapons such as thunderbolts regardless of the cost. Although they captured Lingzhou, they consumed a lot of gunpowder weapons. The military division group once simulated it. According to Fan Zheng's attack method, and Xingqing Mansion has stronger troops and defenses, and the remaining gunpowder weapons are simply not enough!

Song Jiang couldn't help but look embarrassed. He naturally knew how many thunderbolts were used to capture Lingzhou City in this battle.

Fan Zheng frowned and said, "Can the remaining Zhentian Lei be enough for field use?"

Zhong Shidao replied: "Of course it is more than enough for field battles, but it may be difficult to capture Xingqing Mansion with these sky-shaking thunders!"

Yang Bangyi also advised: "Commander Fan, I think it is better for our army to suspend the advance and clear out the Dangxiang cities on the east bank of the Yellow River first. In this way, we can not only wait for the thunder from the rear, but also maybe be able to lure The enemy came out of the city and destroyed the Xixia army outside the city."

Zhong Pu also advised: "Of course, in this way, our army can also wait for the other armies. If the armies surround Xingqing Mansion, they will definitely be able to defeat Xingqing Mansion in one battle."

The other generals also nodded, and even Song Jiang remained silent. After all, if there are not enough thunders, no matter how brave the Haohan camp is, their flesh and blood will not be able to compete with the Xixia thunders.

When Fan Zheng heard this, he waved his hand without hesitation and said: "It doesn't matter, as long as there are enough Zhentian Lei left to fight in the field, it will be more than enough to take over Xingqing Mansion!"

"what?"

All the Song generals looked at Fan Zheng in disbelief.

You must know that they are still on the east bank of the Yellow River and have occupied Lingzhou City. It can be said that they can advance, attack, retreat or defend. If they cross the Yellow River, they will completely lose their retreat and can only move forward to completely destroy Xixia!
However, they lacked Sky Thunder and reinforcements, so attacking Xingqing Mansion at this moment was the last resort.

Fan Zheng shook his head and said: "Not to mention when the armies from all walks of life can attack Xingqing Mansion, even if all armies gather, Li Qianshun will definitely abandon Xingqing Mansion and even hide in the Liao Kingdom. By then, the Song Dynasty will Even if they occupy Xixia, they will not be able to gain a foothold, and they will even be harassed by the party. "

Master Zhong suddenly fell silent. In this situation, their military division had also made assumptions. Although it was possible, at least this method was safe. As for annihilating Li Qianshun in the future, that was a matter for the future. "Now that the Liao Kingdom is forced to the north, no one can be sure how long it will last. The Song Dynasty can only fight quickly and destroy Xixia before it can deal with the Liao Kingdom with all its strength. Now our army has an army of 100,000, which has not been lost, and can be used to capture Xing The Qing Mansion is just right, it has enough troops and will not let Li Qianshun abandon the city!" Fan Zhengxin said.

"But..." Zhong Shidao wanted to persuade him again.

Fan Zheng waved his hands and said: "There is no but, Great Song Dynasty Kuxi Xia Jiuyi, we must completely eliminate this cancer in this battle."

All the generals fell silent. They naturally knew that Xixia had been causing trouble for a long time. However, if Xixia could be eliminated so easily, how could it remain here now?

Fan Zheng looked at the generals and said solemnly: "Fan is determined to reform the country and save the country. He once asked himself, when will the world be peaceful! I, the Song Dynasty, will no longer be bullied by others. Today, Fan finally has the answer, that is, civil servants do not love money. If the military minister does not hesitate to die, the world will be at peace!"

"Civil ministers don't love money, military ministers are willing to die!"

All the generals couldn't help but feel shocked! He couldn't help but look at Fan Zheng suddenly.

"If we can bring peace to the world, Fan will risk his life and come and build a good coffin for me. I will carry the coffin and go to war! I will not return it until Xingqing Mansion is broken!" Fan Zheng said loudly.

"Carry the coffin and go to war!"

All the generals couldn't help but feel numb, and couldn't help but look at Fan Zheng in shock.

Compared with the previous Western Expeditions, especially the Five-Road Expedition to Xia during the Yuanfeng Period, Gao Deyu was jealous of talents and competed for military glory. In the previous Battle of Dali, Privy Councilor Zeng Bu was also prepared to seize Fan Zheng's credit for destroying the country.

But this time, Fan Zheng was the commander-in-chief of the Western Expedition. He even shouted that civil servants did not love money, military generals did not hesitate to die, and the world was peaceful. What was even more shocking was that Fan Zheng set an example and even carried the coffin to the expedition. Such determination and will , enough to put all previous coaches to shame.

"I swear to follow Fan Shuai to the death!"

All the generals looked at Fan Zheng with enthusiasm, and the military morale of the 100,000-strong Western Expedition Army suddenly reached its peak.

........................

Although the Yellow River is flooded, it is truly the mother river in Xixia. Not only is the water clear, but it also does not have the hidden worries of above-ground rivers.

With the orderly layout of the Song army, a pontoon bridge quickly connected both sides of the Yellow River.

"Reporting to Fan Shuai, the pontoon bridge has been arranged and can cross the Yellow River!" Zhong Shidao came to report.

"Is there any cavalry in Xixia to stop them?" Fan Zheng frowned.

The biggest concern when crossing a river is to attack halfway across the river. Many battles were lost when crossing the river, so Fan Zheng naturally took more precautions.

Zhong Shidao shook his head and said: "This is to inform Commander Fan, Xixia did not expect our army to cross the river so quickly. There were only a small number of cavalry to explore, but they were already driven away by our army."

Fan Zheng nodded solemnly and said: "Cross the river and attack Xingqing Mansion!"

Following the order, a large number of Song troops began to cross the river. Then, Fan Zheng stepped onto the pontoon bridge to cross the Yellow River. When he stood up again, a dark empty coffin stood out.

"Carry the coffin for the Western Expedition!" A group of soldiers looked at the coffin with extremely fanatical eyes.

Fan Zheng's civil servants did not love money, and his military officials were not willing to die. His words had spread throughout the entire Western Expedition. Even the evil doctor Fan Zheng was willing to die as a commander. As soldiers, they followed such a commander, even if they died in battle. No regrets.

Soon, a hundred thousand troops crossed the Yellow River!

Although Zhong Shidao did not agree with Fan Zheng crossing the river so quickly, crossing the river at this moment had an obvious advantage, that is, Xixia was unprepared and allowed the Song army to cross the Yellow River smoothly without encountering any obstacles.

After crossing the Yellow River, the entire army immediately marched north, pointing their swords at Xingqing Mansion. A hundred years after the founding of Xixia, the Song army attacked Xingqing Mansion for the first time.

"Your Majesty, the evil doctor Fan Zheng is carrying the coffin and setting out for battle. The Song army has crossed the Yellow River and is heading towards Xingqing Mansion!"

Soon, the Song Army's movements were sent to Li Qianshun.

"What?" Li Qianshun couldn't help but be shocked. He never thought that the evil doctor Fan Zheng would be so disrespectful of common sense. He even ignored the Song Army's retreat and went straight to Xingqing Mansion.

"Carrying a coffin for the Western Expedition! Are you going to burn the boat or is the evil doctor Fan Zheng just trying to gain fame?" Yelu Nanxian said with an embarrassed expression.

Everyone knew that when Evil Doctor Fan was attacking Lingzhou, he had already used a large number of Thunderbolts. However, the Song Army did not replenish Thunderbolts at all, and went directly towards Xingqing Mansion without waiting for reinforcements from the rear.

Is Fan Zheng arrogant or arrogant, or does Fan Zheng really have an evil plan to conquer Xingqing Mansion?

Li Qianshun frowned and said: "Anyone who underestimates the evil doctor Fan Zheng will suffer a disastrous defeat. From my perspective, if the evil doctor Fan Zheng dares to continue attacking Xingqing Mansion, he must be certain!"

Yelu Nanxian was panicked. She had naturally heard of the reputation of the evil doctor Fan Zheng. She said anxiously: "In this case, I might as well avoid the evil doctor Fan Zheng for the time being, withdraw from Xingqing Mansion, or hide in Liaoning." Within the country, I don’t believe that evil doctor Fan Zheng dares to pursue him across the border.”

Li Qianshun shook his head. He naturally knew that what Yelu Nanxian said was a way to temporarily avoid the Great Song Army Peak, but he could not do this.

"Why?" Yelu Nanxian asked puzzled.

Li Qianshun smiled bitterly and said: "The Queen knows that in Xixia, Han people and Dang Xiang live together, and the number of Han people is even greater than that of Dang Xiang. Over the years, Dang Xiang has been oppressing the Han people. Even if I have the intention to change this phenomenon, I am still powerless. If I retreat, The Song Dynasty will certainly vigorously support the Han people in Xixia and take revenge on Dangxiang. At that time, Xixia cannot even quell the internal strife, so how can it defeat the Song army again? "

Once he evacuates Xingqing Mansion, the Han people and Dangxiang in Xixia will completely break up, and then Xixia will really be unable to make a comeback.

Yelu Nanxian suddenly frowned. It was not only Xixia that had such a problem, but also people in the Liao Kingdom were so troubled. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were also mostly Han people.

Perhaps this is why Fan Zheng dared to go deep alone and directly attack Xingqing Mansion.

"Moreover, Xingqing Mansion now has Zhentian Lei assisted by the Liao Kingdom, and has assembled heavy troops from Xixia and the Queen's elite Liao soldiers. If we retreat without a fight, I am afraid it will make the world look down upon, and it will even disappoint the imperial brother." Li Qianshun once again stated the reason why he clung to Xingqing Mansion.

The reason why the Liao Kingdom came to aid Xixia was because it hoped that Xixia would contain the Song Dynasty. If he was afraid of the evil doctor Fan Zheng and avoided the Song army's attack, not only would Xixia fall apart, but he would also completely lose the support of the Liao Kingdom.

"Pass the decree, with all the Xixia army, I will fight to the death with the evil doctor Fan Zheng in Xingqing Mansion!" Li Qianshun finally made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)