Song Dynasty female artist

Yelu Hongji looked at Xiao Deli unhappily.

This is true, but losing territory is not a happy thing.

"The Emperor of the Song Dynasty leads the army in person, so can I."

"Your Majesty, please think twice. You are not young anymore. What if something unexpected happens?"

Yelu Hongji: "Am I old?"

He is only fifty-three years old. Is he old?

Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, who was in such poor health, insisted on leading the army in person. Why couldn't he do the same?

"I have made up my mind, no need to say more."

Yelu Hongji said: "If you are worried that I will die in battle, then I can make Prince Liang the crown prince now."

Prince Liang was Yelu Yanxi, the son of the late Crown Prince Yelu Jun.

Historically, Yelu Jun was killed by the treacherous minister Yelu Yixin, but when Yelu Yixin attempted to murder Yelu Hongji, he was captured by him and Leng Zhongyan and imprisoned in Tianlao.

Afterwards, he deliberately asked the Minister of Justice to relax the guards, and Yelu Yixin escaped and hid in Yelu Yange's house, but was finally captured. Not only were Yelu Yixin's family executed, but Yelu Yange was also convicted, but his family members escaped death.

When Yelu Yixin escaped from the Tianlao, he gave two letters to Empress Xiao. After discussing with Crown Prince Yelu Jun, Empress Xiao told Yelu Hongji.

Yelu Hongji chose to believe the queen. After this incident, Yelu Hongji became very concerned about Yelu Jun and took him with him to learn how to handle state affairs.

Originally, the future ruler must be Yelu Jun.

But Yelu Jun turned out to be seriously ill.

The imperial physician was helpless and he died at the age of 22.

Fortunately, his son, Yelu Yanxi, was left behind. Because of his love for Yelu Jun, Yelu Hongji also loved this grandson very much. Like his father, he was named King of Liang at the age of only six.

When Yelu Hongji said that he would pass the throne to Prince Liang, he was obviously angry, and the court officials all knelt on the ground.

"His Majesty……"

Xiao Deli said: "I have no such intention. I am just worried about your Majesty's safety. The Emperor of the Song Dynasty ignored the danger, but you can't be like him and ignore it!"

"Zhao Rui has great ambitions, don't I have any?"

He understood that the world would eventually be united after being divided for a long time, but why couldn't he be the one to unify the world?
He didn't want to be like Pingcuo, who was captured alive by the Song Dynasty and taken to Kaifeng, where he would live a lifetime of imprisonment.

It's useless to persuade anyone.

He also wanted to lead the army in person, and even if he died, he wanted to die on the border.

It is impossible to stop him. His Majesty is now as stubborn as a donkey.

However, since the Emperor of the Song Dynasty led the army in person, it should be no problem for their Majesty to go to the border. After all, it is not the first time.

Yelu Hongji's personal expedition did indeed boost the morale of the Liao Dynasty.

Originally, Zhao Rui and his men were discussing and preparing to launch a concerted attack on Luerling, which was only a day's journey away from Bandaogou.

Half a day after the team set out, they received the news that Yelu Hongji was leading the army in person. Naturally, the Luerling general Wuguni also received the news first.

The vanguard led by Moser stopped.

"General, why did you stop?"

Mo Ze said: "We traveled a long distance and Liao was in high spirits at that time. We missed the opportunity to attack the city."

"We have 100,000 soldiers and horses, while Luerling only has 50,000 soldiers and horses. That Wuguni didn't gain much advantage in his fight with the general, so how can we not take him down?"

"You don't understand. Tell everyone to rest where they are."

About a quarter of an hour later, the cultivators following Mo Ze received Di Yong's military order to stop advancing.

Li Duanyuan and Bai Chengnan stood on Di Yong's left and right.

"General Di, it is indeed difficult to confront them head-on as their morale is high, but we can set up a maze and make Wuguni think that we dare not attack, and then suddenly attack the city. There is also a chance to take it down." The speaker was Bai Chengnan.

Di Yong was also seriously considering whether the suggestion proposed by Bai Chengnan was feasible.

Bai Chengnan continued, "Although the Liao Emperor has said he will lead the army in person, he will not arrive at Luerling right away. We still have a chance."

Di Yong shook his head: "No, it is impossible for our 100,000-man army to march in secret. Once we cross the Sishui River ahead, there will be no barrier to hide our tracks. It is only a matter of time before we are discovered."

It would only take a few breaths to discover the trail and report it to the Liao Emperor. He could have asked the cultivators to take him to Luerling suddenly, which would have greatly boosted the morale and made it almost impossible to capture the city.

In war, the confrontation of military strength is one part, and morale is also a very important part.

Especially siege.

"Notify Mo Ze and have them hide where they are. I will make a decision after I report the situation here to His Majesty."

Since the best time to attack the city has been missed, if we force the attack, we will suffer heavy losses.

Zhao Rui decided to let them retreat first.

Interestingly, when they were retreating, they discovered a small group of Liao troops.

Li Duanyuan: "They are very brave. Fifty or sixty people dared to come to the area under the jurisdiction of our Song Dynasty."

Mo Ze took the lead and led more than 300 archers to surround this small group of Liao troops.

They shot and killed most of them first, and captured more than twenty Liao soldiers.

Di Yong interrogated the suspects on the spot and found out that there were nearly 40,000 Liao troops hiding nearby. These Liao troops had been in a hidden state, or a mobile state. As long as there was a war, they could provide quick support within a hundred miles of him.

Upon hearing this news, Di Yong and his companions' eyes lit up.

After asking for the exact location, Di Yong led an army of 100,000 and charged straight there.

After three days and three nights of fierce fighting, they persuaded nearly 20,000 of the mysterious Liao troops and captured more than 10,000 alive.

This is such an unexpected surprise.

When Zhao Rui got the news, he was beaming with joy, but when Yelu Hongji got the news, he almost fainted from anger.

This was the trump card in his hand, but how could it be wiped out silently by the Song army?

This is incredible.

Yelu Hongji covered his chest with his hands, and the eunuch who was accompanying him quickly called the imperial physician.

The call for the imperial physician alarmed Wuguni, but fortunately he reacted quickly and kept the news strictly secret.

Otherwise it would not be to boost morale but to shake the military's morale.

"Is your Majesty okay?"

The imperial physician replied, "It's nothing serious, it's just a case of anger attacking the heart. Once the anger is gone, it will be fine after a few rests."

Only then did Wuguni breathe a sigh of relief.

It’s good that nothing serious happens. If not, he won’t be able to stabilize the morale of the troops.

Di Yong and others brought more than 10,000 captives back to Youzhou City. The people of Youzhou decorated the city with lanterns and lined the streets to welcome them, making the event even more lively than the Chinese New Year.

Zhao Rui arrived in Youzhou in May. It snowed in Youzhou in October, making it impossible to march, so he asked Mr. Pan to take him back to Kyoto. Gu Qingjue, Leng Zhongyan and others also came back with him.

Di Yong and Bai Chengnan continued to guard Youzhou City.

Soon after returning, the 69-year-old Empress Dowager Cao's health deteriorated and she passed away on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Zhao Rui suspended court for seven days and the whole country mourned.

The Liao Dynasty heard the news and took the opportunity to attack the city, but Di Yong and his men were well prepared and did not let the Liao Dynasty gain any advantage. (End of this chapter)