I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 510: Main Attack or Auxiliary? Su Liang's Military Inspection of Hebei Imperial Army
On the Baigou River.

Yelu Tiancheng, the Liao Dynasty's defender, holding a brush, quickly wrote a letter of thanks to the Song Dynasty.

Han Qi took it and looked at it, and was very satisfied.

The handwriting is ugly, the writing is average, and there are three typos.

It is very characteristic of a Liao Dynasty military general.

However, it also expressed the main content of "Song Dynasty helped Liao Dynasty to catch bandits" and the core idea of ​​"Song and Liao are brotherly countries, and the friendship will last forever."

immediately.

Han Qi then handed over the twelve bandits and the evidence held by the Song Dynasty to them, and then both sides returned.

On the bow deck.

Han Qi handed the thank-you letter to his subordinates and said, "Keep the original, then quickly make multiple copies and send them to Bian Jing, Liao, Xixia, and Goryeo."

Once this matter spread to Xixia and Goryeo.

The latter must be very disappointed, certain that the Liao Kingdom would not help them.

Next.

If the Liao Kingdom wanted to start a war on the northern border, it would undoubtedly get a bad reputation of "breaking the contract and repaying kindness with enmity."

Besides, they have the will but not the power.

Su Liang, Pang Ji and Han Qi were almost certain that, given the current situation of the Liao Kingdom, they would never interfere in the war between the Song and Xia dynasties and the war between Japan and Goryeo.

……

March 20th, early morning.

In the Hebei military camp.

As soon as Su Liang entered the big tent, he saw Pang Ji and Han Qi standing on both sides with smiles on their faces.

And on the table in front of them.

There were two large piles of documents more than one person tall.

Pang Ji smiled and said, "Central Minister Su, this is the relevant document on the military management of the Hebei Imperial Army in the past year."

Su Liang came to Hebei Road.

In addition to solving the problem of illegal immigrants, it is more important to inspect the military and political affairs of Hebei.

Han Qi added, "There are many documents related to the logistics supply of the Hebei Imperial Army, the salaries of soldiers and officers, daily training records, etc. If we move them all here, I'm afraid the entire tent won't be able to accommodate them. I've made a list. If Su Zhongcheng wants to see any part, he can just refer to the list and order someone to get it."

After saying that, Han Qi handed the three documents in front of him to Su Liang.

Su Liang took the document and flipped through the list. It took him more than an hour to read just the list.

As for the two piles of documents in front of me.

Even if he just took a quick look, it would take him at least three to five days.

Su Liang smiled faintly and said, "You two, please move these documents away. I trust you two, and there is no need to look at these documents."

Civil servant of the Song Dynasty.

It is always better to speak than to write, and better to write than to do.

Pang Ji and Han Qi were both Jinshi graduates.

Rich experience in handling affairs.

The documents he wrote were always at the "court textbook" level, so there was no need for Su Liang to waste his time on this.

Pang Ji and Han Qi were both stunned.

Su Liang was ordered by the emperor to inspect the military and political affairs of Hebei, with a focus on the management of the Hebei Imperial Guards.

Don't read these contents.

It is simply impossible to have a comprehensive understanding of Hebei’s military and political affairs, nor is it possible to have a comprehensive understanding of their political achievements.

Su Liang added: "During this inspection, the emperor did not order me to check your achievements, but to test the combat effectiveness of the Hebei Imperial Army, to determine whether the Hebei Imperial Army can take on the main task of attacking Liao?"

After hearing this, Han Qi suddenly became anxious.

"What? To determine whether the Hebei Imperial Army can take on the main attack mission against Liao? If we go to war with Liao, won't the Hebei Imperial Army be the main attacker?"

Pang Ji also looked at Su Liang in confusion.

Su Liang shook his head slightly.

"Not necessarily. If it is determined that the combat effectiveness of the Hebei Imperial Army is far inferior to that of the Northwest Imperial Army, then the court will naturally be more willing to let the Northwest Imperial Army take on the main attack mission!"

Suddenly, Pang Ji also became anxious.

He took a step forward and looked at Su Liang.

"Central Prime Minister Su, how...how can you do this? The Northwest Imperial Army guards the Northwest, and the Hebei Imperial Army guards Hebei."

"If our Hebei Imperial Army is no match for the Liao Army, we can send the Northwest Imperial Army to help us. If we can win, there is no need for the Northwest Imperial Army to travel thousands of miles to help us. How can they take away the main attack mission from our Hebei Imperial Army?"

"If you order the Northwest Imperial Army to lead the attack before the battle even begins, I won't accept that. This... this is too much of an insult to my Hebei Imperial Army? We have trained so hard, but in the end, we are left with the task of carrying food and supplies. I cannot accept that!"

"Yes, I find it hard to accept it too!" Han Qi also said.

Seeing that the two of them were anxious, Su Liang couldn't help but feel overjoyed. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

"Don't worry, listen to my explanation."

"According to the convention, if Song and Liao go to war, the Hebei Imperial Army should be ordered to go first, and the Northwest Imperial Army should make up for it."

"But before the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the Northwest Imperial Army will definitely destroy Xixia, and there will be no war in the northwest from now on."

"Everyone knows that the Northwest Army is brave, so you would naturally prefer the Northwest Army to fight. In addition, if the Song and Liao go to war, the emperor will certainly lead the army in person. When the emperor goes to the border in person, he naturally hopes that the soldiers under his command will be as strong as possible..."

When Pang Ji and Han Qi heard this explanation, they lost their temper for a moment. They also knew that the Northwest Imperial Army was the strongest military force in the Song Dynasty.

"Central Prime Minister Su, I admit that the Hebei Imperial Army may not be as strong as the Northwest Imperial Army in terms of combat effectiveness, but...but the Hebei Imperial Army is fully capable of destroying the Liao Army! I am willing to sign a military order. If I cannot win, I will jump into the Baigou River and commit suicide!"

"I will jump into the Baigou River too!" Han Qi said excitedly.

Recover the homeland of the Han and Tang dynasties, seize Yanyun, and destroy the Khitan.

What an amazing military achievement!
All the soldiers of the Hebei Imperial Army wanted to gain fame and fortune, or even go down in history, through this battle!
The same was naturally true for Pang Ji and Han Qi.

Once the main attack becomes auxiliary, all hope is gone.

"You two, listen to me, listen to me."

"At the moment, it has not been determined whether the Northwest Imperial Army or the Hebei Imperial Army will lead the attack. I came here this time to assess the comprehensive combat effectiveness of the Hebei Imperial Army. As long as the level of the Hebei Imperial Army is not too far behind that of the Northwest Imperial Army, I will recommend the Hebei Imperial Army to lead the attack."

"Even if there are some gaps, where we are weak, we should practice in that area. After making up for the shortcomings, we still have a chance."

"The reason why the emperor and the ministers proposed that the Northwest Imperial Army lead the attack is because the Hebei Imperial Army has not fought for many years and their combat effectiveness is unknown. They have no idea."

"If the combat effectiveness of the Hebei Imperial Army and the Northwest Imperial Army is not much different, the Hebei Imperial Army will naturally be the first choice. The emperor and the ministers also hope that the Hebei Imperial Army can be the main attack force. After all, if all the military merits are taken away by the Northwest Imperial Army, it will be unfair to the soldiers of the Hebei Imperial Army..."

After hearing these words, Pang Ji and Han Qi's mood slowly calmed down.

Whether the Hebei Imperial Army can lead the attack depends on their own capabilities.

Pang Ji paused and asked, "Central Prime Minister Su, how will the level be determined next?"

"When planning to build the Longyu Army, Mr. Zeng, Deputy Envoy Liang, and I divided the Song Dynasty's imperial army into nine levels according to the 'comprehensive combat effectiveness index', namely, Grade A (upper, middle, and lower), Grade B (upper, middle, and lower), and Grade C (upper, middle, and lower)."

"After our assessment, the Dragon Feather Army is ranked as middle-class A, the Upper Four Armies and the Northwest Imperial Army are ranked as upper-class B, and the other armies have not yet been assessed. As for the assessment criteria, I cannot tell you yet."

"I understand, I understand." Pang Ji said.

Han Qi said: "Then how should we cooperate with you next?"

"Starting tomorrow, I will personally inspect the military commanders above the rank of battalion commander. My guard captain Liu Sandao will send a hundred people to conduct in-depth inspections of the military camp. Liu Sandao is the instructor of the Longyu Army, and his judgment is absolutely fair. As for the specific content of the inspection, it will not be disclosed for the time being. The total time is ten days."

"I hope you two can fully cooperate. Also, tell all the soldiers that this is just a routine military inspection. Don't tell them that this inspection will affect the war against Liao. Otherwise, the content of the inspection may not be true. You two will definitely not pass on the news privately and let them cram at the last minute!"

Su Liang's words were very straightforward.

"Su Zhongcheng, don't worry. Leaking secrets is the behavior of a villain. We two value our reputation more than our lives. We will never leak secrets. If it's okay, it's okay. If it's not okay, it's not okay!" Han Qi said. Pang Ji also nodded very seriously.

The two still have some confidence in their training results.

"Okay, then please give me the list of all the generals above the battalion commander level and their personal information!"

"No problem." They said in unison.

……

Early the next morning.

Several military generals of the Hebei Imperial Army above the rank of battalion commander were waiting in front of Su Liang's tent, and then they would take turns to enter.

Su Liang sat in the middle of the tent, with three recorders behind him.

Pang Ji and Han Qi sat on both sides. They were only responsible for listening and would not ask any questions.

After a while, the first general walked into the tent.

Su Liang looked at him and asked straight to the point: "In February of the second year of Kangding, Yuan Hao of Western Xia led an army of 100,000 to the south and ambushed the main force in Haoshuichuan. If you were the commander-in-chief, how would you arrange this battle to ensure victory?"

When this question was asked, Han Qi's face turned red and he lowered his head.

The Battle of Haoshuichuan was a battle of humiliation for him.

It was because he did not listen to Fan Zhongyan's advice that he fell into an ambush, resulting in the deaths of more than 10,000 Song soldiers.

The general thought about it and answered immediately.

"This battle is Yuan Hao's trick to lure us into a war. Our army should defend it, not rush to Yanglong City to build merit, and we should not advance alone..."

The general's answer was quite standard, but Su Liang still nodded with satisfaction.

It is very good to be aware of this shame and understand that you will not go down this path again.

Han Qi even let out a long sigh.

Fortunately, he often used this battle as a negative example to explain it to the army.

If I were petty and didn't let the soldiers mention this matter, I would be embarrassed this time.

Next.

Su Liang asked about battlefield tactics, including siege tactics, city defense tactics, field combat tactics, communications and message delivery, etc.

All the questions are very practical.

However, the quality of the generals' answers varied somewhat, and some were even left speechless by Su Liang's questions.

Su Liang's understanding of military affairs surprised Pang Ji and Han Qi.

Su Liang is not only proficient in various tactics, but also has a very clear knowledge of all the data of previous wars. To reach this level, it is absolutely impossible to rely solely on talent, but also requires day and night research.

Su Liang had obviously put a lot of effort into military affairs.

this moment.

The two men then realized that what Wen Yanbo had said in praising Su Liang in his correspondence with them was not an exaggeration.

"Jingming is a man of both civil and military talents. If he is prime minister, he is far better than me; if he is a military commander, even Prime Minister Di Shu is not as good as him."

While Su Liang was assessing the generals, Liu Sandao led three hundred men to conduct assessments deep into the military camp.

They are very serious in daily training, riding and archery, communication, martial arts, discipline and many other aspects.

This is Liu Sandao's strong point.

When the assessment content was listed for the Longyu Army, there were more than a hundred assessment points in the horse riding and archery alone, and Liu Sandao, as an instructor, had already memorized these rules in his mind.

Since the assessment, Su Liang has been very busy.

He assessed generals during the day and wrote the assessment results with Liu Sandao and several other personal soldiers at night.

Apart from sleeping and eating, the daily routine is filled with assessments.

Although Pang Ji and Han Qi were not busy, they were worried.

In the past few days, the performance of the generals did not meet the expectations of the two.

into the night.

Pang Ji and Han Qi sat in front of the campfire, eating and chatting together.

The two had never gotten along, and in the past they hardly spoke to each other except when discussing business matters.

But now, because of Su Liang's assessment, they eat and live together, have endless things to say to each other, and their relationship is much better than before.

"Mr. Pang, what level do you think our Hebei Imperial Guards will be rated at in the end?" Han Qi asked.

Pang Ji frowned slightly.

"We don't know the judging rules, so we can't predict them. But the Northwest Imperial Army is ranked as the upper B-class. As long as we can be rated as the middle B-class, the right to attack must be ours, otherwise I will go to the court to make trouble!"

"The reason why the Northwest Imperial Army is so strong is mainly because they often fight and are trained by Lord Fan and Prime Minister Di Shu."

"And if we are in the B-class, only one level weaker, it only means that we have no combat experience, but our combat capability is not weak. As long as we dare to issue a military order to win the battle, the government will definitely let us, the Hebei Imperial Army, lead the attack."

Han Qi nodded in approval.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Even if I'm ranked second, I must seize the initiative."

"As long as we can seize it, as long as we can win the first battle, no one can take away our right to attack. I still need to rely on the war against Liao to avenge my previous humiliation. Otherwise, I am afraid that I will be scolded by future generations for hundreds or thousands of years..."

Zhang Yuan, the prime minister of Western Xia and a traitor of the Song Dynasty, once said, "Xia Song has never been so arrogant, so Han Qi is not surprising at all." This has always been an unspeakable pain in Han Qi's heart.

Under the premise that it is impossible to establish military merits in the northwest.

Han Qi gave up his lucrative job in Hangzhou and came to the Hebei border just to fight a turning point.

Pang Ji patted Han Qi on the shoulder.

"Zhigui, I understand you. Let's work hard. More than 100,000 soldiers in Hebei also need this military achievement to make their future lives better. We must not lose the main attack!"

"Yeah! Try hard!"

"Try hard!" the two shouted loudly.

At this moment, Su Liang, who was not far away, happened to see this scene.

He originally wanted to persuade the two to reconcile after the investigation was completed.

It seems that it is not necessary now.

The main attack has turned the two of them into close comrades-in-arms who can talk about anything.

Ten days later.

Su Liang finished the verification and began to organize the results and make grade determinations.

Two days later, early morning.

Su Liang, who had not slept all night, first ordered the dozen or so personal soldiers who were checking with him to rest, and then ordered people to invite Pang Ji and Han Qi, who had hardly slept either, to the tent.

Su Liang held a thick stack of documents and said, "You two, the rank of the Hebei Imperial Guard has been determined. It is on the last page of the last document."

"The above are the evaluation standards and the overall performance of the Hebei Imperial Guards. There are 64 major items and 326 minor items in the evaluation. If you have any objections, you can raise them at any time."

"I won't read it out. You can come and see it for yourselves!" Su Liang handed the document to the two.

Pang Ji and Han Qi were worried.

They have been officials for many years and have not felt so nervous for a long time.

The two of them sat around a long table and did not immediately turn to the last page.

Instead, I read it page by page from the beginning to the end.

Su Liang sat aside, ate a few pieces of cake, drank two cups of tea, and then leaned back in a chair to take a nap.

(End of this chapter)