I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 542: There are many clowns in Liao! Su Liang: Don't kill foreign envoys, but you can beat them
March 11th.

The Eastern Route Army of the Song Dynasty was still resting on the south bank of the Baigou River.

After the 10,000-man cavalry unit heading to Zhuozhou occupies the city, the Eastern Army will set out and move its base camp to Zhuozhou.

at the same time.

Good news also came from the Western and Central Armies.

The two armies each captured a city, and at the same time, using the same method as the Eastern Army, recruited more than 10,000 Han people from Yanyun to serve as soldiers.

Zhao Zhen immediately assigned a new task.

The Western Army had to capture Yunzhou within three months, while the Central Army had to capture Xinzhou within one month and then be responsible for cutting off the Liao Army's support for Yunzhou and Youzhou.

Simultaneously.

Zhao Zhen also announced more than ten military rules and regulations that all soldiers in Yanyun must follow.

Ordinary civilians must not be killed or injured accidentally.

It is not allowed to dig up graves, burn houses, or destroy bridges, roads, or rivers.

It is prohibited to cut down trees and destroy farmland.

It is not allowed to plunder people, animals, or property.

……

Burning, killing, looting and other things that are harmful to the people should not be done.

This move was in stark contrast to the actions of the Liao army, and was intended to let the people of Yanyun know that the Song Dynasty was not coming to plunder, but to save the people from dire straits.

It also let the people of Liao see what a good court that cares about the people is.

……

Shuozhou, the main camp of the Western Army.

The main account of the Chinese army.

The commander-in-chief of the Western Army, Pang Ji, and his deputy commander-in-chief, Liang Shi, were discussing a plan to capture Yunzhou.

At this time, a guard came to report: General Pang, General Liang, the deputy chief of Qinfeng Road and the commander of the Western Army and Northwest Imperial Army, Yang Wenguang, wants to see you! "

"Enter!"

After Pang Ji finished speaking, he exchanged glances with Liang Shi, and they both smiled.

soon.

A strong and sturdy middle-aged general strode in.

"Yang Wenguang greets General Pang and General Liang!" Yang Wenguang bowed heavily with an unhappy look on his face.

"General Yang, what's the matter?" Pang Ji said with a smile.

Yang Wenguang said in a deep voice: "I feel that it is unfair for the 50,000 Northwest Imperial Army! In the battle to capture Shuozhou, it was obviously our Northwest Imperial Army that had the strongest combat power, so why were they ranked last among the entire army? We haven't even participated in the battle, but the war has already ended. And the current plan to capture Xiangzhou does not involve our Northwest Imperial Army. I don't know what the two commanders mean by that?"

"If you are afraid that my Northwest Imperial Army will take away your credit, why not replace their generals? I, Yang Wenguang, am willing to fight as a soldier. After the war, the Northwest Imperial Army will not take any credit!"

"If that doesn't work, why not transfer us to the middle or east route? This arrangement is really frustrating. It makes my 50,000 Northwest Imperial Army lose face and have no face to return to the Northwest!"

"Before I came here, Prime Minister Di Shu repeatedly told me that I must obey military orders, but I felt really uncomfortable, so I came here to ask for an explanation."

Yang Wenguang was very resentful.

The combat forces of the Western Route Army were mainly composed of three parts.

They are: Kaifeng Forbidden Army, Hebei Forbidden Army and Northwest Forbidden Army.

The Kaifeng Imperial Guards and the Hebei Imperial Guards both had combat missions and were able to rush to the front, but the strongest Northwest Imperial Guards were neglected.

The biggest factor causing his resentment was——

His grandfather Yang Ye died at the hands of the Liao people. He fought hard for several days and died of hunger strike. Even his head was cut off by the Liao generals to claim credit. His second uncle Yang Yanyu also died in battle for his country. He felt very aggrieved.

His father Yang Yanzhao was stationed in the northern border for more than twenty years, and he had no chance to avenge his father and brother before his death.

Yang Wenguang finally got the chance and was eager for revenge.

He would rather die in battle than stay behind the army and watch others fight.

"General Yang, please sit down first!"

"I know you have grievances, and the 50,000 Northwest Army is even more resentful, but we have our own plans."

Pang Ji continued, "It's not difficult to capture Shuozhou and Xiangzhou this time. It looks like a big battle, but it's actually a training exercise, and the main purpose is to persuade people to surrender. The reason why General Liang and I didn't use the Northwest Imperial Army is because we know that you have a blood feud with the Liao people, and we are afraid that you are too bloodthirsty. In addition, we also want to train the capabilities of other military branches."

"When we capture Youzhou, we will use the Northwest Imperial Army as our vanguard. What do you think?"

Yang Wenguang looked suspicious.

"Pang Shuai, Liang Shuai, you really...really don't lie to me?"

At this time.

Liang Shi took out a book from the documents beside him, handed it to Yang Wenguang, and said, "Read it yourself."

Yang Wenguang opened the document puzzledly, took a closer look, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

This document was written before the capture of Shuozhou. The author is Su Liang, and it has Zhao Zhen's comments "I have read it and approved it."

Su Liang wrote in the document: The army attacking Shuozhou, Xiangzhou, and Yingzhou does not need to use the 50,000 Northwest Imperial Army, because Yang Wenguang has a deep hatred for the Liao people and may be bloodthirsty. If the Northwest Imperial Army is used as the vanguard, the other soldiers will have no battle to fight. However, in the battle of Yunzhou, Wenguang can be the chief commander of the vanguard.

Yang Wenguang once followed Su Liang to suppress the Nong Zhigao Rebellion, and his admiration for Su Liang was even greater than that for Di Qing.

Now, there are documents written by Su Liang himself, with comments from officials.

The most difficult battle, the vanguard of the attack on Yunzhou, was none other than the 50,000 Northwestern Imperial Army.

Suddenly.

A bright smile appeared on Yang Wenguang's face.

Liang Shi rolled his eyes and said, "General Yang, are you still blaming us for being partial? The reason why I didn't tell you about this in advance was that I wanted you to hold back your energy and go all out when attacking Yunzhou. I didn't expect you to come here and complain about us!"

"My two generals, I know I was wrong. I was short-sighted. My words just now were disrespectful. Please punish me!" Yang Wenguang bowed quickly.

Pang Ji stroked his gray beard.

"Forget it, forget it. This is not important. General Yang, I'll make it clear to you. When we attack Yunzhou, if you can't win, or if you don't fight as well as the Kaifeng Imperial Army or the Hebei Imperial Army, I will withdraw you immediately, and when we invade Liao in the future, you won't be able to lead the attack!"

"I understand. I will never allow this to happen." Yang Wenguang bowed again and said seriously.

When attacking Yunzhou, he will fight to the death.

After a while, Yang Wenguang walked out of the central army tent.

He puffed out his chest, held his head high, and hummed a little northwestern tune, in a very good mood.

……

And this moment.

Pang Ji and Liang Shi in the tent smiled at each other.

The two men have worked in the Privy Council for many years and are well versed in the art of managing generals.

They had long discovered that Yang Wenguang was dissatisfied with their combat arrangements, and had held many private meetings with his subordinates to complain.

As usual, they took the initiative to find Yang Wenguang, took out Su Liang's documents, and solved the problem immediately.

But the two of them were waiting for Yang Wenguang to find them.

The Northwest Imperial Army is indeed good at fighting, but they are also wild in nature.

In particular, Yang Wenguang was eager for revenge.

If they are not managed carefully, the 50,000 Northwest Imperial Army may become a runaway wild horse.

So the two of them waited for Yang Wenguang to come to them and let Yang Wenguang lower his posture and admit his mistakes.

In this way, they can better manage the Northwest Imperial Guards.

……

Liao territory.

In the camp of the Liao emperor.

Yelu Hongji gathered with officials and generals.

"What a bunch of insatiable bastards! If I had known they were so pro-Song, I shouldn't have been so nice to them!" Yelu Hongji said angrily.

His original intention was to use the strategy of "using the Han people of Yanyun as Liao soldiers" to contain the Song army.

Never thought about it.

The Song Dynasty also issued a conscription order, and the Han people in Yanyun chose the Song Dynasty without hesitation.

Yelu Hongji was very angry.

I feel that the taxes levied on the Han people in Yanyun are still too low, and the management of them is still too light.

He had no idea that this was the result of his heavy taxes and levies in order to strengthen his army.

Not only the Han people, but even many Liao people were very dissatisfied with the current Liao court.

At this time.

A Liao general said, "Your Majesty, why don't we kill a group of the rebels' families and relatives immediately, and let them cause civil unrest in the Song camp."

Yelu Hongji shook his head.

"Bad idea! Can killing solve the problem?"

"If the Liao wants to seize the orthodox position from the Song, we must not kill innocent people. If we kill their families and relatives, I am afraid that we will be in chaos first. How will the people in the country view us? How will the history books write about us in the future?"

Yelu Hongji was very concerned about his reputation.

His dream is to become a great leader.

Therefore, he would not use this kind of dirty trick that might only be used by the former Xixia court.

Yelu Hongji paused and said, "Women, children, the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled should not be killed. Let them live normally in the rear of Yanyun. As long as the Song people cannot capture Youzhou and Yunzhou for a long time, the Han people of Yanyun will be shaken and will come back on their own initiative. Family is their thought. Although they are in the Song camp, their hearts are with us."

Yelu Hongji thought very clearly.

He actually has quite good ability in governing the country.

But before him, the Liao Dynasty had already collapsed, and the Song Dynasty was unprecedentedly powerful, so he had to take risky measures.

Yelu Hongji paused and asked, "How are the Jurchens doing?" "Your Majesty, the Jurchens have been very active since we went to war with Song. They used to only steal and kill people, but now they even dare to attack big cities. However, they haven't gained any big advantage at the moment." said a general.

Yelu Hongji nodded.

"It is more important to wipe out the Jurchen rebels than to protect the land of Yanyun!"

"Even if Yanyun is lost, we still have a defensive barrier, but if civil strife breaks out, our Great Liao will be in danger of destruction. We will add another 20,000 troops to wipe out the Jurchen rebels. We must beat them to death. If we can't kill them, we will make them so scared that they can only hide in the deep mountains and old forests."

"I obey your command!" The two generals bowed.

At this moment.

Yelu Hongji asked again: "What's going on in Japan? Can we go to war with the Song Dynasty navy?"

"The war hasn't started yet. Both sides are still preparing, and Japan is constantly shrinking its defense lines." An official replied.

"The war hasn't started yet? Japan is really calculating! They plan to wait until both we and Song are defeated before taking action. They hope that the Song will first capture the Goryeo Island we occupied! Keep urging Japan to act quickly, otherwise when they encounter a crisis, we will definitely not help them!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." An official bowed.

……

And this moment.

Cao Hu led hundreds of warships and stopped in the waters between Goryeo Island and Dongying Island.

Cao Hu was not in a hurry to fight.

He was waiting, waiting for the outbreak of the Youzhou War.

When the Battle of Youzhou breaks out, Cao Hu will concentrate his naval forces on Goryeo Island to tie down the Liao forces.

After a great victory in Youzhou, he would go and destroy Japan.

If the war starts earlier and the navy completely captures Japan, it will be difficult to threaten the Liao Kingdom's Goryeo Island. At this time, more Liao soldiers will appear in the Battle of Youzhou.

At this moment, not fighting poses a greater threat to the Liao Kingdom than starting a war.

Japan also has its own plans.

Although they formed an alliance with the Liao Kingdom, their financial resources were too limited.

If attacked by the full force of the Song Dynasty Navy.

In as little as three months and as much as half a year, they would be completely wiped out by the Song Dynasty Navy.

They hoped that the Song navy would first attack Goryeo Island occupied by the Liao people, and then turn around and fight them.

When both Liao and Song are defeated, that will be their day to rise.

……

March , early morning.

The Eastern Route Army of the Song Dynasty moved north to Zhuozhou.

Currently.

Five of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, namely Shuozhou, Weizhou, Yingzhou, Mozhou and Zhuozhou, were occupied by the Song army, but there had not yet been a large-scale war between the two sides with more than 100,000 participants.

Next, the fate of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will depend on the Battle of Youyun between Song and Liao.

Whoever wins will be able to further control the entire Yanyun.

……

March 23rd, near dusk.

Zhao Zhen, Han Qi and Su Liang led a large army to Zhuozhou.

To the north of Zhuozhou City, there is the Zhuo River, which flows from southwest to northeast. The north bank of the river is a vast open area, and its north is connected to a mountain range.

Led personally by the Liao Privy Councilor Yelu Liang, it was claimed that there were 200,000 troops, but in fact there were about 120,000 Liao troops stationed high in the mountains north of the open area behind the Zhuo River.

The two armies were only eighty miles apart, and a war was about to break out.

……

March 25th, afternoon.

The Song army camp had just been set up when Su Liang received news that a Liao envoy was seeking a meeting outside the Song camp. He wanted to meet Zhao Zhen on behalf of the Liao Privy Councilor Yelu Liang to discuss the Yanyun War.

After Zhao Zhen learned about this, he ordered Han Qi and Su Liang to meet him.

The other party was a subordinate of the Liao Kingdom's Privy Councilor.

If Zhao Zhen wanted to meet him in person, it would be too much of an honor for him.

Even if Yelu Hongji stood in front of Zhao Zhen, as long as he knew the etiquette, he had to salute Zhao Zhen first.

When he saw Su Liang, he had to bow and say: Brother Jingming, otherwise Su Liang would scold him with reason.

……

Half an hour later, in a military tent.

Su Liang and Han Qi sat in the front, and then saw an old man with a long white beard and a cane walk in.

The old man had a ruddy complexion, held his chest high and his head held high, and he looked very good.

He looked ahead at Han Qi and Su Liang.

"My two superiors, I am Han Zhiyuan, an advisor to Yelu Liang, the Privy Councilor of the Liao Kingdom, and I am also a Han Chinese from Yanyun. Please inform the Song government that I have something important to discuss with you. It concerns the fate of the Song and Liao countries, and I must discuss it with the Song government in person!"

When Han Qi heard this, combined with the other party's slightly disdainful look, he suddenly became annoyed.

"I am Han Qi, and this is Su Liang, the Minister of War. The reason we two can see you is not to give Yelu Liang face, but to follow the etiquette of war. If you have something to say, please say it quickly. If you don't want to talk to us, get out now!"

When Han Zhiyuan heard that the people sitting in front of him were Han Qi and Su Liang, he couldn't help showing a hint of surprise in his eyes. Then he pretended to be calm, stroked his long gray beard, and said, "So it's Han Zhigui who said 'A man who calls out names outside the Donghua Gate is a real man' and Su Jingming, the censor who 'annihilated 8,000 soldiers in Jiaozhi and enjoyed beheading people'. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Hear this.

Han Qi instantly wanted to stand up and beat up the old guy.

It’s really hard to pick up any pot!
Han Qi's words "The one who calls out the names outside the Donghua Gate is a real man" are a contrast between civil and military words. They express his feelings under special circumstances. He has already apologized to all the military generals in the world.

As for Su Liang's action of "destroying 8,000 soldiers in Jiaozhi", it has always been criticized by Su Liang.

This old guy has shit in his mouth.

Seeing Su Liang smiling, Han Qi resisted the urge to take action.

At this moment, Su Liang did not feel much in his heart. This old man was too fond of showing off his verbal skills.

Talking like this is enough to prove that his level is very limited.

Han Qi said impatiently, "What do you want to say? Tell me quickly."

Han Zhiyuan puffed out his chest, posed in a self-proclaimed cool pose, and said, "I hope the Song army will withdraw from Yanyun immediately!"

Su Liang and Han Qi rolled their eyes at him at the same time.

"Because, the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty is willing to sign an alliance with the Song Dynasty again and hand over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, but the premise is that there will be no war between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty for ten years, and five more trading places will be added to exchange what they have and what they don't have. Except for special commodities, everything else can be traded freely. This is a mutually beneficial policy. What do you two think?"

Han Zhiyuan saw that Han Qi and Su Liang ignored him, and continued: "After you listen to my reasons, you will understand the beauty of this covenant!"

"First, militarism is unacceptable. Both Song and Liao will be losers."

"If Song and Liao go to war, hundreds of thousands of soldiers will suffer greatly, representing hundreds of thousands of broken families. After the war, no matter who wins, both sides will be losers. A large number of people will die, the land will be left uncultivated, and trade will decline severely. There will be countless deaths from starvation, disease, and fighting. Bandits will proliferate, and the local area will be in chaos. The country will no longer be a country. Such a bad reputation is not what the benevolent monarchs of Song and Liao want..."

"Second, if a war breaks out, Yanyun will be destroyed."

"Yanyun is the main battlefield, and the Han people in Yanyun have turned the Song Dynasty into soldiers. After this war, there may be less than one or two males left in Yanyun. Who can live in Yanyun in the future? To turn a prosperous place into a hell on earth, a war is enough..."

"Third, if there is no war, it will be of great benefit to Song."

"If there is no war, Song will easily get Yanyun, and the emperor of the Song Dynasty and the two superiors will be able to achieve unprecedented achievements and leave their names in history. The friendship between Song and Liao will flourish, and trade will become a good story. This move is beneficial to the Liao and Song courts and to the people of the world. It is so good to make money in peace. War will only hurt both sides..."

……

Han Zhiyuan shouted passionately, imagining that he could use his eloquence to force Song and Liao to cease fire and form an alliance.

If he succeeds, he will be crowned king and appointed prime minister, and his name will go down in history.

This is a beautiful dream that all educated people have had, that they can change the world just by opening their mouths.

"Stop! Stop!" Su Liang couldn't help but interrupt him.

Su Liang curled his lips and said, "Old sir, I, the Minister of Justice, can tell you the truth. If I randomly pick a notary from the streets of Bianjing and give him ten cents to speak from the perspective of the Liao Kingdom, his theory will be better than yours!"

"Go away!" Su Liang waved his hand.

Su Liang has already seen that this person is the old hand who eats and drinks for free and is a bookworm in the Liao camp.

Letting him go back might be more beneficial to the Song Dynasty.

Hearing this, Han Zhiyuan immediately became annoyed.

"Su Liang, you are at least twenty years younger than me. It is really rude of you to be so disrespectful to the elderly. If you disagree with my point of view, you can have a debate with me!" Han Zhiyuan said with his chest puffed out.

Nowadays, there are many scholars who want to find Su Liang to debate with him.

Even if you lose miserably, you can still become famous.

If Han Zhiyuan could induce Su Liang to debate with him, and then go back and brag about it, he would at least receive a reward of a thousand strings of cash.

Su Liang had no desire to debate with him after hearing what he said.

"Someone come!" Su Liang shouted loudly.

"You...what are you going to do? When two countries are at war, envoys will not be killed!" Han Zhiyuan said with some fear.

At this time, Liu Sandao strode over from outside.

He heard it all outside and felt very disgusted with this old fox.

"Don't kill the messenger, but you can hit him. Beat him half to death with three strikes, and then blast him out! If there are messengers of this level coming to the military camp in the future, just beat them half to death and throw them out!"

"Yes." Liu Sandao immediately ordered someone to drag him out.

Han Qi smiled and said, "Jingming, you handled this well. You took advantage of your age and showed off what you heard. You deserve to be beaten!"

"It turns out that there are so many clowns in the Liao Dynasty court. I finally understand why the Liao Dynasty is getting worse and worse!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Both of them couldn't help laughing out loud. The following battle in Youzhou did not make them feel any pressure.

(End of this chapter)