People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 230 If you want to fight, then fight

Faced with Liao's unreasonable demands, Fan Zhongyan and Wang Deyong were both happy.

In fact, both Wang Deyong and Fan Zhongyan experienced the Battle of Chanzhou. One was fifteen years old and the other was twenty-five years old at the time.

They were shocked to learn that the Liao Kingdom had attacked several important towns on the border of the Song Dynasty in less than a month and defeated hundreds of thousands of Song troops.

From the perspective of future generations, when Song Zhenzong won the Battle of Chanzhou, he signed a treaty that was humiliating and humiliating the country. This was obviously due to Song Zhenzong's weakness and incompetence.

However, if you look at it from the perspective of contemporary people, you can actually understand the feeling that in the blink of an eye, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty were already discussing moving the capital south.

Because the Liao offensive at that time was so rapid and violent, in September the Liao army attacked Weilu Army, Shun'an Army, Beiping, Baozhou, Dingzhou, Qizhou, Jizhou, Beizhou, Deqing and other places. Cross the Yellow River and go straight to Chanzhou.

Although not all the borders were conquered, there were still many places that resisted the Liao army's attack. Even in the Battle of Yingzhou, Li Yanwo, the magistrate of Yingzhou, resisted tenaciously and defeated the Liao army, killing more than [-] Liao soldiers. People, won millions of dollars in armored soldiers, arrow pole cards and other trophies, and achieved a great victory.

However, the defeat in the local war did not stop the Liao army from advancing. They were unstoppable and headed south. They were only more than [-] kilometers away from Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty. They seemed to have the intention of taking the imperial capital directly.

Seeing that the Liao army was getting closer and closer, the officials of the Song Dynasty were frightened and there was a lot of talk of moving the capital.

Therefore, being beaten by the empire to Chanzhou, which is only more than [-] kilometers away from its capital, is naturally not something that future generations can feel. Therefore, it is reasonable for Song Zhenzong to be frightened.

But today's Song Dynasty is completely different.

Not to mention how many forts and camps the frightened Song Zhenzong built on the Hebei Road after the Battle of Chanzhou on the Song-Liao border, and how many soldiers and horses were stationed on the Song-Liao border, it is just that the Song Dynasty now has a batch of new weapons and equipment, and it seems that it is no longer what it used to be. appearance.

What's more, there are also a group of elite northwest frontier troops who are good at fighting as the front army, and there are commanders like Fan Zhongyan who are very good at fighting turtle tactics. Just like what he did in the northwest in history, he built bunkers without brains and was slow and slow. Advancing slowly, building strongholds, and fighting stupid battles are a bit silly, but they are effective.

There is no way that the cavalry of the Liao Kingdom really dared to touch the Song Army's wall, artillery, grenades, and thunder with their flesh and blood.

So in summary.

The Song Dynasty today is no longer the Song Dynasty thirty-six years ago, and the Liao Kingdom today is also in decline. It is not the Liao Dynasty that was so powerful in the past.

Now Fan Zhongyan just wants to say, I am standing in front of your Liao Kingdom. Do you think I am still the same as before?

"Your Majesty is joking."

After Wang Deyong laughed, he said: "The Liao Kingdom is moving southward with great momentum. Now it is frustrated at Baosai and cannot make any progress. How can it be so greedy and greedy?"

Liu Liufu argued: "Although our army is indeed blocked and cannot go south in the short term. But don't forget, our army has wiped out many military villages and fortresses in your Song Dynasty. Even Wangdu and Peiping are under siege. Gaoyang was almost defeated by us." It’s not that we can’t break the city, it’s just that our Lord is kind-hearted and is willing to talk to you sincerely.”

"Oh? To talk sincerely means to take the initiative to tear up the contract signed back then and brazenly invade our Song Dynasty? Is this also called sincerity?"

Fan Zhongyan said dissatisfied: "Now it seems that we can't break the city, but we have suffered heavy casualties, but you have come to ask for peace. No matter how clever you are, you can't cover up the decline of the Liao army. Do you dare to be so rampant now and bully me, the Song Dynasty, with swords and guns?" ?”

"Mr. Jinglue is indeed mighty, and the grenades and cannons of the Song Army are indeed majestic. But let Mr. Jinglue know that our lord does not believe that Song's grenades are endless, and our Daliaoguang cavalry only has more than [-] soldiers." We still have nearly [-] infantry. If we continue to fight, once all the weapons are used up, will the Song Dynasty still be able to defend the city?"

Liu Liufu said extremely cruel words in a calm tone, and said softly: "What's more, Yuan Hao also invited my lord to attack the Song Dynasty this time. Although before my lord went south, Mr. Jinglue was very smart to take the lead in attacking and put Yuan Hao to death." Hao was defeated. But as long as he regroups his troops, he can still fight."

"Does the Prime Minister really think that the Song State can be safe and sound by engaging in a deadly battle with Daliao and Xixia? I don't think so. After all, the so-called grenade is actually very difficult to kill people at once. Just looking at the order People are just scared.”

By the end, Liu Liufu was already full of confidence.

In fact, he was pretending to be so confident, because the Liao people were not sure how many firearms the Song army still had. Anyway, at least they fought with Xixia first, and then with Liao. Up to now, the grenades have not stopped, giving Xixia and The Liao Kingdom caused tens of thousands of casualties.

But he knew that there should not be much reserves of this kind of thing, because the Song army had used a large number of grenades in many battles with Xixia and Liao. And this thing is actually not very lethal, it mainly makes people afraid.

As long as they overcome their fear, heavily armored soldiers can still come into contact with this thing. The key is that horses are easily frightened, which will cause the main fighting force of the Liao Kingdom to be completely ineffective.

When it comes to infantry fighting with the Song Dynasty, the Liao Kingdom obviously cannot win.

So Liu Liufu planned to deceive the Song army to see how much confidence Fan Zhongyan still had.

Hearing Liu Liufu's words, Fan Zhongyan did not show any guilt, but still narrowed his eyes and replied: "If your envoy thinks that my grenade reserves in the Song Dynasty are insufficient, then you may be disappointed. There are indeed not many grenades now." , but there are still millions of them, which is enough to destroy the Liao army."

Liu Liufu stared at Fan Zhongyan, trying to find a trace of lying on Fan Zhongyan's face, but unfortunately, Fan Zhongyan was calm and composed, and did not let him see any flaws at all. He even looked like he was sure of victory, which made people feel very sad. disturbed.

He pretended to be calm and said, "Does Mr. Fan think I will believe it?"

"If you don't believe it, just come and give the Liao army a try. The Song Dynasty will never fight an unprepared battle. We have prepared a lot of things for the Liao Kingdom this time. I hope your envoy will like it."

Fan Zhongyan replied.

Liu Liufu rolled his eyes. He felt that Fan Zhongyan might be bluffing him. If he was really so sure, why would he always brag about the cannons that could hit several miles away, the millions of grenades in stock, and the preparation of many things?
  As the saying goes, the more something is lacking, the more likely it is to show off, so Liu Liufu felt that there was a high probability that Fan Zhongyan was deliberately intimidating, hoping that the Liao Kingdom would submit.

So after thinking again and again, he said to Fan Zhongyan: "How do you think the war should end?"

Fan Zhongyan said: "First, return the ten counties on the south bank of Laishui to the Song Dynasty. Second, cancel the annual coins in the Song Dynasty. Third, the Liao and Song Dynasties signed a non-aggression covenant. The fourth Song and Liao Dynasties used Laishui as the boundary, and both sides withdrew their troops; from then on, any thieves who crossed the border would Fugitives are not allowed to hide from each other; the two dynasties border the cities and everything is as usual, and no city gods are allowed to be built."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Liu Liufu immediately screamed: "Since Song wants to negotiate peace, why is it so insincere? These covenants are rules set by different generations, how can they be changed?"

Fan Zhongyan said coldly: "Who told you that the Song Dynasty wants to negotiate peace? Are we recruiting so many soldiers and horses to negotiate with you? And didn't you tear up the covenant of different generations first, and now you come to accuse us? Just Do you, the Liao people, allow you to arrogantly demand Song territory, but don't you allow us to take back our Han people's homeland?"

He said "you Liao people" very strongly, vaguely mocking Liu Liufu for being a Han Chinese, but being used as an ox and a horse for the Khitan people. Although the Liao people claimed to be Chinese orthodox, after all, the Yelu family was a Khitan tribe. If the Song Dynasty wanted to fight for orthodoxy, it was natural to divide this thing.

"Then it seems that Mr. Manager is determined to fight?"

Liu Liufu asked.

"Then let's play a game."

Fan Zhongyan said calmly: "Let's see whether your Liao Kingdom is stronger or our Song Dynasty remains strong!"

"See you off!" He picked up his tea cup and spoke loudly.

Liu Liufu and Yeluren looked at each other first, and obviously did not expect Fan Zhongyan to be so tough, so they had to stand up and reluctantly bowed their hands and left Song Ying.

After they left, Wang Deyong turned his head and looked at Lao Fan and said, "Ms. sir, it seems that this battle must be fought."

"The Liao people are too proud. They obviously can't defeat us, but they still want benefits."

Fan Zhongyan took a sip of tea, put the tea cup on the coffee table next to him and said: "Our demands are not excessive. Why should the Song Dynasty give money to other countries every year? This in itself is unreasonable."

Wang Deyong said with a smile: "Giving them three hundred thousand guan every year is a lot, but people are like this. They look forward to Shu, are greedy, and are still not satisfied with it, and want more. I am afraid that this time the Liao Kingdom is not just for the sake of seclusion. The ten southern counties are probably here for the gunpowder and more benefits."

"Ah."

Fan Zhongyan nodded slightly: "If you don't teach them a lesson, they won't know that the world has changed."

Wang Deyong said with some worry: "Is it just that our grenade reserves are enough? We have been fighting in the northwest for so long, and now we are fighting the Liao Kingdom. We are afraid that we have spent an unknown amount. And the power of these grenades is indeed insufficient. It is difficult to Kill the heavily armored soldiers."

In the two battles, the Song Dynasty consumed hundreds of thousands of grenades. Even if there were not as many as one million, there were still [-] or [-] grenades. They were thrown away as if they were free of money.

The main reason is that the power of grenades is actually not that great.

You must know that even in later generations, the grenades made by our military in the border areas were very weak. Often when thrown, they would only cause casualties to one or two Japanese invaders at most, or even not kill anyone at all. At most, they would only injure the enemy, and not seriously. Most injuries were minor.

Not to mention the hand grenades of the Song Dynasty. Even after purification and granulation, black powder is still black powder, with limited power and not as powerful as chemical gunpowder.

Therefore, it is still very difficult to kill a Xixia and Liao soldier wearing armor.

The main reason is that the explosive impact and sound caused by it will make soldiers and horses feel scared, causing riots. After a few rounds of grenades, the morale of the Xixia and Liao soldiers dropped. This became the key to the victory of the Song Dynasty. It does not mean that this The stuff is really strong.

Therefore, Song Guo used a lot of grenades in the battle with Li Yuanhao last year. This year they were fighting like this with the Liao Kingdom again. Wang Deyong was worried that their reserves were not enough, and he was also a little worried about what would happen if the Liao Kingdom found a way to restrain themselves.

Once the Song Army's grenades fail to work, I'm afraid the war will return to the starting point.

However, Fan Zhongyan just smiled and said: "Do you know how long we have been preparing for this war?"

"how long?"

Although Wang Deyong was the deputy envoy to the Privy Council, the firearms department was not under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council, so he didn't know.

Fan Zhongyan raised two fingers: "Two years."

two years?

Wang Deyong opened his eyes wide and said, "Were you already stocking up two years ago?"

"good."

Fan Zhongyan nodded: "The production of saltpeter in the Song Dynasty was abundant, but the sulfur was insufficient. We had to buy it from Japan. We secretly purchased a large amount of sulfur reserves from Japan two years ago. The sulfur reached one million kilograms in one year alone. To this day, the Bianliang Firearms Department There are mountains of sulfur in the factory warehouses.”

Wang Deyong said in surprise: "Then our grenades are inexhaustible?"

"No, more than [-] more."

Fan Zhongyan rolled his eyes and said, "That's enough for this battle."

Wang Deyong was shocked and said: "Why?"

"There are many factors, including iron deficiency, slow installation, insufficient design, and many defective products."

Fan Zhongyan looked to the south and said calmly: "Take your time, these are already good. The Song Dynasty still needs more iron, more copper and more gold and silver."

The main reason is that the lighters of the Song Dynasty were not very good.

Hand grenades in later generations all had pull-type fuses. Even if they were made in the border areas, people would pull the match rope to drive the copper wire spring and lead pipe to rub out sparks and heat, ignite the fuse, and then throw it out to explode.

What about Da Song?
  What I got was the thunder ignition device recorded in the "Wu Jing Zong Yao", which ignited the fuse by rubbing iron pieces against flint. Not only was the device primitive, but it was also larger in size, and its success rate of ignition was far less sophisticated than that made in later generations in the border areas. .

In addition, there are many materials required, many assembly personnel, and confidentiality is required. If the third generation is found to be innocent, he will not be allowed to leave after being admitted to the Firearms Department. In addition, there are other firearms to be made, such as thunderbolts, thunderbolt fireballs, smoke balls, etc. It is surprising that the efficiency can be so fast.

Therefore, even after two years of preparation, the entire Song Dynasty was able to produce only one million hand grenades. After nearly two years of war from the beginning of last year to the end of this year, most of the inventory had been used up.

Although the results were indeed astonishing, Xixia suffered heavy casualties, as did the Liao Kingdom. The total number of dead and casualties in the two countries exceeded [-] to [-].

However, very few soldiers from the two countries were actually killed by grenades. Most of them were either injured or frightened by the explosive power of grenades, and then collapsed, and were finally chased and captured by Song cavalry and infantry.

Therefore, the Song Dynasty still has a long way to go before it can truly unleash the power of thermal weapons.

And just when Fan Zhongyan rejected the peace talks with the Liao Kingdom and prepared to mobilize troops, the leader of the Liao Kingdom Yelu Zongzhen also received Liu Liufu's reward.

After learning that Fan Zhongyan was so aggressive, he not only refused to agree to the conditions proposed by the Liao Kingdom, but also actually tried to stop the annual coins and demanded ten counties on the south bank of Laishui River. This was unbearable. In the end, Yelu Zongzhen decided resolutely to fight!

Even if Song cannot be forced to make concessions this time, at least he must not agree to Song's conditions. Otherwise, what will happen to his prestige at home? Many Daliao dignitaries in the country would never agree.

Therefore, in order to ensure the interests of the Liao Kingdom, Yelu Zongzhen had to start a decisive battle with the Song army even if he knew that it was difficult to get off the tiger.

Otherwise, even if the Song army does not fight, if they continue to delay, it will be a waste of national power in vain.

It's better to fight to the death, maybe defeat the Song army, seize the Song army's supplies, go south in one fell swoop, destroy the Song Dynasty, and let the Liao Kingdom dominate the Central Plains!

The next day!

The war officially begins!
  (End of this chapter)