Traveling through Tianlong: Starting from the Zhenlong chess game

Chapter 486: Marshal! I want to avenge my shame

But at this time, Zhao Mu also noticed that General Yang seemed to have something to hide.

He looked at King Zhongxiao, and then asked: "Father-in-law, what's wrong with Uncle Yang?"

King Zhongxiao replied at this time: "Alas! That's it. The first achievement of this battle must be the capture of the King of Xixia."

Hearing this, Zhao Mu smiled and said, "Oh? Does it mean that Uncle Yang just wants to compete with me for the top spot?"

General Yang sighed and said: "It's not that the general intends to compete with the prince for credit. It's just..." General Yang just sighed, but did not tell the reason.

Zhao Mu looked at King Zhongxiao, and King Zhongxiao looked at General Yang and said, "Brother Yang, if you have anything to say, tell the commander-in-chief. If you were hesitating like you, if it were me, I wouldn't give you the position of pioneer officer."

General Yang looked at Empress Zhao Mu and said, "That's it. At the end of that year, the general, the old prince, and brother Hu Yan accompanied Marshal Di on his western expedition."

Zhao Mu said: "I know this. At that time, General Yang was the second deputy commander of the expedition to the west. The elder of the Beggar Clan, Wu Changfeng, the Ghost Head Swordsman, also received a gold medal for meritorious service from General Yang. My relationship with the Beggar Clan Gang Leader Qiao is old and knows about this."

General Yang sighed again, and then said: "The commander-in-chief only knows one thing but not the other. At the end of that year, the general led a second army to support the old prince, but it was a pity that he underestimated the enemy and rushed in, and was ambushed by Xixia soldiers in Yingchou Gorge. Not only did he fail to rescue the besieged old prince, but he also lost 6,000 troops. At that time, Mo Jiang was hunted down by the masters of the Xixia Yipin Hall. If it hadn't been for the help of Wu Changfeng, the hero of the Beggar Clan, Mo Jiang would have been killed. People picked it off."

General Yang was so ashamed that he couldn't say any more.

General Yang continued: "While His Majesty Shenzong was alive, the Song Dynasty and Xixia started fighting again. But this time, the general was still in command to respond to the enemy. And this time."

After thinking about it, Zhao Mu said: "No! This time it's a big deal. If we don't capture Xixia in time, we will be attacked from both sides. The surrounding countries will also attack together. I can't take this risk. So here we are. The second attack on Lingzhou City will still be handled by me personally."

Zhao Mu asked: "But what does this have to do with General Yang asking for the position of Pioneer General?"

General Yang said to Zhao Mu at this time: "I beg the commander-in-chief to give me this chance. I am willing to guarantee my wealth and life! We will definitely succeed!"

Upon seeing this, King Zhongxiao added: "It's like this. Although our army won that expedition, only Brother Yang's soldiers and horses were lost among the armies, and he did not make any meritorious service. From then on, Brother Yang was called 'Brother Yang' in the army." General Bai Di'. This Western Expedition is the last chance for Brother Yang to wash away his shame. If he misses this Western Expedition, he may not be able to go to the battlefield again. "

Zhao Mu glanced at General Yang, and then said: "I hope General Yang will put the overall interests of the country first and let's not worry about his personal reputation for the time being."

Zhao Mu said: "So, General Yang is blaming himself for not being able to rescue his father?"

General Yang shook his head and said: "That's not entirely true. Back then, the prince had help from experts to recover the camp. And the campaign against Xixia was also over, and the two countries stopped fighting and made peace."

General Yang sighed, then raised his hands and said, "General, I obey!"

Seeing General Yang looking so disappointed, Zhao Mu smiled and said: "In the future, I will give General Yang a chance to avenge his humiliation. Besides, the Xixia Kingdom today is nothing more than withered bones in the grave. What good is a soft persimmon? Damn it. When we go north and destroy the Liao Kingdom, General Yang will move the Li Ling Monument back and place it in the Tianbo Mansion Ancestral Hall. It will not only wipe out your shame, General Yang, but also comfort the spirits of the ancestors of the Yang family. "

"What! Destroy Liao?" After hearing Zhao Mu's words, General Yang changed his previous decadence, and his eyes shone like a wolf. Zhao Mu replied: "That's right. Defeating Xixia is just the beginning. And destroying Liao is our real goal. Xixia Kingdom, I have never taken them seriously. However, Pingluo will destroy Xia first. The provincial Xixia Sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and reap the benefits.”

Hearing that there was still a big battle to be fought in the future, General Yang's spirit immediately lifted.

The three of them then continued to study this strategy.

Finally, after three people's research, an action plan was planned.

In this battle to extinguish Xia, the Privy Council planned to mobilize an army of 300,000 people and recruit 100,000 civilians as logistics. A total of 400,000 people.

Although this number is not too many, it is all the strength that the Song Dynasty can mobilize except for the defense forces of various countries.

If Zhao Mu hadn't said, "A lion fights a rabbit with all his strength," King Zhongxiao would have been reluctant to mobilize all these troops. There are so few soldiers and horses now, and it is Zhao Mu's fault.

Because of Zhao Mu's military reform, the army was refined and administration streamlined. More than half of the Song Dynasty's millions of imperial troops were directly cut off. Today, there are 200,000 people guarding the border between Song and Liao to defend the Liao Kingdom, and the remaining more than 100,000 are scattered to maintain local security and guard against Tubo and Dali.

These 300,000 soldiers and horses are considered the entire property of the Song Dynasty, although those soldiers who have been laid off can also be rehired. But Zhao Mu doesn’t think so many people are needed. At least not yet.

Among these 300,000 soldiers and horses, 80,000 are cavalry and 30,000 charioteers. Fifteen thousand elite cavalry, the secret weapon prepared by Zhao Mu, the iron pagoda. The rest are ordinary armored infantry.

After Zhao Mu heard about the fifteen thousand iron pagodas, even the corners of his mouth showed an arrogant smile.

After all, according to historical records, even at its peak, the Jin Kingdom only had seven or eight thousand iron pagodas. The economic strength of the Song Dynasty was far from comparable to that of the barbarians. The number of armored cavalry has doubled. Zhao Mu felt that he could directly attack the Liao Kingdom now.

But who knew that Xixia was the land entrusted to him by Zhezong? He had no choice but to take over his own Lingzhou City first.

The specific battle plan was also very simple. General Yang led his troops as a feint to attract the main force of Xixia Kingdom to fight. The cavalry troops gave full play to their mobility and quickly detoured back to the rear of the Xixia Kingdom's main force according to the interspersed lines on the map.

After that, General Yang used the iron pagoda and the chariot soldiers as the main force of the battle. He led the infantry of the large group to eat away layer by layer, and finally ate the main force of Xixia Kingdom in one bite.

Zhao Mu, as the forward general, followed the insertion curve he established, brought half a month's worth of food and supplies, attacked Lingzhou City with lightning speed, and finally surrounded it. Forcing the king of Xixia to surrender.

As for King Zhongxiao, he was responsible for the overall coordination and supply of food and grass. Zhao Mu was only responsible for leading five thousand light cavalry to attack and kill them. And they are responsible for commanding the entire battle.

After formulating the plan, Zhao Mu also gave many instructions to his soldiers to strictly abide by military discipline. Never massacre the city and harm the people. If this happens, I will definitely kill you without mercy.

After Zhao Mu and everyone made plans, he personally visited the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works to inspect the grain, grass, and various equipment needed for the battle for the last time. After confirming that it was correct, Zhao Mu returned home.

(End of this chapter)