A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 1010: Father’s Kindness and Son’s Filial Piety: Reinvigorating the Army, Asking for Help from Ding Nan Wu San Guan

Chang'an, Daliang Palace
The child emperor Shi Jingtang sat on the throne, looking at the ministers in the hall with a bad face.

Prime Minister and Privy Councilor Sang Weihan saw that the emperor was unwell and hurried out to report: "I congratulate your majesty. The Xia army will soon retreat."

"Could it be that Prime Minister Sang has fallen into a deep sleep? The country is in a critical moment. Bingzhou has been captured and Chang'an is in imminent danger. Why should we be happy?"

"Your Majesty, I sent people from Xiazhou to Khitan and finally met the Khitan emperor. After informing him of our crisis, the Khitan leader agreed to send troops despite opposition from his country."

"With the Khitan cavalry heading south, the danger to the Jin Dynasty will be resolved."

After hearing what Sang Weihan said, Shi Jingtang's expression finally looked better.

"Since the Khitan Emperor has agreed to send troops, I believe that our Great Jin will be able to repel the Xia army."

As early as the war between Xia and Jin broke out, Shi Jingtang sent envoys to ask for help from Khitan.

However, due to the heavy losses in last year's decisive battle and the growing opposition at home, Yelu Deguang had to resolve the rebellion first.

Fortunately, three months later, Yelu Deguang put down the rebellion in the country and barely secured the throne of emperor.

He was well aware of the principle that if one's lips are gone, the other's teeth will be cold, and watching the demise of the State of Jin was not what he wanted to see.

Therefore, even though the Khitan's strength was greatly weakened, he had to forcefully send troops to help the Jin State repel the invasion of the Xia State.

But the current situation is that the Xia army has occupied Yunzhou, cutting off the connection between Khitan and Jin in the east.

The Khitan could only leave most of their troops to contain the Xia Kingdom's northern army and help the Jin Taiyuan Front Army.

A part of the elite troops went further west, heading south from Lingzhou west of Dingnan Army, to rush to Chang'an and help the State of Jin deal with the increasingly powerful Fuxiao Army.

After the Fuxiao Army captured Bingzhou, it did not attack Chang'an directly, but went south to attack Fengxiang Prefecture, intending to break through Dasan Pass and let the Xia army enter the pass.

However, Zhang Congbin of the Jin army arrived in a hurry, and the Fuxiao army was not as elite as the Jin army. They suffered a heavy loss in Fengxiang Prefecture and retreated to Bingzhou.

August 23
Bingzhou, Fuxiao Army Camp
Quan Bingzhong, Meng Chang, Li Wei and other senior leaders of the Fuxiao Army gathered together and were very worried about the upcoming Zhang Congbin.

After the Fuxiao Army captured Bingzhou, its strength reached 30,000, and they thought they could take advantage of the situation to capture Fengxiang Prefecture.

Who would have thought that Shi Shoubin, the governor of Fengxiang Army, could guard Fengxiang Prefecture so tightly with only 3,000 men.

The Fuxiao Army attacked for six consecutive days without any results.

Zhang Congbin, who came from Chang'an, originally wanted to go straight to Bingzhou, but after learning that the Fuxiao army had turned to attack Fengxiang, he led 3,000 cavalrymen to rush overnight.

The Fuxiao Army was caught unprepared and suffered a crushing defeat.

Even after the main generals fled back to Bingzhou and gathered the defeated soldiers, there were only 18,000 people left.

With just this number of people, how can they stop the elite Jin army?

"I have never fought such a frustrating battle." Quan Bingzhong couldn't help but slam the table and complained.

Before Quan Bingzhong became the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he also served in the military.

Most of the Xia army were elite soldiers, and when fighting against the enemy, a small number of Xia soldiers always suppressed a large number of enemy troops.

This was the first time that a minority broke the majority.

Meng Chang said calmly: "Most of the Fuxiao Army are farmers. It is normal that their combat effectiveness is low. Our top priority now is how to preserve the few troops we have."

Although Meng Chang underestimated the fighting power of the Fuxiao Army, Li Wei, the original leader of the rebel army, did not feel embarrassed at all.

Isn't it normal that the peasant army is not as good as the Xia army?
As for the power being taken away by Quan Bingzhong and Meng Chang, Li Wei said he didn't care.

Anyway, I have earned enough wealth for eight lifetimes through speculation. I am just a minor official in the county. What else can I ask for?

"It's not that there is no way, it just depends on whether the commander-in-chief is willing." Quan Bingzhong couldn't stand the sourness of these literati, so he said bluntly: "Just say what you want to say, don't play dumb."

Meng Chang coughed and said, "In the Guanzhong region, besides our forces and the rebels and bandits scattered around, there is another force that the commander should know."

"Dingnan Army?"

"That's right. Although Li Yiyin, the governor of Dingnan Army, submitted to Shi Jingtang, he was actually a vassal unlike Chengde, Tianxiong and other armies."

"And the Dingnan Army has always been at odds with the Khitans, so they must have long been dissatisfied with Jin's submission to the Khitans."

Quan Bingzhong hesitated and asked, "But Li Yiyin is a Tangut. Will he submit to us?"

Meng Chang said confidently: "Everything depends on human effort."

Now that he had made up his mind, Quan Bingzhong no longer hesitated:
"In that case, please ask Du Yuhou to go to Xiazhou."

"Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief."

September

Zhang Congbin captured the city of Bingzhou, and Quan Bingzhong retreated to Jingzhou with only 8,000 men.

Unexpectedly, they were intercepted and killed by Khitan cavalry on the way, and only more than a thousand people escaped back to Jingzhou.

"Please rest assured, Envoy Xia. Shi Jingtang has committed treasonous acts and has recognized the enemy as his father. Everyone has the right to kill him. Although our Dingnan Army is of Tangut origin, we also understand the righteousness and will send troops to help."

In Xiazhou, outside the Dingnan Army headquarters, Dingnan Army Jiedushi Li Yiyin bid farewell to Meng Chang with a smile on his face.

"Please stay, Marshal."

Looking at Meng Chang going away, Li Yiyin's son Li Guangrui asked from behind: "Father, have you decided on the Xia Kingdom?"

Li Yiyin turned around and said, "Why don't you recognize them? The Xia Kingdom now occupies most of China, and its trend of unifying the north is obvious. Even the Khitans were defeated by them last year."

"Although we have been naturalized, if we do not make a choice, according to the character of the Bai family, we will definitely be classified as barbarians. If we return to the country at that time, we will not have such good conditions."

"Besides, Shi Jingtang is able to stop the Xia army now, firstly because of the steep mountains and rivers, and secondly because of the help of the Khitans."

"But if we help the Fuxiao Army to let the Xia Army enter the pass, the demise of Jin will be a foregone conclusion."

After that, he paused for a moment, then continued with a smile on his face: "County Prince, as far as I know, there are not many people who have been crowned as kings in Daxia. Even some meritorious officials who have always followed the Bai family have not been crowned as county princes."

"If this happened in the Tang Dynasty, it would only be in the last years that one could be crowned a king."

"Although I am not as good as Wang Shifan and Liu Shouguang who joined the Xia Kingdom when it was rising, I am still good enough compared to the princes who will come in the future."

September 23
Zhang Congbin and the Khitan cavalry general Yelu Congyun besieged Jingzhou.

However, Jingzhou has a complex terrain, and as it is the place where the Fuxiao Army was founded, it can barely keep up with the enemy.

Just when Zhang Congbin thought that the Fuxiao Army would be pacified soon, the Dingnan Army, which had been stable and inactive, suddenly announced its surrender to Daxia.

He also accepted the official titles bestowed by the Great Xia Dynasty, such as Prince of Longxi, Governor of Xiazhou, General of Zhenjun, Pillar of the State, and Commander-in-Chief of Dingnan Army.

The military officials of Daxia: General of the Cavalry (from the first rank), General of the Auxiliary State, General of the Guardian State, General of the Champion, General of the Huaihua;

General Yunhui, General Zhongwu, General Xuanwei, General Dingyuan, Colonel Zhaowu, Colonel Zhenwei, Colonel Zhiguo, Colonel Yihui, Colonel Xuanjie, Colonel Yuwu, Colonel Renyong, Colonel Peirong (ninth rank).

Above the rank of General of Cavalry are the three Tai and three Si of the first rank: Tai Shi, Tai Fu, Tai Bao, Sima, Situ, and Sikong.

This is an additional title, also an honorary title, used to maintain honor, similar to the titles of marshals in the Marshal's Office.

(End of this chapter)