King of Song

Chapter 572
With the snowflakes flying, it is already the end of the fifth year of Xining.

The northwest of the Song Dynasty was temporarily in a state of calm. After the Song army won the battle of Tabaicheng, they stopped in the niche and stopped moving.Commander Lin Zhao was busy rectifying the military affairs of the Western Army, while Xixia agreed to Tubo's request for help. Li Bingchang, the lord of the country, led the army himself, and approached the three prefectures of Dasong, Lin, and Qing by adopting the strategy of encircling Wei and saving Zhao.

Lin Zhao reacted immediately and mobilized three generals, Zhe Kexing from Fuzhou, Zhong'er Zhiqingjiancheng, and Jing Sili from Xizhou Tongdan, to defend the border.The focus of this battle is Hehuang, so we don't want to win the battle of Xixia, just want to hold down the Xixia army.The opponent is not the mature Liang Yibu, but the young and vigorous Li Bingchang. Lin Zhao believes that the three generals will not disappoint.

But Lin Zhao still didn't attack Hehuang immediately, after all, there was a very real situation, that is snowfall!In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the northwest is bitterly cold, and the snow is full of feet. This kind of weather is not conducive to combat at all.Especially the Song soldiers were definitely not as cold-resistant as the Tubo soldiers, so Lin Zhao prepared a little slowly, and at the same time was considering finding another way, whether he could use some auxiliary tactics.

Compared with the tranquility in the northwest, the southeastern frontier of the Song Dynasty was turbulent - there was a rebellion in Jiaozhi.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Song Dynasty was first affected by drought, and the northwest land was fighting against Tubo, Jiaozhi, the vassal of the Song Dynasty, began to feel restless.

Since Pan Mei led the army to destroy the Southern Han Dynasty during the Taizu period, Song Dynasty's attention to the southeast has declined.Coupled with the threat of the Liao Kingdom and Xixia, the Song Dynasty's troops were mainly concentrated in the north, and the number of troops stationed in the south and the combat power of the troops were relatively weak.The Song Dynasty also adopted the method of strong stems and weak branches. The forbidden army was strong, but the local Xiang army was really not very good.

Under the status quo of being poor and weak, the southern military of the Great Song Dynasty gradually deteriorated after a hundred years.During the reign of Renzong, Nong Zhigao rebelled in the southwest area, and several troops in the south were mobilized, but they were helpless and helpless. This is the best proof.In the end, it was Di Qing who led the Western Army to the south, and the Kunlun Pass was a great victory, and the rebellion was successfully put down.

Everything has advantages and disadvantages. The destruction of Nong Zhigao represents the suppression of the rebellion, but the balance of power in the southern region has also changed.After the suppression of the rebellion, the Western Army withdrew to the north, and the Song Army in the South was still rotten, and its strength was a little empty, which made another force in the South continue to rise and grow, that is-Jiaozhi!
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, Jiaozhi either existed as a prefecture of the Central Plains Dynasty, or someone established itself as a king and became a vassal state of the Central Plains Dynasty.During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, Li Heng, a native of Jiaozhi, established the Li Dynasty.In the third year of Zhenzong's Dazhong Xiangfu, that is, the third year of Jiaozhi Jingrui, Li Gongyun expected Li to become the king of Jiaozhi, establish the Li Dynasty, and move the capital to Shenglong (He/Nei). Jiaozhi began to enter a relatively strong period.

During this period, Jiaozhi continued to invade the north and plundered the Song Dynasty, especially the neighboring Guangyuan Prefecture, which suffered a lot.And the Nong Zhigao family here, brave and good at fighting, has resisted the invasion of the Cochin people many times, and has been suppressing the development of the Cochin Kingdom to the north.

During Renzong's reign, Nong Zhigao's rebellion was wiped out, and the Song army's military deterrence in the southeast was not enough. Jiaozhi lost its suppression, and its power expanded and gradually became stronger.

Under such circumstances, the ruler of Jiaozhi was no longer willing to continue to be a vassal of the Central Plains Dynasty, and he no longer cared about the title of King of Jiaozhi County conferred by Song Taizu.They want to get rid of the Central Plains, and even want to expand the territory, invade the land of the Song Dynasty, and dominate the south.

However, although Jiaozhi was ready to move, Da Song was a colossus after all. A skinny camel was bigger than a horse, so Jiaozhi didn't dare to act rashly.

Five years until Xining, they saw an opportunity!
The Song Dynasty fell into an unprecedented drought, and the country was unstable.The Liao Kingdom took advantage of the fire to loot again and re-delineated the border. The Song Army fought against Tubo in the northwest again, and Xixia also intended to participate in the war.

Under such circumstances, the Song Dynasty naturally had no time to take care of the south, and the Jiaozhi people seized the opportunity to send troops.

Cochin Fuguo Taiwei Li Changjie led an army of [-] to invade the Great Song Dynasty, and the goal was the Guangnan West Road of the Great Song Dynasty.Li Changjie's troops divided into three groups, first captured Qinzhou, and then captured Lianzhou three days later. The two important towns of the Song Dynasty in the south were captured by Jiaozhi.Afterwards, the brutal Jiaozhi people did heinous things. They massacred the people of the Song Dynasty, even the monks, which was horrible.

Subsequently, the Jiaozhi army invaded the four villages of Taiping, Yongping, Qianlu, and Guwan in Yongzhou. If they conquered them, the Jiaozhi army would directly threaten Yongzhou (South/Ning), the largest city on Guangnan West Road in the Song Dynasty.

The transshipment envoy of Guangnan West Road in Guizhou immediately reported the news to Bianjing, and the Great Song Chaotang suddenly panicked.

Zhao Xu sighed, Xining was destined to be unlucky for five years. He thought that the bad luck in the first half of the year had passed, and the second half of the year would be easier.Lin Zhao's victory in Tabai City had just changed the atmosphere, and he was only happy for a few days when another accident happened in the south.

Yongzhou is located on the bank of the Yongjiang River, with fertile land. It is a rare and prosperous place on Guangnan West Road. There are nearly 6 residents in the city. It is already one of the best big cities on Guangnan Road.In addition, Yongzhou also controls more than 40 Jumi prefectures today. Among them, Guangyuan prefecture, the source of the Yujiang River, is particularly rich and has many gold mines.

It can be seen that the geographical location of Yongzhou is very important.If the Song army occupied Yongzhou, almost all Guangnan West Road would be lost.Jiaozhi has acquired such a rich land, coupled with gold mines, its strength will continue to expand, and the threat to Song Dynasty will further expand.Half of the country in the south is in a state of unease.

The northern frontier of the Song Dynasty is already chaotic enough, and there must be no more problems in the south, otherwise the Song Dynasty will be attacked by enemies, and the country will not be a country.Therefore, we must not sit back and watch Jiaozhi occupy Yongzhou.

In addition to national security and strategic considerations, caring for the people is also crucial.The Jiaozhi people were brutal. Since the invasion of the Song Dynasty, they have been bloodthirsty. The crimes of the massacres in Qinzhou and Lianzhou are still vivid in my mind.God knows if they will commit violence after taking down Yongzhou.There are [-] Song people in the city of Yongzhou, how can we watch them die under the butcher's knife of the Jiaozhi people?
In fact, in history, after Jiaozhi captured Yongzhou, it did carry out a large-scale massacre of the city, killing more than [-] officials, soldiers, natives, and residents, which is simply horrific.They also demolished Yongzhou City and threw bricks and stones into the river in an attempt to block the Yongjiang River.

Cochin people are really hateful!
Zhao Xu slammed his fist on the imperial case, his eyes almost burst into flames, not to mention the hatred!The vassal state in the tiny place in the south even dared to raise troops to rebel and invade the Shang Kingdom. Has the Great Song Dynasty been reduced to this point?To be invaded by a jumping clown like Jiaozhi, what a joke, is it tolerable or unbearable!

How could the Great Song Dynasty tolerate cats and dogs like Jiaozhi peeing on their heads?Conquest, must be conscripted!
Take back the land of Guangnan West Road, drive out the Jiaozhi people, and teach them a lesson.The Great Song Dynasty quickly reached a consensus that the tradition of being superior in a great country has been deeply rooted in the bones of the scholar-bureaucrats, so naturally this is not the case.

It’s just that things didn’t go as expected. The southern army of the Song Dynasty was too corrupt. They didn’t learn the lessons from Nong Zhigao’s rebellion. The equipment and combat effectiveness of the army were simply not worth mentioning.There are even many local officials and generals who need the number of people in order to eat empty pay, and the number of soldiers is not enough. Most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. How can they compete with the murderous Jiaozhi people?
Coupled with some mistakes in the initial strategy, it gave Cochin an opportunity.Soon the important military sites of Taiping, Yongping, Qianlu, and Guwan four villages near Yongzhou fell one after another. The Jiaozhi army surrounded Yongzhou City, and Guangnan West Road was in danger.

When the news reached Bianjing, besides being shocked again, the rulers and ministers of the Song Dynasty were all thinking about a question, what should they do?
In the face of failure, they truly realized the horror of the Cochin people and the seriousness of the situation.Relying on the rotten troops in the south is not enough to put down the rebellion. At this moment, the courtiers all thought of the Forbidden Army!
Compared with the vulnerable Xiang army, the Forbidden Army has always been famous for its strong soldiers and powerful combat effectiveness.If the imperial army is dispatched, they should be able to easily defeat the Jiaozhi people!Just like when Di Qing led the Western Army to suppress the rebellion, Nong Zhigao was easily dealt with.

Let the Western Army go south again?
I'm afraid it won't work this time, Xihe Road is fighting fiercely with Tubo, and Xixia is also putting up a stance, and Chen Bing is on the border, eyeing it like a tiger.Huanqing Road, Linzhou, and Fuzhou are in emergency. Under such circumstances, the Northwest itself is too busy to take care of itself. How can it send a soldier to the south to put down the rebellion?
The Imperial Army of the Song Dynasty is mainly divided into three parts, the Western Army defending Xixia, the Hebei Army defending the Liao Kingdom, and the Jingying Imperial Army stationed in Bianjing.

Although the border with the Liao Kingdom has been redrawn, the Liao Kingdom is still eyeing it covetously. Both Zhao Wang Yelu Yixin and Prince Yelujun have the intention to go south.Under such circumstances, the garrison on Hebei Road did not dare to move easily.Xuan Fu envoy Wen Yanbo said that Hebei has no danger to defend, and it all depends on the army to stand ready and garrison with all its strength.

The Western Army can't move, and the Hebei Army can't move, so the only ones who can be transferred are the Imperial Army of the Beijing Camp.

But when it comes to this issue, the courtiers all shut up by coincidence, not daring to express their opinions casually.This is no longer a matter of counter-insurgency and intercourse, but involves the safety of the capital of the Song Dynasty.

In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms before the founding of the Song Dynasty, the emperors changed like a revolving lantern, and the generals often rebelled and established themselves as emperors.Therefore, the rulers of Zhao and Song adopted a policy of governing the country that emphasized civility over military affairs, focused on guarding against generals, and at the same time strengthened the weak.Half of the country's troops were stationed in Bianjing, the capital city, and they were all elite imperial troops.

It is to keep the dynasty strong and the local area weak, so that there will be no rebellion and endanger the rule.No matter where the rebellion occurred, it was difficult to conquer the capital Bianjing.The imperial court also has enough troops, which can be dispatched to quell the rebellion.

This national policy has been implemented for a hundred years and has never changed!Many times, when there are rebellions in the local area, the Western Army is basically dispatched to put down the rebellion. This was the case with Nong Zhi. (Original history, the main force to defeat the Cochin invasion still came from the Western Army)

But this time, because of the problems of Tubo and Xixia, the Western Army could not be transferred.The Hebei army did not dare to act rashly, and the only thing that could be mobilized was the Imperial Army of the Beijing Camp.

Cochin claims to have an army of 8, which may be exaggerated, but at least [-] are certain.To put down the rebellion, Da Song had to mobilize at least [-] troops.The deployment of [-] troops from the border meant that the military defense of Bianjing had dropped a lot.

The capital city is the core of the feudal dynasty, and often problems in the capital city mean the demise of the entire country, so no one dares to take it lightly.

Although Bianjing is located in the middle of the Song Dynasty, with Hebei Road stationed in the north and the Western Army stationed in the northwest in the west, the capital Bianjing will not be invaded by foreign enemies.The only unstable factors can only come from within, and the only ones that can threaten Bianjing are the Hebei Army and the Western Army.

The two armies are now in the hands of Wen Yanbo and Lin Zhao respectively. Of course, the Privy Council of the imperial court has control over the generals of all states and counties.It is very difficult for a Xuanfu envoy to fully control a large army, and it seems that it will not threaten Bianjing.Furthermore, Wen Yanbo is a veteran of the three dynasties, and Lin Zhao is a rising star, but both seem to be loyal ministers, so there should be no problem!

But after all, the matter is of great importance, and no one dares to say anything lightly.Han Jiang of the Privy Council also took a cautious attitude and handed over the final decision to Zhao Xu.

Although Zhao Xu was very angry at Jiaozhi's behavior, he had to consider the safety of Bianjing more. The foundation of the Song Dynasty was much more important than a Guangnan West Road.

Isn't Yongzhou still holding on?The southern army is not completely vulnerable. No matter how many troops are dispatched, the crisis in Yongzhou may be resolved!As for the imperial guards in the Beijing camp, don't make up your mind for the time being.

Zhao Xu pretended to be deaf and dumb, and the ministers couldn't say anything more!Everyone agrees that if Da Song can defeat Tubo and Xixia as soon as possible, then the power of heaven will be intimidating, Jiaozhi will be afraid, and will retreat in spite of difficulties!
Ever since, the heavy pressure fell on Lin Zhao's shoulders again!The emperor's imperial decree was sent to Qinzhou together with the wishes of many ministers, asking Lin Zhao to capture Hehuang as soon as possible to show our country's prestige!
Lin Zhao was so helpless, he didn't expect such a thing to happen!

But Di Qing was excited after seeing it. This is an extremely rare opportunity!
"My lord, if the Beijing camp dispatches [-] troops to go south, Bianjing's power will be weakened. With the Western Army in hand, you will have the capital to compete with Zhao Xu."

Lin Zhao said in a dumb voice, "Mr. Di is not planning to take down Bianjing by force, is he? This is..."

"Of course not!" Di Qing shook his head and said, "The eldest princess intends to disclose the identity of the young master. If the Beijing camp army goes south, the young master will control the western army and return to Bianjing. After the identity is revealed, even if Zhao Xu has any ideas, he will still be cautious! The son's safety is more guaranteed, and he can be more calm."

"That's the reason!" Before thinking about controlling the Western Army, he could be evenly matched with Zhao Xu.Now it is possible to have a slight upper hand. Although it cannot win immediately, it can win more time and space to arrange, and the chances of winning in the next competition will be greater.

"However, it is not up to us to decide whether the Beijing camp will be dispatched!" Di Qing said worriedly: "It seems that we have to find a way to get Bianjing to act, and write a letter to promote this matter..."

"Mr. Di, don't be like this. The Beijing camp is of great importance, and it cannot be promoted by writing a letter, so as not to be suspected of the motive." Lin Zhaodao: "The decision is in Zhao Xu's hands, but whether or not to send troops is not up to him. People have the right to decide too."

"Master, you mean...?"

"That's right, if there is a loss in Yongzhou, can Zhao Xu continue to sit idly by?" Lin Zhao had read related reports in his previous life. This period was when Jiaozhi was the most powerful, and Yongzhou was indeed conquered by them. More than 5 soldiers and civilians of the Song Dynasty died tragically under the butcher's knife, and the Yongjiang River was stained with blood, which was terrible.

The same plot may still happen, but he can't stop it at all, but Zhao Xu has delayed sending troops for the sake of the stability of the society.If the Beijing camp does not come out, the end of Yongzhou may be doomed.It's a pity that there are more than 5 soldiers and civilians in the city. I can't do anything, but I still want to use them as part of the plan, and I feel a little sorry.

Sometimes, reality is so helpless!

"Yongzhou's city defense is not as strong as imagined. Nong Zhigao occupied it back then, and the Southern Xiang army was so corrupt that it couldn't resist Jiaozhi at all. If there is no reinforcements, it will only be a matter of time before the city breaks down." Di Qing was the one who put down Nong Zhigao back then. The general knows the situation of the Song army in the south very well.

"Da Song has come to such a point that he even dared to break ground on Tai Sui's head!" Lin Zhao was a little indignant.

Di Qing said: "My lord, don't worry, if Yongzhou falls, Zhao Xu's prestige will definitely be greatly reduced, and the Beijing camp will still go south, and your lord's chance will come. He can't do it to make the Song Dynasty prosperous and strong, but the old man believes that your lord will be able to." do it."

"I will live up to my expectations!" Lin Zhao nodded firmly.

"The trouble over Jiaozhi also affects us." Di Qing said: "The first one is that we must win. Whether it is to boost morale or increase prestige for the young master, it is very necessary. However, this victory cannot be too fast. , it must be delayed until after the Beijing camp goes south, otherwise Zhao Xu is more willing to transfer the Western Army to counter the rebellion."

"That's right!" Lin Zhao said, "So this time really has to be grasped, too fast or too slow!"

"You don't have to worry about Xixia. Li Bingchang is still a child. The three generals sent by the young master are veterans who have experienced many battles. The defense must be no problem." What a small record! It’s good to make a start on Xixia’s side, and the young master will have an excuse to return to the northwest at any time.”

"That's true!" Lin Zhao agreed, "Xixia is a cancer of the Great Song Dynasty. How can they be allowed to continue to exist? It must be difficult for the five states to be the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, and the land of Heshuo will be taken back sooner or later." .”

Di Qing said: "Don't worry too much about Xi Xia, the key is Tubo, that Qing Yi knotting a ghost badge is not a good thing, I'm afraid the price will be heavy if you fight hard, why don't you think about other means..."

"Duke Di said... that person?"

"It seems that the young master has a clever plan, the old man is too worried!" Di Qing and Lin Zhao looked at each other, and laughed heartily.

(End of this chapter)