Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

The people in the streets were cheering, but the Xixia envoys felt like they were mourning their heirs.

"It's fake, it must be fake!"

Returning to Dutingyi, Cao Changyong said to the envoys: "The Ming Dynasty may have won the battle and captured the Henan Army, but it is absolutely impossible to capture more than 100,000 Daxia soldiers! The Han people have always liked to brag and are keen on Exaggerate the results of the victory, even exaggerate it ten times."

The envoys nodded one after another, this statement was acceptable.

Li Renli asked: "If the Daxia army only lost ten or twenty thousand men, would the King of Jin give up the Henan Army?"

Cao Changyong was speechless for a moment, and after thinking carefully, he said: "Maybe the King of Jin just retreated temporarily and looked for an opportunity to take back the Henan Army Division."

"This is also possible." Li Renli hoped so.

They were not in the mood to go out to play, so they discussed it repeatedly in Dutingyi, using the simple information displayed by Lubu to speculate and restore the battle process at that time.

Pure guessing!

That afternoon, the two were summoned by the prince.

They headed directly to the Generalissimo's Mansion. The people in Tokyo they met along the way held their heads high when they saw the Xixia envoy coming.

The guards at the Generalissimo's Mansion were also beaming with joy and deliberately winked at the envoys.

"Meet His Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty!" The two of them bowed at the same time, with a much more respectful attitude.

Ju Ming smiled and said, "Sit down."

The guards brought the chairs over, and the two of them felt heavy, no longer as calm as they had been when they first arrived in Tokyo.

Ju Ming said: "It is a waste of time to negotiate back and forth. You can go back to Lanzhou and write letters to the leader of Xixia at any time. I will also send a peace envoy to Lanzhou to fully represent the Ming Dynasty."

Li Renli became more and more sure of Xixia's defeat and asked cautiously: "May I ask about Ming Dynasty's peace negotiation requirements."

Ju Ming said: "I will not force others to do anything. Shibaozhai and Zangdihe City will be returned to Xixia, and the rest of the occupied land will be returned to the Ming Dynasty."

Shibaozhai and Zangdi River City are both strategic fortresses.

They were the springboard for Xixia to attack the Hengshan area, and they were also the obstacles for the Song Dynasty to fight out of Hengshan.

Throughout the Song Huizong period, the main battlefield between Song and Xia was repeatedly stalemate in this area.

Take Zangdi River City as an example. It is a new city and was built by Xixia in the year when Zhu Ming passed the imperial examination. In just three years, the Song army captured the city five times, and the Xixia army recaptured it five times after losing troops and defeating generals.

If Xixia is not allowed to retain Shibaozhai and Zangdihe City, this peace negotiation will probably be impossible. Xixia will never agree to it.

There are not only military reasons, but also economic reasons.

In the rugged and difficult mountainous areas, there were five routes to march to attack Yanzhou in Xixia. Therefore, it is often said that the Song Dynasty conquered Xia in five routes.

Shibaozhai and Zangdihe City can block most of the passage and ensure the safety of Yanzhou in Xixia.

Of course Yanzhou produces salt, which is one of the financial lifebloods of Xixia!

Li Renli asked: "Does Your Highness want to restore the border between the two countries to the time when the last peace talks between Xia and Song Dynasty were carried out?"

"Not bad." Zhu Ming nodded.

Li Renli said: "Then the Nanjun Sicheng and the Ancient Bone Dragon City should be returned to Daxia."

Ju Ming smiled brightly and asked, "Do you think it's possible?"

Li Renli said: "The Xia Dynasty returned the land, and the Ming Dynasty should also return the city."

Ju Ming asked: "Why is Xixia willing to return the land?"

Li Renli couldn't answer.

Ju Ming asked himself and answered: "Xi Xia returned the land because the Ming Dynasty soldiers won the battle. Ming Dynasty did not need to return the city, and it was also because the Ming Dynasty soldiers won the battle. You can write a letter to the leader of Xi Xia. If you are not convinced, there is no need for peace talks. I have great soldiers tomorrow and will be able to recapture Huizhou by force very soon. Next year, the army will be divided into two groups, and they will take the capital of Xixia along the Yellow River, and capture Liangzhou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou along the way. Xixia will no longer have to return Hengshan!"

Cao Changyong suddenly spoke sternly: "His Royal Highness the Prince can send troops to take it, and I, the great Xia son, will definitely fight to the death!"

"good!"

Ju Ming slammed the table: "You guys can go back to the country. We will send troops to meet you when the time comes!"

Li Renli quickly said: "That's not necessary! May I ask, Your Highness the Crown Prince, does the kingdom of brothers that I mentioned before still count?"

"Of course it counts." Zhu Ming turned his anger into a smile.

Li Renli said: "Your Highness, please give me some time. We will write a letter to the king immediately."

The two were dejected and left the Generalissimo's Mansion together.

Cao Changyong guessed: "The prince of Ming Dynasty is so arrogant, I'm afraid the king of Jin will really suffer a big defeat."

Li Renli said: "When doing business, you have to bargain. Maybe we can keep a few more castles."

The Hengshan area is full of forts, and there is a beacon tower every four or five miles. It is still possible to save a few more forts.

But there is a premise, that is, the Ming army cannot continue to win.

Just when the two men met with Ju Ming, Yang Zhi had already sent troops again. This was Zhong Shidao's last plan before leaving Lanzhou.

Yang Zhi is no longer short of food. Xixia has military rations in Henan Army Station. Brother Richard and Li Renyi also brought a lot of food and grass. All three places of food and grass were seized by Yang Zhi.

From Lanzhou to Huizhou (Jingyuan), although this section of the Yellow River has many mountains and gorges, it is still possible to march with difficulty.

During the Song Dynasty, Longgou Fort, Tongquan Fort, Qingshui Hezhai, etc. were built on the south bank of this section of the Yellow River. These strongholds were all taken away by Xixia last year, and Yang Zhi must fight all the way through.

The entire merchant ships in Lanzhou, Huangzhou, Xizhou, and Hezhou were forcibly recruited by Yang Zhi.

There were thousands of ships, large and small, carrying soldiers, civilians and baggage, heading towards Huizhou in a mighty manner.

When they arrived at Longgou Fort, the artillery was dragged to the shore and only fired a few shots. The Xixia defenders in the fort fled.

There were only a few hundred defenders in total. Xixia had just been defeated. This place was so close to Lanzhou that the soldiers had no intention of resisting to the death.

Further ahead, Tongquan Fort saw the Ming Dynasty fleet in the distance, and the defenders in the fort fled to Huizhou by boat. Even if they had to defend, they would retreat to Huizhou City, not wanting hundreds of people to hide in a small castle and fight against the Ming army.

When the general of Huizhou learned the news, he wrote an urgent letter to Li Qianshun asking for help.

Brother Richard has returned to Xingqing Mansion and said to the Xixia monarchs and ministers: "The Han soldiers have magic cannons that can break the city wall. Huizhou is empty of troops. I am afraid it will fall in half a month."

The main force of the Huizhou garrison had already gone on an expedition with Brother Richard, and most of them surrendered and became prisoners.

Li Qianshun asked: "What is the divine cannon?"

Li Renyi from the Gansu Military Division has also arrived at Xingqing Mansion. At this moment, he described: "According to the soldiers who escaped back, the divine cannon is made of iron, like a hollow tree trunk."

Brother Richard said: "I was at least two miles away from the city wall. The Han soldiers fired cannons from divine cannons and killed two of the soldiers around me. If I had been more accurate, I would have been within two miles. He died outside."

As soon as these words came out, the monarchs and ministers of Xixia were shocked.

Li Qianshun was even more frightened: "What if Han soldiers come all the way along the Yellow River?"

Brother Richard said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The terrain from Lanzhou to Huizhou is rugged, and the Han soldiers are all transported by water. The maximum number of Han troops can be ten or twenty thousand, and attacking Huizhou is the limit. If you want to continue down the Yellow River, , there are more dangerous places along the way, and the food roads are longer, so our army is fully capable of protecting itself."

"If the Han soldiers capture Huizhou, they can cooperate with other groups of Han soldiers to launch an attack on Hengshan," Li Renyi said. "I recruited soldiers in Daxia and relied on the terrain and fortresses, so I am not afraid of fighting the Han soldiers. But...as long as the war drags on for two or three months, our army will be completely out of food and grass..."

Brother Richard added: "After this defeat, many tribes in the country are ready to move. If there is another war, they are likely to rebel."

To continue fighting, Xixia could only forcefully recruit troops and forcibly requisition food and grass. Of course, they are not afraid of winning the war, but once they lose on the front line, rebellions will inevitably break out in the country, because after years of fighting, those tribes have been in dire straits.

Li Renzhong said: "Your Majesty, we should still negotiate for peace."

Li Qianshun said: "But the Governor of Lanzhou in the Ming Dynasty (actually the Governor of Xihe) asked for the entire Hengshan Mountain as soon as he opened his mouth."

Li Renzhong said: "Hengshan can be given up, but a few more forts must be left. For example, Yinchuan City should be kept."

Yinchuan City in Xixia, which is Yongle City in Song Dynasty, was built on the Wuding River, dozens of miles northwest of Mizhi.

It was a sad place in the old Song Dynasty, because the city wall collapsed in the rain, resulting in the loss of more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians.

"The pitiful bones by the Wuding River are like those in a spring boudoir dream" is no longer an adjective. Those bones are by the Wuding River.

If Xixia retains Yinchuan City, it can push the border forward, otherwise its Yinzhou City will be at the forefront.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from the front line, Huizhou guard general has surrendered the city to the enemy..."

While the monarchs and ministers were discussing the matter of peace, Li Qianshun's brother-in-law suddenly rushed in, panicking and bringing bad news from the front line.

When Song and Xia were at war for hundreds of years, both sides had two or five young men.

Scholars from the Song Dynasty who failed to succeed in the exams might defect to Xixia in a fit of anger. The Xixia people also brought the drawings of the divine arm and bow and came to seek refuge with the Song Dynasty in exchange for wealth.

Even among Xixia's frontline generals, more than one or two took the initiative to surrender to the Song Dynasty. Most of them committed serious crimes in Xixia, or had bad relations with their superiors or colleagues. They were worried about being punished, so they led their troops to surrender to the Song Dynasty.

Xi'an Prefecture in the Song Dynasty used to belong to the Xishou Military Division of Xixia, and it was conquered by the Xixia generals who led the way.

Li Qianshun was furious. He stood up in excitement and shouted: "Mi Qin Yuxing comes from the Eighth Department of the Dangxiang Department. How can he offer the city to surrender to the enemy?"

Mi Qinshi, also translated as Mi Qin and Meiqing, was mistakenly copied as "Lai Qinshi" in "Song History".

Brother Richard lowered his head and said nothing because this matter was related to him.

Brother Richard has become more powerful in recent years and is extremely domineering in the military. He often promotes his cronies without any scruples.

Some people are promoted, and others are naturally suppressed.

Mi Qin's family gradually declined among the Eight Tribes of the Party. Although Mi Qin Yuxing was extremely brave, the strength of his clan had weakened, and he failed to establish a good relationship with Brother Richard, so he was inevitably suppressed when he was promoted.

Once they go back and forth, they become enemies.

Brother Richard gathered troops in Huizhou this time, thinking that he would win, so he took away all the other generals, except Mi Qin Yuxing, who stayed in Huizhou to defend the city, because he did not want this man to gain any military glory.

Mi Qin was a blessing in disguise. Faced with Yang Zhi leading troops to attack Huizhou, he simply offered the city and surrendered.

Anyway, when he returns to Xixia, he will definitely be suppressed by Brother Richard.

Li Renzhong originally wanted to bargain, but now that Huizhou is gone, and even the garrison of Huizhou has been demoted, he can only propose: "Your Majesty, return Hengshan to the Ming Dynasty, and just keep Shibaozhai and Zangdihe City. But Song must be allowed to return Mi Qin Yuxing and severely punish this person to serve as a warning to others!"