Xianxia version of Water Margin

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Soon after Zhong Shidao took the blame for Zhao Huan, protests broke out among students and soldiers and civilians in Tokyo. They demanded the restoration of Zhong Shidao's official position and cursed Li Bangyan and others for selling out the country. Li Bangyan was almost beaten to death by the angry crowd.

That night, some soldiers and civilians gathered to make trouble. They killed dozens of eunuchs and smashed their homes, saying that they had deceived the emperor to cede Hebei, Hedong and Shandong, and sold out the country for glory.

Seeing this, Zhao Huan weighed the pros and cons, removed Li Bangyan from his post, and transferred Xu Churen to the central government.

In his early years, Xu Churen was the governor of Daming Prefecture as a university scholar of Guanwen Hall. During his tenure, he was known for his integrity. Later, he was the governor of Yingchang as a direct scholar of Xianmoge, and was squeezed out by Tong Guan and took charge of Nanjing Hongqing Palace. He belonged to the pro-war faction. At the beginning, when he heard that Jiang Hongfei was preparing to go south to attack Song, he stored food and grass to actively prepare for war, and gathered more than 10,000 elite troops to go to Beijing to defend the king.

Zhao Huan heard that Xu Churen was mature and prestigious, so he wanted to summon him to the city of Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital, and appoint him as the Minister of the Central Secretariat to enter the decision-making circle of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Wu Min guessed Zhao Huan's intention and thought that Zhao Huan had the idea of ​​using Xu Churen, so he suggested that Xu Churen be appointed as the Privy Councilor to take charge of the military affairs of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Not long after, Zhao Huan summoned Xu Churen and asked him to state his views.

Xu Churen said to Zhao Huan: "Your Majesty has received the world from your ancestors, how can you give away an inch of land to others! Moreover, Bao and Sai are the tombs of the two ancestors, and Zhongshan is your Majesty's first title. Moreover, without Hedong, Shaanxi cannot be defended, without Hebei, Bianjing cannot be the capital, and Jingdong is close at hand, how can you allow others to snore beside your bed?"

This is actually the most important reason why those who advocate war in the Zhao Song Dynasty insisted on fighting the Yuan Empire even though they knew that the Yuan Empire was not easy to mess with.

In fact, if Hebei, Hedong and Shandong were lost, the Zhao Song Dynasty would be in danger.

You know, the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty was in Kaifeng Prefecture, and there was only one line of defense in the north, the Yellow River. As long as the Yuan army crossed the Yellow River, they could directly attack the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty, and they could even attack the Zhao Song Dynasty without crossing the Yellow River.

Moreover, at present, there are wars in both the southeast and Shaanxi, and Jinling and Chang'an are not much stronger than Kaifeng. Therefore, even if the Zhao Song Dynasty moved the capital, there was no suitable place to move.

In this way, the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty could only continue to be in Kaifeng.

But then again, the Yuan Empire, which owned Hebei, Hedong, and Shandong, could be said to have half-surrounded the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty, and it could attack the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty from any direction.

If it was in summer, it would not be a big deal, after all, there was the natural barrier of the Yellow River, and the Song army could still defend it as long as they defended it.

The key point is that in winter, if the Yellow River freezes, no matter how the Zhao Song Dynasty defends, it will not be able to defend the super-long defense line of 1,500 to 1,600 miles.

This is a dead end.

To put it another way, even if Hebei, Hedong and Shandong cannot be recovered at present, the Zhao Song Dynasty must show its muscles to the Yuan Empire.

Otherwise, the Yuan army will definitely go south to attack the Song Dynasty this autumn, or at most this winter, or at least harass the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Although Zhao Huan is ignorant, he cannot be unaware of this common sense.

So Zhao Huan said solemnly: "You are right, and I think so too."

Wu Min also said to Zhao Huan: "Abandoning the people to the enemy to save the clan society may not make sense."

Seeing that Wu Min and Xu Churen said so, Zhao Huan remembered Zhong Shidao's plan again and decided to find an opportunity to show the Yuan Empire some color, and it would be best to recover Hebei, Hedong and Shandong in one fell swoop.

Afterwards, Zhao Huan made further adjustments to the decision-making level of the Zhao Song Dynasty: he appointed Zhang Bangchang as the prime minister, Wu Min as the junior prime minister, Xu Churen as the head of the Privy Council, Tang Ke as the secretary of the Central Secretariat, Geng Nanzhong as the left chancellor of the Shangshu, Hanlin scholar He Li as the right chancellor of the Shangshu, and the chief censor Xu Han as the co-director of the Privy Council, and Mei Zhili and Chen Guoting as the chief censors.

In addition, Yuwen Xuzhong, Li Yu, Li Ye, Zheng Wangzhi and others who had previously gone to the Yuan Empire to negotiate peace were all demoted, and then all dismissed and given to the outer palace temple, all on the grounds that they were improper envoys and did not fight for the due benefits for the Zhao Song Dynasty.

As the Yuan Empire "lay down its flags", the city of Tokyo Bianliang gradually regained its former vitality and vigor. Zhouqiao Night Market was once again popular, with a bustling flow of people. From officials of the Zhao Song court to ordinary people in the market, most people believed that the crisis facing the Zhao Song Dynasty had passed and that the Yuan army would not go south to attack the Song Dynasty. The prosperous atmosphere of feasting and revelry, and the morbid pursuit of corruption and depravity, began to spread in all levels of the Zhao Song Dynasty society.

At the same time, with the arrival of the main force of the Western Army led by Generals Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong, there were calls in society for the Zhao Song Dynasty to recover Hebei, Hedong and Shandong, and even to fight a decisive battle with the Yuan Empire.

And every strong call in society would cause a response in the Zhao Song Dynasty court.

Soon, Xu Han wrote a letter to support this call. In his memorial, he supported the start of the war and listed the five advantages of a decisive battle with the Yuan Empire:

"I have seen that since the Yuan Empire's truce, the court officials have been at ease and happy, lucky to be free from trouble, relying on it for safety. But I alone have been sleepless all night, and I am worried. The Yuan ruler is greedy by nature, and since we have shown him weakness and opened him up to the benefits, he will surely come back in a year or two. If there is no Hebei to block it, the enemy cavalry will invade the capital in three days and the dust will fly into the palace.

Now I heard that veteran generals such as Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong have led their troops to the capital. I secretly think that Your Majesty can control the affairs outside the country by the generals. I have carefully calculated that if we win the battle, we will be blessed endlessly; if we lose the battle, we can defend the Great River and the country will be safe. Therefore, it is beneficial for us to win, and it is also beneficial for us to lose. This is a decisive battle..."

Xu Han meant that the Zhao and Song dynasties had the right time, location, and harmony, and had such famous generals as Zhongshi Dao, Yao Gu, and Zhongshi Zhong, so they should fight against the Yuan Empire. If you win, you can regain the lost territory; if you lose, you can also rely on the natural dangers of the Yellow River to fight a defensive battle with the Yuan army. This would save the Yuan Empire from thinking that the Zhao and Song dynasties were easy to bully and go south to attack the Song dynasty, or go south to harass the Zhao and Song dynasties.

Xu Han was a Jinshi in the third year of Yuanyou. He served in three dynasties, was upright and upright, and was a staunch fighter.

Xu Han believed that one should not lose fighting spirit due to minor setbacks. He hoped that Zhao Huan could learn from Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, and Liu Bei, the emperor of the Shu Han Dynasty. They suffered repeated defeats with their troops, but never lost their enterprising spirit. In the end, they left their eternal holy names and were truly truly great hero.

Xu Han also believed that the reason why Zhao Huan had doubts about the victory of the Anti-Japanese War was caused by Yao Pingzhong's previous failure to rob the camp. He felt that what Zhong Shidao said was reasonable. The reason why Yao Pingzhong failed was because of the improper method of robbing the stronghold. Moreover, at that time, the court did not use the veteran Zhong Shidao to preside over the matter, but used the heroic general Yao Pingzhong to preside over the matter. There were still people who refused to listen. The reason why the generals were advised and listened to those who were greedy for merit was not because the Zhao and Song dynasties were unable to fight this war.

It is worth mentioning that Xu Han valued Zhongshi Dao very much and compared him to Wang Jian of the Qin Dynasty and Zhao Chongguo of the Han Dynasty.

Xu Han's idea was that it was the best strategy to have Zhong Shidao command the troops of the world and send his troops north to recover Hebei, Hedong and Shandong; it was the middle strategy to have Zhong Shidao be the privy envoy to select the generals. It would be a mistake to despise Zhongshi Dao for his old age and remove the military power of Zhongshi Dao.

Zhao Huan accepted Xu Han's suggestion and granted Zhong Shidao the title of Taiwei. He appointed Zhong Shidao as the Xuanfu envoy to Hebei, Hedong and Shandong, and stationed troops in Huazhou, waiting for an opportunity to start a war with the Yuan Empire.

However, although Zhongshi Dao was nominally the Taiwei and the Xuanfu envoy of Hebei, Hedong and Shandong, in fact he had very few soldiers and horses.

——Out of precaution against military generals, the troops and horses of the Zhao and Song Dynasties are still scattered in the hands of many military generals. In fact, the Zhao and Song Dynasty did not establish a unified command.

But it actually didn't matter. After Zhong Shidao arrived in Huazhou, he asked the generals of all armies to come to Huazhou, accept his dispatch, and launch an attack on the Dayuan Army.

At this time, as long as the Zhao and Song court gave Zhong Shidao enough support, the Song army could be unified instead of fighting separately.

However, although the calls for a decisive battle are getting louder and louder, at the same time, the forces advocating for peace talks are also very strong.

Geng Nanzhong and Tang Ke, who were deeply trusted by Zhao Huan, and Wu Min, who suddenly changed from a war faction to a peace faction, believed that once a war started, there would be endless troubles.

Geng Nanzhong, Tang Ke and Wu Min suggested that Zhao Huan send an envoy to Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty to tell Jiang Hongfei that the frontline soldiers and civilians were unwilling to cede territory. In order to avoid war between the two countries, the Zhao and Song Dynasties were willing to give the Yuan Empire annual coins in exchange for the agreement to cede territory.

Zhao Huan felt that this strategy was good.

If Jiang Hongfei agrees, the Zhao and Song Dynasties can keep Hebei, Hedong and Shandong;

If Jiang Hongfei disagreed, the Zhao and Song Dynasty would just pretend that he had not said anything.

Zhao Huan was completely unaware that this was a major diplomatic matter between countries. This bad idea actually meant that he wanted to tear up the peace treaty signed by the Yuan and Song dynasties.

Soon after, Zhao Huan followed this plan and sent Cao Zhan, the commander of Wang Yun and the bodyguard's horse army, to go to Dadu of the Yuan Dynasty to negotiate peace.

At the same time, Zhao Huan issued an edict to Zhong Shidao, who was preparing to go to war, so that he could not easily enter the army.

Zhao Huan's changes in the morning and evening orders made the Song army officers and soldiers on the front line so angry that they almost vomited blood. Some Song army officers and soldiers suggested to Zhong Shidao, don't listen to the husbands above the court who don't understand military affairs, let's go to war directly, otherwise , the military morale was lost.

When Wu Min, Geng Nanzhong and other prime ministers heard that the army heading north might start a war against the Yuan Empire, they immediately informed Zhao Huan and sent people to Huazhou to convey orders, strictly prohibiting the Song army officers from sending troops to attack the Yuan army. They also sent people to deliver military flags to each army, which were erected in front of the central army's tent. On the flags were written several distinctive characters: "Those who send troops without permission will be dealt with according to military law!"

The war minister and the peace minister were arguing endlessly. Zhao Huan was caught in a dilemma. One moment he felt that the war party was right, and the other moment he felt that the peace party was right. He wavered back and forth, always changing his orders day by day. This made Zhao Song The government orders of the dynasty were extremely chaotic, and the soldiers on the front line were exhausted and had no morale.

actually--

No matter in peace or war, we must have a unified voice and the ability to execute.

But Zhao Huan, whether it is peace or war, is just talk. Many measures are contradictory. The key is always to regret it. How to implement it?

Let's put it this way, from an ideological point of view, Zhao Huan also wanted to work hard to govern the Zhao and Song dynasties; from a behavioral point of view, Zhao Huan also worked hard and diligently in government affairs, and worked hard every day since he took the throne. He works late into the night, does everything himself, and often summons ministers to discuss state affairs. He is absolutely dedicated.

Let me give you some more evidence.

After Zhao Huan ascended the throne, Queen Zhu Lian saw that Zhao Huan's harem was deserted and had few concubines.

Afraid that others would say she was jealous, Zhu Lian gave Zhao Huan ten concubines.

However, until now, nine of them are still virgins.

This is not only because Zhao Huan is really not good at women, but also because Zhao Huan has been living and eating in the palace and has no time to pamper women.

More than a month later, Jiang Hongfei still did not agree to the peace negotiation of the Zhao and Song Dynasties, let alone the money to buy back Hebei, Hedong and Shandong as Zhao Huanjun and his ministers wanted.

At this time, both Zhao Huan and most of the ministers of the Zhao and Song dynasties had realized that Jiang Hongfei was likely to send troops south to attack the Song Dynasty in the autumn.

However, how to deal with this war and how to defend the Zhao Song Dynasty, from Zhao Huan to the ministers of the Zhao Song Dynasty, no good plan seemed to be in mind.

After more than a month of quarrels, Zhao Huan thought again and again and felt that if he ceded Hebei, Hedong and Shandong to the Yuan Empire, he would be sorry for his ancestors and the people. So he decided to adopt the advice of Xu Churen, Xu Han, He Li and other war advocates, refused to cede land and seek peace, and then ordered Yao Gu, the governor of Hedong, to lead troops to recover Hedong, and Zhong Shizhong, the governor of Hebei, to lead troops to recover Hebei.

——Although Shandong does not have the Yellow River as a natural barrier, it is precisely because of this that even if the Yellow River freezes, the Shandong direction can be defended. The key is that as long as the Zhao Song Dynasty can recapture Hebei, Shandong, which is isolated from the Yuan Empire, will be a fish on the chopping board, and will be slaughtered by the Song army.

Not long after, Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong led troops respectively, crossed the Yellow River, and entered Hedong and Hebei.

Zhong Shidao wrote to the Zhao Song court, requesting to dispatch troops from all over the country to garrison along the Yellow River in Weizhou, Mengzhou, and Huazhou, concentrating superior forces to prevent the counterattack of the Yuan army after Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong failed to achieve success.

Is Zhong Shidao's suggestion feasible? Zhao Huan felt unsure, so he asked Xu Churen and other prime ministers to discuss it.

Xu Churen and others believed that raising an army of 100,000 would cost thousands of gold per day. The Zhao Song court was in great financial difficulties and was unable to support the army. If a huge military expenditure was raised and a large number of troops were stationed on the banks of the Yellow River, wouldn't it be a waste if Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong recovered Hebei and Hedong, or the Yuan army did not go south?

Therefore, Zhong Shidao's suggestion was not adopted.

Zhong Shidao was very disappointed, so he resigned to Zhao Huan on the grounds of old age and illness.

At the same time, Geng Nanzhong, the Minister of the Imperial Court, believed that the Zhao Song Dynasty was weak and the Yuan Empire was strong, which would be harmful to the Yuan Empire's military operations. Hebei, Hedong and Shandong should be ceded to the Yuan Empire. Only in this way could peace be maintained and the Zhao Song Dynasty's country and people be preserved. Xie Kejia, Sun Di, Li Zhuo, Li Hui, Wang Jizhi, Wang Shiyong and Liu Guan formed a party and unanimously supported Geng Nanzhong and agreed to make peace with the Yuan Empire.

However, Xu Churen, Xu Han, He Su and others believed that the ancestral land should not be abandoned. If the land was ceded for peace, it would only make the Yuan Empire more powerful and trap the people in a foreign land. How could this be a way of being a parent to the people? Besides, the Zhao Song Dynasty could not do without Hebei, Hedong and Shandong.

Just as the Zhao Song Dynasty was arguing over whether to fight or make peace, and sent Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong to cross the Yellow River to the north, Jiang Hongfei, who was already prepared, ordered: I will personally lead the expedition and go south to attack the Song Dynasty!

After more than a year of recuperation, the Yuan army is now strong.

However, there is one thing, that is, it is only the beginning of April, and it is not yet the time of autumn.

There are two hidden dangers for the Yuan Empire to start a war at this time.

First, the grain and grass of the Yuan Empire are not ready, so if the Yuan Empire cannot have a good harvest this year, the Yuan army may encounter difficulties in the supply of grain and grass in the later period.

Second, many of the soldiers of the Yuan army are from the north, and they are not very accustomed to fighting in the hot summer. If the Yuan army cannot quickly defeat the Zhao Song Dynasty, it will be more favorable to the Zhao Song Dynasty in terms of weather.

From these two points of view, Jiang Hongfei should not have started a war with the Zhao Song Dynasty at this time.

But Jiang Hongfei expected that Zhao Huan and his ministers would definitely not have thought that he would start a war so decisively, and then attack the Zhao Song Dynasty by surprise.

The key point is that Jiang Hongfei already knew that Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong had crossed the river and were going to bring the war to the mainland of the Yuan Empire. If the Song army was allowed to do so, the people in Hebei and Hedong would not be able to plant crops wholeheartedly, which would delay the harvest of the Yuan Empire this year. In that case, many people would die this year.

More importantly, Jiang Hongfei knew the uncertain attitude of Zhao Huan and his ministers on war and peace and the essence of the Zhao Song Dynasty, which was strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Therefore, Jiang Hongfei ordered the Song army, which had already been in place, to wait for an opportunity to cross the river and directly attack the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty - Tokyo Bianliang City...

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