Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 888: Peace Strategies

The Wu army rushed into the city like a tide, and the captains, du yu hou, and lieutenant generals led the soldiers to charge forward to kill the Song army.

"Charge!" On the streets, flames shot up into the sky, shouts of killing were deafening, and soldiers kept falling down and turned into cold corpses.

Dang Jin held a large ring knife, while Mi Xin held a long spear, and they fought against the Wu army in the North Gate and East Gate areas respectively. They held their positions, keeping the streets and gates of the two areas under the control of the Song army.

"Kill!" Dang Jin shouted, waving a large ring knife and counterattacking Wu's army.

His swordsmanship was extremely sharp, and each of his strikes carried a tremendous force, which cut down many Wu soldiers. However, the number of Wu soldiers was too large, and the Song army's defense line was gradually torn apart.

"Dang Jin, die!" Taishi Zhao shouted and rushed forward to fight with a long-handled knife in hand.

Both of them were generals who wielded swords. In an instant, they were circling and fighting on their horses, with swords flashing and sparks flying.

The soldiers around were also fighting in a melee, with soldiers against soldiers and generals against generals, and the fight was fierce.

Li Saidong led his troops to continue the attack, but was stopped by other duyuhou of the Song army. Soldiers from both sides fought in a melee, with blood flowing like a river.

The battle lasted from night to dawn, and the Song army broke through and split into three groups. Despite the ambushes of the Wu army, tens of thousands of Song soldiers still escaped.

Yingtian Prefecture was already under the control of the Wu army, and the remaining Song army had less than 20,000 troops. They were stuck in a dilemma and had been forced into a desperate situation.

It was difficult to break out at this time, and it was impossible to defend the city. Without food supplies, the soldiers could not fight for a whole day on an empty stomach, but if they wanted to cook and eat, the Wu army would not give them a chance.

"Puff!" Dang Jin was already wounded in the battle, and was stabbed off his horse by a Wu soldier's spear, and immediately rolled to the ground. Tai Shi Zhao rode over, cut across with a knife, and directly killed the fierce general of the Song Dynasty.

On the other side, Mi Xin was hit by an arrow in the chaos and fell in a pool of blood.

The remaining Song army soldiers saw that they were blocked in Yingtian City and their commanding general was killed. They suddenly did not want to resist anymore, and dropped their weapons and chose to surrender.

In the end, of the 30,000 Song soldiers who were left behind, more than 10,000 died in battle, thousands fled, and the remaining 10,000 Song soldiers surrendered. Yingtian Prefecture was officially taken over by the Wu army, and it was a big step closer to the Song capital Kaifeng Prefecture Bianjing.

Su Chen stood on the tower, looking at the fire and chaos in the city, and smiled slightly: "Yingtian Prefecture has finally fallen into our hands." There was a hint of firmness in his voice and confidence in his eyes. He knew in his heart that the fall of the Song Dynasty was imminent.

.........

Inside the imperial study in the Bianjing Palace, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

The ministers of the Privy Council, the Prime Minister, the Vice Prime Minister, and the ministers of various ministries were all invited to discuss the internal and external troubles that the Song Dynasty was currently facing. In the north, the Liao army was attacking with eager eyes, and in the south, the Wu army was invading with overwhelming force. The Song army was constantly retreating. At this rate, the Song Dynasty would be destroyed in less than half a year.

Prince of Jin Zhao Guangyi, eldest prince Zhao Dezhao, Prime Minister Zhao Pu, Privy Councilor Li Chongyue, Deputy Privy Councilor Zhao Changyan, Acting Three Ministers Chu Zhaofu and Zhao Xinlian, Vice Prime Ministers Xue Juzheng and Lü Yuqing, as well as important civil and military officials of the Northern Song Dynasty, including Dou Yi, Zhang Zhao, Lu Duosun, and Lü Mengzheng from the six ministries, gathered together, and everyone had a hint of worry on their face.

"This is urgent military information!" There was a hint of urgency in Zhao Pu's voice. He held a battle report that had just been delivered in his hand, and there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

"What? The Liao army is attacking three states from the south, and the border is in danger." Zhang Zhao's voice was filled with shock, and his eyes flashed with uneasiness. "This is really a double whammy. The Wu army has already attacked Yingtian Prefecture and is about to break into the city. In addition, the Liao army is attacking from the north, and the Song Dynasty is in danger." Lu Yuqing's voice was filled with helplessness.

These military ministers were worried and felt the danger. This situation was no joke and could lead to the destruction of the country and the family at any time.

Zhao Guangyi frowned slightly, his eyes showing a trace of deep thought: "Everyone, now is not the time to panic, we must calm down and discuss countermeasures together."

Zhao Dezhao also nodded slightly, and said with a firm look in his eyes: "Although my father is injured, the foundation of the Song Dynasty is still there. We must work together to face the crisis together."

Zhao Pu shook his head slightly, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "The Wu army's offensive is too fierce, and Yingtian Prefecture is already in danger. The Liao army's attack caught us off guard. Now we are facing a two-front war, and it is difficult to sustain the troops and food supplies."

Chu Zhaofu frowned slightly, with a hint of anxiety in his voice: "Bianjing's food supply is already in a critical situation. If it is not resolved, it will probably cause greater chaos. We must transport food from other places as soon as possible to ensure the stability of Bianjing."

"My Lord Privy Councilor, have you counted the troops that can be mobilized at present to reinforce the north?" Lu Mengzheng couldn't help but ask. There was a hint of anxiety in his voice, and he was worried about the current situation.

Li Chongyue, the privy councilor, shook his head slightly, with a hint of helplessness in his voice: "At present, the main imperial army has only tens of thousands of people to protect the capital, and the local garrison troops are of varying numbers, with as many as 10,000 and as few as a few thousand. It will take time to mobilize them. Moreover, these local troops have not fought for many years, and are definitely not as brave as the imperial army and the frontier army. For now, we need to recruit soldiers on a large scale, and then use some of them to block the Liao army from the north from moving south, and some to resist the attack of the Wu army."

Lu Duoxun said with great sorrow: "The invasion of Wu has already cost the Song Dynasty 300,000 soldiers, some dead, some wounded, some captured, and some fleeing. Now with the powerful Khitan cavalry, how can we fight this war?"

Zhao Pu said coldly: "It's a done deal. The current situation is like this. There's no point complaining. Now we can only think of ways to delay the attacks from both sides, maintain the dignity of the Song Dynasty, and then continue to recruit troops and mobilize the whole country to resist the foreign invaders."

Xue Juzheng suddenly said: "Fighting one against two is really a bad strategy. Even if we can repel the Liao army and the Wu army, our Song Dynasty will be riddled with holes. It is better to work on diplomacy." There was a hint of calmness in his voice, and it was obvious that he was thinking of another solution.

Zhao Kuangyin heard different voices and glanced at Xue Juzheng. He was just over sixty years old, with half white hair, but his eyes were bright and he was very knowledgeable. In the Later Zhou Dynasty, Xue Juzheng served as the Deputy Minister of Bibu, Zuo Jianyi Dafu, and the Minister of Xingbu. After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, he served as the Minister of Revenue, the Governor of Xuzhou, the Minister of War, the Minister of State Affairs, and the Minister of Menxia.

Just recently, Xue Juzheng supervised the completion of "National History" and "Old Five Dynasties History", and became very familiar with history and allusions, wars, and political intrigues.

"Master Xue, what good advice do you have?" Zhao Kuangyin frowned slightly, with a hint of urgency in his words, obviously worried about the current situation. He glanced at everyone, waiting for Xue Juzheng's answer.

Xue Juzheng bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, we can prepare for war while using diplomatic means. As the saying goes, the best strategy is to attack the enemy's strategy. Right now, the Liao army and the Wu army are both attacking the Song Dynasty. If the Song Dynasty is destroyed, the Liao Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom will inevitably have another war. This is equivalent to the separatist regime of the Three Kingdoms. If the Song Dynasty fights one against two, it will be too passive. It is better to send envoys to negotiate peace with the Liao Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom separately."

"We can give Liao some tribute, allow the opening of some trading markets, meet Liao's needs, and ask them to send troops. We can even exaggerate the power of Wu's firearms to make Liao fearful. If Song is destroyed, Wu will surely attack Liao, which is like seeking the skin of a tiger. Liao should not only not take advantage of the fire, but also help Song to fight against the powerful Wu."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Send someone to the Wu army and ask for peace by ceding territory, and temporarily give Huainan to Wu. As long as Wu stops attacking and stabilizes the Wu army, it will give us a chance to breathe, mobilize troops, and observe the movements of the Liao army, so that we don't rush into a war. It is safer than resisting the enemy from both sides."

After Xue Juzheng finished speaking, the civil and military officials present fell silent, their eyes turning, all considering Xue Juzheng's suggestion. It must be said that this was a stopgap measure.

Zhao Kuangyin frowned. With his personality, he would not take the initiative to seek peace, cede territory and pay compensation, which would hurt his face. But in the current situation, this is the only way to stabilize the situation, muddy the waters of the Three Kingdoms, and make the Liao Kingdom cautious and start to be wary of the Wu Kingdom, so that it will not really want to destroy the Song Dynasty; at the same time, it can also stabilize the fierce momentum of the Wu army and give the Song Dynasty a chance to breathe.

Zhao Pu nodded slightly, and asked cautiously, "Master Xue's suggestion is indeed a stopgap measure, but can it really stabilize the Liao and Wu armies?"

Xue Juzheng smiled faintly, with a hint of confidence in his tone: "Although Liao and Wu jointly attacked the Song Dynasty, they also have conflicts of interest. As long as we take advantage of this and make them wary of each other, we can buy time and stabilize the situation."