I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 538: Zhao Zhen: Recover the old territories of the Han and Tang dynasties? No, I want to unify the country!
Since the meeting between the emperor and his ministers on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

All the ministers were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, busy and happy.

Some low-level officials did not know what the court was planning.

But the superiors were full of energy even before the New Year was over, and they all showed the same enthusiasm as at the beginning of the Reform in the Song Dynasty.

……

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, near noon.

Su Liang submitted the completed "Declaration of War on Liao" to the palace.

Zhao Zhen hurriedly summoned all the ministers of the Secretariat to review and examine the document together.

"In the past, the Qin Dynasty unified the country with the efforts of six generations. The Han and Tang dynasties succeeded them, and the country was at peace and the four corners of the country were submissive."

"Now, our Song Dynasty has carried out reforms to consolidate the country, and scholars, farmers, merchants and workers are all doing their own jobs. However, the Khitan barbarians have stolen Yanyun, stolen our laws, invaded our borders, disturbed our people, and are more fond of chaos. They have been fighting endlessly and pretending to be orthodox..."

……

"Looking at the Khitan territory, there are no laws, rewards and punishments are not in place, the lower class is oppressed and the upper class is replaced, the distant ones complain and the nearby ones complain, and the people live in dire straits..."

"Today, our dynasty intends to carry out the will of our great ancestors and emperors, declare war on Liao, destroy these barbarians, restore peace to the world, benefit the people, and create a peaceful world."

……

After Zhao Zhen finished reading it in front of all the ministers, he took a long breath and said with a smile: "I have no objection to this article. Do you have any additions?"

Wen Yanbo was the first to say, "I think that not a single word should be changed."

"I second the proposal!"

The other gentlemen all bowed.

Su Liang's article, with more than 400 words, is concise and easy to understand, and anyone in the world can understand its meaning.

In addition, the core content of the expression is also very clear.

First, it let the world know that the Song Dynasty’s declaration of war on Liao was not just a battle to recapture Yanyun, but to destroy Liao and unify the country.

Secondly, it tells the world that the purpose of the Song Dynasty's destruction of the Liao Dynasty was to restore stability to the world, benefit the people, and create a peaceful era.

As for Japan.

Su Liang didn't mention it at all. When he destroyed Liao, he just destroyed it casually.

On the day.

Zhao Zhen then ordered people to start printing the "Declaration of War on Liao".

After printing is completed.

Part of it was transported to the Liao Kingdom, and part of it was transported to various local prefectures. Then on the second day of the second month, it was distributed uniformly so that the world would know.

……

The next few days.

The busiest places in Bianjing City were the Privy Council and the Three Yamen.

Su Liang is responsible for supervision.

The selection of generals, distribution of firearms, military rations and supplies had to go through his hands.

He was so busy that he lived directly in the Privy Council.

Many people have already vaguely guessed what the court is going to do, but the court is not afraid of being guessed at all.

Even if the Liao people knew it in advance, it would be of no avail.

This time, we will have a fight without any hesitation, and what will ultimately determine the outcome is hard power and comprehensive national strength.

In this regard, the Song Dynasty believed that it could completely crush the Liao Dynasty.

……

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Shangyuan Festival.

Su Liang took some time out from his busy schedule and finally returned home at dusk, but he was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he got home.

He didn't wake up until the moon was high in the sky.

Tang Ze and Tang Wanmei both knew what Su Liang was busy with and were very sympathetic towards him.

In addition to Su Liang's busyness, Su Zimu, the Eastern Palace tutor, was also busy.

Crown Prince Zhao Xun moved to the Secretariat's Political Affairs Hall on the tenth day of the first lunar month, where he read books and learned how the secretaries handled government affairs.

Su Zimu also accompanied him full-time.

Late at night, in the bedroom of Su's house.

Tang Wanmei leaned in Su Liang's arms, sobbing softly.

Su Liang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and held Tang Wanmei's hand.

"What's there to cry about? If the war goes well, I will be able to return victorious by the end of the year!" Su Liang said with a smile.

He had already informed Tang Wanmei about his plan to go to the border to destroy Liao on the second day of February.

Tang Wanmei had expected this, but now that it was confirmed that Su Liang was going to join the army, she couldn't help crying.

She leaned in Su Liang's arms and cried. As soon as Su Liang opened his mouth, she covered his mouth.

Su Liang had no choice but to accompany her silently and let her calm down.

A quarter of an hour later.

Tang Wanmei wiped her tears, turned Su Liang's face in front of her, and said, "Promise me that you must come back safely."

Once you go to Liao territory, you will definitely go deep into the White Mountains and Black Waters, which is extremely dangerous.

Everyone in the world knew that Emperor Taizong almost lost his life on the border that year, so Tang Wanmei was most worried that something might happen to Su Liang.

"Don't worry, I'm the military supervisor. You don't have to rush forward. I will always be by your side. There will be no problem."

Su Liang thought for a moment, and then said, "What if...what if something happens to me, you must be strong and calm, and take good care of our father and our son and daughter."

Hear this.

Tang Wanmei's tears fell down like a string of pearls.

"Don't worry, if anything happens to you, I will go down to accompany you as soon as I raise Qinyi to sixteen years old!"

"Nonsense!"

Su Liang gently patted Tang Wanmei's hand.

Tang Wanmei looks gentle and quiet.

In fact, she has a hot temper. She says so and really does it.

Su Liang hugged Tang Wanmei tightly and said, "Okay, I promise you, I will come back safe and sound, and I will never break my promise!"

Hearing this, Tang Wanmei immediately smiled and pressed Su Liang under her.
……

The nineteenth day of the first lunar month, night.

East of Bianjing city.

In a private room of a pub.

Su Liang sat together with Longyu Army commander Xu Mang, deputy commander Liu Sandao, Du Lei, and Sun Sheng.

These four were exactly four of the five instructors when the Longyu Army was established.

The absent instructor Qian Geda died due to serious injuries during the battle with the Xixia Iron Harriers.

on the table.

After drinking three jars of wine, Su Liang was a little tipsy.

At this time.

Su Liang raised the wine bowl again.

"My four brothers, I was thinking that you were all injured in the battle to destroy Xia in the northwest, so I wanted to transfer you to the northwest to live a leisurely and wealthy life. I never thought that you would never do it even if you died."

"Tonight, I understand. It's my fault. You must participate in this war!"

Xu Mang said: "Boss, wherever the Dragon Feather Army is, we will be there!"

After saying that, the four of them picked up their wine bowls and drank them all in one gulp.

According to their military achievements and the rewards they received, they were able to enjoy the rest of their lives in peace.

But they have their own pursuits. They would rather be cooks than follow the Longyu Army north.

Su Liang was thinking about their second half of life, and what they were thinking was that if they did not participate in this battle, they would waste the rest of their lives.

Finally, Su Liang apologized and compromised.

……

On February , the dragon looked up.

In the early morning, it was just dawn.

After saying goodbye to his family, Su Liang rushed to the Forbidden City.

Later, he will rush to the northern border with the emperor, officials and soldiers who participated in the war to destroy Liao.

And this moment.

The "Declaration of War on Liao" written by Su Liang was posted at all the city gates of Bianjing City, Kaifeng Prefecture, Imperial City Department, Sansi, Dali Temple and other government offices.

In less than an hour, the entire city of Bianjing was in an uproar.

Many people took to the streets and talked excitedly.

"Recently, I have been feeling that the government offices are different from previous years. I didn't expect that they were preparing for war. We have waited too long for this battle!"

"My Great Song is mighty, my Great Song is mighty! You all have seen that the court declared war this time not only to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, but also to destroy Liao. This is the unfinished work of Taizu and Taizong!"

"The emperor is leading the army in person! The emperor is leading the army in person! It would be a great honor for us to have lived such a life to witness this grand spectacle!"

"Hahahaha... We've finally waited for this day. Back then, that damn Shi Jingtang ceded our territory to the Khitan. Now we finally have the strength to take it back!"

"The Khitans are barbaric and brutal, and are indeed a great threat to our dynasty. If we can get rid of them today, our Song Dynasty will surely usher in a prosperous era like the Tang Dynasty. No, we can even surpass the Tang Dynasty!"

……

Half an hour later, in front of Xuande Gate.

Zhao Zhen was wearing golden armor and riding a tall black warhorse. Fu Bi, Liang Shi, Su Liang, and hundreds of soldiers followed closely behind him, and on both sides stood five hundred Dragon Feather Army soldiers riding warhorses and wearing light armor.

As for the main army, they were waiting for orders outside the city.

At the front of Imperial Street.

Crown Prince Zhao Xun stood at the front, and behind him stood the ministers and civil and military officials who stayed behind in Bianjing City.

Zhao Zhen pulled the reins and said loudly: "Today, I will lead the army in person to destroy Liao and return. You must assist the crown prince in governing the country with all your heart and not slack off in the slightest!"

"I obey!"

The officials spoke in loud voices and with great emotion, and Crown Prince Zhao Xun bowed deeply to Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"

Immediately, Zhao Zhen rode his war horse in the front, and the soldiers followed closely behind him, heading forward.

On both sides of the street, people came upon hearing the noise to see the warriors off.

"May this victory be won, may the government be safe, and may all the men of the Song Dynasty return victorious!"

"May this victory be won, may the government be safe, and may all the men of the Song Dynasty return victorious!"

……

The whole nation cheered, the sound was deafening.

Zhao Zhen and his ministers felt the support of the people and were immediately filled with confidence.

The Song Dynasty, which is so unprecedentedly united, can definitely defeat any country.

Zhao Zhen straightened his chest unconsciously.

He felt that if Taizu, Taizong and the late emperor saw this scene, they would definitely be proud of him.

Half an hour later.

Zhao Zhen and others left the city of Bianjing, and then headed towards the northern border with the army.

……

Near noon, in front of the Sansi Yamen.

Many wealthy businessmen in Bianjing City surrounded the door.

"Please tell Prime Minister Ji that I have five caravans that can transport military supplies and baggage. All arrangements will be made by Prime Minister Ji. I am willing to support our soldiers free of charge!"

"I...I am willing to donate 8,000 catties of grain, 200 pieces of cloth, and 30,000 strings of cash."

"I am a cloth merchant, and I am willing to make clothes for a thousand soldiers, free of charge."

……

More and more merchants came, and many donated money and goods.

in the past.

Wang Yaochen, the Three-Division Envoy, would arrange for someone to record the list and then collect the properties.

But this time, it did not do so.

Wang Yaochen walked to the gate of the yamen and said loudly: "Everyone, I am Wang Yaochen, the Third Secretary. I understand your willingness to contribute to the court, but our soldiers are not short of money and property at the moment. The national debt was issued last year for this purpose. We have enough money and food, so there is no need for you to donate anymore..."

Wang Yaochen took great pains to persuade the merchants to come back.

And this moment.

Such things were also happening in the cities and towns under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture.

However, the main donors are not businessmen but ordinary people.

Some of the people brought chickens, some brought ducks, some brought baskets of eggs, some brought several pairs of cloth shoes, and some brought food and live fish...

Especially some elderly people, they clamored to donate money and materials.
They had experienced the pain of being bullied by the Khitans.

They had seen the grievances that the Song Dynasty suffered when facing the Khitans.

In addition, they had a strong attachment to their homeland Yanyun and all hoped to make their own contribution to the destruction of Liao.

Officials would try to persuade the people if they could, and if they couldn't, they would just accept the money first and find a way to return it later.

……

And at this moment, the Northwest region.

Di Qing, who was standing on a hill, lit a stick of incense in the direction of Fan Zhongyan's tomb.

Then he took out a pot of wine and two wine glasses and drank from him.

"Lord Fan, when you advocated building fortresses to defend against the enemy, some people accused you of being weak and some accused you of being afraid of fighting. In fact, you were not afraid of anything except that we could not defeat Liaoxia."

"Now, we have completely wiped out Xixia, and there is no more war in the northwest. And today, we are no longer afraid of the Liao Kingdom. The emperor will personally lead the army to the north to destroy Liao. In the near future, we will achieve unprecedented achievements, and you can rest in peace!"

"Don't worry, as long as I, Di Qing, am still alive, there will be no more wars in the northwest of our dynasty. I also hope that you can bless the emperor to lead the army in person and destroy Xia as soon as possible!"

……

Di Qing's eyes were red and his temples were starting to turn gray.

He is now 48 years old.

Governing the Northwest is much more difficult than occupying it, and his fighting power is no longer what it used to be.

He was very satisfied with the court's arrangements.

Although the Northwest Imperial Army is very powerful, if the Liao Kingdom is also destroyed by the Northwest Imperial Army, then the imperial court will probably have to deal with the Northwest Imperial Army next.

Currently.

His mission was to guard the Northwest, transform the Northwest, develop commerce, and enable the people to live and work in peace and contentment.

In compliance with the imperial court's request, he dispatched 50,000 northwestern soldiers to Hebei Road, all of whom were elite soldiers and generals.

……

Liao Kingdom, inside the emperor’s tent.

Yelu Hongji looked gloomy.

He was reading the memorials submitted by his ministers on how to resist the attack from the Song Dynasty.

The Prime Minister of the Southern Palace Xiao Weixin, the Prime Minister of the Northern Palace Yao Jingxing, and the Privy Councilor Yelu Liang sat on both sides, all with frowns on their faces.

"Wow!"

at this time.

Yelu Hongji swung his arms and threw all the memorials on the imperial desk to the ground.

"Waste, all of them waste! The declaration of war from the Southern Dynasty is intended to destroy the Liao Dynasty, but these people actually proposed that the Liao Dynasty should not fight now, and should immediately negotiate peace and cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Song Dynasty! If the other party still insists, they can pay annual tribute!"

"When has the Liao Dynasty ever paid tribute to other countries? If the southerners are still powerful, do I still have to be their vassal?"

"You're already scared before the fight even starts. Is this something a Khitan like me should say? Arrest all those who are afraid of fighting. I'm going to whip them myself!"

Yelu Hongji clenched his fists and was furious.

Xiao Weixin and Yao Jingxing both looked at the Privy Councilor Yelu Liang.

Yelu Liang had no choice but to stand up and say, "Your Majesty, the officials are not afraid of fighting, but our army is short of money and food, and it is difficult to defeat the Song Dynasty, so they are unwilling to fight."

The current strength of the Song and Liao dynasties has reversed from the strength when the Treaty of Chanyuan was signed.

The gap is even bigger.

"But I think that this war must be fought. We have no other choice. As long as we can defeat Song in the first battle, Song will not dare to advance. We have reached a desperate situation where we have to risk our lives!"

Yelu Hongji nodded and looked at the prime ministers from the north and south.

"I second the proposal!"

The two men said in unison that this battle was no longer something they could avoid if they wanted to.

"Okay, then let's fight the Southerners. I want to make sure the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty never returns!"

"Immediately send down the order. If any official submits a petition to scare the war and seek peace, kill him. In addition, we must stabilize the people's hearts. If any civilians flee or have already returned to Song, kill them immediately. We cannot let chaos break out among the people."

"Also, inform Japan that as soon as the Song and Liao go to war, they must immediately attack the Song from the sea. If they dare not fight, we will destroy them first!"

"In addition, we must be careful of the Jurchens. They are truly poisonous snakes. If we have a chance to root them out, we must do so!"

……

"Yes."

The three of them bowed at the same time, they all realized that the Liao Kingdom had reached a moment of life and death.

……

Dongying Island, the capital.

The King of Japan, a group of nobles, officials and generals read the "Declaration of War on Liao" written by Su Liang several times, but did not find any mention of themselves, and they could not help but become furious.

Everyone in the world knows that Japan and the Liao Kingdom are military allies. If one country is at war, the other will definitely help it.

Su Liang didn't even mention the name of Japan, obviously he looked down on the island of Japan.

"How dare you ignore us like this! Pass on my order and immediately dispatch fifty warships to Haizhou and Chuzhou areas. First occupy the sea area, then mainly harass, and gradually advance to the southern sea area to force the Song people to extend the battle line."

At this time.

A general came over quickly and shouted, "Lord, it's bad. The Song navy, with nearly 300 warships, has surrounded us in three directions. They are less than 100 miles away from us. The surrounding pirates are also approaching the island in large numbers. They are coming in a fierce manner and are armed with bows and crossbows."

Hear this.

The King of Japan and all the civil and military officials were stunned where they were.

The Song Dynasty despised them when declaring war, but attached unprecedented importance to them in tactics.

This is like -

When a tiger is fighting with a wolf, the mouse always likes to bark a few times to provoke the tiger.

But when the tiger freed up one foot to deal with it in advance, the mouse didn't even have a chance to scream.

Japan originally thought that only after the Song Dynasty made every effort to destroy the Liao Dynasty would it be able to deal with them in the end.

But I didn't expect it.

The Song Dynasty was not afraid of being outnumbered by two at once and had long been prepared to destroy them.

(End of this chapter)