People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 382 The decisive battle between Liao and Song Dynasties, the Emperor of Liao vomited blood
In the Nanjing Imperial Palace of Xijin Prefecture, Yelu Zongzhen was in a very bad mood at this time.

Because the bad news keeps coming one after another.

"Report, a large number of Song army scouts appeared outside Jijin Mansion. Our army scouts were driven away and were not allowed to pass."

"Report, the Song army has surrounded Liangxiang, and messengers cannot enter or leave the city."

"Report, the Song Army is shelling Liangxiang City!"

Two or three days after the rain stopped, the Song army launched a massive counterattack.

When it rains and gets dark, the combat effectiveness of the Song Army's firearms is not reduced at all, and the power is much smaller.

Just like in the Battle of Humen in 1841 AD, the British's fire rate of firearms could only be maintained at 5% due to rain. The fire rate of artillery was roughly 6% due to the protection device, and the combat effectiveness was seriously reduced.

But even so, the corrupt and incompetent Qing government was defeated by the British and signed the "Chuanbicao Treaty" and the subsequent "Nanjing Treaty" that humiliated the country.

So although firearms were indeed affected by the rain, the established firearms army was still very powerful.

Under this situation, the Liao army fought hard, and the Liao army also had artillery. It still caused a lot of trouble to the Song army when they fought at night, so that Fan Zhongyan was somewhat passive in being beaten.

If the whole country is mobilized, Yelu Zongzhen is confident that he can at least mobilize 500,000 to 600,000 troops.

If it's a little extreme, it's not impossible for the Liao Kingdom to have more than one million soldiers out of a population of more than nine million.

The rest, Xiao Hui, Xiao Xiaoyou, Xiao Xiaomu, Yelu Zongyuan, Yelu Begute, Yelu Tulukun and others were leading troops outside and dispersed to various parts of Jin Prefecture to deal with the Song army.

Second, they didn't expect Fan Zhongyan's turtle tactics combined with muskets to be so powerful. It was like they were facing a spiny turtle.

What's more, Song Dynasty has always taken the initiative to ask for peace talks with them. Even last time, the two sides signed an equality treaty.

But what I have to admit is that Song Jun's move was indeed very effective.

'As long as King Qi eliminates Di Qing, allows gunpowder, supplies, and reinforcements from Tokyo to arrive, and then adds the troops from other tribes, then everything will be fine. '

The Mongol tribes on the Monan and Mobei grasslands have also been recruited long ago, and are now ordered to send powerful warriors to follow the Liao people in the war.

How to do this?
But if you directly say that you can't beat it, it will obviously hurt morale.

"Forehead"

"No need to say more, I will depose Liu Liufu as the military envoy of Changning Army!"

"His Majesty."

Liu Liufu, who had been promoted to the prime minister of the Beifu, persuaded Yelu Zongzhen: "We attacked many times during the heavy rain season, but were blocked by Fan Zhongyan. Now that the army is approaching the city, Liangxiang may not be able to hold on for long. After that, the Song army will definitely encroach on it step by step and continue to consume it." , It’s not good for our army.”

When Yelu Zong really thought of this, he scolded Liu Liufu: "What does Liu Xiang mean, is that one million of our Liao soldiers are no match for the Song Kingdom's hundreds of thousands of troops? What Liu Xiang means is that I should take the initiative to ask Zhao Zhen Kneel down and ask for peace? Where is my face? Where is Daliao's face?"

Hearing Liu Liufu's words, Yelu Zongzhen frowned.

Peace talks?

The reason why he has this confidence is not only that the Liao Kingdom has gained a lot of benefits from trade with the Song people in the short seven or eight years, which has improved the national strength, but also that the various tribes under the Liao Kingdom are nomadic or fishing and hunting peoples. .

More than 100,000 Song troops seemed to have become the reincarnation of the innate earthwork body overnight. They surrounded the area around Liangxiang, facing the Yuhe River and Wanping Plains, digging frantically on three levels inside and three outside, barely reaching the tunnel. Yelu Zongzhen went down to the palace.

The current situation of Song and Liao is naturally not that simple. In addition to several counties around Xijin Prefecture, a large number of Song and Liao armies are still fighting and confronting each other in Luxian, Guoyin, Xianghe, Wuqing and other places. The situation is intertwined. Mutual exchange.

But the overall situation is still Song's attack and Liao's defense. After the rainy season, the Liao army has almost no resistance in field encounters. The cold weapon lighters were worse than the Qing army fighting the British army. At least the Qing army still had some matchlocks to use.

The Song army began to advance on a large scale, increasing layer by layer. More than 100,000 troops surrounded Liangxiang, Yuhe, and Wanping areas and began civil engineering work.

Therefore, Yelu Zong really did not feel that he was in a desperate situation.

The characteristic of these ethnic groups is that all the people are soldiers.

He suffered two losses in this battle. First, he did not expect that the Song Army's firearms would iterate so quickly. In the past, the rate of fire and power were much different, but now they have improved so much.

Digging trenches can effectively prevent the Liao army's horse charge and limit their mobility.

This time he took the initiative to ask for peace talks when he was in a dilemma. What if Song State made unreasonable demands?
And the most important thing is that Yelu Zongzhen doesn't feel that he has fallen into a desperate situation where defeat is inevitable.

The only problem now is that the current Liao Kingdom is not as poor as the Qing government in 1841. At this time, the Liao Kingdom is in a period of decline, but a large number of elites left by the Liao Shengzong are still there. Unlike the Qing army at the end of the Qing Dynasty, It breaks when touched.

But once the rain stops and the sky clears up, things take a turn for the worse. It can't be said that the Liao army was completely defeated. They were beaten to a pulp, fled in all directions, and ran back to the city.

In the palace, the only people around Yelu Zongzhen at this time were the emperor's younger brother Yelu Chongyuan, King of Wu Yelu Renxian, King of Han Zhangjian, Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi Liu Liufu, Nanyuan Xuanhui envoy Xiao Ying and others.

Liu Liufu hesitated for a moment, and then said: "How about peace talks with the Song Dynasty?"

Yelu Zongzhen took the case and angrily said: "How can such cowardly people be the prime minister of Liaobei Prefecture? If your father had not assisted the late emperor with meritorious service, you would have died long ago!"

At the same time, it can also be used as a bunker to reduce shelling casualties, allowing the Song army to avoid the artillery bombardment on Liangxiang City when they surround Liangxiang.

"Your Majesty, this is not the way to go."

Therefore, it can be said that the Liao army is retreating steadily. After many night operations were easily resolved by Fan Zhongyan, it has been difficult to organize an effective offensive against the Song army, and it was quite helpless for a while.

Liu Liufu was shocked. He never expected that Yelv Zong would lose such a big temper and masturbate him directly.

And this turtle is not an ordinary turtle, but a basalt turtle. If you try to fight it, you will not only be unable to beat it, but if it is broken, you will be shot and stabbed all over, and it will even bite and tear off a piece of flesh.

Yelu Zongzhen asked: "What does Mr. Liu think I should do?"

Liu Liufu was shocked and said quickly: "I also feel that now is not the time for a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty."

The Liao Kingdom is currently undergoing general mobilization. In addition to the 200,000 to 300,000 troops in Nanjing, he has already subdued the Bohai, Nuzhi, Shiwei and other northeastern tribes in Tokyo.

"I have absolutely no intention of doing so."

"Humph!"

Yelu Zongzhen snorted coldly and was about to have someone take Liu Liufu out.

It was Zhang Jian who said: "Your Majesty, this is the time when people should be employed. Although Prime Minister Liu's words were inappropriate, he did not mean it. Please be generous, Your Majesty."

Hearing Zhang Jian's words, Yelv Zongzhen frowned slightly. Zhang Jian's words still have weight. After all, Yelv Zongzhen has always treated him like a father-in-law and obeyed his words.

So after a little thought, Yelu Zongzhen didn't call anyone, but he didn't restore Liu Liufu's position. Instead, he said, "What do you think I should do?"

"The battle with the Song Dynasty at this time will probably become a battle like the Battle of Changping. It depends on whether His Majesty intends to complete his victory in one battle, or whether he chooses to retreat temporarily and negotiate peace with Song Dynasty."

Zhang Jian analyzed: "It is not good for us to drag it down. If the grain and grass from the rear come a little, even if Xiao Xiaomu defeats Di Qing, the Song Dynasty will definitely increase its troops one after another, and we don't know how many naval forces they have, so there are only two The result is war or peace!"

This may seem like nonsense, but in fact, now we are talking about the final outcome of this battle with the Song Dynasty from a strategic analysis, that is, whether it is a fight or a peace. After all, no matter in terms of equipment quality or tactics, they have actually Fall into disadvantage.

After lacking the ability to fight in the wild, the Liao Kingdom must consider fighting to the end or negotiating peace with the Song Dynasty. Otherwise, if it continues to drag on, it will be a sure defeat, and there is basically no possibility of victory.

Yelu Zongzhen naturally understood, and asked: "In my opinion, if we fight, what are our chances of winning?"

"What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Zhang Jian asked back.

Yelu Zong really thought about it and said: "I still have a million troops. When the troops and horses from the rear arrive, we will fight to the death with the Song Dynasty! I don't believe it. If we gather all the troops and horses and launch a surprise attack at night, the Song army can really withstand it." ?"

Zhang Jian smiled bitterly and said: "Let's not talk about the many ditches dug on the third and third floors in Fan Zhongyan. If we just say that fighting at night is not good for the Song army, how can it not be a bad thing for us in Daliao?"

Why were wars fought mostly during the day in ancient times, and there were very few battles at night?

Like the Battle of Changping, would it be better if Zhao Kuo chose to break out at night when the Qin soldiers were sleeping?

If anyone has such doubts, they are totally wrong.

Because in ancient times, night lighting basically relied on the moon or torches, and even with the moon and torches, visibility was very low. It was easy to hurt teammates in night battles, so the ancients tried to avoid night battles.

At the same time, fighting at night is not easy to command. If you are not careful, the army may become a mess and turn into headless flies, and then the enemy will seize the opportunity and defeat it in one fell swoop.

In addition, there was no positioning in ancient times, and there were no smart phones. To identify the direction, you had to rely on your own exploration, such as looking at the sun, moon or Big Dipper.

But when fighting is so intense and exciting, you may not notice these things if you are not careful.

Once a war breaks out, a few thousand people are fine. But if there is a war involving tens of thousands of people, it will often involve small armies of a few or dozens of people killing each other.

It's so dark at night that you can't see the moon or the Big Dipper, and night blindness is a common problem in ancient times. If you accidentally run to the wrong place, or if you don't know the direction well, you can only rush forward, and all kinds of messy things may happen. Therefore, night battles were often avoided in ancient wars. Even when attacking enemy camps at night, only a small force was often sent, and even if they were sacrificed, it would not cause any harm.

Including the Liao army attacking and harassing the Song camp these days, although the scale was large, more than 50,000 to 60,000 troops were dispatched. But in fact, the troops were scattered across the Youyan land to fight. When the actual battle happened, hundreds or even dozens of people attacked the various camps of the Song army.

Under such prerequisites, attacking the Song army at night, which has a large number of firearms and a large number of horse pits and trenches on the periphery, is actually not much more difficult than during the day, and the probability of defeat may even be greater than during the day.

So after hearing Zhang Jian's words, Yelu Zongzhen was silent for a moment.

Why didn't he understand that if he continued to divide his troops and harass them like this, how could he give them a chance with Fan Zhongyan's defensive ability?
Unless Fan Zhongyan is replaced...

Yelu Zongzhen suddenly turned his head and glanced around: "I heard that the Emperor of Song Dynasty was always afraid of foreign ministers leading troops. If we spread rumors that Fan Zhongyan will rebel and force him to be transferred, will this plan work?"

As long as Fan Zhongyan is replaced, there is no telling that the new generals will not adopt such turtle tactics.

As long as the Song army no longer builds camps and digs trenches all the way in such an exaggerated way, the Liao army can make a surprise attack all the way into the Song army's camps even at night, just like Cao Cao's surprise attack on Wuchao at night.

"This plan may be possible, but I think it is unlikely."

Zhang Jian shook his head.

"Why?"

Yelu Zongzhen asked.

"Because I thought there was someone behind Fan Zhongyan supporting him."

"Who? The Emperor of the Song Dynasty?"

"No."

Zhang Jian looked towards the outside of the hall with a faint look and said, "I'm afraid it's the President of the Constitutional Yuan."

Yelu Zongzhen was silent for a moment.

In fact, he and Li Yuanhao figured this out after the fact.

After all, as enemy monarchs, they would definitely pay attention to the political situation in the Song Dynasty to understand the situation and make corresponding judgments.

However, Zhao Jun traveled around the country not long after he took office, and national government affairs were basically handled by Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng.

After that, the Song-Xia War and the Song-Liao War started one after another, and Fan Zhongyan soared to the top like a shining star, so bright that people couldn't take their eyes away.

When the war ended, Fan Zhongyan took over the Qingli New Deal and became the leader of the reformists, while Zhao Jun hid behind the scenes.

In addition, Zhao Zhen has been purely engaged in scientific research in recent years and has made many new inventions. In terms of popularity and fame among the people, Zhao Zhen and Fan Zhongyan are obviously much more famous than Zhao Jun.

Therefore, in addition to having the highest status within the Constitutional Yuan, Zhao Jun was actually overshadowed a lot by Zhao Zhen and Fan Zhongyan outside.

If he hadn't been decisive and decisive in dealing with the evil forces, corrupt officials, generals, nobles, landlords and gentry, and killed many people, I am afraid that the world would have known that someone had become the magistrate, but they would not have known who it was.

Only Yelu Zongzhen and Li Yuanhao discovered the clues in recent years and understood that the changes in Zhao Zhen, Fan Zhongyan and even the many prime ministers in the Constitutional Yuan were all caused by one person behind the scenes, acting as a black hand.

If Zhao Jun fully supports Fan Zhongyan, given the political agenda of the Constitutional Yuan, and the fact that Zhao Zhen has never opposed the policies of the Constitutional Yuan, perhaps even if they use counterintuitive tactics to make Zhao Zhen suspicious, as long as the Constitutional Yuan persists. , Zhao Zhen may not necessarily replace Fan Zhongyan.

"No matter what, let's give it a try."

Yelu Zongzhen sighed deeply and said: "When the late emperor handed over the country to me, how powerful was Daliao at that time? How dare people from the Song Dynasty tease my Daliao tiger beard? In just a few decades, although Daliao has not declined, its national power has But the earth has been turned upside down, so how can I go to see the late emperor?"

As he spoke, he shook his head, closed his eyes and said, "I won't take the initiative to ask for peace talks anyway. Who knows what harsh conditions the Song people will put forward by then? They had ceded ten counties in Guanbei back then, and now they say If not, it might be Xijin or Datong. The Sixteen States of Yanyun were obtained by our ancestors through hard work, and I will never let others take away my territory again!"

"Ugh"

Zhang Jian also sighed slightly. How could he not know that the Liao Kingdom was currently in a difficult situation?
Zhen and Da Song fought in a bloody battle to the end, and the chance of victory was very slim.

But Yelu Zongzhen was right.

The former Liao Kingdom was like a wild wolf, constantly encroaching on the territory of the Song Dynasty.

But one day something suddenly changed. The Song Dynasty changed from a lamb to a tiger, and instead began to invade the Liao Kingdom.

Under such circumstances, once Daliao takes a step back, it will be a step-by-step step back.

First Zhuozhou was taken away, and then the border was forced to open. Now if we think about peace talks, I am afraid that only Youzhou or Yunzhou or even the entire Yanyun land can satisfy the Song Dynasty's appetite.

Don't say that it was the Liao Kingdom that started the war first.

There are already existential problems between the two countries, and this war will be a matter of time.

What's more, the Liao State did not take the initiative to attack the Song State, but attacked Song's allies, but the Song State found an excuse to attack.

Therefore, no matter whether they take the initiative to attack or not, as long as someone wants to hit them, they will always find a reason.

Therefore, Yelu Zong really only had two choices. One was to give in and be forced to sign a treaty with the Song Dynasty that would lose power and humiliate the country.

The second is to fight to the death, just like the Battle of Chanzhou in Song Dynasty, fighting for a slim chance of survival.

As long as they can win, push back the Song Dynasty, and let the Song people know that the Liao people can still defeat them, then the Song Dynasty will not take the initiative to invade again.

Then the Liao Kingdom will also gain a valuable period of development to see if it can continue to delve into gunpowder technology and improve its firearms to the level of the Song Kingdom.

"In that case, let's fight to the death."

Zhang Jian exhaled and said softly: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, we can't delay, it's best to fight quickly! And don't think about another night attack. The best way is to lead the main force of the Song army into the wild. Set up an ambush and use artillery to cover our cavalry's assault. As long as we break into the Song army's formation, victory is possible!"

"Well, what do you think?"

Yelu Zongzhen looked at the others.

Yelu Zhongyuan said: "Brother Emperor, I think what the Grand Master said is not unreasonable. You and I have both led troops in battles, and we naturally know how dangerous night battles are. On a small scale, send dozens or hundreds of people at a time. It's okay, but once they are concentrated and hit by enemy artillery fire, they will be defeated in an instant. "

Xiao Ying also said: "Your Majesty, I think this is indeed the case. During the day, we may be able to prepare a large number of iron shields in front of the formation, or roll out iron and wooden curtain cars to block the enemy's musket fire. As long as our army is close, the Song people are just waiting. Lamb to the slaughter!"

"That's it. When the rear army arrives, I will withdraw the troops from Yuhe and Wanping, gather them together, and attract the Song army to invade Xijin Mansion."

Yelu Zongzhen thought deeply and said: "As long as the Song army arrives and we don't give them a chance to form a camp and dig trenches, our army will immediately set up a formation and fight to the death with the Song people, and they will inevitably pay a heavy price!"

"Perhaps we can make detailed plans at that time."

Zhang Jian said.

"Um"

Yelu Zongzhen nodded slightly.

This is a strategic arrangement.

The specific tactics still have to depend on the actual situation.

At this moment, a messenger suddenly hurried in from outside and said with a mournful face: "Report, Your Majesty! Something big has happened."

"Why are you so alarmed?"

Yelu Zongzhen has been frightened by the bad news these days, and his face is very ugly.

The messenger said: "Di Qing raided the Qi King's camp and captured the Qi King alive. The Lanling County King finally broke through Yu Pass and released floods to submerge the Song fleet on the Yu River. Just when the army was about to cross the river and annihilate the Song army, The reinforcements of the Song Army arrived and blocked Yushui again! "

"what?"

At this moment, Yelu Zongzhen felt that there was something in his chest that he couldn't spit out, and he couldn't swallow it. After a few seconds, he spurted out a mouthful of blood.

"Pfft!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Blood spurted out, staining the table and shocking the surrounding officials.

Only Yelu Zongzhen actually felt a little better after vomiting blood. He supported the table with his right hand, waved his left hand and said, "I'm fine."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Jian, his eyes full of sorrow, and said with difficulty: "Father, I, what should I do?"

Zhang Jian sighed and said with a sad face: "Perhaps, we can only fight the Song people as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)