People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 458: No Hu Horses Are Allowed to Peep into Yinshan

“I didn’t expect there would be an unexpected surprise.”

Seven days later, on June 22, Zhao Jun, who had already left Weizhou and entered Hongzhou and was about to enter Yunzhong Datong, was quite surprised to see the official document sent from Youyan Road.

In fact, he was quite gentle towards the Youyanlu family. He did not take overly harsh measures or directly send troops to kill people.

Instead, those who are willing to cooperate will be given good treatment, and those who are unwilling to cooperate will not be forced.

They will simply investigate the evidence of their crimes under the pretext of legitimacy and bring those people to public trial in front of the people they oppressed.

Although this was still very brutal to those aristocratic families, after all, they were high-ranking and powerful nobles during the Liao Dynasty. Killing a few low-class people was a common occurrence, wasn't it?
But as Zhao Jun had said to Wang Anshi and others before, the past is the past, and the present is the present.

In the past, they were powerful nobles of the Liao Kingdom and from high-ranking families. They were covered up by the officialdom and no one would stand up for the common people. Even if the Liao emperor knew about it, he would not do anything to them.

Now that the times have changed, the Song Dynasty is in a good mood and can let bygones be bygones for their past misdeeds.

If you are in a bad mood, then you can just do some local research on what they did in the past to understand their reputation, and then use this as an excuse to arrest people.

As for the common people at the bottom of society, seeing the powerful people who once oppressed them at will being dragged out for interrogation like dead dogs is bound to make them lose face and their authority will plummet.

And the government will continue to suppress them, such as canceling the official status previously granted to them, withdrawing the tenants under their rule for various reasons, raising the tax rate on their land output, etc.

After a series of moves, Zhao Jun believed that in five years, the aristocratic families in Youyan Road would be almost wiped out, or at least they would no longer have any influence.

However, no one expected that a big bomb would be thrown just as the operation began.

Yang Ting and Wang Shougui followed Zhao Jun's orders before he left and planned to use some of the crimes committed by the Han family in the past to arrest some important members of their family first.

As a result, when the soldiers rushed in, the Han family was holding a clan meeting, and Han Suiyi even mentioned the existence of an accomplice at the meeting.

Therefore, there was no suspense about what happened next. All the participants were captured and interrogated separately, and with the help of memory recovery techniques, it didn't take long for them to explain the situation like a bamboo tube pouring out beans, allowing Yang Ting and others to get hold of the evidence.

"The Han family was wiped out, and it was done legitimately. I think the other noble families who were unwilling to cooperate with the court must be terrified and regretful when they see this."

Zhao Jun put the document away and smiled.

This place is west of Hongzhou, which is Yangyuan County in later generations, about 40 kilometers away from Datong County.

However, the Yunshuo Road transport envoy had already been waiting at the border, bringing a group of officials to greet them.

Afterwards, the group started heading towards Datong County.

In addition to Zhao Jun, Chen Xiliang and Wang Anshi were also in the carriage. After hearing his words, Wang Anshi asked curiously, "Minister, what happened?"

"The Yutian Han family is actually an insider planted by the Liao Kingdom in our country. Yang Ting got hold of the correspondence between them. Although I didn't expect this, I didn't find it strange when I saw it."

Zhao Jun put the document aside and said, "The Yutian Han family is too close to the Liao royal family. They are said to be the first family in the Han area, but they are also the third family in the Liao Dynasty after the Yelu and Xiao families. Many people in the family changed their surnames to Yelu. It would be strange if they were not involved with the Liao Dynasty."

"The Liao Kingdom actually dared to plant spies in our country. They are still determined to destroy us!"

Chen Xiliang was furious.

"Normal. Didn't we also place scouts in Liao territory?"

Zhao Jun smiled and said, "Moreover, they may not necessarily want to attack Song in the south, but they are afraid that we will mobilize the army to the north."

"Are you afraid that we will march north?"

"Yes, think about it. They are in a state of internal strife right now. If we send troops, won't the Liao Kingdom be destroyed? How can we afford to march south before the internal strife is quelled?"

"Right."

Chen Xiliang suddenly realized that the purpose of spying is not only to detect the enemy's strengths and weaknesses so as to attack, but also to detect whether the enemy has the intention to attack oneself.

What is the current situation of Liao Kingdom?
It can't be said that the country is peaceful and the people are at peace, but it can be said that it is surrounded by enemies on all sides.

The loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, as well as Shenzhou, Liaoyang and other places in Liaodong, seemed to have only resulted in the loss of 200,000 to 300,000 square kilometers of land.

But what was lost was the authority of the Liao Kingdom, which gave the other ethnic minorities who had never submitted to the Khitan an opportunity to rise up in rebellion, causing the huge Liao Kingdom to be filled with flames and war, and the Pi Shi Army had to suppress rebellions everywhere.

Therefore, it can be said that the Liao Kingdom is now almost divided. Of the more than 4 million square kilometers of land currently remaining, the actual controlled area may be less than 2 million square kilometers.

The Liao people had lost control of large areas such as the northwest route of Shangjing Road, which was the Mongolian grassland in later generations, from the Altai Mountains to Ulaanbaatar.

It’s not that they have declined to the point where even the Mongols bully them.

Instead, the Liao Dynasty's national strength declined drastically, and its commerce, agriculture, animal husbandry, handicraft manufacturing, etc. all declined seriously, so that they gradually lost control over areas far away from the center of power.

In the final analysis, the reason why they were defeated by the Song army was because the Song Dynasty had the advantage in firearms, and the Song army was well commanded, so they were naturally no match for the Song Dynasty.

After all, war is essentially a game of ultra-long-range vision. Whoever has a longer attack distance will have the advantage and achieve an overwhelming victory.

The artillery range of the Liao Kingdom is now far behind that of the Song Dynasty, and there is no comparability at all.

But they were faced with the Mongols' ancestors, the Mongol people, the Jurchens' ancestors, the Jurchens, as well as other ethnic minorities such as the Bohai, Shiwei, Ugu, Xi, and Zubu.

The Liao Kingdom still had the advantage of firearms and cavalry, so it was not defeated by these backward tribes.

However, being able to defeat these ethnic minorities is one thing, and being able to travel long distances to attack the enemy is another thing, which tests the comprehensive national strength.

Simply put, the Liao Kingdom no longer has the ability to launch long-range attacks.

For example, the Naiman tribe, which is the farthest in the northwest, is nearly 2,000 kilometers away from Zhongjing. With the Liao Kingdom's declining national strength, it can hardly support their long expedition.

As a result, the only area that Liao could control was the area around Linhuang Prefecture, making it difficult to expand outward.

The approximate location is from Zhenzhou in the west, which is the area of ​​Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia in the future, to Jingzhou in the north, which is the area of ​​Qiqihar, and to Huanglongfu in the east, which is the area of ​​Changchun.

As for the Western Mountains (Altai Mountains) further west, the Greater Khingan Range further north, and large areas such as Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island in the east, they were basically controlled by the rebellious Mongols, Bohai, Jurchens, and Shiwei peoples.

The Khitans were out of reach.

It cannot be said that the Liao Dynasty is currently in decline. It can only be said that the fighting capacity to defeat these ethnic minorities still exists, but the national strength can no longer support it. Unless it recuperates for a few years, it basically has no chance.

Under such circumstances, the Song Dynasty in the south is stronger than it. The current Liao Dynasty Emperor Yelu Chongyuan would have to be crazy to covet the Central Plains and drink from the Yangtze River.

Therefore, the Liao people sent out a large number of spies, whose only purpose was to spy on the movements of the Song army, fearing their attack.

"It's hard to imagine that the Liao people, who were once so arrogant, can only carefully spy on our movements now, fearing that our army will go north. This feeling is really refreshing."

Wang Anshi said with a smile.

"They are indeed full of fear of us now, but there is another way to eliminate the fear besides facing it bravely."

Zhao Jun smiled and said.

"Oh? Please enlighten me, Dean."

Both were curious.

Zhao Jun said cunningly: "That is to add fear and turn the Liao people into citizens of the Song Dynasty. Will they still be afraid?"

"Hahahahaha."

"What the dean said makes a lot of sense. I'm speechless."

They both laughed.

The Liao people have become Song people, so isn't the military force of the Song Dynasty the force to protect them?

What else is there to worry about?

Unfortunately, for the rulers of the Liao Dynasty, this was probably the most terrifying thing.

A few people chatted and laughed in the carriage, and by the afternoon they arrived at Datong, the most important town among the nine frontiers of the Central Plains Dynasty.

After getting off the carriage, Zhao Jun looked around, and the first thing that caught his eye was a huge city.

The city is three meters high and towering. The city wall is made of stone bricks, mottled gray and black. It is equipped with parapets, battlements, and artillery positions, which is full of deterrence.

And most importantly, it is not chaotic. It is not an isolated village standing in an uninhabited border area, but a commercial city.

A large number of caravans were coming in and out of the official roads to the south and east, and there was a constant stream of people coming and going at the city gate.

When many people saw Zhao Jun's large group of people, they talked about it. They wondered which important person was traveling that had such a large guard of honor.

Although Datong was established during the Qin Dynasty, its role was more than just guarding against the northern nomadic peoples. It was also an important hub for conducting trade with the northern nomadic peoples.

According to the "Datong County Annals", "Since the Yuan Wei Dynasty established its capital and palaces, the Liao and Jin dynasties established secondary capitals. The population and property have grown day by day, and the regulations have become more extensive, making it an important town in the whole of Jin."

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many Shanxi merchants and the eight imperial merchants appointed by the Qing Dynasty were stationed in Datong County and engaged in import and export trade with the outside world.

It can be seen that Datong is very important in terms of political status, military status and economic status.

After the Liao Kingdom occupied Datong, it not only promoted it to Xijing, but also deployed heavy troops to confront the Shanxi army of the Song Dynasty all year round.

In the Battle of Xijin, Fan Zhongyan recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and, in cooperation with the Hedong Army, inflicted heavy damage on the Liao Army, driving the Liao Army out of the Great Wall in one fell swoop and recovering Datong, which had been lost during the Shi Jingtang period.

The Song army flags on the city wall fluttering in the wind seemed to still retain traces of artillery firing.

Under the leadership of the Yunshuo Road Pacifier and Transport Commissioner, Zhao Jun climbed the city wall of Datong.

Standing high on the city wall and looking into the distance.

It was midsummer in June, the sun was scorching, and in the distance there were rolling hills and mountains. There were not many trees, and most areas were covered with weeds or bushes.

Zhao Jun used a telescope to see that among the rolling hills, on the mountains farther north, there was a winding rammed earth wall from west to east.

It was noon, the sun was shining obliquely, and under the sunlight, the beacon towers, continuous earth walls, and tall towers were clearly visible, like a barrier standing on the top of a mountain, blocking the enemy outside the pass.

Needless to say, Zhao Jun already knew that this should be the Great Wall.

Although he had only been to the Great Wall at Badaling in Beijing, he naturally knew that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Datong had built city walls to defend against nomadic peoples outside the Great Wall.

After getting off the city wall, Zhao Jun did not go to the local government office, but instead proposed to go and see the Great Wall in the distance.

He who has not been to the Great Wall is not a true man.

There were not that many sections of the Great Wall during the Northern Song Dynasty. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that large-scale restoration and expansion were carried out. Now that we have come to the Great Wall built during the Northern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties, we naturally have to go and take a look.

The steep mountain road was difficult to walk on, so Zhao Jun did not continue to sit in the carriage. Instead, he got off and walked. Surrounded by the crowd, he came to the small hills outside Fengyi City in the northwest direction.

The ancient Datong City is actually the Yunzhou District of Datong City in later generations. It used to have many names, such as Wannian County, Taiping County, Yunzhong County, Yunnei County, etc. It was not until the Liao Dynasty that it was changed to Datong County, and the name of the urban area of ​​Datong City in later generations was called Yunzhou City at that time.

Today, the old system of the pre-Tang Dynasty has been restored, with Datong city still being the seat of Yunzhou, and Datong County becoming an important hub.

There are vaguely some remains of the Great Wall built during the Northern Qi Dynasty on the north side. Standing on the mountain, you can clearly overlook Changqing County in the distance, which is Yanggao County, Shanxi Province in later generations.

"Master, that mountain is Mount Baideng."

In the afternoon, Zhao Jun climbed the Great Wall outside Fengyi City, which is the mountain to the west of Julebao Station in Jule Township, Datong City in later generations.

Fourteen kilometers due west, there is a towering mountain, which was later called Cailiang Mountain and was called Baideng Mountain in ancient times.

To the north is a stretch of the remnant of the Yin Mountains. To the northeast, outside Changqing County is the outside of the Great Wall, where you can see vast plains and the steep Yin Mountains standing among the clouds and mist.

There was a Great Wall here during the Northern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties. It was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, leaving many ruins of the Ming Great Wall for later generations.

Zhao Jun stood on the top of the mountain, overlooking the vast plain to the west. Through the telescope, he could see the Yunzhou city area, the mountains in the north farther away, and countless villages and fields like small black dots, as well as grazing cattle and sheep.

Especially there are herds of cattle and sheep. During the Han Dynasty, these places were the habitats of the Southern Xiongnu who surrendered to the Han Dynasty. The vegetation is lush and at first glance, it seems like you are in the grasslands south of the desert.

The mountain was filled with mist and a cold wind blew. Even with the blazing sun, one could still feel a hint of chill.

Gao Ruone, the pacification envoy of Yunshuo Road, said: "Liu Bang was besieged here back then."

“Yes, it is indeed majestic.”

Zhao Jun nodded, looked into the distance and asked, "How many soldiers are there in Datong now?"

"There are 23,000 of them."

“Where is the northernmost one?”

"In Baishui Luo!"

Gao Ruone pointed to the north and said.

Baishui Luo is the Huangqi Lake in the Chahar Right Front Banner in later generations, which belonged to the jurisdiction of Fengsheng Prefecture in Xijing Road of the former Liao Dynasty.

Naturally, the Song army did not just defeat the Liao Kingdom and stop at the Great Wall, but occupied many important passes outside the Great Wall, including the ancient city of Swallow City, which later became Zhangbei County under the jurisdiction of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province.

Outside Yanzicheng is the vast grassland.

"Have the Liao people ever come to the border for reconnaissance?"

Zhao Jun asked.

"came."

Gao Ruone replied: "They have set up fortresses and frontier camps on the border, and they come to spy outside the pass from time to time."

"Did our troops open fire?"

"They were very far away and just watched from a distance, so we ignored them."

"hehe."

Zhao Jun sneered, looked into the distance, and said calmly: "The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low and you can see cattle and sheep. If I don't destroy Liao today, it's not that I won't destroy it, it's just that I won't destroy it temporarily. But how dare the Hu people spy south? From today on, all the guards at the border can go out for patrols from time to time, but if any Hu horses dare to spy, they will be killed without mercy. Their border villages can be removed if possible. I want to make sure that within a hundred miles of the border, no Hu army dares to come, except for the Hu merchant caravans!"

"Yes!"

Gao Ruone agreed.

Zhao Jun put his hands behind his back and looked into the distance.

But if the flying general of Longcheng is there, he will not allow the Hu horse to cross Yinshan.

Although there are no flying generals now.

But we have muskets. If the Liao people dare to come, we will stuff muskets and cannons into their mouths!
(End of this chapter)