Became a feudal lord in the late Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 122 Death of Lord Xia

The army around Lord Xia and Yelu Dashi are not without other options. As long as they are willing to surrender, Xia State, Jin State and even the Song Dynasty are likely to accept them.

Take the Song Dynasty as an example. When Tan Zhen was preparing to set up the Righteous Victory Army, he spent a lot of money to win over the generals of the Ever-Victorious Army and recruited soldiers and generals from the Liao Kingdom. The purpose was to divide the Ever-Victorious Army.

Tong Guan actually made a similar decision. He petitioned the court to set up four general managers in Hebei: Xin Xingzong of Zhongshan, Wang Yuan of Zhending, Yang Weizhong of Hezhong, and Wang Yu of the famous name - these people were either his trusted generals or had interests related to him, so they were both It can contain Yan Di and also expand his power.

Fortunately, the Jin army was prepared to sit back and watch, while the Song army stood still, waiting for the results of the Liao and Xia armies to fight, which gave Liu Ling a lot of room to operate.

This situation lasted for half a month, during which Zhenyuan Army envoys continued to come and go, and Liu Ling finally received a lot of stable feedback.

"Urgent report from the east!"

The civil servant walked in quickly, bowed and saluted, and said eagerly: "The sentries reported that civil strife broke out in the Xia army, and two large camps were in flames!"

"Explore again, report again." Liu Ling said calmly, still looking at the map at his feet with a somewhat penetrating gaze.

He had previously asked people to shoot arrows into the Xia army camp and shout for surrender. If Lord Xia just pretended to be injured, he would have to come out to appease people.

But now, a large-scale riot broke out in the Xia Army camp, but the Xia Lord did not come out immediately. Thinking from Liu Ling's perspective, there are still two possibilities.

One possibility is that Lord Xia was indeed seriously injured and died, and the other possibility is that he is preparing to take one last gamble.

"Send another three hundred cavalry to go around the camp and shout for surrender. If the Xia army attacks, retreat immediately."

"Here!"

The camp gate opened, and three hundred horsemen poured out like a wave, their horses hooves trembling, and they came to the Xia army's camp with flags and flags. They shouted again to surrender according to the instructions.

It was noon, but the sky was full of haze. When the three hundred cavalry arrived in front of the Xia Army's camp, small groups of Xia Army cavalry slowly came from everywhere, but they did not take the initiative to attack. Two of them were bold and actually planned to attack. The horse moved forward and asked loudly in vague Liao dialect:

"Is what happened in our country true or false?"

The cavalry general of the Zhenyuan Army shouted: "The new dynasty of your country has been established, and the Queen Mother has established it. I have issued an order to teach you to surrender. You are all brave soldiers, and our army's Marshal Liu is a hero of the world. I will not treat you badly."

When the time comes, gold and silver will be picked up on a big scale, and wine and meat will be eaten on a big bowl. The Zhenyuan Army will only recognize military achievements. If you are brave and not afraid of death, you can also be a general in the Zhenyuan Army. You and I will be brothers of the Zhenyuan Army from now on!

You can go home, or follow the commander back to Yan to get promoted and make a fortune. Anyway, why waste your life here! "

The words shouted by the cavalry commander this time were much clearer. Dozens of Xia Army cavalry threw away their weapons and galloped over. The cavalry commander shouted at them: "If you come with your robes, bring a If you come here, you can directly become the fire chief and bring more than 300 people. You will retain your original official position and be promoted to three levels. The commander-in-chief will personally apply for a title for you."

That night, there were more than a thousand Xia troops in the Zhenyuan Army camp. Among them, more than thirty were actually cavalrymen in Li Qianshun's personal camp. They roughly told Liu Ling the situation in the army - Xia leader Li Qianshun was indeed seriously injured, but he died in a few days. in the hands of assassins.

Some of the various military leaders in the army wanted to return home, some wanted to pay money, and some even wanted to continue attacking Song Dynasty.

But most people are very interested in Liu Ling's proposal.

Most of the more than 6,000 soldiers in the Zhenyuan Army were wearing armor and staying alert. They stayed up all night. There was an endless stream of Xia troops coming to surrender, but Liu Ling always stood still and only ordered to surrender in front of the soldiers. , dumping the army's money and food at the camp gate and piling it into a hill, allowing anyone to take it.

After the news spread, more soldiers and generals from Xia's army came to surrender. Among them, the commander of one battalion came directly to surrender with more than 2,600 troops.

At this point, the two sides were completely heart-to-heart: Liu Ling knew that Li Qianshun must be dead, and Xia Jun also believed that what Liu Ling said was true, because they saw many women from the Xia Kingdom in the Zhenyuan Army's camp.

There are several prominent families in the Xia Kingdom: Wei Mu, Ye Li, Wu Zang, and Liang. These families all made their fortunes as relatives. The Xia Army general who came to visit Liu Ling was named Liang Zhe. Twenty years ago, the Empress Dowager Liang of the Xia Kingdom lost power to both the government and the public, and was later poisoned by envoys sent by the Emperor of Liao at that time to poison her with poisonous wine.

The Liang family was quickly ruined because of this.

But an emaciated camel is bigger than a horse. Liu Ling has not seen Liang Zhe's name in the history books, but judging from this man's life: Liang Zhe became the commander of an army by virtue of his status as a descendant of a run-down cousin's family, and he is quite powerful. Means and ability.

At night, a banquet was held in the commander's tent. In front of Liu Ling, on the left side were the generals of the Zhenyuan Army and on the right were the generals of the Xia Army.

Liang Zhe followed a Zhenyuan military captain in and bowed to Liu Ling without hesitation. Liu Ling nodded slightly.

"General Liang, please take a seat."

"I don't dare, general." Liang Zhe saluted again, and then took his seat under the guidance of the soldiers.

Liang Zhe's appearance resembled a mixture of Dangxiang and Han. He looked at the generals of the Zhenyuan Army and said proactively: "The mother of the last general is a Han woman and my late father's concubine."

"May I ask who your father is?" someone asked.

"My late father was not very famous." Liang Zhe shook his head.

Zhao Heshou smiled and said: "Don't worry, General Liang. Our Zhenyuan Army only respects military merit and does not engage in personal affairs. We care for your troops. As long as you serve with your heart, the commander-in-chief will not treat you badly. Even, you can be granted the title of Marquis. Becoming an official can also earn your father some face, and I think he will also be pleased."

Liu Ling sat above and listened to their conversation. He asked his subordinates to explain some of their words first to the Xia people. If the latter were satisfied, they could directly decide on it.

If he is not satisfied, Liu Ling can also have a buffer with the other party, and he can go and negotiate the terms again in person later.

Liang Zhe shook his head: "That's not necessary."

".What does General Liang mean?"

"When I was four years old, my mother was bullied to death by my late father. When I was strong, he killed her with a sword and took away her wives, concubines, and tribe. Today, it has been almost fourteen years."

There was a sudden silence in the banquet. The Xia Army generals probably knew about this, so they did not show any surprised expressions. The Zhenyuan Army generals looked at each other, looking at Liang Zhe's calm face, and couldn't help but frown.

Liang Zhe looked at the Zhenyuan Army generals and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Liu Ling coughed.

Suddenly, everyone at the table calmed down and looked at Liu Ling.

Liu Ling said: "There is no need to mention the past. From now on, you are all brothers in our army. We serve together in wartime and get drunk together in peacetime. Everyone can be promoted and make a fortune. Come on, drink!"

"drink!"

Liang Zhe looked at each other and several Xia Army generals, then stood up with the wine bowl in hand, "I am willing to follow the commander's orders from now on!"

"I really want to have a drink."

The captain said leisurely.

Beside him, Han Shizhong held a piece of withered grass in his mouth and couldn't help but look back at the brightly lit camp.

To sum it up, from entering the clouds to the desert and back from the desert, the officers and soldiers of the army had not touched a drop of alcohol for almost half a year.

Anyone who licks blood from the edge of a knife is fine if he doesn't smell the smell of alcohol, but when he smells the smell of alcohol, he feels like a cat scratching his heart, getting more and more itchy.

The two people were sitting on a hillside, with the pale moonlight surrounding them, giving them a cold sheen.

The captain couldn't bear it anymore and stood up to go to the camp. Han Shizhong spit out the dead grass in his mouth and said coldly: "Where to go?"

"General, I'm acquainted with the brothers in the rear camp. I'll help you get a drink."

"return."

Han Shizhong stood up and patted his head.

"Tonight, except for the commander-in-chief and the few accompanying generals, thousands of people in the whole camp are on guard, and no one wants to drink. Why, am I the only one special?"

"General, I didn't mean that." The captain wanted to explain, but he was hit on the head again and had to sit down aggrievedly.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet again, until the chaotic sound of horse hooves was heard, and two sentry riders rushed back one after another, shouting: "Hurry up for hundreds of miles, the Liao army is going south!" Han Shizhong's war horse was tied next to him, and he shouted with great strength He quickly adjusted his armor, then got on his horse and shouted to the surroundings:

"stand up!"

In an instant, countless black figures stood up under the hillside, and the sound of armors clashing and rubbing could be heard endlessly. A large number of Zhenyuan soldiers got on their horses, like a black wave surging from near to far.

More than a thousand heavy cavalry followed Liu Ling into the desert. When they came back, there were only more than 700 heavy cavalry left, but they themselves were also tempered into actual elite cavalry.

These 700 cavalry are Han Shizhong's current headquarters troops. In addition, there are more than 2,000 soldiers on the periphery who are ordered to wait. As soon as their respective officers heard the military report, they immediately began to mobilize their troops. This force was arranged by Liu Ling to be stationed in the north. The Zhenyuan Army quickly began to break camp within half an hour.

The Liao people went south.

There was a clear wound on Yelu Dashi's face. Because of the cold weather, a purple-green color appeared on the wound. He covered his face and roared: "How far is the Zhenyuan Army camp?"

There were also many Liao soldiers gathered around him, but their morale was low, and because of the darkness, soldiers continued to fall behind on the road.

The envoy he had previously sent to negotiate with Liu Ling was leading the way. At this time, he quickly replied: "Come on, he is in the southwest of Shuozhou, near Wuzhou."

The night was dark, Yelu Dashi covered his face and ran for who knows how long. When he heard the sentry rider rushing back to report, he had already fallen asleep on the horse for a long time. He raised his head and glanced at the sky. At this moment, the horizon was already dark. Slightly shiny.

A Zhenyuan army stood in front of them and was well prepared.

The faces of the Liao soldiers who followed Yelu Dashi and fled here suddenly showed a look of despair.

Almost everyone on the opponent's side was wearing armor, and the team could see the presence of crossbowmen. On both wings, there were a large number of armored cavalry pressing down on the formation.

"Tell them that I have an appointment with their coach Liu Ling and ask them to let us go immediately!" Yelu Dashi shouted.

The messenger immediately picked up the reins, but the horse beneath him neighed and fell to its knees. It was obviously unable to drive after running wildly for a day and night.

The messenger steadied himself, threw away the reins in a hurry, and ran towards the Zhenyuan Army, rolling and crawling.

"what did he say?"

Han Shizhong asked.

The ten generals of the front army replied: "The envoy said that the Jin army broke through the Liao army camp yesterday, and the Liao army was completely wiped out. He does not know whether he is alive or dead. Yelu Dashi fled here with more than 3,000 soldiers, and the Jin army cavalry was chasing him. , please let us abide by the agreement and let them come over immediately."

The Liao envoy kept begging in front of the front army. After a while, the front army suddenly dispersed a little. Han Shizhong rode out and looked at him condescendingly.

"Throw all your weapons and armor over there, and then you can come over."

Han Shizhong just followed Liu Ling's order and led his army to stay here all night. He had received some instructions in advance, but now that he thought about it, his commander should have known some news a long time ago, in order to let him take precautions here, or It was to support the Liao army.

At the same time, there should be a Zhenyuan Army stationed east of the main camp to guard against the Xia people.

After his order was passed, Yelu Dashi cursed angrily, then threw away his saber, roughly untied his armor piece by piece and threw it on the ground, then galloped towards the opposite side.

Because there was a Jin army chasing behind them, most of these Liao troops were in a hurry. When they saw their generals running over, they quickly abandoned their helmets and armor, and swarmed after them and continued running forward.

Han Shizhong turned around and shouted, and hundreds of soldiers from the front army of the Zhenyuan Army roared in unison and took a few steps forward in formation, clearly prohibiting the Liao army from rushing into the formation.

A Zhenyuan Army cavalry was dispatched, guiding most of the Liao soldiers to stop behind the military formation, but Yelu Dashi was brought all the way to Han Shizhong.

"Where is Marshal Liu Liu? I want to see him!"

"The commander-in-chief has something to do. When I lead the army back to the camp today, I will take you to see the commander-in-chief."

"you?"

Yelu Dashi ran wildly all night, his body was exhausted and he was already infected with the wind and cold.

So he was not very clear-headed at the moment. Seeing that Han Shizhong seemed a bit young, he couldn't help but said angrily: "Although I didn't bring the full five thousand, most of the more than three thousand I brought were elite soldiers in the army. Marshal Liu Such contempt for me"

He didn't say any more. Han Shizhong's hand was already on the handle of the knife at his waist. Yelu Dashi saw it, paused, and said angrily: "Do you still dare to kill me?"

Han Shizhong held the handle of the knife and said in a deep voice: "I am the one who killed the Xia prince in front of Shenwu County. If you dare to offend my commander again, I can kill the Xia prince, so how can I not kill you?"

"you!"

When they were talking, the sky above them brightened slightly, and then dimmed again. Han Shizhong felt a cold feeling fall on the back of his hands and looked up.

Snowing.

The snow was getting heavier, and the Zhenyuan Army had already waited for Yelu Dashi and others. Han Shizhong talked with Yelu Dashi for a while and saw that the other party was not very clear-headed at the moment. Because of the cold and excessive exhaustion, more than 3,000 people surrendered in just half an hour. Dozens of Liao soldiers fell directly to the ground.

The figure of the sentry rider appeared from a distance. Han Shizhong turned his horse's head, and increasingly larger snowflakes fell on his armor. He was about to wait for the sentry rider to speak when he approached, but his eyes suddenly changed.

The armor on the opponent's body was clearly not that of the Zhenyuan Army.

But
  In my ears, the wind roared violently, snowflakes flew wildly, and many horses under the cavalry seats neighed uneasily.

The place where the Zhenyuan Army was stationed was in front of a hillside. For nearly half a mile ahead, there was a relatively flat area. In the distance, there was another bulging hillside, covered with a forest.

At this moment, countless flags suddenly floated in the woods on the opposite hillside, and the snowstorm seemed to be the prelude to their attack.

"Report! In front of us is Liu Ling's Zhenyuan Army from Yandi!"

The words were spoken in Jurchen dialect.

"Report, the Zhenyuan Army in front is less than three thousand, and the fleeing Liao Army can be seen from a distance in formation behind them. The flag of the leader of the Zhenyuan Army is Han!"

"The envoy from the Zhenyuan Army asked to see him and said that his commander-in-chief and our country's Wanyandu have an alliance and cannot attack each other. They are willing to retreat on their own initiative."

Wanyan Loushi took off his pocket, breathed in the fresh air comfortably, and smiled at the general next to him: "In the past few years in Yandi, the only person I have heard the most about is Liu. He has been quite capable in recent years. He started a huge business without hesitation.

It's a pity that he is not here at the moment. If he were here, I would have given him this face. "

Speaking of this, Wanyan Loushi put on his robe, and when he was about to order the army to crush the Zhenyuan Army in front of him, he saw figures constantly appearing on the hillside opposite.

The war drums roared, and more and more Zhenyuan soldiers appeared on the hillside. Han Shizhong silently looked back and raised the corners of his mouth.

Wanyan Loushi could clearly see that in the distance on the big scroll with Liu characters, there were many large groups of soldiers whose armor was obviously different from that of the Zhenyuan Army.

Xia people?

Liu Ling rode his horse and stood under the banner, stretched out his hand to hold a piece of wind and snow, there was no hangover look on his face, and he said without looking back: "General Liang, I led the army to conquer the desert and bring prosperity to your Xia Kingdom. Mansion, if you can’t fight or don’t dare to fight at this time, then don’t ask for the same treatment in front of me in the future.”

"Former troops prepare!"

A Xia army general drew his sword and shouted.

Wanyan Loushi frowned slightly. Within his sight, there were too many Zhenyuan Army and Xia Army, not to mention the large banner with Liu characters appearing.

He hesitated for a moment and said coldly: "Send someone over to talk."

　I have a fever. This is all I have today. As I write this, I feel like my eyes are getting hot and I can’t see clearly.
  　　Recommend a book by a great guy:
  　　"Sister, I really don't have any bad feelings for you" is a story about the heroine's transformation. The plot is probably about school and business, and it should be more exciting.

(End of this chapter)