The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Pan Mei was born in Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province. His father, Pan Lin, was a low-ranking military officer stationed in Zhengding County, Hebei Province during the Later Han Dynasty.

When he was young, Pan Mei was like a sword drawn from its sheath, sharp and full of vigor.

He was tall and strong, walked lightly, had a strong look and an imposing manner. He was as sharp as a thin blade and unstoppable.

As soon as he came of age, Pan Mei joined the army and became Chai Rong's personal soldier.

"In the first year of Jianlong, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Pu conspired and launched a mutiny. With the support of all the generals, Zhao Kuangyin became the emperor."

"After Emperor Taizu of Song ascended the throne, he attached great importance to Pan Mei and ordered him to go to Bianjing to meet with the governor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, convey the imperial edict, and inform the world."

"Emperor Taizu of Song knew that Yuan Yan, the commander of the Shaanxi Army, was extremely cruel, trusted treacherous ministers, and was good at using troops."

"Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin was worried that he would start a mutiny, so he sent Pan Mei to monitor his army to prevent him from starting a mutiny."

"In order to live up to the emperor's grace, Pan Mei went alone on horseback to read the imperial edict, explained the righteousness to Yuan Yan and others, and explained the pros and cons. In the end, Yuan Yan was moved by Pan Mei's persuasion and decided to follow him to the court to meet Emperor Taizu of Song."

"Emperor Taizu of Song was very happy and said: Pan Mei's move to persuade Yuan Yan to surrender is exactly what I want."

"In the third year of Kaibao, Zhao Kuangyin appointed Pan Mei as the chief commander and sent troops to attack Fuzhou. Liu Xiong, the last ruler of the Southern Han Dynasty, quickly sent Li Chengwo as the chief general and arranged the battle line at the foot of Lianhua Peak."

"At the same time, the Southern Han's secret weapon, the battle elephant formation, was sent out. The Southern Han people used elephants to form a battle formation, with each elephant carrying dozens of men and holding spears. They would serve as the vanguard in every battle to boost the army's prestige."

"Pan Mei came up with a plan and ordered his men to prepare strong bows and crossbows and shoot at the war elephants. As a result, the elephants were frightened and the soldiers on them fell off and were trampled to death."

"The Song army pursued the enemy and won a great victory, killing more than 10,000 enemy soldiers and breaking through the city of Shaozhou."

"At this time, Liu Xiong panicked and sent people to ask Pan Mei for peace, but was rejected by Pan Mei. In desperation, Liu Xiong sent his brother Liu Baoxing to lead troops to resist. In order to seize the initiative, Pan Mei led his elite troops to rush to Zhatou day and night."

"At a place 120 miles from Guangzhou, Pan Mei took the opportunity to rest his soldiers and made plans with the generals, saying that Liu Xiong's 150,000 soldiers relied on the terrain of the high mountains and valleys and were prepared for a long-term battle. The enemy used bamboo and wood as fences, and if they used fire attacks, they would surely be defeated."

"Then we will send elite troops to attack them from both sides, and we will surely defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. So we sent out several thousand soldiers, each holding two torches, and came to the enemy's fence through the small path."

"At night, there was a strong wind, and the soldiers lit torches and threw millions of torches into the enemy camp, and the fire was very fierce."

"Liu Xiong's camp was thrown into panic. Pan Mei commanded his soldiers to attack them fiercely. Liu Xiong's army was defeated and fled in haste."

"Pan Mei immediately ordered his army to attack Guangzhou. At this time, Liu Xiong burned all his treasury and took the gold and silver treasures to escape. Unexpectedly, before he set out, Pan Mei had already captured Guangzhou. Liu Xiong was eventually captured by Pan Mei and sent to the capital, and a notice was posted to inform the world."

"In the seventh year of Kaibao, Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, planned to conquer the Southern Tang, which established its capital in Nanjing."

"At that time, Li Yu, the ruler of Southern Tang, cancelled the name of Southern Tang and called himself the ruler of Jiangnan in an attempt to maintain his ruling position. However, Emperor Taizu of Song still decided to get rid of him and appointed Pan Mei as the supervisor of the Shengzhou Road camp to lead the army with Cao Bin. Before leaving, he told them not to kill innocent people when they captured Jiangling City, let alone Li Yu's family."

"At this time, Pan Mei and Liu Yu led their troops to Jiangling first. Since the warships were not ready for the expedition, how could they stop because of the river blocking their way?"

"So he raised his flag and waded across the river first, followed by the army, and the Wu army was defeated."

Su Shi: When Chai Rong ascended the throne, Pan Mei was able to serve as an official in the court and became a low-ranking military officer in the imperial guards.

In the Imperial Guards, Pan Mei was trained and reused by the Imperial Guards general Zhao Kuangyin.

On the third day of the first lunar month in 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin put on a yellow robe at Chenqiao Posthouse, miles northeast of Kaifeng, and launched a mutiny, which is known in history as the "Chenqiao Mutiny."

Zhao Kuangyin led his army back to Kaifeng. Zhao Kuangyin decided to send one person first to return to Kaifeng to inform the Later Zhou court: the world had changed its master.

He went to the court of Later Zhou to inform the emperor and his ministers that the world of Later Zhou had been taken away by someone. Any minister loyal to Later Zhou would definitely kill the person who sent him.

The person sent out must not only have extraordinary courage, but also have strong persuasive skills, so that he can intimidate the Northern Zhou court and make them give up resistance.

Zhao Kuangyin chose Pan Mei, who was both civil and military, and Pan Mei gladly accepted the order.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden change, catching them off guard.

The entire hall was in deathly silence.

Afterwards, Zhao Kuangyin led his army into Kaifeng and walked into the imperial palace.

The whole process went very smoothly and there was no resistance.

Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne and established the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin sent envoys to inform local military governors that he had ascended the throne and that as long as they supported him, they would be promoted to higher positions.

Pan Mei was sent to Shanzhou to persuade the chief general of Shanzhou, Yuan Yan.

Yuan Yan was Zhao Kuangyin's old enemy and had a bad relationship with him, which was known to the world.

Zhao Kuangyin knew that Yuan Yan would never submit to him, and he was ready to send troops to quell Yuan Yan's rebellion.

As a result, Pan Mei rode alone into Shaanxi and brought Yuan Yan to Zhao Kuangyin.

As soon as he saw Zhao Kuangyin, Yuan Yan knelt down to express his submission to Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Kuangyin promoted Yuan Yan to the rank of Inspecting Grand Marshal.

Yuan Yan's peaceful surrender set an example for all the watching local warlords in the world.

Zhao Kuangyin was a magnanimous person. He could put aside his past grudges and promote even his old enemy Yuan Yan to an important position.

As a result, local warlords submitted petitions one after another, expressing their submission to Zhao Kuangyin and supporting him to become emperor.

In September 970 AD, Zhao Kuangyin appointed Pan Mei as the main general to attack and destroy Southern Han.

The territory of Southern Han included most of today's Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, as well as northern Vietnam.

The climate is hot and humid, with miasma rampant.

The Southern Han was known as the "Small Southern Power" and had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of elephant soldiers.

Pan Mei led his army from Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, and in just four months, he captured the capital of the Southern Han Dynasty, Panyu, captured the last ruler of the Southern Han Dynasty, Liu Yan, and destroyed the Southern Han Dynasty.

In September 974 AD, Zhao Kuangyin appointed Cao Bin as the main general and Pan Mei as the deputy general, leading an army of 9 to attack and destroy the Southern Tang.

After more than a year of fierce fighting, Cao Bin and Pan Mei led their troops into the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty - Jinling, captured the last ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Yu, and destroyed the Southern Tang Dynasty.

After conquering the Southern Tang, all the southern countries were unified by the Song Dynasty.

On October 976, 10 AD, Zhao Kuangyin died suddenly in the Wansui Hall of the Imperial Palace.

Zhao Guangyi succeeded to the throne in front of Zhao Kuangyin's coffin. Zhao Guangyi was the second emperor of the Song Dynasty - Emperor Taizong of Song.

In March 980 AD, the Liao Kingdom appointed Xiao Duoluo as the main general and Li Chonghai as the deputy general, leading 3 Liao troops to invade the Song Dynasty and attack Yanmen Pass.

"Pan Mei commanded the Song army to build a pontoon bridge, and the Southern Tang soldiers boarded more than 20 warships and beat drums to go upstream to stop them."

"Pan Mei commanded his soldiers to attack bravely, seized their warships, captured his general Zheng Bin and seven others, and broke through his water fort south of the city, and assigned warships and troops to guard it."

"The Song army won a series of great victories, and Li Yu was very anxious."

"He sent Xu Xuan to Kaifeng twice to ask for forgiveness from Emperor Taizu of Song, but received no response."

"In the end, Cao Bin and Pan Mei jointly conquered Jinling, and Pan Mei was appointed as the Northern Envoy of Xuanhui Court for his merits."

"In the fourth year of Taipingxingguo, Emperor Taizong of Song was determined to complete the cause of unifying the north. He personally led four armies to besiege Taiyuan, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty, and appointed Pan Mei as the commander of the northern route and judge of Taiyuan's administrative affairs."

"The Liao army came to help again, and Emperor Taizong of Song sent troops to cut off the main road for the reinforcements and surrounded Taiyuan City." "There was no food or grass in Taiyuan City, and no reinforcements from outside. Liu Jiyuan, the ruler of Northern Han, had no choice but to surrender, and Northern Han was destroyed."

"Liu Jiyuan had an old general named Yang Ye who also surrendered to the Song Dynasty."

"Song Taizong had heard that Yang Ye was a skilled warrior and a brave warrior, so he made him a general."

"As the Liao army continued to invade the Song Dynasty's borders, Emperor Taizong of Song sent Yang Ye as the governor of Daizhou to guard Yanmen Pass."

"Song Taizong destroyed the Northern Han and wanted to take advantage of the victory to attack the Liao Kingdom and unify the north."

"During the conquest of Fanyang, Pan Mei was appointed governor of Youzhou."

"The Song army's offensive was fierce, and the Liao Dynasty garrisons in several states surrendered one after another. The Song army fought all the way to Youzhou."

"Later, the Liao Dynasty sent General Yelu Xiu'ge to rescue them. The two sides fought a battle at Gaoliang River. The Song army was defeated and Emperor Taizong of Song fled back to Tokyo in a donkey cart."

"When the Song army retreated, Emperor Taizong of Song appointed Pan Mei to concurrently serve as the commander of Sanjiaodu and station troops there to defend against the Liao attack."

"Three hundred miles northwest of Sanjiao there is a place called Gujun. It has a dangerous terrain and is the throat of the north."

"Pan Mei led his troops to launch a surprise attack and occupied this place."

"He stored up food and fodder and prepared for battle. The Liao Kingdom did not dare to act rashly, and the northern border was temporarily stable."

"Soon after, more than 10,000 Liao cavalrymen attacked. Pan Mei secretly marched and attacked with lightning speed, defeating the Liao army."

"Song Taizong was very happy and named Pan Mei the Duke of Dai."

"In the eighth year of Taipingxingguo, he was appointed as the governor of Zhongwu Army and was promoted to Duke of Han."

"In the third year of Yongxi, Emperor Taizong of Song decided to launch a northern expedition against the Liao Kingdom to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, and sent Pan Mei to lead the western route."

"Cao Bin commanded the eastern route, with Yang Ye as his deputy general, and achieved remarkable success in the early stages of the war against Liao."

"But as the main force of the Liao Kingdom arrived, Cao Bin's eastern army was defeated at Qigou Pass."

"Song Taizong had no choice but to order the withdrawal of troops. During the withdrawal, the people of Yun, Shuo, Huan and Ying were evacuated."

"Wang Quan forced Yang Ye to take the risk and meet the enemy. He and Pan Mei met the enemy at the entrance of the valley, and Yang Ye had no choice but to obey."

"Finally, Yang Ye was surrounded by the Liao army, resulting in the defeat of Chenjiagu. Yang Ye's entire army was annihilated, and he was captured and died of starvation."

"When Emperor Taizong of Song learned of this, he demoted Pan Mei to three ranks, reducing him to the rank of Inspector General of the Imperial Guards."

"Not long after, Pan Mei was reinstated. In the second year of Chunhua, Pan Mei was appointed as the co-prime minister. He died a few months later at the age of 67."

Wang Anshi: While Pan Mei led the Song army out of the city to confront the Liao army head-on, he ordered Yang Ye to lead elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the Liao army from behind.

After a bloody battle, the Liao army's main general Xiao Duoluo was killed, and the Liao army's deputy general Li Chonghai was captured alive. The 100,000 Liao army was completely wiped out at Yanmen Pass.

The victory at Yanmen Pass was not only a great victory, but also a victory of utter annihilation.

Pan Mei's reputation as the greatest general of the Song Dynasty spread throughout the world.

Pan Mei's sharpness and Yang Ye's toughness and fighting skills made them the strongest combination of the Song army.

In the first month of 986 AD, Zhao Guangyi issued an edict to launch a northern expedition against the Liao Kingdom and recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

Cao Bin was appointed commander-in-chief of the Eastern Army, commanding 200,000 troops and marching out of Xiongzhou.

Tian Chongjin was appointed commander of the central army, commanding 50,000 troops and marching out of Dingzhou.

Pan Mei was appointed commander-in-chief of the Western Army, and Yang Ye was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Western Army, commanding 50,000 troops to march out of Yanmen Pass.

Pan Mei and Yang Ye were unstoppable and won victory after victory. In forty-five days, they recaptured the four states of Huanzhou, Shuozhou, Yingzhou and Yunzhou.

The situation of the Northern Expedition is very good, and the recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun is just around the corner.

However, at this time, the Eastern Army commander Cao Bin completely allowed Zhao Guangyi to command him at random, resulting in the Eastern Army's disastrous defeat.

Zhao Guangyi urgently ordered Tian Chongjin, Pan Mei and Yang Ye to withdraw their troops.

Tian Chongjin retreated without hesitation, and the central army returned to the country safely.

So, Yang Ye decided to take the initiative and attack the Liao army.

Before leaving, Yang Ye said to Pan Mei: "I will definitely not be able to come back after this attack. I was originally a surrendered general of the Northern Han Dynasty, and I should be executed. Your Majesty did not kill me, but favored me to be a general and lead the army. Today I will repay you with my death. But, can you ambush archers on both sides of Chenjia Valley? After I am defeated, if there is no support, my whole army will be wiped out."

Pan Mei immediately agreed and personally led his troops to set up an ambush on both sides of Chenjia Valley.

As a result, on the morning of the second day after the ambush, Wang Quan led his troops to withdraw, and Pan Mei was unable to control them.

Yang Ye fought bloody battles all the way and led the Liao army into Chenjia Valley, but in the end there was no reinforcement.

In the end, Yang Ye's army was completely wiped out. Yang Ye fought alone, was seriously injured and captured, and died after three days of hunger strike.

After knowing the truth, Zhao Guangyi felt ashamed and angry.

Pan Mei was demoted three levels and continued to lead his troops to guard Yanmen Pass.

Wang Quan was completely dismissed, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to Jinzhou.

There is no doubt that the military supervisor Wang Quan was the sole person responsible for Yang Ye's death.

However, sadly, Pan Mei was the only person responsible for Yang Ye's death.

This unfortunate fellow fought desperately for more than four months, captured cities and territories, and achieved the greatest military merit, but in the end he was infamous for being jealous of talented people and persecuting loyal and good people.

In 991 AD, Pan Mei died of illness at the border at the age of .

The whole Song Dynasty was shocked.

In his grief, Zhao Guangyi posthumously awarded Pan Mei the title of Zhongshu Ling and gave him the posthumous title of "Wuhui".

Pan Mei was the most famous general in the early Song Dynasty, who expanded the most territory, had the most military achievements, and had the heaviest responsibilities.

However, he was always ranked below Cao Bin, the best general in the early Song Dynasty.

Compared with Cao Bin, who was both military and political, he was a real soldier.

After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, Pan Mei made many military achievements and led a large army to attack Southern Han.

He pretended to retreat and set an ambush, defeated more than 10,000 reinforcements from the Southern Han, and captured Hezhou.

He then turned to attack Shaozhou and defeated the main force of the Southern Han army of more than 10.

In February of the fourth year, he confronted the 6-strong Southern Han army to the west of Guangzhou City.

Pan Mei sent people to burn down the Southern Han army camp at night, and took advantage of the fire to attack, achieving a great victory.

In less than half a year, he conquered Southern Han. Seven years later, he led his troops and joined forces with Cao Bin to attack Southern Tang. (End of this chapter)