The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 81 Sand Garden
On June 24, the first year of Jingfu, the sun was high in the sky, and the main force of the royal army had passed the Crescent Gorge and stopped at Shayuanxiaying.

The saint had won the battle against the rebels in Changchun Palace, and his confidence was strengthened. He had planned to march all the way to Dali City. If he could capture the strong city, his prestige would be greatly enhanced. In this day and age, winning a siege battle would have a great influence on the commander-in-chief!

Zhu Quanzhong led a powerful army to capture Caizhou, and the states of Chen, Xu, and Song all surrendered and came to surrender. Field battle? Everyone knows how to do it. If the Jiedushi is capable, he can take down a strong city to show everyone his ability.

So, he was somewhat tempted - but unfortunately, the weather was hot, and the soldiers were out of breath, discussing whether to attack the city when they reached Dali, and the army was a little agitated. Li, who was also sweating profusely, had no choice but to order them to rest for a while in Shayuan to avoid the heat. He also took out some fresh fruits and honey to distribute, which calmed the army's morale.

The soldiers happily took off their clothes, sat shirtless under the tree, eating peaches and drinking sweet water to cool off.

"It's too hot, ugh..." The scorching sun made the iron helmet hot, and the saint's underwear was all wet. Sweat beads kept oozing out from the roots of his hair and flowing down his temples, just like he was taking a bath.

The soldiers still admired him very much.

After walking for a whole morning, everyone was dying from the sun, but the saint remained silent, which showed his strong will.

"Your Majesty, the water from the well is just drawn. It's still cold. Some of the warriors have already drunk it." The Infantry Commander-in-Chief, Mei Zangqiqi, sat down beside the emperor, panting heavily, and handed over the bulging water bag.

The sage did not care that he had drunk it before, and drank it all in one gulp. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the generals and said, "It is so hot, and the military work is very hard."

"Hey, Your Majesty is sitting here, what else can we say?" Zhazhu laughed.

The generals were talking in a flurry, some sitting and some lying down.

The sages did not take time to rest. It is true that what is learned from books is always shallow, and one must practice to fully understand it. Marching and fighting is indeed a technical job.

Just like now, the sun was so hot that the soldiers were dying, and they all shouted to rest, and they were all naked under the trees without any defense. In other words, this was the only army active within a hundred miles, so there was no need to worry about being attacked. Otherwise, if you were attacked by the enemy, no matter how powerful you were, you would still lose.

Also, how should we fight the battle in Dali City?

Zhu Quanzhong was lucky. He risked his life and finally captured Caizhou. However, most of the military governors failed.

In the fifth year of Zhonghe, Li Keju, the governor of Youzhou, sent his general Li Quanzhong to lead 60,000 troops to attack Yizhou. After days of hard fighting, the army was full of complaints. In the middle of the night, the enemy covered themselves with sheepskin and hid in the woods, bleating and seducing them. The Yan people did not distinguish and rushed to catch the sheep to eat. The generals could not stop them, which led to chaos in the army. Afterwards, tens of thousands of Yan soldiers took Li Quanzhong back to Youzhou, and Li Keju's family was killed.

Sun Ru attacked Xuanzhou but failed to win, which made the army furious. At that time, a plague broke out, and Yang Xingmi saw this and risked his life to attack. The Cai army was extremely disappointed with Sun Ru and was too lazy to resist, so they captured the general and offered him as a sacrifice.

When Wang Xu, the governor of Guangzhou, attacked Zhangzhou, he ordered that no one was allowed to bring their families with them, for fear that they would be "attacked and forced to rescue". When the soldiers heard this, they were furious and killed Wang Xu.

These are all living lessons.

How to attack Dali still needs to be discussed with the generals.

The sage wrote down all the knowledge he had learned since the expedition, the words and deeds of the officers around him, and all his experiences in a small notebook. He used English and Arabic numerals that looked strange to others to prevent others from peeking at them. Because some of the content was very dangerous and it might cause trouble if it was leaked.

As the so-called Son of Heaven, he didn't need to learn so much. He could just win over his followers and get them to help with work. But he didn't want to entrust the fate of himself and his family to the vague loyalty of civil and military officials.

Even if a warrior suddenly rebelled one day, he would have the military knowledge he had accumulated over the years to know how to resist in times of crisis. He would not be like Emperor Zhaozong of later times, who fled to Shacheng, Shimen, Huyi, and Zhouzhi. When the chaotic army pressed hard, the emperor had no choice but to leave with the other kings. When he looked back at the palace, the fire was already on.

You don’t know anything, and once something goes wrong, the people below you will help you command, and your fate will naturally be determined by the wisdom or stupidity of those below you.

This is not what Li Ye wants.

In short, be prepared to study for a long time, day after day, for several years.

At two quarters past noon, the vanguard envoy Helian Weihuan came again to report: The rebel army has closed in on Dali and is defending itself refusing to come out.

Seeing that they had no intention of fighting in the field, the sage discussed with the generals and ordered them to set up camp in Shayuan. Anyway, it was very close to Dali City and it would only take an hour to get there. When it was cooler in the next few days, they would cross the river and attack the bandits.

After lunch, the saint went out to scout the terrain.

"In the third year of Datong, the Eastern bandit He Liuhun led 200,000 people across the Yellow River to attack. Taizu ordered the warriors to carry three days' rations and cross the Wei River on horseback. Then all three armies were ready to die. Li Bi, Duke of Zhao, Yu Jin, Duke of Changshan, Yuan Xin, Prince of Guangling, Dugu Xin, Duke of Henei, Yuwen Hu, Grand Chancellor, Zhao Gui, the grandfather, and Li Hu, the Jingfather of Your Majesty, and other eight pillars of the country lined up with their backs to the water and east and west. The entire army was no more than 10,000 people, but the noise was deafening. The Eastern bandits looked down on us Westerners and fought without restraint, and were defeated!"

Zhao Jia spoke eloquently, especially when he talked about his ancestor Zhao Gui, he looked even more arrogant, which attracted a lot of taunts: "In this battle, 8 Eastern bandits were killed or captured, and Gao Huan was almost captured by my ancestor Kao Xue, and he fled in panic at night on camels with Hou Jing and other bandits!"

According to common sense, 200,000 people fighting 10,000 people cannot lose no matter what. Even if 200,000 pigs rushed forward, 10,000 people could not stop them, but they still lost. This is war, the outcome is unpredictable. In ancient times, there were too many battles that could not be lost, and fortresses that should not have been lost, but they were all lost for various reasons.

Looking at the vast expanse of land and sky, one can still vaguely imagine the bloody battle that decided the hegemony between the East and the West. Gao Huan was beaten and fled on a camel. Although he won the battle of Mangshan later, he was defeated in Yubi City and died soon after. This man is actually very similar to Li Keyong - the same Daibei hero, the same advantages, the same stubbornness, and the same natural enemy, and the ending is also depression after a great defeat.

"Brine and tofu, one thing conquers another." The sage concluded his speech.

"Haha." Everyone couldn't help laughing. The emperor had a lot of golden sentences in his mouth and he always managed to come up with something new for everyone.

It would be better if the rebel army could cross the river and come to Shayuan to fight head-on.

"Bang!" The saint jumped off his horse, took a blanket and sat down on the grass. He looked at the generals and said, "The marriages between the soldiers of the same state are deeply rooted. Their wives, children, and all their property are in Dali City. The vanguard envoy Kang Lingzhong reported that the rebel army still has nearly 7000 sharp soldiers who can fight, with sufficient food. They rely on the strong city to defend, and I am afraid they will not surrender easily. I don't plan to delay. I want to cross Luo tomorrow and march under the city. If you have any ideas, just say it. I don't have any ideas at the moment."

He said this in a definite tone, so it was not a discussion about whether to attack Dali, but how to attack.

Everyone understood and had no objection.

"Tongzhou Military City has been in operation for many years. In the past, bandits guarded the north side, and it has been reinforced many times. The fences and fortresses are connected, and there is also a moat. Our army has no more than 30,000 people, and Li Sizhou and Li Yanzhen's two 10,000 infantrymen have gone to Pubanjin. The current main force is mainly cavalry, and there are no more than 4,000 infantry. If the soldiers are driven to attack the city, I am afraid there will be chaos in the army. I do not agree with wasting the lives of the warriors. If we fail to take it down, it will be a waste of money." Brother-in-law He Chuyu said frankly.

My brother-in-law has worked so hard to save up this little fortune! If he gets hurt here, how will he live in Chang'an?
"There are a lot of Dangxiang people in the neighboring Fuzhou to the west. Can we recruit a few thousand of them? If we lure them with money and goods, some poor devils will take the bait." said Wang Shaorong, the cavalry commander.

"We Dangxiang people are not fools." Mo Zangqiqi sneered, "Who doesn't know what a fierce battle in a siege is like? If you want to recruit poor people to fill the trenches, you might as well go find the Dangxiang people in Fengzhou and the miscellaneous Hu people in Hexi. Those people are poor enough and will come when you call them."

"Why not just capture 10,000 or 20,000 civilians nearby? The state has a rich population, so we can get as many as we want." Chen Xizhen, the 10th general of Xingdu, the military commander of the infantry, asked tentatively, "We won't kill them. Once we break the city, we can reward them." "Wait!" Seeing the topic heading in a dangerous direction, the sage raised his hand to interrupt, "The common people are unbearable, so don't let them attack the city."

"Your Majesty! Why not send an envoy into the city?" Zhao Jia wanted to show off, so he stood up and said, "In the past, when the bandits entered Chang'an, all the towns within the pass surrendered, but Tongzhou refused to surrender and fought to the death. Among the remaining 7000 rebels in Dali City, is there no one loyal to the court? The remaining power of the battle in Changchun Palace is enough to deter the scoundrels. At this time, the rebels in the city are probably already scared. As long as we explain the pros and cons, promise not to kill the prisoners, and not to tattoo them to show that they are evil, the rebels will surrender out of concern for their relatives."

"Hahaha, that's just a woman's opinion!" Infantry Lieutenant Yin Shouzhi slapped his thigh and said jokingly, "The rebels are not stupid, there must be some loyal to the court, but do they dare to open the city? Aren't they afraid that we will enter the city to plunder their property and seize their wives and daughters? I can't guarantee that I can enter the city without being harmed, let alone the soldiers! If you were in the city, would you dare to open the city?"

"You - the Constitution is ruined by warriors like you!"

"If the Saint were not here, I would kill him..." Yin Shouzhi stood up with a cry. Just as he was about to say something, he was pulled by the general next to him and whispered to him that Zhao Jia was a relative of the emperor, the second brother of the Privy Councilor. He then sat down angrily and bowed to the Saint, saying, "Your Majesty, Zhao Jia insulted me!"

"Sir, this warrior is so arrogant and rude. I—"

"Let's discuss military affairs!" The sage stood up suddenly, his armor clanging loudly, and scolded: "Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, Li Sheng, Pei Du, Li Su, who is not a general or a prime minister? The capable are both civil and military, what is the enmity between civil and military? Civil is for ruling the world, and military is for quelling rebellion, that's all. You two are attacking each other here, how can it be decent! I am looking for you to discuss military affairs, it's like digging the ground to find the sky. Forget it, forget it! I have made up my mind. I will cross the river early tomorrow morning, capture the stockade outside the city first, and then surround Dali."

Suddenly hearing him call himself "Zhen", everyone looked solemn: "Yes!"

"I am willing to go to Dali City as an envoy for Your Majesty, and I will persuade the rebels to surrender." Zhao Jiagu asked loudly. He finally understood that he was a newcomer, excluded by the saint's followers, and had not yet integrated into this small circle. If he wanted to gain the respect of the common people, he had to make contributions.

"No." The saint refused without even thinking, saying, "The chaotic army is killing people like crazy, how can I let my brothers and sisters die?"

"Yes." Zhao Jia took the opportunity to say no. His brother-in-law called him a brother in public, and it seemed that he approved of it.

----

Back at the barracks, the saint was getting annoyed!

There are at least 6,000 soldiers in Dali City - yes, they are real veteran warriors who spend their days honing their killing skills, many of whom have fought hard battles with Li Keyong, Wang Chongrong, and Zhu Wen. The city is strong and has enough food. Even if he puts all his troops in, he may not be able to break the city. If the city is really that easy to attack, there won't be so many warlords who will be angry to death when attacking the city.

What's more, he didn't dare to use force.

As for Zhao Jia's persuasion to surrender. Why would they open the city? Even if they surrendered, this was the mainstream way at that time - I told you that I surrendered, you quickly rewarded me to appease me, otherwise everyone would rebel against you in the future. Of course, you don't care about me. Handing over the city, what's the point of surrendering like this.

But he couldn't just go back like this - one Tongzhou was worth ten Qizhous! The customs duties at Pubanjin alone were a huge income. Almost all the merchants in the north, including the Hu people from the grassland tribes who came to Guanzhong to sell furs, cattle, sheep and other specialties, went here. Now Zhu Quanzhong dominated the Central Plains, and the vassal states north of the Yellow River, such as Youzhou, Yiwu, Zibo, Qing, Chengde, Weizhou, and Hedong, basically entered the pass from Pubanjin to pay tribute. Although these people only gave rewards during festivals, the total amount was not a small amount.

If the road is blocked and they are not very motivated to begin with, will they suddenly stop due to frustration?

Let’s calculate the registered land in the same state.

Plus the ranch at Shayuan.

You'd be a fool if you don't hold on to this fertile and precious land that's more fragrant than the lands of Chen Chen, Rou Nu, He Yuqing, Zhao Ruxin, and Zhu Xie Wusi combined - how can you wipe out the rebels in Dali City in one fell swoop?
The sage took off his armor and lay on the couch with his back, looking conflicted - if benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness didn't work, then he would have no choice but to cheat, steal and do the most difficult and shameless things.

The surging Luo River is under my feet. I wonder if it will be of any use if I swear to it.

That night, the sage went out to inspect the camp. Perhaps because it was a wartime situation, wherever he went, the soldiers on night duty stood upright and looked fierce. The Du Yuhou led the swordsmen and axemen to look here and there. They caught those who dozed off guard and those who gathered in the tents to laugh and chat. They hung them up and beat them half to death on the spot!
The sage was very satisfied - the warriors were more worried about being raided at night than he, the emperor, hahahaha.

Along the way, he wandered around, chatting with the soldiers from time to time, asking about the family situation, whether they were well fed and warmly dressed - uh, the old routine of Xuanzong, Suzong, Daizong, and Dezong. The emperor must be majestic, but it is best to let the soldiers feel valued and cared for spiritually. The old Suzong brought his wife to the army to sew clothes for the soldiers, and the effect was really good. After his death, his sons and grandsons led the troops to fight one after another, and the soldiers were very supportive.

Of course, this method of winning people's hearts is only applicable to warriors who have fallen to a certain extent and can still be saved.

"How he wanted to be a blade of grass, greening the wilderness. How he wanted to be a flying goose, flying through the sea of clouds. Even if there was a wildfire, even if there was thunder and lightning, he could be free and happy. His years were wasted, his feelings were hurt, why? Why... was there such an arrangement?" The saint hummed a little tune and fell asleep quietly.

----

On June 25th of the first year of Jingfu, the sky was clear in Tongzhou.

"Let's cross the river!"

"Hurry up, hurry up."

"Can you please stop pushing me?"

More than 700 Tianshui Han and Fan troops under my eldest brother-in-law Zhao Fu crossed the Luo River happily early in the morning.

"A bunch of local dogs." Other warriors on the river bank saw it and waited patiently with grass roots in their mouths.

My brother-in-law's troops are still capable of fighting. They are well-trained, have high morale, and are well-equipped. Some wear full Persian armor. Some wear white robes with blue cloth wrapped around their heads, and their torsos are covered with silver armor. They look like grass heads. Isn't it hot? There are also many people who are dressed in such a way that I can't recognize their customs.

Anyway, at first glance, it looks like a circus. My nephew's legacy, the million Tibetan army scattered all over the place, the slaves and captives from various countries captured over the years are fleeing to the ends of the earth, just like the Xiongnu, Tuyuhun, Turks, and later Khitan and Jurchen. Well, let these good kids trained by slave owners improve the atmosphere of the Central Plains army.

After reaching the other side, the elder brother-in-law quickly formed a battle array on the other side of the river to cover the subsequent main force crossing the river. The saint watched from the other side of the river, but saw Zhao Fu galloping back and forth, sitting on horseback and urging loudly. If there were any slow movements, he would whip them and hit them directly on the head!

"Boom, boom, boom..." The sound of the marching drums became louder and louder.

"Cross the river!" The saint's heroic spirit surged, and he shook his yellow robe and rushed onto the iron chain bridge.

You villains in Dali City, I’m here to kill you!
Amid the sounds of fighting, a young judge of the Ministry of Revenue stood with his hands behind his back, and was inspired to write a poem: "The south bank of the Luo River is covered with smoke and dust, and the Han emperor is leading his troops to the north to attack the bandits. The sand willows are swaying and the fallen leaves are dancing, are the mountains and rivers majestic? The cold light of iron armor and swords and spears is reflected, and the warriors are strong and their horses are fat! Don't say that there is no one left in the Zhou Dynasty, the Duke of Zheng was captured and posthumously named. Tongzhou should regret the rebellion in Changchun, and I, a humble official, wrote a poem to offer my victory."

"What kind of crappy poem is this? You, Zhang En, are just a small grain keeper. You're not even an official, let alone a minor official." A colleague next to him laughed.

Zhang En's face flushed and he angrily said, "Meng Yuan, you insulted me!"

(End of this chapter)