I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 309 Unification
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Juyong Pass is only a little over 100 li away from Yanjing City. At the speed of light cavalry, it would only take a little over two hours to reach Juyong Pass from Yanjing City. Even for ordinary infantry, it would only take one to two days to reach Juyong Pass from Yanjing City.

The Western Army took almost three days to cover this distance.

This does not mean that the Western Auxiliary Army was delaying; rather, it means that the Western Auxiliary Army was discussing with the Western Army on the other side of Juyong Pass how to jointly attack Juyong Pass.

Yes.

We need to take Juyong Pass.

As soon as he received the imperial edict from Xiao Puxian and Xiao Sese, Xu Huiyan personally led a light cavalry unit, along with Xiao Puxian, Xiao Sese's envoy Xiao Bodie, and the Han official Cao Yongyi, to persuade the garrison at Juyong Pass to surrender.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Hugu, the garrison commander of Juyong Pass, was a close advisor to Yelü Yanxi. When the Liao Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, he followed Yelü Yanxi in his escape and participated in planning the resistance against the Jin Dynasty. Later, he was injured during a breakout. When Yelü Yanxi arrived in Yanjing, he specially left Xiao Hugu and three thousand elite troops to guard the vital and well-connected Juyong Pass so that he could be rescued at any time.

Xiao Hugu was not unaware that Yelü Yanxi had abdicated in favor of Yelü Aoluwo, but he believed that Yelü Yanxi had been forced into this position and that Yelü Aoluwo was a puppet of the Zhao Song Dynasty. He advocated either sending troops south to force the Zhao Song Dynasty to return Yelü Yanxi to the Liao Dynasty, or driving out Xiao Puxian and Xiao Sese and returning power to Yelü Aoluwo. In short, he was determined not to let the Zhao Song Dynasty control the fate of the Liao Dynasty.

In Xiao Hugu's words, he didn't trust the Song Dynasty. After all, the enmity between the two dynasties had a long history. It was already good enough that the Song Dynasty didn't take advantage of the situation; how could it genuinely help the Liao Dynasty restore its kingdom? If the Liao Dynasty wanted to restore its kingdom, it would have to rely on itself.

When Xiao Bodie and Cao Yongyi ordered him to hand over Juyong Pass to the Song army, Xiao Hugu not only refused to obey the order, but also detained Xiao Bodie and Cao Yongyi. He then sent a message to Yelü Chun and others, saying that if they were loyal subjects of the Liao Dynasty, they should send troops to drive out the Song army with him, then go north to fight against the Jurchens and reclaim every inch of land belonging to the Liao Dynasty, instead of helping the enemy and surrendering the Liao Dynasty's territory.

Faced with this situation, Xu Huiyan could only send someone from Jinpo Pass to Yundi to discuss with Tong Guan, and three days later, they would launch a pincer attack on Juyong Pass.

three days later.

General Yao Gu of the Western Army and General Huo Anguo of the Western Auxiliary Army attacked Juyong Pass at the same time.

As dawn broke over the city walls of Juyong Pass, rolling logs and stones rained down like a storm.

Yao Gu's vanguard of the Western Army had barely reached a hundred paces from the pass when the soldiers in the front row were crushed into mincemeat by a millstone-sized blue stone. The Liao archers on the city walls seemed nailed to the crenellations, their arrows so dense they could block out the morning light; any Song soldier who dared to show their head was doomed.

Huo Anguo's situation was even more difficult. The western mountain path attacked by the Western Auxiliary Army was already steep, and the Liao army had dug a hidden channel halfway up the mountain, where scalding hot oil and molten gold mixed with sparks flowed down the stone steps. Song soldiers climbed up by stepping on the corpses of their comrades, and as soon as they got their hands on the hot oil and molten gold, they would be burned and run away, only to fall into the abyss beside the mountain path, their screams swallowed up by the wind.

At noon, arrow slits suddenly shot out from the gate tower, igniting the ladders the Western Army had erected below the pass. Flames leaped up the pine ladders, and the soldier at the top was burned like a human torch. He roared and swung his sword at the tower, but was pierced through the chest by a spear from the tower. His body hung on the ladder with crackling sounds, becoming a live target.

The Western Army attempted to climb the cliff behind the pass, but the Liao army had already carved countless holes in the cliff face, inserting sharp iron spikes. The first soldier who climbed halfway up tried to use the spikes for leverage, but his hand was pierced by the spikes. He was in so much pain that he loosened his rope and fell, crashing into a protruding rock. The sound of his bones shattering echoed through the valley.

As the sun began to set, the mountain of corpses in front of the pass was almost level with the gate itself. Yao Gu had no choice but to change his tactics, ordering catapults to bombard the city gate, but the boulders struck the iron-clad gate, leaving only a few white marks.

Xiao Hugu, atop the city tower, personally beat the drum. The shouts of the Liao army, mixed with the rumble of falling logs, made the ground beneath their feet tremble.

Huo Anguo's deputy general was shot through the throat by a stray arrow. He clutched his neck, trying to say something, but blood and foam gushed out from between his fingers.

Huo Anguo wiped the blood from his face and noticed a gentle slope formed by the corpses piled up on the cliff beside the mountain path—a path cleared by the soldiers' lives. He gritted his teeth, grabbed a tattered shield, and roared as he led the charge.

Dusk had fallen, and the city tower of Juyong Pass looked like a blood-soaked behemoth in the setting sun, while the Song soldiers below were still ramming human flesh into the fangs of this behemoth.

Zhao Di finally witnessed the cruelty of war. At the same time, the fighting spirit in his bones was also aroused. He went to He Guan's side and volunteered, saying, "Commander, let my Shenji Battalion go. I will use cannons to blast this pass."

In fact, He Guan also wanted to use Li Linpao.

However, Zhao Yu had given orders that this trump card should not be used unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, He Guan remained hesitant.

Now that Zhao Di has volunteered, He Guan has an excuse and a scapegoat. However, He Guan was a minister in Zhao Yu's former residence, so he must think about Zhao Yu's son. Therefore, he said to Zhao Di, "It was only a one-day attack. What is there to rush? A general should be calm and prudent and not act rashly. A merciful person cannot command an army. Your Highness should not be so kind."

In He Guan's view, although Juyong Pass was strategically important, it was only a matter of time before it was breached by the Song army's pincer attack, so there was no need to use Li Lin's cannons.

As night fell, neither the Western Army nor the Western Auxiliary Army ceased their attack on Juyong Pass.

Under the cover of darkness, the Liao army's arrows lost their accuracy compared to the daytime.

However, the darkness also obscured the Song army's vision, making it more difficult for them to climb and charge.

In the darkness of night, the two armies engaged in an endless tug-of-war around the blood-red fortress of Juyong Pass.

By daybreak, the Western Army alone had suffered nearly a thousand casualties.

Zhao Di could no longer tolerate it. He ordered that Li Lin's cannons be set up at the pre-selected attack location. At the same time, he sent Hu Quan to inform He Guan that he was about to fire the cannons and to have the other Song troops cooperate.

Without waiting for He Guan to send someone to stop Zhao Di, Zhao Di, having calculated the timing perfectly, decisively ordered the cannons to fire.

Ten red-coated cannons were lined up below Juyong Pass. Suddenly, the cannons roared, shaking the rubble on the pass.

The first shell whistled as it struck the battlements on the left side of the stone gate, sending stone chips flying like a torrential downpour. Several millstone-sized bricks were forcibly lifted off the ground, revealing the grayish-brown rammed earth behind them.

The remaining shells whistled in, and the Liao soldiers on the city wall, like weeds swept by a gale, screamed and tumbled down from the crenellations. The crisp sound of breaking bricks mixed with the sound of cannon fire echoed repeatedly in the valley.

The second salvo landed precisely on the Liao army. Under the fierce bombardment of Li Lin's cannons, Liao soldiers were torn apart, their bodies piled up like mountains, suffering heavy casualties.

The third salvo continued to bombard the Liao army on the pass, causing them to flee in panic. One of the shells happened to land in the oil fryer, splashing oil everywhere and instantly turning into a rain of fire in the morning light, setting Juyong Pass ablaze.

Just then, the wall of Juyong Pass suddenly collapsed, killing many Liao soldiers, including Xiao Hugu, the commander of Juyong Pass.

Upon seeing this, both Yao Gu and Huo Anguo immediately ordered a fierce attack on Juyong Pass.

As a result, they captured the crucial Juyong Pass in a single battle. In reality, Li Lin's cannons weren't that powerful; they couldn't possibly have blown down the walls of Juyong Pass.

The problem was that the walls of Juyong Pass themselves had inherent weaknesses. Historically, when Wanyan Zongwang led 7,000 light cavalry as the vanguard to advance towards Juyong Pass, the walls of Juyong Pass suddenly collapsed for unknown reasons, resulting in the Liao army's defeat without a fight and the Jin army's entry into Juyong Pass without bloodshed.

Afterwards, Zhang Chun and Li Lin analyzed that it was very likely that the bombardment of Li Lin's cannons had prematurely detonated the hidden dangers at Juyong Pass, which caused Li Lin's cannons to show unprecedented power in this battle. This not only shocked every soldier on the battlefield, but also changed the war thinking and concepts of many Song soldiers.

In conclusion, after a major battle, the Zhao Song Dynasty successfully recovered the crucial Juyong Pass.

Meanwhile, other Song armies were also recovering four other prefectures in Yan territory, Gubeikou, Songtingguan, Pingluanying, Yuguan, and the Liaoxi Corridor.

Not all Liao generals were as inflexible and unyielding as Xiao Hugu.

Seeing that the Liao Dynasty was doomed and their own garrison was small, coupled with the Liao court's decree to cede territory, and crucially, the Song army was overwhelmingly in their presence, the Song Dynasty was unable to resist. As a result, Shunzhou, Jizhou, Tanzhou, and Jingzhou surrendered one after another, and the Song Dynasty easily recovered these four prefectures.

Of course, since many Khitan and Xi tribes had long lived in Gubeikou and Songting Pass, the so-called "old Han land" was already inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples. It was not easy to reclaim these areas. After all, for the Khitan and Xi people living here, this was their homeland. If the Song Dynasty wanted to reclaim these areas, it would be tantamount to driving them out of their ancestral homeland.

Both the Khitans and the Xi people living here felt resentful and indignant about this.

Among them were many brave men who, upon seeing the Song army come to seize their homes, took up arms and vowed to defend this land to the death.

Faced with this situation, Zhao Cheng volunteered to accompany the envoy to the Khitan tribe stationed at Gubeikou to communicate with them and persuade them to hand over Gubeikou.

Liu Fa and Li Miao knew that Zhao Cheng was a man of both literary and martial talents, with a calm and resourceful personality. His mother was Zhang Chun, who was skilled in divination, and he had even achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination two years ago. They believed that his attempt to persuade the Khitan tribe at Gubeikou was not a joke.

The key point is that Liu Fa and Li Miao know that Zhao Yu sent his son out with them to train him. If they stop Zhao Tang, they might displease Zhao Yu. Well, Zhao Yu is magnanimous and might not hold it against them, but it's hard to say about Zhang Chun, that petty woman who can persuade Zhao Yu.

Liu Fa and Li Miao discussed it for a long time and finally decided to let Zhao Cheng give it a try.

When Zhao Cheng arrived at the Khitan tribe with Yue Fei and Chen Kangbo, he used his position as a figurehead, revealing his identity as the fourteenth prince of the Song Dynasty. Then, acting like a spoiled young master, he told the Khitan tribe leaders that as long as they ceded Gubeikou and it didn't hinder his meritorious service, they could choose any place, inside or outside the pass.

Han Fang and Xiao Rong, who came with Zhao Cheng to cede territory, also played a significant role.

Han Fang said that the Song army had brought over a million soldiers, and even the Liao Dynasty at its peak could not withstand such a large Song army, let alone their small Khitan tribe. He advised them not to try to stop a chariot with their bare hands.

Xiao Rong advised the leaders of these Khitan tribes not to ruin their grand plan to recover lost territory.

Thus, with the tacit cooperation of Zhao Cheng and others, the Zhao Song Dynasty captured Gubeikou without bloodshed.

It is worth mentioning that Zhao Cheng did not deceive these Khitan tribes, but actually helped them obtain the new fiefdoms they wanted.

Zhao Cheng also established very good relations with these Khitan tribes because of this incident, and these Khitan tribes later even presented Zhao Cheng with beauties from their tribes...

At the same time, the Northern Army encountered the same problem when it recaptured Songting Pass. More than a dozen Xi tribes took up arms and refused to hand over Songting Pass to the Zhao Song Dynasty. Not only that, the envoy sent by the Liao Dynasty to cede territory was also killed by these Xi people.

Following Zhao Yu's instructions, Deputy Commander Liu Yi decisively launched an attack on these Xi tribes.

Zhao Qing also participated in this war.

In this battle, Zhao Qing made full use of the advantages of his firearms, commanded with composure, and led from the front, winning three battles in a row and defeating the Xi tribe warriors who outnumbered him several times over.

What Liu Yi praised Zhao Qing for even more was that Zhao Qing obeyed all orders in all actions, had no airs of a prince, and ate and slept with his soldiers, showing the potential to become a famous general.

After fierce fighting, the Northern Auxiliary Army scattered the Xi tribes entrenched in Songting Pass and recaptured Songting Pass.

At the same time, Song Jiang and Wu Yong also led the Tiger Warriors to Pingzhou.

The commander-in-chief in Pingzhou was Zhang Jue. He was from Yifeng in Pingzhou. In his youth, he passed the imperial examination in Liao and was later appointed as the deputy military governor of Liaoxing Army, which was Pingzhou Road. At that time, Liao was in great turmoil. The Pingzhou militia killed the military governor of the prefecture. Zhang Jue was promoted by the people of the prefecture to take charge of the prefecture's affairs because of his merit in pacifying the situation.

After Yelü Yanxi disappeared, Zhang Jue felt that the Liao Dynasty was doomed, so he began to secretly recruit soldiers and build up his military strength. He now has 30,000 troops under his command. At the same time, he also recruited talented scholars to participate in planning and secretly prepared to dominate the region.

Unexpectedly, before Zhang Jue could realize his ambitions, the Liao Dynasty underwent a dramatic change. The Liao emperor changed from Yelü Yanxi to Yelü Aoluwo. The Song and Liao dynasties were to unite against the Jin Dynasty. Crucially, the Liao Dynasty ceded the Yanping region to the Zhao Song Dynasty.

As the three prefectures of Pingluan and Ying were Zhang Jue's base of operations, he certainly wouldn't want to hand them over to the Zhao Song Dynasty.

The problem was that the Zhao Song Dynasty had sent an army of "over a million" this time, including 50,000 Tiger Warriors in Pingzhou alone, which made him dare not act rashly.

After the Tiger Warriors arrived in Pingzhou, they did not immediately start fighting. Instead, Wu Yong, along with Yelü Huluwa, Kang Gongbi, and Shi Li'ai, who were ceding territory, came to Pingzhou to meet Zhang Jue.

Zhang Jue quickly stated, "Our Great Liao has eight routes, seven of which have been destroyed, leaving only Pingzhou Route. How dare we have any ambitions? The reason why my local soldiers have not yet retired to their fields is mainly to defend against the Jurchen invasion..."

Zhang Jue's words implied that he wanted to help the Song and Liao dynasties continue to guard the three prefectures of Pingluan and Ying.

But Zhang Chun had already warned Zhao Yu that Zhang Jue was untrustworthy, so how could Zhao Yu possibly keep him in Pingzhou?
Therefore, Zhao Yu ordered Xiao Puxian's daughter and Xiao Sese to promote Zhang Jue to the position of military governor of Liaoxing Army, commander-in-chief of Liaoxing Army, and Grand Protector, and to immediately lead 30,000 troops from Pingzhou northward to reinforce the Liao army.

Yelü Huluwa, Kang Gongbi, and Shi Li'ai urged Zhang Jue to hurry to the front line to provide reinforcements. They also told Zhang Jue that this was the only chance for the Liao Kingdom to restore itself or even revive, and that he must not become a traitor to the Liao Kingdom.

Zhao Yu used a carrot and stick approach, while also using the moral high ground to pressure Zhang Jue.

Forced into a corner, Zhang Jue had no choice but to reluctantly lead his troops north, handing over key locations such as Pingluanying, Yuguan, and the Liaoxi Corridor to the Tiger Army.

With this, the Zhao Song Dynasty finally recovered the entire Yan-Yun region, and Zhao Yu undeniably completed the unification of China...

……

(End of this chapter)