I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 320 Professional Emperor
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Zhao Yu had a very good habit: he was never late, whether he was in his own palace in Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty, or when he was leading an expedition in person. He did this for more than a decade without fail.

In other words, Zhao Yu never let his personal affairs interfere with his official duties.

Zhao Yu also stipulated that whenever there was a battle report from the front, no matter when or what he was doing, even if it was the middle of the night or he was having sex in bed, he had to be called to read the report immediately.

Just like this time, after the battle report arrived from the front, it was immediately reported to the inner palace and passed on to Liang Hongyu, Zhao Yu's female bodyguard.

Knowing Zhao Yu's habits, Liang Hongyu immediately woke him up.

Upon learning that the Liao army had suffered heavy losses in an ambush by the Jin army, Zhao Yu immediately got up and went to the front hall to discuss countermeasures with Cai Bian and others on duty.

Cai Bian believed that an imperial edict should be issued to Liu Fa, Tong Guan, Song Jiang, Zong Ze and others at the front, instructing them to fight steadily and not follow in the footsteps of the Liao army, otherwise the previous great victory would have been in vain.

But Zhao Yu said, "When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders. You must trust the generals at the front."

Zhao Yu was not a perfect emperor. His fondness for women alone is enough to place him among the ranks of incompetent rulers, as his lust was no less than that of most emperors in history.

Moreover, Zhao Yu was also fond of pleasure and was suspected of living a life of extravagance and waste, or at least was not frugal enough.

It could even be used to criticize Zhao Yu for his ambition, arrogance, and disdain for others.

However, Zhao Yu also possessed all the virtues of a good emperor, such as literary and military talent, diligence in governing and caring for the people, clear distinction between rewards and punishments, ability to recognize and appoint capable people, and willingness to delegate power.

This last point alone makes Zhao Yu truly remarkable.

After all, emperors never trusted anyone, especially generals who commanded troops, and this was especially true of the emperors of the Song Dynasty.

Starting with Zhao Kuangyin, the Song Dynasty established a policy of emphasizing civil officials and suppressing military officials. This meant using wealth to acquire military power, using suspicion to restrain military generals, and using civil officials to control military generals.

During the Yongxi Northern Expedition, Zhao Guangyi bestowed "battle formation diagrams" upon the frontline generals, specifying the routes of advance and battle formations. Even if the battlefield situation changed drastically, the generals were required to act according to the diagrams. The renowned general Cao Bin was demoted to commoner status for failing to follow the battle formation diagrams and suffering defeat. Pan Mei, on the other hand, was hampered by the supervising officer Wang Shen, which led to Yang Ye's death in Chenjiagu. The flexibility of military operations was completely stifled.

During the Battle of Chanyuan, Kou Zhun strongly advocated for a personal campaign, and the Song army had already gained the upper hand, forcing the Liao army to sue for peace. However, Emperor Zhenzong of Song was extremely sensitive to the power of military generals. He not only signed the humiliating Treaty of Chanyuan with the Liao Dynasty, but also stripped the generals who advocated war of their military power, and instead relied heavily on civil officials to control military affairs. He even wrote "military generals must not be allowed to interfere in court affairs" into the ancestral precepts.

On the day Di Qing was appointed Privy Councilor, the entire court was in an uproar. Prime Minister Ouyang Xiu submitted three memorials impeaching him, saying that he "won the hearts of the people" and "had long held military power," implying that he had the potential to rebel; another important minister, Wen Yanbo, was even more blunt to Emperor Renzong of Song, saying: "Emperor Taizu was also a subject of Emperor Shizong of Zhou."

One sentence struck a nerve with Emperor Renzong of Song—even though Di Qing had repeatedly made great contributions in the battles against Western Xia and Nong Zhigao, even though he was usually cautious and prudent, and even though Emperor Renzong himself defended him by saying "Di Qing is a loyal minister," Wen Yanbo still coldly replied: "Wasn't Emperor Taizu a loyal minister of Emperor Shizong of Zhou?"

Ultimately, Di Qing was dismissed from his position as Privy Councilor and transferred to Chenzhou.

Even though he was far from the central government, Di Qing was still "sent imperial envoys twice a month to inquire after him"—ostensibly to offer condolences, but in reality to monitor him.

Less than half a year later, this famous general, who once wore bronze armor and moved in and out of enemy lines as if they were nothing, died of illness amidst endless suspicion and resentment at the young age of forty-nine.

Di Qing's fate perfectly illustrates the destiny of Song Dynasty military men: the greater their military achievements, the deeper the suspicion; the higher their power, the more tragic their end.

During the reigns of Emperor Shenzong and Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, the underlying principle of "emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs" remained unchanged despite the expansionist policies. Their border expansion was essentially a military operation led by civil officials; military generals were merely tools to carry out orders. Merit went to the court and civil officials, while mistakes were borne by the generals. Even after a victory, military men could never hope to gain equal status with civil officials.

The logic of Song emperors before Zhao Yu remained consistent: military generals could be used to fight, but not trusted. They used civil officials to supervise the army, used battle formations to restrain military generals, and used frequent transfers to prevent military generals from seizing power, even at the cost of destroying their own defenses. This deep-seated distrust made the Song Dynasty repeatedly passive in foreign wars, ultimately becoming synonymous with "impoverished and weak."

For Zhao Yu to utter the phrase "When a general is in the field, he may disobey some of the emperor's orders" is a complete subversion of the mindset of the Song Dynasty emperors.

Those present, including Cai Bian, all thought that Liu Fa and his men were fortunate to have gained Zhao Yu's trust, and could die without regrets. They were the luckiest military generals since the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, Zhao Yu did not just talk; he actually issued an imperial edict to prepare an extremely abundant supply of grain and provisions for the front lines. The laborers who transported the grain and provisions were paid 30% more than the market price. He also granted Liu Fa the power to make decisions on the spot, so that he did not have to write memorials to ask for his approval on every matter.

Of course, Zhao Yu dared to do this because he had the confidence to do so.

Firstly, Zhao Yu had three intelligence agencies under his command, so no one could be kept in the dark from him.

Secondly, in other dynasties, only the first one or two emperors, such as Taizu and Taizong, were truly accomplished in both civil and military affairs. The emperors after them were mostly raised by women in the inner palace, like mice born of weasels—each generation was worse than the last. The Song Dynasty was actually a bit better. Not to mention Zhao Yu, even Zhao Xu, who preceded him, had some ability, but the Song emperors before him were really not good at martial arts. Zhao Yu, on the other hand, had fully demonstrated his extremely high level of martial arts skills. In addition, after Zhao Yu ascended the throne, he greatly changed the policy of emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs, implementing a system of separate governance for civil and military officials, which greatly improved the social status of soldiers. This gave Zhao Yu an extremely high status among soldiers. Therefore, he was not afraid of soldiers rebelling against him, which is why he dared to trust the generals on the front lines so much.

Once a decision was made, Cai Bian would first write a draft. After that, Emperor Zhao Yu would personally revise it. After the final draft was completed, Cai Bian would then transcribe the official imperial edict.

The imperial edict was very long and took a lot of time to write.

But Zhao Yu sat patiently next to Cai Bian and waited without urging him at all, letting Cai Bian finish writing so that Zhao Yu could stamp it.

Seeing this, the civil officials understood that Zhao Yu did not blindly trust military generals; similarly, he also valued them, the civil officials.

After the imperial edict was written, Zhao Yu sent someone by fast horse to deliver it to the front line and hand it over to Liu Fa.

When Liu Fa saw the imperial edict given to him by Zhao Yu, it only said, "My dear minister Liu Fa, you should assess the situation and act accordingly. The provisions and supplies are ready and will be delivered to the front line soon. I grant you the authority to make decisions on the spot. Do not fail my expectations." It did not mean that he would interfere with the specific command. Moreover, Zhao Yu made it clear that Liu Fa had the highest command authority at the front line.

Liu Fa knew that this represented a great deal of trust for a military general in the Song Dynasty.

Without a word, Liu Fa bowed deeply in the direction of Yanjing, saying, "Your subject Liu Fa receives the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude!!!"

With the passing of generals such as Wang Hou, Guo Cheng, Zhe Keshi, Zhong Pu, Wang Shan, and Wang Min, there was a saying in the Song Dynasty that "when discussing famous generals, Liu Fa must be considered the foremost."

There is no false person under the great reputation.

After joining the army, Liu Fa fought against the Western Xia and made many meritorious contributions. He served as the third commander of Fuyan Road, the commander of Fuyan Road, and the chief of the Imperial Guard Cavalry. In particular, he played an important role in the Battle of Jishi Army, which was crucial for the Song Dynasty's advance into the Hehuang region. He was eventually promoted to the position of military commissioner of Xihe Road.

Historically, Tong Guan, eager for victory, forced Liu Fa to send troops to attack Tong'an City of Western Xia. Liu Fa fought bravely and died. After the Battle of Tong'an, Tong Guan accused Liu Fa of violating his orders and made Liu Fa bear the blame for the defeat and loss of the army. This became a great injustice in the history of ancient Chinese military warfare. Li Gang specially wrote "Elegy for the Fallen Warriors" to commemorate Liu Fa and to seek justice for him.

At this time, Liu Fa's reputation far surpassed that of the historically famous brothers Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong.

Historically, Liu Fa's reputation is obscure because his son, Liu Zhengyan, who was then a general guarding the Crown Prince, conspired with Miao Fu, a general guarding Zhao Gou, to launch the "Miao-Liu Rebellion." Under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials," they executed Zhao Gou's favored ministers and eunuchs, and forced Zhao Gou to abdicate in favor of his son, Zhao Fu. The rebellion failed, and Liu Zhengyan was executed. Consequently, Liu Fa, who had already died for his country, was also affected, and his military achievements and deeds became largely forgotten.

After Zhao Yu transmigrated, although he still heavily relied on Tong Guan, he simultaneously placed even greater emphasis on a large number of military generals, including Wang Hou, Guo Cheng, Zhe Keshi, Zhong Pu, Wang Shan, Wang Min, and Liu Fa, allowing them all to demonstrate their abilities. Everyone said that Zhao Yu's dynasty was brimming with brilliant military stars.

But anyone with discerning eyes can see that this is simply because Zhao Yu was good at using people and dared to use them. Most of the famous generals in his dynasty were actually generals left over from the previous dynasty, and some of them were buried in obscurity in the previous dynasty.

However, during Zhao Yu's reign, there was no such thing as "a new emperor, a new court." He did not look down on Zhao Xu at all; he used all the people Zhao Xu had left behind, and made great use of them.

And as it turned out, Zhao Yu was indeed good at using people.

Take Liu Fa for example.

After Liu Fa led his army north, he did not rush to march. Instead, he systematically divided the Song army into five armies: front, rear, left, right, and center. These five armies supported each other, preventing the Jin army from launching a surprise attack on the Song army. At the same time, Liu Fa sent out scouts to explore the front lines, giving the Jin army no opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

At the same time, in order to intimidate the Jin army, Liu Fa ordered a thousand logs to be cut down and disguised as Li Lin cannons, which were then paraded through the streets.

This prevented Wanyan Aguda from ambushing the Song army in the same way he had ambushed the Liao army.

Moreover, Liu Fa also managed to reach the remnants of the Liao army led by Yelü Chun.

After gathering the defeated troops, Yelü Chun had more than 20,000 men under his command again.

The two armies merged and arrived at the capital of Liaozhong without incident or danger.

In fact, Liu Fa had already received a letter from Tong Guan requesting help on his way to Liaozhongjing.

Tong Guan told Liu Fa that he agreed to let Zhao Di lead 500 Song light cavalrymen to disguise themselves as defeated Jin soldiers and trick them into opening the gates of Liaozhongjing. They captured Liaozhongjing in one fell swoop and took Wanyan Aguda's empress Qinxian, Heshilie, Consort De, Consort Wugulun, Consort Chong, Lady Dunuke, and others alive. They also captured all of Wanyan Xieye and Wanyan Zhamu's concubines and consorts, the crown princesses and consorts of Wanyan Zongjun, Wanyan Zonggan, Wanyan Zongwang, Wanyan Zongfu, and Wanyan Zongjun, as well as the wives and concubines of Wanyan Chang, Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Xiyin, Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Yinshuke, and Wanyan Zongxian. In short, the families of the Jin people who had participated in this southern expedition were all captured by Tong Guan and his men.

Tong Guan is currently leading the Song-Liao allied forces to defend Liaozhong capital. Please, Liu Fa, quickly lead reinforcements to come and help.

Although Tong Guan and his men had achieved considerable success and were in urgent need of reinforcements, Liu Fa still made steady progress and arrived at the capital of Liaozhong.

As it turned out, Liu Fa was right; Tong Guan's 70,000 troops could hold Liaozhong, the capital, for a period of time without any problem.

Upon arriving at the capital of Liaozhong, Liu Fa immediately ordered the "Li Lin Cannons" to be lined up in a row, posing as if to bombard the Jin army.

The Jin army was so frightened that they immediately retreated twenty miles and set up camp again.

Upon seeing this, Tong Guan personally led a group of Song generals, as well as Liao generals Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi, out of the city to welcome Liu Fa, Yelü Chun, and others.

After they came out, Tong Guan began to complain about why Liu Fa didn't bombard the Jin army. He said that if he were in command of the troops and had so many Li Lin cannons, he would have bombarded the Jin army right away and made them taste the same great defeat they had suffered before.

From Tong Guan's words, it is not hard to see that, firstly, he had suffered a lot at the hands of the Jin army these past few days, and it was probably only with great difficulty that he managed to hold onto the capital of Liaozhong; secondly, he was still somewhat resentful that Zhao Yu had appointed Liu Fa as commander-in-chief instead of him, which is why he subtly mocked Liu Fa for being cowardly.

Without wasting words, Liu Fa personally lifted the red cover on a "Li Lin Cannon" for Tong Guan to see.

Upon closer inspection, Tong Guan immediately realized that Liu Fa was bluffing and didn't actually have any Li Lin cannons.

Come to think of it, each of Li Lin's cannons weighs over a thousand pounds. How could he possibly have gotten here so quickly with them?
Tong Guan immediately shut his mouth.

The Jurchens must have had spies within the Song or Liao armies.

Within a few days, the Jurchens learned that the "Li Lin cannons" in the Song army were fake.

Wanyan Zhamu, who lost the Liao capital due to carelessness, volunteered to launch a night raid on the Song army camp.

As a result, Wanyan Zhamu arrived at two Song army camps, both of which were empty. When she arrived at the third Song army camp, Wanyan Zhamu and her party saw that the Song army had already lined up in formation and were waiting for them.

Immediately, Li Lin cannons, Li Lin guns, Shenbi bows, Huzu cannons, and thunderclaps fired simultaneously, instantly stunning the assassins of Wanyan Zhamu's tribe.

Wanyan Zhamu was instantly blasted into a bloody pulp by Li Lin's cannon, and most of the assassins he brought remained in the Song army camp. Only a little over a hundred assassins, relying on their bravery, speed, and luck, managed to break through.

Upon hearing the familiar cannon fire and seeing the plight of Wanyan Zhamu's elite soldiers through their telescopes, Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Loushi, who were in charge of the rescue, hesitated to come to the rescue. At the same time, they were puzzled: the Li Lin cannon in the Song army wasn't fake, so how did it become real?

Not only was Jin Jiang puzzled, but Tong Guan was also puzzled. He came to question Liu Fa, asking how he could even deceive him.

Liu Fa invited Zhao Cheng over and said to Tong Guan, "The fourteenth prince just sent twenty cannons, and the Jin army just happened to run into them. Isn't that a coincidence?"

Tong Guan was somewhat skeptical: "Only twenty gates?"

Unexpectedly, Liu Fa smiled but remained silent.

The next day, Liu Fa lined up the thousands of "Li Lin cannons" in a row, making it seem as if he was about to crush the Jin army.

The Jin army was so frightened that they retreated another twenty miles.

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew by, and the "red coat" on the "Li Lin Cannon" was blown open, revealing many logs.

Seeing this, Tong Guan glanced at Liu Fa and thought, 'How come I didn't realize Liu Fa was so cunning? He uses deception to appear real, and reality to appear deceptive—he plays the game so well!'

Tong Guan thought again that with Liu Fa here, he probably wouldn't have much of a chance to show off.

In addition, Tong Guan also caught quite a few big fish this time.

Therefore, Tong Guan submitted a memorial to Zhao Yu, requesting to return and present the captives.

Within a few days, Zhao Yu's reply reached the capital of Liaozhong: "Approved..."

……

(End of this chapter)