King of Song

Chapter 343 Commander Lin
Drawing on the lessons of military generals seizing power and rebelling in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the Song Dynasty was very cautious in terms of military system.In addition to the fragmentation of the power to deploy and lead troops, the garrison has also undergone major adjustments.

Of course, the right place still has to stick to it as always.In the early Tang Dynasty, the government army system was adopted, and more than half of the country's government soldiers were in Guanzhong to defend the capital.The same is true in the Song Dynasty, the focus is on strong stems and weak branches.

The army of the Song Dynasty was divided into the Forbidden Army and the Xiang Army. The combat effectiveness and number of the Forbidden Army were second to none.And a large number of forbidden troops are mainly stationed near Bianjing to defend the capital, which is called the Jingying Forbidden Army.Although there are other parts of the Forbidden Army, over time, in people's habits, the Forbidden Army refers to the Beijing Camp Forbidden Army.

The number of its troops may have reached more than half of the national army.In this way, no matter where the rebellion occurs, there will not be too many troops that can be mobilized, which can ensure the absolute superiority of the imperial court in terms of military strength when suppressing the rebellion.

For the ancient feudal dynasties, the capital of the empire was always the most important place.

Moreover, the selection of soldiers of the Imperial Army is stricter, their physical fitness is better, and their combat effectiveness is therefore very strong.Locally, it is mainly the Xiang Army, which is much weaker than the Forbidden Army.

But, must the Imperial Army of the Beijing Camp be the strongest elite in the Song Dynasty?
Perhaps this was true at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but with the passage of time, a hundred years have passed, and the Forbidden Army is no longer what it used to be.

There weren't many battles, so the imperial army had to be trained. Although the number of soldiers was increasing, their combat effectiveness was not as good as before.The Northern Song Dynasty adopted the system of recruiting soldiers, but in fact it was a system of raising soldiers.Where there is a famine, they immediately go to recruit soldiers.The emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty firmly believed that there were only rebellious refugees, not rebellious soldiers.

As a result, the number of troops continued to expand, but the quality of the soldiers was uneven, and there were even some of them who were impostors. It was almost inevitable that the overall quality would decline.

In addition, it is a peaceful and prosperous age, and there will be corruption after a long time, and the imperial army cannot avoid it. Now there are serious problems in it.Apart from the Dianqian Division, the rest of the imperial guards in the Beijing camp became more and more lax, and their combat effectiveness and order were not as good as before.Although in the Renzong Dynasty, Wen Yanbo once proposed to streamline the imperial army, the effect was very effective.

Under such circumstances, from the perspective of combat effectiveness, the strongest elite troops in the Song Dynasty should be the Western Army.

In fact, the so-called Western Army should have been part of the Forbidden Army. The Northern Song Dynasty Forbidden Army mainly consisted of three parts, the Jingying that defended the capital, the Hebei Army that defended the Liao Kingdom on the Hebei Road, and the Western Army that defended the Xixia on the Shaanxi Road.

Shaanxi Road, where the Western Army is located, is located in the northwest, and the folk customs have been tough since ancient times.Since the Qin Dynasty, the spirit of Jiujiu Lao Qin has been passed down.Men in the Northwest are physically strong, and most of them have tigers, wolves and warriors, and their foundation is very good.In addition, the spirit of martial arts in the northwest is also stronger, and the emphasis on culture over martial arts may not be very strong here, so the foundation of soldiers is better.

Fundamentally, the Western Army already has greater superiority, but the strength of the army is definitely not innate, and acquired factors are the key.

The most important thing is that they have been fighting almost all the time for dozens of hundreds of years.The northwest is a chaotic place, where nomadic and farming borders, and wars are bound to happen frequently.After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, especially after the Xixia rebellion, fighting has become commonplace.On average, every once in a while, Xixia will be ready to move, and there will be wars on the frontier, large or small.

The sturdy soldiers have continuously accumulated experience in battle after battle, and their combat effectiveness has also continued to improve.The army that has experienced the baptism of war does not need freshman mentality alone.

The Western Army is famous for its ability to fight hard and dare to sacrifice. The Shaanxi Fourth Road has been operating for nearly a hundred years since Dafan Laozi Fan Yong started his operation.Except for the four-way army, the Western Army does not care about the foreign soldiers. They are strong, bow and arrow clubs, and have been entangled with Xixia and Qingtang Qiang for a hundred years.

In various places in Shaanxi, a family has served the Western Army for several generations, and the men do not live to be thirty, and it is common to see a bunch of widows living together.It can be said that the Northwest men have created an elite army with their blood and lives.

Because of the continuous fighting and uninterrupted training, this strong combat effectiveness has been maintained.Now the soldiers of the Western Army seem to be professional soldiers, and they are absolutely second to none in the Song army.

Coupled with the careful management of the major military families, the combat effectiveness of the Western Army is self-evident.The famous troops in the Western Army include Fuzhou Zhejia Army, Linzhou Yang Family General, Qingjiancheng Zhongjia Army, etc.The generals of the Western Army are generally inherited from generation to generation. Compared with the ordinary Song Army who "the generals don't know the soldiers, and the soldiers don't know the generals", their combat power is much higher.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Imperial Army of the Beijing Camp will fight the Western Army, and the Beijing Camp may not be the opponent of the Western Army.

Although there is no direct competition, there are some indirect comparisons before that.

In the fourth year of Emperor Renzong's reign, Nong Zhigao, the leader of the southwestern tribe, rebelled. It is also in danger, and even established the Great Southern Kingdom to rule the roost.As a result, the southern half of the Song Dynasty was in turmoil, and the country trembled.

Under such circumstances, the imperial court was greatly shocked, and immediately sent the Imperial Guards of the Beijing Camp to suppress the rebellion, not wanting to be defeated in the end, and there was nothing they could do to Nong Zhigao.

In the end, under the panic of last resort, Emperor Rensong made a desperate move-appointed Shi Diqing, deputy of the Privy Council, as the envoy to conquer the south, and led an army of 20 people to go south day and night to suppress the rebellion.The vanguard of the Song Army was Yang Wenguang, the well-known descendant of the Yang family.Di Qing attacked Kunlun Pass on the [-]th night of the first lunar month, defeated Nong Zhigao, and regained the lost land in the south.
In this battle, the combat effectiveness of the Forbidden Army of the Beijing Camp and the Western Army can be seen. In addition to Di Qing's personal ability, the combat effectiveness of the army is also a crucial aspect.

Later, the reason why Di Qing was dismissed, jealous, and finally died in depression, presumably also has something to do with this.

The strength of the Western Army is too strong, and he himself has a high prestige among the Western Army, so his existence will inevitably make the imperial court uneasy.Emperor Renzong may be relieved of Di Qing, but some people can't stand it, such as Han Qi and his like.There are many criticisms on the grounds that Di Qing is a warrior.

In addition, when the Kingdom of Jin invaded later, the other armies were not opponents at all, and they were powerless to stop Jurchen's iron hooves.

Only the Western Army led by Zhong Shidao and others had some effect, blocking the invasion of the Jurchen army to a certain extent.It's just the trend of the times, but with the Western Army already in disarray, the chances of trying to turn the tide are too small.In addition, the Western Army is good at field combat in the mountains of the northwest, so it is not suitable for plain warfare.In the end, the Northern Song Dynasty could not escape the doom of subjugation, and the Western Army fell in Bianliang, and the ending was embarrassing.

But at this time, the Fuzhou Zhe family has passed on for a hundred years, and it will last for a long time.The Chong Family in Qingjian City is in its heyday, and the influence of Fan Zhongyan, Di Qing, Zhong Shiheng and others in governing the army in the Northwest has not faded, and the Western Army is still the most powerful elite of the Song Dynasty.

The iron-faced suzerain knew the Western Army well, had deep feelings, and was even more aware of the current situation.It is very difficult for Lin Zhao to regain his throne!It is not possible through normal means.Three generations of Zhao Zongshi's family have planned for many years, and finally achieved today's achievements. How could they be willing to give up the throne that they have already obtained so easily?

Perhaps the planning of the Bianjing court will have some effect, and the palace coup is one way.But strength is always the most important thing, and the worst plan is to use abnormal violence.All in all, no matter how you plan in the future and what method you adopt, it is necessary to accumulate strength, and both military and political aspects must be implemented simultaneously.

Especially in the military, without the support of the military, how can it be a major event?Power grows out of the barrel of a gun, a truth that is not easy through the ages.This is especially true in the ancient struggle for the throne.

The Imperial Army of the Beijing Camp is firmly in the hands of Zhao Xu. Although it is possible to find a way in some places, it can only be used at certain critical times, and the effect is relatively mediocre.It doesn't help the overall situation much, and we can't give more obvious support, so we still have to find a way on the periphery.

As for the other two elite troops, the Hebei army was mainly used to defend against the Khitan, regardless of their strength, they simply couldn't intervene now.Neither he nor Lin Zhao have any contact with the Hebei army, let alone Han Qi is the Xuanfu envoy of Hebei Road, with that old fox around, he really dare not act rashly

Only the Western Army can compete with the Imperial Army of the Beijing Camp. Both he and Lin Zhao have connections with the Western Army.It is a very important opportunity for Lin Zhao to go to the northwest to fight this time.

Lin Zhao already had a very important relationship with the Western Army. Since the day Zhe Wenxin married into Weiyuanbo's Mansion, the Zhe family in Fuzhou was already in trouble, and they had to support their uncle in the future.Speaking of it, Lin Zhao seems to be kind to the Zhong family, but this kindness is relatively weak. To be precise, it may be a kind of guilt from the Zhong family towards Lin Zhao.

There is a relationship, but it is not deep enough.What needs to be done now is to continue to expand the advantages of this relationship, and go deep into more and wider places and more people.

Although he has some strength, after all, it has been many years, and due to some special reasons, the Iron Mask Sect Master is not sure that he will be able to succeed.The matter is of great importance, absolutely cannot take risks, must be cautious.Furthermore, even if he came forward, that person might not help Lin Zhao wholeheartedly.

The best way is for Lin Zhao to accumulate military exploits by himself, ascend to a high position, and grasp the military power while increasing his prestige and continuously strengthening his strength.One day, when the strength can compete with Zhao Xu, it will be a time when the situation changes suddenly.

As for how long this time will take, the Iron Faced Sect Master very much hopes to come as soon as possible, but he also knows that this is a long process. I have survived 20 years, so why not wait a few more years?
Soon, Lin Zhao's appointment came down, and he went to Gyeongju to serve as the commander.

The Song army is generally composed of 50 people as a team, the second team is a capital, the fifth capital is a command (battalion), the fifth command is an army, and the tenth army is a wing.The command is the basic combat unit.

Lin Zhao served as the commander, that is to say, there were [-] soldiers under his command, not many people, but he could be regarded as a well-known general.After all, it was his first time to lead the army. Although he was an earl and had served as a county magistrate and six ministers, he had no experience in the army.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was a mission to Tubo and had something to do with the military, it would be considered an exception to suddenly let him serve as the commander.Lin Zhao has no objection to this. You must know that Liu Changzuo has been in the army for a long time before he is just a commander. It is not bad to have such a foundation when he sets foot here.

The starting point is not too low. In the future, we only need to continue to work hard, and the future is still bright.Therefore, Lin Zhao was not particularly satisfied with this arrangement, but he did not have any opinions.

As for the location of Gyeongju, I have nothing to say, after all, I have the experience of fighting in Liyuan Fort and Dashun City.Among all the roads in Yanbian, Huanqing Road is the most familiar.What's more, Li Fugui escaped from there. For Lin Zhao who was only thinking about revenge, Qingzhou is undoubtedly very suitable.The humiliation suffered there will also save face there.

The current leader of Gyeongju is Wang Shao. Li Fugui has defected. Although he made a mistake, Wang Shao cannot be blamed.In Gyeongju, where Li Fugui overshadows the sky and has a lot of cliques, it is very difficult to stabilize the situation without mutiny or turmoil.

Zhao Xu is already very satisfied with this way of handling, and he also has a lot of praise for Wang Shao's ability, and he also has a lot of praise for him now.The military affairs of Huanqing Road have been handed over to Wang Shao.

Lin Zhao still had a good impression of the boss he was about to face.Li Fugui was his great enemy, and what Wang Shao did in Gyeongju could be regarded as revenge for him, Lin Zhao was somewhat grateful.Furthermore, I vaguely remember that in the original history, the battle of Xihe between the Song Dynasty and Tubo was commanded by Wang Shao.This is a remarkable breakthrough in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty. Wang Shao's ability and reputation are self-evident.

What's more, there are Jing Sili and Liu Changzuo in Gyeongju, and now they are good brothers who see the truth in adversity, and they take care of each other a lot.As the commander-in-chief of this battle, Shaanxi Road Xuanfu Envoy Han Jiang is an old acquaintance, and he can get some care, so Lin Zhao's attitude towards this trip to the northwest is relatively relaxed.

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In the fourth year of Xining, it was spring, on the [-]th day of the first lunar month, and the spring was cold and cold.

The ice on the Bian River has just melted, and the northwest wind is still cold, but Xixia has already launched an attack.The Northwest Frontier Army was in turmoil, and it was imperative to send troops to counterattack.

Lin Zhao, who was on the list of recruits, had to part with his wife, who was newly married for less than a month, and embarked on the road to the northwest.

It stands to reason that Lin Zhao should have set off with Han Jiang, but after Han Xianggong found out that Commander Lin was accompanied by a beautiful woman, he made an exception and agreed that Lin Zhao could act alone.However, Lin Zhao was required to arrive in Gyeongju before the sixth day of February, otherwise he would be dealt with by military law.

After all, Zhewenxin is from the Zhe family in Fuzhou, so he just dropped by to go home.It's really unreasonable for a newlywed to separate. Since you have time on the road, you might as well take care of the young couple and give them more time.

Although Lin Zhao is just a small commander, his background is not simple.Looking at the old father-in-laws of the family, Chongyi and public morality are highly respected, Cao Guojiu is also one of them, not to mention Zhe Kexing, the eldest brother-in-law.What's more, there is an empress dowager behind him, who is also the savior of the eldest princess of Chu.

It seems that he is just an ordinary little person, but the power behind him is quite amazing, so it is always good to give Lin Zhao convenience as much as possible without affecting the overall situation.

To be honest, Han Jiang felt very fortunate that she protected Lin Zhao when she was in the northwest and saved Lin Zhao's life.Not to mention losing a good reputation like this, the officials and Wang Anshi can't blame themselves too much, everything is very harmonious.

Not only was he not implicated by this incident, but it was a blessing in disguise that he became a political adviser and entered the ranks of prime ministers.Speaking carefully, it seems that Lin Zhaocai should be thanked.

But at this moment, Han Jiang doesn't seem to have much energy to think about these things. The chaotic situation in the northwest is the most troublesome thing for him.Countering Xixia seems simple, but it is quite difficult to execute.Especially with Xixia putting in so much effort this time, and with the presence of a spy like Li Fugui, many things made them very passive.

Not easy to deal with!
Han Jiang sighed sincerely, and then he must devote himself to the Northwest War.As for Lin Zhao...Han Jiang just smiled lightly. He will definitely be able to reach Gyeongju on the sixth day of February, and that's enough.As for the others, Han Jiang can only say that he looks forward to his good performance...

It took half a month from Bianjing to Gyeongju, and the journey was really far away, so it was impossible for Lin Zhao and Zhewenxin to travel around the mountains and rivers, and there were many delays.The two of them were in a hurry along the way, and only at night were they glued to each other, and their love was lingering...

When I was in Bianjing Earl's Mansion, because there were several other wives around, it was inevitable that I would be reserved.Now there are only the two of them on the road, the newlyweds are very loving!

After entering Guanzhong, the two parted ways in Chang'an.Lin Zhao continued westward to Gyeongju, and Zhe Wenxin was going back to Fuzhou. After all, generals cannot bring their family members with them when they are away.

The two agreed that after the war was over, Lin Zhao would go to Fuzhou to pay a visit to Zhe's family.I have already married someone else's girl, but I haven't been to someone's house yet, it's really unreasonable.

Lin Zhao and Zhewenxin didn't know that although they didn't encounter any danger all the way west, in fact, someone was silently following them and protecting them secretly.

The identity of Renzong's son is so precious, the protection of the iron-faced suzerain is naturally considerate.Zhe Wenxin is no exception. She is Lin Zhaoping's wife and the daughter of the Fuzhou Zhe family. She is the key for Lin Zhao to contact the Fuzhou Zhe family for support. She should not be taken lightly.

It's just that they can secretly provide protection on the way, but what should they do on the battlefield?This issue is what the iron-faced suzerain is most worried about now.

Although he hoped that Lin Zhao would make military achievements in this battle against Xixia, be promoted, and accumulate strength for the future.But the sword has no eyes on the battlefield, and the safety issue is really worrying.

On the battlefield, among thousands of troops, personal protection is impossible, and it is impossible to intervene at all. Now, we can only hope that Emperor Renzong will be blessed by the spirit of heaven...

In the blink of an eye, it was already the beginning of February, and Lin Zhao arrived in Gyeongju on the third day of February three days ahead of schedule...

(End of this chapter)