Qian Song

Chapter 228 The Indecisive Emperor

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Faced with this increasingly tense situation, Zhao Huan summoned all the civil and military officials of the Zhao and Song Dynasties to the Hall of Yanhe to discuss countermeasures.

——At this time, Zhao Huan and his ministers still don't know that the Yellow River's natural danger has been lost.

Faced with Li Cun's aggressive attitude, the civil and military officials of the Zhao Song Dynasty had different suggestions on how to deal with Zhao Huan, and each held their own opinions.

Some officials suggested to Zhao Huan: "Today, it is no longer possible to act as a bandit leader, and our army in the Song Dynasty has lost its confidence. If we go out to fight, the enemy will be defeated. This is a big taboo for military strategists. I hope that your majesty will follow the example of the last emperor Xixing Guanzhong and gather the soldiers of the world." , choose generals to go out from the army, and then fight a decisive battle with the gangsters, so that none of the gangsters can return."

Some officials suggested to Zhao Huan: "The capital city is the foundation of the world. If the foundation is shaken, how can it support the world? There are still millions of soldiers and civilians in the capital city, and there is enough food and grass. Your Majesty can order the walls to be fortified and the fields cleared, so that the enemy's attack will be useless and retreat will be useless." Looting, when the veterans of the enemy's division are exhausted, our army of the king of Qin will definitely arrive. At this time, the inside should cooperate with the outside, and besieging the gangsters is like driving a flock of sheep, and the gangsters will undoubtedly lose."

Another official suggested to Zhao Huan: "In the past, Khitan had millions of troops and went straight to Chanyuan. At that time, if you listened to the advice of avoiding luck and the words of fortifying the wall, how could the world be peaceful for more than a hundred years? Relying on the mighty spirit of the ancestors, the blessing of the country, and the bandits Laigong insisted on requesting the emperor to personally conquest. After Luanyu crossed the river, the morale of our army was greatly boosted. The enemy general Talan was shot and killed, and the morale of the Liao army was devastated. So he sent envoys to make peace, and Hebei was recovered. Today is the same , Your Majesty, please imitate Emperor Zhenzong's personal conquest, this matter must be done quickly and cannot be delayed."

For the suggestions of civil and military officials, Zhao Huan hesitated, vacillating, worrying about gains and losses, and really couldn't make up his mind.

Later, under the lure of the big cake of the Tanyuan Alliance, Zhao Huan decided to march in person.

For this reason, Zhao Huan also asked people to draft a personal edict, ordering the department to gather troops and horses to stand by in front of the palace.

At the same time, Zhao Huan appointed Wu Min as the deputy envoy of the personal conquest camp, and allowed him to do it cheaply, and appointed Nie Shan as the staff officer...

But just when Zhao Huan was preparing for the imperial conquest in full swing, the rout soldiers who fled from the front line of the Yellow River brought back news that Liang Fangping and He Guan collapsed without a fight. come.

Upon learning of this, Jiang You, Shangshu of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, hurriedly united a large group of civil and military officials who wanted Zhao Huan to take them out of Bianliang City in Tokyo, went to the palace to meet Zhao Huan, and then asked Zhao Huan to flee to Luoyang immediately.

Zhao Huan was shocked, and quickly sent someone to pack up his things, preparing to flee to Shaanxi like Zhao Ji, and then slowly plan it.

in fact--

Cai He, the third son of Cai Jing, was the first to persuade Zhao Huan to flee to Chang'an.

As early as years ago, Cai Yu thought that Zhao Huan could not foolishly guard Bianliang City in Tokyo, and wanted to persuade Zhao Huan to flee to Chang'an.

But Cai He never had the chance to meet Zhao Huan at that time.

It wasn't until the first day of the new year that Cai Yu found an opportunity to say to Zhao Huan: "For Your Majesty's plan, it is better to go hunting in Shaanxi, summon the ministers of the Han Dynasty, and advance several ways, take advantage of our army's vigor, and send troops to recover. This is a perfect plan. And. The Son of Heaven does not take danger, he is supreme, and must not compete with the enemy to win or lose, and guard the lonely city in a hopeless place. Moreover, if the bandits invade the city, they will lose at most an ear of the city, not as good as the country. "

Zhao Huan agreed with Cai He's idea very much, and immediately said: "You can command Chang'an, gather food, grass, army and horses, and wait for me to come."

Zhao Huan immediately prepared to issue an order that Cai Yu knew the Yongxing Army and asked Cai Yu to go to Guanzhong to fight for him.

——The Yongxing Army is Chang'an.

But when things came to an end, Zhao Huan felt that Chang'an was too far away. If Li Cun sent cavalry to chase him down, Cai He might not be able to save him in Chang'an, and it would be unsafe. Yu Dengzhou, and as soon as he heard that he had left Bianliang City in Tokyo, he immediately led an army to meet him.

Originally, Zhao Huan was ready to make an order.

However, Zhao Ji got in again and asked Cai He to know the Yongxing Army by name.

Cai You is Zhao Ji's most trusted person.

Therefore, Zhao Ji, who was about to flee to Chang'an for refuge, arranged for Cai You's younger brother Cai Yu to serve as the prefect of the Yongxing Army, and arranged for Cai You's wife and younger brother Song Huan to serve as the Yongxing Army's route system and delivery envoy.

In this way, Zhao Ji can control the political forces in Shaanxi.

Seeing that Zhao Ji also liked Cai He so much, Zhao Huan realized that Cai He was Cai You's younger brother and might not be useful to him, so he gave up Cai He, and even shelved his escape to Chang'an.

Now, knowing that the Qian army has crossed the Yellow River and will soon reach Bianliang City in Tokyo, and with the persuasion of ministers like Jiang You, Zhao Huan decided to escape from Bianliang City in Tokyo and go to Chang'an to take refuge. risk.

Then, Zhao Huan asked his servant to inform Zhu Lian to pack his things and prepare to leave Tokyo Bianliang City early tomorrow morning.

Yue Wang Zhao Siwen heard that Zhao Huan wanted to escape, so he hurried to find Zhao Huan, and asked Zhao Huan to stay in Bianliang City, Tokyo, to preserve the Zhao family's ancestral temple. Inside, we must never give up. Moreover, the capital city is solid and solid. If we guard it firmly, the ancestral temples of heaven and earth will come down to protect them. On the contrary, if the lord comes out, the capital city will be in chaos, and the ancestral temples will not be protected..."

Zhao Si is the No.14 son of Song Shenzong Zhao Xu, that is to say, Zhao Si is Zhao Ji's brother and Zhao Huan's uncle, who has a high status in the royal family.

Hearing what Zhao Si said, Zhao Huan had already made up his mind to escape to Chang'an, so he couldn't help but waver again.

Soon, the news spread that the Qian army had crossed the Yellow River and was approaching Bianliang City in Tokyo, which caused a scene of panic in Bianliang City in Tokyo.

Many wealthy and powerful people are scrambling to leave Bianliang City in Tokyo and seek refuge in a safe place.

Those ordinary people were worried, and said to each other comforting words like "The Dagan Dynasty is also the Han Dynasty, so it should not massacre the city".

In order to cope with the invasion of the Dagan Dynasty and to consolidate his own imperial power, Zhao Huan took the opportunity to appoint Wu Min as a member of the Privy Council, Tang Ke as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Li Yan as a member of the Tongzhi Privy Council, and He Li as Yushi Zhongcheng. ,etc……

At the same time, the officials of Kaifeng Mansion began to distribute recruitment notices to recruit brave men in Bianliang City, Tokyo.

In Bianliang City, Tokyo, there are many people from the occupied areas at this time, and there are also many soldiers of the Song Army who have been disbanded. They are already homeless, and even have nothing to worry about. There was no way out, so they all came to apply.

In addition, many gentry and nobles also released their lists and stated that they paid for food and recruited brave men to help the country fight against the enemy and guard the city of Bianliang in Tokyo.

——This part of people actually knows that Li Cun likes to confiscate the fields of rich gentry like them, and even steal their homes, and even worse, rob the women of rich gentry like them and distribute them to the poor Therefore, these people sincerely hope that the Zhao Song Dynasty can repel the invasion of the Dagan Dynasty, because only then can their property, net worth, and women be preserved.

Bai Shizhong, Zhang Bangchang and many other ministers believed that Li Cun came straight to Bianliang City in Tokyo this time, and his goal was already very clear. However, the defenders in Bianliang City in Tokyo were seriously insufficient, and the key point was that there was no trace of the king's army. None, so Zhao Huan should flee to Chang'an, or even to Shu, and follow Tang Xuanzong's strategy of avoiding disasters in Sichuan during the "An-Shi Rebellion", avoiding the edge of the menacing army, and then find a way to regain the lost ground.

However, Zhao Huan has always been concerned about gains and losses, and has many worries about fleeing to Shaanxi or guarding Bianliang City in Tokyo:

Zhao Huan felt that if he fled to Chang'an, he would probably be under Zhao Ji's control again, unable to fully exercise his power as emperor. In addition, he was afraid of danger on the road or being chased and killed by Li Cun, and he would have to bear the burden of abandoning the country. Zhao Huan, who has always cherished his feathers, was very unwilling to be infamous for the country, the clan and the people;
On the contrary, if he stays in Bianliang City, Tokyo and waits for the teacher of King Qin, then in the absence of Zhao Ji, Zhao Huan is the undisputed emperor of the Zhao Song Dynasty. If Zhao Huan can repel the invasion of the Dagan Dynasty, then His Zhao Huan's country can be regarded as stable, and he has many civil and military officials under Zhao Huan. If King Qin's army comes again in the future, then Zhao Huan will have all the power of the Zhao Song Dynasty, and Zhao Ji When Bianliang City in Tokyo was in danger, he abandoned everything and fled. Under the ups and downs, even if Zhao Ji came back, he would not be able to threaten Zhao Huan's rule.

However, this is good, but Zhao Huan was worried that if Bianliang City in Tokyo was lost from him, Zhao's country and society would be lost in his hands.

Zhao Huan's character is cowardly and indecisive. He cherishes his life when he does great things, and forgets righteousness when he sees small gains. Therefore, he can't make the final decision between leaving and staying.

Bai Shizhong, Zhang Bangchang and others always insisted that Zhao Huan should leave the city as soon as possible, go to Luoyang or Dengzhou, and then go to Guanzhong, or even choose to go to Shu if the situation gets worse, and then slowly plan according to the situation.

Wu Min strongly opposed the propositions of Bai Shizhong, Zhang Bangchang and others. He questioned: "How can you bear to abandon the millions of living beings in the capital?"

Zhao Huan also asked, "Where does the ancestral temple exist?"

Bai Shizhong replied: "Since the founding of the capital of Bianjing by the ancestor of art for 200 years, the solidity of gold and soup and the benefits of weapons and armor are beyond words, and travel to Yuntun is forbidden, and the name is brave. However, in recent years, Tongguan has fallen On the other hand, Gao Qiu did not recruit and assassinate new recruits, resulting in the disrepair of the military administration. Compared with the troops who worked hard for the king, the forbidden army in the capital was clearly not equal in strength. If you rely on the forbidden army to defend the city, there may be danger of accidents."

Hearing Bai Shizhong's analysis, Zhao Huan couldn't help being shaken again, he thought: "It's better to leave."

Shangshu Youcheng Xu Churen stepped forward and argued: "If this is the case, then the ancestral temple is in danger. Moreover, the Taishang said that the ancestral temple belongs to His Majesty, so let it go now, is it okay?"

Zhao Ji passed the throne to Zhao Huan for the purpose of allowing Zhao Huan to stay in Bianliang City in Tokyo to resist the attack of the Dagan Dynasty. Otherwise, why would Zhao Ji take off his pants and fart? Wouldn't it be good for him to be the emperor himself?
Therefore, if Zhao Huan abandons Bianliang City in Tokyo and escapes, he will have trouble with Zhao Ji first.

Seeing Xu Churen pointed out this point, Zhao Huan suddenly didn't know what to do.

Bai Shizhong looked at Xu Churen: "The capital is secure?"

Xu Churen refused to budge an inch and said, "None of the strong cities in the world leaves the capital, and the capital is where hundreds of officials and people live in the ancestral temple. If you abandon the capital, where will Your Majesty rest? If you can comfort the hearts of the people, inspire the soldiers, and lead the army and the people If you stick to it, is there any reason why you can't keep it?"

Chen Liangbi, the servant in charge of the capital office, heard the words and came out and said: "The capital city has not been repaired for a hundred years, many buildings and sculls cannot be reused, and the Hao River in Fanjiagang area in the east of the city is narrow and narrow, it is absolutely difficult to stick to it. May your majesty think twice."

Zhao Ji quickly ordered Xu Churen, Cai Mao, Chen Liangbi and others to check what Chen Liangbi said.

When Xu Churen, Cai Mao, Chen Liangbi and others returned to the Hall of Yanhe after checking, Zhao Huan hurriedly asked, "Can you keep it?"

Cai Mao replied: "I think it is impossible to defend."

Xu Churen said: "The walls of the capital are strong and tall, and the towers and rivers are trivial matters. They are nothing more than placing more soldiers and crossbows. Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty was lucky to Shu, and the ancestral temple was broken by the enemy. The Tang Dynasty will never have a prosperous day. Fan Zuyu believes that his fault lies in , can't stand firm and wait for the king's division. Your majesty is now in the position of great power, and he is admired by both Chinese and foreign countries. Soldiers from all directions will gather soon, and the enemy cavalry will not stay for long. If you leave the capital city and go away, it will be like a dragon leaving the deep, driving towards the court. The capital city is in chaos at night, even if the ministers and others stay behind, how will it help the matter! The ancestral temple and the country will become hills and ruins. May your majesty consider it."

Xu Churen's words made Zhao Huan hesitate again about whether to flee to Shaanxi!

At this moment, the servant Wang Xiaojie reminded Zhao Huan: "The empress, prince, and concubine have all set off, so can your majesty stay in the capital?"

turn out to be--

This morning, when Zhao Huan decided to flee to Chang'an, he had already asked his cronies to escort Zhu Lian and Zhao Huan's children to Luoyang.

Hearing Wang Xiaojie's reminder, Zhao Huan's expression became firm. He cried and said, "I will personally go to Shaanxi to raise troops, and then fight to the death with Li Thief. You don't need to persuade me anymore, the capital must not stay!"

Xu Churen and others advocated that Zhao Huan stay in Bianliang City in Tokyo. The civil and military officials who saw Zhao Huan about to run away, some wept and worshiped, and some prostrated themselves and begged Zhao Huan not to abandon the ancestral temple of the Zhao Song Dynasty and the army and people in the city. .

Kings Yan and Yue heard that Zhao Huan was going to run away, so they hurriedly came to Yanhe Palace to persuade Zhao Huan. The army and the people of the city resisted the enemy.

After being persuaded by these people, Zhao Huan wavered again, and sent someone to chase Zhu Lian and his sons and daughters back, saying that he would fight with his back.

Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, Zhao Huan suddenly changed his mind again, and then sent his servants to tell Bai Shizhong, Zhang Bangchang and other magistrates that he still felt that he should go west and set off at dawn.

At the same time, Zhao Huan ordered people to invite the Lord of the Taimiao out of the palace overnight and live in the Taichang Temple, and displayed the vehicles he was riding in and the clothing, clothing and other equipment that Zhu Lian had packed up by the roadside.

Xu Churen and other civil and military officials who advocated that Zhao Huan stay in Bianliang City, Tokyo, heard about this, and immediately came to find them, and said excitedly: "Your Majesty has promised you and others to lead the army and people in the city to resist foreign enemies, and now you want to go west. and also?"

Then, Xu Churen threatened Zhao Huan again: "The guards of the imperial guards, their parents and wives are all in the capital, how can they give up? If they disperse halfway, who will protect His Majesty's safety? And the enemy cavalry has already approached the capital. Send a strong horse to chase after him, how can His Majesty resist it?"

At this moment, Cao Cao, the commander of the guards and horse troops, hurried into the palace and reported to Zhao Huan: "If you are lucky, there may be a change in Xiaoqiang; if your majesty personally conscripts, the six armies are willing to fight to the death."

It was only then that Zhao Huan realized that his hesitation had wasted too much time, and now that he wanted to run away, it might be too late.

As a last resort, Zhao Huancai made up his mind not to go west, and stayed in Bianliang City, Tokyo, to wait for the king's teacher.

Seeing that Zhao Huan had finally made up his mind not to run away, Xu Churen quickly knelt down and begged for an order: "I beg your majesty to issue an imperial decree, the emperor will guard the capital with all the officers and soldiers, and anyone who dares to disagree will be executed!"

Seeing that if you go out of the city now, you may be mutinied by the forbidden army, and you may be chased and killed by the Qian army. .

Therefore, Zhao Huan issued an imperial decree according to Xu Churen's wishes: "Thieves invaded and wanted to endanger our country. The imperial court has decided to stick to it. The soldiers and civilians are encouraged to live and die with the capital. If there are any words to patrol, behead them."

Afterwards, Zhao Huan appointed Xu Churen as the envoy of the personal conquest camp, and Cao Cao's deputy, to preside over the resistance to the invasion of the Daqian Dynasty. It is cheap to set up officials to engage in it.

Xu Churen and Cao Yu set up the personal expedition camp in Dasheng Mansion, and then began to appoint Guan Gou writing, writing machine, official business, and staff officers to form a commanding organization. From the civil and military officials, dozens of officials from the three provinces, the Ministry of officials, and the household house were selected and appointed.

At the same time, in Bianliang City, Tokyo, a list of recruiting soldiers and warriors was posted one by one.

The recruiting targets of these essay lists for the personal expedition camp are very wide. People who have served as envoys in the frontier, people with battlefield experience, people who have passed the military examinations, people who are talented in military strategies, and people who are brave in fighting are all recruited. within the scope of recruitment.

Immediately afterwards, under the organization of the personal expedition camp, the army and the people of the city took active actions to prepare for the battle in an all-round way, repairing buildings and sculls, hanging felt curtains, installing artillery seats, setting up crossbow beds, transporting bricks and stones, lighting torches, hanging trees, and preparing fires. Oil, all the equipment needed for defense have been fully prepared.

In addition, the personal expedition battalion quickly summoned more than 8000 horsemen and infantry troops, divided them into five armies, front, back, left, and middle, each with [-] soldiers, and established an organizational system such as control, command, generals, and team generals. Training to improve military quality and combat effectiveness.

All in all, as the temporary highest military command organization for defending Bianliang City in Tokyo, the Personal Conquest Camp was quickly established under the leadership of Xu Churen and Cao Cao in a short period of time, and it was running at a high speed...

In order to cope with the upcoming defense of Tokyo and consolidate his own imperial power, Zhao Huan took this opportunity to make great adjustments to the leadership of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

First of all, Dazai Bai Shizhong, who was close to Zhao Ji, was dismissed by Zhao Huan.

Li Bangyan, Zhao Huan's confidant, was appointed by Zhao Huan as Taizai and servant.

Zhang Bangchang is the Shaozai and Zhongshu Shilang.

Zhao Ye is the servant of the door.

Wang Xiaodi is the Minister of Zhongshu.

Cai Mao is Shangshu Zuocheng and Tongzhi Privy Council.

Wu Min continued to serve as the envoy of the Privy Council.

Geng Nanzhong was promoted from signing a letter to the Privy Council to Shangshu Zuocheng.

In addition, Zhao Huan sent a servant to each side of the country, asking them to represent the imperial court and urge the commanders of the various roads to quickly lead the king's division to Bianliang City, Tokyo for reinforcements...

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