The Song Dynasty has been deliberate for 16 years, only to know that it is the Water Margin

Chapter 455: Riding on the Yellow River, pointing the sword at Xixia

Xihe Road.

The iron horse did not stop and had already crossed the boundary of Gongzhou.

Then move forward along the junction of Xizhou, Hezhou and Lanzhou until you reach the bank of the Yellow River.

On the way to Xihe from Qin Feng, Zhao Tong's men and horses encountered two more Western armies blocking their way, and finally charged directly towards them. Still no one of the [-] cavalry was damaged.

The Yellow River crosses Xihe Road, then flows through Lanzhou to Xixia, and then turns back from Xixia to Hedong Road in the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Tong immediately stood on the bank of the Yellow River and looked at the rolling river water rushing towards the northeast. He pointed with his riding whip and said loudly: "On the other side of Lanzhou is Roulang Mountain in Xixia. I think this name is very unpleasant!"

All [-] cavalrymen shouted: "Change the name, change the name!"

Zhao Tong looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Okay! Change the name! It seems that I have to do what no one has done for more than a hundred years, and I have to complete the unfinished business for more than a hundred years!"

Lu Junyi said in surprise: "Junior brother, what are you..."

Zhao Tamlang smiled and said: "Song and Jin should have formally formed an alliance at sea at this time. According to the impatient temper of the Jin Kingdom, they will ask for troops to be sent out immediately, and the official's eagerness for success will definitely order all parties to send out troops. I just took this opportunity to send troops to Xihe Road." Separate the country north of the Yellow River, with its back on the plateau and across the river!"

Lu Junyi was shocked: "Junior brother, what if the Liao Dynasty is completely destroyed in the future, Yanyun is recovered, and the Western Army comes back?"

Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes slightly and revealed a hint of teasing at the corner of his mouth. Come back?Where is it so easy to kill him!

Although the historical trajectory at this time had changed, and it was not that the Western Army had just finished quelling Fangla and went to war shortly after being exhausted and infected with the epidemic, he still believed that the Western Army could not get a big deal on the battlefield of the Liao Kingdom.

The incident of Yu Yanjing being hunted down by thousands of remnants of the Liao Kingdom and 10,000+ fleeing may not happen again, but the Western Army will not make any extraordinary feats and recapture Yanyun in a dignified manner.

The reason is very simple, that is, Tong Guan too reused his direct generals and squeezed out the generals of the Western Army.

Originally, Tong Guan served as the envoy of Xuanfu in the expedition against Liao, with the general commander leading the troops, Cai You as the supervisor, and Liu Yanqing as deputy envoy to assist the military.

The Western Army and the Hedong Army were divided into two routes. The commanders of the East Route Army were in charge of Zhongshi Dao. This was personally appointed by Emperor Daojun. Emperor Daojun still trusted Zhongshi Dao's ability.

The Western Army is controlled by Xin Xingzong. Xin Xingzong is not a general manager of a certain route. Regardless of his official system, seniority, and combat capabilities, he is not suitable for unifying the army independently. However, he was pushed to this position because he was a direct descendant of Tong Guan.

Based on selfish motives, Tong Guan not only planted cronies in the West Route Army, but also used his own people as deputy commanders under the command of the East Route Army Division. As a result, everyone was entitled to merit, and it was difficult to punish for mistakes, and military orders were blocked.

At that time, the Song army attacked Xijin Mansion of the Liao Kingdom twice. The first failure was because they were restricted by Emperor Daojun's imperial edict. They were not allowed to kill any common people and surrendered to the army. They wanted to recapture Youyan without bloodshed, but they were restrained at every turn and lost all their opportunities. , during the confrontation, they even ordered not to release any arrows or arrows against the Liao Kingdom without authorization, resulting in the loss of all the initiative.

Moreover, the weather was not beautiful on the day of the battle. There was a north wind and heavy rain, and the hail was like a fist. The Song army could not look at each other face to face. The wind and rain became more severe from noon to evening. The generals participating in the battle were all generals of the Western Army. They were not familiar with the terrain of the Hebei Plain. Unfamiliar with the assault tactics of the Liao cavalry, they were still using the tactics used to defeat Xixia, which led to the final defeat.

This failure can be said to be the result of the right time, right place, right people, and lack of talent.

The weather was too late to start the war in such heavy rain and hail weather. During this period, they were attacked by the Liao army several times at night.

The reason for not occupying the advantageous terrain was that the Western Army was not familiar with the terrain of the Hebei Plain, and deployed its military according to the terrain of the northwest, which was constrained everywhere.

As for harmony and non-occupation, from the time when the Dao Lord and Emperor wanted to fight without bloodshed and show their dignity, Tong Guan was nepotistic, to the generals of the Western Army who were dissatisfied with each other and scheming, and then not long after the Western Army conquered Fang La, people felt at ease and tired. When the army fought, no one wanted to fight, and almost all of them died.

After the defeat, Tong Guan put all the blame on Zhong Shidao and reported to the court. Emperor Daojun was furious and felt that Zhong Shidao was neglecting the opportunity to fight. He subsequently removed him from his posts as commander of the Eastern Route Army and commander of the capital, and appointed Liu Yanqing. He is the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army.

Then they attacked Xijin Prefecture for the second time, and this time they failed even more miserably. Thousands of Liao soldiers defeated the 10,000+ people led by Liu Yanqing in Yanjing, and pursued them all the way to Baigou. Liu Yanqing did not have superb command skills at all. , and are timid and afraid of fighting, and only know how to run away.

It was at this time that Zhao Kai, the general of the army, wanted to gain military glory. However, when he heard the news of the defeat, he was so frightened that he didn't even leave the Gyeonggi road and turned back.

Zhao Tong has pondered many times that although the situation of Ji Liao this time will not be as tragic as the normal development, it may not be much better. It will not be a disastrous defeat. After all, the attack time has been delayed for a long time, the weather has changed, and there are fewer people. Tired soldiers.

However, the generals and military configurations of both sides have not changed much, and the opponents are still Yelu Dashi and Xiao Qian.

This is not to say that the generals of the Western Army are not as good as Yelu Dashi. It is actually that the Western Army has many factions and intrigues, and no one or family general is willing to spare no effort to fight.

And who is Yelu Dashi?That was the man who created a country, not on the original land of Liao Kingdom, but led a few hundred people to march westward, carved out a piece of the world and established a country, but it was still called Liao.

In fact, Western Liao is no longer the Liao Kingdom. It belongs to another country. Yelu Dashi built the country with his own efforts. He is the founding monarch of this country.

Therefore, Zhao Tong believes that under the defense of these two people, the Xijin Mansion will not suffer a disastrous defeat based on the current state of the Song Dynasty's Western Army, but it is not that victorious and will most likely fall into a stalemate.

The Kingdom of Jin will not easily intervene in the war between Song and Liao. At least at this time, the Kingdom of Jin has not violated the alliance. The Maritime Alliance has stipulated that the Sixteenth State of Yanyun will be taken by the Song Dynasty. If the Song Dynasty does not ask for help, the Kingdom of Jin will only sit back and watch.

If there is a stalemate, then neither Daojun, Emperor, nor Tong Guan will ever seek help from the Kingdom of Jin.

In this way, the time to win this battle will never be too short. Whether the Liao Kingdom finally ran out of food and people and lost, or the Song Dynasty, which had been unable to fight for a long time and had no choice but to go to the Jin Kingdom, it could not be completed in a short time.

That's why Zhao Yu wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to divide Longyou, march to the Yellow River, and then look north to Xixia, hoping to shoot the Sirius!
Hearing Lu Junyi's question at this moment, he smiled and said: "Western Army, where is it so easy to come back!"

Lu Junyi said doubtfully: "Junior brother, I also know a little about the current situation of the Liao Kingdom. The military is corrupt and the people's livelihood is bleak. Now that there are two sides attacking, can it be that we can't easily destroy it?"

Zhao Tong shook his head: "According to the covenant, everyone fights his own way. There is no problem with the Jin Kingdom, but it is hard to say here in the Song Dynasty. Even if the city of Yanjing is finally captured, some subsequent troubles will arise spontaneously. The Sixteen States We need to maintain heavy troops and mobilize a large number of troops from home. How can the Western Army come back quickly? What's more, if we can't defeat it!"

Lu Junyi thought for a moment and said: "If it is true as junior brother said, it is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Zhao Tong nodded and said: "Otherwise, why would I choose to leave the capital now? I will think before I decide, plan before I act, and I will stop and gain something."

Lu Junyi smiled and said: "Junior brother, I admire your clever calculation and meticulous plan. Brother Fool."

Zhao Tao looked at the rolling water of the Yellow River, patted the horse's body, and the red horse came forward to drink from the Yellow River. He laughed proudly on the horse and said: "Thirty years of fame and dust, eight thousand miles of clouds and moons, don't wait for your youth to turn white." The head is empty and full of sorrow, the ambition is to eat the meat of Huns when hungry, laugh and drink the blood of Xiongnu when thirsty, drive a long chariot and trample through the gap in Helan Mountain!"

Lu Junyi blinked, took a few steps forward, and whispered: "Junior brother, these words you recited... Why do I seem to have heard my junior brother recite them before?"

Zhao Tong's face darkened when he heard this, and he also said in a low voice: "Have you ever recited it, my junior brother? How old is he? Why do you recite it when you have nothing to do? Does he... recite it often?"

Lu Junyi said: "Zong Nian, it seems that he is filling in a list of words and thinking about the sentences."

The corner of Zhao Tong's mouth twitched, and then he said calmly: "I also heard my junior brother read it, and that's how I felt about it."

Lu Junyi suddenly said: "That's it!"

Zhao Tong nodded heavily, and then ordered to seize the boat and cross the river.Their location at this time was on the bank of the Yellow River at the junction of Hezhou and Lanzhou. There were ferries managed by Xihe soldiers both upstream and downstream. After running down the Yellow River for about a quarter of an hour, they saw the ferry boats moored. Dozens of soldiers are guarding it.

Zhao Tong didn't say anything. Shen Fei led his men over there and rushed over. After scattering the soldiers, he pulled up the anchor and crossed the river. The ferry was usually built in a stable place on the river. It didn't take long for more than 1000 riders to cross the river. .

Crossing the Yellow River is the boundary of Huangzhou. After crossing Huangzhou, you enter the Xining Prefecture area. It is spring now. Zhao Tong set up a pergola and looked forward. Although Cangshan Mountain stood in the distance and was rugged and sinister, there were all kinds of mountains under the mountain. The terrain of the slow-sloping plain is very gentle. Although it gets higher and higher farther away, it is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

Zhao Tong looked at the endless fresh green on the ground and said with a smile: "It's such a beautiful Hetao Plain. It would be a pity if it is not used. I don't know what the use of the Xihe River is if we don't use the great land to raise horses for farming!"

Lu Junyi said: "Using this place as a basis, we can retreat to Longyou, advance to Xixia, and advance to the Central Plains. No wonder my junior brother has taken a fancy to this place."

Zhao Tong smiled and said: "There are three states on the west bank of the Yellow River, and half of the Jishi Army. When Xihe Road troops send troops to the Liao Kingdom, we can just take it over here."

Lu Junyi said: "This is the best. I don't know what Xining Prefecture is doing now?"

Zhao Tong said: "Although Liu Suiyun is arrogant in his words and deeds, he is still prudent in his actions. Before we arrive, there should be no problem in taking over Xining Prefecture."

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the other side of the Yellow River. Zhao Tong looked back and saw smoke and dust billowing, and it turned out to be a cavalry team chasing after him.

This team, which numbered about 3000 to [-] people, suddenly stopped when they reached the shore. They all shouted: "King Qin, stop, King Qin, stop!"

Zhao Tong suddenly laughed, kicked his horse, and said, "Let's go to Xining!"

The cavalry accelerated instantly and disappeared without a trace in a moment...

In Xining Prefecture, Liu Suiyun was sitting in the lobby of Zhizhou Mansion drinking tea.

A man dressed as a civil servant next to him was frowning. He was clamped to the left and right by Hong Qi and Ding Erxie, unable to move.

Liu Suiyun put down the tea cup and sighed: "Master Cao's tea is much better than mine."

The person dressed as a civil servant was Cao Hu, the magistrate of Xining Prefecture at this time. The original magistrate Gao Yongsui had been transferred to Huanqing Road to serve. Cao Hu heard this and said angrily: "What on earth do you want to do?"

Liu Suiyun shook his head and smiled: "What else can I do, but to welcome King Qin to come."

Cao Hu said: "When the King of Qin comes to Xining, I will pour water on the streets, pave the roads with loess, and go out of the city to welcome him. What else can I do if he keeps me under house arrest?"

Liu Suiyun said: "The King of Qin has important things to do, and he must personally manage Xining Prefecture. I am afraid that you, Cao Zhizhou, may be dissatisfied, so I came to Cao Zhizhou to talk to him."

Cao Hu was stunned when he heard this: "King Qin...manage Xining Prefecture personally?"

Liu Suiyun nodded and said: "That's right. King Qin feels that it is a waste to shelve such an important place in Xining Prefecture like this."

Cao Hu asked doubtfully: "What do you mean by putting it on hold? What does King Qin want to do?"

Liu Suiyun said: "Of course we want to do something big."

Cao Hu said: "Since King Qin wants to do something...why should I object?"

Liu Suiyun looked at him with a half-smile, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.

Cao Hu suddenly said: "King Qin, does King Qin have any purpose for coming to Xining Prefecture to do something?"

Liu Suiyun looked at him and said, "What do you think?"

Cao Hu turned pale instantly and his body trembled: "The King of Qin came to Xining Prefecture without any purpose? That's why you put me under house arrest!"

Liu Suiyun smiled and said: "Cao Zhizhou is not too stupid to think of this."

Cao Hu jerked forward and shouted in horror: "King Qin, what on earth is King Qin going to do?"

Hong Qi and Ding Erxie pushed him back with a little force. Cao Hu gasped and stared at Liu Suiyun in panic.

"What King Qin does is none of your concern, Cao Zhizhou!" Liu Suiyun's face gradually became colder: "What Cao Zhizhou cares about now is his own life, right?"

Cao Hu's face twitched and he shouted in panic: "King Qin, is it possible that King Qin wants to rebel?"

Liu Suiyun looked at him and frowned: "How can you judge what the prince does?"

Cao Hu took a big breath, his eyes flickered, and the next moment he shouted: "I, I am willing to follow the King of Qin in the uprising, and serve the prince in front of me and behind the horse!"

Liu Suiyun stared at Cao Hu and suddenly laughed out loud: "Cao Zhizhou, so you want to rebel?"

"I, I..." Sweat dripped down Cao Hu's forehead, and he didn't know what to say.

At this moment, there was the sound of footsteps outside the door, and Yang Zhi and Shi Jin walked in, saluting: "Master Protector!"

Liu Suiyun looked at the two of them and said, "How's it going?"

Yang Zhidao: "We have controlled everything above and below the city, and we have replaced our people at the city gate."

Liu Suiyun nodded and said, "Did those state soldiers resist?"

Yang Zhi smiled and said: "Don't worry, sir. We will do what you teach us. Besides, there are so many of us that almost no state soldiers dare to resist."

Liu Suiyun said: "That's good!" Then his eyes fell on Cao Hu again.

"Cao Zhizhou just said that he wanted to rebel. This is really a serious crime. Let's go to jail first!"

When Hong Qi and Ding Erxie heard this, they immediately pushed Cao Hu out of the door. Cao Hu staggered and shouted as he walked: "Liu Duhu, you can't do this to me, you can't do this to me, I also want to seek refuge with His Highness King Qin!"

Seeing Cao Hu being escorted out, Yang Zhi took a step forward and whispered: "Master Protector, what should we do next?"

Liu Suiyun slowly stood up from the chair and walked to the table. He put his hands behind his back and smiled slightly, saying: "Of course I have to prepare well to welcome the prince into the city..."

(End of this chapter)