Chapter 210 Yuan Hao Goes to War, Lao Fan Knows Everything

At the end of December, Zhao Jun took a boat across Dongting Lake and arrived at Jinghu North Road.

It's not far from Bianliang. From Hanshui River to Xiangyang, you can go directly to Bianliang after exiting the Nanyang Basin.

However, after spending more than a month inspecting Jinghu North Road, he did not go back north to Kaifeng, but took a boat west to Sichuan.

In December of the same year, a small-scale earthquake occurred in Kaifeng, Bianliang, but the magnitude was very small and did not cause much impact or harm.

However, some Taiwanese officials immediately made a fuss about this incident.

Using the excuses of heavy rain and hail in Lei, Lin, Fuzhou and Shaanxi at the beginning of this year, drought in Gyeonggi in May, insects eating mulberry in Cizhou, heavy rain in Tanzhou in August, and the earthquake in Bianliang at the end of the year, we say that disasters are common, and some minor troubles occur at night. Please Let go of the Imperial Academy and many other prime ministers who also know you.

This kind of impeachment is a common routine in ancient times, especially in the Song Dynasty. As long as local disasters were frequent, the admonishers and censors would impeach the prime minister, saying that it was the prime minister's fault, and then the emperor would take advantage of the situation and dismiss the prime minister.

The most typical example is Wang Anshi, who was deposed due to drought.

This trick worked well in the past, but unexpectedly, this time Zhao Zhen refuted it in front of many officials from the Jingtai and Yushitai in the early morning.

He also explained that droughts are caused by the warming weather, insect plagues are also caused by droughts benefiting the growth of insects, earthquakes are caused by collisions between tectonic plates, and heavy rains are caused by southeasterly winds blowing moisture inland.

A piece of scientific knowledge frightened all the officials and ministers into a daze. They didn't understand it, but they were shocked.

It can only be said that Zhao Zhen’s popular science videos are often watched.

At the end of December, the imperial court sent another one million yuan of brocade silk from Zuozangku to Shaanxi Road City to buy military reserves. Coupled with the grain reserves that had been transported to Shaanxi one after another, Fan Zhongyan could not be said to be extremely rich now. It can be regarded as a strong army and a strong horse.

Under this situation, Lao Fan managed Northwest like an iron bucket. For a moment, Li Yuanhao felt a little confused and didn't know where to attack.

Historically, he found a breakthrough in the direction of the security army, but the person in charge at that time was Fan Yong. In addition, the Yanyan Road had a wide terrain and few forts. The chief officer was a civil servant who did not understand military affairs, so he naturally became Li Yuanhao's priority. persimmon.

Now...

In January 1039 AD, the second year of Baoyuan, the snow outside the Northwest Great Wall had not yet melted, and white heads could be faintly seen on the top of Helan Mountain.

The sky is foggy, and green grass grows on the vast grassland. Herds of cattle and sheep wander aimlessly on the grassland. The dirty sheep are like gray clouds. The herdsmen drive them on horseback. The smell of cow dung makes people feel when they get closer. Above.

Li Yuanhao has been living in a military camp outside the city recently. The Dangxiang people's military camp is very interesting. There are many tents. Outside the tents is the grassland, where the soldiers graze every day.

When they dismounted, they became the people, and when they mounted, they became the army, much like the later Mongolian nation.

At this time, Li Yuanhao was looking at the map in the tent, accompanied by Ye Li Yuqi, Ye Li Wangrong, Yang Shousu, Zhang Yuan and others.

Although the weather is cold, the tent is as warm as spring.

Li Yuanhao looked at the points marked on the map and sighed: "This Fan Zhongyan should not be underestimated. He built fortresses on all the important roads of the Song Dynasty's Yanyan Road. Since last year, they have moved the people on the border. Go and build beacon towers along the way. Once attacked, the Song army will have support."

"Your Majesty, there is a saying in the Song Dynasty that is not pleasant to hear, but I think it is very reasonable. It is called "You can only commit a thief for a thousand days, but you cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days." Even if the Song army builds more forts, they will only get beaten. But if you don’t attack, you will end up at the bottom.”

Zhang Yuan, the military advisor next to him, said.

At this time, as Li Yuanhao's appointed military advisor to attack the Song Dynasty, he naturally had to make plans to gain advancement.

Li Yuanhao felt that what Zhang Yuan said made sense and asked: "Yes, I am the attacker. The Song army did not dare to go out. They even retracted the border troops and retreated from Tumen to the border more than a hundred miles away. Long Anshan has even given up the border to us. Isn't it up to me to decide whether to attack or not?"

This is the war initiative.

It turns out that the border between Song and Xia was near Tumen, which was later known as Tianciwan Town in Jingbian County. But now Fan Zhongyan has taken the initiative to shrink his strategy and actually gave up the Song Dynasty, which undoubtedly greatly increased Li Yuanhao's confidence.

This shows that the Song army was afraid of them and did not dare to come out to fight. They could only retreat into the fortress and fight defensive wars.

Then wouldn’t he be able to fight whenever he wanted and leave whenever he wanted?

With this idea in mind, Li Yuanhao scanned the map, pointed in the direction of Weizhou and said: "The Song army deployed heavy troops on Yanyan Road and Huanqing Road and built a large number of fortresses. However, when Tan Ma came to report, there was no such thing as Jingyuan Road. Many fortresses and soldiers also retreated to Zhenrong and were stationed in the areas of Sanchuan Village and Dingchuan Village. "

Zhang Yuan immediately said: "This must be a cunning plan set by Fan Zhongyan. If our army attacks from Jingyuan Road, the Song army can rush to support from Huanqing Road and cut off our retreat when we attack Zhenrong. Attacked from two sides, our army’s situation is worrying.”

"Well, I think so too."

Li Yuanhao sighed, put his hands behind his back, slowly walked to the main chair in the conference hall next to him, sat down, and said, "Thief Fan is cunning."

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. As the military advisor said, "You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days." Although it means to compare our army to thieves, the truth is this. The Song army only knows how to defend. If we bluff and attack from multiple directions, we will always make them unable to defend themselves."

Yeli Wangrong followed Li Yuanhao and said: "What's more, we have many internal agents within the Song army, and we know their movements very well. If used properly, we can attack everywhere while the Song army defends everywhere and is exhausted, and we will definitely defeat them."

"Well"

Li Yuanhao pondered for a moment and said: "If I pretend to attack Jingyuan Road and mobilize reinforcements from Huanqing Road, then where do you think my main force should attack?"

Zhang Yuan, Yeli Wangrong and others looked at each other and said almost in unison: "Dingbian Army, Security Army!"

The Baoan Army and the Dingbian Army are located in the middle of Yanyan Road and Huanqing Road. If the Song Army judges that the main force of Xixia is going to attack Jingyuan Road, then the soldiers and horses from Huanqing Road will definitely rush to help as soon as possible, as Zhang Yuan said , cut off Yuan Hao's retreat, attack from two sides, close the door and beat the dog.

At this time, Huanqing Road must be empty, and the border troops and security forces will bear the brunt. This place can shield Yanzhou to the east, communicate with Huanqing Road to the west, and connect with Yanzhou and Youzhou of Xixia to the north.

If the Xixia Army can occupy this place, it can not only lay a nail in the Song Army's defense line, break through the opponent's defense line step by step, but also threaten Yanzhou's flanks. It can also ensure its own retreat when the main force attacks Yanzhou in separate routes, and protect its own salt supply. Zhouzhou, Youzhou.

The most important thing is that Fan Zhongyan has turned Fan Yan Road into a turtle shell. It is definitely unwise to attack the turtle shell. Once the Security Army and Dingbian Army are attacked, then the Fan Yan Road side will definitely rush to help.

At that time, the entire battlefield will be mobilized, and maybe Li Yuanhao may take advantage of the main force of Yanyan Road to rush to support the security forces to sneak attack and touch the turtle shell on Yanyan Road.

"Yes, it's right here."

Li Yuanhao looked at the map with deep eyes and said: "Since the Song army wants to camp step by step and build fortresses everywhere, then I will attack everywhere to make them unable to parry."

The sky gradually darkened, and the howling northwest wind made the grass bend. More than ten days later, in early February, Xixia launched an attack.

At this time, the border between Song and Xia was hundreds of kilometers long, and the population was already sparse.

In the vast wilderness north of Shunning Village of the Security Army, the street buildings left behind by the original mutual market have become decayed and dilapidated. It was originally a long street built on the grassland. Now the wooden houses have fallen apart and collapsed. Only shop flags are still in the wind. Flying in the air.

Four months ago, the Song people moved away the Han people who were doing business here. Without the Han people, the Dangxiang and Qiang people who came to do business naturally couldn't stay, and this place became an empty street.

Li Yuanhao personally led an army of 30,000 people, galloping war horses, and appeared on the wilderness grassland north of Shunning Village like a torrent.

He looked around, focusing on the dilapidated street market.

At that time, Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi and Song Zhenzong Zhao Huan wanted to use Xixia to contain the Liao Kingdom, so they not only rewarded Li Deming and Li Yuanhao and his son, allowing them to establish a country and call themselves kings, but also gave them many benefits, such as mutual trade between Song and Xia.

But as Li Yuanhao insisted on establishing a country and proclaiming himself emperor, the border areas between Song and Xia became deserted.

Originally, more than ten markets on the border were forcibly closed by the Song army. They took away the Han people and prohibited Song merchants from selling tea, rice and wheat, porcelain, lacquerware, silk, fragrant medicine, etc.

I don’t know what happened at that time, but tea seemed to be an addictive thing. Not only did people in the Song Dynasty like to drink it, but also the surrounding countries. It was even sold overseas and became a presence alongside porcelain in the foreign trade of the Song Dynasty.

The Xixia people often exchanged salt, horses, cattle, sheep, camels, felt blankets, beeswax, Bupleurum, musk, and safflower.

Strictly speaking, this was mutually beneficial to the two countries. After all, the only sources of horses in the Song Dynasty were Tubo and Xixia. Although there was mutual trade with the Liao Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom prohibited the sale of horses to the south, and even issued a ban: "Anyone who captures a horse that crosses the border will be killed." , far worthy of his home.”

Therefore, Li Yuanhao proclaimed himself emperor and became enemies with the Song Dynasty, which was not a good thing for both the officials and the people. And the harm to Xixia is far greater than the harm to the Song Dynasty.

Because the Song Dynasty could continue to trade and exchange horses with Tubo. Although there were a lot less than before, there was still a source.

Xixia is in trouble. In addition to not having tea to drink, the things produced in Xixia cannot be sold, and the economy will collapse, which will inevitably cause a serious burden domestically.

For this reason, many people oppose Li Yuanhao.

However, Li Yuanhao still proclaimed himself emperor because he firmly believed that he could defeat the Song Dynasty and seize the Shaanxi Road of the Song Dynasty.

Once Shaanxi is occupied, the entire Qinfeng Road and Shaanxi Road will be in his hands, and the territory will be doubled. With the supplement of manpower and material resources from the Song State, he does not believe that the harm of canceling the mutual market will have any impact on him.

Therefore, Li Yuanhao just glanced at the dilapidated mutual market, and then waved his hand and said: "Continue to march, we only have one day, and the Song Army will discover us in one day!"

"Walk!"

The man behind him was waving the sword in his hand and shouting.

Thousands of troops and horses poured into the Song Dynasty like a tide.

Li Yuanhao's informants have already figured out the situation of the nearby Song Army's beacon towers.

He even sent assassins to get under the beacon tower in the middle of the night and assassinate the people inside.

Due to the long distance, the Song army changed defenses every three days.

However, Fan Zhongyan had already built a large number of fortresses around the security forces and Dingbian.

There are the Baoan Military Administrative Office, Jintang City, Huaiwei Fort, Weibian Fort, Jiuyang Fort, Dingbian Village, Donggu Village, Baibao City, etc. Speaking of which, Baibao City was built by Li Yuanhao in the first year of Jingyou. Built.

At that time, Li Yuanhao suddenly invaded the Song Dynasty, occupied this place, and built a city here. It didn't take long for the Song army to react and drive him out, but the city stayed.

In this way, even if they assassinate the soldiers at the beacon tower on the front line, they will soon be discovered by the beacon tower soldiers behind them within a day.

Even if you continue to send people to assassinate you, not only will you be easily exposed, but you will also make the other party alert.

So there really wasn't much time left for Li Yuanhao.

At this time Yanzhou.

In Fan Zhongyan's mansion, he had just received news that the Xixia army was attacking the Jingyuan Road Zhenrong Army.

A large number of Xixia troops were divided into several groups and attacked several border state capitals such as Huaide, Zhenrong, Xi'an Prefecture, and Huizhou. Dozens of large and small fortresses in the border areas were attacked.

According to the report from Tanma, the enemy may be hundreds or thousands, and the most, four or five thousand cavalry, directly raided outside Zhenrong Army City, and the two sides launched a fierce battle.

Seeing this information, Fan Zhongyan quickly judged that this was probably Li Yuanhao's bluffing plan.

If Li Yuanhao really wanted to attack Jingyuan Road, he would not be able to divide his troops to attack each village, but would concentrate his forces on a surprise attack.

The other party did this, in addition to raising suspicions, mainly because they did not want the Song Army to discover the other party's true intentions and total number of troops.

"Although Yuan Hao has the intention to annex the northwest, his biggest flaw is his small number of troops. The total number of troops he can mobilize is only 100,000, while our Song Dynasty has 400,000, which will definitely make it difficult for him to make a breakthrough."

Fan Zhongyan pondered and said: "But as the saying goes, "Be prepared for the front, and the rear will be few; be prepared for the rear, and the front will be few; be prepared for the left, and the right will be few; On the contrary, it will give him every opportunity to take advantage of it. He wants to mobilize our army by using this strategy to attack the east and the west. "

Privy Councilor Wang Deyong said: "Yes, in my opinion, Yuan Hao's main force must be on Huanqing Road at this time. He feels that Zhong Shiheng's side may rush to support Jingyuan Road. If this happens, Huanqing Road will be empty. When Yuan Hao took advantage of the situation."

"Then should we immediately send someone to inform General Zhong and ask him not to send troops to reinforce Jingyuan Road?"

Wang Zhongbao, the commander of Linfu Road soldiers and horses, said.

"No."

After Fan Zhongyan pondered for a while, he shook his head and said: "Let him go. Only in this way will Yuan Hao think that we have been fooled."

"What do you mean, sir?"

Everyone was puzzled.

Fan Zhongyan drew a circle on the Huanqing Road area on the map and said: "As I said just now, Yuan Hao has few soldiers and can only attack in the east and in the west. Wang Yan and Ge Huaimin were suddenly attacked, and they will report it to me immediately. If I If I don’t send someone, Yuan Hao will definitely know that I have guessed his intentions. What do you think he will do?”

"Withdraw troops immediately?"

Everyone can guess it instantly.

"Yes, I thought this was an opportunity to defeat Yuan Hao. The thief knew that I already knew his plan, so he would be more cautious and more defensive next time. It would be better to pretend to be fooled, lure him deep into the hinterland, and catch a turtle in a urn. "

Fan Zhongyan looked at Huanqing Road and said decisively: "And this urn is the Dingbian Army and the Security Army. This turtle is naturally Yuan Hao."

Li Yuanhao's plan was revealed at a glance!