Chapter 318: The Fall of the Li Dynasty

There was complete chaos outside Zhiling Pass.

Hundreds of shells hit, and there were explosions and earth and rocks everywhere.

Dust and smoke filled the air, and countless Vietnamese soldiers fled in all directions.

It was such a coincidence.

It happened that the musketeers on this side covered the artillery up the mountain, built the artillery platform and fired, and the Vietnamese army on the other side attacked with all their strength.

As a result, tens of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers swarmed out of Zhiling Pass and rushed to the battlefield outside the pass.

Then the shells in the sky fell into their formation, and people and horses were thrown to the ground.

The most important thing was that a shell happened to fall next to the Emperor of Dai Viet, Li Fuma, and killed him and several ministers around him.

In an instant, the command system of the Vietnamese army was directly paralyzed.

After losing the highest-level command, the other middle and lower-level generals could not organize an effective formation at all, and all the soldiers scattered like birds and beasts.

There were countless people who were pushed down by their own people, trampled to death, and killed by shells.

In the flat area of ​​several kilometers outside the Zhiling Pass, tens of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers were running around like headless flies, especially those heading towards the gate of the pass, which was so crowded that there was no way to get through.

Occasionally, a shell landed at the gate of the pass, and dozens of people died in an instant. The entire battlefield was in collapse and chaos, and the Vietnamese army suffered heavy casualties.

Di Qing couldn't see the specific situation of the Vietnamese army from a distance, but after dozens of rounds of artillery fire, there was no need to see what was going on.

After the artillery fire ended, he issued an order for a general attack.

The firearms army did not move, and Nong Zhigao's ethnic minority team flooded towards the Vietnamese army like a flood.

In this battle, the emperor of Dai Viet and several important ministers were killed, thousands of Vietnamese soldiers were killed, and more Vietnamese soldiers died in various accidents.

The Song army won a great victory, killing more than 20,000 enemies and capturing more than 30,000 people, and most of the troops of the entire Yue Kingdom were lost.

By mid-August, when Li Foma's son Li Rizun learned of the situation in Thang Long Prefecture, he hastily succeeded to the throne surrounded by the ministers who stayed behind and called on the whole country to resist the attack of the Song army.

But how could the army to defend the king gather so quickly?

They could only immediately draw all the troops from the nearby prefectures and barely gather 30,000 people to defend the Phu Liang River.

In history, the Song army fought here during the Xining War between Song and Yue. Under the situation of the spread of epidemics in the army, the Vietnamese army was defeated in one battle, and even the crown prince and prince of the Vietnamese army were beheaded.

However, after this battle, the Song army could not continue to besiege Thang Long Prefecture. The Song army was plagued by malaria, more than half of the casualties, and the military rations were exhausted. As a result, although they could destroy the Vietnamese country only across a river, they could not move forward, and had to agree to peace talks with the Vietnamese army.

However, the Song Dynasty did not dispatch many troops at this time. Although the army was indeed infected with epidemics, the main targets were still local wing troops and border ethnic minority soldiers.

The firearms army strictly abided by military orders such as boiling water and repelling mosquitoes, and the injuries were not serious.

So although the weather was extremely hot, the roads were rugged and difficult to travel, and there were leeches and mosquitoes everywhere, they were still able to march.

In late August, the Song army arrived at the bank of the Phu Liang River.

This river is the Red River in later generations.

The Vietnamese army and the Song army were across the river. In addition to dozens of Vietnamese warships on the river, there were also hundreds of elephants on the other side of the river.

This was Annan's last trump card.

The reason why it was not used before was that the terrain was not open, whether it was Liangzhou or Zhilingguan, and it was not convenient for elephant soldiers to be deployed.

But the Song army had already entered the Red River Plain. The vast plain was rich and peaceful, suitable for elephants to gallop.

However, in front of the Song army's firearms, the elephant soldiers obviously became ridiculous.

The cannons roared, the elephants fled everywhere, and countless Vietnamese soldiers were trampled to death. The warships on the river were also blown down, and the Vietnamese army retreated to Thang Long City again.

In early September, the Song army surrounded Thang Long, and countless dignitaries in Thang Long City surrendered to the Song army.

Di Qing also took the opportunity to issue a notice, saying that the Song Dynasty had no intention of annexing Annan, but the Li Dynasty had no respect for the emperor and repeatedly invaded the border of the Song Dynasty. The power of the superior country was inviolable, so he punished it and was bound to overthrow the Li Dynasty.

At the same time, he sent people to collect the descendants of the nobles of the previous dynasty and prepare to support them as the new emperor of Annan.

In fact, this was also Zhao Jun's special instruction.

Among the three dynasties in Vietnam, the Ding Dynasty was the founder and had a good prestige in the hearts of the people.

The Li Dynasty made the country very peaceful in governance, so that the people of Annan at that time recognized the rule of the Li Dynasty and sympathized with the experience of the Ding Dynasty.

Only the Le Dynasty not only usurped the throne, but also the father and son of the Le family were very cruel and brutal. Even the Vietnamese historian Wu Shilian compared them to the ancient Chinese Xia Jie and Shang Zhou, believing that "their demise was not without reason."

This shows that the Le Dynasty was not popular among the three dynasties.

The excuse of the Song Dynasty to support the Le Dynasty was to support the previous dynasty. Since the Le Dynasty was not popular, it had to rely on the Song Dynasty to maintain its rule.

In this way, the Song Dynasty indirectly controlled Vietnam, and put on a legal cloak for them to station troops in Annan and safeguard their own interests.

But the Vietnamese people naturally did not understand.

Many people thought that it was the emperor of the Li Dynasty who repeatedly harassed the Guangnan West Road of the Song Dynasty, angering the Celestial Empire, which led to the current war.

So although the Li Dynasty was well governed and popular, it was still complained by the princes and nobles.

Isn't it good to manage your own country well? You have to go to death.

Now it's better.

They have come to the capital, and Dai Viet is about to be destroyed.

On September 8, although it was late autumn, the weather in Jiaozhi was still very hot.

To be precise, it was very hot.

The air was so humid that water seemed to be wrung out of clothes.

Thang Long, the capital of the Dai Viet Empire, was quite large. It was slightly larger than the Yongzhou City on Guangnan West Road in the Great Song Dynasty. It was considered the largest city in the remote southwest.

But compared with Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty, it is as different as clouds and mud.

At this moment, there are countless fields in the wilderness outside the city. The roads are covered with banana trees. There are dense paddy fields all over the place. The lush rice is swaying in the wind.

Unlike most places in the Song Dynasty, which only had two crops a year at most, Vietnam's unique climate allowed them to achieve three crops a year.

You must know that the Liao Kingdom at the same time had a land area of ​​nearly 5 million square kilometers and a population of only 9 million. Xixia has an area of ​​800,000 square kilometers and a population of only over 1.8 million.

The northern Vietnam occupied by the Li Dynasty only had an area of ​​more than 100,000 square kilometers, but had a population of 2 to 3 million. By the Southern Song Dynasty, it had reached 5 million, and more than 500,000 troops were mobilized to fight the Mongolian invasion alone.

This shows how rich the grain production here is.

So the problem that plagues Vietnam has never been food, but plague and disease.

If cinchona is in place, malaria, the most important part of the plague, will be solved, and the grain, rubber, wood, and spices produced will become the main raw material production areas of the Song Dynasty.

On the fertile Red River Delta, on both sides of the wide river, countless villages stand at a glance, and many people look at it from a distance.

The Song army outside the city had cut down trees and built a camp. On the wall, Di Qing was observing the city.

He did not order the bombardment of Thang Long.

In the future, the Song Dynasty will still need to station troops here. Di Qing does not want to destroy this city unless it is absolutely necessary.

He just waited quietly, giving Li Chao a deadline in his heart.

If you continue to resist stubbornly.

A dead end.

But in the city, it was another scene.

As early as the Song army defeated the Vietnamese army on the south bank and began to cross the river, the city was already in chaos.

Those who should run ran away, and those who stayed behind were locked up in the city and could not get out.

Every house was closed, shops were closed, and almost no one was seen on the streets except the soldiers coming and going.

At this time, the new emperor Li Rizun was organizing the mobilization of troops and horses on the top of the city to guard against the Song army day and night.

Vietnam, a small country with few people, cannot be compared with the Song Dynasty. Therefore, once a war breaks out, the emperor often has to personally lead the army. Especially in Vietnam, the tradition is for powerful ministers to usurp the throne and have deep control over military power.

At the juncture of the confrontation between Song and Yue inside and outside Shenglong City, Feng Zhizhi, the minister of the Right Jinwu Guards, had just come down from the east city wall and returned to his mansion to take a rest.

He guarded the city wall all night last night. He had previously proposed that he could raid the Song army at night, but was scolded by Li Rizun. Now he was extremely exhausted physically and mentally.

After returning to the mansion, two confidant generals asked to see him. Feng Zhizhi let them in and talked with them in the small hall in the backyard.

The three of them sat and complained to each other.

"Tao Chuzhong and Li Zhengxian will only ask His Majesty to send envoys to ask for peace, but Song Dynasty has made it clear that they are here to destroy Vietnam, how can they agree?"

"Now the city is surrounded. Although the black ball hasn't been launched yet, what should we do if this continues?"

"Alas, I don't know what to do. The Song army is powerful. I told the late emperor at the beginning to ask him not to repeatedly harass the Song border. Now that they have repulsed Xixia and Liao, they have freed up their hands to destroy our country, Dai Viet. ”

Several people shouted and hissed, extremely pessimistic about the current predicament that Yue was suffering.

In fact it's not just them.

The same is true for the other princes and nobles in the city.

The Song army was overwhelmingly powerful, and their army of more than 100,000 people from the Dai Viet Kingdom had almost no power to fight back.

Many princes and nobles are already worried about the prospects of the Yue Kingdom.

If this continues, I'm afraid there will only be four words left for them.

Dai Viet is about to end!

"General, I heard something."

At this moment, Feng Zhizhi’s confidant general Ruan Dan said.

"What's up?"

Feng Zhizhi asked.

Ruan Dan said: "I heard that the Song Dynasty did not want to annex our country, Vietnam. It was only because the late emperor and Taizu harassed the Song Dynasty border many times that they became angry."

"Yes, I have also heard about this matter. Now Song Jun is publicizing this matter outside the city every day."

Another general also said.

"Um."

Feng Zhizhi narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly: "I have heard about this before, what do you mean?"

Ruan Dan said in a deep voice: "This matter was originally caused by Taizu and the late emperor, and His Majesty sent envoys who refused to agree. Looking at this situation, the Song army will definitely not be able to destroy our country, Vietnam, if it is a general."

Feng Zhizhi was noncommittal, still squinting his eyes and saying nothing.

Seeing that he was indifferent, Ruan Dan continued to persuade: "General, think about it. After the Song Dynasty destroyed the Li Dynasty, it retreated. Then who should make the decision in Vietnam? If the general takes the opportunity to raise troops, maybe."

Another general also advised: "General, don't hesitate any more. When His Majesty inspects the east city, we will swarm up, capture him, and send him outside the city. With such great achievements, the Song army will not treat us badly." "

"Even if Li Rizun is not captured, we can still open the east city gate and let the Song army in. Our country is remote, and the Song Dynasty may not really want to annex us. In the future, won't Dayue be ruled by generals?"

Ruan Dan lobbied again.

"Well"

Feng Zhizhi pondered for a moment, but he was actually hesitating.

Logically speaking, for this reason, if you have such an opportunity, you might be able to give it a try.

But after all, it is a matter of losing your head, so I will definitely think about it a little bit.

But I didn’t think about it for too long.

As a military general, Feng Zhizhi was not an indecisive person, so he immediately shouted: "Okay, let's do it like this."

So they had no intention of continuing to discuss and quickly arranged countermeasures.

Li Rizun would patrol the city tower every day to stabilize the morale of the troops. Their countermeasure was very simple, which was to defend the city.

First, he hoped to have peace talks with the Song army.

Secondly, they hoped to delay time and wait for the Song army to run out of food.

The third time I came was to wait for the reinforcements from King Qin from various places to arrive.

Therefore, Li Rizun had to stand on the city wall to stabilize the morale of the soldiers.

At the same time, it is also to prevent someone who cannot bear it and becomes a mole, secretly opening the city gate and bringing in the enemy.

In the afternoon.

Feng Zhizhi arrived at the east city gate again.

Not far to the east of Thang Long Palace is the Furiang River. Since it is too close to the river, it is not suitable for a large-scale attack, so there is only a small force of the Song Army here.

The main force of the Song Army was outside the North City Gate, which was also the area Li Rizheng wanted to defend.

However, since the Song Army also had arrangements outside the East City Gate, Li Rizun naturally needed to pay attention here at all times, so he often came to patrol.

By mid-afternoon, the sky was still bright, and the sun seemed to have no intention of setting. The setting sun was shining high, and the entire earth turned into an orange-red dusk, reflecting Feng Zhizhi's slightly nervous face.

Rows of Vietnamese troops patrolled the east city gate all the time. Feng Zhizhi stood on the tower and looked at the Song army in the distance. The Song army did not form an array outside the camp, but they were always paying attention to what was going on in the city, as if they too It's like waiting for a mole in the city to open the door.

"Your Majesty has arrived!"

At this moment, with the high-pitched shout of the eunuch from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a large number of people fell to their knees on the city top.

A young man wearing a Yue Dynasty dragon robe slowly walked over.

Feng Zhizhi quickly ran over to greet him.

"See Your Majesty."

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"What's going on outside the city?"

That young man was Li Rizun, also Li Shengzong of the Li Dynasty of Vietnam in history.

The Vietnamese Li Dynasty can also be regarded as a more glorious dynasty in their history.

After four generations of hard work by Li Taizu Li Gongyun, Li Taizong Li Foma, Li Shengzong Li Rizun, and Li Renzong Li Qiande, the Li Dynasty at that time reached a very prosperous stage.

So much so that the Li Dynasty often compared itself to the Celestial Empire and wanted to be on par with the Song Dynasty. And it actively expanded externally, never forgetting to invade the borders of the Song Dynasty.

Finally, decades later during the Song-Yue-Xining War, he was woken up by a big blow, and he finally understood the gap between him and the real Celestial State.

It's just that this time, there is no time for Li Rizun and his son Li Qiande to create the heyday of the Li Dynasty.

Feng Zhizhi replied: "It's still the same as yesterday, there is no movement."

Li Rizun nodded and said, "Well, you must always be vigilant."

"yes."

Feng Zhizhi responded, then suddenly pulled out the knife from his waist, slashed at the guard beside Li Rizun, and shouted angrily: "Do it!"

Several surrounding Feng Zhizhi's generals and close soldiers immediately began to attack, encircling and suppressing the attendants led by Li Rizun.

Li Rizun was shocked.

For a moment, there was chaos at the east city gate.

In fact, this chaos did not last long at all.

Feng Zhizhi is the guard of the East Gate, and here are mostly his trusted generals and soldiers.

Li Rizun never thought that his troops would rebel, and soon all the hundreds of guards he had with him were killed, and he was also captured alive.

At the same time, the movement and chaos on the top of the city also alerted the Song army outside the city, and hundreds of people came out of the Song camp.

"Open the city gate!"

Feng Zhizhi controlled the chaotic situation and issued the order after capturing Li Rizun.

Then he looked at Li Rizun, who was tied up with five flowers, with a grin, and said: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry, all this is because Taizu and the late emperor wanted to invade the Song Dynasty. If you want to blame them, I can only blame them. I don't want to accompany you. Let’s die together!”

Li Rizun arrogantly cursed: "Feng Zhizhi, you despicable beast, even if a knife and ax are thrown at me, I will never let you go."

"Save your strength and go talk to Song Jun."

Feng Zhizhi waved his hand.

Soon the east city gate opened wide, and Feng Zhizhi escorted Li Rizun out of the city to surrender to the Song army.

A large number of Song troops entered from the east city gate, and the entire Shenglong Mansion fell in an instant.

The Li Dynasty, which lasted for more than thirty years, was shattered.