2758. Chapter 2690 Li Mi offers advice to Zhao Kuangyin and Lin Xiangru is dying
Chapter 2690 Li Bi offered a plan to Zhao Kuangyin, and Lin Xiangru recommended Tian Dan before his death
Although Xue Rengui's cavalry troops were exhausted after repeated battles and were unable to fight anymore, the 100,000 Qin troops who had newly entered Runan were able to fill the gap in combat strength.
Xue Rengui naturally knew this, but he did not continue the war with Zhao Kuangyin. Instead, he chose to switch from offense to defense. He also used Shangcai, Guanyang, Anyang and other counties in the western part of Runan as strongholds to confront the Song army in Heyou and other places.
, while cultivating and restoring combat strength, it also contained the Song army.
Xue Rengui's choice was undoubtedly the right one. He did not need to fight Zhao Kuangyin head-on. He only had to wait until Cao Wei to destroy the country. By then hundreds of thousands of Qin troops would march south, and the Song Dynasty would be destroyed overnight.
Zhao Kuangyin naturally guessed Xue Rengui's sinister intentions, but the enemy really had no intention of caring about Cao Wei at the moment, so he could only send more manpower to keep an eye on Cao Wei's battlefield movements.
Zhao Kuangyin also knew that the pressure on Cao Cao was greater than on his side. After all, the Qin army only deployed 150,000 troops to defeat Song Dynasty, which already gave him a headache, while the invasion of Wei had deployed 420,000 troops.
Although Cao Wei's entire country had gathered 330,000 defenders, they needed to divide their troops to garrison in various places. Facing the 420,000 Qin troops coming from four directions, the Wei army's battle line was not only too scattered, but also too tight.
If one front line collapses, it is likely to cause the entire front line to collapse.
Zhao Kuangyin and Cao Cao were already like grasshoppers on a rope. Naturally, they hoped that Cao Wei could hold Chenliu, Dongjun and Yingchuan to block the Qin army's offensive of 420,000 troops.
But as the reports of the northern battle continued to come in, Cao Cao had not yet reacted, but Zhao Kuangyin took the first step and became completely unable to sit still.
Zhao Kuangyin originally thought that it would not be difficult for Cao Wei, who had an army of 330,000 troops, to hold off the Qin army for half a year, even without reinforcements from the Song and Ming Dynasties.
But what Zhao Kuangyin never expected was that the Wei army, which had displayed great power and mass killings in the Central Plains and performed extremely well, would actually stretch its hips like this when facing the Qin army.
In just half a month, all three lines of defense in Yingchuan fell, leaving only the last line of defense in Xuchang. If Xuchang cannot hold it, the Chenliu and Dongjun battlefields will also completely deteriorate.
Yingchuan, Chenliu and Dongjun are the three most populous and wealthy counties in Cao Wei.
Once these three counties fall, Cao Wei does not need to continue fighting, because no matter how hard he fights, he will lose, so it is better to surrender early.
It had only been half a month since the war between Qin and Wei, and Cao Wei had already been forced to a life-or-death situation. Whether he could defend the city of Xuchang was not only related to the life and death of Cao Wei, but also to the survival of the Three Kingdoms of the Central Plains.
Therefore, when he learned that Jin Bi sent troops to rescue Xue Ju without fully asking for instructions, and also lost four thousand soldiers and horses, Zhao Kuangyin was not killed by Jin Bi, because Jin Bi was right to do so, and he was not only helping Cao Wei
, also helped Zhao Song.
But what left Zhao Kuangyin speechless was that Jin Bi clearly did a good thing, but instead he was impeached by domestic civil servants, and listed a number of crimes, and each of them seemed to be true.
Zhao Kuangyin was not a fool, so he would not do something stupid like breaking his arm at such a critical moment, so instead of punishing him, he calmed Jin Bi and sent an additional 10,000 defenders to Xiping to show that he was committed to protecting the state.
Jin Bi's attitude.
After Zhao Kuangyin expressed his position, the voice of impeachment within the Song Dynasty disappeared without a trace in an instant, and everything seemed to be premeditated in advance.
This made Zhao Kuangyin have to suspect that the pro-Qin faction of the Song Dynasty was behind this impeachment. However, after an investigation, it was found that his second brother was responsible, so he gave up the plan of continuing to pursue the blame.
Now the battle between Qin and Wei has reached the most critical point. Cao Wei has lost nearly half of its troops in Yingchuan. It is indeed difficult to rely on the Wei army alone to defend Xuchang City against the attack of hundreds of thousands of Qin troops with an army of 50,000.
Too big.
Zhao Kuangyin could no longer sit back and watch Cao Wei lose, because if Wei lost again, Song would also be in trouble, so he must help Wei defend Xuchang no matter what.
But the Song Dynasty is also suffering from internal and external troubles. Unless Xue Rengui's army of hundreds of thousands is dealt with, it is really unable to divide its troops to support others, but Xuchang has to be rescued?
For a time, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but fell into a dilemma.
At this time, Zhao Kuangyin became envious of Cao Cao. After all, Cao Wei's geographical location was so poor, and Cao Cao had five military advisors under his command: Xun You, Cheng Yu, Fan Li, Chen Gong, and Cao GUI.
On the other hand, the Song State was superior to the Wei State in terms of geography, population, and wealth, but when it came to solving troublesome problems, there was no one to give it advice.
Zhao Kuangyin also had three military advisors under his command: Zhao Pu, Yan Xiang and Shen Gongbao. However, Zhao Pu was among the troops aiding the Ming Dynasty, and Shen Gongbao was borrowed by Cao Cao to persuade the Demon Sect. Now among the three advisors, only Yan Xiang is by his side.
It's not that Zhao Kuangyin thinks Yan Xiang is not good, but compared with those top counselors in the world, Yan Xiang's ability is obviously still a little worse. For example, in this battle of Ge Ling, Yan Xiang failed to see through Lin Xiangru's plan.
At this thought, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but feel jealous of Cao Cao. If he had the loyalty of Cao Cao's five advisers, he would definitely not stretch his hips to this extent against the Qin army.
Yan Xiang saw Zhao Kuangyin's troubles. Although he also wanted to come up with ideas, his own abilities were limited and he couldn't think of a solution. So he recommended talents to Zhao Kuangyin and asked others to help Zhao Kuangyin come up with ideas, and the person he recommended
It was Li Mi, a famous minister of the Mid-Tang Dynasty who was known as "Marquis Li Ye".
Li Bi was the sixth grandson of Li Bi, the Taishi of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He served successively as Tang Xuanzong, Tang Suzong, Tang Daizong, and Tang Dezong. He assisted Tang Suzong Li Heng to quell the Anshi Rebellion, plotted to trap Tubo, and assisted Dezong. He was the most famous politician and counselor in the mid-Tang Dynasty.
, one of the scholars.
Li Mi's experience was very bumpy. He assisted the four dynasties of the Tang Dynasty, lived in seclusion twice, and was exiled once. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, he was hated by Prime Minister Yang Guozhong and returned to seclusion.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Chang Gun was excluded and exiled, and he did not rule the world until the Tang Dezong period.
Li Mi is a hidden figure in the Special Hundred Calls. After he was born, he was implanted into the younger brother of Li Fang, the famous prime minister in the early Song Dynasty. Li Fang was the prefect of Chen County in the Song Dynasty, so he came into Yan Xiang's sight.
"Master Yan, can this Li Bi really solve the current dilemma?" Zhao Kuangyin asked.
Yan Xiang said with a serious face: "My lord, Li Mi is ten times more talented than an elephant. If there is anyone who can solve the current problem, I am afraid it is only Li Mi."
Zhao Kuangyin was overjoyed at Wenyan. Li Mi happened to be in Pingyu City, and he immediately prepared to go to see him in person.
In fact, Li Mi was not optimistic about the alliance of the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Song and Ming, so he declined his brother Li Fang's recommendation and stayed in Runan to study hard. However, he did not expect that Zhao Kuangyin would come to his door, and now he could not hide even if he wanted to.
Already.
Although Li Bi was not optimistic about Zhao Song, after all, the whole family was serving in the Song Dynasty. He neither dared nor could not disobey Zhao Kuangyin, so he had to help Zhao Kuangyin analyze it from his own perspective, but did not want to solve the problem that had troubled Zhao Kuangyin for more than a year.
problem.
"Sir, you are a great talent. One person can defeat an army of 100,000 men. Now that I have your help, I have nothing to worry about." Zhao Kuangyin said with great joy.
Li Mi's face suddenly stiffened. Did he say that he would serve as an official to assist Zhao Kuangyin?
Just when he was about to refuse, seeing Zhao Kuangyin's joyful expression, Li Bi swallowed back what he was about to say.
After Zhao Kuangyin left, Li Mi walked to Yan Xiang and asked with a wry smile: "I have never offended you, have you?"
However, Yan Xiang stroked his long beard gently and pretended to be displeased and said: "Changyuan (Li Bibiao), what are you talking about? If you have offended me, how can I recommend you to the lord?"
Li Bi knew that Yan Xiang was deliberately pretending to be confused, so he went straight to the point: "Your Excellency, I know that I have no intention of serving the Song Dynasty, and I also know that I cannot refuse the King of Song Dynasty, but I force myself to stay in this way, so I am not afraid that I will be in the Song camp with my heart out of mind."
, you can’t do your best if you work hard?”
Yan Xiang said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, only a gentleman can expect it." Then he strode away with a smile.
Looking at Yan Xiang's leaving figure, Li Mi fell into deep thought. Only a gentleman can be expected, and is he a gentleman?
After Zhao Kuangyin returned, he ordered to send 30,000 troops to support Xuchang, and at the same time continued to expand the army and prepare for war.
Li Mi was right. The Tongbai Mountain defense line was breached by the Qin army, and a hundred thousand Qin troops invaded Runan. However, the Qin army's cavalry was also exhausted and needed time to rest. They would not take the initiative to invade next, so Qin and Song Dynasties would also fall into a stalemate.
At this stage, it is entirely possible to allocate part of the troops to support Cao Wei.
In addition, compared to soldiers, Wei State actually lacks more generals, so it is not necessary to send too many troops to aid Wei. Thirty thousand elites plus a few fierce generals are enough.
Zhao Kuangyin ordered Zhao She, the chief general, to drink wine and swallow the boy. Gao Siji, Lu Xiong, Yang Zhen and other generals led an army of 30,000 to support Xuchang.
Zhao She led the Song army of 30,000 to the north. The total strength of the Song state in Runan also dropped to 170,000. Compared with the Qin army, it did not have much advantage, so it was imperative to expand the army.
Among the three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Ming, Song was the richest and had the least financial pressure. Its total population was higher than that of Wei but lower than that of Ming. In addition, Song was the only country in the world that followed the example of Qin in establishing a reserve army system.
The Song Dynasty also had a reserve army system. If the army was recruited from the reserve army and county soldiers, it would not be difficult to expand the army urgently and it would also have combat effectiveness.
Zhao Kuangyin prepared to expand his army by 60,000, so that he would have enough confidence to support Wei against Qin.
Runan, Shangcai.
After Xue Rengui defeated the Song army, he did not take advantage of the victory to pursue it, but chose to give up when the situation was good. In addition to the fact that the army was exhausted and unable to fight anymore, and that Tongbai Mountain was breached, another major reason was that Lin Xiangru was critically ill.
Lin Xiangru was actually opposed to a decisive battle between Xue Rengui and the Song army. He felt that under the current situation, it would be okay for the Qin army to abandon the cities in Runan and temporarily retreat to Jingzhou. If they could not fight and then fight back, there was no need to risk a decisive battle with Zhao Kuangyin.
But Xue Rengui was unwilling to give up the fat he had swallowed, so Lin Xiangru had no choice but to plan a decisive battle for him.
Facts have proved that although Xue Rengui's decision is risky, as long as the plan is successful, the benefits are indeed huge.
In the battle of Ge Ling, Xue Rengui not only won the battle, but also bought enough time for the Qin army in the rear to break through Tongbai Mountain. The Qin army also completely established a foothold in Runan.
However, as a military advisor, Lin Xiangru was accidentally hit by a stray arrow during the Battle of Ge Ling, and was seriously injured and dying.
This also made Xue Rengui feel extremely guilty. After all, if he had not insisted on taking the risk, the military advisor would not have been hit by the arrow.
Looking at Xue Rengui with a guilty look on his face, Lin Xiangru said angrily: "You don't have to blame yourself, Governor. Everyone has his destiny. I am destined to have this disaster. I can't escape it and I can't blame others. It's just a pity that I can't witness the unification of the Qin Dynasty with my own eyes."
"
"military adviser."
After hearing this, Xue Rengui felt even more guilty. Just as he was about to apologize to the company, Lin Xiangru interrupted him.
Lin Xiangru didn't want to hear Xue Rengui's apology. He knew that his time was running out and he had to settle his funeral arrangements before he died.
"Grand Governor, I have assisted two Grand Governors of Jingzhou. You are really similar to Governor Yue Fei. My time is running out, so I have a message before I die."
"Military advisor, please tell me. Rengui will definitely remember it."
"This war in the Central Plains involves the whole world and cannot be resolved by one person fighting alone. I hope that the governor will focus on stability and not take risks."
"Rengui has remembered what the military advisor said." Xue Rengui said seriously.
Lin Xiangru was relieved when he saw this. He pointed at Tian Dan standing beside the bed and said, "Tian Dan is a genius in the world. After I leave, the governor can be my arm."
"military adviser."
Seeing that Lin Xiangru was about to die but still thinking about himself, Tian Dan was so moved that he almost cried.
"Tian Dan, although you are from Shu, I know that your heart is in Da Qin. I have written a handwritten letter and submitted it to Your Majesty as your guarantee. From now on, you can rest assured to fight in Da Qin."
Hearing what Prime Minister Lin said, Tian Dan could no longer hold back. He cried and grabbed Lin Xiangru's hand and said gratefully: "Tian Dan can't repay the great kindness of the military advisor. Please allow Tian Dan to respect the military advisor with the courtesy of a teacher."
"That's a good relationship. I didn't expect that I would find such a good disciple before my death."
Lin Xiangru smiled happily, and then closed his eyes forever with a peaceful expression. Xue Rengui and other generals cried when they saw this.