The wooden stick in Wang Lin's hand pointed in the direction of the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun on the map.
"Everyone, in the past, the Song and Liao Dynasties were bounded by the Baigou River, but the river froze in winter and could not stop the Jin people at all. As for our Hebei fortress, it was Zhending, Zhongshan and the river.
Zhending mainly defends against the enemies coming from the west from Taihang, while Zhongshan and Hejian mainly defend against the Jin soldiers from the south. Hebei is a vast plain, and the Jin people's cavalry are powerful, so they can encircle the points and call for reinforcements. Once these three cities are breached, the Jin people can go straight to Kaifeng.
.”
Wang Lin's words were extremely serious, and all the generals nodded secretly.
In fact, this time Wanyan Zongwang's 100,000-strong army broke through Hebei one after another and penetrated directly into Kaifeng. If Wang Lin hadn't stopped the Jin army in Huazhou, Tokyo would have been defeated by now.
Now, Wang Lin is actually taking one step and looking at three steps to make plans for the long-term defense of the Song Dynasty in the future.
"So, after the Cizhou Battle, the most important thing for our army was to gather heavy troops and build fortifications to resist the Jin people's southern invasion."
"Therefore, Gu decided to gather all the warworthy soldiers of our Song Dynasty in three towns in Hebei Province, and also transferred 20,000 troops each from Linfu Liu Yanqing and Qin Feng Wu Jie and Wu Gao to defend Hebei and Hedong.
"
Liu Guangshi was surprised and said: "Your Majesty, if we withdraw the Western Army's Ganlong troops, what should we do if the Xixia people take advantage of the situation and invade?"
Wang Lin was silent for a moment and said: "There is civil strife in Xixia. At present, we can't think about invading the Song Dynasty. There will be no war in the past two years."
Although Liu Guangshi had doubts, he did not refute anything.
Yue Fei suddenly said: "Your Majesty, if this is the military strategy, will our Fuhu Army have to defend Hebei in the future?"
Wang Lin nodded slowly: "Qinglai and coastal areas can be left to Hua Rong. Twenty thousand soldiers and horses can be left.
The remaining 100,000 Fuhu Army, 20,000 Longxiang Army, and 50,000 Guan Sheng Shenwu Army were evenly stationed in Zhending, Zhongshan and Hejian towns to defend against another Jin invasion southward. Zhong Shidao led the Western Army to still guard Hedong.
.”
The generals gasped, Wang Lin was planning to put all the troops of the Song Dynasty on the front lines of Hedong and Hebei, burning cauldrons and sinking boats to fend off the Jin soldiers.
Wang Lin didn't say anything.
His original intention was to occupy the seven states of the North China Plain, which would be equivalent to controlling the Inner Great Wall, and the northern defense system would be upgraded by several levels.
If there is an inner Great Wall, the Song army only needs to defend a few "points", which is no problem at all with the current military strength.
However, it is impossible for the Jin people to give up half of the Yanyun land for the time being. They can only choose an opportunity to fight again in the future and gradually push the defensive front line northward.
In fact, Wang Lin had previously entertained the idea of moving the capital to Chang'an.
Tokyo's geographical location is really not conducive to defense. As soon as Hebei's defense line is broken, Tokyo will be in danger.
But at this moment, given the cowardly national strength, the consequences of hastily moving the capital will be even greater.
"What do the generals think?" Wang Lin said calmly.
Everyone bowed to accept the order.
As current events changed, Qinglai was no longer the center of Wang Lin's power. He had to move his troops to Hebei to defend the capital.
…
Taiyuan.
Dotted with golden barracks outside the city, the ancient and mighty Taiyuan City was tightly surrounded. Beacon fires were everywhere, and the air was filled with the strong bloody smell of the post-war period.
Wanyan Zonghan's army was said to have an army of 100,000, but in reality it was only 60,000 or 70,000. Of course, there were tens of thousands of Liao soldiers who surrendered as auxiliary troops.
Since Wanyan Zonghan raised his army, the unprepared Song army was routed thousands of miles away. Shuo, Wu, Dai, and Xinzhou were captured by the Jin army one after another. Within half a month, Taiyuan City was in crisis.
However, Wanyan Zonghan did not expect that the main force of the Western Army, the Zhongshi Dao Division, would be extremely stubborn in their resistance.
The Xiongguan Taiyuan could not be captured for a long time, Wanyan Zonghan's West Route Army was firmly pinned on the line east of the river, and the Jin soldiers gradually became restless.
It's like eating meat for several days in a row, and suddenly encountering a hard bone that you can't chew on, and can't give up.
The diaphragm should be dead.
Months later, shocking military reports came from Henan that Wanyan Zongbi was defeated and captured, and Wanyan Zongwang was defeated one after another.
Wanyan Zongwang's Eastern Route Army, which numbered 100,000, had only less than 20,000 remnants left.
This kind of news not only made Wanyan Zonghan grit his teeth, but also directly shook the Jin people's confidence in victory.
Whether Wanyan Zonghan admitted it or not, with the defeats of Wanyan Zongbi and Wanyan Zongwang, the Jin people had lost their chance to occupy the Song Dynasty.
Wanyan Zonghan decided to quit.
The Jin people turned from a fierce attack on Taiyuan to a siege instead of attacking. This attitude made Zhong Shidao in Taiyuan City feel strange. No matter how suspicious Zhong Shidao was, Wanyan Zonghan had secretly sent envoys to Hebei and began to discuss retreat with Wanyan Zongwang.
And negotiated peace with the people of Song Dynasty.
Before Wanyan Zonghan's envoy arrived in Hebei, he heard the news that Wanyan Zongwang had been defeated by Cizhou again.
Wang Lin's Fuhu Army, with nearly 100,000 troops and 50,000 Hebei Rebels, was divided into three groups, heading out from Linzhang, Xiangzhou and Linzhou respectively to attack Cizhou.
Wanyan Zongwang led his remaining troops to retreat and continue their march northward.
The Fuhu Army regained the lost territory in Hebei one after another, and in Yongnian, besieged Wanyan Zongwang's tribe.
Wanyan Zongwang led ten thousand cavalry to break through the encirclement in a desperate battle. He was defeated and fled all the way to Xingzhou to join Wanyan Zonghan's envoys.
In mid-September of the second year of Xuanhe in the Song Dynasty, an armistice peace delegation jointly sent by Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Zonghan, headed by Wanyantong, a member of the Jin clan, Zhang Xiaochun, a Han nationality, and Yelu Kong, a Khitan man, arrived at Yue Fei's temporary headquarters in Cizhou.
Both sides agreed to a temporary truce.
One day later, Yue Fei sent troops to supervise the Jin delegation as it headed for the capital.
At this time, Wang Lin had been in the capital for several days.
But going forward in time, Balisu, who led more than a hundred cavalry to Tokyo to seek peace on the orders of Wanyan Zongwang, has become a prisoner of Guan Sheng.
…
The autumn breeze brings coolness, but Tokyo remains bustling.
The Song army's successive victories on the battlefield caused great joy in the Song Dynasty.
This festive atmosphere reached a certain climax when the Song Dynasty Crown Prince Zhao Gou and the Qi King led five thousand tiger guards to Beijing at almost the same time.
Wang Lin was in Prince Qi's Mansion in Beijing, and there was an endless stream of visitors visiting him.
Not only the dignitaries and clans of the capital, but also representatives of aristocratic families and scholars from all over the country gathered in Tokyo.
Also crowded with guests were the Han family.
In comparison, the atmosphere in the palace was a bit dull.
Yanfu Palace, Imperial Study Room.
Zhao Ji looked gloomy, pacing back and forth in the study, thinking silently.
Li Gang, Wu Min, Zong Ze, Guo Zhishun, Tang Ke, Geng Nanzhong and other court officials lined up on both sides, all silent.
After Wang Lin arrived in Beijing, he did not immediately go to the palace to pay homage to the emperor. Instead, he sent a memorial asking for posthumous gifts to Zhang Shuye and his generals who died for the country.
Naturally, it caused another uproar.
Especially at this moment, Zhang Shuye's two sons, wearing sackcloth and mourning, were kneeling outside Mingde Gate, waiting for the result.
Zhao Ji was dissatisfied because his original intention was not to give Zhang Shuye a gift or punish him.
After all, in Zhao Ji's view, Zhang Shuye's loss of Hebei almost caused the emperor and the Song Dynasty to fall into the hands of the Jin people.
As for Zhang Shu's battle with Huazhou at night, he thought it was the duty of a general.
If Uncle Zhang escaped from Huazhou at night, he would kill the entire Zhang family as a warning to others.
However... Wang Lin insisted on forcing him to make concessions and set up Zhang Shuye as a model for resisting the Jin Dynasty and a role model for civil servants, which made him furious.
Wang Lin did not enter the palace to see him.
This is a gesture in itself.
Li Gang and other court officials knew that Zhao Ji would definitely make concessions, because the Song Dynasty could not do without anyone but Wang Lin to turn the tide.
Seeing that Li Gang and others were silent, Zhao Ji could only look at Tang Ke and Geng Nanzhong.
But in the hearts of Tang Ke and Geng Nanzhong, it was not cost-effective to fall out with the powerful Wang Lin because of a mere dead Zhang Shuye.
Seeing the emperor looking over, Tang Ke hesitated for a moment and then said lightly: "The officials and ministers believe that Zhang Shuye has been loyal to the country all his life and has made great contributions to fighting Huazhou. It is reasonable for the court to give him a posthumous gift, especially during the war.
Praising the meritorious officials can make all the wise people in the world rise up to resist the Jin Dynasty and defend our country of the Song Dynasty."
Zhao Ji's expression became even colder.
Geng Nanzhong and others have always taken Tang Ke as the leader and advanced and retreated together. Their attitude is self-evident.
Seeing that the gang leader and faction actually stood on Wang Lin's side, Zhao Ji suddenly felt disheartened and cold all over.
What he, the emperor, is doing now is really boring.
He slowly sat down and said with a sneer: "In that case, what do you think about Zhang Shuye's incident, how do you think we should give him a posthumous gift?"
Tang Ke looked at Li Gang.
Li Gang came out of class and bowed and said: "In the official family, I think that Zhang Shuye can be posthumously granted the title of Prince of Nanyang County. He will posthumously grant the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi and the posthumous title of Zhongwen. His deputy general, Yao Pingzhong, will posthumously confer the title of Uncle Zhongyi and Yinsi his son.
…”
"I second the proposal!"
"I also second my opinion."
As soon as Li Gang finished speaking, all the ministers came out to echo.
Zhao Ji was so angry that the corners of his mouth trembled. After a long time, he waved his hands and said, "That's all. Everything is done according to what the ministers said, and the decree was issued, both at home and abroad, to highlight Zhang Shuye's achievements."
…
Outside Tokyo.
Three poles in the sun.
A majestic funeral procession left Tokyo and headed straight for the Huazhou Martyrs Mausoleum, which was built under the supervision of the Ministry of Works and is located ten miles south of Tokyo.
More than a hundred large black coffins were carried by soldiers with solemn expressions and walked slowly. The first one was the coffin for the burial of Zhang Shuye's remains and relics. The coffin was wrapped in white silk, and led by Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong, who were wearing sackcloth and mourning.
The Zhang family members cried bitterly.
Along the way, the people of Tokyo watched silently.
Everyone saw that King Qi Wang Lin, who was wearing a white belt around his waist and looking sad, actually carried the coffin in person.
On top of the city tower, Guan Sheng personally beat the military drum to see off the soldiers who died in Huazhou.
Zhao Gou mingled in the crowd and stared at Wang Lin, who was holding the coffin. At this moment, it was difficult for him to describe his inner feeling.
He didn't understand why Wang Lin condescended to pay tribute to Zhang Shuye in person.
Little did he know that Wang Lin felt deeply guilty for Zhang Shuye and the 100,000 soldiers of the Hebei Army who died.
If he had not insisted on conquering Xixia, he would not have allowed the Jin people to take advantage of the situation. Zhang Shuye and the Hebei army were caught off guard and collapsed, until they died for the country.
Zhang Shuye would not have died originally.
At least he won't die in Huazhou.
On the other hand, Zhang Shuye fought to the death in Huazhou, delaying Wanyan Zongwang's attack. This was an important factor in Wang Lin's ability to reverse the situation.
Otherwise, when Wang Lin leads his army back from Xixia, Tokyo will be defeated early.
Given the poor behavior of Zhao Ji and the Manchu and Song Dynasty officials, they must have long ago paid indemnities and sued for peace, allowing the Jin people to return home proudly. They also had to cede the three prefectures of Zhongshan, Zhongshan and Hejian to the Jin Kingdom.
If it really comes to that situation, everything will be difficult to end.
Zhao Yupan's consort Zeng Wei tugged at Zhao Gou's sleeves and said softly: "Prince, let's go, my father wants to see you."