The Song Dynasty court has been quarreling endlessly recently. The content of the quarrel is the issue of whether to take the initiative to attack after detecting that the Liao army quietly transferred 100,000 troops from the front line and built massive fortifications. It seems that they will no longer attack.
For the first time, Yan Shu and Xia Song truly stood on the same front. They urged to launch a counterattack according to the original plan, not only because the situation between the enemy and ourselves had undergone subtle changes, but the Liao army was already building fortifications and taking a defensive stance.
What's more, Su Jin's army entered the Liao Dynasty and fought continuously for several months, and the 100,000 people transferred back by the Liao people were obviously to encircle and suppress them. If they did not counterattack, Su Jin's situation would be extremely dangerous.
Needless to say, Yan Shu, although he disagreed with Su Jin on many things, Yan Shu knew that Su Jin was on the same side as him at all times; Yan Biyun visited the Yan Mansion several times, although his niece had nothing to do with state affairs.
Not to mention, Yan Shu's haggard face and forced smile could not escape Yan Shu's eyes.
Needless to say, Xia Song, Xia Siling gave birth to a baby boy in early October. According to the agreement, Su Jin will change the baby boy's surname to Xia to continue the Xia family's legacy. However, Xia Siling's situation is worrying, and the longing and worry make her postpartum.
Xia Siling was so weak that she had no milk at all, so she had to find a wet nurse to feed her. Xia Song, regardless of the busy military affairs, returned to the capital for many visits, and was deeply disappointed with the emperor's attitude of not ordering an attack.
Of course, the opponents had their reasons. Zhang Yaozuo and other court officials believed that the time for Su Jin's counterattack before sending troops was to capture the capital of Liao and Shangjing. Now Shangjing has not been captured, and the Liao people's psychological defense has not collapsed. At this moment, they rashly
A counterattack would play into the Liao people's ambitions.
Zhao Zhen was hesitant and decided to recruit Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi to return to Beijing to discuss the matter. The two frontline commanders should have a more accurate judgment on the situation.
On the same day that Xinzhou was defeated, the court discussion of the Song Dynasty also officially started. The two sides argued endlessly. Zhang Yaozuo, with the support of the emperor, was not afraid of the prime minister Yan Shu and made a passionate speech with a blushing neck.
"Your Majesty, what Prime Minister Yan said is obviously based on personal feelings. Currently, there are still 400,000 Liao troops in our territory. This is not a small number. If something goes wrong in a rash attack, wouldn't it be self-destruction of the country? The third line of defense is not even close to the capital.
Two hundred miles away, once it is broken, the Liao army will be able to attack the city at any time. Will Prime Minister Yan ignore the safety of the capital and the emperor?"
Han Jiang and others echoed this, saying that the safety of the emperor and the capital was the top priority.
Yan Shu said angrily: "Master Zhang, what you said is wrong. At first, the Liao people had 700,000 people but they were not able to attack the capital. Now there are only 400,000 people and you say that the capital is in danger. What are your intentions? Now that the rebellion in the south has been put down, General Di led the army to put down the rebellion."
The army of the Song Dynasty joined the battlefield, and our Song army was ready to counterattack in terms of numbers and morale. In addition, Su Jin's army went deep into the enemy's rear and moved across the fifteen cities of the Liao Kingdom. The Liao people were already suffering terribly.
If we don’t send troops, how can we wait for the Liao people to mobilize their troops and destroy Su Jin’s army before attacking? It’s simply a joke.”
Xia Song also said: "What Prime Minister Yan said is absolutely true. The original plan was for the Su masters to march into the heart of the Liao people and attack the enemy who had to rescue them. This would reduce the pressure on the front line and take advantage of the Liao army's return to help.
Our army is attacking with all its strength, and it is difficult for the enemy to take care of the enemy. Why are we going back on our word now? Isn't this the case of selling Su Jin's 200,000 men to the Liao people?"
Zhao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Du Yan and said, "Privy Du, what are your plans?"
Du Yan originally wanted to stay out of the matter, but he had no definite judgment on the current situation. When Zhao Zhen asked him by name, he was a little unable to answer.
Zhao Zhen frowned and said, "At this time, hasn't Privy Du considered advancing or retreating?"
Du Yan hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I have naturally considered it. The original plan was for Su Jin's army to capture Shangjing and force the Liao army to retreat across the board. However, the current situation is that Su Jin's army did not capture Shangjing, but the next fifteen
The city and Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo were captured, and the results achieved were considerable. However, the Liao people did not return full support. They only dispatched 100,000 troops to guard the capital and encircle Su Jin. In this case, it is really difficult for me to fight back immediately.
Consider it."
Yan Shu was so angry that he almost cursed Du Yan, who finally fell to Zhang Yaozuo's side, saying that it was difficult to decide and that it was not suitable to send troops.
Zhao Zhen's mood was very contradictory. On the one hand, he wanted to order an attack to defeat the Liao Kingdom and complete the cause of eternal immortality. On the other hand, he was really afraid of stealing the chicken but losing the rice. Obviously, Su Jin's situation in the Liao Kingdom
The destructive power was not as powerful as expected. He knew that Su Jin was in a very difficult situation, but once he gave the order to attack, it meant fighting the Liao people with real swords and guns. If they were defeated and collapsed, not only would they annex the Liao people,
If the dream is shattered, Bianliang City will not be saved because it is too close.
When Zhang Yaozuo and others raised concerns, they struck a soft spot in his heart. He reflected on himself several times and finally felt that he could not be radical. Before he was sure, he preferred to be more conservative.
But in this way, the ministers who advocated the attack gave an illusion that they did not abide by the strategy set before the war and ignored Su Jin's life and death. This was something Zhao Zhen did not want to see, but Zhao Zhen was not too concerned about it.
Care, because in the final analysis, Su Jin is important, but if you choose between him and his country, the answer is self-evident.
"Fan Aiqing, Han Aiqing, what do you two think?"
Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi had been standing in the queue without saying anything. They were able to be re-activated thanks to Su Jin's recommendation, but they also knew that the emperor still had a grudge against them, so keeping a low profile was the best choice.
"Your Majesty, considering the current situation, I think we can attack or not." Fan Zhongyan said.
"What are you talking about? When did Fan Aiqing become so sophisticated? Yes, yes, no, no, no, what kind of medicine is indispensable?" Zhao Zhen said displeased.
"Your Majesty, please listen to me. The situation between us and the enemy has changed greatly. The period of strength of the Liao people has passed. Now they have to return to encircle and suppress Mr. Su's army. It is indeed a good time to attack at this time, and I can guarantee that even if
Even if the attack fails, the capital will not be able to be defended, which Mr. Zhang is a little unfounded to worry about."
"Oh? Does that mean you agree to attack now?"
Fan Zhongyan said: "Your Majesty, although attacking at this time can relieve the pressure on Mr. Su and will not cause a catastrophe, purely from a military perspective, it is not the best time; winter has arrived, and the first heavy snow this winter is about to begin.
Come, if the Snow Queen attacks, the advantage of the Liao cavalry will be greatly reduced, and the chance of victory will be greater. Moreover, the Su adults have been in the Liao people's belly for several months. The Liao Kingdom's Shangjing Road and Tokyo Road cities were destroyed, food supplies were destroyed, and the refugees
It increased, and after the snow, this problem became even more serious. The longer the delay, the less interested the Liao people were in fighting, and the greater the chance of winning. However, the longer the time went by, the slimmer the hope of Mr. Su and the others being able to come back alive. I could not make a choice.
Seek the emperor’s sanction.”
Zhao Zhen rolled his eyes and his teeth were itching with hatred. Fan Zhongyan put a multiple-choice question in front of him, pointed at his nose in front of the ministers and asked him, do you want Su Jin's death in exchange for victory, or do you want Su Jin's death?
Live and take risks; how do you choose? Although I really want to choose the latter safe method, once I ignore Su Jin's life and death, I am afraid that my sign as a benevolent and righteous king will be smashed to pieces, and the people in the court will
The courtiers were probably all disappointed. Yan Shu, Xia Song and Su Jin were now related, and Su Jin himself was also a very famous figure in the Song Dynasty. The consequences of this would be unimaginable.
Zhao Zhen frowned and thought, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of the dragon chair.
"Your Majesty, is there any need to think about this?" Someone said in a deep voice, and everyone looked and saw that it was Bao Zheng, the Censor Zhongcheng.
"Master Su is a treasure-like figure in our Song Dynasty. Our Song Dynasty has fallen into the danger of being coveted by Liao and Xia to now surpassing both Liao and Xia in strength. Master Su's contribution is obvious to all. Without Mr. Su's painstaking design, how could the Song Dynasty have achieved success?"
What is the current situation like today? In the current war against Liao, if Mr. Su had not risked his own life and led his troops deep into the hinterland of the Liao people to contain them, dare I ask if the border could survive today? The 700,000 Liao army would have marched in long ago; some people say that Mr. Su
If the containment is not effective, I would like to ask, why did you not volunteer to lead the troops deep into the Liao Kingdom when you all talk so plausibly? You can also teach us how to contain the Liao Kingdom effectively; the Liao Kingdom has a vast territory and has been operating for a long time.
Is it as easy as you think to go to Beijing? Mr. Su must have sized up the situation before choosing to go to the fifteen cities to cause trouble. I dare to ask, if he gathered a large number of troops in Shangjing, would Mr. Su still fight to the death with the enemy just to win Shangjing? It is really ridiculous.
Speech.”
Everyone was silent, and no one said anything to refute. Everyone thought it would be better to stay away from Bao Zheng. This man never showed mercy when he spoke. When arguing at this time, Bao Zheng would never be merciful. Besides, what Bao Zheng said did make sense.
.
"I believe that Su Jin alone can equal a million soldiers. If Su Jin is killed by the Liao people this time, it will be a huge loss for our Song Dynasty. And...and don't blame me for speaking upright and not saving Su Jin's army.
The common people and the officials in the court will also be extremely cold-hearted. I might as well reveal my true feelings. It is indeed my duty to sacrifice my life for the country, but if I am abandoned by the country, I am afraid I will die in peace. If that is the case, Bao Zheng asked to resign and go into seclusion.
, I will never take another step towards official career."