Song Qi received Zhao Guangyi's imperial edict and before she rushed to Fengtai Mountain, she found that the development of the situation was completely in accordance with the officials' wishes.
In a normal battle station, the Liao flag was planted on the mountain this morning, and maybe it was replaced by the dragon flag of Xia in the afternoon. When I opened my eyes tomorrow morning, it was replaced by the flag of Liao.
The only fly in the ointment is that the war between the two sides has always been centered around the Fengtai Mountain area and has not expanded further. However, there is no way to do this. Of course, the territory bordering the Liao Kingdom and the Xia Kingdom is not limited to this one, but most of the rest of the area is desert.
, not only the northern border area of the Xia Kingdom is a large desert, but the northwest region of the Liao Kingdom also has the same terrain. Such a desert area cannot support the army for long-term operations. The only breakthrough is the Zhuolunchuan area, and Fengtai Mountain is this area.
the only entrance.
At the same time, the Liao Kingdom and the Xia Kingdom also intended to control the conflict situation and avoid further expanding the war situation. Needless to say, the Xia Kingdom would never want to start a war with the two empires of Song and Liao at the same time unless Yang Hao went crazy.
Considering the interests of the country, they do not want to further expand the war situation. The Liao Kingdom is now in the stage of recuperation. Just as the Song Dynasty did not dare to do its best with the fierce tiger of the Liao Kingdom by its side, the Liao Kingdom is also wary and does not want to waste its strength in Hexi.
The Liao Kingdom, like the Xia Kingdom, also had a vast territory and sparsely populated areas. For the Liao Kingdom, the rich and prosperous land in the Central Plains was their coveted goal. The land in Hexi was not as rich as the Liao Kingdom. The horses that the Song people valued most were horses.
The Liao Kingdom itself is not lacking. As for Hexi as an important channel for east-west trade, the aristocratic class of the Liao Kingdom is far from elevating the east-west trade to an importance that can send large armies for conquest.
The most important thing is that although the Song State was happy to see the feud between the Liao State and the Xia State, it would never sit back and watch the Liao State destroy the Xia State and occupy Hexi in one go, thus forming a large siege of the Song State from north to west. Don't look at the Song State
Now it is a pleasure to stand aside and cheer for the battle between Liao and Xia. Once the Liao Kingdom really breaks through the Fengtai Mountain defense line and advances deep into the Xia Kingdom, the Song Kingdom will definitely come out to hold them back, even when they are deep in Hexi.
The massive Northern Expedition stabbed them deeply in the heart.
Making wedding clothes for others? The Liao people are not that stupid. What's more, in the eyes of the Liao State, the Song State is far more threatening than the Xia State. They don't want the Xia State to grow, but they don't want the Song State to take advantage of it. In view of this
, Brother Yeluxiu still controlled the scale of the war rationally.
However, the news that the Song and Xia countries were fighting in the Fengtai Mountain area was sent back to Beijing, and it still caused an uproar among the upper echelons of the Liao Kingdom. The Xia Kingdom should be grateful to the Liao Kingdom for sending troops. Could it be that the Xia people are crazy? Why?
Now whoever is caught will be bitten. The Song Dynasty is pressing down on the country with a large army, but he actually dares to take action against the Liao Kingdom?
Most of the upper-class nobles and officials of the Liao Kingdom believed that the Xia Emperor was not as easy to manipulate as Liu Jiyuan of the Han Dynasty. I am afraid that he saw that the Liao Kingdom would not sit back and watch the Xia Kingdom fall into the hands of the Song Kingdom, so he dared to act so wantonly, so he made suggestions one after another.
The Queen Mother should put more pressure on Xia Guo to force him to surrender.
Empress Dowager Xiao did not believe that Yang Hao was so crazy. She even wondered whether Brother Yelvxiu secretly provoked Yang Hao, his love rival, after arriving in Xijing, and angered the Xia Kingdom defenders, which led to the current situation. Because she completely imagined that
I don’t think Yang Hao has any reason to do such a crazy thing and offend the two great powers of Song and Liao at the same time. Aren’t you afraid of being bitten by lice if there are too many?
In view of this, Empress Xiao was not in a hurry to break off diplomatic relations. She sent an emissary to the Xia State and directly questioned the Xia Emperor Yang Hao. At the same time, she secretly ordered Yelu Xiuge to strictly control the situation and not to take advantage of the situation with the Song State.
opportunity.
The Song State did not let go of such a good opportunity. Taking advantage of the Liao State's attack on the Xia State, the Song Army launched several attacks on the Xia State's Hengshan garrison. Although they did not make great progress, they also swept away the decline. Not only did the Xia State
Hengshan could no longer use the advantage he held to launch continuous attacks on Linfu and the two states, and was forced to switch to full-scale defense, making the situation more difficult.
Under such circumstances, Xia Guo's morale, which had just been boosted by the victory at Black Snake Ridge, fell into a slump again. Many middle and high-level officials continued to advise Yang Hao, and remonstrances and memorials were transmitted to the palace like snow flakes. Everyone believed that Xia Guo
It is unwise to declare war on the Liao State now. The anger of the Liao State should be calmed quickly, and both sides should call off the war. For this reason, some compensation and concessions should be made.
Yang Hao has been doing nothing else these days. He has been paying close attention to the battle in Fengtai Mountain. He must not only make an impact but also control the intensity. This kind of battle is a severe test for Yang Jiye, and the same is true for Yang Hao.
He knew that he was playing with fire. If he didn't play well, he would get burned, but if he played well, he would definitely be a winner. He
In terms of strength, it is not as good as Song and Liao, and in terms of development potential, it is also not as good as Song and Liao. If he does not take the opposite direction, he will have no chance at all. If he does not want to repeat the history of Xixia, he will struggle to survive between Song and Liao, until the Jurchens and Mongols rise successively.
, and finally ushered in the fate of subjugating the country and annihilating the nation, and being forever lost in the long river of history. He had to play with this fire once.
At this moment, Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong, the two most loyal and highest-ranking ministers, could no longer hold their temper. They had a private meeting, carefully analyzed the current situation, and after understanding each other's intentions, they immediately
They came together to see Yang Hao and admonished him face to face.
Before the two of them saw Yang Hao and spoke, Yang Hao smiled and said: "Two adults, do you think I am a skinny donkey shitting hard now, and I am just struggling here?"
Zhongfang paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, do you know why we are here?"
Yang Hao pointed to the pile of memorials in front of the imperial case, and said with a smile: "Remonstrances are flying in like snowflakes. Don't I know why you two came to the palace together?"
Ding Chengzong couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, our country is newly established, its national strength is weak, and its foundation is unstable. It cannot fight with the Song Dynasty for a long time. It is inevitable to remove the imperial title and lower the regulations, thereby ending the war with the Song Dynasty. However, I did not expect that your Majesty would take this step."
The solution was to become an enemy of the Liao Dynasty. In fact, it was enough for us to deliberately fight a few defeats and then negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty.
If the Holy One wants to lower the emperor's title and seek peace, the Song court may not be willing to agree. At that time, we will have to use the Liao State to put pressure on the Song State, thereby forcing the Song State to accept this benefit for us and the Song State's dignity.
But now we are at odds with the Liao State because of a small dispute. Under such circumstances, I am afraid it will be self-defeating and I will be forced to beg for peace with the Song Dynasty under the pretext of conflict with the Liao State. I am afraid that the Song State will not agree."
Yang Hao turned to Zhong Fang and asked, "Does Master Zhong have the same view?"
Zhong Fang said: "Yes, I am worried that we are at odds with Song and Liao at the same time. We want to surrender and become king as a condition for concession, but Song will not agree. In that case, we will just shoot ourselves in the face."
My feet have nothing to rely on anymore.”
Yang Hao nodded and said: "The loyalty of the two dear friends is commendable, and their concerns are very reasonable. However..."
Ding Chengzong asked anxiously: "But what?"
Yang Hao glanced at them and asked: "Do you still remember what I said at the beginning that we must seize Longyou to ensure that our country is strong enough to avoid the continuous wars in Song Dynasty and consume our strength?"
Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong looked at each other, nodded and said, "Of course I remember, but what does this matter have to do with the conflict that happened in Fengtai Mountain?"
Yang Haodao: "Why is there no relationship? There is a great relationship between the two. At that time, you and I, the monarchs and ministers, planned to establish a country and proclaim an emperor in three steps. The first step is to proclaim the emperor and establish a name and great righteousness to implement the governance of Hexi;
Remove the emperor's title in one step, negotiate a peace, withdraw the troops, recuperate, and plan to seize Long.
Right; the third step is to wait for the troops to be well-equipped and the country to be strong enough to proclaim the emperor again. When it was mentioned in the plan to seize Longyou, you all said that the Song Dynasty would definitely intervene, and I said that there must be a way to make the Song Dynasty
The country has no time to take care of others, so I can easily plan to seize Longyou, right?"
Even though Ding Chengzong was full of wisdom and had long-term strategies, when Yang Hao mentioned this, they still couldn't figure out how this was related to the current war in Fengtai Mountain. However, when the two heard Yang Hao mention this matter at this time,
He knew that there must be a key connection between the two that he had not yet seen through, so he just nodded and held his breath to listen to Yang Hao continue.
Yang Haodao: "Longyou is an unclaimed land right now. Dangxiang, Tubo, Uighur and Han people are scattered among them. It does not pose any threat to the Song Dynasty, so the Song Dynasty can still tolerate its existence for now. Let's go to Hexi.
The Song Dynasty is beyond our reach and cannot be controlled, but if we want to annex Longyou, Song Dynasty has no reason to sit back and watch. Who in the world, except the Liao Kingdom, has the power to prevent the Song Dynasty from intervening in the dispute between Longyou and Longyou?"
Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong became more and more confused as they listened. Zhong Fang couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "The Holy One said this, and I am getting more and more confused. Since the Holy One believes that the only country in the world that can prevent the Song Kingdom from intervening in Longyou is the Liao Kingdom, then we
It is better to establish a close relationship with the Liao State, why should we launch troops with the Liao State instead?"
Yang Hao sighed and said: "You two, if we establish a close relationship with the Liao State and join hands to curb the rise of the Song State, then when we send troops to seize Longyou, the Liao State will send troops directly to Bianliang and launch an all-out war with the Song State, thus
Do you want to fight for a chance for us?"
Ding Chengzong and Zhong Fang didn't even think about it, they immediately shook their heads and said: "No."
Yang Hao added: "Then, if I profess vassalage to the Liao Kingdom, regard the Liao Emperor as the father emperor, and call myself the son emperor, I will make the Xia Kingdom a vassal of the Liao Kingdom, and the Liao Kingdom will be willing to send troops for us, use all its national power, and bear the Song Dynasty head-on.
Will the strong pressure of hundreds of thousands of elite imperial troops help us seize Longyou?"
Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong shook their heads again, and Ding Chengzong smiled bitterly and said: "How is it possible? If the Liao Kingdom is strong enough and can control our Xia Kingdom like they control the Han Kingdom, then their only choice is to order us to send troops to conquer with them.
The Song Dynasty, the pioneers made us use them, and finally used their elites to conquer the Song Dynasty."
Yang Hao smiled and said: "That's it. Since the more I fawn over it, the worse it will be for me, then why should I fawn over it?"
Zhong Fang frowned and said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being stupid, but I still don't understand. Even so, if we are at odds with the Liao, will it actually help us contain the Song army and allow me to calmly plot to seize Longyou?"
Yang Hao looked calm, smiled as if a heavenly official had given him a blessing, nodded and said, "Exactly."
After hearing this, Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong entered a state of sleepwalking at the same time, their faces were dull and their eyes were out of focus.
Yang Hao immediately went crazy when he saw his right-hand man, thinking about how many important things depended on them. Although some of the most confidential strategies could not be known to all officials in advance for confidentiality purposes, if even the two of them could
If they are kept in the dark, their reactions will gradually affect their subordinates.
It would be fine if my empire was a mature empire, but it had just been established and there was no foundation yet. In that case, there would be no guarantee that there would be no unexpected internal crisis, so I thought about it carefully and decided to
The plan should be revealed to these two powerful ministers in advance so that they can be well aware of it.
Thinking of this, Yang Hao took them out of the court. Yang Hao hurriedly proclaimed himself emperor. In fact, he just established a country and proclaimed himself emperor. He made do with simple things. He didn't have time or enough financial extravagance. There wasn't much in the way of specific things.
Changes, the so-called Golden Palace is also the original Festival Hall, and the Festival Commander's Palace was just renamed the Imperial Palace. In fact, there are no changes at all.
Yang Hao led the two of them out of the court, returned to his own house, sat down in the study, waited for tea, closed the door, and then said sincerely: "Although the Liao Kingdom is powerful, it has lost its strength due to years of internal rebellion.
They are seriously injured and are currently in the stage of recuperation and rest. Even if they are given 10% of the benefits, they will not go south to the Central Plains, let alone go south because of us.
On the contrary, the Song Dynasty spent ten years to destroy Jing, Hu, Shu, Southern Han, Tang, and Northern Han, and annexed Wu and Yue. The momentum was like a rainbow, and the sword was as powerful as breaking bamboo. So far, it has not suffered a single defeat. If we talk about ambition, now the Song Dynasty
country far greater than
Liao Kingdom. At present, the Liao Kingdom has no intention of invading the south, but the Song Dynasty has been eyeing Youyun since the founding of the country. If there is any country that will take the initiative to provoke a war and invade other countries, it must be the Song Dynasty. "
What Yang Hao said is very certain, and it is true in fact. The Khitans were foreigners at that time, so in the novels and biographies passed down by the Han people in the Central Plains, the Liao Kingdom established by the Khitans was described as extremely aggressive, barbaric, and fierce
, but intentionally or unintentionally blurred the fact that the Song Dynasty, which was regarded as the Zhengshuo tradition, was the most aggressive country at that time.
None of the countries in the Central Plains had the strength or ambition to provoke the Song State, and they were all destroyed by the Song State. Whether it was the Song State or the Liao State, no matter how high-sounding the banner was, its essence was just a
empire invasion, conquest, expansion
A war over a large territory. Although the people of the Liao Kingdom were fierce, and when the Song Dynasty was founded, the Liao Kingdom was already a large empire with a large territory and strong strength. However, the Liao Kingdom had never officially launched a war against the Song Kingdom, and the war between the two countries officially began.
, started from Zhao Guangyi’s Northern Expedition.
Yang Haodao: "Of course the monarchs and ministers of the Liao Kingdom are not good men and women, but the key to us seeking Longyou is the Song-Liao war. And we expect the Liao Kingdom to fight the Song Kingdom, and we have little hope, so we might as well wait for the Song Kingdom to go
It is more likely to attack the Liao Kingdom."
Yang Hao breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to his nose and said: "But Yang Hao suddenly appeared in Hexi, and he slapped his nose on his face, and actually proclaimed himself emperor as a minister of Song Dynasty. I wonder if the Song Dynasty still has the leisure to invade the north at this time.
? It must
However, we must first eradicate the Xia Kingdom. Even if we beg for peace and surrender, in addition to the title of emperor, we will still regard ourselves as Song ministers. If we have a close relationship with the Liao Kingdom and a close relationship, the Song Kingdom will never worry about the Northern Expedition. Now, you guys
Do you understand?"
Both Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong have exquisite thoughts, and they can reveal everything at a glance. When they heard this, they couldn't help but open their eyes in shock, and said: "Could it be...could it be that the Holy One wants to..."
Yang Haodao: "Yes, it's not enough for us to just remove ourselves from the imperial title and surrender to the Song Dynasty. We also have to make a full gesture, such as creating several civil strife to make the Song Dynasty think that we are unable to look outside; for example, compare Li Guangrui's
At that time, he paid tribute to the Song Dynasty and paid ten times the amount of war horses.
The war horses of the Song Dynasty will never doubt that our Xia Kingdom has greater ambitions; for another example... we have a bad relationship with the Liao Kingdom, and even fight, so that they will never doubt that we have a secret alliance with the Liao Kingdom. In this way, the Song Kingdom
Only then will all our wariness be gone, and we can rest assured that during the Northern Expedition, our opportunity will come!"
Zhong Fang followed up and asked: "The strength of the Liao Kingdom is far from comparable to that of the southern countries. How did the Holy Spirit predict that the Song Kingdom would definitely launch the Northern Expedition?"
Naturally, Yang Hao could not say that he knew the original development direction of history. He knew that it was the Song State that first went to war with the Liao State, and that Zhao Guangyi personally led an army of hundreds of thousands to invade the Liao State. He had the opportunity to get close to Zhao Guangyi and understand this person's character and aspirations.
Coupled with the memory of the original events in history, this kind of other
His wisdom is almost as good as that of a demon. This golden finger is something that no other politician, no matter how brilliant, can predict as accurately as him, nor can it be copied. If he tells the truth and says it is his speculation, it will be difficult for him to let go.
He and Ding Chengzong were convinced, but it was impossible for him to tell them that he was a time traveler, so he made up a reason:
"When I was in Bianliang, I served as the Minister of Honglu Temple. I have a good understanding of the Song Dynasty's major political strategies and basic national policies. At the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, it was determined to unify the world. Is it just a matter of whether to move from the south to the north or from the north to the south?
After careful consideration, Zhao Pu and other Conglong ministers were still in charge of the government at that time. After careful consideration, they decided to follow the national policy of Zhou Dynasty Emperor Guo Weishi, starting from the south and then the north, from easy to difficult.
Now, the southern countries have been pacified and have all been brought under the jurisdiction of the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty has embarked on the Northern Expedition. What do you think is the purpose of the Song Dynasty in building the Fengzhuang Storehouse? Do you really want to use money to redeem the Sixteenth State of Youyun? A man of great talent has a rough strategy.
A generation of British masters, Zhao Kuangyin said, "How can you allow others to sleep soundly next to your bed?"
, are you really that naive to believe that you can buy back your country with money? That is just a pretense. From the beginning, this money was military expenditure saved to prepare for the use of force to regain the Sixteenth State of Youyun. The current emperor Zhao Guangyi was eliminated
Liu Jiyuan's regime in the Han Dynasty was the last obstacle to the Song Dynasty's Northern Expedition."
There is another sentence that Yang Hao did not say. It turns out that during Zhao Guangyi's Northern Expedition, although the Xixia regime was also an independent regime, it did not proclaim the emperor. Now he has no choice but to establish a country and proclaim himself the emperor. Although this variable cannot dissuade Zhao Guangyi from surpassing the
The dream of Brother Yue: Expedition to Yanyun in the North and accomplished extraordinary feats. But in history, Zhao Guangyi sent his army to the Northern Expedition immediately after conquering the Northern Han Dynasty. Now the appearance of Yang Hao has changed this period of history. How big is the impact of this variable?
, it’s hard to say yet.
What he has to do now is to work hard to reduce the impact of his little butterfly on the direction of history, and push Zhao Guangyi back to his original history through a series of smoke bombs such as demotion and proclaiming himself king, creating civil strife, presenting tribute horses, and turning against the Liao Kingdom.
Going up the track. Based on his understanding of Zhao Guangyi, this man is very ambitious and loves great achievements. His lifelong wish is to surpass his talented brother, step out from under his brother's glory, and establish his unparalleled achievements.
And if he wants to surpass Zhao Kuangyin, other achievements are not enough. Recovering Yanyun is the only chance. He is not the kind of person who is down-to-earth and willing to endure it and leave the opportunity to his descendants with more mature conditions to realize this grand plan.
As long as there is a glimmer of hope, he will
Complete it with his own hands. He is now in the prime of life. Since he is determined to make the Northern Expedition, he will not wait until he is old and half buried in the earth before he can lead the expedition himself. Therefore, as long as he can successfully dispel his wariness, he will definitely follow the original historical trajectory.
Let’s go to the Northern Expedition to Khitan!
Neither Zhong Fang nor Ding Chengzong ever held an official position in the Song Dynasty court. Yang Hao said that the Northern Expedition to Khitan was an established national policy of the Song Dynasty, and the imperial court built a feudal pile warehouse to eliminate the Northern Han Dynasty in order to provide financial and geographical benefits.
The conditions for the Northern Expedition were laid out, and there was no reason to believe them. Ding Chengzong thought for a while and said happily: "So that's how it is. When a bird of prey is about to attack, it will fly low and fold its wings; when a tiger preys on prey, it must first pounce. I understand."
Zhong Fang hesitated and said: "If we go by what the Holy One said, the Song Dynasty has already begun preparations for the Northern Expedition, and taking such a risk is necessary. However... now that they are at odds with the Liao Kingdom and beg for peace with the Song Dynasty, they will
Will they still agree? Such a good opportunity is rare. If they have the opportunity to directly annex Hexi, why do they need another Xia State that has its own territory and is a nominal vassal? It will be very difficult for Song State to let go."
Yang Hao smiled and said: "It is difficult to say, but it is not difficult. The Liao people are not idiots. How can they let the Song people take Hexi?
The Song Kingdom will have to consider this. But I don’t want to use this method. I have two treasures. One of them, the time has not come yet, and now is not the time to show it. The other one, I just need to use it as a tribute.
With the Song Dynasty, this problem was easily solved."
"First, it can make Zhao Guanjia believe that I am content with a corner of Hexi and have no greater ambitions; Secondly, it can make Zhao Guanjia's ambition expand infinitely and speed up his Northern Expedition; thirdly, and most importantly..."
Yang Hao looked at these two close confidants and said: "At the beginning, I only had Luzhou and Yinzhou, with less than 40,000 troops. Now I have unified the eighteen states in Hexi and have 2 million people under my jurisdiction. From Yumen.
As far as Hengshan, the total number of troops exceeds 200,000. Most of such a huge number of troops are from various forces that accepted the surrender. Now they are just surrendering, not returning home.
Especially the Zhe family army. Commander Zhe is my sworn brother. When I was young, he took care of me in many ways. When I was in danger, he fought side by side. Now he is trapped in Bianran, like a prisoner. I can't take him back.
State, and could not save him from freedom, but for his own safety, he asked
Song Qihe surrendered and declared himself a vassal and paid tribute. How should I explain it to the tens of thousands of soldiers in my family? How would the 200,000 soldiers and soldiers under my command who had received donations from all sides view me? How could I feel at ease and enjoy peace? I want to use this thing.
, in exchange for the freedom of his whole family! "
Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong were both moved after hearing this: "Your Majesty, what kind of treasure is that that has such a wonderful effect?"
Yang Hao smiled and said: "In fact, you have already seen this treasure, but you didn't know what it contained at that time. This thing is the brocade box that Miss Ziyu gave to me last time.
What is hidden in it is... 'Ordered by Heaven, live long and prosperous'... the jade seal passed down to the country."
Zhong Fang and Ding Chengzong were sitting next to him. When they heard this, they all stood up and shouted: "The Jade Seal of the State?!"
Ding Chengzong was surprised and delighted: "The imperial seal? How did such a treasure fall into the hands of the Holy Master?"
Zhong Fang said, "The imperial seal! How can you hand over such a treasure to others?"
Yang Hao sat up straight and said leisurely: "King Zhao of Qin wants to exchange his jade with fifteen cities. Qing Zhong thinks it can be exchanged?"
