Zhao Guangyi turned his head in shock, and before he could say "Who?" out of his mouth, a sharp knife with an ear-tip pierced his throat with a "pop", going straight to the handle.
"Asura Blood Prison, Jiangzhou's hundreds of thousands of wronged souls are waiting for you!"
Zhao Guangyi didn't know when a person appeared next to him. The person was so close that it was impossible to see his face clearly. He only had a pair of eyes, a pair of naturally charming peach blossom eyes, staring coldly with a fierce murderous intent.
he.
Zhao Guangyi's whole body froze, hissing out of his throat, and he could no longer utter a single word. No one knew what he wanted to say, and no one knew what he was thinking. The two pairs of eyes looked at each other like this,
Until his eyes gradually lost their sparkle and completely turned into a dull gray.
At dawn, there was an exclamation from the large tent of the Chinese army, and a pale-faced imperial guard stumbled out. A moment later, the generals from all walks of life rushed towards the Chinese army one by one as if they were impatient.
During the night, no one else was allowed to approach the royal tent except the imperial guards, so the commotion only affected a small area. Even though the soldiers who got up in the morning saw the generals with solemn faces and hurried towards the imperial tent, they would not be much affected.
Think about it. When you meet the emperor, it is usually similar to this. Although today his face is a little heavier and his steps are a little hasty. Who would have thought that the emperor would be decapitated in the midst of thousands of troops?
"How can life be good? How can life be good?" All the generals looked pale and looked at each other in panic. Faced with this situation, no one knew what to do. Even Li Jilong was confused.
"You can't make any noise. At this juncture, you must not make any noise!"
Luo Kedi said in a deep voice, although he has never been loyal to Zhao Guangyi, he gained the trust of Zhao Guangyi, constantly climbed to high positions, and took control of the military. His original purpose was to become Zhou Bo of the Great Song Dynasty, but Zhao Guangyi is Zhao Guangyi, and the great
The Song Dynasty is a great Song Dynasty. At present, the Northern Expedition has failed, and the pursuers are like wolves. They have been chasing after them hard. It is conceivable that the Liao people will soon launch a retaliatory counterattack. Once the news of the emperor's mysterious death spreads
, the Song Dynasty will collapse on its own without attacking.
"That's right, we can't make it public." After being reminded by Luo Kedi, the uncle Li Jilong also came to his senses: "We will not announce the funeral secretly, and retreat as usual. In the name of the Holy One, we will continue to deploy border defense."
A general took courage and said: "General Li, we...are we not going to pursue the murderer of the regicide anymore?"
"Nonsense!" Li Jilong said with a livid face: "How to trace it? Once the murderer is arrested, no one will know about the matter. Could it be said that the assassination of the Holy One was a near-miss? The Holy One never showed up again. You think hundreds of thousands
Are all soldiers idiots?"
The general's rank was not lower than that of Li Jilong, but he was snatched away by Li Jilong, which made him blush. Luo Kedi hurriedly tried to smooth things over and said: "General Qiu, it's not that we are unwilling to track down the murderer, but the pursuit of the murderer is a small matter at this time.
The country and the country are important, and besides, since the assassin sneaked into the Chinese army's tent without anyone noticing, killed the Holy One, and took away
The head must have escaped long ago. Even if it is still there, finding an assassin among hundreds of thousands of soldiers is like looking for a needle in a haystack. How to find it? Furthermore, the most worrying thing is that if the assassin is from Liao, the Liao army will know that the Holy Emperor is dead.
, we will do whatever it takes to pursue him immediately. Don’t talk about looking for the murderer then, we will all stay here."
When Luo Kedi said this, General Qiu couldn't help but change his expression, and he was secretly afraid. Luo Kedi turned to Li Jilong and said: "General Li, there are two important things to do at the moment. First, keep the mourning secret and ensure stability."
Maintain the morale of the army, bring the troops back home safely, and deploy border defenses according to the strategy decided before the death of the emperor to prevent the Liao people from counterattack. The second thing is to protect the remains of the emperor, quietly return to Tokyo, and immediately discuss the establishment of a new emperor in order to stabilize the court.
The two things must be carried out simultaneously. If either of them is delayed, our country, Song Dynasty, will fall into a situation of eternal disaster."
When Li Jilong heard this, he couldn't help but nod his head: "What General Luo said is that the general's position was in chaos, and he did not think carefully enough, and almost missed a major event."
Luo Kedi had no time to be polite to him, and said in a deep voice: "For either of these two things, a senior general must be in charge of it. Luo Kedi presided over the Privy Council, and he did his duty and was willing to take on one thing. The other thing,
It’s up to General Li to take the responsibility.”
Li Jilong wanted to refuse as soon as he heard this, but Luo Kedi stretched out his hand and said: "General Cui, the Marquis of Yu in front of the palace, has not returned yet. You and I have the highest rank in the army. Moreover, this time we were defeated at Gaolianghe and the army has returned.
General Li's command was steady along the way, leaving no opportunity for the Liao people to take advantage of, and minimizing our losses. No matter in terms of official rank or ability, he is worthy of this job. Don't refuse. Just... return the coffin to the capital.
I would like to discuss the establishment of a new leader and take over the military power and guard the border. I would like to ask General Li to choose one of them."
"this……"
The other generals were sincerely convinced of the abilities of these two men. They also knew that this time they were defeated at Gaolianghe. If Luo Ke and Li Jilong hadn't secured the position, the army that could now return south might not have even been able to do so.
We don't have half of them now, so they have no objection to Luo Kedi's proposal, and they all urged: "General Li, please don't hesitate. The situation is urgent. Make a decision quickly."
Li Jilong frowned, pondered for a while, then stamped his feet and said: "Yes, then Li will refuse any more. Jilong is willing to lead the three armies and return south safely, take charge of border defense, return to Beijing with a coffin, and discuss the important matter of establishing a new king.
, there is General Lauro.”
Luo Kedi was startled for a moment, then nodded and said: "Okay, without further ado, we will start taking action immediately."
Luo Kedi originally thought that Li Jilong would choose to support the coffin and return to Beijing. You must know that he is not completely out of danger now, and even if he returns to the territory of the Song Dynasty, he will not be able to relieve himself of his heavy responsibilities. What he will soon face is the counterattack of the Liao army.
It is a heavy responsibility. But returning to the capital to discuss the establishment of a new king is a matter of merit. When the new king ascends the throne, it is the merit of Conglong. You can imagine how another person would choose.
Li Jilong did this because he returned south all the way. Among the generals, only Luo Kedi was the most skillful in deploying troops. He felt some sympathy for him and wanted to give him a more glorious future. Of course, Luo Kedi had a higher official position than him.
Gao, and he is the uncle of the state. If he returns to Beijing at this time, even though everything is for the public good, he will inevitably give people a reason for his relatives to interfere in politics. Anyway, he is already the current queen and will soon become the brother of Empress Dowager Li, no matter how glorious he is.
It's just the icing on the cake, and there's no need to lose such a reputation.
In addition, although it is dangerous to stay, it also means that he has the command of the most elite Forbidden Army and border army in his hands. He has just been promoted by Zhao Guangyi. This incident will be of great help to him in establishing his prestige in the army. He
Leading the army outside, if there is any trouble in the central court, he will be equally important here.
For a moment, Li Jilong was thinking so carefully that his mind was moving very quickly.
At that moment, the two men issued a military order, ordering all the generals and guards in the tent to keep the secret of the assassination of the Holy Emperor, and then immediately make arrangements to break camp and return south for peace.
The army, completely unaware of the inside story, quickly set up camp and set off in a mighty manner. Some people would leave the army and go into the woods in the river valley for temporary convenience. Due to the chaos in the formation of soldiers and horses in each battalion, the generals had secret thoughts and the soldiers
Exhausted, if one or two people occasionally fail to return to the team in time, who will notice?
Bisu used his urine to escape from the team and quietly returned to the place where he camped. After cutting off the enemy's head, he did not take it with him. Instead, he dug a hole and buried the head in it. He wanted to take the head to Shuiyue.
He worshiped in front of his grave. In the place where hundreds of thousands of troops were stationed, they set up camp to bury stoves and dug ditches to set up defenses. He carefully concealed the ground. Who would pay attention to a piece of loose turf.
The Liao army has not caught up yet. It seems that it is getting closer and closer to the Song border. More and more Song armies are converging. The Liao army has gradually given up the idea of taking advantage of its defeat to eliminate its strength. They have to shrink their troops.
While waiting for further news from Shangjing, we are preparing for a major counterattack.
Returning to the place where we camped yesterday, we saw a mess all over the place. Flocks of foraging birds were startled wherever we passed. Occasionally, there were a few wild dogs wandering with their tails between their legs among the piles of garbage abandoned by the Song army. Bisu found him.
The place where the head was buried was found to have been dug up. I couldn't help but feel a move in my heart. I quickly drew my sword and looked around. There was not a single figure in the vast plain.
He dug in the pit, but couldn't find the head. It took him a long time to find the unrecognizable head nearby. He thought it had been dug out and gnawed by wild dogs. It was dripping with blood and was almost indistinguishable. He stayed on the wall and found a broken piece of fur on the ground.
He wrapped the head in a cloth and carried it on his body. He looked up to the sky and laughed three times. He stood there for a long time and then suddenly burst into tears. The sky was high and the clouds were pale, and the fields were vast. On the empty land, only the late autumn wind made him cry.
The sobs spread far away...
It was getting late, and the chill in the wind was a bit heavier. Lin Yuehuan, the deputy commander of Chang'an, rode back to his mansion.
Only a few of the senior generals of the Xiang Army were promoted through meritorious service. Most of the senior generals were airborne officers from the Forbidden Army. He was the luckier one, but the salary of the Xiang Army was only half of that of the Forbidden Army.
Not only in ordinary times, even when performing the same tasks in wartime, the salary of the Xiang Army is half of that of the Forbidden Army, and other benefits of the Forbidden Army are not available at all, so his life is not as good as that of other senior generals of the Song Army.
He is a native of Guanzhong and has a large family to support, which is a heavy burden.
At the moment, there are no Xixia soldiers under Chang'an City, but the news that the Xixia Army defeated Xiao Pass, killed Shang Boqian, and sent troops out of Qishan has come. Maybe early tomorrow morning, Xixia soldiers will appear under Chang'an City. As the deputy capital of Chang'an,
The commander and his immediate superior, Tao Xuanyuan, was an official sent from Bianliang after Zhao Guangmei was executed. He was not very familiar with this place. It could be said that 80% of the defense would fall on his head. How could he not feel a heavy burden?
.
Longguan and Dashanguan have been lost one after another, and Baoji may not be able to be saved. The western barrier of Guanzhong is already under the control of Xixia King Yang Hao. The tribal army of the Eighth clan of Dangxiang has occupied Pingliang, Jingchuan, and Qinzhou. The current situation is unknown.
Now that the Xixia army has broken through the Sanguan Pass, the next target must be Jingzhao Mansion. The two major passes will be broken overnight. Can Chang'an be defended?
In particular, His Highness Prince Qi's paper payment document has now caused a sensation in the world. Not to mention the gentlemen of Jin, even the traffickers and lackeys are talking about it. Each and every one of the things listed above are earth-shattering events and have seriously damaged the Holy Lord.
The Xiang army was mostly soldiers recruited locally and had inextricable ties with the local people. Although they were all restrained in the military camp, they also knew about these things through various channels.
An emperor who had regicide and usurped the throne, and who had gained the throne unjustly, also committed such an unscrupulous act as killing his sister-in-law and harming his nephew. The morale was temporarily low to the extreme. Even if the Xixia soldiers were not so brave, this battle would not be easy to fight...
Lin Yuehuan frowned and walked into the house worriedly. After hearing the news, his wife came out happily and said, "Master, why are you back so late? There are guests at home who have been waiting for you for a long time."
Lin Yuehuan was startled: "Guest? What kind of guest?"
Mrs. Lin said with a smile: "I heard that he is the uncle of the businessman named Hu who used to come to our house often. Sir, is there a businessman named Hu... who hasn't visited our house in nearly a year? This time, he...
My uncle has brought many valuable gifts to our family, including a gray mink fur robe, tsk tsk tsk, it’s so beautiful, I don’t know what I need help from sir.”
"Businessman named Hu?"
Lin Yuehuan's expression suddenly changed, and he couldn't help but panic.
This was a secret that was deep in his heart. No one knew about it. The businessman named Hu was none other than Hu Xi'er, and this Lin Yuehuan was also a senior general of the Guanzhong Local Army whom he had won over.
A great purge was launched, and many officials, both guilty and innocent, were dismissed one after another, but he narrowly escaped disaster.
Because Hu Xier's plan to win over them was actually for the prince Zhao Defang. He didn't want Zhao Guangyi to take advantage of it first, and took advantage of the assassination incident to force Zhao Guangmei to death. Zhao Defang also died on the way, so the matter was left alone. The matter had not yet broken out, and he was doing things again and again.
He was always cautious and did not alert anyone, but unexpectedly a year later, Hu Xier, whose whereabouts had long been unknown, actually sent someone to come to the door again. What was he going to do?
Mrs. Lin was still talking: "Although you have become a high-ranking official, our family has a large population, and the officials and their families are all well-dressed and well-fed, but the slave family doesn't even have a single piece of clothing that can be used. Just this.
Isn't a mink fur robe worth thousands of gold? It seems to be getting cold today. Haha, this winter, the slave family will be able to go out in style. Hey, why doesn't the snow fall..."
"I asked you to say a few words less!" Lin Yuehuan was upset, suddenly stopped angrily, and yelled at his wife.
"What's going on? You lose your temper at people for no reason." Mrs. Lin was stunned and said reluctantly.
"Go, go, close the door tightly, go back to the back house and stay there, don't bother me."
Lin Yuehuan yelled at his wife again, then turned around and left. When he arrived outside the small study room where he was waiting for guests, Lin Yuehuan suddenly stopped, with a gloomy expression on his face for a long time, and then he began to open the curtain and enter.
In the study room, Xi Chuyun was crossing his legs, closing his eyes slightly, and sipping tea leisurely.
When the Song Dynasty attacked the Han Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin accepted Yang Hao's advice and launched a campaign against the Han Dynasty. He moved the Han people away from their homeland. Lin Pengyu, Qin Jiang, Lu Yuxuan, and Xi Chuyun, four famous Han Dynasty figures, were also swarmed by the soldiers.
Later, Yang Hao moved to Luzhou to recruit scholars and select talents. These four were the first people to become his staff.
Now among the four, only Lin Pengyu is the most prosperous. Although the other three also hold very important positions, they are far inferior to him. However, there are only so many official positions in total, and their talents and abilities are not particularly outstanding. Although
His eyes were hot, but there was nothing he could do. This time someone needed to go to Chang'an to be a lobbyist. Xi Chuyun felt that his opportunity had finally come, so he volunteered and entered Chang'an first.
This time, according to the military plan drawn up by the Governor-General and the Minister of War, Longyou is determined to win, while Guanzhong will have to look at the progress of Longyou. If everything goes well, it can only plan for Guanzhong. Otherwise, it is better to seek stability and consolidate Longyou first.
Right. Once you decide to attack Guanzhong, you can only announce your request to Zhao Jiong, otherwise you cannot take this step.
Releasing the "Appeal to Zhao Jiong" is a double-edged sword, which can weaken Zhao Guangyi's ruling foundation to the greatest extent, attack his prestige, and win the hearts of the world. However, once this appeal is published, it will become a fight to the death with Zhao Guangyi, so
The opportunity to publish it will be when the troops leave Qishan and enter Guanzhong. Once this step is reached, there will be no way out.
In the plan, it was prudent to encircle Chang'an without attacking, and first seize its outlying prefectures and counties, and then Tongguan must be captured to block reinforcements from the Central Plains.
Among the four keys to Guanzhong, the east gate is Hangu Pass. Hangu Pass is located in a canyon, as deep and dangerous as a letter. The road is fifteen miles long, with cliffs standing on cliffs, and the valley is shaded by cliff trees, almost without seeing the sun. It is connected to Hengling Mountains in the west and Hengling Mountain in the east.
Juejian is adjacent to the Yellow River in the north and the Qinling Mountains in the south. It is known as the natural danger that "one man can guard the pass, but ten thousand men cannot open it". It is the choke point to Luoyang in the east and Chang'an in the west.
However, although people still mention Hangu Pass when mentioning the Four Keys of Guanzhong, in fact, they really refer to Tongguan. Tongguan was built by Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. After Tongguan was built, Hangu Pass was abandoned. Tongguan Xiong
It is located at the strategic point of the three provinces of Qin, Shanxi and Henan. It is bounded by the Wei and Luo rivers in the north and flows down to the Yellow River. It is surrounded by the Qinling Mountains in the south and has the twelve connected cities of Tongguan. The peaks in the east and south are connected, with deep valleys and cliffs. In the middle, there is a dangerous trail.
Extremely harsh.
By seizing Tongguan, the four passes of Xiaoguan, Dashanguan, Wuguan and Tongguan are obtained. Xiaoguan can guarantee food, grass and weapons, and there will be no hindrance to the flow of reinforcements. Dashanguan and Wuguan can cut off the possibility of the Song army attacking Guanzhong from the direction of Bashu.
, so as long as Tongguan is captured, Chang'an's success is just a matter of catching a turtle in a urn.
However, Yang Hao already knows that Zhao Guangyi defeated Youzhou. Over the years, the Feiyu communication channel that Master Ye has painstakingly laid is a hundred times faster than a light horse. The huge investment of human and financial resources has made him stronger than Bianliang.
It’s still a few days early to grasp the latest battle under Youzhou City.
Report. As soon as he learned the news, Yang Hao knew that Zhao Guangyi would return to his army immediately. Once he returned to the Song Dynasty, God knows whether he would fight against the outside world first or make peace at home first? His original plan was only to seek Longyou and not to invade.
In Guanzhong, I don’t want to publish anything about “Chasing Zhao Jiong’s Prosecution”.
Soldiers are expensive and fast, so Yang Hao decided to divide his troops into two groups. One group would be led by Yang Jiye personally to capture Tongguan, and the other group would be led by himself to directly attack Chang'an. Otherwise, once Zhao Guangyi went crazy, the Sheliao people would attack Guanzhong and guard Chang'an.
military
After all, it is a big trouble to do everything from within. Quickly gaining Guanzhong and settling in Chang'an will not only further undermine Zhao Guangyi's prestige, but also have great significance for the vacillating veterans of the former dynasty such as Zhao Pu, Lu Duoxun, Pan Mei, and Cao Bin.
major.
What Yang Hao didn't expect was that Princess Yongqing, who knew nothing about military affairs and was only limited by her status to observe the battle plan, first naively asked if Chang'an and Tongguan were easy to fight. After receiving a negative answer, she said
several names
, these names were all the names of several major generals in the Guanzhong garrison that the Zheng family had bribed and revealed to her in order to win Yongqing's trust and let her persuade Qi Wang Zhao Defang to flee to Guanzhong. Among them was the deputy commander of Chang'an.
