New Year's Eve has just passed, and Jingyou's fourth year has come.
Although it is the beginning of spring around the time of Chinese New Year, the temperature has not yet warmed up, and the fresh wind from Hebei still fills the air with a slight chill.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the Constitutional Yuan issued an edict signed by the emperor and accepted by the Constitutional Yuan, summoning Fan Yong, the transfer envoy of Shaanxi, to know Henan, and Fan Zhongyan, the magistrate of Kaifeng, to be the economic envoy of Shaanxi and in charge of the military and civil affairs in Guanzhong.
In addition, Wang Deyong, the official of the Privy Council, was ordered to sign a letter as the chief general. He transferred 20,000 elite soldiers from the imperial army stationed on Gyeonggi Road to march to the northwest and garrison at the border.
According to the current intelligence, Li Yuanhao's troops are by no means more than 150,000, but at least more than 200,000. The Song Army only had about 200,000 troops stationed at the northwest border, and they were stationed in dozens of cities on six routes and four fronts, so their mobility was very poor.
In this case, the Song army could only mobilize tens of thousands of troops for each battle. Therefore, in history, the scale of the Battle of Sanchuankou, the Battle of Haoshuichuan, and the Battle of Dingchuanzhai was not large.
The Song army at Sanchuankou had more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry. In the battle of Haoshuichuan, Ren Fu's troops were less than 20,000, and in the battle of Dingchuanzhai, there were only 9,000.
On the other hand, Li Yuanhao's side, although the total force was slightly less than the Song army, due to the proactive attack and the high mobility of the cavalry, the number of each dispatch could reach 100,000. Each time, more troops were attacked and fewer troops were attacked, and the enemy was surrounded and annihilated by sneak attacks, and achieved victory. Three big wins.
Therefore, Wang Deyong only brought 20,000 forbidden troops there, which was obviously not enough to support the war.
But there is nothing we can do.
There are a large number of imperial troops stationed in the garrison. It was not difficult to mobilize 100,000 troops in the past. What is difficult is that more than 100,000 troops will be added to the northwest. The logistics pressure will be very great. There will be a shortage of food in the border areas, which will add a huge burden to the national treasury.
Therefore, since Li Yuanhao will proclaim himself emperor next year, and the war will not officially begin until the year after next, it is better to send Fan Zhongyan and Wang Deyong there first.
Fan Zhongyan could use this period of time to reorganize the military and civil affairs in the northwest, build water conservancy facilities, and store grain in the rear. On the one hand, fortresses were built in Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Weizhou and other places, and they set up camp step by step to prevent the enemy from entering the country.
These places were later Yan'an in Shaanxi, Qingyang in Gansu, and Guyuan in Ningxia. They were the northwest barriers of the Song Dynasty. They were also the places where the Song Dynasty would face the Battle of Sanchuankou, the Battle of Haoshuichuan, and the Battle of Dingchuanzhai in the future.
As long as these places are defended, war can be expected.
On January 8, the fourth year of Jingyou's reign, after the edict was issued, the Privy Council urgently transferred 20,000 elite troops from Gyeonggi Road to the west of Bianliang City. Two days later, Fan Zhongyan and Wang Deyong officially set off to guard the border.
Zhao Zhen originally wanted to send them out of the city in person, but Lu Yijian, Wang Zeng and others dissuaded him and did not allow Zhao Zhen's Luan Jia to go out in person.
The main reason is that they are worried that the Xixia and Liao spies in the city will learn the information.
Because under normal circumstances, it is common for border troops to rotate, but if the emperor goes to deliver it, then it means that this operation is very important. It is obviously irrational to go out of the city personally when knowing that the other party has spies in the city. .
This would make Li Yuanhao and Yelu Zongzhen alert, thinking that the Song Dynasty might make big moves on the border, which would cause unexpected situations and cause unnecessary trouble.
So in this case, Zhao Zhen could only regret not leaving and let Zhao Jun reward the army and send them out of the city.
On January 8, Zhao Jun had already sent the food and drinks given by the emperor to the army camp, and personally arranged the manpower to distribute the fifty guan of money rewarded to each soldier, and at the same time gave them A day off to allow them to organize their affairs.
When the army regrouped on January 10, some of the soldiers spent their money drinking and drinking, some left it to their families, and some simply took the money with themselves and secretly vowed to go home and get married after guarding the border.
At least these soldiers didn't know that the war was about to start in the future. They thought it was just a normal rotation between the imperial troops stationed on Gyeonggi Road and the border troops, just like in previous years.
Twenty thousand troops gathered outside the West City. All kinds of baggage, food, carriages and horses were ready. The government hired another 30,000 civilians, but the money was not much because they were only sent to Xijing of the Song Dynasty, which was Luoyang. Then Luoyang organized manpower and sent them to Tongzhou.
In this way, people from all over the country only need to travel three to four hundred miles, and they can go back and forth in more than ten days. The government can save a certain amount of money, and the people can use less people's energy to prepare for the upcoming spring plowing.
In the early morning of the 10th, when the sky was just getting dark, Zhao Jun's carriage slowly left Wanshengmen and arrived at the western suburbs of Bianliang.
There is a wilderness in the western suburbs, with farmland, mountains, forests, villages, and rivers. The water of the Bianhe River flows slowly outside the city and into Tokyo. On the wide official road beside the river, it is endless, as if the edge cannot be seen at a glance. Army soldiers.
Fan Zhongyan and Wang Deyong were riding on horseback. The middle and lower-level officers below were scolding and directing the soldiers to line up. Since they had never queued up before, Wang Deyong had to arrange their marching positions first and then send them out again. formation, otherwise it will be a mess.
When the sun had not yet risen, Zhao Jun, Lu Yijian, and Wang Zeng's motorcade came slowly. He had to come to Lu Yijian this time, because it was Fan Zhongyan who was recommended by Lu Yijian, and it was also to eliminate the influence of Fan Zhongyan's hundreds of official plans.
At this moment, Zhao Jun got off the carriage, and using the gray light between heaven and earth, he saw the military formation in the distance that was still in a slightly chaotic arrangement, and couldn't help but frowned.
"I've met Zhiyuan and Tongzhi!"
Fan Zhongyan and Wang De rode their horses to greet them, then dismounted and bowed their hands in salute.
Zhao Jun nodded slightly and said, "You two don't need to be polite."
The two of them looked up.
Lu Yijian said in a deep voice: "The war in the northwest is approaching, and Zhao Yuanhao is still determined to be a traitor. This time the two of you go on the expedition. Your Majesty has deeply entrusted you with your trust. Please do your best."
"yes."
The two bowed again.
Although they are also in high positions, Fan Zhongyan is still an alternate colleague of the Constitutional Yuan, comparable to the deputy prime minister, and concurrently serves as the Economic and Strategic Envoy of Shaanxi, and is the proper military and political leader in Shaanxi.
But obviously Lu Yijian and the others are prime ministers after all, and their status is much higher than them, so they are not as casual as in the Constitutional Yuan.
Lu Yijian was about to speak when Zhao Jun waved his hand and said, "Okay, I won't say much about the situation."
As he spoke, he said to the two of them with a serious face: "The military system of the Song Dynasty resulted in the general having no contact with the officers and soldiers below, and the command imbalance was serious. This is an extremely important issue. You can see for yourselves."
Fan Zhongyan also looked back, but Wang Deyong didn't even look back, but said in a solemn tone: "The lesson learned by the Zhiyuan is that the lower officials must train these soldiers well."
"Um."
Zhao Jun was quite satisfied with his serious and pragmatic attitude and said: "After you go to the northwest, you no longer have to worry about the military affairs of the Privy Council. You can train the soldiers yourself and lead them well. You must complete the reorganization of the soldiers as soon as possible."
"yes."
Fan Zhongyan and Wang Deyong both agreed.
Zhao Jun walked in front. He was becoming more and more prime minister-like at this moment. He was often serious in speech and rarely told Song Dynasty jokes.
Although the Song Dynasty joke is ironic, it is not a good thing to keep Zhao Zhen and others from coming to power.
The great cause of CPU still requires both offense and defense. It is most appropriate to hit a stick and then give a date.
Several people came to the Linchuan Pavilion outside the west city of Bianliang. The pavilion is next to the Bianhe River.
Although it is the beginning of spring, the weather is slightly cold, and the gentle north wind blows, making the sleeves of everyone's loose robes rustle.
Everyone walked into the pavilion. Outside, Di Qing and his battalion were guarding the entire pavilion.
Zhao Jun noticed that Di Qing was also riding on horseback. He was still the commander of the camp and he had not been promoted.
Historically, Di Qing was also transferred to the northwest this year. He was the commander of Yanzhou. He was an officer like a battalion commander and had three to four hundred people under his command.
But Di Qing was able to fight because of his heroic performance among the middle and lower-level officers.
It would not be a good thing if he is promoted rashly and becomes a commander directly without the combat experience of a junior officer.
"Han Chen."
Zhao Jun waved to him and motioned for him to come over.
Di Qing was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly got off his horse and trotted over.
"Zhiyuan."
He said respectfully.
"Just listen and listen."
Zhao Jun said.
"yes."
Di Qing stood aside.
Zhao Jun walked into the hall. There was a stone table in the pavilion.
He took out a map of the northwest, looked around, and said to Fan Zhongyan: "Old Fan, do you remember what I said?"
"yes."
Fan Zhongyan nodded.
Zhao Jun has already mentioned the problems of the war between Song and Xia, such as too long peace, lax armaments, corrupt military system, unclear thinking, lack of maneuverability, strategic passivity, etc.
Since Wang Deyong and Di Qing were still present, the reasons for these failures will not be mentioned.
Zhao Jun pointed to the map above and said: "Li Yuanhao is about to establish his country, and war between the two sides is inevitable. I have already analyzed the disadvantages between us, so I won't go into details. This time I will talk about the advantages."
"Advantage?"
Everyone looked at each other. This issue had actually been discussed repeatedly before, and the advantages were obvious. First, they were prepared in advance and well prepared. Secondly, there is the advantage of military strength, which can be dispatched in advance.
Are there any other advantages now?
"I have looked at the terrain repeatedly and found that our advantage lies in the geographical location. On the side of the Hexi Corridor in the north, the Qilian Mountains separate Xixia, the Song Dynasty, and Tubo; between the Yellow River and the Hexi Corridor is a vast desert; in the south are the Liupan Mountains, The Hengshan Mountains form the Northern Shaanxi Mountains and separate the Guanzhong Plain from the Northern Shaanxi Moraine."
Zhao Jun drew a circle on the map and said: "So when we deploy troops between the Song Dynasty and Xixia, we should focus on the four areas of Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Weizhou and Xizhou. Because if it is deployed elsewhere, To fight, we have to cross a series of mountains and deserts, and the cost and efficiency are too high."
"Um."
Fan Zhongyan nodded slightly. He had never actually been to the northwest, but he had repeatedly studied the map of the northwest in recent months, and also asked generals who had been stationed in the northwest to inquire about the situation, so he naturally knew this aspect.
Zhao Jun said before that the three battles with Xixia all took place in this area.
For example, the Battle of Sanchuankou took place in Yan'an Prefecture, Yanzhou, and later to the west of Yan'an City. The Battle of Haoshuichuan took place in the Anhua area of Weizhou, later northwest of Longde County, Ningxia. The battle of Dingchuanzhai took place in Zhenrong, north of Weizhou, and later in Guyuan, Ningxia.
To the north is the Ningxia Plain, which is also the area around Yinchuan City in later generations. It is an endless plain area, and to the south is backed by high loess slopes. It is a hilly and mountainous area that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Judging from the strategic layout of the Song Dynasty, the defense in this area is a bit like the Ming Dynasty's nine-sided defense system and the Guanning Brocade Defense Line.
Use fortress defense and adopt a defensive posture to prevent the northern nomads from moving south.
Zhao Jun said in a deep voice: "Since we occupy high slopes and hills and guard various passes and arteries, it is obviously impossible for them to complete the strategic goal of Kou Lue Pass. The logistics will definitely not be able to keep up, so the best way is actually to It’s just a defensive counterattack.”
"Yes, this is exactly what we discussed at the beginning."
Fan Zhongyan said.
They had studied the northwest strategy many times before, and finally figured out the defensive counterattack style.
But at this moment Zhao Jun said: "There is no problem with this strategic idea, but have you noticed that just because we occupy mountainous and hilly terrain, the Xixia army cannot keep up with the logistics when it goes deep, so we can only use mobility to carry out operations A sneak attack cannot shake the foundation of Shaanxi, but for us, isn't it the other way around?"
"What does Zhiyuan mean?"
Wang Deyong looked at the other party in surprise. He had vaguely guessed Zhao Jun's intention.
"Offense is the best defense!"
Zhao Jun said categorically: "Our terrain advantage is that it is easy to attack and defend. If we retreat, we can return to the pass, and if we attack outward, we can directly penetrate the grasslands of Xixia. If we in the Song Dynasty have an elite cavalry with ten days of dry food, we can take advantage of Li Yuanhao's When the army moves south, it will definitely cause Li Yuanhao to suffer heavy losses if he attacks the various tribes in the north!"
Take the initiative?
Fan Zhongyan was stunned for a moment, as were Lu Yijian, Wang Zeng and others around him.
This has never happened since Taizong.
Because Yongxi's Northern Expedition to Zhao Guangyi was defeated and the donkey cart escaped, the Song Dynasty never dared to take the initiative again.
The current situation in Xixia is due to Li Yuanhao's efforts to manage it. Xixia's military strength is very strong. If they attack at this time, they may not be able to gain favor.
But Fan Zhongyan did not think that Zhao Jun was a scholar, so he nodded and said: "After going to the northwest, I will carefully investigate the terrain to see if I can gather a group of elite cavalry to complete the commission from the Imperial Academy."
"I don't know how to command remotely. I'm just giving you a suggestion. I hate that without Huo Qiaoqi in the Song Dynasty, eight hundred people can run rampant in Mobei!"
Zhao Jun sighed, then looked at the crowd and said: "But I still say that, it is not wise to be beaten passively. Sometimes taking the initiative is also a strategy, but the prerequisite is to detect the intelligence well and not blindly, guerrilla tactics The meaning of this is to use mobility and intelligence to catch them off guard, and this is also the method Li Yuanhao will use!"
Do you hate me for not having Huo Huoqi in the Song Dynasty?
The speaker has no intention, the listener has intention.
Di Qing, who was next to him, suddenly remembered the secrets of the art of war that Zhao Jun once taught him, and he thought deeply about it for a moment.
I see.
It was for this reason that the Zhiyuan had spread its own guerrilla warfare methods.
Di Qing felt that he had a heavy responsibility for a moment. The Imperial Academy compared him to Huo Qiaoqi, and he felt the pressure rushing towards him.
The time was quickly approaching Chen hour.
Seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Jun didn't elaborate any more. What needed to be said had already been said.
The Song Dynasty's passive defeat would only encourage Li Yuanhao's arrogance. He hoped that Fan Zhongyan could achieve certain results in the northwest, not just repel the invading enemies.
But it is a pity that with the armament situation of the Song Dynasty, it is obviously difficult to achieve the effect of Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty.
So Zhao Jun could only mention it this way.
Whether it can be achieved depends on whether Fan Zhongyan can seize the opportunity keenly.
I hope Lao Fan can succeed.
Zhao Jun waved goodbye to everyone and gave him wine before leaving. Looking at the retreating figure of the army, he thought to himself.
(End of chapter)
