His eyes turned to Xingqing Mansion, the imperial capital of Xixia.
Li Qingxia received Li Xu's letter from Bianjing and learned that her plan to use Song Ting to contain Yan Yun's troops went bankrupt. She couldn't help but feel worried. She couldn't help but curse Song Ting's monarchs and ministers as useless trash! ! After calming down, they began to think about their next actions. They felt that Zhao Heng had been scared out of his wits by Yan Yun. This time, he was threatened by Yan Yun again. Song Ting had no courage at all. They had no hope! It seems that we can only rely on Tubo. If we can persuade Tubo to send troops, although we can't defeat Yanyun, we should be able to create an invincible and undefeated situation!
Thinking of this, my heart couldn't help but fly to Tubo. He stood up, walked outside the study, stared at the sky in the distance, and couldn't help but murmured: "I wonder how the situation is in Tubo? Has Li Wenchang already persuaded Tubo?" At this thought, I couldn't help but feel anxious. Get up, she is a resourceful person, so she naturally knows that her anxious mood is harmful, but she just can't control it.
Several days passed in Li Qingxia's anxious mood. This morning, while Li Qingxia was handling official duties in the imperial study, a female officer hurried in and reported: "Your Majesty, someone has returned from Tubo!" Li Qingxia was overjoyed, "Hurry up and call him in!"
The female guard immediately raised her voice and said, "Xuan Li Yun is here to see you!" Immediately, such shouts spread all the way from the royal study room to the outside of the palace. Then, a very haggard and embarrassed young man who had been in the dust rushed into the palace and walked all the way. Rushing towards the royal study. Not long after, Li Yun rushed into the imperial study, saw Li Qingxia, fell to his knees with a plop, and cried: "Your Majesty..."
Seeing his appearance, Li Qingxia immediately had a bad premonition in her heart and asked anxiously: "What happened? Where is Li Wenchang?" Li Wenchang was also Li Qingxia's confidant and was the envoy to Tibet this time. messenger.
Li Yun's face was full of grief and anger, "Master Li was killed by them!!" Li Qingxia was startled, "What did you say?" Li Yundao said: "When the master arrived in Tubo, we had a good conversation, but In the middle of the night, many Tubo warriors suddenly broke in. Without any explanation, they killed everyone they saw. Everyone else was killed. Only the villain pretended to be dead and escaped! After escaping, the villain snatched a horse. , I didn’t dare to stop for a moment, and rushed back to report to His Majesty!”
Li Qingxia frowned and looked pale. She held the bookcase shaky with one hand and felt as if her heart was in turmoil. Glancing at Li Yun, "Are you sure it was the Tibetan warriors who attacked you?"
Li Yun was stunned, "They wore the armor of Tubo warriors and used scimitars. They are indeed Tubo warriors!" Then his heart moved and he showed a confused look, "But, thinking about it now, there seems to be something wrong. They, They never said a word, and even though they were wearing Tubo armor, their faces didn't look like the Tubo people I had seen before. They seemed to be more like Han people. !" Speaking of this, I couldn't help but be shocked, and felt something vaguely in my heart.
Li Qingxia frowned and said: "Even if the Tubo people do not form an alliance with us, there is no reason to openly kill my envoys! Humph, this matter is so strange. When you arrive in Tubo, it is very likely that the envoys from Yanyun will have arrived! They found that Tibet was negotiating with us at the same time as they were negotiating with them. They couldn't tell what the outcome would be, so they used this trick so that Tibet had no choice but to act according to their intentions! It's so cunning and cruel. Damn, I still underestimated him!"
Li Yun's mind was very confused and he blamed himself: "The villain is really confused! The villain should have discovered this situation long ago. The villain should not have escaped!" Li Qingxia frowned and said: "What's the use of talking about this now!" After reading it, Li Yun glanced at him and saw that he was in great pain and embarrassment. His resentment could not help but fade away. He said harmoniously: "Okay, don't blame yourself. What you did is not wrong. Go down and rest!" Li Yun responded, stood up, and stepped back with a grin.
Li Qingxia was silent for a moment and said to the female guard beside her: "Call the Generalissimo to me immediately!" The female guard responded and ran down.
Generalissimo Li Zongdao led an army of 300,000 to attack Yinzhou, but was ambushed and defeated, and retreated to Xiazhou. This defeat shocked the whole country of Xixia. Under pressure, Li Zongdao voluntarily resigned from his position as generalissimo and returned to Xingqing Mansion to retire. After Li Qingxia returned to Xingqing Mansion from Bianliang, she secretly went to Li Zongdao's house and had a long talk with Li Zongdao. Soon after, a fierce conflict broke out between the prince and the emperor. At the critical moment, Li Zongdao helped Li Qingxia collect the garrison outside Xingqing Mansion and the most elite Iron Harrier Army, and then entered the city to quell the chaos. Later, he fought with the two The prime ministers all fully supported Li Qingxia's ascension to the throne, which can be said to be the biggest contributor to Li Qingxia's ascension to the throne of emperor. After Li Qingxia ascended the throne of the emperor, she restored Li Zongdao's position. She did this not entirely to reward the meritorious officials. The main reason was that looking at the entire Daxia Kingdom, the only famous general who could command the entire Daxia army was Li Zongdao. So, then Although Li Cunxiao was more talented, he was too young to command the entire army and could not convince the crowd.
Soon after, Li Zongdao hurried to the study and met with Li Qingxia. "Generalissimo, there is no need to be polite! Generalissimo, how many people do we currently have available?"
Li Zongdao thought for a while and said: "Thanks to the military household policy implemented by His Majesty, our army's current total strength has returned to 400,000. However, the number that can truly compete with a powerful enemy is only 200,000. We can still mobilize it when necessary." There are 200,000 civilian troops, but these civilian troops can still be used to defend the city. If they want to fight in the field, I'm afraid it will hinder the main force!"
Li Qingxia stood up, walked to the door of the royal study, and looked at the sky in the distance with his hands behind his back. Li Zongdao stood respectfully behind Li Qingxia, guessing Li Qingxia's intention to summon him this time.
Li Qingxia turned around and looked at Li Zongdao, "If there is a war with Tubo, is the Generalissimo sure of winning?" Li Zongdao was surprised when he heard this, "Your Majesty, do you mean a war with Tubo?" Li Qingxia asked Tell me what happened just now. Li Zongdao was surprised and angry, and couldn't help but cursed: "Yan Yun is really a jackal!" Then he clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, our great enemy is Yan Yun. We should try our best to avoid fighting with Tubo, otherwise Yan Yun will take the opportunity to attack. It’s hard for us to take care of the end!”
Li Qingxia frowned and said: "How come I don't know this truth. But now I'm afraid we can't avoid war just because we want to avoid war." She glanced at Li Zongdao, "As Tubo, they naturally understand the principle of lips dying and teeth cold, but in the face of We are weak and have the opportunity to join forces with Yanyun to carve us up, but it is difficult for them not to be tempted. Originally, the Tubo people were hesitant, but Yanyun's raid on our mission helped them make up their mind!" Li Zongdao He frowned and nodded, "What your Majesty said is absolutely true!" He glanced at Li Qingxia, "But, we have to give it a try. If it is not absolutely necessary, it is better not to fight with Tubo!"
Li Qingxia nodded, "Of course I will send an envoy, but the chance is slim. We must be prepared to solve the problem militarily!" After a pause, she frowned and said, "Why do you place your hopes on something so unlikely?" In terms of diplomatic means, it is better to find ways to use military means to solve the problem!" Li Zongdao was worried and couldn't help but sigh: "How come our Daxia country is facing such a difficult situation!!" Li Qingxia frowned and said decisively : "No matter what kind of crisis we encounter, our Daxia Kingdom will definitely be able to overcome it!" When Li Zongdao heard this, his originally overwhelmed heart couldn't help but calm down. He subconsciously felt that as long as His Majesty the Emperor is around, no matter how big the crisis is, It can also be overcome.
There were rapid footsteps at the door, and the two of them couldn't help but look towards the door, only to see a female guard leading a dusty messenger hurried in. The female guard saluted and said, "Your Majesty, there is an urgent military situation at the border!" After saying that, she stepped aside. The messenger immediately stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, the Tubo army suddenly appeared and is attacking our snow mountain fortress. The general has specially ordered me to come for help!" There is also a large snow mountain between Tubo and Xixia, which is controlled by Xixia. It is the link between the two countries. The dividing line is also a barrier for Xixia to resist Tibetan attacks. Xixia's right wing general Li Cunxiao and his Snow Mountain Army were originally stationed there.
Li Qingxia frowned slightly. Li Zongdao was surprised and couldn't help but said angrily: "I didn't expect them to actually attack! What a bunch of idiots!!" Li Qingxia looked at the messenger and asked: "The Tubo people How many soldiers and horses are coming?”
The messenger said: "It is estimated that it is no less than 200,000." Li Qingxia frowned, and Li Zongdao said worriedly: "The Snow Mountain Fortress only has 30,000 soldiers and horses of Li Fenglong, how can it withstand this! We must send reinforcements immediately!" Li Qingxia thought Li Zongdao stood and said nothing, looking at Li Qingxia anxiously.
Li Qingxia walked to the map, looked at it and thought about it, frowned, and said coldly: "Since the Tibetans are here, don't go back!" Then she gave an order to Li Zongdao. After hearing Li Qingxia's order, Li Zongdao was shocked and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, this is too risky! What if, what if..." Li Qingxia was determined and said calmly: "As of now, only Only by taking a risk can you have a chance to survive, otherwise you will be dead!" He glanced at Li Zongdao and said, "Generalissimo, carry out the order!" Although Li Zongdao felt wrong, he had no better way and sighed, He made a promise and ran down.
Li Qingxia turned around and walked to the desk, picked up an order arrow, walked up to the ordering soldier, handed it into his hand, and ordered: "Go back and tell Li Fenglong to strictly implement the order, otherwise he will be punished by military law!" The ordering soldier held the order arrow. After making a promise, he immediately exited the study and left in a hurry.
Li Qingxia thought for a moment and said to the female guard beside her: "Call Master Zongyuan." The female guard responded and ran down. Soon after, a middle-aged man with a medium build and strong temperament followed the female guard into the royal study. The female guard saluted and said: "Your Majesty, Lord Zongyuan is here." The middle-aged man immediately bowed and said: "Zongyuan pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor!" Li Qingxia glanced at him and said, "No need to be polite, get up and speak." Zongyuan He responded and stood up.
Li Qingxia stood up, walked to Zong Yuan, and asked, "Have any news come back from the spies sent to Yanyun?" Zong Yuan bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, there is news coming back. Everything is normal and there is no abnormal incident. ." Li Qingxia relaxed a little, walked back and forth for a while, stopped, and asked: "Has anything big happened in Yanyun recently?" Zongyuan thought for a while, "It's not that big, only Shandong. A major flood is considered a major event."
"Big flood?" Zong Yuan nodded, "Yes, there has been a big flood in Shandong recently. It is said that the disaster is very serious. For this reason, all parts of Yanyun are raising food and grass to prepare for disaster relief! According to our work in Tianjing New City According to what the spies learned, the scale of the official purchase of grain and grass in Tianjing New City is very large, and I heard that the scale of the purchase in other places is also very large. From these circumstances, it can be seen that the flood in Shandong this time is indeed very serious!"
Li Qingxia felt something was wrong in her heart and asked Zong Yuan, "Have you ever gone to understand the situation in Shandong?" Zong Yuan was stunned, "Understand the situation in Shandong?" He didn't understand what Li Qingxia meant. Li Qingxia frowned and said: "I don't know whether this flood is real or fake. If the flood is a fiction, then what does Yanyun want to do by purchasing so much grain and grass? I have always ignored one thing and only calculated Yanyun's grain and grass. The reserves are insufficient, but I never thought that Yan Yun could use money to buy food from the private sector!"
Zong Yuan was not an idiot. When Li Qingxia said this, he understood what Li Qingxia meant. He was startled and said hurriedly: "I understand, I will do it immediately." Then he bowed to Li Qingxia and walked quickly. left.
His eyes turned back to Tianjing New City.
On this day, Concubine Mu and Chai Yonghui sat together and talked as usual. As they talked, the topic couldn't help but turn to Yang Peng. Concubine Mu asked curiously: "How come you haven't seen King Yan in the past few days?" Chai Yonghui sighed, "There is a big war coming, so brother is naturally very busy!"
Concubine Mu said she heard that there was going to be a big war, and she couldn't help but become nervous and asked, "Who are we going to fight with?" Chai Yonghui said, "I heard that there is going to be a war with Xixia." "Xixia?" Chai Yonghui nodded and said. : "Big brother wants to annex the entire Xixia!"
When Concubine Mu heard this, she couldn't help being shocked and said in a trembling voice: "Annex Xixia?! King Yan, he, he wants to destroy Xixia?" Concubine Mu couldn't help but feel scared. She was kind-hearted and had never thought about destroying the country. Such a terrible thing, secondly, the Song Dynasty has been weak for a long time since the founding of the country. She has never dared to think about destroying other countries. In fact, it is not just her, Mu Guifei, there are thousands of people in the Central Plains. Who dares to think of such a thing? The thing is, the glory of our ancestors has long been forgotten, and the ambition for hegemony has long since ceased to exist.
Chai Yonghui nodded and said: "Brother plans to gather an army of 500,000 to attack Xixia in one fell swoop. I believe that Xixia will cease to exist in a short time!" Concubine Mu couldn't help but said: "This, this is too scary!" She said this As he said that, he seemed to see Yang Peng standing there upright, feeling like a little woman looking up at him at his feet. Thinking about it, I couldn't help but become obsessed.
Chai Yonghui sighed, "Hey, I really envy Han Bing and the others. They can fight on the battlefield with my eldest brother! Sometimes, I really feel that I am so useless. I can only stay in this palace and can't help. !”
Concubine Mu smiled and said, "Who said you can't help me, little sister? Didn't you give birth to a lovely daughter for your eldest brother?" Chai Yonghui sighed, looking even more distressed, "It's okay if my cousin doesn't say this. I feel even more sorry for my brother! I finally got pregnant, and I fully hoped to give birth to a boy so that he could inherit the Chen family, but my stomach failed me, and I only gave birth to a girl! I am really useless, and I can’t help with big things. , even giving birth to children is not as good as others!”
Concubine Mu smiled and said: "You, you are just thinking wildly. Haven't you seen that King Yan likes Rui'er very much? Even King Yan himself said: Boys and girls are both good, but he prefers girls. So don't be alone. I'm thinking wildly here!" Chai Yonghui nodded, but his mood obviously didn't improve at all.
Concubine Mu couldn't help but sigh and said with emotion: "You, I really love King Yan so much! The so-called care is chaos, and that's what you are now!" At this moment, Zhao You and Rui came not far away. The two girls couldn't help but listen to Zhao Youzheng's laughter, and saw Zhao Youzheng and Xiao Rui'er lying on the grass competing to crawl. The two little guys looked very happy. When the two women saw this scene, they couldn't help laughing.
At the same time, Yang Peng and others returned from the military camp and strode into the hall. Yang Peng walked into the hall and sat down, while Han Bing and other generals stood on the left side of the hall. Yang Peng ordered Wang Kai to summon Huang Guang and others and asked Huang Guang: "How is the progress of grain and grass procurement in various places?"
Huang Guang clasped his fists and said: "The procurement of grain and grass in various places is going very smoothly. At present, about 70% of the planned purchase has been completed. It is expected that all the purchase plans will be completed in about a month!"
Yang Peng thought for a moment, then raised his head and said to everyone: "I plan to use troops against Xixia now!" The generals showed excitement, but Huang Guang said anxiously: "King Yan, the purchase of food and grass has not been completed yet!"
Yang Peng said: "The food and grass that have been collected so far is enough for us to launch a large-scale war! Li Qingxia is not an easy opponent to deal with. If we wait for another month, I'm afraid she will find out the clues. Then we will make a surprise attack The advantage is gone! Of course we are not afraid of them Xixia, but if we do that, the lives of many soldiers will be sacrificed in vain!" Huang Guang felt that what Yang Peng said was reasonable, so he did not raise any objections.
Yang Peng glanced at everyone and asked, "Do you have any other opinions?"
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads. Yang Peng looked at Jiang Li beside him. The latter immediately understood, came forward, spread the letter paper for Yang Peng, and then started to polish the ink. Yang Peng said to everyone: "I plan to leave for Datong tomorrow. When I am not here, everything will be handed over to Han Bing. Han Bing can make decisions on the spot and act first!" Everyone agreed in unison.
At this time, Jiang Li had already polished the ink and whispered: "Master..." Yang Peng picked up the brush, dipped it in the ink, quickly wrote a letter, checked it carefully to make sure it was correct, and then blew it dry. Ink, folded and put into envelope. He handed the letter to Jiang Li and said, "Send a courier immediately to deliver it to Yang Yanzhao!" Jiang Li accepted the letter, made a promise, and hurried down.
Yang Peng took out a command arrow, called Wang Kai, threw the command arrow into Wang Kai's arms, and ordered: "Send a messenger to take my command arrow and rush to the headquarters of the Sixth and Seventh Legions immediately, and order them to follow the original plan immediately. Make no mistakes in your actions!" Wang Kai held the command arrow in his fist and promised, bowed and exited the hall, turned around and ran away.
Yang Peng said to Huang Guang: "The follow-up work of purchasing grain and grass must still be stepped up. Once collected, it will be transported to the two battlefields immediately!" Huang Guang promised with his fists clasped. Yang Peng glanced at everyone and said, "If nothing happens, please retreat." Everyone agreed in unison, bowed to Yang Peng, and retreated. Only Han Bing and other Yang Peng's concubines stayed.
Han Bing took a look and said to Yang Peng: "Brother, how about I switch with Sister Yelu? After all, I am better at fighting, and Sister Yelu is more suitable for taking charge of the overall situation!" Yelu Hanyu smiled and said: "How can this be done, please note Jun Wu is joking, since eldest brother has already made a decision, it’s hard to change it overnight!" Han Bing said angrily: "Sister Yelu is so proud!" Yelu Han Bing smiled sweetly.
At this moment, there were rapid footsteps outside the door. Everyone couldn't help but look towards the door and saw Jiang Li leading a dusty officer in. Jiang Li saluted Yang Peng and said, "Master, Lord Fan Yong has sent a messenger back!" After that, she stepped aside. The officer immediately stepped forward and bowed to Yang Peng: "My subordinates pay homage to King Yan!" Yang Peng said: "No need to be polite, how is the situation in Tubo?"
The officer straightened up, clasped his fists and said, "Tubo has sent 200,000 troops and is attacking the snow mountain fortress of Xixia!"
Everyone was overjoyed when they heard this, and Han Bing said excitedly: "Great, this way, it will be easier for us to destroy Xixia!" Yang Jiumei and Yang Erya nodded in agreement, both looking very happy. Yelu Hanyu frowned and said, "That's not necessarily true! Then Li Qingxia is not a simple person. She might have a way to deal with Tubo!" Han Bing disagreed, "Sister Yelu praised that Li Qingxia too much, and now she is like this This situation, no one can get out of the predicament!" Yelu Hanyu didn't say anything, lowered his head and thought.
Yang Peng asked the officer: "Where is Fan Yong now?" "Returning to King Yan, Mr. Fan Yong is still in Tubo. Mr. Fan Yong said that although Tubo has been persuaded to send troops, there is no guarantee that the situation will not change suddenly, so it is necessary to Stay in Tubo and pay attention to the development of the situation so that you can take timely response measures! Mr. Fan Yong also said that he will definitely not let down the great trust of King Yan!"
Yang Peng couldn't help sighing and nodded: "Okay! Fan Yong did a good job!" He glanced at the officer and said: "You rush back immediately and tell Fan Yong to pay attention to safety. If you find something wrong, you must evacuate immediately. I There are still many important things to be entrusted to him, and he can't let anything happen to me!" The officer clasped his fists in agreement, and then said: "If King Yan has no other instructions, I will leave!" Yang Peng nodded, and the officer He bowed to Yang Peng again, then bowed and retreated, then turned around and left quickly.
In the evening of that day, Yang Peng gathered all the concubines for a dinner. Early the next morning, Yang Peng took Yelu Hanyu, Yang Jiumei, Yang Erya, Xuanjia Army, and all the secret guards, and left Tianjing New City for Datong Mansion. Traveling all the way, it took only five days to cross the entire Shanxi and arrive at Datong Prefecture. After receiving the news, Cao Jun led his generals out of the city to greet him, and then the group headed towards the city to camp.
Yang Peng was riding on his horse and saw the desolate scene in Datong Mansion. It was noon, there were not many pedestrians on the broad street, and most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed. He couldn't help but frowned and asked: " Why is Datong Mansion so deserted?"
Cao Jun sighed helplessly and said: "The people all think that Datong Prefecture is the front line, so they are unwilling to come back. Today, the population of Datong Prefecture is less than one-fifth of what it was before."
Yang Peng showed a thoughtful look. After a while, a group of people arrived outside the camp gate. This camp was originally the government office of Datong Mansion, but now it serves as the camp for Cao Jun, the general manager of Yanmen. The group walked through the door and entered the hall. Yang Peng walked to the top and sat down. Yelu Hanyu, who was dressed in military uniform, stood beside Chen Xiao with his sword pressed. The generals stood in the hall and worshiped together: "Meet the King of Yan!"
Yang Peng stretched out his right hand, "You don't have to be polite!" "Thank you, King Yan!" The generals straightened up and retreated to both sides. Yang Peng asked Cao Jun: "Are all the armies ready?" Cao Jun clasped his fists and said, "Report to King Yan, all the armies are already ready, just waiting for King Yan's order!"
Yang Peng nodded, "Very good! Pass the order, and the army will gather outside the city early tomorrow morning and follow me on the expedition!" "Yes!" That night, Yang Peng and his party rested in the camp, and Cao Jun gave up his camp. After he came out, he went to live in the military camp.
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
