Cao Yong summoned the generals to the big tent to discuss the march. A skinny general said worriedly: "The Tubo army has been destroyed and Chengdu has fallen. Our army is now alone in the deep situation! If Yanyun's army turns around, our army will be in danger! Yanyun tigers and wolves are invincible. Even if the opponent's troops are not as strong as ours, it will be difficult for our army to win. However, according to intelligence, the Yanyun army entering Sichuan has more than 200,000 troops, twice as many as mine. If they are killed, I am afraid that it will be difficult for us to retreat intact. We can do it!" All the generals agreed, looking very worried.
Cao Yong glanced at the generals and said angrily: "As generals, how can you be so fearful of the enemy that your own prestige will be destroyed by the ambition of others!"
One of the generals cupped his fists and said: "General, it's not that we are afraid of the enemy. It's because the Yanyun Army is so famous that we have no choice but to be afraid! I won't say anything else, but not long ago, the Khitans united with the Japanese and surpassed the enemy. A million-strong army took advantage of the great natural disaster in the Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture to invade Yanyun. Under such circumstances, everyone thought that Yanyun could not at least defend the Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture! But who knew that Yanyun's 400,000 soldiers and horses insisted on fighting continuously? Lian Jie, not only annihilated hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops, but also severely damaged the Khitans! Not only did the Khitans fail, but they also lost the prefectures and counties west of Longmen Mountain! Although Yanyun's losses were not small, his gains were even greater! Four hundred thousand After defeating nearly a million people, the strategies they displayed were not much better than their opponents, but their invincible and invincible combat power was extremely frightening!"
All the generals agreed, and one general clasped his fist towards Cao Yong and said: "General, our strategy will not be higher than that of the Yanyun Army, and the combat effectiveness of the soldiers cannot be compared with the Yanyun Army. It is easy to seize Fuzhou in front of us. I'm afraid that once the Yanyun Army comes over, our army will turn victory into defeat!" The generals all agreed again. Everyone said that the Yanyun Army was invincible and should retreat immediately instead of confronting the Yanyun Army!
Cao Yong saw that all the generals were frightened before they even met Yan Yun's army. He was very angry and shouted: "Don't forget that you are the generals of the Song Dynasty! How can you be so cowardly!" The generals also felt a little ashamed. , lowered his head.
Cao Yong stood up and said loudly: "From ancient times to the present, the first thing we have to rely on in fighting is Haoran's righteousness! We are the royal masters of the imperial court, and we are fighting against rebellion. We are justified! Yan Yunjun is a minister, but he commits rebellion. This is Those who go against nature and betray morality will definitely be inferior to our army in terms of momentum! This is 'Dao Sheng'! The people of Sichuan have been among the kings for a long time, and the vast majority of them are loyal to the court and will definitely support us in stamping out the rebellion. This This is a 'people's victory'! However, Yanyun's army lacks food and grass, but rashly mobilizes troops to fight in a place with steep mountains and rivers and where the people are unpopular. It will definitely take a long time, and if the food and grass are not available, it is bound to lose! This is a 'powerful victory'! I With these three victories for the army, we can say that we are sure of victory, so what do you have to worry about?"
After hearing what Cao Yong said, the generals couldn't help but regain their confidence, and they felt that they had a sure victory.
The skinny general clasped his fists and said, "What the general said is absolutely true, but the Yanyun Army has already destroyed the Tibetan army and captured Chengdu. Our army is alone and it may be difficult to win!" Only then did the generals think of this! Everything made them worried again.
Cao Yong said: "This is another thing I want to say." He glanced at the generals and asked angrily: "You actually believe what that rebellious Zheng Tai said?" Everyone looked at each other, confused for a moment. The meaning of the general.
Cao Yong said: "If I were Zheng Tai, and the Yanyun army had indeed destroyed the Tubo army and captured Chengdu, I would not tell it, but would induce our army to attack Fuzhou to delay our army. Wait until Yanyun Yun's army suddenly arrived, and our army was completely unprepared. Is there any reason to be invincible? Then Zheng Tai said this out loud on the city gate tower today, clearly fearing that others would not know, which makes people doubt that he is. You're bluffing!" All the generals felt that what Wu Lin said was reasonable and couldn't help but nodded. A general asked: "Did Zheng Tai just want to scare us away with empty words? In fact, the Yanyun Army did not wipe out the Tubo people, let alone occupy Chengdu?"
Cao Yong nodded, "That's right!" He glanced at the generals and said earnestly: "Everyone, as generals of the imperial court, your majesty has treated me with great kindness. This is our chance to serve the imperial court and your majesty. , we must try our best to die in a bloody state!" The generals were touched by his loyalty, and an impulse surged in their hearts, and they couldn't help shouting in unison: "Repay the emperor's kindness, even if you die!"
When Cao Yong saw that all the generals were united, he couldn't help but feel relieved and said excitedly: "I, Cao Yong, am very lucky in this life to be able to live and die with all the generals!" The generals excitedly clasped their fists and said, "I will follow the general to the death!"
Cao Yong nodded heavily. He walked quickly to the map, pointed at Fuzhou and said: "Fuzhou is a key node. If we can capture Fuzhou, we can directly threaten the hinterland of Sichuan, and the situation will open up! So what we have to do is capture it as quickly as possible." Fuzhou!" He turned around, glanced at the generals, and said, "I took a closer look today and found that there were only Xiang troops and government officials on the walls of Fuzhou, and there were not many of them! These people are not good at fighting, and they will definitely We thought that our army was tired from coming from afar and would definitely need to rest tonight, so we would relax our vigilance. We will take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness tonight, use our elite troops to climb up the city wall and seize the city gate, and then rush in with a large army to seize the city in one fell swoop!" Generals They agreed in unison.
As night fell, the Xiang troops and government officials on the city wall all staggered around, and most of them went fishing with Duke Zhou. A patrol team returned to the city gate tower and changed shifts. Another patrol team yawned and walked out of the city gate tower. The group walked along the city wall for a while, and when they came to a deserted corner at the corner, the team leader stopped and said: "Okay, okay, everyone, sit down. Come down and rest!" He said and sat down first. The patrols were eager to sit down immediately.
The youngest soldier was a little worried and said: "Boss, our character is on patrol, wouldn't it be bad if others saw it?" The squad leader laughed and said: "You are such a fool! If only the orders from above were obeyed honestly If we execute, we will die from exhaustion!" All the soldiers laughed, and the soldier felt a little embarrassed. The squad leader said: "Don't worry, the people above have been sleeping for a long time. No one will come to see us in the middle of the night. It feels so comfortable to hold the beauty in your arms!" The soldiers laughed ambiguously. The squad leader leaned against the wall with his spear in his arms, closed his eyes, and said, "Get some sleep, and then go back and change your shift! You have to enjoy your life!" The soldiers laughed and laughed, and followed suit. After a while, they started snoring. One after another.
At the same time, hundreds of miles away in Chengdu.
Accompanied by Nuan'er, An Qian stood in a pavilion of the palace. Under the pavilion was the meandering river, reflecting the stars and moon in the sky with sparkling waves. An Qian looked at the beautiful scenery of the country at night, and couldn't help but feel proud in her heart.
A palace maid hurriedly came to the pavilion and bowed Yingying: "Miss Qi, Mr. An Bing brings you." Palace maids are the maids placed in the palaces by the imperial court. In ancient times, the emperors would place enough palaces in palaces all over the world. A large number of palace maids were provided to facilitate the emperor's visit and serve him in his daily life. After Yan Yun's army occupied Chengdu, the palace became the spoils of war for Yan Yun's army, and the maids in the palace, Chen Xiao had not had time to deal with them, still lived in the palace. For them, whether it was the Zhao family's world or not, There is no difference in Yanyun's world.
When An Qian heard the palace maid's report, she turned around and saw that her uncle, who had always been aloof and aloof before, was standing outside the pavilion with great respect, not even daring to look at her. An Qian's eyes showed a proud look as she said, "Uncle, you're fine!"
An Bing hurriedly stepped forward and paid homage: "The common people have seen the empress, and the empress is a thousand years old!" An Qian has not yet been canonized, so it is a bit inappropriate to call her like this. An Qian felt a sense of revenge in her heart and walked to the stone table to sit down. He glanced at An Bing, who was lying on the ground, and said with a smile: "Uncle, there is no need to be polite, please get up!" An Bing thanked him quickly, stood up, and stood with his head bowed.
An Qian said: "I have heard about uncle! In fact, according to uncle's crime, he will end up like Zhou Rong, but my eldest brother is extra merciful for my sake!" An Bing quickly thanked: "Thank you for your kindness!" An Qian said calmly: "Uncle, there is no need to say thank you! You and I are relatives, and I can't just ignore death!" She glanced at An Bing, "Actually, this situation is very difficult for uncle. It might not be a bad thing to say, as the saying goes, 'a thousand pieces of gold is gone but it comes back again'!"
An Bing bowed and said, "Thank you for your teachings, your Majesty, the common people will remember it!" Then he said mysteriously: "My Majesty, the common people have something from the bottom of their hearts that they want to say to your Majesty!" An Qian understood and said to the palace ladies: "You all step aside. Come on!" The maids agreed and retreated. Only An Qian, the maidservant, and An Bing were left at the scene.
An Qian said: "Uncle, just say it if you have anything to say." An Bing clasped his fists and said: "Empress, the affairs of the palace have always been very difficult! Although the empress is favored by King Yan, in Yanyun It can be said that the government and the public have no foundation. I don’t think any of the concubines in King Yan’s harem are well-established. If someone with no foundation like the empress enters the harem, I’m afraid she will be easily excluded!”
An Qian said: "I have already thought of this, so I have become sisters with Luo Yanran. We support each other and believe that we can cope with any situation!" An Bing shook his head and said: "It's not enough, this is far from enough. ! Although the empress is very talented, she doesn’t know much about the affairs of the palace! From ancient times to the present, for a woman to gain a foothold in the king’s harem, she must do three things!”
After An Qian heard what An Bing said, she couldn't help but become curious and asked: "What three points are they?" An Bing said: "First, of course, you need to get the king's love. It is difficult for a woman to get it for a long time just by her appearance. Beloved, you must know which of the concubines around the king is not a stunning beauty. If you rely solely on appearance, the king will become bored once the novelty wears off! Therefore, if you want to be favored by the king for a long time, you must do what the king likes. , the king will do whatever he likes, and must not be willful; secondly, do not rely on pampering to make you spoiled, you should try your best to make good friends in the harem, and help other concubines if you have the opportunity. If you are popular, you will be the empress. There will be more people who say good things, and King Yan will naturally hear these words, and he will naturally love the empress even more;"
An Qian said: "I know the first two points you mentioned, but I don't know what the third point is?" An Bing bowed and said: "The third point is actually more important than the first two points in many cases. This is power! An Qian showed confusion, "Power?"
An Bing said: "Your Majesty, you should have heard about the famous princesses around King Yan?" An Qian nodded: "Of course I have, and people who do good things have made up many stories. What about Princess Han Bing? Princess Yelu, Princess Yonghui, and Princess Zhao, all of them are amazing!"
An Bing said: "Princess Han Bing is one of the several military commanders under King Yan. She often stays in Tianjing New City for King Yan. She has a high position and has a huge influence in the military and political affairs. Princess Yelu is also the military commander. She has the title, and many members of her Yelu clan have held important positions in Yanyun's military and political affairs during the two periods; Princess Yonghui is Chai Yongqi's younger sister, and the King of Yan was Chai Yongqi's subordinate at first, so although she does not have any position, her influence cannot be underestimated. Contempt; and Princess Yeqi, although she has a lot of power compared to the above three, she has now been appointed by King Yan as the general manager of the Huaihe Marching Army. She holds a heavy army and has considerable power! Your Majesty, with these four Bi, I wonder what the empress has mastered?"
An Qian frowned, feeling worried. An Bing saw An Qian's expression in his eyes and said, "My empress is not without any advantages. At least my empress and Miss Luo's ability and influence in the business world are something that other princesses do not have! If the two empresses can do anything for Yan The prosperous market fills the national treasury, and the influence is also very huge!" An Qian smiled happily, nodded in sympathy, then frowned and murmured: "I am afraid that the influence in the business world alone is not enough, it is best to have influence in the political and military circles. my people!"
When An Bing heard this, he felt that he was getting what he wanted. He quickly clasped his fists and said, "What the empress said is absolutely true! Now there is a chance!" An Qian looked at An Bing and understood immediately. She smiled and said, "It turns out that uncle hasn't given up yet. !" An Bing solemnly clasped his fists and said: "My Lady, if ordinary people can enter the officialdom again, they will serve you wholeheartedly! As long as your Majesty has a destiny, ordinary people will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
An Qian naturally would not believe An Bing's oath, but she felt that having her own people in the local area would be very beneficial to consolidate her position. As soon as he thought about it, he said: "You are my uncle, so I will naturally help you!" Seeing that An Qian agreed, An Bing was overjoyed and thanked her.
An Qian waved her hand and said, "Why don't you thank me first? My eldest brother is completely different from other kings. Although he dotes on me, he will not reinstate you just because of my words. You must make a decision." It’s all about credit! As long as you make contributions and I’ll talk about it again, things will definitely work out!”
An Bing said distressedly: "But now I am a commoner, even if I want to make contributions to King Yan, I can't do it!" An Qian said: "Although my eldest brother has occupied Chengdu, most of the prefectures and counties in Sichuan have not surrendered. Uncle Many of my friends and confidants are either prefects or county magistrates, why not persuade them to surrender immediately? Although it is the general trend to surrender to Yanyun, if my uncle had lobbied first, who would dare to say that their surrender to Yanyun was not his credit?" An Bing heard this. When An Qian mentioned his friends and cronies, her eyes lit up. When An Qian finished speaking, she said excitedly: "Your Majesty's words will wake you up in your dream! I will surrender them in the name of your Majesty. There is no way they won't come." It makes sense! Just like what the empress said, it is the inevitable trend to defect to Yanyun now!"
An Qian smiled slightly and said, "Without further delay, uncle, go ahead and don't let others get ahead of you!" An Bing promised repeatedly, bowed to An Qian, and left in a hurry. Nuan'er couldn't help but said: "Master Bo seems to have become a slave!" An Qian pursed her lips and smiled, and said proudly: "Isn't he just a slave now!" Then he saw Luo Yanran, the master and the maid, approaching, He hurriedly greeted her, held Luo Yanran's delicate hand, and said affectionately: "Sister, I was just going to find you!" Luo Yanran said: "I heard that my sister's uncle was gone, so I came to find you! Anxi laughed and said, "I thought my sister was accompanying my eldest brother!"
Luo Yanran sighed quietly, "Brother, he is no longer in Chengdu!" An Qian was very surprised and asked quickly: "Brother, where has he gone?" Luo Yanran said: "I didn't ask in detail, and I don't know what happened. Where have you gone? But I heard that General Zhan Jin and his Xuanjia Army, as well as all the light cavalry of the Ninth Legion, are also leaving with my eldest brother!" An Qian said: "We still don't want to worry about the war. There's no point worrying about it! And it's scary to think about that kind of thing, so we'd better not think about it!" Luo Yanran nodded with deep sympathy, looked at An Qian, and asked, "My sister is in good health. "?" An Qian said with a smile: "It's fine a long time ago!" The two walked into the pavilion hand in hand, looking at the scenery in the distance. Luo Yanran looked at the night scenery in front of her, and couldn't help but recite the poems of her predecessors:
"When does the moon come in spring? I'll stop drinking today and ask. People can't catch the bright moon when they climb up, but the moon travels with people. It's as bright as a flying mirror approaching Danque, and the green smoke extinguishes all the clear brilliance. But I see the night rising from the sea. Come, I would rather know to disappear into the clouds. The white rabbit makes medicine, autumn returns to spring, who is Chang'e living alone next to? People today can't see the moon in ancient times, but this moon used to shine on the ancients. People in ancient times and today are like running water, and they all see the bright moon like this. I only wish When singing and drinking, the moonlight always shines in the golden cup."
An Qian couldn't help but admired: "Sister, you are so talented! My sister is ashamed in front of you!" Luo Yanran smiled and said: "Sister, I'm so grateful. This poem was not written by me, but a famous line by Li Taibai. ." An Qian suddenly understood and said: "Even so, I admire you very much!"
Luo Yanran said: "Actually, poetry and songs are just for entertainment and are of no use. Brother, he doesn't like those so-called talents." An Qian smiled and said: "Really? But I hear many people care about it. The eldest brother is called a great talent!" Luo Yanran looked at An Qian and asked, "Sister, have you heard about it too?" An Qian nodded, looked into the distance, and sang a cappella. The melody was so beautiful and melodious that it was given to her by Yang Peng. "Is My Daughter Beautiful" by Guanyin.
Luo Yanran showed a look of intoxication. When An Qian finished singing, she smiled and said: "Sister sang so well, so lingering and graceful that people couldn't help but be intoxicated by it!" An Qian said happily: "Sister, thank you!" Luo Yanran said. : "This song was given to Princess Wanyan by my eldest brother!"
An Qian heard about this for the first time, and she couldn't help but sigh, and said dreamily: "If eldest brother can also give me a song, I will have no regrets in this life!" Luo Yanran couldn't help but look forward to it.
His eyes turned back to Fuzhou.
There was silence on the entire city wall. The Xiang army officers and government officials were sleeping here and there, and snoring could be heard one after another on the city wall. The patrol team was sleeping soundly, and some of them were talking in their sleep. kill……! Oh no, the Song army has entered the city! The murderous shouts suddenly broke the tranquility of the night, and all the patrols woke up one after another. They saw the city gate with lights burning in the sky, and the large group of Song troops surged in like a tide, and the shouts shook the heaven and the earth! The patrols were so frightened that they were at a loss what to do!
The captain reacted first and shouted: "Run!" He threw away his weapon and ran along the city wall towards the north gate where there was no movement. At this time, all the Xiang troops and government officials were running around. Those who escaped from the city fled out of the city, and those who hid in people's houses hid in people's houses. There was no resistance at all. As the prefect, Zheng Tai had already fallen asleep when he suddenly heard that the Song army had entered the city. He was so frightened by the news that he didn't even bother to dress, so he rushed out of his bedroom in his pajamas, mounted his horse, and fled in a hurry toward the west city gate, leaving behind his wife, concubines, children, and all his family property.
In less than half an hour, the Song army led by Cao Yong almost captured the extremely important city gate Fuzhou without a single blow.
Cao Yong occupied Fuzhou and immediately ordered a force of 10,000 troops to guard Fuzhou. He then ordered his trusted general Xue Tongshan to march 60,000 troops along the Min River to Chengdu with great fanfare. He himself led another 30,000 elite troops to the northwest. It goes straight to Chengdu along Hezhou. His plan was to use Xue Tongshan's troops to attract the opponent's attention, while he used 30,000 elite troops to surprise Chengdu! Wu Lin estimated that even if the situation in Sichuan was not as good as what Zheng Tai said, it would not be much better. Therefore, if he wanted to turn the situation around and turn defeat into victory, he would have to win by surprise. He estimated that no matter who controls Chengdu now, as long as he knows that his side has captured Fuzhou The news that the army is approaching will definitely not sit still, and the main force will be mobilized to fight. In this way, Chengdu will be empty. Thirty thousand elites will be caught by surprise and they will definitely succeed in one fell swoop! As long as Chengdu is captured, the situation will immediately become favorable to our own side. As long as a follow-up army comes, we can definitely retake the entire Sichuan!
Yang Peng led seven thousand war cavalry on the road day and night, and his destination was Fuzhou. Many generals and officials advised him not to go in person, but for an opponent like Cao Yong, he did not dare to be careless. Only by coming in person could he rest assured.
Cao Yong led 7,000 cavalry across Mianshui, and then went south along the east bank of Mianshui until they reached Fushun (now Fushun, Sichuan). As soon as they arrived in Fushun, they received an urgent report from the front. Fuzhou had been lost and the Song army was advancing westward. Yang Peng smiled and said, "What a great Cao Yong, he is indeed extraordinary!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
