The news that Yanyun's army was approaching Jinling reached Jinling, and officials and people were panicked. In the palace hall, Zhao Heng urgently summoned the officials to discuss matters. Privy Council envoy Wang Qinruo said: "Your Majesty, Yanyun is invincible to tigers and wolves, so the plan now is to negotiate peace with them! Earlier when the Khitan people went south, they saw that the world was about to overthrow, and it was with the plan of peace that they finally averted the danger!" Zhao Heng said! When Yang Peng was preparing for the southern expedition, he took all the civil and military officials south and settled in Jinling. Zhao Heng had built a palace in Jinling a few years ago. He was also afraid that Yang Peng would suddenly attack Bianjing.
The ministers were talking a lot, and judging from their looks, many of them obviously agreed with Shen Yuqiu's strategy.
Kou Zhun said: "This is simply not feasible!" Everyone looked at him and heard him continue: "If King Yan is willing to accept the peace negotiation, my previous mission to Tianjing New City will not return without success. Come on! The condition we offered is half of the taxes in Jiangnan. He didn't agree to such a condition. What other conditions can we put forward? If the condition is higher than half of the taxes in Jiangnan, wouldn't it mean that half of the country in Jiangnan is half of the country? If so, it is not a peace negotiation, but It’s surrender!”
After hearing what Kou Zhun said, everyone felt very depressed, and Shen Yuqiu had nothing to say for a while. An old man standing at the left head, leaning on a cane, bowed at the waist, with snow-white beard and hair, squinting his eyes, like a longevity immortal, said: "I think it is absolutely impossible to negotiate peace with that evil thief who has deviated from the orthodox and perverted ways!" This old man's name is Huang. Cong was a famous Confucian in the Jiangnan area, with outstanding prestige. Many officials in the Jiangnan officialdom and many famous talented Confucian scholars were his disciples. This man could definitely be regarded as a Confucian giant with many peaches and plums all over the world. Zhao Heng visited the Huawu three times and finally invited him out. He was really overjoyed. Liu Bei had the intention of visiting the thatched cottage three times to get Zhuge Liang, so he immediately made him the grand master of the dynasty, and he was especially respectful.
When everyone, including the emperor, saw Huang Cong speaking, they all showed respect and wanted to see what he had to say.
Huang Cong said: "As human beings, we must not only maintain orthodoxy, but also uphold the right way! The orthodox are your majesty's country in the Song Dynasty. The right people are the way of the saints! That Yang Peng, named Song Chen, is actually a thief of the Song Dynasty and the emperor of the Song Dynasty. Lu, but he has sinister intentions, he is really a rebellious minister; and since he occupied the Central Plains, he has turned evil and evil, destroyed the right way, does not obey the saints, and does not follow the great road. He can be called a monster. Under his rule, China will surely fall into eternal disaster. Situation!" At this point, he paused, glanced at the emperor and the ministers, and said with dignity and dignity: "Everyone, we are ministers of the Song Dynasty. It is said that we eat the emperor's salary and worry about the emperor. When this orthodoxy is in crisis, It is time for people of our generation to unite as one and overcome the difficulties together! This is not only to maintain orthodoxy, but also to maintain the righteous way of the saints! If we sit back and watch the evil thief sit in China, China will surely fall into eternal darkness and sink forever. ! It is our unshirkable duty to defeat the rebellion of King Yan and preserve the righteous path of the saint! Since ancient times, good and evil have not coexisted, and light and darkness have not coexisted! Either King Yan will be destroyed, or we will be martyred!"
Huang Cong spoke impassionedly, and everyone could not help but be moved by it. However, after the excitement, they all felt excited. It’s easy to say grandiose words, but how to actually do it? Fight to the end with Yan Yun, but does our side have the ability? That Yan Yun is a fierce tiger and a wolf, unrivaled by anyone in the world! Can you resist it with your own strength? If Cao Yong and Cao Hu can withstand Yan Yun's massive attack, but if they can't, what will they do? Everyone couldn't help but change their colors when they thought of the horror.
Huang Cong glanced at everyone and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, with our own strength, it is indeed difficult to fight against the rebellious Yang Peng and deal with the Eighth Prince. Therefore, I suggest that we should unite with the Khitan people! Although the Khitans negotiated peace with Yan Yun, they were forced to do so by the situation. The Khitans fought countless bloody battles with Yan Yun and suffered heavy losses at the hands of Yan Yun. They must have hated Yan Yun deeply and wished to eat his flesh. And sleeping on its skin! The Khitan envoys came to Jinling, which proves this point!" Not long ago, the Liao State envoys came to Jinling and euphemistically expressed their willingness to join forces with the Song State to deal with Yan Yun. At that time, Yan Yun's army had not yet Zhao Heng was hesitant to move south in a big way.
Everyone started talking in low voices, and the emperor couldn't help but be moved. He asked Huang Cong: "Grand Master, can we deal with Yan Yun by joining forces with the Liao Kingdom? The Khitan people are always defeated by Yan Yun!"
Huang Cong said: "The reason why the Khitans were defeated before can be said to be due to carelessness and underestimation of the enemy. It was not the fault of war! The situation is different this time. The Khitans will use all their strength to fight Yan Yun to the death! Your Majesty, this is the defeat of Yan Yun. If you miss the last opportunity to rebel, you will regret it!"
Zhao Heng couldn't help but feel impulsive, but still felt a little worried.
Huang Cong saw the emperor's expression in his eyes and said: "Your Majesty, the strength of the Khitan people is not weaker than that of Yan Yun. Even if Yan Yun tries his best, it is difficult to be sure of victory! And our army is in The south has contained their main force. If the old minister's prediction is correct, the Khitans will attack the Central Plains in one go! At that time, the Yanyun army attacking us in the south will retreat north in panic, and we will take this opportunity Counterattack with all your strength! Defeat Yanyun is certain, and we can also regain our old capital Bianliang in one fell swoop!"
After hearing Huang Cong's words, everyone felt as if they had seen the dawn of victory and couldn't help but get excited.
Huang Cong added: "I heard from the merchants who went to Bianliang to do business that today's Bianliang has not only completely restored its prosperity, but it is even worse! Recovering Bianliang is not only very beneficial morally. This matter is also very beneficial in terms of financial help for the imperial court!" Everyone's eyes could not help but reveal greedy light.
Zhao Heng said: "After listening to the Grand Master's words, I no longer have any doubts in my mind!" Kou Zhun snorted coldly and said: "The Khitan people are not good people. They will not help us in vain after spending so much effort. Right?" Zhao Heng's heart moved and he asked Huang Cong: "But I don't know what the conditions of the Khitans are?"
Huang Cong said: "The Khitans' demands are not excessive. They want all the land north of the Yellow River, plus Shanxi!"
Zhao Heng and other ministers felt that now that even the land north of the Yangtze River was occupied by rebels, it was not too much for the Khitans to want the land north of the Yellow River and Shanxi. "No! This proposal is absolutely impossible!" Kou Zhun suddenly shouted.
Everyone was startled and looked at him. Huang Cong said displeasedly: "Lord Kou Zhun, what's wrong with this?"
Kou Zhun clasped his fists towards Huang Cong and said: "The grand master is dedicated to restoring the country of the Song Dynasty. I admire him very much! But the north of the Yellow River and Shanxi are also the lands left by our ancestors. How can we give them to the Khitan people? If we do this , How will we face our ancestors in the future! You can use the Khitans, but you must never cede those lands to the Khitans!"
Huang Cong snorted and said: "Those who achieve great things don't stick to trivial matters! In order to restore the Song Dynasty and maintain the righteous way of the saints, the necessary sacrifices are worth it! Besides, the Khitan people are not fools. You want to take advantage of them without any basis." They, how could they let themselves be manipulated, and in the end they can only be self-defeating!"
Kou Zhun said angrily: "The world does not only belong to the royal family of the Song Dynasty, but also to the millions of common people. What is the right way to betray countless people for the sake of one family?! No matter how bad Yang Peng is, he is still a big man. descendants, but the Khitans are barbarians, and it is extremely shameless to hand over the land of our ancestors to the barbarians!"
Huang Cong and Zhao Heng couldn't help but become angry after hearing Kou Zhun's words. Huang Cong pointed at Kou Zhun and shouted angrily: "Kou Zhun, are you a minister of the Song Dynasty or a lackey of Yan Yun? You actually said such rebellious words! Are you going to rebel?"
Kou Zhun said loudly: "Kou Zhun's true heart is for the sky, the earth, the sun and the moon! If we officials don't consider the people, then we are nothing!" Zhao Heng said angrily: "Kou Zhun, you are too presumptuous. Come on! Do you still have me as the emperor in your eyes?" Kou Zhun's heart trembled, and he quickly bowed: "I am loyal to your majesty. I just lost my temper because of my excitement. Please forgive me!"
Huang Cong snorted coldly and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, Kou Zhun is so cruel! What he said just now, he kept saying that the world belongs to tens of thousands of ordinary people! What does this mean? Doesn't it mean that everyone is the owner of the world? Can he be the emperor? If he is so treasonous and unethical, if he is not severely punished, how can he alert all officials and the people of the world! Please kill Kou Zhun as a warning to others!" Kou Zhun was furious, pointed at Huang Cong and cursed: "You old bastard! "
When the emperor and ministers saw this, they couldn't help but be stunned. Then the emperor became furious and shouted: "Kou Zhun, how dare you insult the grand master, you are insulting me and the entire court! If I don't punish you severely, how can all the officials be convinced!"
Kou Zhun also realized that he had lost his composure, and his heart trembled. He quickly clasped his fists and said, "I know your guilt!" The emperor snorted coldly and said, "Since you know your crime, then I have not wronged you! Come on!" Even though two royal guards came in, they clasped their fists and agreed. The emperor pointed at Kou Zhun and shouted: "Take off Kou Zhun's crown and throw him into the prison!" Two guards came up, took off Kou Zhun's crown and took Kou Zhun down! "
Huang Congwu was puzzled and said angrily: "Your Majesty is too merciful, people like this should be beheaded in public display!" The emperor nodded and said: "This matter can be discussed later, there are more important things at the moment. Huang Cong nodded and said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true! The top priority is to deal with Yan Yun. As for Kou Zhun, we can deal with it slowly after understanding the major issues!"
Zhao Heng said to Huang Cong: "As for the alliance with the Khitan people, please continue to worry about it!" Huang Cong bowed and said: "This is a matter that belongs to the old minister, your Majesty, you don't have to be polite! There should be no problem in this matter, your Majesty can Feel relieved!"
Zhao Heng nodded, glanced at everyone, and asked in a loud voice: "My dear friends, is there anything else you want to report?"
Huang Cong said: "Your Majesty, there is one more thing." Song Qinzong looked like he was listening. Huang Cong said: "Recently, rumors have been spreading all over the place. This situation is very worrying for me! Yan Yun's fallacious theory has the power to confuse many people without knowing what is going on!"
Zhao Heng showed worry and asked hurriedly: "What can the Grand Master do?" Huang Cong said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, this situation can be easily solved. Your Majesty can issue an edict to strictly prohibit people from discussing state affairs in vain. Arrest; at the same time, local officials were ordered to offer rewards for the arrest of those who spread rumors. In this way, I believe that the rumors will disappear soon and peace will return to all places!" Zhao Hengshen thought it was true and said: "Just follow the instructions of the Grand Master. I’ll do it!”
There were disturbances all over the south of the Yangtze River. The government officials arrested people everywhere and took advantage of the opportunity to extort money. The people were trembling, restaurants and tea shops became deserted, and an atmosphere of fear was shrouded everywhere.
Gao Hu led 50,000 trapped troops and arrived at the gate of Dengzhou City. He saw tens of thousands of Song troops standing in formation with their backs against the city wall. Their formation was like a mountain, their flags were like clouds, and their momentum was extraordinary. Gao Hu couldn't help but admired: "He is indeed an elite under Cao Yong. He is indeed a warrior who can fight in a hundred battles!" Then he raised his right hand. The horns of the Yanyun Army immediately sounded loudly, and the 50,000-strong army immediately began to form an array!
At this moment, the war drums on the opposite city wall started thundering, and a Song Army general led three thousand heavily armored soldiers and rushed forward with a loud shout, like a tiger coming out of its box, with astonishing momentum!
Gao Hu frowned and immediately ordered three thousand light cavalry to attack. The three thousand light cavalry immediately broke away from the group with shouts and rushed toward the enemy, like the waves of the ocean! At the same time, other Yanyun troops continued to form formations on the spot!
The two sides were a hundred steps apart, and Yan Yun's warrior raised his cavalry crossbow and fired a wave of arrows. The arrows fell into the middle of the Song army and were either bounced away by the heavy armor or nailed to the heavy armor. They did not cause much damage to the Song soldiers. Gao Hu, who was watching the battle under the commander's banner, frowned when he saw this and murmured: "Their heavy armor is no longer the previous heavy armor!"
In the blink of an eye, the soldiers of both sides collided violently. The powerful impact of the cavalry caused the Song Army to stagger, and the Song Army's broad strokes also caused Yan Yunzhan's cavalry to flip over! There was a fierce melee between the two sides. Yan Yun's war cavalry urged their horses to slash and kill the Song army, causing the corpses of the Song army to fly away with blood. The Song army soldiers moved forward vigorously, slashing people and horses with their axes. Yan Yun's war cavalry fell to the ground one by one. In a pool of blood! The armies on both sides looked on coldly, with no intention of stepping forward to help.
At first, the casualties on both sides were similar. Gradually, the casualties of the Song Army increased. Two quarters of an hour later, the number of Yanyun Army had clearly exceeded that of the Song Army. I saw the Yanyun soldiers driving their horses to attack mercilessly. Although the Song army resisted desperately, their situation continued to deteriorate. These Song troops were indeed very elite, brave and good at fighting, but they were still a little inferior to the Yanyun army. Leopards and tigers. Although leopards are also extremely ferocious, they are still inferior to tigers. The brave general Yan Yun who led the team and the Song Army general were fighting together among thousands of troops. They were fighting with swords and guns, and they were inseparable. They were all red-eyed!
The fierce battle lasted for more than two quarters of an hour, and all the Song troops were killed. Corpses were scattered everywhere, but no one escaped until the end of the battle! The three thousand Yanyun war cavalry also suffered heavy casualties, with more than two thousand casualties among the three thousand cavalry!
Several horn sounds sounded in Yanyun's army, and all Yanyun's war cavalry retreated. When the officers and soldiers of the Song Army saw that all their own officers and soldiers were killed, they all stared wide-eyed and extremely angry. They just wanted to rush forward and fight Yan Yun's army, but the general did not give the order, so they did not dare to act rashly! Yao Zhong frowned, feeling very shocked. He had just attacked with 3,000 iron armors, hoping to take advantage of the opponent's lack of time to form a formation, and then use the army to cover up and defeat him in one fell swoop. However, it backfired, and the opponent only came out. The three thousand light cavalry not only withstood the surprise attack of three thousand of our own armored soldiers, but also wiped out all three thousand of our own elites! Yao Ping couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Yan Yunjun is indeed well-deserved! Tigers and wolves are fierce and invincible!
Gao Hu sighed, raised his right hand and waved forward. The entire military formation began to move forward, followed by a loud rumble, like muffled thunder, and the ground was shaking.
The distance between the two sides was three hundred steps, and a cloud of sharp arrows that looked like migratory locusts suddenly flew out of Yan Yun's army formation. Yao Ping was on guard, and with a loud shout, the troops immediately raised their shields. In an instant, the shields formed a huge screen, covering the entire army. The arrows fell like a heavy rain, hitting the shield with crackling sounds, just like a heavy rain hitting a banana leaf. A few arrows passed through the gaps between the shields and shot down the Song soldiers below.
After the Yan Yun Army fired a wave of arrows, they stopped shooting, and the military formation continued to approach the Song Army! The distance between the two sides was two hundred steps, and the Song Army's divine arm bow began to shoot. The Yanyun Army had been prepared for this, and the Song Army's shooting did not have much effect. The Yanyun Army did not fight back, but continued to approach the Song Army under the cover of heavy iron shields. The Song Army's divine arm archers continued to shoot. The ground was densely filled with arrows, and new arrows continued to be inserted into them. on the ground.
A hundred steps away from the two sides, Yan Yunjun suddenly stopped. Another wave of arrows from the Song Army passed by, and the Yan Yun Army's shield suddenly withdrew, and then there was a loud buzzing sound, and a barrage of arrows suddenly spurted out! This time it's not a projectile, but a direct shot!
In the blink of an eye, dense arrows hit the shield of the leading Song army. With a loud popping noise, the shield was penetrated. The Song army soldiers behind the shield were hit by arrows and fell to the ground. The originally rigorous and strong shield The defense line was shattered by powerful arrows in an instant! The soldiers of the Song Army were caught off guard and couldn't help but become confused!
At this moment, a second wave of powerful arrows flew in. The soldiers of the Song army fell on their backs, and the entire battle formation shook. Just when I came back to my senses, I heard a loud rumbling sound. When I looked up, I saw thousands of Yanyun warriors rushing towards me like a furious wave. I couldn't help but be shocked!
Yao Ping shouted sternly: "Fire the arrow!" The crossbowman reacted and quickly fired the arrow. After the rain of arrows passed, many Yanyun warriors fell down, but the rolling wave showed no intention of stopping. Instead, it became faster and faster. The faster it goes, the more amazing the momentum becomes. The roar and the sound of rolling horse hooves are like the roar of the ocean tide and like the rolling thunder!
Yao Ping frowned, raised his sword, and urged his war horses to rush forward first. Seeing that the general was the first to meet the enemy, the officers and soldiers involuntarily boosted their morale, and rushed forward with shouts.
In the blink of an eye, Yao Ping rushed into the wave of cavalry, roaring and swiping his sword to kill. The elite of Yanyun Army was suddenly thrown into a desert by him, and no one could compare with him! At the same time, the wave of cavalry collided with the tide of the Song army. Yanyun's cavalry was like countless sharp knives, tearing countless holes in the middle of the Song army! Yanyun's war cavalry rushed forward, trampling with iron hooves and slashing with long swords. Fifteen thousand were unstoppable. Although the Song army soldiers were not afraid of death, it was obviously difficult to withstand such a sharp iron hooves. Falling to the ground in blood; the Song army soldiers fought back desperately, causing a lot of casualties to Yan Yun's cavalry, but the overall situation became increasingly unfavorable!
At this moment, Yanyun's infantry divided into two wings to outflank the Song army. Yao Ping, who was fighting fiercely among thousands of troops, was surprised when he saw this. He looked at the battlefield again and frowned when he saw that his side was against the odds. At this moment, the Yanyun warrior who was fighting with Yao Zhong came at him with a spear. Yao Ping was startled and hurriedly avoided it. He followed up with a feint shot, deceiving his opponent to fight back, and he took this opportunity to turn his horse's head. He sped towards the city gate, gesturing towards the top of the city gate as he sped.
When the deputy general standing on the city gate tower saw this, he immediately shouted: "Quick! Shoot quickly! Shoot quickly!"
The Song Army officers and soldiers on the city wall immediately became busy, tearing off the black tarpaulins that had been on the city wall, revealing cannons. The artillery had already been loaded with gunpowder and projectiles, and the Song soldiers immediately used torches to light the fuses on the cannon. Boom boom boom~! A huge roar suddenly sounded, and the soldiers on both sides who were fighting on the battlefield were shocked. At the same time, countless artillery shells roared into the middle of Yan Yun's army, and all they could see was blood and flesh flying everywhere! Although Yan Yun's army was brave and good at fighting, they couldn't help but become confused when they were suddenly bombarded like this.
The Song army officers and soldiers took advantage of this opportunity and retreated into the city. Gao Hu saw that the opponent had withdrawn into the city, and there were so many artillery pieces on top of the city. He knew that it was impossible to capture Dengzhou in a hurry, so he ordered the army to stop the attack and retreat.
Yao Ping couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Yan Yun's army temporarily retreating from the top of the city. Then he saw the scene of corpses strewn outside the city, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. In today's battle, Yao Pingyuan originally wanted to take advantage of the fact that Yan Yun's army was tired from far away so as to give them a show of strength, but he did not expect that Yan Yun's army was so brave. After the first battle, not to mention giving them a show of strength, the whole army was almost defeated. We can return to the city! However, this battle was not without any gains. At least I understood how powerful Yan Yun's army was!
Yao Ping shouted to the generals around him: "Be on guard and guard to the death. No one can fight without my order. Violators will be punished according to military law!" All the generals agreed in unison. Yao Ping looked at a tall and thin general and said, "General Li, go and count the losses of our army!" General Li clasped his fists in agreement and ran down. Yao Ping turned to look at Yan Yunjun who was camping in the distance and frowned deeply.
Inside Yanyun's tent, Gao Hu was discussing the attack strategy with everyone. General Xie Yuandao said: "Yao Ping is really brave. In today's battle, if he hadn't charged first at the critical moment, our army would have defeated the Song army in one go!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
