Hezhou City.
The city walls were rebuilt.
The Baita Temple was also renovated.
The temple is built with earthen walls, giving it a sense of vicissitudes of life, but it is already a top-notch building in Hezhou.
The eminent monk Zhiyuan from Bianjing was giving lectures, attracting countless believers to listen.
Zhiyuan wore a purple-robed monk's robe given by the emperor and sat high on the altar. In front of him were hundreds of monks, and behind the monks were good men and women.
The hall was full of people sitting inside and outside, and everyone had their hands clasped together, showing a pious look.
The eminent monks in Bianjing sat on lions and preached sermons, but the monks in Hehuang did not need to do this and still had countless believers.
This time Zhiyuan went to Beijing with Zhang Yue to receive the reward. He was already the leader of Youjie. He was old and fell ill on the way back to Beijing. He should have rested in Bianjing.
But this time Zhang Yue returned to Xihe Road, but Zhiyuan followed him thousands of miles away with more than a dozen of his disciples without hesitation.
These dozen disciples were all Tibetan people recruited by Zhiyuan when he was in Qingtang. They followed him to Beijing this time, and they all received ultimatums.
Since Zhiyuan came to Baita Temple to preach, thousands of Hezhou believers have come to listen to the lectures of this eminent monk from Bianjing every day.
Zhiyuan was also well versed in medical science and diagnosed and treated sick believers. His disciples also preached Buddhism to the confused Tibetan people and saved the dead.
After Zhiyuan finished his sermon, he walked among the believers and talked with compassion on his face. Many Tibetan people were moved by Zhiyuan's kindness and listened piously.
Soon Zhiyuan heard the report that Zhang Yue, the envoy of Jinglue, had arrived, and immediately led his disciples to greet him.
Zhang Yue did not go through the main entrance, but came with Tang Jiu and a few others in casual clothes, and they met in a wing at the back of the temple.
Zhang Yue looked at Zhiyuan and saw that the other person's face was a little pale, obviously because he was still ill.
When Zhiyuan saw Zhang Yue, he put his hands together and bowed deeply.
Zhang Yue also clasped his hands and said, "Master, please take care of yourself and don't work too hard."
Zhiyuan said: "What this poor monk cultivates in this life is to completely cut off the troubles, possess all merits, transcend all reincarnations, and enter the realm of immortality and immortality. The mere suffering of the body is nothing."
After a pause, Zhiyuan said: "Mr. Jinglue, the old monk has a merciless request."
Zhang Yue asked: "Master's merciless invitation, is it for the people here?"
Zhiyuan put his hands together and said: "Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from Mr. Jinglue. Although the Tibetan people in Xihe are reckless and straightforward, their nature is closer to simplicity, and they are more devoted to the Buddha than us Song people."
"It is a pity that many Tibetan people were displaced during this attack on Hezhou. The poor monk begged Zhang Longtu to take in these people and help those who had no food and clothing."
Hezhou's military rations had to be transferred from Qinzhou. The Song army only had enough to eat, but they also had to use it to support these displaced Tibetan believers?
Zhang Yue did not refuse, saying: "Since the master opened Chrysostom, I will set up a porridge factory in Baita Temple to provide relief."
Zhi Yuan was overjoyed and he clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you so much, poor monk, Mr. Jinglue."
Zhiyuan paused and said: "When the poor monk was in ancient Wei, the prince did not tolerate the poor monk. It is strange that the poor monk had higher trust among the Tibetan people than he did."
Zhiyuan told the truth. He came to the Qing and Tang Dynasties from Dong Fei, and everyone from Mu Zheng to the following respected him.
Zhiyuan said with emotion: "The prince cannot tolerate others, but Mr. Jinglue can tolerate others. This is where he is not as good as Mr. Jinglue. Therefore, the prince can be powerful for a while, but to make the Xihe River long-term, it still depends on Jinglue." Sir."
Zhang Yue hesitated for a moment and said: "Master, I don't dare to take what I said. It's just that I heard that not only the Tibetan people obeyed the master, but also Mu Zheng. Now that he refuses to surrender, it is a big problem. It would be easy for me to kill Mu Zheng, but killing him It will not be easy to get the Xihe Fan tribe to return to their hearts in the future."
Zhiyuan smiled calmly and said, "What's the problem? The poor monk can just go to Tabaicheng to convince Mu Zheng."
"Grandmaster?"
The disciples on the side all said one after another: "Master, Guizhang, Mu Zheng is hostile to us now, this trip is extremely dangerous!"
Zhiyuan said: "Saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. As long as it can save the people of Hezhou from military disasters, it doesn't matter if a poor monk goes there. The worst is to bury these old bones in a foreign land."
There is compassion and compassion in Zhiyuan's words.
The disciples were all moved and expressed their willingness to go with him.
Many of Zhiyuan's disciples were nobles in the Qingtang and Tibetan tribes. They became disciples of Zhiyuan because they admired Buddhism and his conduct.
However, Zhiyuan did not agree to the disciples' request and was only willing to take risks by himself.
Zhang Yue was silent for a moment after hearing this, and finally clasped his hands together and said: "Master has such great wisdom and courage, so Zhang thanked him here."
Zhiyuan also put his hands together and said: "I'm serious. I hope that after Mr. Jinglue takes over Hezhou, he can treat the people well, treat the Fan and Han family well, and return peace to the land of Xihe. In this way, the poor monk will be grateful." ”
Zhang Yue wanted to speak, but suddenly felt a little choked up and finally said: "Master, don't worry, Zhang will definitely do what he promised you."
After Zhiyuan got Zhang Yue's permission, he set off alone the next day. He only brought his loyal followers and did not let any disciples accompany him.
Seven days later, Zhiyuan died in the Tibetan camp in Tabaicheng.
Gui Zhang suspected that Mu Zheng was colluding with him, so one day while Mu Zheng was on patrol, Gui Zhang and his men suddenly broke into Mu Zheng's camp and killed Zhi Yuan.
…
When Zhiyuan went to Tabaicheng, Zhang Yue learned that Wang Zhongzheng, the newly appointed successor of Xihe Road, had arrived in Xizhou from Qinzhou and was on his way from Xizhou to Hezhou.
Knowing that Wang Zhongzheng was here, Zhang Yue knew that the officials were anxious again.
The officials could no longer tolerate their delay.
Zhang Yue discussed with Zhang Shen and Cai Yanqing. Zhang Shen was very angry, but Cai Yanqing didn't say anything. He was Qin Feng Road's transport envoy and he knew his own affairs. Qin Feng Road was really having a hard time supplying the army with food.
Cai Yanqing told Zhang Yue that he would return to Qinzhou to supervise grain production. Zhang Yue felt that Cai Yanqing was a thief.
He used this method to avoid conflicts between border ministers and Wang Zhongzheng.
Relatively speaking, Zhang Shen is more loyal.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Yue received a report the next day that Xixia was once again gathering in Lanzhou and Tiandu Mountain, and stationed heavy troops. It was even rumored that Liang Yimi, the Prime Minister of Xia State, had arrived at Wadanghui at the foot of Tiandu Mountain and could go south to Xizhou at any time to threaten Huizhou. Zhang Shen took the initiative to ask Ying to lead some troops back to Xizhou to prevent Xixia from blocking the retreat.
Zhang Shen and Cai Yanqing left one after another, leaving Zhang Yue alone to face Wang Zhongzheng.
Zhang Yue cursed in his heart for the two people's unloyalty behavior. Obviously, the plan to gather heavy troops in Hezhou City was a unanimous decision of the three of them, but when they heard that the officials sent people to supervise the battle, they all ran away in a flash. .
Zhang Yue went out of the city to meet Wang Zhongzheng, showing full sincerity.
After Wang Zhongzheng received the holy order, he was very hesitant when setting off from Qinzhou City to Hezhou. However, he could not disobey the king's order, so he rushed there all night and night.
Before he came, he repeatedly inquired about the situation in the capital, and carefully considered the emperor's imperial edict. He clearly saw that the decision-making on the war front was actually very repetitive.
A piece of inconspicuous news can overturn all the decisions made by the emperor yesterday. Wang Zhongzheng also expected this.
Therefore, while urging Zhang Yue to advance the army, the officials emphasized the word "camera".
This was very difficult for Wang Zhongzheng. He did not want to offend Zhang Yue, but he was more afraid of offending the officials. Moreover, in such a strategic decisive battle related to the fate of the country, he did not dare to expect victory, but if he lost, Zhang Yue would be a civil servant. Not bad, but his life is definitely in danger.
Wang Zhongzheng saw that the expression on Zhang Yue's face was also tense, and he showed Zhang Yue the imperial edict in his hand.
Of course Zhang Yue would not suspect that the imperial edict was false, but he still read the details. He also saw the word "camera" in the imperial edict.
This shows that the officials have not lost trust in themselves. Otherwise, as long as the officials issue an edict, "All generals along the border will obey the orders of Wang Zhongzheng," Zhang Yue's military power will be emptied unless he wants to rebel.
Of course, this move is inappropriate, and the hidden dangers are not small. Because of the Tang Dynasty and the inherent repulsion of interests, civilian officials have always opposed eunuchs in charge of the army.
But it's not impossible. Wang Zhongzheng and Li Xian in front of him, and even Tong Guan later were all representatives of eunuchs in charge of the army. And to be fair, these guys all fought pretty well (after all, defeat would be highly praised by the civil servants).
Therefore, whether or not Wang Zhongzheng can be persuaded is crucial to their relationship.
Zhang Yue said: "I have met the envoy, and a banquet has been set up in the city to welcome you."
Wang Zhongzheng said: "You don't have to be polite, sir. Our family is here on the emperor's order. We won't be able to take a bite until things are settled!"
Wang Zhongzheng acted businesslike.
Zhang Yue nodded and said, "Then follow the envoy's wishes."
Zhang Yue immediately walked to the camp and explained the current situation to Wang Zhongzheng in front of the map. Although Wang Zhongzheng was a eunuch, he came on behalf of the official family.
Zhang Yueyan said: "Please see, envoy, this is the Yellow River. Hebei is the land of Xia Kingdom, and Henan is at our feet. Hezhou, Minzhou, Taozhou, Jishijun, Kuozhou, etc. are all in Henan." ."
Wang Zhongzheng looked at the map. Xia State originally refused to have Lanzhou and Huizhou in Henan, but in the third year of Xining, Huizhou was lost and half of Lanzhou was lost.
Today, most of Henan is shared by the Song army and the Qing and Tang tribes.
Zhang Yue added: "Let's look at the land of Henan again. Let's divide the land of Henan into Nanshan and Xishan. Nanshan refers to the boundary between Mintao Prefecture and Xihe, and Xishan refers to Jishi Mountain."
"It may also be called the Min, Tao, Die, and Dang areas outside Xishan and Nanshan as Shanwai, and Xizhou and Hezhou as Shannei."
What Zhang Yue said was generally confusing to people at that time.
But those who have traveled through it will understand it immediately. Lugu Mountain is also called Prince Mountain. Legend has it that Fusu was guarding the border here.
Lugu Mountain is the remnant of the Kunlun Mountains, which is the boundary between the First Staircase and the Second Staircase in China.
The average altitude to the west of Lugu Mountain is over 4,000 meters, while to the east of Lugu Mountain it is only over 2,000 meters.
In other words, the first ladder and the second ladder are roughly the dividing line between farming people and nomadic people. Considering the national power of the Song Dynasty at that time, it was very difficult to cross here.
In terms of the situation of Xihe, Xizhou and Hezhou are within the mountains, which is within the scope of the second ladder.
Minzhou, Taozhou, Diezhou, and Danzhou are to the east of Lugu Mountain, that is, between the junction of the first and second stairs.
"There are Huangshui Valley, Yellow River Valley, and Peach River Valley in the mountains, all of which are suitable for our army to colonize."
"As for the west of Nanshan and Xishan (close to the first step), it is not suitable for farming. It can be controlled by the strategy of restraining the belt."
Wang Zhongzheng understood as soon as he heard what Zhang Yue said, and he was simply looking back to see if there were any lines.
Others listened for a long time and couldn't understand the meaning of the words, but Zhang Yue understood it as soon as he said it.
Some people say that although the Song Dynasty has a large territory, not an inch can be lost, and every inch of land must be fought for.
Others say that all the land west of Qinzhou must be given to the Tibetan tribe.
Both of these statements are too absolute and must be analyzed in detail on specific issues. The problem of agricultural people being restricted by supply lines is almost the same when they advance to the first and second steps. In the following places, if the national strength is not enough, For the time being, we can use the strategy of restraining the officials to control it.
But if you are on the second ladder, you should take everything.
"So Xizhou and Hezhou must be taken! And Minzhou, Taozhou, Diezhou, and Danzhou outside the mountains should be taken." Wang Zhongzheng easily came to this conclusion.
The Xihe River in the mountains and the Hezhou area are low-lying and extend in all directions, making them vulnerable to attack. Therefore, to defend the Xihe River, the mountains and rivers must be well-consolidated.
Just like since ancient times, those who guard the Yangtze River must guard the Huaihe River first.
Minzhou, Taozhou, Diezhou, and Danzhou guard the passages, which is similar to the role of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers.
Zhang Yue said: "Fangshi Mingjian, this is exactly the case. Xizhou, Hezhou and Hezhou have a vast territory and a large population. They can form a country of their own. If I don't take it, it will be taken by Xia State sooner or later. Minzhou, Taozhou, Diezhou and Tangzhou It is an external force. If it cannot be defended, Xihe will not be able to sleep peacefully for a day. This was already stated by Wang Zichun in the Ping Rong policy."
Wang Zhongzheng is naturally familiar with the Pingrong policy that Wang Shao took up in the first year of Xining.
Wang Zhongzheng immediately recited: "The Xia people have been attacking the Qing and Tang Dynasties for many years, and they cannot defeat them. If they are defeated, they will definitely join forces and go south... Cut off the ancient Wei territory, completely subdue the Qiang in the southern mountains, and build Wusheng (Xizhou) in the west. When sending troops to plunder Tao River, Long and Shu counties should be completely disturbed..."
Wang Zhongzheng knew Wang Shao's Pingrong strategy by heart, and he was obviously very knowledgeable.
Zhang Yue said: "What the envoy said is absolutely true. The people who 'submit all the Qiang from Nanshan' in the Pingrong policy are Dong Xiang's two commanders, Ji Pu Leng and Qing Yi Jie Gui Zhang..."
Wang Zhongzheng was stunned.
In the Song Dynasty, the Qiang people were divided into raw Qiang and cooked Qiang.
Zhao Zhong, Bao Shun, Xi Qi and others were familiar with the Qiang, had long-term dealings with the Han people, and followed the Song army on expeditions.
As for Shengqiang, he is not convinced by Wang Hua.
As for the Qiang people in Nanshan, we are talking about the Qiang people in Minzhou, Taozhou, Diezhou and Tangzhou. Their leaders are Ji Pu Leng and Gui Zhang.
But the more powerful one is Wang Shao, and Wang Shao seemed to have predicted today's battle situation in the first year of Xining.
If Xixia wants to attack the Song Dynasty, it must recover the Qiang people in the Nanshan Mountains. On the contrary, when the Song Dynasty recovers the Qing and Tang Dynasties, it is also crucial to recover the Qiang people in the Nanshan Mountains.
Zhang Yue said: "Gui Zhang was a general of Wenba Xi, the leader of Shannan. He later drove away Wenba Xi and established himself as the leader. Nowadays, most of the Shannan tribes listen to his orders."
"If we want to capture the four states in the south of Shannan, or attack the west mountain, take back the entire power of Hehuang, and subdue all the Qing and Tang tribes, we must base ourselves on Hezhou! Therefore, in this battle, we can only win but not lose."
Zhang Yue thought of the history of another time and space. It was not until the first year of Xuanhe that Tong Guan led his army to march westward, and the Song Dynasty completely captured Hengshan and Qingtang.
In the second year of Ke Xuanhe, the Fangla Uprising broke out, and Tong Guan was transferred back to quell the rebellion.
In the seventh year of Xuanhe, the Jurchens went south to attack Bianjing for the first time, but Xixia came back from the dead and launched a comprehensive counterattack.
Reading history to this point is really depressing.
If Xixia can be pacified before Jingkang or even declares peace, this will allow Song Dynasty to at least fight against the Khitan and Jurchen with all their strength.
But it's just that little bit different. If it had been ten years earlier, would history have been different?
Thinking of this, Zhang Yue suddenly felt a little confused.
He is now standing at the forefront of history, and the country's path has taken two completely different paths because of his choices.
And Wang Zhongzheng had already vaguely grasped Zhang Yue's overall strategy.
Wang Zhongzheng said: "Our family understands Zhang Longtu's strategy. This time when our family went west, the officials gave us advice and said, 'The plan is greater than the details, and the difficulty is easier than the easy'. Now that Mu Zheng is weak, Dong Fei If the Qingtang is strong, we should capture the wood. If the Qingtang is weak, if the Xia is strong, we should capture the Qingtang first."
"Now Muzheng and Guizhang have trapped Tabaicheng. Maybe Zhang Longtu wants to wait until his troops and horses are ready before attacking, but the art of war has it that it is better to use fewer than to use more. If you have more soldiers, you will compete with the grain, and if you have fewer soldiers, you will compete with the enemy. ."
Zhang Yue said: "It's true as Fang Shi said, but when Fan Wenzhenggong was planning the northwest, he praised the strategy of shallow attack, and Zhang Mo also did the same."
What Zhang Yue said was shallow attack and advance, which was proposed by Fan Zhongyan.
It is actually similar to the "fortifying the stronghold and fighting the war" a thousand years later.
Implement active defense on the inside and "shallow attack" on the outside, advancing only a little at a time, based on defense.
In fact, the historical results of the Song Dynasty's attacks on Xixia were all based on the "shallow attack and fortification" mentioned by Fan Zhongyan. As long as they advanced further or went deeper, they often failed.
For example, they suddenly went sixty miles deep to build Luowu City and the battle of Yongle City, both of which failed.
At the same time, the person who most resolutely implemented the shallow attack system in history was Zhang Kai himself. Zhang Kai only prepared six or seven days of rations for each attack. He rarely carried out large-scale and deep penetration attacks. He stopped to build the city after taking the territory.
It took Zhang Yue a month to capture Hezhou City, and another month to confront the enemy in Tabaicheng.
The biggest benefit of the shallow attack strategy is that it solves the Song Army's long logistical supply line problem, but such a strategy seems timid and consumes a lot of national power.
Zhang Yue continued: "I was stationed in Ninghe Village and sent troops. Wang Junwan and others raided the Hezhou Tibetan tribe. The troops reached the line of Nanchuan Village and Huaiqiang City in order to cut off the Shannan Tibetan tribe led by Guizhang. On the way back, many Tibetan tribes have already left their strongholds."
"Now, more than seven of the ten tribes in Hezhou have surrendered to our dynasty. I order them not to provide food to Tabai City. Once the food for the Fan army is exhausted, the Gui Zhang Mu Zheng will be in chaos without fighting."
"Now it's just a matter of waiting for a good time."
Wang Zhongzheng asked: "Is the timing mentioned by Zhang Longtu waiting for Master Zhiyuan to turn Mu Zheng Gui Zhang against him? If it fails, won't we have to waste military rations?"
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Mu Zheng and Gui Zhang are in the same bed and have different dreams. Even if they don't have the wisdom to travel, they will sooner or later have internal strife."
…
After a long conversation, Wang Zhongzheng was convinced by Zhang Yue.
That night he immediately wrote a letter to the emperor, saying that the general was leading the troops outside. Only if he did not encroach on his duties on weekdays would he be able to succeed in the future.
Zhang Yue continued to send generals to plunder as far north as the Yellow River and as far south as Nanshan. The land was full of Song cavalry.
In March of the sixth year of Xining.
Rumor has it that Mu Zheng and Gui Zhang were at odds with each other.
After being stationed in Hezhou City for nearly two months, the Song Army finally made some movement.
