In the first book, An Chongrong said that the generals who were trapped in the barbarians "stretched their necks and stood up to wait for the king's master." These eight words sketched an extremely sensational picture. But these eight words may be suitable for Sha Yanxun, Qu Zhang, and Dong Wenqi, but if they are Zhao Dejun and Zhao Yanshou, they may be slapped in the face.
This memorial can be regarded as An Chongrong's declaration of war.
Shi Jingtang was deeply worried and sent envoy Yang Yanxun to visit Khitan to explain to Khitan that An Chongrong's domineering behavior and all recent unfriendly actions in Zhenzhou were all intentional actions by this person with the purpose of sowing relations between the two countries. We Don't be fooled. Yang Yanxun was detained by the Khitan and refused to be sent back.
The news that An Chongrong was going to go to war with the Khitans spread like wildfire, occupying the top spot on the post-jin hot search list, remaining high.
Sang Weihan, the chief strategist who was sent to a local place, wrote a letter to Shi Jingtang, analyzing the pros and cons. He saw through An Chongrong's treacherous plot, advised Shi Jingtang not to be swayed by public opinion, and never to be tricked by An Chongrong, and listed in detail what he was doing with An Chongrong. The "Seven Don'ts" for Khitan to start a war:
1. Today’s Khitan has a vast land, a large population, abundant resources, complete military equipment, and strong strength, far exceeding that of the Central Plains;
2. Our country’s morale is low and the national treasury is tight, unable to support a large-scale military operation;
3. The Khitan is a great benefactor to our country and has an agreement in advance. We unilaterally breach the contract for no reason, which greatly consumes our political credibility and the gain outweighs the loss;
4. At present, Khitan has not suffered from natural disasters, its livestock is prosperous, and its economy is developed; it has adopted the Han Yanhui's mixed policy (one country, two systems) of the think tank (Han Yanhui), the politics is peaceful, the ministries are harmonious, the vassals are in fear, and the whole country is closely united under Yiyelu. In the leadership system with Comrade Deguang as the core, there are no opportunities to take advantage of and no opportunities to exploit;
5. The Khitan people have the fine tradition of the nomadic people. All the people are soldiers, and everyone is a qualified warrior. The quality of individual soldiers is far superior to that of the Han people in the Central Plains;
6. The Khitan cavalry is best at fighting in the plains, while the Han people in the Central Plains pay attention to taking advantage of the terrain. However, the Yanzhao area is covered with flat plains for thousands of miles, with restrained terrain and restrained arms;
7. The so-called "humiliating diplomacy" does not exist. It is a deliberate attempt by some people with ulterior motives to exchange for peace in the world with a mere amount of money. It will do more good than harm to the Central Plains. If the two countries go to war, our losses will be even greater. big.
In the memorial, Sang Weihan quoted from classics and side stories, "The heroes of the Han Dynasty still transported goods to Maodun; the military strategy of Yao, the god, still paid homage to the Khan." This sentence is too valuable.
Literal meaning: Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, also offered generous gifts and marriage to Maodun Chanyu; Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, was a man of great talent and strategy, and when he raised troops in Taiyuan, he also professed vassalage to the Turks in exchange for their help in raising troops.
Listen to the gongs and drums, listen to the words, and read the words behind the words: Liu Bang's descendant, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, drove the Huns into Siberia; Li Yuan's son Li Shimin also destroyed the Turkic Jieli Khan. Their ancestors endured the humiliation, kept a low profile and served the barbarians as a temporary expedient, waiting for the time to avenge their past humiliation.
In particular, Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, also raised troops in Taiyuan and used the power of barbarians to conquer the world first. This was so similar to Shi Jingtang that it almost touched the heart of Shi Jingtang.
Sang Weihan made a comprehensive analysis and explained his views on this war to Shi Jingtang with the "Seven Don'ts", that is, there is no reason to fight, no ability to fight, and no need to fight.
"Don't listen to Fan Kuai's empty words, but listen to Lou Jing's objectionable words."
——Fan Kuai, who needs no further introduction, is the founding father of the Western Han Dynasty. He made his debut in the C position at the Hongmen Banquet and left his name in history. The so-called "Fan Kuai's empty words" refers to the fact that after Liu Bang's death, the nascent Western Han Dynasty faced the threat of the Huns from the north. The ruler Empress Lu was even teased by the Xiongnu Maodun Shanyu. Faced with the shame and humiliation, Empress Lu was furious. At the imperial meeting, Fan Kuai came out and said that he was willing to lead a hundred thousand troops to wipe out the Xiongnu and kill him without leaving any trace.
If Empress Lu had followed Fan Kuai's advice at that time, there would be no such thing as a "strong Han" later, and I am afraid that the Han Dynasty would have become a short-lived dynasty like Qin and Sui.
——Lou Jing, before Liu Bang decided to go to war with the Huns, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty were immersed in the mood of war. Only Lou Jing firmly opposed the war with the Huns. Liu Bang was so angry that he cursed Lou Jing and threw him into prison. .
He did not listen to Lou Jing's advice. After the war, Liu Bang encountered the famous "Siege of Baishan Mountain". The emperor of the Han Dynasty, who led the expedition in person, almost died as a king.
Afterwards, Liu Bang rewarded Lou Jing highly, and later adopted Lou Jing's marriage proposal.
Very implicitly, Sang Weihan compared An Chongrong, who had harmed the country, and the "main war faction" in the DPRK to Fan Kuai, while he compared himself, the "pro-Liao faction" and the "main peace faction" to Lou Jing.
What needs to be explained is that the outspoken Fan Kuai was just talking recklessly and his motives were quite pure, which was essentially different from An Chongrong who had ulterior motives.
Moral kidnapping, moral coercion, to realize his ulterior secret. We must be wary of these people who do dirty things under the guise of being noble at all times. Sometimes, they take to the streets, dress up as patriotic youths, and incite illegal gatherings; sometimes, they wave folding fans and talk loudly, promoting universal values mixed with private goods, instilling historical nihilism, and poisoning the future of the nation.
As a core figure of the "pro-Liao faction", Sang Weihan himself was condemned by public opinion and was called a "traitor prime minister". In this essay, Sang Weihan clarified the conditions for launching war against Liao:
"The country has nine years of accumulation, and its army is ten times stronger. The Lord has no internal worries, and the people have spare strength."
——This is the basic preparation for war, internal factors, that is, "confidant";
"Watch his changes and wait for his decline."
——This is the external factor (Khitan) that started the war, that is, "knowing the enemy";
"Use your own strengths to attack the other's weaknesses."
——After knowing yourself and your enemy, you must use skill instead of brute force;
"If you try anything, you will succeed."
——In this way, we can truly turn over.
At the end of the article, Sang Weihan pointed out a clear path for Shi Jingtang: drive to Weizhou.
Just as the first trip to Bianzhou was for Weizhou, this trip to Weizhou is also for Zhenzhou.
Shi Jingtang was overjoyed after reading the list and replied to Sang Weihan that he had an enlightenment. Because it was a secret performance, Shi Jingtang could not publicly praise it.
Shi Jingtang ordered a tour of Weizhou in August (the following month). Just like the last time he visited Bianzhou, Shi Jingtang announced in a high-profile manner "offering meals along the way" and asked the relevant departments to formulate corresponding ceremonial regulations and pay attention to pomp. At the same time, he strictly restricted officials from treating the people. The exploitation of others shall not be done in this name.
On August 1, Shi Jingtang appointed the prince Shi Chonggui to stay in Bianzhou, and appointed Du Chongwei as the commander-in-chief of the bodyguard and pro-army (replacing Liu Zhiyuan) and the commander of the accompanying camp, allowing all civil and military officials to take the lead and move to Weizhou.
