The Later Jin Dynasty showed an aggressive attitude. Floods in Hebei prevented the Khitan reinforcements from arriving in time. The Han people who had been trapped by the barbarians for a long time were nostalgic for their homeland and wanted to return home. The Later Jin Dynasty implemented political inducement to surrender first... Zhao Yanshou's return was a matter of course. What else is there to doubt?
Feng Yu sent Zhao Xingshi, a general in Mingzhou, to serve as the central liaison. This Zhao Xingshi was Zhao Yanshou's former subordinate. Coincidentally, he had the same name as his father. Zhao Dejun's original name was also Zhao Xingshi.
Zhao Yanshou bargained with the later Jin court in a decent manner, with a nose and eyes. In the end, Zhao Yanshou said in the letter: Although I am wearing a foreign dress, my heart is still Chinese. I have been trapped among the barbarians for a long time, and I miss my homeland. However, the Khitan guards are very strict. This matter is not a trivial matter. I request the court to send out a large army to respond. As soon as the king's division arrives, I will escape and go south!
The words are sincere and kind, and everything you say makes sense. After reading the letter, the court of the Later Jin Dynasty was moved to tears and said, "Come back, come back, wandering wanderer." So Zhao Xingshi was sent to secretly contact him to discuss the specific date of the meeting.
This is the Khitan people's plan to lure the snake out of its hole.
Nomads are good at fighting in the wild, while people from the Central Plains are good at defending cities. This was clearly demonstrated in the previous wars. In the wild, the Central Plains people would be defeated by nomadic cavalry, but once they entered the city battle, the nomadic army would lose all advantages of cavalry combat; and after being dragged into a stalemate, The nomadic servant tribes will choose to leave the large army because the profit gained is lower than the cost of war. At this time, it is the stage of the Central Plains people's counterattack.
Some people say it’s because the grassland peoples don’t know how to attack cities. In fact, today's Khitan has got rid of this shackles. There were Lu Wenjin before him and Zhao Yanshou after him. Countless Han generals had already brought the most advanced siege technology into the grassland, and the Khitans had learned to siege cities.
The personnel cost of siege warfare is very high. Generally speaking, the siege party must achieve a battle loss ratio of 10 to 1. When encountering dangerous passes or cities that are easy to defend and difficult to attack, even 100 to 1 may not be able to capture them. . That's why "Sun Tzu's Art of War" lists siege as the last resort.
Summarizing the experience and lessons from the previous two times, Yelu Deguang designed a big game and formulated a strategy to lure the snake out of its hole, that is, to find a way to lure the main force of the Later Jin Dynasty into the wilderness, launch a decisive battle, and use the field battle to annihilate the effective forces of the Later Jin Dynasty. All his efforts were accomplished in one battle.
At the beginning of the battle, the Khitans, who came with all the elites in the country, were defeated in succession, further fueling the arrogance of the Later Jin Dynasty. The great achievement of "recovering the Sixteenth Province of Youyun" made Feng Yu, Du Chongwei and others distraught. Even Shi Chonggui could not sit still and prepared to launch a comprehensive and proactive attack. Its strategic goal was to eliminate the Khitan!
On October 14, the third year of Kaiyun (946), Shi Chonggui was strategizing and preparing his troops on the battlefield:
Appointed Du Chongwei as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expedition (Commander of the Northern Expedition), Li Shouzhen as the General Political Commissar (Supervisor of the Military and Horse Capital), and a large number of experienced combatants such as An Shenqi, Fu Yanqing, Huangfu Yu, Liang Hanzhang, Song Yanjun, Wang Rao, and Xue Huairang. veteran.
On the day when the edict was issued, Shi Chonggui could not hide his lofty ideals and excitedly announced to the world:
"How many steps are needed to achieve peace in the world? Answer, three steps. The first step is to take Ying and Mo and stabilize the area south of Waqiao Pass; the second step is to regain the homeland of Youyun Sixteen Prefectures; the third step is to completely Destroy the Khitan."
Then it was announced that the barbarian chief Yelu Deguang was listed as a national A-level wanted criminal. Anyone who captured Yelu Deguang would be rewarded by the Jiedushi of the town, with a reward of 10,000 guans, 10,000 pieces of silk, and a reward of 10,000 taels of silver.
I think back then, when we were strong and strong, we could swallow thousands of miles like a tiger.
When discussing the candidate for the commander of the Northern Expedition, Shi Chonggui proposed that Du Chongwei be in command and Li Shouzhen be his deputy. Feng Yu and Li Song raised their hands in approval. Zhao Ying chose to remain silent. After the meeting, Zhao Ying went to Feng Yu and Li Song privately. She said to the effect that Du Chongwei exaggerated and embarrassed his responsibilities, but his greed was like a bottomless pit. Such people could not be reused, especially those who could not be handed over. Give him military power and recommend that Comrade Li Shouzhen be in command alone.
Zhao Ying's proposal was rejected by Feng Yu and other "pro-old gang".
As a veteran hero like Liu Zhiyuan and Sang Weihan, Li Shouzhen was initially jealous of Shi Chonggui. Because Li Shouzhen committed a taboo, which was to reward the sergeant out of his own pocket.
Rewarding subordinates at one's own expense, enlisting the army into one's own private armed force, and raising dead soldiers are definitely taboos in the military. Especially with Li Shouzhen's status, it is more likely to arouse Shi Chonggui's vigilance.
One time, Shi Chonggui asked Li Shouzhen face to face and said, "I heard that you often use your own money to reward your generals. Is this true?"
This is a proposition. If you admit it, it will be a deliberate treason and a death penalty. If you dare to deny it, it will be a sign of guilty conscience and a death penalty.
Of course Li Shouzhen was full of desire to survive, and his answer was textbook level:
"This is because Du Chongwei was loyal to the country and supported his ministers with gold and silk. Is there any beauty in the minister's daring to plunder?"
In just one sentence, he not only saved himself, but also gained the favor of the emperor and Du Chongwei. Knock on the blackboard and highlight:
First, confuse right and wrong.
The emperor did not characterize the "private reward of sergeants" and did not say that it was a "crime". Therefore, of course Li Shouzhen could not take the initiative to "confess". Instead, he pretended to be confused and described the "private reward of sergeants" as being loyal to the country. credit;
Secondly, the fox pretends to be the tiger's power.
Drag people into the water and pull people back. This move is also very particular. The target must be someone with higher reputation, higher status, and greater influence than yourself. It is best for the emperor to be afraid of him. In this way, even if the previous move fails and the emperor insists on punishing him, The tiger can block the bullet for the fox.
Du Chongwei was indeed very kind to Li Shouzhen and gave him tens of thousands of gold, silver, weapons and armor. This is the charm of the political game. As both "pro-old gangs", Feng Yu and Du Chongwei have completely different attitudes towards Li Shouzhen. Feng Yu regarded Li Shouzhen as a dissident and rejected and suppressed him; Du Chongwei secretly looked at Li Shouzhen.
The reason is not profound, because Du Chongwei belongs to the "external official", the local power, while Feng Yu belongs to the "inner official", the central power. In other words, Du Chongwei and Feng Yu both have a common language and have conflicts of interest. Although they both belong to the "Qinjiang Gang", they are still bedfellows and wary of each other.
When Shi Chonggui heard this answer, he was very satisfied and immediately gave Li Shouzhen an official title: "Knowing the affairs of the government in Youzhou". The acting governor of Youzhou, he has marked Youzhou as the territory of the Later Jin Dynasty on the map.
The Hebei region did indeed suffer from serious floods, but the hardest-hit areas were mainly located in areas controlled by the Later Jin Dynasty. The pressure on the Later Jin Dynasty in terms of logistical supplies and strategic shifts was far more severe than that of the Khitan. Shi Chonggui was so arrogant that he chose to turn a blind eye. What could be more powerful than regaining the Sixteen Provinces of Youyun and annihilating the Khitan?
Shi Chonggui believes that his name will be as famous as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
