In Youzhou City, the leader was Yelu Chun, the king of Wei and the great uncle of Emperor Rensheng who stayed in Nanjing of the Liao Kingdom.
Next was the commander-in-chief of the Northeast Road Army and Xi Wang Xiao Qian, and the third was the Liao Xing Army Jiedu Envoy and Nanjing Road Guard Yelv Dashi.
These three people, especially the last two, are all talented and can be called heroes.
However, under the instigation of Xiao Qian and Yelu Dashi, Yelu Chun mobilized more than 200,000 Youyan Liao troops to attack the Song Dynasty. It was not until they reached Xiongzhou that he sent the memorial to Datong Mansion in Xijing to report to Emperor Tianzuo. Know.
This kind of behavior of beheading first and reporting later is like having your head tied to the belt of your trouser belt. If you win a big victory, you can say that you must obey the authority urgently. If you lose, it will be a huge disaster.
So how dare the three of them be ignored? When I heard that the Song army was fighting fiercely on the front line of Hejian Prefecture, they all panicked and hurried to the front line.
As a result, the people who can call the shots in Youzhou City are the civil and military personnel.
One of the authors was Prime Minister Li Chuwen. Although he was a prime minister, he could also thrust a spear and use a stick. He was very good at hunting. He also boasted of the unique skills of patting horses and sucking hemorrhoids. He was deeply trusted by Emperor Tian Zuo and was specially placed in Nanjing. , just to be the eyes and ears.
It's a pity that these eyes and ears have no integrity, but they have brains. They can see that Emperor Tianzuo is declining in the west, so they pretend to be loyal and righteous, but in fact they switch to the throne of Wei King Yelu Chun.
The one who was fighting was He Chongbao, the deputy commander of the Liao Kingdom. He was ten feet tall and had the power to defeat thousands of people in martial arts. He also possessed amazing magical skills. Two brothers of the same race, He Cai and He Yun, were both fierce generals in their own right.
Lin Chong's 300 men captured Lu County, and the county magistrate and county lieutenants were all killed. Only one county magistrate walked quickly and ran to Youzhou on horseback, reporting that an unknown force had captured Lu County.
When Li Chuwen learned about this, he rushed to congratulate him on the treasure, and also called two brave generals in the city for discussion: Taizhen's consort Xu Qing, Huangmen's minister, and Zuozhi Jinwu's general Li Ji.
Among them, Li Ji came from a famous family and was a descendant of Li Ling of the Western Han Dynasty.
The book hints that Li Ling's grandfather was the famous "Flying General" Li Guang. His family was very good at archery. All the five thousand people under his command learned archery from him. They were stationed in Jiuquan and Zhangye, and the Huns did not dare to attack. watch for.
In the second year of the Han Dynasty, Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division, sent 30,000 troops to attack the Xiongnu in the Tianshan Mountains. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered Li Ling to escort grain and grass. Li Ling was arrogant and unwilling to be subordinate to others, so he asked Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to allow him to lead an army alone in the battle.
At that time, in order to ensure that Li Guangli's army advanced like the wind, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had already collected and delivered all the war horses in the army, so he was in a dilemma: "But there are no horses with you."
Li Ling said with enthusiasm: "My troops are all Jingchu warriors. Most of them are swordsmen and wizards. They are strong enough to restrain a tiger, and their shots are sure to hit. They can also fight when dismounted. I am willing to attack more with less, and lead five thousand infantry to the royal court of the Xiongnu."
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had limited knowledge and did not know that once the cavalry dismounted, it would be a sign that they would go downhill. He was impressed by Li Ling's courage and agreed with him to dismount and go on an expedition.
Li Ling led his army on foot for thirty days and arrived at Junji Mountain. When the Huns learned about it, they sent more than 30,000 cavalry to surround them, thinking that they would win. Unexpectedly, Li Ling's arrows came out like rain with extraordinary accuracy. The wise king discussed and combined his army of 80,000 to attack.
Li Ling fought and fled. He fought fiercely for more than ten days and killed 20,000 to 30,000 Xiongnu soldiers. His arrows were exhausted and his weapons were worn out. The general only had a short sword with him.
Just like this, the soldiers could only dismantle the carts and use the wood as soldiers, and finally fell into a tight siege and could not escape.
One evening at dusk, Li Ling sat alone for a long time. He suddenly stood up and took off his armor, wearing only plain clothes, and said angrily: "Everyone has ten more arrows, so why worry about not being able to break through? Now all the armies are trapped in death because of me, and there is nothing to repay. Go alone and kill the Shanyu." Then he shouted back and walked away alone with his sword.
All the armies thought that the warriors were gone and would never return. Unexpectedly, they returned after a long time and sighed: "We are defeated like this. All we want is death." They ordered the armies to bury their belongings, cut off their flags, and take away the remaining grain and ice. Take advantage of the darkness to break out.
Li Ling and his deputy generals joined forces with more than a dozen elite men. When the Huns noticed the traces, they chased and surrounded them with thousands of people and ordered them to surrender.
Lieutenant General Han Yannian shouted: "The men of the Han family only know how to kill Hu, but don't know what to surrender to." Holding a short blade, he charged into the enemy formation alone, killed dozens of people, wounded more than ten people, and died facing Chang'an. .
More than ten warriors, impressed by their courage, died in battle shouting "No surrender".
When we were together, above the desert, the new wind was howling, and all the Han people on the ground were silent. Thousands of Huns were surrounded, and Li Ling stood alone with his sword. He wanted to charge several times, but stopped. He struggled for a long time, and said with tears, "I have no power." I wish you could meet Your Majesty."
Then surrender.
Some remnants of the soldiers fled back and reported the news of the defeat. Emperor Wu was shocked and said that a hero like Li Ling was desperate for life. He called his mother and wife to express condolences. The fortune tellers looked at his complexion and there was no sign of death, so he said that Li Ling was not dead.
When all the civil and military officials heard about it, they all scolded Li Ling for being unfaithful. Only Sima Qian interceded for him, saying that he had traveled thousands of miles and killed tens of thousands of enemies. He had no means to defeat him, but he still fought on his own. This was an example for a famous general. Although he did not die, he must remain useful. body, in order to make meritorious deeds and atone for sins.
When Emperor Wu heard this, he thought for a long time and ordered General Gongsun Ao to lead troops into the Xiongnu and return Li Ling.
Gongsun Ao returned without success and said: "I heard that Li Ling trained troops and taught archery to the Xiongnu Chanyu. The Xiongnu valued him, so he did not let him go."
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was furious and killed his mother, wife and brothers, and sentenced Sima Qian to castration. Later, Sima Qian was buried in the remains of "Historical Records", and his glory lasted through the ages. This is a story later.
A few years later, the Han envoy went on an envoy to the Xiongnu. Li Ling came to find him and questioned the Han envoy: "I fought bloody battles for the country and killed tens of thousands of enemies. I was helpless and was captured at the end of my strength. The fault is not mine. Why did your majesty kill my whole family?"
The Han envoy replied: "You are training troops for the Xiongnu, and His Majesty is angry because of this."
Li Ling raised his eyes and stamped his feet, and sang and said: "Li Xu is the military trainer, how can he be Li Ling?"
The Han envoy was also stunned and said for a long time: "Maybe I heard wrongly."
Li Xu was the Han captain outside the fortress. He was originally stationed in Xihou City. When the Huns came to attack him, he opened the city and surrendered. He was greeted politely by the Xiongnu Chanyu.
Li Ling hated that this man was training troops for the Huns and had brought harm to his family, so he killed him in anger. All the nobles of the Huns wanted to kill Ling, but Shan Yu protected him and hid him secretly, so he was spared.
The Chanyu was very fond of Li Ling and named him the King of Youxiao. He gave him his daughter as his wife. Li Ling never returned to his homeland and continued his bloodline in the north. Li Ji was the descendant of him and the Hun princess. His archery skills were famous in the Liao Kingdom. , without losing the reputation of his ancestors, everyone calls him Li Jinwu.
At this point, the book returns to the main story, and it is said that Li Chuwen summoned the deputy commander-in-chief He Chongbao, Prince Consort Xuqing, and Zhijinwu Li Ji, and asked the county magistrate to come in and talk about the loss of Lu County. After he finished speaking, Li Chuwen frowned and said : "But I don't know where the people are, taking advantage of the emptiness in our country, rushing to the state and attacking the government to cause trouble. If they are not eliminated quickly, they will become big for a while, but it is not a trick."
Li Ji thought for a while, frowned and said, "Could it be that the Song army sent a partial army to make a long-distance surprise attack, so that they could encircle Wei and rescue Zhao?"
Xu Qing listened and laughed loudly: "Li Jinwu, I know that your ancestor Li Ling was good at running attacks, and you have this idea. But how can the current Emperor of Song be compared with Emperor Wu of Han? His subordinates are all Tong Guanzhi. We have more than 200,000 troops marching across the Song Dynasty. Which brave Song people dare to turn their backs on our army and attack them?"
When Li Ji heard what he said, he couldn't help shaking his head and laughing: "That's all, but it's the last general's fault."
Xu Qing said carelessly: "Didn't the county magistrate say that? The people who captured the city were only one or two thousand, and they didn't even have armor. They must have been strong men who gathered in the mountains and forests. When they learned that my army was going to attack the Song Dynasty, they thought they could capture it. What's the big deal if he eats cheaply? From my point of view, if we don't kill him quickly, he will rob the county seat and run away without a trace, but where can we find him?"
Although Lin Chong only had three hundred, the county magistrate still subconsciously praised him several times. Firstly, he did not look carefully, and secondly, it was a common practice. However, judging from this, the officialdom of Liao Kingdom was still better than that of Song Kingdom. If he was an official of Song Kingdom, Don't exaggerate it fifty times, it's all for nothing.
Xu Qing's view was a common one. Li Chuwen nodded repeatedly and asked He Chongbao: "He Tongjun, what do you think of this matter?"
He Chongbao smiled nonchalantly: "If the general is watching, don't pay attention to him. With the army out there, you can't be too careful in everything. As long as we keep Youzhou from chaos, we will have merit but no fault."
Xu Qing immediately shouted: "That's not what you said! His gang of thieves dared to attack the city, which shows how bold they are. If you don't care and indulge him even more, I will escort the grain and grass to the front of the army from time to time. These guys will have a slippery mouth after eating." , If you come to rob food, wouldn't you miss something important?"
After saying these words, others had nothing to say, and Li Chuwen nodded repeatedly: "What Taizhen Prince Consort said is a noble statement. This group of strong men must be eliminated! Besides, how much gold and silver did he get from robbing Lu County? It would be better to take it back and let King Wei raise his troops."
Raising soldiers is just a way of saying it. Li Chuwen's true purpose was immediately clear to a few people, but he was interested in the fruits of the bandits' labor, so he wanted to pick peaches.
Since Li Chuwen became an official, his first specialty was courtship, and his second specialty was corruption. Later, it was recorded in the history of the Liao Dynasty that Li Chuwen was "especially corrupt." You must know that during this period, corruption among officials in the Song and Liao Dynasties was a matter of course. If they can become famous for corruption, then they are ruthless people who are greedy and greedy.
It seems that people like this are sensitive to wealth and have an instinctive reaction - Xu Qing, Li Ji and He Chongbao are inferior. When Li Chuwen said this, greedy light shone in the eyes of the three of them.
After all, the wealth of one city, even if Lu County is not a big place, is still astonishing.
He Tongjun, who just thought he didn't need to pay attention to it, immediately changed his mind, stood up with a bang, and said without hesitation: "Hearing your words is worth ten years of reading. If Li Xiangdian hadn't come out, wouldn't it be possible for a young general with such little knowledge to miss a big event? That’s it! The young general will lead his troops to kill those dog thieves and let the people of Lu County see the blue sky again!"
Xu Qing gave up after hearing this: "He Tongjun does not want Luo Su. Wuyan Tongjun made it clear before he went out with the King of Wei that you should be optimistic about Yanjing Wuyou. How can we allow you to get out of such an important relationship? There are only a thousand thieves. I am giving him great face by leading my troops to suppress him."
The Wu Yan Commandery he mentioned was Wu Yanguang, the Commander-in-Chief of the Liao Kingdom. This man was the first general in the Liao Kingdom and He Chongbao's upright boss. He was Yelv Chun's confidant and beloved general, and now he went with him to fight against the Song Dynasty.
Li Ji smiled and said: "Taizhen's consort is right. Wuyan's commander is not here, and He's the white jade pillar of Youzhou. He should not be left lightly! But Taizhen's consort is a noble man. The so-called son of a rich man cannot sit down in the hall, and Why go to dangerous ground with your precious feet? It’s better for you to go out and have a try..."
The three of them fought for each other, and each refused to give in. In the end, no one could do anything about the other. It was Li Chuwen who made the decision: "Lu County is not far from here. If everything goes well, it will be ordinary to leave in the morning and return home in the evening. Why don't the three of you go together, and each will rely on his or her abilities to achieve the best results, so as not to argue with each other."
But he had another plan——
As a prime minister, I naturally cannot compete with these generals to send troops. Although I know that no matter who goes, I will give him a share of the profits, but who knows whether these rough guys will be cunning and ambush? Simply let the three of them go together. The so-called three monks have no food to eat. In this way, it will be difficult to hide the amount of income from others, and their own interests can be considered safe.
When the three heard this, they hesitated for a moment. You looked at me and I looked at him, then they all nodded slowly and said "Okay".
Seeing that Li Chuwen's role was indispensable no matter what, the three of them also made up their minds:
If those thieves and bandits robbed a lot of property, that would be fine. But if the thieves and bandits actually failed in their work and captured only a limited amount, the generals would have to set an example and teach the thieves how to plunder the city!
Thinking of this, he couldn't wait to get up and hurriedly said goodbye to Li Chuwen, and ran back to gather troops and horses——
All three of them knew that even though they said they were all going together, how could the other two wait in vain? At this moment, whoever organizes his troops first and rushes a step earlier will gain much more!
There is a different teaching: the strong will have its own strong hand. How can thieves and bandits be as good as officials and bandits? Suddenly seeing something good in front of him, all the civil and military officials in the city sharpened their swords.
(End of chapter)
