Zhang Zhao was aware of Shi Chonggui's weakness, and Yelu Deguang had also figured out the Jin army's weaknesses.
Even old foxes like Feng Dao and He Ning understood that the seemingly powerful Central Plains dynasty, which had defeated the Liao Kingdom several times and made the Khitan emperor escape on a camel, had a very fatal problem.
But for Shi Chonggui, the leader of this country, he did not see the danger clearly. Instead, Shi Chonggui was a little complacent.
Because the servants and palace people around him, as well as Feng Yu, Yin Peng and others from the outer court, were all praising Shi Chonggui.
The only three people who knew the true situation and could possibly advise Shi Chonggui.
Jing Yanguang fell into self-destruction and lost Shi Chonggui's trust.
Sang Weihan was deposed by Shi Chonggui himself.
The remaining Feng Dao, haha! How do you think he got the title roly-poly?
That is Feng Dao, who is very good at switching between the virtuous minister and the flattering and treacherous, freely and without any psychological burden.
If the ruler is wise, he will be a wise minister; if the ruler is foolish, he will immediately become a sycophantic minister.
Under Shi Jingtang, Feng Dao dared to come forward and offer advice.
But when it came to Shi Chonggui, Feng Dao started to use flattering words to please Shi Chonggui. Now seeing that he was in danger, he started to make a clay sculpture of the Bodhisattva with He Ning.
Therefore, everything Shi Chonggui saw, heard, and felt was not real.
Zhang Zhao lamented how he dared to treat his soldiers harshly after the victory at Bai Tuanwei Village in Yangcheng, but Shi Chonggui felt that his reputation as Shi Chonggui resounded throughout the world after the battle in Yangcheng.
Not only did Yelu Deguang flee in panic after the beating, but he also changed his previous attitude. When the soldiers returned victorious, they were so frightened by his reputation that they no longer extorted property at every turn.
Shi Chonggui didn't know at all that he used tens of thousands of guans to send away the proud soldiers. First, he was lucky.
An Shenqi, Fu Yanqing, Gao Xingzhou, Huangfu Yu, etc., among the entire Five Dynasties, can definitely be regarded as capable and relatively moral generals.
Second, in the battle of Bai Tuanwei Village in Yangcheng, the Jin army gained was indeed too rich. Therefore, even if Shi Chonggui did not reward much, the soldiers could still endure it for the time being.
But Shi Chonggui, in his bragging to the left and right, regarded the general's loyalty and the soldiers' patience as due to his reputation and ability to control his subordinates.
I really don’t know where this confidence comes from?
In July, Fan Yang, the military envoy of the Liao Kingdom, Zhao Yanshou, the king of Yan, and Liu Yanzuo, the governor of Yingzhou, wrote letters.
They wrote a letter to Shi Chonggui, almost pleading, saying that they were oppressed by the Khitan people in the Liao Kingdom, and all their officers, generals and soldiers wanted to return south.
As long as the Jin Dynasty sent troops to the north, they would definitely turn against each other.
Especially Zhao Yanshou, in his letter, he boasted about the combat effectiveness of the Jin army, saying that the northern captives would be frightened when they heard about the arrival of Jin troops, and that the border would be frightened three times a day.
He even compared Shi Chonggui to Emperor Shi Zongwu of the Han Dynasty, who was extremely skilled in martial arts and avenged his father, ancestors and even his great-grandfather for being humiliated by the Huns.
Shi Chonggui always liked to hear lofty words, and he had no idea that Zhao Yanshou was deliberately flattering him with ulterior motives. Not only did he happily accept all the orders, but it also ignited the pride in his heart.
But the biggest thing in common between Shi Chonggui and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is probably that they are both men.
At the end of July, Shi Chonggui, who was so arrogant after Zhao Yanshou and Liu Yanzuo defected to surrender, summoned Du Chongwei specially.
He proposed to continue to appoint Marquis Du Wen as the envoy for the northern camp, and also ordered Feng Yu, He Ning, Feng Dao, Li Song and others to handle the affairs of the army's northern expedition.
This order immediately put everyone to death. With continuous disasters and wars, it would be good if the country could still function. How could there be money and food to supply the army for the northern expedition?
However, Feng Yu knew that Shi Chonggui had made up his mind. In order to cater to Shi Chonggui and to prevent Shi Chonggui from knowing the truth and continuing to hold power, Feng Yu took over everything, saying that he would quickly gather food and grass.
The three clay Bodhisattvas, He Ning, Feng Dao and Li Song, were still wise enough to protect themselves and did not come out to give advice.
This made Shi Chonggui think that the state treasury was still sufficient, so he turned around and spoke eloquently to Du Chongwei.
"The troops of the imperial court today are powerful in the north and south, and the northern barbarians are disheartened when they hear this. They should first attack Yingmo and stabilize Guannan, and then attack Youyan and pacify the north of Saibei!
Since the day when the late emperor Jin Yang raised his troops, my uncle has made great contributions to the imperial court in the south and north. If he can destroy the Khitan again this time, he will be the king of Yan and guard Hebei. "
No one expected that Shi Chonggui would be so arrogant, and this time, even a shameless person like Du Chongwei was confused.
It seemed that Shi Chonggui not only wanted to take Zhao Yanshou and Liu Yanzuo south, but also wanted to regain the land of Youyan and then pacify Saibei.
Especially for the goal of pacifying Saibei, not to mention Shi Chonggui, even Zhuangzong and Li Cunxu, the founders of the North's martial arts and wealth, did not achieve it.
Even among the unified emperors in the past dynasties, only a handful of them were able to conquer the Great Wall.
Then, Du Chongwei felt a wave of fear in his heart. He still knew how much he weighed. This was not asking him to go north to perform meritorious service. It was costing his life!
Shi Chonggui thought it was trust, but Du Chongwei thought it was urging him to die.
And he had no way to refuse, because he was the one who initiated the initial contact with Zhao Yanshou, and he also followed up later.
Liu Yanzuo, the governor of Yingzhou, Khitan, intended to return south, and Du Chongwei first reported it to the later Jin court, believing that the opportunity could not be missed.
But Du Chongwei did all this just out of greed for merit.
Because after Yelu Deguang withdrew to the north, the Khitans did not completely die down. Instead, they relied on fast horses to harass them in border areas such as Yizhou and Shenzhou.
Just two months before he entered the court, Liu Zhiyuan once again defeated the harassing Khitans at Yangwuguan in Hedong, beheading more than 7,000 people.
Although this is probably Liu Zhiyuan's boast, the victory should be true.
Immediately afterwards, Du Chongwei led his own army and also defeated the Khitan people who were harassing the south many times in Shenzhou and other places, beheading hundreds of them. Zhao Yanshou's statement that the Khitan border was shocked three times a day was not entirely exaggerated.
Because of the continuous defeat, many Khitans did suffer from phobia of the Jin army. The Khitans stationed on the border were indeed afraid of the Jin army's Northern Expedition.
Du Chongwei actually wanted to bring Zhao Yanshou, Liu Yanzuo and others back to harvest several of the sixteen states of Yanyun.
In this way, you can not only steal the Khitan people, but also make contributions, so that you can get promoted and make a fortune.
But he has no intention of regaining Youzhou! In particular, Saibei must be pacified.
Therefore, after Shi Chonggui retreated to the harem, this matter was delayed again.
Feng Yu couldn't raise enough food and grass, and Du Chongwei was unwilling to lead his troops to take such a big risk. The last time Bai Tuanwei Village was surrounded, he was frightened.
However, after the news was spread by Empress Dowager Li, the Jinyi envoy from Liang State sent fast horses to Liangzhou day and night.
Zhang Zhao, who felt that things finally corresponded with history, knew that the Jin army's march north would definitely happen.
In mid-August, AD 944, the first year of the Later Jin Dynasty, the flood victims who entered Hexi from Guanzhong basically came to an end.
In this year, Zhang Zhao spent more than 400,000 shi on food, mobilized a lot of manpower and material resources, and brought a total of 650,000 disaster victims into Hexi.
In addition to being filled in Suzhou, north of Ganzhou, and Lingzhou, more than 400,000 of these disaster victims were organized by Zhang Zhao and participated in tasks such as dredging rivers.
After the dredging task was completed, the victims were arranged along the river, forming a large number of protective armor distributed in a long strip from Shanzhou City to Lanzhou City.
They either farmed here or served as boatmen on the waterways, guarding these important waterways for Zhang Zhao.
After pacifying the victims, news from the Later Jin Dynasty was received.
Zhang Zhao then ordered Ambassador Xia Suidao and Xinting Marquis Cao Yuanzhong to mobilize 15,000 troops from Xia Sui and Lingwu to garrison in the north of Yanzhou.
He also ordered Gao Yunquan, the commander of Yanzhou Zhangwu Army who had already attached himself to the Liang Kingdom, to stock up on food and grass to prepare for the response.
The second route ordered the deputy ambassador of Hexi Province and the commander-in-chief of Xiongwu Town Yan Jin to assemble the two battalions of Xiongwu and Hanhai Town, totaling 16,000 troops, and recruit 30,000 civilians to prepare to enter Guanzhong from Qinzhou (Tianshui).
The Third Route Army was the main force, led by Zhang Zhao himself, and set out from Liangzhou.
Almost all the imperial guards and town troops of the Liang Kingdom were dispatched. Hanshandu, Left and Right Yulin Guards, Yingyang Town, Yucheng Town, and Wuwei Town were all on the march.
A large number of united archers and Yicong Xiaoqi from Hexi, Longyou, Longbei, Xiasui, and Lingwu were also recruited.
In addition, Zhang Zhao also ordered Anxi and Beiting each to provide three thousand light cavalry to Hexi.
Together with the imperial guards and town troops, they totaled 40,000 horse infantry.
From then on, Zhang Zhao mobilized the entire Liang Kingdom, mobilizing a total of 70,000 horse and infantry troops, 50,000 soldiers and civilians, and more than 300,000 people participating in the transport.
He also hoarded a large amount of grain and grass in Qinzhou, Weizhou, and Yanzhou, preparing to go south into Guanzhong after Yelu Deguang invaded Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo.
Zhang Zhao was well prepared, and Yelu Deguang was also well prepared. However, since the Khitan army was defeated the first two times it went south, Yelu Deguang's preparations were not as easy as Zhang Zhao's.
Now his emperor's reputation alone can no longer even inspire the Khitan people's ambition to go south.
He can only rely on ghosts and gods along the way, and use prophecies and divination to improve his prestige and attract various tribes to send troops southward.
But after he finished this trick, there was no movement from the Later Jin Dynasty, and Yelu Deguang felt bad for a moment.
He then quickly instructed Liu Yanzuo to write to the Later Jin Dynasty again, and to attract the Jin army no matter what.
