This Northern Expedition can be described as an all-out attack of elite troops. Only the two divisions of imperial guards and guards sent out 100,000 troops, and most of the troops garrisoned in the two capitals and their surrounding areas were mobilized. The subordinates of the Palace Front Department, including Tieqi, Longqi, and Xiaodi, and the Guards Department's subordinates, Longjie, Husheng, Fengguo, and Xingjie, all participated in the expedition, and among them, there were 30,000 horsemen.
In addition, the 40,000 frontier troops deployed by subordinates in the north, the Hebei Dusi mobilized more than 20,000 local troops, the 20,000 Yan army, and the tens of thousands of mercenary cavalry recruited by Guo Chongwei in the northwest region.
Therefore, in this Northern Expedition, only in Hebei, the soldiers sent by the Han Dynasty were actually 200,000 soldiers. Except for the soldiers and horses of the capital and the hired miscellaneous cavalry, which were slightly weaker, the rest were all trained for many years. Elite. If we include a large number of auxiliary soldiers and civilian servants, the number will exceed 400,000.
This kind of strength may be barely described as the power of a country, but on the basis of maintaining the stability of domestic rule and defense on all fronts, the Han Dynasty court could be considered to have reached its limit. With more than 70% of the Han elites gathered, it is understandable that Liu Chengyou chose to fight personally.
Regarding the issue of the emperor's personal expedition, there was another dispute between the court and the central government. Some people were always cautious and did not want the emperor to take risks in the north. In a battle between large soldiers, the outcome is unpredictable. If the Northern Expedition still fails with such strength, it will be a huge blow to the prestige of both the emperor and the country.
It would be better for the emperor to sit in Tokyo and calm people's minds. It is a prudent and prudent attitude to think about defeat before winning. However, many people only think about the consequences of defeat and seldom think about the glory of victory.
Therefore, even if some ministers headed by Fan Zhi tried their best to dissuade him, it was of no use. In the first year of Qianyou's reign, the country was in dire straits, and even Li Shouzhen could not dissuade him from recruiting him personally. What's more, the emperor was now more and more authoritative.
With such a large scale of troop movements, in addition to improving orderly logistical support, the coordination and command of the armies is crucial, and the construction of the command system is the top priority.
The emperor personally marched, and the imperial camp was composed of the Iron Cavalry Army, the Longqi Army, a section of the Ouchi Army, and some auxiliary soldiers and logistics personnel. There were about 30,000 infantry and cavalry, and Zhao Kuangyin was in charge of the capital deployment.
A Youyan camp was set up on the front line. An Shenqi, king of Chenliu, was in charge of the capital deployment. Zhao Kuangzan, king of Yan, was his deputy and the governor of the Han and Yan armies. Under them, Gao Huaide was the commander-in-chief of the cavalry army, Murong Yanzhao was the commander-in-chief of the infantry army, and Chai Rong was the governor. In terms of logistics, Li Chuyun was the food envoy for the camp, and Han Hui (son of Han Tong) was the deputy envoy, responsible for the management of the auxiliary soldiers and civilians in front of the camp and the supply of military supplies. The prime minister Wei Renpu was the transshipment envoy between the two rivers, and Xue Juzheng was the deputy envoy, responsible for the raising and supply of military supplies in the rear.
Before Yujia set off, Liu Chengyou naturally made appropriate arrangements for Tokyo. The prince supervises the country, and the ministers assist him, handle government affairs, and ensure the normal operation of the country while the emperor is away from Beijing. The emperor has had sufficient experience in this during his previous tours, but this time, there is a young prince as auspicious Offerings of things.
Of course, the role of the queen mother and queen is indispensable, and this time, King Yong Liu Chengxun is also among the assistant ministers. Since both Chai Rong and Li Chuyun accompanied the army on the northern expedition, the affairs of the Privy Council were temporarily handled by Wang Puquan.
As for the defense of the capital, Liu Chengyou handed it over to Xiang Xun and Han Tong, who were responsible for annexing the chief and deputy inspectors respectively. In fact, after the army began to march northward, Tokyo's military defense was immediately much weaker. There were only the inner and outer palaces in front of the palace, the guards Wujie Army, the imperial city's inner army, and some patrol troops. Of course, this is still a powerful force, enough to defend the capital.
The most heavily mobilized troops must be from Luoyang, Hua, Wei, Chan, Pu and Damingfu, which are the important towns that defend Tokyo. These places have always been the main areas for the Forbidden Army's defense. After the troops and horses are transferred to the north, the defense can use empty troops. to describe. However, if the enemy wants to attack these core ruling areas, it is basically impossible.
Of course, in this Northern Expedition, the Han army not only included the Hebei army, but also the Hedong army. The state minister and Wei Wang Fu Yanqing was the commander-in-chief, and the governor-general of Hedong soldiers and horses was assisted by Wang Yanchao. In the Baode area, when Yunshuo was attacked, Yang Ye was the pioneer envoy.
In addition, there were several partial divisions. Zheng Guogong Shi Hongzhao and Dingbian Army Envoy Wang Yansheng also led troops from the Lingzhou area. The commander of the Jingjiang military capital led the Laizhou navy to cross the sea to the north, looking for opportunities to cut off the Liaoxi Corridor and cut off the troops of the outer Liao Kingdom.
Li Yiyin of Xiazhou and Gao Shaoji of Yanzhou also issued edicts to attack Liao. On Li Yiyin's side, perhaps relying on the confidence gained from the war between Han and Liao, he dared to attack the Khitan north to expand his territory and increase his strength. But with Gao Shaoji as a troublemaker behind him, raising troops together, it is basically impossible to have peace of mind on the military affairs. After all, Li and Gao are feuding families. And the Cheyenne army will probably only help the momentum in the end.
As for Goryeo, the imperial edict to conquer Liao was also submitted by the Han envoy. However, Goryeo Guangzong Wang Zhao was busy reforming, attacking the powerful, and killing heroes. It was basically impossible for him to seize chestnuts from the fire for the Han and send troops to deal with the Liao army. Can you explain it? Attitude, even if he is pro-Han.
For the great cause of the Northern Expedition, the Han had to rely on himself to deal with the Liao army.
After everything was arranged, on August 21, the 11th year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Han Dynasty officially led the imperial troops and headed north from Tokyo. This was also the last army to participate in the Northern Expedition.
Except for some close ministers, there were no random people accompanying him. However, the imperial concubines Gao and Ning Guo were able to join the expedition and take personal care of Liu Chengyou's food and daily life. In fact, if Lady Zhe hadn't been pregnant, he would have taken her with him. At the same time, the emperor's eldest son, third son, and fourth son also accompanied him on the expedition.
...
In the Beizhou and Yongji river sections, dozens of large ships with deep drafts on the canal are slowly moving northeast. On the shore, there are more than two thousand trackers in coarse linen and linen, hunched back and wrapped in fiber ropes, working hard to pull the ships transporting ordnance and baggage northward.
Behind is a larger fleet, with dragon boats at the head, cavalry on both sides of the river, and dense black flags moving impressively in the autumn wind. The dragon boat Liu Chengyou rode was just a renovated building boat. It was not so grand and gorgeous, but it was famous because the emperor rode it.
At this time, Liu Chengyou was standing on the deck of the dragon boat, his beard swaying in the cool breeze. His expression was calm, and his slightly solemn eyes fell on the tracker on the shore.
The entire country was mobilized for the Northern Expedition against Khitan, and the most thorough mobilization came from the Hebei states. Beizhou is still far away from Youzhou, and the recruitment of civilians has been fully launched.
It was only late August, and although the government urged the people to harvest crops first, by the time the military campaign came, there were still many wheat fields that had not been harvested, and farmers had been ordered to leave their homes. Soldiers from the countryside and brave men from the countryside, husband and wife, gathered in the city to prepare for deployment.
The most important job of the civilians in the states and counties along the canal was to pull fiber channels to ensure the smooth flow of the canal for the mobilization of military supplies. During this Northern Expedition, the logistics transportation of the Han army was mainly through river transportation to Youyan.
Since entering Hebei, everything we see is similar scenes. The trackers were relatively lucky. The imperial court had ordered that the prefectures and counties along the river ensure smooth transportation of the rivers within their jurisdictions. Therefore, the trackers only had to work hard and do some hard work, and did not have to leave home to go north.
However, there are more people who need to go to the front line and listen to instructions before the battle. Not only do they suffer and travel far away, but their lives are also in danger at any time, so it is difficult to be safe.
Although according to the imperial court's plan, the Hebei army was to send 200,000 soldiers and 200,000 civilians, but the actual mobilization for this battle was not limited to this? The impact of the war on people's livelihood has been revealed from the beginning, and what Liu Chengyou can only see with his eyes is only a small part of it.
In recent years, the Han Dynasty has been accustomed to conquering east and west, sending out large armies and recruiting civilians. However, there has never been any time before that Liu Chengyou felt pressure like this.
"After paying such a high price, I don't leave myself any room for failure..." His face was so serious that he was almost indifferent, but Liu Chengyou secretly warned himself in his heart.
"Official house, it's windy on the water, so you should go back to the cabin to take shelter from the wind!" Concubine Gao walked to Liu Chengyou's side, seeming to be able to feel the emperor's heavy mood, and softly advised him.
Hearing the sound, Liu Chengyou glanced at her, shook his head, and sighed: "Soldiers and people are all enduring the wind and cold, why should I be alone in a warm cabin to avoid the wind and frost?"
Yes, Liu Chengyou's words were just for show. Because he was serious, Liu Chengyou never let go of any opportunity to inspire people. Of course, with what he said, his body still honestly asked Concubine Gao to help him put on a robe. Too much wind would be bad for his health...
She turned to look at Concubine Gao. She was a lady who was over thirty years old. She was very considerate of the Holy Heart and served the emperor in military affairs. She was dressed in a decent military uniform. She was not as flashy as palace attire. She also lacked the coquettish charm that she usually displayed in front of Liu Chengyou. The tiger girl's heroic spirit exudes.
However, what Liu Chengyou felt more deeply was her tenderness. I still remember that when she received the gift at the beginning of the year, it was freezing cold, so she used her belly and breasts to warm her hands.
After coming back to his senses, Liu Chengyou summoned Zhang Ji and told him: "You draft an edict. I came all the way north and saw that there were acres of fields and a lot of wheat that had not been harvested. Although the campaign was urgent, it should not be completely abandoned. Farming. Governments in various places should try to coordinate the remaining labor in the countryside and organize harvesting!"
"Yes!" Zhang Ji understood the emperor's intention, saluted, and quickly went back to draft the edict. Because of Zhang Jie's previous performance, he took up his position in the recording office and joined the expedition.
In fact, Liu Chengyou's words and deeds did have a great inspiring effect on the morale and morale of the military. After his words were spread, not only the soldiers in the imperial camp, but also the men pulling fibers along the coast became more energetic, and the slogans of pulling fibers became more powerful. After all, even His Majesty the Emperor accompanied them, blowing the wind and watching them.
