In Baishuilu, the meeting between Emperor Liu and Yelujing lasted for ten days. Within these ten days, the two sides went from tit-for-tat to vigilance, then to gradual relaxation, to the point where they let down their guard and communicated harmoniously.
However, more than half of the time was spent hunting, but he lived up to his reputation as a "good hunter". Emperor Liu only fired one arrow from beginning to end, and he shot a deer with one arrow. As a good omen, he closed his bow.
During the rest of the time, exchange activities were gradually enriched, including drinking and eating meat, enjoying the songs and dances of their respective ethnic groups, watching riding, archery, wrestling, gladiatorial and other competitions...
It was not until September 15th that the emperors of both sides were enjoying themselves so much that they considered ending the meeting. Although, apart from satisfying some of Emperor Liu and Yelujing's curiosity about each other, this meeting did not achieve anything substantial. Agreements and Engagements.
As for the relationship between the two countries, not only did it not ease despite the singing and dancing, but it gradually deteriorated due to the attitudes expressed by each. Ten years of peaceful coexistence is long enough for the big man.
And this meeting ended in a bloody way. Before bidding farewell, Yelujing proposed that both sides select soldiers for an actual battle. In this regard, Emperor Liu had no reason to be timid and evasive, and directly agreed. Yang Yanzhao led the five hundred elite cavalry who had previously hunted to fight with the Liao army.
It was a head-on duel with a considerable number of people. Thousands of horses from both sides were cruising and galloping in a battlefield within a radius of five miles, trying to fight and test the combat capabilities of their respective armies.
This was also an evenly matched battle. The soldiers sent by Yelujing were also the elite of his imperial army. Their soldiers, equipment, and horses were all excellent.
The advantages of the Liao army are obvious, including their refined mounted archery, their powerful horse-mounted fighting skills, and their almost instinctive hunting and joint attack tactics.
Of course, if you want to rely on these, it is impossible to defeat the elite knights that the big man has painstakingly cultivated. The cavalry of the Han Dynasty was also well-trained, and the cavalry's tactics and tactics had long been established.
Moreover, when the big man gave full play to his own advantages, the effect was quite remarkable. For example, the use of the mounted crossbow is simply a weapon for melee combat. No matter how skilled you are at once, you will still be lying dead if you get close enough to shoot.
After suffering losses, the Liao cavalry who participated in the war no longer dared to easily engage in close combat with the Han cavalry, and turned to wandering and fighting...
In that match, after testing tactics and testing their combat capabilities, both sides chose to stop at nothing. The Liao army suffered nearly a hundred casualties, and the Han cavalry also exceeded eighty, which was barely enough.
But after it was over, Yelujing's face looked a little ugly. He did not expect that with the same force, his Daliao Jingqi could not suppress the Han cavalry, but suffered more casualties.
This point was somewhat difficult for him to accept. The progress of the Han army was really beyond people's imagination. You must know that during the Northern Expedition, under various unfavorable conditions, the Liao cavalry still had the upper hand against the Han cavalry. .....
Afterwards, Zhao Kuangyin proposed that this confrontation exposed our army's tactics, fearing that it would arouse the Liao army's vigilance and carry out targeted improvement responses.
Emperor Liu agreed with this, but he was very open-minded. The incident was divided into two sides, and although it exposed some of its own secrets, it also tested the situation of the Liao army and tested the results of the Han cavalry construction.
At the same time, compared to the Liao Kingdom, the Han Dynasty had too many trump cards and a deep foundation, and its biggest advantage was not its tactics and strong bows and crossbows.
Up to now, compared with the Liao Kingdom, the Han Dynasty had sufficient national strength, a massive population, and a complete mobilization system... These were the confidence that Emperor Liu had to look at everything and ensure victory.
After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed, and Baishuiluo, which had been noisy for a while, returned to its former glory. The meeting between the northern and southern emperors had a great impact on the lives of the local Hu and Han people, especially delaying their preparations for winter.
The military armor dispersed, the sword light disappeared, and the business travelers traveling from north to south gathered again, and a trading boom broke out. In that warm atmosphere, few people could notice that the battle of martial arts nature added to the Saibei grassland. color.
Seeing the Han and Liao emperors enjoying themselves, more people who have benefited from the peace between the two countries may also hope that the relationship between the two countries will be more harmonious and harmonious in the future, the border will be more peaceful, and their safety and livelihood will be more secure. .
But obviously, that's not possible. Emperor Liu may not have noticed that although the peace between Han and Liao had only lasted for ten years, most officials and people were already content with the status quo.
If he launches a huge Northern Expedition again, it will be difficult to get the same level of popularity boost as ten years ago. The war in the future may no longer be about avenging shame, dignity, and regaining Guanshan. Instead, it may better reflect the emperor's ambition, the court's foresight, and the enterprising spirit of those with lofty ideals...
Emperor Liu didn't care what kind of mood Yelujing was in when he returned north. He just stayed calm as usual, ended his patrol in Shanyang, turned west, and started his journey to patrol the northwest.
The route of the Western Inspection basically followed the Great Wall and took the border area between Han and Liao Dynasties. It was located on a plateau, full of mountains, rocks and ravines, and the traffic was rugged. It was also the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, so the journey was much more difficult than before.
It has to be said that this is also a kind of torture for Emperor Liu who has been pampered for a long time. Of course, this hard work did not affect Emperor Liu's enthusiasm for hunting.
The first stop was Shengzhou, which was about three hundred miles away. Even though there were many vehicles and horses, the brigade march took twelve full days due to the poor traffic conditions.
By the time we arrived at Fengzhou at the northern end of the Hetao, it was already early October. In the northern part of the Great Wall in winter, the cold wind was blowing wildly. This was the northernmost place that Emperor Liu had ever visited in his life. Although it was only early winter, the chilling weather still made Emperor Liu realize the harshness of the northern climate.
It can be said frankly that Emperor Liu couldn't stand the weather. Unless necessary, he spent most of his time hiding in his car. However, even if there was not much wind, his lips were chapped.
The lips were a different kind of red, a deep red, and after applying some ointment, they looked even more moist. However, only Emperor Liu himself understood the discomfort behind this "rosy" color. Changing route to patrol the northwest was not his original plan, but a thought he had after entering Shanyang. This temporary intention was not the only one who suffered hardship.
The accompanying civil and military officers and the accompanying soldiers all had extra clothes and coats. In this regard, preparations for the camp were still sufficient. While in Shanyang, a batch of wool and leather goods were temporarily purchased.
However, even so, the difficult journey and bad weather caused some complaints during the camp. The army is quite good, with strict discipline and strict control. If you have any complaints, you can only keep them in your heart.
However, those who are used to living a comfortable life in the Central Plains are completely suffering in this bitter and cold place with simple conditions. Among them were the accompanying nobles and officials who complained about the hardship and deliberately delayed the trip.
Seeing such a situation and hearing such a voice, Emperor Liu naturally lost his temper and directly ordered Zhang Dejun to arrest all those who complained and affected the atmosphere of the camp.
There were a few officials among them, and most of them were children of nobles. Emperor Liu's temper turned directly into violence, and he ordered those people to be gathered together, tied up with ropes, and asked to walk on foot.
Since you have complaints, you might as well be bigger. If you can't bear the hardship, then I will let you have enough! In this environment, in this atmosphere, a little cruelty in Emperor Liu's temperament was also reflected.
Analyzing his psychology, the most intuitive portrayal is that I haven't complained yet, but you ministers have begun to complain. Are you complaining about the weather, the roads, or me, the emperor?
Originally, Emperor Liu wanted to be more ruthless and let those people swim in the Yellow River, but he gave up this idea after the dissuasion of the prince Liu Yang.
At the same time, this time the crime was in the hands of Emperor Liu, as well as the Ninth Prince Liu Shu. This boy has been greedy for pleasure since he was a child. He has never suffered much, and he is favored by his mother, Concubine Fu Hui. How can he withstand this? Kind of battle.
He was procrastinating and unwilling to hurry, crying to go back to Luoyang. When Emperor Liu got angry, he made him cry more and more happily. Although he was walking without a rope, he was rewarded with ten lashes, but the guards hesitated and did not dare to take action. Emperor Liu himself gave him ten lashes, which made Liu Shu scream and beg for mercy.
In fact, Emperor Liu still had some strength left. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for Liu Shu's fourteen-year-old body to withstand the ten whips.
After this incident, no one in the entire camp dared to complain.
