After finishing his words, Han Dewei was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly thought of something and said, "Both of you are the right-hand man of the King of Xixia. Since this matter is over, you two should go west quickly to help the King of Xixia resist Li Jilong's encirclement and suppression." Well, when our Daliao army and the Song army start fighting in the north, Li Jilong's Song army should also return eastward to rush for reinforcements. At that time, just ask the King of Xixia to coordinate and contain the Song army from the northwest."
Zhang Pu and Li Jichong looked at each other after hearing this, and Zhang Pu said: "What Privy Council Han said is true. We will set off after bidding farewell to the Queen Mother and Your Majesty."
Han Dewei nodded with satisfaction, turned around and left without saying a word. The two of them also watched Han Dewei leave with their hands folded.
After Han Dewei disappeared from the sight of the two of them, Zhang Pu smiled and asked: "General Li, Privy Han's desire to win over is beyond words. It seems that he really has a love for talents. Hasn't the general been tempted? After all, if the general can gain a foothold in the Liao Kingdom, it will be of great help to the King of Xixia."
Li Jichong smiled and shook his head when he heard this, and then sighed and said: "Sir, he is familiar with Han classics. Can't he see through the fate of powerful officials? Huo Guang, Wang Mang, Dong Zhuo and other powerful officials are all powerful people. None of them ended up well."
"The two Han brothers, relying on the favor of the Queen Mother, one controls the court and the other controls the army. One person is more powerful than ten thousand people. They exclude and suppress dissidents in the court and the army, and support their own power. They have already attracted the attention of both the court and the public in the Liao Kingdom. Dissatisfied. Although the emperor is young, he is stoic, knows how to judge the situation, and hides his edge. He is very popular among the courtiers. I believe that the emperor will definitely be able to do something in the future. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Instead of surrendering to Han Dewei, he will follow Han Dewei in the future. If he is defeated, it would be better to burn the cold stove of the emperor..." Li Jichong said softly.
After listening to Li Jichong's words, Zhang Pu praised: "The general's lofty views made me enlightened. It is a great blessing for the party to have such a great talent as the general."
What Zhang Pu said was not flattery. Li Jichong's ability to hold the real power of an important department such as "Yipitang" at such a young age is enough to prove his strength. The reason why Li Jiqian was able to dare to fight against the Song Dynasty in recent years with the support of a small number of party tribes was because of Li Jichong's help.
After Li Jichong and Zhang Pu said goodbye to Empress Dowager Xiao and Emperor Yelu Longxu, they embarked on their journey westward.
At the same time, the 100,000 troops assembled by the Liao Kingdom were also in place. The "Orudo" military system implemented by the Khitans was very efficient. The Khitans threw down their hoes, led their horses, and picked up their sabers to become cavalry. This was also the advantage of the nomads over the farming peoples.
In the fourth year of Chunhua in the Song Dynasty, in mid-November,
There is a biting cold wind in Bianjing City, and the imperial city has an arched palace. The atmosphere in today's morning is a bit depressing. News of the sudden movement of the Liao army reached the capital at high speed last night. Emperor Zhao Guangyi urgently summoned several important ministers to the palace last night to discuss strategies to defend against the enemy.
Today's morning court, Emperor Zhao Guangyi had some tangles over the appointment of generals, because at the beginning of the morning court, the emperor had just announced the information about the Liao army's movements, and the deputy privy envoy Wang Qinruo came out and said: "Let me report to the officials. I have my own report. The Liao army is gathering in Youzhou Prefecture. If they want to invade the Song Dynasty, they must pass through Baozhou. I am writing to ask the officials to withdraw from Baozhou and deploy Yang Yanzhao on the edge of Baozhou, and select another general to garrison Baozhou."
"What does Wang Aiqing mean by this? Why should Yang Yanzhao be replaced?"
"Reporting to the official family, please forgive me for being a villain. Yang Yanzhao has lived in Liao for nearly twenty years, and married a princess of Liao. His status is very sensitive. At this time, Liao invaded the Song Dynasty, and Yang Yanzhao was stationed in the defense camp again. The state is an important place, and if he has any disloyal intentions, the south of Baozhou will be flat." Wang Qinruo said with a worried look on his face.
Zhao Guangyi also fell into deep thought after hearing this, frowning and saying nothing. Zhang Qixian, the counselor and political officer on the side, couldn't stand it anymore. He came out of the queue and bowed and said, "Guard, this is absolutely not allowed. Changing generals before the battle is a taboo for military officers. It will not only affect the morale of the army, but also chill the loyal ministers." The hearts of the righteous! The Yang family is a loyal family. Yang Yanzhao has been in Liao for twenty years, but he still does not forget the old country and returns home after going through hardships. His loyalty is comparable to that of Su Wu of the Han Dynasty. He should not be replaced due to emotion or reason. Moreover, Yang Yanzhao has lived in the Liao region for a long time and is familiar with the Liao army's combat habits. Knowing himself and the enemy is more conducive to dealing with the Liao army."
Wang Qinruo snorted coldly and said: "Yang Yanzhao returned to the country just because he missed his mother. The Yang family is a loyal family, but how can it be said that he is willing to sacrifice his life for the country? If he is as strong as his father Yang Ye, How could we be so angry and survive incognito after being captured? How can we put the safety of the country, the country, and the country on the bodies of such people who are afraid of death?"
Zhang Qixian said coldly: "Ms. Wang said it was so easy, hiding in a safe place and laughing at others' fear of death..."
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Zhao Guangyi rubbed his forehead, frowned and said displeasedly: "Okay, okay! I asked you to come here to discuss strategies, not to quarrel!"
Then he turned his head to the side, looked at Lu Duan, the servant of the sect and Minister of War, who was watching the whole thing, and asked, "How do Lu Aiqing think this matter should be handled?"
Since Prime Minister Lu Meng was ill at home, Lu Duan's official position was considered to be the highest among the ministers at this time. So Zhao Guangyi glanced at the ministers before asking Lu Duan.
Lu Duan moved his fat body, stepped out of the queue, bowed and said, "I think that a son who is not a filial son is not loyal to me..."
The short six words "not a filial son and not a loyal minister" made Zhao Guangyi suddenly enlightened, and said in his heart, "Yes! Since ancient times, a filial son is not a loyal minister. Although Yang Yanzhao is at the border, his wife, mother, and children are all in Bianjing City. If he was really so filial, it would be even less possible for him to rebel against the Song Dynasty."
Thinking of this, Zhao Guangyi no longer hesitated and said resolutely: "I have made my decision. I will send a decree to appoint Yang Yanzhao as the "Baozhou Regiment Training Envoy", with full authority to handle Baozhou military affairs. In addition, I will order someone to write down the affairs of today's war. , and gave it to Yang Yanzhao to show that I have no doubts about employing people."
Zhang Qixian breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, nodded happily, looked at Wang Qinruo again, sneered and ignored him.
Wang Qinruo was not discouraged. Although his suggestions were not adopted by the emperor, he showed an attitude of "doing it for the sake of the country and the country, and he would not hesitate to be a villain." The emperor must have liked him very much. With his understanding of the emperor's thoughts Presumably, this must be the case.
As for another unknown aspect, Wang Qinruo also has difficulties. Some of the wrong things he did in his early years were learned by spies of the Liao Kingdom, and they used this to blackmail him into doing something for the Liao Kingdom.
In order to bring Wang Qinruo closer to the core of power in the Song Dynasty, the Liao Kingdom also spent a lot of thought and financial resources over the years, and finally pushed Wang Qinruo to the high position of deputy privy envoy. And Wang Qinruo did not disappoint the Liao State. It was his relay of information that gave the Liao State an advantage every time it dealt with the Song Dynasty.
