Ouyang Xiu and Zeng Gongliang were presiding over the court, and Li Hao and a group of people were waving flags behind to support.
Coupled with the collective enthusiasm of the general class and Li Hao's continuous and earnest teachings to Zhao Zonghan, the battle of Pingxia was soon concluded in the court.
But then, who should be sent to preside over this battle becomes a problem. The Song Dynasty has been at peace for a long time, and now the backbone of the army is Gu Tingye's generation, but they have done some work in suppressing bandits and suppressing rebellions in recent years, and the maximum number of troops they can lead is 20,000 to 30,000 people.
But in this battle with Xixia, Li Hao and others planned to use all their strength to complete the victory in one battle, so except for the troops in the north who were on guard against the Liao Kingdom, they remained stationary.
The various forbidden troops adjacent to Xixia will be recruited, and then adding the forbidden troops sent by Bianjing, the total number of troops sent will reach more than 200,000.
In addition, it is necessary to deploy Xiang troops and a corresponding number of civilians. With such a large number of people, how can the court trust Gu Tingye and the others.
As for the older generation of generals, there are very few who have this kind of experience in commanding troops, and basically all of them have left the court.
At this time, although the British Duke was old, he still stood up and asked the court for orders to personally preside over the war.
Li Hao naturally refused to agree to this idea. After all, the British father was older than Ouyang Xiu, and he was already over seventy this year.
He was going to the northwest. If something happened, how would Li Hao explain it to his family? However, the British Duke had his own thoughts and reasons on this matter. However, the British Duke did not say much in the court, but privately invited Li Hao to the British Duke's residence, along with the British Duke's wife and Zhang Guifen. exist.
Here, the British Duke said directly: "I called you all here today just to explain what happened after I went to the northwest." Upon hearing this, Li Hao immediately wanted to answer, but before the words came out, Was interrupted by the British Duke.
"I know you are doing it for my own good and don't want me to go to the northwest. But I have been favored by the emperor for a long time. Now it is the time when I am needed. How can I be afraid? Moreover, I have fought against Xixia for many years. The grudges are no longer clear. Now that I have the opportunity to destroy Xixia, let me sit in Bianjing City and wait for the news. I can't do it." When Li Haogang wanted to answer the conversation, Zhang Guifen directly grabbed it: "What if? In the past, my mother and I would never stop you, but now that you are so old, how can this reassure me and my mother? And there are so many generals in the court, I don’t believe there are no other candidates available." The British Duke replied : "If there is someone more suitable than me in the court, then I would also be willing to stay in Bianjing, but ask Li Hao, is there any? People like Gu Tingye's generation have never experienced wars with Liao and Xixia. Who can rest assured if they are allowed to directly lead the army to fight against Xixia? Only after fighting this battle can they really be on their own, and can they be assured of taking back the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun in the future. And why at my age? Now, the Han general Zhao Chongguo is still able to lead an army when he is seventy-six years old. I am a few years younger than him now, so it is no problem." At this time, Zhang Guifen's eyes had turned from the British prince to Li Hao, motioning for Li Hao to answer the question. , but Li Hao didn't know what to say at this time.
…Because what the British Duke said is indeed the truth, and there is indeed no better candidate in the DPRK and China. Seeing Li Hao's silence, Zhang Guifen couldn't sit still, but she didn't argue with Li Hao immediately. Instead, she turned to look at her mother, hoping that the British princess would also come forward to persuade him.
Unexpectedly, the British princess said at this time: "Okay, since you want to go, you can go, but you have to remember that Fen'er and I are waiting for you in Bianjing City, and you must return safely." Zhang Guifen heard this. , immediately said: "Mother, how can you promise your father?" The British princess said: "Since this is your father's decision, we must support him and not block his path of serving the country." Seeing Zhang Guifen still thinking After speaking, the British princess said: "This is your father's responsibility, you should understand." Seeing that her parents were determined, Zhang Guifen also knew that it was useless to persuade her, so she had no choice but to return to Chengyuan with Li Hao. Leave space for parents.
However, on the way back, Zhang Guifen faced Li Hao and challenged him: "Why didn't you help me persuade my father just now and sit back and watch the fun?" Li Hao reluctantly replied: "My father-in-law has made up his mind. There is no way to persuade me, and I was thinking about something just now. With so many soldiers and horses being used this time, in addition to a group of military generals, the DPRK will definitely send an important minister to the northwest to take charge. I plan to recommend myself to go there. In the northwest, I can take care of my father-in-law nearby." After hearing this, Zhang Guifen, who was still blaming Li Hao, immediately changed his expression: "My father has already gone to the battlefield, and you are now a civil servant, so why bother to risk it? This risk." Li Hao replied: "I have prepared painstakingly for several years for this battle to destroy Xia, so I know the depth of it best. Whether it is soldiers or armaments, I have done my best. There is definitely no way to deal with Xixia. The problem is, there is actually not much danger in going, but it is to receive merit. If my father-in-law was not too old, I would not object to this matter, so you can rest assured." Seeing what Li Hao said, Zhang Guifen asked: "Everything you said is true. You are not lying to me." Li Hao replied: "I, you don't know yet! If I am not completely sure, how can I go to dangerous places." Being treated like this by Li Hao, Zhang Guifen After thinking about it, I felt that what Li Hao said made sense, so he stopped talking immediately.
After returning to the house, Li Hao analyzed the situation carefully for Zhang Guifen to reassure Zhang Guifen.
After being appeased here, Li Hao raised it in the court and obtained the consent of Ouyang Xiu and Zhao Zonghan.
With the British Duke as the propaganda envoy, he was in charge of all the military affairs in the northwest and planned the war to destroy Xia. Li Hao was the envoy responsible for assisting the British ministers in military affairs and coordinating local officials in the northwest.
As for the upper four armies of the Forbidden Army, except for the Divine Guards who stayed behind, the other three armies came out in full force. In addition, the Palace Front Division, the Guards and Infantry Command Division, and the Guards and Infantry Command Division subordinated the Guangjie Army and Xiongwei. There are a number of elite divisions such as the Divine Warrior Army and the Divine Cavalry Army, totaling nearly 100,000 troops.
...As for the generals, Gu Tingye, Yang Wenyuan, Yuan Wenshao, Li Yixing and others all went to participate. Among them, Yuan Wenshao, Li Yixing or Li Hao were specially transferred back. After all, there would be a war with the Liao Kingdom in the future. This kind of opportunity to make great achievements should not be missed.
When Li Hao and others set out, Zhao Zonghan, accompanied by Ouyang Xiu and Zeng Gongliang, personally practiced for the army outside Wansheng Gate, and also gave many soldiers a shot in the arm.
Not long after setting off, Li Hao rushed to the northwest ahead of his lord, making arrangements in advance for the arrival of the army and urging civil and military officials from various places to organize preparations for war.
According to the plan, the attack on Xixia will be divided into three routes, attacking from Yongxing Military Road, Qinfeng Road, and Hedong Road respectively.
The British Duke was assigned by the Yongxing Military Road Bureau, Yang Wenyuan was in charge of the military affairs of Qinfeng Road, and Gu Tingye was in charge of the military affairs of Hedong Road. Therefore, Li Hao needed to stock up on grain and armaments in these three places and provide logistical support.
As for the Xixia side, they also received news that the army was coming, and began to prepare for war. After all, such a big movement could not be hidden from anyone.
It was just that the Song Dynasty was coming fiercely, so the Xixia side did not dare to start a war immediately. Instead, they followed the previous strategy, holding on to dangerous areas and waiting for attack.
After all, most of the Song Army's previous attacks would suffer from coordination disorders, and then they would be able to mobilize large armies in the perimeter to defeat them one by one.
So until the British Duke and others arrived, although there was some turmoil at the border, there was no major fighting.
After the Forbidden Army arrived in Beijing to recuperate for a period of time, regain their strength and adapt to the environment of Xixia, the war led by the Song Dynasty officially started.
On the agreed day, the three armies set off at the same time and marched along their respective planned routes.
The Xixia Army had never seen the power of artillery before, so in the early defense of the city, it could not stop the Song Army's offensive pace.
Shizhou, Xiazhou, Yinzhou, Hongzhou, Youzhou, Weizhou, Lanzhou and other places were successively conquered, and finally the British soldiers were directed towards Lingzhou, the important town of Xixia.
But when they got here, the British public also began to slow down, waiting until Gu Tingye and Yang Wenyuan arrived with their troops.
After all, Lingzhou is the gateway to Xingqing Mansion. If you break here, you will inevitably encounter a fierce counterattack from Xixia.
Although after this period of experience, the British did not feel that the soldiers under his command were definitely invincible, but in order to avoid losses, it was better to play it safe.
Only the other two groups of troops, Yang Wenyuan led the army, came over relatively quickly, because this time, Li Hao asked Tubo to send troops to cross the Yellow River to capture Liangzhou, which restrained the troops on the right side of Xixia, so that Yang Wenyuan had no worries.
And relatively speaking, there are not many big cities along Yang Wenyuan's route, so it is relatively easy to walk.
But it was different here with Gu Tingye. There were many obstacles in the cities along the way, and it was really a battle to conquer the city all the way.
Seeing this situation, the British Duke thought about it for a while, and after joining the two groups, he was able to deal with it and decided to start attacking Lingzhou.
In addition, Gu Tingye was ordered not to come to Lingzhou, but to rush directly to Huaizhou to contain some of the main forces of Xixia to support himself.
Under the command of the British Duke, the three armies did show their original strength, and were even stronger. The Xixia army was beaten back and forth.
...Seeing this situation, after conquering Lingzhou City, the British changed the original battle plan.
The original intention was to fight a surprise battle. After clearing the necessary obstacles, they would directly encircle Xingqing Mansion, the capital of Xixia, and destroy Xixia as quickly as possible.
But this is obviously flawed. After all, even if the Xixia Royal City is conquered, there are still some main Xixia forces in Jingzhou, Dingzhou, and Shunzhou.
Once it is discovered that the capital has been breached, the Xixia troops in these areas will inevitably flee and it will be much more troublesome to eliminate them.
Therefore, in addition to the British Duke's troops heading directly towards Xingqing Mansion, Yang Wenyuan and Gu Tingye respectively went to attack the other important towns in Xixia to clear obstacles for the future.
Of course, in order to make up for the lack of troops here in the British Army, Li Hao personally led the soldiers and horses staying in the rear as a reserve to go forward to support the British Army.
However, although the plan was implemented smoothly, it was obvious that the Liao Kingdom was not willing to let the Song Dynasty simply destroy Xixia.
So they began to deploy military forces on the borders of the Liao and Song Dynasties to put pressure on the Song Dynasty, and sent envoys to Bianjing to ask the Song Dynasty to withdraw their troops on their own initiative.
After Li Hao received the eight-hundred-mile urgent notification from the rear, he went to the British Duke and said: "The battle to destroy Xia cannot wait any longer. Now the Liao Kingdom is ready to make a move, and the war here must be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Liao Kingdom is let go If we find an opportunity, I'm afraid that all our efforts will be wasted, and I'm also a little worried about Bianjing City, wondering if those peace-promoting officials will cause any trouble." Regarding Li Hao's proposal, Duke Ying also fully agreed, So they recalled the troops of Yang Wenyuan and Gu Tingye who were outside and besieged Xingqing Mansion.
Faced with such an offensive, Xixia was naturally unable to withstand it. After holding on to the city for five days, Xingqing Mansion was officially breached.
Although, Xia Huizong Li Bingchang took advantage of the chaos and fled northward from Xingqing Mansion under the protection of a part of the proton army.
But because most of Xixia's troops were wiped out by the Chengdu system, the remaining troops were not enough to rely on.
Moreover, the more prosperous lands of Henan and Hexi in Xixia all fell into the hands of the Song Dynasty, leaving only the barren land outside the river to survive.
At this time, Li Hao immediately wrote a military report of the great victory and ordered him to rush 800 miles to Bianjing. In addition, Gu Tingye led some troops to stay and cooperated with the garrisons from the northwest to stay in the Xixia states to guard against Li Bingchang and wait for instructions from the court.
As for the rest of the troops from Bianjing City, they quickly gathered at the border of Song and Liao for support. After the baptism of this war, Gu Tingye, Yang Wenyuan and other generals basically have the ability to stand alone.
So under the British Duke's letting go, in the face of the provocation of the Liao soldiers and horses, Yang Wenyuan, Yuan Wenshao and others each led their troops to collide with the Liao soldiers and horses at the border, with some success.
At this time, the Liao Kingdom also knew the news that Xingqing Mansion had been breached, and when they saw the Song army's strong soldiers and horses, they also wanted to retreat.
Of course, in terms of face, the Liao Kingdom naturally refused to let go and insisted that the Song Dynasty return the territory it occupied to Xixia.
When Li Hao learned the news, he entrusted the frontline matters to the British Duke. Anyway, he had no plans to attack the Liao Kingdom now. The British Duke could sit in the rear and have a good rest.
After all, the original equipment and food and baggage were almost consumed in Xixia, and they did not receive much replenishment after conquering Xixia.
There is no way, who makes Xixia poor? The only thing to be happy about is that a large number of war horses have been added. Since then, the Song Dynasty has a place to raise horses, and it will be able to train cavalry on a large scale in the future.
When Li Hao arrived in Bianjing, the Liao envoy had just arrived. So Li Hao took over the next negotiation with Ouyang Xiu's consent.
Generally speaking, Li Hao's plan was to show weakness to the enemy. Anyway, the Liao Kingdom had always looked down upon Xixia and the Song Dynasty.
Even if the Song Dynasty destroyed Xixia, it is estimated that the Liao Kingdom may not think that the Song Dynasty is so powerful. In this case, Li Hao planned to endure his anger for a while.
Naturally, Li Hao would not give back the land he had occupied, but he was willing to give money and other things.
Anyway, in the last two years, when Li Hao has accumulated enough capital to start another war, he will naturally get it back directly from the Liao Kingdom a hundred times or a thousand times.
Under Li Hao's deliberate pull, the Song Dynasty added some coins to the Liao Kingdom and settled the matter.
After that, peace was restored again in Song and Liao Dynasties, and the imperial troops who went on an expedition could return to Bianjing City. Of course, their return was not to let Nanshan go, but to continue training hard to prepare for the battle with the Liao Kingdom.
