Wang Bin took Zhao Tai's letter with him and did not take a boat. Instead, he rushed all the way and arrived in Lin'an in only eight days.
At this time, a group of more than ten of them came to Lin'an City with the customs clearance documents signed by Zhao Kui, and lined up to enter the city.
There were more than ten young horses from the south, all dressed as northerners, and riding war horses, which made the people entering and leaving the city stop and watch.
At this time, the people were talking a lot, and there was a rush of footsteps in front of them, and they saw a Song general running over with a group of soldiers.
The general rode to the city gate, reined in his horse in front of Wang Bin, then raised his hand and asked, "But Mr. Wang from Shandong?"
Wang Bin took out the entry formalities he went through in Chuzhou from his sleeve, "Exactly!"
The general took it over for inspection, then saluted and said: "The Privy Councilor knows that Mr. Xiang has arrived in Lin'an, so he specially asked someone to come and greet him!"
Wang Bin handed over his hand and said, "Thank you, General!"
At the moment, the two teams worked together, took a special passage, entered Lin'an City, and then went straight to the Privy Council.
The Privy Council is also called the West Mansion. It is located in the west of the palace. At the three-bay gate, there are more than ten armored soldiers showing off their power and standing at the door with spears.
After the humiliation of Jingkang, Yi Guan traveled south. The Southern Song Dynasty court established the Southern Song Dynasty regime with Lin'an as its political center and continued the Song Dynasty's Guo Zuo.
However, although Lin'an City was the seat of the Southern Song Dynasty court, it was not the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty.
In order to show that the small court of the Southern Song Dynasty did not want to regain its homeland in the north and that it was orthodox in the Central Plains, Lin'an's political status was always only in Xingxing, where the emperor temporarily stayed, to show that the Southern Song Dynasty court would return to the old capital sooner or later.
It's just that since it is a temporary place, there is no need for large-scale construction. However, there are many palaces and mansions in Lin'an City, and the government offices are also built in a grand style. They are all built in the style of Bianjing, only one size smaller, but still the same. It is planned to be long-term. Residential appearance.
At this time, Wang Bin rode his horse and walked slowly on the streets of Lin'an. When he saw the scenery and buildings in the city, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "Let's just call Hangzhou Bianzhou! Looking at the situation in the city, I'm afraid the southern princes have forgotten it a long time ago, and they still can't help but sigh." I don’t know if I can persuade the Southern Song Dynasty to send troops this time because of my great wish in the old capital!"
Wang Bin stayed in Bianjing. Looking at the buildings and streets in Hangzhou, many of them were built in the style of Bianjing. It can be seen that the monarchs and ministers of the Southern Song Dynasty were self-paralyzed and lacked the ambition to regain their homeland.
At this time, Wang Bin was worried. General Song, who was leading the way, reined in his horse and said, "Sir, I will go and report first."
Wang Bin looked up and saw that he had arrived at Xifu. He quickly raised his hands and said, "Thank you!"
General Song went in to report, while Wang Bin and his entourage dismounted and waited for Song officials to receive them.
Not long after, a soldier came out and said, "Sir, the Prime Minister is at work. I will take you to the side hall to wait!"
Wang Bin naturally obeyed the arrangement and left his subordinates to take care of the horses. He led the two of them and followed the Song soldiers into the Privy Council and came to a side hall.
At this time, the soldiers of Song Dynasty served refreshments and hurriedly pushed them down. Wang Bin and two subordinates sat inside for nearly half an hour before the voices of a few people came from outside the hall.
After a while, the guard at the door shouted: "Your Majesty the Privy Council has arrived!"
Wang Bin and his two subordinates immediately stood up and bowed to salute. When Zhao Fan entered the hall, he saluted immediately and said, "Wang Bin, the aide of Zhao Tai, the commander of the Zhongyi Army, is here to see your husband!"
Zhao Fan walked in, walked straight to the middle hall and sat down. He looked at Wang Bin and then waved his hand, "No need to be polite. Please sit down!"
Wang Bin sat down again, and Zhao Fan got straight to the point, "Mr. Guorui sent to come to An, what do you mean?"
"Ms. sir, this is a letter from my commander-in-chief!" Wang Bin stood up and left his seat, presenting a letter.
Zhao Fan took the letter, tore open the wax seal, took out the letter and read it.
Wang Bin didn't wait for him to finish reading, and said: "My lord, the Mongols have besieged Kaifeng for several months, and the city of Kaifeng is about to be destroyed. My commander-in-chief hopes that the Song Dynasty can send troops to march into Kaifeng with him and defeat the main force of the Mongolian army!"
Zhao Fan frowned and asked while reading the letter: "The Mongols gathered in Kaifeng and the military was at its peak. Zhao Guorui asked the court to fight with the Mongols?"
Wang Bin shook his head quickly and said, "Mr., it's not a hard blow. The Mongolian army besieged Kaifeng for several months and suffered heavy losses. Now is the time when the Mongolian army is weak. My commander thought that both Meng and Jin had suffered losses. It was our army that It’s a great opportunity for Song Dynasty to seize the three capitals! If Song Dynasty misses this opportunity, there will be no such good opportunities in the future.”
Zhao Fan looked at Zhao Tai's letter. In the letter, Zhao Tai analyzed the current situation and believed that the time was ripe for the Song army to regain the three capitals.
The main force of the Mongolian army had been attacking Kaifeng for several months, resulting in heavy casualties and exhausted soldiers. However, the Song army had been recuperating for many days and suddenly attacked, with a great chance of victory.
Zhao Fan read the letter and listened to Wang Bin's words without changing his expression, "Do you know the details over there in Kaifeng?"
"Ten days ago, Cui Li, the marshal in the west of Kaifeng, surrendered to Mongolia and opened the city gate. The Mongolian army had already invaded the outer city. Now the Emperor of Jin and more than 100,000 Jin soldiers and civilians are trapped in the imperial city. According to my marshal's estimate, the Jin The army can hold on for more than ten days at most before it will be annihilated by the Mongolian army." Wang Bin said solemnly: "If the Jin Kingdom is destroyed and the Mongolian army gets a breather and regains its strength, then the Song Dynasty will regain the three capitals. It’s very difficult.”
Zhao Fan quickly calculated that even if the Mongolian army won the battle for several months, the men and horses would be tired.
This is indeed the best time for the Song Dynasty to send troops to regain the three capitals. If this opportunity is missed, the Mongols will rest and recuperate, and the Song Dynasty will face Mongolia's elite division.
At that time, the offensive and defensive momentum will be different.
As one of the main leaders of the main war faction, Zhao Fan naturally wanted to send troops. However, as the privy envoy in charge of military affairs, he could not make a decision on whether the Song Dynasty would send troops. He still had to ask Zheng Qingzhi and the official Zhao Yun for instructions.
Soldiers are a major matter for the country, and Zhao Fan believes that it is indeed an opportunity. However, if he sends troops to Kaifeng, he will directly go to war with the Mongolian army, which makes him feel a little unsure.
Zhao Fan collected the letter and said in a deep voice: "Your commander-in-chief did a good job in Shandong. He captured Jinan for the imperial court and drove the Mongolian forces out of Shandong. It can be said that you regained two thousand miles of territory for the imperial court."
Wang Bin frowned slightly when he heard this. Hearing what Zhao Fan meant, he regarded the land of Shandong as the land of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Of course, the Southern Song Dynasty invested in Zhao Tai and gave Zhao Tai great support. It is reasonable for the senior officials of the Southern Song Dynasty to have this idea.
Wang Bin said: "My lord, if the court can seize the opportunity, everything south of the Yellow River will return to the Song Dynasty."
Zhao Fan said in a deep voice: "Since the rise of Mongolia, in just a few decades, Xixia and Western Liao were destroyed, and now they are going to destroy Jin. Their military strength is far superior to that of Liao and Jin. Zhao Guorui thinks that if the Song Dynasty sends troops, does it have a chance of winning? "
Zhao Fan wanted to regain the lost territory, but it was easy to consider the strength of the Southern Song Dynasty.
In the past two years, as a leader of the main war faction, Zhao Fan has been preparing to regain the three capitals. However, the more prepared he is and the more he understands the enemy, the more frightened he becomes.
The Liao and Song Dynasties had been at odds for hundreds of years, and the Song Dynasty had always been at a disadvantage militarily. The Western Liao Dynasty was built by Yelu Dashi, a descendant of the Liao Kingdom. It dominated the Western Regions for many years, but was destroyed by the Mongols.
Xixia was once a serious problem for the Song Dynasty. The Song Army and the Xia Army had been fighting for many years. The huge Song Dynasty was never able to destroy Xixia. On the contrary, it suffered several ugly defeats. However, after the rise of Mongolia, Xixia was also destroyed by Mongolia.
Needless to say, the Kingdom of Jin brought great humiliation to the Song Dynasty and made the Song Dynasty a laughing stock. It occupied the three capitals of the Song Dynasty and all the territory in the north, and now it is about to be destroyed by Mongolia.
The Liao, Xia, and Jin opponents that the Song Dynasty could not defeat in the past have now fallen to the Mongolian butcher's knife one by one. The Song Dynasty looked around and saw that only the old man was left. Even the staunch warlords felt a little scared in their hearts.
The current situation in the world is like the late Warring States period, when Qin destroyed Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Qi, and Chu.
Today, around the Central Plains, there are also seven major countries: Mongolia, Western Liao, Xixia, Jin, Tubo tribes, Dali, and the Southern Song Dynasty.
Looking at Mongolia from the Southern Song Dynasty, the Qin State had already wiped out Zhao, Wei and Han, and now only the Southern Song Dynasty, Dali and the scattered Tubo tribes were left.
Therefore, Zhao Fan was very conflicted. On the one hand, he wanted to regain the three capitals, but on the other hand, he was a little afraid of Mongolia's strength.
Wang Bin knew that Zhao Fan was afraid of Mongolia and had concerns about starting a war, so he immediately smiled and said: "My lord, don't worry too much. In this Northern Expedition, the Song Dynasty has at least a 70% chance of winning!"
Zhao Fan was a little surprised, "Oh. Tell me your reasons!"
Wang Bin continued: "Mongolia gathered elites and besieged Kaifeng for several months. Not only did the army suffer heavy losses, but all the money, food and materials in Guanzhong, Hedong and other places were also consumed by the Mongolian army. This means that the north and various places under Mongolian control are now They are all empty. During the Mongolian siege of Kaifeng, our general occupied Shandong, attacked Hebei, and won many battles, which proves this!"
Zhao Fan nodded. During this time, Zhao Tai captured Shandong and invaded Hebei. It was indeed like entering an uninhabited land.
Wang Bin said: "Now that the Mongolian army is gathering in Kaifeng, if the Song Dynasty sends troops from Sichuan, Shu, Jingxiang, and Lianghuai at the same time, plus my general, all the troops from Shandong are marching westward, the Mongolian army will be difficult to follow. An has a reason to be invincible."
Zhao Fan stood up after hearing the words and walked to the map. The main Mongolian forces were gathered in Kaifeng. However, Henan had been war-torn for a long time and could not provide supplies to Mongolia. The Mongolian army's money, food and materials were transported from Guanzhong, Hedong, and Hebei.
Now that Hebei has been looted by Zhao Tai, it is estimated that it will no longer be able to provide money and food for the Mongolian army. If the Song army goes all the way out of Dashan Pass into Guanzhong, all the way through Xiangyang and into Nanyang, and the main force approaches Kaifeng, the Mongols are very likely to retreat without a fight.
Thinking of this, Zhao Fan became a little excited, "Zhao Tai led the troops from Shandong to march westward. On the Song Dynasty, we have troops from Sichuan, Sichuan, Jingxiang, and Lianghuai to conduct a three-pronged northern expedition. It is expected that we will no longer be able to recapture the three capitals, and even It is not impossible to regain Guanzhong and Hebei."
Zhao Fan clenched his fists with both hands and said immediately: "The Mongolian army has been unable to attack Kaifeng for a long time and the soldiers are tired. Now is indeed my chance to avenge the shame of Song Yizheng. I will go to see Prime Minister Zheng and go with him to meet with the officials!"
At that moment, Zhao Fan sent Wang Bin to wait at the post house, while he hurried to the political hall to see Zheng Qingzhi.
In the study room of Zhengshitang, Zheng Qingzhi listened to Zhao Fan's words, read the letter written by Zhao Tai, and said solemnly: "This matter is important, you can be sure!"
Zhao Fan said solemnly: "We, the Song Dynasty, support the Jin Kingdom with the purpose of consuming Mongolia, and then sending troops at the critical moment to regain the lost territory and avenge the past humiliation. Now the main force of Mongolia is already exhausted in Kaifeng. As long as our army defeats them, then Mongolia will In a short period of time, it will be impossible to assemble such a large army again, and the Song Dynasty will be able to take the opportunity to recover large areas of lost territory, and even restore the territory of the Song Dynasty."
Zheng Qingzhi's eyes lit up, "If this is the case, both you and I will leave our names in history!"
Zhao Fandao: "In the past two years, we have not directly participated in the dispute between Mongolia and Jin, but we have hidden behind, secretly supported the Jin State, gave the Jin State a large amount of money, food and ordnance, used the Jin State to consume Mongolia, and also took advantage of the opportunity of assistance. Friendship with the Han armed forces in the Kingdom of Jin has cultivated many pro-Song forces. Now that the Kingdom of Jin is about to fall, for us in the Song Dynasty, it is indeed time to harvest. Earlier, Zhao Tai handed over Suzhou and Sizhou to the imperial court, allowing us to Huaibei has a foothold, I have tens of thousands of troops there and can send troops at any time, the key is whether Jingxiang and Sichuan can cooperate!"
Zheng Qingzhi said: "If we want Jingxiang and Sichuan to cooperate, we must issue an official decree!"
Zhao Fan said: "Then please go with me to meet the officials!"
After Zhao Fan received Wang Bin, he immediately went to see Zheng Qingzhi, and then they went into the palace to meet the official Zhao Yun.
After Shi Miyuan's death, Zhao Yun successfully took over the throne. As a young emperor who had just gained power, Zhao Yun undoubtedly wanted to make a difference.
Therefore, after listening to Zhao Fan's report, he immediately summoned the civil and military ministers for discussion.
Walking in, Qinzheng Hall.
Zhao Yun was sitting on the throne, and the ministers of the Southern Song Dynasty on both sides were already making a lot of speculation about whether to send troops.
The ministers of the Song Dynasty, based on the information they learned, did not deny that now was the perfect time to regain Kaifeng, but they had different opinions on the situation after Kaifeng was regained.
A group of ministers headed by Zheng Qingzhi believed that the Southern Song Dynasty could regain the lost territory in one fell swoop, while Zhen Dexiu and others were worried that it would be easy to regain Kaifeng, but the Song army would not be able to defend Kaifeng.
The Mongolian army was tired of besieging Kaifeng. When they saw the Song army advancing, they withdrew from Henan. If they attacked again in the next year, Kaifeng would be flat and it would be difficult for the Song army to defend it.
At this time, Zhao Fan called Wang Bin, and Wang Bin stated the plan to rebuild the Jin Guanhe defense line in the main hall.
Wang Bin pointed out that the Jin Kingdom relied on the Guanhe Defense Line and a corner of Henan to resist the Mongols for twenty years. If the Song Dynasty gained Henan and rebuilt the Guanhe Defense Line, it could retain Henan and then advance into Guanzhong, Hebei, and Hedong.
Zhao Yun was moved by Wang Bin's words and immediately decided to send troops to the Northern Expedition to regain the three capitals.
~~~~~~~
Jinan.
Li Fen originally wanted to be the leader of the three towns, but because he did not want to lead troops to rescue Kaifeng, he could only agree to let Zhao Tai lead the troops.
Because the situation in Kaifeng was urgent, Zhao Tai made some preparations, built a high platform outside Jinan City, read aloud a proclamation, and swore an oath to fight.
Three towns of soldiers and horses, Zhao Tai and Wuxian towns, as the main force to rescue Kaifeng, Li Fen ordered Peng Huizu to lead 10,000 soldiers and horses to accompany him, while he stayed in Shandong to take charge.
Outside Jinan City, the people from the two towns who had just arrived held a brief swearing-in meeting and then headed west in a mighty manner.
Wanyan Chengde and other Jurchen generals led the cavalry in front, and large groups of infantry marched in formation, stretching for more than ten miles.
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