HLnovel Chapter 304 Zhao Ji: I was talking about Yanjing Road! ! ?
Chapter 304 Zhao Ji: I was talking about Yanjing Road! ! ?
"But regardless, Tong Guan and the others were merely relaying the emperor's decree; what could they possibly do? Their thinking was far too naive, believing that the Liao Dynasty was already at its wit's end and would surrender at the mere sight of the Song Dynasty."
"At this time, the Jin army also sent people to cooperate in the pincer attack. Generally speaking, if the Song Dynasty fought well, there was still a chance of winning."
"But often, when things are going very well, problems will arise. For example, after that, Tong Guan proposed [peaceful warfare]."
"If the Liao army did not take the initiative to fight, then the Song army was not allowed to take the initiative to attack either. This decision basically determined the outcome of the battle."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...Where did this guy get his confidence... Damn it... I'm impressed!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: This is outrageous! His mother opened the door for him! This is outrageous to the extreme!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: I'm not saying this to be mean, but when it comes to war, can't we just choose someone who's good at fighting as the commander-in-chief?
A Qing Dynasty official: Alright, now I know why he lost!
……
Emperor Yingzong of Song, Zhao Shu, in another timeline, didn't know how to describe his feelings in words.
The descendants of the Zhao family actually did such an outrageous thing—such a major undertaking as the conquest of Liao—and they actually appointed a treacherous eunuch!
He really wished he could go into the story himself and give the guy a good beating for making such an outrageous decision!
……
In the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke couldn't help but sigh. What kind of mess is this?!
But then she thought of all the trouble that was to come, and she got angry. After a moment, she continued, "Soon after, Zhong Shidao marched his troops into Baigou."
"Although we all know the ending, it is said that Tong Guan's favorite general, Yang Keshi, took the initiative to provoke them, and then suffered defeats at Landiangou, Baigou, and finally withdrew to Xiongzhou. The Liao army took advantage of the situation and invaded, resulting in heavy losses!"
"Tong Guan blamed all the reasons for this defeat on Zhong Shidao, which is utterly ridiculous."
"To be honest, Tong Guan really can't be a commander-in-chief. The worst thing on the battlefield is someone who knows nothing and gives orders blindly. Aren't there enough examples of this?!"
"It was because of this defeat that Emperor Huizong of Song suddenly realized that even though the Liao Dynasty had fallen into decline, its overall military strength was still comparable to that of the Song Dynasty. As a result, his attitude towards the Liao Dynasty changed from contempt to fear."
"As mentioned before, Cai Jing was forced into retirement by Emperor Huizong of Song. The prime ministers who succeeded him were mostly treacherous officials, such as Wang Fu, who, even after the disastrous defeat at Baihegou, still urged Emperor Huizong to continue the campaign against Liao."
"If the emperor had been replaced by a more capable person at that time, and appointed competent ministers and generals, perhaps it would have been possible to make amends. However, often the mistakes were compounded."
"Following this Northern Expedition, Emperor Huizong of Song, heeding the advice of Tong Guan, repeatedly weakened Zhong Shidao's military power."
"When I talked about Emperor Zhezong earlier, I mentioned that the Zhong family army was indeed a capable force, but at this critical moment, when military generals were needed to fight, they were not given important positions."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: ...It seems their Emperor is still the best!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ? ????……
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Right now, that Zhao Ji is still busy building his gardens!!!
……
"In July of that year, Wang Fu became prime minister. He and Tong Guan shared the same goal: to shift the blame onto Zhong Shidao, and to sideline this military general in court, while also instigating Emperor Huizong of Song to launch another attack on the Liao Dynasty!"
"This time, Liu Yanqing was chosen as the commander-in-chief instead of Zhong Shidao. Compared to the speed of assembling the army last time, this time it was much faster. Sometimes the Song army had a better situation, but they were arrogant and dismissive of others."
"For example, this time, because Yelü Chun, who established the Northern Liao Dynasty, has passed away, the Liao Dynasty still hopes to avoid war if possible."
"The Xiao family, who ruled the Liao Dynasty, came with a request to submit to the Song Dynasty, but no one in the Song Dynasty paid any attention to them and simply dismissed them."
"However, Liu Yanqing doesn't seem to be a good fighter. I've said many times that professionals should do professional things. Some people shouldn't change generals on the battlefield or command remotely, and they shouldn't change commanders randomly."
Emperor Yongzheng, who consulted horoscopes before battle to select a general: ...
Emperor Chongzhen, who gave arbitrary and reckless orders: ...
"So, perhaps because of the crushing defeat in the previous battle, Liu Yanqing, despite having 100,000 troops, dared not advance rashly and remained hesitant and unwilling to move forward."
"This guy dares to be a general?! He was just brought in to fill a vacancy and sideline Zhong Shidao?!"
"At this time, Guo Yaoshi, the Liao Dynasty's garrison commander of Zhuozhou, saw that the Liao Dynasty was doomed and could not survive any longer, so he personally led his elite Changsheng Army of 8,000 men and brought two prefectures to surrender to Liu Yanqing's command."
"The fact that they acquired two prefectures without much effort made Emperor Huizong and his men very happy. No, they were so happy they were practically floating on air. They even considered Yanjing, their target for this attack, as their own, and were planning to rename it Yanshan Prefecture."
People from other timelines who heard this thought Emperor Huizong of Song was quite shameless!
The battle hasn't even started, how did it become yours, Old Zhao's family?!
Even if Guo Yaoshi surrenders to the Song Dynasty now, it doesn't mean he'll actually serve the Song Dynasty!
If the Song Dynasty is truly beyond saving, what hope does he have of staying here?
Be careful, he might defect to the Jin Dynasty next time!
The most important thing is for the Song Dynasty commander-in-chief to stay grounded, stay focused, and fight a solid battle!
……
Xuanhe Year 1
At this moment, the people wept in despair, for they had already heard that the imperial court was preparing for a northern expedition!
In other words, the Northern Song Dynasty was not far from its demise.
They looked around and saw that Bianjing City was still as prosperous as ever, showing no sign that it was about to be trampled by the Jin army and engulfed in smoke and fire.
If they were to escape, where could they go to ensure the survival of their entire family?
……
In the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke felt once again that the Song army had failed to seize the opportunity.
However, even if they could control the situation, as long as Emperor Huizong and Tong Guan were still in power, the Northern Song Dynasty would inevitably fall into crisis again.
Then she sighed, "So, Tong Guan sent Guo Yaoshi and Liu Yanqing to launch a heavy attack on Yanjing."
"But when they marched to Liangxiang, they were ambushed and attacked by the Liao general Xiao Wo, so they stationed their troops south of Lugou Bridge."
"Given Liu Yanqing's style, in this situation, he would simply stay inside and not come out."
"But Guo Yaoshi refused to stay there any longer and told Liu Yanqing that he was willing to personally lead 6,000 elite troops to launch a night attack on Yanjing while the enemy's rear was currently undefended."
"One of Guo Yaoshi's requests of Liu Yanqing was that his son, Liu Guangshi, meet him."
"Actually, this method is feasible. Ignoring the current strength of the Song Dynasty, it's not uncommon in history for a smaller force to defeat a larger one!"
"But even putting all that aside, Liu Yanqing's son is still a complete failure."
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: Could it be that he didn't go to meet us?
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: ? ? ?
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty commented: "That Pharmacist Guo worked for nothing... If the enemy counterattacks... and there are no reinforcements... he's doomed!"
A Han Dynasty official: ...I guess he didn't check the situation in the Song Dynasty before he came to surrender. If only he were Zhong Shidao!
……
"So things went smoothly after Guo Yaoshi captured Yanjing, but we didn't expect the Liao army to fight so fiercely."
"I never expected Liu Yanqing's son to be so incompetent. We didn't even see a trace of him, which led to Guo Yaoshi and his troops suffering heavy casualties and being forced to abandon the city and flee!"
"Guo Yaoshi was originally a Song Dynasty official who surrendered from the Liao Dynasty. He probably didn't expect the Song Dynasty to be so weak, unable to even defeat the Liao Dynasty before its collapse."
"After Guo Yaoshi escaped back, the morale of the Liao army soared. Liao general Xiao Gan cut off the Song army's supply lines and boasted that he would 'use fire as a signal to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop'."
"Actually, as a general and commander-in-chief, one should at least fight to the death, but Liu Yanqing kept shrinking back throughout the entire process."
"Upon hearing these words from the Liao army, they were so frightened that they burned down their camp, abandoned their supplies, and fled south in panic. The Song army did the same, leaving their supplies by the roadside."
"If I were the enemy, I might be quite pleased. The enemy is so scared that they're throwing away their equipment, and I can still get the loot. Just how weak are they? Don't they even have the courage to face the enemy head-on?"
"The key is that he did have opportunities to counterattack, but he missed them. In the end, Liu Yanqing and his soldiers ran hundreds of miles, but they were still terrified at night and ultimately suffered a crushing defeat. In short, they lost miserably!"
All people in the Song Dynasty: ?_?
A scion of a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: ...Is this guy even a general? ???
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "Honestly, it's extremely rare to see someone so frightened by a single harsh remark from the enemy that they burn down their own camp and run away!!"
A strong peasant woman from the Qin Dynasty: I really want to know what the emperors of the Song Dynasty think now @Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty
A scholar-official from the Han Dynasty: ...You're so eloquent, truly impressive!!!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: (；′⌒`)…