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Volume One: Residence in Jiangnan, Chapter 705: One Hundred Years of Shame

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    In 916 AD, Yelu Abaoji established the Khitan Kingdom.  In 936 AD, Shi Jingtang, the governor of Hedong in the Later Tang Dynasty, rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. In order to conquer the world, he asked Khitan for help.  The price was to cede the sixteen states of Yanyun and call the Khitan emperor Yelu Deguang, who was younger than himself, his father. Shi Jingtang became the shameful son emperor and was infamy for thousands of years.  Two years later, Shi Jingtang proclaimed himself emperor with the help of the Khitan, and the sixteen states of Yanyun fell into the hands of the Khitan.  From then on, Chinese history entered a fork in the road, and a tragedy that lasted for hundreds of years began step by step.  If it were other places, although it would be bad to lose the land of sixteen states, it would not be very serious. It would be serious enough to affect the life and death of several dynasties and affect the historical trend for hundreds of years.  But the Yanyun area is different. These sixteen states are located in the northern section of Yanshan and Taihang Mountains. They are the border area between the northern grasslands and the Central Plains, and are the dividing line between nomadic people and farming civilization.  Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, the Central Plains region has been frequently invaded by nomads from the north.  During the Qin Dynasty, there were Huns, and during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were Turks. Among them, there were also tragedies of the Five Chaos that disrupted China.  The Central Plains dynasties adopted different methods to resist the nomadic peoples in the north. There were Meng Tian who defeated the Xiongnu for more than 700 miles, Huo Qubing sealed Lang Juxu, and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty used his identity as Tian Khan to intimidate northern Xinjiang. But most of them  Most of the time, they adopted a defensive posture to prevent nomads from going south and entering the Central Plains.  Even if it is an expeditionary attack, defense cannot be neglected.  The Central Plains dynasty did not have as powerful cavalry as the nomads. In addition, the farming civilization was accustomed to living in cities and villages. They were destined to only defend without apology. They usually relied on the terrain to guard and take precautions.  Mountains and rivers can become natural barriers.  There is also the great Great Wall to defend against the northern cavalry, and the defense of mountain passes and passes is of great significance.  Especially the Yanshan and Taihang Mountains, which border the nomadic peoples, are of great significance to the defense of the eastern part of the Central Plains.  Yanshan and Taihang Mountains are natural barriers that block the nomadic cavalry.  All you need to do is guard the passes and passes in the mountains.  This will prevent the nomads from going south to the Central Plains.  "But Shi Jingtang's head got hot and he handed over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitan, which meant that this most critical line of defense was lost.  Further south is a flat plain, facing the iron hoofs of the cavalry, there is no danger to defend.  If the Khitans were willing, it would be very easy for them to invade the south.  The Khitan cavalry posed a serious threat to the entire area north of the Yellow River, and even threatened the security of Bianliang, the capital city south of the Yellow River.  From then on, the door to the Central Plains opened wide, and a sharp sword hung above the dynasty's head, which could strike at any time.  As a result, the Central Plains Dynasty had to be extremely vigilant and tied up a large amount of manpower and material resources.  The defensive effect will be greatly reduced.  For example, in the Song Dynasty, the Yanshan barrier was lost. In order to defend the Khitan, they had to dig a large number of ponds on the northern border and use the water to create artificial barriers, which could only be attacked by the Liao cavalry.  The army on Hebei Road must always be on guard, lest the Khitans take advantage of the situation and invade.  An accident.  It may cause the disaster of national subjugation.  In the past, Yelu Deguang marched straight into Bianliang and directly destroyed the Later Jin Dynasty.  Empress Dowager Chengtian of Liao State and Emperor Yelu Longxu of Shengzong led their troops southward and once reached the gate of Chanyuan Prefecture, the gateway to Bianjing, forcing the Song Dynasty to sign the humiliating Chanyuan Alliance.  Since that time, the offensive and defensive situation between the Khitan and the Central Plains Dynasty has completely changed, and the Central Plains Dynasty is in a very passive and embarrassing situation.  Not only that, after the founding of the Khitan nation, it was just a nomadic nation, not particularly rich and powerful.  It's different when the Yanyun area falls into their hands. These places have good natural conditions and are suitable for farming.  The agricultural foundation is also good.  At the same time, a large number of people who were good at agricultural production and craftsmen became Liao people.  This promoted the development of agriculture and handicrafts in the Liao Kingdom. It is no exaggeration to say that the acquisition of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun made the Liao Kingdom rich.  Hundreds of years have passed.  The Yanyun generation has become the economic and even cultural center of the Liao Kingdom.  Youzhou became the Nanjing of the Liao Kingdom, and its status was comparable to that of Shangjing.  The Liao Kingdom had a stronger force to deal with the Central Plains Dynasty, and the consequences were even worse.  Therefore, among the emperors of the Central Plains Dynasty, which one of them is a capable person who does not want to regain the Sixteen States of Yanyun?  Chai Rongying, Mingshenwu, Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty, was a rare Mingzhu in the Five Dynasties and wanted to regain Yanyun.  In the sixth year of Xiande (959), Chai Rong led his army to attack Liao, advancing by land and water. In more than a month, he recovered the three prefectures of Ying, Mo, and Ning, as well as Yijin Pass (Ba County, Hebei), Waqiao Pass (south of Zhuoxian County), Yu  There are three gates of mouth.  The army is gaining momentum and retaking Yanyun is just around the corner.  In May, when the army was about to capture Youzhou, the weather was bad, but Chai Rong suddenly fell seriously ill, and he had no choice but to return to the court.  He died of illness in Bianliang a month later, leaving his eight-year-old son Chai Zongxun to ascend the throne.  Unfortunately, only half a year later, Zhao Kuangyin and Chen Qiao mutinied, and Huang PaoAfter his death, the Chai family changed hands.  Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin can definitely be regarded as a hero of the previous generation, but at the beginning of his ascension to the throne, he and Zhao Puxue made a plan at night and determined the strategy of unifying the world first from the south to the north.  During the reign of Zhao Kuangyin, the Song army mainly conquered the southern countries. After the Southern Tang was destroyed, the south was finally pacified.  The Song Dynasty was finally free to deal with the Northern Han and Khitan.  But it is a pity that on another snowy night, with the candle shadow flickering red and the sound of an axe, Song Taizu, who was only forty-nine years old, died inexplicably.  Whatever ambitions and ambitions he had, they all dissipated.  His younger brother Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi succeeded to the throne and also inherited this great ambition to fight against the Khitan and regain Yanyun.  Zhao Guangyi's performance was indeed good and he put this battle into practice.  In the fourth year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign (979), Zhao Guangyi led an army of 300,000 to conquer the Liao Kingdom, intending to regain Yanyun.  Originally, the war went smoothly, and the Song army also attacked Youzhou City. Unfortunately, it was unable to attack for a long time, and the soldiers were tired and morale was low.  It happened that Yelu Xiuge, the outstanding general of the Liao Kingdom, led his army to counterattack. Song Taizong made a fatal mistake and hurriedly urged his soldiers to attack and were led to the Gaoliang River.  Here he was ambushed by the main force of the Liao Kingdom, suffered a disastrous defeat, and suffered heavy casualties. The good situation of the Northern Expedition disappeared immediately, and the Battle of Gaoliang River became an eternal regret.  This is a turning point in the battle between Song and Liao. Although victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists, this battle is unusual.  The most devastating thing was the blow to the mentality and morale of the Song people. After the defeat of Gaolianghe, the Song people were bitten by snakes and were afraid of well ropes for ten years, and they never made any move to conquer Yanyun in the north.  After the death of Song Taizong, Emperor Zhenzong who succeeded him was quite cowardly.  Facing the Liao Kingdom, let alone attack, they even let the Liao Kingdom march straight in and hit the gates of Chanzhou City.  If Kou Zhun hadn't forced him to lead the expedition in person and boost morale, the Song Dynasty would have crossed south at that time.  It was just a matter of signing an alliance under the city and providing the Liao Kingdom with money for decades. It was really humiliating and had become a thorn in the hearts of every aspiring person in the Song Dynasty.  Song Renzong was the lord who defended the city. For many years, the relationship between Song and Liao was mainly peaceful, and no major wars occurred.  Later, although Zhao Zongshi and Zhao Xu had this idea, they were never able to implement it.  By the time Zhao Zhao ascended the throne, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun had been lost for 136 years.  As early as when he was on his first mission to Liao and returning via Yanshan, Zhao Zhao had sworn to recover Yanyun.  When he became the prince of the Song Dynasty, and now after succeeding to the throne and becoming the emperor, he has even more responsibility and obligation to complete this feat.  It¡¯s just that the original plan was not so fast. After all, the Song Dynasty had just destroyed Xixia and was still marching into Hexi.  There has also been an abnormal change of throne internally, which has consumed a lot of money, and they need to recuperate. After being fully prepared, they can solve the Yanyun problem in one battle.  But Yelu Jun's sudden action and aggressive attack disrupted Zhao Zhao's deployment and forced him to face it in advance. A big war was inevitable.  No matter what purpose Yelu Jun had for going south, Zhao Zhao would never give up. It was destined that there would be a battle between Song and Liao.  When it comes to the Yanyun issue, the contradictions can never be reconciled. There can be no ceasefire and a ceasefire. We must fight to the death and achieve a result.  Since the troops have been mobilized and the scale is so large, let¡¯s solve the problem with one battle.  Otherwise, just dispatching troops and transporting grain and grass will be a huge expense, and more importantly, confidence.  "My own confidence, the confidence of the soldiers, and the confidence of the people. The tragedy of Taizong's Gaoliang River a hundred years ago cannot be repeated again. We must learn from the past mistakes."  For Zhao Zhao, this battle is more about internal affairs.  He had just ascended the throne. Although he was popular among the people and had good prestige before, he was the King of Qin at that time and is now the Emperor.  The defeat of this battle was directly related to the emperor's prestige and the beginning of the resurgence of the Song Dynasty, so he could only win and not lose.  It¡¯s a lot of pressure!  Riding on the little white dragon and walking on the road to Daming Mansion, Zhao Zhao let out a long sigh.  Recalling the scene of the twilight Yang Wenguang crying loudly when he left that day, Zhao Zhao felt a little uncomfortable.  He had promised him at that time that he would definitely regain Yanyun and avenge Yang Ye's shame.  The Yang family is a family of heroes in the Song Dynasty. Although it is not as powerful as the legend, it is still a loyal family.  Yang Wenguang¡¯s persistence is not the persistence of the Song Dynasty. His sword is pointed at Yan Yun. This is a promise to an old general. In fact, it is a promise to the Song Dynasty¡¯s century-old expectations.  Looking at the little white dragon sitting down, Zhao Zhao felt a strange feeling in his heart.  This horse was given to him by Yelu Jun. At that time, he might have expected the situation today?  Now riding this horse and facing him on the battlefield, what kind of battle would it be like?  In fact, this is a very special scene in itself. The monarchs of Song and Liao were very young and had not yet ascended the throne.  They all won a war, put down a rebellion, and they all had great ambitions and wanted to be kings with great talents and strategies.  ButOnly one of them is destined to succeed, and it depends on the outcome of this duel!  Zhao Zhao is ready to avenge a hundred years of humiliation.  Yelujun, are you ready?  PS: Recommendation votes are meaningless for old books. Let¡¯s vote for the new book "Zai Fu". It is very needed. Thank you!
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