Chapter 674: Pingxia Iron Harrier

Xu Liang remembered a conversation he had with the emperor some time ago, when Zhao Chen was angry about the failure of the Northern Expedition, because some ministers in the court and central government had questioned the current strategy after the defeat of Zheyan. And the emperor wants to prove that he is right, but how? That is to put up a flag.

And this banner belongs to Xu Wei, from the time he led the township soldiers to become famous, and the first battle with the Jin army in Xiangzhou, I am afraid that he himself has lost count of his exploits. Because of this, he is a living example of the correctness of adhering to the line of military struggle.

As long as this person is set up as a model, it will inevitably be able to eliminate the doubts of the people of the world about the appointment of military ministers and the persistence of the War of Resistance to a certain extent. Zhao Chen said at that time that he would issue an edict again and crown the prince of Xu Wei County.

Now that he asked again, Xu Liu said, "Didn't the official family say ...... some time ago?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, I already said that day that I would canonize Xu Wei as the king of Tianshui County. However, the last time he was banned, he refused, what if he didn't obey the edict this time? Zhao Chen asked.

Xu Liu had already written a letter to greet Xu Jiu, and when he was about to say that he didn't have to worry, his heart moved, and he changed his words: "Your Majesty, although this cousin is brave in battle, he is very cautious in dealing with people, especially in the matter of kings. If he is crowned a king, he is worried about his fullness, and he also thinks that he is not worthy, so it is better to give him some money and things and promote the generals under his command, how about it? ”

Who knows, when Zhao Chen heard this, he was resolute: "No, if you have merit or not, how can you convince the public?" Xu Wei's credit is all real, and he worked hard to get it back. If I don't give a reward, won't I chill the hearts of the loyal soldiers and soldiers? It was decided to canonize Xu Wei as the king of Tianshui County, and he was not allowed to refuse again! I just want to set an example for everyone to look at, and make those who are noisy shut up! ”

When Xu Liuyi heard this, he bowed his head and said, "Everything depends on Your Majesty's holy judgment." ”

In May of the ninth year of Jianwu, Zhao Chen, the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, held a grand welcome ceremony in Hangzhou and met with the Khitan envoy Yelu Yuanshu. Zhao Guanjia inquired in detail about Yelu Dashi's journey to the Western Regions, taking advantage of the local Khitan tribe, conquering many countries in the Western Regions one after another, and renewing the Great Liao Kingdom. After Yelu Yuanshu was told from beginning to end, Zhao Guanjia was fascinated and praised Dashi as a hero of the world, and even compared it with Liu Xiu of Han Guangwu.

Of course, just polite words are not enough. Without waiting for the Liao envoy to speak, Zhao Chen took the initiative to propose that it was a huge mistake for the alliance on the sea and the alliance to attack Liao. And the culprit who made this big mistake, Jiān 享童Guan, has been ambushed. It is hoped that the two countries of Song and Liao can abandon their past suspicions and work together to rebuild their homeland. When the world is settled, Song Liao will continue the friendship of brothers!

The emperor's statement can be regarded as setting the tone for an old incident back then. Although the Liao envoy knew that Tong Guan was just a black pot, anyway, the person was dead, and death was also a testimony. But the Great Song finally found a step for themselves, so they pushed the boat down the river and announced on behalf of the emperor Yelu Dashi that they would form an alliance with the Song Dynasty to rejuvenate together.

After that, the minister and the Liao envoy met intensively to discuss the specific matters of the joint Tuxia attack. Finally, the credentials were signed.

When the Liao envoy left Hangzhou, Zhao Chen gave a lot of gifts, entrusted the envoy to bring precious and rich gifts to Yelu Dashi, and repeatedly instructed Yelu Yuanshu to tell Yelu Dashi, "I and your lord and the family, from now on should be in the mind of the alliance, and the living soul is love." ”

This sentence was said by Song Renzong to the prince of Liao, who secretly fled to Tokyo, and later Yelu Hongji, the Liao Daozong. Zhao Chen used this sentence as a parting speech, which can be seen that he has high hopes for the alliance with the Khitan.

Yelu Yuanshu was warmly received in Hangzhou, and when he saw that the Great Song Dynasty was so sincere, he was also happy in his heart, and immediately said that he would inevitably convey the meaning of the king of the Southern Dynasty to Emperor Tianzhi.

On the way to Hangzhou by the Liao envoys, Shaanxi had already started fighting. Yao Pingzhong, the commander of Xihe, under the order of Xu Wei, led tens of thousands of Xihe troops, soldiers, and archers to attack Xiliang Mansion. The dragon clan patrolled the Yi Shenglong and also listened to Xu Weijun's decree and sent 11,000 Tubo soldiers to help in the battle.

Xiliangfu, formerly known as Liangzhou, was later Gansu Wuwei, and has always been a place where soldiers and horses are strong. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Xiliang Iron rode four expeditions, and Ma Chao also used it to kill Cao Cào in Tongguan to cut his beard and abandon his robe. Although it is not true, it can also be seen that the world's impression of Simon is always related to words such as fierce and good at war.

During the reign of the Western Xia, the Western Liang was indeed strong and strong, but the years of conquest were a great attrition and loss to the Xia army, especially the rebellion and natural disasters that occurred in recent years, which made the Western Xia state collapse. At present, its main military forces are mostly concentrated near the national capital Xingqingfu, one is to suppress the rebellion, and the other is to guard against a large-scale attack by the Western Army. As for the Hexi Corridor in Xiliang Prefecture and Guasha Prefecture in Gansu Province, they are really powerless.

On the way to Xiliang Mansion, Yao Pingzhong encountered only two blockades, and only one was slightly larger, with about thousands of horsemen. Originally, the Xia army's iron cavalry was once the world's leading force, but under Yao Pingzhong's strong crossbow and infantry and cavalry coordinated combat, they could only be defeated and retreated.

At the end of April, the Xihe army came to Xiliang City. Here, the Xia army showed the ability to take care of the house, gathered 18,000 horses and feet of the Xiliang defenders, and more than 20,000 Tubo and Qiang soldiers recruited from all over the country, close to 40,000, to fight against the Xihe army. Yao Pingzhong actually discovered the "Pingxia Iron Harrier" that had not been seen for many years, and it and the "Hengshan Bubazi" were the two elites of the regular troops of the Xia Army. Speaking of which, the Jurchen Tiefutu can only be regarded as the grandchildren of the "Iron Harrier".

Xiao Taiwei knew that as long as he won this battle, Xiliang would not be difficult. Therefore, he also came up with the most powerful lineup, the 25,000 Xihe main army, which was stationed in the middle, the soldiers and archers on the left flank, and the troops of Yi Shenglong on the right flank. There was also an army of 3,500 horsemen, ready to assault at any time.

Yao Pingzhong is a fierce general, he will never let the other party seize the opportunity, he originally planned to do it first, but the party members are more anxious than him, as soon as he looks at him, the iron harrier will be released. The Xihe Army was the main force of the Great Song Dynasty in the past, what battles have you never seen? Iron Harriers are not unusual to them. It was precisely because of familiarity that he knew how powerful the Iron Harrier was. It was a mobile fortress with heavy armor, and without a dense formation and powerful long-range strikes, it was impossible for anyone to block the onslaught of heavy cavalry.

Fortunately, the Xihe Army has both of these things.

When the Iron Harrier rushed towards him with the momentum of the landslide and the earth cracking, the strong crossbow of the Xihe Army killed the target at will. But the Iron Harrier heavy cavalry was connected by iron cables, and although the knight did not fall, he inevitably crashed into it in the end. The infantry of the Xia army followed behind the Iron Harrier, trying to defeat the deployment of the Xihe army in one fell swoop.