"Official family."

After Lü Yijian came out, he advised, "Killing the generals without reason will destabilize the army. Don't make such an unwise decision at this time."

Zhao Zhen walked under the corridor. It had been raining for the past few days. The rain was much lighter today, but it still made him very depressed.

It was especially annoying when he repeatedly heard that the Song Dynasty was a dynasty of castration.

However, what Lu Yijian said was right. There must be a reason to kill a general. Although the military generals in the Song Dynasty had a low status, they could not be killed at will. At least an excuse had to be found after they were defeated in the battle.

But the problem is that if we allow Huang De and people like him to stay in the army, won’t that mean the Song army is waiting to be defeated?

So after Zhao Zhen calmed down, he could only say, "Then withdraw him. How can such a coward like him stay in the Song army?"

Lü Yijian added, "Zhao Jun said Fan Yong was an honest official, and that he had served the people for many years and had made great contributions in pacifying the local people. If he were to be demoted hastily, it would be difficult to convince the people. The government should also be cautious in its handling of the matter."

Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then I will move back to Bianjing and become the governor of Henan Prefecture."

Deputy Prime Minister Sheng Du stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, Huang Dehe's death is not a pity, but Fan Yong is the Shaanxi Transport Commissioner, in charge of Shaanxi's military and political affairs. If Zhao Yuanhao wants to start a war and he is removed, who will take over?"

This question stumped Zhao Zhen. Fan Yong was a Jinshi and his previous performance was not that bad. It was because of this that he was able to become the highest military and political chief of Shaanxi Road.

But seeing that Li Yuanhao was about to attack the Song Dynasty, the incompetent Fan Yong was removed, so naturally he had to be replaced by someone who could fight, but who could fight?

Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment.

Deputy Prime Minister Cai Qi came forward and said, "Your Majesty, it seems we should consult Zhao Jun on this matter."

"Yes, ask him."

Zhao Zhen suddenly realized and hurried back to the house.

At this time, Zhao Jun was still talking to Yan Shu, and they were now talking about the Battle of Haoshuichuan, the second battle in which the Song Dynasty was defeated.

"The reason for the failure of the Haoshuichuan Battle was still the problem of poor command."

I heard Zhao Jun explaining, "After the Battle of Sanchuankou, Song Renzong appointed Xia Song as the commander of the Northwest Army, and appointed Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan as his deputies. Although Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan are well-known today, I don't think their military talents are that strong."

"Han Qi insisted on a decisive battle with the Western Xia, while Fan Zhongyan took the initiative to defend. Xia Song was hesitant and let Song Renzong make the decision. Song Renzong himself was an indecisive idiot. Wouldn't it be ridiculous to let him make the decision? The result was that he didn't know whether to fight or not, and whether to defend or not. He first adopted Han Qi's plan, but after Fan Zhongyan's dissuasion, he changed to a compromise, letting Han Qi attack and Fan Zhongyan defend."

"Compromise is the dumbest solution. We might as well just launch an all-out attack. One blow from the barbarians, either you or I will die. Or we can hold our ground like Fan Zhongyan did. At least Old Fan is smart, much better than that idiot Han Qi. Go to the local areas to strengthen the city defenses, pacify the people, eliminate the old and weak, train the soldiers, and recruit talents."

"Han Qi, on the other hand, ignored the actual situation and didn't realize that the Song army was weak and the enemy was strong. As a result, Han Qi took the initiative and sent Ren Fu to attack, which led to Ren Fu's complete defeat at Haoshuichuan. This made Li Yuanhao more confident and more aggressive towards the Song court."

"If it weren't for Di Qing, who bravely fought in several small-scale battles and saved the day by his bloody battles, the Song Dynasty would have lost face."

"But overall, the Song Dynasty still had some strength. Because of Old Fan's steadfast policy, the Western Xia couldn't sustain a continued struggle. So, at the Battle of Dingchuan Village, Song General Ge Huaimin disobeyed orders and advanced recklessly, resulting in his utter annihilation by the Xia army. After Old Fan personally led his troops to the rescue, the Western Xia were forced to withdraw from the border, failing to achieve their strategic goal of occupying the Guanzhong Plain."

"Basically, this was the turning point in the relationship between the Song, Liao, and Xia kingdoms. The Song Dynasty was incapable of reclaiming the northwest, and Western Xia was a small and poor nation. Even if they won three wars, they couldn't afford the loss. With no one able to do anything to the other, the only option was to sign an alliance and recognize each other."

"And why do I think Fan Zhongyan wasn't very capable in military matters, but an excellent politician? It's because he understood the situation clearly and knew the Song army wasn't strong enough to attack. So he held his ground and turned the Northwest Army's situation around. Han Qi, on the other hand, is no different from Zhao Kuo. If they had listened to him and launched an all-in attack, the Northwest Army would have been completely destroyed."

Zhao Jun spoke with saliva flying.

Zhao Zhen at the door had a face full of black lines and his clenched fists were bulging with veins.

I have been listening to history for two days now. Although I know that Zhao Jun has never had a good impression of the Song Dynasty and has no respect for the emperor of the Song Dynasty, when I heard him say that he was an indecisive fool, I still couldn't help but get angry.

You are the idiot, your whole family is idiots.

Zhao Zhen cursed in his heart. If he didn't have a good temper, he would have wanted to pick up a bench in the room and beat the man.

Yan Shu glanced at Zhao Zhen at the doorway and asked, "So, according to you, if Fan Yong and Xia Song were replaced by Fan Zhongyan as commander, wouldn't there have been the defeats at Sanchuankou and Haoshuichuan?"

"Probably."

Zhao Jun had already finished his meal and was leaning against the headboard, thinking about the ancient history he was studying in class. He said, "Old Fan's strategy is actually a cautious, step-by-step tortoise tactic. He definitely won't win if he attacks proactively like Han Qi did, but if Fan Zhongyan were to command the northwest, at least he wouldn't be defeated."

"Can we win the battle?"

Yan Shu asked again.

"Victory? Do you mean that if Fan Yong and Xia Song were replaced by Fan Zhongyan, victory would be achieved?"

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