What pleased Zhao Huan was not only that the new political landscape of the Jin Dynasty was moving in a direction favorable to the Song Dynasty, but also that, according to the latest statistics, the Jin army in Hebei Road had indeed withdrawn completely.
However, what pained Zhao Huan was that Zhong Shizhong's report clearly stated that the Song army in Hebei had suffered 50,000 deaths and 100,000 wounded, but had also lost 20,000 of Wanyan Zongwang's elite troops. Wanyan Zongwang was expected to be dismissed upon his return.
Overall, this Northern Expedition was a Pyrrhic victory.
The reason for the victory was that Hebei and Hedong Road finally had a leader under the emperor's personal command, instead of fighting separately, and the Pacification Commissioner Zhong Shidao had a steady and reliable control over the battle situation.
The reason for the Pyrrhic victory is quite simple. Although it was a desperate battle, the quality of the army was far inferior to that of the Jin Dynasty. This was the result of the Song Dynasty's long-term neglect of its military after Emperor Taizong's Northern Expedition. Although the national treasury allocated a large amount of funds to the military every year, very little of it actually went into effect.
Ultimately, military warfare is a contest of the quality of the army, with strategy and diplomacy being secondary factors.
For example, during the Warring States period, no matter how much the six states formed alliances to resist Qin, they could not escape being destroyed in the end. A strong, reliable, and loyal army is the guardian of a country.
Thinking of this, Zhao Huan's burning passion for developing national defense began to blaze.
Fortunately, the crisis was over, and Zhao Huan slept soundly with his beloved in his arms. The next day was a bright and sunny spring day, and the emperor was quite happy. He planned to start preparing for the army's northward march to Yan and Yun.
But then a piece of news suddenly arrived, instantly turning Zhao Huan's good mood into a dark cloud.
Taking advantage of the war between the Song and Jin dynasties, the Tanguts frequently stirred up trouble in the northwest, launching numerous attacks on towns and cities, burning, killing, and looting countless people.
Zhao Huan slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Issue my order! Send Zhe Keqiu back to the Northwest immediately! Tell him that if he doesn't kick that Li fellow out, he'll bring me his head!"
After a long period of anger, the surrounding generals remained silent. Suddenly, the emperor said, "Wang Kui'an, you and Zhe Keqiu must go to the Northwest immediately. Before the battle, rewards will be distributed according to the merits of this battle against the Jin invaders! Boost morale! Do not interfere with the Northwest campaign, or I will have you skinned alive!"
Wang Kui'an replied tremblingly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Yao Pingzhong, you have led 10,000 troops back to reinforce the Northwest! Remember, I will soon personally go to Shaanxi and crush the Dangxiang!"
"I obey the decree!"
"Generals, prepare yourselves well, and follow me as I march into Yan and Yun, to witness the restoration of China!"
The generals exclaimed, "The Holy Emperor's merits and virtues shake the world! Long live the Great Song Dynasty!"
He said he would soon personally visit Shaanxi, but the Song Dynasty was facing serious internal troubles, and it would be several years before Zhao Huan would actually go to Shaanxi. He said this to show his generals his determination and to let them know that the emperor was determined.
Two days later, the Song emperor led an army of 100,000 northwards and entered the Yan-Yun region.
In 936 AD, Shi Jingtang, the founding emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty, rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and established his own regime. In order to protect his small territory, he sought help from the Khitan in the north and ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. This allowed the Khitan people's sphere of influence to expand southward into the area south of the Great Wall, and from then on, they coveted the Central Plains.
At the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu devoted most of his energy to the unification war in the south. He decided to pacify the rear first before launching a northern expedition. However, after drinking with his younger brother one night, he fell asleep and died in bed. From then on, the Song Dynasty changed its imperial face.
Both the Song Dynasty and the later Ming Dynasty unified China amidst chaos, and both were founded with a wealth of renowned generals. However, their fates during the Northern Expeditions against Yan and Yun were completely different.
It can be said that the Yongxi Northern Expedition completely determined the course of history. Emperor Taizong of Song's ambition but lack of talent kept the entire Song Dynasty busy with border troubles until its destruction.
In fact, at the very beginning, Emperor Taizong of Song was not in a hurry to launch an attack. However, Zhao Changyan, the Vice Chancellor, casually encouraged him with the words, "Taking Youzhou from here is as easy as making a hot pancake." This instantly gave Emperor Taizong a strong boost of morale, and he immediately ordered the expedition.
Such a "fierce" approach is just like the angry and sorrowful rebuke of the veteran Song general Huyan Zan before the battle began: "This pie is hard to flip."
Compared to his brother Zhao Kuangyin, his strategic planning was beyond description; it was like the ocean, boundless and limitless.
The Song army's three-pronged attack was indeed impressive, initially routing the Liao's elite forces.
But this emperor, like young girls in later generations, lacked a sense of security and wanted to control everything. He required each army to have a eunuch as a supervisor, and the eunuch was above the commander in every way.
That's not all. Damn it, this guy loves to study formations. He hid in the carriage the whole way, researching various formations, and he ordered the messengers to tell the commanders that they must strictly follow his formations, or else they would be disobeying orders.
This led to a situation where, even though there was a small path ahead that could allow a direct advance into the enemy's rear and reach higher ground to launch a massive attack, causing heavy casualties, it could never be executed because this path was not part of the emperor's plans.
When a general asked why, the commander-in-chief could only say that His Majesty had personally ordered that anyone who disobeyed the order would be executed!
What's even more impressive is that when the Song army besieged Youzhou, the attacking troops were rotated every two days. Emperor Taizong's capricious personality was like a woman changing clothes!
Then look at the Northern Expedition of the Ming Taizu (Hongwu Emperor). In order to launch the Northern Expedition, he first eliminated the main bases of the left and right wings of the pseudo-Yuan dynasty in Henan and Shandong, clearing the way for the expedition. He then moved resources to these two places to establish bases. It can be said that he proceeded step by step. Taking advantage of the Grand Canal, he drove straight in and captured Dadu (Beijing).
Even if the Yuan dynasty had reinforcements coming from Hebei, the cowherd waved his hand and said, "Forget Dadu, kill Taiyuan!" This forced the Yuan reinforcements to turn back halfway, where they were defeated by the Ming army that had been lying in wait.
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