Chapter 379: Walk and Watch (Continued)
On October 18, in the winter of the ninth year of Jianyan, the Song official Zhao Jiu crossed the Yellow River and landed in Yanqu, Shanzhou.
It was an ordinary day, and Emperor Zhao's action was just an ordinary one that went with the flow. However, it was this action that officially announced the comprehensiveness and in-depth implementation of the Northern Expedition in the ninth year of Jianyan.
At this point, the early raid-style battles officially ended and the Northern Expedition entered a new stage.
That night, when Zhao Jiu set up camp in Yuanqu to rest, he had already caused a stir in the entire Hedong and Henan regions.
After all, where the Zhao Song government is is not just a simple position for everyone, it is also a coordinate system and a bottom line.
This is actually a very subtle psychology.
Before, when Zhao Jiu stayed in Luoyang, the officials and civilians in Henan area felt that they were busy on the front line, and they would be afraid and resistant to the front line. The soldiers on the front line also had a mentality that I am at the front line, I am working hard for the rear, so I can do whatever I want.
However, once Emperor Zhao crossed the river, it was as if a valve had been opened. Officials from top to bottom in Henan and Guanxi immediately became more stable and honest. Even the hastily recruited civilians seemed to have improved their morale and complained less.
As for the frontline troops north of the Yellow River, they felt the pressure first.
Overnight, Emperor Zhao received secret letters from almost all the generals above the rank of commander in chief in the entire Hedong region. For a time, he understood many things on the front line better than a few generals.
This inevitably further strengthened some of his thoughts... but it was still not enough for the official to make a decision.
The next day, the sky became a little gloomy. Emperor Zhao set out from Yuanqu and headed west under the escort of as many as eight commanding officers and their subordinates, as well as the imperial guards. He passed Sanmenxia at noon and arrived in Pinglu in the evening.
Pinglu garrison commander Shao Yun went out of the city to the east to greet him, and was immediately entertained by a banquet specially prepared by Emperor Zhao and given great rewards.
This is what the title implies... Shao Yun, as Li Yanxian's actual deputy, has been stationed in Pinglu, the only large stronghold in Hebei, during Li Yanxian's long-term defense of Shanzhou. Li Yanxian defended Shanzhou for eight or nine years, and Shao Yun also defended Pinglu for eight or nine years.
It can be said that this person has always been on the most dangerous front line of the entire empire. Even before the Battle of Yaoshan, Li Yanxian did not forget to ask for favors from his parents and wife for this person. He was almost prepared to sacrifice himself...but that time, the old partners Erlubu and Ali, under the command of the third prince Erlido, chose the route Zhao Jiu took this time, bypassing Pinglu and heading directly south to raid Luoyang. The people who died became Lord Wang and Da Zhai.
On the contrary, Shao Yun, whose luck was so good, waited until the Northern Expedition and Emperor Zhao's family came.
This kind of person is simply a typical example of resistance against the Jin army and must be highly commended...and at the banquet, Prime Minister Lu really represented the court to formally increase Shao Yun's favor and upgrade Shao Yun's military rank.
Afterwards, Shao Yunfu took the initiative to express his hope to personally lead the army to escort the emperor north.
In response to this, Zhao Jiu hesitated again, but finally nodded and agreed.
Having said that, this matter is certainly more about being aboveboard and doing things in a proper manner between the emperor and his subjects, but there are other explanations as well.
As we all know, Li Yanxian's troops have always been very independent because their positions cannot be easily transferred. This has also led to the uneven quality of their troops and the coexistence of various factions... Although it is embarrassing to say, in fact, the last time the Shaanxi-Luoyang Army Group was integrated on a large scale, it was actually successful due to the opportunity of Da Zhai's martyrdom in the Luoyang direction.
After the death of the eldest Zhai Zhai Xing, Zhao Jiu allowed his son Zhai Cong to take over his father's position, but this did not prevent Zhai Cong from being able to convince the public because his prestige was far inferior to his father's. It was from then on that Li Yanxian completely gained overall control of the army group. In the following years, the Central Government relied on the huge impact of the Battle of Yaoshan and the governance and restoration work of the surrounding areas of Luoyang to gradually digest the Zhai family, a typical regional tyrant rebel group established around Luoyang.
In the later period, as people like Niu Gao and Dong Xian completely broke away from the Zhai family and took the initiative to become directly under the central government, the three existing commanders and one leader of the Zhai family gradually put themselves in the right positions. On the contrary, Li Yanxian and his Shanzhou troops seemed a little far away from the center.
But now, the country's Northern Expedition has actually captured Hezhong, and Shanzhou has lost its former strategic position. Li Yanxian himself has just suffered heavy casualties in Tieling Pass. As Li Jiedu's most trusted and trusted general, it is naturally worth considering for him to make such a statement.
The most likely possibility is that Li Yanxian secretly instructed this and took the opportunity to admit his mistake and surrender to Emperor Zhao.
Zhao Jiu himself had no hesitation because he was afraid that if he "annexed" Shao Yun at this time, it would cause some rumors in the army.
However, he finally chose to agree, because it was the same sentence... How could the government annex the imperial camp? Some things, if done openly, will naturally become legitimate, but if considered with a cautious mind, it will make things a little strange.
Just like this, Zhao Jiu did not even designate a garrison commander for Pinglu. He just asked Wang Yan to arrange a commander. The next day, he led Shao Yun's troops as the vanguard and headed north from Pinglu, passing through Zhongtiao Mountain from Zhangdian Town, and then arrived at the city of Anyi on the 22nd of that month.
Here, Emperor Zhao and his close ministers, including the top 100 officials in the Southeast, encountered the Northern Expedition for the first time.
That’s right, just as Hedong City, the capital of Hezhong Prefecture, had never fallen, Anyi City, located on the shore of the Hedong Salt Lake, had never been captured by the Song army, which made Li Qiong quite ashamed.
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