It is undeniable that the Dangxiang people are very fierce and are not weaklings in fighting. However, in terms of national strength, the Western Xia is definitely not as good as the Song Dynasty. Moreover, so far, it is still limited to the civil strife in the Western Xia. Neither the Song Dynasty nor the Western Xia has declared war. As one side is gaining strength while the other is losing strength, where did Empress Dowager Liang get the confidence from?
No doubt it must be the Liao Kingdom.
Based on Li Bingchang's policy slogans, the Liao Kingdom would definitely support Empress Dowager Liang. He would not allow Western Xia to get too close to the Song Dynasty, especially now that the Song Dynasty's national strength was growing and the emperor sitting on the throne was very different from the previous Renzong and Zhang Zhenzong. So at this moment, the Liao Kingdom needed Western Xia to contain the Song Dynasty even more.
In fact, Empress Dowager Liang was very politically savvy. She was not stupid. She knew what the consequences would be if she did this, but she had no choice but to do this. At the same time, she knew that she could use this opportunity to win over the Liao Kingdom.
If Li Bingchang were allowed to rule the country, Song and Xia would become one family, and then there would be no one to help you contain the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, the Liao Kingdom also invested money to support Queen Mother Liang and transported a large amount of food and fodder from the north to Western Xia.
Of course, the Liao Kingdom also knew clearly that transporting food and grass alone was not a long-term solution. The key was that it could not gain any advantage and could only provide blood transfusions to Western Xia. The art of balancing the pros and cons was to weaken both parties and then ensure its own dominance. Therefore, the Liao Kingdom had already divided its own interests in Hedong.
As long as you, the Song Dynasty, take advantage of Western Xia, then I will definitely take advantage of you and make you lose both your wife and your army.
For a long time, the Liao Kingdom had the Song Dynasty under its control. It could even be said that it played with the Song Dynasty in the palm of its hand. In fact, before the emergence of the Song Security Bureau, the Song Dynasty was no match for the Liao Kingdom even in a spy war.
But this time, the movement of the Song army also caught the Liao Kingdom by surprise. No war had been declared so far, and there was no sign of a large-scale attack. However, the Liao Kingdom learned that the main force of the Song army had entered the territory of Western Xia, and also learned that the main force of Western Xia on the northern line was defeated by the Song army in Wudingchuan.
...
...
The situation is critical.
So the Liao Kingdom finally couldn't hold back and first issued a notice to Shen Kuo, condemning the Song Dynasty for deliberately delaying and having no sincerity in the negotiations, saying that they had lost their patience and the Hedong border was set.
Five thousand advance troops were immediately sent to the disputed area, but there were already seventy to eighty thousand troops stationed on the border. This showed that the Liao Kingdom was also very cautious, and they did not want to create an atmosphere of invasion. This was still within the scope of diplomacy.
The Liao soldiers only entered the disputed area and did not burn, kill or loot, but they did not encounter any obstruction either.
Because this place had been an uninhabited area for a long time, the Song Dynasty was afraid that its people would run to the next door to farm if they were not careful. It was also afraid that the Liao Kingdom would find an excuse to attack the Song Dynasty or blackmail it. Later, Han Qi built some fortresses here, but they were only symbolic and had no combat effectiveness at all.
After the Liao troops moved in, the Song troops stationed here withdrew directly. They only stayed here symbolically.
The Han people living here had no choice but to evacuate.
Even so, Taiyuan and Fuzhou still felt tremendous pressure. Fortunately, Wang Shao stopped the attack, otherwise it would be really dangerous.
The Song army guarding Taiyuan quickly took active defense.
The news soon spread to Bian Jing.
Although everyone was mentally prepared, when the Liao Kingdom really took this step, the natural fear of the Liao in their hearts still emerged.
Everyone in the court and the country was shocked and frightened.
Do you really want to fight?
But some ministers were very angry about this. All the Hui people were like this. As long as our army took any action against Western Xia, the Liao Kingdom would definitely not be absent.
What a mean person.
It is impossible to cede land.
Even if someone wanted to cede, they didn't dare to say it, because Wen Yanbo and others were afraid that Zhao Xu would compromise again.
Upon learning of this, the prime ministers rushed into the palace and expressed a firm attitude, refusing to compromise or recognize the boundaries drawn by the Liao Kingdom.
But what can I do if I don’t admit it?
beat?
No one had this idea, including Wen Yanbo himself.
Because in that disputed area, the Song Dynasty's power was almost zero.
To be honest, even if they sent troops to fight, they would not be able to win. Moreover, part of the main force of the Western Army was still in the territory of Western Xia. And thanks to the emperor, the Liao Kingdom had an absolute geographical advantage along the entire border and could advance and retreat freely.
Besides, they still have war horses, and firearms cannot dominate the battlefield at present.
The only means for the Song Dynasty to counter was to rely on diplomacy, or more precisely, to use annual tribute and monopoly to put pressure on the Liao Kingdom.
The point they discussed was the Treaty of Chanyuan.
Because the annual tribute and the customs were both contents of the Treaty of Chanyuan, but in fact, the Treaty of Chanyuan did not clearly stipulate the border of Hedong, but only demarcated the side of Xiongzhou.
When you proposed the annual tribute and the market, it was equivalent to tying the Hedong territory to the Treaty of Chanyuan.
Some ministers believed that doing so would leave them with no way out.
If you don't pay annual tribute and open the monopoly market, the Liao Kingdom will definitely declare war. The Liao Kingdom is so cautious now because it is worried that the Song Dynasty will close the monopoly market and stop paying annual tribute.
So after you proposed the annual tribute and the monopoly, if the Liao Kingdom still refused to withdraw, would you pay the annual tribute or not?
It would put himself in a dilemma, after all, he had not yet made up his mind to go to war with the Liao Kingdom.
They wanted to settle the issues separately. It was impossible to cede land, and they had to exert pressure through diplomacy, but they could not bring up the Treaty of Chanyuan as an excuse.
Of course, they didn't know that Shen Kuo had already used annual tribute to put pressure on them.
However, Wen Yanbo believed that if you do not pay the annual tribute and the market, why would the Liao Kingdom pay attention to you? This is tantamount to tacitly allowing them to occupy our territory, and the Liao Kingdom is very likely to become more aggressive unless our army withdraws from Western Xia.
The two factions had a heated debate on this point of view.
Zhao Xu has always been relatively silent. Although he did not appear to be very weak, he did not appear to be too tough either.
......
The Imperial Palace.
"In fact, the current situation is not very bad. At least the Liao Kingdom did not directly send a large army to invade, which shows that the Liao Kingdom is also afraid. So the only solution is to protest diplomatically and resolutely refuse to recognize the boundary. The longer it can be delayed, the better."
Zhang Fei still saw Zhao Xu's worry, so he spoke to comfort him.
The worst case scenario is that the Liao Kingdom directly sends troops.
"I know that, too."
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "But the question now is, should this be included in the Chanyuan Alliance?"
Zhang Fei was silent for a moment, then said, "I think Your Majesty should be prepared to break with the Liao Kingdom."
Zhao Xu couldn't help but frown when he heard this.
Zhang Fei added: "Because we mentioned the annual tribute before, the Liao Kingdom only sent 5,000 soldiers to station there. They must be testing and giving Xixia a guarantee.
If we do not mention the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Liao Kingdom will definitely think that we were bluffing and will not dare to break with it. However, we cannot give up our plan for Western Xia.
The Liao Kingdom will certainly continue to make further demands. Then they will find new problems and continue to invade our territory or demand more annual tribute.
If we act more aggressively, the Liao Kingdom will be wary. Although they are unlikely to withdraw their troops from the Hedong border, they may be able to buy us some time. At the same time, we are still collecting evidence of Yelu Yixin's crimes, so they may be able to help us at a critical moment."
Although the two had discussed this issue no less than 180 times, Zhao Xu still seemed very hesitant when it came to the moment of decision. "We are currently using troops in Xixia. Although we have not sent all our main forces, we still have about 100,000 troops. Many ministers in the court still think that fighting on two fronts is too risky. In addition, the border has been peaceful for so many years, and the people of Liao are tired of war. Our people are also tired of war."
Zhang Fei also saw that Zhao Xu still felt a little uneasy about breaking with the Liao Kingdom. After all, the Treaty of Chanyuan had been signed nearly eighty years ago, and the interests of many people were actually involved. Whether it was for the Song Dynasty or the Liao Kingdom, if they really broke up, it would be fine if he won, but if he lost, it might shake his ruling position. At present, he was not sure that he could defeat the Liao Kingdom.
The key point is that the Liao Kingdom was also very cunning. They had been laying the groundwork for this matter a long time ago. We determined the border through diplomacy, and we have been talking about it for two or three years. It can be seen that we did not want to break with the Song Dynasty. It’s just that you, the Song Dynasty, deliberately delayed, and you were at fault first.
After some thought, Zhang Fei suddenly said, "Why don't I do this?"
Zhao Xu was startled and asked in shock: "You come?"
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Your Majesty will choose a more prudent approach in diplomacy, while domestically, the Supreme Imperial Court will rule that the other party has violated the contract through litigation by the people."
Zhao Xu was shocked when he heard this, "How can this be possible?"
Zhang Fei said: "I can only judge that the other party has violated the contract and require them to compensate our people, but not to tear up the contract. The imperial court does not have the power to do so. This must be decided by you, Your Majesty."
Zhao Xu was a little confused. "Can you still ask the Northern Dynasty to compensate our people?"
"Of course not."
Zhang Fei said: "But after the judgment of the Imperial Court, if Your Majesty decides to break with the Liao Kingdom, it becomes defending the interests of your own people. This is in line with the concept of the rule of law, and it is also what Your Majesty should do. In this way, it can reduce Your Majesty's pressure, and Your Majesty can take more initiative, and then judge the situation. Our Imperial Court will also cooperate with Your Majesty's strategy."
Zhao Xu's eyes lit up. Regardless of whether it could be used at this moment, this was indeed a good idea.
Now that he wants to break with the Liao Kingdom, the opposition will definitely think that you are disregarding the safety of the people, but once the matter reaches the imperial court, it becomes a matter of defending the rights and interests of the people.
Zhao Xu asked again: "So you think it's time to break with the Northern Dynasty."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "I believe that the Liao Kingdom's move is a test. If we are guilty, they will definitely intensify their efforts until we withdraw from Xixia. In that case, it will be the same as before, losing both the lady and the troops.
Moreover, we cannot just think that it is the Liao Kingdom that wants to provoke a war. We originally planned to break off relations with the Liao Kingdom. We can also use this incident to tear up the Treaty of Chanyuan. After all, Your Majesty just said that the people of our Song Dynasty also cherish peace very much. At that time, we will have to find another reason to go to war with the Liao Kingdom and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
The situation in Liao is very delicate now, and we have gained another year, which is enough time to build up defenses in Hebei. The timing is not bad for us."
Zhao Xu nodded slightly, and after weighing the pros and cons, he said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
......
After Zhang Fei left, Empress Dowager Gao suddenly sent someone to invite Zhao Xu over.
When the mother and son met, Empress Dowager Gao got straight to the point and said, "Sir, I heard that my uncle disobeyed military orders at the front. Is that true?"
Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment, and said, "To answer your mother's question, it is true, but I think it may be a misunderstanding. The old general has been defeating the enemy all the way since he set out from Qingzhou, winning battle after battle."
Empress Dowager Gao waved her hands and said, "This is not a misunderstanding. I know my uncle's character very well. Although he is loyal to the Song Dynasty, he is too narrow-minded and jealous of talented people, especially military achievements, of which he is extremely obsessed.
Officials, please don't care about my face. Just deal with him as you should. It's best to remove him to avoid ruining the whole thing."
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Yes, I understand."
Seeing that the emperor agreed so casually, Empress Dowager Gao was still worried, "Remember, at this critical moment, don't let him lead the troops again."
Zhao Xu immediately said, "Don't worry, mother. This matter has been transferred to the military court and will be tried there."
Only then did Empress Dowager Gao nod.
She knew what had happened to Gao Zunyu, but she supported Wang Shao very much. After all, there was still a Liao Kingdom here. The deeper they went, the more empty the rear would be. She was really afraid that Gao Zunyu would do something reckless by relying on his status.
The current situation is really a matter of one move affecting the entire body.
......
Zhao Xu finally chose a safe approach and sent Han Wei to Shangjing, the capital of Liao, to negotiate with the Liao Kingdom regarding the Liao Kingdom's military entry into Hedong territory, but he did not mention the Treaty of Chanyuan.
This decision came as a relief to most people.
Although they shouted fiercely, they were actually unwilling to go to war with the Liao Kingdom in their hearts. After all, there were only a few Song people in those territories.
Including Han Qi, Fu Bi, Sima Guang, and Wang Anshi, they all believed that they should try their best to avoid fighting on two fronts. At the same time, it would take time to build up the defense of Hebei, and they could not break off relations with the Liao Kingdom at this time.
......
At the same time, Xixia also received news that the Liao Kingdom had sent troops to Hedong. Empress Dowager Liang was ecstatic. She and her brother Liang Yimei both believed that the balance of victory had tipped towards them.
The Song Dynasty was led by scholars, but faced with a huge advantage, they actually stopped moving forward. This is stupid.
The morale of the Song army must have been very low.
At the same time, the Liao Kingdom's advance into Hedong would inevitably make it difficult for the main force of the Western Army to take care of both ends and would not dare to put all its efforts.
So they sent out an army of 200,000, divided into three routes, to attack Lanzhou in the south, Yanzhou in the middle, and Xiazhou in the north.
But the result was beyond their expectations.
The three armies achieved nothing.
What they could not have imagined was that the morale of the Song army was even higher than theirs, and they were more determined in fighting than the Dangxiang people.
This couldn't help but surprise Empress Dowager Liang.
In history, Song Shenzong launched five-way attacks on Xia. The Dangxiang people fought a battle with their backs to the river, while the Song army was alone and deep in the enemy's territory, so they ended up in a disastrous defeat. But this time is very different.
First of all, the Song Dynasty did not declare war, and the generals entered as merchants, nominally to protect trade routes and the overall interests of the local people.
Secondly, after these two months, the interests in the occupied areas were arranged properly. A large amount of green salt entered the territory of the Song Dynasty, bringing a lot of livelihood to the local people. Everyone benefited from this.
Therefore, the soldiers and civilians of the Song army are united. We are not fighting for others, we are fighting for ourselves.
The Tangut soldiers were only fighting to protect the power of Empress Dowager Liang, rather than fighting a life-and-death battle.
In addition, the Song army had been building fortresses according to the terrain and had completely given up the attack.
The Song army had the best time, place and people.
The two armies fought several times, but the Dangxiang people saw no chance of a breakthrough and their logistics were rather stretched.
As for the Song army, since they were only advancing a small step, the logistical pressure was not very great.
Moreover, it was not just the Western Army that was in a difficult situation, the Western Xia was in the same situation as well, because the Tubo tribe in the west was also fighting with the Western Xia Army in Ganzhou.
After this battle, all the generals of the Song army completely understood Wang Shao's intention. We only need to do a good job of defense, and the Western Xia will just fight like a trapped beast, because the Queen Mother Liang will have to fight whether we want to or not, so why not take advantage of our rest and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, while also taking into account the possible southward advance of the Liao army.
The generals from all over the country also calmed down and continued to build forts and strengthen defenses. At the same time, they developed firearms tactics, and more and more firearms were sent to the border.
However, the good news from the northwest did not bring any more surprises to the capital. As the saying goes, if you gain something, you will lose something.
Han Wei went on another diplomatic mission to the Liao Kingdom. He was originally going to Shangjing to negotiate with the Liao emperor, but when he arrived in Nanjing, which is Youzhou, he was stopped by the special envoy sent by the Liao emperor.
Our emperor is busy hunting and has no time to deal with you. Let's talk here in Youzhou.
As soon as Han Wei sat down at the negotiation table, before he even opened his mouth, he was criticized by the Liao envoys. They believed that the Song Dynasty had no sincerity in the Hedong negotiations and was just delaying and playing word games.
And who can play this word game better than you, the Song Dynasty? Aren't you bullying others?
For the sake of the century-old friendship between the two countries, let’s set the Hedong border like this, so that there will be no misunderstandings.
Han Wei also felt aggrieved, as he could not bring up the Treaty of Chanyuan. He could only reason and present evidence. However, before the evidence was presented, the Liao Kingdom directly concluded that the Song Dynasty was playing word games.
I don't listen.
I can't read either.
Why should we, the Liao Kingdom, recognize the records of you, the Song people?
Victor Han could only moan weakly there, we refused to admit it, but his tone was very weak, as if he was suppressed by his blood.
When this situation reached Tokyo Bianliang, no one had the heart to celebrate the victory on the northwest front.
There was silence throughout the government and the country.
In fact, everyone expected this to be the case. In other words, they tacitly accepted this situation and refused to acknowledge it, and that was all.
They couldn't win the fight, and they didn't dare to use their only means of counterattack easily.
Admit it!
That's what I mean.
However, at this moment, a class action lawsuit broke the atmosphere of silence.
It turned out that the people who were driven out from Hedong suddenly appeared in the capital and filed an appeal through the Legal Aid Department, accusing the Liao Kingdom of occupying their land.
Everyone in the government and the country was dumbfounded.
How did these people get to the capital?
Are they crazy?
The Liao Kingdom has forcibly occupied your land. What's the point of you coming to the imperial court to appeal? Can our imperial court still help you get the land back from the Liao Kingdom?
This is not the public security, procuratorial or judicial system, this is fucking superstition!
Not to mention them, even Zhao Pin was dumbfounded.
Grass!
How to review this?
If the Liao people committed crimes within the country, they could be tried, and everyone had experience with this, but this was diplomacy, a national affair, and the other side was the real Liao army.
If I make a judgment, can anything be changed?
It’s not that Zhao Pin didn’t dare, but he didn’t know how to conduct the interrogation.
So he went to find Fu Bi and Sima Guang first.
As a result, the two of them looked at each other in bewilderment.
I don’t know what to do.
This is the first time that the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs have encountered such a situation, and it would have been impossible for such a situation to occur before.
At this time, resistance came from the court, and they openly and secretly asked Zhao Pin to refute it. You can't do this recklessly. Han Wei is still negotiating in Youzhou. Don't make things worse.
Although Zhao Pin was an iron-faced censor, this was a national affair after all, so he did not dare to act recklessly.
Just at this time, Wen Yanbo suddenly came to the door quietly.
"Mr. Zhao, please refute it first."
"But...?"
Zhao Pin asked: "Then what's the reason for rejecting it?"
Wen Yanbo said: "Just find a reason and say that the court is resolving these problems through diplomacy."
Zhao Pin heard something behind his words and couldn't help asking, "I hope Duke Wen can speak clearly."
Wen Yanbo laughed and said, "If no one helps, can these people from Hedong appear in the capital quietly?"
"I thought of that, too." Zhao Pin said, "I thought..."
He thought it was Wen Yanbo who did it, because the court was dissatisfied with Wen Yanbo's insistence on negotiating with the Liao Kingdom based on the Treaty of Chanyuan.
“It was not my fault.”
Wen Yanbo said: "But since it's not me, it must be him."
Zhao Pin asked, "Grand Judge?"
Wen Yanbo nodded, "It must be him."
Zhao Pin asked, "Why is Duke Wen so sure?"
Wen Yanbo smiled and said, "It's very simple, because I can't think of it. Let those people come to the imperial court to appeal. Has Prime Minister Zhao ever thought of this strategy before?"
Zhao Pin suddenly woke up as if from a dream.
It’s not that they can’t think of it, but they think it’s impossible and unreasonable, and the royal court cannot try such a case.
Having said that, they couldn't imagine how the people could think of appealing through the public security, procuratorate and courts, and so quickly.
In this whole world, only Zhang Fei can think of such a solution, and only he can handle such a case.
There is no doubt that it was most likely Zhang San's doing.
Wen Yanbo added, "But this matter is of great importance. I don't know what Zhang San is up to yet, so it's better not to make it public. Lord Zhao just needs to dismiss the case. Then the people will appeal to the highest court. I guess Zhang San has already been waiting for the case. Let's see how he plans to handle it."
Zhao Pin nodded and said, "Thank you for your advice, Lord Wen. I know what to do now."
......
After receiving guidance from Wen Yanbo, Zhao Pin rejected the lawsuit filed by the common people on the grounds that the matter fell within the realm of diplomacy and was beyond the power of the imperial court.
All the ministers in the court breathed a sigh of relief.
However, they seemed to have forgotten Zhang Fei's existence, because during this period, Zhang Fei was very, very low-key, and adhered to his identity as the Grand President. He did not make any comments on the matter, nor did he participate in the discussion of these political affairs. He only discussed with Zhao Xu privately.
No one expected that the people would double their demands and appeal directly to the Supreme Court.
???
The ministers were suddenly awakened. Oh, there was a chief judge above them.
this....
As everyone knows, the chief judge is not of the same kind as them, and there are quite a few grudges between the two sides. If they intervene rashly, they might be accused by Zhang Fei of interfering with the judiciary.
At present, no one knows what Zhang Fei’s position is because he has not spoken out.
The key is that this kid often doesn't play by the rules.
This is so scary!
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