At the end of September in the fifteenth year of Chongxi in the Liao Dynasty, Yelu Zongzhen returned from Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo and headed towards Xijin Prefecture in Nanjing.
The attack on Goryeo was just a cover; the Liao Kingdom's real target was the Song Dynasty.
If the Song Dynasty came to the aid of Goryeo, it would inevitably leave Hebei Road empty. He could then judge the situation and choose to take the initiative to attack or harass and contain the enemy from the side.
If the Song Dynasty went north to attack the Liao Kingdom, attacking Wei to save Zhao, he could also send a large number of troops to resist and launch a defensive counterattack.
The Liao and Western Xia attacked the allies of the Song Dynasty in order to mobilize the Song Dynasty's army, which also echoed the saying in "The Art of War" that "a good warrior first makes himself invincible, waiting for the enemy to be defeated."
This strategy could be understood as a form of mobile warfare in our time, firing here and there to tire the enemy out and eventually expose their weaknesses and be fatally hit.
I have to say that this strategy is quite clever.
After all, the mobility of the Liao and Western Xia armies was still stronger than that of the Song Dynasty. Even though the Song Dynasty had bought a lot of horses over the years and made up for certain shortcomings, it was not a horse-producing country after all, and the number and quality of horses still could not be compared with those of the two countries.
Therefore, the two countries still have certain advantages in mobility.
At the same time, this is also why the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia were afraid of the Song Dynasty's steam locomotive.
Once steam locomotives were built to Shaanxi and Hebei, the only remaining advantage of Liao and Western Xia would be gone, and they would be completely reduced to targets of attack.
Therefore they were forced to start the Three Kingdoms War.
At the beginning of October, Yelu Zongzhen arrived at Xijin Prefecture from Shenyang Prefecture. At the same time, the Liao Kingdom's internal supporters in the Song Kingdom also grasped certain military trends.
Fan Zhongyan took 30,000 imperial troops from Bianliang and headed towards Hebei Road with great fanfare.
At this moment, in the Liao Dynasty Imperial Palace in Xijin Prefecture, Yelu Zongzhen and several trusted ministers he brought with him were discussing important matters.
The Liao emperors were the type of people whose civil and military officials followed them wherever they went. It was not the case that the emperor would personally lead an army while the civil and military officials stayed in the capital to handle state affairs.
However, because he was afraid that the internal accomplices of the Song Dynasty would discover his whereabouts and discover their plan, he came secretly. The civil and military officials are still in Liaoyang Prefecture, and only some important ministers are with him at this time.
In addition to Xiao Ying, Xiao Hui, Xiao Xiaoyou, Xiao Xiaomu, Zhang Jian, Liu Liufu, Yelu Renxian and others, there are also important clan members such as Yelu Zongyuan, Yelu Begut, and Yelu Tulukun.
Most of these royal family members were descendants of Emperor Shengzong of Liao or sons of brothers. Historically, they mainly served as the generals of Shangjing and were responsible for the most core security issues of the Liao Kingdom. However, if they were dispatched at this moment, it basically meant that the survival of the Liao Kingdom had come to a critical moment.
The meeting was not held in the main hall, but in the study in the backyard. Yelu Zongzhen sat behind the desk, and the others sat in two rows. Zhang Jian was at the front, and opposite him sat Yelu Zongzhen's sixth brother, Yelu Zongyuan.
Although historical records state that Yelü Zongzhen was the eldest son, he was actually the legitimate eldest son. Only those whose mothers were from the Xiao clan of the royal family could be considered the biological sons of the Yelü family. The rest had neither the right to inherit nor much power.
However, Yelu Zongyuan was an exception. He was forty years old this year and was brave and good at fighting. In the later years of Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelu Zongyuan, who had just turned twenty years old, followed the Liao general Yelu Ye to quell the rebellion of the Jurchens and the Zhubu, and was therefore named the General of the Left Guard.
Now the Prince of Raole and the Great Prince of the Northern Court, he was the Liao military commander stationed in Shangjing. This time, he had brought 30,000 of the Liao's most elite Pishi troops with him for a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty.
Inside the room, Yelu Zongzhen raised the official document in his hand and said to the crowd, "A few days ago, the Song Dynasty sent Fan Zhongyan, the co-director of the Political and Administrative Council, as the governor of Hebei Road, to oversee the troops in Hebei. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
"The Song State has fallen into a trap. They are definitely going to attack us now. We just need to wait for them and catch them off guard!"
Xiao Xiaoyou, the Nanjing garrison commander, said happily.
"Your Majesty, this is a brilliant plan. The Song State has deployed troops on the border, surely intending to force us to withdraw from Goryeo. Little do they know that we have already set an ambush in Nanjing, waiting for them to fall into our trap."
"Compared to us actively attacking Song, Song naturally has a better chance of winning if it attacks us. Your Majesty is easily giving us the upper hand."
"I still vividly remember when the Song State bombarded and killed our men with artillery. Back then, all I could feel was despair. Fortunately, Your Majesty went against all odds and vigorously developed firearms. Now it's time for them to experience that same despair."
The following generals who had participated in the Song-Liao War were talking about it, especially Xiao Hui. It was he who sent Yelu Dilugu to fight, but the Song army showed no martial ethics and killed Yelu Dilugu with a single cannon. Whenever he thought of Dilugu who was turned into minced meat, he felt like he was having nightmares.
But times have changed, and although the offensive and defensive strategies have not changed, the Liao Kingdom has also deployed a large number of artillery on the border, even though the price is very high. The Liao people sold countless horses, furs, medicinal materials, and minerals to the Song Kingdom in exchange for so many raw materials for firearms.
However, they all felt that it was worth it. At least the Liao Kingdom's military power had reached its peak and was no longer the Liao Kingdom of the past. Even facing the Song Dynasty, they were confident that they could defeat them in one fell swoop.
"Well, don't underestimate the Song. They not only have artillery and grenades, but they've also invented those newly invented muskets, which are very powerful weapons in field battles. We must be on guard against them."
Yelu Zongzhen still had some self-awareness. Although they had caught up with the artillery, the enemy also had muskets and small steel cannons. In field battles, their cannons weighed over 2,000 kilograms, while the enemy's muskets weighed only a few kilograms, and the small steel cannons weighed over 200 kilograms. Their flexibility was far inferior.
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