Chapter 349: The Great Marshal in Grief

After Empress Dowager Xiao received the special envoy of Li Yuanhao, the King of Western Xia, in the capital of Liao, she called together her ministers to discuss whether to send troops to help.

The Kingdom of Western Xia and Liao were allies. Everyone knew that if Song invaded Western Xia, they would suffer from the loss of their teeth. However, under the supervision of Regent Zhao Defang, Song became rich and strong, and the combat effectiveness of the Song army increased dramatically. If they sent troops to attack the border of Song in support of Western Xia, and Regent Zhao Defang became angry and attacked Liao, they would lose more than they gained and get into trouble!

Civil and military officials argued for a long time, some in favor of sending troops to rescue Xixia, some opposed to sending troops to protect their own safety.

In the end, it was the wise and courageous Empress Dowager Xiao who made the final decision. If Regent Zhao Defang led the army to destroy Xixia, the next target would be Liao. Saving Xixia was equivalent to saving Liao itself. Marshal Yelu Xiezhen was sent to lead 60,000 troops to rescue Xixia immediately. More than a

dozen prefectures in Xixia all surrendered, and the Song army easily destroyed the Kingdom of Xixia. Regent Zhao Defang immediately changed his plan and decided to attack Liao directly.

Li Yuanhao still had more than 100,000 Dingnan troops under his command, including more than 80,000 elite cavalry. With this powerful surrendered army as the vanguard to attack Liao, the regent Zhao Defang could wake up with a smile in his sleep.

At the military meeting held in the palace of Xingqing Prefecture, Yang Yanzhao pointed at Yanmen Pass and Fuzhou City on the sand table with a thin wooden stick and explained to everyone: "Yelü Xiezhen led 60,000 elite troops to attack the border of Song. According to Yelu Xiezhen's character, he would choose either Yanmen Pass or Fuzhou City as the place to send troops. Maybe he would divide his troops into two groups and attack both places."

Li Yuanhao looked at the new sand table model in silence, shocked and guilty.

What shocked them was that the Song army had become so powerful and advanced. What made them feel guilty was that Liao came to rescue Xixia, but was betrayed by Xixia, which had surrendered to Song again. Morally and conscientiously, it was a bit unreasonable!

Zhao Defang, the regent, saw what Li Yuanhao was thinking, and a cunning and complacent smile appeared on his lips.

"I will tell all the generals about the tactical deployment. Yang Yanzhao will lead 20,000 new troops to rush back to support Yanmen Pass. Cao Wei will lead 20,000 new troops to rush to support Zhejia Army in Fuzhou.

I and General Li Yuanhao will lead the troops from Wuqihai City in Western Xia and head straight for Zhongjing of Liao!

Yanzhao and Cao Wei, after you two defeat the 60,000 Liao troops led by Yelu Xiezhen, divide your troops into two groups to capture Xijing and Nanjing of Liao. After our three armies meet in Zhongjing of Liao, we will capture Dongjing and Shangjing of Liao, and then, we will go straight to Huanglong!"

The generals of the Song army were all excited when they heard this, and they all responded loudly!

Li Yuanhao was horrified when he heard this, thinking: [Your Highness, such a bold and unrealistic strategic deployment that goes against the common sense of military tactics, if it wasn't said by you, the God of War of the Song Dynasty, it must have been thought up by a lunatic with no military common sense.

Your Highness, are you so confident in the combat power of the Song Dynasty army and the military command ability of these young generals? Aren't you afraid that such a risky military action will end in a disastrous defeat?]

The old general Zhe Dejian, who had been following the Regent Zhao Defang to watch the war in Xixia, has become more and more silent these days. The silence is because he has been shocked again and again, and after being shocked, he always likes to think hard.

In the past, the mature and prudent General Zhe would have definitely raised objections to the strategic deployment of His Royal Highness the Regent. However, at this moment, although the old man was a little worried, another kind of confidence in His Royal Highness the Regent prevailed.

Seeing that no one spoke up to object or raised objections, Regent Zhao Defang smiled slightly and said, "Since the generals have no objections, let's act immediately!" Marshal Yelu Xiezhen,

who thought that the Song army and the elite Dangxiang were fighting in full swing in the territory of Western Xia, leaving the Song border empty, sadly discovered that the two armies he sent out to attack Fuzhou City and Yanmen Pass were both met with stubborn resistance.

What's even more tragic is that the main force of the Song army appeared on these two battlefields after only one day of siege. What's

even more tragic is that on the way to escape with more than 10,000 defeated soldiers, they received the news that Li Yuanhao, the king of Xixia, had surrendered to the Song Dynasty half a month ago.

Marshal Yelu Xiezhen was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of old blood on the spot. Damn it! Where is justice? My Liao Kingdom sent troops to rescue Xixia, but your king Li Yuanhao of Xixia had already surrendered to the Song Dynasty, and let down the hundreds of thousands of Khitan warriors of my Liao Kingdom!

Marshal Yelu Xiezhen was so angry that he cursed and rode away. He wanted to take these more than 10,000 Khitan warriors home. He wanted to report to Empress Dowager Xiao and let Liao Kingdom prepare for the enemy! ...

In the palace of Bianjing City of the Song Dynasty, the little emperor Zhao Wuji put his hands behind his back and kept turning around in the room excitedly.

Liu Cheng'an looked at the little emperor who was so excited that he couldn't sit or stand, and smiled secretly.

The young emperor always pretended to be a mature and steady adult on weekdays. Today, he received a secret report sent by His Royal Highness the Regent Prince on the front line, and he was so excited that he forgot everything and revealed his childish characteristics.

Who knows what kind of brilliant achievements His Royal Highness the Regent Prince had made on the front line to make the little emperor so happy? He childishly did not summon the important officials of the court to discuss matters, but instead hurriedly sent someone to pick up the Regent Princess to enter the palace, wanting to share the joy of victory with the aunt first?

Hearing the movement coming from outside the door of Yu's study, Liu Cheng'an hurriedly reported: "Your Majesty, the Regent Princess has arrived." The little emperor Zhao

Wuji, who was turning around, immediately turned around and ran to the door to greet the aunt in person.

"Aunt, you are finally here. I have been waiting for a long time. I have been turning around in Yu's study for hundreds of times!" The little emperor Zhao Wuji took over Zhao Wubing from the aunt and said with a smile on his face.

Seeing his smile, Luo Li knew that there was good news, and her heart, which had been hanging all the way, fell to the ground.

She glared at the little emperor Zhao Wuji in reproach, "Your Majesty, you were so anxious to order people to bring me to the palace that I was scared and thought something bad had happened.

You are usually very stable. Tell me, what earth-shattering good news did you get today that made you so happy that you lost your composure?"

The little emperor Zhao Wuji put down his little brother who was struggling to get off the ground, took his hand and walked to the table, picked him up and sat him down, then turned around and smiled at the aunt, "Aunt, now, am I stable enough?"

Luo Li sat down at Liu Cheng'an without any hesitation. He sat on the soft stool that was moved over, took the fragrant tea offered by the young eunuch, took two sips leisurely, and then put down the teacup, "Your Majesty, am I stable enough?"

The anxious little emperor chuckled, then jumped onto the table, held his brother in his arms, and smiled condescendingly at the imperial aunt who was sitting in front of him with a serious look, "Aunt, let's not be so serious. Anyway, there are no outsiders here, so just show your true colors and be relaxed!"

Luo Li also chuckled, and both of them were embarrassed.

Seeing what his precious son was holding in his hand, he quickly reminded him, "Wu Ji, keep an eye on Lin'er, make sure he doesn't tear up your memorials."

The little emperor Zhao Wu Ji coaxed his little brother with a smile, "Wubing, be good! Give me the memorials in exchange for this jade seal. If you are willing to study hard and learn to read, in a few years, I will let you review these memorials."

Luo Li quickly stepped forward and took the jade seal from his son's hand. She snatched it and put it on the table, then took him down and put him on the ground, "Your Majesty, please do not teach my precious son badly. For the rest of his life, Your Majesty will personally review these memorials that have piled up like a small mountain. Do not dream of using my son as a coolie."

The little emperor smiled bitterly. The aunt was always on guard. How to lure her brother Zhao Wubing into the ranks of high-level coolies was really a worrying thing.

Liu Cheng'an's mouth twitched. The people in the Zhao royal family were all weird. His Royal Highness the Regent Prince had no interest in the supreme dragon throne. The little emperor who was coaxed and pushed to the throne was always thinking about dividing the supreme imperial power with his cousin Zhao Wubing. The Regent Princess was on guard against this matter without any loopholes.

"Aunt, your uncle led a large army to attack Western Xia. He captured several cities in a few days, and frightened Li Yuanhao, the ruler of Western Xia, into surrendering." The young emperor Zhao Wuji finally spoke and told the good news.

Luo Li was also overjoyed, "Oh! This is a perfect victory. Did your uncle say when he would return triumphantly?"

The little emperor Zhao Wuji smiled, trying to suppress his excitement. He coughed and cleared his throat, then said mysteriously, "Auntie, after my uncle easily destroyed the Kingdom of Western Xia, he immediately changed his plan and led the army to attack Liao directly!"

"..." Luo Li was stunned, staring at the complacent little emperor with her eyes wide open. After thinking about it, this was something Zhao Defang could do.

However, Liao, with its vast territory and numerous troops, was not so easy for Western Xia to attack.

Liu Chengan was so shocked by the news that he was paralyzed. [Oh my God! His Highness the Regent Prince destroyed Xixia in just over half a month, and now he is leading the army to attack Liao directly. He really deserves the reputation of the God of War of the Song Dynasty!]

: "Your Majesty, your uncle is leading the army to attack Liao. I don't know when this tough battle will end. You have to ensure the stability of the rear and the supply of materials and military needs for the army on the front line. You have to be careful." Luo Li instructed the little emperor Zhao Wuji as if she were instructing an adult.

The little emperor straightened his face and puffed out his chest! "Don't worry, auntie, I will definitely support my uncle!"