Chapter 1076

Zhao Zhen, who had been working hard to have a son again yesterday, yawned lazily, sitting on the high seat in a listless, crooked posture, eating a piece of dried fruit contributed by Wang Yan, and taking a sip of the health tea that Wang Yan had prescribed for him after he specifically communicated with Wang Yan about his physical condition remotely.

He sat in the Political Affairs Hall, watching his ministers who governed the country arguing.

The imperial court had really not been so lively for a long time, he thought...

The current Political Affairs Hall was really lively; any one of them taken out would be famous for thousands of years, which could almost be said to be the strongest lineup during Zhao Zhen's reign.

Chancellor Wen Yanbo, Vice Chancellor Fu Bi, Privy Commissioner Han Qi, Privy Vice Commissioner Di Qing, who had just been promoted after being idle for more than two years, Three Departments Commissioner Zhang Fangping, Three Departments Vice Commissioner Fan Zhongyan. Bao Zheng, who was in charge of Kaifeng Prefecture, Ouyang Xiu of the Hanlin Academy, and Wang Anshi, who had been transferred to the Political Affairs Hall as a document clerk because of the flapping of Wang Yan's little wings, had a smooth career.

In addition, there were several other Consultants of the Political Affairs Hall and other second-in-commands, such as Zeng Gongliang, Wang Yaochen, and others; those who were qualified were all here.

Although the number of people was far less than that of the Great Court Meeting, the intensity of the argument was something that the Great Court Meeting couldn't compare to. Because except for those sitting around and serving tea, and except for Di Qing who didn't say a word, this group sitting in the front row, one by one, was not afraid of anyone.

Without a doubt, what they were discussing was the question of whether to fight this war or not.

Among them, Fan Zhongyan, Bao Zheng, Fu Bi, Ouyang Xiu, and others were all clamoring to fight. Even Wang Anshi interjected, expressing support. The rest were naturally opposed.

At this time, in this hall, those who could open their mouths to speak were not allowed to occupy the middle; there was no room for survival for the middle-of-the-roaders. At this time, one must have a clear-cut banner and must have an opinion. Those who dared to muddle through when the fire was burning their eyebrows would definitely be kicked out of the capital.

So everyone was arguing about whether to fight or not.

Those who said to fight were definitely those who trusted Wang Yan's ability. After all, after so many years, it was Wang Yan who started the war and also beat Western Xia to a pulp. In the past two years, although there was no war, rebellions occurred frequently within Western Xia, people fled to Song territory, and the border automatically expanded by dozens of miles. The border army had friction every day.

And everyone knew the situation on Wang Yan's side; it could be called well-equipped with troops and food, and they were already sharpening their swords and horses to start a fight. It wasn't that there was no precedent; he was submitting a document now, which looked like he was asking for instructions, but it was actually a notification.

However, everyone also knew that Wang Yan was a wise man, and this time he would definitely not be like last time, not giving the imperial court any reaction time and just finishing the fight. Many things can be done once but not twice; Wang Yan had this sense of proportion.

But they also had no doubt that if they didn't agree, Wang Yan might even start a war at the cost of not being an official.

This was the idea of the group of people who thought it was better not to fight. They also knew that regardless of whether they agreed or not, Wang Yan would fight. And it was precisely this point—that Wang Yan absolutely had to fight and they couldn't stop him—that they grasped to both get Wang Yan down and get the matter done.

Fan Zhongyan and others wanted to protect Wang Yan, while Wen Yanbo and others wanted to deal with Wang Yan. This was the root cause of their argument, using the question of whether to fight or not as a pretext.

In fact, everyone thought they should fight. Because since the second Song-Xia war, without the annual tribute from Western Xia and Khitan, and after Fan Zhongyan returned to the capital to start the reform of commercial taxes and taxes on the people, the money and wealth of the income increased.

And on the other hand, the military expenditure, which cost the most, was reduced because Western Xia was crushed. In the Northwest, the old and weak were dismissed, and new troops were reorganized, reducing a lot of expenses. The military expenditure of the northern border army was maintained as it was. In this way, the fiscal situation was greatly eased.

This made Zhao Zhen feel that the Great Song empire, which was a bit hot on his butt and a bit precarious, was becoming more and more stable.

As the saying goes, "full and warm, think of lust," and Zhao Zhen's lust was well satisfied, as he was busy every day. For him, these were all low-level things. His true desire was that at his age, when he clearly felt he was not up to the task, he should consider his reputation after death; naturally, he wanted civil and military achievements. If the Great Song empire grew stronger in his hands, then he would be satisfied.

Now that the interior was safe, there was no shortage of money, and there was even a lot of surplus, and his prestige and power had reached the peak of his reign, he naturally wanted to work harder.

If it weren't for this, Di Qing would not be sitting below. That was because he received Wang Yan's letter and recalled him immediately; he hadn't even gone through the procedures yet, just hanging the name first to show his attitude.

He was not a fool either; he was wise and understood the thoughts of everyone present.

After listening for a long time, he drank a sip of tea, then cleared his throat with a light, not-too-heavy cough, and the noisy Political Affairs Hall quickly quieted down.

He scanned the expressions of everyone, smiling very kindly, not worried about the war that was about to begin. He admitted that when Wang Yan started the war with Western Xia without authorization, he hadn't slept for a long time. But it was precisely that battle that made him unable to sleep now as well. It was just because he was so happy thinking about his huge sense of achievement in civil and military accomplishments that he couldn't sleep...

"I believe this war should be fought."

He set the tone as soon as he opened his mouth, pulling Wang Yan up. Just kidding, that was his greatest contributor to civil and military achievements; how could he do something that treated a contributor poorly during his reign? He naturally understood that the current atmosphere of his Zhao Song was all because of Wang Yan. It was okay to suppress Wang Yan, but there was no way he would dismiss Wang Yan from his post; he would absolutely not do this, as that was the most loyal minister of his Zhao Song.

He contributed good things to him, treated his illnesses remotely, and would send documents to care about his health every few days. He was in the borderlands, governing a million people, holding a hundred thousand troops, and the officials under him dared not disobey, forming a self-contained system, not weaker than the Jiedushi of the chaotic Five Dynasties. Moreover, the combat effectiveness of the Forbidden Army and garrison troops under Wang Yan was the highest; the troops that could fight in Great Song were all under Wang Yan. They were all trained and fought out by Wang Yan.

With such momentum, he was still being squeezed out by the ministers, but he was still working for Zhao Song wholeheartedly. Although he also arranged for people to contain and divide power, the people who went in the past couldn't fight Wang Yan at all, as the power was all held by Wang Yan. Those people were just playing a supervisory role. In such a situation, with no worries and no rebellion, where could one find such a loyal minister?

The sudden increase in his power was all because Wang Yan was holding it up under him.

It wasn't just Fan Zhongyan who would "release Wang Yan"; he, Old Zhao, would too. When the ministers collectively looked for trouble with him, he would summon the ministers to discuss where it would be appropriate to transfer Wang Yan back to the capital...

"Since Zhihe, the accumulated ills of the state have gradually eased, the national treasury also has surplus grain, and the people of our Great Song have become better off. A few days ago, I went out of the imperial city in private clothes and took a look; there is quite an atmosphere of renewal.

Since the child emperor ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitan in exchange for the imperial throne, it has been one hundred and twenty years. The great cause of our Great Song's Taizu was not finished, and Taizong succeeded him, failing twice to conquer the Khitan. Up to my father, Zhenzong, who failed to conquer the Khitan in the north, the Chanyuan Alliance was concluded, and it has been fifty-two years since then.

Over these years, I have also been thinking about conquering the Khitan in the north and recovering our Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Now that the country is rich and the people are prosperous, and the military edge is sharp, I believe it is time to recover our old land... This war must be fought, and the Khitan must be beaten to the north of Yanshan."

Zhao Zhen muttered many reasons and also naturally ridiculed Shi Jingtang. This was fine; the car god was a hundred times stronger than Shi Jingtang, who was already a person targeted for the pillar of shame.

After Zhao Zhen's voice fell, Fan Zhongyan took up the conversation: "Your Majesty is wise. Now our Great Song is no longer the Great Song of yesterday; we must conquer the Khitan in the north and recover our old land."

Old Fan was flattering, but it wasn't just simple flattery; it was to confirm the point that "this war must be fought and the old land must be recovered."

After he opened his mouth, the others who originally agreed to fight the war followed closely with "Your Majesty is wise."

And the opposition led by Wen Yanbo, understanding Zhao Zhen's intention to protect Wang Yan, naturally could only echo in unison. Zhao Zhen had already set the tone; if they couldn't distinguish between the big and small kings, they would have to go on a trip.

Zhao Zhen nodded with satisfaction: "Good, since all the ministers want to fight, then let's fight. I expect Minister Wang must have been waiting anxiously. For this war, Minister Fan will still be in overall command, Minister Han will lead together, and Minister Di will be in charge of the army. The rest will cooperate, and you will decide the specific deployment..."

After arranging this, Zhao Zhen left swaying, already starting to look forward to his own victory, welcoming back the strength that belonged to the Central Plains dynasty during the Han and Tang dynasties, in his hands...

Wang Yan didn't know about Zhao Zhen's sense of achievement; what he knew was that the ministers would definitely agree to fight this war, because victory is addictive. Before, they couldn't beat others and were timid, but once they won a battle, their confidence would come up.

Furthermore, Fan Zhongyan's commercial tax reform had been completed, and the fiscal situation was affluent. Following his way of dealing with people, expanding the scope of the strike in the process of collecting commercial taxes also destroyed many wealthy families, dealt with many officials, and a large amount of land was returned to state ownership and redistributed to the people for farming. The heavy tax of one-tenth also made the people grateful. Coupled with the reduction and exemption of many miscellaneous taxes, the people under high pressure regained living space.

It greatly eased social contradictions, stabilized the hearts of the people, and naturally reduced various troubles.

So much so that many officials felt that this was a prosperous age. It wasn't just a feeling; many people started writing letters to flatter. So in such a situation, naturally, they had to think about the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. After all, if this matter was not solved, no matter how hard they blew, Great Song would still not be okay.

And recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun was a merit for everyone from the emperor to the officials. Because Great Song walked toward glory in their hands, it was created by them, and a great reputation would definitely be passed down for generations...

They all had reasons to start a war.

As for the opposition of Wen Yanbo and others, Wang Yan also understood that this group of people wanted to deal with him. It's just that this group of people was complicated; some people found him unpleasant, some people felt he was harming the country and the people, and some people were afraid that he would kill them if he got into power. He understood them all.

It couldn't be called holding a grudge; after all, these people were destined to be crushed by his wheels. He was not a person who held grudges, but those people's standing was not upright, which had nothing to do with him...

"Chancellor, has the Emperor decided to fight?"

Seeing Wang Yan looking at the letter from the capital with a smile, Zhong E asked, suppressing his excitement.

After the last battle with Western Xia, he was not dealt with, his rank was raised, he was enfeoffed with a title, and he was given a title, already a star general. He also hugged Wang Yan's thigh, ensuring stability, and life was still very comfortable. Now he was naturally looking forward to fighting, wanting to make new contributions and achieve greater achievements. Enfeoffed as a Marquis immediately; he was not a Marquis yet, so he had to pursue it...

Wang Yan glanced at him, having long known his restlessness.

Folding the long official document and putting it back into the envelope, he nodded with a smile and said, "Fight. Minister Fan will still be in overall command of the war, and Minister Di will be in charge of the troops."

"Good!"

Zhong E clapped his hands in praise, and he jumped off the stool, "Chancellor, give the order, and this general will send the troops."

"Alright, don't act up. If you are so unable to hold your breath, you shouldn't be a general." Wang Yan waved his hand in disgust, "This time, we will conquer the Khitan in three routes. One route of forty thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry will stay behind to guard against Western Xia causing trouble. One route of fifteen thousand cavalry will go north across the Yin Mountains into the grasslands, disrupt their Shangjing Circuit, and seek opportunities to move east. Another route of one hundred thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry will directly move east to the Xijing Circuit and attack Yanshan..."

"This general requests to lead the cavalry to cross the Yin Mountains and enter the grasslands to disrupt the enemy's rear."

"This official also intends for you to lead the army. This task is arduous, with no reinforcements and no food and grass, and it is already late autumn. By the time winter comes and the grasslands are covered in snow, I'm afraid it will be hard to pass. Even if the whole army is equipped with cotton clothes for warmth, riding and galloping outside for a long time will be of no avail..."

"Chancellor, no need to say more. This general understands. A warrior's fame is taken on horseback; even if I die, I have no regrets!"

Wang Yan nodded: "Stay as far south as possible. In times of danger, run straight south; there will definitely be reinforcements. The destruction of Khitan will not happen in a moment; there is no need to fight to the death. As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood. Moreover, our cavalry is elite; remember the method of Mobile Corps Commander warfare. It is okay to lose some soldiers and generals, but the whole army must not be annihilated."

"This general obeys the order." Zhong E knelt on one knee and bowed to listen to the order.

"Send the troops in half a month. Go."

Zhong E responded and left, his steps light...

Wang Yan smiled and found minor officials to notify everywhere. He wanted to give further instructions, mainly to enter a wartime state and serve the war entirely. At the same time, he also had to dispatch merchants; as long as they were allowed to make a fortune, their subjective initiative was unmatched, and their efficiency was very high.

As for all kinds of materials for military needs, they had long been dispatched. In the past time, almost every day, materials were transported to the borderlands, where a massive amount of materials were stored, enough for the war.

The three elements of war: troops, money, and battle plans. The troops and money were already ready, and it could truly be said that the big blade was already impatient.

The battle plan had a precedent. He had already demonstrated superb military talent and proved that he was a reliable military commander, so this time it was naturally the same as the last time he fought Western Xia, with each being responsible for one area.

He fought from the west to the east, while Fan Zhongyan, Di Qing, and others concentrated their superior forces to tightly guard the battle lines of Hedong and Hebei, not letting the Khitan break through the defense line and endanger the capital.

The importance of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun was unparalleled, because without the protection of the Taihang Mountains and Yanshan, and with no dangerous terrain to hold, it was equivalent to directly letting the foreign tribes sit in the living room.

Of course, the foreign tribes here were the foreign tribes of now; whether it was Khitan, Dangxiang, Jin, Yuan, etc., they had all become part of the big family a thousand years later...

And there was no doubt that the Khitan were stronger than Western Xia; the two battles of Helan Mountain in the Liao-Xia war were both the Khitan beating Western Xia. So this northern expedition against the Khitan was obviously going to be more difficult.

But on the other hand, Great Song had also developed stronger in these years. Wang Yan commanded more than one hundred thousand troops, and the advantages that the Khitan had over Western Xia had already been filled. For him, the difficulty was not great; it mainly depended on Fan Zhongyan and others, who were not relaxed.

Just like this, after all kinds of eight-hundred-mile urgent dispatches, and not knowing how many horses were run to death, Wang Yan fully exchanged opinions with Fan Zhongyan and others and finally set the rules...

Heqing Army was the border between the two countries fought out by the war between Liao and Xia. In addition, there was also a Jinsu Army, which was the same, belonging to the vanguard that the Khitan prepared to attack Western Xia.

Now the territory here had been taken down by Wang Yan, and it was natural that this place had also become the military border between Great Song and Western Xia in this region.

This day was approaching evening, and the sky was getting dark.

The soldiers who had long since eaten gathered together in groups, looking at the opposite Khitan military camp, silently waiting for orders. In this late autumn decay, more murderous intent was brewed inside.

The cold wind at night blew the withered yellow grass, and the horses seemed unable to bear the brewed murderous intent, restlessly kicking the ground under their feet, occasionally snorting.

Wang Yan, in a purple official robe, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, was blown by the cold wind of the autumn night.

He turned back to look at the horizon that was only a line, and said softly: "Light the fire."

The soldiers guarding his side took out fire starters and lit the torches that had long been prepared.

Just after the firelight that tumbled with the autumn wind bloomed, the soldiers who were sitting silently stood up under the shouting of the officers. For a time, there was only the rustling sound of armor plates moving, and the metallic sound of weapons clashing.

After about five minutes, Wang Yan waved his hand: "Wave the torches, attack!"

The minor soldiers obeyed the order and waved the torches back and forth.

As the signal was transmitted, the soldiers silently began to march. They first walked, moving toward all the predetermined directions. When the formation was completely dispersed, they began to run, killing toward the Khitan military camp hundreds of meters away.

In the darkness of the half-moon, one could only see figures moving in places, densely packed...

Knowing Wang Yan's style, the Khitan garrison here was still prepared, and the reconnaissance personnel did not dare to relax their vigilance. The reconnaissance personnel at night naturally did not have night blindness. Very quickly, they discovered the action here.

Before long, a sound of gongs and drums warning, which had strong penetrating power and spread very far, rang out. Immediately afterward, there was a desolate horn, rippling on this piece of open land.

"Kill!"

The shouting and killing sound of the Great Song soldiers, which had been suppressed for a long time, finally rang out on this ordinary autumn night...

Since the Chanyuan Alliance, fifty-two years later, Zhao Zhen brazenly launched a war against the Khitan, maintaining the formation that every Zhao Song emperor since Zhao Kuangyin had to fight the Khitan.

The Northern Expedition War, officially started!