Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

In the blink of an eye, it is already March, Li Bangyan has returned to Tokyo, and the head coach of the West Route Bandit Suppression Team has not yet been determined.

The general strategic plan is as follows——

East Route Army: Tong Guan led the elite Forbidden Army, went to Xiangyang to take charge, and attacked Jinzhou together with the officers and soldiers of the South Route of Beijing.

South Route Army: Wang Zhen led part of the Forbidden Army and integrated officers and soldiers from Jinghu Road, Jiangxi Road, and Huainan Road. These miscellaneous troops attacked Kuimen.

West Route Army: Attack Hanzhong from Chencang Road, Baoxie Road, and Tangluo Road.

It is necessary to attack so many roads at the same time because the four roads in Chuanxia are blocked by mountains and are all narrow passages. No matter how many troops are gathered together, it will not be possible to launch, and if the attack is concentrated in one direction, the logistics pressure is too great.

As the commander-in-chief, Tong Guan could only command the east and south armies. The west route army was too far away from Xiangyang.

We have to choose a coach for the Western Route Army.

"Zhongshi is experienced and prudent, and he is the first choice for commanders on the West Road." Cai You recommended.

Tong Guan immediately objected: "The failure of the expedition against Liao was caused by improper command of Zhongshi Dao. This person must not be the commander of the Western Route. Liu Yanqing made great military exploits during the expedition against Liao, and he also has a high prestige in Shaanxi. He should use this He is handsome."

Wang Fu said: "Yao Gu, the military envoy of Xihe, has been a general for generations and is very useful. His son Yao Pingzhong is even more brave in the three armies, and the heroes in Guanzhong call him the 'Little Taiwei'. In the previous campaign against Fang La, Yao Pingzhong made outstanding achievements. , I don’t know who was greedy for military merit, so I can’t go to Beijing to meet the saint.”

Three powerful ministers, each recommending one person, all want to gain military power on the west route.

Song Huizong was in a dilemma. He thought about it carefully and said, "It is better to let Liang Shicheng be the commander-in-chief of the West Road. The three people you recommended are Chencangdao, Baoxiedao and Tangluo Road."

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Wang Fu said happily. He has the best relationship with Liang Shicheng.

Tong Guan immediately objected: "In the official family, Liang Shicheng has only suppressed ordinary bandits. The Zhu family and his son are the big thieves entrenched in the Sichuan Gorge. I am afraid that Liang Shicheng's talents cannot take on this important task."

Cai You also said: "Officials should think twice."

Song Huizong's face turned ugly. How long had it been since his three close ministers were still fighting for power, and they had to force him to choose one of the three.

Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty asked: "How about asking for help?"

Wang Fu said: "Zhe Keqiu's qualifications are too low to serve the people."

"Then let Gao Qiu be the commander-in-chief of the West Route Army," Song Huizong didn't bother to talk anymore, and directly decided, "Gao Qiu is my former minister in Qiandi, he is also a Taiwei, and he also led troops in Shaanxi. He will be the commander of the West Route Army. The coach must be able to convince the public and there will be no disputes.”

As soon as these words came out, the three powerful ministers looked at each other, none of them expected this result.

…

Dali.

Sun Fu, a member of the Ministry of Rites, first went to the southeast along the canal, and then took a sea ship to Guangxi. After more than three months, he finally met Duan Heyu, King of Dali.

First, the imperial edict was read out to commend Dali for its obedience, and he was also given gold, silver, Luo Qi and treasures.

Duan Heyu hosted a banquet in honor of him, and his words were quite respectful.

Although this man does not know how to use the Six Meridians Divine Sword, he is indeed very politically savvy and eager to gain recognition from the Song Dynasty. Its purpose is nothing more than to use the authority of the suzerain state to suppress the arrogance of the powerful minister Gao.

After three rounds of drinking, Sun Fu said: "In the Song Dynasty, there were traitors Zhu and his son. They did not recognize the emperor's kindness and raised their troops to rebel. The road to Shu is difficult and it is difficult to send troops. Can the king send an elite army north to capture the Zhu traitors' rear from Lizhou? ?”

"This..." Duan Heyu turned to look at Gao Liangcheng. The military power of Dali Kingdom was in the hands of this prime minister.

Gao Liangcheng asked: "Who is this red thief? How big is his territory? How many soldiers do he have?"

Sun Fu said: "The old Zhu thieves know some Taoism and are Taoist officials appointed by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. The younger Zhu thieves passed the Jinshi examination and served as prefects for two terms. They caused rebellion on the four roads of Sichuan Gorge and have now taken over Chengdu. As for the strength of the troops , but there are only tens of thousands of thieves, and the imperial army can easily wipe them out. However, the road to Shu is difficult, and it is not easy for the imperial army to march even if there are millions of soldiers."

Gao Liangcheng asked again: "How many years have the red thieves been causing trouble?"

Sun Fu said: "The rebellion started last summer."

Gao Liangcheng thought carefully and felt that he could fight two Taoist officials and civil servants who had only rebelled for more than half a year. What kind of elite soldiers could they produce?

Gao Liangcheng said: "If you want Dali to send troops, you can send troops. After that, Lizhou and the south of Lizhou will belong to Dali."

Sun Fu had certain negotiating authority, so he bargained: "The south of the Dadu River belongs to Dali, and Lizhou is still the land of Song Dynasty."

The monarchs and ministers in the court were very open-minded. Anyway, south of the Dadu River has always been the land of Jisu, so it would not be a bad idea to give it to Dali.

Gao Liangcheng shook his head: "To the south of the Dadu River, everything is remote and barbaric. What's the use of it? If we don't give it to Lizhou, our country, Dali, won't send troops."

Sun Fu was furious and scolded: "I came here on the order of the emperor to discuss with the leader of Dali. You are just the prime minister, and the leader has not spoken yet, how can you make your own decisions?"

Gao Liangcheng immediately shut up and looked at Duan Heyu with a sneer.

Duan Heyu was a little panicked, coughed and said, "Well, it's just as the Prime Minister said. I'm not feeling well and I'm going to rest. The angel and the Prime Minister will continue to discuss."

After the King of Dali finished speaking, he left, leaving Sun Fu sitting there stupidly.

Sun Fu looked at Duan Heyu's leaving figure, and then at Gao Liangcheng who was sitting and drinking. Even a pig could understand who had the final say here.

Gao Liangcheng asked: "Angel, do you want to talk again?"

Sun Fu thought for a moment and asked, "What title does the Prime Minister have?"

Gao Liangcheng said: "Mr. China."

After saying these three words, Sun Fu clenched his fists and was so angry that he almost broke out on the spot.

The powerful minister of the small Dali Kingdom is actually titled "Chinese Duke", and his ambition is obvious.

In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty had always been China, and the Liao people had no similar concept.

However, as the degree of Sinicization deepened, the monarchs and ministers of the Liao Kingdom began to fight for orthodoxy, calling themselves "China" and the Song Dynasty as the "Southern Dynasty".

When the Song and Liao countries were engaged in diplomacy, they fought hard for the orthodoxy of "China", and a "Chinese Duke" actually appeared in Dali.

Sun Fu also planned to seduce this powerful minister with a title, but he was already a Chinese Duke, and he could not find anyone better among the Dukes.

Otherwise, become the king?

After staying in Dali for a few days, Sun Fu privately asked to see Gao Liangcheng.

When they met, this guy bowed and apologized: "I didn't know the majesty of the Prime Minister the day before yesterday. I was really offended by my rudeness."

He gave in to the high-intensity prejudice and became more relaxed.

After all, he was an envoy sent by the sovereign Song Dynasty. His ability to subdue the Song envoy was enough to prove his power. Gao Liangcheng smiled and said: "Angels don't have to be like this. Those who don't know are not guilty."

Sun Fu said: "I have been asking the people of Dali for the past few days. Everyone praises the Gao family, but no one praises the Duan family. The Gao family has made great contributions to the country of Dali, how can he only be a duke? I personally think that the prime minister should be granted the title of Duke. king."

Gao Liangcheng was shocked, and then shook his head: "The king of the country has been canonized as the king of Dali by the emperor, how can I, the prime minister, be crowned the king?"

Sun Fu said: "The leader of Dali is the king, and you can be granted the title of county prince."

This is purely a play on words. The king of Dali is at the level of a county king, but his etiquette standards are the same as those of a prince.

Of course Gao Liangcheng understands, but he just wants to be crowned king!

More than ten years ago, the powerful minister Gao Taiming forced Duan Zhengchun to leave home, but no group of confidants came to rescue him.

At that time, the power of the Gao family reached its peak, but soon thirty-seven tribes of barbarians rebelled, and Gao Taiming died on the way to suppress the rebellion. Before the rebellion was put down, uncles, nephews, and brothers of the Gao family began to compete for the throne. Duan Heyu took the opportunity to send an envoy to Tokyo to obtain the official canonization of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.

Duan Heyu not only engaged in diplomacy, but also organized factions to fight against each other in the country, and exiled Gao Taiming's eighth son to death.

Two of his subordinates assassinated Duan Heyu and were killed on the spot. Duan Heyu ordered a grand burial and praised the two as righteous men, once again attracting a group of Gao family forces.

Four years ago, several large tribes in Dali rebelled, and the Gao family sent troops to suppress it but failed. Immediately, thirty-seven tribes of barbarians rebelled again, and Gao Mingqing was killed while suppressing the rebellion.

Only then did Gao Liangcheng inherit the power of the Gao family and sit on the throne of the Prime Minister.

He was very respectful at first and had to cooperate with Duan Heyu. But after successfully suppressing the rebellion, Gao Liangcheng gained great prestige, and then took control of the court. He took the king less and less seriously, and hoped to go further.

Sun Fu said seductively: "As long as you are willing to send troops, even if you can't defeat Chengdu, you can just come to the city and threaten the red bandit's rear. Afterwards, if you reward your merits, the emperor will make you a county king. This is the title of a county prince by the emperor of the Song Dynasty, not Dali." The Duke of China canonized by the king. Which one is higher and which one is lower? Your Excellency, please think twice."

Gao Liangcheng pondered for a long time and asked: "How can you guarantee that you can be crowned the county king? I can't believe your empty talk."

Sun Fu said: "Whether you believe it or not, it's all up to you. It's just that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes in a blink of an eye. If you miss it, it will be hard to get another chance."

Gao Liangcheng fell into silence again. He was granted the title of Prince of the County. He was equal to the Lord of Dali in terms of title. This was indeed an opportunity that the Gao family had not encountered in hundreds of years.

Gao Liangcheng didn't take Da Song seriously.

However, Duan Heyu had been canonized by Song Huizong, and his legitimacy was in the hands of the Song Dynasty.

If Gao Liangcheng was also canonized by Song Huizong, Duan Heyu would be in an embarrassing situation. This title is crucial!

"I'll think about it more carefully." Gao Liangcheng did not reply immediately.

A few days later, Gao Liangcheng found Sun Fu: "In addition to being crowned king, I also want the south of the Dadu River."

Sun Fu smiled: "Of course."

Gao Liangcheng said: "After I have reorganized my troops and pacified the country, I will send troops northward."

The northward advance was not Dali's national policy. It had always been the Gao family's route, and the territory they conquered also belonged to the Gao family.

Even without the temptation of becoming a king, the Gao family would take advantage of the transition between the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties to push the ruling area to the south bank of the Dadu River.

Gao Liangcheng's idea is very simple. First conquer the barbarians there, invade Lizhou if there is a chance, and stop as soon as possible if there is no chance. Let's plunder Lizhou first, and then decide whether to go to Chengdu. It would be best if we can capture it and rob Chengdu of all its goods. If they cannot be defeated, they will plunder the prefectures and counties south of Chengdu.

If the red thief is difficult to deal with, he will run away immediately.

No matter what the outcome is, the Gao family will definitely not suffer, and being crowned king would be the most satisfactory.

Sun Fu cupped his hands and said, "In this case, I will return to Tokyo and wait for the good news from Prince Gao!"

Gao Liangcheng said with a smile: "I'll send some gifts to the angel. Please accept them."

"Prince Gaojun is too polite." Sun Fu said happily.