Xianxia version of Water Margin

…

When Li Qianshun was still alive, with the strong support of Jiang Hongfei, the Yuan Empire began to attack the Jin Kingdom.

The Jin Kingdom hurriedly asked Xixia for help.

In this regard, Li Qianshun knew that the Jin Kingdom and Xixia were in a relationship of mutual dependence, so he sent two armies to reinforce the Jin Kingdom.

However, these two Xia armies were defeated by the Yuan Army led by the generals of the Yuan Empire, Zhu Wu and Wang De. Not only did they fail to reinforce the Jin Army, but they also suffered heavy casualties.

That would be fine, but the problem is that despite the support of Xixia and the grassland tribes, the Jin Kingdom only lasted less than two years before being destroyed by the Yuan Empire.

When Li Qianshun learned that the Jin Army was defeated in the Qianjin decisive battle and that the Jin Kingdom would undoubtedly perish, he was shocked!

Li Qianshun quickly summoned a group of Xixia officials to discuss countermeasures.

Under the suggestion of Xixia's important official Wudao Chong, Li Shunshun quickly changed his strategy and sent envoys to the Yuan Empire to pay tribute many times. He sincerely stated that they were just bewitched by the Jin people and did not intend to be enemies with the Yuan Empire. He asked for peaceful coexistence with the Yuan Empire and for the Yuan Empire's understanding.

In order to persuade Jiang Hongfei to give up attacking Xixia, Li Qianshun presented Jiang Hongfei with 300 first-class Xixia beauties in three times according to Jiang Hongfei's hobbies to show his sincerity in surrendering to the Yuan Empire.

At that time, it was the critical moment for the Yuan Empire to reap the fruits of victory. Jiang Hongfei did not want to cause trouble, so he temporarily let Xixia go.

If Jiang Hongfei had not appeared, the first hero of this period would definitely be Wanyan Aguda, and the second only to Wanyan Aguda was Li Qianshun, who led the Western Xia through the last period of struggle with the Song Dynasty in history, and supported the Liao Dynasty in resisting the Jurchen conquerors. Later, he decisively abandoned the Liao Dynasty and surrendered to the Jin Dynasty. In the end, he not only preserved the Western Xia, but also took advantage of the situation to make the Western Xia stronger.

Such a Li Qianshun was very clear about Jiang Hongfei's ambitions.

Therefore, although he escaped temporarily, Li Qianshun was still worried about the country and the people, and eventually died in depression.

In July of the 17th year of Hongwu, the fourth monarch of the Western Xia, Xia Chongzong Li Qianshun, passed away, and Li Renxiao, who was only 16 years old, succeeded to the throne and became the fifth emperor of the Western Xia.

After Li Renxiao ascended the throne, he respected Li Qianshun's queen Ren as "Queen Mother", respected his mother Cao as "National Mother", and canonized Wang as Queen.

When the news reached the northwest of the Yuan Dynasty, Wu Jie and Chen Ke hurriedly submitted a memorial to Jiang Hongfei, saying that the war was urgent and the opportunity was fleeting, and requested the court to make a quick decision to plan for Xixia.

After reading the memorial, Jiang Hongfei resolutely issued an imperial decree, appointing Chen Ke as the envoy to Pingxia and Wu Jie as the commander-in-chief of Pingxia, giving them full power to act according to the situation without having to report everything. He strictly ordered all departments in the court to fully cooperate with all the needs of the war, and no mistakes should be made. Violators would be severely punished.

This move undoubtedly returned the command of the Xixia war to the two commanders on the front line again.

Jiang Hongfei's decision made Wu Jie and Chen Ke deeply excited, and they secretly admired his wisdom and bravery.

However, there was no lack of opposition in the court.

Some civil officials, especially those who advocated peace, either relied on Jiang Hongfei's tolerance of the censors or had private thoughts, and insisted on acting cautiously, saying that Xixia had already surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty and there was no need to fight again.

Faced with these dissuasion, Jiang Hongfei showed unprecedented firmness. After patiently listening to the opinions of all parties, he only left a sentence "I have made up my mind, you can withdraw", leaving the ministers speechless.

Those officials who tried to influence Jiang Hongfei's decision with words soon realized their powerlessness.

They knew that although Jiang Hongfei was open to all opinions, once he made up his mind, no one could change it.

And those ministers who secretly accepted bribes from Xixia were even more silent under Jiang Hongfei's eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, and dared not make any unusual moves.

So, as Jiang Hongfei's imperial edict spread to all directions, a battle against Xixia quietly kicked off, and the iron cavalry of the Yuan Empire was about to embark on the road of conquest again.

…

After Li Renxiao succeeded to the throne, he continued to use Li Qianshun's strategy under the advice of his ministers, that is, to send beauties to Jiang Hongfei, hoping that the Yuan Empire would not attack Xixia.

To show his sincerity, Li Renxiao even ordered that the Xixia's national treasure, the "Hundred Beasts Brocade Tent", be presented to Jiang Hongfei.

This "Hundred Beasts Brocade Tent" is extraordinary. It is woven by the Xixia's top craftsmen, carefully selecting hundreds of rare and exotic beasts' skins.

Its exquisite craftsmanship is rare in the world. Not only can it keep warm like spring in the severe winter without the need for a fire, but it is also dazzling and priceless because it is inlaid with rare treasures from all over the world.

Jiang Hongfei was also amazed when he first saw this tent.

Since Xixia occupied the Hexi Corridor, it was like holding the key to the ancient Silk Road, and trade between the East and the West converged here.

Countless treasures from the West poured into Xixia, becoming bargaining chips for the Central Plains' silk, porcelain, tea and other in-demand commodities.

The Xixia people sold these commodities to the Western Regions, and then the Western Regions merchants transported them to the farther West, making a lot of money from it.

This process not only brought rich economic benefits to Xixia, but also made it famous on the international stage and became an important bridge connecting the East and the West.

Li Renxiao knew that it was difficult to completely dispel Jiang Hongfei's covetousness for Xixia with these diplomatic means alone.

Therefore, while actively seeking peace, he never relaxed his preparations for war.

He appointed his uncle, the first commander of Xixia, and Jiang Hongfei's cheap father-in-law, Jin Wang Richard, as the commander-in-chief, who was fully responsible for Xixia's military defense.

Richard was a wise general who was well versed in military tactics and good at using troops. He was also very strong, especially good at shooting. In a battle against the Song Dynasty, he shot the enemy's deputy general with one arrow, turned the tide, and became famous in one battle.

After that, he summed up his experience, wrote a letter to the emperor, and advocated learning from the strengths of the Song army, strengthening the training and equipment of the Western Xia army, making the Western Xia army increasingly powerful.

Under the leadership of Richard, the Western Xia army continued to grow and formed a unique military service system.

That is, men from the age of fifteen to sixty must serve in the military. For each household with two men, one strong man is selected as the regular army, and the other man is the auxiliary army, responsible for miscellaneous tasks with the army. For families with four or more men, two men are selected to join the army, and the remaining men are empty men, who can not serve or replace others.

The Western Xia army is not only large in number, but also well-trained and extremely powerful.

In addition to the emperor's personal army, Xixia also set up twelve military supervisors in the left and right wings, stationed in key locations, forming a strict defense system.

Li Renxiao knew that it was difficult to resist the powerful offensive of the Yuan Empire alone.

Therefore, he actively sought help from neighboring countries, including the Tibetan tribes, the grassland tribes, and the Western Regions.

He personally sent envoys to various countries to explain the principle of "the lips and teeth are cold", and called on all countries to jointly resist the invasion of the Yuan Empire.

After the unremitting efforts of the Xixia envoys, more and more countries began to realize the threat of the Yuan Empire's ambitions to themselves, and reached strategic alliances with Xixia.

They promised that if the Yuan Empire attacked Xixia, they would send troops to help without hesitation.

Of course, these allies were not unconditional supporters. They made various requests to Xixia - some needed financial assistance, some were eager for food and cattle and sheep, and some even asked Xixia to marry or provide beautiful women.

Faced with these harsh conditions, Li Renxiao felt helpless, but for the survival of the country and the peace of the people, he had to reluctantly give up and agree to them one by one.

In this contest concerning the fate of the country, the whole country of Xixia was mobilized.

Since the demise of the Jin Dynasty, almost all of Xixia's three million soldiers and civilians have been preparing for a decisive battle with the Yuan Empire. Both men and women have taken up arms and vowed to defend their homes.

In short, Xixia is actually ready to fight this national war, and its strength should not be underestimated!

...

Soon, Li Renxiao, who was always paying attention to the Yuan Empire, which had already assembled a large army, received accurate news that Jiang Hongfei supported Wu Jie, Chen Ke and others to attack Xia.

In response, Li Renxiao couldn't help but feel helpless and indignant.

He secretly vowed that one day, he would take revenge on Jiang Hongfei.

However, anger and oaths seemed so pale and powerless in the face of reality.

Li Renxiao could only temporarily put aside his personal feelings and adopt the wisdom of the important officials in the court. On the one hand, he asked for peace with the Yuan Empire to delay time; on the other hand, he sent the brave Richard to lead the Xixia army and people to meet the invading enemy; at the same time, he urgently wrote to all parties, begging the allies such as Tubo, grassland, and Western Regions to send troops to help according to the alliance agreement to resist the powerful enemy.

However, the development of the war situation often exceeds people's expectations.

Before the allied reinforcements arrived, Wu Jie personally led 150,000 troops and rushed out of Huangzhou like a tiger descending from the mountain, while the veteran generals Du Fu and Lu Junyi led 50,000 elite troops from Huizhou. Although the two armies took different routes, they worked together to head straight to Lingzhou, vowing to open up this throat leading to the heartland of Xixia.

At the same time, Zhe Yanzhi, Sun An, Shi Wengong, and Wang Jin also led the Zhe family army and some of the Northeast elite troops to attack Xixia Youzhou Road fiercely to contain the main force of Xixia and form a supporting trend.

The general Liu Qi, with his 200,000 troops, sat firmly in Lanzhou, like a sword hanging over the head of Xixia, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any time.

Gu Gulong, this once peaceful land, has now become the focus of the decisive battle between the two sides.

Wu Jie and Richard had a fierce duel here.

Due to the hasty preparation, Richard had only tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command. Facing Wu Jie's 150,000 troops, it was undoubtedly a pebble hitting a stone.

However, the cruelty of war often lies in its uncertainty.

Under Wu Jie's careful layout and heroic command, the Yuan army was unstoppable and killed more than 30,000 Xia troops in one fell swoop. Richard had no choice but to lead his army to retreat.

Wu Jie was not dazzled by the victory in front of him. He knew that the land of Xixia was vast and boundless, and the people's hearts were complex and changeable. If he attacked blindly, he would fall into the quagmire of a protracted war.

Therefore, Wu Jie learned from the lessons of the failure of the Zhao Song Dynasty and decided to adopt a steady and cautious strategy to gradually erode the territory and power of Western Xia.

After defeating Richard, Wu Jie did not rush to pursue, but chose to occupy the "Zhenwu City" built by Liu Fa in the past, and sent capable generals Wu Song, Yang Zheng, Zhe Kecun and others to garrison here. At the same time, Chen Ke organized civilians to build a railway to Zhenwu to ensure unimpeded logistics supply.

At the same time, the army led by Du Fu and Lu Junyi also encountered a stubborn resistance from the Xia army on the Qingshui River.

Faced with the unfavorable situation of being outnumbered, Du Fu and Lu Junyi took the lead and inspired morale. After days of fierce fighting, they finally repelled the attack of the Xia army.

Afterwards, they took advantage of a short respite to quickly organize civilians to build cities and roads here, and left heavy troops for defense.

This series of measures not only consolidated the results of the battle, but also laid a solid foundation for subsequent actions.

A month later, Wu Jie launched another offensive and sent his brother Wu Lin to lead an army of 100,000 to capture the Zangdihe City of Western Xia.

Although Richard knew the situation was critical, he still decided to lead his army to rescue.

However, when the two armies met, Wu Lin's red cannons bombarded like thunder, and the Xia army was immediately defeated.

Wu Lin took advantage of the victory and captured Zangdihe City in one fell swoop.

After leaving Guo Hao, Tian Sheng and others to garrison and continue to build the railway, he led the main force back in triumph.

At the same time, Liu Qi's army also launched a fierce attack on Renduoquan City.

The Xixia garrison fought desperately and sent people to ask for help from the court.

However, after weighing the pros and cons, Richard decided to give up reinforcements.

He knew that the strength of the Yuan army was far beyond the Xixia, and rashly going there would only increase casualties.

So, he reluctantly ordered a retreat and handed the fate of Renduoquan City to fate.

As expected, in just three days, Renduoquan City was declared lost amid the roar of red cannons.

Liu Qi then left generals Cai Xun and Wang Yan to guard the place and continued to promote the construction of the railway.

With the arrival of winter, the severe cold weather brought great difficulties to the battles of both sides.

Wu Jie, Chen Ke and others decided to temporarily cease fire after discussion.

However, this did not mean a ceasefire.

On the contrary, the Yuan army was using this time to actively prepare for war and adjust its strategy, preparing to march west again one day in the future to completely conquer this vast land.

And Li Renxiao of Xixia was also secretly accumulating strength and waiting for the opportunity to counterattack.

A more intense contest was quietly brewing...

...

The next year, spring came and flowers bloomed.

Wu Jie personally led an army of 300,000 people and marched out of Xiaoguan, heading straight for the enemy.

Richard gathered Xixia, Tubo and grassland tribes, with a total of 500,000 troops, and was supplemented by thousands of elite troops under Jin Wushu. His intention was obvious, and the dream of restoring the country had never been extinguished.

However, the Yuan cavalry fought continuously with thunderous momentum, not only defeating the coalition forces, but also conquering Yonghe Village, and then besieging the important cities of Western Xia.

The Xia army fought hard to break through, but was ultimately defeated by the Yuan army and suffered another setback.

The Yuan army pursued the victory and headed straight for Mingsha. The Western Xia defenders fled, and Mingsha City easily fell into the hands of the enemy.

Seeing that the situation was critical and the hinterland of Western Xia was threatened, Richard changed his strategy and led the people to besiege Zhenwu City, intending to solve the problem by using the strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao.

Under Zhenwu City, the Xia army attacked day and night, and the Yuan army in the city gradually felt pressure. Wu Song, Yang Zheng, and Zhe Kecun wrote urgently for help.

Wu Jie received the news and immediately dispatched Wu Lin to lead his troops to take the new train to rush to reinforce.

In less than half a day, Wu Lin's vanguard had arrived in Zhenwu. Within a day, the army gathered, and hundreds of red cannons followed the army.

The two armies clashed, the red cannons roared, and the Xia army suffered heavy casualties and was forced to retreat.

After that, the offensive of the Yuan army intensified, and cities and forts were built in the newly occupied areas, and railways were built, and the territory of Western Xia was shrinking day by day.

In addition, due to years of war, the national strength of Western Xia was depleted, the people were living in poverty, famine broke out, and the price of grain soared. The price of one liter of rice was equivalent to one hundred coins, and the people were boiling with resentment.

Generals such as Xiao Heda took the opportunity to raise troops, Xiazhou fell, and peasant uprisings broke out in Weizhou, Dingzhou and other places. Western Xia was trapped inside and outside, and was in a precarious situation.

What is particularly critical is that the lifeline of Western Xia in Hengshan area was lost in the hands of the Yuan Dynasty.

Facing the crisis of national extinction, Li Renxiao had to kneel to the Yuan Dynasty and sent envoys, willing to surrender to the Yuan Dynasty at the cost of Hengshan, pay tribute every year, and pay homage every year. He was willing to recognize Jiang Hongfei as his father and form a father-son country together in order to preserve Western Xia...

...