Song Xiu

Chapter 125: Sending Troops to Yuezhou to Abstract the Southern Han (Bonus Chapter!)

In early November of the first year of the Jianlong era of the Song Dynasty, several military intelligence reports reached Zhao Dexiu.

Zhang Wenbiao, the governor of Hengzhou in Wuping Kingdom, led a group to ambush and kill the supervising officer Liu Yu under the pretext of "welcoming the royal army".

After assassinating Liu Yu, Zhang Wenbiao issued a proclamation to the surrounding states, inviting them to join him in an uprising.

Almost simultaneously with this military intelligence report, two other messages also arrived.

A message came from Sichuan.

After receiving Zhou Xingfeng's plea for help, Meng Chang of Western Shu ordered Wang Zhaoyuan, the military governor of Shannan, to lead an army of 30,000 from Shu to support Zhou Xingfeng.

Another message came from the Southern Han.

Liu Chang of the Southern Han Dynasty appointed Wu Yanrou, the Northern Expeditionary Commander, as the general and led an army of 20,000 northwards to support Zhou Xingfeng.

In a short period of time, Zhao Dexiu received a total of three military reports.

Of the three pieces of military intelligence, one was good and two were bad, and the situation seemed unfavorable to the Song army.

The arrival of the Western Shu army and the Southern Han army was not beyond Zhao Dexiu's expectations.

Wuping is like a piece of fat meat, and there are more people than just myself eyeing it.

Although the military interventions of Western Shu and Southern Han would have some impact on the battlefield situation, Zhao Dexiu was not too worried.

Before the generals, Zhao Dexiu, holding military intelligence reports on the expeditions of Western Shu and Southern Han, said:

As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

Meng Chang and Liu Chang wanted to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, but they were unwilling to invest any money.

For two powerful nations to send troops, with a combined force of only tens of thousands, is truly petty!

As soon as Zhao Dexiu finished speaking, all the generals in the hall burst into laughter.

The generals were quite worried after learning that Western Shu and Southern Han had sent troops.

Zhao Dexiu's joke instantly dispelled the worries in the hearts of the generals.

With a formidable enemy at hand, the fact that the commander-in-chief could still joke around is enough to boost morale.

After the joke was over, Zhao Dexiu looked at one person:
"Tian Chongjin."

I give you ten thousand soldiers; lead them to Guizhou to stop the Shu army from entering the country.

The Shu army numbered 30,000, while Tian Chongjin's forces numbered only slightly over 10,000.

Even with inferior troop strength, Zhao Dexiu was not worried that Tian Chongjin would be unable to stop the Shu army.

The Shu army's route had already been thoroughly investigated by scouts.

The 30,000 Shu troops were preparing to sail down the Yangtze River from Kuizhou into Guizhou and Xiazhou.

This marching route is exactly the same as the one used by Emperor Zhaolie when he attacked Eastern Wu during the Battle of Yiling in the Three Kingdoms period.

Guizhou and Xiazhou are covered with dense forests. Tian Chongjin has led troops for many years. If he can defend the strategic locations, it will not be difficult to keep the Shu army out of the country.

As soon as Zhao Dexiu issued the order, Tian Chongjin accepted it and left.

After Tian Chongjin left, Zhao Dexiu turned his gaze to Cao Bin.

"You will lead 5,000 elite troops south to Lizhou."

Lizhou is the northwest gateway to Langzhou. Once you lead your army to Lizhou, attack it if there is an opportunity.

If there is no opportunity to exploit, then lead the army to cover the key roads, so that the Wuping army will not have the chance to take advantage of the situation to attack Jiangling.

Lizhou is also the southwestern gateway to Jiangling.

Although it was predicted that Zhou Xingfeng would concentrate his main force in Yuezhou, the Wuping army held a geographical advantage, and it was hard to guarantee that Zhou Xingfeng would not risk splitting his forces for a surprise attack.

Attacking Wuping Kingdom was a true war of annihilation, and Zhao Dexiu could not afford to be careless in the slightest.

After hearing Zhao Dexiu's words, Cao Bin bowed and accepted the order before leaving.

Having anticipated that Western Shu and Southern Han might try to take a share of the spoils, Zhao Dexiu had done one of his major tasks in the past: to streamline the surrendered troops of Nanping Kingdom.

After streamlining, they obtained more than 10,000 soldiers, known as the "Jingnan Army".

Although the fighting strength of these 10,000-plus Jingnan soldiers was not comparable to that of the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards, it was estimated to be on par with the Wuping Army.

After two separate troop deployments, Zhao Dexiu had only 40,000 troops left at his disposal.

According to previous intelligence, the main force of the Wuping Army numbered around 40,000 to 50,000.

With forces evenly matched, it will be a tough battle.

After Cao Bin withdrew, Zhao Dexiu stood up and looked at the generals, saying:
"After many days of rest, it is time for battle."

"Order the entire army to set off tomorrow for Yuezhou!"

As soon as the commander gave the order, all the generals present stood up:

"As ordered!"

Soon, the latest developments of the Song army were delivered to Zhou Xingfeng.

Not long ago, Zhou Xingfeng led tens of thousands of troops to Yuezhou.

After Zhou Xingfeng learned of Zhao Dexiu's military arrangements, he said to Li Guanxiang:
"I have always heard that Zhao Dexiu is good at using surprise attacks. I thought that he might use the same trick again during this southern expedition."

Unexpectedly, he adopted a strategy of gradual advancement.

There was surprise in Zhou Xingfeng's tone.

However, after the initial surprise, Zhou Xingfeng smiled.

Zhao Dexiu's strategy of advancing step by step actually shows that he values ​​him.

Seeing a formidable opponent approaching, Zhou Xingfeng was quite smug, but Li Guanxiang couldn't help but remind him:

“Zhang Wenbiao has rebelled in Hengzhou. Your Majesty should be cautious.”

Upon hearing Li Guanxiang's reminder, Zhou Xingfeng's eyes immediately turned cold.

Zhou Xingfeng had long harbored the intention to eliminate Zhang Wenbiao, so he placed a military supervisor in Hengzhou.

When Zhou Xingfeng previously sent Yang Shifan south in secret, he believed that with Liu Yu's help, it would not be difficult for Yang Shifan to capture and kill Zhang Wenbiao.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Wenbiao struck first.

It is likely that Zhang Wenbiao had prior contact with the Song army.

Despite some missteps, Zhou Xingfeng still believed that the overall situation was under control.

"Hengzhou has few soldiers. If no other prefectures support Zhang Wenbiao, he will not pose a significant threat."

Furthermore, Yang Shifan is a skilled warrior; with him pacifying the region, Zhang Wenbiao would barely be able to protect himself, let alone make any progress.

As for whether other states will respond, Zhou Xingfeng believes it is unlikely.

Zhou Xingfeng's words reassured Li Guanxiang considerably.

Then Li Guanxiang asked:

"Now that the Song army is approaching, what strategy does Your Majesty have to defeat them?"

As the de facto prime minister of Wuping Kingdom, Li Guanxiang needed to know Zhou Xingfeng's tactics in order to mobilize the nation's manpower and resources to cooperate with him.

When questioned by Li Guanxiang, Zhou Xingfeng said:
"Military matters are nothing more than maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses."

Our army is quite powerful, but in terms of elite troops, it is still difficult to compare with the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guard.

Engaging the Song army in infantry combat would be disadvantageous for our forces.

Our army excels in naval warfare; we should lure the Song army to the water for a decisive battle.

They built a fortified village near the lake, taking advantage of its strategic location.

Prepare plenty of warships in preparation for a major battle.

As soon as Zhou Xingfeng finished speaking, Li Guanxiang cupped his hands and said:
"I accept your order!"

Several days later, Zhao Dexiu led his army into Yuezhou territory.

As soon as tens of thousands of Song troops entered Yuezhou, they captured Huarong County.

After capturing Huarong County, Zhao Dexiu first ordered his army to rest and then sent out scouts to further investigate enemy intelligence.

There are two main routes for advancing south from Jiangling City.

One option is to start from the southwest and attack Lizhou first.

The other route was to start from the southeast and attack Yuezhou first.

The reason why Zhao Dexiu chose the second route as the main direction of attack was not only that the Song army could directly advance towards Langzhou and Tanzhou after taking Yuezhou, but also because most of Dongting Lake was within the territory of Yuezhou.

The area around Dongting Lake is crisscrossed by tributaries, many of which lead directly to the city of Jiangling. If Dongting Lake is not gradually brought under control, once the main force of the Song army turns to Lizhou, the Wuping army, which occupies a strategic geographical advantage, can continuously send troops to harass the supply lines.

If Wuping's army were to cut off the Song army's supply lines, the Song army would certainly face defeat.

This is also why Zhao Dexiu was wary of the fate of the Tang army, but not particularly worried about the arrival of the Shu and Southern Han armies.

The Tang army's naval advantage remains unparalleled in the world.

Later generations often said that whoever controls the "air" controls the initiative in the war.

In this battle, whoever controls the "lake" holds the key to victory.

Soon after, the scout returned and informed Zhao Dexiu of the latest movements of Wuping Army.

At that moment, Zhao Dexiu was leading his generals to the shore of Dongting Lake to observe the situation.

Although it is winter, the water area of ​​Dongting Lake has shrunk.

However, the sheer size of Dongting Lake still impressed many generals.

After learning about Zhou Xingfeng's tactics, Zhao Dexiu saw through his intentions.

Zhao Dexiu addressed the generals behind him:

"Zhou Xingfeng is trying to lure our army into a decisive battle on Dongting Lake."

Zhao Dexiu's deduction caused the generals to show concern.

Previously, under Zhao Dexiu's intimidation, the generals had no intention of underestimating the enemy.

Once they lose their complacency, the generals will naturally begin to seriously assess the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.

In terms of infantry combat, the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards had never feared anyone. However, when it came to naval warfare, the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards were indeed not proficient.

Although there were naval battles during Emperor Shizong of Zhou's three campaigns against Huainan, most of the Song army's victories were achieved on land.

Fortunately, Zhao Dexiu had anticipated the measures Zhou Xingfeng might take.

"Gentlemen, do not worry. We now have more than 10,000 soldiers from Jingnan in our army."

With the assistance of the Jingnan army, our army should not be at a disadvantage in future naval battles.

Having experienced the Battle of Huainan, the Song army was no longer helpless in the face of adversity.

The reasons why the Song army was not good at naval warfare were twofold: on the one hand, it did not have many ships, and on the other hand, it lacked experience in naval warfare.

However, with the addition of tens of thousands of Jingnan troops, these two deficiencies can be largely compensated for.

Zhao Dexiu's words eased the generals' worries.

Fortunately, Zhao Dexiu had the foresight to incorporate more than 10,000 Jingnan troops into the main army in advance.

After allaying the generals' concerns, Zhao Dexiu led them back to the main camp outside Huarong City.

Upon returning to the camp, Zhao Dexiu ordered someone to find Lu Duoxun.

When Lu Duoxun arrived, Zhao Dexiu asked:
"How's the intelligence gathering on the Southern Han side going?"

Zhao Dexiu had anticipated the Southern Han's participation in the war, and therefore had Lu Duoxun send people to investigate in advance.

Under Zhao Dexiu's questioning, Lu Duoxun revealed the preliminary intelligence he had gathered.

The current ruler of the Southern Han is Liu Chang.

Before ascending the throne, Liu Chang had a good reputation in the country, but as soon as he took the throne, various abstract behaviors began to emerge.

Liu Chang believed that normal ministers all had families and would not be loyal to the emperor in order to protect their descendants, so he only trusted eunuchs.

Ministers who wish to gain power must first castrate themselves.

In recent years, Liu Chang has entrusted all the major military and political affairs of the country to a eunuch named Gong Chengshu. Apart from Gong Chengshu, the Southern Han court is also controlled by Chen Yanshou and the female attendant Lu Qiongxian.

After listening to Lu Duoxun's report, Zhao Dexiu remained silent for a long time.

Because the Southern Han was far from the Central Plains, the Central Plains had very little intelligence about the Southern Han.

I never imagined that the Southern Han's government would be in such a state of chaos.

While marveling at the situation, Zhao Dexiu carefully considered the intelligence information about the Southern Han Dynasty.

If the current administration of the Southern Han is in the hands of Gong Chengshu, then it should be him who sends troops north this time.

The chaotic political situation in the Southern Han Dynasty clearly demonstrates that Gong Chengshu lacked the ability to govern a country and was utterly unworthy of praise in terms of character.

Such a powerful eunuch's decision to send troops was very likely driven by personal motives.

After thinking about this, Zhao Dexiu had a vague idea in mind.

Sometimes it's not the formidable opponent you should fear, but the incompetent teammate.

Zhao Dexiu was right; Gong Chengshu's decision to send Wu Yanrou with troops was indeed driven by self-interest.

Wu Yanrou was one of the few generals in the Southern Han court who could wield real power without castrating himself.

This was not because he was exceptionally capable, but because he had become Gong Chengshu's godfather.

Wu Yanrou led his army northward, and after entering Hengzhou, he temporarily halted his march.

Wu Yanrou always remembered the earnest instructions Gong Chengshu gave him before he led his troops into battle:

"You are my son. This time you go north, you should achieve something."

If you achieve something, no one in the country will criticize me anymore.

Although Gong Chengshu held great power in the Southern Han Dynasty due to Liu Chang's favor, he was still a powerful figure.

But many ministers were secretly cursing Gong Chengshu for "bringing disaster to the country and the people."

After being insulted so many times, Gong Chengshu naturally found out.

When Gong Chengshu learned that many people had insulted him, his first reaction was not to carry out a large-scale massacre.

Gong Chengshu wants to prove himself!

However, since Liu Chang ascended the throne, the borders have been peaceful, which has left Gong Chengshu with no opportunity to make a name for himself.

Until Zhou Xingfeng sent an envoy to the Northern Han to contact Gong Chengshu.

Zhou Xingfeng also knew that the politics of the Southern Han Dynasty were all under the control of Gong Chengshu, so he sent an envoy to bribe Gong Chengshu with a large sum of money, hoping that Gong Chengshu would agree to send troops.

Tempted by the large sums of money and eager to make a name for himself, Gong Chengshu readily agreed to the request to send troops.

However, despite being located in a remote southern corner, Gong Chengshu still harbored reservations about the central government.

Deep down, Gong Chengshu did not want a direct conflict with the Song Dynasty.

Desiring to achieve something significant but not wanting to offend the Song Dynasty rashly, Gong Chengshu came up with a clever plan:
"After leading the army into Wuping Kingdom, we first held our troops back and did not move."

If the Wuping army is defeated, they should seize the opportunity to sweep through the three prefectures of Dao, Yong, and Heng.

This was Gong Chengshu's second instruction to Wu Yanrou.

If the Western Shu and Southern Tang were thinking of first jointly repelling the Song army and then seizing the territory of Wuping, then the Southern Han army, under the instruction of Gong Chengshu, was thinking of taking advantage of the chaos from the beginning.

Wu Yanrou knew that his power came from Gong Chengshu, and he dared not disobey Gong Chengshu's instructions in the slightest.

Therefore, once Wu Yanrou led his army into Hengzhou territory, he set up camp and made no further advances.

Wu Yanrou's actions greatly puzzled Yang Shifan, who was leading his army to attack Hengzhou.

In order to quell the rebellion in Hengzhou as soon as possible, Yang Shifan sent an envoy to contact Wu Yanrou.

When Yang Shifan sent an envoy, Wu Yanrou did not want to see him, but she was afraid that Yang Shifan would become suspicious.

Left with no other choice, Wu Yanrou still met with the envoy.

Upon meeting Wu Yanrou, the envoy requested that she immediately send troops to assist Yang Shifan in attacking Hengzhou City.

Zhou Xingfeng was right; Zhang Wenbiao was no match for Yang Shifan.

In previous battles, Yang Shifan had won several victories, forcing Zhang Wenbiao to retreat into the city.

If it weren't for the fact that most of the main force of the Wuping Army had been taken to Yuezhou by Zhou Xingfeng, resulting in insufficient troops for Yang Shifan, the rebellion in Hengzhou would have been quelled by Yang Shifan long ago.

If Wu Yanrou can send troops to help, the chaos in Hengzhou can be quelled in no time.

As reinforcements, Yang Shifan's request was perfectly reasonable.

However, when faced with the envoy's request, Wu Yanrou declined, citing the need for the army to rest and recuperate.

At first, this excuse was acceptable, but after several times, even Yang Shifan, who was slow to react, could see that something was wrong.

Thinking that the Southern Han army had ulterior motives, Yang Shifan repeatedly sent messengers north to report the matter to Zhou Xingfeng.

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(End of this chapter)