Song Xiu

Chapter 59: Let the Crown Prince Fight the Crown Prince (Please read on!!)

Li Jun was known for his bravery and strength in his youth. Although he made many contributions during the dynastic changes, he was never given a prominent position.

After Li Jun followed Emperor Taizu of Zhou, Guo Wei, Guo Wei appreciated his bravery and strength, and appointed Li Jun as the military governor of Zhaoyi Army, in charge of five prefectures: Ze, Lu, Xing, Ming and Ci, with his capital in Lu Prefecture.

After Emperor Shizong of Zhou ascended the throne, he sent an envoy to promote Li Jun to the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary, and later he was promoted to Grand Commandant.

During his tenure as the military governor of Zhaoyi Army, Li Jun fought against the Northern Han several times, expanding the territory of the Later Zhou Dynasty and capturing many important officials of the Northern Han Dynasty. He can be described as the northern shield of the Later Zhou Dynasty.

Upon learning that Zhao Kuangyin had usurped the throne from the Zhou dynasty, Li Jun initially intended to launch a military campaign against him. However, due to internal unrest, he temporarily abandoned this plan.

After months of internal purges, Li Jun, who felt he could rival Zhao Kuangyin, directly seized control of five prefectures and launched an uprising.

Li Jun knew that if he started a rebellion, Zhao Kuangyin would inevitably lead a large army to attack him. Li Jun originally had a plan to "fortify the walls and clear the fields".

Upon learning that Zhao Kuangyin had made a "foolish move," Li Jun, who was arrogant and lacked strategic thinking, immediately decided to change his tactics.

Li Jun said to his eldest son, Li Shoujie, who was in the hall, "I will give you three thousand elite soldiers. You will lead the troops to guard Shangdang."

Shangdang County was the seat of Luzhou, making it Li Jun's stronghold.

After issuing the order, Li Jun proceeded with a series of troop deployments.

It is not difficult to see from his troop deployment that he intends to personally lead 30,000 elite Zhaoyi troops south to Zezhou to fight against the eastern route army commanded by Murong Yanzhao.

Seeing that Li Jun had this plan, Lü Qiu Zhongqing, an official, advised him: "You are launching an operation with a small force. You should be cautious. The troops in Bianjing are well-equipped and difficult to contend with."

In my opinion, the best strategy is to march west to the Taihang Mountains, seize Luoyang, and then turn east to contend for the world.

Holding the city firmly, implementing a scorched-earth policy, and exhausting the elite troops of Kaifeng while awaiting a change in the political landscape can be considered a sound strategy.

Now that you have abandoned both the superior and middle strategies, I am deeply concerned for you.

Lu Qiu Zhongqing had made similar suggestions many times, but if Li Yun had listened, he would have adopted them long ago.

Seeing that Lü Qiu Zhongqing was already getting into trouble before the battle had even begun, Li Jun was instinctively displeased.

“I am a veteran general of the Zhou Dynasty, and I am sworn brothers with Emperor Shizong. The imperial guards are all my old comrades. Upon hearing of my arrival, they will surely defect to my side. What is there to worry about?”

"Your words are arrogant and outrageous; you shall remain in Shangdang."

Realizing that Li Jun was determined to go his own way, Lü Qiu Zhongqing tried to persuade him again, but at this critical moment, Li Jun learned that Liu Jiye had led troops to his aid, which made Li Jun no longer care about anything else.

With 50,000 against 40,000, the advantage is in my hands!

Zhao Kuangyin, who had been keeping a close eye on the military situation in the north, decided not to wait any longer after learning that Li Jun had joined forces with the Northern Han army and intended to march south.

Zhao Kuangyin issued an edict appointing Zhao Pu, the Deputy Chief of the Privy Council, and Lü Yuqing, the Acting Prefect of Kaifeng, to remain in the capital and temporarily handle government affairs on his behalf.

After arranging the personnel to remain behind, Zhao Kuangyin personally led 50,000 imperial guards on the expedition the next day, together with generals such as Gao Huaide, Shi Shouxin, and Wang Shenqi.

In order to further lure Li Jun into the Song army's trap, Zhao Kuangyin did not rush to the city of Zezhou. Instead, he chose to march west to Luoyang and then turn his troops north after arriving in Luoyang.

There were two other reasons why Zhao Kuangyin chose this route of advance.

The first reason was that Zhao Kuangyin was worried that Li Jun was using a feint attack, and that the gain or loss of Luoyang was crucial to the stability of the western border of the Song Dynasty, so Zhao Kuangyin would not take it lightly.

As for the second reason:
"Luoyang boasts a majestic landscape, with the towering Hulao Pass to the east, the narrow Hangu Pass to the west, the Yique Pass to the south like a lock, and the Mangshan Mountain to the north like a screen."

The Yellow River winds around its front, and mountain peaks surround its back; it is truly a place where "the rivers and mountains embrace it, and its terrain is unparalleled in the world."

If the enemy wishes to attack, then the four sides are fortified, and even a thousand chariots cannot breach it;
If the emperor wishes to govern, he can remain in the center and control the outside, his reach extending far and wide!

After entering Luoyang, Zhao Kuangyin abandoned his carriage and rode on his imperial horse, summoning Zhao Dexiu to accompany him.

Having just passed through Hulao Pass, Zhao Kuangyin was like a master artist using the vast landscape as his canvas.

Using his horsewhip as a pen and his strategic mind as ink, and drawing upon the majestic terrain surrounding Hulao Pass, he vividly sketched out his vision for the future of the Song Dynasty for Zhao Dexiu.

Listening to Zhao Kuangyin's description of Luoyang's terrain, Zhao Dexiu nodded with considerable understanding.

If we were to name the most powerful dynasty among the Five Dynasties, it would undoubtedly be the Later Tang, founded by Li Cunxu, with Luoyang as its capital.

In the past, Li Cunxu and Li Siyuan took advantage of Luoyang's natural geographical location to command from the center and defeated the Khitan army that had invaded several times.

After describing the strategic importance of Luoyang, Zhao Kuangyin continued: "Luoyang has fertile soil, surrounded by the Yi, Luo, Chan, and Jian rivers, which irrigate tens of thousands of acres of farmland, resulting in abundant crops."

"In the past, Emperor Wu of Han dug canals, and Emperor Yang of Sui opened the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal connected the Yangtze and Huai Rivers in the south to the You and Yan regions in the north. Grain and silk were transported, arriving in the evening after departing in the morning, ensuring granaries were always full and the nation's resources were never lacking."

After analyzing Luoyang's advantages from an economic perspective, Zhao Kuangyin then said:
"Luoyang is the ruins of a sage king, and the traces of a sage remain. The palaces are magnificent and still retain the aura of a king. Establishing the capital here is in accordance with the mandate of heaven and the will of the people. The calendar is proclaimed here and all directions look up to its influence."

Zhao Kuangyin was explaining the impact of establishing Luoyang as the capital on the hearts and minds of the people.

Throughout history, dynasties that have been able to establish their capitals in Chang'an and Luoyang for an extended period have all been considered legitimate by the Chinese people. This is a consensus that no amount of frequent wars can change.

After explaining the three major advantages of establishing the capital in Luoyang, Zhao Kuangyin concluded with a longing tone:
"If the Great Song Dynasty were to establish its capital here, then the whole world would flock to it, and all corners of the land would come to worship it. Even the achievements of Tang and Wu would not be enough to surpass it. It is truly a matter of divine mandate and the foundation of the kingly way!"

Beneath Zhao Kuangyin's longing tone, Zhao Dexiu also detected a hint of helplessness.

Why the helplessness?

"I ask you, is it feasible for the Great Song Dynasty to relocate its capital now?"

After Zhao Kuangyin confided his grand strategies to Zhao Dexiu, he began to test him, valuing him even more.

After hearing Zhao Kuangyin's question, Zhao Dexiu thought for a moment and replied:
"cannot.

With the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun still unrecovered, the Khitan cavalry could invade the Central Plains at any time. If the court were to move west, the Central Plains would be flat and undefended, easily leading to its collapse.

Furthermore, since the An Lushan Rebellion, the country has been plagued by frequent wars and chaos, leaving the people exhausted. Many sections of the Grand Canal outside Luoyang are blocked. If the capital were to be moved hastily, the court would face the worry of running out of food.

Zhao Dexiu shared his insights.

After listening to Zhao Dexiu's insights, Zhao Kuangyin nodded in satisfaction.

Because he knew that moving the capital to Luoyang was not realistic before the southern kingdoms were recovered and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were recovered, he wanted to talk to Zhao Dexiu about the importance of moving the capital to Luoyang.

The relocation of the capital was a matter of great importance and would inevitably face strong resistance. Under such circumstances, it was crucial for the emperor to withstand the pressure.

Zhao Kuangyin was confident in his abilities, and he hoped that the next generation would be able to as well.

"Remember what I told you today."

Before Zhao Kuangyin's imperial carriage even approached Luoyang, Xiang Gong, the governor of Henan and the garrison commander of Xijing, who was in charge of guarding the Xing and Luo areas, led a group of officials to greet him outside the city.

Xiang Gong was another important minister in the late Zhou Dynasty. Compared with Li Jun and Li Chongjin, Xiang Gong clearly expressed his support for Zhao Kuangyin's ascension to the throne.

When Zhao Kuangyin's imperial carriage stopped outside the magnificent city of Luoyang, Xiang Gong personally came down to pay homage to the imperial carriage.

Before Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, he had forged a deep friendship with Xiang Gong during the Battle of Huainan. Therefore, as soon as he stepped down from the imperial carriage, Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said to Xiang Gong:
"It has been more than a year since we last met, but your demeanor remains as impressive as ever."

In response to Zhao Kuangyin's greetings, Xiang Gong replied with utmost respect:
"I did not expect Your Majesty to personally lead the expedition. I was unprepared and hope Your Majesty will forgive me if I have been disrespectful."

Zhao Kuangyin's plan to personally lead the expedition was indeed unexpected by many.

It was a rare opportunity to see his old comrade-in-arms. Zhao Kuangyin joked, "Back in the Zhou Dynasty, Li Jun often boasted that he was a hero."

Unfortunately, I consider myself a hero myself, and to fight heroes, heroes will naturally come to join me.

Zhao Kuangyin's words brought a smile to Xiang Gong's face. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhao Kuangyin spoke to Xiang Gong about the latest news of Li Jun and asked about strategies for defeating the enemy.

Upon hearing that Li Jun had ordered his eldest son, Li Shoujie, to guard Shangdang, Xiang Gong offered a suggestion: "Shangdang is the enemy's stronghold. Why not send a lieutenant general across the Taihang Mountains and send troops to the city of Shangdang? This will disrupt the morale of the enemy army."

Upon hearing the excellent plan, Zhao Kuangyin was very satisfied.

Just as he was about to adopt Xiang Gong's strategy, his gaze swept over Zhao Dexiu, who was standing to the side, and he suddenly remembered something from the past.

In March, Li Jun sent Li Shoujie to Kaifeng to investigate the situation. In order to make an example of Li Shoujie, Zhao Kuangyin addressed him as "Crown Prince" when they met.

Recalling this incident, and remembering Zhao Dexiu's recent excellent performance, Zhao Kuangyin pointed at Zhao Dexiu and said:

"You will go to this battle."

Heroes fight heroes, and princes naturally fight princes!

(End of this chapter)