Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

He even made fun of the leaders of various departments.

In the spring of the second year of the Tianqing era, during the hunting expedition...

Yelü Yanxi summoned the leaders of the nearby Jurchen tribes.

During the banquet, he ordered the leaders of each tribe to perform dances for him.

Wanyan Aguda felt this was an insult to him.

He immediately rejected Yelü Yanxi.

If Yelü Yanxi had killed Wanyan Aguda on the spot,

Perhaps then the Jin Dynasty would never have existed.

However, Yelü Yanxi pretended to be magnanimous and released Wanyan Aguda.

Wanyan Aguda, however, saw the discontent among the various Jurchen tribes.

Upon returning, he contacted various Jurchen tribes to prepare for a rebellion.

Today,

The Jin state had already captured Tokyo and Shangjing, the capital of the Liao state.

However, Yelü Yanxi did not learn his lesson.

He remained engrossed in his seasonal hunting expeditions.

Chapter 1770 Spring Hunting

The spring hunting expedition was originally scheduled to take place in Changchun Prefecture, Tokyo Province, where the leaders of the Jurchen tribes were summoned.

However, Tokyo has long since been captured by the Jin dynasty.

The various Jurchen tribes also rebelled.

The traditional spring hunting expeditions could not be carried out.

However, Yelü Yanxi, who loved hunting, wouldn't stay obediently in one place.

They then moved the spring hunting expedition to Yuanyang Lake.

As its name suggests, Yuanyang Lake is a pond.

There are many waterfowl in the area.

It's a perfect place for hunting.

Without Yelü Yanxi's consent,

Yelü Dashi dared not rashly launch a military attack.

Envoys had even less authority to be sent out.

However, this matter was deliberately leaked by Yelü Dashi.

To test Da Liang's attitude.

Yelü Yanxi heard that the Central Plains were in chaos.

The ministers of the Southern Court requested that troops be sent to plunder the Central Plains.

But he was overjoyed.

He immediately led five thousand personal guards from Yuanyang Lake to Nanjing.

He wanted to personally lead the army to avenge the previous humiliation.

In previous years, he personally led hundreds of thousands of troops to conquer the Jin Dynasty.

However, they were utterly defeated by Wanyan Aguda with 20,000 men.

It could be said that this caused him to lose all his prestige.

He was also terrified by the Jin state.

He dared not personally lead another campaign against the Jin Dynasty.

However, facing the chaotic Central Plains...

He felt no fear whatsoever.

They thought it was just a large-scale hunt.

It's much more interesting than hunting here.

Therefore, he ordered the border troops not to move rashly.

He will personally lead the expedition after he arrives.

They conquered the Central Plains, a land their ancestors had never conquered.

……

When Zhao Yuan arrived in Mozhou

Daliang was determined to resist foreign aggression.

The news of rebuilding the backbone of the Han people has spread throughout Hebei.

Because the Imperial Music Bureau wanted to gain military merit.

The postal officials were instructed to deliver the official gazettes to various prefectures day and night.

Then it was printed and distributed on a large scale.

The prefectures and counties of Hebei were the areas most severely affected by the Liao Dynasty.

The people heard that the Great Liang was going to strike back against the invading Liao army.

The crowd was immediately agitated.

The recruitment offices for brave warriors in each state and prefecture were packed with people.

In Tokyo,

Huang Qianshan was executed for treason.

After the Great Liang Dynasty erected a stone tablet outside the palace, declaring that it would never succumb to humiliation and would not be punished for its words,

A heated discussion ensued in the city.

Many candidates disregarded the upcoming imperial examinations.

He submitted passionate poems and articles to the official gazette every day.

The official who presented the memorial followed Zhao Yuan's instructions.

Occasionally, a few passionate essays from the candidates' writings would be selected and published.

This will encourage the candidates to participate more actively in the task of rebuilding the backbone of the Han people.

When we were five miles away from Mozhou,

The three then spotted a patrol team.

Although the two countries have not yet gone to war,

But Lu Junyi dared not be careless in the slightest.

Patrols were set up in all directions.

To avoid being suddenly attacked by the Liao cavalry.

Zhao Yuan immediately ordered Xue Yong to step forward and inquire about the location of Lu Junyi's camp.

The patrolman checked the king's token.

They hurriedly sent one person to the main camp to report the news.

One person led Zhao Yuan and the other two towards the main camp.

Zhao Yuan could no longer ride at full speed.

That would inevitably raise suspicions of a surprise inspection of the military camp.

When they arrived at the main camp, they slowed their horses down.

Then they saw Lu Junyi leading his generals to greet them outside the camp gate.

Lu Junyi saw that Zhao Yuan had only brought two people with him.

Then they understood why Zhao Yuan was able to reach the front lines so quickly.

Zhao Yuan saw that everyone was waiting for him at the camp gate.

He then dismounted and walked over.

Everyone greeted each other.

They then headed together towards the central command tent.

Zhao Yuan watched as the soldiers in the camp drilled in an orderly fashion.

He nodded secretly.

Upon entering the main tent, Zhao Yuan asked,

Have any Liao soldiers crossed the border?

Lu Junyi frowned and said,

"No, but they have already amassed 50,000 troops on the other side of the Baigou River."

"So, Xiong Prefecture is still only inhabited by traitorous Song Dynasty imperial guards?"

Lu Junyi nodded and said,

"Many soldiers in Xiongzhou were unwilling to submit to the Liao Kingdom,"

"They've all escaped these past few days,"

"Now there are only two thousand soldiers left in the city."

Zhao Yuan looked at the generals in the tent and said,

"Are all armies ready to march?"

Lu Junyi stood up and said,

"After receiving the official document from the imperial court,"

"We will prepare our horses and sharpen our weapons, ready to fight at any time."

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "Okay, Zhang Qing."

"You have fought against the Liao soldiers,"

"If our army were to engage in a decisive battle with the Liao army, what would our chances of victory be?"

Zhang Qing stood up and said,

"The two armies are roughly equal in number,"

"If our army defends the city,"

"The Liao soldiers will certainly be unable to capture the city."

Zhao Yuan shook his head and said, "The Song-Liao border is long."

"It's just about holding onto a few cities,"

"Liaoning troops can also directly enter the heart of Hebei,"

"Then the people of my Great Liang will suffer."

"If it's a field battle, the numbers are roughly equal,"

"Even if our army wins, it will probably be a Pyrrhic victory."

Zhao Yuan could tell that Zhang Qing didn't seem very confident.

They also knew that the Liao cavalry's fighting strength should not be underestimated.

The Liang army was invincible only because it was facing the corrupt and decadent Song army.