The Northern Han Kingdom was smaller than the Southern Tang and Shu Kingdoms, but once this small country was moved, it attracted more attention than any other country.
The double-eaved towers and streets of Youzhou are all signs of Han civilization, but there are a large number of Hu people in the city. People with shaved heads, wearing animal skins and wearing big earrings can be seen everywhere. Even the Han people dress differently from those in the Central Plains, with the direction of the collar reversed. People have long been accustomed to Hu people, and will never be surprised by those Khitans and Xi people in strange costumes; even many Han people have seen such a scene since they were born. The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were officially assigned to the Liao Kingdom in the Later Jin Dynasty, which has been a full 26 years. Even Hebei has been Huized for a longer time. The Tang Dynasty intended to complete the trend of national integration, but it was never completed. In the end, the national policy completely collapsed, and the national fortune declined.
The same scene occurred in the official residence of King Nanyuan, with both Hu people and Han people.
A general from the Southern Court named Xiao Abudi said coldly: The southerners have forgotten the pain after the wound has healed. They have so quickly forgotten that the Jin Dynasty was destroyed by the Liao Dynasty. Attacking the Northern Han is a blatant provocation to the Liao Dynasty. If the Khan
Xiao Siwen immediately interrupted the man from the same clan: There is a difference between Guo the blacksmith and Shi Chonggui. Even if they are enemies, we cannot underestimate them.
The Liao Kingdom was now slack and not as strong as before. Many nobles were unwilling and resentful, but Xiao Siwen could not let his own people show their dissatisfaction with the emperor in front of him. Xiao Siwen had suffered a loss at the hands of Guo Shao in Zhuozhou before, which caused the Liao army to suffer heavy losses. So he could curse and hate Guo Shao, but he would never say that Guo Shao was weak. If he was defeated by a very weak person, wouldn't it mean that he was weaker
Although Xiao Siwen was in charge of the military power of the Southern Courtyard and was considered a military general, his father was the prime minister of the Liao Dynasty; and the Xiao family was the designated clan for the prime minister of the Liao Dynasty, so naturally he was not ignorant of strategy.
No one from Shangjing came to issue an order, we have to take care of this matter. The Northern Han was attacked, a Khitan general muttered.
After hearing this, Xiao Siwen said solemnly: Remember, the power of the Liao Dynasty is connected to everyone. Without the power of the Liao Dynasty, let alone enjoying the output of Youzhou, Bohai and other lands, I am afraid we will not even have a place to stand in the world. Since the establishment of the Northern Han Dynasty, it has regarded our dynasty as the suzerain. Losing this land will be detrimental to the prestige of the entire Liao Dynasty; moreover, the location of the Northern Han Kingdom is important, which is related to the long-term offensive and defensive situation. If Guo Tiejiang takes the Northern Han Kingdom today, can he not covet Youzhou
After hearing this, Abudi said angrily: The Liu family of the Northern Han Kingdom is not able to fight, and almost every year they ask for help to drag us down, but secretly they just want to use the Liao Dynasty to protect themselves. Han'er is unreliable.
After hearing this, Xiao Siwen looked back at the Han officials present, most of whom were silent. He immediately said: This is biased. How can a country become a great country without tolerance? How can the Liao Dynasty and Youzhou be harmoniously coexisting among all ethnic groups
As soon as he expressed his opinion, the expressions of the Han officials changed.
Xiao Siwen felt that many Khitan nobles just didn't know how to control people. They had occupied Youzhou for many years but it was still the same. After the Liao Dynasty continuously improved its system, the nobles still stuck to their old ways and treated the Han people as slaves, but this often backfired. After Xiao Siwen became the King of the Southern Courtyard, he had been trying to change these strategies. He felt that no one should be pushed too hard, and that a combination of kindness and severity was the long-term solution. This experience was like the woman he had robbed, Bai. Because Xiao Siwen showed an attitude of acceptance, Bai had stayed in the mansion for so many years that she gradually accepted the Khitan habits in her hairstyle and clothing. If she had been imprisoned and abused like an animal, she would have thought about escaping long ago.
These Han officials were all from Youzhou. Xiao Siwen gave them a way out. When they were unable to change the situation in Youzhou, they would not just break up and fight to the death. As long as people are not at a dead end, they will know how to compromise.
What's more, Xiao Siwen understood Chinese and read poetry and books, so he was able to win over the Han people.
At this time, a Han official clasped his fists and said:
Xiao Siwen immediately showed an attitude of humbly accepting advice and asked: Mr. Fan, please feel free to speak.
The Han official was called Fan Mingyi, and he immediately said with a loyal expression: "I agree with your majesty's foresight. Protecting the Liu family of Northern Han will be of great benefit to Liao and Youzhou. It is crucial to deal with Zhou. The best strategy is to let them fight each other. Shu and Southern Tang are too far away to help, but Northern Han cannot be lost easily. If the Central Plains is unified, my foresight is the same as your majesty's. The next step is for Youzhou to face the threat of Zhou army directly."
Although the Liu family of Northern Han is too weak compared to the Zhou Kingdom, Jinyang City is a strong city, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and has been a major threat to the Central Plains for decades; its role is not as bad as General Abudi said. The enemy's troubles are the benefits of the Liao Dynasty. I suggest that, considering the overall situation, the king should write to the emperor to send troops from Youzhou to reinforce Jinyang; at the same time, request troops to reinforce Youzhou, in case of any accidents in Northern Han, and make early preparations for the defense of Youzhou.
Xiao Siwen was very impressed after hearing this, and said in a sincere tone: Youzhou is the state of Youzhou people. Although you are not Han people, you are different from the Han people in the Central Plains. Today, I treat you as my own people. In the Central Plains Dynasty, they can really treat you as their own people without being on guard. To be honest, you can be officials and enjoy wealth in the South Court, but you may not have a place in the Central Plains court.
Xiao Siwen was able to judge whether the plans of Han officials were loyal to the main purpose, and he deeply agreed with Fan Mingyi's words that Jinyang City was a great threat to the Central Plains. Since there was a strong city to hold back the Zhou army, how could he not do his best to protect that nail
He immediately said decisively: Send a letter to the capital immediately and ask for permission to send troops. All generals should gather their troops as soon as possible and prepare for the expedition.
This time, Xiao Siwen did not dare to act first and report later. In his opinion, the last time he sent troops to plunder, there was almost no risk and it was for the overall situation to support Li Yun. However, Yang Gun was sent to inspect immediately after he went to the capital, which made Xiao Siwen have to pay attention. On the other hand, he also wanted to prepare for a rainy day and send troops to Youzhou in advance, so the troops naturally had to rely on the reinforcements from the Northern Palace to the capital.
He paused and said: Jinyang is the outpost of Youzhou; saving Jinyang is to defend Youzhou
The large army outside Jinyang, the capital of Northern Han, put great pressure on the rulers and ministers of Northern Han. This war to protect the country was no easier than the siege of Jinyang by Chai Rong's hundreds of thousands of troops after the Battle of Gaoping.
Last time, the emperor of Northern Han died after the siege because he was exhausted. This time, the emperor of Northern Han, Liu Jun, was not at ease. He worked hard day and night. He had never been so diligent since he ascended the throne. Maybe he was forced to do so. He kept summoning ministers to discuss countermeasures and tried to protect himself at all costs. But now, the only choice was to defend the city and wait for the Liao army to rescue him. There were really not many options.
Zhao Kuangyin, who was also in Jinyang City, tried every means to be promoted. He found Feng Jinke and met with Prime Minister Guo Yuanwei, but there was no news. He could only feel the tense atmosphere of life and death in Jinyang at this time, and waited at home.
It was an old house, with drizzle outside the window. The cold wind made the torn window paper rustle, just like Zhao Kuangyin's mood at the moment.
Since he was born, he has rarely been in such a bad mood. He was a man who could once control a large army and even see higher power. What he found most unbearable about this experience was that he could not control his own destiny. He could only watch and rely on others for his survival, which made him feel uneasy.
Zhao Kuangyin stood in front of the window for a while, then sat back on the chair with a gloomy face, rubbing his hands and doing some trivial movements.
At this moment, the Zhou army was just across the city wall, and Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but wonder: What would happen if I were caught
It can be reasonably inferred that he would definitely not survive, and his entire family would be exterminated. When hatred accumulates to a certain extent, and there is no need to worry about being sanctioned for revenge, few people would be so tolerant. Zhao Kuangyin recalled Guo Shao's character and did not think that he should be deceived by his superficial benevolence. Guo Shao did not kill the Zhao family for the time being, just because he had learned from the past.
Emperor Yin of Han was a fool. He killed Guo Wei's family before he could capture the most threatening person and he was accompanied by his troops. What was the result
Zhao Kuangyin raised his head and looked at the gray sky outside the window, trying to guess Guo Shao's intentions. This man must hate him very much, and he also had a vague sense of awe. But it was precisely people with awe that were the most terrifying. Guo Shao was a very patient man, and he knew when to strike. If he thought that he could not kill the enemy with one blow and could not retaliate, he would never act rashly.
He had a gloomy face, stretched out his hand and scratched his hair a few times, muttering in a mixed mood: I really misjudged you, people should look at small things first. Looking back today, the way he committed his first murder should have made me understand what kind of person he was.
Zhao Kuangyin was usually very kind to others and was able to win over people around him. He was a natural big brother, but he was not a kind and good person in his bones. You can't judge a person by what he says or what he does, but by what he does. This is the same as Guo Shao. Guo Shao always talks about benevolence and righteousness. Is he a good person
Historically, the first thing Zhao Kuangyin did after ascending the throne was to execute the entire Yan family, the Zhao family's arch-enemy.
So Zhao Kuangyin understood Guo Shao very well to some extent. As the saying goes, only the enemy is the true confidant.
He really didn't want to sit and wait for death, and he was very unwilling to do so. However, after the failure, he still maintained his own style for a long time, taking his identity and reputation into consideration. This was probably because he had not fully realized his own situation and was reluctant to leave the state of mind of a bright future.
Now, Zhao Kuangyin finally realized that it was impossible to regain his previous ambition and future. He was finished.
In this situation, he suddenly realized that he had done something wrong and felt regretful: the little strength he had left was of no use at all, because there was no chance of turning things around, and it was not worth clinging to it; in this life, the best he could do was hide from place to place and live like a wanted criminal with a murder case on his hands, which was even more serious than that.
Now, once Jinyang is broken, it is the time to be caught and there is no way back. Why did I stay here before because I was concerned about the remaining brothers and troops