The number of full text is 1866, 5 pictures, and the reading time is about 6 minutes
In 986, Zhao Guangyi, the ambitious Emperor Taizong of Song, launched the "Yongxi Northern Expedition" and sent 3 large armies to attack the Liao state, aiming to retake Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures and wash away the shame of the Battle of Gaoliang River.
In the 3-way army, the eastern route was led by Cao Bin, the western route was led by Mi Xin, and the middle route was commanded by Tian Chongjin. In order to cooperate with the 3rd Route army, Song Taizong also ordered Pan Mei and Yang Ye to be the main and deputy commanders, leading the Song army stationed in Yunzhou, Yingzhou, and Shuozhou to fight at Yanmen Pass. According to Zhao Guangyi's arrangements, the "Yongxi Northern Expedition" learned the lessons of the Taiping Rejuvenation Northern Expedition in 979 and adopted a strategy of steady and steady fighting, with the Eastern Route Army led by Cao Bin as the main force of the attack. Cao Bin is the best candidate.
Cao Bin
One
Cao Bin was a battle-hardened veteran in the early Northern Song Dynasty. Let's review here the outstanding military achievements that Cao Bin has made since he joined the army.
Cao Bin (曹彬), courtesy name Guohua, was a native of Zhending Lingshou (present-day Lingshou County, Hebei), born in 931. Cao Bin was born into a family of generals, his father was a general of the Later Han and Later Zhou Dynasties, and he knew soldiers and horses until the Chengde army. When Cao Bin was born to turn 1 year old, his parents put various toys in front of him. Cao Bin "holds a gango in his left hand, a trick bean in his right hand, and Si Must take a seal", and is dismissive of other toys. This shows that Cao Bin has shown the temperament of a military expert since he was a child.
When he grew up, Cao Bin really joined the army and became a general who charged on the battlefield.
Cao Bin is a cautious and respectful person. In 960, when Zhao Kuangyin initiated the Chen Qiao Mutiny and created the Northern Song Dynasty, he appointed Cao Bin as a general and launched the Unification War.
Zhao Kuangyin
Cao Bin made many military achievements, the biggest of which was the destruction of the two wars of Later Shu and Southern Tang.
In 965, Cao Bin, Wang Quanbin, Liu Tingrang, and others led the Song army and were ordered to march on Houshu. Under the fierce attack of the Song army, Houshu was almost vulnerable. It only took Cao Bin and the others a few months to reach the capital of Later Shu and force the Later Shu emperor Meng Chang to surrender. However, because Wang Quanbin, Cui Yanjin, Wang Renzhen and other generals did not restrain their subordinates, there was a phenomenon of snatching the children of the people and the jade veil. Zhao Kuangyin was very angry, and dismissed them from their posts and demoted them, and only Cao Bin was rewarded and was appointed as the envoy of Xuanhui Southern Courtyard and the envoy of Yicheng Army.
In 974, Cao Bin, Pan Mei, Li Hanqiong, Tian Qinzuo and others led the Song army to conquer the Southern Tang, and the strength of the Southern Tang surpassed that of Later Shu, but in front of the northern Song army, which was gaining momentum, everything was a floating cloud. A year later, the Southern Tang emperor Li Yu had to surrender. After the war, Zhao Kuangyin sent Cao Bin 200,000 yuan and promoted him to privy councillor, inspector lieutenant, and envoy of the Zhongwu Army. The Privy Counsellor was the supreme military leader of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Two
It is precisely because Cao Bin has a relatively calm personality that Zhao Guangyi will let him serve as the main attacker in the "Yongxi Northern Expedition". Before launching the attack, Zhao Guangyi told the generals who participated in the battle to "hold on to the weight and slow action, and not to be greedy."
Zhao Guangyi
However, the situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. When the "Yongxi Northern Expedition" was launched, all the armies encountered a "problem": their progress was too smooth, and they drove all the way in, invincible. Cao Bin of the Eastern Road attacked several prefectures and counties in succession, and the sound was greatly shaken. Zhonglu Tian attacked and occupied Flying Fox, Lingqiu, and Weizhou. Mi Xin defeated the Liao army at Xincheng. Even Pan Mei and Yang Ye, who cooperated in the battle, also captured Huanzhou, Shuozhou, Yunzhou, and Yingzhou.
When the good news flew like snowflakes, Zhao Guangyi felt a hint of hidden worry. Zhao Guangyi was also a general and was very familiar with the situation on the battlefield. What he feared most was that when the Song army moved too quickly, it would lead to a lack of supply of grain routes, or even cut off by the Liao army. "Soldiers and horses did not move the grain and grass first", in history, because the grain road was cut off and the two suffered a fiasco of defeat abounded.
Zhao Guangyi thought so, and the Liao people also thought so.
At that time, the Liao Emperor Yelü Longxu was only 14 years old, and the power of the imperial government was controlled by Empress Xiao. Empress Xiao was a woman of great talent and great talent, who was calm and calm in the face of the Attack of the Song Army, and formulated a strategy of concentrating her forces to meet the Eastern Route Army, and the famous Liao general Yelü Hugo led her troops to meet Cao Bin in Zhuozhou. I have to say that Cao Bin was still careless, and he was actually cut off by the people sent by Yelü Hugo. Cao Bin stayed in Zhuozhou for more than ten days, and after depleting the grain he carried with him, he had to retreat to Xiongzhou and wait for the grain and grass to be replenished.
Empress Xiao
Cao Bin's move, from the perspective of the Eastern Route Army, has a certain truth. But in the overall situation of the Northern Expedition, it was a mistake. Because the various armies of the Northern Expedition advanced and retreated at the same time, they provided mutual assistance. When the Eastern Route Army retreated, it would involve the whole body and expose the Western Route Army, the Middle Route Army, and the Pan Mei and Yang Ye armies to the Liao Army. When Zhao Guangyi heard this, he was horrified: "If there is an enemy in front, the anti-retreating army will come to the aid of the millet, and the mistake will be even worse." Zhao Guangyi ordered Cao Bin to move west, to move closer to Mi Xin's army, and after Pan Mei, Yang Ye, and others had occupied the mountainous terrain, they would then join Tian Chongjin and form a siege of Youzhou (the core of Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures).
However, at this time, Cao Bin made a second mistake, heeded the advice of his generals, and went with grain and grass to continue attacking Zhuozhou. At that time, it was a scorching heat, the Eastern Route Army generally felt tired, its combat effectiveness had dropped significantly, its grain was limited, and it was soon about to run out, so Cao Bin saw that the situation was not good and quickly ordered a retreat. This retreat triggered the entire retreat of the Song army. In the retreat, the tragic story of the capture and death of yang Ye, a general of the Song army, occurred.
On the side of the Eastern Route Army, Cao Bin led his troops and retreated, and Yelü Hugo led the elite cavalry of the Liao State to follow all the way and defeated the Song army at Qigou Pass. The defeat of Qigou Pass became the most painful defeat of Cao Binrong and Ma Wei in 40 years.
Jeremiah
Unfortunately, Cao Bin's name was destroyed.
The failure of the "Yongxi Northern Expedition" made Zhao Guangyi indignant. After the war, Zhao Guangyi demoted Cao Bin to the rank of General of Right Xiao Wei, Mi Xin to General of Right Tun Wei, and Pan Mei to Inspector Taibao. The rest of the generals were also punished to varying degrees. It was not until 11 years later that Cao Bin was again appointed as an envoy of shizhong and Wuning army.