It is said that the secret agents sent by Fenjing returned to report that the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty had ordered Zhao Sui to be a marshal, led 50,000 troops, and went to Shanhou Prefecture. Song Taizong said, "Destroy the Han Dynasty and collect Yang, in one fell swoop." That is, Feng Guo jin deployed for Shiling Guandu, led 30,000 troops, and went to Baima Ridge north of Dai Prefecture to intercept the Liao soldiers, so that Yang Linggong could specifically deal with the Han soldiers. He also pro-unified an army of 200,000 people, dozens of generals, accompanied by the Eight Sages King, Pan Renmei as an envoy to the North Road, and Hu Yanzan as the vanguard, and set out from Bieliang.
When Emperor Taizong of Song sent troops this time, the Northern Han Dynasty was unconscious; moreover, the Northern Han Lord was dizzy by the Song Dynasty's divisive plan, and was bent on destroying the Yang family general, causing internal chaos and empty checkpoints. Therefore, the Song army drove straight in, as if entering no man's land, and soon arrived at the city of Taiyuan and surrounded the city.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of the Northern Han Dynasty
When the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty heard that the Song army had surrounded the city, he hurriedly took the hundred officials of the Civil and Military Forces to the city tower to watch. But when he saw the flag displayed, the swords were like a forest, the orders were strict, and the army was neat. Startled, he panicked, did not know how to be good, and hurriedly led the civil and military officials back to the palace. Those civilian and military generals, in ordinary days, you can boast that Wen can settle the state, and he praises the martial arts to settle chaos, but at this time, they are all terrified and helpless. Only Ding Gui was unusually calm, and stepped forward to play: "Your Majesty, at this point, panic is useless." Life and death, in this battle. Battle and victory, thank Goodness; battle without victory, there is only death! If you don't fight, you will die. Between the day and the earth, the eldest husband was born and rejoiced, and died with regret! His Majesty Allows His Majesty to fight in Kaicheng and duel with Song Bing. The Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty listened, slightly calmed down, and said with tears: "When the trouble is the head, fang sees the loyal subjects." The heart of ai Qing is really respectable! He made you the governor of the defensive city and the prime minister of the three armies; and gave you a sword of Shangfang, and if you did not obey the orders, you did not have to listen to it, and you were punished by yourself. After saying that, he gave the Shang Fang Sword to Ding Gui. Ding Gui Xie En came out, and the selection point was going.
The next day, Ding Gui dressed neatly, came to the teaching ground, boarded the point general stage, put Shang Fang's sword on the table, and said: "The generals will obey the order: Ma Feng and Li Yun will lead 10,000 troops to the North Gate to guard; Guo Wanchao and Liu Xu will lead 10,000 troops to the East Gate to guard; Fan Chao and Liu Jiwen will lead 10,000 troops to the West Gate to guard." If the Song soldiers attacked the city, they mostly used bows and arrows, ash bottles, and cannon stones. No commander must give the order, no Kaesong is allowed to fight, and those who violate the order are beheaded! "Each will be ordered to go away. Ding Gui allocated an arrow and handed it to Zhang Ming: "Order you to be the vanguard officer, lead 20,000 troops with me, and fight with the Song soldiers from the south gate." "After saying that, step on the war horse, lead Zhang Ming and 20,000 horses to the moat, and line up the position." When Emperor Taizong of Song saw the Han soldiers leaving the city, he also set up a position to meet the battle.
Ding Gui looked at the opposite side, only to see one of them, wearing a golden crown and a rolling dragon robe, sitting down on a Daoyao horse, with an embroidered dragon umbrella on his head, and knew that this was Song Taizong.
On each side, there were dozens of generals, each with a mighty style, and everyone was murderous. Ding Gui was secretly surprised, and had to shout loudly: "My lord guards the mainland and has never left the country to invade, so why have we repeatedly sent troops and made a big fuss?" Song Taizong said, "The descendants of Yan Huang are originally a family; the land of China should be unified."
Thou shalt not know the height of heaven and the thickness of the earth, and the thief of one side, who is said to be a loner, who has gone against heaven and against the will of the people, and who has plundered the anointing of the people and the people to fill the great liao, and is brazen and shameless. The widow is obedient to the rebellion, the upper should be in accordance with heaven, and the lower should be in line with the hearts of the people. If your Lord knows the times, he will raise the city and surrender, and he will not lose his title and knighthood, and he will be rich and glorious; if he is obsessed with it, he will set foot on this city, and it will be too late to repent! Ding Gui listened to the anger and sneered, "As the saying goes: 'The emperor takes turns and comes to my house next year.'" 'Does this emperor only allow you to do it in the Zhao family, and not another surname?' Moreover, our Lord is the ancestor of Han Gaozu, and he is right to guard the land of this side. No more disloyal than your Zhao family, deceiving orphans and widows, and stealing the throne. My Lord does not come to ask you, but you come to rebuke my Lord, and you are not ashamed? ”
As the saying goes: "The bald man is afraid of speaking light, and the madman is afraid of hearing it." "Because the Zhao family stole the world through a coup d'état, they are most afraid of people mentioning the matter of disloyalty as a subject and rebelling against the lord and standing on their own." Therefore, Song Taizong was furious and shouted, "Which one is in battle?" Capture this thief alive and slash him with a thousand knives! Hu Yanzan came out in response. Song Taizong's words actually saved Ding Gui, because it was easy to have a dead Ding Gui, but it was difficult to have a living Ding Gui.
Ding Gui immediately ordered Zhang Ming to meet the battle. Hu Yanzan and Zhang Ming each did not speak, and they beat each other. Zhang Ming made a spear in his hand, and Hu Yanzan held a steel whip in his hand. Less than five days after the battle, Zhang Ming was whipped off his horse by Hu Yanzan and cried out in mourning. Ding Gui saw that Hu Yanzan was so powerful, shook his spirit, and personally went to battle. Hu Yanzan also did not return to the battle, and returned to the horse to engage Ding Gui. One is the first time to encounter a major war between the two armies, bent on showing their skills; the other is to bear the safety of the city and determined to fight a battle behind the city. One is as fierce as a mountain tiger, and the other is as fierce as a water dragon. The two came and went, killing inextricably, and the battle had thirty rounds, regardless of whether it was won or lost. However, if we continue to fight, we will see the high and low: Hu Yanzan is getting fiercer and fiercer, and Ding Gui is getting weaker and weaker the more he fights. After forty rounds of fighting, Na Ding Gui only had the strength to fight back, and there was no longer any ability to fight back, if it were not for Song Taizong to mention him alive, Hu Yanzan would have killed him long ago. Ding Gui knew that it was difficult to win, and after Shan waited for Hu Yanzan to make a mistake, he did not turn back and ran to the south city gate. When the gatekeeper saw this, he hurriedly lowered the drawbridge, opened the city gate, and let him in. The 20,000 men and horses also rushed to the city gate. Song Taizong pointed his whip forward, and tens of thousands of horses rushed forward to pursue and kill the Han soldiers. There was only one drawbridge and only one city gate, so how could twenty thousand horses enter the city for a while? Moreover, they were afraid that the Song soldiers would rush into the city gate, so they only put in a few thousand people and horses, and the guards pulled up the suspension bridge and closed the city gate. More than 10,000 Han soldiers were not allowed to enter the city, or surrendered, or died in battle, and many fell into the moat and drowned.
Ding Gui went to see the Northern Han Lord, and cried: "The Song general Xiao Yong is difficult to win, Zhang Ming died in battle, and more than 10,000 soldiers were folded." His Majesty's sin of courtiers. The Northern Han Lord said, "Victory or defeat is a common affair of soldiers, and it is not surprising that the enemy is outnumbered and the enemy is strong and I am weak." Now that the army is approaching the city, it is appropriate for the monarchs and subjects to join forces to jointly defend the strong enemy, how can they kill the general because of the defeat in the first battle? At this time, the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty was only afraid that his subjects would not protect him, and even surrendered to the Song Dynasty and betrayed him; although Ding Gui lost the battle, he was loyal and loyal, so he did his best to listen to it. Ding Gui also played: "The Song Dynasty was vast and crowded, and the troops were strong; our territory was narrow and the people were small, and the troops were weak. In the past, several major defeats of Song Bing were the merits of the Yang family. Now that the Yang family is rebelling, like losing the Great Wall, I am in danger. Fortunately, the Taiyuan city is strong, easy to defend and difficult to attack; there are nearly 100,000 people and horses in the city, and grain and grass weapons can also support half a load. The Song army came from afar, and the grain and food were difficult, and it was intended to fight quickly. If I joined forces with my generals, held the city and dragged it until the summer and autumn rainy season, the Song army would retreat without a fight. For the sake of safety, people can be sent to break out of the siege, while summoning Zhao Sui to help, and on the other hand, asking for help from the Liao state. If both rescuers arrive, they can form a situation of attacking the Song soldiers inside and outside, and it is expected to reduce the Song soldiers' offensive against Taiyuan City. Otherwise, Taiyuan would be difficult to preserve, and great difficulties would not be spared. His Majesty the Beggars decides. At this time, the Northern Han Lord's rules and regulations were in chaos, and all the courtiers were also frightened, and they had no plan or strategy to offer, so they had to obey Ding Gui's idea. However, Song Taizong had already prevented this, and sent troops to patrol day and night, set up many checkpoints, and checked strictly, as a result, none of the people sent by Taiyuan to ask for help slipped through the net, and they were all taken prisoners of Song Bing.
When Emperor Taizong of Song saw that for three consecutive days, the Han soldiers did not leave the city to fight, so he sent soldiers to the city every day to call for battle, or used edicts to surrender, but to no avail. Emperor Taizong of Song was furious and ordered all the generals of the army to attack the city together. Arrows shot like rain on the city, and ash bottles and cannon stones fell at the same time, and the casualties were heavy. Hu Yanzan was the bravest, climbing up the city wall several times, but he was hit by ash bottles and cannon stones, and he was injured in many places on his body.
One day, the Eight Sages King played to Emperor Taizong of Song: "Taiyuan City is completely consolidated, the world is famous, blindly attacking hard, and injuring soldiers in vain." The minister had a plan last night, maybe somewhat useful. Emperor Taizong said, "The Emperor's nephew will speak quickly." The Eight Sages said this and so. Emperor Taizong of Song was overjoyed and immediately ordered the plan to be followed.
The Song soldiers outside the city followed the plan of the Eight Sages and built hundreds of earthen platforms around the city. One night, the fog obscured the sky, the stars and moon had no light, and I couldn't distinguish my five fingers. On the third day, I overheard three trumpet cannons, drums banging, shouting and shouting, and hundreds of Song soldiers on the earth platform fired arrows at the head of the city. The Han soldiers who were defending the city were half asleep and half awake, thinking that the Song soldiers took advantage of the fog to attack the city, immediately returned fire with arrows, and threw ash bottles and cannon stones under the city. The Song soldier who shot the arrow shot for a while, attracting the Han soldiers to the bait, and the arrow was also shot sparsely, and stopped for half a day to release one, so that the Han soldiers knew that they were still firing arrows. Where did the Han soldiers know that it was a plan, they just whizzed away the arrows and hurriedly threw the ash bottles and cannon stones. When the sky was about to dawn, only to hear the sound of a copper gong, the Song soldiers did not shout, the drums did not sound, and the arrows were no longer fired. The Han soldiers also thought that they had repelled a siege by the Song soldiers.
Although this night consumed countless arrows and gray bottles of Han soldiers, the arrows could not be repeated, and the repetition was easy to be recognized by the other party, and the fog was not every day. Therefore, the next day, the Song soldiers changed to releasing arrows from the earth platform during the day. The Han soldiers on the city wall naturally refused to show weakness, and also shot arrows at the tutai together. So that the two sides of the crossbow fired in unison, it is not spectacular. However, it was strange: the Han soldiers shot many and fierce arrows, and the Song soldiers' arrows were sparse; the Han soldiers' arrows could shoot above the Tutai, but the Song soldiers' arrows fell under the city wall; and the Han soldiers' arrows seemed to shoot very accurately, so that the Song soldiers on the Tutai died batch after batch, changing from generation to generation.
It turned out that this was also the plan of the Eight Sages King. Song Bing's archery was nothing more than a bluff to lure the Han soldiers to release their arrows, so they were released less. The Arrows of the Song Soldiers could not be shot at the head of the city, not because the Song troops were small and small, but because the Han soldiers did not pick up their arrows, so they deliberately pulled the bow half a string and let the arrows fall under the city wall. As for the "casualties" of the Song soldiers one by one, it was even more pretentious, nothing more than coaxing the Han soldiers to release arrows. The Han soldier was really triumphant, thinking that Song Bing's arrow technique was not good, and his own arrow technique was like a god, and he desperately shot it. For three days in a row, it was the same.
By the fourth day, the arrows released by the Han soldiers were significantly reduced, and the more they came later, the more sparse they were. When Song Taizong took a look, he knew that there were not many arrows in the city. The order was then given to divide the soldiers into two groups: one on the earthen platform to shoot arrows at the city wall as cover, and the other to set up a high ladder and violently attack the city. However, the Taiyuan city wall was exceptionally tall and strong, but it still failed.
That night, the Eight Sages sat in a tent and thought, "Although the walls of Taiyuan are tall and strong, they can be broken through after all." However, such a hard attack will inevitably cause heavy casualties among the soldiers; moreover, after the city is destroyed, the soldiers will inevitably kill in a big way in order to retaliate, and the innocent people in the city will inevitably suffer. It would be better to persuade the emperor to write another letter of surrender, persuade the Han lord Liu Jiyuan to surrender, if he can succeed, he can save tens of thousands of lives. However, if Liu Jiyuan does not fall, how should it be good? Pondering bitterly, he cried, "Yes." It turned out to him that wherever there is a moat, there will be waterways that will connect with the city. If you choose ten warriors who are good at water, sneak in from the waterway at night, open the city gate, and lower the suspension bridge, the army will be able to enter
Rush in. This will at least reduce the casualties of the soldiers. The next day, the Eight Sages ordered their guards to check the waterways. When the soldiers did not go much, they found out that the waterway was under the south gate and came back to pay their respects. The Eight Sages went to see Emperor Taizong of Song and repeated his two plans. Emperor Taizong of Song thought that it was feasible, so he immediately wrote a letter of surrender and ordered people to be tied to the arrow and shot into the city. Several Northern Han distress messengers who were in custody were beheaded under the city together, so that the city could see clearly.
The Han soldiers found the letter of surrender, transferred the first rank to the Northern Han Lord, and reported that the distress messengers had all been beheaded. The Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty read the book of surrender and secretly thought, "The weapons will be exhausted, the generals will be centrifuged, and the foreign aid will become a painting cake, so it is really difficult to hold on for a long time." Once the city was destroyed and captured, the consequences were unimaginable. Although I can no longer be respected in the south, I may be able to protect my parents, my wife, and my wealth in half a lifetime. "Thinking about it, with tears in my eyes, I personally wrote a letter of surrender, and sent Li Xun out of the city to ask for surrender." Song Taizong was overjoyed and rewarded Li Xun heavily. Writing back to the edict, xue Wenju, a general manager, was sent to accompany Li Xun into the city to see Liu Jiyuan. Liu Jiyuan was relieved.
Emperor Dazong of Song then led his troops into the city, and set up a feast on the city platform to celebrate the victory with the generals. Liu Jiyuan led the Manchu courtiers, all dressed in white and white hats, tied themselves up, and came to the stage together to plead guilty. Emperor Taizong of Song ordered him to untie the rope, pardon him for his innocence, and return to the palace to be on standby. However, it is said that Niu Sijin and Hu Yanzan echoed Emperor Taizong: "The father and son of the Yang family, and then led the crowd to descend." Emperor Taizong said to the Eight Kings, "Since Yang Jiye will come, Qing will lead his ministers to greet him in the middle of the road." "The Eight Kings took the command, and ignored the flag of the northern land to cover the sun, and the dust covered the sky, presumably the Yang family's army and horses came." Not long after, the outpost reported into Yang Ling's army, and the Officials of the Daozhi Heavenly Dynasty greeted him.
The Eighth King first gave the ceremony and said, "On the orders of the Lord Gong Song Jun, because Ling Gongyuan was involved in the wind and dust, he specially ordered all the courtiers to greet him in the middle of the way." When Ling Gong first arrived, he didn't know who it was, and Hu Yanzan was afraid of his disrespect, but he said to Ling Gong recently: "This is the Eight Kings." To his great horror, he bowed down beside the road. The Eight Kings hurriedly lifted up and went to the house with Ling Gong. The Yang family's military horses were stationed outside the station and stayed overnight. The next day, the Eight Kings and Ling Gong marched on horseback to the Song camp. The Eight Kings ordered the Duke to meet him. Emperor Taizong was deeply comforted, and gave Yang Jiye the post of regiment in the border town, commanded the headquarters, and waited for the class teacher to return to Beijing, and then discussed promotion.
The army marched all the way and returned to Beijing in the near future. The next day, he sent down his order: He made Yang Jiye the commander of daizhou and the marshal of the terracotta army, and his eldest son was below the rank of envoy of the daizhou regiment. Living in the Jinshui River without waiting for the house, the reward is very generous. The Qunchen played yang Jiye for not making a great contribution, and the seal was too heavy. The emperor said, "If you treat people with faith and righteousness, how can you lose to your subordinates?" Yang Jiye resigned from his post as a son. Emperor Taizong granted his request, and Yang Jiye withdrew. It was time for the border police to rest, and the flames were not heard. Emperor Taizong was in the palace with his courtiers, talking about governing the Tao, planning the generals of the clan town, or promoting or adjusting, all of which were appropriate.