OBS Chapter 379 Status!
Chapter 379 Status!
At the end of May, Han Ming led the main force of the Song army of 180,000 and arrived in the Xincheng area.
At the same time, in order to cooperate with the main force's offensive mission, the six people on the flank, Zhong Yan, Zhong Zhen, Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Yao Gu, and Yao Pingzhong, formed the "Yun (zhou) Ying (zhou) Corps".
Zhong Yan was the commander-in-chief, Zhong Zhen was the adjutant, Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, Yao Gu and Yao Pingzhong were the generals in charge, and the Yunying Legion had a total of 50,000 elite soldiers.
In addition, the main force of the Song army was 180,000, including 50,000 navy in the east, totaling 230,000 land and sea troops, gathered on the Song-Liao border.
Such an exaggerated scene made countless generals from both countries who participated in the battle feel their scalps tingling. Such a large-scale legion battle was simply unheard of.
In order to provide food and fodder for the 230,000 troops on the Northern Expedition, the entire Song Dynasty was in frantic operation, including the Hanjia Granary that had been stockpiled with great difficulty for more than ten years, which was fully opened to supply the Northern Expedition Army.
All the northern armies were dispatched, and they worked day and night without stopping for only one purpose: to transport that damn food and grass to the front line for me!
At this moment, all the people are soldiers, and all the Song people are united with only one thing to do - to support the Northern Expedition and recover Yanyun.
Dozens of generals gathered in a temporary combat tent built on the front line of Xincheng.
They include Guo Kui, Yan Da, Wang En, the Di brothers, the Zhe family generals, the Yao family generals, the Zhong family generals and others who were all born as military generals.
Of course, there are also Zhang Qie, Wang Shao, Zhong Zhen, Zong Ze and other Jinshi graduates who were civil servants in charge of the military.
At the same time, there were foreign generals such as Li Changjie, Dong Zhen, Qingyi Jie Guizhang (Qingtang general), and Aligu (Dong Zhen's adopted son) who surrendered to the Song Dynasty and were subsequently highly valued.
They greeted each other and talked and laughed about their feelings after not seeing each other for many years.
Some of them were former opponents of the enemy country, while others were comrades who had worked together.
After the Yuanfeng Northern Expedition, the war in the country calmed down a little, and they continued to raise troops and prepare for war in their respective war zones.
Now that the time has come, these top generals of the Song Dynasty have gathered together to start the most glorious war for them as generals - the Northern Expedition to Yanyun!
"If you ask me, we should just send everyone out to fight this battle. Each of us will lead an army and launch an all-out attack. Sweeping Yanyun is only a matter of time!"
As the cousin of Emperor Yingzong and his wife, the great uncle of Emperor Shenzong, and the great uncle of the young Emperor Zhezong, Gao Zunyu, now the Junior Guardian and General of the Left Guard, is already sixty years old.
In the original time and space, this gentleman who should have passed away last year did not experience the painful past of Emperor Shenzong's five-way attack on Xia. Instead, he lived a fulfilling life because he had made many contributions following a certain Han.
Having just turned sixty this year, he immediately asked for permission to join the battle when he learned about Han Ming's Northern Expedition.
Compared with the sickly General Yang and the unwell British Zhang Wenbi, Gao Zunyu was still full of energy and maintained a relatively good overall condition.
In addition to his status as a royal relative, this gentleman has become a little arrogant in recent years. Except for a certain Han, he does not respect any of the generals in the entire Song army.
Therefore, at today's military meeting, this big man sat in the front row and casually proposed that each army should send out troops to sweep across Yanyun.
"General Gao, you are wrong. The Northern Expedition is a battle of strategy and tactics, not a solitary struggle. If it were that simple, Emperor Taizong's Northern Expedition wouldn't have been so difficult."
Yan Da has also achieved great military success in recent years. With his achievements in destroying the Dali Kingdom and defending the southwest, he has successfully become one of the top generals of the Song Dynasty.
Compared with Gao Zunyu, this middle-aged general was a fierce general in the post-Guo Kui era, and was deeply loved by Zhong Yan and Han Ming.
"General Yan is right. The Northern Expedition must start from the overall war situation. If we fight alone, I am afraid that the Liao Kingdom will be able to easily wipe us out without any effort."
The one who supported Yan Da was Wang En, who was also stationed in the southwest and served as the deputy governor of Rongzhou Military Governor's Office.
Ever since Han Ming personally selected these two young generals to follow him, Yan Da and Wang En have been a team all these years and have never been separated.
Therefore, as soon as Yan Da opened his mouth, Wang En immediately followed up with an explanation.
"You two little brats, you've become high-ranking officials with great authority, and you dare to talk to me like that?!"
Seeing his former younger brother refuting him in this way, Gao Zunyu felt a little embarrassed and wanted to scold him, but his old partner Liu Changzuo immediately reached out and pulled him.
"Lao Liu, what are you doing?!"
Gao Zunyu looked at the other person with some confusion.
"Han Shuai is here..."
Liu Changzuo didn't want his old partner to be criticized, so he immediately whispered in his ear.
Upon hearing this, Gao Zunyu, a sixty-year-old old man, trembled immediately, stood up quickly, and waited for Han to enter the account.
"Han Shuai is here——!"
Accompanied by Yong Zeng's powerful voice, Han entered the commander's tent.
"Han Shuai!!!"
"Han Shuai!"
"Han Shuai!"
"..."
All the generals straightened their backs and accepted Han Ming's inspection.
However, Han didn't even look at these arrogant soldiers and generals. He held the imperial flag in his left hand, the seal of the Northern Expedition Marshal in his right hand, and the imperial sword slung around his waist, and slowly walked towards the commander's chair.
The imperial flag is a symbol of the privilege of acting at one's own discretion, and the seal of the Northern Expedition Marshal is in charge of all military and political affairs in the north during the Northern Expedition.
The Emperor's Sword bestowed by the Emperor is similar to the Imperial Sword. It not only has the power to execute first and report later, but is also a symbol of status and power.
As for the Shangfang Sword, it refers to the sword hidden in the "Shangfang" of ancient Chinese emperors. It was called the Shangfang Zhanma Sword in the Han Dynasty and the Shangfang Sword in the Ming Dynasty. In dramas and novels, it is generally called the "Shangfang Sword".
"Shangfang", also known as "Shangfang", is the name of an official who is responsible for supplying and manufacturing utensils used by the emperor.
The Shangfang Sword was originally a horse-beheading sword. It was very sharp and could cut a horse in half. Because it was hidden in Shangfang, it was commonly known as the "Shangfang Sword". It has existed since the Han Dynasty.
According to historical records, the practice of granting imperial swords to kill people and act at one's convenience began during the "Three Major Expeditions of Wanli" in the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, this practice was not popular in the Song Dynasty. However, in order to highlight Han Ming's status and power in the Northern Expedition, the young Emperor Zhezong had a sudden idea and gave Han Ming the Emperor's Sword, a ritual vessel used for offering sacrifices to heaven.
It was to express one sentiment to the court and the whole country, that is, the Northern Expedition was a major event, and no one was allowed to say anything except Han Ming.
Placing great trust in Han was the only thing that the young Emperor Zhezong could do for his teacher.
This legendary figure, whom he had heard of since childhood, emerged at the end of Emperor Renzong's reign and led the Song Dynasty to overcome one difficulty after another. He was finally about to realize the dream that the Zhao Song royal family had never had in a hundred years in this dynasty. He was the teacher he admired and respected the most.
Just this point made the young Emperor Zhezong very happy and excited.
Compared with adults, the little emperor's thinking is very simple, that is, he will favor whoever treats him well.
Especially since his idol was also his teacher and was so gentle to him, the young Emperor Zhezong gave Han Ming 100% of his sincerity and trust.
This incident originally caused some controversy in the court. In the end, the young Emperor Zhezong made a decision first and reported to the emperor later. After asking for the consent of Empress Dowager Shen and Empress Dowager Xiang, he directly issued an edict, which shocked everyone.
It was also from this moment that these court officials realized that they could no longer treat this twelve-year-old kid as a decoration.
Later, after some thought, they realized that it was just the emperor's sword bestowed as a ceremonial object. It was nothing more than increasing Han Ming's voice in the Northern Expedition. It was not a bad thing, so the matter was left unresolved.
But what shocked the conservative court officials was that this incident showed how high Han Ming's position was in the heart of the young Emperor Zhezong.
In this way, their plan to overthrow Han was stillborn and there was nothing they could do.
Four consecutive emperors have favored Han Ming. They, the conservatives, deserve to be crushed by him for the rest of their lives!
"boom!"
Han Ming slowly walked up to the commander's chair, placed the imperial flag and the seal of the Northern Expedition Grand Marshal on the commander's desk, and then placed the emperor's sword bestowed by the emperor on top of it.
At this moment, many generals trembled, their faces turned pale with fear, and they dared not show their teeth.
After all, these people used to be military generals, and they were looked down upon. If it weren't for a certain Han who suddenly appeared and changed the pattern of the Song Dynasty that valued culture over military, they would still be soldiers struggling to make ends meet.
Now, after more than a decade of propaganda and military reforms, the status of military generals in the Song Dynasty has finally recovered.
The emperor and his civil officials controlled the lifeline of the army, so they no longer had to worry about military generals repeating the phenomenon of taking turns to be emperor during the Five Dynasties period.
Therefore, in terms of status and power resources, a part of it began to be tilted towards the military class.
But one thing is that all these changes in the situation were due to a certain Han. Without him, these soldiers would not have the good life they have today.
Therefore, no matter whether it was Guo Kui, the number one man in the army, or Gao Zunyu, a royal relative, or Zhang Qie and Wang Shao, famous historical generals who were born as civil officials, they did not dare to confront Han.
After all, he is the benefactor among benefactors and the big daddy among big daddies, and he is someone who must be worshipped.
What's more, they now have great achievements and wealth in their hands, all of which were obtained by Han. This deserves some respect.
Seeing that Han seemed to be in a bad mood, these generals from the three generations of old, middle-aged and young were all a little scared and sweating secretly...