Vol 2 Chapter 2690: Li Mi proposed a plan to Zhao Kuangyin, and Lin Xiangru was on his deathbed.

Chapter 2690 Li Mi offered advice to Zhao Kuangyin, and Lin Xiangru recommended Tian Dan before his death

Xue Rengui's cavalry troops were exhausted after repeated battles and were unable to fight anymore, but the 100,000 Qin troops who had newly entered Runan were able to fill the gap in combat power.

Xue Rengui naturally knew this, but he did not continue the war with Zhao Kuangyin. Instead, he chose to switch from offense to defense. He also used Shangcai, Guanyang, Anyang and other counties in western Runan as strongholds to confront the Song army in Hong Kong and other places. , while cultivating and restoring combat effectiveness, it also contained the Song army.

Xue Rengui's choice is undoubtedly correct. He does not need to fight Zhao Kuangyin head-on. He only needs to wait until Cao Wei to destroy the country. By then, hundreds of thousands of Qin troops will go south, and the Song Dynasty will be destroyed overnight.

Zhao Kuangyin naturally guessed Xue Rengui's sinister intentions, but the enemy really had no intention of caring about Cao Wei at the moment, and could only send more manpower to keep an eye on Cao Wei's battlefield movements.

 Zhao Kuangyin also knew that the pressure on Cao Cao was greater than on his side. After all, the Qin army only deployed 150,000 troops to defeat Song Dynasty, which already gave him a headache, while the 420,000-strong army was deployed to defeat Wei.

Although Cao Wei's entire country had gathered 330,000 defenders, they needed to divide their troops to garrison in various places. Facing the 420,000 Qin troops coming from four directions, the Wei army's battle line was not only too scattered, but also collapsed, and any If one front line collapses, it is likely to lead to a collapse of the entire front line.

 Zhao Kuangyin and Cao Cao are already grasshoppers on the same rope. Naturally, they hope that Cao Wei can defend Chenliu, Dongjun and Yingchuan to block the four-way offensive of 420,000 Qin troops.

But as the reports of the northern battle continued to come in, Cao Cao had no reaction yet, but Zhao Kuangyin took the first step and became completely unable to sit still.

 Zhao Kuangyin originally thought that Cao Wei, who had an army of 330,000 troops, would not be difficult to hold off the Qin army for half a year even without reinforcements from the Song and Ming Dynasties.

What Zhao Kuangyin never expected was that the Wei army, which had displayed great power and mass killings in the Central Plains, and performed extremely well, would actually stretch its hips like this when facing the Qin army.

In just half a month, all three lines of defense in Yingchuan fell, leaving only the last line of defense in Xuchang. Once Xuchang cannot hold it, the Chenliu and Dongjun battlefields will also completely deteriorate.

Yingchuan, Chenliu and Dongjun are the three most populous and wealthy counties in Cao Wei.

Once these three counties fall, Cao Wei does not need to continue fighting, because no matter how hard he fights, he will lose, so it is better to surrender as early as possible.

It has only been half a month since the war between Qin and Wei, and Cao Wei has already been forced to a critical moment of life and death. Whether he can defend the city of Xuchang is not only related to the life and death of Cao Wei, but also the survival of the three kingdoms of the Central Plains.

Therefore, when he learned that Jin Bi sent troops to rescue Xue Ju without asking for instructions and lost four thousand soldiers and horses, Zhao Kuangyin did not blame Jin Bi, because Jin Bi was right to do so. He was not only helping Cao Wei, but also helping Cao Wei. Also helping Zhao Song.

What makes Zhao Kuangyin speechless is that Jin Bi clearly did a good thing, but instead he was impeached by domestic civil servants, and listed a number of crimes, and each of them seemed to be the same.

Zhao Kuangyin was not a fool, and he would not do something stupid like breaking his arm at such a critical moment. Therefore, instead of punishing him, he calmed Jin Bi and sent an additional 10,000 defenders to Xiping to show that he was committed to protecting the state. Jin Bi's attitude.

After Zhao Kuangyin expressed his stance, the voice of impeachment within the Song Dynasty disappeared without a trace in an instant, and everything seemed to be premeditated in advance.

This made Zhao Kuangyin have to suspect that the pro-Qin faction of the Song Dynasty was behind this impeachment. However, after an investigation, it was found that his second brother was responsible, and then he gave up the plan to continue to pursue accountability.

Now the battle between Qin and Wei has reached the most critical point. Cao Wei has lost nearly half of its troops in Yingchuan. It is really difficult to rely on the Wei army alone to defend Xuchang City against the attack of hundreds of thousands of Qin troops with an army of 50,000. too big.

Zhao Kuangyin can no longer sit back and watch Cao Wei lose, because if Wei loses again, Song will also be in trouble, so he must help Wei defend Xuchang no matter what.

But the Song Dynasty is also facing internal and external troubles now. Unless Xue Rengui's army of hundreds of thousands is dealt with, it is really unable to divide its troops to support others. But Xuchang has to be rescued?

 For a time, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but fell into a dilemma.

At this time, Zhao Kuangyin was envious of Cao Cao. After all, Cao Wei's geographical location was so poor, and Cao Cao had five military advisors under his command: Xun You, Cheng Yu, Fan Li, Chen Gong, and Cao GUI.

On the other hand, the Song State was superior to the Wei State in terms of geography, population, and wealth, but when it came to solving troublesome problems, there was no one to give it advice.

 Zhao Kuangyin also has three military advisers under his command: Zhao Pu, Yan Xiang and Shen Gongbao. However, Zhao Pu is among the army to aid the Ming Dynasty, and Shen Gongbao was borrowed by Cao Cao to lobby the Demon Sect. Now among the three advisers, only Yan Xiang is by his side.

It's not that Zhao Kuangyin thinks Yan Xiang is not good, but compared with those top counselors in the world, Yan Xiang's ability is obviously still a little worse. For example, in this battle of Ge Ling, Yan Xiang failed to see through Lin Xiangru's plan.

At this thought, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but feel jealous of Cao Cao. If he had the loyalty of Cao Cao's five advisers, he would definitely not go to such an extent against the Qin army.

Yan Xiang saw Zhao Kuangyin's troubles. Although he also wanted to come up with ideas, his own abilities were limited and he couldn't think of a solution. So he recommended talents to Zhao Kuangyin and asked others to help Zhao Kuangyin come up with ideas, and the person he recommended It was Li Mi, a famous minister of the Mid-Tang Dynasty who was known as "Marquis Li Ye".

Li Mi was the sixth grandson of Li Bi, the Taishi of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He served successively as Tang Xuanzong, Tang Suzong, Tang Daizong, and Tang Dezong. He assisted Tang Suzong Li Heng to quell the Anshi Rebellion, plotted to trap Tubo, and assisted Dezong. He was the most famous politician and counselor in the mid-Tang Dynasty. , one of the scholars.

Li Mi's experience was very bumpy. He assisted the four dynasties of the Tang Dynasty, lived in seclusion twice, and was exiled once. During the Xuanzong period, he was hated by the prime minister Yang Guozhong and returned to seclusion. During the Suzong period, he was framed by the powerful **** Li Fuguo and others and lived in seclusion again. Yuan Zai and Chang Gun were excluded and exiled, and it was not until the Tang Dezong period that they took charge of the world.

Li Mi is a hidden figure in the Special Hundred Calls. After he was born, he was implanted as the younger brother of Li Fang, the famous prime minister in the early Song Dynasty. Li Fang was also the prefect of Chen County in the Song Dynasty, so he came into Yan Xiang's sight.

“Master Yan, can this Li Bi really solve the current dilemma?” Zhao Kuangyin asked.

Yan Xiang said with a serious face: "My lord, Li Bi is ten times more talented than Xiang. If there is anyone who can solve the current problem, I am afraid it is only Li Bi."

Zhao Kuangyin was overjoyed when he heard this. Li Mi happened to be in Pingyu City, and he immediately prepared to go to see him in person.

In fact, Li Mi was not optimistic about the Three Kingdoms Alliance of Wei, Song, and Ming Dynasties, so he declined his brother Li Fang's recommendation and stayed in Runan to study hard. However, he did not expect that Zhao Kuangyin would come to visit him. Now he could not hide even if he wanted to. .

Although Li Mi was not optimistic about Zhao Song, after all, the whole family was working in the Song Dynasty. He neither dared nor could not disobey Zhao Kuangyin, so he had to analyze it from his own perspective, but did not want to solve the problem that had troubled Zhao Kuangyin for more than a year. difficult problem.

"Sir, you are a great talent. One person can defeat an army of 100,000 people. Now that I have help from you, I will have no worries." Zhao Kuangyin said with great joy.

Li Mi's face suddenly stiffened. Did he say that he would serve as an official to assist Zhao Kuangyin?

Just when he was about to refuse, seeing Zhao Kuangyin's joyful expression, Li Bitang swallowed back what he was about to say. After Zhao Kuangyin left, Li Mi walked to Yan Xiang and asked with a wry smile: "I have never offended you, have you?"

Yan Xiang, however, stroked his long beard gently and pretended to be displeased: "Changyuan (Li Bibiao), what are you talking about? If you have offended me, how can I recommend you to my lord?"

Li Mi knew that Yan Xiang was deliberately pretending to be confused, so he went straight to the point: "Your Excellency, I know that I have no intention of serving the Song Dynasty, and I also know that I cannot refuse the King of Song Dynasty, but I force myself to stay in this way. , Aren’t you working hard?”

Yan Xiang said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, only a gentleman can expect it." Then he strode away with a smile.

Looking at Yan Xiang's leaving figure, Li Mi fell into deep thought. Only a gentleman can be expected, and is he a gentleman?

After Zhao Kuangyin returned, he ordered to send 30,000 troops to support Xuchang, and at the same time continued to expand the army and prepare for war.

Li Mi was right. The Tongbai Mountain defense line was breached by the Qin army, and a hundred thousand Qin troops invaded Runan. However, the Qin army's cavalry was also exhausted and needed time to rest. They would not take the initiative to invade in the future, so the Qin and Song Dynasties would also fall into a stalemate. At this stage, it is entirely possible to allocate part of the troops to support Cao Wei.

 In addition, compared to soldiers, Wei State actually lacks more generals, so it is not necessary to send too many troops to aid Wei. 30,000 elites plus a few fierce generals are enough.

 Zhao Kuangyin ordered Zhao She to be the chief general, and led Jiu Tun Tongzi, Gao Siji, Lu Xiong, Yang Zhen and other generals to lead an army of 30,000 to support Xuchang.

Zhao She led the Song army of 30,000 to the north. The total strength of the Song state in Runan also dropped to 170,000. Compared with the Qin army, it did not have much advantage, so it was imperative to expand the army.

Among the three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Ming, Song is the richest and has the least financial pressure. Its total population is higher than that of Wei and lower than that of Ming. In addition, Song is the only country in the world that followed Qin in establishing a reserve army system.

The Song Dynasty also had a reserve army system. If the army was recruited from the reserve army and county soldiers, it would not be difficult to expand the army urgently and it would also have combat effectiveness.

 Zhao Kuangyin is preparing to expand his army by 60,000, so that he will have enough confidence to support Wei against Qin.

 Runan, Shangcai.

After Xue Rengui defeated the Song army, he did not take advantage of the victory to pursue it, but chose to give up when the situation was good. In addition to the army being exhausted and unable to fight anymore, and the Tongbai Mountain being breached, another major reason was that Lin Xiangru was critically ill.

Lin Xiangru was actually opposed to a decisive battle between Xue Rengui and the Song army. He felt that under the current situation, it would be okay for the Qin army to abandon the cities in Runan and temporarily retreat to Jingzhou. If they could not fight and then fight back, there was no need to risk a decisive battle with Zhao Kuangyin.

But Xue Rengui was unwilling to give up the fat he had swallowed, so Lin Xiangru had no choice but to plan a decisive battle for him.

Facts have proved that although Xue Rengui’s decision is risky, as long as the plan is successful, the benefits are indeed huge.

Xue Rengui not only won the battle at Ge Ling, but also bought enough time for the Qin army in the rear to break through Tongbai Mountain. The Qin army also completely established a foothold in Runan.

However, as a military advisor, Lin Xiangru was accidentally hit by a stray arrow in the Battle of Geling and was seriously injured and dying.

This also made Xue Rengui feel extremely guilty. After all, if he had not taken the risk, the military advisor would not have been hit by the arrow.

Looking at Xue Rengui with a guilty look on his face, Lin Xiangru said angrily: "You don't have to blame yourself, Governor. Everyone has his destiny. I am destined for this disaster. I can't escape it and I can't blame others. I just regret that I can't witness the unification of the Qin Dynasty with my own eyes." "

 “strategist.”

Xue Rengui felt even more guilty after hearing this. He was about to apologize to the company but was interrupted by Lin Xiangru.

Lin Xiangru didn’t want to hear Xue Rengui’s apology. He knew that he didn’t have much time, and he had to settle his funeral arrangements before he died.

“Grand Governor, I have assisted two Grand Governors of Jingzhou. You are really similar to Governor Yue Fei. My time is running out, so I have a message before I die.”

“Military advisor, please tell me, Rengui will definitely remember it.”

"This war in the Central Plains involves the whole world and cannot be resolved by one person fighting alone. I hope that the governor will focus on stability and not take any more risks."

"Rengui has remembered what the military advisor said." Xue Rengui said seriously. ,

Lin Xiangru was relieved when he saw this. He pointed to Tian Dan standing beside the bed and said, "Tian Dan is a genius in the world. After I leave, the governor can lean on his arm."

 “strategist.”

Seeing that Lin Xiangru was about to die, but still thinking about himself, Tian Dan was so moved that he almost cried.

"Tian Dan, although you are from Shu, I know that your heart is in Da Qin. I have written a handwritten letter and submitted it to Your Majesty as your guarantee. From now on, you can rest assured to fight in Da Qin."

Hearing what Lin Xiangru said, Tian Dan could no longer stand still. He cried and grabbed Lin Xiangru's hand and said gratefully: "The military advisor has been so kind and Tian Dan can't repay him. Please allow Tian Dan to respect the military advisor with the courtesy of a teacher."

“That’s a good relationship. I didn’t expect that I would find such a good disciple before my death.”

Lin Xiangru smiled happily, and then closed his eyes forever with a peaceful expression. Xue Rengui and other generals cried when they saw this.