Wu Jie was in a coma for three days and three nights before he woke up. With the careful treatment of the imperial physician sent by Zhao Huan and his body was strong enough, he survived it.

Wu Jie suffered heavy losses in this battle, but it solved the hidden dangers on the left for Zhao Huan's central army, captured the Shentang Fort, and allowed Zhao Huan's five-way strategy to attack Xia to be smoothly implemented.

What would happen if Wu Jie failed to take down the Shentang Fort?

Li Ganshun immediately increased his troops south to Shentang Fort, and the front line was equivalent to being pushed from Hengshan to the territory of the Song Dynasty!

The support the Song army in Hengshan was cut off, and even if they were detours, the Song army would feel like a ray of light on their backs.

Because it is further north, the vast desert of the sea must be the top priority, and there must be no nest of Xia army behind it.

This is the strategic position of the Shentang Fort!

After taking down the Shentang Fort, the food and grass were transported over before Zhao Huan arrived at the Shentang Fort, which greatly reduced the time.

For the Song army in Hengshan area, time is life.

It took Song decades to start operating the Hengshan area step by step.

This matter can be traced back to the era of Fan Zhongyan ninety years ago. Fan Xianggong and Han Qi, who were famous in the Song Dynasty, jointly managed the northwest and fought against Dangxiang.

Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi proposed the strategy of conquering the Xia Kingdom, which continued until the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Song was a very pretentious dynasty. With more literati, there were more things to do.

So much so that Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi’s classic strategy was not truly implemented until the time of Shenzong.

What strategy?

Volume 138 of "Changbian" records a passage from Fan Zhongyan, "I and Han Qi are planning day and night to select military training generals, gradually recovering from Hengshan to cut off the arm of the bandits. It will be pacified in less than a few years."

This was the first proposal to recapture Hengshan in the war between Song and Xia.

Hengshan is located in the vast sea of ​​seven hundred miles. If Song wants to fight Xia, it must cross the vast sea of ​​seven hundred miles.

What is this situation?

The Xia army is waiting for the effort, so they sit there, waiting for the Song army to come. When you come, you are already tired and exhausted, and I can start working after I have enough food!

What's more, since the Northern Expedition of Yongxi, the elite cavalry of the Song Dynasty had been lost, and the Jingsai Army, which once scared the Iron Forest Army of the Liao Kingdom, had long become dust.

Without cavalry, the infantry legion would have to cross such a vast desert and fight against the elite of Xia Kingdom from a distance. How could it win?

Therefore, since the beginning of Shenzong, the war between Song and Xia has been in a passive state.

This passive state also completely affected the national destiny of the entire Song Dynasty.

In other words, watching Li Yuanhao grow bigger, lay the groundwork for Song's redundant army and financial hidden dangers.

The first person to bear the responsibility for this matter was Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

Emperor Zhenzong of Song was the biological son of Emperor Taizong of Song Zhao Guangyi. If his son is not good, it is the fault of his father.

What impact did the Dangxiang grow bigger have on the Song Dynasty, and why did it completely affect the national destiny of the entire Song Dynasty?

Since the Tanyuan alliance, the Song and Liao have ushered in a century of peace.

But since Li Jiqian's rebellion, the entire Northern Song Dynasty has been dragged into the vortex of war with Xia.

The Song Dynasty spent the whole country on financial resources, material resources and manpower, and fought with this small northwest country for a hundred years.

This caused the bloated military personnel and the financial jeopardy. In order to pay huge expenses, the court continued to print Jiaozi, which caused serious inflation.

Moreover, the ministers in the court were in trouble in the northwest, strife and consuming the national destiny.

This small country in the northwest made the Song Dynasty, which was originally richer than the Tang Dynasty, constantly consumed itself since the time of Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

It was like a sharp thorn, stuck in Da Song's throat, unable to swallow or spit it out!

In order to destroy Dangxiang, the Song Dynasty launched five large-scale battles against Xia from the time of Renzong to the fall of Jingkang.

Five times lost more and won less. Every time the Song army lost, the Song army suffered a large-scale defeat, with heavy casualties.

This matter still starts with the Fan Zhongyan era.

To conquer Hengshan, we will seize the Kingdom of Xia.

It is the strategic policy of Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi.

Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi's plan to recover Hengshan is specific

"I ask you to choose three generals and assist each in Fuyan, Huanqing and Jingyuan Road, one or twenty envoys, ten thousand infantry, and three thousand cavalrymen to be the three armies. You can train them to set up new formations, and then observe the trespasses, so that the three armies can plunder each other in Hengshan. Those who surrender will take good care of each other, and those who refuse will attack with their troops, and those who refuse will defeat their clans."

"If the army of Fuyan will come out first, the bandits will respond in great success. I will retreat to the border camp, or take the dangerous situation, and do not fight with them. If they do not exceed ten days, they will be in trouble and will be defeated. Then I will return to the army of Huanqing, and they will be recruiting troops. Then there will be another army from Jingyuan to take the opportunity to enter, so that the bandits will be desperate and the tribe will be resentful, and my troops will be resurgent."

"For example, Yu, Suizhou, Jintang, Baibao, Xizhang and other villages can all be settled and the city. The foreign troops of the mountain boundary go to Yuanhao and are far away, but the rescue is not enough. I also defended the city with strong troops and came to him. He would enjoy his land and force him to force him to support himself. In the third or second year, the mountain boundary can be taken. This is the strategy of Wu using the three divisions to break Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period. If Yuanhao loses the power of Hengshan Mountain, he can be said to have cut off his right arm!"

Fan Zhongyan's strategic focus is as follows: each of the three routes of Fuyan, Huanqing and Jingyuan Roads formed a strong army; second, send troops to disturb the enemy, retreat without fighting, and consume the enemy, and then launch cavalry from the other route to attack them. Third, build a city in a dangerous place and take steps into the camp.

The core of this strategy is the third point, to build a city to the north and take every step!

Because of the 700-mile desert, once the Song army penetrated deeper, the food and grass behind it was difficult to maintain. Only by connecting the rear to the front could this battle be fought.

Once this classic strategy of Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi was proposed, it was put on hold.

Because Li Yuanhao has been obeyed!

When Emperor Renzong saw that they had surrendered, he forgot, he would not fight.

Lao Fan, Lao Han, come back, come back to the central government, I have a lot to do!

So, this strategy was put on hold.

Grandpa's Yongxi Northern Expedition accompanied the elites of the whole country. His father trained a great enemy for the Song Dynasty, and his son stopped at the most critical moment.

The trio of cheating the country!

So much so that in the era of Emperor Shenzong, all kinds of problems had emerged. Emperor Shenzong took advantage of the world's great worries and wanted to reform the law.

Renzong was emperor for more than 40 years. After his death, Yingzong took office.

Emperor Yingzong was not the biological son of Emperor Renzong. In order to establish his prestige, the Song Dynasty once again began a large-scale frontal battle with Dangxiang.

But I still lost, without geographical advantages, no people, and only the time, so I can't fight this battle.

What's more, although the Liao Kingdom, which was living peacefully with Song on the surface, continued to support Xia behind the scenes in order to curb Song.

In this painful situation, Emperor Shenzong, who had a relatively strong temper and personality, stepped onto the stage of history and began his ambitions.

From Wang Anshi's military reform in the northwest to the five routes of attack on Xia, this emperor could hear countless voices of opposition every day. Even when he was dreaming, he could hear Sima Guang shouting that he couldn't! Your Majesty!

It was only when the Song Dynasty developed into the era of Shenzong that the Song Dynasty's strategy for Dangxiang actually became truly mature.

Why do you say you are truly mature?

At this time, a real ruthless man, Wang Shao, appeared!

Wang Shao is a poor student. He failed the exam many times, so he went to the northwest to travel.

Some people go out for a trip by eating and drinking, and carve this trip on the stone.

But Wang Shao went out to visit the terrain, landform and humanities.

After the investigation, he wrote a letter to Emperor Shenzong of the Three Strategies: "If the country wants to pacify the thieves in the West, it is better to use his authority to swear in Hehuang first; if he wants to subdue Hehuang, it is better to use his kindness to attract the tribes along the border."

It means that if the Song Dynasty wanted to destroy Dangxiang in the west, Hehuang would first make him surrender, put military pressure on Dangxiang from the western front, disperse Dangxiang's troops in the Hengshan area, and surround Dangxiang from all directions.

This strategy is similar to Zhang Qian's strategy of "breaking the right arm of the Xiongnu" in the Western Han Dynasty.
Chapter completed!