When they learned that the Song army was attacking Liangzhou, party ministers gathered in the palace to see the king and the Empress Dowager Liang. The two came forward to meet the ministers. The old minister who had suggested that the Song army should be fortified and the country clear to deal with the Song army said to Li Bingchang: "Your Majesty, I understand The Gao Kingdom is headed by Xiazhou, Suizhou, Lingzhou is the belly, and Liangzhou is the tail.”

"Only by winning Lingzhou, Suizhou and Xiazhou can gain strength, and by winning Liangzhou can I understand the foundation of Gaoguo."

Even several Han officials said: "When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty captured Liangzhou, he claimed to have cut off the right arm of the Huns. If Liangzhou is lost, sooner or later Jiuquan, Dunhuang and other counties will also be lost."

Seeing that Li Bingchang's face was a bit ugly, several Han ministers quickly apologized, but Li Bingchang was very generous and said: "My beloved ministers are plotting against the country, what crime are they guilty of!"

Faced with the collective comments of the ministers, Li Bingchang was actually moved and said: "At this time when the party is alive or dead, you are all loyal ministers of the country. I understand what you have said, and it will be as you wish."

After the ministers left, Li Bingchang returned to the palace and picked up a bronze mirror and looked at it repeatedly and said in his heart, No matter how I look at it, I don't look like a leader who has subjugated his country.

The ministers cheered up and down, and they all took state affairs into account, showing their loyalty. This time when the Song Dynasty sent troops to threaten Liangzhou, the ministers finally put aside their prejudices and gathered around me.

"Xuan Xiangguo enters the palace!"

After Liang Yibu entered the palace, Li Bingchang repeatedly urged Liang Yibu, who now held military power, to send troops. However, Li Bingchang's opinion was rejected by Prime Minister Liang Yibu.

Liang Yibu said: "Your Majesty, the weather is hot in June and July, and it is not suitable for cavalry to move thousands of miles."

"We must wait until the end of July and August, and then enter autumn before we can fight the Song army."

Li Bingchang made a show of using Liang Yibu as his prime minister, asking him to continue Liang Yibu's aggressive attack on the Song Dynasty. Unexpectedly, the other party rejected him outright.

"Why is the Liang family so glorious today? Have you forgotten it?"

Liang Yibu said: "Your Majesty, Duan Wenchang, the prime minister of the late Tang Dynasty, made a living by begging when he was young. After he became prime minister, he switched to using a gold basin to wash his feet as a sign of wealth."

"I have never washed my feet in a golden basin, and I have never forgotten that although I, the Liang family, were ministers of the Han Dynasty, they were highly valued by the emperors of the two dynasties."

Li Bingchang asked: "Why don't you dare to fight?"

Liang Yibu said: "To tell you the truth, the army was extremely depressed after the disastrous defeat in Lanzhou last year, and it has not recovered yet. I have talked with the leaders of various ministries, and they couldn't defeat the Han army two years ago, and they can't defeat it now."

"This attack on Liangzhou is the result of many years of planning by the Han Prime Minister Zhang Yue. He has already sent Huizhou troops to cut off Pangluoling and cut off our way to aid Liangzhou. The only feasible strategy at the moment is that the Song army has been delayed in attacking Liangzhou.

If it doesn't, I will go to rescue the siege again, just like I did at Lingzhou City two years ago."

"We may ask the Liao Kingdom for rescue, but there is no other way! If we force the battle and lose again in the field, even Lingzhou will be lost."

Li Bingchang's face changed drastically when he heard this. He didn't expect Liang Yibu to be so pessimistic. He didn't try to go to Liao for help, but the conditions offered by Liao were unacceptable to him.

At the same time, he was even more angry because Liang Yibu actually discussed it with the tribal leaders in private without consulting him in advance.

This man did not have the courage and wisdom of his father Liang Yimi, but he was just like his father in being domineering and arrogant.

But Li Bingchang was helpless, the military power was in the hands of the Liang family. His confidant Ren Duoyading was trapped in Liangzhou City, and the royal family such as Weiming Awu and others that he could make plans could not control the tribal leaders.

After Liang Yibu resigned, someone flew to report that there was a letter from Ren Duoyading.

Li Bingchang opened the book and read the letter. It turned out that before the Song army surrounded Liangzhou City, Renduoyading sent someone to send a letter to Li Bingchang.

"The Han army has surrounded Liangzhou, and I have the ambition to defend it to the death, but I can't hold on for a long time. Once Liangzhou is lost, Xuansu and Guasha will not be able to protect it!"

"Three generations of emperors have won Liangzhou in hundreds of battles, so we must never abandon it!"

"No matter how difficult it is, it all depends on man."

When Li Bingchang read the letter and finally saw the number "It all depends on manpower", he couldn't help crying and said: "It's my incompetence. I have many loyal ministers sitting in Liangzhou, but I can't send a single soldier to rescue them."

The chamberlain knew that Li Bingchang didn't like Liang Yibu, so he took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, Liang Yibu has been in the house these days, calling singers and prostitutes every day, drinking all night long, and he doesn't seem to be worried about state affairs at all. In his heart, he is afraid that he would like to be benevolent.

The general died in Liangzhou earlier."

Li Bingchang was very angry when he heard this. Liang Yibu must have deliberately failed to save him and had to let his loyal minister perish in Liangzhou.

Li Bingchang thought so, but he wrongly blamed Liang Yibu.

In fact, deep down in his heart, he was still doubtful about Liang Yibu's absurdity, but at this time, his mood was a little high.

Li Bingchang replied to Ren Duoyading's letter. He said that he had already ordered the troops of Guazhou, Shazhou and Suzhou to the west of Liangzhou to gather in Xuanhua Prefecture (Zhangye).

Xuanhua Prefecture is Ganzhou. Starting from Li Yuanhao, Dangxiang stationed 30,000 troops here to prepare for the Qingtang and the Uighurs. Now that the Song army has reached Liangzhou, it can no longer take care of the Qingtang and the Uighurs. Li Bingchang has sent troops from the northwest to help.

Liangzhou.

Li Bingchang asked him to hold Liangzhou well until the Xingling and Guasha reinforcements arrived to relieve the siege of Liangzhou.

After Li Bingchang finished writing the letter, he sent someone to deliver it. He didn't care whether Renduoyading could receive the letter because he was surrounded by the Song army. In his heart, he was afraid that he would let down this loyal minister.

He didn't know whether the soldiers and horses of Xuanhua Mansion could save Liangzhou City.

Li Bingchang got up and walked to the flower garden of the Dangxiang Palace and gazed at the sunset for a long time.

…

The Dangxiang commander in Xuanhua Prefecture originally received an order from Liang Yibu not to rescue Liangzhou without permission. They waited for his order and waited for the arrival of Dangxiang's main force from Xingzhou and Lingzhou before they attacked the Song army from east to west together with Liangzhou City.

However, the unified army received three more edicts from Li Bingchang, asking him to immediately rescue Liangzhou. Each one was worded more harshly than the last.

The commander-in-chief knew that the Song army in Liangzhou was powerful and had many soldiers and horses, all of which were battle-hardened. His more than 30,000 soldiers were probably unable to save the city of Liangzhou, but under Li Bingchang's strict order, they could not

No mention of troops to rescue.

The commander-in-chief was worried about being surrounded by the Song army, so he immediately selected elite cavalry as the vanguard.

However, the cavalry on this route encountered the "Dang Xiang Zhi" under the command of Wang Ganbu of the Song Army.

Dangxiangzhi was composed of Dangxiang Jiangjun, and people in the Song Dynasty called them Gui Zhengren.

Only a man with a big heart like Wang Fan can recruit the reformed people into the army.

Because Wang Fan won consecutive battles, Dang Xiangzhi also expanded his troops from 1,000 to 1,500, and finally to 3,000. These Dangxiang knew that they had betrayed Dangxiang, so once the confrontation with Dangxiang's army failed, the other party would not tolerate it.

he.

So the battle is particularly strenuous.

The first encounter between the two armies was extremely fierce.

In the end, Dang Xiangzhi won the battle and wiped out most of his elite vanguard troops.

When the commander-in-chief of Xuanhua Prefecture learned of the defeat of the elite vanguard, they immediately retreated for thirty miles without daring to rescue them.
Chapter completed!