Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 794: The Clay Pot Breaks if It Is Close to the Well

During its heyday, Western Xia had a total military force of around 500,000.

The total military strength of the Southern Song Dynasty during its heyday was around 700,000.

However, simply comparing the number of troops is meaningless.

Because this is the total military force of the country, it needs to be stationed in various places and it is impossible to concentrate them all together.

Moreover, the soldiers of the two countries are different.

The soldiers of the Song State were professional soldiers and ate military rations.

All the people in Western Xia were soldiers. They were engaged in production in peacetime and became soldiers in wartime. There were very few professional soldiers.

The advantage of this system is that it saves a lot of military expenditure and ensures that the able-bodied labor force among the limited population can participate in agricultural production.

But the disadvantage is not the decline in combat effectiveness caused by being farmers in peacetime and soldiers in wartime.

Because Western Xia was a country that attached equal importance to agriculture and animal husbandry, the combat effectiveness of their warriors did not decrease due to production operations.

However, Western Xia has many deserts and mountains, which means that the main cities in Western Xia are all based under the Helan Mountains and the Qilian Mountains, forming two narrow urban clusters, one horizontal and one vertical.

Therefore, the rule is relatively decentralized, and local tribes have greater autonomy.

South of Liangzhou, the Western Xia army facing Wu Lin's army numbered about 120,000.

This troop deployment is larger than the troops guarding the Xingqing Prefecture (Yinchuan) area of ​​the Western Xia capital.

Because the Xixia capital Xingqingfu has the Liupan Mountains as a natural barrier and there are not many places to cross, the dangerous passes there are like a single man guarding the pass.

Liangzhou, on the other hand, is the Silk Road, and with Lanzhou as the gateway, once it is opened, one can march straight in.

However, after Yang Yuan's troops entered Shaanxi and captured Qinzhou (Tianshui), the Western Xia court also became nervous.

Western Xia drew 20,000 troops from the Yan Army Division in Heishui Town and the Wei Fu Army Division in Heishan to strengthen the defense on the west side of Liupan Mountain.

As a result, the army guarding the capital of Western Xia increased from 100,000 to 120,000.

In the subsequent Western Xia land, the military force was already stretched to the limit.

The number of troops stationed at Qilian Mountain to guard against Tubo is now less than 30,000.

Thirty thousand soldiers were stationed at the foot of the long Qilian Mountain, and their defense was very fragile.

Fortunately, the once powerful Tubo Empire has now fallen apart and become the Tubo tribes. In theory, it will no longer pose a threat to Western Xia.

But in fact, at this time, Queen Gao Shuyao of Dali had quietly entered Tubo and was contacting the Tubo tribes for Yang Yuan.

Gao Shuyao herself was a disciple of Tantric Buddhism, and Yang Yuan had secret contacts with Master Vajrabodhi.

Moreover, through doing business with Sichuan and Xia, many Tibetan tribes tended to side with the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, the lobbying of Gao Shuyao and Master Vajrabodhi was very effective.

At this moment, as the Western Xia suffered an initial setback, many Tibetan tribes began to harbor ambitions to cross the Qilian Mountains and raid Guasha.

The Qilian Mountains separated Tubo and Xixia. Most parts of the mountain range were high and dangerous, making them difficult to cross.

However, the Qilian Mountains in Guazhou and Shazhou areas are relatively traversable.

Historically, when Tubo attacked Western Xia, they mostly crossed the Qilian Mountains from this area.

Yang Yuan is quietly contacting all the forces that can be won over and united.

Yang Yuan even considered conquering Western Liao.

However, after looking at a more detailed map, he discovered that Western Liao was separated from the Jin Dynasty by tribes such as Mongolia and Naiman.

The two countries are thousands of miles apart, and the area in between is mostly barren mountains and deserts, rarely visited by people.

Western Liao was also thousands of miles away from Western Xia, with a vast desert in between.

The old guy Yelu Dashi fled too far back then and was of no use at all, so Yang Yuan gave up the idea.

However, although Yang Yuan's plan was far-reaching enough, he could not avoid the problem of being unable to see the whole picture.

He ignored the fact that Wu Lin was already in his early sixties and had been ill when he went to war.

According to original history, Wu Lin died of illness in these two years.

However, Yang Yuan could not remember the date of Wu Lin's death.

And now, the twelfth young master of the Wu family is seeking death, and Yang Yuan throws this difficult problem to Wu Lin to solve on his own, forcing Wu Lin to kill his son to show his determination.

Although Wu Lin's action was decisive, he was his own son after all. This incident made Wu Lin depressed and his health worsened.

In fact, after conquering Western Xia, Wu Lin won several great victories in a row, which made him feel happy both physically and mentally, and his health improved for a while.

However, his health condition had already deteriorated. During the summer and autumn, he lived in an area where the temperature difference between day and night sometimes reached more than 20 degrees. As a result, his condition became more serious again.

Being in the army, Wu Shuai's condition became more and more serious due to the frequent transfer of bases, the worries and hard work, and the lack of good rest and treatment.

At this time, Liu Qi had accepted the imperial edict and moved his troops into Western Xia.

According to the predetermined plan, he went to the northeast to attack Huizhou. He was still unaware of the serious illness of the commander of the Wu family army.

Wu Lin thought he could survive this time, but when he found out his condition was serious, he temporarily adopted a defensive stance and suspended the attack on Liangzhou City.

After two or three days, Wu Lin's condition did not improve, but became more serious. Wu Lin felt that this was not a good thing.

So he began to make emergency arrangements for his funeral.

On the one hand, he sent a military express to inform the veteran general Liu Qi.

Liu Qi went to attack Huizhou without paying attention to his flanks and rear because he had complete trust in Wu Lin's ability.

But if Wu Lin made a mistake, given his prestige in the Wu family army, it would be like the sky falling. By then, the three armies would be depressed and the people would be in panic. It is hard to say what big problems would arise.

Then, Wu Lin, despite his illness, wrote a letter to the court in person, requesting that his fifth son Wu Ting be allowed to rush to Western Xia to take over his position.

Wu Ting is the fifth son of Wu Lin. He is currently serving as the General of the Left Guard of the imperial court, in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Guard Infantry Division. He is just in his early twenties and is full of vigor and vitality.

However, he was the most capable and most valued among Wu Lin's sons, and was always trained by Wu Lin as the first heir.

If he takes over his position, the inheritance of the Wu family army can be completed smoothly without being affected too much.

Next, Wu Lin issued a series of military orders, mainly to consolidate the occupied areas, clear out the enemy cavalry in the rear, and ensure the smooth flow of supply lines.

At the same time, they forcibly conscripted local people, expanded the occupied cities, and actively built fortifications.

Wu Lin was worried that he would die of illness in the army before the transfer of power was completed smoothly, or even before his successor arrived.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, Wu Lin was forced to abandon his original plan and adopt a completely defensive stance.

At this time, the military supervisor Zhao Wei took office in a hurry.

He was a Hanlin scholar, and he was afraid that Wu Lin would fight too quickly and his troops would advance too fast, and if he arrived at the post too late he would not be able to share the credit.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived at Huangyangchuan after a long journey, he saw an old general with a haggard face and lifeless eyes.

In the Song Dynasty, as in the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, there were always military supervisors in the army.

The only change during the Southern Song Dynasty was that eunuchs were no longer needed to supervise the military.

Moreover, most of the time, there are military supervisors appointed in the army to perform the duties of a military supervisor, but they are not called military supervisors.

Therefore, some people mistakenly believe that by the time of the Southern Song Dynasty, there were almost no military supervisors in the army.

In fact, it just inherited the characteristics of redundant officials in the Song Dynasty and became more complicated.

Military Supervisor, Military Supervisor, it can be seen that he is the Military Supervisor.

There are also titles of official titles such as guarding the army (soldiers) of a certain place, protector of the army, military supervisor, military commander, and military envoy.

Zhao Xi, the scholar, took office in the name of the former envoy of the Lizhou West Route Army.

Just hearing the name, I thought he was here to offer condolences and propaganda.

Although Master Zhao was the military supervisor, he was still unable to suppress an old veteran like Wu Lin.

But the problem was that when he arrived, Wu Lin was almost dying.

Wu Lin was arranging his affairs after his death. After Zhao Yi, the military envoy, arrived at his post, he met Wu Lin at his sickbed.

Wu Lin only had time to tell Zhao Yi: "Before my son Wu Ting arrives, do not rush into battle again. You should defend the city and town to eliminate Liu Jinglüe's worries, maintain the advantage of the Song Dynasty over the Xia Dynasty, and wait for changes."

The corners of Zhao Yi's lips curled downwards slightly. If it was a top scholar like Yang Yuan, he would be a little scared.

They are all heroes who have been named outside Donghuamen, but he is the first in the first class, standing at the front. Who are you?

He was a little timid.

However, he looked down on veterans like Wu Lin, who joined the army at a young age and worked in the army all his life.

Especially the sentence "Before my son Wu Ting took office", haha, do you really think that the Li Zhongxi border army is your Wu family's private army?

Would you rather match it?
Zhao Yi just held Wu Lin's calloused hand and said with a sad and concerned look on her face: "Don't worry, General. It's better to rest and recuperate. The court's important matters will be properly arranged."

Wu Lin sent three messengers to Liu Qi's army to ensure the delivery of military intelligence.

However, the terrain of Western Xia was complex, and the people of Western Xia were extremely hostile to the Song people, so the scattered cavalry of the Western Xia army could come and go at will, and the Song army was unable to wipe them out completely.

So the three messengers were intercepted and killed one after another by the Western Xia cavalry.

However, the letter was written in a secret code, and the Western Xia army could not decipher it for a while. They could only forward the secret letter to Xingqing Prefecture for handling. The news of Wu Lin's critical illness did not spread quickly.

However, Wu Lin's army suddenly changed its combat style, stopped attacking, and showed signs of fighting a protracted war, which aroused the vigilance of some Xixia army generals.

For example, Tuoba Heiyi.

"Zu Ru, the Wu family army's reaction is very strange. Before, when the Wu family army invaded Daxia, Wu Lin was already ill.

I suspect that Wu Lin's condition has worsened and he is no longer able to lead the army, so he suddenly switched to a defensive position."

Zuru means the great leader.

Above him are Ning Ling (the Great King), Mo Ning Ling (the kings), and below them are Lü Ze (the leader), Shu Ming (the deputy leader), etc.

These are all names in Xixia language.

Western Xia had adopted an official system similar to that of the Central Plains. For example, this Zu Ru was also the commander-in-chief of this military division, which was equivalent to the commander-in-chief of the Song Dynasty.

The reason why Western Xia retained two sets of official systems was to ensure the absolute ruling position of the Dangxiang nobles in the Daxia regime.

Tuoba Heiyi is now a "Lü Ze" and also a commander in the military department, with three thousand cavalry under his command.

Tuoba Heiyi was a spy who had successfully lurked and caused chaos many times, so he certainly understood these human factors.

Therefore, he called the military commander Tuoba Hou as Zuru, which was to emphasize the difference in their relationship.

Zuru Tuobahou stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "Old man Wu is over sixty, right? Are you saying that this old man is no longer good?"

Tuoba Heiyi said, "It is very likely, Zuru. We should intensify our investigation. Once we are sure that something has happened to Wu Lin, then our chance for Daxia may come. This is a chance for Zuru to make an unprecedented contribution."

Tuoba Hou's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and he gave an order in a deep voice: "Black clothes, send more cavalry to patrol the area and intercept the military dispatches of the Wu family army's postmen. If there is a chance, capture more people alive and torture them for information."

"Yes, but Zuru should have made preparations earlier. Once it is confirmed that Wu Lin has had an accident, what should we do?"

"Now I understand. If this battle is successful, I will credit you as the first contributor! Hehehehehehe..." Tuoba Hou couldn't help laughing wildly.

(End of this chapter)