The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 24 The Emperor's Father-in-Law

Late May.

Yelu Talu, the King of the Southern Court of the Liao Dynasty, led more than 20,000 troops from the southwest, passed through Yanmen Pass and entered Daizhou to join forces with Yelu Dilu's cavalry.

The two armies had a total of more than 30,000 soldiers, including more than 10,000 Khitan cavalry and 20,000 vassal troops from the Shiwei, Jurchen and other groups.

Afterwards, the Liao army marched towards Xinzhou.

Upon hearing the news, Prince Wei Fu Yanqing immediately sent someone on horseback to report it to the emperor and request additional troops for support.

Fu Yanqing had less than 20,000 troops stationed in Xinzhou.

Moreover, there were only more than 2,000 cavalrymen led by Huazhou Jiedushi Shi Yanchao.

Therefore, Fu Yanqing hoped that the emperor would send more infantry and cavalry to Xinzhou to assist in the defense.

Chai Rong naturally understood the urgency of the matter and immediately agreed to send reinforcements, but he was a little undecided about which general to lead the troops.

The attack on Jinyang City was at a critical moment, and no suitable candidates could be mobilized at the moment.

Chai Rong asked Zhang Yongde for his opinion and wanted him to recommend someone from the Palace Army.

Zhang Yongde quickly gave a candidate.

"Li Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Inner Palace Guard, was quite brave in the battle of Gaoping. As far as I know, his riding and archery skills are also outstanding among the palace troops."

"During the reign of the late Emperor, there was a competition of archery in front of the palace. Li Du, using a two-stone bow, shot from horseback at distances of a hundred paces, hitting the target with every shot, earning the late Emperor's praise."

"This time the Liao Kingdom is rushing to Jinyang's aid. If Prince Wei wants to stop them, defending the city is useless. The only option is to fight in the wilderness."

"Among the generals of the Palace Army, Li Dushi is in his prime in terms of cavalry, archery, and bravery."

Chai Rong thought it made sense, so the task of reinforcing Xinzhou fell on Li Yi.

"Your Majesty asked me to lead the troops to support King Wei?"

Li Yi did not expect that the emperor would entrust him with such an important task.

He never expected that it was Zhang Yongde who recommended him to the emperor.

I am not familiar with Zhang Yongde, why would he recommend me?
Even if someone had to be pushed, it would be Zhao Kuangyin, after all, he had a good personal relationship with Zhao Da.

But these things are irrelevant. We are all here to fight, so it doesn’t matter who we fight against.

Li Yi didn't believe that the Khitans all had heads of iron and arms of bronze, and that they could not be chopped, penetrated, or stabbed to death?

Damn it, kill him!
……

After crossing the Fen River and heading north for dozens of miles, you will reach Xinzhou. The further north you go, the more desolate the scenery becomes.

Going north over Mount Wutai and through the Xinding Basin, you will reach the famous Yanmen Pass.

Since the loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, Yanmen Pass has become the first line of defense in the Central Plains against the Liao Kingdom.

However, now that the Northern Han Dynasty has surrendered to the Liao Dynasty and called itself its nephew, Yanmen Pass is like the front door of the Khitan cavalry's home, allowing them to come and go freely.

This afternoon.

The Later Zhou imperial guards appeared more than ten miles south of Xinzhou City.

It was Li Yi who brought people to support Prince Wei Fu Yanqing.

"Envoy Li, we are not far from Xinzhou City. Should we send someone to inform Prince Wei first?"

Li Yi turned his head to look at the person who was talking next to him. He was a middle-aged man with a beard that was even more lush than Ma Renyu's.

This time, Ma Renyu did not go with the support of Prince Wei Fu Yanqing. He took the remaining troops of the Inner Palace Guard and stayed behind to guard the emperor.

The deputy general appointed by Chai Rong to this reinforcement team was the middle-aged man in front of him.

Li Yi nodded and said, "I'll trouble the King to make the arrangements."

"I will obey your orders!"

Looking at the other person's back, Li Yi seemed to be thinking about something.

The middle-aged man's name is Wang Shenqi... Yes, he is the one among the ten brothers of Zhao Kuangyin's Righteous Society.

However, Wang Shenqi is not yet familiar with Zhao Da to the point of being brothers.

The intersection between the two mainly comes from Zhao Da's father Zhao Hongyin.

Just think about it, before the Battle of Gaoping, Zhao Kuangyin was just a small figure in the imperial guards.

Many of the ten brothers of Yishe had higher military positions than Zhao Da.

For example, Wang Shenqi was previously the commander of the East and West Divisions, and is now the commander-in-chief of the Right Second Army of the Iron Cavalry.

Zhao Kuangyin once served as the leader of the East and West classes under his command.

The one with the highest military rank among the ten brothers was Li Jixun, who was already the commander of the scattered troops before the Battle of Gaoping.

And Li Jixun was nearly forty years old at this time.

Isn’t it nonsense to say that they became sworn brothers with Zhao Kuangyin?
There is no definite evidence in later generations as to when the Ten Brothers of Yishe were formed, or even whether they really existed.

The earliest records appeared many years after Zhao Kuangyin's death.

Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, set up the "Ten Military Lords", and Zhao Kuangyin also set up the "Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society".

Guo Wei was crowned emperor with a yellow flag, and Zhao Kuangyin was also crowned with a yellow robe.

This imitation is too accurate...

In fact.

Since Li Yi traveled through time, he has never heard of Zhao Da having ten brothers in the army.

Before he offended the Zhao family, he was at least close to Zhao Da. How could he be completely unaware of the existence of the Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society?

The only person who could be considered as close to Zhao Da as a brother was Shi Shouxin.

The two have been friends since childhood, just like the relationship between Li Yi and Ma Renyu.

Li Yi felt that even if the Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society really existed, they would at least wait until Zhao Kuangyin became the Palace Guard Commander.

At that time, Chai Rong was determined to reorganize the imperial guards, and Zhao Da made great efforts in it. It was understandable that he took the opportunity to win over a group of people around him.

"Alas, in every era, you have to rely on your father!"

Li Yi felt a little emotional.

Later generations said that Zhao Kuangyin won the appreciation and recommendation of Zhang Yongde through his own abilities.

This is why he was valued by Chai Rong.

This statement is indeed correct, but it is correct nonsense.

There are many people with real abilities in the Imperial Guards, such as Li Yi himself. Why is it that only Zhao Da can be recommended by Zhang Yongde?
It’s because he has a good father!

Perhaps it was because Zhao Hongyin died a little early and did not play a direct role in Zhao Da's enthronement.

It's easy to overlook his existence.

Over the years, Zhao Hongyin had been hovering in the middle and senior ranks, far behind rising stars like Zhang Yongde and Li Chongjin. However, he had considerable experience, having served in the imperial guards since the reign of Li Cunxu, the Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty.

It experienced the turmoil of the Later Jin, Later Han and Later Zhou dynasties.

Zhao Hongyin was not affected much at all, as he had excellent interpersonal relationships in the imperial guards.

Zhang Yongde's father and Zhao Hongyin had private relationships.

It is not difficult to explain why Zhao Kuangyin, a junior officer, could make friends with Zhang Yongde, the son-in-law of the Later Zhou Dynasty's Taizu.

Li Yi gradually figured out these things after traveling through time.

It is actually difficult to sort out the relationship based solely on the vague records in historical materials.

But none of that matters now.

Li Yi is already on the same starting line as Zhao Da, and his military rank is only slightly lower than his father's.

The help brought by personal connections is already very limited, not to mention that we are living in troubled times.

In the end, it all comes down to who has stronger hard power!
Now he is at least qualified to compete with Zhao Da.

……

Not long after, the army finally arrived at the city of Xinzhou.

Xinzhou City is located in the mountain range of the Xinding Basin. It is the only way for the Liao Kingdom to move south from Daizhou. It is known as the "key to northern Shanxi".

The entire city is not large in scale, but its location is very dangerous. The walls on all four sides are built on the slope, and there is a moat around the outside, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

If it weren't for Li Xing, the military supervisor of Xinzhou in the Northern Han Dynasty, who killed the governor Zhao Gao and the general Yang Nuhu sent by the Khitan to assist in defending the city.

Even if the Later Zhou army could capture Xinzhou, it would have to pay a huge price.

At this time, the gates of Xinzhou were closed and there were many people stationed on the city walls.

Although people were sent to notify the city in advance, to be on the safe side, someone still came down from the city wall in a basket and was only allowed into the city after checking the credentials.

"General, you are Li Dushi, one of the Inner Palace Guards, right? I heard that Li Dushi killed the pseudo-Han commander Zhang Yuanhui in battle and crushed the pseudo-Han cavalry. Seeing him today, he is indeed extraordinary and heroic!"

As Li Yi entered the city on horseback, a man dressed as a civil servant came towards him quickly.

Judging from the other party's tone, there was a sense of flattery and intimacy.

But Li Yi didn't know who he was, and looked at Wang Shenqi with some confusion. The other shook his head, obviously not knowing him either.

Perhaps realizing this, the official hastily introduced himself, "I am Li Qing, the governor of Xinzhou."

He called himself a humble official and put himself in a very low position.

But in fact, whether it was Li Yidu's military position as commander-in-chief or the additional title of Tangzhou militia deputy envoy, their rank was lower than that of the governor.

Oh, it turned out to be this guy... Li Yi couldn't help but take a look at him.

Li Xing looked to be about forty years old, with a goatee under his chin, a slightly thin physique, and the demeanor of an ordinary civil servant.

Li Yi could not have imagined that this guy could do such a thing as killing the governor and the Khitan general.

It is said that he also lured and killed hundreds of Khitan cavalrymen who came with the Khitan general to assist in the defense.

Afterwards, he surrendered the city to the Later Zhou Dynasty, and Chai Rong appointed him as the governor of Xinzhou.

This Li Xing is also a ruthless person who can't be judged by appearance...

Li Yi said politely, "Your Excellency Li, your praise is unbelievable. I do not deserve it."

After a few pleasantries, he asked, "Where is the King of Wei?"

"Oh, look at my brain..." Li Qing apologized, "I am here on the orders of King Wei to invite Envoy Li to discuss matters."

"Then I'll have to trouble Governor Li to lead the way."

"Envoy Li, please follow me..."

……

Fu Yanqing was temporarily staying in the government office in Xinzhou City, and Li Yi was taken directly to the front hall of the government office.

As soon as I entered the hall, I saw that there were already quite a few people standing inside, most of them were military generals wearing helmets and armor.

Among them, Xiang Xun, Bai Chongzan and Shi Yanchao, Li Yi had met Chai Rong a few times, but he didn't recognize the others.

Li Yi bowed and said, "General Li Yi pays his respects to the King of Wei!"

"Thank you, Li Dushi, for leading the army to our aid."

Fu Yanqing was not wearing armor, but a brocade robe and a futou hat, looking like a kind old man.

Perhaps because of his age, his temples have become much whiter, but he is still very strong.

Li Yi quickly said, "This is my responsibility!"

Fu Yanqing nodded slightly. "I wonder how many troops Envoy Li has brought with him this time?"

"I have nine hundred cavalry and three thousand two hundred infantry under my command, a total of over four thousand cavalry and infantry."

"Good!" Fu Yanqing looked around and smiled, stroking his hands. "Those who came are all elite members of the Imperial Guard. They are really a great help."

"This time, I will make sure that the Liao army never returns!"

Then he said to Li Yi, "The infantry you brought will be temporarily assigned to my deputy general. As for the 900 cavalry, you will lead them personally."

"I will obey your orders!"

Li Yi replied and then tactfully retreated to the side of the line.

Afterwards, Fu Yanqing began to discuss the war with the generals.

All those present were veterans of the battlefield. Li Yi had relatively little experience, so naturally he did not interrupt and just listened quietly.

However, most of his attention was still on Fu Yanqing.

He was a true veteran of five dynasties, having served in Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou dynasties. It was said that he could ride and shoot at the age of thirteen, and became the governor of Jizhou in his early twenties.

When he was young, he served as a personal guard of Li Cunxu, Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang.

He is now the only living king of a different surname in the Later Zhou Dynasty.

But compared to these.

Fu Yanqing is more famous in later generations for his other identity: the emperor's father-in-law.

Not only did all three of her daughters become queens, but they also spanned the Later Zhou and Northern Song dynasties.

Perhaps only Dugu Xin, the strongest father-in-law in Chinese history, can surpass him.

As the saying goes-

"Three generations of one family were crowned kings, two dynasties had three queens and nine generals."

(End of this chapter)