Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

At that time, even if Li Ganshun wanted to escape, how could he escape the interception and pursuit of the Jin Army cavalry?

In this way, the battle between the Chu and Xia armies in Xingqing Mansion went on and on, and when they fell into a stalemate, good news finally came from the north. The Jin army accepted Xue Yuanli's invitation, and Wanyan Zonghan personally led the army from the Tiande army into the Xixia Kingdom The Heishan Weifu Army Commander is heading upstream along the Yellow River to Xingqing Mansion.

In Wanyan Zonghan's army, there were Xue Yuanli, the envoy of the Xixia Kingdom, and Ma Kuo, the envoy of the Chu Army.When the Jin army went out, the corresponding information was sent back to Xingqing Mansion and the Chu Army camp in Lingzhou by the two.

Li Ganshun, the lord of the Xixia Kingdom, was overjoyed when he learned that Marshal Wanyan Zonghan of the capital of the Jin Kingdom personally led the army to rescue him.

In order to celebrate the arrival of the Jin army, Li Ganshun, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, also held a large banquet in the palace to celebrate.

Xue Yuanli, who made meritorious service as an envoy, was also promoted by Li Qianshun, who was commended lavishly.

In Ximenqing's camp, after receiving information about the advance of the Jin army and confirming that Yan Zonghan had completed the outflanking of the Xixia army's rear, Ximenqing also issued an order for the entire army to attack.

Thus, Shu Wang Li Renli, veteran Ren Duo Baozhong, and Bei Zhong Sachen finally saw the power of the Ximenqing Army's firearms battalion.

The artillery and muskets of the Ximen Qing Army easily tore through the defense lines of Jingzhou, Huaizhou, and Shunzhou of the Xixia Army, and wiped out most of the main force of the Xixia Army gathered here.

Shu Wang Li Renli was shot and fled back to Xingqing Mansion without his troops.

In order to prove his loyalty to the imperial court, Ren Duo Baozhong led five hundred relatives to launch a suicide charge against Ximen Qing's army when Huaizhou fell, and was beaten into a sieve by Wei Dingguo's musketeers.

Bei Zhongsachen was intercepted and killed by Yue Fei's army during the retreat, and was captured alive by Yue Fei in the melee.

The Ximen Qing Army and the Jin Army arrived at the city of Xingqing Mansion almost at the same time.

Chapter 35

Xingqing Mansion, the capital of Xixia, is located to the east of Helan Mountain and on the valley plain on the west bank of the Yellow River. This place is Yinchuan of Ningxia in later generations.

Although the Xixia Kingdom was established by the party members, these party members have been attached to the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains since the Tang Dynasty and have been Sinicized.

Therefore, after the founding of the country, the party members not only promoted and employed a large number of Han ministers, but also promoted Confucian culture in the country and learned the political system of the Central Plains.

In addition, there are many farming Han people in Xixia, so from Lingzhou City to Xingqing Mansion, all cities were built in the style of Han people.

Compared with Lingzhou City, which is the land of four fortresses, the capital city of Xingqing has a wider terrain and a more magnificent city.

Xingqing Fucheng is a rectangular city with a circumference of more than eighteen miles and a moat about ten feet wide. There are two gates in the north and south, and one gate in the east.

The land of Xingqing Prefecture was originally under the jurisdiction of Lingzhou in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and it was named Huaiyuan Town.

After Li Jiqian, the founder of the Xixia Kingdom, captured Lingzhou in the Song Dynasty, he changed Lingzhou to Xiping Mansion and took it as his ruling center.

After Li Deming, the son of Li Jiqian, succeeded to the throne, he believed that Xiping Prefecture was located in the four fortresses, which was not conducive to defense, and was not as favorable as Huaiyuan.

Therefore, Li Deming sent his minister He Chengzhen to lead his servants to cross the Yellow River to the north to build a city, build a city gate palace and a place where the ancestral clan is located, and set the capital here, named Xingzhou.

After Li Deming's son Li Yuanhao succeeded to the throne, he built the palace city extensively, built palaces, and promoted Xingzhou to Xingqing Mansion.And formally set up civil and military classes here, and established the ruling body of Xixia.

Li Yuanhao was enshrined here on October [-], the first year of Yanzuo, the first year of Yanzuo, the emperor's throne, and officially established the Xixia Kingdom.

The emperors of all dynasties in the Western Xia Dynasty used this as their capital, and when it was handed down to the sixth emperor Li Qianshun, it was expanded again.

Although the Xingqing Mansion at this time was not comparable to Bianliang City in Tokyo, it still had towering buildings and clusters of palaces, which were built quite impressively by successive emperors of the Xixia Kingdom.

However, in the majestic palace, Li Ganshun, the lord of the country, looked at the white snow on Helan Mountain in the west in a daze, and muttered to himself: "I have lost my virtue. Is Daxia going to die in my hands today?"

Behind Li Qianshun, all the civil and military officials of the Xixia Kingdom knelt on the ground, wailing loudly.

Some ministers scolded Na Jin Guo for his treachery and murdered Daxia behind his back, and some ministers did not forget to scold Xue Yuanli for wronging the country when they were crying.

It turned out that after Jin Guo Marshal Wan Yan Zonghan led the army to the outside of Xingqing Mansion, not only did he not force the Chu army back, but colluded with the Chu army to surround Xingqing Mansion, the capital of Xixia.

Now, the ultimatums of Ximenqing, the coach of the Chu army, and Wanyan Zonghan, the coach of the Jin army, have been sent to the city, asking Li Qianshun and his subjects to open the city and surrender within twelve hours. The nobles and ministers did not stay behind.

Seeing the tacit understanding between the Chu army and the Jin army outside the city, the division of labor and cooperation between the two armies, and no hostile intentions between the two armies, how could Li Qianshun and his ministers not understand that he had been tricked by Chu and Jin, and was plotted by these two countries? .

Chu State wanted to destroy Xia State for a very good reason. There were constant wars between Song Xia and Chu Xia, which was a blood feud.

Given this golden opportunity, how could Chu not take the opportunity to destroy the old rival Xixia?

The reason why the Jin Kingdom wanted to destroy the Xixia Kingdom was far-fetched. It was nothing more than that the Xixia Kingdom once refused to accept the border between Chu and Xia established by Marshal Wanyan Zonghan of the Jin Army Capital, and launched an attack on Chu without authorization.And when Wanyan Zonghan sent envoys to mediate the war, the Xixia Kingdom was arrogant and rude.

But what's the use of theory now?

"Man is the sword, I am the fish." Now that the knife is in the hands of Ximenqing and Wanyan Zonghan, who can Li Ganshun turn to for reasoning?

Hearing the crying of a group of ministers behind him, Li Qianshun felt even more distressed.

Now that the country is in danger, is there not a loyal minister and good general who can stand up and turn the tide?

Li Qianshun understood that when he saw the ultimatum from the Chu army and the Jin army, stating that they would kill all the nobles and ministers after they entered the city, the courtiers behind them had already surrendered, but no one was the first to speak up, to be the crime of subjugation. Minister only.

In fact, when they learned that the Jin army came to destroy Xia, the morale and morale of the army in Xingqing Prefecture collapsed completely.

Compared with the Chu army who killed all the way, the Jin army who was originally regarded as the savior suddenly became the enemy army, which is the most deadly.

Because Wanyan Zonghan deliberately entered from the north, and has dispatched the Jin army to control the fortifications from the Heishan Weifu Army Division to the Xingqing Mansion, blocking the route of Li Qianshun's escape to the north.

At this time, the Xixia army stationed at Helan Mountain in the west of the city was also attacked by the Jin army, and the whole army was wiped out.After crossing Helan Mountain, the way to escape into the desert was also blocked.

The south and east of Xingqing Mansion were occupied by the Chu army. It can be said that Li Ganshun, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, and the nobles and ministers of the country were surrounded in this isolated city, like a turtle in a urn.

It has to be admitted that even though Ximenqing came from the state of Chu triumphantly all the way and wiped out the armies of Brother Li Cha, Li Liangfu and others one after another, in the eyes of Li Qianshun and his ministers, Wanyan Zonghan's army is more deterrent.

Because, the Jin army led by Wanyan Zonghan destroyed the two big countries, Liao and Song, one after another!

When facing the Chu army, many civil and military ministers of the Xixia Army still had the courage to fight, but at this time, no one dared to lead troops out of the city to fight the Jin army and the Chu army.

In fact, despite the fall of Jingzhou, Huaizhou and other places, there are still enough military forces in Xingqing Mansion, the capital of the Xixia Kingdom.

Because the country is ruled by Han and Fan, the military system of the Xixia Kingdom was also developed on the basis of the tribal military system of the Dangxiang clan by absorbing the Song system.

The Xixia Kingdom also has a Privy Council, which is the highest military governing body in Xixia, and has various divisions under it.

Of course, at this time, the privy council envoy Li Cha and the deputy privy envoy Wei Ming A Wu had both died in battle in the territory of Chu.

The army of the Xixia Kingdom is composed of three parts: the Central Guard Army, the Capture Army and the Local Army.

The central guards include the "proton army", the emperor's guard and the capital garrison.

The "Proton Army" has about 5000 people. It is a garrison force composed of those who are good at riding and shooting selected from the descendants of the Dangxiang Hao family. It is responsible for protecting the safety of the emperor.

There are also 3000 emperor's trusted guards, which are composed of strong and brave men selected from various armies in the territory. They are all heavy armored cavalry.

In addition, a well-trained garrison of 5000 people with excellent equipment was also stationed in the capital area, which was the main force of the Xixia Central Guards.

These more than 3 elite central guards are now huddled in the city of Xingqing, protecting the safety of the lord Li Ganshun.