diskusbooks Chapter 328 Yao Gu
Chapter 328 Yao Gu
Back to the live broadcast room.
"So let's see what Yao Gu and Zhang Hao's teams are doing on the other two routes!"
"According to Yao and Zhong's original plan, Zhong's main force encountered the Jin army at Shouyang. The two sides fought for five rounds, with the Song army gaining a slight advantage, and then arrived at Shaxiong Ridge."
"By now, Yao Gu's troops, who have been advancing from the southwest of Taiyuan, should have arrived here by now!"
"However, something happened to Yao Gu. His subordinate officer, Jiao Anjie, sent him incorrect intelligence, leading Yao Gu to mistakenly believe that the commander of the Jin army's western route had returned to Taiyuan from the north."
"In order to prepare for the enemy, or perhaps because he believed that the siege of Taiyuan could not be resolved, he did not go as agreed and simply set up camp in the area."
"This decision almost killed Zhong Shizhong's entire army and paved the way for the fall of Taiyuan later."
A Ming general said: "Won't Zhong Shizhong be unable to wait for reinforcements and have to fight alone?"
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: The situation is very dangerous. Food supplies are running low and we will soon reach our limit. Even if the Western Army is very capable, it won't work!
A certain romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: So the Western Army was killed by their own people!!!
An official of the Sui Dynasty said: It doesn't matter that the Jin army is missing one strong force, after all, they are not lacking in men and weapons. But the Song army is missing one force, and they don't have many generals to begin with. They are definitely going to be wiped out later!
A minor official from the Qin Dynasty: What happened in the Song Dynasty is just too outrageous! No, it should be said that ever since Emperor Huizong came to power, things have been heading down a crazy path of absurdity!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "If Emperor Zhezong of Song were still alive, how could Emperor Huizong of Song, who was so fond of calligraphy and painting, have gotten his turn!"
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: It's all the fault of their Song Dynasty ancestors. Why did they have to put cinnabar on the wall? Otherwise, they would have died so young. Zhao Gou lived to be over eighty!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: (′;︵;`)...If only I had known this would happen! Why did I do it in the first place?!
……
"Let's get back to Zhong Shizhong, who was stood up. After resting for a night, the Jin people discovered that Zhong Shizhong's group was still in the same place. So they reorganized and prepared to attack the Song army again."
"Many of the soldiers on Zhong Shizhong's side hadn't had enough to eat, and when the enemy learned of this, they inflicted heavy losses on the right flank, which quickly crumbled."
"The vanguard, or rather, the troops who had been starving for days and received no reward, quickly collapsed and deserted. Historical records state that the soldiers were only given a spoonful of beans a day; it was obvious that these people were not well-fed!!!"
"So in the end, Zhong Shizhong could only lead his troops in a desperate battle. If he had chosen to break through and escape at that time, he might have had a chance to survive. As the saying goes, 'Where there's life, there's hope!'"
"However, Zhong Shizhong did not choose to do so. Instead, he fought valiantly to his death, bearing four wounds, at the age of sixty-eight. It is truly regrettable that such a famous general of the late Northern Song Dynasty met such an end!!!"
"Judging from the results, Zhong Shizhong's overzealous policy and the court's urging were related to shortcomings in strategic planning and deployment, which prevented the various armies from converging on schedule."
"Logistics were inadequate, and we knew nothing about the enemy's situation, putting us in an extremely passive position."
"Even the soldiers' food became a problem, let alone the money for fighting for you. That's why the vanguard collapsed and fled, and Zhong Shizhong had to die from exhaustion."
"It's truly laughable. If Emperor Qinzong hadn't been suspicious of Li Gang and Zhong Shidao, outwardly advocating for a direct attack while secretly suppressing the pro-war faction, how could a pro-war figure like Xu Han have so desperately staked everything on this war?"
"It's not that he was courting death, but that he dragged the Zhong family army down with him, causing Zhong Shizhong's defeat and death, and almost the entire army to be wiped out. The three routes were supposed to support each other, but now, let alone saving Taiyuan, they can't even save themselves!"
"In this respect, the Song Dynasty was like a domino that had been overturned, triggering a chain reaction. Starting with the alliance with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was as bad as ever, avoiding all the right choices, which led to the fall of Kaifeng and the capture of the two emperors in the north. The events that happened along the way were full of drama."
"Honestly, were the Jurchens truly so brutal that the Song army was powerless to stop them?"
"Obviously not. The Jurchens were indeed brutal, but the greater problem stemmed from the misrule of the Song Dynasty's rulers and ministers—that's their fault! The history of the Song Dynasty always raises my blood pressure!!!"
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty (cursing): !!
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary General: An amateur commanding professionals, and with incompetent teammates, it's no wonder General Zhong has a hard time winning...
The overweight Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi: Li Gang said that ancestral lands should not be ceded, but in reality, both Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong ceded the capital to the capital!
A certain romantic scholar of the Tang Dynasty: The Zhong family has produced Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) for generations, so they can be considered scholars. How come only they are successful, while those officials are all talk and no action, and they just have to show off!
A soldier from the Han Dynasty: How can the Song Dynasty's military be so terrible? Not only is it terrible, but how come so many people are afraid of the enemy?!
Emperor Qin Shi Huang: It seems the Song army is capable of defending the city, but their chances of winning an attack are very low…
Liu Zhuzhu (Big Han): This is hilarious! What dynasty's army only knows how to defend cities and never launch attacks?!
……
Lin Ke also understood that the Jin army was in the early stages of its rise, and even the Liao Dynasty, its elder brother, could not defeat it, let alone the Song army, which could not even defeat the Liao army.
Being unable to win and being afraid to fight are two different things and cannot be compared.
She felt a tightness in her chest. The politics of the late Northern Song Dynasty were utterly rotten. Even though the Southern Song Dynasty produced figures like Yue Fei and Xin Qiji... what was the result?
Lin Ke sighed again, "Of Zhong Shizhong's troops, only Zhang Jun led a hundred or so men to break through the encirclement. Seeing this, the Jin soldiers pressed their advantage and pursued Yao Gu's troops on the other side."
"In fact, of these three forces, the one led by General Zhong is advancing at a rapid pace, while the other two are progressing slowly. Under these circumstances, they are no match for the Jin army's field battles and can be easily defeated one by one."
"Moreover, these three forces lack unified command. The Privy Council, with its incompetent officials directing the experts, results in each army fighting independently. Ultimately, it reflects a lack of capable personnel in the court; those who are there are merely troublemakers!"
"So, rather than saying that the Song court gathered three armies to relieve the siege of Taiyuan, it would be more accurate to say that the Song court sent these three armies to their deaths, which really killed Zhong Shizhong and the Zhong family army."
"The Jin army and Yao Gu's troops fought at Pantuo. Because Jiao Anjie did not investigate the situation properly and believed the intelligence, the morale of the army was low and a good opportunity was missed."
"The situation here became very clear after that. After several days of fierce fighting, they still couldn't defeat the Jin army, so Yao Gu retreated to Longde Prefecture."
"After dealing with these two groups of Song troops, it was the turn of the last group, led by Zhang Hao, son of Zhang Xiaochun."
"He and Yao Gu split up and headed north from Changzhi and Fenzhou. Since Yao Gu set up camp and was unable to continue, Zhang Hao followed closely behind."
"However, the enemy's firepower was too strong, and they were skilled in open field battles; those cavalrymen all looked formidable."
"Zhang Hao's forces on the Song side were even worse than the previous two routes, suffering a major defeat at Jiaocheng at the hands of the Jin army. As a result, the Song court's attempt to relieve Taiyuan by assembling three armies completely failed!"