The Battle of Xia and Fen.
However, it is said that since the founding of Zhao Kuangyin in the Northern Song Dynasty, there have been wars everywhere, and the southern separatist forces have been eliminated. Unification of the Central Plains, national strength gradually strengthened. However, the small country of the Northern Han Dynasty has always stood tall and has become the heart disease of the Northern Song Dynasty, because there is a powerful Liao State behind the Northern Han Dynasty, and the Liao and Han have joined forces to keep an eye on the Northern Song Dynasty, threatening the territorial security of the Northern Song Dynasty from time to time.
Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, once personally conquered the Northern Han Dynasty in the second year of Kaibao (969 AD) and almost destroyed the Northern Han Dynasty. However, due to the heavy rain on the way, he could not move forward, and his success was lost. In the ninth year of Tianbao (976 AD), Zhao Kuangyin ordered the generals Dang Jin and Pan Mei to attack the Northern Han Dynasty, but Zhao Kuangyin died suddenly in October of that year, and the military operation just launched was suspended.
In a blink of an eye, Taizong Zhao Guangyi succeeded to the throne for nearly three years, and the throne was secure, so he also wanted to conquer the Northern Han Dynasty. He thought twice and asked the minister Cao Bin: "Zhou Shizong and my brother Emperor Taizu both personally conquered Taiyuan, but they both returned in vain. Could it be that this Taiyuan City cannot be breached? ”
Cao Bin replied: "Your Majesty, Zhou Shizu's expedition to the Northern Han Dynasty was due to the defeat of the general Shi Chao at Shiling Pass, which led to the return of the army; Taizu personally conscripted, camped in the grassland and encountered heavy rain, and the soldiers were not accustomed to the water and soil, so they collected their troops. None of them directly attacked Taiyuan City. It's not that the city is too strong to conquer. At present, the country's military armor is elite, and the people's hearts are happy. When Taizong heard this, he proposed in the court to launch a Northern Expedition to destroy the Northern Han Dynasty, and asked the ministers to express their opinions.
A group of lords and factions headed by Prime Minister Xue Juzheng have advised one after another, believing that the Northern Han Dynasty is a small puppet country, with the aid of the Khitan on the outside and the will to stick to it inside, "it is not enough to get the soil, and it is not enough to give it up for trouble." There is some truth to this. The main battle faction represented by Cao Bin believed that the acquisition of the Northern Han Dynasty could be used as a prelude to the recovery of the sixteen states of Yanyun, which was very important. The two factions were at loggerheads, and Taizong couldn't make a decision for a while.
However, he said that Zhang Qixian served in the local government, and two years later, his term of office expired smoothly and he returned to the court. At this time, it was the first month of the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo (979 AD), and on the day of the face of the court, it coincided with Taizong's mention of the attack on the Northern Han Dynasty, and the ministers discussed it enthusiastically. This attack on the Northern Han Dynasty coincided with Zhang Qixian's long-standing political pursuit. So he took the opportunity to join the main battle faction and once again expounded his advice to Taizu three years ago.
Taizong and the other ministers of the main battle faction agreed with his line of thought. So the monarch and the ministers made up their minds to immediately attack the Han. Taizong immediately appointed Pan Mei, the envoy of the Southern Court of Xuanhui, as the main general, and appointed the envoy of the North Road, and took Li Hanqiong, Cui Yanjin, Cao Han, and Liu Yu to lead the troops and horses to Taiyuan respectively. Since the young Zhang Qixian had no actual combat experience in leading troops, Taizu appointed him as a secretary and stayed in Beijing to take charge of cultural work. It's a small promotion.
When the Liao lord heard that the Northern Song Dynasty was attacking the Northern Han Dynasty, he reacted quickly, sent a fast horse to come, and asked: "What do you mean by attacking the Han Kingdom for no reason?" The Northern Song Dynasty replied forcefully: "Hedong disobeyed the order, and it is reasonable for the teacher to ask for the guilt." If the Northern Dynasty does not fight with the Jie, our Dynasty will make peace as before. Otherwise, there is no need to be afraid of war. "The meaning is clear: we are determined to attack the Northern Han. If you're going to be nosy, we're going to war.
has made bold words, offended the Liao State, and must prepare for a big battle. After sufficient preparations, Taizong led the forbidden army guards with the horse army Du Yu Hou Mi Xin and the infantry army Du Yu Hou Tian to re-enter the Northern Han Dynasty, starting from Bianjing, and in February of the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo (979 AD), the royal car arrived in Lanzhou and prepared to cross the Yellow River.
When the Liao State saw that the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty was personally driving, he also discharged a luxurious lineup to deal with it: With Yelu Sha, the prime minister of the Southern Prefecture, as the general, Yelu Mo as the deputy, and the Ji King Yelu Enemy Lie as the supervising army, led 20,000 elite cavalry to rush to the aid of the Northern Han Dynasty, and the king of the Southern Courtyard, Yelu Xian, led the army to follow.
The Northern Song Dynasty monarchs had already anticipated the route of the Khitans' troops, and sent the general Yunzhou to observe the envoy Guo Jin to lead the army to wait in Shiling Guannan (near present-day Yangqu, Shanxi). Yelusha and Yelu Enemy Lie led their troops to Baima Ling, and saw that the Song army had already prepared, and they lined up across a wide stream. Knowing that the Song army had already prepared, Yerusha advocated waiting for the successors of the king of the Southern Courtyard to arrive and then launch an attack.
This Yelu enemy martyr is the prince of the imperial family, who has never looked down on the people of the Central Plains, is greedy for merit, and thinks that he can defeat the Song army in one go. Yerusha did not dare to disobey, so he had to order the Liao soldiers to attack. The Liao army was all cavalry, and if it was in Pingchuan, a burst of charge would give it the upper hand. The mountain road here is rugged, and there is a big stream in front of which the water is quite rapid, and the Khitan cavalry cannot give full play to its advantages, so they can only wade through the water carefully.
Guo Jin was originally a seasoned veteran. saw that a small number of Liao soldiers had just waded ashore on the water, and their foothold was unstable; Most of them are still in the stream, and people are panicking. He made a quick decision, and with a charge order, the Song army attacked head-on, defeated the Liao army, and there were few 20,000 cavalry left, and the father and son of Yelu Dilie and Yelu Sha died in the chaos. Yerusha led the remaining few remnants of the army to flee, and Guo Jin led his troops to pursue bravely. It was also thanks to the arrival of Yelusha, the king of the Southern Courtyard, that the whole army retreated.
besieged the city and sent reinforcements, Zhang Qixian's strategy of "merging under Fen" has achieved initial results. What's next? Look at the officials and friends, please wait for the next breakdown.
Ancient Wars. 
Above the court. 
Wading in the water.