The sixth of the legendary Li Jiqian - a desperate place to survive

In the face of the Great Song Dynasty at this time, Li Jiqian was at an absolute disadvantage.

From a general point of view, the nomadic tribes of the party are basically still at the level of the tribe, and when the Li family in Xiazhou was highly centralized in the past, there were still people who could suppress them. Now that the Li family has fallen, Yin Xian, the new governor of the Song Dynasty, spent his main energy on quelling Li Jiqian's "rebellion", and did not implement effective management of them.

Of course, loose sand that cannot be organized will have no combat effectiveness and will not be able to become a climate. Now looking at the reason why Yin Xian did not strengthen management, maybe there is a meaning to let them continue to disperse, they have their own affairs, and they will break each other in the future. Although Li Jiqian seems to be very lively, in the eyes of Da Song, it is just a disease of ringworm and scabies, which is not fatal. At this time, the Great Song Dynasty was faced with the most important task of recovering the "Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun", so the Great Song Dynasty became the largest buyer of horses, the main product of these scattered Dangxiang Qiang tribes.

In other words, the various tribes of Dangxiang Qiang also relied on the Great Song Dynasty to obtain monetary benefits in exchange for the tea and silk needed by the Dangxiang people from the Great Song Dynasty (part of which was used for Silk Road trade). Although under the leadership of Li Jiqian, the Great Song Dynasty was forced to reopen Yanbian's Yanbian Farm, so that another major product, green salt, could be sold, but they had a faint fear in their hearts that if they annoyed the Song Dynasty again, it was not impossible for them to re-ban salt. Therefore, they are still unwilling to fundamentally fall out with the Great Song Dynasty. Once the fall out, the economic interests of the tribes will inevitably be affected. Moreover, the various tribes still have this great fear of the military strength of the Zhao and Song dynasties, so these chiefs often linger and hesitate on the issue of opposing the Song and supporting the Song Dynasty.

In the face of such a Qiang people, although Li Jiqian organized one or two rebellions against the Great Song Dynasty for a while, when faced with reality, he could not mobilize most of the Qiang people, perhaps this is the reason why he will fail once he faces the regular army of the Song Dynasty.

The disadvantage of the Dangxiang army under the command of Li Jiqian also lies in the combat effectiveness of the army. They lacked armor and weapons, nor did they have food and grass, and of course their troops were not trained to march in the army, and were basically stragglers. The Great Song Dynasty Forbidden Army was fully armoured, well-armed, well-trained, and well-trained, which was not the same as Li Jiqian's party army.

Most of Li Jiqian's advantages are reflected in the spiritual level, but the disadvantages really exist in the material foundation and strength.

In the first battle of Turbidity Lunchuan, Li Jiqian was defeated, and the losses of the combat troops reached more than 5,000 people. Wang Yu successfully recovered Yinzhou City and defeated the Dangxiang tribes that had originally belonged to Li Jiqian. Dozens of party tribes were no longer able to "form a crowd," and 125 tribes were appeased. This includes the folding of the three ethnic villages. The Zhe family later became a big family in the Song Dynasty and a famous border guard. Just mention one person, and everyone can know their weight, Zhi Saihua, that is, the wife of Yang Ye, the general of Song. Yes, the folklore of She Taijun is based on her. His family was originally a particularly strong combat force under the command of Li Jiqian, and at this time, it was attached to the Song Dynasty. It became an important force in the Song Dynasty's defense of the Khitan.

Yin Xian took this opportunity to strengthen the defense, and Li Jiqian could only hide in Tibet, and he could no longer organize an effective attack, even if he had the opportunity to make trouble, it was difficult to find an opportunity. Even the surrounding environment is very bad. The Tibetans in the southwest are eyeing them. Gaochang in the northwest and the Uighurs entrenched in the Gansha prefectures all had trade and even tributary relations with the Great Song Dynasty.

Yinzhou City was regained and lost, and Li Jiqian fled to the desert, almost nothing, and was indeed in a desperate situation.

The pressure is heavy, and the black clouds weigh down on the city.

The commendable is here, Li Jiqian is not discouraged, and he is still full of vitality. He believes that most of the Tibetan tribes who returned to the Great Song Dynasty were also forced by the situation, and as long as he Li Jiqian could make a comeback, they would still gather around him. He is convinced of this. At this time, he was wandering in the desert, more calm than before. He finally figured out a truth, relying on his own and even the strength of the entire party Xiang clan would definitely not be able to fight the Great Song Dynasty, he had to find a powerful helper for himself and seek the assistance of the alliance. But who are you looking for? His gaze wandered in the yellow sand, and finally stopped in the northeast. There, there is a powerful empire that has caused headaches and even fears for several generations of dynasties in the Central Plains - the Khitan.

However, they and the Khitan were once rivals.

In the past battles and struggles between the Song Dynasty and the Khitan, their Dangxiang clan has always stood on the side of the Song Dynasty. When Song Taizong destroyed the Northern Han Dynasty, a subject of the Khitan, they made great efforts. Even emotionally, as a Yi tribe and a Tibetan tribe, Dang Xiangqiang is also reluctant to be a vassal to the Khitan. But when he was in a desperate situation, Li Jiqian could think about it. Moreover, he also remembered that after the defeat of Dijinze, one way to reunite the Tibetan tribe was to become the son-in-law of various major clans, and strengthen his strength by concluding marriages, if he also became the son-in-law of the Khitan, the situation would definitely change a lot.

The benefits are the most realistic. With that figured out, you can start all over again.

In 986 A.D. (the third year of Yongxi reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty and the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Liao Sheng), he said to his subordinates: "We have raised troops for many years, but we still cannot recover the old industry, and recover the five states of Xia, Sui, Yin, You, and Jing. Now that the Liao Kingdom in the north is strong, and now the Song State is planning another northern expedition to the Liao State, and a major war is about to break out between the two sides, I want to go to the Liao State to seek their assistance to realize the great cause of recovery. ”

His opinion was endorsed, especially by Zhang Pu. So, Li Jiqian arranged for his younger brother Li Jichong to temporarily lead his subordinates to rest in the grassland, and then personally entered the Liao realm with Zhang Pu to seek dependence.

This led to the first rapprochement between Liao and Western Xia. Liao Shengzong (in fact, Empress Dowager Xiao was in power) married him with Princess Yicheng.

At that time, in 982, when Li Jiqian raised an army against the Song Dynasty, Liao Jingzong, who was only 33 years old, died. The throne was succeeded by his 12-year-old son Liao Shengzong, and the 29-year-old widow Xiao Yanyan, also known as the Empress Dowager Xiao, was the de facto ruler. Through the efforts of Empress Dowager Xiao, within a few years, she basically subdued the Khitan nobles who were dissatisfied with her rule. Among the forces she relied on was a Han man who was also his lover, and this person was called Han Derang.

When Liao Jingzong was still alive, Han Derang commanded the "Battle of the Gaoliang River" of Song Taizong's invasion of Liao, which was also known as the "Battle of Yanjing". Defeated the Song army, Song Taizong was hit by two arrows in the thigh, and found a donkey cart before escaping with his life.

At this time, Han Derang restored his lover relationship with Xiao Yanyan and suppressed the rebellion of some dissatisfied Liao nobles, and his status in the Khitan can be said to be below one person and above ten thousand. And this "one person" is almost obedient to him.

Soon, the relationship between Xiao Yanyan and Han Derang spread all over the government and the opposition, and of course it was also known to the border officials of the Song Dynasty. In their opinion, the unclear relationship between Xiao Yanyan and Han Derang will definitely lead to internal strife within the Liao Dynasty and instability in the government.

It was the cultural differences between the north and the south that led to the Song Dynasty's misjudgment. Song Taizong decided to take advantage of this opportunity to go on the Northern Expedition, which was the third year of Song Yongxi, so this battle was called the "Yongxi Northern Expedition" in history. It was also the second Northern Expedition in the life of Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty.

Just when this war was about to break out, the Great Liao Kingdom, which had begun to arrange troops, suddenly ushered in a guest, it turned out that Zhang Pu came with a large number of rare treasures to meet the Khitan Empress Dowager Xiao Sui and Liao Shengzong, and expressed his willingness to pay tribute, belong to the Khitan, and resist the Great Song Dynasty.

At this time, Li Jiqian did not show up, and it was quite meaningful to let Zhang Pu come alone. Because before, Dang Xiangqiang and Khitan had always been hostile and had no diplomatic contacts. If Li Jiqian came forward directly and was rejected all of a sudden, there would really be no room for maneuver in the future. And Zhang Pu, who is able to speak well, is the first to send an envoy, even if he is rejected, Li Jiqian can still come forward later, not to mention that Zhang Pu is extremely wise, even if he is rejected, he can find out the situation clearly, and he will have a good idea of what to do next.

Sure enough, Empress Dowager Xiao, who held the power of the court, was a little indifferent to the envoy of the party Xiangqiang, and she also showed that she had heard of Li Jiqian's name and was not deeply impressed.

Zhang Pu knew that Li Jiqian had nothing left at this time, he was just a lost dog, and some were just the identity of a descendant of the Li family. When Li Jitou voted for the Song Dynasty, he gave up such a big place as the five states of Dingyan, what could Li Jiqian give to the Khitan? If there is no benefit, there is no obligation, and it would be good to be polite to receive you as a messenger.

Zhang Pu is certainly not a trivial person. He is like Zhuge Liang's tongue and the Confucianism, Kan Kan said that the Khitan is the sworn enemy of the Great Song Dynasty, and it is also the enemy of the party Xiang Qiang and Li Jiqian, and if there is a common enemy, there is a common language, and there is nothing that cannot be talked about if there is a common language. Everyone sat down to drink and chat, and there was nothing old that could not be explained. By your side of Da Liao, the only one who can really bring you benefits and really fight against the Great Song Dynasty is Li Jiqian. It's small, but it's one aspect. No matter what, it will also contain part of the Great Song Dynasty's troops.

But spare you Zhang Pu's tongue and spit out the lotus, and the Empress Dowager Xiao just doesn't want you to make a clear statement. Seeing that the party item was about to face the fate of being rejected by the Khitan, at this time, a person stood up, and he realized the importance of the party item Qiang and the importance of Li Jiqian. This person is Han Dewei, the Khitan southwest envoy in charge of the defense of the southwest. Han Dewei's brother is Han Derang, the lover of Empress Dowager Xiao. Han Derang is the second, and Han Dewei is the third. Their father was Han Kuangsi, who was not good at fighting, but he was proficient in medical skills, and was regarded as "his own son" by Empress Shulu of Liao Taizu.

Han Dewei stood up and spoke at this time, completely from the perspective of the overall strategic situation, and discovered the potential value of Li Jiqian.

Han Dewei said: "The Hexi region is the right arm of the Central Plains, and in the past, the Zhe family of Fuzhou and the Li family of Xiazhou jointly fought against the Northern Han, which led to the futility of our efforts to support the Northern Han. Now that the Li family has come and surrendered automatically, it happens to have broken one of the arms of the Great Song Dynasty, which is too beneficial to our country. If we accept the annexation of the Li family, then we can put a nail in the northwest of the Song Dynasty, so that the Song Dynasty will always feel uncomfortable, and then we will have a lot less pressure on the front. ”

Everything about him is based on the Northern Expedition of Song Taizong that he is about to face. In the past, there was such a buffer zone between Song and Liao, but now that this buffer zone is gone, the Khitan will have to directly face the attack of the Great Song Dynasty. Now, Li Jiqian sent it to the door himself and volunteered to play the role of this "buffer belt". In the end, Han Dewei said to his "second sister-in-law": "Why don't we eat the pie that fell from the sky?" ”

It should be said that Hon Dewei is indeed a strategist. In the past history, everyone paid a lot of attention to Han Derang and ignored Han Dewei, which seems to be biased. It was precisely because of his advice that Empress Dowager Xiao changed her attitude and changed the historical fate of the party Xiangqiang.

In this way, Zhang Pu fulfilled his mission and made Li Jiqian a courtier of Da Liao. Empress Dowager Xiao also gave special face, and personally named Li Jiqian as the envoy of the Dingyan Army, the observer envoy of the five states of Yinxia, and the military governor of Xiazhou. With this, the Xia Liao Alliance will be established.

When Zhang Pu returned to Li Jiqian's tent waiting at the edge of the desert with the letter of appointment personally signed by Empress Dowager Xiao, it is estimated that Li Jiqian may have cried with joy. At this time, his Li Jiqian's waist stood up again. Subsequently, he immediately went to his brother's tribe to declare the canonization of Da Liao. Those party departments that were broken up or not hit saw that Li Jiqian leaned on the big tree of Daliao, and it seemed that there was still hope for the resumption of summer, so they ran back to Li Jiqian's side one after another, and the results that Wang Yu and Guo Shouwen had finally obtained were gradually eliminated, not to mention, in order to cut Liao, Wang Yu had been transferred back to the Central Plains, and became the supervisor of the army all the way to Liaozhong.

Yongxi's Northern Expedition began, and Zhao Guangyi divided his troops into multiple ways and commanded them remotely. In this war, Li Jiqian, regardless of his weakness, took the initiative to attack, actively cooperated with Liao's military operations, and constantly attacked the northwest border of the Song Dynasty. The northwest, which had already been quiet, was bloody again. In this year, the Song army's northern expedition to the Liao State ended in victory and then defeat, and Li Jiqian gained the trust he deserved in the Liao State.

Although he lost a lot and won few battles with the Song Dynasty, after all, the Song army did not dare to transfer a single soldier from the northwest to live or die, and it can be regarded as making due contributions to the final victory of the Khitan.

The Li family in Xiazhou must have a cheap advantage to take advantage of, and it is good at evaluating merit. This time he helped the Khitan so much, Li Jiqian would definitely not let go of this opportunity to ask for rewards in front of the new master. When the whole Khitan country was immersed in the joy of victory, Li Jiqian personally went to Liaoshang Beijing at this time, which not only added icing on the cake, but also narrowed the relationship with Daliao a lot. While the iron was hot, Li Jiqian lost no time in asking the Empress Dowager Xiao to marry a Khitan aristocratic woman. Empress Dowager Xiao and Liao Shengzong also saw the role of Li Jiqian through this battle, and naturally they would not refute his face, so they immediately chose a prince to make Yeluxiang's daughter crowned as Princess Yicheng and marry Li Jiqian. Now Li Jiqian flew Huang Tengda, and the original lost dog turned into the master of Daliao, and for a while, Li Jiqian's prestige was unprecedentedly improved.

Li Jiqian's peace envoy to Western Xia not only played the role of "containing the Song soldiers". More importantly, his political prestige and appeal among the tribes have been greatly enhanced. It can be said that it was the Northern Expedition of Yongxi in the Song Dynasty that saved Li Jiqian, and Li Jiqian made full use of this opportunity, which is also a manifestation of his genius.

In December of the eighth year of Liao Tonghe (990), the second year of Heqin, Liao made Li Jiqian the king of Xia (Shanhe has always believed that the history of Western Xia should start at this time, not from Li Yuanhao's proclamation as emperor). ）