After Fan Zhongyan left, the gentlemen of the New Deal were also kicked out of the capital one by one: on August 5, Fu Bi was the envoy of Hebei Xuanfu. On the 9th, Yu Jing of the Zhiyuan was appointed as an envoy to the Great Khitan. Cai Xiang and Ouyang Xiu were both laid off from the Zhiyuan Yuan, Ouyang Xiu went to Danghe Hebei Road to transfer the envoy, Cai Xiang went to the History Museum to repair the living note (on October 21, he was dismissed together with another colleague of the Zhiyuan Sun Fu) On September 12, Prime Minister Yan Shu was dismissed. On the 26th, Du Yan served as the prime minister as a privy envoy. Jia Changchao was transferred to the Privy Council, and Chen Zhizhong was appointed as the governor.

It's funny to say, Yan Shu, a great talent, became the Song Dynasty version of Li Shangyin. Li was sandwiched between the two parties of Niu and Li in the Tang Dynasty, and as a member of the Niu Party, he married the daughter of the predecessor of the Li Party, which made him ruined for life, and he was not a person inside and out. Yan Shu is the same, he is the great benefactor of Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu, and the old man of Fubi, but he is not interested in the new deal at all. So Ouyang Xiu was demoted, and he was very happy. Sun Fu and Cai Xiang from the Zhiyuan jointly retained him, but he also refused. At this time, the officials were furious and exposed his old bottom, and the epitaph he wrote to Renzong's biological mother did not indicate the relationship between mother and son, and recently he also banned the army from repairing private houses. On these two points, Yan Shu lost his official position and resigned, and went to Yingzhou to be the governor, and the official was not as big as Ouyang Xiu.

On July 21 and August 28, Li Yuanhao sent envoys to Liao twice to apologize, but Yeluzong really did not listen. On September 14, the Khitan army gathered at Jiujiuquan, and Liao Shengzong officially issued a pro-conquest order, with the emperor's younger brother Yelu Chongyuan and the privy envoy Xiao Hui of the Northern Yuan as the vanguard, and Xiao Xiaoyou, who stayed in Tokyo, also went out with the army.

On the 19th, Li Yuanhao sent Yang Shousu to the Great Song Dynasty to sue for peace, presented an oath, and claimed to be a minister. He is willing to return the Han soldiers captured after the Song and Xia wars, return the captured Great Song Zhaibao, and ask the imperial court to give 130,000 horses of silk, 50,000 taels of silver, and 20,000 catties of tea. At the same time, in order to avoid irritating the Liao State, there are also 10,000 taels of silver, 10,000 horses of silk, and 5,000 catties of tea in the name of the Qianyuan Festival, 5,000 taels of silver, 5,000 horses of silk, and 5,000 catties of tea in the name of the New Year's gift, 5,000 taels of silk and 5,000 horses of silk in the name of the midwinter gift, and 2,000 taels of silver and 3,000 horses of silk for Li Yuanhao's birthday. A total of 72,000 taels of silver, 153,000 horses of silk, and 30,000 catties of tea. Resumption of the mutual market... October 2nd. The Great Song Dynasty agreed to Li Yuanhao's request for peace, but at the same time, in order to avoid irritating the Liao State, the peace oath was not made public for the time being, but the ancestral temple of Tibet.

On October 2, the Liao army sacrificed heaven and earth. On the 8th, he captured the party spy and shot a ghost arrow. Yelu Sect really made the first personal expedition to Western Xia. On the 9th, Li Yuanhao apologized. On the 11th, Li Yuanhao expressed his willingness to return the familiar households of the party that had defected into the Western Xia to the Great Khitan. On the 23rd, Li Yuanhao sent an envoy to pay tribute. Xiao Ge, the deputy privy envoy of the Northern Court, was in charge of the reception. On the 24th, Yelu Zongzhen's personal army came to Hequ on the border of the Song, Liaoxia and Xia Kingdoms (still in the territory of Liao), and Li Yuanhao couldn't wait to personally lead the three party departments to apologize. Because the vanguard of the Liao State at this time had already fought a big battle with Li Yuanhao's alluring army. As a result, Li Yuanhao fled in the wilderness.

So on this day, Li Yuanhao, the wise and martial founding emperor of Western Xia, could only dispense with the crown, wear civilian clothes, bow his head, and walk through the thousands of troops and horses of the Liao people as obediently as he wanted, and endured countless contemptuous and mocking glances to come to the emperor of Liao. Next, groveling, it was almost five bodies to the ground. Let's give a great gift... According to historical records, Li Yuanhao personally held a cup in the sound of drums and toasted to the emperor of Liao on that day. Break the arrow for the oath, and always be a subordinate. Never dare to have two hearts again.

At this moment in the sky, the ancestors of the Khitan people are estimated to appear, watching this scene: Yelu Zongzhen, what should you do: kill him. Or not kill?

The brother-in-law was insane that day, and actually accepted the apology and gave his brother-in-law a glass of wine. And let the people go. It's not an exaggeration at all, he is really dizzy, because only after half a day, he changed his mind 180 degrees: kill Li Yuanhao and send troops to fight him!

The reason for this change, the answer given by Liao Shi is that Xiao Hui, the privy envoy of the Northern Court and the king of Korea, woke up first, and he reminded Yelu Zongzhen that the dog that has bitten people will no longer be able to raise it, and sooner or later it will have to bite, and it must be strangled to death! Yelu Zongzhen's first reaction was hesitation, and he was hesitating, when he suddenly learned that Xiao Huiji led the army to fight, and directly cut it over!

What to do then? The situation is tense in an instant, the lord of a country, the commander of the whole army, you have to react, right? No! Yelu Zongzhen's reaction was really amazing, he actually stood still, kept his Chinese army camp, and completely restored the battlefield to the situation of the last battle: it was still Xiao Hui's Liao army forward troops and Li Yuanhao's army of the country to compete!

Supposedly, there is nothing wrong with this, the first time you win, the second time you will continue to do the same, even if you think by habit, it is also very appropriate. However, on the 25th, it was the Tangut people who attacked first. Li Yuanhao suddenly attacked and rushed towards Xiao Hui's camp. changed his face in an instant, coupled with the previous deception, no matter how you look at it, the people of Liao are dead. However, the Western Xia army just didn't fight, and in this case, they were all beaten by the Liao army and rushed back.

Among them is Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of Western Xia. Behind him, Xiao Hui was mad. To tell the truth, the Khitans are different from the party members. is also a grassland people, the Liao country is very atmospheric, not only can fight, but also very trustworthy. To some extent, they are more honest than the people of the Song Dynasty. At this time, when they faced the sneak attack of the inferior nation of Western Xia, which was full of villains and liars, they were really contemptuous and disgusting, and they couldn't bear it anymore! Xiao Hui ordered, keep chasing, even if you are tired to death, you have to slaughter these prairie dogs, these cowards who don't even fight at all!

This is the first time that Li Yuanhao's life and his Western Xia Kingdom have been so close to death! But that's when history turned! A sudden strong wind blew, the sky was dark, the sand was flying, according to the words at the time, it was Li Yuanhao and his Western Xia Kingdom that should not be killed!

So Xiao Xiaoyou's army was defeated first, and then Xiao Hui's Liao army was completely defeated! Isn't it a bit nonsensical, too child's play? A strong wind changed the outcome of a duel with more than 100,000 troops? Those are the best soldiers of the nomads! I'm not afraid of death, but what kind of wind are you afraid of? You are holding on, one is not afraid of hardship, and the other is not afraid of death? But I'm afraid of strong winds! In fact, if you compare your heart to your heart, you will understand. We all know what it is like when we modern people experience sandstorms in the city. That's thousands of miles away from the northwest. Think about the people of Liao who tasted the freshest and most vigorous sandstorms in the place of origin back then, what was it like? The difference in race is the most unchangeable fact: the Liao people are from Mercury (green grassland), and the Dangxiang people are from Mars (sandy wasteland), it's as simple as that!

Xiao Hui was defeated, and Li Yuanhao immediately rushed to Yelu Zongzhen's imperial camp, which was also a Khitan man, and everyone was equal in front of the wind. So the defeat continued. Liao Shengzong Yelu Zong really panicked, and rode a horse and galloped all the way, so that he did not become his brother-in-law's prisoner.

In this battle, the 100,000 elite soldiers of the Liao State were annihilated, and the horse Xiao Hu was captured, which was the most painful defeat in the 137 years of the founding of the Great Liao! The most direct evil consequence after the defeat was the unconditional recognition of the fact of the independence of Western Xia, and Li Yuanhao and Yelu Zong Zhen were on an equal footing from then on!

But this is only the surface, and the heavier price is yet to come: the fall of the Liao State began at this time, and cracks appeared in the power of the Hundred Battles. Not only did the Western Xia find self-confidence, but even the small remote countries such as the Jurchens and the Bohai Sea behind it also knew that the Khitans were not invincible. In the future, they will all rise up. This is the consequence of greed. Greedy for small and cheap and big losses, the boss is not so deserved. If you have always maintained a wise and martial shelf, who would dare to touch you?

What about Li Yuanhao? The south bullied the Great Song Dynasty, and the north beat the Great Khitan, no matter what the process was, he was invincible in the world. But what about the effect? Whether it is for the Great Song Dynasty or the Great Khitan, he takes the initiative to seek peace. Even if there are only a few dozen people left. Fleeing for his life in the Western Xia wasteland, he didn't dare to chase and kill. What does it feel like to win like this?

And what about the Great Song? "Look at the most cowardly and incompetent, the most humiliating. On the contrary, it is the most peaceful and stable. The most desirable prosperous era in 5,000-year history was formed later", which can explain the strange behavior of Song Renzong and Zhao Zhen in this period of history.

From this time on, the history of the Song Dynasty entered a new stage. The period from 1044 to 45 was the watershed of the national fortunes of the Song, Liao, and Xia Kingdoms, and it was also the dawn when the Great Song Dynasty entered the golden hour! This prime time is generated. It originated from Song Renzong's decision. There are too many stars floating in this golden hour, and the representatives of China's 5,000-year-old scholars and the masters of Confucianism are all produced during this period. The stars are shining, incomparable, and occupy an absolute commanding height in the long river of history, even in the storytelling and romance, these people have the highest appearance rate! Let's start with Zhao Zhen:

Song Renzong Zhao Zhen, this person has left a super reputation in the long history, but the image is very vague, and it is not easy to see it clearly. Therefore, the vast majority of history books evaluate him as a soft bone who swallows water in everything, tolerates everyone, and has no masculine strength at all. Historical books and scholars have given him many titles: cowardly, lazy, mediocre and even lustful. So how did he survive the internal and external turmoil, financial disputes, and party disputes and gangs? Every time he spent it safely, is he really the reincarnation of a barefoot immortal as he said in the commentary, and he was born wearing the immortal gold medal given by the Jade Emperor?

Joke! If you don't die once, you don't die twice, you can only admit that he is superhuman. What's more, he also managed to be quiet every time, so that the apples from all sides automatically fell into his hands...

It is said that the emperors in the world are divided into levels, from low to high: 1 He is incapable, but he thinks he is a superman. Therefore, the use of troops externally, the internal oppression, the collapse of the inside and outside after the most reluctance, the death is super ugly. Such as Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty; 2 I don't have the ability, but I know the way, so I will never use any courtier who exceeds my ability. So he was safe, and the country was in ruins. Such as Emperor Wu of Jin; 3 He has the ability, but he is suspicious, and the courtiers must pretend to be idiots, and the more idiots he is, the safer he is, and the safer he is, the richer he is, and he doesn't even dare to take the princes to come out. So if he is alive, the country is okay, but when he dies, the country will be finished. Such as Qin Shi Huang; 4 If you have the ability and dare to use the powerful people, so that the kings and ministers will work together, and the prosperity will come. Such as Tang Taizong...

It stands to reason that the fourth type is the best emperor, right? But the Chinese thinking is to have a gorgeous turn, and without turning around, there is no wisdom. Therefore, our great ancients also summed up the Achilles heel of the fourth type of emperor: the king is strong and the minister is strong, and the authority is unknown... No one can maintain mutual trust for a long time, and something will definitely happen after a long time. What's more, if the throne is still going to be passed on, if the father is strong, the son must also be strong? At that time, how to deal with these big men who have become accustomed to sharp edges? Look at Tang Taizong Li Shimin and his son Gaozong Li Zhi...

So the most upscale is the 5th type. This kind of emperor is very subtle, and it is completely in line with the highest level of wisdom in our traditional theory - great ingenuity, great wisdom and mediocrity, and weight lifting. Their abilities are very subtle, and they have never been able to see how many they have, and on the outside, they are all very weak, just like the first and second emperors. But he is very bold, and he seems to be looking for death. They have always tolerated the play of their courtiers, even the unobtrusive play, and even let all the courtiers be active, each with its own ideals, each with its own ideas...

Yes! This is dangerous, because it will be partisan. But that's all I want! The courtiers are confident and bold in behaving and doing things, and at the same time, you are stumbling to the death with each other, so that a storm will be formed, and the emperor will sit in the eye of the storm... And there is the calmest. The great emperors of all dynasties understood this, and it is recognized that the emperors of the Song Dynasty did the best! Among the emperors of the Song Dynasty, the one who did the best was His Majesty Song Renzong!

Zhao Zhen is a unique person, and to interpret him, he has to stand on the top of a fairly high building and look down for a long time to see a little more clearly. Every step he took was closely related to the international situation at that time, rather than with the national situation of the Song Dynasty. This is a fundamental difference, and without this, it is impossible to survive in the forest of nations.

When you are an official of the Song Dynasty, you can only do the affairs of the Song Dynasty. When the emperor of the Song Dynasty only focused on his own country, he was looking for death.

Zhao Zhen agreed to Li Yuanhao's request for peace, and I believe that it will make many "angry young people" unhappy. So you might as well change your way of thinking, if Zhao Zhen suddenly became wise and powerful, and sent troops to the party at the same time to cooperate with Yelu Zong's real military action, what would be the result? Is it good for the Song Dynasty?

Two results: 1. The Liao State became dominant from then on, at least resuming the Song-Liao confrontation. With Yelu Zong's character of taking advantage of the situation and not wanting to die, coupled with this great victory at the level of destroying the country, and considering that this person had a strong interest in the land south of Waqiao Pass in the Song Dynasty before. Believe it or not, the next target is the Song Dynasty?

2 Li Yuanhao died, and Western Xia died. That's great, but will the party become extinct? Will there be another Li Jiqian on that land? The ghostly shadow of the party floated around again, thinking that it was a figure that even Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi couldn't handle. How can Zhao Zhen rest easy? (To be continued......)