At this time, take a look at the map of the whole country: the Great Song Dynasty Youzhou 111 ("Song History, Geographical Chronicles", and the "New Five Dynasties History: Vocational Examination" after the weekend Youzhou 118. According to Mr. Li Changxian's research and comparison, the four prefectures of Xia, Sui, Yin, and You are occupied by the Tuoba clan of the Western Xia in the future, and the Zhe clan of Fuzhou and the Feng clan of Lingzhou are also divided into one side, so the history of the Song Dynasty is not included. Weizhou, the history of the Song Dynasty as the Yuan Army. Add Yizhou to Yanzhou, 118-4-2-1+1-1=111) The Great Liao Kingdom in the north is like Mount Tai pressing on the top, so that the Central Plains dynasties of the past dynasties dare not compete with it. Between the two empires, there was a small Northern Han state of 10 states (and, Fen, Lan, Xian, Xin, Dai, Liao, Qin, Long, Shi, Baoxingjun). In the southwest, there are the lands of Tianfu in the 46 states of Houshu (Yi, Peng, Mei, Jia, Qiong, Shu, Mian, Han, Zi, Jian, Zi, Sui, Li, Ya, Ling, Rong, Lu, Wei, Mao, Chang, Rong, Guo, Lang, Qu, He, Long, Pu, Li, Xing, Wen, Ba, Jian, Peng, Bi, Kui, Zhong, Wan, Ji, Kai, Chongqing, Fu, Qian, Shi, Da, Yang, Xingyuan Fu), the southeast has the 21 states of the Southern Tang Dynasty, which was once the first powerful country in the Tang Dynasty (Sheng, Xuan, She, Chi, Hong, Run, Chang, E, Yun, Rao, Xin, Qian, Ji, Yuan, Fu, Jiang, Ting, Jian, Jian, Jiangyin Army, Xiongyuan Army, Jianchang Army) and Wuyue 13 states (Hangzhou, Su, Yue, Hu, Qu, Wu, Tai, Ming, Wen, Xiu, Mu, Fu, Chu, Yijin Army). Below them, there is also a Qingyuan military festival envoy named Zhang Hansi to occupy Quan, Zhang, 2 states. In the south, there are 3 prefectures of Jingnan Jiedu (Jiangling Fu, Gui, Xia), and 15 prefectures of Zhou Baoquan (Lang, Tan, Heng, Shao, Chen, Dao, Yong, Quan, Yue, Li, Jiang, Chen, Jin, Xi, Xu, Guiyang Jian) in the south of the Han Dynasty, and 60 prefectures of Liu Gang in the Southern Han Dynasty (Guang, Shao, Chao, Xun, Feng, Duan, Ying, Lian, Xiong, Gong, Hui, Kang, En, Chun, Lu, Qin, Xin, Gao, Pan, Lei, Luo, Bian, Gui, He, Zhao, Wu, Meng, Gong, Xiang, Fu, Rong, Yi, Liu, Yan, Sitang, Yong, Cheng, Gui, Man, Heng, Bin, Qin, Xun, Rong, Prison, Bai, Lian, Dang, Xiu, Yulin, Teng, Dou, Yi, Yu, Shun, Qiong, Ya, Dan, Wan'an, Zhen), so many people who were sleeping on the couch, Zhao Kuangyin, like his predecessor Chai Rong, had to face the question of who to start with to unify the world.

On a snowy winter night in the 3rd year of Jianlong (962), Zhao Pu breathed a sigh of relief, and he could take a rest now. The emperor always said that it is difficult to be a king, but how can it be easy to be a minister? Zhao Kuangyin is a good boss. He once asked his employees to start work early and leave work late in the afternoon because of the hot weather. But the emperor has a very bad habit: he likes to travel in micro-clothes.

Zhao Kuangyin doesn't like to travel with great fanfare. Along the way, all the kneeling subjects shouted long live, and they didn't even dare to raise their eyes to look at him. He didn't like it. Although this feeling is above 10,000 people, there are also widows and orphans. He felt that if he continued like this, he would become an ornament for all peoples and an object for everyone to visit. And who knows what these respectful people below are thinking in their hearts, just like the mud bodhisattvas will never know the ghost fetus in the hearts of the people who kneel down and ask for the Buddha. But Zhao Kuangyin likes the current Bianliang City, which is full of shops, peddlers and pedestrians. This city has Chai Rong's hard work and his merits. He is more willing to take off his imperial robe and put on civilian clothes to participate in the prosperity of Bianliang City. When he looks at the shops with different signs, listens to the sound of high and low selling, and smells the strange fragrance from all directions, he can feel the greatest satisfaction. This is the world he wants. Zhao Kuangyin often wandered around the streets and alleys, and then on a whim, he turned to the door of a certain minister. Look at what the ministers who usually look up and face seriously look like when they get off work. And Zhao Pu's family is honored to become Zhao Kuangyin's favorite place.

Zhao Pu was scared. More than 10 hours a day at work has made his spirit tense like a string that wants to break. But after work, the emperor didn't let him go, and he loved to come to his house when he didn't have anything to do. Zhao Pu also thought of persuading "Your Majesty has a new world, and the people's hearts are not at peace." Today's number is light, in case there are three long and two short, it's too late to regret it" Zhao Kuangyin smiled. He was the first of all the emperors of China. He also mysteriously revealed his identity and told what he was proud of before: "The emperor rises and has his own destiny." Back then, Zhou Shizong wanted to kill those who had big ears. But I'm by his side every day, but he can't harm me" Zhao Pu is helpless, come on. Who let his house be given by the emperor? So every day when I returned home, I didn't dare to take off my court clothes, and waited for the emperor to come and inspect at any time.

All right! With such heavy snow today, the emperor should not come. Shut the door and celebrate the day. Zhao Pu just ordered to go down, and suddenly the door came to report that "the emperor is here again" The emperor's love is like this. No, you'll be lost and at a loss. There you have, and it's annoying again. Zhao Pu had no choice but to tell his wife to prepare a charcoal fire, warm the wine, and roast fresh meat. Go out and kneel down to greet yourself. Zhao Kuangyin said: "Let's go in first." I have made an appointment with my brother."

After three rounds of drinking, Zhao Guangyi arrived. Zhao Pu asked, "It's cold in the middle of the night, why did your majesty leave the palace?" Zhao Kuangyin sighed, "I can't sleep." Outside of a bed, there are other people's homes. So come to see Qing" Zhao Kuangyin felt that he slept too crowded and there were too many people. I really wanted to get rid of Liu Chengjun with my head, turn over and squeeze Meng Chang, and then kick Li Yu down. But he hesitated to strike first or kick first? Zhao Pudao: "Your Majesty, do you think that the Great Song Dynasty is too small? Now is the time for the Southern Expedition and the Northern Expedition. I just don't know where to start" Zhao Kuangyin's mind turned into the small but hard and smelly stone, and blurted out, "I want to take Taiyuan" Zhao Pu pondered for a long time, and suddenly said, "This minister can't figure it out." Taiyuan blocked the northwest for us, and if it was captured, the Great Song Dynasty would have to face the Khitan Iron Cavalry. Why don't you leave Taiyuan as a shield, and when you recover the southern countries, they will be like a projectile sunspot, and you can reach out to "Zhao Kuangyin smiled" I mean this. Therefore, the charcoal fire was overflowing with enthusiasm by a gust of wind through the hall. The red fire light illuminated Zhao Kuangyin's square face and big ears, while Zhao Guangyi squinted his small eyes and smiled. And Zhao Pu was a little unnatural, and then relieved. He also let out a hehe sneer.

So, the strategy of unifying the world was decided by the three top conspirators of the Great Song Dynasty on this snowy night, between the glasses of wine. In fact, the purpose coincides with Wang Pu's "Pingbian Policy" in 8 words: first south and then north, first easy and then difficult. Of course, there is still an obvious difference between these two strategies: Wang Pu Chai Rong is Yanyun first and then the Northern Han, and the three surnamed Zhao all coincidentally chose the Northern Han first and then Yanyun. Is there a difference? We'll talk about it then.

The history of this incident is known as the "Snow Night Decision" (the "Renewal of Capital and Governance Tongjian" records this incident in July 968. At this time, Jinghu and Houshu had entered the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, and the Northern Han and Liao were about to change their emperors. I don't think there is any need to discuss the issue of the priority of the north and the south at this time. Da Ke put aside the two countries of the Southern Han Dynasty and the Southern Tang Dynasty, and took Taiyuan to recover Yanyun in one go. But there is an obvious mistake: will it snow heavily in the seventh month of the lunar calendar? So I still remember this at the end of 962, before the unification war of the Great Song Dynasty was about to start)

Of course, in order to move to the south, the affairs of the two northwestern sides must be taken into account first. Zhangwu Jiedu made Zhao Zan guard Yanzhou, Shuofang Jiedu made Feng Jiye guard Lingzhou, Dong Zunzhi guarded Huanzhou, and Wang Yansheng guarded Yuanzhou to prevent party items; Li Hanchao guarded Guannan, Ma Renyu guarded Yingzhou, Han Lingkun guarded Changshan, He Weizhong guarded Yizhou, and He Jiyun guarded Dizhou to prevent Khitan; Guo Jin guarded Xishan, Wu Shouqi guarded Jinzhou, Li Qianpu guarded Xizhou, and Zhaoyi Jiedu made Li Jixun guard Luzhou to prevent the Northern Han Dynasty. The above 13 generals were stationed at the border passes. The family is in Beijing, and the emperor cares for him very much. And unlike the generals of the forbidden army who had just been stripped of their military power, they had completely independent military and financial power at the border gates, and even local taxes could be their own decisions, so that they could raise dead soldiers, make them spies, and gain insight into the enemy's situation. Every time you enter the border, you will be able to prepare a prophet and set up an ambush to cover it. Since then, there has been no danger of the northwest for many years, and he has been able to try his best to go southeast and take the land of Jinghu, Sichuan, Guangzhou, and Wuyue.

At this time, Hunan was not nominally a country. The state of Chu, founded by the carpenter Ma Yin, was destroyed by Li Jing in 951. Liu Yan, the general of the Chu State, drove Bian Hao, the general of the Southern Tang Dynasty, away and stood on his own. Liu Yan had 10 generals under him, including Wang Jinkui, Pan Shusi, Zhou Xingfeng, and Zhang Wenbiao, who became brothers. Later, Wang Jinkui captured and killed Liu Yan, and was ordered by Chai Rong to pacify Chu when Chai Rong conquered Huainan, but was killed by Uncle Pan. Pan knew that he couldn't convince the public, so he invited Zhou Xingfeng and Chai Rongce as the envoy of Wuping Festival. On September 29, 962, Zhou Xingfeng died, leaving his 11-year-old son Zhou Baoquan in his last words. and said to him, "Among the ten brothers, only Zhang Wenbiao of Hengzhou is still there." If I die, he will be in chaos. When Yang Shifan was ordered to ask for it. If you are defeated, you will return to the Great Song Dynasty with Chu land, and ask Emperor Song to send troops to help you."

Speaking of Hubei at this time, this is the Nanping State established by Gao Jixing, the adopted son of Li Rang, the adopted son of Zhu Wen, the Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty, known as the "Gao Rogue", and it was also made by the central government of the past dynasties as the envoy of the Jingnan Festival. On November 20, two months after Zhou Xingfeng's death, Gao Baoqiao also passed away and was succeeded by his 20-year-old nephew Gao Jichong.