Empress Dowager Xiao's real name is Xiao Xuan, and on the fifth day of the fifth month of the fifth month of the third year of the calendar (June 18, 953), Xiao Xuan was born [1] . Xiao Sui has been smart and clever since she was a child, and she has a spirit of not giving up until she reaches her goal, and she is no exception in some trivial things, which has won the favor of her father Xiao Siwen. Once, Xiao Xuan's sisters did housework together, and the sisters ended hastily, but she continued to wipe carefully, and the furniture was neatly tied, Xiao Siwen often praised with approval: "This girl will become a big thing."

On February 22, the 19th year of the Ying calendar (March 12, 969), Yelujing of Liaomu Zong took Xiao Siwen and other close ministers to Black Mountain (now Ganggen Sumujing, Bahrain Right Banner, Inner Mongolia) to hunt. At night, the drunken Yelu Jing was assassinated by the little brother and others. Xiao Siwen, who was by Yelujing's side at that time, blocked the news, and assisted Yeluxian, who had a close relationship with him, with Gao Xun, the privy envoy of the Southern Yuan, and the Flying Dragon Maiden, and Yeluxian rushed to Montenegro at dawn. Yeluxian wept bitterly in front of Mu Zongling, Xiao Siwen, Gao Xun, Nuli and others jointly persuaded him, and Yeluxian succeeded in front of Ling.

After returning to Shangjing on the ninth day of the third month of the first year of Baoning (March 29, 969), Yelu Xianjin appointed Xiao Siwen as the privy envoy of the Northern Yuan, and recruited Xiao Xuan into the palace as a concubine. On March 17, Xiao Siwen was also the prime minister of Beifu, and on the second day of the fifth month, Xiao was appointed as the queen. On the second day of November, Xiao Siwen was named King of Wei. Due to Ye Luxian's physical illness, state affairs were in charge of Xiao Xuan.

In May of the second year of Baoning, Ye Luxian went to Lushan (now Fuxin, Liaoning) to hunt, Xiao Siwen also accompanied him, and on May 13, he went to Pandaoling (now Lushan, Liaoning) Xiao Siwen was assassinated. On the third day of the ninth month, it was found that the country's uncle Xiao Hai and Xiao Haili were the first evils, and they were all ambushed. In the tenth year of Baoning, it was found that Gao Xun and Nuli were also involved in the murder of Xiao Siwen, and they were also given death, and Gao Xun's family property was confiscated and compensated to the Xiao family.

On December 27, 972 (January 16, 972), the prince Yelu Longxu was born. In order to appease Xiao Xuan and the descendants of the Xiao family, Ye Lu Xian's mother Ye Lu Bugu was named the eldest princess of Yan Kingdom. On the first day of the fourth month of April in the fourth year of Baoning, Xiao Siwen was posthumously crowned the king of Chu, and on the first day of the third month of the fifth year of Baoning, Xiao Xuan's grandfather Hu Muli was posthumously crowned as the king of Han

In the middle of the Khitan army, the Empress Dowager of Liao stood on her horse, looking at Yang Peng's fortress two miles away, frowning and silent.

On the fifth day of the second month of the eighth year of Boryeong (March 8, 976), Yeluxian edict collected the bachelor of the History Museum, and then recorded the words of the queen, "also known as 'I' and 'Yu'", and "set the formula", raising the status of his wife to the same level as himself. With the passage of time, with the acquiescence of Ye Luxian, all the daily affairs of the Liao State were ruled independently by Xiao Xuan. If there is any important military matter, she will convene the ministers of the Han Dynasty to discuss it, and finally make a decision based on the opinions of all parties. The decision she made, Liao Jingzong only listened to the report at most, saying that if she "knew", she would count and would not interfere in any way. With Xiao Xuan's efforts, the Liao military has become stronger and stronger, and the political and economic situation has also been on the right track.

On the first day of the first month of the spring of the second year of Qianheng (January 21, 980), Yelu Xian named the prince Yelu Longxu as the king of Liang, and Yelu Longqing as the king of Heng

On September 24, 982 (October 13, 982), the thirty-five-year-old Yeluxian died of illness in the Jiaoshan Palace in Yunzhou on the way to hunting. When he was dying, he left a posthumous edict to succeed to the throne of Yelu Longxu, the king of Liang, and the military affairs were subject to the queen's orders [44] . At the same time, Yelu Xiezhen and Han Derang were appointed ministers [45-46]. On the twenty-fifth day, Jerodun succeeded him before the spirit, at the age of twelve. Xiao Sui's first thought was that the lord Shaoguo was suspicious, and the more than 200 princes of the clan had strong forces and a volatile situation. She shed tears in front of the ministers Yelu Xianzhen and Han Derang and said: "The mother and widow are weak, the clan is strong, and the border defense is not appeased, what can I do? The ministers stepped forward to comfort them and swore a heavy oath, saying, "Trust the ministers, why worry!" ”

On the first day of the tenth month of the fourth winter of Qianheng (October 20, 982), Yelu Longxu came to the court for the first time to observe the government. On the third day of the first month, the ministers were called Zhaosheng Emperor, and the queen was the queen mother. Xiao Hui arranged for Yelu Xiuge to stay in Nanjing, in charge of the southern military, strengthen the border defense, and appointed Yelu Xian, who married Xiao Sui's niece, as the privy envoy of the Northern Court to manage internal affairs, especially the nobles. At the same time, Xiao Xuan adopted the suggestion of Han Derang, the privy envoy of the Southern Yuan, and issued an order to the prince of the clan that "all the kings should return to the first place, and no private meetings should be made", so that they lost their military power, and at the same time summoned the relatives of the clan to the palace as hostages, which solved a major internal worry about seizing the throne.

In the fourth year of the unification of peace (986), He Lingtu, the governor of Xiongzhou (now Xiongxian County, Hebei) of the Northern Song Dynasty, and his father Yuezhou, Shi He Huaipu and others heard about the affair of the Empress Dowager Xiao, and together with Wen Si, Xue Jizhao and others successively made a statement to Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, that the Liao Dynasty "The lord is young, and the state affairs are decided by his mother. On the 21st day of the first month, Zhao Guangyi launched the "Yongxi Northern Expedition" against Liao. The Song army sent troops in three ways, and appointed Cao Bin, the envoy of the Tianping Army, as the commander of the Youzhou Daoxing Camp, and the deployment of the horse infantry army in front of the Youzhou Daoxing Camp, and Cui Yanjin as the deputy of the Heyang Sancheng Jiedu; The commander of the guards Ma Jundu, the Changhua Army Jiedu envoy Mi Xin was deployed as the capital of the Northwest Province, and Du Yangui, the observer of Shazhou, was the deputy and led the army out of Xiongzhou (now Xiongxian County, Hebei); The guards and infantry troops were all commanded, and the Jingyan army made Tian Chongjin deploy for the Dingzhou Road and led the troops out of Feihu (now Wei County, Hebei). On February 13 (March 25), he appointed the inspector Taishi and the Zhongwu Army to make Pan Mei deploy for Yun, Ying, Shuo and other prefectures, and Yang Ye as the deputy general of Yunzhou Observation and led the troops out of Yanmen. On the sixth day of the third month (April 17), Yelu Hugo reported that the Song sent Cao Bin, Cui Yanjin, and Mi Xin out of Xiongzhou Road, Tian Chong in and out of Feihu Road, Pan Mei and Yang Jiye out of Yanmen Road to attack, and Qigou, Zhuozhou, Gu'an, and Xincheng had all fallen [14] . On the seventh day of the first month of March (April 18), Xiao Xuan personally led Han Derang and Yelu Longxu to announce their personal expedition and cooperate with Yelu Huge. On March 19 (April 30), Xiao Xuan used Yelu Hugo to resist the Song army Cao Bin on the East Road, and Yelu to resist the Song Army Yang Ye Yi on the West Road.

On the first day of the fourth lunar month (May 12), Xiao Xuan and Yelu Longxu were stationed in the northern suburbs of Nanjing (now Beijing). On the third day of the fifth month (June 12), Cao Bin's army was defeated at Qigou Pass, and the defeated army crossed the Juma River overnight. The Song army drowned an innumerable number. The remaining troops fled to Gaoyang, where they were attacked by the Liao army, with tens of thousands of dead and discarded Gejia piled up [61] . On the ninth day of the seventh month (August 17), Yelu sent servants to the imperial court to report to the imperial court that the Song general Yang Ye was captured alive. Yang Ye was martyred on a hunger strike, and Xiao Sui ordered Yang Ye's head to be cut off, put it in a box, and sent it to all parts of the border pass. The morale of the Liao army was greatly boosted, while the Song defenders were devastated, and they had lost confidence in the enemy before they could hold the land they had gained. Liao successfully regained all its territory.

On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year of the unification (May 5, 987), Yelu Longxu led a hundred officials to give the Empress Dowager the title of Ruide Shenluo as the Empress Dowager of Qihua Chengtian. On the sixth day of the first month, the edict ordered the division to play the merit list of the generals in the strips, and reward the merits and graces.

On the first day of the first month of the seventh year of Tonghe (February 9, 989), he was a class teacher. On the sixth day of the first lunar month (February 14), Guo Rong, the general of Song Jibi, led his troops to surrender and ordered them to be stationed in Nanjing. On the 21st (March 1), attacking Yizhou, the Song soldiers came to the rescue out of Suicheng, sent the Tielin Army to meet the attack, and captured the five commanders of the Song army alive. On the 22nd (March 2), the army marched together to conquer Yizhou, the assassin Liu Qi surrendered, the soldiers defending the city fled south, and personally led the army to intercept, and the Song army did not dare to go out of the city. At the moment, Ma Zhen was appointed as the assassin and Zhao Zhen was appointed as the supervisor of the soldiers and horses. The military and civilians of Yizhou were moved to Yanjing. Xia Xianshou, the son of Tokyo cavalry general Xia Zhenxian, was awarded the history of Gaozhou Assassin because he was the first to climb the head of Yizhou City. On the 26th (March 6), he was stationed in Laishui. Pay homage to Emperor Jingzong's temple. The edict ordered Zhuozhou to assassinate Shi Yelu Shouxiong to send 800 soldiers who surrendered in Yizhou to return to their hometowns. On the 27th (March 7), he was stationed in Qigou and shot ghost arrows. On the 29th (March 9), on the way back to the palace, he was stationed in Nanjing, and the Sixth Army lifted the state of martial law [72] . On the first day of the fifth month (June 6), Xuanhui was sent to lead Pu Ling and others to lead troops to guard against the invasion of the Song State. On the second day of the first month (June 7), Fengbo was sacrificed in Baima Village, Ruzhou. Brother Hugh led his army to Mancheng to recruit more than 700 Song soldiers, sent envoys to pay tribute, and ordered them to be subordinate to Tokyo. On the 13th (June 18), Yanjing reported that the Song soldiers had arrived at the border: "The Song soldiers arrived at the border, but they did not dare to fight in the summer, and they were stationed in Yizhou. "On July 15 (August 18), troops were sent to the south. On the 19th (August 22), he comforted the soldiers of the Southern Expedition. On the same day, Xiao Xuan and Yelu Longxu visited the temple of Emperor Jingzong.

On the tenth day of the third month of the eighth year of unification (April 7, 990), a city was built in Xing Pot and the Song captives lived. On May 14 (June 9), the Song State was subordinated to the armies. On September 20 (October 11), Li Jiqian presented the Song captives. On the fourth day of October (October 25), Li Jiqian sent an envoy to announce the defeat of the Song army. On the second day of December (December 21), Li Jiqian captured Song Lin and other prefectures and sent envoys to report the report. On the ninth day of the first month, he sent an envoy to Feng Li Jiqian as the king of Xia.

On the 17th day of the first month of the ninth year of Tonghe (February 4, 991), 500 Song soldiers were selected to form the Xuanli Army. On the fifth day of the second month (February 22), the Western Xia sent an envoy to report that the Song Dynasty had achieved a great victory. On the sixth day of the fourth month (May 22), Li Jiqian, the king of Western Xia, sent Du Bai to thank Liao for his canonization.

Because of his iron-fisted political methods and controversial murder of political opponents, the evaluation of Xiao Xuan has been polarized in history. The lord is young, and the state affairs are decided by his mother, and his general Han De makes the favor of the people, and the people of the country are also disgusted with their affairs, and they dare not do it. However, the Xiao family is also often afraid of its misfortune, every year and the first month, do not eat meat, overhaul the fasting meeting and build a temple, hoping to regain the blessing, and the nature is cruel, more killing, more strategic, and the subordinates are all obedient.

The location of Yang Peng's fortress was just in the middle of the Maligou Valley, and a strong crossbow controlled the traffic on both sides, making it impossible for messengers and personnel on both sides of the Khitan army to communicate with each other. Moreover, the fortress was arranged in an orderly manner, with several layers of various trenches, and behind the trench there was an earthen wall to protect the firecrackers, and a canopy, under which there was an earthen fort, and there was a lookout in the middle of the fortress, and the facilities that a strong fortress should have were all available.

I heard that this Yang Peng is only twenty years old? It's not easy. This person has now become the confidant and great enemy of the Great Liao State. The messenger reported that Da Liao entered the pass and fought in the grass valley this time, and tens of thousands of horses were folded in the hands of Yang Peng, and the losses were not unheavy. Ye Yuxu looked at Empress Dowager Xiao's face and said, "Empress Dowager, the defenders of Qingshankou said that Xiao Tianzuo stormed this Yang Peng's fortress some time ago, and suffered heavy casualties, I am afraid that tens of thousands of people will die. ”

Empress Dowager Xiao sighed and said slowly: "Xiao Tianzuo is still too young, I repeatedly asked him not to attack the fortified city, he was still too conceited after all, and he didn't listen to me" After a pause, Empress Dowager Xiao said again: "This time, Xiao Tianyou also died in battle, and I lost my troops and generals." Xiao Huran asked: "Queen Mother, will we not be able to enter the customs and loot in the future?" ”

Empress Dowager Xiao narrowed her eyes and was silent for a while. After a while, Empress Dowager Xiao said: "We still have to enter the customs!" Xiao Huyin said: "But this Yang Peng is too strong, we can't beat him when we enter the customs!" Empress Dowager Xiao said: "Yang Peng has only one lonely army, and it is difficult to speak alone. As long as our soldiers and horses entering the customs strengthen the sentry and avoid him, there will be no losses. Entering the customs and weakening the Song State is the national policy of the Great Liao State, and it cannot be changed because of a defeat. ”

After a pause, Empress Dowager Xiao said again: "Cutting down the Song Dynasty is like cutting down a big tree, you need to cut it from both sides, and the big tree will be its own servant." Although the Song State was heavy on literature and light on martial arts, it was decaying, but as a century-old tree, it had not yet reached the level of self-servant, and it still needed strength. "If we don't enter the customs, plunder, harass the Song State, and weaken the Song State, the Song State will have the possibility of regaining its vitality and becoming strong again." The Song Kingdom is prosperous, and my Great Liao Kingdom is in danger! ”

When Xiao Huyin heard Empress Dowager Xiao's words, he admired it very much, bent down and stood to the side, no longer speaking. Empress Dowager Xiao looked at Yang Peng's fortress and squinted her eyes again: "But this Yang Peng has become a climate, and it is difficult to get rid of it!" "Empress Dowager Xiao wanted to use a crossbow to test Yang Peng's reaction, and Yang Peng also wanted to see the level of the crossbow in Empress Dowager Xiao's army, so he asked Empress Dowager Xiao to shoot first. In this kind of mutual temptation between the two armies, there is no contention for a while. If Yang Peng shoots first, it is estimated that the Khitan army will collapse after one round.

The war between Yang Peng and the Great Liao State is still very long, and Yang Peng needs to understand the level of the Khitan army's strong crossbows in order to make the right decision. The north wall of the fortress was not full of people at this time, and there were various defensive facilities, so it was not a big problem for the Khitan army to shoot first.

However, Yang Peng still underestimated the strong crossbow of the Khitan army, he didn't expect that the strong crossbow of the Khitan could hit the earthen wall and kill two soldiers on guard. The death of two soldiers still made Yang Peng very distressed. After the first round of shooting, Yang Peng found that the level of Empress Dowager Xiao's crossbowmen was okay, and the level was higher than he imagined. Able to hit the earthen wall as soon as the shot is fired, it is obvious that the crossbowmen of the Khitan soldiers also have tools to assist in aiming. Compared with the chaotic use of the military system, the Song army, which often panicked as soon as he shot, Empress Dowager Xiao's crossbowmen were elite.

In fact, the Khitan had long been aware of the importance of a strong crossbow. In the early days of the Great Liao, in the process of attacking the castle in western Liao, he was suppressed by the strong crossbows of the Song army for a long time, so he racked his brains to obtain strong crossbows through various means.

In the middle of the Khitan army, Empress Dowager Xiao and Xiao Huran looked at the strong crossbows in front of the formation, and their faces turned a little pale. This Yang Peng's artillery firepower was too fierce, far beyond Empress Dowager Xiao's imagination. Sixty strong crossbows fired a salvo, and they accurately hit the Khitan army's machine crossbow position a mile away, and damaged nine machine crossbows. Two salvos, seventeen machine crossbows were reimbursed on the position. And Yang Peng's strong crossbow did not lose a single one.

Imagine how much chaos the army would have if it was bombarded with such a crossbow for several rounds when it was attacking the city? Empress Dowager Xiao also wanted to test Yang Peng's firepower, but she didn't expect to lose seventeen strong crossbows at once, and Empress Dowager Xiao was also a little distressed. Empress Dowager Xiao took a breath and said slowly: "This Yang Peng has become a fledgling wing, and now he can't cut it off. Xiao Huyin looked at Xiao Yi's artillery with heavy losses and said, "Queen Mother, this Yang Peng is too tricky." ”

Empress Dowager Xiao looked to the west and said, "We should go." Yelu Longxu is at the mouth of the Yellow Cliff, and it should be done" On February 28, Xiao Tianzuo sat in the big tent of the Chinese army worriedly, discussing the military situation with the Khitan nobles. Now the Queen Mother has arrived at Qingshankou and is stationed opposite Yang Peng's fortress. However, the middle of the canyon of Maligou was occupied by Yang Peng, and Yang Peng's artillery blocked the canyon two or three miles wide, making it impossible for Empress Dowager Xiao and Xiao Tianzuo's messengers to communicate. Even at night, Yang Pengjun lit a matchpile in the valley under the deterrence of artillery fire, forcibly cutting off the communication between the two sides.

The day before yesterday, Xiao Tianzuo sent a group of thirty dead soldiers to rush to the Queen Mother's side. As a result, as soon as they entered the range of Yang Pengqiang's crossbow, they were bombarded by ten strong crossbow shotguns, and more than 20 of these dead soldiers died, and they were defeated, and they didn't dare to rush forward again.

The Queen Mother was a few miles away, but she couldn't communicate, which made Xiao Tianzuo very worried. If it goes on like this, even if the Queen Mother comes, she will not be able to take Xiao Tianzuo's army out of the customs. Xiao Tianzuo began to think about how to climb over the cliffs on both sides of the valley, but the scout went out to study for two days, and no results were obtained. This Yang Peng obviously studied the terrain when he laid down the fortress, and chose to set up his camp in this tricky place.

Looking at the generals in the account, Xiao Tianzuo said: "Now that the news is cut off, there is no correspondence with the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother can't help us when she comes, what can you do?" The Xi tribe Yibai said: "General, here and now, I can only go out to attack other passes." Even if there is no detailed cooperation and no intelligence, it can only attack. Han Derang shook his head and said: "I'm afraid that we will attack Xiongguan, and when we can't attack for a long time, Yang Peng will lead the main force of the Song army to attack us from behind."

When everyone heard Han Derang's words, they all took a breath of cool air. Yang Peng's soldiers and horses are so strong, if he gets the cooperation of more than 100,000 Song troops, I am afraid that he will really attack Xiao Tianzuo's army of more than 50,000 people. When the time comes, it will be a big defeat if it is attacked from front to back under the pass of the Song Dynasty. Then there is no way to spend it in this Maligou with Yang Peng? Spend him half a year and a year?

The generals look at me, I look at you, and they can't come up with an idea. Everyone was anxious, but they saw a personal soldier running outside the big tent, ran to Xiao Tianzuo to say goodbye, and said, "General, the messenger of the prince of Yelu Longxu is here!" "Yelu Longxu is Xiao Tianzuo's brother-in-law, and he is known for his military exploits.

Everyone was stunned and a little surprised when they heard the words of the soldiers. Didn't Yelu Longxu always follow the emperor to contain the Song Junguan and Ning soldiers and horses in Liaoxi, the queen mother's messenger couldn't pass through Maligou, how did Yelu Longxu's messenger get in? Did you get in by detouring through other passes? However, since Yelu Longxu's messenger came in, the communication with the Queen Mother was completed, and everyone was overjoyed when they heard it.

Xiao Tianzuo waved his hand and said, "Let the messenger come in!" In the middle of the night, three Khitan soldiers wearing white lacquer scale armor walked into Xiao Tianzuo's big tent, which was the elite guard in Yelu Longxu's army. The three Khitan soldiers came in and bowed their knees to Xiao Tianzuo to say goodbye, stood up and said loudly: "General, my master Yelu Longxu has captured Huangyakou according to the arrangement of the Queen Mother, please lead the army out of there from there." ”

Hearing the guard's words, the eyes of the Xi nobles in the big tent lit up, and they stood up excitedly one by one. Xiao Tianzuo stood up and asked, "How did Yelu Longxu capture the Yellow Cliff Pass?" The guard said: "The Queen Mother has already spied on the emptiness of the Yellow Cliff Pass, and bought the fine work to ambush it. My master cooperated with the fine work inside and out, and let the people in the city open the door. As soon as the door opened, my Great Khitan soldiers swarmed in and occupied the Yellow Cliff Pass. ”

When the nobles of the Xi clan in the big tent heard this, they knew that Huangyakou had really been taken, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. The generals secretly said that they could finally get out of the customs smoothly and get rid of this devil-like Yang Peng. Xiao Tianzuo stood in the big tent and thought about it, and he was also overjoyed.

Huangyakou is in the west, 400 miles away from Qingshankou, Xiao Tianzuo led the army all the way to the west, and it can be reached in ten days. Even if the Song army in Cangzhou caught up with the news, they couldn't catch up with themselves. I was finally able to get out of the customs smoothly. Although the losses were heavy this time, after all, more than 100,000 people were plundered. With these population supplements, there is still something to be done in our Great Liao Country.

Yibai said excitedly: "General, let's go to Huangyakou and get out of the customs from there!" Xiao Tianzuo nodded and said loudly: "Ba Zhai, the whole army will go west and exit from the Yellow Cliff Pass." ”

Yang Peng stood on the lookout platform, watching Xiao Tianzuo's army and Empress Dowager Xiao's army on the south and north sides pull out the village at the same time, and march into the distance. Yang Bamei asked in surprise: "Division commander, why did this Xiao Tianzuo retreat, they are going to attack other passes?" Yang Peng thought for a while and said: "I'm afraid not, since Empress Dowager Xiao is here, the Khitan army has the ability to spy on the passes of the Great Wall." Maybe the Khitan army has already laid a pass that I don't know where and is ready to get out! ”

Huyan Chijin said, "City Lord, should we follow?" Waiting for the right moment to hit him? Yang Peng smiled and said: "In the field battle, our 10,000 people can't defeat Xiao Tianzuo's army, let them go, our contribution this time is also big enough." Yang Bamei said leisurely: "The Khitan army has entered the fortress many times, and they have all flaunted their might. It's the first time you've escaped so badly, right? When the surrounding Tiger Warrior officers heard Yang Bamei's words, they all burst into laughter, and they were very happy.

After all, what happens next, let's see how it will be broken down next time.