In the fourth year of the Great Song Dynasty, in August, the important town of Huaidong, Chuzhou.

In the second year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty (1128), Zhao Gaozong of the Song Dynasty appointed Du Chong as the Yin of Kaifeng Prefecture and stayed in Tokyo. When Du Chong heard that the Jin army was coming, he crossed the Yellow River to the west and entered the Qing River in Li Gu to stop the Jin army. Since then, the Yellow River has no longer been the ancient road in the north and east, and it has taken the Huai River into the sea and flooded.

Now, on the wilderness of Chuzhou City and the south bank of Huaishui, the Song army's camps stretch for several miles, and the large arrays are one after another, covering the banks of Huaishui. One after another, the warships anchored along the south bank, the trees were like forests, and the "Song" flag fluttering high above was hunting, which was spectacular.

The Northern Expedition of the Song Army was launched on three fronts. The Western Route Army entered Hedong from Shaanxi, the Middle Route Army broke through into Hebei from Shandong, and the Eastern Route Army went north by sea to attack from the north and south, capture Hebei, penetrate Hedong, restore the two rivers in one fell swoop, and capture the sixteen states of Yanyun.

On the north bank of the Huaishui (Yellow River), the land that the Southern Song Dynasty had never restored and owned for a hundred years was waiting for the Song army to recover and conquer.

In the middle of the large array of the armies is a high platform about ten meters high and forty or fifty meters in radius, and there is a wooden ladder that can go straight up. And around the high platform, the forbidden army surrounds the guard, such as facing the enemy, surrounded by hundreds of Song scholars and people, with different costumes, there are officials and people, but there are many experiences in the sea.

"Changhuai is broken, and the plug is reckless. The dust is dark, the frost and the wind are strong, and the sound is quiet. Gloomy condensation. Reminiscing about the past, the number of days, non-human; On the Susi, the strings are singing, and they are also fishy.

Reading the arrow on the waist, the sword in the box, and the empty beetle, how can it be! Time is easy to lose, the heart is strong, and the age will be zero...... Hearing the old man in the Central Plains, he often looks south and is beautiful. So that the passers-by came here, and they were filled with indignation.20 And there were tears like ...... Lean. ”

Among the officials under the high platform, Liu Kezhuang, the director of the Great Song News Department, swept his eyes over the thousands of troops and horses that made him tremble, and landed on the north bank of Huaishui, reading this song of Liuzhou in his mouth, choked up for a while.

The Longxing Northern Expedition, the first Northern Expedition after the Song Dynasty's southern crossing, was also one of the only two Northern Expeditions. Song Xiaozong was a tiger and a snake, and it ended hastily, and Zhang Xiaoxiang, who was left behind by Jiankang, was sad and angry, and made this song of Liuzhou that has been passed down through the ages.

"Looking north at the Central Plains, the mountains and rivers are different. The Jin people invaded the south, raised fire and hunted, drums and sorrows, and the state of thousands of years of culture was reduced to a dog and sheep cave. The court is reluctant to steal peace, the fathers and elders of the Central Plains are eager for recovery, and the hot-blooded men have no way to serve the country. It's a pity that Zhang Ganhu was born at the wrong time, and he can't see my grand event today! ”

The Jianghu poet Ye Shaoweng admired Zhang Xiaoxiang very much, and he was also emotional.

The Great Song Dynasty has such an elite, and the country is in full swing, although he is over forty years old, he still can't help but boil his blood and wants to kill with the army.

In the Northern Expedition of Longxing, in two important battles against the Jin Dynasty, Song Xiaozong mishandled the measures and lost both battles.

In the battle of Shaanxi, he listened to the advice of Prime Minister Shi Hao, rejected Yu Yunwen's advice, and took the initiative to abandon Shaanxi, which led to the defeat of Wu Fu of the Western Route Army and the loss of local strategic advantages.

In the battle of Fuli, Song Xiaozong could neither drive the expedition in person, nor did he refuse to go to the front line of Jiankang to supervise the battle, rushed the northern expedition, and was not ready to fight a vicious battle, resulting in the defeat of Li Xianzhong, and the Song army won first and then lost; In the process of investigating the responsibility of Fu Li's defeat, Shao Hongyuan, the culprit who led to the defeat of the Song army, was not killed, and the military authority was not established.

In the two important diplomatic games against Jin Shizong, Song Xiaozong was unclear and weak-willed, and both diplomacy ended in failure.

Longxing Northern Expedition, the Southern Song Dynasty and Jin signed the "Longxing Peace Conference", although it got rid of the disadvantageous position of the minister, but it was still at a disadvantage in diplomatic etiquette, Song Xiaozong still had to stand up to accept the letter of the Jin State, which can be described as extremely humiliating.

"Although the Longxing Northern Expedition is hasty, compared to the Kaixi Northern Expedition, it is already heaven and earth."

Lu Zixiu, the third son of the great poet Lu You of the Southern Song Dynasty, who had been silent, also interjected.

The Northern Expedition of Kaixi, the second Northern Expedition of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the second year of Kaixi (1206), launched by Han Yanxuan, who was the state affairs of the Pingzhang army, at first the Song and Jin had their own victories and defeats, and the Song army won less and lost more, but Wu Xi, the deputy envoy of the Sichuan Xuanfu of the Song West Route Army, rebelled against the Song Dynasty and surrendered to Jin, the situation was unfavorable, and Han Yanxuan had to ask for peace with the Jin Dynasty, but because the Jin people proposed to cut off the heads of Han Yanzhou and others, it was unsuccessful.

In the third year of Kaixi (1207), Wu Xi's rebellion was put down, and the situation in Huainan gradually stabilized. However, the Song court lord and faction began to conspire activities, the Ministry of Rites Shi Miyuan and the empress Yang Guizhi colluded to kill the Pingzhang military affairs Han Yanxuan, the Song and Jin strike the army to negotiate peace, the increase of the year coin is 300,000 taels of silver, 300,000 horses of silk, and the Southern Song Dynasty gave the Jin army another 3 million taels of silver (indemnity).

"The Kaixi Northern Expedition gave birth to such a great evil as Shi Miyuan, so that the state is declining. Fortunately, His Majesty has strategized and turned the tide, otherwise the consequences of the unrest in the northwest alone would have been unimaginable. ”

Liu Kezhuang's heart touched and blurted out.

Everyone nodded. The Dinghai Change, including the second year of the establishment of the military in the Mongolian army borrowed the pass, if it was not for the emperor's early layout, the people did not know how many dead and wounded, the northwest would have been dilapidated.

"Brother Lu, Ling Zun said in the past: Wang Shi set the Central Plains Day in the north, and the family sacrifice did not forget to tell Nai Weng. Now that his grandson has made great contributions in the Northwest Frontier Army, and Wang Shi is on the Northern Expedition today, you can finally comfort Ling Zun. ”

"Brother Lu, since the Song Dynasty crossed to the south, the third Northern Expedition of my Great Song Dynasty, the Northern Expedition of Jianwu, will surely destroy the withered and decayed, and restore the Central Plains! If you have knowledge underground, you can laugh at Jiuquan! ”

Ye Shaoweng and Liu Kezhuang said generously, Lu Zixiu's heart throbbed, and he solemnly returned the salute.

Ye Shaoweng's words are true. His son Lu Yuanting is the chief general of the First Army, and he will also follow the Northern Expedition of the Western Route Army and inherit his grandfather's legacy, which can be a good story.

And with the current national situation of the Great Song Dynasty, with 300,000 troops at the same time, who dares to compete?

"It's a pity that my eastern and western armies are not there, otherwise the three or four hundred thousand sharp soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty are gathered, thousands of ships are exhausted, and ten thousand horses are crossed, what kind of grand occasion should it be?"

Dai Gugu, one of the leaders of the Jianghu Poetry School, although he is nearly seventy years old, is still full of red face and generous and heroic.

"There are also tens of thousands of artillery pieces, and countless thunderstorms. The most important thing is that my royal teacher is well-trained, and he forgets to die. ”

The former privy envoy and the secretary of the military department Xuan Xuan was gray-haired, but his spirit was still strong.

"Where I am strong, I will fire three arrows on land and water, and there will be 100,000 cavalry alone. The soldiers are pointing at the wind and invincible. It's a pity that Xue Ji's old guy can't see it. ”

Xue Ji, the former prime minister of the Great Song Dynasty, passed away a few months ago.

Before Xue Ji died, he was still asking Wang Shi when he would go north, and he never forgot that the army would go north. In contrast, the old man was much luckier. ”

Ge Hong, the former Shangshu of the Criminal Department, is old and long, he is a full eighty years old, a few years older than Xue Ji, he doesn't need to be supported, and his spirit is enviable.

"Old Minister Ge, I heard that in order to save a few of my people, you also accepted hundreds of bribes from Your Majesty. Is this really the case? ”

Liu Kezhuang couldn't help it, and immediately asked.

"It is true. It was ten years ago, when His Majesty and Yang Guiyi came together, not to mention a hundred, just two gold collars, it was already hundreds of times. It's a pity that the two of them have now flown apart. ”

mentioned the past, Ge Hong sighed and sighed for a while.

"Old Minister Ge, you have accepted so many bribes from Your Majesty, and the Anti-Corruption Department has not investigated you?"

Xuan Xuan made a joke about Ge Hong.

On that day, he and Xue Ji tried to protect themselves, and each paid a full 50,000 yuan of "filial piety money".

and this Northern Expedition, he donated another 50,000 yuan, which is almost all his belongings.

"That was before His Majesty ascended the throne, and the world was as black as a crow. In this Northern Expedition, the old man was the same as Xuan Xianggong, but he donated as much as 50,000 yuan, almost bankrupt, which was enough to repay His Majesty's "bribe"! ”

Ge Hong's words caused a burst of laughter and admiration.

The Northern Expedition is a major event related to the national fortune of the Great Song Dynasty for hundreds of years, and everyone is excited and everyone is concerned.

Liu Kezhuang nodded, and his heart was full of emotion.

Back then, Zhao Hong's future was uncertain, and he fought to the death with Shi Miyuan, but he was able to generously help them get out of trouble with these irrelevant prisoners, full of chivalry.

This kindness, the righteousness of the monarch and the minister, is not so easy to repay.

"If Your Majesty doesn't destroy the Jin Kingdom first, will you raise tigers for trouble?"

Dai was upright by nature and couldn't help but ask.

"Brother Dai, with the national strength of my Great Song Dynasty today, the land of the Jin Kingdom is like the Western Xia in the past, which is not worth mentioning. His Majesty's move is just to give the Jin Kingdom a chance to surrender the whole country. ”

Liu Kezhuang defended Zhao Hong against his will.

"Your Majesty is merciful. After all, His Majesty and Princess Jin Guo had a son, and His Majesty couldn't bear to be miserable, but he was forced to do so. ”

The restoration of the two rivers is imminent, and Xuanxuan's mind is far from what it was then.

"However, the kindness of Your Majesty's woman will inevitably give ......"

"Brother Dai, Your Majesty is not a faint monarch. After restoring the Lianghe and Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures first, I believe that we will soon find out what to do with the Jin Kingdom. ”

Dai Retro was still insisting, and gave Ye Shaoweng a sentence back.

Dai Retro was stunned for a moment, and then laughed dumbly.

The army had just begun the Northern Expedition, and he was a little too enchanted.

"Your Majesty is the king of a country, and he has his own measure. Ten years of sharpening a sword, when my Great Song Dynasty King returns triumphantly, the Jin Kingdom will also surrender! ”

Xuan Xuan smiled and added.

"Wouldn't it be nice to wait for the army to recover the sixteen states of Yanyun, and let's go north together?"

Zhou Jiacheng, the national abbot who hadn't spoken for a long time, interjected with a smile.

"Then it's a deal!"

Xuan Xuan said categorically, everyone nodded one after another, they all laughed, and everyone was excited.

Suddenly, the sound of "Long live" was earth-shattering, one after another, and everyone who was talking was stunned, and they all cheered up and looked in the direction of Chuzhou City.

Needless to say, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty came out to march for the Northern Expedition.

The gate of Chuzhou was wide open, the iron horse opened the way, Zhao Hong was dressed in a silk robe, wearing a crown of heaven, and hanging the sword of the king of Song on his waist.

"Hello soldiers!"

In the middle of the army, Zhao Hong rode his horse slowly, he smiled and waved frequently to the soldiers on both sides.

"Hooray! Banzai! Hooray! ”

Everywhere Zhao Hong passed, he was overwhelmed by an earth-shattering cheer. Whether it was a recruit or a veteran, everyone was red-faced and hoarse, and they raised their swords and guns and shouted wildly, like madness.

Zhao Hong beat his horse and walked slowly, and all the civil and military ministers who followed behind him straightened their waists.

The emperor was so loved by the six armies, the military spirit was available, and there was no reason why the Northern Expedition was unsuccessful.

Zhao Hongxin was reined, and in the sound of ten thousand troops, he couldn't help but be in a trance

Is this the cry of the rise of the nation?

Under the attention of the army, Zhao Hong slowly walked onto the high platform, and the troops in the audience were silent and silent.

"106 years ago, an old general named Zong Ze in my Great Song Dynasty, he watched the mountains and rivers shatter, and shouted three sentences on his deathbed, each sentence was the same, only two short words. Do you know what it is? ”

Knowing that the soldiers didn't like long speeches, Zhao Hong didn't talk nonsense, and asked directly and loudly.

"Cross the river!"

"Cross the river!"

In the midst of the big array, soldiers shouted one after another.

"Cross the river! River! River! ”

Zhao Hong drew his sword, pointed diagonally to the north, and shouted loudly, also hoarsely:

"Cross the river! River! River! ”

Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, everyone blushed, and the sound shook the sky.

"My soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty! River! Northern expedition! ”

Zhao Hong roared angrily, raised his sword and shouted.

At this time, he didn't need to say anything more. For his words have been drowned out by an endless cry of rage.

"Northern Expedition! Northern expedition! Northern expedition! ”

The scene of tens of thousands of people was attacked by a huge wave again, and countless people began to board the ship, busy but not chaotic, and orderly.

Zhao Hong stood on the high platform, watching the army of thousands of people, his heart was excited.

After 10 years in this era and 9 years on the throne, he finally changed this era.

And the longer and more difficult road ahead, he has to go on without hesitation, and he can't turn back.