Cao Yu was summoned to send an envoy to the Khitan to negotiate peace and rushed to Tianxiong County. The Khitan attacked Yingzhou and was invading the south. The Song general Sun Quanzhao was strict in governing the army and won many victories, and he believed that the Khitans did not have the slightest sincerity for reconciliation, so he temporarily detained Cao Yu. The Khitan soldiers were repeatedly defeated, and had no choice but to order Wang Jizhong to ask for peace, and Emperor Zhenzong saw the book and informed Wang Jizhong with an edict: Cao had been sent to set off and let the Khitan send envoys to Tianxiong County to meet him. When Wang Jizhong learned that Cao Yong was detained in Tianxiong County, he immediately informed the Great Song Dynasty court and asked him to send another envoy from Lanzhou to the Khitan, so as not to miss the peace talks.

Emperor Zhenzong's chariot arrived at Weicheng, which was only a hundred miles away from the Khitan military camp Deqing County, and the fast horse march was less than half a day's journey. Emperor Zhenzong no longer had the courage to move on. The imperial court continuously urged Wang Chao to lead the army to advance southward, and the order was issued for more than a month, but Wang Chao still did not carry it out. The Khitan soldiers who went south knew that the main force of the Song army was far behind, and they were even more presumptuous.

Emperor Zhenzong was worried day and night, and it was difficult to sleep and eat, and among the entourage, those who advocated going south to Jinling and other places began to be active again. Emperor Zhenzong's heart was also wavering, so he had to ask Kou Zhun again. Kou Zhun was summoned to see him, but before he entered the door, he heard the concubines inside, and they were noisy and noisy. I only heard them noisily say to Emperor Zhenzong, "I don't know what the intentions of these ministers are, there is a Khitan military camp in front, why hasn't Your Majesty returned to Beijing!" Kou Zhun was very displeased when he heard this, and after seeing him, Emperor Zhenzong told him what he thought about the ministers persuading him to flee south. Kou Zhun said with a gloomy face, and changed color, "There are always some cowardly and ignorant people, demagoguery, who are really not as good as old women in the countryside." The enemy army is approaching, and the people are in danger. At this time, His Majesty can only advance and not retreat. The officers and men of the three armies are looking forward to Your Majesty, and as soon as Your Majesty arrives, their morale will be high. If His Majesty sets off to return to Beijing, he is afraid that the hearts of the people will be scattered, why should he go to Jinling?" Emperor Zhenzong had been hesitant and helpless, so Kou Zhun had no choice but to retire first. When I went out, I happened to see Gao Qiong, the commander in front of the palace. Kou Zhun was overjoyed in his heart, and he said to Gao Qiong, "Taiwei is deeply favored by the country, how should he repay him?" Gao Qiong replied angrily, "I am a martial artist, and I am willing to die for the country!" So, Kou Zhun whispered to Gao Qiong about what he had just discussed, and Gao Qiong very much agreed with Kou Zhun's point of view and thought it was true. So, Kou Zhun even invited Gao Qiong to meet with him, trying to convince Emperor Zhenzong.

The second time he turned back and came in, Kou Zhun said to Emperor Zhenzong straight to the point, "The minister is a civil official, and Your Majesty still doesn't believe it." Why don't you ask General Gao. When Gao Qiong heard this, he said loudly, "The prime minister is reasonable, and the soldiers, parents, wives and children are all in the capital, who is willing to abandon their families and children and go to Jinling? Your Majesty is coming to Lanzhou in person, and the Khitan army will be like hitting a stone with an egg, and it can be broken day and night!" Kou Zhun struck while the iron was hot, and hurriedly said, "The opportunity must not be lost, and the loss will not come again, the soldiers are fast, and the minister implores Your Majesty to set off immediately!" Emperor Zhenzong saw that Gao Qiong and Kou Zhun entered the house at the same time, and their words were the same, guessing that the two of them must have discussed it in advance, and he finally hesitated.

Just caught a glimpse of Wang Yingchang guarding with equipment, and Emperor Zhenzong asked him for advice again. Wang Yingchang replied angrily, "Your Majesty is carried by heaven, representing the justice of the world to please thieves, and wherever you go, you will definitely attack everything, and I implore Your Majesty to make an early decision, otherwise Kou is becoming more and more rampant." If Your Majesty does not cross the river, you can also station along the riverbank, and quickly summon Wang Chao's troops to the south to Qinwang, and the enemy will definitely retreat!" At this moment, someone entered the ceremony and said, "Your Majesty, the general Zhang Xiaochuan is here to see you!" Emperor Zhenzong was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly shouted, "Spread quickly, pass quickly!" After a while, Zhang Xiaochuan came in in a hurry, and Emperor Zhenzong hurriedly stepped forward and took his hand, which was very intimate. Zhang Xiaochuan had already leaned down and apologized to Emperor Zhenzong, "Minister Zhang Xiaochuan pleads to Your Majesty!" Emperor Zhenzong saw that he was quite weathered, and he comforted him a lot, and said to him, "It's good that Aiqing is here." In the past, I heard that Aiqing had a clever plan to break the enemy, is it feasible now?" Emperor Zhenzong asked busily.

"Your Majesty, this method is feasible and enough to break the enemy!" Emperor Zhenzong heard what he said, and then he was relieved and said happily, "I am about to set off for Lanzhou, and Aiqing happens to go with me! Aiqing will rest for a while, and then you and I will go to Lanzhou." You are my blessed general, and with your help, you will be able to perform your work!" After speaking, Emperor Zhenzong smiled proudly for a while, and then ordered the car to set off and continue to move forward. At that time, it was freezing and unusually cold. The guards brought a coat and a fur hat, but Emperor Zhenzong refused to wear it, everyone knelt down and asked him to take care of the dragon's body, Emperor Zhenzong said proudly, "All Aiqing and soldiers are brave the wind and snow, not afraid of the cold, how can I be weak alone?" At that time, the Yellow River divided the city of Lanzhou into two, one called the southern city and the other called the northern city. After Pan Jinxiu arrived, he immediately read out the edict of Emperor Zhenzong, ordering the guards on the north bank, Zhizhou and others not to leave their posts without permission and not to go to the south bank to meet them.

At that time, the Khitan had already conquered Deqing County, and soon advanced to the north of the city of Lanzhou, approaching the Song army camp. The Khitan soldiers surrounded the Song army on three sides and advanced from the northwest corner with light cavalry. Li Jilong and others led the army into formation, prepared strong bows and crossbows, and waited for the enemy to charge.

On the road, Emperor Zhenzong received Wang Jizhong's recital, Wang Jizhong said, this recital was written by Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao, which said that the matter of peace talks can not be delayed any longer, and Emperor Zhenzong should send a messenger quickly. Emperor Zhenzong looked at the chapter repeatedly, issued an edict to Wang Qinruo, and asked him to order Cao Yu to set off, and then wrote a reply edict to Wang Jizhong. Emperor Zhenzong said to the ministers, "Judging from the letter, the Khitan people are quite sincere, I have always thought of the people and the rest of the army, and the Khitan people have asked for peace talks, but I have nothing to discourage, how can the Khitan people not be afraid of war." Emperor Liao and Empress Dowager Xiao led a heavy army to invade the south, and now they have troops under the city, I don't know what their intentions are? Now that the weather is bitterly cold, the river is frozen, and the soldiers and horses can cross the river on ice, you must be strictly vigilant, day and night. If the Khitan is not sincere in the peace talks, or asks too much, I will personally boost morale and fight to the death. The gods of heaven and earth bless me, and they will help me destroy the thieves in one fell swoop!" Emperor Zhenzong thought about the peace talks, and at the same time ordered his soldiers to resist the enemy, making preparations with both hands. Emperor Zhenzong also took out the two ancient array diagrams treasured in the palace and handed them to Gao Qiong, the commander of the palace in front of the palace, in case of emergency.

After Emperor Zhenzong arrived in Lanzhou, he wanted to use the house of the post station as his palace, and he did not want to move forward. Kou Zhun resolutely asked Emperor Zhenzong to go to Beicheng and give him advice. "The matter has come to this, if Your Majesty does not cross the river, the soldiers are still frightened in their hearts, but the morale of the Khitan soldiers has not diminished at all, and it will not help, this is not a wonderful way to defeat the enemy. Now, the soldiers from all directions have gathered, and the soldiers from all directions have come to the court, why is Your Majesty worried?" Gao Qiong also asked Emperor Zhenzong to cross the river quickly, but Feng Zheng, who signed the Privy Council, scolded on the side, "Gao Qiong, Er is a martial artist, how dare you be rude to the saint! Your Majesty's behavior, how can you intervene by you!" Gao Qiong immediately said angrily, "I am a martial artist, where is it like Lord Feng, who is only a high fighter, and is good at doing Huazhang." Now that the enemy is present, can Lord Feng have a clever plan to retreat from the enemy?" Feng Zheng was speechless for a moment, and the more Gao Qiong spoke, the more angry he became, glaring at him and shouting, "Then what qualifications do you have to reproach me as a martial artist? Lord Feng is a person who knows etiquette, why don't you write a poem to retreat the enemy soldiers, but instead want me, a worthless martial artist, to charge into battle?" After speaking, he no longer asked for instructions, and Gao Qiong ordered the guards to enter the battle with enthusiasm and loyalty. Emperor Zhenzong hadn't figured out what was going on, and when he saw Yuan Jin, he was in a hurry and hurriedly stopped.

Zhang Xiaochuan happened to be at his side, and immediately said to him, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty must ensure that Your Majesty is thorough, and retreat from the enemy." Before Emperor Zhenzong could reply, everyone had already crossed the pontoon bridge of the Yellow River, which went straight into the northern city. Emperor Zhenzong hurriedly sent an order to be stationed in the chariot and asked where he was, Gao Qiong saw it, and drove the chariot away with Ge and scolded, "Don't cross the river quickly! Seeing this, Emperor Zhenzong had no choice but to march bravely. With an order, the whole team soon arrived in Beicheng. Under the guidance of the Yellow Dragon Banner, the team climbed the city tower. When the officers and men of the three armies saw Huang Gai and knew that the emperor was on the front line, they were very excited and shouted in unison, "Long live! Long live!" The voice lasted for a long time, and the morale of the soldiers increased dramatically. Reinforcements from all over the country also moved closer to Shanzhou. When the Khitan soldiers saw this situation, they knew that it would be difficult to win, and they became more and more discouraged. Emperor Zhenzong saw that the morale of the three armies was high, his heart was relieved, and he was no longer afraid, he went straight to the camps to inspect the walls, and called Li Jilong and the following generals to comfort him, and gave the troops wine, food, money, etc., and stayed in the palace in Beicheng that day.

The Khitan garrison was stationed in the city and surrounded the city of Lanzhou, but Wang Chao's main force was nowhere to be seen. The defenders of Lanzhou were helpless, and Emperor Zhenzong was also terrified every day. Fortunately, Zhang Xiaochuan and others stayed by his side, and they made people visit Kou Zhun and got a reward: Kou Zhun and Yang Yi feasted and drank all night, joking and laughing, and the noise lasted all night. Seeing that Kou Zhun was so confident, Emperor Zhenzong was a little relieved.

During the day, Emperor Zhenzong led the crowd to patrol the city, and the Khitan soldiers were lining up to call for battle. I saw that among the ten thousand armies, there was a big flag, the flag fluttered in the wind, and the three big characters of "Shun King" were written on it, which was very eye-catching. Under the cover of the banner, a Liao general, majestic, rode a tall horse back and forth, pointing from time to time, and seemed to be very confident. His expression was extremely arrogant, and he didn't pay attention to Song Jun at all, and he walked closer and closer to the city wall.

It turned out that this general was the "King Shun" Xiao Tart. He is brave and wise, and his subordinates are all Khitan elite soldiers. Xiao Tzu Rin was one of the first generals to advise the Song Dynasty, and he was proficient in astronomy and had an outstanding military record. He once forced Yang Ye, a famous anti-Liao general, to die on a hunger strike, Wang Jizhong was also captured by him, and he killed countless Han people. This time, Xiao Tzu Rin's department was the main force of the Khitan southern invasion, and as a pioneer officer, he didn't take the Song army seriously at all.

When the soldiers of the Song army saw his arrogant appearance, who was not filled with righteous indignation, hated everyone and gritted their teeth, but they couldn't go out of the city to fight. Xiao Tzu Rin was so arrogant, and he went to the front of the two armies to show off his might, which was also due to fate. At this time, in the Song army, there was a Weihu army leader Zhang Gui who was guarding the bed crossbow, he saw Xiao Tzu Rin getting closer and closer, he squinted his eyes and glanced at it, tried a few times, but finally had no confidence. This scene happened to be seen by Zhang Xiaochuan, Zhang Xiaochuan couldn't help but walk to the front, dialed the teeth, and with a "whoosh" sound, Xiao Tzu Rin fell off the horse in response. When the soldiers of the Song army saw it, they were relieved and cheered. Dozens of Khitan soldiers hurriedly rushed up and carried Xiao Tzu Rin back, only to see that the arrow hit Xiao Tart's forehead and entered the flesh very deeply.

This bed crossbow is rarely used in actual combat, because that Zhang Gui is quite hesitant, once launched, I can't imagine that this bed crossbow has such a great power. At that time, there was a kind of divine arm bow in the Song army, which was known for its strength, and its effective range was only one hundred and twenty paces. And this bed crossbow, when it was first test-fired, it could reach more than 700 steps, and its power can be imagined. Now that the crossbow arrow was shot on the head, where did Xiao Tzu Rin still have a chance to live, and he died that night. The morale of the Khitan soldiers plummeted, but Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao had illusions, and they were willing to quit the army lightly.

Yang Yanzhao, a famous anti-Liao general, led his troops deep into the Liao realm, conquered many cities, and captured a lot. He led his army to repeatedly harass the rear of the Khitan, posing a great threat to the Liao army. He wrote to Emperor Zhenzong and said, "The Khitan soldiers poured out of the nest and stationed in Shanzhou, thousands of miles away from the Liao realm. The Liao soldiers have been fighting for a long time, and the soldiers and horses are exhausted. Although there are many Liao soldiers, there is no need to be afraid. Moreover, most of the Khitan army is cavalry, please order all the armies to guard the main road, and they will definitely be able to destroy the Liao army, even if it is Yi and Youzhou, it is easy to attack. "Yang Yanzhao has been on the front line of the anti-Liao war for a long time, and has a lot of battles with the Liao soldiers, and he is extremely experienced. Emperor Zhenzong saw that the main force of the Song army was delayed, and he was still worried about self-preservation, so he had no intention of caring about him. Yang Yanzhao's recital was suppressed, and the clever plan was never used.

Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao were anxious and angry, changed the generals of the army, and urged the soldiers to attack the city frequently, but there was no loss in vain.

Li Jilong saw the situation of the Liao soldiers, was annoyed, and found out that Xiao Tzu Rin had been shot, and the pride in his chest suddenly skyrocketed, so he asked Emperor Zhenzong for his life. Li Jilong said to Emperor Zhenzong, "Liao General Xiao Tzu Rin Xiang is the pillar of the Khitan army, and now he has been shot by General Zhang, and the morale of the Khitan soldiers has been greatly reduced. If the enemy is broken in a battle, the enemy will be frightened, and our army will be invincible, please let Your Majesty give in!" But he didn't want to discourage the soldiers too much, so he asked Kou Zhun and the others for advice. Kou Zhun, Gao Qiong and others were in favor of the battle, and they were very important to Li Jilong. Emperor Zhenzong was frightened and couldn't do anything.

At this time, Zhang Xiaochuan also asked Emperor Zhenzong for his order, "Your Majesty, please let me go with General Li and try a way to break the enemy。。。。。!" Emperor Zhenzong was quite hesitant and said hesitantly, "It is unknown whether this method of destroying the enemy will work, once the two armies clash, whether this city gate can be defended!" "Your Majesty, please rest assured, once things go wrong, please immediately order the city gate to be closed, and you don't have to worry about us!" Zhang Xiaochuan generously pleaded, and Li Jilong also said yes, so Emperor Zhenzong reluctantly nodded.

Li Jilong immediately allocated 5,000 military horses, and Zhang Xiaochuan and the monks also wore light armor and went into battle. The Song army opened the north gate, and Zhang Xiaochuan took the lead, personally leading a hundred monks out of the city to line up. One hundred monks, in groups of five, lined up, stood still, and waited for the battle. Li Jilong urged 5,000 military horses and followed closely behind.

The Khitan soldiers saw that the Song army had opened the city gate, thinking that the battle had been successful, and cheered, and the Liao army generals were first surprised, and then surprised, and did not wait for the Song army to finish the formation, and then led the soldiers to start charging.

In the Khitan army, the front is all the "iron floating map", the military horse is strong and abnormal, the whole body is covered with heavy armor, and the knight is fully armed, wearing heavy armor, mighty and majestic, one by one like an iron tower, sitting on a horse, steady as Mount Tai, holding the instrument, the dust and smoke are rolling, galloping, like a dark cloud pressing the top, and instantly arrived in front of him. Seeing that the soldiers were pressing, Zhang Xiaochuan and a hundred monks looked as usual, unflustered, holding the sword in their hands and waiting intently. The Khitan soldiers arrived and were about to dance their instruments to hurt people. Zhang Xiaochuan gave an order, and the monks of Shaolin Temple roared, and they all launched in unison, and they danced their swords. I only listened, the sound of "bang bang", suddenly made a big scene, sometimes like defeating leather, sometimes like hitting a boulder, sometimes like hitting cotton wool, sometimes like thunder and rage, armor pieces shattered, iron pieces flew, horses turned people up. The neighing of horses, the wailing, resounded. When the generals of the Liao army saw this situation, they were immediately stunned and frightened. Rao is that they have been in battle for a long time, how have they ever seen such a tragic scene. The general was about to shout the order to withdraw his troops, and many of his mounts and soldiers had already turned around and fled in fear. People and horses are trampling and panicking. Li Jilong even mobilized the soldiers, and after a fierce pursuit, the Khitan soldiers threw away their armor and fled in embarrassment, trampling on each other, suffering many casualties, and leaving in defeat.

The Khitan soldiers were defeated and returned, Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao heard about the battle between the two armies, and they were disappointed, but they were even more frightened, and they were immediately disheartened and depressed to the extreme. After finding out that Song Jun had obtained an extremely powerful sword formation, he was shocked and envious, and after knowing that this formation was given by Zhang Xiaochuan, he regretted that he did not listen to Li Deming's words at the beginning, which caused such a big disaster. Liao Shengzong was unwilling to be reconciled, so he wrote a letter to Zhang Xiaochuan with a glimmer of hope.

Emperor Zhenzong and the civil and military ministers were discussing the battle of the day, Emperor Zhenzong personally saw that the Song army was like a bamboo, there was such a big victory, he was overjoyed, and remembered that he accidentally shot the famous Khitan general, Xiao Tart, the pioneer of the Song Dynasty, and his heart was even more relieved, and he expected that the morale of the Khitan soldiers would be greatly frustrated after this battle, and the fear suddenly decreased a lot. Everyone was talking and laughing in the account, so unhappy.

At this time, a soldier visited him at the door, and everyone saw him and asked him what was the matter, and when he replied, the Khitan sent a letter to General Zhang Xiaochuan, saying that it was extremely urgent. At this critical juncture, everyone was concerned about the war, and everyone knew that there must be something important, so they immediately passed on the Khitan people to the account. The Khitan people came into the account and met everyone, so they presented a letter, which turned out to be written by Liao Shengzong to Zhang Xiaochuan. Zhang Xiaochuan opened the letter, read it skimmedly, shook his head, showed a wry smile, and then presented the letter to Emperor Zhenzong, who had been paying attention to his every move.

Emperor Zhenzong carefully read the letter from beginning to end, his face was quite worried, and after reading the letter, he barely squeezed out a smile, and said to Zhang Xiaochuan, "This Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao are also generous, and they want to share the world with you as brothers!" Zhang Xiaochuan received a private message from Yelu Longxu in front of the two armies in front of the ministers, and he was already slightly embarrassed, but he was even more embarrassed when he was asked by Emperor Zhenzong. Zhang Xiaochuan's heart suddenly became angry, and he said angrily, "The emperor knows very well that I, Zhang Xiaochuan, have always been indifferent to fame and fortune, and besides, the ambition of the Khitan wolf is my enemy. I, Zhang Xiaochuan, am no longer poor, how can I not distinguish between right and wrong, forget righteousness for profit, and do the thing that betrays my ancestors and forgets my roots. Now that our army has won its initial victory, we should make persistent efforts to boost our morale and win a complete victory. If we lose our righteousness because of small things, we don't take it from others, and how can it be done by our generation!" Zhang Xiaochuan said impassionedly, and his statement was even more indignant.

Emperor Zhenzong knew that he was a little too late today, so he hurriedly said, "I don't know who you are, I know that you are a lucky general, and you have made great contributions to the rebellion in Shu before, and you have made great contributions. Er is the pillar of the country, the humerus of me. Aiqing has always thought of the country and the nation, and this kind of loyalty makes me feel both relieved and comforted, Shicai is just joking with you, General Zhang Da is okay not to go to his heart. Emperor Zhenzong laughed while talking, and the ministers also echoed on the side, although Zhang Xiaochuan couldn't help but have a mustard in his heart, he still said, "The ministers don't dare!" Zhang Xiaochuan saw that Emperor Zhenzong's face was apologetic, and the ministers also praised him, his face was a little pale, and everyone laughed for a while before retreating.

After the Khitan people went back, they reported the scene according to the facts, and Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao sighed when they heard it, and they thought that it would be difficult to have a strange plan to break the enemy, and they meditated hard, and they had no intention of eating, and they could not sleep peacefully. On the second day, the two met, looking tired and anxious, and had no other choice but to talk about peace talks, both of them wanted to take advantage of the fact that the Khitan had not yet failed miserably

Bargaining chips, it is better to strike the army and make peace, the plan has been decided, and Fang summoned the Song envoy Cao to use it. He showed him the sincerity of the Khitan to sue for peace, and then sent an envoy to meet Emperor Zhenzong with Cao Yu.

Cao Yu brought the Liao envoy Han Qi back to the city of Lanzhou, and Kou Zhun and others heard the news and knew that the Khitan had sent an envoy to negotiate peace, and they were busy admonishing Emperor Zhenzong not to allow it. Emperor Zhenzong was forced by the situation some time ago, and had to drive the expedition in person, but he was afraid all day long, and the taste was very unpleasant, and he saw that the Khitan finally sent a messenger, and immediately agreed. Kou Zhun refused to give up, and admonished, "The Khitan has always been cruel and untrustworthy, but now the morale of our army is strong, and the Khitan is invincible, so we will negotiate peace." The minister has planned for His Majesty, and he will definitely be able to defeat the Khitan and ensure the peace of the Great Song Dynasty for a hundred years. If the army is stopped and peace is made, the previous achievements will be wasted, and the tiger will be raised. Although we can temporarily get peace in front of us, after dozens of years, the Khitan will definitely raise the army again!" Emperor Zhenzong said, "I can get peace for decades, and I am full of comfort! It is the best policy to strike the army and rest the people, and Aiqing Hugh has to say more!" Zhang Xiaochuan and others insisted on the invitation together, but Emperor Zhenzong refused to listen, and Wang Qinruo and others were obstructing on the side, so everyone had to let it go and say no more.

The prime minister began to read out the letter of peace brought by the Liao envoy Han Qi, and the Khitan still asked the Great Song Dynasty to cede the land in Guannan, and Emperor Zhenzong listened to it, and said in displeasure, "I am worried, the Khitan asked for the land in Guannan, and it is the same today, I don't know what the Aiqing wants?" Cao Yu was also beside him, and asked Emperor Zhenzong for instructions, "If you are allowed to use money and silk, how much is appropriate?" Emperor Zhenzong replied, "As a last resort, a million is fine." "Emperor Zhenzong still regards himself as a great power, and in his heart, a small reward is insignificant, and he is happy to give it. Later, he forced Han Qi to wear a Han dress, and Emperor Zhenzong received him. explained the will of the Song court in person, and ordered Cao Yu and Han Qi to go back to the Khitan camp to resume their lives.