Chapter 90 Yang Ye
Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Generals such as Tang He had previously studied the failure of the Song Dynasty's large-scale Northern Expedition and had their own insights.

At this time, Tang He said, "Cao Bin led his troops too far forward, and there is no other army near Zhuozhou to support him. He will definitely be targeted by the Liao Dynasty, and his food and grass will be cut off." He looked around and saw that Zhu Yuanzhang did not look surprised, and no one refuted him. He said, "But it is not completely impossible to retreat to Xiongzhou temporarily. If we can replenish food and grass in time and make reasonable arrangements in Zhuozhou, we may succeed."

"What is Emperor Taizong of Song doing... Yes, remote micro-manipulation is not a good thing for the situation." Fu Youde also spoke up, and glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang cautiously. After all, his next words might not make the emperor happy. "Cao Bin is too obedient..."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him, but did not rebuke him. Instead, he seemed to agree: "Cao Bin is a man who is praised for being cautious, obedient, and not greedy for credit. But as for generals, as long as you are loyal to me, can win battles, understand my purpose, and know how to advance and retreat, I also understand that a general is not bound by the orders of the emperor when he is away from home."

Although Zhu Di also felt that Cao Bin's decision at this time had hidden dangers, Zhao Guangyi was also responsible at this time: "Dad, Cao Bin was able to have a good end in the Song Dynasty because he was obedient. Otherwise, even if he could have gotten out safely, I'm afraid he wouldn't have the reputation he has now after his death." In other words, Cao Bin was a smart man, would he dare not disobey?
"That's what he said, but he couldn't suppress his generals..."

[Cao Bin did as he was told and led his army to meet Mi Xin.]

At this time, other voices began to emerge within the Eastern Army. Cao Bin's generals heard about the successive victories of Pan Mei of the Western Army and Tian Chongjin of the Central Army, and they became restless. They felt that their army was the real main force, but they had not made any achievements. How could they justify it?

This voice became louder and louder within the army, and many generals were talking about it. Cao Bin was unable to suppress these generals, and finally listened to these voices and decided to attack Zhuozhou again.

He ordered his soldiers to carry 50 days of rations and began to march. However, due to the harassment of the Liao army, they had to fight all the way and it took them 20 days to reach Zhuozhou, and then they captured Zhuozhou again.

Although they had captured Zhuozhou, the weather was hot, the soldiers were exhausted, and the food and grass were running low. Cao Bin had no choice but to order the evacuation of Zhuozhou again.

The weather was hot, the soldiers were tired, and there were problems with food and grass... Wasn't this somewhat similar to the Battle of Gaoliang River? Yes, what followed was another great defeat, which was also a turning point in Yongxi's Northern Expedition.

At this time, the Liao army had basically assembled, and the reinforcements led by Xiao Chuo and Yelu Longxu arrived in the east of Zhuozhou. Together with Yelu Xiu'ge, they formed a pincer attack on the Song army. The soldiers were exhausted and had insufficient food and grass, so they had no choice but to retreat. However, Cao Bin naturally could not turn around and leave. He ordered his troops to form a military formation to prevent the Liao army from pursuing him.

But the idea was beautiful, but the reality was cruel. Although he asked for the army to form a battle formation, the Song army, which was already determined to retreat, failed to form a perfect battle formation. Instead, the troops were in chaos and not organized.

How could Yelu Xiuguo not see that the Song army had such a big flaw? He naturally accepted this situation, which was like sending someone to his death, and led the elite troops of the Liao army to pursue them personally.

Soon the Eastern Army retreated to Qigou Pass, but was caught up by the Liao Army, and a fierce battle broke out between the two armies. The Song Army used food carts to surround the army to defend themselves, but was completely surrounded by the Liao Army, and had to close the gates to fight the dog.

At this time, the Song army soldiers had long lost the intention to fight and only wanted to escape from the battlefield as soon as possible. In the end, the Liao army defeated the Song army at Qigou Pass.

Cao Bin and his men decided to break out, but the Song army was in such a situation that they could not escape completely. So he and Mi Xin fled with only a few cavalrymen, and the rest of the soldiers all fled. This led them to the Juma River. With their hearts set on escaping and the darkness at night, many soldiers drowned in the river while crossing it. It was the third day of May.

Cao Bin retreated to Yizhou and camped at Shahe. Yelu Xiu'ge did not stop. He heard that the remnants of the Song army were there, so he attacked again. Hearing that the pursuers were coming again, the Song army was like a frightened bird, scrambling to cross the Shahe River. More than half of them died, and the river water stopped flowing.

The remaining Song army fled to Gaoyang, but was still caught up by Yelu Xiu'ge. Tens of thousands of them died, and the discarded weapons and armor piled up like a hill. At this point, the main force of the Song army collapsed across the board, with heavy casualties.

Song Dynasty, the first year of Kaibao.

Zhao Kuangyin, who had been holding out for confidence and thought that although Zhao Guangyi was not good enough, this Northern Expedition should still be able to achieve some results, could not believe it: "Cao Bin is the most prudent and cautious person, why would he act like this? How could such a consequence be caused?"

He has always valued Cao Bin. Of course, Cao Bin is obedient and sensible, not like those arrogant people, which makes him feel at ease. But it is also because Cao Bin is capable and he would never favor an incompetent person.

Cao Bin participated in major battles such as the destruction of Southern Tang, the attack on Later Shu, and the three expeditions to Northern Han.

"How could he make such a serious command mistake?" Zhao Kuangyin was puzzled. It was fine if Zhao Guangyi was giving blind commands from behind, but there was no big problem if Cao Bin listened to him and went to meet Mi Xin. Just stay there honestly and wait for the other two routes. That would be a decisive battle, and we'd decide the outcome then.

But why can't you suppress your generals? Why do you succumb to your subordinates? With your achievements, you should be one of the most prestigious! Moreover, you also know that they are all for merit, not for any foresight.

Zhao Tingmei probed, "Maybe it's because of your lack of ability? Before, it was all under your command, but now it's your turn, second brother..."

Zhao Dezhao also started thinking: "It is possible that the second uncle may have taken the blame. Maybe the second uncle has directed something again."

Zhao Defang was somewhat puzzled by the details described in the story: "Did he abandon the army at Qigou Pass? Why was the food supply cut off before that?"

The Song Dynasty was a time of peace and prosperity.

At this time, Zhao Guangyi had woken up under the treatment of the imperial physician and was calming down.

"This Cao Bin, he was said to be the top military commander of the Song Dynasty, but now it seems that he is just so-so." He was extremely dissatisfied with Cao Bin's performance in the sky. "If I really sent him to lead the Eastern Army, it must be because he is steady and cautious, and he has a great reputation, so I would entrust him with such a heavy responsibility. But he actually made so many mistakes! He made mistakes in tactics and strategy one after another, and he couldn't even suppress the generals within the army. What's the use of him as a commander?"

He was filled with annoyance towards Cao Bin. Although he knew that his strategy and tactics were flawed, and that he had decided to march north without knowing anything about the Liao Kingdom, it was his own business, and he could correct his mistakes.

But the mistake Cao Bin made was unforgivable in his eyes.

The ministers in the hall were discussing the matter, including Cao Bin.

He just smiled bitterly, knowing that he would be reprimanded or even dismissed by Zhao Guangyi this time, and there was nothing he could do about it. After all, it seemed that he had made a mistake in the Yongxi Northern Expedition, regardless of whether it was related to the government.

Seeing his condition, the ministers around him tried to comfort him. In their hearts, Cao Bin still had a high reputation, and all of them, including the civil officials, respected him very much.

Cao Bin changed the subject: "Judging from the sky, Empress Xiao of Liao is indeed capable of governing the country, and this Yelu Xiu'ge has often appeared before, and is brave in battle. He must be a great enemy of our Song Dynasty."

Liao Dynasty, the fifth year of Tonghe.

Unlike the cold and bleak Song Dynasty in different time and space, the Liao Dynasty was celebrating. Especially in the fifth year of Tonghe, the Liao Dynasty people all recalled the pride and joy of defeating the Song army and turning the tide.

Immediately, ministers stepped out and congratulated loudly: "The victory over the Song Dynasty and the thwart of the Song army's northern expedition in the past was all thanks to the Queen Mother's prompt and sharp decision, which prevented the Liao Dynasty from wasting time. In addition, the Song King (Yelü Xiu'ge's title) was brave and good at fighting, which enabled the Liao Dynasty to achieve such a brilliant victory!" Others also spoke out, not wanting to be left behind: "The Queen Mother has a unique vision and can identify and employ people. She has discovered many talents for the Liao Dynasty and dared to employ them, allowing many talents to give full play to their talents and help the Liao Dynasty!"

"I heard that the people of Song are all afraid of the King of the North Court, and no one dares to fight him..."

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Seeing the Eastern Army's tragic defeat, everyone could only sigh: "After this defeat, the Central and Western Army can only retreat, otherwise they will be isolated. The Yongxi Northern Expedition has come to an end here."

Fang Xuanling was thinking about what would happen after the Northern Expedition: "After returning from a great defeat this time, does Emperor Taizong of Song still have the intention to fight again? Do the people in the court and the country still have the intention to fight again?" To put it nicely, it is the intention to fight again, and in fact it is the courage to fight again.

Fang Xuanling suspected that after two consecutive defeats and Zhao Guangyi's character flaws, he would most likely not launch another Northern Expedition. Under his influence, the two disastrous defeats, and his policy of valuing culture over military power, it would probably be difficult for the government and the public to launch another Northern Expedition - it's not that no one wanted to, but that it was difficult to do.

In connection with the previous content about Emperor Taizong of Ming, which mentioned the division between the North and the South and the separation of Youyun for many years, it is very likely that the Song Dynasty never succeeded again thereafter.

Li Shimin agreed with this, but he had another idea: "Cao Bin's inability to suppress the generals in the army was certainly due to his own ability, but the generals' disobedience was also a problem. Perhaps this is the 'arrogant and fierce generals' in the late Tang Dynasty and even the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms?"

Ming Dynasty, Yongle period.

Zhu Di had known about the defeat for a long time, and he specifically mentioned this to Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji: "In the battle of Qigou Pass, Cao Bin was unable to control his generals. On the one hand, it was due to his personal factors, and on the other hand, it was also a problem of military generals left over from the Five Dynasties."

Zhu Gaochi also understood this part: "I remember that when Song Taizu destroyed Southern Tang, he gave him the imperial sword and a special mission."

Zhu Zhanji smiled and said seriously, "I understand, Grandpa. Although the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty seem to have hidden dangers, they still need to continue to check and balance the military generals. However, they cannot over-promote one side like the Song Dynasty did. The eunuchs also have this role."

Zhu Di nodded and said: "Checks and balances are one thing, but we cannot let those who have no knowledge at all give orders blindly. It's also okay to rely more on generals you can trust." For example, the Duke of Ying, and the Mu family in Yunnan.

[All aspects of the battlefield are related. The main force of the Song army on the east route was defeated, so the western and central routes naturally could not continue to stay in the territory of the Liao Dynasty, otherwise they would be surrounded by the Liao Dynasty after they reacted.

After receiving the battle report from the Eastern Army, Zhao Guangyi immediately ordered the Central Army to retreat to Dingzhou and the Western Army to retreat to Daizhou. He was also worried that the Song Army would fall into the hands of the enemy.

This was indeed the case. Empress Dowager Xiao Chuo mobilized superior forces to the west to deal with the Song army in the middle and west. The Liao general Yelu Xizhen took the initiative to attack.

At this time, the Central Army had safely withdrawn, leaving the Western Army, which had a long way to go. They received an order from Zhao Guangyi to cover the residents of Huan, Shuo, Yun, and Ying to move to the interior, and the retreat speed slowed down again. Naturally, this isolated Western Army became the only target of the Liao Army.

The Western Army retreated all the way to Langya Village south of Shuozhou, while more than 100,000 Liao troops led by Yelu Xizhen had already captured Huanzhou.

Seeing this, Yang Ye thought that the Liao army was too strong to engage in a head-on battle, and so he could take the Dashi Road. He sent people to secretly inform the Yun and Shuo garrisons in advance to cooperate and relocate the people to Shijie Valley. The Song army could take the opportunity to send a thousand strong crossbowmen to guard the valley entrance and use cavalry to provide support in the middle route. In this way, the predetermined mission could be completed and the Song army and the people could return safely to the territory of the Song Dynasty.

This idea was correct, but it was opposed by military supervisor Wang Quan, armory keeper Liu Wenyu and others.

In their view, they should head straight to Yanmen, and believed that Yang Ye "led tens of thousands of elite troops but hesitated to move forward", which meant that he had ulterior motives and was not loyal to the Song Dynasty.

As the commander of the Western Army, Pan Mei kept silent at this time, which could be said to be tacit approval of Wang Quan's proposal, which was contrary to his knowledge of military affairs as a famous general.

Song Dynasty, the first year of Kaibao.

Zhao Kuangyin only felt that the Yongxi Northern Expedition really shattered his impression of many generals he trusted.

One thing he said is very true. Pan Mei was a famous general at the time. He had fought in several important wars and must have been well versed in military tactics and military affairs. How could he not see that Yang Ye's ideas were more correct?

"Yang Ye, judging by the name, he is somewhat related to Liu Jiye of the Northern Han." Zhao Kuangyin had some knowledge of all the famous generals and felt that this Yang Ye was most likely Liu Jiye. After all, it was possible that Zhao Guangyi had conquered the Northern Han before and had taken this man under his wing.

Besides, he didn't think that a new talented general would emerge in just a few years - there were too few people like Wei Huo, so the possibility of this happening was almost zero.

Zhao Guangmei suddenly realized: "Then this man is indeed a fierce general, and he seems to have the title of 'invincible'."

Zhao Dezhao and his brother also heard about it. They also did not understand Pan Mei's behavior: "It can't be that Pan Mei doesn't like Yang Ye, so he did it on purpose?"

"Is it because he doesn't dare to resist the military supervisor? Impossible, this is not right."

Zhao Guangmei rolled her eyes. Yang Ye’s predecessor was Liu Jiye, who belonged to the Northern Han Dynasty… “Yang Ye is a surrendered general!”

Ming Dynasty, Yongle period.

Zhu Di persuaded again: "Look, this issue of military supervisors is also something that the Ming Dynasty needs to pay attention to. Military supervisors are indispensable, and I have also sent eunuchs to supervise the army, but the candidates must be carefully considered, and they must have an understanding of military affairs, and they cannot be the kind of people who are arrogant and overbearing, and overstep their authority and act arbitrarily."

Zhu Zhanji was very studious: "Grandpa, is it because Pan Mei was jealous of the talents that he indulged the behavior of the military supervisors?"

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaochi and motioned him to explain.

Zhu Gaochi said: "Pan Mei is indeed jealous of talented people, and this behavior is absolutely unacceptable. But there is one word you said that is not quite correct. Pan Mei cannot be considered indulgent. He did not stop it. The power of the Song Dynasty military supervisor does not require the commander to indulge himself. He can naturally compete with the commander. Pan Mei...has not stopped the military supervisor. There are certain self-protection reasons."

Seeing Zhu Zhanji bowing his head in thought, he added: "But Pan Mei's mistake is still unquestionable."

"Besides, it also depends on the political backgrounds of the people in the Western Route Army."

(End of this chapter)