On the tenth day of July of the third year of Xining, the three major newspapers of the Song Dynasty published a manifesto on the first page of the Dangxiang nobles and the late Li Qing, who jointly invited the Song Dynasty to help the Western Xia quell the rebellion against the Qing dynasty. In the early morning of that day, during the morning court, the Song Dynasty rulers and ministers decided to send troops to attack Xia in the Chuigong Hall. Less than a month after the peace agreement was concluded between the Song and Xia countries, it was declared invalid.

This has been planned. On the same day, in his big tent, Korean Gongfu Bi set up a feast case to read the handwriting of Emperor Zhao Xu from Emperor Zhao Xu to the generals, and the battle to destroy Xia officially began!

Wang Shun led 100,000 Dingxi Army to attack Huaizhou and Jingzhou along the Great Wall, while Zhong Yan and Yang Chongyue rushed from the south line to Xiangqing Army and Baojing. The remaining 150,000 soldiers were led by Wang Shao, divided into two units, set out from Bole City and Mingsha, and officially entered the 800-mile Hanhai to the south line, and marched westward to the Hexi Corridor.

The core of the Western Xia is completely a dense urban agglomeration established with Xingqing Prefecture as the center - from Xiakou City to the north, Xiangqing Army, Baojing, Shunzhou, Xingqing Prefecture, Jingzhou, Huaizhou, Shunzhou and Dingzhou were distributed along the Yellow River. This is the core of the core of the Western Xia, with the irrigation of the Yellow River water. This is the main agricultural production area in the northwest, thus successfully ensuring the supply of three-quarters of the Western Xia population. In the War to Destroy Xia, the standards for measuring the results of the war were mainly reflected here. In these cities with a radius of thousands of miles in vertical strips, the cores were the Dangxiang nobles and the Western Xia emperor. Of course, all the wealth accumulated by the Western Xia ruled by the senior leaders will become the goal of the Song Dynasty.

Wang Shun's Dingxi Army attacked very quickly. Since leaving Baichi City, the wind swept through the vast grassland like a storm, destroying all the places they passed by. All the pasture horses and cattle they encountered were incorporated into the Dingxi Army to carry military supplies. Following the Dingxi Army were more than 10,000 militias. At the suggestion of Yongren, they were northwestern workers hired by Hebei merchants. They could hold certain weapons and specialize in following the army to confiscate spoils, and then be responsible for the transportation and support of certain military supplies.

Such "plundering regiments" flashed everywhere in the entire Song army that destroyed Xia, even in Wang Shao's southern combat corps. Their differences were that the Chuzhou merchants and Hangzhou merchants invested in recruitment, and a considerable number of vassal tribes came out to be strong. Although theirs were not as powerful as the elite vassals recruited like Wang Shao's army, they were more fierce than ordinary Song militias. They were much more powerful in combat, and were able to afford to protect Wang Shao's logistics and supplies.

The "Plundering Group" was planned by Wang Jinghui. His purpose was very simple - to completely destroy the Western Xia civilization! In the era he lived in later generations, the Western Xia civilization was mysterious compared to that of the people at that time, but in Wang Jinghui's eyes, it was worthless. The land he wanted was all the wealth of Xixia to enrich the Song Dynasty. Even if the worst situation occurred in this war to destroy Xia and could not achieve the goal, he would still let the plundering group completely destroy everything in Xixia. Later, the Dangxiang people lost this foundation, and even if they were not destroyed, they would exhaust their last breath of vitality. After such a group of "locusts" sorted out the Western Xia, he did not believe that Xixia could have any material basis for launching a war.

Emperor Zhao Xu and the most important ministers knew the existence of the "Plundering Group". Perhaps they might not be very clear about the destructive nature, but they also understood the general consequences in their hearts. Although Sima Guang also criticized Emperor Taizong of Tang for not listening to Wei Zheng's advice in his "Zizhi Tongjian", it did not mean that he would give up the Confucian idea of ​​"pleasant and kindness". Apart from that, everyone objected to whether the "Plundering Group" existed.

Faced with such a "righteous" question, Wang Jinghui answered with "leniency and strictness" - the army can destroy Xixia, plunder all resources, and even population resources to transfer to the Song Dynasty for development in the south and South China Sea. Later, it was close to entering the civil servant system responsible for receiving Xixia, and acted as a role in setting things right, appropriately returning local people's property and part of the "missed population" in order to establish prestige, which is more conducive to the stability of the Song Dynasty's rule in Xixia.

Everyone seemed to be amused and crying about Wang Jinghui's suggestions - the Song army, especially the Song army, who fought in the northwest in recent years, have formed the habit of plundering the enemy. No matter how big or small the wars are, they will wait for an opportunity to plunder various materials from the Western Xia as long as they have the opportunity. Some military operations are even launched specifically with the goal of plundering. The top leaders of the Song Dynasty's rule know this well, but it is the first time that such a plundering regiment was openly set up in the War to Destroy Xia. It is really hard to accept that it will make everyone passive when exposed to the future.

However, the prince-consort's suggestion is even more attractive - this is not only reflected in the long-term stability of the Song Dynasty for the newly recaptured territory, but more importantly, the existence of the plundering regiment can greatly reduce the logistics burden of the Song army and be more conducive to reducing the investment in military expenditure. If a war is not completed, the Song Dynasty's finance may pay off the merchant's "war loan" in one fell swoop, but it is hard to say that the income is quite high.

In the end, everyone, including Sima Guang, had a tacit understanding and put the matter of the plundering group aside and refused to mention it, let alone inquire about it. In Sima Guang's opinion, this only benefits but no harm to the Song Dynasty - even if it is considered from a long-term perspective!

Due to the existence of the plundering regiment, the Song army's attack speed greatly accelerated. The Dingxi Army, which was the fastest, took only four days. More than 20,000 cavalry of the vanguard had already rushed to the city of Jingzhou. The more than 30,000 troops with simple siege equipment behind also surrounded Baojing. Just waited for the troops behind to catch up, and then took Baojing down in one go.

The sudden attack launched by the Song army caught Xixia off guard, and the Xixia government and the people were frightened. It was not until the third night of the Song army's departure that the top leaders of the Xixia ruled realized that the Song army had launched a large-scale attack. Anyone could see that the Song army was really moving this time and would not give up until the Western Xia was destroyed.

Facing huge pressure from the Song army - at the same time, the senior leaders of Xixia learned that the war began. Recently, the Song army was already on the periphery of the core area of ​​Xixia. The ruling class of Xixia was in chaos, and Empress Dowager Liang showed her iron-blooded skills at this time. Even Ali Ti cried and asked to explain to her, and directly sent Ali Ti to the guillotine. At the same time, more than 40 Dangxiang nobles were also beheaded, and all their property was confiscated. The family was slaves.

Queen Mother Liang's iron-blooded wrist temporarily shocked the chaotic nobles of Dangxiang, but she herself knew that Xixia might really be in trouble this time. When she sent Ali to the guillotine, the Song army's vanguards were already close to Jingzhou. In this core area, agriculture and animal husbandry were very developed. The Song army even needed to rely on plunder to meet the daily supply of the army. This made Xixia's usual method of dealing with large-scale revenge in the Song army, the tactic of firming the walls and clearing the field, lost space to play.

Just when Xixia started to recruit soldiers in major cities in a hurry, the Dingxi Army finally waited for firearms. In addition to the stones that had been searching everywhere in the past two days, the Dingxi Army had already prepared to siege the city. Perhaps because the Song army's offensive was too fierce and the war to destroy Xia was launched too suddenly. The Xixia people did not make any preparations for war at all. However, the siege battle had just begun, and the prefect of Baojing opened the city to surrender.

With a wave of his arm, 20,000 cavalry quickly poured into Baojing City, disarming the Dangxiang Guardians. Then surrounded the Dangxiang Guardians' residences where they lived. These Dangxiang Guardians hoarded a lot of wealth. If the soldiers took action, the losses would be too great. It would be better to hand them over to the "experts" behind them to plunder. More! After leaving behind 10,000 necessary soldiers to defend the city, the Dingxi Army transported a large amount of combat preparations to Jingzhou not far away, preparing to join the 20,000 cavalry who had been cruising there. The siege materials originally used on the head of Baojing City to the head of the Jingzhou Guardians.

Baojing City was the first important city to be captured by the Song army in the War to Destroy Xia, which also greatly encouraged the Song army. All generals from all walks of life received this stimulus and accelerated their pace of attack and advancement. All the big and small cities and villages encountered along the way were swept away, which gave the party-spirited soldiers fighting them a new subversive understanding of the weak Song army before.

The Song army's attacks and camps were so smooth that it was beyond the imagination of all Song generals. On the one hand, it was because the elite troops in the Western Xia army had been wiped out by the Song army over the years. On the other hand, it was because the firearms used in this large-scale military operation were completely powerful firearms. They were far superior to the firearms used in the past in terms of range and explosion. The first military city facing Yaode City, Yaode City, was because Wang Shao's eight incendiary bombs exploded violently and collapsed the entire South Gate, forcing the Dangxiang defenders of Yaode City to simply abandon the city and flee. However, in the vast sea, they faced their 20,000 cavalry siege beyond their imagination. After the death battle, more than 2,000 people were forced to surrender.

Wang Shao's part of his troops headed towards Xingqing Prefecture, and then solved the problem that Yaode City had obtained supplies in the city, and did not bother to clear out the remnants of Dangxiang left in the vast sea, because he believed that the "plundering group" following their butt was fully capable of dealing with these scattered soldiers and wandering. Wang Shao immediately went down the Lingzhou River and moved quickly to the Xiping Prefecture in Xixia, which was also the city of Xiangqing Prefecture. The advancement of the Song army on the southern front was so fast that the Dangxiang Prefecture in Xiping Prefecture was shocked. They were not good at defending the city, although a big city like Xiping Prefecture

In Xixia, it is also second only to Xingqing Prefecture's wall, but facing the Song army who is good at siege, this kind of city wall cannot be trusted by the Dangxiang Army. They trust their horses more. The previous strategy was to go all out to the Xiping Prefecture cavalry to enter the vast sea and play hide-and-seek with the invading Song army in the vast sea. As long as the Song army's food route is intercepted, it will be a matter of time before the Song army retreats. Even if the Song army retreats, they can achieve amazing results by following the attack. Under this tactic, even Di Wuxiang, who was more than ten years ago, suffered heavy losses.

When faced with the 100,000 Song army soldiers under the city of Xipingfu, the Dangxiang Army inside was already busy with a group of people - they could not get out! The Song army Wang Shao's troops guarded the south gate tightly, and then Yang Chongyue, who had arrived less than half a day, surrounded the north gate to death. The 200,000 Song army gathered at the city of Xipingfu, which further aggravated the panic of the Dangxiang Army in the city.

Whether it is called Xiping Prefecture or Xiangqing Army, this is not important in the eyes of the Song army, because this city has an extremely resounding name - Lingzhou, and the best signpost for Wang Shao to cross the vast sea is Lingzhou River. Lingzhou is a thorn in the heart of the Song Dynasty. Seventy years ago, Lingzhou was owned by the Song Dynasty. Li Jiqian rebelled and established himself as king to block the vast sea. He besieged Lingzhou. At that time, the governor of Lingzhou was Pei Ji. He wrote a blood letter to ask for help from the Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, the eight hundred miles of the sea became a natural barrier in the Western Xia. The reinforcements of the Song army had not yet arrived in Huanzhou. Pei Ji fought to the death with the soldiers guarding Lingzhou to the end and blood stained the city of Lingzhou. Later, Di Wuxiang also attacked here for decades. However, due to the internal conflicts of the Song Dynasty, Di Wuxiang was also defeated, and Lingzhou almost became the root of the Song Dynasty.

The 200,000 Song army surrounded the 100,000 Dangxiang corps in Lingzhou City. Although the Song army could not have an overwhelming advantage in terms of the number of offensive and defending people, fortunately, the Dangxiang people did something very stupid when they got Lingzhou City. The Dangxiang people thought that the more city gates the more difficult it was, and the Dangxiang soldiers were not good at defending the city, so they sealed the two gates east and west Lingzhou, leaving only two gates north and south. As a result, they were surrounded by 200,000 Song army in Lingzhou City today. They could not even divide the troops and escape. The Song army in either direction was the same as the number of Dangxiang soldiers in the city. The narrow gates restricted the cavalry that Dangxiang soldiers were proud of. Before the formation was unfolded, they might be blocked by the Song army at the edge of the city gate. Moreover, the Song army arranged two rows of small crossbows and crossbows outside the range of the bow and arrows in the city gate. It was simply a dream to break through in such an open area.

The Xiang army of Lingzhou refused to give up. They even organized two breakthroughs, but they paid a heavy price to verify the power of the Song army's equipment, which was inspired by the small catapult carriage of the Poxi Army. It is easy to carry. Although the power is not as powerful as the large bed crossbows and crossbows, the damage caused to the enemy's cavalry in the field is unbearable. What's more, the cavalry crowded out of the city gate, the Song army shattered the enemy's idea of ​​breaking through like a game.

Although Lingzhou City was in such a harsh situation, the party Xiang Bing of Lingzhou did not think of surrendering--the garrison in Lingzhou was Liang Yongneng, the nephew of Queen Mother Liang. Liang Yongneng was almost captured in the battle of Baoan City, but he just took advantage of the chaos of the war to escape. However, this does not mean that Liang Yongneng is a greedy person who is afraid of death. On the contrary, he is in his prime and has experienced many wars. In addition to the painful memories left by the battle of the Baoan Army, he can still be regarded as a person who can fight and good at fighting.

At this time, the situation in Xixia was already very clear to Liang Yongneng. He was originally opposed to attacking Li Qing, but even if Li Qing rebelled, he did not return to Song. This ensured that the surrounding areas of the Jianing Military Office were still in the hands of the Song Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty had no way to attack Xia. Although it was a confusing situation to coexist with Li Qing, it was much better than the Song Dynasty who hated Xixia more. As long as he devoted himself to development, he might not lose to Li Qing. What's more, Li Qing could recall Li Qing in the name of Bingchang in the future. However, all this was meaningless. Empress Dowager Liang's anger had pushed Xixia to the most dangerous situation. After fighting with Li Qing, Li Qing certainly won, but he lost the qualification to protect himself. What's more serious is that Li Qing surrendered to the Song Dynasty, which made Xixia even worse.

Although Liang Yongneng knew that his family was about to come to an end when he ruled Xixia and that his family was in a very disgraceful position, he did not complain too much - in his heart, he knew that he was a Han man. Although his family launched wars of aggression against the Song Dynasty again and again, and then ruled Xixia, the interests of the family were already higher than the country he was loyal to. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would fight to the end and fight a bloody path for his family!

Three days later, Yang Chongyue and Wang Shao, who were besieging Xiping Prefecture, received news that they were not good or bad - Wang Shun conquered Jingzhou and captured Wei Mingrong, the highest commander of Jingzhou alive! Wei Mingrong was a respected nobleman of Dangxiang, but he stood on the side of the Liang family very disgracefully, so he was criticized by the Dangxiang nobleman. This was also the choice of a mature man. The Liang family was too strong, especially the Queen Mother Liang's skill was so sophisticated and ruthless. Wei Mingrong believed that he was not an opponent. If the two sides became enemies, his tribe would undoubtedly be hit by the Liang family. Moreover, the death of Wei Minglang, who was more powerful than him, really scared this old guy, so he defected to the Liang party very disgracefully.

Although Yang Chongyue himself was not interested in the dispute between the old and new parties in the court, Wang Shao was the backbone of the reformist faction. Moreover, even if Yang Chongyue did not have obvious political inclination, he obeyed the orders under Zhong Yan, which was already marked by the old party. No matter what, the news of Wang Shun's conquering Jingzhou had a great impact on them - first defeat Baojing and then Jingzhou, which are all extremely important cities around Xingqing Prefecture. Wang Shao didn't know what the "Dingxi Army" was organized, but Yang Chongyue knew this "monster". In contrast, after receiving the news, Yang Chongyue's shock was not as great as Wang Shao.
Chapter completed!