Wang Gui was very worried that Zhao Xu would appoint Sima Guang, otherwise the old school members would be valued, so he asked Cai Que and others to discuss together. After resigning from the court, Wang Gui was still unhappy and worried.

Seeing this, Cai Que thought of a solution and said to Wang Gui: "What do you mean when you are afraid that Sima Guang will be recruited by the emperor?" Wang Gui replied: "If Sima Guang comes to the capital, we will definitely impeach us. I am afraid that the prime minister will not be guaranteed." Cai Que said: "The emperor has long wanted to recover Lingwu. If you can take on this responsibility, the prime minister can be guaranteed. Are you still afraid of Sima Guang?"

When Wang Gui heard this, he turned his worries and thanked him repeatedly. He recommended Yu Chong to magistrate Qingzhou and instructed him to pacify Xia Ce. Zhao Xu was indeed as Cai Que said, and the civil strife in Western Xia happened to occur, so he was very concerned about it. Zhao Xu was not in the mood to summon Sima Guang and appointed Feng Jing as Privy Councilor, Xue Xiang, Sun Gu and Lu Gong as Privy Councilor. He issued an edict to surround horses and prepare for the Western Expedition. Xue Xiang also agreed to surviving horses at first, but later he felt that it was inconvenient to disturb the people, so he regretted it. The Censor Shu Dan impeached him by his capriciousness and improperty of his ministers, so he was demoted to magistrate Yingzhou.

Feng Jing also requested his resignation, and Zhao Xu issued an edict to allow him to order Sun Gu to be the head of the Privy Council, Lu Gong and Han Zhen to be the head of the Tongzhi Council. Soon, Zhao Xu received another memorial from Yu Chong: "The Xia general Li Qing was originally from Qin, and he once persuaded the Xia lord Li Bingchang to take him to join him in Hexi. Li Bingchang's mother Liang learned that Li Bingchang was imprisoned and killed Li Qing. Our dynasty should raise an army to question him, and it cannot be delayed. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

It turned out that after Li Liangzuo of Western Xia died, his son Li Bingchang succeeded to the throne. He was only seven years old at the time and naturally could not manage the government. Therefore, the Empress Dowager Liang's regent was regent, and the younger brother Liang Yi-chan promoted him to the prime minister. The Empress Dowager Liang entrusts all the power of the government to Liang Yi-chan, and Liang Yi-chan also arranged his children and confidants to serve important positions. He and his confidants, the capital Romawei, who held military power, and the guards of the Empress Dowager Liang Wang Menge and others formed the mother party group and firmly controlled the rule.

In August of the first year of the National Day, the Empress Dowager Liang personally ordered 300,000 troops and horses, and sent out all the troops. With a hundred days of dry food, he attacked the five routes along the border of the Song Dynasty and launched a large-scale attack on the Dashun City of the Song Dynasty. The latter army stationed in Yulin, more than 40 miles away from the Qingzhou of Song Dynasty. The Xia army cavalry rushed to the city of Qingzhou, causing a great earthquake in Shaanxi. Later, because the leader of the Tubo, Dong Wen, took advantage of the opportunity to lead his troops into the western border of Xixia, which forced Liang Yichi to withdraw his troops in a hurry. The following year, the battle for Luowu City, Xixia won the battle, although Xixia won, it was achieved by begging Liao to send troops to assist the war. Xixia felt very financially tight and exhausted, so she negotiated peace with the Song Dynasty.

In the second year of Da'an, Li Bingchang was already sixteen years old and began to take charge of the government affairs, but the real power was still in the hands of the Empress Dowager and Liang Yi. Li Bingchang was a monarch who loved Confucian culture very much. During the battle with the Song Dynasty, Xixia captured many Han scholars. Li Bingchang asked them for advice and learned the ritual system of the Song Dynasty, and prepared to re-perform the Han rituals and abolish the foreign rituals. Soon, Li Bingchang ordered it to be implemented. His move was dissuaded and opposed by the Empress Dowager Liang Yi and Liang Yi and his mother party forces, and Li Bingchang ignored it.

In the seventh year of Da'an, under the persuasion of Li Qing, Li Bingchang planned to use the good method to use the power of the Song Dynasty to deal with the forces of the Liang family's mother party. When Li Qing was preparing to go to the Song Dynasty, he was found out by the Queen Mother of Liang. She summoned the Xun minister Wang Menge and others to plot, lured Li Qing to drink, arrested and killed him, and immediately took Li Bing.

She was often imprisoned in Muzhai, five miles away from Xingqing Palace. At the same time, she ordered Liang Yimeng and Wang Menge to gather troops to control the important roads of the river and beams, and to cut off the connection between the capital and the outside world.

The news that Li Bingchang was imprisoned was shocked, and the court was shocked. Li Bingchang's royal family members, his close relatives and tribal leaders from all over the country joined forces to defend their city and fortresses and confront the Liang family's mother party forces. Liang Yimang sent his close relatives to hold silver medals to tell them the interests, but no one obeyed the orders, and Xixia was immediately in chaos. [3]

Yu Zang Huama, the Tubo clan of the army of the Xixia Preservation Army, was always dissatisfied with the autocracy of Zhuliang. After hearing the news that Li Bingchang was imprisoned, he issued a document to the Song Dynasty Xizhou on the grounds that the Xia Dynasty lost its position and domestic chaos, saying that it was the disagreement between the Xixia emperor and the empress dowager and his son, and the empress dowager killed the emperor and the important minister, which led to the rebellion of the whole country. If troops were sent to fight at this time, Xixia would definitely respond nationwide. Based on this, Zhao Xu ordered Miao Su, the governor of Xizhou, to send someone to verify it carefully before reporting it to the court.

The Song Dynasty Security Army moved Wen Youzhou to the ultimatum to Xia with the order of the General Secretary: "Western Xia has been a vassal for generations, and the court has often rewarded annual monies. In recent years, we have followed the will of the court and carefully performed the responsibilities of the vassal, and have fulfilled our kindness to the court. Now we heard that the lord was held hostage by the empress dowager and ministers, and we cannot be exclusive of national affairs, nor can we know his survival. Now the court will send envoys who rewarded the lord's birthday and mid-winter gifts to the lord. It is still unknown when we come to welcome him and who is the commander of the Xixia now. Please give it back quickly." Seeing the lord, the Empress Dowager Liang simply refused to reply because he could not explain it.

Zhao Xu immediately ordered the Xihe Jingzheng Li Xian and others to prepare to attack Xia, and summoned the deputy general manager of Danyan Zhong Yan to inquire. Zhong Yan came and shouted: "There is no one in Xia State, there is a small place, and you can go to pacify me." Zhao Xu was overjoyed, so he decided to fight the west, summon the auxiliary ministers, and meet to join the army.

Sun Gu advised: "It is easy to send troops, but it is difficult to withdraw troops. Please think twice!" Zhao Xu said: "The Western Xia has the opportunity to take advantage of it now. If it is not taken, it will be occupied by the Liao people. This opportunity must not be lost." Sun Gu replied: "If you must use troops, you should declare your crime. If you win by chance, you should also divide the Xia territory and let the chiefs defend themselves." Zhao Xu laughed and said: "This is the pedantic words of Li Sheng of the Han Dynasty. Why did you say such words?"

Sun Gu said again: "Your Majesty thinks I am pedantic, and I think we may not be able to win. Who can be the commander when we send troops today?" Zhao Xu said: "I have entrusted it to Li Xian." Li Xian's courtesy name is Zifan and was from Xiangfu in Kaifeng. During the reign of Emperor Zhen of Zhao Zhenyou, Li Xian entered the palace and became a eunuch. Soon, he was promoted to the entrusted official of the Inner West End.

After Zhao Xu ascended the throne, Li Xian served as the Yongxing Army and took on the posts of Taiyuan Prefecture. At that time, the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia continued to have disputes and wars with the Song Dynasty. Li Xian submitted a memorial to discuss border affairs, which was quite consistent with Zhao Xu's order, so he was highly favored.

In the third year of Xining, Han Jiang was in charge of Shaanxi, and Li Xian served as a horse under his slogan. Han Jiang's beloved general Zhong Yan wanted to seek the Hengshan Village occupied by Xixia, but Li Xian said no. However, Zhong Yan ignored it and led his troops to defeat the Xixia army, led 30,000 troops to build Luowu City, and sent the chief supervisor Zhao Pu and Yanda to build the Funing ancient city. Li Xian believed that the division of troops at this time would be a loss of junction. Once the situation changed, it would be difficult for all parties to protect themselves. Not long after, the Xia people indeed captured Shunning and then besieged Funing.

At that time, Zhong Yan was in the Suide Army and heard this letter

, he was so confused that he shed tears and could not write. In this battle, the Xia people won a great victory, and all the new Song army returned to the hands of the Xia people. The court learned that Zong Yan was demoted to Ruzhou's deputy envoy and was placed in Tanzhou, so Han Jiang was exiled to Dengzhou. Li Xian participated in military affairs this time and was rightly said, so he was relied on by Zhao Xu and sent to Hedong Road, and served as a horse under the curtain of the strategic envoy Zhao Yan. Zhao Yan also attached great importance to Li Xian's military talent, and the two often agreed with each other on border affairs, so he strengthened the Song Dynasty's military defense against the Liao Kingdom.

Soon, Li Xian left the border town and returned to the capital, and was promoted to a back garden. This was just a role in charge of miscellaneous matters such as gardens, ponds, terraces, and art. However, the emperor had to accompany him when he was in the fun, so he had more opportunities to meet the emperor and was very important in the provincial eunuch. It was with this opportunity that Li Xian won the full trust of Zhao Xu.

Later, Wang Shao submitted a "Pingrong Strategy". Zhao Xu believed that Wang Shao's argument was reasonable and decided to take the initiative to attack Xia. Zhao Xu appointed Wang Shao as the chief of the Taohe Pacification Department, managing Taowei, and preparing to use troops against Xia. At the beginning of the sixth year of Xining, Wang Shao submitted a memorial request to raise troops to recover Hehuang. Zhao Xu approved the memorial and appointed Li Xian to inspect the army and cooperate with Wang Shao to advance. Not long after, the Song army captured Hezhou, and expanded the territory of more than 1,000 miles, recruited more than 300,000 people. Even the wife of the Qiang Chief of Hezhou blind expedition was captured. The Song Dynasty set up Xihe Road here and appointed Wang Shao as the governor's pacification envoy. Li Xian was appointed as the envoy of the Dongranyuan for his military achievements and served as an official in the Imperial Medicine Academy.

Xixia was resentful of the defeat in this battle and soon began to retaliate. However, in the two battles of Niujing Valley and Kenuo City, the Song army won again. Zhao Xu praised Li Xian's military talent very much and kept him in the Xihe Road Pacification Office, and was in the face of Wang Shao. In February of this year, the war in Hehuang, which was on the surface, began to settle again. Zhao Xu thought that Hehuang had been settled, so he transferred Li Xian to the Fuyan Road Supervisor. However, the blind expedition that was driven out of Hezhou and joined forces with Dong Wen, Gui Zhang Qiang soldiers made a comeback and captured Hezhou Tabai City.

When the new Hezhou magistrate Jing Sili heard the news, he quickly gathered troops to fight to Tabai City. However, due to the hasty outing, and the number of enemies and the number of enemies was disparate, the battle was just beginning, and Jing Sili's troops were surrounded by numerous sieges. Xixia was eager to get revenge, and the Song army officers and soldiers were killed and injured. Jing Sili also died in the chaos. The blind army and others who had captured Tabai City immediately surrounded Hezhou City. The blind army was not in a hurry to attack the city, but were only noisy outside the city, claiming to kill all the Song army officers and soldiers.

Hundreds of thousands of urgent battle reports were sent to the capital one after another, and Wang Anshi and others advocated preserving their strength and giving up the Hehuang land. Zhao Xu was also unsure of his decision: not giving up Hehuang may lead to even more severe losses; but finally regaining the land and giving up like this would be a loss of the power of the Great Song Dynasty. Zhao Xu thought for a long time, but still issued an order to grant Wang Shao's volunteer.

At this time, Li Xian was rushing to Fuyan Road to monitor the military situation. When he arrived at Xingping, he stopped immediately and waited for the imperial decree. Soon, he waited for the imperial decree: to order Li Xian to rush to Xihe Road, meet with Wang Shao, and jointly respond to the Hezhou change. Wang Shao knew that he had been blindly encircled Hezhou for a long time and did not take him, so he ambushed the troops outside Hezhou City, preparing to eliminate reinforcements.
Chapter completed!