On the causes of repeated battles and defeats of the northern song army from Mu's breakthrough.

In the story of the Northern Song Dynasty, there is such a plot. During the confrontation between Song and Liao, Liao invaded the territory of the Song Dynasty, and Yang (), commander of the Song Border Guard, led troops to fight against Liao. On the way back, Yang's son escorted the grain and grass, passed through Muke Village, shot at Hongyan and met the wood. After Mu adored Zhong Liang, he earned Zongbao to get married on the mountain, and then the husband and wife went down the mountain. Mu helped Yang break the sky and won a great victory. This story comes from a romance novel. How real it is and whether the Tianmen array in the story exists are debatable. However, through the description of Yang Jiajiang's mid-Song and Liao armies fighting against each other, forming an array and breaking an array, we can fully reflect the importance attached by the Song Dynasty in the process of marching operations at that time, which can be seen from the novel, The Water Margin, The Wu Family's Four Banners and Five Sides, Song Gongming's Nine Palaces and Eight Diagrams, and The Swallow Boy Army in Four Great Classical Novels. Of course, it is not known whether the various arrays mentioned in the above-mentioned romance novels have ever existed in history. However, according to historical documents, the ancient marching methods in China have a long history, from the beautiful fish array in Zheng Zhuanggong in the Spring and Autumn Period to the hundred birds array in the Taiping Army in the Qing Dynasty, the most famous of which is the Eight Arrays created by poets Du Fu and Zhuge Wuhou. However, although the Eight Arrays map is famous, it was paid less attention to in the Three Kingdoms period than in the Northern Song Dynasty. During the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, there was an official named platoon leader, whose duty was to direct operations on the front line according to the array map. However, it is precisely because of these formations that the army in the Northern Song Dynasty always suffered defeat. Why do you say that? Let's learn slowly. In the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a strange phenomenon, that is, everyone had the spirit of innovation. Someone always created an array map and gave it to the country. For example, in 100 1 year, Wang Chao presented two maps. In A.D. 1036, Luo Yuan made Tyrone appear in array; In A.D. 104 1 year, Xie Yang of Ice presented the Eight Arrays of Dragon and Tiger (I don't know what it has to do with the Eight Arrays of Zhuge Wuhou), and Zhao Yu of Qingzhou presented a large array; In A.D. 1045, General Gao Zhining, the right leader, presented a battle map, and in A.D. 105 1 year, Jingyuan sent Cheyenne into battle. In A.D. 1055, Su Anjing presented an eight-array map, and in A.D. 1074, Yang (the son of the romance) presented a battle map. Yang's stills depend largely on the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, and the reason why these people like to create and hand in battle plans is not because they are innovative, but because the Supreme Emperor, the supreme ruler of the empire, needs these things to direct the frontline generals to fight. For example, in 987 AD, Song Taizong summoned Pan Mei and Tian Chongjin, put forward a plan for peace, honor and security, and personally approved the advance and retreat strategy. In 997 AD, Wang Chao got a map of the array, and was told that all passers-by and horses were waiting for the spread of the situation: array is the law of a strategist, and it is inappropriate for a villain to talk about it a little. Song Taizong is another example. In A.D. 1000, Song Zhenzong handed over 32 arrays to the Prime Minister for discussion. In a.d. 1003, the Liao army attacked. After Song Zhenzong and the Prime Minister studied the battle map, all the battle arrangements on the front lines were already stipulated. In a.d. 1004, he was assigned as an assistant minister, and in November, he sent an array to the commander-in-chief Gao Qiong. For example, in A.D. 1045, when Song Renzong went out to show that he was a scholar, he gave his officials a chance to win the battle. In A.D. 1054, the courtiers were given an offensive and defensive map. In A.D. 1072, Song Shenzong gave Wang Shao an imperial offensive and defensive map, a marching ring and a defensive constraint. Will March and fight, everything will be bound. A.D. 1074 gave Hebei 25 offensive and defensive maps, and so on. Song Renzong's front-line commanders are in a dilemma. Imagine that the battlefield situation is ever-changing, and it is not realistic for the emperor to rely on the array prepared in advance to directly command the front-line troops thousands of miles away. Can he really win this battle? In this case, the frontline commander is really in a dilemma. It is obviously unrealistic to arrange his troops according to your majesty's battle map, because the enemy will not fight in the way you scheduled in advance and will inevitably be defeated. According to Minister Zhang, Song and Qidan fought a total of 8 1 battle, and only in Taiyuan won the battle. This statement is somewhat exaggerated, but there is no doubt that one of the reasons for the defeat is that the emperor is unrealistic. Since Li Jilong didn't fight according to the battle plan, it's ok to improvise, isn't it? No, it is even more impossible. If he doesn't fight according to the battle plan, his responsibility is not great. If he doesn't follow your majesty's battle plan, he will be charged with insulting the country. Even if he wins the battle according to the situation, he will still confess to your majesty. For example, in the Battle of Mancheng in 979 AD, Song Taizong granted, Cui Han and Zhao a law, led an army of 80,000, and divided it into eight laws to resist the invasion of the Khitan. So, the Liao army came from all over the mountains. Cui Han is still deployed as planned, and each array is hundreds of steps apart. How to disperse troops against the fighters of Liao army? So he and Zhao advocated changing the array and concentrating their forces. Cui Han is afraid. Finally, two royal families (the younger brother of Empress Li and the brother-in-law of Empress Yin) reluctantly agreed to amend the law and finally won the battle. For example, in the battle of Wei Lu Army in A.D. 100 1 year, the Liao army did not March in accordance with Song Zhenzong's law, and Wang Xian, commander-in-chief of Song Jun, had to change his strategy, which coincided with the continuous heavy rain. The bow and arrow of the Liao army was too wet to use, and Song Jun won a great victory. In spite of this, Wang Xian is still worried that he has confessed his guilt and violated the imperial edict. After Song Renzong wrote back to express his condolences, it was over. The reason behind this is that, because the Emperor used battle charts to restrain the front-line commanders, the front-line commanders could only carry out the emperor's battle charts mechanically, and they had no right to change them if they did not conform to the reality, which often led to repeated defeats and humiliation of the country. Why use this set? Don't these emperors understand this? In fact, they know it very well. For example, Song Shenzong commented: When Emperor Taizong used troops, he made more volumes. At that time, the minister of civil and military affairs also put forward his own opinions. For example, in 989 AD, Tian, who formulated the imperial edict, said, "Today, there were no imperial edicts before selecting generals, but there were already generals. Please appoint and instruct them, there is no need to give them a plan. Naturally, it is necessary to change according to the opportunity, succeed in each case and defeat the enemy. Everything wants to give a letter, a plan or a plan, and it is not suitable to follow it. " Another example is in 999 AD, when Jingxi transferred the deputy envoy Zhu Taifu: "The general, the general, the king's favorite, went to the altar to award the cymbals, cut the door to push the cymbals, and it was up to the general to defeat the enemy and win. In modern times, it is not allowed to be cheap. The soldiers won by surprise, but the array was controlled, but the things were suitable. While pointing to the small road, they declared their lives and went forward tirelessly, knowing what to do, that is, moving and running north. " For example, in A.D. 1040, the third secretary, Yan Shuli, asked the minister to supervise the army, instead of giving orders to the generals, putting the enemy on the defensive and offensive. At the same time, Wang Deyong wrote: Give the general an array, and everyone will guard it, afraid to make suggestions for themselves, and priorities will not help each other. As for defeat, I would rather not go out and choose the generals first, so that the strain will be surprising and my self-reliance will be different. These words made the problem incomprehensible, but your majesty's reaction went in one ear and out the other. Why is this happening? There is a simple reason. The emperor doesn't trust military commanders. For example, Song Taizong whispered to Li Huaiqing: It's almost time. Today's northwest has become treacherous, which is different from ancient times. When selecting generals, we should also profoundly reflect the status quo. Although Han and Peng are famous in ancient times, they may not be able to successfully control today's enemies with their views at that time. Today's vertical people can't be like ancient committees. This is a machine thing, you don't know. "From this point of view, even with Han Xin and Peng Yue, Song Taizong didn't want to be authorized as in ancient times, in case the foot soldiers defected and the generals were separated, but the array figure, a means of controlling the generals, was firmly grasped and never relaxed, which led to the loss of martial arts in the Song Dynasty, and it was always impossible to recover sixteen states, complete the great cause of reunification, and create great prosperity like Han and Tang Dynasties!