Han Shizu

Chapter 1326 Loss of the Middle Road Army

As night fell, Youzhou lined up in the hall, brightly lit, and held a grand reception banquet for the two brothers Liu Yang and Liu Xu. The bells rang and the feast was served, and the concubines, princes and daughters were all present in their colorful clothes, talking and laughing. scene.

Apart from Emperor Liu, the absolute protagonist of the banquet, the most eye-catching person in the banquet was of course Prince Liu Yang.After returning from the battle, the emperor cared and the queen took care of him, and everyone else could only keep their envy and jealousy in their hearts.

The waiter brought up a scorched sheep and shared it with the family. Emperor Liu was so excited that he slaughtered it himself, showing his skill of dismantling the tendons and bones.

When there were foreign ministers around, Emperor Liu still paid great attention to etiquette and rules, but in private, he was much more relaxed, and the family enjoyed delicious food, drinking and talking freely.

"Second brother has traveled thousands of miles and returned with honor. He is indeed a role model for all brothers. The younger brother cooperates. I would like to take this cup to show my respect!" The seventh prince Liu Hui drank some wine. In front of him, he smiled authentically.

Seeing this, Liu Yang immediately responded with a warm smile, showing his brother's gentle demeanor, and said, "I can't afford my seventh brother's reputation! But I have also read the "Ode to the Eastern Expedition" you wrote. I am a great man, and if I spread it to the army, the soldiers will be encouraged, and one article can be worth tens of thousands of troops, this is beyond what I can do!"

Although Liu Yang's words were true or false, they were extremely pleasing to the ears of the young Liu Hui. He hurriedly expressed his humility, but the smile on his green face betrayed his mood.

"What good poems have you written recently? I'll read them when I have time!" Liu Yang raised a cup and invited them.

Liu Hui hurriedly replied: "Second brother is busy with work, so I don't want to disturb you. If you have free time, I must come to ask second brother for advice!"

Liu Yang nodded slightly and drank with Liu Hui.

To say that the one who paid the most attention to Liu Hui's actions had to be Liu Shu, the old nine who did not deal with him. Seeing his intimate conversation with the prince, he was a little uncomfortable.The smile on Liu Hui's mouth made him feel even more dazzling. He picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and groaned: "Look at this old seven, he is very active in being good-looking in front of father and asking for favor in front of second brother. Ah! What a brilliant literary talent, outstanding, I think he is sanctimonious, extremely hypocritical"

"Ninth brother, the elder brother and the second brother are back, everyone is happy. On this occasion, you should not say a few words, and if it is heard by father, you will be punished!" Listening to his extreme words, sit by his side Liu Yan, the eighth prince, could not help persuading him in a low voice.

However, Liu Shu didn't seem to appreciate it. He turned his head to look at the old eighth who had never had any special skills and had a very low sense of presence, and said with a faint smile, "Why, should the eighth brother learn from the elder brother and teach us younger brothers a lesson?"

Liu Yan seemed to be a really temperless person, and he choked on Liu Shu's mocking tone, but he didn't get angry, his eyelids drooped, and he smiled softly, "Forget it, I can't persuade you, I can't persuade you again. Why talk too much! When my brothers come back, I should also respect them, so you can do what you want."

Seeing Liu Ai's reaction like this, Liu Shu felt embarrassed. Among the brothers, the eighth prince Liu Ai, who was born to Concubine Zhe, was the most low-key on weekdays. The relationship with the brothers is naturally good.

Feeling that the words hurt Liu Yan a bit, Liu Shu couldn't help but scratched his head. Seeing his movement of getting up, Liu Shu immediately picked up the wine glass and said with a smile, "Mynah, wait, I'll go with you."

Emperor Liu was not ignorant of some conflicts and struggles among his heirs, and even secretly investigated them, especially the disagreement between Lao Qi and Lao Jiu, which was even more obvious.

However, regarding the fights between these brothers, he did not intend to directly intervene in the mediation. One reason was that there were too many heirs, and he was tired of interfering with the military and politics, so where could he put more energy on the heirs.

The second is that in the family of ordinary people, there are still conflicts of will and conflicts of interest between brothers and sisters, not to mention the Tian family, as long as the disturbance is not too much, Emperor Liu will not interfere too much. Regarding the education of the prince, he A set of rules has been established, and any conflicts within the rules are acceptable.

"Officials, Privy Councilor Cao, please see me!" When Emperor Liu was smiling and enjoying the warm family affection on the surface of the royal family, Yan Tuo came in from the outside of the hall, trotted around the table, and said shortly.

"It's this hour, what is he here for?" Obviously, feeling uneasy about being interrupted, he took a sip of his wine and asked sideways.

When asked, Yan Tuo hurriedly explained: "Private Cao has a serious expression, and he has something important to say!"

Frowning seems to have become the habit of Emperor Liu. On the side, Da Fu also heard it. He kept a kind smile and gently pushed Emperor Liu: "Private Cao has an audience at this time. It is necessary for important matters, so don't neglect him!"

The big talisman spoke, and the little unhappiness in Emperor Liu's heart dissipated, and he briefly confessed to her, then got up and left the table: "Let him go to the study!"

"Yes!"

Emperor Liu went to wash his face first to get rid of the alcohol smell on his body, and then went to the study. During this time, Cao Bin was pacing back and forth with a serious face, his expression looked more rigid than usual.

"See Your Majesty!" Seeing Emperor Liu, Cao Bin's expression melted like ice.

"Excuse me! Sit down!" Serving tea inside, Emperor Liu looked at Cao Bin and asked, "Cao Qing came to see you at night, what's the matter? Is there something wrong with the battle ahead?"

"Your Majesty, the minister just received the battle report from Shanyang, and under Li Shijun's support, Liu Tinghan's army has successfully withdrawn to Xuanhua Mansion!" Cao Bin reported.

"Just get out!"

Hearing what he said, Emperor Liu also subconsciously relaxed a little, but seeing that his expression was still dignified, he probably knew that Cao Bin was not just here to announce the good news.

Asked: "You look so ugly, what's wrong? The casualties are heavy?"

"Yes!" Cao Bin nodded and sighed: "Liu Tinghan's troops and Li Shijun's reinforcements totaled more than [-] cavalry, and more than [-] cavalry were lost. Liu Tinghan's cavalry troops were killed and injured. Li Shijun was on the way to rescue. We were also attacked by the Liao army, and many were lost! In the Battle of Monan, our army suffered too many casualties, and our combat power was greatly damaged, and we were completely unable to support the battle. The army in the middle road was defeated!"

"Liu Tinghan's army was defeated and lost his master, so I apologize for my crime!" Cao Bin presented the battle report and the memorial of his apology.

Emperor Liu paused while holding the teacup, bowed his head and took a sip before he said: "The Liao Kingdom was very patient and well-planned. , and Liu Tinghan cannot be blamed entirely.

On my side, I didn't expect it, and I didn't receive the news beforehand, so I was negligent!Liu Tinghan fought fiercely with the Liao army on the grassland with a mere [-] troops for so long, firmly restraining the Liao army in Shangjing and Monan, and created a good environment for the victory of Liaodong. It is not easy to persist until now."

Hearing what Emperor Liu said, Cao Bin also had to sigh inwardly, the emperor's trust in Liu Tinghan is too deep, this is almost catching up with Yang Ye, if any other general had this defeat, would he have the same reaction?If not!
Apart from the turmoil on the Liaodong battlefield, in the past two months, the Saibei grassland has been a little calm, and there have been few battles in the southern desert.

With the experience of spring and summer, Liu Tinghan led the army and has been active in the southern and central regions of the desert. He neither advanced recklessly to avoid falling into crisis, nor retreated. The army marched forward, pretending to be in-depth, and the next day they pulled out of the camp and returned to the south, always maintaining a safe position, with ease.

The same has been the case since the beginning of autumn. The two sides sent a large number of light cavalry scouts to fight and spy and gather information confidently, but there were basically no major contact operations, not even battles with more than 500 people.

Liu Tinghan's tactics did cause a lot of trouble for the Liao army and took a lot of energy from them. However, after a long time, after becoming a habit, they would inevitably be caught by the opponent's surprise.

After the end of the Liaodong War, Ye Luxian, who was angry and terrified, could no longer hold back, and Han Derang's plan to murder Liu Tinghan's army was finally put into action.

This time, the elite of the Liao Kingdom came out and attacked the Han army in three ways. Han Kuangmei still led his subordinates to deal with Liu Tinghan. Ye Luxian led the Chinese army as a backup. , from west to south, ran thousands of miles around, outflanked the rear, and completely avoided the eyes and ears of the Han army.

At that time, Liu Tinghan's army did go a little deeper, and was in the middle and upper reaches of the Luan River, more than [-] miles away from Xuanhua Mansion in the east of the desert.He often walks by the river, and there is no one who does not get his shoes wet. This time, Liu Tinghan's keen sense of smell could not help him, and he was caught by the Liao army. The prepared Liao army was forced to stop at Tianling, south of Yangchengluo and west of Tanshan Mountain, and fell into a tight siege.

Upon learning of Liu Tinghan's request for help, Emperor Liu also decisively ordered to send troops to the north, mobilizing more than 10,000 troops in Yanshan and Xuanhua, and mobilizing [-] soldiers from Shanyang and Hedongzhou's army. Erdi was handed over to Li Chuyun, the chief envoy of Shanyang who provided logistical support for Liu Tinghan, and asked him to rescue him.

It took nearly a month before and after, and now it finally came to fruition. Li Chuyun lived up to his mission and successfully completed this extremely dangerous task, although the price he paid was a bit heavy.

(End of this chapter)