Han Shizu

Chapter 1327
If Emperor Liu was dissatisfied with the results obtained so far, and wanted to continue the war, pursue more victories, and pursue the Liao Kingdom fiercely, then Liu Tinghan's defeat would make him angry, dissatisfied, and even furious.

However, after accepting Liu Yang's suggestion to withdraw from the Northeast, Emperor Liu's mind has become more open. Even if the war cannot be completely ended (that is not wishful thinking on the side of the big man), he still intends to reduce the scale of the war and keep it within the reach of the big man. within the acceptable range.

Therefore, the anxiety after learning that Liu Tinghan's army was trapped before has almost been released.Under this premise, Liu Tinghan's army is also on the list of withdrawal. Even with this defeat, it is acceptable to be rescued and return.

Even if the entire army is wiped out, there will not be too many casualties. When summing up the Northern Expedition, more losses will be reported.Of course, Emperor Liu wasn't too grandiose for that. Liu Tinghan's army is all the elite of the Han army, especially the more than 10,000 imperial cavalry, which is the backbone of the cavalry. It's really all lost. He also feels distressed. .

"The Central Route Army attacked and fought fiercely outside the Great Wall, and it's been hard work! Although there were mistakes this time, they did their best for the Northern Expedition. A defeat cannot conceal their glory and merit, and it should be affirmed!" Emperor Liu put down his teacup and said softly:

"You draft a letter to comfort the soldiers of the Central Route Army, and then order Liu Tinghan to let the returning soldiers rest well. In addition, ask Yanshan Chu Zhaofu and Hedong Shi Xizai to raise a batch of food, noodles, wine, meat, fruits, vegetables and medicinal materials for distribution. Go to the army to show condolences. As for Liu Tinghan, let him stop pleading guilty, merits and demerits will be judged by the court, let him take care of military affairs first!"

"Yes!" Cao Bin replied.

"With this defeat, the military defense on the front line of Guanshan needs to be adjusted! What's the move of the Liao army? It's a rare victory, and they won't let it go if they haven't done it all!" Emperor Liu pointed out with eyebrows. Obviously, he also Know the more important matters to deal with the aftermath, how to eliminate the impact of the defeat, and how to deal with the next move of the Liao army.

Cao Bin replied in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is wise! As Your Majesty said, Emperor Liao personally led hundreds of thousands of people, took advantage of the victory and went south to pursue them, stopping at Swallow City! Liu Tinghan has already deployed defenses at Yehuling, where the terrain is dangerous and the fortress Perfect, easy to defend and difficult to attack, although there are many enemy troops, it is difficult to break through! Outside Yehu Ridge, we have also done a good job of clearing the fields. Cattle, horses, livestock, and people's property have all been taken in. If the Liao army comes to attack with arrogance, it will inevitably suffer a heavy setback Of!"

Hearing what he said, Emperor Liu didn't see joy on his face, and there seemed to be a cloud of clouds covering his face. He glanced at Cao Bin and said coldly: "Yehuling, this battle will bring the Liao army to the gate of Xuanhua. , if there is a mistake, can the Liao army threaten the safety of Youzhou!"

"Your Majesty is incompetent and has made this mistake. Please appease your majesty!" Seeing that Emperor Liu was showing signs of anger, Cao Bin bowed his head to plead guilty, and then said: "During the Northern Expedition, the frontier army and the Yanshan Army have drawn a lot of troops and people. Most of the army was concentrated on the east road, so that the defenses of the Great Wall were empty, Liu Tinghan's army was defeated, and the Liao army marched southward, so we fell into this predicament!"

After glancing at Emperor Liu with a gloomy expression, Cao Bin continued: "If the Liao army wants to go to Yehuling, break through Xuanhua, and threaten Youzhou in the east, then it can still be rejected by relying on the defense of the terrain. Solve it!

However, what I am more worried about is that the Liao army will not be able to leave Yehuling, and the troops will turn westward, sweeping across Monan, and attacking Shanyang!From Yunzhong to Xuanhua hundreds of miles away, although there is the Great Wall as a backing defense and many forts and towns, it is impossible to cover everything. Under this situation, as long as the Liao army breaks a little, it is very likely to break into the south of the Great Wall and advance into the hinterland of Shanyang.

At present, since Li's army came to the north, Yunzhong City is very empty. Only the Fengyi Army has less than 5000 people stationed there, and only the Ningyuan Army can do rescue nearby, taking care of the defense of the Great Wall.

Once the Liao army successfully breaks through the Great Wall defense line, then the clouds are in danger, and the mountains are in danger!Even if the city in the cloud is strong and can be defended, the Shanyang Road will be attacked by soldiers, and the management of Shanyang by the big man for more than ten years will also be destroyed.

Moreover, to the north of the Great Wall, there are also many Han Chinese and naturalized tribes, who have not moved inward in time, and it is difficult to withstand the invasion of the Liao army under sudden changes.

Therefore, I believe that the current situation in Sanyang is the most important and most critical.The imperial court needs to respond urgently, mobilize troops, and go north to enrich the defense, so as to defeat the Liao army and minimize losses."

After hearing Cao Bin's words, Emperor Liu couldn't sit still anymore, and stood up directly, just like Cao Bin's performance when he was waiting before, pacing in the study.

This was probably the most dignified moment for Emperor Liu since the Northern Expedition. Even the defeat in Yaozhou two months ago had never made Emperor Liu so nervous.

Autumn is cool like a tide, constantly pouring in through the windows and doors, the dim candlelight is faltering, and the flickering flames seem to be telling the anxiety in his heart.

In his mind, he kept reviewing the military arrangements and arrangements of the Northern Expedition, and various fragments of information flashed. Emperor Liu suddenly realized that the big man seemed to be a bit overbearing.There are reasons for him as the emperor, as well as the carelessness of the ministers of civil and military affairs and generals.

"Can the Liao Kingdom mobilize tens of thousands of troops to go south?" After stopping his slightly heavy steps, Emperor Liu asked in a deep voice, without any excess emotion on his face, and regained his calm.

Cao Bin replied: "Your Majesty, summing up the previous spying news and the pre-military battle reports, since the start of the war, the Liao Kingdom has supported the Northeast with no more than [-] troops. From Monan to Mobei, although the Liao army also suffered some losses, But apart from Mobei, Xiren, and Han Kuang and the U.S. Army in Mozhongnan, the Liao Kingdom still has a heavy army in Shangjing!
And all the people of Khitan are soldiers, Liao also has the strength to organize an army of more than 100,000 people, maybe even more”

"The Liao Kingdom gave me such a surprise after being patient for so long!" Emperor Liu turned around, sat down slowly, and said, "I still underestimate this little friend Ye Luxian. Going south with an empty nest, you have a great determination!"

With a simple sentence of emotion, Emperor Liu asked Cao Bin directly: "How to deal with it, do you have a draft?"

Cao Bin: "The only solution for now is to quickly order all the gates of the Great Wall to increase vigilance, strengthen defenses, and carry out fortification and clearing of the walls inside and outside the Great Wall. At the same time, what should be carried out, and must be started quickly, is to increase troops to Shanyang and strengthen defenses. Strength, especially defense in the cloud, cannot be lost!"

"How many soldiers and horses are available around Yunzhong?" Emperor Liu asked, but he listened to Cao Bin's words, especially the lack of defense in Beiguan.

"Liaodong is the only one with the most abundant military strength. However, it is difficult to quench thirst in the distant waters. Even if it can be dispatched, it will be difficult to maintain combat power if it is rescued thousands of miles away!" Cao Bin said: "The surrounding areas in Yunzhong can be dispatched urgently One part of the Ningyuan Army, the Yanmen Dingxiang Army, and the Shuozhou Yongning Army, but both armies are insufficient in strength, and they still need to ensure the safety of the fortress, so they can mobilize [-] soldiers.

In addition, the Shengzhou Baoning Army and General Yang had left Wanjun in Fengzhou before going north, and they could come to the east to help, but the journey was long and difficult, and it would take enough time to send orders to the east, so it might not be difficult to arrive before the Liao army. "

Emperor Liu silently calculated, and said: "That is to say, counting the nearby Fengyi, Ningyuan, Baoning, and Dingxiang armies, the strength that can be gathered is not enough for [-]?"

"Your Majesty, the total collection is only 3000 people!" Cao Bin said in a bitter tone, "Therefore, we can only recruit young men from the people to defend ourselves! Fortunately, the autumn harvest in Shanyang has passed, and if we have to send them in advance The people of Shanyang are taken into the city, which can make up for the lack of troops!"

"That's not enough!" Emperor Liu said.

"You can call for military service from Hedong and go north!" Cao Bin said directly.

Shanyang is backed by Hedong. At this critical moment, only Hedong can provide the greatest support. This is also the responsibility that Hedong should bear.

Therefore, Emperor Liu didn't hesitate much, and directly ordered: "Order Hedong Daosi, and go all out to help Shanyang!"

"In addition, from Youzhou, [-] soldiers have been dispatched from the west!" Emperor Liu added.

Hearing this, Cao Bin immediately dissuaded him: "Your Majesty, there are not enough soldiers and horses in Youzhou, and you still need to defend the imperial army. You must not make any more transfers!"

Emperor Liu immediately replied: "From the accompanying imperial guards, 3000 people were dispatched to the west. Their duty is not only to defend me, but also to protect the environment and the people, defend the country and resist the enemy, which is also their mission!"

Although Cao Bin still hesitated, seeing Emperor Liu's firm attitude, it was not easy to forcibly remonstrate.But in this situation, even if it is not so critical, the emperor's safety is still the top priority, so he reported: "So, we should recruit troops from Hebei and go north to defend the emperor!"

"Yes!" Emperor Liu did not veto this suggestion.

"Decree, Liu Tinghan will be demoted and retained to guard Yehuling! Tell him directly that if there is another mistake, he will not have to come back to see me!" Emperor Liu's tone was stern, completely opposite to his previous attitude.

"Li Chuyun returned to Yunzhong and was responsible for the defense of Shanyang!" Emperor Liu said again.

"Your Majesty, Li Shijun has worked hard with the northern aid and is already seriously ill. I am afraid it will be difficult to support the heavy burden of Sanyang's defense!" Cao Bin hesitated and said.

This point was beyond Emperor Liu's expectations. He pondered for a while and said, "Let Li Wanchao go up from the northeast of Hebei Province and station in Yunzhong, the governor of the army, in case the Liao army invades! At the beginning of the war, Tian Chongjin of Fengyi Army performed well, Let him cooperate with Li Wanchao!"

"Yes!"

Li Wanchao, Marquis of Jiuyuan, has been recuperating in his hometown in Taiyuan since he retired from Fengzhou Ren. Later, he resumed his post and also worked in Hedong Road. He was waiting to retire. During his northern tour last year, he specially met him.

At that time, he said that he would use Li Wanchao a lot, but he never thought that it would be a big use if it became a prophecy.Although the old general is quite strong, he is 67 years old after all, but when something happens, considering the situation in Shanyang, the first thing Emperor Liu thinks of is Li Wanchao, so he is really willing to use it, and he dares to use it!
(End of this chapter)