Han Shizu

Chapter 227
Youzhou, the big city in the north of Hebei, is still so majestic, and the city is still strong, but the prosperity is no longer.All prosperity, in the face of war and turmoil, is as fragile as paper. Since last year, it has quickly slipped into the abyss of decline.

During the ten years of Khitan's rule, Youzhou was at its most prosperous, with a population of nearly 200,000.However, in just one year, after a series of massacres, wars, epidemics, and exiles, there were only less than [-] soldiers and civilians left inside and outside the city.

It was midsummer, and the weather was very dry. Over the city, there were a few cloudy clouds, which made the whole city even more dull.

At the gate of the city, there are many guards, and the defense is very strict. Since the recapture by the Yan army, no matter what the situation is, the defense has not been relaxed.But recently, it has been particularly rigorous, and the scholars and civilians have clearly felt that the Yan army's patrols have been strengthened a lot.

There are not many people entering and leaving the city gate, except for a small number of business travelers and ordinary people, there are more public transportation vehicles, officials, and military officials.Today's Youzhou City has been more and more transformed into a military fortress.Because of the threat from the Khitan cavalry, Yan King Zhao Yanshou was already planning to move the people under his rule to Zhuo and Yi prefectures in the south.Farming in Youzhou is too difficult.And to support such a city and the army and the people, there is not enough money and food, and the pressure is even greater.

The situation in Youzhou City is somewhat similar to that of Tokyo City, both lack money and food, and supplies are scarce.However, compared to Tokyo, Youzhou is obviously more difficult.After all, deep in the hinterland of Tokyo, there is no threat of war, and Zhujie Town is more or less supported.

But Youzhou is always facing the threat of war, facing that kind directly.In fact, the situation in Youzhou has not been easy for a long time.

Don't look at the strong city of Youzhou, but it is actually an isolated city.When the danger of Yanshan was still in the hands of the Khitan people, they could only accept the blow passively, and the Khitan cavalry could go south at any time.That is to say, Hu people are not good at attacking the city, otherwise, Youzhou City would have been destroyed long ago.

But the Khitan people obviously never gave up the idea of ​​"recovering" Youzhou, controlling the land of sandalwood and thistle, embracing the dangerous pass of Yanling Mountain, and sending Qingqi to the south from time to time to harass, attack the farmland of private households, and destroy production.The Yan army was not very disturbed. For this reason, the cavalry in the Yan army also suffered heavy losses in the strangling confrontation by Hu Qi.

In fact, if there is no support from the great Han, in the case of Youzhou, the Khitans only need to invade according to this method, and within two years, they can go to Youzhou without a fight.It still has to be under the condition that Youyan's army and people are united as one and help each other in the same boat.

However, the morale of the army in Youzhou has long been unstable.The common people can still escape. There are Zhuo and Yi in the south, and Hebei prefectures and counties in the south are ordered to accept and resettle them.But the army is different, especially those military leaders, landlords and bureaucrats, they have suffered heavy losses this year, and many of them regretted following Zhao Yanshou to fight against Khitan.

"This damn weather, it's been dry for so long, it's finally going to rain!" Under the north gate of Youzhou, several low-level military officers gathered together, and the guards all looked up at the clumps in the sky, almost wanting to overwhelm them. The dark clouds in the city cursed.The mood is a little impetuous, just like this impetuous weather and impetuous city.

"I don't know how long it will take to wait for these days!" The captain, who was ordered by his subordinates, leaned aside, with a depressed tone in his tone.

"How long? If the Khitan people really come south to attack and start a war, how long you and I can live will be a problem!" Dutou said angrily.

At the beginning of the month, according to the report from the northern outpost, the Khitan people had changed. Thousands of horsemen came from the north of Lingbei and gathered in Jizhou.Such a big movement directly made the whole of Youzhou tense up, and it was only forbidden for the Khitan to attack again.Today's Youzhou City is also experiencing troubled times.

"I heard that the grain harvest was poor and the summer planting was missed. If the Khitan invades again during the autumn harvest, I think I will starve this year." Another officer said with emotion.

"Hmph, who dares to make me wait hungry?" Dutou said coldly, looked to the south, and said pointedly: "We will be a barrier for the Han court, and we will fight bloody battles against the Khitans. I can't even fill my stomach, so why should I sacrifice my life for the young emperor in Kaifeng?"

This remark was unanimously approved by the surrounding military officers, and there were constant voices of echo.At this time, there is an undercurrent surging in the Yan army in Youzhou.Under normal circumstances, these low-level officers would not understand the truth behind the Yan army's resistance to the Liao Dynasty, let alone vent their grievances to the Han court.

Just at this time, a cavalry of several hundred men came rushing from the north, the officers subconsciously stopped chatting, and the city was immediately put on guard. The quality of the Yan army was still acceptable.However, looking at the "Zhao" flag that is visible in the distance, I can't help but relax a little.

"The prince is back!" Dutou muttered.

In the Nanben cavalry formation, the leader is a heroic young general in white robes, dressed in aristocrats, he is the capital Yuhou of the Youzhou Horse Infantry Army, Lu Long's observer, guard Taiwei, and Zhao Kuangzan, the son of King Yan.This time, he heard about Khitan's changes, so he took people on a tour to the north to inspect the military situation.

It has been more than two months since I went north to Youzhou.After coming to the north, Zhao Kuangzan quickly entered the role, and with the support of his father Zhao Yanshou, he joined the army and discussed politics.Up to now, he has taken over the military administration of Youzhou on behalf of his father, and the most elite Ya army under Jiedu is also under his control.

Entering the city without hindrance, the cavalry returned to their battalion, while Zhao Kuangzan rode lightly towards the inner city until the palace of King Yan.There is a tooth soldier who leads the horse to fall, jumps down quickly, and goes in with the whip in his hand.

"Your Majesty, you are finally back!" A member of the palace hurriedly came up to him.

"What happened to call me back so eagerly?" Zhao Kuangzan asked with quick steps.

"Judge Zhang has gone!" said the official.

As mentioned before, the first and second leaders of Youzhou's military and government are Zhao Yanshou and Zhang Li, respectively, and the situation in Youzhou is maintained by these two painstakingly.In the previous two cases, they both fell ill one after another. It can be said that they were both tired and boiled.

Recently, the illnesses of both of them have also worsened one after another, and they are gradually unable to act as directors.Because Zhao Yanshou was paving the way for his son, he held on and looked like he was returning to the light, while Zhang Li was weak and had a poor foundation. He persisted until now, but he finally failed to survive this summer.

Hearing this news, Zhao Kuangzan frowned suddenly, his expression was a little heavy, but he was not too surprised.

"Where's the king?" Zhao Kuangzan asked.

The official was obviously a confidant, and he replied directly in a low voice: "I heard that Judge Zhang has gone, and the king fainted on the couch because of his eagerness. The subordinates dare not neglect, block the news, and send someone to tell the prince."

"You guys are doing a great job!" Zhao Kuang praised, and the footsteps towards the inner courtyard were obviously much more eager.

In the inner courtyard of the palace, in the hall, Zhao Yanshou was lying on the couch, and he had come to his senses. Two maids held cattail fans and shook them gently at his side, dispelling the sweltering summer heat for him.At this time, Zhao Yanshou could not be described as haggard at all. He was seriously ill, and he was not at all as high-spirited as when he was invited to the Northern Expedition last year.

　PS: It seems to be guilty of public outrage. Let’s change the map and write two chapters to avoid it

　　Isn't it the author who wrote Gunn's death? Why do you scold the protagonist?
　　To tell you something that you may not believe, I didn’t feel much before I wrote it. After all, I thought I didn’t have any feelings for this character, so I wrote it according to the outline. But after I finished writing, looking back, I was actually a little bit reluctant.

　　This feeling is a bit like when Yuan Fang's book was sealed, she was reluctant to part with Princess Taiping with a high attack rate, but it was not as strong as before.

　　Sometimes, it is really only when you lose that you know what treasure and regret are.

　　In addition, the protagonists I wrote are generally cold-hearted, especially this kind of hegemony type, they are generally considered more realistically, and if they can't bear it, they suggest abandoning the book and evacuating.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)