Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 231
Outside Waqiao Pass, the sun rained down from the sky, and the beams of light in the clouds in the distance shot obliquely at the earth, and the large dark green fields shone brightly under the sky, and the wheat waves swayed in the wind, like waves of light green and dark green. The surge rushed into the distance.

It is turbulent but not calm, just like Shi Congyun's heart at this moment, he knows that he wants to do a big thing, which is related to the fate of the two countries and the future of millions of people, that kind of ambition is stirring in his chest, but he doesn't know that this move Whether it will be successful or not, everyone feels uneasy for a long time.

He heard that Su Yu didn't close his eyes for days and nights because he was worried about the battle on the front line during the decisive battle on the Huaihe River. At that time, he only listened to it as an interesting story.

Now he finds himself on the verge of going mad, and finally empathizes with it, and can barely sleep.

Fu Zhaoyuan stood beside him holding an umbrella for him, half of his body was soaked, Shi Congyun didn't notice, he stared blankly at the distant fields, his mind was all about the north.

"The army of the Liao Kingdom should have arrived too," he said suddenly. Wang Zhong didn't open an umbrella, and said directly in the drizzle, "No news yet. The forward of General Xiang Xun has arrived at the post station more than ten miles south of Youzhou City. They sent yesterday." Those who came back said that they did not see the movement of the Liao army.

There are indeed defenders near Youzhou, but they should be their Sixth Army of the Southern Academy, and there are no troops camped outside the city. "

Shi Congyun nodded, and began to worry in his heart, the Liao army would not wait in the north of Youzhou, it would be troublesome, and that was what he was most afraid of.

"Commander, Li Chongjin and Li Jixun have received news that the rebel soldiers from the east of the river have made moves, and they seem to have moved out of Taihang Mountain." Wang Quanbin reported to him wearing a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat.

Shi Congyun was taken aback, then patted his swollen head, "Yes, I've been dizzy for the past two days, and I almost forgot what happened there.

It shouldn't be a problem for Li Chongjin and Li Jixun to deal with the bandits in Hedong, but we must send more people to investigate at any time. If the battle in Zhenzhou is not good, we must all retreat.

The land laid down can no longer be taken. "

After finishing speaking, he turned around and smiled at the generals behind him: "We also have to work hard. We are not the only ones contributing in the whole country. Li Chongjin, Li Jixun are guarding Zhenzhou, Li Yun is guarding Liaozhou, and the official family is in Chanzhou, so we can have no scruples." hit north.

It is not easy to have such an opportunity, maybe not once in more than ten years. "

All the generals nodded their heads thoughtfully.

What Shi Congyun said was true. For Zhou Guo, this dispatch of troops was almost a national one.

Their Northern Expeditionary Army was just one of them, and Li Chongjin, Li Jixun, and Zhang Yongde's army guarded Zhenzhou on the side, Li Jun's army guarded near Liaozhou, Hezhong Army went north in Jinzhou, and there were Guanjiazuo towns near Chanzhou.

Only in this way can their army go northward without any scruples. Such a large-scale dispatch is undoubtedly a waste of money and people. For their army alone, Hebei has conscripted more than 30 civilians to ensure the transportation of food, grass, luggage and dredging waterways for the army.

Not to mention the other ways, this kind of large-scale dispatch of troops is a rare opportunity for everyone, and it is a waste of money and money, and it is also for the Liao Kingdom.

If troops of this scale are sent out for several years in a row, there will be no need for the enemy to fight, and the people in the country will rebel first.

Among the previous troop dispatches, only the dispatch to Huainan can be compared with this one in terms of scale, but in terms of the degree of waste of people and money, that mission is far inferior to the current one, because fighting in the south, the waters of the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River can double the logistical pressure.

At that time, during the heyday of Zhou Jun’s navy, there were more than 20 ships of various kinds, and a large amount of materials did not require manpower. about.

But this time the army was dispatched for a month, and more than 30 civilians had been conscripted. The big ship was blocked by the narrow river channel when it arrived at Yijin Pass, and it was impossible to turn around.

So Shi Congyun has been worried these days that the Liao army will wait in the north of Youzhou and stop going south.

The worry kept him from sleeping barely.

Shi Congyun touched the cold bed crossbow at the top of the city, and then said: "Send half of the scout battalion to the north, and let me know as soon as you have any clues about the Liao army." Wang Zhong nodded and went to execute immediately.

"The sun is not good this morning," Shi Congyun muttered casually.

Fu Zhaoyuan was surprised, and then said: "Commander, it's already afternoon."

"Really." Shi Congyun was taken aback, looking at the sky in the distance, "Damn, these days go by so fast."

"It's because the commander-in-chief thinks too much." Veteran Wang Quanbin said.

"We should find a young lady to relieve the general." Someone suggested, and everyone laughed.

"Fuck off, it's a war, be serious." Shi Congyun scolded, and then thought for a while, "This battle will not last long, and the outcome cannot be delayed for two years like Huainan's. We must be ready at any time, maybe when Let’s start a fight, prepare more soldiers.”

The crowd nodded.

At the beginning of June, the sun was scorching hot, and the sun above the head was extremely hot. The Liao Emperor Yelujing led the army from Shangjing via Zhongjing to the vicinity of Tanzhou, more than 100 miles north of Youzhou. The army rested here to let the soldiers recover their strength and let the horses out. Grazing, his army has a total of about 4 people.

The 1 forwards have already arrived in Shunzhou, only fifty or sixty miles away from Youzhou City, and arrived in one day.

Yelujing ordered eighteen of the 49 tribal armies to be summoned, and the leaders of twelve already sent him letters, clearly stating that they would send troops, and the remaining six would probably reply in a short time.

At that time, with the South Court garrison added, his strength will reach 11!
For this reason, Yelvjing is full of confidence. It happens that many people in the court oppose him openly and secretly. If he returns with a big victory this time, many people can be silenced.

Thinking of him, he laughed happily, and immediately sent people to roast the mutton. The accompanying eunuchs and cooks were silent, because Yelvjing had already killed several cooks because it didn't suit his appetite.

He doesn't like female sex, but killing people is always about liking, there is no need to reason.

At noon, when he was drinking and eating meat in the big tent, someone came to report to him that Yelu Talie, the king of the Southern Court, had returned from Shunzhou.

Shunzhou is not far from Tanzhou, and it only takes half a day to ride a horse, but Yelujing is still a little unhappy, "He went to Youzhou himself, and I let him be the vanguard. Why is he coming back? Is he afraid of the southern army?"

After a while, the travel-worn Yelu Talie came in, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I came here to advise His Majesty on matters related to the victory of this great battle."

Yelujing remained expressionless, "Say it."

"Your Majesty, the fox hunting on the grassland will never reveal its position before the final attack, because it will not make the prey take precautions. Now that we are going south, the southern army does not know where we are or when we will arrive. They must be flustered.

The minister felt that we could not reveal the position of the army, so we stored the army in Shunzhou and Tanzhou, waiting for the southern army to go north to attack the city.

There are 8000 people from the Sixth Army of the Southern Academy in Youzhou City. As long as they know that the reinforcements are in the north, they will be able to defend for a long time with the strong city of Youzhou. Under the city, when we can't attack for a long time, and when we can't advance or retreat, we will lead our army to raid their camp.

At that time, if they attack from two sides with the defenders in the city, they will undoubtedly lose. "

Yelv Talie is a veteran and has led soldiers many times, but Yelujing thinks that old people like them are too cautious, "Wait until next month, I have an army of 11, so you don't need to say that.

The Southern Army has nothing to be afraid of. Emperor Taizong occupied Daliang, their capital city 13 years ago, so there is no need to act like a timid mouse. This will also affect the morale of the army. "

After finishing speaking, he said directly: "March immediately, the whole army will gather in Youzhou."

Yelu Talie could only nod his head after hearing this: "Yes, I will lead my troops to Youzhou quickly."

Stepping on the muddy road trampled by the army, he hurried out of the barracks and headed south.

After passing through a forest and a river, they returned to the Shunzhou Camp, and started marching south to Youzhou that day.

Yelu Talie did not dare to disobey it. It is no secret that the Holy Majesty is bloodthirsty nowadays. Many ministers and eunuchs around him have been killed. He is almost sixty years old, and he does not want to be exposed to such bad luck and cause trouble for future generations. culprit.

In the afternoon of the same day, Yelv Talie led an army of [-] troops to the outside of Youzhou City. There were many flags and crowds of people. back to the city.

When the army arrived at the city of Youzhou, Xiao Siwen, who was left behind in Nanjing, had already led people to wait for him in a pavilion one mile outside the city.

When he saw the situation in the outskirts of Youzhou, Yelu Talie knew that Xiao Siwen had lied, because there was no trace of the Southern Army in the outskirts of Youzhou.

Facing Xiao Siwen who greeted him with a smile on his face, Yelu Talie didn't give him any face, and directly got off his horse and asked, "Didn't you say that the Southern Army has already arrived outside Youzhou City?"

"Report to the king, it is indeed here, but the army has not yet arrived, it is only a forward, and then withdrew." Xiao Siwen replied with a flustered expression.

Yelu Talie immediately understood that it was Xiao Siwen who was exaggerating the facts because he was timid and fearful. He finally held back and didn't scold others. Xiao Siwen was like this in the first place. He was sent to the army because he was timid and his personality was not compatible with the generals. At that time, everyone thought that he was not suitable for serving in the army, so they let him serve as the left behind in Nanjing.

"Forget it, arrange for the army to station immediately, and at the same time inform the soldiers and civilians in the city that the king's division has arrived, so that they don't need to panic.

I have an army of 4, and there are [-] troops in the Central Army of Your Majesty, and [-] armies of various tribes. After gathering, there will be about [-] people. You should set aside land outside the city in advance and send people to clear it out. When the army arrives, they can set up camp. "

"Yes!" Xiao Siwen agreed, and immediately went to execute it.

Yelv Talie looked at his back as he went away, and thought that Xiao Siwen was good at this, at least he could do things well.

He also has his own selfishness in this arrangement. Youzhou is a place he has been operating for many years. If you let the army enter the city, you don't know what will happen. The army in Shangjing is fine, but the tribal army is not so easy to restrain.

So Xiao Siwen was asked to set up the camp first, and when the troops arrived, it would be difficult for them to rush into the city.

On the evening of the second day of June, the army led by Emperor Yelujing of the Liao Kingdom arrived in Youzhou and camped in the north of Youzhou City. Then the holy driver entered the city, and Xiao Siwen led the bureaucrats of Youzhou to greet him.

That night, a banquet was held in the city to entertain the emperor, and he reported to him the battle situation in the south. Yelvjing got drunk that night, and hardly dealt with anything the next day.

By the fourth day, Yelujing didn't let the Liao army take any action, but just said to wait and see, if the southern army withdraws by itself, then forget it.

At this time, some people thought that the emperor was timid, and some people thought that the emperor didn't care about the land in the south. No matter what kind of situation, no one dared to object.

On the fifth day of June, there was another return from the direction of Gu'an, and the Southern Army went north again, and it was almost to Youzhou.

That night, patrolling soldiers in the camp outside Youzhou City found Zhou Jun, and the distance between the two sides was less than a hundred steps recently!The opponent also shot arrows at them to provoke them.

At this point in the matter, Zhou Guo obviously has no intention of retreating.

On the sixth day of the lunar new year, Yelujing called all the generals to discuss in Youzhou. Some people suggested that they should guard Youzhou and wait for the Zhou army to fight, but more people advocated going south immediately to regain the lost land and teach the arrogant Zhou army a lesson. If things go well, they can take the opportunity Go south to the Central Plains.

In the end, Yelu ordered that with Yelu Talie and Xiao Siwen as the vanguard, they would each lead 1 people to the south to recover the lost lands of Zhuozhou and Gu'an, and then join forces to capture Yijin Pass and open the passage to the south.

Then he personally led an army of [-] to go south, passed Yijin Pass and went south, regained Waqiao Pass, Yingzhou, Mozhou and other places captured by the Zhou army, and then cut off Duliukou, Yukou Pass and other places in the east from the Zhou State. contact, then they can only be forced to surrender.

This style of play was proposed by Yelv Talie.

The reason why he proposed this style of play was because he listened to Xiao Siwen's report and referred to the style of play of Zhou Jun's commander Shi Congyun.

Yelv Talie felt that the commander of the Zhou army used his troops very well this week. He took down the key Duliukou, Yijin Pass from the side, and then cut off the connection between Yingzhou, Mozhou and other places and Youzhou, forcing them to surrender. Those places were taken without a single soldier at all.

This time they want to recapture those places, they can also try the same method, occupy the important places, and cut off their connection with Zhou State in the remaining places, forcing them to surrender.

As for letting Xiao Siwen lead the troops, it was because he was the most familiar with the situation in the south.

On the morning of the seventh day of June, Yelu Talie did not stop at all, and was immediately ordered to lead a large number of cavalry straight to Gu'an.

Along the south road, after passing through the dense forest, they came out of Youzhou for more than a dozen miles. They encountered about a hundred Zhou army forwards who had pitched tents in the woods by the roadside to rest. Yelu Talie immediately ordered an attack. Get on the horse and run back in panic.

Nine were killed on the spot, seventeen were captured, and the rest ran south along the road.

Yelv Talie decisively ordered to send a hundred cavalry to continue the pursuit south.

Later, he interrogated the prisoners of war and learned that there were two thousand Zhou troops in the direction of Gu'an, camped on the other side of the Sanggan River, not in the city.

Immediately ordered the army to advance at a faster speed, and killed them on the other side of the river before noon. When the densely packed army emerged from the woods and fields by the river, the Zhou army on the other side was completely panicked, and the sound of gongs and drums could be heard across the river.

Then Yeluta Lie ordered the army to cross the river and storm the Zhou army's camp. Many Zhou troops rushed to fight, and then fled south one after another, throwing away their helmets and armor, and were beaten helplessly.

At noon, Yelu Talie proudly led the Chinese army across the river and entered Gu'an County, announcing that Gu'an County had been retaken.

In this battle, the Zhou army was vulnerable and fled very quickly. In this battle, not many enemies were killed and not many captured. The total number was less than 80, because the Zhou army fled too fast, but it encouraged the soldiers of Liao.

Having won the first battle, Yelu Talie's confidence was greatly boosted, and he decided to rest in Gu'an for a whole day and go south to attack Yijin Pass tomorrow.

On the afternoon of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the messenger reported to Shi Congyun in the Waqiaoguan camp with worried faces that the Liao army had gone south, and that Xiangxun's army in Gu'an had been defeated and more than 70 people had been lost.

When he heard the news, Shi Congyun, who had been sitting for a long time, stood up suddenly, "Is the news true?"

The messenger nodded.

Shi Congyun took a few breaths, the surface of the ancient well was calm, and his mind was already spinning rapidly.

(End of this chapter)