Start with detective Li Yuanfang

Chapter 787
"As expected of Yelu, the soldiers retreated in an orderly manner."

On the battlefield littered with corpses, the village soldiers and warriors began to skillfully clean the battlefield, stripping off armor, gathering equipment, and counting the harvest.

Li Yan first ordered people to settle the wounded, collect the dead soldiers, and then summed up the gains and losses of this battle.

This time the Liao army was defeated, with more than ten thousand casualties, and the two armies of the township soldiers and the township brave were only killed in a few hundred. It can be described as an overwhelming and brilliant victory.

But under such a victory, more than [-] Liao troops still retreated. It has to be said that this is the skill of the general.

Victory in battle is of course what every general pursues, but victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. Except for a very small number of military gods, no one can guarantee that they will not lose a battle for a lifetime. How to maintain the army formation and preserve strength during the retreat is especially a test of the general's ability .

The most typical example is that when the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Zhuge Liang retreated, it was able to set up an ambush to take down a strong general like Zhang Yun, and the two wars in the late Northern Song Dynasty were classic negative teaching materials, one Liu Yanqing's Battle of Yanshan, one In the battle of Baigouhe in Changtong, when they were defeated, they were all dead for hundreds of miles, trampling each other all the way, it was simply horrible.

In comparison, although Yelu's heavy weight cannot reach the level of Marquis Wu, it is really not easy to ensure that the main force will not be defeated under such strong and weak suppression, and can safely withdraw to Zhuozhou City.

"It's not just the trilogy led by the Khitan generals. Although the Han people's generals have lost their fighting spirit, they still have a strong will to protect themselves, and they are very lawful in retreating."

"So the Liao army retreated to Zhuozhou City, and they were still able to hold on to the city and hinder our attack. This is troublesome..."

The generals talked a lot, but Li Yan looked at the land of Zhuozhou.

Most people understand that Zhuozhou is either the ancient Xuanyuan Huangdi fought Chiyou in the wild of Zhuolu, Zhuolu is Zhuozhou, or Liu Guanzhang married three brothers in Zhuozhou Taoyuan. Qingyuan.

But Li Yan was more concerned about the grain production in Zhuozhou.

Regardless of the fact that the land of Yanyun only occupies a very small proportion of the entire Liao Kingdom, it is an alluvial plain with fertile land and is rich in grain. It has obtained the most troublesome food problem for ethnic minorities in this grain-producing area since ancient times. , it is resolved.

Then, in the land of Yanyun, the proportion of Zhuozhou's grain production, the specific situation of each county and township, and how the people live, it is necessary to analyze first-hand information.

Fortunately, the efficiency of Shiqian was only one day, and the specific situation was sent back. After Li Yan read it, he passed it on to everyone. what!"

Li Yandao: "After all, Zhuozhou is on the border, and the number of household registrations is far less than that of the hinterlands of Yanzhou and Jizhou. The output is only enough for self-sufficiency, and ordinary Han people have very little food in their homes. full..."

"Since the battle started in the Liao Kingdom in the past six months, the burden of food and grass ahead has been on Yanyun's shoulders. Yanzhou and Jizhou were originally rich places, and they both produced a large number of victims. Zhuozhou, which was originally poor, is even more so. Adding insult to injury.”

"The slogans taught before can be shouted by the lieutenant soldiers, and the troops will be dispatched to all counties and townships to let the Han people living in Zhuozhou know that the savior who will change their lives is coming!"

……

"The court seeks promotion, and the evening seeks harmony. Recently, the Han people have struggled to survive. They open their doors early to worship the township army, and the disciplines are happy."

"Kill cattle and sheep, prepare wine, open the city gate to welcome the village army, and the village army will not pay for food when they come..."

At the head of Zhuozhou City, Yelude could hear the nursery rhymes below, his face was gloomy.

The second son Yelu Zongsheng hurriedly said: "Father, in a short period of time, the untouchables from three counties in Zhuozhou have rebelled, let the Song people take it down easily, and these rebellious people must not be allowed to continue singing!"

Yelude said again: "How is the situation in the city? Is there still enough food?"

Yeluzong paused for a while: "It's barely enough, but those unscrupulous people are greedy, I'm afraid they still have to kill a group before they can live peacefully for a while..."

Yelu Dezhong turned around angrily, glared at his son, and yelled: "Kill, kill, kill, you only know how to kill all day long, you belong to the Khitan royal family, you are a general of an army, not a butcher and executioner! You can kill ten people, hundreds of people, and thousands of people!" , can kill ten thousand, one hundred thousand people?"

"This is the land of our Daliao. Song people are buying people's hearts, but we raise the butcher's knife against our own people. The land of Yanyun will be completely lost!"

Yeluzong shrank his neck, not understanding that his father, Wang Mingming, had killed the generals of the Han people before, and suddenly became merciful again.

Yelu Dezhong is not kind at all, but is clear that killing the Han people to surrender is no longer feasible.

He could kill the leader of the three Han generals, but it was impossible to massacre the Han generals, let alone kill millions of Han people in the land of Yanyun.

Of course, the Jin Kingdom in history dared to do this. They washed Yanyun into white ground, burned, killed and looted and moved the living people to Shangjing. Go down to Pingzhou and Luanzhou as a springboard for the southward attack.

But at that time, the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom were at their peak, and [-] people killed [-] Liao troops. The weak and incompetent Song Dynasty also began to sharpen their knives and rush to pigs and sheep. Today, the Liao Kingdom has lost a frontal battle. How can it be generalized?

"We were defeated by the Song people in the Battle of Baigou River, and the situation has taken a turn for the worse. Now we can no longer hope for victory. We can only guard the important city and wait for reinforcements from the rear!"

Yelude sternly said: "In this process, the hearts of the people must be stabilized. Even if you try to coax and deceive, you have to appease the people for this king to survive this most critical moment!"

Yelu Zongsheng opened his mouth, and subconsciously wanted to say that the military has intensified the abuse of the Han people recently, and the Khitan nobles vented their grievances about their defeat on those people, but thinking that the one who made a bad start was undoubtedly the father in front of him, He still changed the subject and said in a low voice: "Father, the key now is that there is no food. Those unscrupulous people want food, otherwise they will make trouble. This clever woman can't cook without rice..."

Yelude was panting heavily, staring at the son viciously.

As a high-ranking person, when do you have to worry about these specific small things, and solve the difficulties yourself!
Yelu Zongsheng immediately lowered his head.

It is obviously impossible to appease the people, and we can only hope for victory. The little prince rolled his eyes and said: "Father, don't worry, the reinforcements from the rear are coming, and the leader is Wu Yanguang. This person also has ten thousand husbands." Improper bravery, but the enemy Lin Chong, without that fierce general who takes the lead in charging into the battle, the Song army will definitely not be the opponent of my Khitan warrior!"

Yelude frowned slightly: "A mature woman has a straight face..."

The Jurchens are divided into mature Jurchens and raw Jurchens in the Liao Kingdom. The former is the official population of the Liao Kingdom, while the latter is a subject who regularly pays tribute to the Liao Kingdom. .

Wu Yanguang is a mature woman, a serious Liao native who has also made her mark in the army. When Yelude went south again, he had already heard that someone called him the number one warrior in the Daliao.

Given the situation of the Jurchens in the Liao Kingdom, Wu Yanguang received such praise. Obviously, in terms of force, he is not a star and a half ahead of other generals, but has a crushing advantage.

In the past, Yelu Dezhong would not put the victory of the war on a fierce general, but the appearance of Lin Chong obviously changed his mind. If Wu Yanguang can really break the opponent's myth of invincibility, then there is indeed a lot to do!

Taking a deep breath, Yelude clenched his fists tightly: "So we have to hold on, the situation of the battle is changing rapidly, and if it is delayed, unexpected changes may occur. The land of Yanyun must not be lost, otherwise When this king commits suicide, you must not stop him!"

……

"Eight hundred miles, hurry up! Eight hundred miles, hurry up!"

He rode fast horses and charged into the Daming Mansion as quickly as a thunderbolt.

The guards guarding the city hadn't recovered from the tense atmosphere of the Liao army's siege, and they subconsciously wanted to stop them, but they watched those people holding golden lights and shadows in their hands, swaying all the way, dazzling.

After getting closer, I realized that it was a long strip of wooden sign, covered with vermilion paint all over, and engraved with eight big golden characters of "Imperial characters, not allowed to enter the shop".

The guards suddenly gasped, and hurriedly moved out of the way.

This is a gold medal issued by the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs. The so-called "Imperial Letters" refers to official documents and letters sent from officials. Instead, they can only be passed sequentially on horseback.

Even saving this effort shows how anxious they are, and they are naturally even more unstoppable to guard the city gate.

And the knights on horseback rushed into the city, went straight to the yamen, and began to shout: "Quickly let the prefect Cai Jing come out to receive the order!"

Liang Shijie came out to greet him, and was surprised to see the gold medal. After seeing the Ministry of the Interior's attire, he hurriedly said, "I don't know if all the angels are here, I'm so far away to welcome you!"

The servant who sent the letter said: "Don't talk too much, Cai Daizhi is here, let him come out to receive the order!"

Liang Shijie replied: "My father fell ill and is resting at home..."

Cai Jing was indeed ill. During the battle of defending the city some time ago, he also worked hard. He didn't dare to sleep for two days and two nights when the attack was the most violent. sick.

When the news came out, there was an endless stream of visitors, and some people even kowtowed outside the mansion, praying for the recovery of the loyal minister who guarded the Daming Mansion.

But this illness is actually not that serious. After all, Cai Jing is only in his early fifties, and he is not in his late seventies. After more than ten days of recuperation, he has recovered. Now he is staying in the mansion to recuperate, while considering the next situation.

When he heard that there was a messenger from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, carrying a gold medal, Cai Jing's complexion changed slightly, and he immediately ordered: "Hurry up, hurry up! Help me lie down!"

In less than a quarter of an hour, Cai Zhongchen, who was guarding Hebei, was already lying on the bed with his eyes closed and his hands on his chest. He was more peaceful than the previous magistrate Li Qingchen.

This is what the servant saw after being brought into the inner house.

Facing such a great meritorious service in defending the city, the guard of Beijing who was also seriously ill and lethargic, the servant with the gold medal had no choice but to wave his sleeves angrily: "Quickly go north, find the Imperial City Commander, and raise the violin to convey His Majesty's will!"

(End of this chapter)