Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 3

Although Yelu Dashi, the emperor of the Liao Kingdom, was quite vocal in dealing with internal affairs, he has always been tolerant towards the outside world. He not only took a defensive position against the Jin Kingdom, but also made a good relationship with the Song Kingdom, which seemed quite timid.However, compared with Wanyan Aguda, the emperor of Liao who had just ascended the throne had an absolute advantage. He was in his prime, and time was on his side.

In the past few months, although Wanyan Aguda looked as strong and mighty as before, he himself felt more and more weak, tired easily, and his eyes were getting dizzy.His grandfather Wu Gu Nai lived to be 54 years old, his father Huan Libo lived to be 53 years old, and his elder brother Wu Yashu only lived to be 52 years old.No matter how powerful a hero is, he must obey the call of the Longevity Heaven.Unlike the old emperor, the Jurchen nation was at its most prosperous. After several generations of accumulation, the Wanyan tribe is now full of talents, but there are some signs of disobedience.After this year, the old emperor will be 55 years old. Therefore, the old emperor is determined to send troops with all his strength to completely defeat the Liao Kingdom before his soul returns to the Longevity Heaven.The momentum of the Han army in Suzhou and Kaizhou is quite strong.The Bohai people and the Han people in the counties and counties in the southeast of Liaoyang corresponded to the uprising.Xiao Suxian, who stayed behind in Tokyo, sent an envoy to defeat Cheng, and Wanyan Agu moved his mind to go south.

After Xiao Suxian retired, Wanyan Aguda immediately called Zhu Boji for a meeting to dispatch troops.Because the matter is of great importance, not only Da Bo Ji Lie Wan Yan Wu begged to buy, the country's Prime Minister Bo Ji Lie Wan Yan changed, the first Bo Ji Lie Wan Yan Ci did not lose, the second Bo Ji Lie Wan Yan Gao, the third Bo Ji All the servants of Lie Wanyan Pu's family were present, and other important generals of the Wanyan clan, such as Wanyan Zongbi, Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Zongwang, Wanyan Xiyin, Wanyan Zongpan, Wanyan Zongjun, Wanyan Chang, etc. all rushed to the emperor's tent obey orders.

Sending Mr. Han Da to test the details of the Liaoyang envoy, Wanyan Aguda was only out of the habit of being cautious.As usual, Mr. Han Da reported the advantages and disadvantages of going south to Liaoyang to the leaders of the Jurchens.This is also what Wanyan Aguda admires most about this Han man, his news is always much more informed, and his words and considerations are all organized.But in the end, Mr. Han Da also persuaded Wanyan Aguda not to trust the Bohai people too much.

"Xiao Suxian is the uncle of the Liao Kingdom. He is wealthy enough, but he still betrays the Liao Kingdom's self-reliance. He must be an ambitious hero. To tell you the truth, when I just went to test the envoy's details, the envoy also repeatedly tested me. The reality of the court. He saw that the minister was Han, and there was a hint of solicitation in his words, but he was sternly rejected by the minister. The minister thought that after the forces of the Liao Kingdom were expelled from Liaodong in the future, the forces of the Bohai people would immediately belong to our court. Great enemy, so Your Majesty must beware of them."

Mr. Han Da is always careful and even a little too much, and this time is no exception.After Mr. Han Da finished speaking, Wanyan Wu Qimai smiled sarcastically: "No matter how ambitious Xiao Suxian is, he must have the ability to do it. The Wanyan tribe has accumulated through several generations, and each generation has produced heroes. It is only now that we are here." Xiao Suxian, a native of Bohai, was left behind in Tokyo three months ago. Why should he compete with our Dajin Kingdom for Liaodong?

As soon as Wanyan Wu begged for money, the other Bo Jilie laughed out loud.The torches of the emperor's golden tent dazzled a little, Wanyan Aguda squinted his eyes, and there was a hint of a smile on his mouth.From a small tribe in Liaodong, the Wanyan tribe has become a victorious country in the East China Sea that can compete with the Liao Kingdom in just 20 years. Indeed, the nobles of these Wanyan tribes have the capital to be proud of.Only Wanyan Zongbi, Wanyanchang and a few other people showed some seriousness in their eyes. Under such circumstances, they did not dare to speak out rashly.So the topic of the Bojilie meeting changed from "should we send troops?" to "how to send troops." At this time, all the generals of the Wanyan tribe seemed very cautious.

"From Huanglong Mansion to Liaoyang, there are Tongzhou, Xianzhou, Yinzhou, and Shenzhou in the middle. If you want to be safe, you must take these four places first. Only by cutting off the way for the Liao Kingdom to go to Beijing for reinforcements can we protect our army. The way back." Prime Minister Wanyan Sa changed his course.

"Isn't it okay to take a detour to Kaizhou?" Wan Yangao frowned. Although the Khitan army was huddled in the city and did not dare to challenge the Kingdom of Jin, it was not so easy to take down any city heavily guarded by the Khitan, let alone four. "The Han army has been besieging Kaizhou for a long time. Although it has not been defeated yet, the Khitan forces in Kaizhou, Hengzhou, and Zhengzhou have all fled after hearing the news. The army has no difficulty passing by, and the Han army can help us transfer Baggage. It is not so easy to cut off the retreat of the army by going to Beijing for reinforcements. Mr. Han Da, do you think so?"

Wanyan Gao had always been on good terms with Mr. Han Da and trusted his influence on the Han army, so he proposed a plan to directly attack Liaoyang through the Han army's control of the area.All the Nuzhen nobles looked over, Mr. Han Da coughed lightly, nodded and said: "It is no problem for me to pass through Kaizhou, Hengzhou, and Zhengzhou controlled by the Han army. I am only worried , the Liao Kingdom has [-] cavalry troops stationed in Shenzhou. If they put all their eggs in one basket, they can still pose a great threat to us. Therefore, I also advocate that at least Shenzhou should be defeated to ensure that the Liao Kingdom does not have any heavy troops on this line. Only then can we safely send the army south to Liaoyang.”

"Hmph, then take Shenzhou, and then take Liaoyang." Wanyan Pu's servant said in a deep voice.

"Pu Jianu is right, we must attack Shenzhou first." Wan Yanci nodded in agreement. "No matter if the Bohai people want to play tricks, just ask for peace." "I also agree to resign and fight Shenzhou first!" Wanyan Wu Qimai nodded, "But you can send a partial division first to detour Kaizhou to Liaoyang Hui And the Bohai people who rebelled."

Three of the six Bo Jilie agreed to attack Shenzhou first, the emperor Wanyan Aguda also nodded in agreement, and Wanyan Sagai and Wanyan Gao did not object either.None of the following generals had the opportunity to comment on the important matter decided at the Bojilie meeting.Mr. Han Da is even more so.Therefore, it was decided that Wanyan Ci would command the Jin Army to attack Shenzhou with the main forces under his command, including Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Xiyin, Wanyan Zongpan, Wanyan Zongjun, Wanyanchang and other generals.Wanyan Gao led a partial division to detour to Kaizhou to go to Liaoyang first, and Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Zongbi also led their respective Meng'an to follow the action.Prime Minister Wanyan Sagai raised funds and arranged for the food and grass needed by the army, and asked each Meng'an to prepare separately. The entire Jurchen Jin Kingdom had to prepare for the official dispatch of troops to attack Liao in December.

Outside the city of Kaizhou, the sound of cannons was so loud that the soldiers of the Han army shouted and rushed towards the city wall carrying ladders and shields.However, a flurry of arrows shot down from the top of the city, and before they entered the effective range of the bow and arrow, the soldiers of the Han army rushed away one after another, leaving only a piece of white arrow feathers under the city.The Khitan army at the top of the city had no time to laugh at these people, they hurriedly shrank behind the ruined city wall, avoiding the shells and arrows from below the city.After two months of siege, the attackers and defenders seemed to have a tacit understanding. More and more shells and arrows were consumed every day, and fewer and fewer dead were killed.All the soldiers of the Han army who retreated looked like they were alive after a catastrophe. The leaders of the village celebrated with their foreheads and hands because they did not lose any soldiers, and some of them explained to Wang Hengzhi Salai with a playful smile.

Zhao Xingde stood on the artillery barracks, watching the scene with binoculars expressionlessly.Jian Cheng murmured, "What kind of ghost battle is this? Let us do it." Having said that, even if he was willing, Zhao Xingde would not want Chengying soldiers to die in the siege battle. "These Han troops are really too stupid."

The southeast corner of Kaizhou City, which was heavily bombarded by Xia Guo artillery, has already been hit by countless shells. The stones were shaken off a lot by the shells, and large areas of rammed earth were exposed, and even the rammed earth was smashed into countless holes.Under the impact of shells and arrows, the Khitan soldiers defending the city were also killed and injured.In the eyes of Chengying Ying, this city seemed to have taken off its clothes, but the Han army couldn't rush to it, which really made people angry.

Wang Hengzhi is a veteran general, and he is also very brave, but he can't stop the generals of the Han army under his command from preserving their strength.In this situation, the Kaizhou Han army itself could not withstand the loss.Now all the generals of the Han army will not send veterans out to attack the city, but use them as personal soldiers and supervising teams.And those young men who were still holding hoes a few months ago quickly grew into soldiers in the siege battles that were child's play again and again.Even the Yalu River Jurchen Army, which was originally "simple" and "warlike", has learned to retreat when the enemy's arrows are out of range.

The momentum of the Han army is getting stronger day by day, and the powerful Han people, Bohai people, and Jurchens in several nearby states and counties have established relationships with these Han army chiefs, and several of them have married in-laws. It has improved a lot compared to before, almost all the veterans wear armor, and the recruits have decent weapons.In Liaodong, the Han army in Kaizhou was even stronger than that in Guannan, Suzhou, but the fighting will of the Han army was getting worse and worse.

"These wicked ghosts!" Du Chuijiao muttered, "We should teach them a lesson." He took the binoculars from Jian Cheng and looked towards the north wall. It was quiet, starting from the Han army. Since the siege of the city, it has been clear that chariots and horses stormed the southeast corner. Over time, the Liao army also reduced the defensive forces on other walls, but the necessary vigilance is still there.

Du Chuijiao looked at the city through the binoculars, and immediately saw Yacheng. The Khitan people's savings should be here, and worried: "If the garrison camp blows up and collapses the walls of other places, we may not be able to catch those wicked Han soldiers." Ghost."

Xia Guoying lost patience with the Han army's siege, and finally decided to dig a tunnel leading to Kaizhou's weakest northern city wall by the garrison battalion. The wooden pile collapsed and shook the city wall at the same time, causing a hole in the north wall to collapse, and then the soldiers of the Chengying Camp and the garrison battalion took the opportunity to rush into the city to occupy Yacheng.This plan will be kept secret from the Han army until the last moment, and the roaring cannons that sound from time to time every day also effectively prevent the defenders in the city from using urns to detect the sound of tunnel digging.