Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 337 Affecting the Account (2)

While the two were talking, there was a sound of "boom-boom-boom" on the stairs, and Gao Bolong pushed open the door and walked in.The three greeted each other, Wang Xuansu said with a smile: "It's just in time, General Zhao will show you the situation of the enemy camp." He passed the binoculars in his hand.Gao Bolong smiled and said: "General Zhao has already pointed it out." But he took the binoculars and looked north carefully.

Although Nanshan City is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the narrow isthmus also limits the counterattack of the Han army against the Liao army.The terrain here is similar to the "patio" mentioned in the art of war. The Liao army only needs to guard a section of the front facing the isthmus to seal off the passage for the Han army to enter the inland.Therefore, Zhao Xingde resolutely opposed the establishment of the general's office of the Han army here.It is also because of this that the entire Liao army camp, except for the solid camp facing the direction of Nanshan City, is sparse and not well-prepared, especially after the fall of Liaoyang.The fences between the camps were sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes absent, stables and horses were everywhere, and a large open space was even cleared on the north side of the camp, waiting for the [-] reinforcements led by Xiao Tachi to enter.There is only a short wooden fence between this open space and the camp, and it is close to the place where the food and grass are piled up.Almost every few days, a large group of grain-carrying carriages will drive into the Liao army camp through this place.Every time Zhao Xingde looked over with binoculars, he could almost see the defenders shrinking their necks, leaning on their spears and fighting.

The Han army was about to cut in from here, along the gap between the Liao army's camps, and rushed towards the camp, dispersing the horses along the way, and igniting the grain and grass piled up in the Liao army's camp. Before the Liao army could react They passed through the camp, and then returned to Suzhou Guannan from the ice road in the east. At that time, Li Sihai's gunboats would fire to kill them.For the Liao army, the sea ice area must be wide enough to drive the Han army's gunboats far away before they can pass through with confidence, but the Han army does not have this problem, which determines that the Han army can use it at the initial stage of sea water freezing this pathway.

During this period of time, not only the Liao army checked the thickness of the ice every day, but also the Han army in Nanshan City.In the eyes of the Liao army, it was just that the Han army was preventing the Liao soldiers from attacking the coastal ice.Zhao Xingde also dispatched deployments to cut through the ice near Nanshan City every day.However, the weather has suddenly turned cold these few days, and it was dug open the day before, and it was frozen again the next day.Fortunately, digging ice is just a "confusing" and "sexy" move, otherwise the Han army defending the city would have suffered a lot.

Gao Bolong checked the situation of the Liao army's barracks carefully, and he was relieved when he was sure that there was no change from yesterday.Zhao Xingde had to collect the enemy's situation in every battle, and repeatedly scrutinized the facts and facts. This somewhat "overly cautious" habit had unknowingly affected many generals of the Han army.If it was the past, Gao Bolong would leave after observing the enemy's situation, but he stayed today, chatting about the details of the coordination of the battle and defense as if he had nothing to say.

Both Zhao Xingde and Wang Xuansu felt the difference slightly, and Gao Bolong himself became more and more uncomfortable, and finally said: "General Zhao, I have an unfeeling request, and you must agree to it." When he said this, he had an old face. Also flushed.

"Oh?" Zhao Xingde said, "General Gao, please tell me something. If Zhao can do it, he will do his best." He smiled and looked at Gao Bolong. The battalion is outside the shooting range of the artillery positions at the head of the city, but most of the field artillery of the Han army was lost under the city of Liaoyang. The iron barrel guns defending the city were to be moved out to bombard the Liao army camp. Once the Liao army counterattacked, these heavy artillery The guy has no time to retreat.Nanshan City had to withstand the Liao army's attack for another three months, relying on the power of the artillery, and these artillery were absolutely invincible.

"It's not a big deal," Gao Bolong said with a sneer. "The Yalu River Jurchen Erli also discussed with me that they wanted to use the banner of General Zhao to attack the enemy camp this time." He explained, "The Liao army couldn't attack the city. Although he didn't say anything about the loss of soldiers, everyone was afraid of General Zhao. General Zhao also showed benevolence, so many Liao soldiers would not fight against General Zhao in private, and even if they met, they would not resist desperately But if you fight under the banner of other Han troops or Jurchen, the situation will be different. Playing under the banner of General Zhao can be the first to win people," Gao Bolong paused, a little embarrassed, "I'm afraid I will fall into the prestige of a general."

Zhao Xingde was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said: "General Gao will just pick out the banners and banners later, and I can take as many banners as I want in Nanshan City." Gao Bolong thanked him happily and left, but Zhao Xingde felt a little panic in his heart .

"To intimidate the enemy, relying on it like a city? Do I have the ability? Should it be General Zhang Shanfu, Captain Duan Huaixian, or someone like Li Sihai, Han Ningshuang, or Chen Shaoyang?" At this moment, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. Taking a heavy burden, he took a deep breath of cold air and suppressed the fear.

The sky was covered with thick dark clouds, the stars and the moon were dark, and it was the darkest time before dawn.The cold wind blows hard, and thick shore ice has accumulated everywhere on the shore of the Liaohai Sea.Two thick cables stretched from the shore to the distance, submerged in the darkness, this is the path that the scouts explored for the army.In the most dangerous area, as long as you walk between two thick cables, you will accidentally step on the virtual ice and fall into the ice cave.Standing behind a rock, Gao Bolong looked back, only seeing a few feet away.The brigade was still struggling to move on the ice.There were more than ten thousand cavalrymen, soldiers with titles, and their horseshoes were wrapped in cloth. The north wind was mixed with fine particles, blowing on their faces like steel knives.

On the shore a few miles away, the lights hanging high above the Liao Army are very eye-catching.But apart from the whistling of the north wind, nothing else could be heard.In the night, more than [-] cavalry who attacked the Liao camp gathered in front of a forest.That night, starting from Guannan, Suzhou, they marched on the ice for more than half an hour. Many people's faces were blue and purple from the cold, their fingers were frozen, and white frost was condensed on their noses and mouths. In the wind, the cavalry leaned tightly on their horses to keep warm.

"General...General," the soldiers gritted their teeth, Bing said, "Big, big, big...the army is all ready, can we attack?" He looked towards the forest in front of him, and counted After ten days of fierce fighting, the birds and beasts in this area of ​​a hundred miles are almost extinct, and this man is the king of all beasts.Only countless crows gathered, pecking at the corpses during the day, and landing on the treetops near the Liao army camp at night.

"Take a bite, chew it and swallow it," Gao Bolong took out an old ginseng from his bosom, handed it to the soldier, and then he chewed the remaining half and swallowed it. "The weather is deadly cold," Gao Bolong said in a low voice, "we are ready to attack, please inform Wan Yanci that the Jurchen cavalry will follow us."

The soldier nodded vigorously, and led the horse away with a deep foot and a shallow foot.The ice surface was extremely slippery, and along the way, the Han army kept tumbling, if no one made a sound if they were not holding their titles in their mouths, the Liao army might have been alarmed long ago.On the contrary, the Jurchens often dig ice to catch fish in winter, and they are much more adaptable to marching on ice.

Passing through the darkness, met more than a dozen people, and after being greeted several times in Chinese with Jurchen, Gao Bolong's personal soldiers finally found Wanyancibushi.His face was much older, and his eyebrows and beard were covered with frost. He listened to the briefing from the soldiers with a blank face, and said in a deep voice, "Tell General Gao, we understand."

After Gao Bolong's personal soldiers left, Eli also asked: "The first Bo Jilie, can the Han people really believe it? There are [-] Liao soldiers in front." None of the Jurchen generals were ordered to leave immediately, and someone complained: "The Liao dog is still burning, killing and looting near the tribe. Why did it travel thousands of miles to help the Han people fight?"

"To keep the tribe alive!" Wan Yanci frowned.He has explained it countless times, but it is always difficult for the Jurchen generals to understand. To defend the tribe, they fight Liaogou desperately. , Desperately fighting with the [-] Liao army.Although the people who stay under Wan Yanci's command are all his confidantes for many years, but there are always people who can't understand this truth.

"A large pack of wolves circled the sheepfold. Should we fight these wild wolves face-to-face, or go around behind them and shoot them with arrows?" Wan Yanci said in a deep voice. He waved his hand, as if returning to the Jin Dynasty. When the national army swept across Liaodong, "If you beat them here and burn their food and grass, those Liao dogs who attacked the tribe in the north will not stay long." Wan Yanci frowned, "Really If you want to escape, wild beasts and wild fruits in the mountains, where can they feed so many people?"

"But," Er Li also whispered, "Aren't the Han people fleeing too? They have been fleeing north with their women and children. We can also migrate to the north where Liao dogs can't reach. There seem to be women there too. Real people."

"Flee north, wherever you go, Liao dogs can catch up to you," Wan Yanci sighed, "Livestock lose weight and die, and there are not enough wild animals and fruits. The local tribes will not allow outsiders to rob the land. It takes several months to harvest, and the Han people have sea boats to transport them grain, do we have it? Can you watch your people freeze to death and starve to death?" He coughed heavily and spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm Just stopped.

The Jurchen generals looked at each other and were silent for a long time before someone whispered: "No!"

"Then," Wan Yanci caressed his chest and looked ahead, "Wait a while, each of you will lead your own team and follow those Han cavalrymen closely. There are a hundred thousand Liao dogs ahead, and the Han people are more familiar with the road than we are. Follow them, and there is still hope of living." He said, tightening the leather belt on the horse's belly again, turned over and sat on the saddle, and immediately stood taller than the generals, and took the spear handed by the soldiers, Taking a deep breath of the cold air, he suppressed the heart-piercing pain in his chest.