A great man of the Northern Song Dynasty

Hu Xicheng stood on the top of Zhending's city, looking at the north with a sad expression.

Next to him were Guo Ang, the commander of the capital, and Zhou Li, the lord of Yu, both of whom looked helpless.

Groups of soldiers gathered at the top of the city, and they were helpless.

"It is really only more than 200 miles away from the border between Song and Liao. If the Liao army's cavalry were to go all out, they would wake up one night and there would probably be Liao troops under the city!"

Hu Xicheng slapped the city head, frowning and said: "I am not afraid of the enemy troops coming to the city. At worst, I will die and die for my country, but we must not let the Liao army sneak past Zhending Mansion, otherwise I will die in peace!"

Guo Ang glanced at him, hesitated, shook his head slightly and said: "Hu Yunshi... the scouts are in the north, and the Liao people can't get through... at least they can't come silently."

"What if it's a small group of enemy troops?"

Guo Ang glanced at him, frowned and said: "I don't care what happens, but Zhaozhou and other places behind must be heavily guarded. We can't let the Liao people fight all the way to Bianliang. I would rather die."

He turned around and asked: "Where is my coffin? Is it ready?"

An official said: "It's ready."

"Have a look."

Hu Xicheng took the people to the city. When he arrived at the government office and saw a coffin placed outside, Hu Xicheng said with satisfaction: "If I die, just throw it inside."

Guo Ang turned away and exchanged helpless looks with Du Yuhou Zhou Li.

The Liao army hasn't come yet, you do this...it's useless!

Hu Xicheng held the handle of the long knife at his waist with one hand, turned around and said: "The scouts must be sent out as soon as possible and tell them that in extraordinary times... there is enough food and wine!"

This is a humane messenger, but...

"Soldiers and horses are coming from outside the city!"

Someone came to report, and Hu Xicheng said happily: "Where did it come from? But in the south?"

"yes."

Hu Xicheng breathed a sigh of relief, "Let's go and have a look."

Everyone followed them to the south gate. When they saw the crowd of cavalry, Hu Xicheng said happily: "The officials are so kind that they will keep our Hebei Road in mind, good!"

Shen An, who was on the opposite side, dismounted and walked slowly over.

"This is……"

Hu Xicheng squinted at Shen An and recognized him as he came closer, "It's Mr. Shen..."

He had met Shen An several times in court, but he had never interacted with him.

"I've met Hu Yunshi."

Shen An cupped his hands and looked at Hu Xicheng.

The black hair shows that he is young.

There is a slight frown between his eyebrows, and he looks a little serious, indicating that he is not a lively person.

The lips were pursed tightly, which must be a bit rigid.

Hu Xicheng was also looking at Shen An.

The eyes are very bright, and the black and white are distinct, which shows that the young man is very young.

The skin is a little white. This is not a fair face, but because they came here with their faces covered along the way, so they are much fairer. This is most obvious on the traveling merchants.

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, but it was not a smile, but... dissatisfaction.

What's the meaning?

Hu Xicheng frowned and cupped his hands, "Thank you very much, Lord Shen, for leading the army to come to our aid. It's just an urgent situation. Let's go in quickly to discuss the military situation."

"What to discuss?"

The transfer envoy was a local governor, but when Shen An came out, Zhao Shu did not let him be subject to local control, so he did not need to be too polite to Hu Xicheng.

Hu Xicheng heard the dissatisfaction and said: "The situation of the war!"

Ever since he learned that the Liao army was constantly crossing the border, he had been in a state of tension. Seeing that Shen An was dissatisfied, his anger suddenly rose.

Shen An looked at him and asked: "The situation of the battle...where are the enemy troops?"

Hu Xicheng said coldly: "Just keep breaking in at the border..."

"In which year and month did the Liao army not break in?" Shen An said coldly.

"But this is true!" Hu Xicheng's breathing became faster, "I would rather die in battle, and I cannot let the Liao army cross here before I die!"

Shen An, who was furious at first, calmed down immediately. He glanced at the helpless Guo Ang and Zhou Li beside him and said, "I am tired. Hu Yun is a landowner. Is there any place to accommodate Shen?"

Hu Xicheng was startled, and then said: "Yes, I have already considered the residence of the reinforcements, even if the princes come to accommodate them."

Shen An shook his head, "Yelu Hongji didn't dare to go south with all his strength, so the princes won't come."

"Who can say for sure?" Hu Xicheng was a transit envoy. If he went to Beijing, he would be a deputy privy envoy or deputy envoy to the third department. If the officials admire him very much, they can say that they are not allowed to participate in political affairs.

Therefore, he does not have much favor or trust in the decisions of the so-called prime ministers and ministers.

A group of people entered the city, and Shen An was taken to be resettled. After washing up later, he went to the government office.

The transfer envoy is here, and the magistrate is naturally the stepmother, so he has not seen her face.

In the lobby, Hu Xi sat upright with an expressionless face.

Shen An knew that he and he were not speculating, so he asked directly: "Did the Liao army cross the Tang County area?"

Guo Ang shook his head, "No."

Shen An asked again: "How much did you cross the border?"

Guo Ang glanced at Hu Xicheng and said, "Five miles."

"Very cautious." Shen An took the map and looked at it carefully.

"Yes, very cautious." Guo Ang looked a little nervous.

The war between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom took place at Linfu Road, Xiongzhou, Yanmen Pass, and Baozhou, but this was the first time the Zhendingfu front line encountered the enemy.

Hu Xicheng is the big boss here, and Shen An is the commander of the reinforcements. They are quite useful in the court and can be considered big bosses.

So Guo Ang said very cautiously: "The last time Baozhou encountered an enemy, Zhending Mansion was heavily guarded..."

Shen An raised his head and said, "It's more than two hundred miles from Zhending Mansion to Baozhou. There were dense scouts along the way. What are you worried about?"

Guo Ang said with some embarrassment: "The Liao army is all cavalry, coming and going like the wind... Morning and evening come, and everyone is worried about waking up overnight and the Liao army approaching the city."

Shen An felt that there was something wrong with this morale, so he frowned and said, "But this trend was cut off by Shen in Baozhou."

Guo Ang was even more embarrassed.

Hu Xicheng said displeasedly: "The Liao army is indeed coming and going like the wind. This time our army should focus on defense."

This is a conservative posture, but it is also the most stable posture.

Shen An pointed at the map and said: "The Liao army keeps breaking in but refuses to go deep. Why?"

Hu Xicheng said: "This is... a provocation. Maybe some cavalry have sneaked in."

Shen An wanted to say that he was as timid as a mouse, but he remembered that Hu Xicheng had even prepared a coffin, so he endured it.

"The main force of the enemy army has not yet arrived. Otherwise, according to the Liao army's habit, they will definitely press the border with a large force... Where are the scouts? Have you ever crossed the border to find out the news?"

Guo Ang shook his head.

Shen An sighed: "You have lived in peace for too long, what about Guogang? At this time, you should decisively send scouts to cross the border to investigate, and you must find out the news at any cost."

He stood up suddenly and ordered: "Brother Chun, tell the brothers to rest immediately. We will set off at night."

"yes."

Huang Chun left, Hu Xicheng stood up and said, "Where are you going?"

Shen An's finger crossed the map and pointed directly to a place.

"Between Yixian County and Feihu? That's the place where the Liao people live. What are you going to do?"

Hu Xicheng became anxious, "The Liao people must have a large army there. If you go there, you will die!"

Guo Ang came over to look at the map and said: "Mr. Shen, this is very dangerous. Our cavalry does not have the advantage. If we are surrounded... the consequences will be disastrous!"

Facing the threat of the Liao army, these people were timid.

Only then did Shen An know the reason why Zhao Shu asked him to come.

He is bold and dares to take action no matter where he is when he seizes a fighting opportunity.

During the battle between Xiongzhou and Baozhou, the civil and military officials on Hebei Road did not interfere, so they were timid.

"The officials sent someone here, not just to be a coward!"

Shen An slapped the table and walked away.

This group of officials must give them a shock, otherwise their thinking will remain in a conservative state.

The Song Dynasty keeps moving forward, but the officials seem to be unable to keep up with the pace. This is not good, very bad.

Shen An felt that he should find an opportunity to train all the officials in the world to let them know the current situation and the development of the Song Dynasty, so that they could be well aware of it when administering policies.

"domineering!"

Hu Xicheng slapped the table and said with a livid face: "We didn't even send out the scouts... I was wrong about this. I should have been more courageous at that time, rewarded the scouts heavily, and let them take the risk to investigate in the Liao territory. But he, Shen An, is... What do you mean? Is it crazy to lead an attack without knowing anything? A famous general, I think this famous general is worthy of discussion!"

"Hu Yunshi, Shen County Duke's name as a famous general is true!" Guo Ang is a martial artist, so he naturally knows that Shen An's name as a famous general is genuine.

"He defeated Xixia and Liao several times. This is real..."

"Isn't there Prime Minister Bao and Prime Minister Han here?" Hu Xicheng felt that it was Han Qi and Bao Zheng who decided the war.

Guo Ang lowered his head and said helplessly: "There has been news from the army that the commanders before the battle are all Duke Shen, while Prime Minister Bao and Prime Minister Han are just the commander-in-chief."

Well!

Hu Xicheng said with some surprise: "Is this so? But with those thousands of cavalry to attack the Liao army, I think it is a risk."

Guo Ang nodded silently. He also felt that Shen An was a little overconfident.

Hu Xicheng shook his head and sighed, "Young men, you are warriors, go and persuade them."

Guo Ang and the two went there, and it was already dark when they came back.

"how?"

Hu Xicheng didn't even have the appetite for dinner, and was worried that he couldn't control Shen An.

Guo Ang smiled bitterly and said: "County Lord Shen has already set off, but Wang Yu stayed behind."

"Bang!"

The chopsticks hit the table heavily, UU Reading www.uukaｎshu.net Hu Xicheng stood up and ordered: "Go quickly... follow. If you find something wrong, take Shen An back!"

Guo Ang was startled, and Hu Xicheng stamped his feet and said: "The innovations in the court... Although I am here, I have a clear understanding of the fire. Prime Minister Han and others are in control, but Shen An is indispensable. Without him, those powerful people will be proud again. Quickly Go quickly!"

Guo Ang asked: "We don't have many cavalry here...how many cavalry will I bring?"

Shen An's troops are all cavalry, and the infantry can't keep up!

Hu Xicheng gritted his teeth and said, "Take three thousand with you. If something happens to Shen An, you don't have to come back."

Guo Ang straightened his body and said, "I will take your orders!"

After he left, Hu Xicheng clasped his hands and went out, sighing: "Young man, what are you anxious about? The Liao army came to ask for food and grass, and we can't hold on. Is it possible that Yelu Hongji can stay for a long time? After several times, he will naturally I gave up the idea..."

In the dark night, only the cold wind blows...