Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Four

Soon, Brother Yeluxiu knew what Yang Hao was doing. Yang Hao is gathering a large army, horse army, infantry, fleet, grain and grass, a large number of fleets, a large amount of grain and grass, mules, horses and ox carts... There was only one time before such a huge momentum, and that was when Zhao Guangyi drove straight in and attacked Youzhou. The Song army rarely conducts large-scale military operations in winter. Apart from the inconvenience of transportation, the main reason is to restrain the Liao army's cavalry. The Song army is equipped with a large number of archers, and the bowstrings are mostly leather strings. The cold weather in the north will make Insufficient bowstring tension caused the Song Army, which was the main force of the infantry, to lose its greatest advantage in war. Therefore, winter has always been a good day for the Northern Dynasties cavalry to harass the Southern Dynasties "grass valley". But now the Song Army has added a large number of cavalry. Relying on the great reduction, Song State is already capable of launching a large-scale winter offensive.

On November 9th, Chonghou Shabei, it is appropriate to sacrifice, demolish, break ground, lay foundations and beams, and open the market auspiciously. Yang Hao took Pan Mei as commander, Li Huating, Liu Tingrang, and Tong Yu as generals, led an army of more than 100,000 troops, and sent troops out of Waqiao Pass in Xiongzhou to attack Guiyi and Fan Yang; With Li Jilong as commander, Tian Chongjin, Cui Yanjin, and Mi Xin as generals, he led an army of more than 100,000 troops, and sent troops out of Yijin Pass in Bazhou to attack Yongqing and Anci; The soldiers and horses of the two prefectures of Xiongba went out together, and Yang Jiye led an army of his own. He sent troops out of Damaoshan, took Feihu, and attacked Weizhou.

As for the West Route Army, the news of the great victory at Yanmen Pass has just come in. Even if there is no news of victory there, Yang Hao is ready to arrange for them to go out.However, the focus of his attack has always been on the South Road. The role of the West Route Army is false and real, true and false. If the enemy can be defeated, it will turn a false attack into a real attack and attack Youzhou. If the battle is not going well, then To change a real attack into a feint attack, as long as you can successfully contain the soldiers and horses in the west of Liao Kingdom. Therefore, Cao Bin was in command of the West Road Army, with Luo Kedi and Zhang Chongwei as generals, and went out of Yanmen Pass to attack Huan, Shuo, Ying, and Yun states. Cao Bin's soldiers and horses attacked in a pincer shape.

Yang Hao gave up on the offensive and defensive stalemate with Brother Yeluxiu in the border area, but threw off their army, and took advantage of the Liao army's combat characteristics of the Song army's infantry and cavalry melee corps, and went straight to Youzhou. Strength, smashed out a black tiger heart.Attacking the enemy will save you, this is a real conspiracy. You clearly know my purpose, but you can't help but accept the move. The big lock crosses the river, and you can't help it. Faced with such a situation, no matter how resourceful and strategic you are, there is no other way but to respond. Brother Yeluxiu quickly gathered troops to Zhuozhou to stop the Song army, and quickly reported the situation to Empress Xiao who was guarding Youzhou.

After hearing the news, Xiao Chuo also agreed with Brother Yeluxiu's opinion, and decided to use the strength of the cavalry and the flat and wide favorable terrain to concentrate the main force to defeat the Songdong Army first, and then move divisions to defeat them one by one.So he urgently ordered Wu Gaofei to step up his march and went straight to Zhuozhou for assistance. He also ordered Tokyo (Liaoyang) to stay behind in Yelumozhi and lead his army to help Youzhou;At the same time, Yelu Xiezhen was appointed as the commander of Shanxi soldiers and horses, and was fully responsible for the war on the West Road.

Brother Yeluxiu's nightmare began. The bloody battle in Zhuozhou lasted for 13 days, with dead bodies lying on the bed and countless casualties. In countless critical situations, Brother Yeluxiu climbed to the top of the city himself, or bowed left and right, Ruo personally held a long gun, roared loudly, roared, shouted, fought desperately like a tiger, boosted morale, and resisted the fierce offensive of the Song army.Above and below the city, white snow and red blood are like flowers in the east and west, and the sharp cold wind whizzes continuously in the ear. Another battle is over, Brother Yeluxiu is patrolling the city, half of his ear protectors have been cut off, his helmet is filthy, the cloak behind his back is bloodstained and tattered, his breastplate is broken, and his cuffs are full of knife marks Jian Chuang, the blood fringe on a big gun in his hand had already been sucked full of blood, covered with blood icicles, hanging stiffly.

Fortunately, Wu Gaofei's 80,000 Han troops arrived in time, which greatly supplemented his strength. After the Nancheng was knocked down, Brother Yeluxiu used well water mixed with weeds to re-build a shiny wall in just midnight. The city walls, all four walls have been splashed with water, shining like a crystal city, slippery and hard, which barely resisted until now. Overnight, when Zhuozhou City turned into a crystal city, Song Jun was really taken aback, especially Yang Hao. Yang Hao remembered that when he listened to the storytelling "The Yang Family General" in his previous life, Yang Liulang, the commander of Sanguan, faced the menacing The Liao army, born in a hurry, built an ice city by splashing life on the city, and then set up a bull formation to defeat the Liao army. Unexpectedly, the Liao people also knew this method.

In fact, the northern nomads knew how to build cities with ice and snow very early on. I don’t know when they first started, but there are records in some historical documents from the Han Dynasty. At that time, the northern nomads migrated to a city in the ice and snow. In some places, a few simple city walls will be built with water, grass and soil to prevent wolves and block the cold wind. When winter goes to spring, they will continue to migrate to other places. When the weather gets warmer, the city walls will naturally disappear. common thing. Presumably, the novelist, in order to highlight Yang Liulang's wisdom and courage, took a common-sense thing for the northerners, plus Tian Dan's fire bull array in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, and remodeled it as Yang Liulang's unique invention.

Although Zhuozhou was defended, Gu'an, which stood shoulder to shoulder with it, was defeated by the Song army. In this way, Zhuozhou became an isolated city. Although the city is still there, I don't know how long it can last.Brother Yeluxiu believes that one should not care about the gains and losses of a city or a place with the powerful Song army. On this point, whether the queen mother is a woman or a bit petty. Song Guoyuan came to conquer, and transportation was a big problem. Since their goal was Youzhou, they should retreat to Youzhou. As long as you stick to Youzhou, you can't lose Youzhou, and if this strategically important area is not lost, the other states will have no threat. The Song army will eventually return without success, and it is unknown if they will suffer another major defeat.

After discussing with the generals, Brother Yeluxiu made everyone's opinions into a statement, and sent someone to the court to ask the Queen Mother to accept him, and once again persuaded the Queen Mother to return to Beijing with the young emperor.The connection between Zhuozhou and Youzhou has not been broken, because the Song army adopted the siege technique of three siege and one doubt, cutting off three routes and leaving one route, and there were no siege troops in the north. Brother Yeluxiu knew what Yang Hao was doing. Yang Hao was looking at the nature of his commander. If he was suspicious, he would confront him with falsehoods.See its indetermination, whichever is illegal.If his army is really fleeing from the north, there must be ambushes along the way, but knowing it is one thing, sometimes you have to jump into it when you know it is a trap. It can be cracked head-on, and there is no other way to solve it.

Xiao Chuo received the report from Brother Yeluxiu, and knew that the situation ahead was very critical. If he did not make a decision early, I am afraid that Brother Yeluxiu and the army stationed in Zhuozhou would be wiped out. If they are transferred back, at least some vitality can be retained .After discussing with Youzhou Wenwu, Xiao Chuo agreed with Brother Yeluxiu and ordered him to abandon Zhuozhou immediately and return to Youzhou. However, she did not agree with Brother Yeluxiu's second suggestion. At this time, the upper echelons of the Liao Kingdom fell into fear and panic again. If she brought the emperor back to Beijing at this time, no matter how nicely she said it, she would be on the verge of battle. It's all about running away. At that time, the morale of the army is out of control, and it is bound to be defeated. Therefore, she must not leave this Youzhou. Intellectually speaking, there is nothing wrong with Xiao Chuo doing this, but subconsciously, she made this choice with a lot of anger. After all, she is still a young woman. She practiced to the point where it was as deep as an abyss, and she was vomiting with Yang Hao. Well, I helped you when you were desperate; I endured you when you offered the seal to the Song Dynasty and abandoned the Northern Dynasty; now that you have won the Central Plains, you will be like that fat black Zhao Er, skinless and shameless Invade my territory, your son and I are here, you come here as soon as you want, a heartless thing, at worst, my mother and son will be dead in the city of Youzhou, and I will never let you half a step! But the current situation in Liao Kingdom is really not good. Zhao Guangyi's defeat was very lucky. Many upper-class nobles and officials of Liao Kingdom tasted the Northern Expedition of Song State afterward, and felt that if Zhao Guangyi hadn't been dizzy with anger, he would chase after him regardless. Going to the Gaoliang River, it is really hard to predict whether Youzhou City is still in the hands of the Liao State, so when Yang Hao came, pessimism immediately permeated again. If the fight continues, many senior generals of the Liao Army are seriously lacking in confidence. Under such circumstances, Xiao Chuo also had to consider whether peace talks could be made. After much deliberation, he held a court meeting with the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs. He wrote a letter of credence and sent an envoy to submit it to Yang Hao, the emperor of the Song Dynasty. One emperor and one empress fought and began to reason. "I am delighted to hear that your Majesty accepted Zen China as the Lord of Western Xia. His Majesty the Emperor has always had the ambition to protect the country and protect the people. No one in the world can call His Majesty a sage. Liao and Xixia are originally friendly, and Liao and Song are also Since peace. However, Zhao Jiong's military force, tore up the treaty, and the Northern Expedition brazenly. All the soldiers and horses were raised without a name. The people in the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River are all desolate, suffering from restraint, and the world is poor. Although China is rich and prosperous, what will it be like after many years? Especially the people on the border between the two countries, since the start of the military affairs, have built the city fortifications, fed the millet, and equipped them with a hundred ends, and they have all left the prefectures and counties.More than half of the population died, the people suffered unspeakably, the imperial treasury was empty, and public and private were depleted.Your Majesty really cares about the people. Please rest your troops and rest the people to benefit the world. I sincerely invite China. I hope to make friends forever and pass them on forever. " The envoy was none other than the Master Mohenmo from the Honghe Temple in the Liao Kingdom who was acquainted with Yang Hao. Yang Hao received Xiao Chuo's letter of credence and replied that the Northern Expedition was not invited by the officials, but was for the Liao Army. Invading the frontier, the second is to aim at the Youyan lands. If this goal is not achieved, the magnificent army will not dare to retreat lightly. Mo Mohen didn't expect Yang Hao to be so naked and undisguised, and hurriedly replied to the Queen Mother, biting Xiao Chuoqi's silver teeth, but this man is very strong now, so he had to hold back his anger before issuing the letter of credence. Counting the ownership of You Yun, this is a long story with more than ten thousand characters. Xiao Chuo is also a person with a strong personality. Yanyun Sixteen States sounds big, but how big is it and where is it located?In fact, the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun are part of northern Hebei and Shanxi today. When it comes to historical origins, it is too long ago. Yu Ding Kyushu included this area, but before Yanhuang, there was also a local area here. Residents, if they have to find out where it belongs from the root, I'm afraid they don't understand it. Only from the end of the Tang Dynasty, the disputes between the heroes in the late Tang Dynasty formed the five dynasties of "Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou" and the ten countries of "Front Shu, Later Shu, Wu, Southern Tang, Wuyue, Fujian, Chu, Southern Han, Nanping and Northern Han". historical pattern.The sixteen prefectures of Yanyun changed their owners several times, and later fell into the hands of Li Cunxu, a native of Shatuo, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty.Shi Jingtang, the governor of the later Tang Dynasty, wanted to rebel and stand on his own, so he promised the land to the Liao Kingdom as a price, and he was willing to be the "child emperor" of the Liao Dynasty.Emperor Yelu Deguang of the Liao Kingdom agreed to his condition and led 50,000 cavalry to assist Shi Jingtang. Speaking of cession, who did it cede from?Before the cession, whose sovereignty did it belong to?Later, Han scholar-officials and historians said that Shi Jingtang ceded the territory that originally belonged to the Han people to the Liao Kingdom of the Khitan people. In fact, the "Sixteen States of Yanyun" were not in the hands of the Han people, but in Sands. In the hands of the Tuo people, it cannot be said that the Tang Dynasty, which has already perished, still has sovereignty over the land, right? The Song State inherited the mantle of the Later Zhou Dynasty. Its inherent territory is only Henan. When it came down, I didn't see it claiming to be orthodox in the Central Plains at that time, and playing the banner of "recovering lost ground". Zhao Guangyi played the banner of regaining the lost land of the Han family, just to become famous as a teacher. Yang Hao understood this, and so did Xiao Chuo. As soon as they saw this letter of credence, Yang Hao's civil servants and military generals naturally refused to lose for reason. They were all gearing up to fight with Liao. Of course, military operations would not stop at the same time. The civil servant's literary talents were not good enough, so he suggested to Yang Hao that it's better to transfer a few university scholars from the court to play with them, the northerners are still far behind. Yang Hao shook his head, and directly summoned Mo Hen, the envoy of the Liao Kingdom, and said bluntly in front of him: "Why did the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun belong to the Liao Kingdom in the first place, and why didn't they belong to Han, Jin, Tang, and Nanping? Because of that It was taken by the Liao Kingdom with its own ability, and we Han people have no ability to take it back. The fact is that, no matter how high-sounding the other words are, they are just excuses to cover up their own ugliness. Now, we have this ability!So we're going to take it back. Who does a place belong to?Whoever occupies it belongs to him. Whose world is it?Whoever beats it belongs to him. So who does Yanyun Sixteen States belong to?If the Northern Dynasty can defeat me, then it belongs to the Northern Dynasty. Why do I raise troops?Because the land of Youyan, which can be attacked in advance and defended in retreat, is the barrier of the Central Plains, and its gains and losses are directly related to the national destiny of the Central Plains.If I don't take them today because my soldiers are strong and my horses are strong, wouldn't it be a disaster for my descendants?So I want to fight, there is no room for reversing this matter. " Yang Hao's words are simply the best interpretation of Zhao Kuangyin's phrase "How can you allow others to sleep soundly beside the couch?" Mo Mohen's complexion turned ashen when he heard this, and he hurried back to Youzhou in panic. Xiao Chuo felt bitter when he heard it, but he had a new understanding of Yang Hao's strength and calmness.Yes, the two sides are fighting back and forth, but what is it actually for?If the swamp here is smoky and worthless, will the monarchs of the Central Plains still want to seize Youyan?Today, Yang Hao revealed the true meaning of it in one word, he can be regarded as an aboveboard man. Xiao Chuo stood upside down with his brows upside down, his phoenix eyes wide open, and he clenched his silver teeth, tearing Yang Hao's letter of credence to pieces: "There is no hope for peace talks, so let's fight!"