Chapter 42 first quarter

Although the imperial court ordered the war against Liao to continue, the front line was still shrouded in a pessimistic atmosphere of defeat, and there was no sign of a new atmosphere of revival. At the same time that the controlling position of Zhongshi Daodu was abolished, Tong Guan, who had monopolized power, took the opportunity to abolish the establishment of the headquarters.Some of the people in the command department who could be used by him were merged into the establishment of the Xuanfu Department.The Western Army was disintegrated and stationed in Xiongzhou, Bazhou, Ansu Army, Guangxin Army and its vicinity or later, and the generals in charge of the area were responsible for the defense. In fact, the entire army had no leader. , Everything must be under the command of the Xuanfu envoy.

As a safety measure, the Xuanfu envoy himself withdrew to Hejian Prefecture under the protection of the Shengjie army and the forbidden army brought by Tong Guan himself from Tokyo.The forbidden army brought by Tokyo is now under the leadership of He Guan, Gao Li's deputy, who was transferred from Dianqian Division.This army had not fought a single battle, and only fled twice with Tong Guan, and the number of officers and soldiers was reduced by half, which was a much larger loss than that of the defeated Western Army.Tong Guanming knew it was useless and unable to fight, so he had to put it by his side to strengthen his momentum.

Because of the dismissal of the teacher, the staff members of the Xuanfu Department finally made a contribution to the master in the pen and ink lawsuit. In addition, they continued to attack Liao, and there was still money to be made. Now they surround Tong Guan and arrest him. Tighter.But the Hewen Mansion is not considered a safe area, they are still in a state of panic all day long, and continue to pack up their luggage and lay their bedding at any time, so that they are ready to escape to a safer rear at any time.The memories of the defeat in Xiongzhou City seem to be the shadow of the devil chasing closely at their heels, tightly entangled in their hearts.

Unexpectedly, when the news came, the Liao army withdrew from the confrontation at the forefront, retreated to the post-war position on May 29, and then withdrew to the post-war position on May 26.The staff members of the Xuanfu Department still couldn't believe that the great good news was true, so they sent many scouts to inquire, and all the results were the same, so they discussed again, and then came to a common conclusion: this is Yelu Dashi's lure. The strategy of soldiers.Yelu Dashi uses troops like a god, so don't send troops forward and fall into his trap.After several defeats on the front line, they were indeed frightened and did not dare to make bolder inferences than this.

During the few days from the end of June to the beginning of July, the Liao army mobilized frequently, sometimes bluffing into the front line for a feint attack, and then retreating quickly.According to the Tanma Continued Report, not only the Liao army south of the Baigou River has been completely withdrawn, but the Liao army in Hebei is also sparse, greatly reduced compared to the force on the eve of the decisive battle. After the victory, instead of pursuing and oppressing the defeated enemy and consolidating the newly occupied positions, the Liao army retreated step by step. This is indeed a question worthy of people's deep thinking.

Ma Kuo remembered what Yelu Dashi once said that once the front line was stabilized, he would go back to Yanjing.At that time, I argued with him for a while because of the words "stability on the front line".As far as Yelu Dashi's position is concerned, the front line is indeed stable.But his purpose of going back to Yanjing was nothing more than to deal with Li Chuwen and other civil servants. Enough to settle down, why bother to retreat?Otherwise, the Liao Army Command has made the greatest determination to move northward, preparing to go out of Juyong Pass, and fight to the death with the Jin army in the cloud. This is something that the Liao in its prime has not been able to do in ten years.Now with the limited strength of Can Liao, it is unimaginable to take such a dangerous strategic step, unless they find that the Jin army has shown signs of moving south and are forced to go north to fight.But Xuan Fusi did not inquire about this news.Another most optimistic way of thinking is that the surge of volunteers behind the Liao army has already threatened their top position, forcing Yelu Dashi to return to the army to deal with it.But even so, there is no need for the entire army to retreat.Isn't Yelu Dashi afraid that the Song army will re-deploy, follow up and form a pincer attack with the rebel army, putting himself in a passive position of losing ground?

Apart from these improbable explanations, Ma Kuo couldn't find any other more reasonable explanations, so he felt suspicious in his heart. In the hot and dry July, one afternoon, a fellow from Hebei who was dressed like a peddler, sweating profusely, went to the Xuanfu Division to find Ma Xuanzan.Although he had gone through a painstaking disguise and dramatically changed his image and identity, Ma Kuo recognized him at a glance, took him to the next place, and greeted him kindly: "Uncle Six, did you bring me news about Brother Zhao Jie?" Because Ma Kuo immediately saw through the truth and destroyed the dramatic effect he had expected beforehand, it was a bit disappointing.But he immediately resumed his due seriousness and mystery.This is the attitude of a man who, for the first and only time in his life, has been sent on an important mission, fully aware of its vital nature.

"I didn't meet my cousin. A few days ago, he asked someone to bring a letter saying that he had gone into the mountains with a brother named Sha." "Uncle Six heard that they went into the mountains, is the person who spread the news reliable?" "It's reliable. The people in my place always have one thing to say, and they will never spread falsehoods." As long as he heard his words, Ma Kuo was relieved, and then saw his expression suddenly tense, and said solemnly: "I'm not here for my cousin's business, but on the order of my fifth brother." He emphasized the title of fifth brother to show the importance of fifth brother. I want to see Xuanfu, is it convenient to talk here?"

He is Zhao Jie's cousin Zhen Liuchen, and his fifth elder brother is Zhen Wuchen, one of the generals of the Changsheng Army.Since he, as the representative of Fifth Brother, ventured across the river to contact Yao Gong, its importance and confidentiality are of course self-evident. Ma Kuo told him that this is his private house, and no one will disturb them.Zhen Liuchen still looked around anxiously, and was 100% sure that he belonged to Yuanwuer, so he solemnly told Ma Kuo the news and mission he had brought. The first shocking news he brought was that Yelu Chun, king of Yan, had been ill for a long time, and Ma Kuo envoy Yan sent an order, which terrified him, and died of illness on June 24.According to Zhen Liuchen's dictation, after Yeluchun's death, Xiao Qian and Yelu Dashi returned to Yanjing with most of the Xi and Khitan troops, and supported Empress Xiao as the mistress.In order to prevent people's hearts from fluctuating and the Song army's counterattack, although Empress Xiao has changed the Yuan title system, she still keeps it strictly confidential.More than ten days have passed, and the Xuanfu Division still knows nothing about it, which fully shows the degree of secrecy of the Liao government and the incompetence of the Song Dynasty Xuanfu Division's espionage work.

After this sudden change, the status of the ever-victorious army composed of Han'er became more important and more dangerous.Yelu Dashi believed that it was suffering from the elbow and armpit, and he advocated taking advantage of the opportunity when the army gathered in Yizhou and Zhuozhou to take advantage of the situation to eliminate it, so as to avoid future troubles.In fact, he has secretly dispatched troops and generals, making a plan to annihilate them in one fell swoop.However, Xiao Qian, who once commanded the Changsheng Army, followed the Queen's order and tried to preserve it, and took it completely into his own hands, so as to maintain a position equal to that of Yelu Dashi in terms of strength, and to stop the attack. Yelu Dashi's military operations.There was the first disagreement between the two of them on decision-making on a major issue.

The Ever Victorious Army has the strength of tens of thousands of iron cavalry, and its commander Guo Yaoshi is a military careerist with a cool head and full of tricks.Whether it is to kill it or capture all of its command power, it is not an easy thing to do.Guo Yaoshi took full advantage of the opportunity and took advantage of the conflict between Xiao Qian and Yelu Dashi. He ordered the defense line to be shortened and the entire army concentrated in Zhuozhou to prevent Yelu Dashi from suddenly attacking.Take a strict vigilance attitude towards the large Khitan troops withdrawn from the front line, and prevent them from approaching.For Xiao Qian, it was hypocrisy and obedience, waiting for the opportunity to act.He rode alone to Xiao Qian's camp several times, and repeatedly expressed his loyalty and obedience to him, vowing to die, which made him completely relieved.But it is still an old way to refuse to accept the order to go into the mountains to wipe out the rebels. This method of finding vitality in the cracks of contradictions is obviously impossible to last.They must find another way of life. The second shocking news that Zhen Liuchen brought was: In view of the seriousness of the situation, Zhen Wuchen and several other senior generals of the Changsheng Army had exchanged views and were ready to surrender to the Southern Dynasty.Just waiting for the Song army to launch an offensive against the Liao army again, they urged Guo Yaoshi to lead the whole army in Zhuozhou anyway.Zhen Wuchen, representing the five generals, disclosed this issue to Guo Yaoshi, and Guo Yaoshi expressed his tacit attitude. The importance of these two pieces of news was indeed incomparable, Ma Kuo immediately took Zhen Liuchen to see Tong Guan.Tong Guan survived from a desperate situation, and in a helpless situation, he suddenly had an opportunity to play, and immediately turned to the official according to the situation.The officials were ready to play, so the second war against Liao began again. But the first steps in preparing for war can be frustrating. Since we want to fight, we have to restore the establishment of the headquarters and appoint the capital to control.Among the much-anticipated seed divisions, he was not appointed as the commander of the capital, but was transferred to the rear to be an insignificant defender.The imperial court was determined to take advantage of this opportunity to uproot the prestige and influence that the Chong family had built up in the Western Army over the past few decades. This was an excellent opportunity.Liu Yanqing, who was despised by everyone and even he himself did not expect, was appointed as the governor of the capital, and He Guan was appointed as the governor of the capital.He Guan was originally an old man of the Western Army, and was later transferred to Tokyo to serve as Gao Qiu's deputy. In the eyes of the general of the Western Army, this He Guan had already become a court-like patron of a wealthy family. This kind of person was impossible in military affairs. Then play any practical role (he was soon transferred to Tokyo).From these two new appointments one can predict the bleak future of the war. The rest of July and the whole of August passed in stifling silence, without seeing any positive measures taken by the Procuratorate, and without feeling the tension that should be felt at the front. During this period of time, the Xuanfu Division's only new measure was to send Liu Fan to Zhending Mansion to receive the recruits he had recruited there before the start of the first war against Liao Dynasty.After several months of training, this recruit can stab, ride and shoot, and can be dispatched by the front line.Another staff member, Sun Wo, was sent to Taiyuan Prefecture to assist the prefect Zhang Xiaochun in recruiting troops, and to discuss the work of sending some soldiers from the East Road to the front.As a local official, Zhang Xiaochun had always been known as a soldier, so Tong Guan had no choice but to be more polite to him and asked Sun Wo to be his assistant. War is a costly enterprise, and in the long run, the source of troops must be replenished, which is not unreasonable.However, whether it is really decided to recruit troops or Taiyuan recruits, the number is extremely limited.There is a lot of urgent work to be done now, especially after the defeat in World War I, the Western Army scattered across the front lines has not been fully mobilized and concentrated, nor has it made any plans to rectify military affairs and adjust the front lines, so let's do some non-urgent tasks first. , I don't know what kind of medicine is sold in their stuffy gourd?This made Ma Kuo very surprised. In addition, Ma Kuo also discovered that the new headquarters had indeed undergone a complete reorganization, and the reorganization was beyond recognition.Except for Liu Yanqing himself who is in command and sits in the command headquarters, He Guan, Brother Xin Xingzong, Liu Guangguo, Brother Liu Guangshi, Yang Weizhong, Wang Yuan, etc. are the most frequently in and out.Wang Yuan is a relative of Tong Guan.After Yang Weizhong suppressed Fang La, the imperial court gave land and houses, all of which were sponsored by Tong Guan.They are all separatists in the Western Army. Now they have taken over the command headquarters, making the old people of the Western Army stagnate. Sometimes they are forced to call meetings, but they are also silent. Let's see what you do.On the contrary, the personnel from the Xuanfu Division and the new recruits from the Command Department were very tight. The two were in harmony, and they were very speculative. What they said was in the same tone. Liu Yanqing, who was never good at making comments, suddenly became talkative after he got his seal of command.He strongly presided over the weight and opposed the invasion of troops.Later, he further elaborated: Our army was defeated, morale was low, and our troops were insufficient. There is absolutely no reason to defeat the Liao army.For the current plan, the only way is to send people to the Jin army to beg for teachers and ask them to return to the army to attack Yanjing, and my family will send him some gold and silk to take back Yanjing from the hands of the Jin army. Ma Kuo knew that Liu Yanqing was a well-known scoundrel in the Western Army, who never spoke clearly.Now even if what is being discussed is still a fallacy, it can still be said clearly.This is clearly what someone else said through his mouth, to test and test everyone's meaning.And he is also happy to stand still and enjoy the benefits, which can be said to be what he likes. One day, Liu Yanqing uttered nonsense again in the command headquarters, and the staff members of the Xuanfu Division supported him with one sentence and one sentence, and the old Western Army remained silent.Ma Kuo was so angry that he argued with Liu Yanqing in front of Tong Guan.Ma Kuo pointed out tit-for-tat: Letting the Jin people enter Juyongguan and exposing our weakness in attacking Yanjing is a stupid act, and the consequences are unimaginable.He scolded Liu Yanqing, as the commander in chief, in charge of an army of 70,000 to 80,000, how could he say such weak words.Liu Yanqing refuted it immediately, and was so angry that he was tongue-tied and didn't know what to say.At this time, the officials of the Xuanfu Department made a fuss together and rescued Liu Yanqing. "Ma Xuanzan has such abilities. It would be easier to take down the city of Yanjing single-handedly. It will not only save us from mobilizing troops, but also save us from arguing with Wanyan Aguda!" "Ma Xuanzan's ability will inevitably lead to defeat in the city of Xiongzhou. Now that he has eaten the Taiping meal for three days, he comes to talk again, talking nonsense." Ma Kuo was used to such sarcastic remarks, so he was not surprised.It is strange that Zhao Liangsi, who has always been somewhat knowledgeable, also joined in to speak for Liu Yanqing at this time.It is not a good strategy to say that our army is temporarily unable to attack Yanjing, and it is not a good strategy to use the power of the Jin army to reap the benefits of our fisherman. "Zhao Longtu has always underestimated our army's strength." Since Zhao Liangsi was a descendant of the Liao Dynasty, his words especially aroused Ma Kuo's disgust.Ma Kuo immediately refuted him confidently, "How can we see that our army is unable to attack Yanjing City? Besides, you, Zhao Longtu, have dealt with Wanyan Agu for a long time, don't you know his greed for gaining an inch and gaining Longwangshu? The Jin army has captured the five capitals of the Liao Dynasty Fourth, the remaining city of Yanjing needs to be relied on to make him underestimate me. After the Liao Dynasty is destroyed in the future, won’t he point the spearhead at me..." Ma Kuo hadn't said the words "A man has no long-term worries, but he must have near-term worries", Tong Guan himself rushed to say this meaning: "How can we decide what will happen in the future? We have to discuss it at that time." However, what he said happened to be the opposite of what Ma Kuo wanted to say, showing that he was a full-fledged pragmatist. Even the city of Yanjing can't be taken down, won't it make the officials stare and discuss in an uproar? Now that the gold master is serving as the governor of Shengzhou in the cloud, Zhao Longtu and Ma Xuanzan have to go Once, listen to his tone, it’s all right.” Tong Guan's words are at both ends, but his purpose is clear, that is, to take down Yanjing City at any cost in order to give an account to the imperial court.It can be seen that Zhao Liangsi's suggestion has already gained his tacit understanding, and it may be due to his instruction. Now it is equivalent to issuing an order to Ma Kuo.To this, Ma Kuo gave a stern answer: "In today's matter, Xuan Fu asked Ma to go to the front line and donate his life on the battlefield. Ma will die. If Ma is asked to do such things that lose power, humiliate the country, and bring disaster to future generations, Ma will never accept the order." "Ma Xuan's praise is heavy," Tong Guan couldn't help laughing inwardly when he heard Ma Kuo's categorical and righteous words, "this kid speaks aggressively, specifically to make people feel uncomfortable. When the imperial edict arrives, it's up to you to go or not?" On the surface, he still said with a smile, "Today, everyone is just discussing and discussing to see how we can win. The left and right are just closed talks, and there is no agreement. Why are you so serious?"