Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

In Daying of Chanzhou, the official was wearing mink fur and stood at the gate of the imperial tent to look north. His eye sockets were much deeper, his expression was a little sluggish, his lips were pale, but he was in a good mood.

Shi Congyun lived up to his expectations and quickly won the land south of Sanguan. After the news came, the whole country was excited, and he was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several days, and his body felt much better.

Guo Rong crossed the river this time with an illness. Since the year before last, he has often suffered from chest tightness, shortness of breath, and numb hands and feet.

He himself knew it well, it may be due to the hard work when he was young. His original surname was Chai, but he changed his surname to Guo after he was adopted as an adopted son by Xianjun.

When he was young, he was in charge of doing business for the Guo family, and later he was responsible for raising and dispatching military rations for the army. He traveled around north and south, eating and sleeping in the open, and suffered a lot.

At the beginning of this year, the symptoms became more serious, and often accompanied by weakness in limbs, soreness in the back and back, dizziness and other symptoms.

However, he still insisted on Shengjia crossing the river, even if he did not go north to accept Shi Congyun's suggestion and stationed in Chanzhou.

This time he will come no matter what. It has always been his wish to restore the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties. He travels around all the year round and has seen too many sufferings of the people.

Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, compared with the Khitan in the north, the people in the south have been more ravaged by war.

The Khitan army repeatedly marched southward from the east and west sides of Taihang Mountain. In every battle, regardless of whether they won or lost, the people in Hebei, Guanzhong and other places would suffer.

Most of the time as long as there is a war, the people will suffer. The people pay a lot of attention to the war. Except for the young people who have to go to the battlefield, if the situation is not right, the whole family needs to run to the mountains in time. As for the livestock and houses at home, thieves often All troops crossing the border will be looted and burned, but people are lucky if they are safe.

This is the helplessness of a weak country. If the south is strong and unified, it can push the battlefield to the grasslands and fight in other people's homes like after Emperor Wu.

The literati and aides of his Imperial Academy often said that the Han Dynasty had no Emperor Wu and then went to war, and he heard it as fart. Maybe so, but in the face of a strong enemy, no matter whether the Han people win or lose, their own people will never suffer from the disaster of war and can feel at ease. farming.

Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan people can easily reach the Weizhou line when they go south, and it is only three miles away from the Yellow River. Although the official records of the Jin Dynasty and the Later Han Dynasty always say that they repelled the Khitan people, most of the so-called repulsion is natural enough for others to grab. and left.

There are very few battles in which the real encirclement and annihilation caused great losses to the Khitan people. The Battle of Yangcheng fought by Fu Yanqing and others is one of those few battles.

But no matter the winner or loser, the people along the way in Hebei will all suffer, and the surplus of wealth accumulated by generations of labor will be taken away by others, because the war is fought on their land!

Therefore, although the Khitan people "repeatedly fought and failed repeatedly", they continued to go south with enthusiasm.

After the Battle of Gaoping, he continued to go south to harass the frontier, and it seemed that it was even worse for three years. When he went south to fight Huainan, the Khitan took the opportunity to send troops to attack and captured several cities in the state of Zhou in the north.

But at that time, he didn't dare to fight on both sides. In order to concentrate on the war in Huainan, he had to endure it.

Guo Rong has always had a great wish in his heart, that is to take back the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, keep the Khitan people out of the country, so that the people in Hezhong, Hedong and Hebei will never suffer from war and can live in peace.Just like Qin Huang Han Wu did in the past, if you want to fight, go to the north, go to other people's homes to fight, and pay back many times what the Khitan people have done in the past few decades!

Guo Rong knew in his heart that Shi Congyun and Wang Pu were people with great wisdom and great strategy. They both felt that they were too anxious and should unify the South and Shu, and then fight a decisive battle with the Khitan people.

In the past, the Qin Emperor destroyed the six kingdoms, and it was the survivors of Fen VI; the soldiers of Han Wu sent out of Mobei, and it was also the accumulation of several generations of county kings and decades of merit.

He understands these truths in his heart, and the generals who oppose him are also clear in his heart, but his body is getting worse day by day.

He once said to Wang Pu, "I will use ten years to open up the world, ten years to support the people, and ten years to bring about peace is enough!"

He originally hoped to complete his great cause in 30 years, so that there would be no rush or haste.

But now he has only been on the throne for six years, and ten years is not enough, but his health is getting worse every day, and he eats very little food every day. He knows it well, and he is afraid that he will not have 30 years......

So he immediately changed his deployment, forced the sick body to cross the river, and dispatched Shi Congyun, the most capable fighter, hoping to take back Youzhou as soon as possible.

Guo Rong stood at the entrance of the big tent, his palms and soles felt cold.

He was actually very scared in his heart, the eldest son Zongxun who was still alive was still young, only seven years old this year.

If he dies, the young lord can't take charge of the overall situation, there is chaos inside and outside the court, and there is no Youzhou in the north as a barrier, what if the Liao Kingdom gets the news and takes advantage of the chaos to go south?

This is not without lessons, 13 years ago the Khitan talents crossed the river south and occupied Daliang. If their emperor hadn't adapted to the southern weather and died of illness in the south, what a disaster it would be!

As for the Jiedu Envoys of the Zhaoyi Army, Tianxiong Army, Hezhong, Fengxiang, and other important border border envoys who hold heavy troops, will they continue to listen to the court's orders once they pass away?

Especially people like Li Yun, who is fashionable and arrogant, if the young Zongxun succeeds to the throne, will he still bow his head and obey...

There were so many questions he had to think about, to think about.

After much deliberation, he could only think of one trick, that is, to capture Youzhou immediately, no matter what the cost, and then send a capable confidant general to guard Youzhou to prevent the Liao people from going south.

In this way, even if there is chaos in the court, capable ministers such as Wang Pu, Li Gu, Wang Pu, Fan Zhi, Wei Renpu can deal with it, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous.

It's just that Guo Rong didn't dare to speak out about these thoughts, and he couldn't let outsiders know. The generals didn't understand why he was so eager for quick success.

They are thinking about the country and society, but he has something to hide, and he has to think about it. Thinking about it, Guo Rong sighed helplessly, 30 years is too long...

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the big tent, and after a while eunuch Wei Min came in to report: "Officials, the third envoy, and the left servant shot Li Gu to see him."

"Let him in." Guo Rong said as he returned to the big tent and sat down on the sandalwood chair in the chief seat. The imperial doctor said that sitting on such a chair could calm his nerves and relieve dizziness. but he found it useless.

Wei Renpu was handling the affairs of the Privy Council in the capital, and when he crossed the river, he brought Li Gu, who had many years of experience in marching and fighting.

After he came in, he tidied up his clothes, and then cupped his hands and said: "Officials, Shi Congyun sent Murong Yanzhao to Xiangxun to capture Zhuozhou and Gu'an, and then continue to the north. The forward is only forty miles away from Youzhou." .”

Guo Rong was very excited after hearing this, and said on the spot: "Okay! Shi Congyun really did not disappoint me, cough cough cough..." Just after he finished speaking, he was short of breath and coughed.

"Officials!" Li Gu worried.

Guo Rong stretched out his hand, "Don't worry, it's just a bit of wind and cold, I'm in good health; if it weren't for a good general like Shi Congyun this time, I might be more tired if I want to drive northward, but with him in front, I will be more tired in Chan There is nothing hard to do in Zhouzhou, you write an imperial edict on my behalf, condolences and praises to Shi Congyun and the frontline soldiers, and encourage them to continue going north."

Li Gu nodded, and then said: "Officials, the Liao Army has not made any movement so far, and the letter from Li Chongjin and Li Jixun seems to have new movements from the enemy in the east of the river, will it be dangerous to go north?"

He spoke carefully, but the meaning in his words was very clear, that he opposed the northward advance.

Guo Rong pretended not to understand: "It's okay, they have their own decision, you go down."

Li Gu had no choice but to back down.

How could Guo Rong not know the danger of going north, the Liao army did not show up at all, and they didn't know where they were going or why.But he can't wait...

Chapter 232, Down South

Outside Waqiao Pass, the sun rained down from the sky, and the beams of light in the clouds in the distance shot obliquely at the earth, and the large dark green fields shone brightly under the sky, and the wheat waves swayed in the wind, like waves of light green and dark green. The surge rushed into the distance.

It is turbulent but not calm, just like Shi Congyun's heart at this moment, he knows that he wants to do a big thing, which is related to the fate of the two countries and the future of millions of people, that kind of ambition is stirring in his chest, but he doesn't know that this move Whether it will be successful or not, everyone feels uneasy for a long time.

He heard that Su Yu didn't close his eyes for days and nights because he was worried about the battle on the front line during the decisive battle on the Huaihe River. At that time, he only listened to it as an interesting story.

Now he finds himself on the verge of going mad, and finally empathizes with it, and can barely sleep.

Fu Zhaoyuan stood beside him holding an umbrella for him, his body was half wet, Shi Congyun didn't notice, he stared blankly at the distant fields, his mind was all about the north.

"The army of the Liao Kingdom should have arrived..." he said suddenly, Wang Zhong did not open an umbrella, and said directly in the drizzle: "There is no news yet, the forward of General Xiang Xun has arrived more than ten miles south of Youzhou City The post they sent back yesterday said they hadn’t seen any movements of the Liao army.

There are indeed defenders near the Liao Kingdom, but they should be the Sixth Army of the Southern Academy, and there are no troops camped outside the city. "

Shi Congyun nodded, and began to worry in his heart, the Liao army would not wait in the north of Youzhou, it would be troublesome, and that was what he was most afraid of.

"Commander, Li Chongjin and Li Jixun have received news that the rebel soldiers from the east of the river have made moves, and they seem to have moved out of Taihang Mountain." Wang Quanbin reported to him wearing a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat.

Shi Congyun was taken aback, then patted his swollen head, "Yes, I've been dizzy for the past two days, and I almost forgot what happened there.

It shouldn't be a problem for Li Chongjin and Li Jixun to deal with the bandits in Hedong, but we must send more people to investigate at any time. If the battle in Zhenzhou is not good, we must all retreat. "

After finishing speaking, he turned around and smiled at the generals behind him: "We also have to work hard. We are not the only ones contributing in the whole country. Li Chongjin, Li Jixun are guarding Zhenzhou, Li Yun is guarding Liaozhou, and the official family is in Chanzhou, so we can have no scruples." hit north.

It is not easy to have such an opportunity, maybe even decades. "

All the generals nodded their heads thoughtfully.

What Shi Congyun said was true. For Zhou Guo, this dispatch of troops was almost a national one.

Their Northern Expeditionary Army was just one of them, and there were Li Chongjin, Li Jixun, and Zhang Yongde's army guarding Zhengzhou on the side, Li Yun's army guarding near Liaozhou, Hezhong Army went north in Jinzhou, and there were Guanjiazuo towns near Chanzhou.

Only in this way can their army go northward without any scruples. Such a large-scale dispatch is undoubtedly a waste of money and people. For their army alone, Hebei has conscripted more than 30 civilians to ensure the transportation of food, grass, luggage and dredging waterways for the army.

Not to mention the other ways, this kind of large-scale dispatch of troops is a rare opportunity for everyone, and it is a waste of money and money, and it is also for the Liao Kingdom.

If troops of this scale are sent out for several years in a row, there will be no need for the enemy to fight, and the people in the country will rebel first.

Among the previous troop dispatches, only the dispatch to Huainan can be compared with this one in terms of scale, but in terms of the degree of waste of people and money, that is far inferior to the current one, because fighting in the south, the waters of the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River can double the logistical pressure.

At that time, during the heyday of Zhou Jun’s navy, there were more than 20 ships of various kinds, and a large amount of materials did not require manpower. about.

But this time the army was dispatched for a month, and more than 30 civilians had been conscripted. The big ship was blocked by the narrow river channel when it arrived at Yijin Pass, and it was impossible to turn around.

So Shi Congyun has been worried these days that the Liao army will wait in the north of Youzhou and stop going south.

The worry kept him from sleeping barely.

Shi Congyun touched the cold bed crossbow at the top of the city, and then said: "Send half of the scout battalion to the north, and let me know as soon as you have any clues about the Liao army." Wang Zhong nodded and went to execute immediately.

"The sun is not good this morning..." Shi Congyun muttered casually.

Fu Zhaoyuan was surprised, and then said: "Commander, it's already afternoon."

"Really..." Shi Congyun was taken aback, looking at the sky in the distance, "Damn, these days go by so fast."

"It's because the commander-in-chief thinks too much." Veteran Wang Quanbin said.

"We should find a young lady to relieve the general." Someone suggested, and everyone laughed.

"Fuck off, it's a war, be serious." Shi Congyun scolded, and then thought for a while, "This battle will not last long, and the outcome cannot be delayed for two years like Huainan's. We must be ready at any time, maybe when It's time to fight, we need to prepare more soldiers."

The crowd nodded.

........

At the beginning of June, the sun was scorching hot, and the sun above his head was extremely hot. Emperor Yelvjing of the Liao Kingdom led an army from Changjing via Zhongjing to Tanzhou, which is more than 100 miles north of Youzhou. The army rested here to let the soldiers recover their physical strength. Going out to graze, his army has a total of about 4 people.

The 1 forwards have already arrived in Shunzhou, only fifty or sixty miles away from Youzhou City, and arrived in one day.

Yelujing ordered eighteen of the 49 tribal armies to be summoned, and the leaders of twelve already sent letters to him, expressly stating that they would send troops, and the remaining six would reply in a short time.

At that time, with the South Court garrison added, his strength will reach 11!

For this reason, Yelvjing is full of confidence. It happens that many people in the court oppose him openly and secretly. If he returns with a big victory this time, many people can be silenced.

Thinking of him, he laughed happily, and immediately sent people to roast the mutton. The accompanying eunuchs and cooks were silent, because Yelvjing had already killed several cooks because it didn't suit his appetite.

He doesn't like female sex, but killing people is always about liking, there is no need to reason.

At noon, when he was drinking and eating meat in the big tent, someone came to report to him that Yelu Talie, the king of the Southern Court, had returned from Shunzhou.

Shunzhou is not far from Tanzhou, and it only takes half a day to ride a horse, but Yelujing is still a little unhappy, "He went to Youzhou himself, and I let him be the vanguard. Why is he coming back? Is he afraid of the southern army?"

After a while, the travel-worn Yelu Talie came in, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I came here to advise His Majesty on matters related to the victory of this great battle."

Yelvjing said, "Say it."

"Your Majesty, the fox hunting on the grassland will never reveal its position before the final attack, because that will make the prey take precautions. Now that we are going south, the southern army doesn't know where we are or when we will arrive. They My heart must be flustered.

The minister felt that we could not reveal the position of the army, so we stored the army in Shunzhou and Tanzhou, waiting for the southern army to go north to attack the city.

There are 8000 people from the Sixth Army of the Southern Academy in Youzhou City. As long as they know that the reinforcements are in the north, they will be able to defend for a long time with the strong city of Youzhou. If we can't advance or retreat, we will lead our army to raid their camp.

At that time, if they attack from two sides with the defenders in the city, they will undoubtedly lose. "

Yelv Talie is a veteran and has led soldiers many times, but Yelujing believes that old people like them are too cautious, "Wait until next month, I have an army of 11, so you don't need to say that.

The Southern Army has nothing to be afraid of. Emperor Taizong occupied Daliang, their capital city 13 years ago, so there is no need to act like a timid mouse. This will also affect the morale of the army. "

After finishing speaking, he said directly: "March immediately, the whole army will gather in Youzhou."

Yelu Talie could only nod his head after hearing this: "Yes, I will lead my troops to Youzhou quickly."

......

Stepping on the muddy road trampled by the army, he hurried out of the barracks and headed south.

After passing through a forest and a river, they returned to the Shunzhou Camp, and started marching south to Youzhou that day.

Yelu Talie did not dare to disobey. It is no secret that the Holy Majesty is bloodthirsty nowadays. Many ministers and eunuchs around him have been killed. He is almost sixty years old, and he does not want to encounter such bad luck.

In the afternoon of the same day, Yelv Talie led an army of [-] troops to the outside of Youzhou City. There were many flags and crowds of people. back to the city.

When the army arrived at the city of Youzhou, Xiao Siwen, who was left behind in Nanjing, had already led people to wait for him in a pavilion one mile outside the city.

When he saw the situation in the outskirts of Youzhou, Yelu Talie knew that Xiao Siwen had lied, because there was no trace of the Southern Army in the outskirts of Youzhou.

Facing Xiao Siwen who greeted him with a smile on his face, Yelu Talie didn't give him any face, and directly got off his horse and asked, "Didn't you say that the Southern Army has already arrived outside Youzhou City?"

"Reporting to the king, it is indeed here, but the army has not yet arrived, it is only a forward, and then withdrew..." Xiao Siwen replied in a flustered expression.

Yelu Talie immediately understood that it was because he was timid and afraid of getting into trouble, so he was lenient. In the end, he refrained from scolding others. This is Xiao Siwen's nature. He was sent to the army at the beginning because he was timid and his personality was not in line with the generals. At that time, everyone thought that he was not suitable for serving in the army, so they let him serve as the left behind in Nanjing.

"Forget it, arrange for the army to station immediately, and at the same time inform the soldiers and civilians in the city that the king's division has arrived, so that they don't need to panic.

I have an army of 4, and there are [-] troops in the Central Army of Your Majesty, and [-] armies of various tribes. After gathering, there will be about [-] people. You should set aside land outside the city in advance and send people to clear it out. When the army arrives, they can set up camp. "

"Yes!" Xiao Siwen agreed, and immediately went to execute it.

Yelv Talie looked at his back as he went away, and thought that Xiao Siwen was good at this, at least he could do things well.

He also has his own selfishness in this arrangement. Youzhou is a place he has been operating for many years. If you let the army enter the city, you don't know what will happen. The army in Shangjing is fine, but the tribal army is not so easy to restrain.

So Xiao Siwen was asked to set up the camp first, and when the troops arrived, it would be difficult for them to rush into the city.