This time, the Baiyu Army received the important task of supporting Chen De's return to Hexi on the battlefield where hundreds of thousands of Song and Liao troops were circling and inviting attacks. This was a rare opportunity for the Baiyu Army to feel proud, so they all attached great importance to the command and envoys below Furengui.
According to the prediction of the Military Intelligence Department headed by Li Si, the usual approach of Zhao Jiong and Privy Councilor Cao Bin was to use the imperial army as the main force, while the Xiang army and the troops from various vassal towns served either as escorts for transporting baggage, or to divert the attention of the enemy on the flank battlefield. force. Therefore, Bai Yuqi, who followed Xiazhou Party Xiang's troops across the Yellow River, needed to follow the instructions of the Road Division and Chengying Camp to get close to the Song Army camp where Chen De was located. This time, the main force of the Song army was bound to be defeated by the Liao people. When the battlefield was in chaos, the Forbidden Army generals supported Zhao Dezhao, and Zhao Jiong had no time to take care of himself, Chen De was able to take advantage of the chaos to escape and fight against the White Feather Army under the protection of three hundred tooth soldiers. , then quickly left the battlefield and rushed back to Hexi.
The news of the massive Northern Expedition in the coming year was not deliberately kept secret. During this New Year in Bianliang City, there was a faint sense of tension in the lively atmosphere of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Whether it is the nobles of the court or the soldiers and civilians, most of them are excited with a hint of expectation and excitement. The last battle to unify the world. The mighty generals were eager to seize this opportunity to perform meritorious deeds and promoted Jiedushi. The soldiers planned to open the Taiyuan city to gain more or less oil and water. There was a rumor in the camp that there was gold and silver in the sealed pile warehouse. Like mountains, silk and silk are like seas. After this battle, it¡¯s time to take them out and share them with everyone. As for the common people, they pinned their hopes on peace in the world. After experiencing the late Tang and Five Dynasties when the barbarians often raided and looted southward, everyone understood the ancient saying that they would rather be peace dogs than people in troubled times.
This is the third New Year that Longxi County Duke Li Yu has spent in Bianliang. During the holidays, the officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty who used to come to the house from time to time in the past did not dare to visit. Only a few singers and dancers missed their old master and did not avoid suspicion. They came to visit the house, which made the atmosphere in the house extremely desolate. . Fortunately, since Chen De, the governor of Anxi, came to Beijing, he sent his sergeants to send money and silk for use from time to time, and the life of Longxi Duke, who was already strapped for money, also improved slightly.
In the past three years, every New Year, there has been heavy snowfall in Bianliang. He drank to drown his sorrows, and the servants came to report to the Anxi Jiedu Envoy's house with New Year's gifts. Li Yu's somewhat cloudy eyes showed a bright color, and he put down his wine glass. After tidying up his clothes, he asked people from Anxi Mansion to come over and meet him. Every time Chen De sent someone to visit, although he no longer held the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers, his words were extremely respectful. Li Yu also had self-respect and did not want outsiders to see his decadent appearance again.
When he was young, Master Anxi brought him up. He was wearing a red military robe with traces of wind and snow on it. He wore a square scarf on his head. He had thick eyebrows and big ears. He looked quite honest and had a pair of eyes. But he was extremely alert. When he saw Li Yu, he cupped his hands and said: "Ba Gen, a junior official under Master Chen, the governor of Anxi, is here to see the Duke of Longxi."
Li Yu raised his hand and said with a smile: "Always so reserved and polite, how is General Chen doing these days?"
Ba Gen stood up and said: "Thank you, Mr. Chen, for your concern. Mr. Chen is very kind. He asked me to speak to the Duke of Longxi. I am in Bianliang. Due to the situation, I cannot come to visit the Duke of Longxi in person. Please ask Mr. I forgive you. Mr. Chen also said that he will soon accompany His Majesty on the Northern Expedition. Everything in Bianliang Mansion is arranged by the junior officials. If the Duke of Longxi County needs anything, he can just send a message and the junior officials will obey his orders."
His respectful words made Li Yu very fond of him, and he wanted to reward him with something. He hesitated for a moment, but there was really no treasure that he could get. Looking at Bogen, he was a rough man. If his calligraphy treasure was given to The literati regarded it as a treasure, but giving it to Bagan was like a hidden secret. In the end, he could only nod slightly and said with a smile: "General Chen is also interested. My place is quite good, but the war is dangerous. Here is a painting of Manjusri The Bodhisattva statue is a gift from the eminent monks of the past, so you can take it back to your general. Manjushri Bodhisattva is the head of the Bodhisattvas. During the Dali years of the previous dynasty, Zen Master Fazhao met by chance and stepped into Manjushri Bodhisattva's dojo. 'The Great Sage Bamboo Forest Temple. I personally saw Manjushri Bodhisattva sitting on a high lion throne, proclaiming wonderful Dharma messages, surrounded by about ten thousand Bodhisattvas who heard the Dharma. He returned and painted this portrait of Manjushri Bodhisattva. May the Bodhisattva bless General Chen and help him return safely."
Ba Gen thanked him, took the portrait, and when he stood up to leave, he whispered: "Sir Chen said that if there is a war and chaos, if the public security in the city is not stable, it will fall on the small officials, and they must protect the Duke of Longxi from danger." For more than half a year, every time Chen De sent various money and materials to Li Yu, he had to handle it, just to make Li Yu have some trust in him, so that he could act more conveniently.
When he said this, the servant who was waiting next to him saw that Bagan was leaving and had already gone out to make arrangements. Li Yu was stunned for a moment, thinking deeply. Before he could recover from the shock, the servant had already turned around and took Ba Gen out. Ba Gen left without further delay.
Returning to the Anxi Jiedu Envoy's house, Chen De asked Bagan carefully about his situation, pondered for a moment, and told him: "The Military Intelligence Department will send back the news of the defeat at the front as quickly as possible. ThenYou must be quick to protect Longxi County Duke and escape from danger. Once news of the defeat spreads, the capital will be under martial law and it will be difficult to escape. The best time is to leave before the news of the defeat has spread. From then on, the whole capital will only focus on supporting His Majesty and guarding against rebellion. There will be no spare power to hunt you down within ten days. "
Seeing Ba Gen, the centurion of the Ya Barracks, obeying the order and leaving, Chen De turned to Zhang Zhongyao and said: "This Ba Gen is a man who can be made. If everything goes well this time, how about I go to your Chengying camp to experience it?" ?¡±
Zhang Zhongyao nodded and said: "This is the envoy." He slowly unfolded a map on the desk, pointed to the military distribution situation of the Song and Liao sides depicted on it, and the estimated attack route of the Song army as expected by the Military Intelligence Department, and said in a deep voice: "Forbidden Army Hundreds of thousands are aggressive. Even the merchants in Bianliang know that the imperial court is about to embark on the Northern Expedition in the near future. The enemy is at hand, but there are less than 20,000 Han troops in Youzhou. Han Derang, who is left behind in Nanjing, is unable to mobilize the Khitans from the Sixteenth Province of Youyun. Tribal warriors are helping to fight, are you really treating military and national affairs as child's play?" In his words, he lamented the Liao Kingdom's negligent response to the Northern Expedition. As a vassal town in Hexi, he naturally hoped that the imperial imperial army would hit a big nail in Heshuo, so count There was no spare energy to attack Hexi within the year.
Zhang Zhongyao didn't care about Li Yu's life or death, but Chen De's plan to return to Hexi safely was indeed based on the defeat of the Song Dynasty's Forbidden Army in the Northern Expedition. Not only was it going to be defeated, but it was going to be a huge defeat. Only by moving the bones can Hexi get time to recuperate, and only then can he have no worries when he enters the Western Regions. But now, judging from the situation grasped by the Military Intelligence Department, the possibility of the Song Army's defeat is quite small. Even Zhang Zhongyao doesn't understand why Chen De is sure that the Northern Expedition will be defeated.
Chen De said with a smile: "When fighting foreign forces, we must first settle the domestic affairs. This is not Zhao Pu's unique theory. Emperor Yelu Xian of the Liao Kingdom is weak and will die at any time. Naturally, the nobles of the Liao Kingdom must firmly grasp the military power in their hands. Hedgehog The purpose of gathering in Beijing is to seize the throne at any time. Although Han Derang has the trust of Emperor Liao and Empress Xiao, he is still only a Han after all. How can the Khitan tribe listen to his orders." He paused and tapped the map with his hand. The various ministries of the seemingly menacing Forbidden Army said in a playful tone: "No matter how bad the current layout of the Liao Kingdom is, after all, the cavalry has the advantage of quickly moving to the battlefield position, and can rush to aid Youzhou at any time. On the other hand, the Imperial Forbidden Army, all the ministries are remotely controlled by Zhao Jiong , failed to respond well, suffered a setback in Taiyuan, and then in Youzhou, just as the saying goes, it is full of energy, then weakened, and exhausted after three times. Can this exhausted army be used as a desperate blow by a hundred thousand cavalry? "
Chen De and Zhang Zhongyao had conducted deductions and discussions like this many times. The stakes were so important that Zhang Zhongyao could not be convinced. He doubted: "Besieging Taiyuan with hundreds of thousands of troops will definitely defeat them, and then turn northward. There are only 20,000 Han soldiers in Youzhou. Can't they capture it before the Liao cavalry arrives? Once the Forbidden Army captures Youzhou and fight against the city, the Liao cavalry will rush to help. They will not be able to carry a large amount of food and baggage, nor can they attack the city for a long time. , will definitely return in vain. The Imperial Northern Expedition was still a complete victory."
"In the heroic city of Youzhou, Han Derang, a famous general in the world, has a deep foundation and popularity among the Han people in Youyan. It will be difficult for the imperial army to capture Youzhou in a hurry." Chen De shook his head and sighed: "Compared with the strong city, Taiyuan and Youzhou is comparable. Compared with the troops and horses guarding Youzhou, the Youyan Han army is not much worse than the Hedong soldiers. There are always a few sensible people in the Liao Kingdom who know that Youzhou is the foundation of the country's prosperity. The effort to rescue Taiyuan at all costs was completely different from the previous hesitation when rescuing Taiyuan. From Zhou Shizong to Emperor Taizu, Taiyuan had been attacked three times, but could not be conquered. As a last resort, the strategy of burning villages and relocating people was decided, and the strategy was gradually exhausted. After more than ten years of accumulation, we have the momentum to win today. Since it is so difficult to attack Taiyuan, what reason is there to think that the attack on Youzhou will be successful in one fell swoop, and it will be successful in a very short period of time before the Liao army comes to help?"
After talking, Chen De pointed with his finger at the distance between Youzhou and Shangjing on the map, as if seeing the future battle of Youzhou, and said with a somewhat regretful tone: "Between Youzhou and Shangjing, Qingqi can only take a few days." So, in order to conquer Youzhou before the reinforcements of the Liao people arrive and gain a sure victory, the Forbidden Army must do whatever it takes to attack the city with ants from all sides. This kind of strategy will most damage the military strength. If they succeed in attacking Youzhou, then it will be fine. If we fail, I¡¯m afraid these 300,000 forbidden troops will be found in Youzhou.¡±
Hearing what he said was very reasonable, Zhang Zhongyao couldn't help but be a little confused, and sighed in a low voice: "The extremely powerful crossbow, the arrow can't penetrate Lu Zhen; the end of the wind, the strength can't float the feather. In this case, the court has many veteran generals, Pan Mei and Cao Han are not people who have gained fame in vain, so why can't they see this situation? Why is the imperial court so sure that Youzhou will be conquered soon?" Although the loss of the imperial imperial army's strength is beneficial to the Anxi Army's management of the Western Region, Zhang Zhongyao and Chen De were both Han Chinese. Seeing hundreds of thousands of good men die in Hu Chen, they were helpless and felt a little sad in their hearts.
Author: Once again, I apologize to book friends for not being able to update from April 20 to May 1.
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