Heding City is the southernmost border city on the territory of Liang Kingdom. The height of the city wall is far higher than that of other cities. However, no matter how high the wall of Heding City is, how can it stop Ashan's crossbow march to the east with only 300 defenders in the city? The army is heading north.
After Yan Jingyao and others were all killed in battle, Zhang Shi, now the highest-ranking garrison officer in the city, originally wanted to drag him until Ye Baiye's army arrived, but as Yang Qinan said, "Surrender in Kaicheng, you can avoid death. If there is stubborn resistance, the city will be destroyed and massacred!" "The psychological defense was completely defeated and Kaesong surrendered.
With Heding City completely defeated, Ashan's crossbow army was like thunder, and they captured the three cities of Yinbiao, Zhenping, and Yunyang without a single blow in one day. At this point, Jingzhou of the Liang Kingdom was completely lost, and everything fell to the Liao Kingdom. in hand. At this time, Ye Baiye's 50,000-strong army had just crossed the border of Yizhou and arrived at the border.
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In Qingyang City, the capital of the Liang Kingdom, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy face. All the civil and military officials standing in front of him were silent. Now Ye Baiye was ordered to rush to the aid of Heding City in Jingzhou, and Zhu Wang also led his army to the border to fortify. In order to prevent Yan and Chu from taking advantage of the chaos to invade, the generals in the DPRK were leaderless, and they did not even dare to breathe.
Feng Jingquan held the battle report sent back from the front line in his hand and sneered: "As Cao Bo's old subordinate, Yan Jingyao missed his old friendship and led his men to attack proactively and die generously. With less than 5,000 men, he defeated the 3,000 Ashan Crossbowmen in the March to the East. The courage of the army is commendable. If I remember correctly, Cao Bo's 100,000-strong army only replaced the 3,000 troops of the Liao Kingdom, right? It seems that I have a lot of talents in Daliang. Humph, the 5,000 crane cauldron garrison is worth it. Go to Cao Bo's 100,000-strong army! What do you think, all the ministers, that such a pillar of the country should be given a posthumous title?"
Above the main hall, there was silence.
Fortunately, the two generals Zhu Wang and Ye Baiye were not in court, otherwise they would have suffered greatly in the face of such accusations.
Seeing that no one responded, Jiang Qing took a step forward and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I thought that although Yan Jingyao's troops destroyed three thousand soldiers and horses of the Liao army, Ashannu, Yang Qinan and others were unscathed. The Eastern Army did not damage its roots. On the contrary, it was because this man was greedy for merit and advanced so quickly that Heding City fell too quickly. General Ye's army was unable to rush to the rescue. As a result, the entire Jingzhou fell into the hands of the enemy. His excesses outweighed his merits and he was given a bad posthumous title. Just send it away.”
Although this statement is inappropriate, the Jiangqing family is now the dominant one in the DPRK. Who dares to disobey the civil and military officials of the DPRK! Seeing that no one had any objections, Emperor Wu of Liang nodded in agreement and said, "What the Grand Master said makes sense, so just do what the Grand Master wants."
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Changqing City is located on the border of Yizhou, only fifty miles away from Yunyang City in Jingzhou. Now Ye Baiye's 50,000-strong army has arrived, and they are discussing how to deal with the invading Liao army.
Ye Baiye was one of the four generals of the Liang Kingdom in the past. Although he did not have the same outstanding military exploits as Li Jian, he was still a first-rate general with many capable men and was very good at defending the city. He only brought a small number of private troops on this trip. Even with 50,000 men, Ye Baiye was still confident about guarding Changqing City. However, if he wanted to use these 50,000 men to recapture the four cities of Jingzhou, Ye Baiye was not very sure either.
At this moment, Ye Baiye summoned all his soldiers and gathered together. Deputy General Xu Caiyong asked: "General, according to the news from the front line, except for Yan Jingyao's 4,700 people who died in the battle, Yinbiao and Zhenping , all the defenders of the three cities of Yunyang surrendered and rebelled. After absorbing the defenders of the three cities, the Liao army has now increased to 72,000 men. How should we, the 50,000 men, deal with it?"
Ye Baiye only said one word lightly: "Wait."
Not only Xu Caiyong, but also the other soldiers were confused, but Ye Baiye seemed to be pretending to be mysterious and kept silent.
It was not because of Ye Baiye's conspiracy. According to the original plan, 50,000 troops rushed to the aid of Heding City. Even though the Liao Kingdom sent 60,000 troops, Ye Baiye still had great confidence to defend Heding City. If Ashan Nu made a desperate move, Ye Baiye would be more confident. There is a 70% certainty that these 60,000 people will be kept outside Heding City with follow-up reinforcements. It's a pity that by mistake, Yan Jingyao, who had always been mediocre, actually took the initiative to lead troops to attack after receiving the imperial edict. As a result, Heding City fell early, and the betrayal of the defenders of the other three cities caused the entire Jingzhou to become a state. Good crossbow bag. Ye Baiye's original battle plan was completely disrupted. Now the army was gathered in Changqing City, fighting or defending. Ye Baiye did not dare to guess the holy intention, so he could only stand by and wait for the next imperial decree.
There is another reason for this that is not obvious to outsiders, that is, Ye Baiye is afraid of following in the footsteps of Cao Bo. Regarding the unknown general of the Liao Kingdom who conquered the east, Ye Baiye really has no confidence in the premise of his military inferiority. If you want to defeat your opponent, you can only hope for follow-up reinforcements.
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The Liao army conquered Yunyang City in Jingzhou without a single blow. After conquering three cities in one day, the Liao army was now high in fighting spirit but exhausted. Ashannu did not choose to rush forward in vain. , ordered his soldiers to take turns to rest.
At this moment, father and son Ashannu and Yang Qinan, together with two generals Zhang Yuankang and Ma Juquan, and Li Mixian who rushed here from Shengyun City after receiving the news of success, gathered on the upper floor of Yunyang City and looked to the north.
Ashannu patted the carefully fired wall tiles and sighed: "They say the Central Plains is rich. When I saw it today, it was indeed well-deserved. The walls of Yunyang City are also so strong. Compared with Shengyun City, the capital of our Liao Kingdom, It’s also much better.”
Li Mi first smiled and said: "Now that the general has conquered the four cities of Jingzhou in one go, and has made great contributions to Your Majesty, it is okay to reward the general with Yunyang City as a fiefdom. If the general can go one step further and conquer Yizhou and Liangzhou, After fighting all the way to Yangcheng in Liang Guoqing, is there any need to envy the richness of the Central Plains?"
Ashannu waved his hand and said: "Eating the emperor's salary, being loyal to the emperor, killing the enemy on the battlefield, and making achievements are my responsibilities. How can I dare to ask for any rewards?"
Li Mi first smiled slightly and said: "Everyone here is a member of the family, so you might as well tell me what you have to say directly. According to reliable information, Liang General Ye Baiye and his 50,000 elite soldiers are now gathered in Changqing City. Your Majesty is helping the general go north. I have specifically ordered an additional 20,000 troops from within the country. In addition to the Liang rebels, our army now totals 90,000 soldiers. Facing the 50,000 Liang soldiers fifty miles away, it is up to the generals to decide whether to fight or stop."
Zhang Yuankang and Ma Juquan looked at each other. They were mediocre and incompetent people. The reason why they were able to secure the position of the four powerful generals of the Liao Kingdom was just because of the large number of direct soldiers under their command, and Li Mixian's secret work in the past few years. Support, I dare not be on an equal footing with Ashannu in official positions. Now we are taking advantage of this opportunity to follow Ashannu's eastward marching army northward to conquer Liang. All we need to do is wave the flag and shout from behind and do some icing on the cake, and we will have great military success at our fingertips. As long as we save our lives, we will be crowned king and prime minister. Who will care about this? The next time they went north, they did nothing, and both agreed to continue the attack on the city.
As for the little thoughts of the two, the other three people knew it well and did not reveal it. Ah Shannu said in a deep voice: "Of course we have to fight. How can a mere 50,000 Liang troops stop our army from marching north? However, what will happen after we capture Changqing City? After all, the Liang Kingdom is known as a million-strong army. We in Daliao only have 150,000 soldiers. When the Liang army is dispatched, even if we only send half of the troops, we will definitely not be able to compete. May I ask, sir, if you have any countermeasures?"
Li Mi first rubbed his eyebrows and said: "Then it depends on whether the two disciples below can help me in Daliao. I believe that with that person's perspective, he will definitely not give up such an excellent opportunity."
Several people also discussed when to attack the city. Zhang Yuankang and Ma Juquan acted as foils and were self-aware, so they retired first. Ashannu still had doubts in his heart, so he asked Yang Qinan to rest first, while he left Li Mi alone.
Now there were only two people left on the city tower. Ashannu was the first to speak: "Mr. Li, why did your Majesty send an additional 20,000 troops? Now there are only 70,000 soldiers left in the court. Is it inappropriate?"
Li Mi first replied: "General, don't be too worried. The reason for the increase in troops is just a helpless move that seems to be the icing on the cake. Among the four generals of the Liao Kingdom, you are the only one who is loyal and devoted to the country. I took advantage of the general When he was not in the court, he forced Hongjiang into the palace. It was with the strong support of the other three. Now the new king has assigned three thousand personal guards to the general. In the entire Shengyun City, there is only a lonely man in Yunxi, He District, except for the naked body. Apart from secular cultivation, the only one you can rely on is the general on the front line! Now you two live and die together. If the general wins, everyone will be happy. If the general is defeated unfortunately, the Holy One will also not escape death. Like the Holy One, I have entrusted my family and life to In the hands of the general, it is also entrusted to the hands of my two colleagues. As long as Yan and Chu take advantage of this opportunity and press their armies, and Liang is attacked from both sides, we, Daliao, will have an opportunity to take advantage of it."
Ashannu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Sir, you want me to gamble my life with you!"
Li Mi first smiled and said: "My gambling luck has always been good, and I can trust the general. In these troubled times, if you want to make achievements, you have to make a big bet."
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After three days of rest and recuperation, the 90,000 Liao army continued to move north, and Li Mi first returned to Shengyun City alone. In his own words: "It is better to be a scribe and stay at the rear to strategize than to be reduced to military glory on the front line. Besides, if I, Li Mi, are not in the court, neither Ou Yunxi nor Gong Changping will feel at ease."
As Li Mi had expected, when the Liao army captured the four cities of Jingzhou without any blood, Yan and Chu also sent troops to encircle Yongzhou from both sides. The two of them were more skillful with their troops, and the soldiers under their command were even more powerful. Although Zhu Wang personally led the army to resist the enemy, he could not defeat the four-handed army with two fists. With a two-pronged attack, Zhu Wang was exhausted and was beaten back steadily. The three cities of Yongzhou were defeated. They were all defeated in five days. Liang's soldiers suffered more than 80,000 casualties, while the battle losses of Yan and Chu were less than 30,000.
