As Liu Zhiyuan founded the country and named himself Han, calling himself the emperor of the "Han family", the soldiers and horses in Hedong also took up the banner of Han and transformed into the Han army. At this time, Yelu Deguang changed the name of the Khitan state to Liao in Bianzhou, so the struggle between the Khitan and Hedong became the Liao-Han conflict.
The Han army set out on time on February 18th. Liu Zhiyuan personally took charge of the Chinese army and set off for the expedition. According to statistics, more than 30,000 troops began to march eastward along the official road in a mighty manner.
Guo Xin's Fengguo Army was part of the rear army. Also belonging to the rear army were Xingjie's left and right wing troops, a total of more than 5,000 people. They were all under the command of the Ma Bu Army Commander and the Camp Infantry Commander Liu Chong.
Since Guo Xin joined the army, I don’t know how many times I have heard of the title of Commander-in-Chief. However, the meaning of Commander-in-Chief is very complicated at this time. It does not only refer to a fixed position. Sometimes it is the name of the temporary Commander-in-Chief of the camp. It is the military position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Forbidden Army, and sometimes it may be the Commander-in-Chief of Fangzhen, Prefecture and County... But no matter which level, it is much higher than the current officer of Guo Xin, the little general.
The Han army went all the way east. According to the "plan" above, the army should take Jingxing Road out of the Taihang Mountains, and then enter the Hengzhou-Xingzhou line that the Khitans must pass through on their way north, in order to welcome back the "Emperor of Jin" Shi Chonggui.
However, anyone with a little knowledge knows very well that Liu Zhiyuan successfully ascended the throne in Taiyuan, and Shi Chonggui has no existing value to Hedong. The so-called welcome back is just a pretense for Liu Zhiyuan to do his last bit for the Jin Dynasty so that he can legitimately inherit the Jin Dynasty. . What's more, even if they really want to welcome Shi Chonggui back, the Khitan people opposite are not fools. How can it be such an easy thing?
What Guo Xin is really curious about is how far Liu Zhiyuan plans to carry out this "expedition".
The snow has melted now, and large areas of farmland on both sides of the official road are bare. However, after the spring equinox, it is already the planting season, and occasionally farmers can be seen busy in the fields.
Guo Xin soon got tired of seeing the same scenery. While riding on his horse, he closed his eyes and fell asleep while listening to the soldiers talking to each other.
"Have you heard? The commander-in-chief changed the reign name to the twelfth year of Tianfu."
"You still call me Marshal? Our Marshal is now a nobleman of the Tian family. You must change your name, Your Majesty!"
"Let's not talk about this first. Why did the commander-in-chief change to the reign name of the previous dynasty?"
"Isn't this simple? Our eldest... His Majesty is someone who misses his old relationship and is unwilling to change his name."
"Then why don't you continue using luck?"
"What a damn good luck! This year's name is very evil. Good luck has brought all the Khitan troops to Tokyo..."
The rear army was responsible for carrying food, fodder and equipment, so they walked very slowly. It took them a whole day to reach Yuci before sunset.
The rear army camped outside Yuci City. While they were camping, news continued to come from Taiyuan Prefecture in the rear. At one time, it was said that there were rebels in Hebei Province to respond to the Han army and they had captured Xiangzhou where the Khitan troops were stationed. At the next time, it was said that Shaanxi Province was in the west. A general in the state killed the Khitan supervisors to express his compliance with Taiyuan's orders... Although it is difficult to tell whether these news are true or false, they will undoubtedly boost the morale of the army. It also seems to prove from the side that Liu Zhiyuan's proclaimed emperor is the move of the world.
After breakfast the next day, the army broke out of camp and set off again. After passing Yuci, you will officially enter the Taihang Mountains. Compared with the plains near Taiyuan Prefecture, the roads in the mountains are obviously much more difficult to walk. The open scenery gradually disappeared, and the mountains beside us became taller and taller as we walked eastward.
The official road gradually shrunk into a narrow valley road. The narrow place could only accommodate four or five people walking together, and the queue of people and horses inevitably stretched and elongated. From time to time, marching scouts flew past Guo Xin, passing orders among the three armies and keeping track of the movements of the armies.
Although spring has begun, it is still quite cold in the mountains. Guo Xin thought it was because he was not moving while riding his horse, so he came down and walked with the soldiers.
Marching really tests the physical endurance of the soldiers. The flat road is okay, but walking on such a valley road for several hours is simply a torture. However, Guo Xin found that the warriors around him didn't seem to be complaining at all, and they were even making jokes in a cheerful mood. It didn't look like they were going on an expedition, but instead they were on an ordinary youth outing.
Guo Xin looked for Zhang Chenghua in the team and saw that his expression was not as relaxed as the others. He thought he had found someone with the same path and sighed: "This road is really difficult to walk on."
With the exchange of bows and knives, the gap between the two people has been eliminated, and Zhang Chenghua's words to Guo Xin are no longer full of indifference: "It is indeed hard for the infantry to walk, but the cavalry army in front cannot run."
Guo Xin knew that Zhang Chenghua had misunderstood what he meant, so he prompted: "General Zhang, don't you feel tired?"
"What's so tiring about this?" Zhang Chenghua gave Guo Xin a strange look, "When I first joined the army, I followed the army from Taiyuan to Luoyang, attacking cities and territories all the way. I even traveled thousands of miles and only rested for three hours a day... Only later... The world of the Shi family."
Guo Xin was convinced after hearing this. The battle was indeed far from being as simple as he thought. The thought of getting on the horse and taking a rest was forcibly interrupted by him. If he couldn't even endure this little hardship, how could he still stand firm in the storm of this year?
After a while, Zhang Chenghua asked again: "General Guo has a lot of experience. Where do you think we will go to fight this time?"
Guo Xin pondered slightly: "I guess there is no need to leave the mountain. I can return to Taiyuan in a few days."
Zhang Chenghua looked unbelieving: "Can the Khitans reach Taiyuan City?"
"It's not the Khitans who are coming," Guo Xin shook his head, "it's the Khitans who are running away."
Zhang Chenghua looked confused and was about to continue asking when a horse suddenly galloped up behind him and shouted, "Where is the third capital?"
Guo Xin responded, and the visitor clasped his fists on his horse and said, "According to the commander's order, our army is on standby. Please go to the king's commander's office to discuss matters."
Guo Xin remounted his horse and asked the Pontic soldiers to stop and rest. He then headed in the direction of the incoming King Ming and Qing Jin, and then he patted his horse and drove away.
After finding Wang Jin's whereabouts, Guo Xin stepped forward to greet him: "I'm sorry, I'm late."
Wang Jin waved his hand casually: "General Guo, don't be polite to me."
Wang Jin was fully armored today, and he really looked like a solemn general. Just seeing Wang Jin's tense face, Guo Xinxin thought there might be some new arrangement from above.
Sure enough, Wang Jin said: "The Emperor of Jin has passed Hengzhou and sent a military order from above. The rear army will return to Taiyuan for the front army."
Sure enough! Guo Xin was about to clasp his fists to accept the order, but he didn't expect Wang Jin to finish his words:
"We also used Shi Hongzhao, the commander of Wujiedu, to march to the north to recruit troops, control the Fengguo and Wujie armies, and attack Wang Hui of Daizhou in the north, so that the Fengguo army could advance first."
Guo Xin was stunned: "Daizhou Wang Hui?"
"Wang Hui doesn't know what's good and he's become a dog of the Khitans." Wang Jin looked like he was gritting his teeth in anger, but then he suddenly grinned: "But that Daizhou is vulnerable, and we are lucky to fight this battle. General Guo! You are about to be granted the title of Marquis and General!"
