The main force of the Khitan in the Hebei area had completely retreated. Heyang and other places had also rebelled against the Liao and returned to Liu. Liu Zhiyuan summoned all civil and military officials to formally discuss the specific route to the south.
Unexpectedly, most generals suggested that he "jump over the hurdles", leave Jingxing Pass in the east, attack the land east of the Taihang Mountains, seize Zhenzhou and Weizhou, wipe out Hebei, and then go south to regain Henan.
Liu Zhiyuan was greatly disappointed, thinking that I had been hiding in Shanxi for several months and you still couldn't understand my good intentions! So he said that he planned to go to Luzhou first, and then go south directly from Luzhou.
At this time, Liu Zhiyuan’s favorite general Guo Wei came up with another idea:
Although the barbarian leader is dead, the fighting power of the barbarian army still exists. Once we cross the Taihang Mountains, we have too few troops, rugged roads, long and narrow battle lines, and lack of support and supplies. If we go deep into the enemy's hinterland alone, we will easily be cut off and confused, and we will be in a dilemma. Therefore, you need to PASS for the Hebei route;
Going south from Luzhou, the mountain road is rugged and difficult to navigate. The people nearby are poor and weak and cannot supply the army, so it is not the best choice;
Recently, Shaanzhou and Jinzhou have surrendered one after another. We might as well detour around this area, so that we can enter Luoyang and Bianzhou in less than twenty days.
The three plans happen to be the east, middle and west routes. After some deductions, Liu Zhiyuan finally adopted Guo Wei's suggestion.
Liu Zhiyuan appointed his younger brother Liu Chong to stay in Taiyuan, and then led the army out of Yindi Pass and marched along the Jinzhou-Jiangzhou-Shaanzhou-Luoyang route.
As soon as the army was dispatched, Shi Hongzhao on the Luzhou front sent a good news: Zezhou was conquered!
Zezhou is south of Luzhou and tightly controls the Tianjing Pass in and out of the Taihang Mountains. To the north of Tianjingguan is Zezhou and to the south is Huaizhou. To the south of Huaizhou is the Yellow River, and on the other side of the river is Luoyang.
When the southward route was planned a few days ago, Prime Minister Su Fengji and others supported the middle route, saying that Shi Hongzhao had already controlled Luzhou and that the army happened to follow the Luzhou-Zezhou-Tianjingguan-Huaizhou-Luoyang route. This route It is the closest, most convenient, and has concentrated power, making it easy to attack.
According to historical records, Si Tianjian, who was in charge of astronomy, reported that according to the astrology, it would be unlucky for the army to go south directly, and it would be better to head west. So Liu Zhiyuan finally chose the west route.
The theory of astronomy and astrology is not credible. Behind this discussion is the intrigue between generals and ministers. Shi Hongzhao had already opened up half of the route, so Guo Wei firmly opposed taking the Luzhou Middle Road, because once Liu Zhiyuan arrived in Luoyang from the middle road, Shi Hongzhao's prestige within the group would be greatly enhanced, crushing Guo Wei and others. Therefore, Guo Wei cannot let Shi Hongzhao take all the limelight alone.
Jinzhou, Jiangzhou, Shaanzhou, etc. on the west route are all "Jingjie Factions" that have recently surrendered. Liu Zhiyuan's group has no military presence on this route. In theory, it should be more dangerous than the middle route.
However, Guo Wei came first, and Shi Hongzhao, who was far away on the front line in Luzhou, had no chance to defend himself. Shi Hongzhao could only slap Guo Wei and others in the face with facts.
The one stationed in Zezhou was Zhai Lingqi, the governor appointed by the Khitans. At first, Shi Hongzhao's offense did not go smoothly, and the cautious Liu Zhiyuan planned to bring Shi Hongzhao back and abandon the center. Su Fengji and Yang Bin tried hard to persuade them, saying that now the lands to the west such as Shaanzhou, Jinzhou, and Mengzhou have been annexed, Cui Tingxun and Geng Chongmei are about to escape, and the "first island chain" set up by the Khitans is about to collapse. If at this time, Retreating will inevitably shake the hearts of people south of the Yellow River, and their attitudes will become uncertain.
Liu Zhiyuan hesitated, so he sent someone to the front line to ask Shi Hongzhao for his opinion.
Shi Hongzhao's judgment was the same as Su Fengji's, believing that the current situation would lead to progress rather than retreat!
Liu Zhiyuan did not transfer Shi Hongzhao back.
Shi Hongzhao also changed his mind and changed the military attack into a political inducement to surrender. He sent his general Li Wanchao to lobby Zhai Lingqi. As a result, Zhai Lingqi actually surrendered in Kaicheng. Zezhou was restored and the gate of Tianjingguan was opened.
On the bank of the Yellow River, Cui Tingxun, Geng Chongmei, and Lala gathered all their forces to counterattack Heyang. Zhang Yu, the leader of the rebel army who had supported the "Emperor of Daliang", was defeated and killed, and Wu Xingde, who occupied Heyang through mutiny, was also defeated. Wu Xingde retreated into the city and closed the city to wait for help.
When Lala planned to attack by force, Cui Tingxun advised: "Forget it. The main force of Daliao has already left. What's the use of this isolated city for us? Are we waiting to be surrounded by Liu Zhiyuan's reinforcements?" Wait until we receive the news that Shi Hongzhao has occupied Zezhou. Later, Lala, Cui Tingxun, and Geng Chongmei decisively lifted the siege and retreated to Huaizhou.
Subsequently, in order to avoid being surrounded by Liu Zhiyuan's strategy and preserve the vitality of the Khitan, Cui Tingxun and others made a strategic shift in time. To put it bluntly, abandon the city and run away.
When they passed through Weizhou, they looted massively. The remaining troops remaining south of the Yellow River also followed suit, scrambling to preserve Khitan's strength.
Shi Hongzhao and Wu Xingde successfully joined forces.
In other words, with his meager vanguard force, Shi Hongzhao has helped Liu Zhiyuan open the road to Luoyang and clear the obstacles along the way. However, Liu Zhiyuan's main force, which followed Guo Wei's suggestion to circle west, has not yet reached Jinzhou. , the road ahead is still full of dangers.
Liu Zhiyuan sent people to Hezhong Mansion to lobby Zhao Kuangzan (son of Zhao Yanshou), the governor of the Hezhong Protectorate Army, and told him that the Khitans had arrested his father, Zhao Yanshou, and that he should stop working for the Khitans and submit to Liu Zhiyuan.
Li Conglang, the governor of Jiangzhou appointed by the Khitans, also did not submit and remained loyal to Daliao.
This shows how dangerous Guo Wei's route is: Jiangzhou is a roadblock between Jinzhou and Shaanzhou; Hezhong is on the west side of the entire route, threatening the flanks.
Liu Zhiyuan sent general Bai Wenke to attack Jiangzhou, but could not take it for a long time, so he came to the city in person to analyze the pros and cons to Li Conglang. In the end, Li Conglang surrendered and Jiangzhou was peacefully liberated.
The escape of Cui Tingxun and Geng Chongmei meant that the "first island chain" that Yelu Deguang had deployed to curb Liu Zhiyuan's southward movement was completely wiped out. Liu Xi, who stayed in Luoyang, also abandoned the city and fled. As the Liu Zhiyuan Group approached step by step, Xiao Han, who stayed behind in Bianzhou, became the hope of the whole Khitan village. He was almost the only one left south of the Yellow River.
During these days in Bianzhou, Xiao Han did almost nothing. At that time, there were more than fifty palace ladies from the Later Jin Dynasty in the palace. Xiao Han was very happy, "I want them all!" He ordered the eunuch Zhang Huan to hand them over, but Zhang Huan refused. Xiao Han sent people to force open the palace door and snatch away all the maids. Then he arrested Zhang Huan and tortured him with red-hot iron bars. In the end, this upright eunuch who was unyielding and abiding by his principles was burned in the stomach. If worn, the internal organs will rot and die.
Now, Bianzhou has become an isolated city and is about to face Liu Zhiyuan's main force going south. Xiao Han also did something very right: strategic shift to preserve Khitan's strength.
