Lao Cao had decided on the allocation and arranged the defense of the nine states behind the mountain. He led three thousand elite troops, left Yanmen Pass, and returned to the Song Dynasty.
Although there are only three thousand people, they are the best of the best. Among them are the tiger cavalry and flying cavalry brought by Shandong. The rest are also the elite soldiers with the most military exploits among the Han soldiers recruited by Youzhou.
As for the surrender of troops from all walks of life in the Liao Kingdom, none of them led them.
The few brothers who accompanied him were: Hu Sanniang, Lin Chong, Shi Wengong, Hua Rong, Shi Bao, Gongsun Sheng, Jiao Ting, Shi Qian, a total of eight heroes.
When he went south, he specifically inquired about the old route taken by the Jin soldiers. He passed through Xinzhou, turned to Yu County, and followed the Pingding Army and Liaozhou all the way down.
These places along the way are now in dilapidated condition.
As the saying goes, "The bandits are like a comb, the soldiers are like a grate"——
The Jin soldiers were soldiers, and most of them were Khitan soldiers. They had the habit of hunting grass and grain, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were bandits.
What's more, they have recruited many copycat gangs, and they can truly be called a family of soldiers and bandits.
This was enough to deny people a way to survive, but Lou Shi had another evil plan, which was to drive away all the original officials of the Song Dynasty, so that the bandits who had surrendered to him would each retain their trusted followers and take charge of the place.
These "new officials" are all top-notch thieves and bandits. How do they know how to govern and bring peace to the people?
They control the place and only do two things -
The first is to comply with Lou Shi's request, constantly squeezing money and food, and sending it to the army;
The second is to rob men and dominate women to fill their own hunger.
Pity the people along this road. First they were exploited by the Song Dynasty, and then Tian Hu rebelled. After only two years of living in peace, they were tortured by the Jin people again. They really hated the sky and had no eyesight, and their fate was difficult.
As Lao Cao walked along, he became more and more frightened, frightened and angry. He had a burning desire to kill, so he killed all the people sent by the Jin people and their minions, regardless of their place of origin or gender. Caught and beheaded.
As for the money and food saved by other people, part of it was reserved for military use, and the rest was distributed to the people.
We also select local people with good family tradition and good reputation to come out and temporarily manage the government.
The first is to kill evildoers, the second is to pay for food, the third is to ask for self-government, and the three policies are implemented and the people's hearts are attached to them wherever they go.
There are also many families who have blood feuds with Jin Bing. Their children are clamoring to join the army. They gather outside the military camp eagerly every day and cannot be beaten away.
Seeing that the people's support could be used, Lao Cao simply ordered Shi Wengong to form a new army, named "Bingzhou Army". All those who wanted to join the army were included and followed behind the army, marching and practicing.
As a result, this road will not go any faster.
And just as Lao Cao's soldiers and horses were moving slowly, changes occurred under the city of Bianjing.
But before that, the Jin people were dissatisfied when they heard that Zhao Guan's family ordered him to withdraw his army, and asked to cut off the land on Hedong Road as reward.
Kui Xiangyang rushed back to tell him. When the officials heard this, they were furious: "I consider him a good ally, but he wants to split our country. The Jin people are hateful. Do they think I am like Shi Jingtang?"
Kui Xiangyang then ordered Kui Xiangyang to hold the gold medal, bypass Zhengzhou, and go northwest to urge Zhong Shizhong to speed up the Jin army and "supervise the withdrawal of the Jin people from Yanmen."
Unexpectedly, after walking towards the sun for two days, Kui heard bad news from the east:
It is said that Yelu Chun's 80,000-strong army refused to move forward after occupying Dongming County, and built a pontoon bridge on the river to connect Hebei. The money and food collected from the north were continuously sent to Dongming, apparently for a long-term plan.
You must know that Dongming County is only forty miles away from Bianjing. It is really coming in the morning and evening. The Liao army is lingering here, and the officials cannot be left alarmed.
Before the officials could figure out what the Liao people wanted, another bad news came from the west:
Yelu Yanxi, the king of Yunzhou in the Kingdom of Jin, led an army of 10,000 troops and fought out from Zhengzhou. The troops arrived at Bianjing City. He cursed the Song Emperor for not keeping his promise, and he was an unruly and ignorant king. He asked him to go into battle and compete with the king of Yunzhou. !
When Zhao Guan's family heard about it, they were stunned and hurriedly complained to Fan Meiren: "I devised a wonderful plan, killing two birds with one stone, once and for all. It is extremely clever. Who would have thought that I mistakenly believed in Kui Xiangyang, and that guy had no martial arts skills at all?" I don't know why things have been ruined. Now the Liao people don't fight the rebels in Shandong and are looking eastward. The Jin people have also turned against me and howled in the west. Even Yelu Yanxi, that loser, pretends to be a tiger and yells at me. The situation is If this is the case, could it be that the inheritance of our ancestors is about to be destroyed?"
After saying that, he was filled with grief and anger, and shed two lines of tears.
He couldn't figure out how Kui Xiangyang could do the job and make his clever plan look beyond recognition;
He also hates that Tong Guan, Zhong Shidao and others are useless, so that he is frightened and thousands of national affairs are placed on his own shoulders.
In spite of the pain, artistic inspiration burst out like a fountain, shouting: "The pen and ink are waiting for me!"
Fan Meiren winked quickly and asked someone to take a pen and paper and sharpen the ink for him herself.
The official took a pen and dipped it in ink, blended all his sorrow and anger into the exquisite thin gold style, and wrote a couplet in an instant.
The first couplet is: The king is not the king of the country that is destroyed, but all kinds of wisdom are driven away by the passing water.
The second couplet is: All ministers are in ruins, and the hall is full of puppets.
After finishing writing, I looked at it carefully and nodded repeatedly. I felt that my calligraphy had made great progress and said with emotion: "The ancients said that when a country is unlucky, a poet is lucky. It is true that I am honest. How can I write such words in ordinary times?"
The more I read, the more satisfied I became. I copied many parts myself and sent them to Cai Jing, Tong Guan and other civil and military ministers.
Not long after, Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Yang Jian, Liang Shicheng... a group of high-ranking officials came crying one after another and knelt on the shore beside the ship: "I am incompetent, please forgive me."
The official walked out of the cabin, looked down from a high position, and said angrily: "The matter has come to this, what's the use of apologizing? You wait for the high officials to be well paid, and there is nothing you can do to relieve your worries?"
Liang Shicheng wiped away his tears and stood up: "Your Majesty, I have a plan!"
Liang Shicheng replaced Gao Qiu and became a Taiwei, taking charge of the world's military affairs. However, in the past, all the power was held by Tong Guan. Until this time, he finally found an opportunity.
The official was overjoyed: "My beloved, tell me quickly!"
Liang Shicheng said: "Didn't the commander of the former Fan Kui say that although the Jin army was large, the real Jurchens only had three thousand. Now the person calling the formation outside the city is the old emperor of the Liao Kingdom. His subordinates are just the soldiers of the Liao. Before the Jin soldiers entered Jiuzhou behind the mountains, Mr. Lao Zhong defeated them and made them invincible. Could it be that Your Majesty has forgotten that?"
The official is talented and smart, and he has the best experience in calculating this kind of paper data. He nodded immediately: "Yes! The Western Army under Lao Zhong is weaker than the Jin, but stronger than the Liao. Huh, if it weren't for the incompetence of Yelu Yanxi and the greed and shamelessness of the Jin Kingdom, , the foundation of Jiuzhou behind the mountain has been established, how can I be so hesitant?"
At this moment, he forgot that Mr. Zhong was going against his will after he sent troops to the mountain.
But then he shook his head and sighed: "It's just that I don't know whether I'm alive or dead now, and my troops have been wiped out. What's the use of saying these things?"
Liang Shicheng had the pearl of wisdom in hand and smiled confidently: "Your Majesty, although Mr. Zhong was defeated, his favorite generals Zhang Jun, Qu Duan, Wang Yan, and Liu Qi were all famous heroes in the Western Army, and they led more than four thousand elites. , killed Yelu Chun's heavy siege by force, has His Majesty forgotten?"
The official's eyes lit up and he said happily: "Liang Aiqing, you mean to let his four generals lead the army to kill Yelu Yanxi, the subjugated emperor?"
Liang Shicheng nodded and said: "Yes! These four people, I have talked with them one by one, are all heroes who are proficient in the art of war, skilled in martial arts, and loyal to serve the country! Let them lead the headquarters of more than 4,000 people, and then choose 10,000 elite soldiers to supplement them. "Whether we can win against the Jurchens is still a dilemma. How difficult is it to defeat the ten thousand soldiers and horses outside the city that have subjugated the country?"
The official quickly calculated the combat power in his mind and quickly came to the conclusion: we can fight!
He nodded repeatedly: "Wonderful! Wonderful! The Jin people also underestimated our country. They only sent ten thousand people to dare to provoke me. They destroyed his army and taught him how to be powerful. After that, whether it is war or peace, it all depends on him. Our country is in charge!”
At that time, an order was sent to allocate 11,000 people from the Tokyo Forbidden Army, and together with more than 4,000 Western troops, they made up 15,000. Zhang Jun, the oldest, served as the commander-in-chief, with Qu Duan, Wang Yan, and Liu Qi as deputies. Reorganize the troops and horses immediately, and leave the city to defeat the enemy in the afternoon.
Liang Shicheng got the order and thought he had surpassed Tong Guan in the limelight. In this move, he was very excited. While he ordered his cronies to select troops, he personally came to see Zhang Jun and the other four to inform him about the war.
Hearing this, Zhang Jun and the four others were all shocked. Zhang Jun cried bitterly: "Liang Taiwei, it is a taboo for a general to not know his soldiers. We have never seen those 11,000 soldiers and horses. How can we lead him?" Fight? If we really want to go to war, the more than 4,000 people in our army are willing to go out of the city and fight to the death, but there is no need to mobilize other soldiers."
Liang Shicheng said angrily: "How can we allow you to act recklessly in national affairs? The enemy has 10,000 troops and you only have 4,000. If you can defeat them, why did you lose the previous time? Do you know that it was not easy for me to peel off Tong Guan from Tong Guan's hands?" This elite team is here just for you to win, report it to the emperor, and keep the common people safe! If you don't know what's good for you, then let Qu Duan take charge."
Qu Duan smiled bitterly and said: "Lieutenant, Zhang Jun means no offense. I am a general and a soldier. I am very careful about how to use my arms and my fingers. I always treat people with kindness and justice and strict military laws. The soldiers respect me and fear me, so I am willing to follow my generation." To fight to the death, a new army has been mobilized. We have neither kindness nor dignity with him, but we are not as good as the 4,000 men from our own army who go to fight."
Liang Shicheng was furious and screamed: "Hey! I am a Taiwei, and you are telling me these details, do you think I don't know how to fight? Do you know that Mr. Laoquan is the ancestor of the family, and he once wrote the "Book of Power", which is a master of military skills. Truth, after I became a military strategist, I was also appointed as a lieutenant. Why don't you understand better? Since ancient times, the best strategy is to use the crowd to bully the weak! That's all, Wang Yan, you will be the commander! Don't let Your Majesty and I Lieutenant is disappointed!"
After that, he left angrily.
It turns out that Liang Shicheng often regarded himself as Su Shi's surviving son. Because of Po Xian's romantic style, he often gave people away as concubines. Occasionally, he was pregnant, but he didn't check carefully. Liang Shicheng was his mother who was given away to someone else when she was three months pregnant. Su Shi's original article The ban was lifted only after Liang Shicheng appealed to the officials.
Su Laoquan and Su Xun, the father of Su Shi, once wrote ten chapters of "The Book of Quan", the first of which is "The Art of Mind". When Lao Cao and Yue Fei argued about general principles, Yue Fei's arguments were derived from this book.
Seeing Liang Shicheng leave in anger, the four generals looked at each other. Liu Qi was only twenty-two or three years old at the time, but he was the most mature. He sighed: "Well, I have lived on the emperor's salary and died for him. Are we really afraid of the Liao Kingdom's collapse?" Soldiers and generals? The battle is over."
Qu Duan shook his head and said: "Those forbidden troops don't know their roots, so I don't dare to use them."
Liu Qi advised: "Brother Qu, how can you be so honest? Don't you hear that the general is out and you are not accepting your orders? The officials are afraid that we have few soldiers, and they originally had good intentions. Let's do this. For the more than 10,000 people, you and Brother Zhang Each of us will take half. Our more than 4,000 people will only be commanded by Brother Wang and I. We will go out of the city to fight. We will kill the enemy in the center. You will respond on the left and right. As long as he does not let him disrupt our formation, there is nothing wrong with having more people to strengthen our momentum. good?"
"Take them out to fight without them fighting the enemy?" Qu Duan rolled his eyes and was immediately overjoyed: "What a brilliant idea! Brother Xian, in that case, Wang Yan and I will kill the enemy, and you and Brother Zhang will each lead a forbidden army."
Zhang Jun glared: "I'm leading the Imperial Guards. The Emperor appointed me as the commander-in-chief. What qualifications does Liang Shicheng have to replace him? I'm in charge of this battle, with Qu Duan and Xiao Liu assisting me. Why should the eleven thousand men be divided into two groups?" ? With the ability of Brother Wang Yan, why not lead ten thousand people alone?"
Wang Yan was furious and pulled Zhang Jun to reason with him. The four of them fought for it, but none of them would lead the group of forbidden troops.
In the afternoon, Yelu Yanxi saw the shadow of the sun moving westward, and was about to withdraw his troops. Suddenly he saw a crowd of people moving on the wall of Bianjing City, and a yellow umbrella cover fluttering up the city. He felt happy, knowing that this must be the Zhao Guan family who had ascended the city. .
It turned out that Zhao Guan's family had thought carefully and carefully calculated the fighting strength of both sides several times. They all felt that this battle would be won without a doubt. So they were so arrogant that they went to the city to watch the battle in person. They wanted to imitate the former emperors who had personally conquered the war and watch their generals make achievements with their own eyes.
Yelu Yanxi put up a pergola to watch, and sure enough he saw a middle-aged man wearing a dragon robe under the yellow umbrella, and there was a young man beside him. It must be Zhao Ji, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, who was watching the battle with his prince. He was overjoyed and took the horse. With one shot, he rushed straight to the city.
Pointing his gun at the city, he shouted: "Zhao Ji! I am the King of Yunzhou of the Jin Kingdom. The Jin Kingdom has strong soldiers and strong horses, and the national fortune is booming. I, the king, should be obedient to the heavens and have already surrendered a large amount of gold. Now I am here to persuade you to surrender it together, otherwise you will open this country." The city has been slaughtered until all the chickens and dogs are spared, don’t say that the king’s words were unforeseen!”
When Zhao Guanjia heard this, his anger arose in his heart. He slapped the battlements and pointed at the city without caring about his sore palms. ? How did your family’s ancestors, so heroic, give birth to such an unworthy descendant like you? Do you still dare to persuade me to surrender? My bones are not as weak as yours! The blood of Taizu and Emperor Taizong flows in my body. Not to mention that you, a small surrendered king, can cause the Jin people to overthrow the country and move south. I will fight with them until the sky collapses and the earth breaks apart!"
Cai Jing's civil and military officials all followed him with grimaces because the emperor was going to the city. Seeing the murderous aura steaming up and down the city, when their legs were weak and their feet were sore, they suddenly heard their own emperor uttering such generous words. Everyone couldn't help but be stunned: This official family has always been out of tune. How could it be that he was so strong inside?
Yelu Yanxi became angry and shouted: "Zhao Ji! What are you pretending to be? You are obviously a softie. How can you pretend to be a hero in front of me by relying on the city wall? When I shoot bears and tigers, you This guy can only shoot some women randomly, but he dares to show off his authority in front of me? Come down, we will fight to the death, one against the other!"
Zhao Guanjia's heart trembled, and he secretly said in surprise: He is worthy of being an emperor. If he knows my thoughts, how can he see that I am relying on this city wall?
But I have to say that it is different to have a wall to fight against. But when the official looked up to the sky and smiled, he shook his head slightly: "Fight to the death with me? Are you worthy? If you are still Emperor Tianzuo of Liao Kingdom and are equal to my status, I will Wearing armor and holding a gun, why not fight with you? You are just a humble king now, what qualifications do you have to invite me to fight? If you want to fight me in a decisive battle, fine, call your Wanyan Agu!"
These words became more and more generous, and all the soldiers in the city cheered in unison: "Let A Gu fight!" "Let A Gu fight!"
The Ninth Prince Zhao Gou was so shocked by his father's arrogance that he suddenly screamed: "King Yunzhou, you are not worthy of inviting a fight with my father. I am Zhao Gou, the prince of Guangping County in the Song Dynasty, and I am in the right position with you. Match, and let you learn my shooting skills!"
Before he finished speaking, he jumped up to the battlements, looked down from a high position, and shot an arrow. Unexpectedly, Yelu Yanxi was talking to Emperor Song, and someone dared to sneak attack him. In a hurry, he was hit on the shoulder, and he fell off his horse with an "ouch" sound.
The people on the top of the city were stunned for a moment, and then the whole city cheered.
(End of chapter)
