Renqiu's Liao cavalry came a little more aggressively this time, and there were more people than before. On the Hejian side, He Fujin heard the warning and immediately prepared his troops to fight. Fang learned the general situation from the mouth of the garrison who fled south. Thousands of cavalry had suddenly arrived outside the city, showing off their power.
If it were before, He Fujin would focus on maintaining control and remain unchanged in response to changes. But this time, Guo Rong brought him support. With more troops and rations, he was more confident. He led 2,000 infantry and cavalry and left the city to meet the enemy.
Liao Qi's reaction seemed very strange. He retreated at the first touch. He came and left just as quickly, leaving only a cloud of smoke and dust. Hu Qi withdrew without fighting, and He Fujin led his troops to pursue him.
On the top of the city, Guo Rong had a panoramic view of the situation between the enemy and us. He had some doubts about the enemy's movements. Seeing He Fujin's reckless pursuit, he immediately ordered the soldiers next to him: "The enemy's cavalry retreated strangely, and there may be a trick. Send the gold and let General He. Withdraw!"
The soldiers passed the order, and soon, a rapid and crisp sound of gongs sounded from the northern city wall of Hejian. The sound of gongs spread far and wide across the empty wilderness. Unfortunately, what surprised Guo Rong was that He Fu came over there and acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He completely ignored the retreat order and led his men to pursue him even more urgently.
Slowly, He Fujinjun disappeared from the end of the field of vision. Even with Guo Rong's self-cultivation, an angry look could not help but form on his face at this moment. Looking straight at Bei Xiang, Guo Rong clenched his fists, suppressed his anger, thought calmly, and immediately sent someone to chase him.
Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, no news came back, and Guo Rong couldn't help but become anxious. There was some impatience in his character, so he couldn't help it, and ordered angrily: "All the cavalry in the city, follow me out of the city, and the rest of the people, guard the city!"
Before leaving, Guo Rong gave a few serious instructions to a captain, and hurriedly took the only fifty horsemen left in Hejian City and galloped north. Guo Rong was filled with anger. These veterans were indeed rebellious at heart.
I hurriedly chased him for two quarters of an hour, and finally caught up with him at a place called Junzi Pavilion, twenty miles north of the city. Looking around, the two armies were clashing in the forest, with sounds of killing, flags spreading, and dust flying. Before he could take a closer look, Guo Rong secretly thought that sure enough, he slapped the horse's butt hard and led someone closer.
When they got closer, they realized that the battle was almost over. The two sides had already withdrawn from the engagement. The Liao cavalry got rid of the entanglement of Yingzhou soldiers and horses and withdrew northward. However, this time, they were a little embarrassed.
This was just a small-scale battle, brief but intense enough. Under the command of the general, quickly form formations on the spot, treat the wounded, and clean the battlefield.
Putting down the surprise in his heart, Guo Rong looked for He Fujin with a straight face.
The veteran's beard was flamboyant, and there was a layer of pleasure in killing the enemy between his brows. When he saw Guo Rong, he looked at him in surprise: "General Guo, why are you here?"
His eyes turned around Guo Rong, and when he saw his ugly expression, he suddenly realized, revealing his slightly yellowed teeth: "It seems that you are worried about me?"
Guo Rong said coldly: "I don't dare! The enemy's cavalry is acting differently. I'm just afraid that the old general has fallen into the enemy's trick!"
"Haha!" He Fujin laughed twice: "These barbarians are actually trying to lure the enemy in front of me. I don't think I can see it, but they defeat me with one blow!"
Hearing this, Guo Rong calmed down and glanced around. He really looked like he had won the battle. He took a deep breath and said, "It seems that the old general has achieved great results?"
"It's just a small victory!" He Fujin waved his hand.
At this time, a branch school officer ran over from the outside, saluted He Fujin and Guo Rong, and said excitedly: "General, the statistics are out, 114 enemies were killed, 15 were captured, and 78 horses were seized. ..."
Signaling him to retreat, He Fujin turned to look at Guo Rong without saying a word, but his eagle-like eyes were full of words.
The two looked at each other for a while, and Guo Rong slowly took two steps back and said softly: "It's the general who is worrying too much!"
However, there was no mention of his disobedience to the Ming Jin Order.
"This Liao army is a little strange!" After a moment of silence, Guo Rong said again.
"Come here, bring up the captured Khitan commander and let General Guo question him!" Seeing this, He Fujin immediately shouted to his subordinates.
Soon, after some interrogation, the Liao Army officer learned the situation. But it was King Yelu Ruan of Yongkang who ascended the throne in Youzhou and proclaimed himself emperor, and then transferred his troops to the south. At the same time, he ordered the Liao army from Zhuo, Ding, and Mozhou to go south, claiming to avenge the revenge of the Southern Expedition and the shame of Luan City.
Ren Qiu's army received support, and under the leadership of guard Yang An, they planned to go south to raid and loot. He used a crude trick to lure the enemy, but He Fujin saw through it at a glance. He suffered a loss and retreated.
When he learned that Yelu Ruan was proclaimed emperor, Guo Rong's eyes lit up at first, and he felt a little happy. However, doubts can't help but arise about his movements. But he couldn't help but guess, could Yelu Ruan plan to use the southern expedition to establish his authority, gain domestic support and stabilize his status?
It seems that this is not impossible, but when I think about it carefully, I think it is unlikely. Yelu Deguang was so arrogant, but all ended in disgrace. With the current situation in Khitan, nothing is more important than controlling power and stabilizing the country's situation. No matter how unforgettable Luan Cheng's pain was, he had to endure it and lick his wounds in order to recover. What's more, if Yelu Ruan dares to take risks and makes a slight mistake, his end may be even more miserable than Yelu Deguang's.
Leading the troops back to the south of the river, on the way, a close commander looked in the direction of Guo Rong and whispered to him: "General, I heard that Marquis Guo Duyu is a close confidant of the second prince, so you just ignored the military order... ....”
Hearing his doubtful tone, He Fujin narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a face: "So what? How to fight, do I need someone else to teach me? Don't worry, there is nothing to be afraid of!"
A small victory gave Hejian City a boost. There was a burst of cheers in the city. He Fujin directly ordered that the beheaded Hu Qi's head be divided into two parts. One part was hung at the head of Hejian City, and the other was sent to the south for hanging. Go to Leshou City to boost the morale of the soldiers and civilians.
After much thought, Guo Rong went directly to He Fujin: "General He, something has happened in the Khitan state, and I will return to my true destiny as soon as possible. In Yingzhou, full power is given to the old general. Please be careful about Hu Qi!"
Guo Rong's expression was solemn, his words were sincere, and he did not show any displeasure. He seemed not to remember the previous misfortune at all. He Fujin stopped looking down on this young man, and replied: "Since I promised Your Highness, I will do my best to defend Yingzhou. If the enemy comes, I will take care of it!"
That night, Guo Rong took advantage of the darkness and headed westward to Zhending.
...
Over in Youzhou, Yelu Ruan has already acted like an emperor. He admires Chinese customs and dresses himself up like a Han emperor.
Looking at Yelu Ruan's attire that was incompatible with the Hu clothes, Yelu An frowned slightly as he entered, and then he bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty!"
"Get up! How is the situation?" At this time, Yelu Ruan has not yet secured his position, but he is a master who is working hard to govern.
"Bohai and Xiqi have been ordered to go south to attack and harass. They have made many gains. The Jin army in the south has strengthened its defense. Only Yang An, the defender of Mozhou, was defeated by the enemy's Yingzhou defense. He Fujin suffered a few soldiers and horses!"
Yelu Ruan didn't take it seriously. He thought about it and hesitated a little: "With such a big commotion, what if it backfires and attracts the Jin army to go north?"
"No!" Yelu Antuan was very sure: "The Jin army is absolutely unable to go north. I found out that Liu Chengyou was busy with the summer harvest. Previously, a large number of refugees fled south, and he took them all in. His hands and feet have been tied! Can he hold on steady? Chengde Town is already at its extreme. Such a move by our army will definitely make it confused and hesitant. Furthermore, with its military strength, if it dares to rush north rashly, the sharpness of the Nanjing city will be enough to defeat it and let it go. He never comes back!"
Probably feeling reassured, Yelu Ruan nodded, then said solemnly, "Wait for two more days and see what happens. If nothing unusual happens, send troops north and return to Beijing!"
"Aren't you waiting for a reply from Shangjing?" Yelu'an asked.
With sarcasm on his lips, Yelu Ruan said: "There is absolutely no way that the Empress Dowager Shulu will support me!"
"Is there no news from Xiao Han?"
"No! All the states in Hebei have basically surrendered to the Liu family. After our army withdraws, it will be difficult for Uncle Guo and the others to safely withdraw from Hebei!"
"It's a pity that those soldiers and horses are missing. I wonder how many of them can return it?" Although he didn't like Xiao Han very much, Yelu Ruan felt very sorry for his troops, and then said harshly: "These Han people are determined to adapt to the wind. Both sides of the head and the rat will make him regret his mistake sooner or later!"
