Huoshen Lake is just a shallow lake in Wende County. It occupies a small area and is densely covered with water and grass. The entire Khitan army camp spreads out along the lake. It is so full of evil spirits that it scares away the ducks playing and foraging in the lake early. .
The emperor's royal tent is placed in the center, and the hearts of the people are like holding the moon in their arms. The huge imperial tent has plenty of space and is extremely luxuriously decorated. In addition to gold and jade utensils, there are too many things that reveal the cultural symbols of the Han family, such as books, ceremonial guards, decorations and other exquisite things, which are intertwined with the rough atmosphere of the Hu people. Together, they seem a bit out of place.
A large number of palace servants and maids are busy, arranging the seats, placing fruits, wine, and delicacies... They are preparing a grand banquet on the orders of Emperor Yelu Ruan, inviting all the troops from the Southern Expedition. The banquet held by the generals and the school was a follow-up to the day's memorial ceremony, and it also relieved the pressure of the noble generals who had been suppressed for a long time.
In the innermost part of the royal tent, there was a space separated by a curtain, and a huge map hung inside. It marked the current military situation in Hebei in detail, especially the Youyan region. Khitan Lord Yelu Ruan stood together with several close generals, discussing seriously.
They are also Khitan nobles. These generals have vested interests after Yelu Ruan succeeded to the throne. They are still supportive of Yelu Ruan. If all the Khitan nobles had opposed him, they would have been kicked off the throne long ago and would not be able to gather together. Army.
"Your Majesty, the Southern Privy Council has recruited soldiers and horses from western and eastern Liaoning, plus the southern pacification army, stationed in Tan and Ji, totaling more than 50,000 troops." A general stretched out his hand and drew two lines. , said: "Our two armies, with a fighting force of more than 150,000, will advance on the left and right sides. After our army has rested for a while, Your Majesty will lead the army out of Juyongguan and go to Changping. The Southern Privy Council sent Tan and Ji to Huairou. , Sanhe. The attacking Han army is no less powerful than when Taizong destroyed Jin!"
Yelu Ruan looked serious and nodded: "How are you preparing the siege equipment?"
"Return to your majesty!" Another general came out, but he was a Han general. This time, Zhao Kuangsi, who was worshiped by Yelu Ruan as the envoy to the south, said: "I was ordered to gather the Han people in the country in the two states of Ru and Wu as soon as autumn came. Craftsmen, felling trees and forests, building all kinds of siege equipment, keep them all in your arms!"
A smile finally appeared on his face, Yelu Ruan nodded and said: "General Han is doing things, I can rest assured, he is indeed the talent favored by Emperor Taizong. If there are more people like General Han in the country, why worry about not being able to occupy the Central Plains? The world is unstable!"
"Your Majesty is so complimentary!" Han Kuangsi quickly expressed his humility.
Now, because the Lord of Liao favored Han officials and attacked the domestic nobility, the internal conflicts in Khitan had reached a very acute level. Although the people in the tent were all the emperor's trusted generals, Yelu Ruan still said such words that were pro-Han officials and contemptuous of Liao people. Han Kuangsi was not willing to take the lead in this regard.
"In this southern expedition, I am using the strength of the whole country, and there is no room for failure!" No matter how foolish and arrogant Yelv Ruan was among the Khitan nobles at this time, at this time, as the Khitan emperor and commander of the army, Yelv Ruan was still Keeping calm: "I have made up my mind. In this battle, I will first encircle Youzhou and attract reinforcements from the Han army to the north. Then I will use the offensive power of our Daliao cavalry to carry out endless attacks on it between the vast plains of central and northern Hebei." Harass, divide, and annihilate!”
Compared with the slogans he preached and the cakes he painted, after the actual troops were launched, Yelu Ruan still had some confidence in his heart. From the beginning to the end, his appetite was not that big. In his mind, the most important goal of this southern expedition was to capture Youzhou and completely suppress the Central Plains again.
After that, Yu Youyan could recharge his batteries, and even if he could rest for a few years before heading south again, that would be negotiable. Youzhou is in the hands of the Han people, and Yelu Ruan has a problem in his throat. After all, he lost it when he was in power, and he is always worried about it. He is deeply afraid that one day, relying on the strength of Youzhou, the Han army will make a surprise attack and defeat the Confucian, Wu, and Tan, Ji and other places were taken back.
Once such a situation is formed, the strategic advantage over the Central Plains that Yelv Deguang has worked hard to gain over the past ten years will be lost in his hands. Without the danger of Yanshan Mountain, it would not be so easy for Hu Qi to go south wantonly.
According to Yelu Ruan's research on Han culture, system, and history, once it reaches that point, the Central Plains Dynasty will inevitably regain its strength and become stronger again. Once the Central Plains dynasty becomes powerful, it will be the northern grassland's turn to suffer. Those Han people will definitely wield swords and guns, ride war horses, and march out in large numbers, chanting "Seal the wolf to live in Xu, strangle Shi Yanran", and then wreak havoc. Massacre the grassland tribesmen, rob cattle, horses, alpacas...
This is the conclusion Yelu Ruan drew based on the past history of the Han family. And with the style of the young emperor of the Han Dynasty, it was obvious that he could do it. Just like Liu Chengyou always pays attention to the surrounding enemies, Yelu Ruan also pays attention to the situation of the Han Dynasty.
It was originally thought that after Liu Zhiyuan's death, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne at a young and weak age. No matter how capable he was, it would be difficult for the young master to take over the country. However, the subsequent development was completely beyond Yelu Ruan's expectation. The emperor of the Han Dynasty tried his best to centralize power. In the past few years, a series of reforms of the Han Dynasty have mostly achieved good results, greatly improving the national power. Every time news spreads to the north, Yelu Ruan, who is suffering from internal strife, becomes more worried.
Until this year, I couldn't stand him anymore.
Therefore, in Yelu Ruan's view, he led his army southward this time as a forward-looking move, for the sake of national destiny and the long-term prosperity of Liao Dynasty. The bloody battles suppressed the revival of the Han Dynasty, and the iron hoof of the Khitan army broke the backbone of the Central Plains Dynasty.
It's a pity that despite all the hard work and ambition, there is no support and all kinds of pressure can only be shouldered. In the past four years of being in power, Yelu Ruan has deeply realized how difficult it is, especially when he wants to be a holy lord and wise king. I also have a deeper understanding of the word profit.
After the Battle of Luancheng that year, so many clans, nobles, and ministers who supported his succession saw them step by step against him, because they no longer had the suppression of Queen Mother Shulu and were unable to satisfy their peers. Greed for power and wealth...
Although, I kept hypnotizing myself in my heart, thinking how great and wise I was, how much I endured humiliation, and how I was not understood. But one thing that is undeniable is that using this war to consolidate power, control the army, and attack political opponents is also a very strong motivation.
With his eyes firmly fixed on Youzhou, Yelu Ruan's eyes were slightly blurred and he waved his hand: "You guys retreat first so that you can lead the troops and appease the soldiers!"
"yes!"
If we were to attack only Youzhou, there would be no need to make such a big noise. Yelu Ruan mobilized such a huge two-pronged army. First, he wanted to strengthen his control over the army and enhance his authority as the emperor among his troops; second, he mobilized such a large army. They wanted to use Youzhou as bait to mobilize the Han army northward to kill and reduce its war potential.
During the movement, the Han army was by no means a match for his Daliao cavalry. Yelu Ruan had this confidence.
In fact, Yelu Ruan had already considered a series of backup plans.
If the Han army is not fooled, then they will concentrate their strength and capture Youzhou City. We have considered all the ways to break the city. No matter how strong Youzhou City is, it is so huge and its military strength is limited. If you are well prepared, you can always break it. There are still "Han soldiers" under his command who can be used, but if nothing happens, the Han people can be driven to attack the city.
And once Youzhou is captured and the nails behind it are removed, there will be even more room for decision-making against the Han Dynasty. Whether it is fighting or stability. Of course, in Yelu Ruan's consideration, he still had to fight with the Han army. Once the Han army was slightly defeated, he had more means. In his opinion, there were so many towns in the Central Plains and Hebei, how could they truly surrender to the Han court.
The historical experience of the past few decades tells Yelu Ruan that it is faster and easier for the Han people to disintegrate from within, but the premise is that he must give opportunities to insiders from the outside.
Historical experience is very important, but Yelu Ruan obviously ignored one point. Relying solely on historical experience will also lead to losses. The most important thing is that the times have quietly changed.
But no matter what, in the eyes of Yelu Ruan today, he is standing on the fifth floor and has considered everything, which is difficult for fools to understand...
