"Your Majesty, please check the quality of the room in the right room and ask for permission!" A chamberlain came into the tent and reported in a low voice, very cautiously, knowing that the emperor was not in a good mood recently.
Upon hearing Yelu Wuzhi's request to see him, Yelu Ruan's brows immediately wrinkled, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his expression. As a meritorious minister and one of the few outstanding people among the Khitan nobles, Yelu Ruan was very fond of the quality of Yelu House.
But recently, he has become more and more dissatisfied with Yelu House because he opposes some of his policies, especially the decision to march to the south. If it weren't for his loyalty and talent, he would definitely not have taken him with him, and would have handed over the right Pishi Army to his command.
He deliberately refuses to see him, but after all, he is the general in charge of the imperial army and assists in military affairs, so it is not good to see him.
However, when the hostages of Yelu's house entered the inner tent, sure enough, after the ceremony, Yelu Ruan opened his mouth and said something he didn't like to hear: "Your Majesty, when I patrolled all the way, I saw that the officers and soldiers in the tribe were very excited and full of complaints. When facing the enemy, , this is not a good omen, I hope your majesty will be vigilant!"
Although he didn't object as bluntly as before, the meaning behind his words was annoying.
He wanted to scold him, but as a wise king, he should obey and listen. Yelu Ruan suppressed his dissatisfaction and said calmly: "My subordinates have grievances, and I know it in my heart. Ordinary soldiers have no force, no strategy, no strategy, no knowledge." For national affairs, all you need to do is appease them. After they enter the Han territory, capture cities, plunder goods, snatch slaves, and possess women, and let them see many benefits, the resentment in their hearts will naturally subside. . I have sent people to announce to the armies that the big man will produce a lot this year, which is suitable for him to gallop and plunder..."
Luring them with benefits, no matter where they are, is always the most direct and effective method, but it also depends on the timing.
Seeing that Yelu Ruan looked like he had a pearl of wisdom in his hand, Yelu Wuzhi opened his mouth and said: "This advance has been delayed and the opportunity to fight has been lost early. The Han Dynasty has been prepared. According to reports from the south, only in You In the south, several strong passes were built, hundreds of fortresses were built, and tens of thousands of troops were stationed."
"The Southern Privy Envoy made two large-scale raids in the Spring and Autumn Period. Although we gained a lot, our army suffered a lot of losses. More than 5,000 soldiers died at the hands of the Han army. This time the Han army, and even Zhao Kuangzan's Yan army, fought The determination of the will is far ahead. It can be seen from this that the Han army cannot be underestimated. Once the two armies clash, it will be a bloody battle. Your Majesty must not be careful!"
After hearing Yelu Wuzhi's words, Yelu Ruan immediately refuted: "I attacked and harassed the Han people during their spring plowing and autumn harvest, and the noise was very loud. It was expected that the Han people would be on guard. Naturally, I will not be careless and underestimate the Han army. However, It is mainly an infantry force. Although the military formation is powerful, its fighting methods are dull. On the plains, there is a place for my cavalry to gallop everywhere."
"I will not attack those fortresses and fortified cities built by the Han people. If the Han army huddles within them, it is more suitable for me and is not a concern. As for the Han army's resistance and fighting will, in my opinion, It only takes a few more defeats to reduce them. In terms of bravery and bravery, can we, the Liao Tiger Soldiers, still be weaker than the Han people?"
Yelu Ruan was, one by one, refuting the concerns raised by Yelu House.
Yelu Wuzhi felt that the emperor was overconfident, but seeing his demeanor, he did not express it clearly.
After thinking for a while, he raised his hand and bowed, and said solemnly: "Since the situation of the Southern Expedition is under your Majesty's control, I can only do my best to assist Your Majesty!"
As soon as these words came out, Yelu Ruan's face looked much better, and he was probably thinking: This is what you should think and do!
However, Yelu Wuzhi changed the subject and reminded him in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Taining King Yelucha's heart is not pure, and he may have other intentions. Your Majesty is aware of his merits and does not want to kill him, so that's it. How can you return his command?" Soldiers and horses, to appease the troops? If we are not prepared, there may be unexpected chaos! Your Majesty, you must be careful!"
After some sincere words, Yelu Ruan's face showed uncontrollable anger. He waved his imperial robe and said extremely impatiently: "That's what you said again! As an important minister, he doesn't think about military and political matters. Instead, he repeatedly shows up in front of me. , what are your intentions in criticizing your clan colleagues? I already knew Chage’s loyalty as early as when he killed his relatives and exposed his father."
"When I succeeded to the throne, Chage also supported me and made great achievements. I know that you were afraid that Chage would regard you as an enemy because of Cha's father's rebellion, so you had this concern. However, I have no regard for you in this matter. You have endured it again and again, but if you make such slanderous remarks in front of me again, no matter how talented you are, I will not be able to tolerate it! Get back!"
Taining King Yelu Chage was the son of Yelu Anduan, the younger brother of Yelu Abaoji, the Taizu of the Liao Dynasty. Two years ago, Anduan rebelled and was discovered by Yelu's house hostage and sued Yelu Ruan. Yelu Chage took the opportunity to accuse his father. Not only was he not implicated, but he further gained Yelu Ruan's trust.
Looking at the emperor's attitude, Yelu Wuzhi really felt that he was unable to do what he wanted. How can a son be loyal to his king if he doesn't love his father? Your Majesty, you claim to be familiar with the Han people's classics. Why don't you understand such simple truths?
No matter how many loyal words he had in his heart, Yelu Wuzhi had no intention of saying them out at this moment. He lowered his head and thought for a while, then cupped his hands and said, "I understand! However, the minds of all the troops in the army are unstable and they have to be on guard. To avoid any unexpected events, I request your order to supervise them!"
"Yes!" Seeing this, Yelu Ruan also thought about it and nodded in agreement: "I can rest assured that you can supervise the army with the house hostage!"
"In this way, the emperor and his ministers will celebrate together at the royal banquet in the evening, and drink more wine!" His expression softened, and he patted Yelu Wuzhi's arm, Yelu Ruan said.
Slowly walking out of the imperial tent and passing by the prepared scene, Yelu Wuzhi's worries increased instead of decreasing and he couldn't help but shake his head. Standing in front of the tent, in the forest, looking up at the vast sky, instead of feeling relieved, he felt that there was an invisible rope binding his soul, which was so oppressive.
In the current situation, the generals are not allowed to appease the soldiers, but instead have a banquet. I'm afraid that this approach will not only fail to inspire, but will further encourage the officers and soldiers to become lazy.
In the evening, the imperial tent was noisy and the atmosphere was very heated. In front of fine wine, most of the Khitan noble generals are still very honest.
There are only a few people, such as King Yelu Chag of Taining, who taste it briefly; such as Yelu House Quality, it is like drinking bitter water; such as King Yelujing of Shouan, who is absent-minded.
On the main seat, Emperor Yelu Ruan sat cross-legged, his face flushed with wine, and he said quite boldly: "Everyone, please have fun tonight, but after our army enters the pass and sweeps across the Han territory, military discipline must be strictly observed. , fight with heart!"
"yes!"
And Yelu Ruan was also hugging each other. He took both queens with him on this trip. That's right, Emperor Yelu Ruan of Liao Dynasty had two queens, one of whom was Han Chinese, the Zhen family.
Zhen was originally just a maid in Daliang Palace, with a low status, but she was dignified, elegant and very beautiful. When he followed Yelv Deguang into Kaifeng, Yelu Ruan fell in love with her at first sight, and he felt that this girl was exactly what he imagined a girl from Central Plains should look like.
Although she was a little older, her charm was still there as the saying goes, and Yelu Ruan was very attracted to her. Later, when he returned to the north, he brought this woman, who was more than ten years older than him, back to Khitan. After seizing the throne, he was named queen despite the opposition of the nobles. The two even gave birth to a prince.
Although Yelu Ruan favored the Zhen family, taking him as his queen was a kind of confrontation with the Khitan nobles who did not obey his accelerated restructuring. At this time, in the imperial tent, it was obvious that Yelu Ruan was pro-Han women and alienated the Liao queen.
This royal banquet lasted for a long time. By the end, except for a few people, most of the generals in the army were drunk. As the emperor, Yelu Ruan was unconscious and was helped to sleep by Empress Zhen.
And in the dead of night, in a tent three miles away from the imperial tent, a group of Khitan nobles were gathering quietly. Generally speaking, what is being planned in such secret discussions is certainly not a good thing, but it is definitely a big deal.
The leader was none other than Taining King Yelucha, who was regarded as a loyal and loyal figure by the Khitan Emperor Yelu Ruan, as well as several noble generals and tribal leaders.
Yelu Chage did not have a fierce look on his face. He was dressed in military armor and shone coldly. However, under the dim light, his bearded face showed a somewhat discordant gloom.
Looking around, Yelu Chage's mouth still smelled of alcohol, and he said directly without any nonsense: "We are about to enter the pass. Once we enter a state of war with the Han army, it will be inconvenient for us to act! The emperor does not care about his soldiers and civilians. Life or death, if you want to conquer the south, I will do my best to remonstrate and restore the country's power, tonight!"
"Are you too hasty?" Someone hesitated slightly.
Yelu Chaghe suddenly glared with a fierce look in his eyes, which frightened him: "Today, the hostage made slanderous remarks about me in front of the emperor again. If it continues, our lives will be in danger!"
"I have found out clearly that the emperor is drunk, and the generals in the army are also drunk and cannot lead the army. We don't need many soldiers and horses. We only need to gather five thousand warriors, raid the imperial camp, capture the imperial tent, and take it directly Emperor, the Pishi army can be controlled, and great things can be accomplished. After that, declare the whole army to stop the southern expedition, and you will definitely get the support of all the soldiers."
"The only thing that needs to be guarded against is the quality of the house. When the time comes, we will divide an army to attack his camp and kill him!"
"Success or failure depends on tonight. After tonight, it will be up to us to decide the Liao Dynasty!" In the end, Yelu Chage no longer concealed his ambition, and there was a burst of enthusiasm in his eyes.
Until midnight, in the center of the Khitan camp, fire was suddenly raised and there was a sudden sound of killing. However, it was the rebels who launched an attack and rushed straight into the imperial camp. Although the guards of the imperial camp were elite Pishi troops, they lacked command and were attacked. They were directly defeated by the rebels and were able to rush straight into the imperial tent.
At the same time that the imperial camp was attacked, the camp where Yelu Wuzhi was located was also attacked at the same time. It's just that Yelu Wuzi was sleeping very lightly. He was suddenly awakened and stood up with a knife in hand to inquire about the situation. In fact, if there is anything else that needs to be inspected, it will become clear once you step out of the tent and see the fire and the sound of killing coming from the direction of the imperial camp.
His expression was extremely serious, and his eyes were full of anxiety. What he had been worried about had finally happened.
But when he saw the rebels attacking his camp, he became angry and immediately ordered his subordinates to summon the Pishi army that Yelu Ruan assigned to his command, and personally led the troops to fight back and kill them. With the fighting power of the Pishi Army, the rebels were quickly defeated.
Immediately, without stopping, he led the army towards the imperial camp with the intention of rescuing him. But along the way, the entire Liao camp was shocked by the sound of killing and the light of fire, and chaos quickly began to spread. Based on the previous situation of the army, the morale of the army was unstable, and the generals were often drunk. If there was no suppression, the roar of the camp would inevitably occur, and the consequences would be completely unimaginable.
In his heart, he scolded the gang of thieves who had made trouble regardless of the overall situation. Yelu Wuzhi forced himself to calm down and think about a solution.
In addition to the rebels, rebels suddenly emerged, almost stepping on the corpses of their own people. Yelu Wuzhi led people to rescue the emperor. It happened that Shouan King Yelujing led his troops to form formations to protect themselves due to chaos.
Yelvwuzhi finally thought of an emergency plan. He believed that the rebellion was definitely only a small group of people, and he was afraid that the rest would be hijacked. That is to say, a few waves of troops and horses were sent out to inform each camp that there were rebels and the emperor had mobilized troops to suppress them. Those who were not rebels should take off their helmets and form a formation to defend themselves. Otherwise, the counter-rebellion troops would kill them without mercy.
Although this method cannot suppress the troops in chaos, it is still effective for those troops stationed far away from the imperial camp. And just as Yelu Wuzhi guessed, after all, there were not that many people who wanted to rebel.
While stabilizing the overall situation, they sent troops to attack the rebels to rescue them. After the peripheral situation stabilized, Yelu Wuzhi and King Yelujing of Shou'an led the troops to support the imperial camp.
Thousands of pro-army troops guarding the royal tent eventually collapsed due to lack of reaction. Hundreds of die-hard soldiers fought tooth and nail to protect them, but were ultimately outnumbered and killed for the rebels.
By the time Yelu Wuzhi arrived, the imperial camp had been completely occupied by the rebels, and thousands of troops were trapped in the army, and they were besieging the reinforcements he sent. As for Yelu Chage, he had already taken up the banner of Emperor Yelu Ruan and began to send people to win over other armies.
Seeing that the rebels were trying to confuse right and wrong, Yelu Housezhao was even more furious. He immediately led an army with Yelujing to attack him and defeat his conspiracy.
On this autumn night, the Khitan imperial camp turned into daylight, and the two armies had a fierce battle. It didn't weaken until dawn.
