When the Huoshendian Rebellion occurred and the situation in Khitan changed dramatically, the Northern Han Dynasty was fully prepared for war. Yelu and Ruan's troops have already reached Kou Youyan Pass. How can Liu Chengyou lag behind the enemy?
Unifying the civil and military ideas of the DPRK, it was decided to send troops to resist the Liao Dynasty, and the emperor personally marched. He sent 50,000 troops from Tokyo, and went north to join the garrisons in Hua, Chan and Yedu, which also totaled 100,000. If we add in the towns, defenses and regiment training in Hebei, The army, as well as the commanding garrison troops on the Younan front line, 200,000 Han troops, are not much different. Among them, the Tokyo Forbidden Army and the Northern Front garrison were all well-trained and capable of fighting.
A large amount of grain, grass and ordnance were sent from various warehouses one after another. As the Hebei water and land grain and grass transshipment envoy appointed by Liu Chengyou, Li Hubo had already recruited hundreds of thousands of civilians in Heng, Hebei, Shen, Zhao, Bei, Cang and other prefectures.
It can be said that after receiving clear news that the Khitan army was moving south, Liu Chengyou used all his strength to deal with it, and all the troops he could use were mobilized.
On the main force of the Han army, in addition to He Fujin, the frontier commander on the northern front, who was deployed as the marching capital of North Hebei Province, Liu Chengyou also appointed Murong Yanzhao, the Marquis of Yu in front of the palace, as the commander of the left wing of the camp, and Xiang Xun, the commander of the Jingjiang military capital. They made arrangements for the waterways and Wang Jun, the deputy commander of the bodyguard, made arrangements for the army and the camp. Originally, they planned to ask Gao Xingzhou, the father-in-law, to go out, but the father-in-law was a little weak and could not bear to fight, so he gave up.
On the other hand, another father-in-law, King Fu Yanqing of the Wei Dynasty, who was strong and healthy, was appointed as the commander of the camp in Hebei and commanded the troops on the Yellow River. He was also ordered to send a group of troops to go north first.
On the Tokyo side, the Imperial Palace Division and the Guard Division, with 50,000 infantry and cavalry, have already started heading northward towards the target location under the leadership of military commanders. The imperial chariot is also about to set off, and then, news comes from the north...
Both inside and outside Tokyo have been dyed yellow for a long time. At the end of autumn, there is an even more desolate atmosphere everywhere. Taking advantage of the tail of autumn, the cold wind blows freely, twisting the dead grass and drifting the fallen leaves.
To the southwest of the imperial city is the left wing of Si Longqi's army stationed in front of the palace. Thousands of soldiers, led by the commanders of various armies and battalions, entered from outside the city and returned to their own camps.
All the soldiers had doubts in their expressions. Those who had young children among them had all said goodbye to their families, prepared rations, weapons, and prepared for the war, and were ordered to set off for Chanzhou. However, as soon as they left the city and turned north, within ten miles, they received another military order from the Privy Council, asking each army to return to their barracks to await further orders.
After all this tossing, everyone above and below was full of confusion. However, due to military discipline and the march, they did not dare to talk to each other and discuss in private. However, after returning to the camp, they started talking.
After several reorganizations, the Longqi Army has a total of twenty battalions of four armies on the left and right sides. Counting officers at all levels, the total number of troops in the army exceeds 10,000.
As the battalion commander of the B Battalion of the First Army in Longqi Left Chamber, Shi Shouxin was also thinking about this matter after arranging for his soldiers to return to the camp.
"Brother Shi!" In the military camp, Shi Shouxin stood with his sword in hand. While he was meditating silently, a greeting woke him up.
Looking up, he saw an equally young officer walking towards him and returning the greeting: "Brother Han!"
The visitor's name was Han Chongyun. Although his appearance was not as upright as Shi Shouxin's, he still had a heroic spirit of his own. But like Shi Shouxin, he is also one of the best young officers promoted by Emperor Liu Chengyou in recent years.
"Why did the army come back after it came out?" Because they were marching together, the two of them were naturally close. Han Chongyun had always admired Shi Shouxin's talent and insight, so he had doubts in his mind and asked directly.
"When the troops and horses move, a thousand gold will be wasted. The emperor has always attached great importance to military orders. If there is no major change, he will not change orders like this day and night." Shi Shouxin glanced at Han Chongyun and pointed to the north: "I think about it carefully, only in the north have major military changes occurred!"
"I know too!" Han Chongyun said: "The question is, what kind of change happened?"
After hearing the question, Shi Shouxin spread his hands and chuckled: "This is not something we can know, but I guess it must be good news. Otherwise, what we will receive may be a military order to speed up the march, not like this Return to Tokyo!"
"It's been a toss-up back and forth." Shi Shouxin said with a bit of emotion in his tone: "Our Longqi Army is okay. We are finally setting off. Those troops who have already gone north will probably be even more uncomfortable!"
"Hey! After so long preparations, I am ready to go into battle to kill the enemy and chop off a few more Khitan heads..." Han Chongyun looked eager to go to the battlefield.
"There is still a chance!" Shi Shouxin said with certainty: "Since this year, the imperial court has been preparing for war for almost a whole year. It is a waste of money and a lot of money, so it will definitely not end without a problem!"
Like most of the young generals in the Tokyo Forbidden Army today, Shi Shouxin is also eager for war. He needs military merit to prove himself.
In recent years, Liu Chengyou has reformed the military system, consolidated military power, and promoted a large number of young officers and rising stars. But there is a bottom line. Even an outstanding person like Shi Shouxin can only sit in the battalion command position. Even so, it has aroused the jealousy and rejection of many veterans.
The emperor summoned them several times and repeatedly encouraged them, but the core meaning was only one: whether he will be a general or a handsome man in the future, he can only rely on himself to fight on the battlefield. If there is no merit, there will be no reward. If there is a mistake, he will be punished and there will be no preferential treatment. .
It was such a straightforward holy intention that made this young general even more eager to make meritorious deeds.
It was not just the officers and soldiers of the Longqi Army who were tortured. As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Chengyou was also tortured a lot. All the luggage has been packed and the accompanying personnel have been arranged, and they will only stay northward under the escort of the Ouchi Army and the Cavalry Army.
In the store of Chongzheng Hall, there were more than ten ministers from the Zhongshu family, the Third Division and the Privy Council. They all stared at the messenger in the hall, who was a low-level deacon in the Privy Council's Detective Department. In the hall, facing the gaze of the emperor and the ministers, they were obviously a little nervous and couldn't help but swallow. Swallow.
Liu Chengyou looked more serious, but seeing his embarrassment, he tried his best to say in a relaxed tone: "You don't have to be so nervous. Tell everyone about the Khitan situation you explored in Wende!"
"Yes!" As an intelligence officer who licks blood on the tip of a knife, his psychological quality is still very strong. He quickly adjusted and said in a deep voice: "The Khitan commander's army of one hundred thousand arrived at the Huoshen Lake in the former Wende County of Wuzhou four days ago. , here we offer sacrifices to heaven and father, and swear an oath to march south. I led my subordinates under my humble command, and hid in Wende territory to explore, but because of the Khitan cavalry, I didn’t dare to get close!”
"However, that night, there was a sudden commotion in the Khitan camp. Even ten miles away, you could hear the sound of killing and see the light of fire. The Khitan cavalry scattered in the countryside and plundered the villagers. I took a risk and captured an enemy soldier. , only after interrogation did we find out that it was the Khitan nobles who took the lead in causing the rebellion."
"On the second day, I continued my covert investigation and found out that Emperor Yelu Ruan of the Liao Kingdom had died and was succeeded by King Yelv Jing of Shou'an. Although the Khitans blocked the news, it was difficult for outsiders to know the details of the Huoshendian Rebellion, but it was obvious that , there was a rebellion by the nobles, and there were many casualties. Later, I secretly went to the residence to have a look. Although it was cleaned up, the traces of fierce fighting were extremely obvious."
"Today, the Khitan army has been divided into several branches and has disappeared. The largest one has about 40,000 riders, escorting Yelu Ruan's coffin and heading towards Tanzhou."
"I knew the importance of this matter due to my humble duty, so after sending the letter, I came to Beijing in person to report what I had discovered."
After listening to his narration, the palace was quiet for a long time. People like Wei Renpu and Zheng Renjie who had known the news beforehand could still remain calm. Feng Dao, Fan Zhi, Li Tao, Xue Juzheng and others were a little out of sorts. Feng Dao, an old fox, immediately stood up and approached Liu Chengyou with a bright smile: "Your Majesty, the Khitan has undergone such a sudden change. God may bless this man and your majesty!"
Looking at his expression, I couldn't help but feel happy, so I almost held my hands in celebration. Fan Zhi's usually cold and solemn face also had a chrysanthemum-like smile on his face, but he still remained calm: "If this matter is true, it will be great news for my court!"
"But!" Fan Zhi's eyes became particularly sharp, staring at the detective: "Be sure to confirm that this matter is correct!"
After saying this, Zheng Renjie stood up and said: "There should be no lies. There is also a lot of news in the north, but it is not as detailed as his report. According to the military report, all the Khitan troops in the north have withdrawn and are in a defensive posture. . And the news that the Khitan has changed its emperor has already spread across the border. Even if the Khitan people have a conspiracy, they will never make a fuss about such a thing!"
"What Zheng Qing said is true. The situation in the north will continue to come out one after another!" Liu Chengyou spoke, but it was hard to see what he was thinking at this time.
"You are in the north this time. You are brave and careful, and you have meritorious service in the investigation. You have done a good job!" After a pause, Liu Chengyou first looked at the detective, praised him, and then said to Zheng Ren: "You should be rewarded accordingly. Upgrade to level three!”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" After Liu Chengyou finished speaking, the detective immediately knelt down and was extremely grateful.
Isn't that why I took such a big risk, went to all the trouble, ran like crazy, and returned to Beijing in person? After bowing out respectfully, I was overjoyed. The adventure was not in vain.
In the Chongzheng Hall, after all the ministers had digested the good news, Liu Chengyou's eyes narrowed slightly and asked: "Now, the Khitan is undergoing drastic changes, and I, a big man, should also follow the trend. The previous battle plan can be overthrown and restarted! However, How it will change needs to be decided as soon as possible!”
With the current situation, no matter how it changes, there are nothing more than two general directions and two choices. Either follow the direction of the Han's chariots and take advantage of the Khitan's self-insurrection to attack the Liao Dynasty in the north; or follow the three-year strategy and go south to attack the Tang Dynasty.
