To the north of Dai County, on Gouzhu Mountain, there are strong passes and dangerous fortresses. Because it connects to the Yunshuo Plateau in the north and the Xindai Basin in the south, the Yanmen Ancient Road has always been a choke point for transportation between the north and the south and a battleground for military strategists. Although the terrain is steep, it is always attracting the northern peoples. After all, as long as they break through the mountain passes of dozens of miles, they can take advantage of the opportunity to reach too far through the Xin Dynasty and briefly reach the Jin Dynasty.
However, these few dozen miles of mountain passes, like a natural chasm, have always blocked the Khitan people's ambition to go south. The Yanmen Pass, which sits high in the sky, is like an iron gate, faithfully performing its duties.
The Khitan people have some connection with Yanmen Pass, and they are not completely ignorant of the Yanmen Ancient Road. More than 20 years ago, the Khitan army passed by here and went south to Jinyang to help Shi Jingtang found the country. More than 10 years ago, the Khitan fought against the Jin State and attempted to march to Hedong. However, they were defeated by Liu Zhiyuan, who was still the King of Peiping at the time, and gained a lot.
More recently, during the early Qianyu period and the Yang Ye garrison period, there were several battles between Han and Liao around Yanmen. Although there were no large-scale battles, there were several battles involving more than 500 people. Moreover, the wrestling and fighting between small groups was equally brutal and bloody.
It was not until the fourth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign that the Han and Liao Dynasties negotiated peace, and the situation gradually eased. Of course, it was impossible to say that everything was peaceful. Some of the Khitan soldiers disguised themselves as thieves and robbed Han merchants and people, and some of the Han troops disguised themselves as horse bandits and went to the "Grass Valley" in the Saibei grassland.
In order to protect the trade routes and protect the people, the officers and soldiers of both Han and Liao also fought wits and courage with the bandits. Of course, they knew many things very well, but they never exposed them, and neither of them refused to give in. This tacit struggle between the two sides continued for seven or eight years.
It has been almost ten years since I was ordered to go north to garrison Dai in the winter of the first year of Qianyou. In ten years, Yang Ye grew from youth to adulthood, became a father, and grew into a truly mature border guard general. Guarding the border for ten years and living in one city and one gate for ten years, Yang Ye could be said to have devoted the best years of his life to Yanmen.
In the past ten years, Yang Ye's greatest achievement was to build a defense system centered on Yanmen Pass, supplemented by dozens of passes along the mountain, and to train an elite infantry and cavalry team. .
In the Dongxing Pass of Yanmen, on the southeast campus, a Han army of more than 700 soldiers was practicing. Yang Ye personally commanded in the formation, waving the order flag, and the soldiers followed the order to the east, changing the formation. The whole scene looked serious and orderly, running smoothly, the formation was rigorous, round, and almost flawless. It was obvious that these soldiers had reached a certain level of training in military formation.
What was being practiced this time was the Six Flower Formation created by Li Jing, the God of War in the early Tang Dynasty. It has been developed for hundreds of years and has become very mature. Of course, Yang Ye has added some new changes based on the current military development. Make it simpler and reduce complicated coordination as much as possible.
For ordinary soldiers, of course, the simpler the coordination and the fewer changes, the better, and the same is true for generals. The creation of the Rikka Formation is to use as few troops as possible to complete a more stable formation, achieve the most effective results, and reduce the difficulty of command.
Yang Ye commanded the Xiang army with 4,000 troops. In these years, in addition to patrolling the defenses of the passes day after day and exploring the enemy's situation in the north of the Great Wall, he focused the rest of his energy on training his troops. Up to now, his subordinates can move like their arms and move like their hearts.
Although the Liuhua Formation is mainly for defense, Yang Ye's practice of it is strategically based on offense. He is already considering in advance the battle to rely on Guanguan City in the north of Saibei. This is also something that some senior generals within the Han Dynasty are considering.
The round formation changed into a square formation, the curved formation changed into a sharp formation, imagining the enemy's situation and terrain, and switching between offense and defense. After practicing for more than two hours, the training was completed and disbanded.
"Dad!" On the general stage, the boy who had been watching the sergeant's drill gave Yang Ye a military salute.
The boy who is almost ten years old is naturally Yang Ye's eldest son Yan Zhao. He has already shown a certain degree of military talent. He has been learning literature and martial arts since he was six years old, and followed Yang Ye in and out of military camps and inspected military fortresses.
Yang Ye now has three sons, but he is extremely fond of his smart eldest son. He regards him as his heir and has been training him since he was a child.
"Da Lang, are you hungry?" Yang Ye asked with a smile.
Yang Yanzhao nodded and said directly: "I'm hungry!"
"Then go back to the house and eat!" Yang Ye said.
Hearing this, Yang Yanzhao couldn't help but raise a question: "Didn't dad always say that a general should share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers? It's late and there is food in the camp, why not eat in the camp?"
He raised his thick eyebrows and looked at his eldest son's smart appearance. Yang Ye's smile grew brighter. He touched his head and said, "I am both the leader of an army and the leader of a family. If I don't return home, I'm afraid your mother will find you." Come to the military camp..."
Yang Ye's words were of course a joke. His wife was the granddaughter of the late Prime Minister Feng Dao, and she was also the emperor's matchmaker. She was well-educated, well-educated, sensible and well-educated, and was a very good housekeeper. Accompanying Yang Ye for ten years, he never complained about the bitter cold in the border areas. He always stayed contented with himself and supported his husband and children. Because his poems and books were passed down from generation to generation, he also wrote several poems that were spread in the southern part of the country and the northern part of the country.
When it came to his mother, Yang Yanzhao obediently said that he was going back home. For so many years, Yang Ye had been hampered by official and military affairs and could not help but neglect his family. Feng was in charge of the upbringing of the children throughout the Yang family. For his mother, Yang Yanzhao also developed respect and fear from childhood...
Yang Ye picked up his eldest son and wanted to take him back home, but he fluttered him a few times and struggled to the ground, trying to leave by himself.
Yang Mansion is located in the pass, located in Xicheng. For a military fortress, life is definitely not a good one.
Feng was two years younger than Yang Ye and married him before she was eighteen. Years of living in Beishu made Feng no longer as soft and beautiful as before, and her skin was not as smooth and delicate as before. However, the resolute and strong temperament she gradually developed later made Yang Ye even more heartbroken. Not every pampered, graceful and weak woman can endure such loneliness and bitter cold.
"Madam!" Yang Ye still respected Feng. In the mansion, Yang Yanzhao, one big and one small, stood there honestly, smiling carefully with them.
The sky was already dark. Before returning home, Yang Ye felt something in his heart and took people to inspect the garrison in Guanbei. After such a trip, it was naturally too late. In the hall, the meal had been prepared, but it was obviously cold. Feng sat at the table with two hungry children beside her.
Seeing Yang Ye's slightly guilty expression, Feng's beautiful face softened and she said softly: "Now that you're back, wash up and tidy up, and I'll have someone heat up the food!"
"You guys, go clean up yourselves too!" Mrs. Feng glared at her three sons again, especially the two younger ones, who liked to touch and move around. After waiting for so long, their clean hands had already become dirty again.
Feng, on the other hand, personally helped Yang Ye take off his robe, took off his coat and went to the courtyard well. The servant brought the hot water, Feng took the well water to adjust the temperature, and then helped him wash his hair and cleanse himself...
Midsummer has not yet arrived, and the weather is not too hot, but taking a bath is still a very enjoyable experience and feels refreshing. However, looking at Mrs. Feng with her sleeves rolled up, Yang Ye couldn't help but say: "Madam, I come from a scholarly family. I feel guilty for doing this job with your hands that hold pens and grind ink!"
Hearing this, Mrs. Feng chuckled and said, "If I spend all my time in a boudoir, studying poetry and books, I am no longer suitable to be General Yang's wife! It is my duty to support my husband and raise my children, so why should my husband feel guilty!"
Feng's attitude was calm and generous. Regarding this, Yang Ye could only sigh, "What do the couple want when they get a wife like this?"
Feng said: "My husband always says this, and I am worthy of receiving this praise!"
During a dinner, the family stayed together in a harmonious atmosphere, but the meal was only half eaten. The military academy hurriedly came to report: "Military envoy, someone from Beisei has come to warn that there is a strange movement of the Liao army in Yunshuo!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ye immediately put aside his tenderness and became serious. He turned to look at Feng, who showed him a virtuous smile: "Since there is a military situation, your husband should deal with it early. Don't neglect it!"
