It is only more than two hundred miles from Huai'an County to the west to Yunzhong. Although it is still surrounded by mountains, the towering peaks appear scattered in the overall situation. They are not as dense as the Yinshan and Yanshan Mountains. The roads interspersed between them are It’s also much easier to walk.
In Yunzhou in spring, dense long grass has multiplied throughout the fields. The light rain once again blocked the imperial camp's progress.
"Spring rain is as precious as oil!" Liu Chengyou sighed softly while looking at the scenery of the surrounding fields in the rain and mist.
The Yunzhou area is a basin, not a rainy place, so rainwater is even more precious to it. However, when a good season comes, it is the farming season, but there is not a single plowing cow or a farmer in the fields, and they are all deserted.
Along the way, what Liu Chengyou saw was almost deserted and sparsely populated. The direct reason was this war. People in prefectures and counties fled, moved, died, and were injured.
The Yunshuo states shrouded in flames of war are really dilapidated. For the people who originally lived in this land, the arrival of the Han army probably brought more misfortune...
"The people of Yunshuo need to be comforted!" Liu Chengyou sighed again.
Although the population of the Yunshuo area dropped sharply after this battle, there is still some remaining population, especially the Shuo, Ying, and Wei prefectures in the south, which were less affected. Of course, this is only compared to the northern prefectures. In terms of.
The rain was not heavy, but it was lingering, and the body was filled with rain and mist. The light rain was not enough for Liu Chengyou to wash his hands that had grasped the soil. Zhang Dejun personally held an umbrella. Seeing this, he hurriedly asked people to get clean water for him to clean.
"We're almost in the clouds!" Liu Chengyou suddenly asked.
Zhang Dejun immediately replied: "According to General An, we have left the Qingpi Road and the mountain in front of us is Baishan Mountain. Yunzhong is thirty miles away. Uncle Gao Guo has already sent someone to contact the Yunzhong camp to discuss how to pick him up!"
"Baiten Mountain!" Liu Chengyou became interested and smiled faintly: "Remember to remind me to go and see it when you have time!"
"The official family, that is an ominous place!" Zhang Dejun reminded carefully.
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but glance at him: "You want to say that Liu Bang, the founder of the former Han Dynasty, was besieged here by the Huns, and it was a national shame!"
"You have read some books!" Seeing Zhang Dejun nod, Liu Chengyou said calmly: "But what does he have to do with me?"
Seeing this, Zhang Dejun immediately changed his words and said: "The officials are right. You sent millions of people to the northern expedition to Khitan, and the momentum was overwhelming. You fought and won in succession. The barbarians fled north and Guanshan was completely recovered. How can you be like Liu Bang's scoundrel?" Nothing can be compared!”
"The master of entrepreneurship is a hero of his own generation, how can you despise and slander him!" Liu Chengyou scolded him again.
This made Zhang Dejun feel uncomfortable. Neither the left nor the right, so just shut up. Liu Chengyou was also inspired. When he returned to Luanjia after letting go, he reminded him: "Remember, don't call Gao Zangyong your uncle in the future. He has a title and an official position. If you offend him one day, find him." You’re in trouble!”
Zhang Dejun was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and immediately responded: "Yes!"
Maybe it was self-respect, maybe it was reserve. Although he had the status of uncle, Gao Huaide didn't like others calling him that, not to mention that he was still in the army, and Gao Guifei was accompanying him.
It didn't stop until the afternoon, when it started to rain lightly. On February 20, the twelfth year of Qianyou's reign, with the support of the Yunzhou camp, the emperor drove to the gate of Yunzhou city and entered the Han camp to gather the three armies.
There is no need to elaborate on the matter of greeting the emperor. Liu Chengyou, who has rich experience in personal recruitment, is already familiar with it. As the "host", Fu Yanqing has already arranged the camp well and only needs to move in.
At this time, Yunzhou City was besieged by 250,000 Han troops. The densely packed camps reached to the sky and could not be seen at all. The numerous flags almost covered the sky. The voices of people and animals gathered together, almost It can shake the city wall in the clouds.
Still using the same tactics as before, the Han army built a lot of construction outside the city. A series of trenches, traps, earthen walls, sentry towers, and fences were all impressive, and they pressed against Yunzhong City with a suffocating momentum.
Of course, after the troops arrived at the city, under the command of Yelu Talie, the Liao cavalry in the city attacked and harassed day and night, hoping to tire out the Han army and disrupt its morale.
However, when the Han army's deep trenches and high fortresses were built, the effect was not obvious. But even so, the Liao army only reduced the frequency of attacks. They attacked from time to time. Although it was difficult to have much impact on the besieging Han army, it was like mosquitoes buzzing in the ears, which was annoying.
A lot of the defensive trenches in Yunzhong have been filled in, and there are also a lot of damages on the city walls. There are obvious traces everywhere, and it is obvious that there has been an attack.
Enter the military camp, meet with the generals of the armies, and listen to reports on the battle situation.
"Your Majesty, there are at least 20,000 defenders in Yunzhong City, commanded by King Yelu Talie of Liaonan Yuan. They are all Hu people, and all the Han people have been moved out. After the army was encircled, two probing attacks were launched, and the defenders were very Stubborn, the will to resist is still strong, and there is no sign of low morale. Due to several spring rains, we temporarily stopped our troops and made preparations for the attack..."
Fu Yanqing sat down at the bottom and briefly described the enemy situation in Yunzhong to Liu Chengyou. Liu Chengyou nodded. In fact, he already knew the general situation.
Liu Chengyou asked directly: "There was internal chaos in the Liao Kingdom. The Lord of the Liao Dynasty was eager to quell the rebellion in An Nei, so he made a move to withdraw his troops. But why did all the large armies withdraw, leaving only a powerful force under the command of an important minister to defend the city alone?"
Facing the emperor's question, Zhao Kuangyin reported: "Your Majesty, I and others have discussed it and believe that this is because the Liao army is unwilling to completely abandon the Yunshuo area. As far as the Liao State is concerned, if Yunzhou falls, most of the areas south of Yinshan Mountain will be destroyed. It will be difficult to survive under the attack of the Han Dynasty, and it will be difficult to take full initiative in the situation in the north.
If one division is left behind, it can play a diversionary role for the Liao army withdrawing from the north. At the same time, if we can hold on, it will greatly consume the military and national power of the Han Dynasty. The longer it is delayed, the greater the damage will be to the Han Dynasty.
In order to support the Yunzhou operation, our army had great difficulty in supplying baggage and supplies, and the burden on the rear was heavy. If the Liao army can hold on, it will not only consume our national strength and weaken our morale, but also lay the foundation for the Liao army to come south again..."
Zhao Kuangyin said while Liu Chengyou nodded. After thinking for a while, he finally agreed with their conjecture and sighed slightly: "The Liao Kingdom is gambling. It uses a Nanyuan king and more than 20,000 troops to bet that he can hold on. In the clouds!”
"What a courage! What a courage! What a determination!" Liu Chengyou said with some admiration in his tone.
Hearing what he said, he felt unconvinced. Dang Jin stood up and said loudly: "Your Majesty, now our army is besieging the city with ten times the force. How can we withstand the front of the Han army in the clouds?"
Looking at Dang Jin, Liu Chengyou's eyes showed a hint of admiration. At this time, such domineering and determination to win are needed.
After pondering for a while, Liu Chengyou's expression became extremely serious. He looked around and said in a resolute tone: "Everyone, it is the spring plowing season now. In order to support the Northern Expedition, domestic work has been delayed a lot. Tokyo. The ministers have complained to me several times.
Since the Northern Expedition, we have achieved significant results, and the only thing left to achieve full success is this city in the clouds. The Liao army wants to rely on this city to delay and exhaust us, and wants to win an offensive and defensive battle with us. I will help them.
Although this city is solid, we should also gnaw at it! When the weather improves, he will supervise the generals and attack the city with all their strength, breaking Yunzhong! "
"Yes!" Faced with the emperor's urging, all the generals naturally said yes.
For today's Han army, they have advantages in all aspects and are full of confidence. There is no reason to defeat him. Of course, Liu Chengyou did not dare to underestimate him. The Liao army dared to make such a decision, which showed its determination to defend.
"Yuan Long came from Yuzhou, how is the situation there?" Liu Chengyou asked Zhao Kuangyin.
Zhao Kuangyin replied: "I came with the army, broke through the barriers and captured the city, and the road was almost smooth. The local Han people came with bags of food to welcome them. Now Wang Shenqi, the envoy of the Flying Fox Army, is stationed!"
He nodded and asked Fu Yanqing: "How are the old and weak people in Yunzhou accommodated?"
"Temporarily move south and settle in Shuozhou!"
"..."
