"What is the irreversible crisis that Han Qing mentioned? If you have something to say, please speak it out without reservation. Have you noticed anything?" Yelvxian frowned deeply and looked at Han Derang with some doubts in his eyes.
Han Derang had a bitter and resentful expression on his face, and answered with his hands raised: "I have no conclusion, but I just feel that the Southern Dynasty is strong and has sufficient military and civilian power to mobilize. Although our army took advantage of it this time, it was because of Shanyang's power." Although we are disappointed, we will never sit back and watch the situation worsen.
The Han army's reinforcements are not coming. The more this is the case, the more alarming it is. Perhaps, without us noticing, the Han army has secretly prepared troops and lurked to plot against me!
Your Majesty, the current Yunzhong is too deep for our army! "
"Han Qing, this is the first time I've seen you showing such cowardice!" Seeing Handerang's hesitation and speculation, Yelvxian sighed.
"I'm just deeply worried!" Han De conceded.
"It's not like that for me!" Yelvxian's tired face showed a hint of desolation. After pondering for a long time, he finally made up his mind: "Calling the soldiers outside, the whole army is ready to evacuate!"
Although Yelvxian listened to the advice and made a decision, Han Derang did not relax much, but followed closely and said: "Your Majesty, please hurry up!"
"Summon the generals immediately and discuss the withdrawal of troops!" Yelvxian almost gritted his teeth in response to Handerang's solemn gaze.
Withdrawing troops is a technical task for any army. If there is a slight mistake or some accident occurs, the retreat will turn into a defeat.
The same goes for the Liao army. If Yelvxian wants to retreat north safely, the Liao army itself has many difficulties that need to be overcome. First, the generals and soldiers are willing to retreat northward without any obvious crisis; secondly, the troops are dispersed and they want to regroup the troops who are addicted to plundering in Waishanyang. It will take time; thirdly, although the Liao army is all cavalry and has many livestock and horses, the captured money, grain and materials will greatly reduce their mobility.
Of course, the most important thing is, how can the Han army give up and let them leave easily? There is no doubt about this. When the Liao army was surrounded by clouds and plundering Shanyang, a large number of Han army reinforcements were already advancing towards Shanyang from three sides. Perhaps they should not be called reinforcements, because the Han army's goal was obviously not to rescue. Yunzhong, but defeated this bold and rampant Liao army.
Twenty days was enough time for Emperor Liu to return an elite force from Liaodong and gather for rest. More troops, in the subsequent continuous improvement of the combat plan, are in place according to military orders, just waiting for a thunderous blow.
Of course, the movements in the Liao army camp in Yunzhong could not be hidden from the eyes of the Han army in Yunzhong City. Although the veteran general has not led troops for many years, he is getting stronger and stronger, and he is still very powerful in his military uniform.
Climbing up to Beicheng Pass and looking far into the distance, although you can't see anything clearly, you can feel the busyness and tension of the Liao army promised from miles away.
"In the past two days, three plundering Liao armies have returned to Yunzhong. The two enemy camps in the northwest are preparing for preparations. The situation has become obvious. The Liao army plans to retreat!" Pointing to outside the city, Shanyang Zhuge Liang Tian Chongjin, the deputy commander of the army, spoke very quickly to Li Wanchao.
"You want to leave? How can you get what you want?" Li Wanchao's gray beard was messy in the cool breeze, and his old eyes were still as sharp as an eagle.
"Before, there was no movement. The change happened in these two days. The general was not sure what went wrong. The Liao army was shocked and wanted to escape!" Tian Chongjin was about forty years old. He was brave, well-versed in military strategies, and led the army. Bing was experienced, but at this time, his tone was a bit anxious.
This time, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Liao army to move south, they set up a trap to lure Shanyang deep, encircle and annihilate it. This strategy was first proposed by Tian Chongjin, and then Li Wancao came forward to report the notification and coordinate the execution.
The result was basically as planned. The Liao army did break through the defenses and moved southward, approaching the enemy in the clouds. However, the most critical step, and the most difficult step to grasp, had not yet begun.
Shanyang has been harmed by the Liao army, and the officials and people suffered serious losses. If the Liao army escapes in the end, the result will be too difficult to accept. Although Li Wancao was on top, as Tian Chongjin who first proposed the strategy and assisted in its execution, it was a huge setback that would affect his career.
"There are capable people in the Liao army!" Li Wanchao was steady and said calmly: "It's not surprising that they are vigilant. Without such vigilance, even if they are given the opportunity, they may not be able to seize it and go south to break through!"
Li Wancao's old but rich voice seemed to have a calming effect on his emotions. Tian Chongjin also calmed down, thought for a while, and said: "Now the Liao army is about to leave, and the encircling army does not know where it is and how it is progressing!"
This is the most difficult part of executing such a big plan. It is inconvenient to transmit information and it is difficult to timely. It is even more difficult for the various troops involved to cooperate perfectly. In many cases, we can only rely on the generals of each group to adapt to the opportunity. Decision-making, and any choice may lead to different results and affect the outcome.
But when Yunzhong was surrounded, it was even more difficult for him to coordinate in time and work closely with other armies.
Of course Li Wanchao also understood this truth. His expression tightened slightly, making the ravine on his face clearer. After pondering for a while, Li Wanchao said: "Send people south again, contact Kang Yanze, and ask him to go north as soon as possible."
As he spoke, Li Wanchao couldn't help but look to the northwest and said solemnly: "The actions of the other armies are of course important, but what I am most concerned about is Kang Baoyi! Whether the Liao army can be left behind and how much results can be achieved depends on his side. , can you tighten the opening to the north!"
Hearing this, Tian Zhongjin nodded and agreed: "It's been so long. Kangbao Yi should have enough time to come east. If there is no accident, he should have passed Bai Daoshan and be able to catch up! The only worry is that he has few soldiers and a long distance. Marching will inevitably lead to fatigue, and there is no guarantee that we can cut off the Liao army's return path!"
Li Wanchao sighed: "His Majesty once said in the past, it's up to people to plan things, and it's up to God to make things happen! The situation has developed to this point, and the progress of the remaining armies is beyond our control. As the basis for encirclement and counterattack, we can only use our Do what you can and do your best! Send the order and let the soldiers be ready. Once the Liao army retreats north, they will leave the city to pursue them. Be sure to entangle them and wait for backup!"
"Yes!" Tian Chongjin responded solemnly.
"The last general has a request!" Looking at Li Wancao, Tian Zhongjin handed over his hand with a serious look on his face.
"Please, don't be so polite!" Seeing this, Li Wanchao chuckled.
Tian Chongjin: "For the pursuit, the last general will lead the troops out of the city, and the old general will be asked to sit in the clouds. There is no need to come to the battle in person!"
"General Tian thinks that I am too old to hold up my sword and leap on my horse to kill the enemy in battle?" After hearing this, Li Wanchao narrowed his eyes and stared at Tian Chongjin with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
Seeing this, Tian Chongjin looked serious and sincere, and responded: "This battle is dangerous, and the outcome is unpredictable. The general should lead the people to fight to the death. If there is a mistake, I will not regret it. However, in the clouds, we still need to The old general is sitting here, and as long as Yun Zhong is here, the battle situation will still be under our control. To take the overall situation into consideration, we ask the old general to temporarily suppress his desire to kill the enemy and stay behind in Yun Zhong!"
After hearing Tian Zhongjin's words, the unpleasant look on Li Wanchao's face disappeared, and his eyes became kind. Although they had only worked together for less than a month, he really admired Tian Zhongjin.
After thinking about it for a moment, Li Wanchao said: "That's all, my old and decaying body will stay in Yunzhong City and wait for you to win and return!"
"Yes!" Tian Chongjin held his hand again and said with emotion.
The Liao army in Yunzhong was eager to retreat, and the Han army responded tit-for-tat. After ten days of siege, the Han cavalry left the city for the first time and broke through the blockade of the Liao cavalry. After going south, the Liao army's response became even more eager.
This situation couldn't be more clear to Han Derang. It was a conclusion that the Han army was planning on them. Otherwise, there would not have been such a big reaction to their move.
For both Han and Liao, this seemed to be another battle for time. On that day, Yelvxian sent a group of light cavalry northward to protect the retreat road. At the same time, the first batch of about 20,000 troops also headed northward. The Han army in Yunzhong City did not move lightly. What they were going to fight was a pursuit battle, so they had to seize the opportunity to attack!
When the Liao army officially set out to withdraw northward, an army of tens of thousands of people more than a hundred miles south of Yunzhong had crossed the Sanggan River and advanced northward. The high flags, the long ranks, and the cruising knights all proved that this was the main force of the encircling army.
This army has a total of more than 60,000 people, and its composition is relatively complex. There are border troops, state and county soldiers, Tibetan soldiers, and a large number of rural volunteers, but they basically come from Hedong Road. This is also the army that was organized on the Hedong side in less than a month.
Although the combat effectiveness is much weaker than that of the forbidden and border troops, they are all soldiers who have undergone basic training and have a certain degree of discipline, even those who are volunteers from the countryside.
Even so, the assembled army also spent additional time in preparation. The middle and lower-level officers were mostly officers and soldiers with combat experience. They marched north in an orderly manner, accompanied by reorganization and training.
When the urgent news was received from the cloud, the speed of heading north immediately increased. On the 29th, he was still resting in hiding in Yingzhou. On October 1st, he entered Huairen.
Huairen, on the other hand, is only about eighty miles away from Yunzhong. The leading general of the Hedong reinforcements was named Kang Yanze. As Yang Ye's deputy general, he participated in the Battle of Baicaokou and severely defeated the invading Liao army. Although this person is not well-known, he has extraordinary knowledge and strong ability to lead the army, especially the ability to organize and train the army.
At sunset, the army arrived at Huairen, with battalions as units, each forming a defensive formation, resting on the spot, drinking water and eating. The north wind howled by, and Huairen County, which had been swept by the Liao army, was deserted and stood there deserted, as if telling of infinite desolation.
Kang Yanze looked like a Confucian general, and he usually had an easy-going temperament, but at this time, as he stared at the dilapidated and depressed county, his face was stern and he was speechless for a long time.
"General, would you like to send someone into the city to collect the corpse?" the general beside him asked for instructions.
"No! It's important to break the Liao!" There was no emotion in Kang Yanze's voice, but it put great pressure on his subordinates.
"The sky is already dark. Do you want to order us to go down and camp on the spot, and then march into the clouds tomorrow?"
"No!" Kang Yanze refused again, turned to the north, with an astonishing look in his eyes, and said: "The Liao army has withdrawn to the north, and you can march with confidence! After passing the order, the whole army held up their torches, built up a great momentum, and formed a formation to march north. , set off overnight!”
"Isn't it too risky to march overnight?"
"Just rush to the clouds!"
