"Your Majesty, you really have never given up on us!" Yang Ye let out an emotional sigh inside the felt tent.
"Never!" Wang Yinwu agreed with certainty: "In the past few months, Hexi has also received orders from the court several times. His Majesty has strictly ordered that traces of the soldiers must be found. Each one is more urgent than the other. Your Majesty and the court have always firmly believed that the soldiers You will definitely be able to escape from danger and escape!
After judging that the expeditionary force was retreating westward, the imperial court even decided to restart the westward march at the beginning and end of the Northern Expedition and add troops to the Western Regions to prepare for the return of the soldiers.
Since the beginning of spring, 20,000 royal troops have marched west from Helong. By now, they should have entered the Western Region and participated in the war in the Western Region! "
After hearing this, Yang Ye and others looked at each other with surprise on their faces. Looking at Wang Yinwu, Yang Ye said: "The king knows that we are hiding in a remote area and have no news. We know nothing about the situation of the Han Dynasty and the current world." What is the situation and how is the Northern Expedition progressing? I hope we can shed some light on it!"
Naturally, Wang Yinwu did not hesitate to answer this question and described the progress of the Central and Eastern Route armies of the Northern Expedition in detail. When he learned that the Han army had taken all Liaodong and all Monan, the Liao lord fled north, and the Hu people stayed away, he couldn't help but I am fascinated and excited.
While achieving martial arts for the Han Dynasty, he could not help but feel a little regretful. Yang Ye said: "It's a pity that we were unable to experience such a great achievement. In the battle at Mobei, we were defeated and fled westward in embarrassment!"
"Mr. Yang, you don't have to be like this!" After hearing what he said, Wang Yinwu immediately said: "Everyone in the army respects the expeditionary army. They ride lightly across the territory, gallop across the country, and fight hard. This is the behavior of a man. Although he suffered a slight setback, They went to sweep across Mobei, causing chaos in the rear of the Liao Kingdom, and were unable to support the battle in Monan.
The official had heard that if there had not been an expeditionary force to attack the hinterland of the Liao Kingdom, allowing them to have more troops to go south, the outcome of the Han's counterattack against Liao's Shanyang would have been unpredictable, and the northern border of the Han might have suffered a greater loss. of destruction!
Moreover, although the Liao State gathered a crowd and used its power to dominate others, it defeated the expeditionary force. However, in the past few months, the situation in Mobei of the Liao State has become increasingly declining. The tribes have become dislocated and have ulterior motives. The Khitan people's rule over Mobei has fallen into chaos. A huge crisis is hard to overcome.
Therefore, the soldiers of the expeditionary force fought hard and achieved great success! "
Although Wang Quanbin's words are full of compliments and flattery, their starting point is also reasonable. At least within the imperial court, during the evaluation of merits and demerits, there was no conclusion about the Mobei Expeditionary Force due to its unknown whereabouts, but Emperor Liu's attitude was already very clear.
Perhaps because of the great defeat, it is impossible to give high praise and rewards to the generals who commanded the army, just like Liu Tinghan who defeated Monan, with mixed success and failure, but for the general achievements of generals, they are still very positive. and provide rewards and compensation.
As for Yang Ye and others, of course, they hope to be recognized by the court more than their personal honors and contributions. After going through such cruel and arduous expeditions and sacrificing the lives of so many soldiers, they need to be recognized, otherwise they will be sorry. Those loyal soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Han Dynasty.
"The king is very knowledgeable, it's quite extraordinary!" Probably because Wang Yinwu said he felt comfortable, Liu Fang opened his mouth with a smile and said.
"Your Highness is ridiculous!" Wang Yinwu responded quickly: "I just expressed my respect for the soldiers of the expeditionary force. I wish I could be one of them and ride with the army to Mobei!"
After hearing what he said, Yang Ye and the other three nodded, and even Wang Yansheng's sickly face showed a little satisfaction.
After pondering for a while, Yang Ye looked at Wang Yinwu and said: "Wang Duzhi was ordered to find his master, and he went through all kinds of hardships. He traveled to a foreign land and came to Jinshan. It is both public and private. On behalf of the entire army, I would like to express my welcome and gratitude!"
When Yang Ye said this, Wang Yinwu immediately wanted to be polite, but was interrupted by Yang Ye: "Since we are not outsiders, I will speak frankly!"
"Mr. Yang, please speak!" Wang Yinwu subconsciously became serious.
"Nowadays, our army is in a very difficult situation, with a severe shortage of food and fodder, and it has almost reached an unsustainable point before spring.
During these days, the soldiers worked hard together, harvesting, fishing and hunting, and they could barely survive. Our officers and soldiers are all warriors who have fought countless battles, but they are in a precarious situation like refugees.
Everyone knows that coming here brings hope to the entire army. We, who have been wandering outside the territory for nearly half a year, will finally return home! "
"Thank you for your hard work, soldiers!" Yang Ye's words seemed to arouse Wang Yinwu's sympathy. His eyes were glimmering and he said in a deep voice. He remembered the arduous journey of the Western Envoy more than ten years ago, but compared with it, , the experience of the soldiers of the expeditionary force may be even more bleak.
Yang Ye continued: "To be honest, before the arrival of the king, General Wang and His Highness, I and I had already made a decision to break camp, march south into the desert, and return to the Han Dynasty through the Western Regions! We were trying to survive in a desperate situation, and we were full of worries. Now, I have more confidence!”
After Yang Ye finished speaking, Wang Yinwu did not speak for a moment, but thought about it for a moment, and then said with his hands in hand: "Mr. Yang, it is still too dangerous to cross the quicksand south. More importantly, south of the quicksand is the Luntai and Beiting areas. So far, It is still in the hands of the Liao army, and the Tianshan Mountains lie across the south. It is very difficult to break through.
Now that we have found it, the official suggested that we take a detour and head southeast along the edge of the mountain. Although the road is desolate, it is safer. The lower official can also send people to contact Hexi and ask Lu Shijun to prepare troops, horses and supplies for response, and return directly to the Han Dynasty! "
Wang Yinwu's idea is simple and clear. Now that the expeditionary force has been found, the most important goal has been achieved.
"Your Highness, old general, what do you think?" After hearing their opinions, Yang Ye asked Liu Fang and Wang Yansheng.
Liu Yang clearly felt from Yang Ye's tone that he had other ideas. He thought for a moment and said: "I only have one tent, and I must obey military orders."
Wang Yansheng was more straightforward and had no intention of lying or guessing riddles. He asked directly: "Chonggui, please speak up if you have any ideas!"
"This matter cannot be settled by me!" Yang Ye sighed and said: "I intend to continue to implement the previously discussed plan. However, the king has learned that the situation has changed. As he said , it is indeed safer to change the route to avoid the desert!"
As soon as he said these words, Wang Yansheng immediately expressed his attitude: "If it were not for Wang Yinwu, our army's road would be in the south, and it would not be long before we set off!
Decades ago, the Khitan cavalry crossed the quicksand and surrendered to the Xizhou Uighurs. Ten years ago, the Liao army also followed this path during its western expedition. The Khitan people can walk on the same road, but we, the Han soldiers, have walked it time and time again. how?
We evacuated all the way from Mobei to this place. We have gone through all kinds of hardships and hardships, but we still have this short distance to go? "
Of course, Wang Yansheng's attitude was not just for the sake of making bold statements. After just exchanging glances with Yang Ye, I roughly understood Yang Ye's considerations.
Among the people present, Wang Yansheng was probably the person most familiar with the situation in the Western Regions besides Wang Yinwu. Through the conversation with Wang Yinwu, they also had the latest understanding of the situation in the Western Regions, which also broadened their thinking.
Wang Yansheng spoke in his low, hoarse but strong tone, staring at Wang Yinwu and said: "Do you know what I just said just now, that the Western Region is now a three-party conflict, with the Han Dynasty, the Black Khan, and the Liao Kingdom constraining each other, and there is a stalemate?"
Wang Yinwu nodded. Wude Si had naturally collected this military information, and as the leader of the Helong area, he was naturally familiar with it.
"In fact, after autumn last year, the black Khans were already fighting against the Han Dynasty. There was only a remnant of the Liao army, retreating to the north of the Tianshan Mountains. The city only had two cities, Luntai and Beiting. There were no more than 4,000 soldiers and even fewer civilians. Relying on the dangers of the mountains and guarding the passes, they managed to survive.
General Guo Jin once wanted to go north to attack, destroy the Liao army, and then drive the Black Khan army out of the Western Regions, but due to lack of troops and the constraints of the Black Khan army, he was unable to do so.
This time, the imperial court sent troops to the west to aid. There were nearly 30,000 Han men in the Western Regions. If we add in the Uyghurs who were servants and the Tibetan people who were the Uighurs' descendants who went there voluntarily, the force was already very abundant. They also had to mobilize food, grass and weapons from Hexi to As support, even if Hei Liao unite, they will not be opponents. "
"Does the Second Duke want to seize the second city occupied by the remnants of the Liao army?" As he said this, Wang Yinwu came to his senses and asked in surprise.
"The king knows that Guo is knowledgeable!" Yang Ye also spoke up and said seriously: "Originally, I just wanted to return to the country. If I can cooperate with the soldiers from the Western Regions on the way and take down the Liao army that is entrenched in Luntai and Beiting, it will be considered a crime and meritorious service!"
"I will never return home in vain!" Wang Yansheng's old eyes became particularly sharp: "The situation of this remnant army is not much better than ours. They are both alone. If we are attacked from two sides, our army will be a magic weapon descending from the sky. Take it by surprise!”
In such a moment, Wang Yansheng and Yang Ye almost reached a consensus, but upon hearing this, Wang Yinwu frowned and hesitated: "Is this too risky? The soldiers are in such a bad situation, how can we ensure combat effectiveness, and have both sides?" Although a pincer attack is a good strategy, it is too difficult to coordinate the north and the south, and it is also difficult to coordinate operations. Moreover, if there is a slight mistake, there is a worry of overthrow.
Your Highness, the Second Duke, and your subordinates believe that the officers and men have had a hard time so far, so there is no need to take any more risks! "
"We will consider the combat capabilities of the officers, set a time, and contact the Western Regions. Wang Duzhi will be responsible for it, as soon as possible!" Yang Ye looked at Wang Yinwu and said sonorously and forcefully.
According to Wang Yinwu's thoughts, of course he was not happy. For him, bringing the expeditionary force back safely was no small feat. However, this was completely out of his control. Even though he, Wang Duzhi, was a big figure in Hexi and even the entire northwest, he was completely unqualified in front of Yang Ye and the others.
Facing the gazes of the three people, he could only sigh, cupped his hands and said, "I'll do my best, sir!"
"Okay! Then we should discuss a suitable time to attack!" Yang Ye said.
Wang Yinwu quickly adjusted his mentality and began to think about the matter. He estimated the time it would take for the message to be communicated and implemented to implement the plan, and then gave an answer.
While thinking about it, I heard Yang Ye's voice again: "Brothers, Your Highness, there is no need to follow the army. You should return to Hexi with Wang Duzhi!"
After saying this, Liu Fang stood up suddenly, almost kicked over the stool, and looked at Yang Ye: "Dushuai, what do you mean?"
Yang Ye smiled a little and responded calmly: "Your Highness, since you are in the army and you consider yourself to be my subordinate, you should know that military orders are like mountains!"
How could Liu Fang not know Yang Ye's intentions? According to his temperament, he would definitely fight for it. However, after noticing Yang Ye's calm eyes and listening to his words, he finally sighed with regret: "If brother Liu Fang leaves, How can his heart be at peace? How can he have the face to face Pao Ze who has lived and died with him in the future?"
Yang Ye still looked unwavering and said solemnly: "Liu Fang obeys the order!"
"exist!"
"You and Liu Min will accompany Wang Duzhi back to Hexi to report military intelligence and coordinate operations!" Yang Ye said.
"yes!"
The one who was most satisfied with this arrangement was Wang Yinwu. In fact, in his eyes, it was enough for the two highnesses to be safe. As for the safety of the entire expeditionary force, it was secondary, and it didn't matter if they all accompanied him.
And Yang Ye's military order was exactly what he wanted! I was secretly happy in my heart, and looked at Yang Ye with more admiration. I felt that Mr. Yang was so considerate.
And Yang Ye's eyes also turned around, staring at Wang Yinwu slightly coldly. Obviously, Yang Ye had already seen his thoughts. This man, no matter how sincere he said, but From the beginning to the end, he never cared about the soldiers of the expeditionary force!
