The new year is here before you know it. The war is still far away from the South Beijing Road. Except for Sang Zhong who is spying on Tangzhou, there is no threat from other places. Wang Xiaolie gathered his generals and subordinates and gathered in Xinye to celebrate the New Year together.
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Xiaolie, his generals and Chen Yuyi were in the back office, chatting about the current situation. In the yard outside, a pit was set up, and a sheep, half a pig, and a few pigeons were roasted in it. Wait until night, everyone drinks and eats meat together.
The sky was overcast, and snowflakes started to fall from nowhere. Floating and fluttering, seemingly there and not at all.
Looking at the weather outside, Wang Xiaolie said: "In the summer, I would never have imagined that the situation would deteriorate to this point this winter. Wanyan Zongbi's troops on the East Road actually have a small number of people. I have calculated that the real Jurchen army is, There are only 30,000 to 50,000 people. But with these 30,000 to 50,000 people, going straight to the southeast is like entering an uninhabited land! There is an army of 100,000 to 200,000 people from the imperial court, but they let the Jin people roam freely!"
Chen Yuyi sighed: "Which of the generals leading the troops today can compete with the Jin? For example, Liu Taiwei, who was stationed in Jiangzhou, retreated when he heard that the Jin had arrived. Even the generals are like this, what can others do?"
Wang Xiaolie hesitated for a moment and then said: "Speaking of which, the imperial court was unable to integrate its forces and could only let the military commanders do their own thing. There were nearly 200,000 troops and thousands of miles of land. How could it be like this? If we had been prepared, Select suitable terrain and work together. Not to mention annihilating the Jin army in the south of the Yangtze River, is it difficult to stop them? It just means that those who defend the territory will die in battle, and those who avoid the battle will be free!"
After hearing this, all the generals sighed. By now, the Song Dynasty also knew that there were actually not many Jurchens. A large-scale invasion of the south, with an army of one or two hundred thousand Jurchens, would be a great thing. But the Song Dynasty only had a large number of armies on paper, but in actual fighting, no one was reliable. Those who really wanted to fight, such as Han Shizhong and others, did not have many soldiers. Those who have many soldiers and horses, such as Liu Guangshi and others, just want to avoid fighting.
What's more serious is that as time goes by, the Jin Dynasty slowly consolidates the occupied north and has more and more troops. Just like this time, there were only tens of thousands of Jin troops participating in the war, but there were one or two hundred thousand Khitan, Bohai, and Han'er accompanying them. At first, these people were just filling up the ranks. As they fought more battles, their combat effectiveness became stronger and stronger.
Speaking of the current situation, several people lamented and sighed. Yuege ran to the sea, and Queen Mother Longyou was about to cross Lingnan.
The weather is getting dark and the meat grilled outside is getting cooked. The soldiers brought the meat, placed it on the long table, and served wine. Several people drank wine and ate meat.
After drinking for three rounds, Wang Xiaoxian asked: "Let's not talk about the southeast. How are the wars around us recently?"
Shao Ling said: "Except for Sang Zhong in the east of Tangzhou, there are no large forces spying on us. Cao Duan in the north is mainly in Zhengzhou and Gong County, and is entangled with Lieutenant Zhai. The other small forces are insignificant."
Niu Gao said: "The situation in Shaanzhou is not optimistic. We have been fighting for a long time, but Privy Zhang has not sent troops to rescue us. How can we defend the isolated city?"
Wang Xiaoxing said: "To the east of Tongguan, there is only Shaanzhou left. Privy Zhang should send troops. If Shaanzhou is not protected, the Jin army in Yunzhong will have no worries and can attack Shaanxi together. At that time, Privy Zhang's It’s a lot of pressure.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. For Zhang Jun, if he could keep Shaanxi Province, he would have much more room to maneuver with the Jin army.
The snow fell slowly and slowly, and soon melted. The ground did not turn white until dark.
While Wang Xiaolie and others were drinking, eating meat, and sitting chatting, a fast horse drove into Xinye City. The soldiers who were about to close the city gate saw the knight on horseback in disheveled clothes and hurriedly stopped him.
Not long after, a soldier quickly ran into the back office. He crossed his hands in front of Wang Xiaolie and said, "Observe that Shao Yun, the general of Guozhou, has been sent by Shao Xing of Zhizhou and entered Xinye City. He has something important to do and needs to meet and observe!"
Wang Xiaolie looked at everyone, a little puzzled. Guozhou and Shaanzhou are integrated, and Shao Xing is also a member of Li Yanxian and has no contact with him. When the Jin army besieged Shaanzhou, what were you doing here?
After thinking for a while, he said: "Let him rest for the night, and I will see him tomorrow."
The soldiers were in a bit of trouble. Said: "Observe, Shao Yun looks very tired on the road. According to him, the matter is urgent and he has not dismounted all day and night. If we don't meet him today, I'm afraid he-"
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolie had no choice but to say: "That's it, let him meet me here!"
The soldiers promised to retreat.
Wang Xiaolie said to everyone: "It's such an emergency, I'm afraid it's a matter of Shaanzhou. The Jin army has been surrounded for so long and hasn't heard any news. Why are they suddenly in a hurry to come here? There is still a gap between Shaanzhou and Shaanxi Province. A Lieutenant Zhai. If something really happened, he shouldn’t have come to our place."
Niu Gao said: "Lieutenant Zhai is suppressed by the Jin army and can't even go to Luoyang. How can he save Shaanzhou?"
Wang Xiaolie nodded, but he still didn't understand. Shaanzhou is under the control of Shaanxi Road, so it is much more convenient to rescue people from Shaanxi. No matter what, there was no reason to come to him for help. The two places are hundreds of miles apart, and when we send troops from Xinye, the day lilies are cold there.
Not long after, Shao Yun came in. I saw that his clothes were torn in many places, his hair was messy, and there were stains on the left and right sides of his face.
When he arrived, he looked at Wang Xiao, who was sitting in the middle, and said, "The last general, Shao Yun, is the general of Guozhou. On orders from the governor, I came here to see and observe!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "I know your name. You gathered a crowd to fight against the Jin and became brothers with Shao Zhizhou. I heard that the Jin army is attacking Shaanxi Province. I wonder why you came here? But you are short of money and food?"
Shao Yun was silent for a moment. After a while, he said: "To be honest, I got a reply from Privy Council Zhang a few days ago, saying that he led his troops to save Shaanzhou. As soon as he left Jingzhao Mansion, he was blocked by Jin soldiers and could not move forward for a while. He was so close. The twists and turns, and sitting idly by without help——"
After hearing these words, Wang Xiaolie's heart sank. How many soldiers and horses can there be in one city of Shaanzhou? The Jin army launched a massive attack and needed rescue if they wanted to hold on. Originally, Qu Duan's army was closest to Shaanzhou, so as long as he was willing to send troops, it would not be too troublesome.
Thinking of this, Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but sigh secretly. On Shaanxi Road, the Song Dynasty did not have no soldiers or generals, but the generals did not obey anyone and did not listen to orders. He didn't save him when he needed to be saved, and he didn't fight when he needed to be beaten. He just sat back and watched the success or failure. To be honest, the Song Dynasty made the right decision to treat him with a high position, give him great power, and send Zhang Jun to manage Sichuan and Shaanxi. But the problem is that Zhang Jun is too ambitious and talented to take on this important task.
Seeing that Wang Xiaolie remained silent, Shao Yun took out a letter from his arms. Said: "Privy Zhang wrote a letter, saying that there are many observers and generals, and they can come for help in emergencies. The Jin army has been besieging Shaanzhou for nearly a month now, and the city has run out of food and grass. Is it really difficult to support it?"
"Ask me to save Shaanzhou?" Wang Xiaolie looked at Shao Yun, a little unbelievable.
Not to mention that he was too far away from Shaanzhou and might not be able to be rescued in time. Just tell me who you are. No matter how the court appointed officials and made wishes, the territory was conquered by itself and the army was trained by itself. It can be said that it did not cost the court a penny. How could you let yourself do something so dangerous?
Seeing Wang Xiaolie's expression, Shao Yun sighed secretly. Indeed, there is Qu Duan's army not far from Shaanzhou, so there is no reason to go to Dengzhou hundreds of miles away to ask for help. Wang Xiaolie was a military leader who developed by himself, how could he do such a thing?
Handing the letter in his hand to the past, Shao Yun said nothing.
Wang Xiaolie opened the letter. The letter was written by Zhang Jun. After talking about the importance of Shaanzhou now, the Jin army gathered this time, and it is serious that Shaanzhou will never retreat unless it is reduced. Finally, it was said that the Shaanxi Song Army was blocked by the Jin Army and could not go east for a while, and Wang Xiaolie was asked to send troops. Finally, Zhang Jun promised that if Wang Xiaolie sent troops, he would be rewarded heavily if he succeeded.
After closing the letter, Wang Xiaolie closed his eyes and remained silent.
Regardless of Zhang Jun's generous reward, what Wang Xiaolie needs to understand is how valuable Shaanzhou's rescue is. At this time, Shaanzhou effectively blocked Shaanxi Road, there is no doubt about it. But for Wang Xiaolie, how much does it have to do with him?
Shao Yundao: "Observation, it has been three years since the Jin soldiers attacked and Li Kuan launched his troops to fight against the Jin. He has gone through hundreds of battles and made countless military achievements. The people around him are grateful for his kindness and have joined him one after another. So far, people as far away as Heshuo have I am assigned the military bugle of Li Kuan. If Shaanzhou is defeated, Li Kuan’s many years of hard work will be all in vain. The people of Hedong and Shaanxi will be tortured by the Jin army."
Wang Xiaolie sighed: "Do you know how many miles it is from Xinye to Shaanzhou?"
Shao Yun said: "I will come from Guozhou without stopping for seven days and seven nights."
Wang Xiaolie said: "You are traveling alone, regardless of your life. Half of your life has gone from Guozhou to here in seven days and seven nights. How many days will it take for the army to march? From here to Shaanzhou, it is about 800 miles! I am the times If we follow the road, it will take half a month to arrive!"
If Qu Duan doesn't save Shaanzhou, the one closest to him at this time is Wang Xiaolie. From Xinye, pass through Dengzhou, then go northwest to Neixiang, and go northwest along Wuguan Road. Travel about seventy miles and head north along the mountain pass. Passing through Lu's family, we took Guozhou to Shaanzhou. This road is almost entirely covered by steep mountains. Although it has been an important road since ancient times, it is not conducive to the movement of large armies.
Shao Yundao: "The last general knows that observation is in trouble. However, Li Kuan is loyal to the country, and the court and people all rely on the Great Wall! If Kuan is unwilling to send troops, the city of Shaanzhou will be destroyed, this, this -"
Wang Xiaolie sighed: "It's not that I don't want to rescue, but it's because the distance is too far and it's difficult to rescue. To be honest, the journey will take more than fifteen days, and it will take five or six days to prepare the army for war. It's me who's afraid. When the army arrived at Shaanzhou, the city was already broken! At that time, I was going to work hard on an expedition to face the Jin army who was waiting for work. Tell me, how can I make this determination?"
After hearing this, Shao Yun was silent for a while. Yes, what if Li Yanxian can't hold on, Wang Xiaohunting arrives, and the city of Shaanzhou is destroyed? At that time, the exhausted Wang Xiaolie faced the Jin Army after a great victory. By accident, I got myself involved.
Shaanzhou, can we save it or not?
