The snow is getting heavier, dancing under the light, and the ground is slowly turning white. There was no wind, and the sky and earth were filled with black crows.
After a long time, Wang Xiaolie said to Shao Yun: "Looking at how hard you have been on the road, go and clean up first. There is wine and meat here, change your clothes and come here to use some. You are already here, no need to treat yourself harshly."
Shao Yundao: "Is it fair to say that there is only one general in the end? It's just that Li Kuan is in Shaanzhou, and his food and grass have long been exhausted. I don't know what he's like now -"
As he spoke, tears flowed down unconsciously.
Wang Xiaolie said: "This matter is important, and I can't give you an immediate answer. This matter needs to be discussed by the generals of the army. So, you go and pack up and have dinner. We will gather the generals here to discuss it together. Even if we don't do it tonight Go to sleep and I’ll give you a result tomorrow morning!”
Shao Yun saw Wang Xiaolie's sincere attitude, but he was exhausted. He nodded and followed the soldiers.
Watching Shao Yun's leaving figure, Wang Xiaolie slowly sat down. Looking at the crowd, he said: "Logically speaking, Shaanzhou belongs to Shaanxi Road, and there are hundreds of thousands of troops on Shaanxi Road, so we don't need to save it. But if Shaanxi doesn't save it, will it just sit back and watch Li Kuan defend an isolated city? Alas, this matter is really difficult. decision."
Niu Gao said: "Observe, since there is Privy Zhang's handwriting, we can just act according to the order."
Wang Xiaolie smiled bitterly: "Lousu attacked Shaanzhou and commanded tens of thousands of troops. How can we underestimate it? To save Shaanzhou, thousands of people are not enough. But if we wait for the army to rescue, it is 800 miles away. If When we arrive, the city of Shaanzhou is broken, and it becomes a confrontation between us and Lousu. This is an 800-mile road, and supplying food and grass for tens of thousands of troops is no small matter! By then, we can neither advance nor retreat, what should we do? "
Niu Gao said: "Then don't save me! Give Privy Zhang a reply. He is not an unreasonable person."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "Privy Zhang himself is stuck on the road to rescue. We don't go to rescue him, and we don't even need to return the letter. I think that when Privy Zhang sent this letter, he was just doing his best to obey fate. There is no need to consider Zhang in this matter. The Privy Council and the court only care about ourselves. If possible, of course I want to save him. But there are too many difficulties, and we must think everything through."
Chen Yuyi on the side said: "If Shaanzhou is saved this time, the reputation of the observer will never be the same as before. Li observed that he guarded Shaanzhou and fought hundreds of battles with the Jin army in two years. He did not know how many military exploits he made. He defeated Lou Su last year. I cried when I heard Lou Su talking to others. Even the imperial court often heard his name. Someone once said that if Wanyan Zongbi invaded the south this time, if the imperial court had generals like Li Kuang and Zhai Taiwei, why would it be like this!"
Wang Xiaolie nodded. At this time, Wang Xiaolie's strength had far surpassed that of Li Yanxian and Zhai Xing, but in terms of reputation, he was far inferior to them. Both of their defense areas were on the front line. They fought against the Jin people almost every day, and they had countless military exploits. Wang Xiaolie just wiped out Yang Jin and took advantage of the opportunity to occupy several states. Without military exploits against Jin, his status will not be recognized.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhang Jun, who had not spoken all this time, said: "In my opinion, it is useless to talk about this matter. It is better to carefully study the geography along the way, calculate the number of marching days, and see if we can get there before the city is broken. If we can't get there, , don’t mention anything. If we can arrive, we will discuss whether to send troops."
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolie nodded: "Yes, this is the right path. It is the twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month, and we can only set off after the new year. Even if we march for fifteen days, Shaanzhou City must not be broken before the middle of the first lunar month!" Shao Yun will come over and we will listen to him explain in detail."
After finishing speaking, he said to Yang Shen: "If we send 20,000 troops, can we guarantee the food and grass on the front line?"
Yang Shen thought for a while and shook his head: "This is a mountainous road, and there are no boats or cars. We have no pack animals, so we can only rely on people to carry them on our shoulders. It is not easy to guarantee food and fodder for a 20,000-strong army!" "
Wang Xiaoxing asked: "How about gathering all the people in Dengzhou to transport grain along the way?"
Yang Shen shook his head after hearing this: "Observe that when Xinye City was built last year, all the people in Dengzhou had served their full service. Forcing them to transport grain would not lose the support of the people? It is really not easy for us to be in the current situation. We must not do it. Be able to do this!”
Wang Xiaolie closed his eyes and said nothing for a while. This is a policy set by yourself and cannot be violated. If your words don't count, why should the people believe you? The solution is simple, just give money. Work for a day, pay for a day. For the common people, as long as they can make money, things will be easy. But the problem is that Wang Xiaolie has been short of money.
Xie Li Nong said: "When we go to save Shaanzhou, they should naturally supply food and grass!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Where can there be any food and grass in Shaanzhou at this time? The Jin army has been surrounded for nearly a month, and they should have eaten it all long ago!"
After saying this, everyone lowered their heads, looking extremely embarrassed. How can we save Shaanzhou if we cannot solve the food and grass problem and the distance is far away? If it is true as Wang Xiaolie said, when the army arrives, the city of Shaanzhou will be destroyed and the supply of food and grass will be difficult, isn't it going to be a dead end?
Shao Yun just freshened up and came back to salute Wang Xiaolie.
Wang Xiaolie said: "There is wine and meat here, you should use some first. There are many things that I still need to ask you clearly before I can make a decision."
Shao Yun was really hungry and no longer polite. I thanked Wang Xiaoyou, drank a large bowl of wine, picked up the meat and gnawed it wildly.
After a cup of tea, Shao Yuncai patted his belly and said to Wang Xiao, "Thank you for your observation!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "We are here to discuss what difficulties we will face if we save Shaanzhou. What we are most worried about now are two things. One is that we will arrive in about twenty days, can Shaanzhou be defended? The other is that the road is rugged. The journey is long and it is difficult to transport food and grass.”
Shao Yun said: "This matter is not difficult. The Jin army only besieged Shaanzhou and ignored Guozhou in the south. Observe that when the army arrives in Guozhou, if Shaanzhou cannot be defended, they can temporarily station in Guozhou. If the Jin army comes to attack, they will Fight with them at the foot of Guozhou City. If the Jin army retreats, then we will take advantage of the opportunity and enter Shaanzhou."
Wang Xiaolie said: "What if the Jin army does not leave and is stationed in Shaanzhou?"
Shao Yundao: "The Jin army has tens of thousands of people, and together with their auxiliaries and civilians, there are only nearly 100,000 people. How can the food and grass in Shaanzhou support so many people? After the city is broken, the army will inevitably retreat."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. That makes sense. It was the custom of the Jin army that every soldier would take several civilians with him every time he went into battle. Although these civilians can help transport food and weapons, they still have to eat. Shaanzhou is located between mountains and rivers. It is not a very wealthy place. It has been fighting wars in the past few years, so I am afraid that I have little savings. If a hundred thousand people gather there, it's okay for a short period of time, but certainly not for a long time.
Niu Gao said: "What about our food and grass? Tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of miles away, can't survive without food and grass."
Shao Yundao: "We still have some savings in Lushi County and Guozhou City. If there is an emergency, we can collect food from these two places, which can last for about a month. If it takes a long time, we can only transport food from behind. But in my opinion, Jin I'm afraid the army won't be able to hold on for so long."
Wang Xiaolie closed his eyes slightly, thinking in his mind. Psychologically speaking, Wang Xiaolie desperately wanted to send troops. After several years of war, there were not many generals in the Song Dynasty who could hold on to the city. Having a Li Yanxian to defend Shaanzhou can greatly improve the morale of the army and the people. But it is too difficult to send troops by yourself. A poor calculation may put your own army in danger.
The battle between the two armies is not just a fight on the battlefield. Army movement, logistical supplies, and military morale are all important factors that affect victory. All these must be thought through before the war in order to maximize victory. The military should not take risks unless necessary.
During the War of Liberation, great men once instructed us to despise the enemy strategically and to pay attention to the enemy tactically. We must try our best to form a local advantage and attack with several times the enemy's strength in each battle. If the conditions are not suitable, choose another time.
This is the correct concept that a coach should have. Unlike some people in later generations who prefer battles in which the few defeat the many and the weak defeat the strong. A forced attack when conditions are not met, even if there is a victory, can temporarily improve the morale and morale of the army, but the final result is difficult to be optimistic.
Based on the situation analysis that Shao Yun said, Wang Xiaolie estimated that the real Jurchen army led by Lou Su on the Shaanzhou front line was at most 10,000, or even only 5,000 or 6,000. Most of the Jin army should be surrendered troops, as well as the troops of the Khitan, Bohai and other tribes. Even if you lead 20,000 people yourself, you can't guarantee victory, but if you don't make a big mistake, you won't get stuck there.
What Wang Xiaolie is worried about is, firstly, how long can Li Yanxian stay on guard? Another one, the journey is long, how to ensure food and grass?
The Song Dynasty was in a difficult situation at this time and needed a victory. Wang Xiaolie had been dormant in Xiangyang and Dengzhou for too long and needed a victory. Wang Xiaolie desperately needs a big victory to raise his banner.
If Shaanzhou is successfully rescued, it will greatly boost the morale of the Song Dynasty's soldiers and civilians at this time and strengthen their determination to resist the Jin Dynasty. Wang Xiaolie will also gain huge reputation. With reputation, he will have territory and manpower.
Looking at the falling snowflakes, Wang Xiaolie frowned and considered the pros and cons of this matter. Going eight hundred miles is indeed too risky. But if we miss this year's war, subsequent development will also be affected.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Wang Xiaolie said to Shao Yun: "There is no other way to Shaanzhou from here. We can only take Wuguan Road first, and then turn to Lushi and Guozhou roads. How is the road condition and how many roads are there? You can tell us how many soldiers, horses, and provisions there are in the village of Shanzhai, Lu and Guozhou. You can’t be careless about this matter! My army of tens of thousands cannot be trapped to death just because you concealed it for a moment!"
Shao Yun crossed his hands and said yes.
Wang Xiaolie asked a general in the army who was good at drawing maps to come and follow Shao Yun's instructions and draw a map on a large piece of paper. From Xinye to Neixiang, everything is under the rule of Dengzhou, so of course there is no problem. Passing through Neixiang County and following Wuguan Road to Yangchengyi, the journey was not bad. Turning north from Yangchengyi, the road to Lushi County is mountainous and rugged. From Lushi to Guozhou, it is still a mountainous road.
Looking at the map, Wang Xiaolie felt his scalp numb. It is not easy for the army to take such a route and the time is tight.
