Early on the next morning, Shao Ling and Cao Zhiyan led the army and set off across Zhongtiao Mountain to the foot of Jiezhou City.
The Jin army in the city had just got a chance to breathe. When they heard the arrival of the Song army, they all cursed. Under the strict orders of Wanyan Lousu, Wanyan Huonv and Xiao Haohu each led their troops out of the city and formed an array outside the city.
Adding up the two armies, the Jin army still numbered more than 15,000 people. Facing the Song army with less than ten thousand people, Lou Su still had the luck to win. If they can defeat the Song army in front of Jiezhou City, they can still cross Zhongtiao Mountain and return to Shaanzhou City. Furthermore, all the grain and grass in Jiezhou were looted by the Jin army a few days ago, so it is impossible for the Jin army to defend the city. If the Song army cannot be defeated, it must withdraw.
The Song army did not attack with the whole army like yesterday, but stuck to their formation. The Jurchens attacked from the front, while Xiao Haohu made detours from the flanks, killing them like crazy outside Jiezhou City. Until dark, there was no winner.
Zhang Jun led his troops to join Zhang Qi and pursued him to Zhangdian Town the next morning. Zhe Keqiu had no power to fight back, so he had to retreat to Xia County. Zhang Qi and Zhang Jun were in hot pursuit, and at nightfall they marched outside Xia County.
Wang Xiaolie got up early in the morning and took care of the military chores. Together with Chen Yuyi, they crossed the river to Shaanzhou City.
Li Yanxian led his troops and horses to greet him outside the city early. When he saw Wang Xiaolie arriving, he stepped forward and bowed deeply.
According to official positions, Li Yanxian is slightly higher. But at this time, we speak based on strength. Wang Xiaolie's nearly 20,000 troops have arrived here, so naturally everything will follow Wang Xiaolie's orders. What happens next depends on Wang Xiaolie's arrangements.
Arrive at the government office and sit down. Li Yanxian cupped his hands and said: "I thought I would die when I defended Shaanzhou this time. Fortunately, Wang Observation traveled thousands of miles to come to the rescue with his army, so the soldiers and people of this city had a way to survive. I will bear in mind the kindness of Observation!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "We are all ministers of the Song Dynasty, and we should help each other. The Jin captives continued to go south with their lustful power, and the lives of the Han people were in ruins. The Han people were all gnashing their teeth! The observation led the troops to defend Shaanzhou, so that the Jin army did not dare to go south and invade the west. Everyone praised it. . Fortunately, nothing happened in Dengzhou recently, but Shaanzhou was besieged, and I came to the rescue with a strong force under the command. Fortunately, I arrived not too late, and I got to meet the observer."
The two of them exchanged some polite words, served tea, and discussed the future of the war.
Wang Xiaolie said: "In this year's war, Nianhan led his troops along the East Road with Wushu, and the West Road was relatively empty. Lousu attacked Shaanzhou, and it can be said that he brought most of the Jin Army's troops on the Hedong Road. This time in Shaanzhou Now that the siege is over and the Jin soldiers are defeated, there seems to be an opportunity on the Hedong Road—"
Li Yanxian hurriedly said: "What do you mean by observation? Do you want to go north?"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "I only have more than 20,000 people. I am lucky to be able to save Shaanzhou. How can I dare to go north alone? After this battle, Nianhan will definitely return to the west route quickly, and the situation is not optimistic. I mean, Li Observe and be careful that the Jin soldiers come to attack Shaanzhou again."
Li Yanxian nodded and said nothing. He understood what Wang Xiaolie meant. Shaanzhou was a very special place. If the Jin army wanted to attack Shaanxi on a large scale, they would definitely capture this city. This time Wang Xiaolie came to the rescue, but next time the Jin army attacked in large numbers, Wang Xiaolie would not be able to rely on him.
The names of the generals of the Jin Army include Chinese names and their Jurchen names. Jurchen names are mostly transliterations and have many names. For example, the fourth prince Jin Wushu, the most familiar figure in later generations, was named Wanyan Zongbi in Han Dynasty. Wushu was the Jurchen name, and was sometimes called Wuzhu. Nianhan was Wanyan Zonghan, the coach of the Western Route Army. His real name was Nianhan, also known as Nianmeihe. Loushi was also called Lousu in the name of Song people. People of this era mostly memorize sounds and most of the time they don’t mix them up. However, in some special cases, mistakes may be made.
After thinking for a long time, Li Yanxian said: "Based on my observation, what will happen after this battle?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "After much thought, if Guanzhong is not under the rule of the imperial court and there is no help from Henan Prefecture, Shaanzhou will be really difficult to defend. Once surrounded by a large army, how long can an isolated city defend it? This observation lasted for nearly two months. , it’s already rare, how can it happen again and again?”
Seeing that Li Yanxian was silent, his face looked sad and angry. Wang Xiaolie continued: "Without Guanzhong and Henan Prefecture, the only plan now is to act according to plan. If a large army comes to attack, then abandon Shaanzhou and retreat to Guozhou. It is backed by mountains and is not conducive to large armies." In an emergency, you can retreat southward into Lushi County. Once you reach Lushi County, even if the Jin army comes to attack, there will be nothing you can do. After the Jin army retreats, the army can come back and reoccupy Shaanxi Province. In this way, this place The city will consume a large amount of Jin army’s strength.”
Li Yanxian lowered his head and thought again and again. Said: "In this case, we need to rely on the power of observation Deng Zhou."
Wang Xiaolie smiled and said: "When is this? If we can't unite as one, how can we deal with the Jinlu? The isolated city of Shaanzhou is difficult to defend, and no one can change this. If Privy Zhang firmly occupies Guanzhong, we can guard Shaanzhou. If If Zhai Kuan occupies Henan Prefecture, he can also defend Shaanxi Prefecture. If he cannot do both, Zhai Kuan can defend Shaanxi Prefecture and surrender to death."
Li Yanxian was very reluctant to do this. It's not that he hates having to submit to Wang Xiaolie, he's not that petty. But most of the forces that I have developed in Shaanzhou over the years are in Hedong. If you do this, the connection with Hedong will not be strong. And by using the stronghold of Shaanzhou, Wang Xiaolie's power can influence Guanzhong. If the army is strong enough, it will become a major force that affects the north.
Seeing that Li Yanxian was in a dilemma, Wang Xiaolie said: "Observe and think deeply. According to my estimation, by this autumn, the Jin army will come in large numbers. If Nianhan is in charge, it will not be on the scale of Lousu. Even if the whole army comes, Therefore, it will be difficult to rescue. If we don't make arrangements early, we will be in a hurry. I will deal with surrounding affairs in the past few days and will be temporarily stationed in Pinglu County. If there is anything to observe, you can cross the river to find me."
Li Yanxian nodded. Wang Xiaolie made it very clear that defeating Lou Su this time was not the end. There were Nianhan and other generals of the Jin Dynasty behind him. If a unified deployment cannot be made, we will still face difficulties.
In the final analysis, the problem of the Song Dynasty was that its military strength was unable to compete head-on with the Jin army. Even if there is a temporary victory, it cannot determine the outcome of the entire war. If you want to truly defeat the Jin soldiers, you must have sufficient military strength, otherwise it will be all in vain.
Not everyone understands this truth. Even the officials of the imperial court, including Zhao Gou, may not have figured it out yet. What's more, the Song Dynasty's army is now in the hands of generals, and the court cannot use its fingers like an arm.
After thinking about it for a while, Li Yanxian said: "How do you want to deal with the surrounding affairs? Shaanzhou was hit hard by the Jin army's siege this time."
Wang Xiaoxing said: "The east of the river is in the hands of the Jin people. Many prefectures and counties along the Yanyan Road have been captured. There are no large troops stationed in the two capitals. The position of Shaanzhou and the surrounding states in the middle is very embarrassing. I want to bring the people in this area to the south." Relocation. First, let the people live and work in peace and contentment without being enslaved by the Jin people. Secondly, if there are no people in this area, even if the Jin soldiers come, they will have nowhere to plunder food and grass. If they cannot plunder food and grass from here, the Jin soldiers will not be able to continue southward. . In this way, Dengzhou and Xiangyang in the south, as well as the Jin, Jun, and Fang states can be stable. When the Jinlu came to the south, they marched like a strong wind. How did they do it? In addition to their strong military strength, there is another important reason, which is supplies. It's not difficult. As long as the Jin army cannot grab food and grass for three to five hundred miles, their front will stop."
Li Yanxian looked at his subordinates and couldn't help but smile bitterly. He understood what Wang Xiaolie meant. If the people in Shaanzhou moved south, there would be no possibility for the Jin army to attack Dengzhou along the road Wang Xiaolie took.
When the Jin army fought, they rarely carried food and grass. Everywhere they went, they mostly recruited people on the spot and plundered the population. Without food and grass, how could the Jin army fight if they were hungry? Wang Xiaolie's intention was to create a large number of no-man's land in the Central Plains and cut off the Jin army's offensive route.
Historically, because the Zhai Xing family was resolute in resisting the Jin Dynasty, Yue Fei later stationed himself in the Xiangyang area. This was accomplished by the Jin army and the puppet Qi. The Jin army used various means to create a large number of no-man's land in the south of Jingxi Road, including Henan Prefecture. He wanted to use this method to minimize the power of the Zhai family and prevent Yue Fei from going north. At this time, Wang Xiaolie wanted to do this on his own initiative.
After all the people have been moved away, why is Li Yanxian still guarding Shaanzhou?
After a long silence, Li Yanxian said: "Observe, if we do this, why do we need to defend Shaanzhou? If there are no people, why do the Jin soldiers come to attack?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Even if there are no common people, the status of Shaanzhou is still here. You can enter Luoyang from the east and Guanzhong from the west. The threat is too great. Observe, listen to me, the Jin army is too powerful now, we can't We should insist on one city and one place, but we must consider it comprehensively. To defend Shaanxi Province, we cannot only rely on Shaanzhou city, but also consider the nearby states. To the east are Henan Prefecture and Mengzhou Prefecture, needless to say. To the north are Jiezhou Prefecture and Hezhong Prefecture. , had long been occupied by the Jin Army. What Shaanzhou can rely on is Guanzhong in the west, and Guozhou and other places in the south. If Guanzhong can be defended, Shaanzhou will naturally be able to defend it. If Guanzhong cannot be defended, it is best to defend Shaanzhou. It’s very difficult. We can only rely on Guozhou. When the large Jin army comes, take the initiative to retreat to Guozhou. After the Jin army has gone, send troops from Guozhou to take it back. This is the way to defend Shaanzhou."
Li Yanxian thought for a while and said with a wry smile: "This time we all rely on observation to bring the army, otherwise Shaanzhou would already belong to the Jin people. However, what observation just said, I have to consider carefully and listen to the opinions of my subordinates. .”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Observing Shaanzhou, it is naturally your decision. I am just making suggestions. In the next two days, Niu Gao from the rear guard will arrive. When Niu Gao arrives, I will move the captured troops to Dengzhou .As for what happens to the people of Shaanzhou, we still have to observe and decide."
What Li Yanxian fears most is that Wang Xiaolie will use his military power to forcibly annex him. Hearing what he said made me feel relieved. As long as you decide on Shaanzhou affairs yourself, things will be easy to talk about. It is difficult to make the decision to relocate people. Without the common people, what kind of governor is he, the governor of Shaanxi Province? But according to what Wang Xiaolie said, it would be very difficult to defend Shaanxi Province without relocating the people. It seems that it is up to Zhang Jun in Guanzhong to make the decision.
