Huo Ji retracted his hand, took a deep breath to calm down, and soon put on a cold face again.
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It was also a dusk afternoon when the setting sun was shining. Under the reflection of the white snow all over the ground, the Hebei East Road of the Song Dynasty was crowded with people. The elite troops of the Song Dynasty Forbidden Army were walking on the snow, braving the biting cold wind, heading towards Advance north.
After setting up camp at night, piles of bonfires illuminated each marching tent. Yang Yunfan, who followed the army north, returned to the marching tent where he was after inspecting the camp he was responsible for.
Inside the tent, a pot of charcoal fire was being fiddled with by the soldiers in the tent, and sparks were popping out. Even though it did not bring much heat, it made people who entered the tent feel warm in their hearts after seeing it.
Just when Yang Yunfan had just taken off his armor and wanted to stretch his body and drink a bowl of hot water to dispel the cold, a soldier reported outside the tent and asked him to go to the Chinese army's tent, saying that the ambassador, Mr. Wang, had something to discuss.
After arriving at the Chinese army's tent, Yang Yunfan found that Wang Jien was holding a letter in his right hand, and the fingers of his left hand were tapping the tabletop of the desk, thinking about something. When he saw Yang Yunfan arrived, he stopped.
Wang Jien motioned Yang Yunfan to sit down, handed the letter to Yang Yunfan, and said, "Take a look at the news I just received..."
Yang Yunfan took the letter and frowned as soon as he glanced at the first line. The letter said that the daughter of General Xuanwei Yang Yanzhao was suspected to have been abducted by the Liao people. The imperial court ordered the northern tribes to act according to the opportunity and wait for the opportunity to intercept the hostages. .
Putting down the letter, Yang Yunfan thought of his little sister Li'er's voice and smile. Although he had been with Li'er at home for less than three months, Yang Yunfan loved this quirky little girl very much. After nearly a year apart, I didn't expect to hear the news that my little sister had been kidnapped by the Liao people again.
Although Yang Yunfan was very anxious and worried, he still suppressed his impulsive mood, raised his hands and asked, "I wonder how Mr. Wang will arrange it?"
Wang Jien looked at Yang Yunfan and nodded with a smile. He was calm in everything and calm in times of crisis. He really had the air of a general.
"This matter should not be done too slowly. You lead dozens of cavalry to find her. This is your little sister. You should be more familiar with it... In addition, you must remember that no matter what the outcome is, don't act out of emotion, but focus on the overall situation... "Wang Jien said seriously.
After hearing this, Yang Yunfan looked grateful, knelt down on one knee with a solemn expression, bowed and performed a military salute, and said: "Your Majesty, General!"
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After Yang Yunfan left, Wang Jien took out another letter. This was a letter desperately sent from the ongoing war in Baozhou City. In the letter, Yang Yanzhao, the defender of Baozhou City, described the current situation of Baozhou City and the war situation. , and suggested that Wang Jien lead the imperial troops who came to the rescue to go westward, station troops at Jingxing Pass, and wait for opportunities to attack the hinterland of the Liao Kingdom, so as to achieve the effect of encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao.
Wang Jien sighed after reading, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "You are worthy of being a descendant of Yang Wudi, and he is truly worthy of his reputation, and he is both civil and military!"
The Song Army is not good at field battles, and it is facing the Liao Army with a large number of cavalry. Although the heavy infantry of the Song Army is the best in the world in close combat, its agitation, flexibility and impact are still far inferior to the Liao's cavalry. But there are advantages and disadvantages. Although the Liao army charged into battle and came and went like the wind, facing the strong city walls, the cavalry had no choice. Being good at field battles but not good at siege also limited the upper limit of the Liao army. This time the Liao army had dozens of Wan Dajun's inability to capture Baozhou City is an example.
In his letter, Yang Yanzhao suggested that Wang Jien lead the reinforcements to avoid direct contact with the Liao army, and instead station troops at Jingxing Pass to contain the Liao army to achieve the effect of encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao. This is why Wang Jien was impressed by Yang Yanzhao's military strategy.
He read the letter several times and found that Yang Yanzhao did not mention a word about his daughter being kidnapped. Wang Jien was even more impressed by his dedication to serving the country.
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Yang Yunfan led dozens of cavalrymen and traveled northward lightly. They did not take the main road, but walked along rugged paths and dry rivers. The reason for this was because Yang Yunfan judged that the person who kidnapped Li'er would be very cautious. Definitely not taking the high road.
They found every small clue along the way, and found a fresh fire next to a dry river bed, and some fine animal bones and horse hoof prints were also found around it.
Yang Yunfan picked up a thin bone and looked at it for a while, frowned and said: "This is the leg bone of a rabbit..., the fire looks like it was lit a day ago..."
After saying that, he looked at the horse hoof prints on the ground and looked north. The group got on their horses and followed the prints...
At the same time, Huo Ji had already met up with the people sent by the Liao State. The Liao Army sent Xiao SaNi, deputy commander of the right side of the Tielin Army of the Liao State.
Xiao Sami led more than ten cavalrymen from the Tielin Army of the Liao Kingdom. After receiving the military order, they came to respond without stopping.
Looking at the murderous dozen or so people in front of him, Li'er, who was sitting on the horse, had a look of fear in his eyes, and looked at Huo Ji beside him as if asking for help.
Xiao Sami is tall and tall, dressed in Hufu and armor. He is holding a three-foot-long iron bone flower. The horse under him is also covered with iron protective gear, making him majestic. He reined in his horse and looked at the two people in front of him, one large and one small. He followed the etiquette of the Song Dynasty and said: "Xiao Sami, the deputy commander of the right wing of the Daliao Tielin Army, has come to greet Mr. Huo's family on military orders. …”
Huo Ji's expression relaxed when he heard this, and he raised his hands and replied: "My Huo Ji, this is the daughter of Yang Yanzhao, the guard of Baozhou City..."
Xiao Sasi looked happy when he heard this, looked at the little girl with his eyes, nodded, and said to Huo Ji with a smile: "Mr. Huo has such a great achievement, and he will have a bright future in the future. I hope you can support him more in the future." …”
Although it was a compliment, Xiao Sa Ni's sinister expression still made Huo Ji frown. He understood that in the Liao Kingdom, it was advocated to use force to establish one's body and strength, and in everything, violence was used to control violence and power was used to suppress others. Huo Ji's behavior of holding family members and children hostage is often looked down upon.
Huo Ji just snorted coldly, and suddenly had no impression of Xiao SaNi. Xiao SaNi didn't care either. The two leaders rode forward on horseback. When they arrived at a tribal camp, it was already approaching dusk. Everyone decided to rest here for the night and set off in the morning.
This tribe is composed of local herdsmen. There are dozens of families. As the water and grass migrate here, after Xiao Sa Ni people went to negotiate, an old man from the tribe came to see him in fear, and Huo Ji didn't bother to listen. What they were chatting about, they took off the saddles of the horses that had been running for a day and handed them over to the herdsmen in the tribe to feed them.
