News of the duel between Murong Nobunaga and Gao Song outside Jinyong City quickly reached the ears of Zhang Zhao and Yelu Deguang.
In this battle, Murong Nobunaga used the Yong Kingdom's left-wing Lin Guards, plus the right-wing Lin Guards and the Han Shandu cavalry, a total of 2,000 cavalry, against the Liao Kingdom's Dragon Army and Feng Army's 3,000 cavalry, commanded by Takamatsu.
As a result, despite the support of the Liao army, Gao Song's troops lost more than 300 horsemen and more than 700 horsemen were injured.
Murong Nobunaga only lost more than thirty horses, and the number of injured was not even over a hundred.
Occupying multiple advantages, the Khitan cavalry suffered a battle loss ratio of nearly ten to one, which undoubtedly cast a thick shadow on Yelv Deguang's heart.
Yelu Deguang, who was deeply impressed by the ferocity of the Yongliang cavalry, decisively abandoned his baggage and part of the Han army, marched day and night with 50,000 Liao troops and more than 10,000 Jin troops, and finally occupied the position before Zhang Zhao arrived.
Sishui Pass is an important pass.
Zhang Zhao's troops, who had also received the battle report, were even more confident. When Yelu Deguang arrived at Sishui Pass, the boats on the Yellow River were connected to each other.
Zhang Zhao personally led an army of 60,000 infantry and cavalry, which descended from the Yellow River and reached the Yellow River waterway west of Luoyang, less than thirty miles away from Heyang Bridge and Zhongli City.
In the afternoon of the same day, Zhang Zhao ordered the naval commander Du Lun Chixin to lead sixteen large warships down the river to attack Zhongli City.
However, for the Yong Kingdom, there is always a shortage of iron cavalry and heavy steps, but the naval army is very unfamiliar.
Du Lunchixin was able to obtain the position of commander of the naval force because he had commanded the navy at Huangshui River and participated in the dredging of water transportation from Shanzhou to Lanzhou.
But compared with the Yellow River in Luoyang, the Huangshui in Shanzhou seems too childish.
Moreover, the key to naval forces lies in their familiarity with local hydrological conditions.
Zhang Zhao did not have any of this. Even in Guanzhong, it had nothing to do with the Yellow River. Except for the Jing River and the Wei River, there were no other major rivers, so naturally there was no talent to form a naval army.
Zhao Kuangzan, who took refuge with him, and the former Jin army general knew little about martial arts and water warfare.
However, Wu Xingde only knew it himself and had no soldiers under his command, and the original plan to build a ship in Hezhongfu was useless.
This led to a big problem. Zhang Zhao's command saw that the navy had more than 200 large and small ships, but they were barely used to transport supplies. They really did not have the ability to fight on the water.
But the good news among the bad news is that the Khitans don't have many water-fighting talents.
In addition, most of the fishermen and boatmen on both sides of the Yellow River fled. Everyone was only capable of sailing in the Yellow River and had no ability to fight on the water.
It's just that Gaosong occupied Zhongli City in the river, so Du Lunchi fought with the ship for a long time, but couldn't get the point at all, and there was nothing he could do about Gaosong.
Just at this time, Yelv Deguang personally led the vanguard to Sishui Pass. Zhang Zhao made a decisive decision and ordered Du Lun to bring all the boats back and build a water fort in the area of Heqing City west of Zhongli City.
I completely gave up the idea of fighting in the water, and honestly went back to playing foot and cavalry battles on land.
In the middle of June, Yelu Deguang ordered generals Yelu Pode and Yelu Lang to lead 20,000 cavalry across Gong County and come along the Yiluo River to Luoyang.
However, Murong Nobunaga had already made defensive preparations in the area from Yanshi to Jinyong City, and the cavalry of both sides fought fiercely in this area.
Yelvbode's cavalry even captured Yanshi City and reached the outskirts of Luoyang, but they were still unable to pull out the nail of Jinyong City.
Zhang Zhao then sent Ma Yaozi to lead 3,000 soldiers from Wuwei Town into Luoyang City to participate in the siege of Mada, which had been defending the city for almost a month. At the same time, Zhang Zhao personally supervised and led 30,000 troops to storm Heyang Bridge.
However, the battle was not very smooth, although the Qiaotou Walled City of Heyang Bridge on the south bank of the Yellow River was successfully captured.
However, because Gao Song had more than 8,000 men, Zhongli City was extremely strong, and the Heyang Bridge was not very wide, he was unable to defeat Gao Song's troops and capture Zhongli City.
The situation in Luoyang City was much better. At the end of June, under Ma Yaozi's personal battle, with only more than a thousand people left, Mada's troops who defended the inner city of Luoyang Imperial City were finally defeated.
We were able to capture the extremely strong inner city of the Imperial City because the people of Luoyang were not afraid of life and death. They sent gunpowder to the Imperial City one after another, and after blowing up a section of the city wall, everyone was able to swarm in.
Ma Da was a thief who committed many evil deeds in Luoyang City and was deeply hated by the people of Luoyang. As a result, Zhang Zhao wanted to chop him off with a knife and then give his head to Yelu Deguang, but he failed.
Because as soon as he was escorted out, he was surrounded by angry people. When someone shouted, the people came down with sticks, broke his wrists and unchained him, broke his muscles and bones, and his head flew away.
When the kite dispersed the people, Ma Da and thirteen of his confidants were all reduced to pulp, with their liver, intestines, heart, and lungs all over the floor. His head was almost turned into white bones, completely unrecognizable.
On June 27th, Zhang Zhao led 10,000 elite infantry and cavalry troops into Luoyang, and the entire city of Luoyang was greeted by thousands of people.
Zhang Zhao announced in public that nine counties in Luoyang's territory would be exempted from taxation for three years, and he also allocated one thousand dan of military rations to help the victims of the Luoyang disaster.
All the property stolen by the Khitans and the robbed family members were returned, and the army did not take any of it.
The people of Luoyang, who had experienced three major disasters in more than ten years, finally saw hope. People everywhere cheered and rushed to tell each other.
The people who had fled to Mang Mountain, Wei Mountain, and Xiong'er Mountain descended back home one after another.
Later, under the witness of tens of thousands of people in Luoyang, Zhang Zhao went to the family temple outside the Imperial City of the Later Tang Dynasty and took Li Congyi to worship Zhuangzong, Mingzong and the posthumous Emperor Wu Li Keyong of the Later Tang Dynasty.
So the people of Luoyang surrendered, and they spontaneously helped repair the city of Luoyang and acted as a great army and civilian husband.
Especially for the repair of Jinyong City, Luoyang people, men, women, old and young, worked together to repair Jinyong City in just two days, at least it could barely be used as a fortress.
After setting up the battle array, Zhang Zhao held another military meeting at the Later Tang Palace in Luoyang.
Yan Jin, Ma Yaozi, Ma Shacai, Bai Congxin, Fan Quan, Fan Shun, Man Xiong, Dunzhu, Qiongre Duojin, Wang Tongtong and Luo Yu'er from the Yuan Cong faction.
Guo Tiance, Li Ruotai, Zhao Cunyi, Er Zhujing, Xue Shouli, Guo Guangcheng and Lu Sanlang of the Donggui faction.
Luo Tongda, Murong Nobunaga, Li Cunhui and Chen Tingxiao from the Lao Guiyi Army faction.
Shen Nianban, Zhe Bu Jia Shi, Du Lun Chi Xin, Cui Hu Xin, Yue Saonu, Wang Tinghan and Zhang Xibao of the Lianglan Liugu sect.
Zhang Xichong, He Ning, Fan Zhi, Xue Juzheng, Zhao Hui, Zhao Kuangzan, Zhao Yanjin, Hou Renbao, Wu Xingde, Feng Hui's son Feng Jixun, Zhao Kuangyin, Murong Yanzhao and Wang Shenqi came to surrender from the Jin State.
Huang Yingda, Zhe Deyuan and others who came to invest themselves were all attending the meeting.
It can be said that Zhang Zhao, 80% of the talents of the Yong Kingdom are here. If Brother Guang can destroy them, the Yong Kingdom will be completely destroyed.
The reason why the military envoy conference was held was because before Zhang Zhao set out from Shaanzhou, the plan he made to seize Sishui Pass and then occupy the city to block the Khitans was not realized.
Although Luoyang City was captured, due to Yelu Deguang's rapid and decisive deployment of troops, Murong Nobunaga was restrained by Gao Song's troops and was unable to continue eastward to occupy Sishui Pass, so the plan had to be changed.
"Your Majesty, I believe that now that the army has arrived, as long as we stick to the Heyang Bridge, we can block Gao Song's troops by the Yellow River.
The army should immediately move forward, capture Yanshi City, and start a decisive battle with the Khitan people in the vast plain between Si River and Yiluo River."
Murong Nobunaga felt a little uncomfortable and a little ashamed, because the biggest problem this time was that he failed to seize Sishui Pass.
That's why Murong Nobunaga, who always loved surprises, actually proposed a public fight for the first time.
Before Zhang Zhao expressed his position, Yan Jin smiled faintly. This steady general who always liked to fight in a dignified formation wanted to fight a surprise battle. He pointed at the map and said to Zhang Zhao.
"Gao Song's troops have occupied Zhongli City. It looks like a long dagger piercing the waist of our army, but it can also be seen as the Khitan people holding their lifeblood in our hands.
If Zhongli City is captured by our army and then goes down the river to destroy the pontoon bridge at Baimajin, the Khitans will be trapped in Henan.
Therefore, their main force will never wait at Bishui Pass, and will definitely move eastward to the Yanshi area, forming a mutual watch situation with the tall pines at Zhongli Bridge."
Zhang Zhao nodded slowly, "Chengjie wants to simply release the Khitans, and we will fight the Khitans from Luoyang to Yanshi City?"
Yan Jin nodded, "Yanshi City is backed by Mang Mountain and is less than forty miles away from Zhongli City. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is an excellent place that the Khitan people dream of.
They will definitely come, but as long as they come, it will be their doom."
As he spoke, Yan Jin clicked heavily on the south side of the map, "As soon as the Khitans arrived at Yanshi City, our army took the initiative to ask for a fight and attracted all their attention.
The king can order an elite force to bypass Fengshi, cut off the Xiaoyi Bridge on the Yiluo River in the northeast of Fengshi and east of Yanshi, and completely surround the Khitan people in Yanshi City and Mang Mountain.
Their supplies are cut off, and tens of thousands of troops sitting in the city will soon fall into death, and let the Yiluo River become the Hutuo River of the Khitans!"
Zhang Zhao knew why Yan Jin chose Surprise, because the battle at Jinyong City proved that the so-called cavalry of the Khitans had lower combat effectiveness than Zhang Zhao's Yongliang cavalry.
Under such a reversal, the Khitans became the Jin side without much cavalry in the Liao-Jin war.
In this way, Zhang Zhao could take advantage of the cavalry and take the initiative to surprise and cut off the Khitans' return route.
Where to fight? When to fight? How long to fight? It is not in the hands of the Khitans, but in the hands of the Yongliang Iron Riders.
"Your Majesty, I support General Yan's idea." Zhao Kuangzan immediately stood up and agreed.
"The Liao Lord now abandoned his baggage and a large number of Jin's surrendered troops, and was able to quickly seize Sishui Pass.
If we put them in Yanshi City, we can extend their supply even if we cut off Xiaoyi Bridge.
Moreover, those who control the supplies of the Liao army are all surrendered generals and soldiers of the Jin State. Yelu Deguang, the leader of the Liao Dynasty, did not treat them well. This was because he was going to fight with us, so he blackmailed the major Buddhist temples and gave them rewards.
These people are not only loyal to the Lord of Liao, but also secretly resentful. I am willing to go around to that place with Hou Liuhou and Zhao Liuhou to recruit them. In this way, the Liao army will lose all its baggage and the entire army will be exhausted.
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"Your Majesty, I am also willing to come forward and go with the army. Generals Fu Yanqing, An Shenqi, Wang Zhou, and Yao Yuanfu did not sincerely surrender, but were forced by the situation.
If the king can write an order in hand to forgive their sins, they will definitely be willing to abandon the darkness and turn to the light."
Once he saw that it was indeed feasible, He Ning jumped out. As the prime minister of the later Jin Dynasty, recruiting Fu Yanqing and others was easy.
"Okay!" Zhang Zhao was overjoyed, "Then put the Khitans around Yanshi City, and we will surround them on all sides."
This chapter has been completed!