"The Tibetan soldiers at Yamaguchi have been replaced!"
Xu Huai asked Liu Qiong'er to wake him up from his dream, but his whole body still showed an indescribable feeling of fatigue. He opened his eyes and walked through the curtain, staring at the light snow falling outside the felt tent. He didn't know that he was sleeping this time.
What time is it?
Xu Huai walked outside the felt tent. The ground was covered with mud trampled by people and horses. He took some snow from the tent and rubbed his face hard to wake himself up completely.
Niu Er, who was specially responsible for carrying and guarding the soldiers for Xu Huai, ran over with his butt on his back. Xu Huai snatched the wheat cake from Niu Er, pulled off the gnawed side and threw it back.
While munching wheat cakes, Liu Qiong'er and Liu Qiong'er climbed to the southern ridge.
Although we only plan to stay in this valley for three or four days at most, a shortcut road was built overnight on the northern slope of the mountain ridge, which is only thirty or forty meters high.
The valley under the eastern slope of the mountain ridge is mainly defended by Jie Zhong and other troops; led by Xu Huai, the soldiers of the four capital supervisory armies led by Xu Xin'an, Tang Pan, Yin Peng, and Tang Qing are all stationed on the south side as mobile combat forces.
On the mountain ridge.
The war supervisory team led by Pan Chenghu, Xu Wukun and others also had to maintain the labor camp, and Yi Xu, the skirmisher camp, was stationed on the mountain ridge on the north side.
However, at this time, Pan Chenghu and Xu Wukun also got the news and rushed here. They saw more than 2,000 Tibetan soldiers stationed behind the trench at the mountain pass yesterday. At this time, they had withdrawn in batches to the southeast; and in Datong
A mixed cavalry and infantry force, numbering about a thousand people, was stationed at the north city gate.
"Xiao Linshi will definitely lead his troops to Yingzhou. Will he just pretend to retreat at this time, just wait to lure us out of the mountains, and then kill us and return to the carbine?" Zhu Hang asked worriedly.
The imperial court's intelligence collection on the Khitan, in addition to the border troops capturing enemy soldiers or buying off the Han people in the Yunshuo area, the two dynasties exchanged visits every year, which was also an important way to observe and understand the Khitan's national conditions.
This is obviously not enough.
The information collected was also fragmented.
Zhu Hang had no previous experience of serving as an official in the North, and he did not know much about the intricate factional relationships within the Khitan and Xijing Road.
Because I don’t understand, I have all kinds of worries.
Xu Huaitai was about to give Zhu Hang a detailed explanation when he saw Zhou Jing, dressed as a Hu miner, walking over from the tent at the rear.
"When did you come back?" Xu Huai asked, "What's the situation in Datong City?"
"While you were climbing the mountain, I came over from the west mountain ridge and was almost shot by my own sentinel."
Zhou Jing said,
"As you predicted, after the collapse of the Tianxiong Army, the four gates of the inner city were still closed. Xiao Xinhan who stayed in Xijing was really afraid that Xiao Linshi would take advantage of this moment to lead his troops into the inner city to seize power. In the early hours of this morning, Xiao Linshi
Nearly 20,000 Tibetan soldiers and horses were gathered from Nancheng to the north bank of Huihe River. The soldiers and horses in the inner city only came out one after another to take over the defense of the four cities after the 20,000 Tibetan soldiers and horses had completely left the city. Although Xiao Xinhan sent more than a thousand soldiers and horses out.
The North City Gate seems to be blocking our westward retreat after Xiao Linshi's troops have completely withdrawn. However, in my opinion, Xiao Xinhanzhen may not dare to fight me to the death in the south of Wuzhou Mountain!"
Before Ge Huaicong abandoned the city and fled, Zhou Jing was responsible for leading a few hidden stakes to sneak into the North City where the enemy could not notice and could not conduct a large-scale search, and was responsible for secretly observing the movements in Datong City.
Xu Huai smiled and said to Zhu Han: "Is Mr. Zhu Han still worried that Xiao Linshi will feint to lure us out of the mountain? The person who is more afraid of Xiao Linshi's feint than us now is actually Xiao Xinhan who is staying in Xijing.
"
"..." Zhu Hang also felt ashamed for worrying about gains and losses, but it was unimaginable that Xu Huai could be so strategizing at such a young age. He asked, "In this way, doesn't it confirm that Xiao Linshi and his troops have survived the epidemic?"
After the river, it’s time for us to retreat westward!”
"Before we officially withdraw to the west, we will go to the city to spread rumors, saying that Xiao Linshi is secretly colluding with us and wants to use us to trap Xiao Xinhan's few remaining soldiers in Datong at this time. When Xiao Xinhan heard this rumor, he will be the direct descendant of the army.
Before we were transferred back from Yingzhou, they would certainly not have dared to send troops to pursue us. As for the two cities of Jincheng and Huairen, there were only more than 2,000 defenders. But seeing that our troops were in good shape, they might not have the guts to go out to intercept us. Of course, they would dare to go out to intercept us.
, we don’t need to be afraid,” Xu Huai said, “But, has Zhu Langjun ever thought about whether we really want to return to Lanzhou like this?”
"How do you say that?" Zhu Hang was slightly startled and asked.
"It's windy here, and some words can easily reach other people's ears. I would like to invite Mr. Zhu Hang to come to the tent below to speak," Xu Huai said.
"Okay!" Zhu Hang said.
Zhu Zhi stood there confused.
Xu Huai walked a little way, turned around and asked, "Why don't Young Master and Master Lu come over?"
"Oh, that's great!" Zhu Zhi grabbed Lu Wenhu and chased after him.
…………
…………
The weather was cold, so a fire pit was lit in the felt tent, and a dead tree was cut open to serve as a long table. The map of the Yunshuo area was laid directly on the long table, and everyone sat around the table.
There was no bowl and cup, so Xu Huai directly took the skin bag and drank two mouthfuls of water, then looked at Zhu Hang calmly and said:
"As long as it is confirmed that Xiao Linshi's troops have crossed the Hui River and entered Yingzhou territory, we can begin to withdraw westward. However, Ge Huaicong, Yue Hailou, Cao Shili and others should also lead a small number of remaining soldiers to escape into Shuozhou City at this time, and fight with
Ge Boyi and Wang Fanlang have reunited - if we really go back like this, the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses we desperately rescued from the city will probably be returned directly to Ge Boyi, Ge Huaicong and his son!"
"Ge Boyi is the military envoy to the east of Hedong and controls the military capital of the West Route. The Ge family has also been generals in Hedong for several generations. It can be said that Xie Zhong and others were promoted by Ge Boyi and his father and brother. We will bring these people back
, if we don’t return it to their hands, what else can we do?” Zhu Zhi asked doubtfully.
"..." Zhu Hang remained silent, staring at the lines left by the ax saw on the long case.
Xu Huai did not directly answer Zhu Zhi's confusion, but continued to say to Zhu Hang:
"The next situation is actually very clear. On the one hand, Xiao Linshi led his troops into Yingzhou, and Liu Shizhong and Cai Yuanyou would not dare to fight with them. It was a fluke that they could withdraw their entire army to Daizhou and hold Yanmen.
On the other hand, after Xiao Xinhan transferred more than 20,000 other direct troops in Yingzhou, he did not want Xiao Linshi to be more beautiful than him, so he would definitely send troops westward to drive Tianxiong's army out of Shuozhou. Liu Shizhong, Cai Yuan
You Shang took control of the East Route Army, which seemed to be intact, and the remaining 10,000 troops were returned to the hands of Ge Boyi, Ge Huaicong and his son, plus the soldiers and horses left behind in Shuo Dai, the court still relied on them to maintain the situation in Lan Dai, even if
If you want to hold people accountable, it is impossible to lift multiple boards and slap them down. In this way, Zhu Lang will find that except for us, except for some meaningless official titles and honors, the entire Hedong is fighting against the Khitan and the West.
The situation in Dao will only return to the old pattern, and it will be difficult to improve at all, let alone plan to resist the increasingly serious threat of the Chihu people!"
"What use do you think these are for? Ge Boyi is the military envoy to the east of Hedong and the commander of the army on the west route. If we take these more than 10,000 troops back, if we don't hand them over, is it possible that we can still keep them for ourselves? You won't
We are expected to imitate Cai Qing’s edicts..."
Seeing that Xu Huai ignored him and said a bunch of meaningless nonsense, Zhu Zhi became impatient again, but suddenly wanted to understand what Xu Huai was trying to persuade his father to do at this time, and shouted in surprise,
"Ah, you don't really want to imitate Cai Qing?! Don't forget Liu Shizhong. Cai Yuanyou, as the chief and deputy envoy of the Yan Army, led the 100,000 Eastern Route Army in Yanmen. How could they sit idly by and ignore it?
"
"Young Master, you are overthinking. What's there to learn from Cai Zheng?" Xu Huai said, "Ge Huaicong and the generals abandoned the army and fled alone, which is clearly and clearly the crime of being executed; and Ge Boyi
As a military envoy of Hejing, in charge of the Western Route Army, with no way to teach his children, and an incompetent general, how could he face the favor the imperial court had shown him and the Ge family over the years? Ge Boyi and Ge Huaicong were guilty of serious crimes and could not command the army.
, Wang Fanlang, as the military supervisor, appointed new commanders to take charge of military affairs in the court, and led the military supervisor to temporarily take charge of his army. This is the regulation of the court. Do we need to learn what Cai Zheng forged an edict to deceive the generals?
"
"The Ge family has been generals in Hedong for several generations. Xie Zhong and others were all generals promoted by Ge Boyi and his father and brother. After returning to Lanzhou, how could they obey the orders of the military envoy?" Zhu Zhi
asked in surprise.
He only wanted to escape safely back to Lanzhou.
And gathering so many soldiers back, they have achieved nothing but success. He was thinking about the rewards from the court, but he didn't expect that Xu Huai was so bold that he actually suggested that his father take direct control of these more than 10,000 soldiers and horses to deal with Ge Boyi, Ge Huaicong and others.
Instead?
If things get done, maybe it won't be anything.
To put things into perspective, Ge Huaicong's generals abandoned the city and fled. Whether they could escape death depends on their luck. But the problem is that the Ge family's father and son, as well as the commanders and princes who fled with Ge Huaicong, they
How could it be possible to escape without mercy?
Don't they know how important it is for them to continue to control the military and order the court to use leniency against them to avoid responsibility for their crimes?
"Is it possible that Mr. Zhu Hang can call in Xie Zhong and others for questioning?" Xu Huai stared at Zhu Hang and asked, "Mr. Zhu Hang probably never wants to see Ge Huaicong and others regain military power.
Do you want the imperial court to throw a wrench at them without daring to hold them accountable?"
"If the imperial court still throws caution to the wind and cannot hold them accountable for abandoning the army, the situation will be really bad!" Zhu Hang sighed and said, "You should send someone to invite Jie Zhong and the others..."
