After encircling and annihilating the small group of prisoners, Xu Huai went to rest, settle the villagers, contact the rear, and interrogate the prisoners. Yan Xiaoyi, Shi Hu, and Zhou Yong were left to handle matters such as Yan Xiaoyi, Shi Hu, and Zhou Yong; when King Jing and others arrived at Sushui in the early morning
In the remnant village, Xu Huai took the opportunity to recuperate before hastily washing up and coming to see him.
King Jing, Zhao Tuan, Qian Shangduan, Qiao Jien and others were all weak. After crossing the river, they marched day and night, which was very hard. After confirming that the general plan had not changed and that all the troops were marching smoothly, everyone advised King Jing.
Go and rest first.
At this time, Qian Shangduan and Qiao Jien led Hu Yu, Zhu Tong and others to take charge of logistics supplies and communication with local prefectures and counties; Zhang Xin and Deng Gui assisted King Jing Zhao Tuan in the military affairs of the camp. They had no choice at this time.
After resting, they were all busy in the courtyard; Yang Qiye, Gu Dajun and others acted as bodyguards and messengers. At this time, they also assigned manpower to confirm the movements of various ministries and maintain contact at all times.
Xu Huai also handed over the command of the Yiqi battalion, which was mainly composed of Chushan soldiers, to Xu Wuqi, Xu Xin'an, Wang Xian and others. Xu Huai was mainly responsible for the outpost reconnaissance that was currently the most vulnerable to leaks - the outpost reconnaissance.
At that moment, Wu Chihai, Wang Zhang and others led a small cavalry patrol in the southern area of Yicheng, while Zhou Jing was responsible for the scouting at the eastern foot of Taiyue Mountain.
Xu Huai walked back to the courtyard where he had rested, but he was not sleepy at this time. He saw a figure sitting on the ridge of the house. He thought that only Xiao Yanhan was so free.
The remaining village in Sushui is very small, and nearly half of the houses were set on fire by the soldiers. At this time, in addition to garrisoning more than a thousand troops, it will also be used as a garrison for the rear camp. In addition to guarding the sides and rear, it also needs to provide security
The grain, fodder and energy sources raised from Pujiang and other prefectures were continuously transported to the front line along the Sushui River.
(The source of the Sushui River originates from Mount Li, between Taiyue Mountain, first from east to west, passing through the southern part of Yicheng, turning to the southwest, crossing Jiangxian County, and then flowing westward into the Yellow River.)
Therefore, the soldiers and horses stationed in Canzhai by Yiqi Battalion were only divided into a very small camp area. The generals were all crowded into a courtyard and slept on the same bed. In other words, Xu Huai and Xiao Yanhan each lived in a single room next to each other.
Xu Huai climbed up to the eaves, sat next to Xiao Yanhan, and looked at the wilderness shrouded in night.
The stars and moon were sparse, and the distance was plunged into darkness and chaos. The shadows of the distant mountains were blurred, but the scene inside the ruined village was still vaguely visible, and some intermittent cries were heard.
"What are you thinking about?" Xu Huai asked.
"It has been ten days since Chen Zixiao rushed to Xishan, but no news has come back," Xiao Yanhan said quietly, "If my eldest brother decides to lead his people to move west, will you blame him?"
"Why are you complaining? What does Xiao Shijun owe me?" Xu Huai said with a smile, "However, even if the remnants of Yan Ting finally move westward, I believe it is not Xiao Shijun's original intention!"
"Yes, the Chihu people rose up in Mobei, and their military power has been at its peak for forty years. Long before they crossed the Great Xianbei Mountains and marched eastward, there were Tibetan tribes in Ulungu, Ka'eqi and other places who were vassalized by them. The old and weak
How easy is it for tens of thousands of sick and disabled people to cross the gap between Dangxiang and Chihu to the west of Ulungu?" Xiao Yanhan said worriedly.
Regardless of whether the Dangxiang people surrender to the Red Husband or not, they will not easily let the remnants of the Khitan use the road to advance westward.
Those warring factions within the Party who were unwilling to surrender to the Red Husbands were of course willing to use the remnants of the Khitan as spearmen, forcing them to stand in front to resist the Red Husbands; while the capitulation faction or the peace-negotiation faction wanted to use the remaining Khitan troops as a means of flattery.
A gift from the Red Husband.
In addition to Dangxiang, the area north and south of Yinshan and thousands of miles west to Ulungu and Ka'eqi are affiliated tribes of the Chihu people. The Chihu people previously controlled the area from Yinshan to Ulungu and Ka'eqi.
It's not strict, but after the Chihu people annexed the Khitan, how many tribes in this area dared to violate the Chihu people in both positive and negative ways?
Even if we don't talk about the possibility that the Red Hu people will send troops to chase and kill them, the remnants of the Khitan tribe want to fight all the way to find a habitat outside the control range of the Red Hu people. How easy is it?
However, with the Khitan remnants here, there must be a lot of internal differences. What's more, Xiao Qian, Li Chulin, Xiao Tong and others surrendered to the Red Husbands. The current situation does not seem to be bad, which will also shake the remnants of the Xishan clan.
human will.
Taking Zhang Xiongshan as an example, Xu Huai could see that his resentment towards Dai Viet was still lingering and he might not be willing to help here, but he could still obey Xiao Yanhan's orders.
Xu Huai is currently trying his best to win over the remnants of the Khitan clan in the Western Mountains. If he fails to do so in the end, he will not complain.
I have to say that I hate someone, and it was Dai Viet who did it himself.
Xu Huaitai wanted to comfort Xiao Yanhan a few more words, but he saw Zhang Xiongshan leading the two of them into the courtyard and saying, "Master Zhang, what did you dig out of Lizhu's mouth?"
Before nightfall, they annihilated all the small groups of soldiers who invaded the remaining stronghold in Sushui, including nine of the Qiuxufan generals, Chi Zihu, who were captured.
However, unlike the Khitan people, who were not as thoroughly Chineseized as the Chihu people, very few of the Chihu people knew Chinese. Shi Hu and Zhou Yong did not understand the Chihu language, so they waited until Zhang Xiongshan arrived at Sushui Canzhai and handed them over.
They interrogate.
Seeing that Zhang Xiongshan was bringing someone over to find him, Xu Huai and Xiao Yanhan jumped down from the eaves and called Zhang Xiongshan into the house to talk.
Zhang Xiongshan sat down, took a sip of herbal tea, and said: "Chizi's mouth is very hard, but the mouths of the other prisoners of the Red Army are much looser. That young man was killed by the princess, but he came from Mengzhou."
The Suwei military attache who sent a message to Taiyuan..."
"I rushed from Mengzhou to Taiyuan, why did I end up in Jiangxian County?" Xiao Yanhan asked in confusion.
From Mengzhou, go north through Zhiguanxing and all the way north through Zezhou, you can go straight to Taiyuan. There is no need to walk an extra two or three hundred miles and take a detour to Jiangzhou. Xiao Yanhan suspected that Zhang Xiongshan was not careful in his interrogation and asked someone to deceive him.
.
"The Red Husbands built a camp on the southern slope of Hanxinling Mountain, and a large number of elite troops were stationed there. The messenger should have believed that going to Hanxinling Mountain would have a better chance of meeting the commander of the West Route Army!" Zhang Xiongshan said.
Hanxinling is the dividing ridge between the Jinzhong Basin and the lower Fenhe Basin. It is located between Luliang Mountain and Taiyue Mountain. The Chihu people's messengers rushed from Mengzhou to Hanxinling, passing through Zezhou to the north, or passing through Taiyue Mountain first.
Taking the road from Jiangjin and other places to go north, the journey is similar.
It is not difficult to understand that the Chihu people have already built a camp on the southern slope of Hanxin Mountain to prevent the Western Army from moving up the Fen River to break the siege of Taiyuan.
However, if the Chihu people not only stationed a large number of elites on the southern slope of Hanxinling, but even quietly moved the headquarters to Hanxinling, they were planning to wait until the Western Army went up the Fen River to attack the northern aid forces with all their elite troops, and hit them hard on both sides of the Fenshui.
The main force of the Western Army in Taiyuan!
Xiao Yanhan glanced at Xu Huai.
They crossed the river and headed north. Many people advocated heading north along the Fen River. They believed that as long as they occupied Hanxin Ridge to harass the enemy from the south, they could rely on the steep mountains to the left and right of Hanxin Ridge and not be afraid of the Red Husband Cavalry attacking them.
The imperial court made up its mind to send the Western Army's reinforcements north along the Fen River, and would also rush to Hanxinling to meet them directly.
This is the most convenient channel for the Western Army to connect with the Taiyuan defenders. At the same time, if the enemy troops staying in Zelu Prefecture do not want to be outflanked, they will be forced to withdraw northward - within the territory of Dai Viet, the Western Army has no
It is necessary to deliberately cross Taiyue Mountain and enter the Shangdang Highlands to expel the captive soldiers stranded in Zelu and other states.
No matter how you look at it, the mausoleum-defending army entered Hanxinling and waited for opportunities to take action, possibly seizing a greater initiative.
However, Xu Huai, who always took an erroneous approach, advocated playing it safe at this time and advocated marching to Taiyue Mountain to attack the flanks of the surrender troops retreating north from Zelu and other places.
Now it seems that if the soldiers guarding the mausoleum really want to go straight to Han Xinling, they are likely to run into the trap of the red soldiers.
If it weren't for the fact that Xu Huaizhen only had one mouth and two nostrils, Xiao Yanhan would have doubted whether he really had the ability to predict the future.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Xu Huai touched his face and asked Xiao Yanhan.
"How do you know Han Xinling can't go?" Xiao Yanhan asked in surprise.
"It is said in the military book that you have to pick on the weak," Xu Huai said nonsense to deal with Xiao Yanhan, and then asked Zhang Xiongshan, "Can the prisoner explain why the messenger rushed to Hanxinling?"
The cultural level of the Chihu people was limited, so many letters were dictated without missing a word. The young man would be killed by Xiao Yanhan. Xu Huai was worried that others would not know the specific content of the message.
"The messenger was a military official who stayed in King Chihu's tent. He was acquainted with Chizihu. They met after passing through Jiangzhou. The two made a pact to hunt villagers and settle an old grudge. No one wanted to hear that he had an affair with Chihu.
I am mentioning that you sent envoys to Mengzhou secretly to communicate with the generals who had not yet withdrawn from Mengzhou, intending to cede territory and sue for peace, and even promised to send envoys to Taiyuan to cede territory and negotiate peace.
Urge the military and civilians of Taiyuan to dedicate the city!" Zhang Xiongshan even said with some sympathy.
"Oh, this is the Dai Yue court!" Xiao Yanhan couldn't help but sarcastically said in a "this is a man" tone.
Xu Huai stood with his arms folded and remained silent for a long time.
Zhang Xiongshan asked: "Should we deal with these prisoners directly to avoid confusing the morale of the army?"
"Is there any confusion? This is not an unexpected thing - please tell Master Zhang to inform Qian Langjun about this. Zhang Junhou, please don't disturb His Highness tonight!" Xu Huai waved his hand and followed.
Zhang Xiongshan said.
After Zhang Xiongshan left, Xiao Yanhan stared at Xu Huai's face and asked, "Is this the end of the matter?"
"Otherwise?" Xu Huai asked in pain, "I don't have the ability to break the siege of Taiyuan. The Red Husbands even deployed a dragnet in Hanxinling and waited for the Western Army to come to help. I can send people to rob and kill this bullshit to cede territory and negotiate peace.
So that when Taiyuan's soldiers and civilians hold on until they have to fall, will they end up with a tragic end in which the whole city is massacred?"
Xiao Yanhan subconsciously wanted to ridicule Xu Huai, but she saw tears in his eyes. He was stunned for a while and said softly: "There are some things that you cannot change, so you don't need to blame yourself..."
Xu Huai took a long breath, looked at Xiao Yanhan and said:
"I know it will be difficult to convince the remnants of your clan to directly join the war, but in the first northern expedition to Yan, the Tianxiong army was defeated in Datong, and 3,000 prisoners were captured by you. In addition to more than 700 Tongbai Mountain soldiers, it should be
There are still two thousand prisoners moved to Xishan. At this time, you rush to the Western Army to see Xiao Shijun and ask him to hand over these prisoners to you and other generals who are willing to fight alongside Dai Viet. I promise that as long as I have the breath of my life, I will call him
You, the people of the Yan tribe, have a place to live and reproduce between heaven and earth..."
