"What is the irreversible crisis that Han Qing mentioned? If you have something to say, please speak it out without reservation. Have you noticed anything?" Yelvxian frowned deeply and looked at Han Derang with some doubts in his eyes.
Han Derang had an expression of bitterness and hatred, and answered with his hands raised: "I have no conclusion, but I just feel that the Southern Dynasty is strong and has sufficient military and civilian power to mobilize. Although our army took advantage of it this time, it was because of the power of Shanyang."
We will lose, but we will never sit back and watch the situation worsen.
The Han army's reinforcements are not coming. The more this is the case, the more alarming it is. Perhaps, before we are aware of it, the Han army has secretly prepared troops and lurked to plot against me!
Your Majesty, the current Yunzhong is too deep for our army!"
"Han Qing, this is the first time I've seen you showing such cowardice!" Seeing Handerang's hesitation and speculation, Yelvxian sighed.
"I'm just deeply worried!" Han De said.
"I am not like that!" Yelvxian's tired face showed a little desolation. After pondering for a long time, he finally made up his mind: "Calling the soldiers outside, the whole army is ready to evacuate!"
Although Yelvxian listened to the advice and made a decision, Han Derang did not relax much, but followed closely and said: "Your Majesty, please hurry up!"
"Summon the generals immediately to discuss the withdrawal of troops!" Yelvxian almost gritted his teeth in response to Handerang's solemn gaze.
Withdrawing troops is a technical task for any army. If you are not careful or some accident occurs, the retreat will turn into a defeat.
The same goes for the Liao army. If Yelvxian wants to retreat north safely, the Liao army itself has many difficulties that need to be overcome. First, the generals and soldiers are willing. When no obvious crisis is discovered, many people are unwilling to do so.
Fearing the battle, they retreated northward; secondly, their troops were dispersed, and it would take time to regroup the troops who were addicted to plundering in Waishanyang; thirdly, although the Liao army was all cavalry and had many livestock and horses, those captured
Money, food and supplies will greatly reduce their mobility.
Of course, the most important thing is, how can the Han army give up and let them leave easily? There is no doubt about this. When the Liao army was surrounded by clouds and plundered Shanyang, a large number of Han troops
Reinforcements have been advancing towards Shanyang from three sides. Perhaps they should not be called reinforcements, because the goal of the Han army is obviously not to rescue the cloud, but to defeat this bold and rampant Liao army.
Twenty days were enough for Emperor Liu to dispatch an elite force from Liaodong and assemble and rest. More troops would be in place according to military orders in the subsequent continuous improvement of the combat plan, just waiting for a thunderous blow.
Of course, the movements in the Liao army camp in Yunzhong could not be hidden from the eyes of the Han army in Yunzhong City. Although the veteran general had not led troops for many years, he was getting stronger and stronger, and he was still very powerful in his military uniform.
Climbing up Beicheng Pass and looking far into the distance, although you can't see anything clearly, you can still feel the busyness and tension of the Liao army promised from miles away.
"In the past two days, three plundering Liao armies have returned to Yunzhong. The two enemy camps in the northwest are preparing for preparation. The situation has become obvious. The Liao army plans to retreat!" Pointing to the outside of the city, Shanyang Zhuge Liang said
Tian Chongjin, the deputy commander of the army, spoke very fast and said to Li Wanchao.
"You want to leave? How can you do what you want?" Li Wanchao's gray beard was messy in the cool breeze, and his old eyes were still as sharp as an eagle.
"Before, there was no movement. The change happened in these two days. The general was not sure what went wrong. The Liao army was shocked and wanted to escape!" Tian Chongjin was about forty years old. He was brave and well-versed in military strategies.
The soldier is experienced, but at this time, his tone is a bit anxious.
This time, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Liao army to move south, they set up a trap to lure Shanyang deep into the army, encircle and annihilate it. This strategy was first proposed by Tian Chongjin, and then Li Wanchao came forward to report and coordinate the execution.
The result was basically as planned. The Liao army did break through the defenses and moved southward, approaching the clouds. However, the most critical step, and the most difficult step to grasp, had not yet begun.
Shanyang has been harmed by the Liao army, and the officials and people suffered serious losses. If the Liao army escapes in the end, the result will be too hard to accept. Although Li Wanchao is in charge, Tian, who first proposed the strategy and assisted in its execution,
In terms of re-entry, it is also a huge setback and will affect your career.
"There are capable people in the Liao army!" Li Wanchao was steady and said calmly: "It's not surprising that they are vigilant. Without such vigilance, even if they are given the opportunity, they may not be able to seize it and go south to break through!"
Li Wanchao's old but rich voice seemed to have a calming effect on his emotions. Tian Chongjin also calmed down, thought for a while and said: "Now that the Liao army is about to leave, the encircling army does not know where it is and how it is progressing!"
This is the most difficult part of executing such a big plan. It is inconvenient to transmit information and it is difficult to timely. It is even more difficult for the various troops involved to cooperate perfectly. In many cases, we can only rely on the generals of each group to adapt to the situation.
Decision-making, and any choice may lead to different results, affecting success or failure.
But when Yunzhong was surrounded, it was even more difficult for him to coordinate in time and work closely with other armies.
Of course, Li Wanchao also understood this truth. His expression tightened slightly, making the ravine on his face clearer. After pondering for a while, Li Wanchao said: "Send people south again, contact Kang Yanze, and ask him to go north as soon as possible."
As he said that, Li Wanchao couldn't help but look to the northwest and said solemnly: "The actions of the other armies are of course important, but what I am most concerned about is Kang Baoyi! Whether he can keep the Liao army and how much results he can achieve depends on his side.
, can you tighten the opening to the north?"
Hearing this, Tian Zhongjin nodded and agreed: "It's been so long. Kangbao Yi should have enough time to come east. If there is no accident, he should have passed Baidaoshan by now and be able to catch up! The only worry is that his troops are small and they have a long distance.
Marching will inevitably lead to fatigue, and there is no guarantee that we can cut off the Liao army's return path!"
Li Wanchao sighed: "His Majesty once said in the past, it's up to people to plan things, and it's up to God to make things happen! The situation has developed to this point, and the progress of the remaining armies is beyond our control. As the basis for encirclement and counterattack, we can only use our
Do what you can and do your best! Send the order and let the soldiers be ready. Once the Liao army retreats north, they will leave the city to pursue them. Be sure to entangle them and wait for backup!"
"Yes!" Tian Chongjin responded solemnly.
"The last general has a request!" Looking at Li Wancao, Tian Zhongjin held his hand with a serious look on his face.
"Please tell me, you don't have to be so polite!" Seeing this, Li Wanchao chuckled.
Tian Chongjin: "For the pursuit, the last general will lead the troops out of the city, and the old general will be asked to sit in the clouds. There is no need to come to the battle formation in person!"
"General Tian thinks that I am too old to hold up my sword, leap on my horse, and go into battle to kill the enemy?" After hearing this, Li Wanchao narrowed his eyes and stared at Tian Chongjin with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
Seeing this, Tian Chongjin looked serious and sincere, and responded: "This battle is dangerous, and the outcome is uncertain. The general should lead the troops to fight to the death. If something goes wrong and falls into it, the general will not regret it. However, in the clouds, we still need to
The old general is in charge, and as long as Yun Zhong is here, the battle situation will still be under our control. To take the overall situation into consideration, we ask the old general to temporarily suppress his desire to kill the enemy and stay behind in Yun Zhong!"
Hearing Tian Zhongjin's words, the unpleasant look on Li Wanchao's face disappeared, and his eyes became kind. Although they had only worked together for less than a month, he really admired Tian Zhongjin.
After thinking about it for a moment, Li Wanchao said: "That's all, my old and decaying body will stay in Yunzhong City and wait for you to win and return!"
"Yes!" Tian Chongjin held his hand again and said with enthusiasm.
The Liao army in Yunzhong was eager to retreat, and the Han army responded tit-for-tat. After ten days of siege, the Han cavalry left the city for the first time and broke through the blockade of the Liao cavalry. After going south, the Liao army's response became even more eager.
This situation couldn't be more clear to Han Derang. It was a foregone conclusion that the Han army was planning on them. Otherwise, there would not have been such a big reaction to their move.
For both Han and Liao, this seemed to be another battle for time. On that day, Yelvxian sent a group of light cavalry north to protect the retreat road. At the same time, the first batch of about 20,000 troops
The army also took the lead and headed back north. The Han army in Yunzhong City did not move lightly. What they wanted to fight was a pursuit battle, so the timing of the attack must be grasped!
When the Liao army officially set off to retreat northward, an army of tens of thousands of people more than a hundred miles south of Yunzhong had crossed the Sanggan River and advanced northward. The high flags, the long ranks, and the cruising knights all proved that
Here, this is the main force of the encircling army.
This army has a total of more than 60,000 people, and its composition is relatively complex. There are frontier troops, state and county soldiers, Tibetan soldiers, and a large number of rural volunteers, but they basically come from Hedong Road. This is also the case on the Hedong side, in
In less than a month, the army was organized.
Although the combat effectiveness of the border troops is much weaker than that of the forbidden troops, they are all soldiers who have undergone basic training and have a certain degree of discipline, even those who are volunteers from the countryside.
Even so, the assembled army also spent additional time in preparation. The middle and lower-level officers, mostly officers and soldiers with combat experience, marched north in an orderly manner, accompanied by reorganization and training.
When the urgent news from Yunzhong was received, the speed of heading north immediately increased. On the 29th, Shang was resting in hiding in Yingzhou, and on October 1st, he entered Huairen.
As for Huairen, it is only about eighty miles away from Yunzhong. The leading general of the Hedong reinforcements is named Kang Yanze. As Yang Ye's deputy general, he participated in the Battle of Baicaokou and severely defeated the invading Liao army. Although this man is not well-known,
But his knowledge and strategy are extraordinary, and his ability to lead the army is very strong, especially his ability to organize and train the army.
At sunset, the army arrived at Huairen. Each camp was divided into defensive formations, resting on the spot, drinking water and eating. The north wind blew past, and Huairen County, which had been swept by the Liao army, was deserted and stood deserted.
There, it seemed to tell of infinite desolation.
Kang Yanze looked like a Confucian general, and he usually had an easy-going temperament, but at this time, as he stared at the dilapidated and depressed county, his face was stern and he was speechless for a long time.
"General, would you like to send someone into the city to collect the corpse?" the general beside him asked for instructions.
"No! It's important to break the Liao!" There was no emotion in Kang Yanze's voice, but it put great pressure on his subordinates.
"The sky is already dark. Do you want to order us to go down and camp on the spot, and then march into the clouds tomorrow?"
"No!" Kang Yanze refused again, turned to the north, with an astonishing look in his eyes, and said: "The Liao army has withdrawn to the north, and you can march with confidence! After passing the order, the entire army held up their torches, built up momentum, and formed a formation to move north.
, set off overnight!”
"Isn't it too risky to march the troops overnight?"