"Your Majesty, you really have never given up on us!" Inside the felt tent, Yang Ye let out an emotional sigh.
"Never!" Wang Yinwu agreed with certainty: "In the past few months, Hexi has received orders from the court several times. His Majesty has strictly ordered that traces of the soldiers must be found. Each one is more urgent than the other. Your Majesty and the court have always firmly believed that the soldiers
You will definitely be able to escape from danger and escape!
After judging that the expeditionary force was retreating westward, the imperial court even decided to restart the westward march at the beginning and end of the Northern Expedition and add troops to the Western Regions to prepare for the return of the soldiers.
Since the beginning of spring, 20,000 royal troops have marched west from Helong, and now they should have stationed themselves in the Western Regions to participate in the war in the Western Regions!"
After hearing this, Yang Ye and others looked at each other with surprise on their faces. Looking at Wang Yinwu, Yang Ye said: "The king knows that we are hiding in a deserted area and have no news. We know nothing about the situation of the Han Dynasty and the current world.
What is the situation and how is the Northern Expedition progressing? I hope we can shed some light on it!"
Naturally, Wang Yinwu did not hesitate to answer this question. He described in detail the progress of the Central Northern Expedition and the Eastern Route Army. When he learned that the Han army had taken all Liaodong and all Monan, the Liao lord fled north, and the Hu people fled far away, he couldn't help but
I am fascinated and excited.
While achieving martial arts for the Han Dynasty, he also had some regrets. Yang Ye said: "It's a pity that we were unable to experience such a great achievement. In the battle at Mobei, we were defeated and fled westward in embarrassment!"
"Young Master Yang, you don't have to be like this!" After hearing what he said, Wang Yinwu immediately said: "Everyone in the army respects the expeditionary army. They ride lightly across the territory, gallop across the territory, and fight hard. This is the behavior of a man. Although he suffered a slight setback,
However, it swept across Mobei, causing chaos in the rear of the Liao Kingdom, and was unable to support the battle in Monan.
The official had heard that if there had not been an expeditionary force to attack the hinterland of the Liao Kingdom, so that it would have more troops to go south, the outcome of the Han's counterattack against Liao's Shanyang would be unpredictable, and the northern border of the Han might also suffer greater losses.
of destruction!
Moreover, although the Liao Kingdom gathered a crowd and used force to defeat the expeditionary army, in the past few months, the situation in Mobei of the Liao Kingdom has become increasingly declining, the tribes have become dislocated, each has their own ulterior motives, and the Khitan people's rule over Mobei has fallen into chaos.
It is difficult to overcome a huge crisis.
Therefore, the soldiers of the expeditionary force fought hard and achieved great results!"
Although Wang Quanbin's words are full of compliments and flattery, their starting point is also reasonable. At least within the imperial court, when evaluating the merits and demerits, there is no conclusion about the Mobei Expeditionary Force because of its unknown whereabouts, but Emperor Liu's
The attitude is already very clear.
Perhaps because of the great defeat, it is impossible to give overly high evaluations and rewards to the generals who commanded the army, just like Liu Tinghan who defeated Monan, with mixed success and failure, but for the general achievements of generals, I am still very positive.
And provide rewards and pensions.
As for Yang Ye and others, of course, they hope to be recognized by the court more than their personal honors and contributions. After going through such cruel and arduous expeditions and sacrificing the lives of the soldiers, they need to be recognized, otherwise they will be sorry.
Those loyal soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Han Dynasty.
"The king's knowledge is quite extraordinary!" Probably because Wang Yinwu said he felt comfortable, Liu Fang opened his face with a smile and said.
"Your Highness is ridiculous!" Wang Yinwu responded quickly: "I just expressed my respect for the soldiers of the expeditionary force. I wish I could be one of them and ride with the army to Mobei!"
Hearing what he said, Yang Ye and the other two nodded, and even Wang Yansheng's sickly face showed a little satisfaction.
After pondering for a while, Yang Ye looked at Wang Yinwu and said: "Wang Duzhi was ordered to find an army and went through a lot of hardships. He traveled to a foreign land and came to Jinshan for both public and private purposes. On behalf of the entire army, I would like to express my welcome and gratitude!"
When Yang Ye said this, Wang Yinwu immediately wanted to be polite, but was interrupted by Yang Ye: "Since we are not outsiders, I will speak frankly!"
"Mr. Yang, please speak!" Wang Yinwu subconsciously became serious.
"Nowadays, our army is in a very difficult situation, with a severe shortage of food and fodder, and it has almost reached an unsustainable point before spring.
During these days, the soldiers worked hard together, harvesting, fishing and hunting, just to survive. Our soldiers are all warriors who have fought many battles, and their situation is like that of refugees. Their lives are precarious and their safety is uncertain.
Everyone knows that coming here brings hope to all the soldiers in the army. We, who have been wandering outside the territory for nearly half a year, will finally return!"
"Thank you for your hard work, soldiers!" Yang Ye's words seemed to arouse Wang Yinwu's sympathy. His eyes shimmered and he said in a deep voice. He remembered the arduous journey of the Western Envoy more than ten years ago, but compared with it,
, the experience of the soldiers of the expeditionary force may be even more bleak.
Yang Yeze continued: "To be honest, before the arrival of the king, General Wang and His Highness, I and I had already made a decision to break camp, march south into the desert, and return to the Han Dynasty through the Western Regions! We were trying to survive in a desperate situation, and we were full of worries.
Now, I have more confidence!”
After Yang Ye finished speaking, Wang Yinwu didn't speak for a while, but thought about it for a moment, and then said: "Mr. Yang, it is still too dangerous to cross the quicksand in the south. More importantly, south of the quicksand is Luntai, Beiting area. So far, it is too dangerous to cross the quicksand."
It is still in the hands of the Liao army, and the Tianshan Mountains lie across the south. It is very difficult to break through.
Now that we have found it, I suggest that I take a detour and head southeast along the edge of the mountain. Although the road is desolate, it is safer. I can also send people to contact Hexi and ask Lu Shijun to prepare troops, horses and supplies for response.
Return directly to Dahan!"
Wang Yinwu's idea is simple and clear. Now that the expeditionary force has been found, the most important goal has been achieved.
"Your Highness, old general, what do you think?" After hearing their opinions, Yang Ye asked Liu Fang and Wang Yansheng.
Liu Yang clearly felt from Yang Ye's tone that he had other ideas. He thought for a moment and said: "I only have one tent, and I must obey the military orders."
Wang Yansheng was more straightforward. He had no intention of lying or guessing riddles, and asked directly: "Chonggui, please speak up if you have any ideas!"
"This matter is beyond my ability to decide with just one word!" Yang Ye sighed and said, "I intend to continue to implement the previously discussed plan. However, the king is aware of it and the situation has changed. As he said.
, it is indeed safer to change the route to avoid the desert!"
As soon as he said these words, Wang Yansheng immediately expressed his attitude: "Without Wang Yinwu, our army's road is in the south, and it won't even be long before we start marching!
Decades ago, the Khitan cavalry waded far into the quicksand and surrendered to the Xizhou Uighurs; ten years ago, the Liao army also followed this path during its western expedition; the Khitan people could walk the same road, but we, the Han soldiers, have walked it time and time again.
how?
We evacuated from Mobei all the way to this place, and we have gone through all kinds of hard work and hardships, but we still have to go this far?"
Of course, Wang Yansheng's attitude was not just for the sake of trying hard and making some bold words. After only exchanging glances with Yang Ye, he roughly understood Yang Ye's considerations.
Among the people present, Wang Yansheng was probably the person most familiar with the situation in the Western Regions besides Wang Yinwu. Through the conversation with Wang Yinwu, they also had the latest understanding of the situation in the Western Regions, which also broadened their thinking.
Wang Yansheng spoke in his low, hoarse but strong tone, staring at Wang Yinwu and said: "Do you know what I just said just now, that the Western Regions are now a three-party conflict, the Han Dynasty, the Black Khan, and the Liao Kingdom are restraining each other and there is a stalemate?"
Wang Yinwu nodded. Wude Si had naturally collected this military information, and as the leader of the Helong area, he was naturally familiar with it.
"In fact, after autumn last year, the black Khans were already fighting against the Han Dynasty. There was only one remnant of the Liao army, which retreated to the north of the Tianshan Mountains. The city only had Luntai and the two cities of Beiting. There were no more than 4,000 soldiers and even fewer civilians.
Relying on the dangers of the mountains and guarding the passes, they managed to survive.
General Guo Jin once wanted to go north to attack, destroy the Liao army, and then drive the Black Khan army out of the Western Regions, but due to lack of troops and the constraints of the Black Khan army, he was unable to do so.
This time, the imperial court sent troops to the west to aid. There were nearly 30,000 Han men in the Western Regions. If we add in the Uighurs who were servants and the Tibetan people who left the Uighurs to go there voluntarily, the force was already very abundant. They also had to mobilize food, grass and weapons from Hexi.
As support, even if Hei and Liao unite, they will not be opponents."
"Does the Second Duke want to seize the second city occupied by the remnants of the Liao army?" As he said this, Wang Yinwu came to his senses and asked in surprise.
"The king knows that Guo is knowledgeable!" Yang Ye also spoke up and said seriously: "Originally, I just wanted to return to the country. If I can cooperate with the soldiers from the Western Regions and capture Luntai, the Liao army in the Beiting will be considered guilty and meritorious!"
"I will never return home in vain!" Wang Yansheng's old eyes became particularly sharp: "The situation of this remnant army is not much better than ours. They are both alone. If we can attack from two sides, our army will be a magic weapon descending from the sky.
Unexpected!"
In such a moment, Wang Yansheng and Yang Ye almost reached a consensus, but upon hearing this, Wang Yinwu frowned and hesitated: "Is this too risky? The situation of the soldiers is so bad, how can we ensure combat effectiveness, and have both sides?"
Although a pincer attack is a good strategy, it is too difficult to coordinate the north and south, and it is also difficult to coordinate operations. Moreover, if there is a slight mistake, there is a worry of overthrow.
Your Highness, the Second Duke, and your subordinates believe that the officers and men have had a hard time so far, so there is no need to take any more risks!"
"We will consider the combat capabilities of the officers, set a time, and contact the Western Regions. Wang Duzhi will be responsible for it, as soon as possible!" Yang Ye looked at Wang Yinwu and said sonorously and forcefully.
According to Wang Yinwu's idea, of course he is not happy. For him, bringing the expeditionary force back safely is a big achievement. However, this is completely out of his control. Even though he is a big shot in Hexi and even the entire northwest, Wang Yinwu knows that he is a big shot in Hexi and even the entire northwest.
But in front of Yang Ye and the others, they were completely unqualified to discuss the matter.
Facing the gazes of the three people, he could only sigh, cupped his hands and said, "I'll do my best, sir!"
"Okay! Then we should discuss a suitable time to attack!" Yang Ye said.
Wang Yinwu quickly adjusted his mentality and began to think about the matter. He estimated the time it would take for the message to be communicated and implemented to implement the plan, and then gave an answer.
While thinking about it, I heard Yang Ye's voice again: "Brothers, Your Highness, there is no need to follow the army. You should return to Hexi with Wang Duzhi!"
After saying this, Liu Fang stood up suddenly, almost kicked over the stool, and looked at Yang Ye: "Dushuai, what do you mean?"
Yang Ye smiled a little and responded calmly: "Your Highness, since you are in the army and consider yourself a subordinate, you should know that military orders are like mountains!"
How could Liu Fang not know Yang Ye's intentions? According to his temperament, he would definitely fight for it. However, after noticing Yang Ye's calm eyes and listening to his words, he finally sighed in despair: "If brother Liu Fang leaves,
How can his heart be at peace? How will he have the face to face Pao Ze, who has lived and died together until now?"
Yang Ye still looked unwavering and said solemnly: "Liu Fang listens to the order!"
"exist!"
"You and Liu Min will accompany Wang Duzhi back to Hexi to report military information and coordinate operations!" Yang Ye said.
"yes!"
The one who was most satisfied with this arrangement was Wang Yinwu. In fact, in his eyes, it was enough for the two highnesses to be safe. As for the safety of the entire expeditionary force, it was secondary. It didn't matter if they all went with him.
And Yang Ye's military order was exactly what he wanted! He was secretly happy in his heart, and looked at Yang Ye with more admiration. He felt that Mr. Yang was so considerate.
And Yang Ye's eyes also turned around, staring at Wang Yinwu slightly coldly. Obviously, Yang Ye had already seen what he was thinking. This man, no matter how sincere he said, but
From the beginning to the end, he was not concerned about the soldiers of the expeditionary force!