Youzhou, a large state in the south of Yan and a strong city in Hebei, has experienced stable development for many years. Under the governance of King Zhao Kuangzan of Yan, it has achieved considerable recovery in terms of politics, military, economy and culture. However, because of its remote location in the north, it has suffered from
The military pressure from the Liao Kingdom in the north of Saibei always has an upper limit.
By the 11th year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, the city's population barely exceeded 100,000. For such a big city, it was difficult to match its status. This is a city with greater military significance than anything else, so in terms of defensive facilities and troop deployment,
, has been achieved to a very perfect level.
In the words of Zhao Kuangzan of the King of Yan, if the enemy besieges the city, it cannot be broken within one year if it is not 200,000 people. It may be an exaggeration, but from his confident declaration, we can also get a glimpse of the solidity of Youzhou's defense.
Youzhou in midsummer was dry and hot. Fortunately, a continuous heavy rain washed away the restlessness lingering in the city among the people of Youzhou. The people retreated to their homes and closed their doors tightly, not just to avoid the rain.
, as well as government bans.
Many people could see through the gaps in the doors and windows that between the rain curtains, there were many uniformed officers and soldiers of the Yan army, running around menacingly, executing military orders. Everyone knew that something big had happened in the city, and the whole city
The city has been put under martial law.
In fact, the state capital here is still under martial law, while several cities guarding Youzhou are in a state of complete emergency. Under the military orders of the Yan Palace, they are ready to fight against the invaders.
The heavy rain is still dripping down. The officials in Prince Yan's Mansion are carefully and solemnly sticking to their posts, doing their own things. The sound of rain seems to be the accompaniment of the busyness. The figures coming in and out are all carrying rain and dew, and they will be clean.
The lobby was wet.
The rain kept beating on the eaves and green tiles. Zhao Kuangzan, King of Yan, was sitting behind the main case. Two generals, one old and one strong, walked into the hall and saluted Zhao Kuangzan: "Your Majesty!"
The veteran general was named Zhang Zangying, a rare chivalrous man who had stabbed his enemies in the busy city. He was well-known in Yanji and was praised by Zhao Kuang, his grandfather. Zhao Dejunshi was then Lulong's military envoy in the Later Tang Dynasty. He was also under the rule of the Khitan when he cut Yanyun in the Later Jin Dynasty.
As an official, he has a deep connection with the King of Yan.
The middle-aged general named Gao Yanhui had also served as a Khitan official. He belonged to the military-bureaucratic-landlord class of Youyan and worked for the former King of Yan, Zhao Yanshou. The two of them, unlike Zhao Siwan, were close to the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, in the past two years, Zhao Kuangzan adjusted the strength of the Yan army faction. In addition to promoting young talents, he also appointed more senior generals who followed his political footsteps.
Now the two of them, Zhang Zangying is the deputy commander of the Youzhou Horse Infantry Army (the chief envoy is personally held by Zhao Kuangzan), and Gao Yanhui is the inspection envoy of Youji. They are representative generals in the Yan army, so their rise to the top did not cause any concern.
Dissatisfied, well, except for Zhao Siwan.
"Say!" Looking at the two of them, Zhao Kuangzan asked directly without being too polite.
Zhang Zangying was already in her sixties, with gray hair and beard. Although she was carrying the aura of twilight, she still gave people a sense of peace of mind in times of chaos. She raised her hands and reported to Zhao Kuang: "The 'Scarred Face Army' has been brought under control. Zhao Siwan's trusted general, Colonel.
Capture them all. Following the King's order, the remaining soldiers also voluntarily surrendered their weapons and were temporarily imprisoned in the barracks, waiting for the King's disposal!"
Hearing what he said, Zhao Kuangzan breathed a sigh of relief. So far, the Yan army's main troops and horses totaled about 20,000 infantry and cavalry. Among them, the assassin army commanded by Zhao Siwan had 3,000 people, and two-thirds of them were cavalry.
, is indeed the most powerful and best-equipped unit among the Yan army. If it can be calmed and controlled smoothly, the risk of civil strife can basically be avoided.
Why did Zhao Siwan dare to contact the Liao Kingdom and confidently stated that he could cooperate with the Liao army to defeat Youzhou? This tattooed army was his biggest source of confidence.
Of course, he boasted that he had tight control over his subordinates and had many confidants involved, but he did not know that Zhao Kuangzan would never let the best troops and horses under his subordinates escape from control. He just kept it secret all the time and used other Yan troops on the surface.
To attract his attention, he secretly laid many traps and back-up tactics. Therefore, when he learned that Zhao Siwan had rebellious intentions, he used the power of thunder to quickly capture and dismantle him.
Zhao Siwan's incident happened by chance. The reason also lay in the officer named Zhao Yan who was killed by Zhao Siwan that day. After returning to Youzhou, Zhao Siwan sent someone to inform his family of the bad news and gave him a generous gift of money and silk.
Zhao Yan's family originally accepted it, but they asked for the location of the "fall" and wanted to pay homage and find the body. How could Zhao Siwan point out a target for them, so they rudely refused.
Zhao Yan's family was not convinced and asked to come to the house, which made Zhao Siwan furious. General Zhao, who had a ferocious temperament, had no time to entangle with such a small person, so he roughly ordered the guards to beat him up.
In this way, Zhao Yan's family reported directly to the Yan Palace. At this time, the news of the Liao Army's Nankou Yanmen had already crossed Taihang and reached Youzhou. As a local force that borders the Liao Kingdom and has communicated with it for a long time, Zhao Kuangzan immediately
He noticed that the direction of the wind was wrong. Although the enemy deployed troops to the west, he subconsciously raised his vigilance.
In this treacherous atmosphere, Zhao Yan's problem was exposed. In order to reduce the impact, Zhao Kuangzan sent people to investigate. After all, Zhao Yan was a mid-level officer of the Yan Army and died inexplicably.
An explanation is needed.
After this investigation, the problem was discovered. It was exposed by one of Zhao Siwan's soldiers. The soldier was on good terms with Zhao Yan. He was even more chilled by Zhao Siwan's cruelty to Zhao Yan's family. He secretly reported the details and kept his private information.
Hui Huisi told the story of Xiao Husi's evil intentions. This directly alarmed Zhao Kuangzan and attracted his great attention.
Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Zhao Kuangzan remained calm and sent someone to scold Zhao Siwan, pretending not to know. He also said that the border situation was strange and when the enemy was on defense, he could not use this matter to disturb the morale of the army and asked him to go to Zhao Siwan in person.
Yan’s family explained and apologized.
At this time, Zhao Siwan was secretly communicating with Xiao Husi, and a big event was about to happen, and he was wandering in his career ideas. Knowing that Zhao Kuangzan had always been lenient, he did not want to offend Zhao Kuangzan at this juncture because of such a trivial matter, and cause trouble.
Its vigilance.
So he went to Zhao Yan's house in person. As soon as he entered, he was captured by King Yan's guards who had already ambushed him. Once Zhao Siwan was captured, he followed two steps. One was to interrogate Zhao Siwan and his cronies, and the other was
It was the disintegration of its power, especially the assassinated army, which had a huge influence.
As the trial and investigation deepened, the secrets and conspiracies behind it came to light, and the situation in Youzhou also changed accordingly. When he learned about Zhao Siwan's plan, even the palace of Yan King Zhao Kuangzan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
He had always known that Zhao Siwan was courageous, but he only regarded him as a brave man, strong and resourceful. Although he knew that he was dissatisfied due to the suppression in the past two years, he did not expect that this would happen quietly.
This rebellious intention has been directly implemented to this extent.
The reason lies in the fact that the central court put a chain on the beast of Wu Fu and restrained it, which affected Zhao Kuangzan's side. However, they neglected to notice that Zhao Siwan finally emerged from the troubled times of the Three Generations.
It is normal for a martial artist to want to rebel when he is unhappy.
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The more he understood the details, the more frightened Zhao Kuangzan became. After reacting, he immediately arrested the Liao spies in Youzhou City, interrogated the enemy's situation, and let them plan and prepare various responses.
The control of the Thorny Faced Army is the top priority. Otherwise, if these three thousand elites get into chaos, the consequences will be equally serious. Now, with Zhang Zangying's revenge, Zhao Kuangzan can feel at ease.
After thinking for a while, Zhao Kuangzan ordered Zhang Zangying: "Zhao Siwan's cronies will be detained for the time being, and we will notify them. The lone general will go to the military camp in person to inspect the tattooed sergeants and listen to their appeals!"
Seeing this, Zhang Zangying hurriedly dissuaded him: "Your Majesty, Zhao Siwan has been arrested, and the Thorny Faced Army is unstable after all. There may be stubborn thieves who slip through the net. Your Majesty has a great responsibility in Youzhou, so you cannot take risks!"
After hearing what he said, Zhao Kuangzan said: "This is a loyal advice from the old general, and he takes it with his heart. However, the Thorny Face Army is the elite of the Yan army and is also Gu's subordinate. How can he hate the whole army because of the sin of one person? If we want to protect Youzhou
, they still need their efforts to fight against the powerful Liao. For the current plan, only Gu can go there in person to appease his heart. Furthermore, if Gu treats him with sincerity, how can he be afraid of harming him!"
While Zhang Zangying admired Zhao Kuangzan's heroic spirit and courage, he raised his hand and said, "If the king has made up his mind, although the general is old, he is willing to personally carry the steel sword, guard the left and right, and accompany him into the camp!"
"The old general is really a loyal man! Thank you so much!" Zhao Kuang praised.
"Don't dare to be the last general!" Zhang Zangying was naturally modest.
Zhao Kuangzan thought for a while and said to Zhang Zangying: "Zhao Siwan Tongliao has betrayed a lot about Youzhou's internal situation and city defense layout. Now that the situation has been decided, the city's defense should be adjusted. This matter still needs to be done."
Sorry for bothering you, old general!"
"yes!"
Nodding, Zhao Kuangzan said to Gao Yanhui: "The same goes for the defense in the north. Since the Liao army is moving in Tanzhou, the defense of Shunzhou should be the top priority. The general can go to Huairou in person to supervise his division, just like the Liao army.
When the army comes, Yingcheng resists it and delays its actions!"
"Follow the order!" Gao Yanhui did not hesitate at all.
Looking outside, the heavy rain was coming from slow to severe. Zhao Kuangzan couldn't help but sigh: "Fortunately, this heavy rain bought us a lot of time and delayed the Liao army's actions. Otherwise, the incident would have happened suddenly and the situation would have collapsed."
bad!"
"Zhao Siwan's plan is an act that defies heaven and cannot be tolerated by heaven!" Zhang Zangying couldn't help showing contempt.
In the view of these old men of the Yan Army, internal conflicts can be resolved internally. It is intolerable for Zhao Siwan to communicate with foreign countries purely because of his own selfish desires. Furthermore, he was an obedient minister of the Khitan and now surrenders to the Central Plains.
For a long time, they still prefer to be the subjects of the Han Dynasty.
And Zhao Kuangzan's sigh was just a sigh of relief. In fact, even without Zhao Yan's incident, the possibility of Zhao Siwan's success was not very high. Not to mention the back-up arranged by King Yan, how could the imperial court treat Zhao Siwan?
Unprepared, had it not been for the protection of Zhao Kuangzan, the observation officer Gao Fang would have found an opportunity to plot Zhao Siwan to death.
After the two generals retired, a middle-aged official walked in. He had a thin face, a few strands of beard, and a calm demeanor. His name was Song Qi, who was the chief historian of Prince Yan at the time. Compared with Gao Fang, this person was the one who assisted.
Zhao Kuangzan was the first civil servant to handle civil affairs. When Zhao Siwan's incident happened, Zhao Kuangzan asked Song Qi to be in charge of the trial.
In his early years, he was a Jinshi of the Khitan and was a subordinate of Zhao Yanshou. Speaking of which, Zhao Yanshou left Zhao Kuangzan with abundant military and political resources.