It is only more than two hundred miles from Huai'an County to the west to Yunzhong. Although it is still surrounded by mountains, the towering peaks appear scattered in the overall situation. They are not as dense as the Yinshan and Yanshan Mountains. The roads interspersed between them are It’s also much easier to walk.
In Yunzhou in spring, dense long grass has multiplied all over the fields. The light rain once again blocked the progress of the imperial camp.
"Spring rain is as precious as oil!" Liu Chengyou sighed softly while looking at the scenery of the surrounding fields in the rain and mist.
The Yunzhou area is a basin, not a rainy place. Therefore, rainwater is more precious to it. However, it is a good season and it is the farming season. There is not a single plowing cow in the fields. A farmer wasted in vain.
Along the way, what Liu Chengyou saw was almost deserted and sparsely populated. The direct cause was this war. People in prefectures and counties fled, moved, died, and were injured.
The Yunshuo states shrouded in flames of war are really dilapidated. For the people who originally lived in this land, the arrival of the Han army probably brought more misfortune...
"The people of Yunshuo need to be comforted!" Liu Chengyou sighed again.
Although the population of the Yunshuo area dropped sharply after this battle, there is still some remaining population, especially Shuo, Ying, and Weijzhou in the south, which were less affected. Of course, this is only compared to the northern states. In terms of.
The rain was not heavy, but it was lingering. The body was filled with rain and mist. The light rain was not enough for Liu Chengyou to wash his hands that had grasped the soil. Zhang Dejun personally held an umbrella. Seeing this, he hurriedly asked someone to fetch clean water. , for him to clean.
"We're almost in the clouds!" Liu Chengyou suddenly asked.
Zhang Dejun immediately replied: "According to General An, we have left Qingpi Road and the mountain in front of us is Baishan Mountain. Yunzhong is thirty miles away. Uncle Gao Guo has already sent someone to contact Yunzhong Xingying Camp to discuss how to pick him up!"
"Bai Chongshan!" Liu Chengyou became interested and smiled lightly: "Remember to remind me to go and see it when you have time!"
"The official family is an ominous place!" Zhang Dejun reminded carefully.
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but glance at him: "You want to say that Liu Bang, the founder of the former Han Dynasty, was besieged here by the Huns, which was a national shame!"
"You have read some books!" Seeing Zhang Dejun nod, Liu Chengyou said calmly: "But, what does he, the former Han, have to do with me?"
Seeing this, Zhang Dejun immediately changed his words and said: "The officials are right. You sent millions of people to conquer Khitan in the north, and the momentum was overwhelming. You fought and won in succession. The barbarians fled north and Guanshan was completely recovered. How can you be like Liu Bang's scoundrel?" Nothing can be compared!"
"The entrepreneur is a hero of his own generation, how can you despise and slander him!" Liu Chengyou scolded him again.
This made Zhang Dejun feel uncomfortable. Neither the left nor the right, just shut up. Liu Chengyou was also excited. When he returned to Luanjia after letting go, he reminded him: "Remember, don't call Gao Zang again in the future." You are the uncle of the state. He has a title and an official position. If you annoy him one day, he will cause trouble for you!"
Zhang Dejun was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and immediately responded: "Yes!"
Maybe it was self-respect, maybe it was reserve. Although he had the status of uncle, Gao Huaide didn't like others calling him that, not to mention that he was still in the army, and Gao Guifei was accompanying him.
The light rain stopped until the afternoon. On February 20, the twelfth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, with the support of the Yunzhou camp, the emperor drove under the Yunzhou city, entered the Han camp, and gathered the three armies.
There was no need to prepare a detailed schedule for welcoming the arrival. Liu Chengyou, who had extensive experience in personal recruitment, was already familiar with it. As the "host", Fu Yanqing had already arranged the camp well and only needed to move in.
At this time, Yunzhou City was besieged by 250,000 Han troops. The densely packed camps reached straight to the sky and could not be seen at all. The numerous flags almost covered the sky. The voices of people and animals gathered together, almost Can shake the city wall in the clouds.
Still using their old tactics, the Han army built a series of facilities outside the city, including trenches, traps, earthen walls, sentry towers, and fences. They were all impressive and imposing, and they pressed toward Yunzhong City with a suffocating momentum.
Of course, after the troops arrived at the city, under the command of Yelu Talie, the Liao cavalry in the city attacked and harassed day and night, hoping to tire out the Han army and disrupt its morale.
However, when the Han army built deep ditches and high fortresses, the effect was not obvious. But even so, the Liao army only reduced the frequency of attacks, and they would attack from time to time, although it was difficult to have much impact on the besieging Han army. , but it’s like a mosquito buzzing in your ears, annoying.
A lot of the defensive trenches in Yunzhong have been filled in, and there are also many damages on the city wall. The traces are obvious everywhere, and it is obvious that there has been an attack.
Enter the military camp, meet with the generals, and listen to reports on the battle situation.
"Your Majesty, there are at least 20,000 defenders in Yunzhong City, commanded by King Yelu Talie of Liaonan Yuan. They are all Hu people, and all the Han people have been moved out. After the army was encircled, two probing attacks were launched, and the defenders were very weak. Stubborn, the will to resist is still strong, and there is no sign of low morale. Due to several spring rains, we temporarily stopped our troops and made preparations for the attack..."
Fu Yanqing sat down and briefly described the enemy situation in Yunzhong to Liu Chengyou. Liu Chengyou nodded. In fact, he already knew the general situation.
Liu Chengyou asked directly: "There was internal chaos in the Liao Kingdom. The Lord of the Liao Dynasty was eager to quell the rebellion in An Nei, so he decided to withdraw his troops. But why did all the large armies withdraw, leaving only a powerful force under the command of an important minister to defend the city alone?"
Faced with the emperor's question, Zhao Kuangyin reported: "Your Majesty, I and others have discussed it and believe that this is because the Liao army is unwilling to completely abandon the Yunshuo area. As far as the Liao State is concerned, if Yunzhou falls, most of the areas south of the Yinshan Mountains will be destroyed. We will be under the attack of the Han Dynasty and will be difficult to protect. The situation in the north will be difficult to take full initiative.
If one division is left behind, it can play a diversionary role for the Liao army retreating to the north. At the same time, if it can hold on, it can greatly consume the Han military and national power. The longer it is delayed, the greater the damage to the Han.
In order to support the Yunzhou battle, our army has great difficulty in supplying supplies and the rear is heavily burdened. If the Liao army can hold on, it will not only consume our national strength and weaken our morale, but also lay the foundation for the Liao army to come south again... "
As Zhao Kuangyin spoke, Liu Chengyou nodded, thought for a while, and finally agreed with their speculation. He slightly expressed emotion: "The Liao Kingdom is gambling, using a Nanyuan king and more than 20,000 troops to bet on whether he can hold on." In the clouds!”
"What a courage! What a courage! What a determination!" Liu Chengyou said, with some admiration in his tone.
Hearing what he said, he felt unconvinced. Dang Jin came out and said loudly: "Your Majesty, our army is besieging the city with ten times the strength of the army. How can we withstand the front of the Han army in the clouds?"
Looking at Dang Jin, Liu Chengyou's eyes showed a hint of admiration. At this time, such domineering and determination to win are needed.
After a brief pause, Liu Chengyou's expression became extremely serious. He looked around and said in a resolute tone: "Everyone, it is the spring plowing season. In order to support the Northern Expedition, domestic work has been delayed a lot. Tokyo The ministers have complained to me several times.
Since the Northern Expedition, we have achieved significant results, and the only thing left to achieve full success is this Yunzhong City. The Liao army wants to rely on this city to delay and tire us out, and wants to compete with us in this offensive and defensive battle. I Just fulfill them.
Although this city is solid, we should also eat it! When the weather improves, we will supervise the generals and attack the city with all our strength, breaking Yunzhong!"
"Yes!" Faced with the emperor's urging, all the generals naturally said yes.
For today's Han army, it has advantages in all aspects and is full of confidence. There is no reason to attack it. Of course, Liu Chengyou does not dare to underestimate it. The Liao army dares to make such a decision, and its determination to defend is It's obvious.
"Yuan Long came from Yuzhou, how is the situation there?" Liu Chengyou asked Zhao Kuangyin.
Zhao Kuangyin replied: "I led the army here, broke through the barriers and captured the city, and the road was almost smooth. The local Han people came with bags of food to welcome them. Now Wang Shenqi, the envoy of the Flying Fox Army, is stationed!"
He nodded and asked Fu Yanqing: "How are the old and weak people in Yunzhou resettled?"