The actual situation on the southern battlefield was not difficult to find out. Under the deliberate probing of Liao scouts, it was quickly exposed to the world. The news quickly spread to the Liao army camp at the foot of Helan Mountain.
Although there have been various speculations, when the news was really confirmed, Liao Xingzong Yelu Zong was so angry that he almost spit out his blood. The cunning and cunning of the Song people exceeded his imagination. Although Daliao chose to fight with Song
The people who joined forces to attack Xia had ulterior motives, but the Liao State had always adhered to the principle of "being strict with others and lenient with self-discipline". There were things that the Song State could never do that they could do on their own.
In the golden tent, Yelu Zongzhen convened the ministers to discuss countermeasures. The current situation is not optimistic. Originally, Song and Liao attacked Xia, but now it has become Song and Xia's joint resistance against Liao. Two versus one has become one versus two. The kings and ministers of Liao are fighting again.
Even if you are confident, there is no guarantee of winning.
"I am reporting to the Emperor that the people of Song Dynasty have betrayed their trust and are colluding with Xia Guo. I believe that this war must continue again. The wisest thing to do now is to retreat quickly. Although our army has suffered small losses, its strength does not have much impact. We should use it for defense."
The two countries of Song and Xia should be more than enough." Zhang Jian said.
"Master Zhang is right. Logically speaking, the military strength of Song and Xia combined is not as strong as that of Daliao. However, although Daliao has millions of troops, they cannot all be used to attack Xia. In Xia,
We are still at a disadvantage in fighting within the country, so we might as well retreat and mobilize the army in Bazhou area to retaliate against the Song people; the Song people can aid Xia, but the Xia people may not aid Song, because I think carefully, the Song people must have seen through me
Daliao's strategy was not to lose the northwest barrier, so it tricked us. As far as Xia was concerned, they were weapons in the hands of the Song people. The two sides were just using each other. Is there any strong alliance?" Liu Zi, Shangshu of Nanya
Inquiry.[
Yelu Zongzhen sighed deeply and said: "What you two said is reasonable, but I really can't accept it. I am being played by the Song and Xia countries just like this. They have to withdraw their troops before they have gained any territory. How can I swallow it?"
Such bad breath."
"Brother Emperor, if you can't swallow this breath, why should you retreat? At worst, if you send another 200,000 troops to Xia for reinforcements, it won't be overwhelming all the way. Although the people of Song Dynasty are cunning, they only do evil behind the scenes, but they don't directly fight openly.
We are the enemy of Daliao, which shows that they are afraid, so the only ones fighting us are a bunch of hungry skinny wimps like the Xia Kingdom. We can do the opposite. They think that we will definitely return in defeat. We
Instead of retreating, they increased their troops and caught them off guard." Yelu Chongyuan, the emperor's younger brother, said impassionedly.
Xingzong's eyes lit up. Yelu Chongyuan's words were not unreasonable. Maybe the unexpected move might have a miraculous effect. He could completely defeat the Xia army with superior force. The Song people would be in an embarrassing situation. Daliao could pretend not to know the Song people.
The trick was not to fall out with the Song people directly, but to settle the accounts with the Song people after the Xia Kingdom was defeated.
"Xiao Aiqing, what do you think?" Although he was the defeated general, Xiao Hui was still the most trusted person of Yelu Zongzhen. Because this gentleman had just lost all his troops and became the bare commander, he felt ashamed, so he stood aside and said nothing.
.
"Your Majesty, what Zhang Shangfu and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have said have their own truths. The risk of the Crown Prince's suggestion is that it is necessary to mobilize troops from the country to crush the Xia army secretly supported by the Song people. I am afraid it is not what His Highness said.
Two hundred thousand is sufficient.”
"Hmph, 200,000 plus the 170,000 here, nearly 400,000 troops can't destroy the Xia Kingdom? King Xiao must be frightened." Yelu Chongyuan said contemptuously.
Xiao Hui explained patiently: "Although Xia's army only has about 300,000 people, the Song people have not yet exposed their treacherous face at that time. With the support of Song, Xia's shortage of weapons, food and other materials will be replenished.
We all know that all the party members are soldiers. As long as they have enough armor, weapons and food, they may all become soldiers in front of the battle overnight. By then, what we have to deal with will not be 300,000, but maybe 500,000 or even 80.
Ten thousand or even one million, even if their combat power is not strong, the consumption of this human sea tactic is not something we can afford."
"So what if it's one million? My 400,000 elite soldiers of the Liao Dynasty will be no match for a bunch of rabble. Soldiers are more valuable than elites. Isn't this what you often say?"
"Your Highness, I didn't say I couldn't defeat them, I said I couldn't afford it. After we win, the world will not be at peace. We have a bigger opponent who hasn't been exhausted at all, and we are fighting the Xia people with all our strength.
After experiencing huge consumption, the key is whether we are still no match for the Song people. Your Majesty, we cannot mess up the overall situation because of the small things in front of us. My opinion is in favor of Zhang Shangfu's suggestion, and we must set up camp and retreat immediately.
domestic."
Yelu Zongzhen said: "But even if we retreat, Song and Xia have become an alliance, and there will be serious trouble in the future. How should we deal with it?"
Xiao Hui thought for a while and said, "We can also take a long-term approach. If the emperor is eager to get rid of the situation of isolation, I suggest that we send people to make peace with the Yeli clan of the Xia Kingdom. I said that Daliao was bewitched by the Song Dynasty to attack.
Promise not to attack Xia again and give them some benefits and sweetness; I believe that Xia State has a better impression of Daliao than Song people. As long as we extend our hand, Xia State will definitely surrender to Daliao. Even if we cannot form an alliance, as long as we let Xia
The state believes that if they don't attack them, their army will redeploy their defenses. The south of the Xia state is now undefended. We withdraw our troops. I wonder if the Song people can resist the temptation and retreat. If they can't resist the temptation, they will become
If we become direct enemies with the Xia Kingdom, then there will be a good show."
Everyone nodded, feeling that Xiao Hui's analysis was reasonable, but Yelu Zhongyuan said: "What if the Song people also withdraw their troops immediately? Wouldn't it mean that the Song people have played with us in vain."
Xiao Hui said: "The Song people were not completely exhausted. They sent 200,000 troops this time and secretly aided the Xia State. The losses were certainly not small, but they actually gained nothing. On the contrary, they raised tigers to cause trouble and the Xia people benefited from it."
; If they retreat decisively, the trouble in the northwest will still exist, and it will be worse than before the war. If they take the opportunity to capture the southern state capital of Xia, in addition to becoming direct enemies with the Xia people, we, Daliao, can
Immediately form an alliance with the Xia State, this time it becomes a joint attack between Liao and Xia on the Song Dynasty, and the situation will immediately become promising."
Yelu Zongzhen smiled and said: "It makes sense, it makes sense. When you say so, I hope they can capture some of Xia's state capitals. It seems that we have to hold back for a while and wait and see how the situation changes."
Zhang Jian said: "The commander-in-chief of the Song Army is Su Jin, the strategic and pacification envoy of the Northwest Fourth Route. This man is cunning and changeable. Do you remember the time when Xiao Temo went to the Song Dynasty as an envoy? At that time, Su Jin was still a young boy.
We have already made Xiao Temo come back in vain, and he was blinded because of it, so I suggest not to place any hope that the Song Army will follow the routine we imagined, but to think of more solutions."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The name of Su Jin had been circulated in the Liao Kingdom for a long time. The people of the Liao Dynasty had the impression of Su Jin as a cunning man with a sharp mouth, monkey cheeks, deer head, and rat eyes. His methods were extremely sophisticated. They were both contemptuous and a little afraid of him. They expected Su Jin to directly attack him.
It seems that there is no need to think about the Xia people being enemies.
The plan had been decided, and the withdrawal was almost a foregone conclusion. Yelv Zongzhen discussed with the ministers the plan after the withdrawal, how to retaliate against the Song Dynasty and other matters. When the discussion was heated, the chamberlain hurriedly walked into the big tent and whispered in Yelv Zongzhen's ear.
"Military pigeons convey urgent military information from the south!"
"Quickly, bring them up quickly." Yelu Zongzhen said hurriedly, thinking about what kind of military situation there would be in the south.
A soldier walked in quickly with a bamboo cage in his hand. After he had done the kowtow, he took out a silver-gray carrier pigeon from the bamboo cage. He took off the bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg and held it up with both hands.
The red and white paint was a symbol of the most urgent military situation. Yelu Zongzhen pulled out the cork and poured out the parchment inside, looked at it quickly, and stood up suddenly.[
The ministers were startled and didn't know what was written on the parchment. The emperor was so surprised. As they looked at each other, they heard Yelu Zongzhen burst into laughter. He stretched out his hand to move the parchment and said loudly: "God help me, God bless me."
The people of Daliao and Song could not resist the temptation after all, and we have great potential."
The parchment was circulated among the officials. There were only a few words on the small piece of paper, but it made all the Liao monarchs and ministers smile. The paper read: The Eastern Route Army of the Song Army captured Youzhou on the evening of November 17th. At present,
Advancing due north and approaching Longzhou and Xiazhou, it seems to have the intention of taking Longzhou and Xiazhou.
The Song army took action! Su Jin's cleverness was misled by his cleverness. Just when the monarchs and ministers of the Liao Dynasty could not find a chance, he stretched his neck.