Ding Chengzong led 10,000 new troops and hurried back to Yinzhou City.
Ding Chengzong and Xiao Yan were originally responsible for household registration statistics, compilation, and determination of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and merchants. Household registration and common people are the basis for a stable and sustainable development of political power. They are the top priority, and naturally they must be handed over to the final Let someone you trust take care of it. Ding Chengzong has difficulty moving, and Xiao Yan is good at this aspect of management, so Yang Hao arranged for the two of them to form a team.
But even though Ding Chengzong has difficulty moving, he is young after all and has a solid foundation from years of martial arts practice. Xiao Yan is a scholar, old and not in good health. When winter comes, asthma and rheumatism attack, so he cannot be allowed to go anywhere. Therefore, he was in charge of Yinzhou City, and Ding Chengzong personally rushed to the tribes that had surrendered to Yinzhou to confirm the household registration, make statistics, and recruit soldiers into the army.
Ding Yuluo is responsible for training the new army, mainly because Yang Hao has no one to use now. Those generals all have their own responsibilities and cannot be engaged in recruiting and training new soldiers all the time. At the same time, Yang Hao's armed forces now have seven clans of Dangxiang, so they cannot There are almost no people directly affiliated with Yang Hao among the Departments, Ke Department, and Ai Department. He does not doubt the attachment of Dang Xiang Qi to him, nor does he doubt the loyalty of Mu En, Mu Kui, Ke Zhen'e, Ai Yihai and others. However, a balanced, stable, and sound system is the key to long-term peace and stability, and is far more appropriate than relying on the personal loyalty of generals.
At this point, Yang Hao actually preferred the policy of the Zhao brothers of the Song Dynasty in building an army, which was to nationalize and professionalize the army instead of establishing a warlord system. If the military of the Song Dynasty was stripped and slandered, it would be worse than the ugly storytelling. On the surface, in fact, there are not so many things that are criticized. The Song Dynasty was unable to use troops, mainly because it lacked the most powerful weapon in the cold weapon era: war horses, so it was unable to take the initiative on the battlefield; the location of the capital and the civil service system had too many shortcomings, resulting in bloated The climate of the Little Ice Age began to take shape, and the survival pressure of the northern peoples became greater. Their strategic intention to invade the Central Plains was even greater than that of the previous northern peoples. Moreover, they had entered the national political system and were much larger than the previous nomadic tribes. , coupled with political corruption and other factors.
Even so, the Song Dynasty lasted longer than the Tang Dynasty, the people's livelihood was better than the Tang Dynasty, the country was richer than the Tang Dynasty, the stability lasted longer than the Tang Dynasty, and there were very few internal troubles and internal strife. Its political system still had quite a lot of advantages and strengths. To establish a political power from scratch, from weak to strong, it is necessary to fully learn from the experiences and lessons of other countries and previous regimes, inherit its strengths, target its shortcomings, and create new political ideas. Since the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties, all Countries have always done this, and this will continue to be the case in the future. The political system of human civilization is constantly improving and progressing in this process.
Since Yang Hao has determined to establish a political power of his own, he naturally has to learn from the experiences and lessons of many predecessors. He has begun to consciously strengthen preparations in this area instead of being a grass-headed king. The initial stage of establishing a political power is the most important Of course, it is the construction of the army, so when the household is established and the army building begins, the soldiers recruited from the people under his rule are handed over to his absolute cronies to build a new army that has no factional entanglements with other armies. It's inevitable.
Therefore, Ding Yuluo and Ding Chengzong regarded this matter as their most important task. After the recruitment and training affairs achieved initial results, their army was still stationed in the area north of Mingtangchuan. Their original intention was to steal the sky once Yang Hao
The plan failed, and Yinzhou also fell into the hands of the enemy. When he retreated to the area to receive Khitan protection, he could have a new force available. Two days ago, he had just received Luo Dong'er and had already obtained Xiazhou. Li Guangrui withdrew in panic, and Yang Hao had already taken the army.
After hearing the news of the urgent pursuit, he led the new army to Yinzhou.
According to the distance, there were only dozens of miles left from Yinzhou by the evening. It was unnecessary to stay in place for another night. Ding Chengzong was eager to return, so he ordered the entire army to drive all night, trying to reach Yinzhou before midnight.
state.
Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the foot of Yinzhou City, he saw torches everywhere and people in chaos. A large number of people in the city had poured out of the city and were running for their lives all over the mountains and plains. Ding Chengzong was shocked. He hurriedly ordered people to capture a commoner and asked him what happened. As soon as he understood a little bit about the situation, he went with the escapee.
Wawa, Yanyan, Xu Xuan, Xiao Yan and others who came out of the city met together.
Ding Chengzong hurriedly concluded what had happened. Seeing that the number of people escaping from the city was gradually decreasing, he immediately called Ding Yuluo to give instructions. Ding Yuluo jumped onto his horse and raised his sword, and led the 10,000 new troops with Ke Zhen'e back to the city.
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The ones at the front were the heroes of the Khitan tribe they recruited. According to the custom of the Song army, this group of troops was called Khitan Zhi. They were called recruits just because this was a newly formed army, and their soldiers could
They were not just 18-year-old recruits. Many of the soldiers had already had combat experience. Among them were tribesmen who had failed in the wars between the tribes, and herdsmen of the tribe who had fled the Khitan after the princes had failed in their rebellions.
Led by Yelu Mowen, the direct leader of the Khitan army, they rushed into the city with ferocious looks, shouting in Khitan dialect and shouting that they were ordered by Empress Xiao to march to the northwest and seize Yinzhou. Li Jiyun only had 6,000 soldiers and horses.
The whole city was scattered, looting property, and robbing men and women were all busy. Li Jiyun couldn't control it, and he didn't need to control it. He knew that Yinzhou was empty. It was too late to wait until dawn to gather the troops and strictly control the whole city.
of.
Ding Chengzong's troops not only surpassed them in strength, but also had concentrated soldiers. They were invincible and overwhelming. Li Jiyun was slapped by the charming Taoist nun until his head was as swollen as a pig's head and he could not speak clearly.
, the cheeks were swollen, this kind of injury looked ugly, but there was no need for bandage, and there was no suitable medicine. I was feeling very upset when suddenly the defeated army came to report. The Khitan made a surprise attack and entered from the north city. The army was huge and there was no telling how many there were in the night.
Centaur.
Li Jijun was surprised and suspicious after hearing this. He knew about the previous attack on Yinzhou by Yang Hao and the Khitan. At that time, the Khitan sent out 50,000 elite troops from the Sixth Academy of Diera who were good at fighting, and finally captured and killed King Yelu Sheng of Qing.
Go. In this way, they should have some kind of alliance with Yang Hao. Of course, there are only eternal interests in the world, and there are no permanent friends. It is not impossible for the Khitan to send troops to attack Yang Hao, but... it is such a coincidence, the Khitan
Is it time for someone to intervene?
Just when he was half-believing and half-doubting, the Khitan cavalry had arrived. Listening to the authentic Khitan dialect and looking at the authentic Khitan-style warrior charging formation, how could Li Jiyun still not believe it? The last time the Khitans dispatched 50,000 elite troops from the Sixth Academy of Diera.
, how many troops were dispatched this time? The more Li Jiyun thought about it, the more frightened he became. Seeing the enemy troops approaching fiercely, more and more troops gathered, he talked about resisting, and just summoned back the 6,000 troops and horses scattered throughout the city.
When it was the year of the monkey and the month of the horse, I had no time to think too much, so I could only sigh inwardly at the bad luck, turn my horse and flee out of the city.
Li Jiyun never doubted that it was a trick of the Yinzhou army to suspect soldiers. He knew how empty Yinzhou was, and the weak resistance he encountered when he broke into the city also verified this. If Yinzhou still had a fresh army, how could it be possible?
Is he so idiotic as to lie in ambush outside the city, waiting for him to break through the city, kill all the people in the city and flee, and then rush into the city for a decisive battle?
Especially after Li Jiyun escaped from Yinzhou City, he still wanted to gather his old troops as much as possible. However, not long after he stopped, a large group of people came out of the city. Seeing that the posture was unyielding, Li Jiyun became even more convinced of his judgment: if this
If they were not the outpost of a large group of Khitan soldiers and horses, and there was a steady stream of soldiers and horses behind them, how could they not quickly take control of the city after taking Yinzhou City, but pursue the enemy in the dark?
Li Jiyun finally gave up and fled with hundreds of remnants of his troops...
He didn't know that Ding Chengzong had already learned that the car in which his niece Xue'er and Xiao Zhouhou were riding was carried by the mob and rushed to an unknown place. So he controlled the situation in Yinzhou a little and immediately sent people to search for the cavalrymen who were leaving the city.
Looking for Xiao Zhouhou and Xueer.
At dawn, Zhang Chongwei was in a dilemma.
Now he has determined that the number of Yang Hao's soldiers and horses left behind in the camp by the Wuding River far exceeds his expectation, and the other side is on the defensive side. In the past few days, the defenses have been continuously strengthened and improved.
There were many corpses, but at dawn, his camp had not yet been set up. The soldiers were exhausted and had to cook some porridge. They had to line up heavy troops in front to prevent a counterattack from Yang Hao's camp.
He could not imagine what kind of anger Li Guangrui would face in the face of a series of failures. At this moment, Qingqi found his station all the way. The person who came was Tuoba Wanran, a general of the Tuoba department. The two
We haven't had many interactions with each other, but we are still familiar with each other.
Tuoba Wanran led a team of 100 people and hurried into the crude camp that Zhang Chongwei had hastily established. He immediately went to see Zhang Chongwei. Zhang Chongwei anxiously took him into the half-built camp, hurriedly retreated, and asked tentatively: "What's wrong with Master Wanran?"
Here? But with the commander’s military order? Have you saved the military rations at Moyunling?”
Tuoba didn't seem to answer. He looked at the mess in Zhang Chongwei's camp. He couldn't help but frown and asked: "Master Zhang didn't take down the enemy's camp for a whole night, and he lost his helmet and armor. Is he in such a mess?"
Tuoba Wanran's official position was much smaller than that of Zhang Chongwei. Although Tuoba Wanran was the person Li Guangrui relied on, the basic hierarchy of superiority and inferiority should still be maintained. Zhang Chongwei became secretly angry after hearing this, but he could not offend Tuoba Wanran.
He could only explain: "Master Wanran doesn't know that Yang Hao has more than five or six thousand troops left here. According to my estimation, the total number of soldiers should not be lower than that of our troops. With such a large number of troops and horses, and on the defensive, our troops are on the defensive."
It is not easy to capture his camp."
Tuoba sneered and said: "Master Zhang, after a defeat, do you exaggerate the enemy's strength? How can Yang Hao get so many soldiers and horses? With so many soldiers and horses, he will not be defeated in such an embarrassing manner."
"you……"
"Okay, you don't need to say any more. You can explain these words to the commander. I am here to convey the commander's military orders."
Zhang Chongwei quickly stood up and said in a deep voice: "Please give me your instructions."
Tuoba Wanran said: "The commander-in-chief ordered your troops to destroy Yang Hao's remaining troops, then immediately cross the river, go to Luotuoling and Yanei to attack from both sides, eliminate Yang Chongxun's troops, and then join forces to attack Yinzhou."
Zhang Chongwei was surprised when he heard this: "Attacking Yinzhou again? Since Yang Hao has not been eaten by us, according to the plan, shouldn't we retreat to the direction of Shizhou and try to retake Xiazhou? What...?"
"You're such a loser even if you're a commander?"
Tuoba Wanran glared and said calmly: "Zhe Yuxun wanted to attack Moyun Ridge and cut off my food and grass, hey! But his treacherous plan was discovered early by the commander, and Zhe Yuxun was attacking Moyun Ridge.
At that time, the commander-in-chief had surrounded him. Although Yang Hao had escaped, Zhe Yuxun was unable to fly. Although Yang Hao escaped, he had lost his troops and generals. How could we still fight? In this case, why should we?
If you retreat in panic, you can still implement the first plan, wipe out the three feudal lords, seize Yinzhou, and then return to Xiazhou with an undefeated appearance. Wouldn't that be better? Okay, okay, I won't tell you that much.
, I thought you had wiped out all the enemy defenders, but unexpectedly, in just one night, you didn't make any progress."
Zhang Chongwei was surprised and delighted when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "In that case, please ask the commander to divide his troops to help. To be honest, Mr. Wanran, the strength of the enemy camp's defenders is indeed beyond our imagination."
Tuoba Wanran glared and said: "Split the troops? Is it that easy to deal with Daozhe Yuxun who resisted to the death? The commander is still at the foot of Moyun Ridge and is continuing to attack his remaining troops. It will take time to eliminate them all. They have been eliminated.
Zhe Yuxun, don't you need to rest? Mo Yunling has already been in danger, doesn't it need to be guarded by heavy troops? Mr. Zhang, Yang Hao slipped away from your hands. If you can't atone for your sins, what will the commander-in-chief do?
...Hehe, you know."
Zhang Chongwei's expression changed, and he said hurriedly: "General Wanran, don't worry. After the soldiers have had their meal and rested for a while, Zhang will personally lead the team to charge again. We must capture the enemy camp and go to Luotuo Ridge to assist the commander-in-chief."
.”
He diligently swept the stool with his sleeve and said: "General Wanran has traveled all night. Thank you for your hard work. Please sit down for a moment. Zhang will go out to make arrangements. He will come back and have breakfast with General Wanran later, and then ask the general to go back and resume his orders."
"
Zhang Chongwei left the camp and suddenly heard a commotion in front of the formation. Feeling annoyed in his heart, he stepped forward and shouted: "Who is making the noise?"
A soldier pointed out: "General, please look at Yang Hao's battle flag!"
Zhang Chongwei looked up and saw that the battle flag of General Li Yide in the opposite camp was slowly lowering, and Yang Hao's battle flag was raised again. Zhang Chongwei couldn't help but gasped: "Yang Hao returned to the camp safely? That's my guess.
That's right, no wonder the number of defenders on the opposite side increased greatly, it turns out..."
He suppressed his shock and shouted: "Why are you panicking? The commander-in-chief has trapped Zhe Yuxun at the foot of Moyun Ridge. Today, he destroyed Zhe Yuxun. Yang Hao's troops are nothing but mantises acting as chariots in front of the commander-in-chief."
When he said this, he turned around and was about to leave. As soon as he took a step, a thought suddenly flashed in his heart: "Moyunling... is everything really okay? With the commander's military strength, if Zhe Yuxun is trapped, what can he do in one day?
We can also wipe out all of them. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for the army to head north at that time, taking advantage of the new victory? Why rush me to cross the river to fight, first relieve the siege of Luotuoling, and then attack Yinzhou City? "
The more Zhang Chongwei thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He was walking around the Chinese army tent and thinking. Suddenly he looked up and saw Sui Tuoba coming towards him. He was resting in a solitary place and the hundred or ten guards were resting. He walked slowly away.
, squinting at the expressions of the guards, and quietly observing for a moment, Zhang Chongwei already knew what he was doing. He took a few steps closer, and met a guard who stood up to greet him. Zhang Chongwei said directly: "The commander-in-chief must be furious when the food and grass are burned, right?"
These guards were strictly ordered not to talk nonsense with Zhang Chongwei's soldiers, not to mention that they were good at describing the military situation at the front. However, Zhang Chongwei was a general. When he stood in front of them, he felt a little in awe at first. Zhang Chongwei blurted out and asked about the burning of food and grass, the commander-in-chief.
What was the situation? Instead of asking whether the food and grass had been burned, they thought that Tuoba Wanran had told Zhang Chongwei the truth. After all... To these little soldiers, Tuoba Wanran could just tell them what they should pay attention to. It was impossible to do everything in detail.
He told everything, so he said intuitively: "Returning to your lord, the commander is indeed furious. The remaining soldiers guarding the mountain were all beheaded by the command of the commander and thrown into the fire."
Zhang Chongwei was shocked, his heart jumped into his throat, but he suppressed his calmness and nodded: "Yes, General Wanran only said that the commander-in-chief is angry, and I expect he will punish them severely. These people are not good at keeping food, indeed
Damn it. Oh, by the way, Oriyu Xunbu seems to be..."
He knocked his head and pointed his finger in the distance. When the guard saw it, he hurriedly reminded: "They are going to the southeast. From what I see, the handsome man may not be able to catch up. We are far away from Moyunling."
It was still far away, so they set fire to it and left. After a whole night, where else could they go to find it?"
Having said this, he asked with some worry: "General, do you think... can we return to Xiazhou safely?"
Zhang Chongwei patted his shoulder gently and said with a smile: "Don't worry, we...will go back."