"Your Majesty, Yelu Xiongji has been recruiting herdsmen into the army on a large scale in the past few months. He has also forcibly captured 300,000 Jurchens, Xi people, Shiwei people, Bohai people and even Korean people to join the army. In Linhuang Mansion, Shangjing, Liao Dynasty alone, there are no less than two
One hundred thousand herdsmen were forced to join the army. From March to October, Yelvxiong expanded his army by more than nine hundred thousand, and selected the best of them to join the palace army. The remaining ones formed twelve armies, each with one hundred thousand soldiers and horses.
"
Luo Fu sat on the chair, leaned forward and said to Liu Ling.
Among the four Jiedu envoys who came back to report on their duties, Luo Xu and Luo Fu knew the situation of the Khitans the best. Maoyuan was in Xiazhou, mainly targeting the Dangxiang people, and Hualing was in Taiyuan, mainly fighting against Datong Prefecture in Xijing of the Liao Kingdom.
Luo Fu was in Yizhou, Luo Xu was in Jizhou, and Yang Ye was in Cangzhou. The defense areas of the three of them were connected together, enclosing half of Khitan's Nanjing Youzhou. Three Jiedu envoys and nearly 400,000 troops trapped Youzhou, just like Zhang
Like a tiger with its mouth open, it can swallow Youzhou in one bite at any time.
Luo Xu added: "According to the information obtained by the spies, the Khitan people have sacrificed their money this time. According to the spies, this time Yelvxiong issued a strict order to recruit herdsmen aged between fourteen and below forty-five years old.
If you join the army, the property of anyone who doesn't follow will be confiscated, and the tribe you belong to will also be severely punished. Those who don't follow will be killed without mercy, and their family members will be made into slaves. Those who join the army will bring their own horses and weapons, and must gather at a specified place on a set date.
Officials from the Supervisory Yuan once sneaked into the new Khitan army and found that most of the people joining the army were teenagers aged 14 or 15 and people over 40 years old. This shows that the Khitan army is about to be exhausted."
Liu Ling nodded and said: "The Khitans control the Jurchen, Bohai, Shiwei and many other nomadic tribes. If they mobilize troops to recruit people to join the army, those tribes will be full of resentment. As long as the Khitans are defeated again, I'm afraid
All the tribes in Liaodong will rebel against the Liao Kingdom."
Luo Fu said: "Your Majesty, seven of the twelve armies demarcated by Yelu Xiongji were deployed on the Datong and Youzhou front lines. Yelu Chucai, the newly appointed king of Liaonan Academy in Youzhou who stayed behind, was designed to be executed by Lord Zhou Yangong.
The eldest son of Yue Yelu Moge. The number of troops under his command has increased to three, with an army of 360,000. He stayed in Xijing, and Prince Yelu Deguang of Liao led four armies to guard Datong, with his generals Huo Xiao Linghu, Yelu Feiyang, and Su Ge
, each of Tiada's four men leads an army. Currently, Fire Lord Linghu's 120,000 troops are training in the north of Daizhou, and General Dugu's troops are far away from them in Daizhou. Su Ge's troops are near Jade in the southwest of Datong.
, trying to control Daizhou with the people of Fire Lord Linghu."
Hua Ling said: "Before my subordinates returned south, they sent Huaihua General Tu Wu to lead an army out of Taiyuan, thirty miles away from Yushi and ten miles away from Daizhou to set up camp. General Wang also sent Yunhui General Lu Li to lead an army of fifty thousand to the east.
Sixty miles away, biting Brother Su's flank, if Brother Su makes a move and uses force, the two armies of Lu and Li will cut off his circuit and attack from the flank."
Liu Ling nodded and asked, "Did Yelu Chucai do anything in Youzhou?"
Luo Xu said: "Yelü Chucai deployed a group of 120,000 troops on the north bank of the Sanggan River. They only trained troops every day, but did not cross the river to provoke. His subordinates sent General Yunhui Ma Yuan to lead 30,000 troops and stationed them there.
On the Gu'an line on the south bank of the Sangqian River, General Yang Ye also sent an army to set up defenses on the Yongqing and Langfang lines. There was only a river between them, and the flags of both sides could be seen clearly. His subordinates once climbed up to observe the Khitan people.
He trained his troops, advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, and was skilled in formations. It can be seen that Yelu Chucai is a rare general."
Yelu Chucai
Liu Ling murmured the name again and remembered it in his heart.
Maoyuan bowed and said: "As for the Dangxiang people, they are very honest. Ever since General Cheng Yihou and General Shengtu Yehu conquered Yinzhou, Xiazhou and Suizhou, the Dangxiang troops have returned to the jurisdiction of the Baima Town Military Division.
After the old general Cheng Yihou led his army to Wuzhou, his subordinates moved to Xiazhou to set up defenses. Wei Mingxiao moved the Baima Town Military Division to the south and the Heishan Town Military Division to the southeast. The two towns' Military Division combined the troops.
Two hundred thousand horses were deployed on the southeastern front line of Xia State, and their strength was not as good as that of his subordinates and the old general Cheng Yihou. Most of Weiming Xiaoxiao's army was gathered in the area of Swan City in the Qilian Mountains. This time, it seems that Weiming Xiaoxiao was also prepared.
Defeat the Liao Kingdom in one fell swoop."
Liu Ling snorted and said: "In a few days, the Commander of the Supervisory Yuan, Zhao Da, will arrive in Nanchang. You also know that the people of the Supervisory Yuan suffered losses in Xixia a few months ago. We can't just tolerate it. Zhao
Da personally took people to Xixia, and the Yipintang that Weiming Xiaoxiao had just established suffered a lot this time. After Zhao Da comes back, the specific situation of the Dangxiang people will be clearer."
The expressions of the four Jiedu envoys all changed. Hua Ling could not help but exclaim in a low voice: "Master Zhao of the Supervisory Yuan actually took people to Xixia in person?!"
Liu Ling nodded and said calmly: "The courtyard suffered a loss, which is his dereliction of duty. How to recover this loss is also his business. The Xixia people want to be stronger during the alliance, so as to get the maximum
interests. As the commander of the Overwatch Council, Zhao Da almost put me, a big man, in a disadvantageous situation in the alliance. Even if I didn't say anything about this dereliction of duty, he would be able to feel at ease. He did a good job in Xixia."
Liu Ling smiled and seemed quite satisfied with Zhao Da's trip to Xixia.
Liu Ling picked up a thick stack of paper from the desk and smiled at everyone: "Compared to Zhao Da's achievements in Xixia, this thing makes me happier."
He motioned for the four of them to take a look. Mao Yuan, who was closest to him, took the papers and took a quick look before standing up excitedly: "This is!... a map of Liaodong!"
Liu Ling laughed and said: "Five years ago, I sent a large number of Supervisory Council officials and spies into Liaodong to conduct detailed surveys of the terrain of Jurchen, Bohai and Goguryeo. The hard work paid off, and it took five years.
Finally, the terrain of all the important towns in the Liaodong region has been mapped. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the people of Liaodong have surrendered and surrendered, and then surrendered again, which is annoying again and again. The land of Liaodong is hidden behind the Liao Kingdom, and the Jurchens and other tribes will also
To provide troops for the Liao Kingdom, that area will have to be conquered sooner or later. Make some preparations now. After the Khitans are defeated, the army will still have to march eastward. If the land of Liaodong is not conquered, the border areas of the Han Dynasty will also
No peace."
With just one word, he expanded the borders of the Han Dynasty to thousands of miles.
Only Liu Ling has such confidence now. Three armies surround Youzhou. Although Youzhou has an army of 360,000 soldiers from the three armies of the Liao Kingdom, after all, those new soldiers are far inferior to the elite palace troops of the Liao Dynasty.
Once Youzhou is captured, the passage to Liaodong will be opened. Liaoyang Mansion, the capital of the Liao Kingdom, will no longer have a barrier. After Liaoyang is captured, the powerful soldiers of the tribal Han people in Liaodong will inevitably conquer one by one.
In fact, Liu Ling was also very selfish about the conquest of Liaodong. He did not have a good feeling towards the Koreans in his heart. Although the Goguryeo of this era was still a powerful tribe and was not deeply involved with the Koreans of later generations,
Liu Ling believed that it should be destroyed, and this was enough. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Goguryeo was conquered many times, but due to various reasons, Goguryeo only surrendered and was not destroyed. Liu Ling had to make up for this regret.
He started from the south. When the Supervisory Yuan was established, he sent a large number of spies into Liaodong. They focused on the areas controlled by the Jurchens, the Khitan Liaoyang Prefecture, and the Goguryeo Kingdom. It took five years and thousands of spies were surveyed.
The secret spies finally drew a relatively comprehensive map of Liaodong.
Before Liu Ling leads the army to attack Liaodong, the spies will continue to improve the map. Then, at the same time, the spies lurking in various places in Liaodong will also be a big help in attacking the tribes in Liaodong after the army arrives.
The four Jiedu envoys could not conceal their joy. This map was too important. The Liaodong region has always been quite mysterious to the rulers of the Central Plains. Because of the geography and climate, the price paid for conquering that bitter cold land was often high.
A big factor in repeated failures is the unfamiliarity with the terrain. With this map, we will definitely get twice the result with half the effort in the future.
Hua Ling said excitedly: "With this map, after taking Youzhou, the passage to Liaodong will be opened. I am willing to bring tens of thousands of tigers and wolves to dedicate the land of Liaodong to the prince!"
Luo Xu stood up and said: "General Hua, how can I get your turn? My lord, as long as Youzhou is defeated, I am willing to lead my troops, and Liaodong will be annihilated within a year!"
Mao Yuan and Luo Fu were also competing for credit. Liu Ling said with a smile: "We are just making preparations. The biggest enemies now are the Khitans. The Khitans are strong and cannot be solved in one or two battles. Liu Qiu has been busy recently.
We have slacked off a bit on the north. I called you back just to lay out the strategy for the Khitans in the future. The autumn grains have only been put into storage now, and the period before next year’s summer grains are put into storage should not make the Khitans too comfortable."
Hua Ling said: "Your Majesty, the grain warehouses such as Liyang and Luoyang are well stocked. Even if the grain is not put into the warehouse until next summer, the army will have no worries when it comes to the northern expedition. I feel that the northern expedition should be carried out as soon as possible. I am afraid that over time, those Khitan people will
Once the new recruits are trained, it will be a big problem."
Liu Ling nodded and said: "Last year, after the Dangxiang people attacked the Liao Kingdom and went to Beijing, they withdrew. You might as well do what they did on the way. Although it goes against benevolence and harmony, it can be regarded as a way to draw money from the bottom of the cauldron."
The four military governors all knew what the party members did in Shangjing last year. Several fires burned thousands of miles of pasture, and hundreds of thousands of Khitan tribesmen almost starved to death.
Liu Ling smiled with a gentle look on his face: "Now is the season for animals to gain fat. If you cross the river every now and then to light a few fires..."
Several people were shocked and thought of one thing. If the fire is repeated several times, I am afraid that by next year, all the Khitan people in their prime will have been recruited to join the army, and the remaining orphans and widows will not be known to be...
How many people have starved to death? When spring comes next year, will the ground be covered with emaciated corpses? (To be continued)
