Since it was announced that Li Yao Nayan had a new mission and entered the country of Xixia, it was natural to send another person as the vanguard to explore the way for the army. Now Yelu Deguang's army is stationed in the south of Xinzhou, which is only two hundred miles away from Taiyuan City.
.Whether it was necessary to send out another team as a vanguard or whether the army should set off immediately made Yelu Deguang puzzled.
When I asked Han Zhishan about his plan, Han Zhishan's opinion was that there was no vanguard in the first place. Liyao Nayan's mission was to attack Xixia and not to find a way for the army, so there was no need to divide the troops. If he deceived himself and others in this way, Han Zhishan felt confident in what he said.
.
Yelu Deguang then followed his words and ordered the 200,000 troops to march forward in eight groups, which was so majestic and majestic. Fortunately, to the south of Xinzhou was a vast field of plains, so the Eighth Route Army was able to line up and move forward.
However, along the way, I don’t know how many acres of fertile farmland will fail to harvest next year. The poor wheat seedlings with roots that have not penetrated too deeply are dug out of the soil by human feet and horse hooves, and wars often take them away.
Not just human life.
The mighty team walked for three days before covering a hundred miles, but the army had to stop again. Each battalion sent out hundreds of scouts. For three days, no one came back to report the news. Several hundred people,
There was no trace of anyone as if they had disappeared into the sea. This was not the first time for Yelu Deguang to lead an army on an expedition, and he felt something strange, so he once again ordered the army to camp in place.
Yelu Deguang summoned the generals to discuss for a day but did not come to any conclusion. From the map, it was not possible to see any dangerous place where he could ambush. Unless the Han army dug a natural chasm on the plain to block the army, it would really be hard to see.
There was no place where the Han army could rely on.
But even so, Yelu Deguang did not dare to march rashly. The Han army killed all the scouts. How many men and horses were in Taiyuan City and whether there were reinforcements. If these things were not clear, Yelu Deguang would still feel uneasy.
.However, there were fewer scouts, and none of them could come back, so they could only send an organized team to explore the way. When he thought of this, Yelu Deguang thought of Li Yao Nayan, the vanguard who was supposed to clear the way for the army. What if?
If he doesn't defect, I'm afraid that more than 200,000 troops have already surrounded Taiyuan.
Xinzhou has been besieged for more than ten days and still hasn't been captured. Yelu Deguang is already angry. Now Taiyuan is right in front of him, but he can't kill it in one go. It's extremely frustrating.
Finally, Yelu Deguang sent general Xiao Chu as the vanguard and led 10,000 cavalry to explore the way for the army.
Yelu Deguang wanted to know what kind of conspiracy the Han army wanted to conceal by killing all the scouts.
In fact, it's very simple. Liu Ling just doesn't want Yelu Deguang to know that he is in Taiyuan and has brought 100,000 reinforcements. If the enemy is deaf and blind and does not do anything to beat him severely, then he will be sorry for himself.
Pretend to be disabled. However, it is not that simple to fight. One hundred thousand infantry can be mobilized, and two hundred thousand Khitan cavalry are attacked in plain field. This is a joke in itself, a cruel joke.
Hundreds of thousands of people suddenly poured into Taiyuan City, plus the 100,000 troops brought by Liu Ling, and the originally wide streets seemed crowded. Hua Ling had previously sent people to build a large number of simple shacks in the open space.
, the Shura Camp's headquarters has been moved to Luoyang, so the large space left is enough to house 50,000 people. Because of the good preparations, although there were so many people in the city suddenly, the order was not disrupted.
Taiyuan Prefecture sent a large number of personnel to appease the people and provided them with three meals a day. The property of each household was registered uniformly. Livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses were marked and raised together. Doctors would check at residential areas every day.
If anyone is sick, be careful to prevent diseases like the plague from spreading.
People from the Eight Inspection Department patrol the streets every day, firstly to maintain law and order, and secondly, to supervise whether the officials distributing grain have any corrupt behavior. Before the war started, a large amount of grain and grass baggage was transported from Luoyang, Liyang, Jinzhou and other places.
In Taiyuan City, there is enough food to feed a million people for four months. However, the Khitans are fighting without supplies this time. The longer the delay is, the more disadvantageous it will be for the Khitans. I am afraid that it will not take four months and the Khitans will not be able to grab any supplies.
There is no need for the army to fight, as it will become a mess on its own.
The food in Taiyuan City is like a roasted whole lamb placed in front of the Khitans. You can smell the fragrance and see the appearance, but you can't eat it. If the Khitans are short of food and grass in the later stages of the war, Taiyuan City will become a must for the Khitans.
The place to be conquered. This was one of Liu Ling's strategies. No matter how many soldiers and horses the Khitans went south, it was the middle of winter, and even if the Khitan army went south with millions of livestock, there would still not be enough food.
According to Liu Ling's analysis of the intelligence provided by the Oversight Council spy, the food carried by the Khitans can last for up to a month. In the middle of winter, if there is no supply, people can still eat people, but what do war horses eat? The Khitans mainly rely on cavalry.
And almost every cavalryman has more than one mount. With an army of millions heading south, how much fodder should be prepared just to feed the horses?
It is said that if the Han army attacks the grassland, it will be as if it is stuck in a quagmire and it is difficult to extricate itself. Liu Ling wants to let the Khitan people taste the same thing this time. If they cannot grab anything, how much warlike enthusiasm will the Khitan people have left?
The reason why the Khitan people, both nobles and ordinary soldiers, are keen to go south is because they can plunder a lot of benefits. But this time, they are obviously going to be disappointed. First of all, in order to deal with the possibility that the Han army will attack Daliao when the spring is weak next year.
To launch an attack, Yelu Xiongji acted preemptively. It was already the severe winter, and the weather in the north was already bitterly cold. Even if people could withstand one or two heavy snowfalls, could animals be able to withstand it?
Secondly, the quality of the Khitan soldiers has dropped significantly. Hundreds of thousands of well-trained and experienced veterans of the palace army died on the battlefield, and more than 70% of the million-strong army went south to recruits. For such a powerful team,
Do they have the psychological ability to persevere once they encounter difficulties?
Furthermore, Xixia is a variable.
As long as the Han army can hold out for a month, the Xixia people will swarm into the Khitan homes like flies that have smelled rotten eggs. They will snatch away their few livestock, snatch away women, kill the elderly and children, and prevent fires.
Burning their pastures, the Han people actually did this more viciously than the Xixia people. Before the war began, a dry spark could cause a prairie fire, and the Han people set fire to the grasslands without stopping for a moment.
Without grass, it’s not just livestock that will die.
Liu Ling had no intention of attacking the Khitans from the very beginning. The idea of attacking first to be strong was actually for the weak. If you are strong, whether you attack first or second, you will be invincible.
.The current comprehensive strength of the Han Dynasty has actually already surpassed that of the Liao Dynasty.
As long as Taiyuan is not lost, the Khitan people will eventually be dragged to death. Three months later, sparse pasture can be found on the grassland after being burned by the fire. How many cattle and sheep can survive after starving for a winter? At that time,
, how many people of all ethnic groups on the grassland still have fighting spirit?
That's right, Liu Ling's strategy of attacking Liao in the spring of next year was actually not just to seduce the Khitans.
"Report!"
A scout quickly ran up the city wall and loudly said to Liu Ling, who was patrolling the city for defense: "Report! Your Majesty, a group of more than 10,000 Khitan cavalry broke away from Yelu Deguang's army and came towards Taiyuan!"
Liu Ling stopped, turned around and asked, "More than 10,000 people? How far are we from Taiyuan now?"
The scout loudly said: "When the scouts in front sent back the news, the enemy army was still sixty miles away from Taiyuan. The speed of this Khitan cavalry is not very fast. They will send people to investigate every village they pass. It is estimated that the fastest will be tomorrow morning.
Only then can we reach Taiyuan. If we fly at full speed, we can arrive before sunset."
Liu Ling nodded and waved his hand to signal the scout to retreat.
Hua Ling was eager to try: "Your Majesty, ten thousand cavalry went deep alone and ate it?"
Liu Ling thought for a while and said: "Eating is natural. You can't let the big fat goose fly when you bring it to your mouth. It's just eating, it depends on how you eat it."
Hua Ling asked tentatively: "Invite Yelv Deguang to rescue?"
Liu Ling smiled and said: "It is not difficult to swallow ten thousand cavalry, but the Khitan people are not afraid in the field. If they want to wipe them out in one fell swoop, it will take at least thirty thousand cavalry. In Taiyuan City, the cavalry
The number of cavalry is nothing more than this number. When all 30,000 cavalry are sent out, they have to come back with more benefits."
He thought for a while and said: "Yelu Deguang has an army of 200,000, all of which are cavalry. If they come to rescue them, they can kill them in less than a day. If the cavalry cannot withdraw, the gains will not be worth the losses."
He smiled and pointed outside the city and said, "If they were released, where do you think they would camp?"
General Xiao Chu of the Liao Dynasty led his 10,000 cavalry troops and slowly advanced southward after leaving the camp. His Royal Highness the Prince explained that his mission was just to check whether there was an ambush by the Han army in the north of Taiyuan. He would send people back every ten miles.
Report the news. Leave people and horses along the way to support the army. If you encounter a large group of Han troops, you don't have to fight to the death.
It seems that this task is not difficult, but Xiao Chu's heart is not relaxed at all.
While marching, he saw that the young faces were a little flushed because they were participating in the war for the first time. Perhaps it was because General Liyao Nayan's victory had stimulated these young people, or perhaps it was the upcoming war that made them endure.
They couldn't help but feel a little excited, or maybe, in fact, they all had unconcealable fear in their hearts?
The soldiers didn't know that Liyao Nayan had escaped, but he knew.
Although he couldn't figure out why General Li Yao Nayan, who was deeply trusted by His Majesty the Emperor, would do such a thing, there was one thing he knew clearly. If Li Yao Nayan was confident of victory, would he escape?
?
But Xiao Chu also knew that as the commander of a battalion of soldiers and horses, he must show enough confidence. No matter how uneasy he felt in his heart, he could not show a trace of it on his face.
He ordered the army to search and advance, and search carefully within a radius of fifteen miles to the left and right along the way. Every ten miles, he would leave a hundred-man team as a response. Therefore, the speed of his team's advance was not fast, and could even be described as crawling at a snail's pace.
Xiao Chu had to do this. He could only use his best ability to help His Royal Highness. He didn't want any accidents to happen. Although the intelligence said that Taiyuan only had 60,000 defenders who would not dare to go out of the city to fight. But things on the battlefield were ever-changing.
No one can guarantee whether the 60,000 Han troops will do anything crazy.
It is said that the Han army stockpiled more than ten million shi of food in Taiyuan City, enough to feed an army of one million people for several months!
Looking at it this way, there is no reason for the Han army to leave the city to meet the enemy, right?
Xiao Chu comforted himself. In twenty days, the 200,000 palace troops led by His Majesty will catch up. By then, more than 400,000 troops will besiege Taiyuan. There is no reason why they cannot take it. As long as Taiyuan is taken, the army will have
There will be no problem if you have enough supplies to get through the whole winter.
But... Xiao Chu didn't have any confidence in his heart.
I just hope that the Xixia people will not take advantage of the situation.
Xiao Chu prayed in his heart.
"Order to speed up! Arrive before dark and set up camp ten miles north of Taiyuan City!"
Xiao Chu said loudly.
For some reason, he suddenly became impulsive and wished he could rush into Taiyuan City and then lie down on the mountain of food to sleep. (To be continued)
