After a moderate spring rain, the sunny and good weather unique to March in Yangchun continued to dominate the middle section of the Yellow River. At this time, Zhao Guan's family began to work at the easternmost end of the Guanzhong Plain, that is, on the Pujin Tongzhou side.
Work hard to dig a hole.
It's really digging a hole.
A group of five people, two digging holes, one loading soil, and two lifting soil, is very efficient.
In addition to digging pits, there are also people who pile earth, ram the earth, and drive piles... On the west bank of the Yellow River, not only Pujin, but also the most dangerous section of the Yellow River around Pujin is under construction.
The Zhao Guan family was one of them responsible for digging holes.
To be fair, Zhao Jiu's move may not be the right one. From a utilitarian point of view, the exemplary and leading role played by the dignified emperor working in the fields may not be as effective as the encouragement that maintaining a sense of mystery brings to all civilians. Moreover, when he does this, he also
It has brought inconvenience to many officials... The officials have dug holes, so what do you do?
If the bureaucracy is out of order, its efficiency will be greatly reduced.
Of course, thanks to the fact that the boss Hu Yin was used to Zhao Guan's family, he knew that this official was probably just bored... so he requested an explicit order early and asked everyone to follow the steps step by step and not to imitate without permission.
Of course, the Jinshi accompanying the army will definitely record this behavior, and in the next few days, Di Bao will definitely publish in Tokyo how Zhao Guan's family "inspired the fighting spirit in the hearts of his people."
But back to the present, after Zhao Jiu dug holes for several days, Hu Yin thought about it and finally decided to persuade the official again.
"It's not that I have nothing to do, but that after thinking about it, I always feel that all I, the emperor, can do at this time is to dig pits and pile up fortresses." Zhao Jiu held a shovel and faced each other in the pit. Kansai Wu tried to dissuade him.
When the road changed, Hu Yin stood at the edge of the pit and held his hands facing each other.
This move did not cause too much confusion, because at the same time, the person who worked with Zhao Guan's family to dig the hole was Yang Yizhong, the commander of the imperial class, Liu Yan was the one who installed the earth, and Zhai Biao and Wang Zhongfu were the ones who carried the earth... Surrounding arrangements
The working group is also composed of members of the imperial class.
Hu Yin turned his head and looked at the Stork Tower on the other side. He wanted to use the embarrassment of civil servants such as Lu Benzhong and Zheng Zhichang as a way to persuade him, but for some reason, he chose silence again and bowed away.
The reason is simple. Hu Mingzhong knows very well that what this official said is absolutely correct.
This plan was first of all a surprise... When the Jurchens and Dangxiang people did not know the existence of the Yelu Dashi, no matter how smart, cautious, and serious they were, they would still fall into the big hole dug by Zhao Guan's family.
It's a little overwhelming, but it can also be called a more advanced strategy, which is more helpless than conspiracy.
Secondly, in this plan, the vast majority of people have only played a certain role and performed a certain function until now. Unless the situation suddenly changes, it is difficult to have a breakthrough performance... The emperor of the Zhao Guan family and the spring plowing recruited from both sides of the Weishui River
The one hundred thousand strong men are responsible for bluffing; Wu Jie and his imperial rear army, as well as Han Shizhong, are responsible for seizing Hengshan and Yan'an; Li Yanxian, needless to say... These people can theoretically play freely, but for
To ensure the stability of the plan, most people still exercised restraint in accordance with the requirements of the Zhao Guan family.
Even Zhao Jiu himself is like this.
After the official successfully intimidated the Jin army on the opposite side with 100,000 civilians and thousands of royal guards, the only move that could have some practical effect was to dig holes here... keep digging holes... This was to prevent
The necessary means in case of emergency is that there are only 20,000 imperial camp left troops and a few thousand imperial squadrons in Tongzhou. In addition, they are all the most powerful supplements of the United Solidarity Society, archers, and civilians.
In fact, Zhao Jiu and Hu Yin both knew that, including the previous plan of Jiang Qian's counter-stealing of books by Zheng Zhichang, it was a bit superfluous. There was no way, when the real information from the front was restricted by geography, they were anxiously waiting for the result.
I always feel a little uneasy if I don't do something.
It was as if Zhao Guan's family felt uncomfortable if they didn't dig a hole at the moment, and Hu Yin was obviously aware of this.
Moreover, they all know that at this moment, the only one who can really decide the overall situation is Yue Fei... Everyone is a tool man, but the tool man and the tool man are different. Yue Fei and the 30,000 troops on the westernmost front have a range of choices.
The one with the widest range and the greatest power of choice is the most important role that will determine the direction of the overall situation.
In contrast, Zhao Jiu was ready to give up even on the key point of Pinglu in Shaanzhou, which was isolated to the north of the Yellow River, and gave Li Yanxian clear instructions when passing through Shaanzhou when entering the customs.
"Official family."
Just a moment later, Hu Yin left and returned. "There is an emergency report to the Chinese Army..."
Zhao Jiu stopped digging the pit and looked at Hu Mingzhong, who was standing on the edge of the pit again, puzzled for a moment.
Even Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan also stopped their movements... because this was very strange. As for military information, regardless of internal or external information, the imperial camp channel should be faster.
Unless it is impossible to cover up, there is no need to avoid and cover up the result of a large-scale war.
"Li Jiedu of Shaanxi announced his victory." Of course Hu Yin would not do anything pretentious. "The commander of his department, Niu Gao, and Dong Xian, together with the subordinates of Ma Kuo, the general manager of the North Road, set up an ambush between Zhongtiao Mountain and Wulong Mountain.
, the Jin army destroyed thousands of households, Wanyan Tuheshu, beheaded more than a thousand people... Tuheshu was defeated and fled to Jiexian County."
Zhao Jiu was slightly shaken. Of course, beheading more than a thousand people was not a great victory. Even as the only Imperial Army Group that had not been completely reorganized, and there were obviously more complex Taihang rebels involved, it was not possible to behead someone in this battle.
Few. But no matter what, if the sudden and rapid advance is blocked, it cannot be faked.
And this also means... Zhao Jiu probably doesn't have anything to do except dig holes.
"Pass an order for a reward." Zhao Jiu leaned on the shovel and thought for a moment. "To give a high-profile reward, write a letter to the other side, mocking Wanyan Wushu... Tomorrow morning, hang up the Quduan flag behind the camp. He is a cavalryman. This time
The time should have arrived first, and it will take another ten days before Yue Fei's flag is hoisted."
Hu Yin immediately handed over his hand, then said goodbye again and left.
In the end, everything still depends on the Western Front.
Speaking of which, considering the speed of message transmission, the distance from Tongzhou to the Deshun Army where Yue Fei was actually stationed at this time, the two thousand-mile-long Hexi Corridor, and the fact that it had already been launched as early as late February or early March
The Khitan envoys responded that some things, although they are not yet known, have obviously become a foregone conclusion.
But there is no doubt that the Zhao Guan family will not be the first to know.
"Yue Jiedu."
Within the borders of the Deshun Army, south of Haoshuichuan, and inside the Zhongan Fort, after being urged by the gazes of several generals present, Liu Qi, the deputy commander of the Imperial Cavalry Army, finally spoke to the big-eyed general on the first seat. "Last General.
I thought I could move!"
"How do you say that?" Yue Fei asked directly as he sat at the top of the table, his expression unchanged and his body motionless.
"Judging from the time, Yelu Dashi should have sent troops for at least half a month."
Liu Qi was serious and well-organized: "The Hexi Passage has six counties in total, Shazhou, Guazhou, Ganzhou, Suzhou, Liangzhou, as well as Zhuoluo and Nanjunsi (northern Lanzhou, Song and Xixia are separated by the Yellow River) According to the report), it is two thousand miles long. According to the intelligence, Yelu Dashi's 30,000 troops are mostly cavalry, and there are also a large number of camels for logistics. If the progress is done properly... there is no reason why it should not be appropriate... At this time, it is enough to travel from 900 to more than 1,000 miles. , and then at least capture Suzhou and then approach Ganzhou."
"Ganzhou is where the military headquarters of Xixia in Hexi is located, and it is also where the main troops of Xixia in Hexi are stationed... The general will venture to guess that Yelu Dashi should be in Ganzhou at this time...either he has won or is still fighting. , but those soldiers and horses in Ganzhou were suddenly attacked, how could they be the opponent of the 30,000 Khitan army? In all likelihood, Yelu Dashi should be more likely to succeed."
"Once Ganzhou is captured, we will reach Liangzhou after passing Rouge Mountain... Yue Jiedu, only half of our 30,000 troops are cavalry, and their speed cannot match the Khitan people. If we don't move at this time, I'm afraid we won't be able to Taking the city of Zhuoluo means Lanzhou, but not Lanzhou. How can we ensure that the Khitans go north instead of east? You must know that the Khitans are ambitious and are not easy to deal with."
Yue Fei finally nodded slightly, but still didn't say a word.
"Not only do we want to guard against the Khitans, but we also want to help the Khitans." Zhang Jing, a veteran general of the Western Army and the commander of the imperial camp, also spoke at the right time. "According to Jiedu and Qu Dutong, Liu Deputy Dutong, According to the secret decree conveyed by Vice-President Wang five days ago, our first priority is to open up Hexi and connect with the Khitan people... In any case, we must help Yelv Dashi win Hexi before we can consider other matters... At this time, we go out to attack Zhuoluo City. It also means to prevent Xixia reinforcements from going west."
Listening to his words, Yue, Qu, Wang, and Liu did not convey their combat intentions to the commander-level officers until five days ago.
After listening to Zhang Jing's words, Yue Fei turned to look at the person standing by the window, and finally said: "What do Qu Dutong think?"
Looking out the window with his hands behind his back, Qu Duanzhi
He turned around and sneered: "What does Yue Jiedu want me to see?"
"Of course it's up to Generals Liu and Zhang to decide whether their words are pertinent or not." Yue Fei replied sincerely. "Although I am the commander of this battle, I am not from Guanxi. The geography, people, customs and customs here are not as good as yours. I am about to listen to the song. General judgment.”
"There is nothing to judge." Qu Duan still sneered with his hands behind his hands. "Of course what Liu Er and Lao Zhang said makes sense, but the Kansai people are eager for success and full of selfishness. The boss got it back. Lao Zhang's family has a large population and he wants to save credit to support his younger generations and give his family two more commanders... How can these things be hidden from Jiedu? In the final analysis, the situation is like this at this time. Jiedu wants to send troops. If you send troops by yourself, there is no need for me to give Jiedu a thumbs up; if you have a good idea and don't want to send troops, just say it directly, I will just give Jiedu a few scoldings."
Liu Qi and Zhang Jing looked at each other and fell into silence habitually.
Yue Fei was also silent for a moment, and then asked again: "How long will it take for us to start from here and march the whole army to Zhuoluo City (north of Lanzhou)?"
"With the cavalry as the vanguard, we can go around the main road of Qinzhou and reach Lanzhou in seven days..." Qu Duan blurted out.
"I said the whole army." Yue Fei reminded the other party.
"If the cavalry and the infantry are separated, the cavalry will go around the main road of Qinzhou, and the infantry will cross Wushan Mountain and go to Huizhou. Naturally, the slower infantry will prevail... In about ten days, Zhuoluo City will be attacked." Qu Duan answered seriously.
"Riding and walking are inseparable." Yue Fei reminded the other party again. "If riding and walking are the same, how long will it take?"
"Of course it's only ten days." Qu Duan finally said, "Let's cross Wushan and go to Huizhou."
"What if we go directly north from Huizhou?" Yue Fei asked again.
"Take the Xishou Baotai Army Commander?" Qu Da became completely serious, and the other generals in the castle also became awe-inspiring.
"good."
"Seven or eight days will do." Qu Duan responded seriously. "Danyue Jiedu, I have to tell you the truth. The Xishou Baotai Military Division is in a special position... Although this is the southwest gateway of Xingqing Prefecture,
But the geography is complicated. Not only is the Yellow River to the north and west, but the four corners of the army are also surrounded by mountains: Lingbo Mountain in the northwest, Roulang Mountain in the southwest, Weijing Mountain in the northeast, and Shaniu Ridge in the southeast. You are not from Kansai, so you don’t know this.
The Xixia people put 3,000 people here, which is enough to stop our 30,000 elite soldiers. This is why the Xixia people specially set up a military division here."
"But if we can seize this opportunity to get it." Yue Fei narrowed his eyes and said, "We can hold a gate of Xingqing Mansion. When the Yelv Stone reaches Hexi, we will get out of here and cross the river with the Khitans to the north, and then Xingqing will be prosperous."
Qing Mansion will have no more thoughts..."
"The truth is right." Qu Duan nodded candidly. "But what if I can't get it for a while? Yue Jiedu, I'm not saying that I can't get it, it's not just that. To be honest with Jiedu, I have had this thought at one time in the past few days.
But I'm afraid that I won't be able to take this place quickly, but I will make wedding clothes for the Khitan people in vain... If I were Yelu Dashi and came to the border of Hexi here, and saw that Jiedu was hard at work on the other side of the Yellow River, I would simply take the opportunity to go straight to the west of the river.
What about the Qing Mansion? The Khitans cannot take advantage of this battle. Therefore, it is best to capture Zhuoluo City and occupy a piece of land west of Hexi."
Yue Fei shook his head slowly: "Qu Dutong, let me ask you, what if we arrive at Zhuoluo City ten days later, and it turns out that the Khitan flag is on top of the city?"
Qu Duan was finally stunned.
Let's say that in the entire military discussion, only two people actually had the real power to discuss the matter...one was Yue Fei and the other was Qu Duan.
Yue Fei's authority comes from his official position and status, from the central government and officials, while Qu Duan's authority comes from his twenty-year experience in the Western Army and his status as the capital... The rest, including Wang De, Liu Qi, and Li Shifu, are here
There was simply not enough to see in front of the two of them.
Therefore, once Yue Fei interrogated Qu Duan, things finally became simple.
"Is the Yelu Dashi so powerful?" Qu Duan was stunned for a long time before asking. "It took ten days to hit Lanzhou? In less than thirty days, it penetrated two thousand miles?"
"I don't know." Yue Fei said frankly. "But as Qu Dutong said before, no matter what you say at this time, it makes sense... fast, slow; good, bad, we must keep it in mind... The official family
The situation here is entrusted to us, allowing us to make decisions on the fly and always be well aware of it."
Saying that, Yue Fei finally stood up: "To be honest with you, I have made up my mind to send out troops immediately. However, I have three opinions on this battle, which you should bear in mind... First, cavalry and foot cannot be separated, and the entire army must be inseparable.
They must be one body, carry out orders and prohibitions, and not be afraid of sacrifice. Only in this way can they not expose their military weaknesses when facing the Dangxiang people and even the Khitan people, to prevent others from taking advantage of them and losing the overall situation, and also be able to seize the military opportunity and hit the target with one strike;
Second, if there are constant outposts and cavalry in Xinghui Prefecture, if Yelu Dashi's advance is frustrated, we should attack Zhuoluo City and even Liangzhou to ensure that the Hexi Passage is opened and live up to the official intention; third, if Yelu Dashi
To advance at a rapid pace, you must have the courage to not be afraid of difficulties and seize the opportunity... Qu Dutong, do you still have words?"
Qu Duan was silent among the Kansai generals for a long time, but he nodded heavily: "Just what Yiyue Jiedu said!"
Yue Fei just nodded this time but said nothing.
Now that this was agreed upon, the Song army no longer had any doubts. At noon that day, at the victory camp in the north of Haoshuichuan, Li Shifu, the deputy commander of the imperial cavalry army, led 3,000 Fan cavalry to advance first, but almost all of them dispersed, acting as guides and scouts. ; In the afternoon, Qu Duan and Liu Qi led the remaining cavalry of the imperial camp to the north. Yue Fei personally raised the imperial flag of "Serving the country with loyalty and loyalty", and the central governor's army marched northwest under the cover of cavalry. The troops and horses here were about There were 18,000 soldiers and 6,000 civilians. At the same time, Wang De, the deputy commander of the imperial camp's central army, also set off with 6,000 infantry. However, he set out from Jingbian Village in the south and deliberately deviated from the central army by nearly 40 Here, I thought I would be backing up to protect him.
However, the army marched westward for three days and had not yet left the Wushan Pass. Suddenly one day, Li Shifu's cavalry captured a man, who claimed to be a subordinate of Hu Hongxiu, the Minister of War of the Song Dynasty, and passed on crucial military information.
The army did not dare to neglect, and in the evening of that day, they hurriedly sent this person to Li Shifu. When Li Shifu saw this person, he was frightened and should not have neglected him, but he personally escorted this person to the nearest Quduan tent that night.
When Qu Duan saw this man, he was still shocked. He again led several personal guards overnight and personally brought this man to the Chinese army station to meet with the commander Yue Fei.
Even when Yue Fei saw this person, he was equally solemn. He bowed his hands directly in the tent and called him Minister:
"Shilang Hu! Why is Shilang Hu here?"
"I guessed that the imperial master would definitely come here, so I came here specially." Hu Hongxiu, whose face was covered with dust and his hair was shaved, saw Yue Fei. He didn't hesitate and told him directly. "Yue Jiedu, don't go to Zhuoluo." The city is already in the city, don’t go to the Xishou Baotai Military Division in the north..."
"How?" Yue Fei asked solemnly.
"The Yelu Dashi is really impressive. Just when I returned to the east, he sent his general Yelu Yanshan back to Kedun City as quickly as possible. He used Kedun City as a mortgage, promised a lot of treasures, and contacted the Monan Mengwu tribes to come first. When they came from Yinshan Mountain, they thought they were suspicious soldiers, so Li Qianshun did not worry about the Mongol people at first. As a result, Yelu Dashi's army launched and marched all the way east from Shazhou. As if they were in uninhabited territory, Yelu Yanshan raised its flag in the north again, and Li Qianshun finally lost the battle. Just an inch..."
"What Mr. Hu means is that Yelv Dashi's advance is so fast, is it really too late for us to go to Zhuoluo City at this time?" Qu Duan asked hurriedly.
"It's not just that." Hu Hongxiu quickly told the most important military information. "After the Khitan people spread the news, I hid at the mouth of the gorge. That was the only way for the Xixia people to send troops to the west of Hexi. Then I saw with my own eyes that the Xixia army made an appointment. Twenty thousand people crossed the gorge and hurried westward. I followed them all the way, but found that five days ago, this army was divided into two. Thousands of people came to Xishou Baotai Military Command, and the remaining ten thousand people hurried westward. Went to aid Liangzhou."
Qu Duan on the side shouted angrily: "Li Qianshun behaved like this and completely blocked us! If the Xishou Baotai Military Division adds several thousand more defenders, how can we get it?"
"If that's the case." Yue Fei narrowed his eyes slightly after hearing this. "Why did Mr. Hu say that Li Qianshun lost his position? Isn't this a proper response?"
"Because when I went to Xingqing Mansion with the Khitans, I persuaded the Khitans to bribe the witches in the city with treasures from the Western Regions, and then I got a piece of news... The Xixia people had exactly 20,000 field troops left, but they were placed in Lingzhou! "Hu Hongxiu, who had a shaved head and a dark face, spoke sincerely. "I passed the army at the pass of the gorge, and I took a look at it from a distance. It was about 20,000. It can't be such a coincidence."
Qu Duan and Yue Fei both changed their expressions. They had been studying the military situation of Xixia all day long in the past few months, but they already knew the geography of Xixia very well. When they heard this, they obviously immediately understood what Hu Hongxiu meant.
"Since Lingzhou's troops and horses are deployed, whether they are dispatched from Yinshan Mountain in the north, or recalled from Hengshan, or temporarily recruited locally... there is a huge flaw!" Hu Hongxiu persuaded with all his strength. "Yue Jiedu, Qudu
Tong, before the Western Xia people discover us, immediately turn eastward, then cross Wushan, return to Pingxia City, and then go all the way north. Taking advantage of the emptiness of Lingzhou, go directly to Xingqing Mansion along the Hulu River! I will be your guide.
!”
Qu Duan opened his mouth to speak, but felt his chest was pounding and he couldn't make a decision at all.
However, Yue Fei thought for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and ordered the generals to gather together.
That night, the Song army turned back from Wushan. The next day, it passed through Xi'an Prefecture without entering, and went straight to the Hulu River... On the last day of March, the army gathered on the bank of the Hulu River and turned to the north.
On the second day of April, Li Shifu personally led 300 Tibetan cavalry to seize the Duoling reward port and enter Xixia territory.
"What's the matter?" On the same day, Zhao Guan's family dug holes as usual, but that night, they received military information again, but this time, it was Liu Yan who finally woke him up.
"Wu Dutong passed it on a fast horse from Hengshan... It is said that Weiming Heda, the governor of Xiazhou in Xixia, took the initiative to contact him and asked himself to be the internal correspondent." Liu Yan half-knelt in front of the couch, bowed his head and handed over the secret letter.
"Wei Ming Heda invites you?" Zhao Jiu frowned and turned over. He took the secret letter and asked directly before reading it. "Is Yelu Dashi so fast? Is it not easy for Xingqing Mansion to block the news of the war in Hexi? Could it be Wu Jie?
You are making your own decisions and are you here to bully me again?"
"It's not Hexi, it's Yinshan." Liu Yan told him solemnly. "According to what Wu Jiedu reported to Weiming Heda, the Mongols had already harassed the north of Xixia. Originally they thought they were taking advantage of the situation, but suddenly more than ten days ago,
He raised the banner of Yelu Dashi and also publicized the situation of Yelu Dashi's alliance with us and his march from Hexi. He was in Xiazhou and naturally knew about it quickly."
Zhao Jiu was stunned on the spot, astonished by Yelu Dashi's methods for a moment, but just a moment later, his heart began to beat wildly... Besides, although this Zhao Song official was a waste, he had been fighting for several years, so why didn't he know
, with the Yelu Dashi suddenly attacking the east and the west, coupled with the special geographical conditions of Xixia, at this moment, everyone is caught in the information gap.
From the Song Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty, from Xixia to the Western Liao Dynasty, from within the Western Xia Dynasty to the Song Army and then to the Jin Kingdom, and even from the Western Liao Army to the Western Liao Army, the information obtained was completely different.
The so-called overall chaos is right now, and it is the right time to profit from the chaos.
"Reply to Wu Jinqing immediately and take it with you personally!" After reading the secret letter and thinking about it for about a stick of incense, Zhao Jiu, who was still sitting on the couch, finally made up his mind. "Tell him that I still don't know how to fight.
So today I can only imitate Yaoshan’s story again, and his arbitrary power...here on the Eastern Front, he still gives orders, I still listen to him, and I ask him to still let go and do it!"