Entering March, the long-lasting winter in the north finally ends, the ice and snow melt, and spring returns to the earth.
Various wild beasts that had been hiding and hibernating in their lairs for months finally got a chance to emerge, bringing the whole nature back to life. However, when these animals went to the Baigou River area to drink water based on their past experiences, they were frightened by the dense military tents and the chilling atmosphere and turned around and ran away. Enjoying the joy of spring, he was shot on the spot and became the food of the Song and Liao armies.
As spring comes and the frozen river water completely thaws, a new round of war is imminent and is about to break out!
The Song and Liao armies knew this clearly from their commanders to every soldier, so hundreds of thousands of people in both armies were ready at any time, just waiting for the sudden sound of horns and drums. He stood up and declared that this national war that had lasted for a year would have a winner.
As the coach of the Song Army, Tong Guan only feels that the burden on him has become heavier recently. This was not only because he felt the tension caused by the approaching war, but also because of the heavy pressure from the imperial court to urge him to send troops one after another. Even a veteran and important minister like him could not help but feel uneasy and worried about gains and losses.
The Liao army on the opposite side was far more tenacious and formidable than he had imagined before. This was the deepest impression left on Tong Guan from the constant friction and contact after winter. Although the Liao army was far inferior to the Song army in terms of military strength, its combat effectiveness was definitely justified. Even though their rear was being invaded by the Jin people and there might even be a risk of logistical severance, they still could not shake their determination to win this victory.
In the tentative confrontations between the two sides in the past few months, Tong Guan felt their no-nonsense tactics. And once this kind of thinking is carried out to the end and appears in the final decisive battle, how much impact will it have on the outcome? You must know that the Song Army has no determination to die. Coupled with the internal factional issues that have always existed, it seems that a quick war is indeed detrimental to the Song Army.
"However, it is inevitable to disobey your order, so what choice do I have?" After sighing softly, Tong Guan's eyes fell on the five decrees in front of him. The wording of the one was more severe, and the one sent two days ago carried a strong threat, requiring him to reach the gates of Youzhou City within this month, otherwise he would be severely punished.
Tong Guan knew very well that the officials in the court who had enmity with him must be behind this. They did not hope that he could win a great victory and make great achievements in this battle against Liao. Therefore, they encouraged the emperor to constantly put pressure on themselves. They may even have secretly communicated with some generals in the army behind their backs, and they would suddenly punish themselves during the war.
Now Tong Guanzhen is in the crater of internal and external troubles, and if he fails, he will end up in a doomed situation. What gave him an even bigger headache was that Sun Tu actually dared to make such a fuss at this time. Just yesterday, he received news from the rear that Sun Tu, whom he had promoted, actually killed guard Tian Boyuan and supervisor Du Changguo in Yanmen Pass. He really thought that he had too few troubles and insisted on causing more trouble. .
Tong Guan knew very well that when the news came back to Tokyo, when the civil servants criticized Sun Tu, they would naturally target him. After all, in their opinion, Sun Tu probably didn't have the courage to do whatever he wanted.
To kill officials, only he, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, dared to do this, and it was probably a retaliation for those officials - he had already found out that Du Changguo was someone promoted by someone in the court!
All kinds of problems, big or small, came one after another, which made Tong Guan feel more troubled and headache. In the end, he could only take a sip of the drink to relieve the heat and let out a long sigh. Anyway, the key lies in whether you can win Youzhou City. As long as the city can be taken back in one battle, everything before will be nothing worth mentioning.
But how to plan and arrange this battle? Just when Tong Guan regained his composure and planned to summon his subordinates to discuss military affairs, a personal guard arrived in front of the tent and reported: "Commander, the Marquis of Yue Sun Tu and General Qin Gan are outside asking for a meeting!"
"Huh? Have they finally arrived?" Tong Guan only pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "Let them come in and talk!"
Yes, while Tong Guan was having a headache with all the current problems, Sun Tu had followed Qin Gan's troops and arrived safely at the Song Army's camp in front of the Baigou River. When he saw this large camp stretching for dozens of miles, even Sun Tu couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration. The hundreds of soldiers around him who must have followed were even more stunned.
Although he, Sun Tu, has been leading troops for some years, he has never been among hundreds of thousands of troops. Such fierce fighting, powerful momentum, and military camps stretching for dozens of miles have brought him a lot of trouble. The impact was something that no enemy or friendly army had ever been able to accomplish before.
These are the hundreds of thousands of elites of the Song Dynasty who can throw themselves into the battlefield to kill the enemy at any time under orders. The solemn scene of swords and guns unsheathed and guarding made Sun Tu dizzy in it. He needed to keep looking left and right to truly appreciate it. The beauty of it. To be honest, although Sun Tu is regarded by many as a rare famous general in the Song Dynasty, he is still very unfamiliar with such large-scale battles. After all, what he is best at is smaller and more flexible battles.
Just entering the camp to see Tong Guan, they dismounted and walked for half an hour before they saw a large and imposing tent rising from the ground. It was no smaller than an ordinary local government office. There was the Song Army Commander's tent. That is where Tong Guan lives and handles various affairs. The tent door with its low curtains is enough for four horses to gallop in. From this, you can see how wide the space is.
And when Sun Tu was allowed to enter and glanced at the situation in the account, he sighed secretly. This is not a military tent located on the front line. It is clearly a luxurious and luxurious mansion of a wealthy family. The large military tent has been divided into several rooms. The first one to enter is made of fine wooden boards, with pine torches that lack the smoke smell lit on the sides. The handsome table in front is made of high-quality mahogany, and there are also A lot of gold, stone and jade. In addition to a large number of military and Chinese books on the left and right bookshelves, there are also many curios and other items.
But Tong Guan was not here. When he followed Qin Gan into the second army tent, he saw a more luxurious scene. Everything there was almost the same as Tong Guan's study room at home in Tokyo, even his favorite Several large pieces of porcelain were placed on both sides, and a golden copper incense burner half a man's height stood in front of the case. There was a fragrance constantly emitting, which made people feel at ease. If he didn't know where he was, Sun Tu would have thought that he had traveled through time and space and returned to Tongfu in Tokyo.
So Tong Guan is still Tong Guan after all, he is
He would never feel wronged just because he was on the front line, even if it cost him a huge amount of wealth and manpower, he would not hesitate at all.
It wasn't until Qin Gan bowed down to see him that Sun Tu calmed down and followed suit: "General Sun Tu has met Tong Guan!" To be honest, when he saw Tong Guan again, he found that the powerful eunuch of the Song Dynasty was indeed older than he had been a few years ago. He has grown a lot, his entire hair has turned white, and the wrinkles on his face are deeper and denser, but his complexion is still very good, and when he waved them to get up, his voice was still loud.
"Qianli, I didn't expect that after only a few years of separation, your status has changed. You have become a marquis named by the imperial court. To say this, I feel quite disrespectful." Although he said such words, Tong Guan behaved in a very calm manner. But it was very casual, and he was not more polite than before because of Sun Tu's change in status. After all, in Tong Guan's opinion, the Marquis is really not a big shot and needs special treatment.
Sun Tu didn't show any pride because of this, he just clasped his fists and said: "It's just a fluke that I made some achievements, which are really not worth mentioning. In fact, speaking of it, the reason why I am able to be where I am today is because of your support, Tong Shuai." ah."
"Haha, well said. Qianli, I am deeply pleased that you can say that. You are much better than those bastard thieves who forget their roots once they become rich. But you still said something wrong. Can you Today, even though I have provided some support, 80% of it still depends on you to achieve success. If you had not made great achievements repeatedly, even if I had the intention to help you, I would not have allowed you to be where you are today in just a few years. .So, it’s not easy.”
After sighing with emotion, he turned his attention to Qin Gan again: "You are here to pay the order, right? The commander has received the battle report and has done a good job. This time he cleared the rear and defeated the Liao army. You made the first contribution to our army's defeat of Liao!"
When Qin Gan heard this, he became even more excited. He clasped his fists and knelt on the ground: "Everything was done well by Commander Tong. The general will not dare to take credit."
"Haha, gong is gong, I'm not even greedy for this." After seeming to smile, Tong Guan's face suddenly darkened again, and he shouted: "But besides gong, you have also done it! Qin Gan, do you know your guilt?"
Although these words were not too loud, Qin Gan's body trembled violently, and then he knelt down and bowed: "Mo... I am aware of my guilt. The incident at Yanmen Pass was caused by my improper behavior. Please forgive me." Tong Shuai punishes!"
Sun Tu was still savoring the polite words Tong Guan said to him, but when he suddenly saw him accusing him with a cold face, his heart naturally moved. This accountability was actually directed at him. How could Tong Guan not know that it was himself who killed Du Changguo and Tian Boyuan at Yanmen Pass
As soon as his mind changed, Sun Tu clasped his fists and said, "Commander Tong, wait a moment. Everything about Yanmen Pass is mine and has nothing to do with General Qin. If you have anything to deal with, just come to me!" Take all the responsibility.
Tong Guan narrowed his eyes, looked Sun Tu up and down, and then said: "It seems that Qianli you are still somewhat responsible. I want to ask you a question, how dare you kill an official of the imperial court so unscrupulously? You Can you know the crime?"
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Try harder today, but it should be less than the previous two days. . . . However, tickets are still required, after all, it is Monday. . . .