In Youzhou city, a group of bald men holding horse whips were riding horses and marching in the street in a swaggering manner. The common people along the way had already hurriedly left the road, and those who did not have time to leave gave way and bent down to bow to the group of people on the side of the road.
The person in the middle behind the cavalry was the Southern Court King Xiao Siwen, who had a calm expression and was not in a hurry. On the contrary, the men around him had ferocious looks on their faces, which was very scary.
The man on the left who didn't seem to have washed his face was Abudi, who was also from the Xiao family and was Xiao Siwen's trusted general. But Xiao Siwen ignored him, and instead said to a civil servant: Write another letter and send Shijie to the capital to urge reinforcements.
After hearing this, Abudi frowned and said: "Guo the blacksmith occupied Hedong and went back happily. There is no movement in the south. Are you sure they are going to attack Youzhou?"
Xiao Siwen snorted and said nothing more.
Not long after, a group of horsemen entered the Xiao Mansion. Xiao Siwen sat down in the hall surrounded by the generals. The tables and chairs in the house were all Han Chinese items, but their clothes were completely inappropriate, and some even wore animal skins as usual.
A Khitan general said: "Instead of asking for reinforcements from the capital, it would be better to withdraw the Han generals from Zhuozhou and other places, and transfer the Khitan and Xi people to guard the pass." The Han people are unreliable. A few years ago, when the Zhou army marched north, no Han general shot an arrow at several cities in the south, and they handed them over to the Zhou people.
Xiao Siwen disagreed and said: The Liao army cannot disperse its forces, they must only defend Youzhou.
At this moment, a servant stood at the door, put his hands on his chest and bowed, saying: Your Majesty, the Han official Fan Zhongyi requests to see you.
Call him in. Xiao Siwen said.
A Han official walked into the lobby, still wearing a fu hat and a long robe, but the direction of the collar was opposite to that of the Central Plains people.
The Khitans were used to shaving their hair on top of their heads, and some wore pigtails. Men also wore earrings, and their hats and clothes were all different. However, the Southern Court of Youzhou did not force the Han people to change their clothes in order to reduce resistance. Therefore, even these Han officials who served in the Liao government retained their clothes, after all, the Han people thought that baldness was not beautiful.
Fan Zhongyi took out a thin book from his sleeve pocket and bowed, saying: "Greetings to the King of the Southern Courtyard."
Xiao Siwen gave a wink to a guard below, and the guard went forward to take the thing.
Fan Zhongyi said: I have recently made friends with some people who escaped from Jinyang, and have fully understood the process of Jinyang's rapid capture, which has all been recorded in the book.
Very good, very good. Xiao Siwen looked appreciative.
Fan Zhongyi stood up straight and spoke eloquently: The Zhou army entered Jinyang from two places. One was a gap opened by gunpowder explosion, just like the battle of Shouzhou that Your Majesty has heard of. The other was a hill made of earth and climbed up the city wall.
Abudi said: Even so, they were able to capture Jinyang in half a month. How did the troops in Jinyang defend the city? They actually let people pile up earth and attack the city right under their noses.
Fan Zhongyi said: This is exactly what I want to say. The Zhou army used a large number of gunpowder cannons. This kind of military equipment has never been seen since ancient times. It should be a military equipment that the Zhou army has only made in recent years.
The gunpowder cannon fired a stone bullet weighing 100 kilograms, which could hit about 400 to 500 steps away. On the city wall, only the sound of cannons could be heard in the distance, and white smoke could be seen, and the stone bullets fell on the city wall. At that time, Jinyang was surrounded on all sides, and the Han army was trapped in the city. The crossbows and stone carts could not attack more than a mile away, and they had no way to deal with the Zhou army's artillery.
The Zhou army first bombarded the city walls with artillery, destroying the equipment of the Han army defenders, and then transported soil to build a mountain within a hundred steps.
Fan Zhongyi continued: When the Zhou army attacked the city wall, their well-armored soldiers were fierce and the Han army was unable to defeat them. They were first defeated and then lost the city defenses.
Xiao Siwen said: I heard that Jinyang once sent people to obtain the Zhou army's armor-making method. I don't know what the result was.
Fan Zhongyi said: After the fall of Jinyang City, the Han Kingdom surrendered and there has been no news on this matter.
After some discussion, they said goodbye and went back as it was getting late.
Xiao Siwen also left the front yard and walked into the moon gate, pacing back and forth with a heavy heart. Many long-term plans were disrupted at this time. Guo the blacksmith was really weird. Xiao Siwen was caught off guard and suffered a big loss earlier.
He felt a little impatient at this moment and could only try his best to deal with the risks nearby.
Guo the blacksmith took Jinyang too quickly, and he will definitely covet more. Before the battle with Northern Han, Xiao Siwen guessed that Youzhou would be threatened after Northern Han; now that Zhou army has succeeded easily, the possibility of attacking Youzhou is greater.
Youzhou is of vital importance to the entire Liao Dynasty. If it is lost in Xiao Siwen's hands, Yelu Jing will be doomed if he does not take the opportunity to attack Xiao Siwen.
He had an idea of the Zhou army's military strength, but the Central Plains dynasty was constantly victorious under the blacksmith Guo, and some things were unbelievable. Xiao Siwen gradually became worried.
He paid close attention to all of Guo the Blacksmith's battles, and at this moment he could not help but ponder: defending a city is not the Liao army's forte, so they have to use the old method and use enough cavalry to play to their strengths.
At this moment, I suddenly heard a childish voice shouting: Aunt Bai, I want the biggest and reddest one.
It was Xiao Chuo's voice. Xiao Siwen looked in the direction of the voice and saw his seven-year-old daughter. He felt much happier. Xiao Chuo was Xiao Siwen's third daughter. She was very beautiful. She was remembered by many people in the Xiao clan at a young age. She was also Xiao Siwen's favorite daughter.
No male or female member of the Xiao family would be looked down upon, because the designated marriage partner of the royal family, Yelu clan, was the Xiao family, and the women of the Xiao family would most likely become queens or princesses.
The woman next to him, who was in her thirties, was a Han Chinese named Bai, Xiao Siwen's concubine, whom he had robbed many years ago. The two of them stood under a plum tree, and for a moment they did not notice Xiao Siwen.
Xiao Siwen walked forward with a pleasant expression.
Bai stood on tiptoe but still couldn't reach the plum. She jumped up again but still couldn't reach it. Xiao Siwen couldn't help but smile when she saw this. Bai was usually very reserved, but now she was jumping around and it was very funny. She was very good to Xiao Chuo. Xiao Chuo was still young, so she didn't have the prejudice that most Khitan people had in front of Han'er. Bai loved her, and she was also very close to this woman.
Bai said: I am not tall enough to pick the fruit, so forget it.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Chuo insisted and said: I will climb up the tree and pick
Yanyan. Xiao Siwen called her.
Bai turned around following the sound and found Xiao Siwen walking over. Her face suddenly changed, her shoulders trembled, and she knelt down timidly and said: "My concubine meets Alang."
That's all. Xiao Siwen waved his hand, then smiled and extended his palm to Xiao Chuo.
Xiao Chuo was not afraid of her own father and ran over happily: "I want that plum. Dad is as tall as a mountain, he will definitely be able to reach it."
Haha, Xiao Siwen had a look of loving care on his face. He reached out and pinched the girl's delicate face, which was white and rosy. He looked up and estimated that he couldn't reach it. He was a man of status and couldn't jump up to pick it like Bai.
He immediately grabbed Xiao Chuo's calf and lifted her up, saying: "Hold on steady. Dad will carry you up and give you a height. You have to pick what you want yourself."
Khitan girls were wilder and bolder than Han girls. Although Xiao Chuo screamed in fear, it was too high, but she still held Xiao Siwen's head, plucked up her courage and picked the fruit. She was so happy that she giggled for a while.
After being put down, Xiao Chuo grabbed the corner of Xiao Siwen's clothes and said: Dad, take me to go horseback riding.
Xiao Siwen really didn't have the heart to think about it, as he was worried about something. But when he saw his beloved daughter looking forward to it, he said, "Let's go!"
The palace in Shangjing Imperial City was a completely different scene from the sunny Youzhou. The light here was very dim and the air was turbid because all the windows were closed.
Yelu Jing's face turned pale after drinking too much. He stared at an oil lamp on the table with a dull look. Without turning his head, he said: Do you think the Zhou people will attack Youzhou
Yang Gun bowed and said: I think it is inevitable. Youzhou was originally the territory of the Han people. Now the southern leader Guo the blacksmith has won many battles and succeeded many times. He will definitely want to take it back.
The nobles next to him muttered: When the Jin people wanted to obtain the throne, they clearly ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and our Liao Dynasty also kept its promise and sent troops to help him. It was fair and just. The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun belonged to Liao Dynasty, so how could it be their territory
Yang Gun said: "Your words make sense, but the Zhou people don't think so. When Guo Rong and Chai Rong were in power, they wanted to take it. The Zhou people no longer pay tribute to the Liao Dynasty, so this matter is unreasonable."
The noble nodded and said: There is no point in talking unless we decide who is better on the battlefield.
The two men faced the Khan together, and the nobleman bowed and said: "Zhou's Lord Guo Shao is known as the one who conquered the city. The King of Nanyuan has never fought a great battle. I am worried that you may fail.
Yelu Jing gave him a cold look, and the nobleman quickly bent down and stopped talking.
Yelu Jing thought: If Xiao Siwen is not allowed to be the King of the South Courtyard, what position should be arranged for him in the North Courtyard
He said casually: I heard that Xiao Siwen is very interested in Haner and knows a lot about him. He is capable of defending the city.
Yang Gun said: As long as Xiao Siwen defends Youzhou City, once the Liao cavalry arrives, we can gather the Zhou army and destroy it.
Yelu Jing remained silent, thinking that if Youzhou was threatened, the tribes would support the use of troops. In the face of foreign enemies, he would be able to mobilize enough troops more easily.
He looked at the flickering flames and suddenly felt that the Zhou people's attack on Youzhou was also an opportunity for him. It would be more practical to enhance his prestige with achievements than to intimidate those with ill intentions by killing people.
But he could not make achievements in normal times. The tribes of the Liao Dynasty were all on guard against unexpected events and did not support the North Court's large-scale military deployment. Forcing the tribes to mobilize troops and gather together would be more risky. However, if attacked by foreign enemies, the royal nobles and ministers would willingly mobilize troops to the Khan's account; such matters were related to the overall situation of the Liao Dynasty, and Youzhou had abundant production, so everyone had gained practical benefits to a certain extent.
Yelu Jing looked at Yang Gun and said: Xiao Siwen needs reinforcements, you lead the troops there.