A few days passed, the artillery roared during the day and new fortifications were built. The siege progressed much slower than Jinyang. Guo Shao asked why Yang Biao had not woken up yet.
The sun gradually set over the western horizon, and the world became dark and quiet. Guo Shao walked out of the central army tent and saw that the sky was gray and black, with no stars or moon. He vaguely remembered that when he first arrived in Youzhou, he also walked out at night, but his mood at that time was completely different.
At this moment, the soldiers had returned to the camp. There were bonfires in the wilderness, and the sound of insects chirping could be heard faintly in the grass. The soldiers guarding the camp stood up straight and looked at Guo Shao. Behind him, Wang Pu and other staff members were still standing at the door of the tent.
The sky was grey and the clouds seemed to be very low, making people feel depressed. The wind and clouds were vaguely surging in the dim and hazy place, mysterious and unclear.
There may be gods in the sky, but Guo Shao is still standing on the ground. However, people think he is the god of war, and gods are omnipotent and must win.
Guo Shao was clearly aware of the adverse effects of withdrawing his troops, and he felt embarrassed.
This is a difficult decision.
The pressure Guo Shao faced was not mainly due to the harassment by the first wave of Liao reinforcements, but the failure of the siege. The main force of the Liao Kingdom would arrive at Youzhou City, which was 10 to 20 miles in circumference. In addition to more than 50,000 mobile cavalry, the more than 100,000 troops surrounding the city were very dispersed, and it was impossible to fight a decisive battle with the Liao army under the city; unless they left Youzhou City and went deep into the Youzhou area to confront the Liao army without conquering Youzhou, that would obviously violate the strategic expectations of this war.
He has been thinking a lot these days. This Northern Expedition itself is a strategic adventure.
If the Hu Ben Army's cavalry infantry had not been allowed to attack the Liao Army's palace cavalry and thus affect their morale, if the location chosen for digging the tunnel was correct, if the defenders had not placed a large number of catapults in the blind spots of the artillery, and if they had been luckier and there had not been so many subtle factors that repeatedly affected the progress of the siege, perhaps Youzhou City could have been captured in time.
Then strategic risk-taking is the right decision, and Guo Shao will not think about these things anymore. The confrontation between countries mainly depends on strength, but the results of just one or two battles are very uncertain, and even depend on luck.
Wang Pu is right, there is still opportunity and time.
However, Guo Shao felt that he dared not take any more risks.
This campaign has been a strategic adventure from the very beginning, with a low margin of error and a great risk of failure; and now the risk has suddenly increased.
The consequences became even more serious. If the main force was lost, Guo Shao would face an irreversible catastrophe. The elite imperial guards were almost irreplaceable in the short term. Once lost, Guo Shao would not have the strength to maintain national defense and rule.
With such serious consequences, even a small risk would make people nervous, not to mention that the risk of delaying now is not small.
In a trance, he seemed to have returned to the college entrance examination in his previous life. At that time, everyone told him that it was a turning point in his life. He had done countless exercises and was very well prepared, but he was still worried about accidents and failures. Even though the risk was relatively low, he could not feel at ease until the results came out.
Now, the risks and threats of failure he faces are much greater, and the consequences are much more serious. If the Great Zhou army is defeated, it will affect more than just his fate.
Guo Shao's worry was beyond words.
He also had to weigh whether the risk was worth it between the benefits and the consequences.
Guo Shao was unwilling to give up.
He wanted to avoid serious consequences, but he didn't want to give up Youzhou. He would come again sooner or later. However, if he retreated this time, the time to wait for the next time would be long and unbearable.
Withdrawal would also bring other risks and consequences, mainly from domestic sources.
Guo Shao has no way to escape. He has to face challenges whether he advances or retreats, and they are different challenges.
He felt a lump in his throat and couldn't help coughing twice.
Just then, Wang Pu came up and said: Your Majesty, it is cold at night and you have been standing outside for too long.
Guo Shao turned around and walked into the tent, saying: I will not admit defeat, but will accumulate strength for the next comeback and find a new way. There must be a better way than the current strategy.
Wang Pu heard this and asked in a deep voice: Your Majesty has decided to withdraw the troops.
Guo Shao had a feeling of not knowing where he was, and even walking seemed a bit floating. He raised his head and stared at Wang Pu's old face: As long as the mountains were still there and the strength was intact, he could take the initiative to choose a new opportunity; instead of having to stay here passively and take the risk of finding a better opportunity than now.
Alas. Wang Pu's sigh came from the bottom of his heart.
Guo Shao whispered in a sincere tone: I cannot afford the risk of losing the imperial guards, but I can afford the temporary challenges at home.
Wang Pudao: I agree with your majesty, but I feel a little disappointed.
I understand. Guo Shao said, clenching his fists, calling on all the generals to withdraw troops in an orderly manner tomorrow morning to guard against harassment from the Liao cavalry and the Youzhou defenders.
Wang Pu clasped his fists and said: I obey your order.
Guo Shao walked through the big tent and went to sleep in the back. Wang Pu stood inside the tent, bowed to see him off, and did not leave for a long time.
A servant bent down and lifted a curtain. When Guo Shao walked in, he turned his head slightly and glanced at Wang Pu out of the corner of his eye.
The furnishings inside were simple, but the maps on the table and the walls of the tent made it look a bit less tidy. There was a candlestick on the table, with a thick candle with a thick wick illuminating the place. The bedside and the table were brighter, while the light in the corners became increasingly dim.
Guo Shao sat down and watched the flames jump.
The loss in his heart could not be concealed no matter how rationally he analyzed it. On such a night, in front of such lights, he still felt a chill.
He thought of Luo Mengzi. His third brother had limited talent. As Guo Shao's business grew bigger and bigger over the years, his third brother had become a little out of Guo Shao's core circle. But Guo Shao still couldn't forget the time when he and his third brother worked together in Gaoping, Wuqi Town, and Qinfeng.
If I didn't have the iron sheet on my body, I would have been shot and leaked a long time ago, haha
When my elder brother says to do something, I will follow him.
Guo Shao stretched out his hand and rubbed his forehead vigorously, doing some trivial movements, but did not say a word.
Even after becoming an emperor, Guo Shao still couldn't escape these simplest emotions. When in such an environment, his psychological quality was not very good. What kind of qualifications should an emperor have? Anyway, it shouldn't be him.
A series of successes led to too many expectations from the world, who believed that he was fearless and had extraordinary abilities, and even that he was a god.
At this moment, Guo Shao felt that he was not a god. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary mortal who had to work hard to make a living. Even he himself did not think he was capable of doing great things. At this moment, all kinds of negative emotions came flooding in, and he felt extremely vulnerable.
However, he would not give up, having already reached this point. Even if he had to fight back, he would still come back because too many people had died for that grand goal, too many people he cared about, giving up was impossible.
Cough cough! Guo Shao covered his mouth and held back the cough.
He felt tired, so he kicked off his boots and went to bed without taking off his socks. He had nightmares during his sleep, as if he was in a volcano.
That night, the attendant found Guo Shao's face flushed and burned. He was shocked and hurriedly called Wang Pu and Zuo You in at night.
Zuo You kept repeating in a hurry: Your Majesty has always been strong and healthy, how could he suddenly fall ill
Wang Pu suddenly realized and said anxiously: My adopted daughter is in the healing camp, send someone to call her over quickly.
Zuo Youdao: Envoy Wang's adopted daughter
It is Lu Lan, the female doctor that Your Majesty brought back from Shu. She cured my illness. Now that I am old, I want her to be my adopted daughter. Wang Pu said.
Zuo You hurriedly said: Then call him quickly.
Early the next morning, Privy Councilor Wang Pu summoned officials from the Youzhou Front Camp Military Headquarters and a few generals from various armies to discuss matters in the central army tent, announced the emperor's decree, and ordered a withdrawal.
They first discussed the deployment and strategy of the withdrawal, and then continued to summon military generals above the rank of military commander to the central army to make specific deployments.
The generals discussed the matter, and none of them were willing to accept the defeat. In this battle, the Zhou army had not suffered a real defeat. It had been almost a month since they arrived in Youzhou, and only a few thousand people had been killed in several major battles. The generals believed that they could still defeat the Liao army and make great achievements. They could not understand why the emperor wanted to withdraw the army.
Later, someone asked Wang Pu why the emperor did not personally deliver the order. At this time, the news that Guo Shao fell ill came out.
After leaving the central army tent, a civil servant from the front camp discussed privately: According to the current situation, Youzhou City is not easy to capture all at once. Your Majesty has also lost his sworn brother, so he may have no choice but to withdraw the troops, so he pretended that the emperor was not feeling well.
Why call yourself sick
The civil servant whispered: Lose a great general and then withdraw the troops. If we withdraw the troops due to illness, we will temporarily spare the lives of the Liao people.
No matter what, the order issued by the Privy Council and a group of generals was still authoritative. The troops began to prepare for retreat in accordance with the order, and the artillery fire did not stop immediately. According to the Front Camp Military Headquarters, this was to confuse the enemy and hide their intentions.
But the next day the artillery stopped roaring because it was raining.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the sound of spring thunder replaced the sound of cannons. The rain was light, but it was dripping and slowly wetting the soil. The moist soil was trampled back and forth by countless soldiers and horses, and the military camp was muddy for a while.
Zuo You looked at the rain and sighed: God is really not on my side. God won't let the Zhou Dynasty recapture Youzhou. Even if he didn't order the troops to withdraw, we still can't attack the city if the rain doesn't stop soon.
Wang Pu sighed and said: It's a good thing that it rained, so that we don't have to regret this battle.
He lowered his head and thought of the Xuanren Merit Pavilion built in Tokyo City. He gradually admitted in his heart that before the war, he and other ministers had been encouraging the emperor to march north for fame and success. They were indeed blinded by the desire to be recorded in history. There were too many factors that could not be controlled in the strategy of breaking into the city by surprise within a time limit.