Good news! Good news! A man came in from outside the palace, shouting excitedly.
Guo Shao's brush froze on the paper and he looked up. Dozens of people in the signing room turned their heads to look at the door, their movements in perfect unison. The lights flickered, and dozens of pairs of eyes sparkled in the bright light.
Soon, a messenger with a red triangular flag on his back was taken directly into the signing room because it was good news.
The messenger knelt on one knee, picked up the blood-stained report with both hands, and shouted: The cavalry of the Palace Guards won a great victory on the southern front.
Eunuch Wang Zhong hurried down to take the things. Guo Shao asked: "What was the result of the battle?"
The messenger said: "Encircle and destroy 30,000 elite Liao cavalry and capture the Liao army commander Yelu Xiuge alive."
Everyone in the detention room suddenly became excited, and even the messengers and guards lined up outside started to make noises. Some people stared with wide eyes and clenched their fists, while others raised their heads and laughed wantonly.
Wei Renpu looked around and said loudly: Your Majesty leads the army to sweep across the world, and all the land under heaven belongs to the king.
All the civil and military officials followed suit and shouted, "All under heaven belongs to the king. All under heaven belongs to the king." They stood up and knelt, bowing and shouting, "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!"
Under the lights of the night, Guo Shao's face was red. Although he didn't cheer like everyone else, he couldn't hide his excitement. It goes without saying what this battle means.
Happiness came too suddenly. Guo Shao felt that the blood in his body was hotter than usual. Under the dim light, he felt a little dazed. Maybe it was because of the previous pressure. He felt dizzy when he suddenly relaxed.
Indeed, this battle was just an accident and was not within the rough expectations at all. Although the outcome should have been no different in the expected trajectory of abnormal development, this battle undoubtedly greatly shortened the tormenting process.
Guo Shao raised his head and let out a long sigh. He rubbed his forehead with his hand for a few times, then unfolded the report in his hand and read it carefully. After confirming it, he handed it to the eunuch Wang Zhong: "Let all the ministers see it. Stand up and speak."
There was a lot of discussion in the room, and people were still in a state of joy and excitement while reading the report.
Guo Shao turned his head and looked at the night sky outside the carved window. The weather was so good tonight, and the stars in the sky were very gorgeous. In the beautiful night, he found a bright light with a tail across the sky. It was a meteor. It seemed that a wish had come true, or that an important figure in the legend had fallen and was reflected in the sky. Yelu Xiuguo was known as the first tiger general of the Liao Dynasty, and he could be regarded as a figure.
Guo Shao felt refreshed at this moment.
This signing room is very simple and not big enough, so it cannot reflect the grand atmosphere at the moment, but everything that happens here will be spread all over the world because the stars in the sky are watching everything on the earth.
Someone bowed and said: Yelu Xiu'ge and his subordinates are extremely evil. We can chop off the heads of the Liao army and build a Jingguan in Yizhou.
Immediately, there were supporters who believed that revenge for evil with justice and blood for blood was the way of the ancient sages.
Wei Renpu was calmer than the other ministers and said calmly: "I think we should throw the heads of the Liao army into Youzhou City to scare them, continue to open a gap in the east of the city, and take Youzhou as soon as possible. As for Yizhou, we can ask people to build a kneeling statue wearing a shackle in the city to humiliate Yelu Xiu'ge."
Guo Shao thought the idea was good and said, "Just follow what Deputy Envoy Wei said. You guys go and make arrangements for this matter."
We obey your order.
The next morning it was sunny again, but the battlefield was filled with smoke and a bleak atmosphere.
Many people were carrying headless bodies and throwing them into the big pit. In the pits around them, firewood and tung oil were burning the bones, and black smoke filled the air. The air was filled with an unpleasant smell, the smell of burnt flesh and blood, and various other foul odors.
Zhou soldiers and civilians were mixed together, driving carts slowly on the battlefield, stopping and starting. Soldiers were chopping heads with wood, civilians and laborers were picking up weapons and arrows on the ground, and some were pulling armor off the corpses and searching for things inside.
Cartloads of people's heads were taken away, covered with lime.
On the battlefield, Li Chuyun and other generals rode their horses to watch their achievements. This messy and tragic scene was a tragic scene for the Liao people, but it was a show of strength for the Zhou people.
The two countries had been hostile for many years and had too much blood feud. At this time, the soldiers had no mercy and instead felt happy about such a bloody scene.
However, everyone was indeed tired after yesterday's battle. The Zhou army also suffered heavy casualties in the fighting. Everyone looked exhausted and few people spoke.
Yang Biao took out a piece of wheat cake from the bag, took a bite and chewed it while looking at the battlefield. Shi Yanchao immediately turned his head and looked at Yang Biao with a strange look, as if to say: With this smell and this scene, you are eating it with relish!
The Zhou army outside Youzhou City was still besieging the city, but they did not attack the city this morning. Youzhou City seemed to be dead silent.
Xiao Siwen sat on the leather chair in the Nanyuan Mansion with a dazed look on his face, and didn't say a word the whole morning.
Abudi was cursing below: "The useless Yelu Xiu'ge is just a useless person. It's not a pity that he died. It's a pity that the elite Liao soldiers who came to reinforce us were wasted."
Another general said dejectedly: "It is unbelievable how Yelu Xiuguo could have fought the battle like this."
At this time, Han official Fan Zhongyi carefully asked: Will Shangjing send reinforcements
Xiao Siwen immediately turned his motionless head to look at Fan Zhongyi. This sentence was the key.
Youzhou is very important, but is the Liao Dynasty willing to consume all its national strength here? Even if the emperor is willing, can he mobilize the army under such circumstances? Moreover, if he really wants to stick around and waste time here, it is still hard to say what the outcome will be.
The Zhou army stopped fighting today, and for a moment Xiao Siwen felt that Youzhou was already a dead city in this dead silence.
Fan Zhongyi carefully reminded again: Without reinforcements, Youzhou will not be able to be defended, it is only a matter of time.
The news that the Liao Dynasty was defeated and annihilated by Yelu Xiuguo came like a bolt from the blue.
It was a rare rainstorm on the grassland, and the wind and rain raged throughout the entire Shangjing. Yelu Jing felt that the palace was in a precarious situation and was about to collapse.
This was not cowardice. Yelu Jing truly felt the danger. However, it was not the wind and rain that overturned the imperial power, but the people.
The scepters in the hands of Yelu Xiuge and Yelu Jing were shaking, and they failed the Khan's high hopes.
The attendants around and the ministers and nobles below all bent their heads and stood there in fear.
Although the Liao Dynasty boasted a million soldiers, it was not easy to bear the loss of 30,000 elite soldiers. If it were a strong and stable period, such a loss could be barely borne, but the current situation was different. This was a heavy blow to Yelu Jing's throne.
Yelu Jing's emotions towards Xiu'ge were difficult to describe. He had extreme anger, gnashing hatred, and also a sense of regret. No matter what, Yelu Xiu'ge was a general whom he trusted and was very capable. Now that he was killed, Yelu Jing felt that his power was greatly weakened.
Youzhou Yang Gun took half a step forward and suddenly stopped. Everyone was in a state of frustration and failure, but Yang Gun came back to his senses quickly and immediately thought of the most critical point at this time, which was Youzhou.
Yelu Jing glanced at Yang Gun calmly, then looked away, pretending not to hear.
At this time, Yelu Xian said coldly: Yelu Xiuguo was reckless and frivolous, causing our Liao army to suffer heavy losses and fall into an unfavorable situation. His death is not enough to atone for his crime. The blame lies entirely with Yelu Xiuguo. I suggest that Yelu Xiuguo's entire family be exterminated to atone for his great crime.
Yelu Jing remained silent. No matter how hateful Xiu Ge was, he still remembered his loyalty in his heart. Privately, he was unwilling to do so. But Yelu Xian's intention was very clever. He wanted to put all the blame on Xiu Ge. At this point, it would be good for everyone.
But what about Youzhou
If Yelu Xiu'ge was defeated, if Youzhou was lost again, Youzhou would not only lose a large piece of rich land, but also more than 10,000 Khitan cavalry in the city, and 20,000 to 30,000 infantry left behind; plus the Khitan families in Youzhou and the Khitans in various cities, there were also tens of thousands of people. If Yelu Jing, the Khan, was defeated and the Liao Dynasty's wealth was continuously lost, he could still command the various tribes.
And Youzhou seemed to be unable to resolve the situation. Yelu Jing was in a dilemma and felt that he had reached the end of his road.
Yelu Jing did not dare to say directly that he wanted to give up Youzhou; no one in Shangjing dared to say this. However, it became impossible to reinforce Xiao Siwen and continue to go south to Youzhou to launch a national war.
Only by pushing Xiao Siwen out, can the blame for the loss of Youzhou be put on Xiao Siwen.
Regardless of whether it is useful or not, I am afraid this is the only way at this moment.
Sure enough, someone spoke carefully: Yelu Xiu'ge was defeated in Youzhou, and Xiao Siwen has no reinforcements for the time being. In this situation, can he still defend the city
A minister said: Send more reinforcements south to rescue Xiao Siwen.
There was a dead silence in the hall, and everyone fell silent.
Yang Gun bowed calmly and said: "Great Khan, the Liao Dynasty originally planned to march south after the autumn; Yelu Xiu'ge's troops and Xiao Siwen first stabilized Youzhou City. Now that Yelu Xiu'ge has been defeated, we can only order Xiao Siwen to take on the heavy responsibility alone and defend Youzhou until the autumn."
This plan immediately gained support from many people. No one wanted to waste time going south again, so they would delay it until autumn.
Yelu Jing also understood this and doubted how long Xiao Siwen could hold out alone.
He opened his mouth and a moan came out, but was swallowed back into his stomach.
The howling wind was outside the palace, blowing in through the cracks in the nailed wooden boards, making them creak. Yelu Jing's heart seemed to be full of galloping horses. He had always been worried about the unrest among the tribes on the grassland. He really didn't expect that he would fall into the hands of the southerners.
Who could have imagined that the southerner was the most deadly threat
Guo the blacksmith is a mad beast. What he wants is not only Youzhou, but also the life of Liao.