The north wind raged on the white mottled grassland, and the low tents seemed to be lying in the wilderness. However, the old palace on the hill of Shangjing was very stable, with warm charcoal fires, brightly colored tiger skins, and some claws and fangs of ferocious beasts hanging on it.
The teenage Yelu Xian wore a mink hat, and he looked a little thin and pale. Yelu Xian had always been in poor health.
Winter is a quiet season, but the nobles in Beijing have been discussing the Pingxia War. Yelu Xian was also very concerned about the Emperor of Daxu who had robbed Xiao Chuo and refused to make a lucrative deal. He asked Xiao Siwen: What kind of person is Guo the blacksmith
Xiao Siwen looked back at the ministers standing on both sides and said cautiously: This man is a warrior, less than 30 years old, ambitious and militaristic. I have been fighting since I heard his name.
Yelu Xian asked again: In the Battle of Pingxia, could Guo the Blacksmith defeat Li Yiyin and Yang Gun's troops
Xiao Siwen pondered and said: In my opinion, it is difficult. The Xu Kingdom Imperial Army is just the Zhou Kingdom Imperial Army with a different name. From the generals to the soldiers, they are all the same group of people. They are strong in combat, but not as strong as the Liao Iron Cavalry. The main reason is that they are small in number this time. There are only more than 40,000 imperial soldiers in total, and the cavalry is estimated to be 10,000 to 20,000; there are also 30,000 so-called guards, which I think are local militias. They are still useful for defense, but not for field battles.
With such a troop arrangement, there are too few cavalry, and the defense is sufficient but the attack power is insufficient.
However, the Central Plains had been in turmoil for many years, and the three wars plus Chai Rong's northern expedition to Youzhou had cost a lot of money. Although the Central Plains was vast and populous, they also had many problems internally, and the court had little money and grain to use. If the blacksmith Guo wanted to use the same old trick again and build fortifications in the border areas, it would inevitably waste the country's strength.
If this is true, the Dangxiang and the Han people will both suffer losses in Pingxia. Even if the Dangxiang are defeated in the end, it will be beneficial to the Liao Dynasty rather than harmful.
Yelu Xian nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and the ministers on both sides also agreed. After a coup, many people in Liao were purged, and most of them joined the group around the new emperor. Xiao Siwen was undoubtedly an important figure in this group. Now everyone supported Xiao Siwen, and they felt that he was very knowledgeable.
Xiao Siwen said solemnly: In today's world, various ethnic groups are rising one after another, and even the Dangxiang people are trying to gain a position. But the biggest threat is the great country Xu Dynasty. As long as we can weaken Xu State, it will be beneficial to the Liao Dynasty.
Yelu Xian said: The only solution now is to wait for Yang Gun to report the victory.
At this time in Tokyo, the festive atmosphere has been growing since the Laba Festival, and the roofs of countless houses have been covered with snow. However, it is still warm indoors.
The red lanterns hanging in the west hall of Jinxiang Hall add more color to the magnificent palace. This is the place for daily office work. There is a yellow curtain in front of the imperial throne on the north side. Fu Jinzhan felt that she was a woman and the ministers were all men, so there was a difference between men and women, so she hung a curtain to cover her throne.
From inside, she could vaguely see who was standing outside, but it was not clear; below were Han Tong, the Duke of Jingguo, and some officials from the Military Equipment Supervisor and the Ministry of War. However, she felt that this misty feeling was quite good.
Fu Jinzhan came out to take care of government affairs, her face was carefully powdered, and because her skin was white and smooth, the rouge red of her lips was very beautiful. If it weren't for her fair skin, the red would not be so beautiful.
Jinzhan, who is over 30 years old, takes great care of her appearance. She puts on a little makeup and decorates herself with a gorgeous phoenix crown. Now she is the most beautiful woman in the world.
Fu Jinzhan opened her red lips and said: It is icy and snowy outside, and the emperor and the imperial guards are still fighting hard in the wilderness. You must do your best to carry out the emperor's orders.
The Queen was talking about equipping the river navy with artillery.
The officials of the Ministry of War and the Military Equipment Bureau bowed together and said: We, your servants, will obey your imperial order.
Han Tong could not take care of these things now, but as a meritorious noble of the Daxu Dynasty, he was qualified to make suggestions at any time. He immediately bowed and said: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the Jiaolong Army wants to load newly cast copper cannons on warships, but they encountered many troubles during the test. A copper cannon weighs more than a thousand pounds, and the vibration caused by firing is very large. At the very least, the direction will be deviated and there will be no accuracy. At worst, the ship's planks will be cracked. The materials used for river navy ships are thinner and worse, so I'm afraid there will be a lot of problems."
The civil servant immediately retorted: If there is a problem, we must find a solution. If we don't find a solution, will the queen worry about it
Another civil servant followed suit and said: "I heard that the queen goes to the Sanqing Temple every day to pray for the emperor, regardless of wind or snow. The people of the world are lucky to have such a benevolent mother who is a model for the world. I ask the queen to take good care of herself."
Han Tong didn't know what to say when he heard such flattery. He just stared at the civil servants with contempt. Han Tong's eyes were round and big, so he was called Han Dengyan. Everyone looked at him sideways.
At this time, the queen sitting behind the curtain said: "The emperor has been in battle for many years and knows about weapons. He said that if we can fire cannons on the ship, we should be able to do it. You can think of a way. Of course, I wish every day that the emperor can return to the court victoriously as soon as possible, safe and sound. The emperor will govern the country with civil and military achievements and cultivate benevolent and virtuous policies, and God will bless him."
After the meeting and discussion of state affairs, Han Tong and the officials thanked the emperor and bowed before leaving.
He had no official business now, as his military post was in Dadu Prefecture, but he didn't have to worry about any specific matters, so he would just go to the palace to take a look when he was in court or summoned. He then left the imperial city through the side gate of Xuande Gate.
Outside the imperial city, the whole capital city was covered in snow. The snow on the trees looked like flowers, and the scenery was more beautiful than in autumn.
In the cold weather, the streets of Tokyo were still bustling. The once-contested battlefield had become the peaceful center of the world. The wars between dynasties continued, but they were getting farther and farther away from the hinterland. Even during the war, Tokyo did not need to be under martial law.
Han Tong rode south along the Imperial Street, observing the various aspects of the world, and agreed with one of the views of Li Chuyun, the founding duke. That is, the richer the profession, the more promising it is. Even a warrior can have a status and be respected because the world is utilitarian, and studying is noble because it can lead to a good future as an official.
The world is becoming more peaceful. If warriors have no place to use their skills and military spending is cut, their status will surely decline.
Han Tong did not accompany the emperor on this expedition, but he has been paying attention to the progress of the northwest. Han Tong has seen Guo Shao's rich experience and diverse methods of using troops. He is also a general of the imperial army and knows the combat effectiveness of the imperial army. He is still very confident that Guo Shao will lead the elite troops personally, at least he can ensure that they will not be defeated. However, he still dare not judge the outcome of the Pingxia War, as the battlefield is always changing rapidly.
Most of the imperial guards were also in Tokyo. As long as you approached the city walls and military camps, you could find that all the soldiers were talking about the Battle of Pingxia.
And now, I heard that the front camp troops have built a city by the Yellow River.
In mid-December, the allied forces of the Dangxiang and Khitan tribes continued to advance towards the direction of Xu's attack and had reached Yinzhou.
The troops were mainly Tanguts, Khitans, Xi and Jurchen infantry, but there were also a small number of Tibetans and Uighurs. It was truly a joint army.
The Tibetans and Uighurs were just there to watch, but they would send reports on the frontline situation back to the nobles in Hexi by express horseback. At this time, the nobles of the various tribes in Hexi were also restless, keeping an eye on the progress of Pingxia at any time. This fight seemed to be a war between the Dangxiang people, but it was bound to affect the entire northwest.
The nobles of various tribes and sects were actually very dissatisfied with the Dangxiang people, because the Dangxiang tribes near Hexi relied on Xiazhou for support and did a lot of bad things. However, in comparison, the huge national strength of the Central Plains Dynasty made them more worried about subversive changes. The nobles hoped to maintain the status quo and keep their existing territory and income.
So they set up a post house in Lingzhou and traded with officials of the Xu Dynasty in a friendly manner, while at the same time hoping that the Xu army would be defeated.
The Uighur wizards even burned corpses in the army and used magic to curse Captain Xu to encounter disaster. This made the Dangxiang people very dissatisfied and they could not help but curse the Uighurs as evil cultists.
The coalition stayed in Yinzhou for many days, and now the upper echelons seemed confused. They were unwilling to attack the fortifications built by the Xu people. This was the biggest headache for the nomadic army. Even the half-pastoral and half-agricultural Liao army was not good at attacking.
Li Yiyin was obviously also very anxious. It would be difficult for him to sustain the five prefectures of Pingxia for long with the burden of supplying hundreds of thousands of grain and grass.
After the New Year in Yinzhou, in the first month of the lunar year, a piece of good news broke the tense atmosphere: Xu Jun's fortress had just been roughly fortified, and a large number of troops had left the fortress and headed north along the Wuding River.
Li Yiyin's face was almost broken by laughter.
He immediately met with the Liao army general Yang Gun and decided to break camp and march to Suizhou immediately.
Xu Jun is not familiar with the terrain, so even with a guide, they dare not run around in the ravines. They must be attacking Suizhou along the Wuding River, Li Yiyin said.
Yang Gun thought it was a good idea. Han Er liked to march and camp along the river, and he did so all three times when he attacked Youzhou. When the ice melted in the spring, they could also rely on the river for water transportation of food.
Li Yiyin was much older than Yang Gun, but he was even more excited. If Xu Jun did not march along the Wuding River, I would eat the horsewhip in my hand.
The two of them immediately agreed that the army would rush to Suizhou in advance to set up battle array, and when Xu's army came to attack the city, they would form a battle array with their backs to the city. Even if it was the Dangxiang and Khitan people, having the city as a guarantee would be a good thing, as the infantry and cavalry could obtain food and various supplies in the city.
However, when Li Yiyin and his men were about to reach Suizhou, they suddenly heard that Xu's army was about to withdraw. The vanguard cavalry had already retreated, and the rear wing of 20,000 to 30,000 troops were also retreating.
Li Yiyin cursed: No, Xu people want to escape
Yang Gun also pondered: Could it be that Xu Jun's move at this time is a feint to attract our army and delay the time
Li Yiyin frowned after hearing this: This is a plan to lure the enemy into attacking the city.
He rode on his horse and looked ahead, and immediately said: "Wait for me to ask where Xu's army is. If they are close to Suizhou and the way back is long, we will lead the cavalry to catch up with Xu's army and force them to line up on the spot to defend. When the follow-up army follows up, we will be able to capture a large number of Xu's troops."