A few days later, Yang Gun, Fan Zhongyi and several of their followers headed south.
Once you cross the Great Wall you will find Yunzhou. Yang Gun had been here before. When the Northern Han Dynasty was still under destruction, he personally led troops to rescue it twice. The army gathered here and marched south. At that time, Yunzhou was still the territory of the Liao Dynasty.
When I revisited my hometown, I naturally had a lot of emotions. Perhaps it was not the hometown that made me feel emotional, but the scenery of the battlefield where I once waved goodbye to thousands of troops.
Things have changed, and there are no Khitans in Yunzhou anymore, only Hedong Han people. As expected, they were discovered by scouts.
A group of cavalrymen surrounded Yang Gun and his men. Some of them were holding spears, and some were holding bows and arrows. They rode their horses around them. Fan Zhongyi hurriedly shouted: "Good man, please show mercy!"
After hearing this, Yang Gun felt contempt.
A general of Xu's army watched for a while, then rode forward. Suddenly, a whip came at him. Out of his instinct as a general, Yang Gun subconsciously blocked the whip with his left hand and stretched his right hand to his waist. After a moment, he realized the situation. The whip hit his palm and caused severe pain. The front of the whip went straight to Yang Gun's head, and his hat was knocked off.
The Khitan general shouted, and the cavalrymen around him immediately raised their spears, drew their bowstrings, and prepared for battle.
Fan Zhongyi hurriedly said: He is a Khitan who went to join Marshal Yang. Please see Mr. Yang.
He tied up the general and gave the order.
After the group was brought to Yunzhou, everything went surprisingly smoothly. The Yunzhou generals sent them to Daizhou without asking any questions.
Soon, Yang Ye met them again in the courtyard where Fan Zhongyi had stayed.
After meeting, Yang Ye didn't look at Fan Zhongyi much, but his eyes stayed on Yang Gun. Yang Gun saw that Fan Zhongyi looked a little disappointed as he was ignored twice.
You are Yang Gun and Yang Ye with complicated expressions.
Yang Gun said calmly: General Yang, how are you
Fan Zhongyi said: So you two know each other
Yang Gun said: I led troops to save the Eastern Han Dynasty back then, and met General Yang several times in the Eastern Han Palace.
Fan Zhongyi forced a smile and said: So we are all acquaintances, so it will be easy to talk to us.
Yang Ye said coldly: It seems that he is indeed sent by Xiao Siwen. Everyone serves his own master. Yang will never surrender to the Liao Kingdom. There is no point in saying more.
Fan Zhongyi said: I know that General Yang didn't trust me too much last time, this time you should believe in Lord Xiao's sincerity. General Yang, Lord Xiao's intention is not to ask you to surrender, but to hope that you can restore the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the Liao Dynasty will give as much support as possible.
Yang Ye snorted and said: How could I not know the intentions of the Khitans
The two of them talked back and forth, but Yang Ye still refused to give in. Fan Zhongyi talked too much, so Yang Gun couldn't get a word in, but he observed carefully and felt that something was wrong.
Out of his instinct for intrigue on the battlefield, Yang Gun didn't figure out what was wrong at first. After a while, he finally realized: Yang Ye's complexion was too good.
According to Yang Ye's situation, if he is not careful, his clan will be exterminated. At least his head is tied to his belt. Yang Ye thought to himself that if he faced such a situation, he would definitely not be able to sleep. How could he be like Yang Ye? Although his expression was obviously sad and there was no flaw, his face was ruddy and his spirit was vigorous.
While Yang Ye was talking, he was also observing Yang Gun from time to time.
Yang Gun observed it, but did not dare to show any emotion. Firstly, this subtle judgment had no evidence, and was not enough to prove that Yang Ye was cheating. Secondly, if it was really a cheat, he would have jumped out early and said that he had seen through Yang Ye, wouldn't he have died a miserable death
When Yang Ye looked at him again, Yang Gun said: "You really don't want to ascend the throne and rule the world, Marshal. Besides, do you still have a way to survive now?"
After hearing this, Yang Ye remained silent.
Fan Zhongyi said excitedly: Marshal Yang, this opportunity cannot be missed.
Yang Gun looked at Fan Zhongyi with annoyance. At this moment, Yang Ye slammed his palm on the table and said, "Shut up!"
Immediately an old man rushed to the door and looked in. Yang Ye turned around and said: It's okay, take them down.
Fan Zhongyi stood up reluctantly, obviously still unsatisfied, but he did not dare to disobey Yang Ye's order.
When the two returned to the wing room, Fan Zhongyi said in a deep voice: Yang Ye is a little moved, and I was the first to convince him by explaining the situation to him.
Yang Gun glanced sideways, paying attention to the paper-pasted window, and said calmly: "Mr. Fan, now is not the time for us to compete for credit. As long as we have accomplished the big thing, can we ignore your share of credit? In any case, Mr. Fan has come twice, and I think the credit belongs to you."
Fan Zhongyi nodded: General Yang is a sensible man.
Yang Gun said earnestly: "Don't say too much. Yang Ye has been in the Xu Dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty for so many years, he won't be so stupid."
That afternoon, the dumb old man came again, opened the door and pointed at Yang Gun and made a gesture. Fan Zhongyi stood up and was about to go out, but was stopped by the old man. A Lang only saw Yang Gun.
Fan Zhongyi had no choice but to give up.
This time the meeting was no longer held in the living room, but in a windowless secret room where Yang Ye was already waiting. Inside the secret room were files of paper and ink, and drawings were hung on the wall.
Yang Gun took a quick look at the situation around him and then bowed.
That traitor named Fan is just a smart-aleck fool. How dare I believe him, Yang Ye said.
Yang Gun said: Mr. Xiao trusts the Han people very much.
Oh, Yang Ye suddenly realized, and the two of them were looking at each other, and their eyes met, staring at each other in surprise.
Yang Gun didn't expect this and immediately avoided his gaze. But Yang Ye still stared at him calmly. For a moment, Yang Gun felt very nervous and regretted his little action just now, which seemed to make him feel guilty.
Yang Gun took a deep breath, calmed himself, and broke the deadlock with a casual tone. Not everyone in the Liao court agreed to reinforce Hedong. Even Lord Xiao was a little hesitant.
After saying this, he carefully observed Yang Ye's reaction.
Yang Gun felt that it was unnecessary to tell everything. If this matter succeeded, the only way was to support Yang Ye in dividing the territory. Because if Yang Ye was proposed to surrender to the Liao Kingdom, Yang Ye would not agree, and there would be no benefit; it would not be of much use for the Liao Dynasty to just get Yang Ye. The Liao Dynasty had no shortage of Khitan generals, and Khitan generals were more trustworthy than Han people.
Yang Ye frowned and said: If I can gain a foothold in Hedong, I will help Liao to contain the powerful enemy. Isn't it good for Liao
There are no flaws to be seen.
The cost and risk are not small. Yang Gun said calmly that the dispute was due to the different policies of the Liao court, some advocated retreat and self-protection, while others advocated active competition. If we lack confidence in winning the situation in Hedong, the best way is to wait and see.
Yang Ye said: Lord Xiao sent people here twice, obviously he has some ulterior motive. Why don't you first tell me what Lord Xiao plans to do? If it's not appropriate, there's no point in talking further. I have to deal with more than just the Liao people now.
Yang Gun nodded after hearing this, and after a moment's silence, he said: When we set out, we had already received news that troops were gathering in Tokyo, and the purpose of mobilizing troops at this moment must be to deal with Marshal Yang. Therefore, in Xiao Gong's opinion, if Marshal Yang is willing to form an alliance with the Liao Dynasty, there are two things he should do first:
First, the combined forces repelled the rebellion of Xu State; second, captured Jinyang and Taiyuan.
Mr. Xiao is very far-sighted. Yang Ye nodded in praise.
Yang Gun said: That's right. Yundaixin and other places are barren. It's a bit difficult to support tens of thousands of troops in Hedong. It's not enough to rely on the Liao Dynasty for food supply. If we want a long-term plan, we must take Jinyang.
Yang Ye seemed to be thinking about something.
The Marshal first spread the news that the Emperor of Xu would soon pass away, and then, on the pretext of the overall situation in Hedong, he concentrated his forces to defend Yanmen Pass and ordered the Yunzhou troops to withdraw to Yanmen Pass. The Liao Dynasty first took over Yunzhou so that it could approach Yanmen Pass in time. Yang Gun said in a deep voice that the Marshal would leave his trusted generals to guard the Yanmen Pass, and then order the guards to withdraw from Yanmen Pass on the pretext of changing defense. If the Liao army entered Yanmen Pass, it would echo the Marshal's troops; at this time, the Marshal would raise the flag and revolt, which would ensure that nothing would go wrong.
He paused and said, "If a big event is to happen, our coalition army will go south to meet Xu's army. As long as we defeat Xu's army, we can take advantage of the victory to besiege Jinyang. As long as we take Jinyang, the big event will be settled."
Yang Ye remained silent for a long time, lowering his head in deep thought.
Yang Gun also patiently kept silent. For a moment, he felt that it was not a trick. If it was just a show, it would be too real. After all, it seemed a bit hasty to conclude that Yang Ye was cheating based on just a few signs of his complexion.
The two of them were very patient and kept silent for at least an incense stick of time. Yang Ye seemed to come to his senses and said, "After we join forces, we will definitely be able to defeat the imperial guards."
Don't worry, Marshal. Yang Gun said calmly, Xu Jun's firearms are good at defending forts, not good at field battles. Marshal has been dealing with the Liao army for a long time, you have to believe in the Liao army's cavalry combat power. Besides, the Marshal also has firearms.
Yang Ye said: No wonder Lord Xiao thinks so highly of me. If we form an alliance, we will have the advantage of both firearms and cavalry.
After hearing this, Yang Gun was not sure whether he wanted to increase the bargaining chips. He thought for a while and said, "What's more, the life of Guo the blacksmith is in danger, and there are undercurrents in Tokyo. Even if he mobilizes troops to suppress the rebellion, he dare not give too many troops to the generals who suppress the rebellion. Marshal Yang, don't worry, we have a great chance of winning."
The Jinyang defenders had neither great generals nor elite soldiers, and Yang Ye had a moved expression on his face.
Yang Gun asked again: Marshal, do you know how to make gunpowder? If you know how to make that thing, it will be more convenient for attacking the city.
No, the imperial court forbids the private manufacture of firearms and gunpowder, and all materials used are transported from the Military Equipment Bureau. Yang Ye said, however, if the rebellion starts, first kill the Daizhou Military Equipment Bureau branch, and you can get a lot of gunpowder from the warehouse.
Tuo Yanggun said excitedly.
Yang Ye looked at Yang Gun with some vigilance and said: Lord Xiao is really good at sending troops south to help me
General. Yang Gun said calmly, if there is no reinforcement from the Liao army, the morale of the Hedong army will be low. If they are destroyed by the Xu army, what good will this situation do to the Liao
He then went on to comfort him, saying, don't worry, as long as the commander is sincere, Lord Xiao will not go back on his word.
Yang Ye frowned and nodded slightly, but he still looked worried. This was a normal reaction. The current Hedong was not the Eastern Han Dynasty. Even if the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty really trusted each other, did they
Yang Gun said calmly: I heard that the commander has detained the people from the front camp.
They were not detained, but were not allowed to leave the military office. Yang Ye said, those people can issue military orders to various units through messengers, and I am also on guard against the court taking the initiative.
Yang Gun said: Marshal, can you take me to see those people
Why Yang Ye immediately asked back.