Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 310: The Great Battle, Turning Defense into Offense, Attacking the Heart

On March 10th of the eighth year of Jiayou, Wei Yuan arrived in Tangyin.

The 200,000-strong southern army led by Lin Zhaoyuan had to travel all the way and had little rest.

Therefore, he arrived in Tangyin two days earlier than Wei Yuan.

In the past two days, in addition to resting the troops, Lin Zhaoyuan also surveyed the terrain of Yonghe.

At this moment, Wei Yuan and Lin Zhaoyuan were strolling in Tangyin City.

The latter briefly explained some of the conditions in the city.
"Before our army arrived, the Liao army had about 3,000 troops stationed in this city."

"The Liao army is not good at defending the city. It only took our army about an hour to recapture the city."

"However, since the Liao army conquered Tangyin, most of the people in the city have moved south to escape the disaster, leaving only a few large clans with deep roots."

Although there were still some big families who had not left Tangyin, Tangyin at this moment was extremely deserted and it was difficult to see ordinary people on the streets.

"I heard that the most common surname in Tangyin is Yue?" Wei Yuan asked curiously.

Lin Zhaoyuan nodded slightly, "It seems to be his last name Yue, why did Wei Shuai suddenly ask this?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Nothing, just a casual remark. Let's get back to business. You should know the situation in Yonghe Town, right? How long do you think it will take to recapture this town?"

Lin Zhaoyuan asked in return: "How many troops does Wei Shuai intend to give me?"

Wei Yuan suddenly stopped and said sternly: "The 200,000 soldiers you brought from the south are all under your command."

Two hundred thousand?
Lin Zhaoyuan was startled and bowed quickly, saying, "I am not capable enough to lead 200,000 soldiers!"

Wei Yuan laughed loudly and said, "Han Xin was just a small soldier under Liu Bang back then, but he suddenly became the commander of the Han army. Now you are only allowed to lead 200,000 soldiers, but you feel pressured?"

Only 200,000
Lin Zhaoyuan smiled bitterly and said, "General Wei, throughout history, there has only been one military genius. I am afraid that my comrades will be dissatisfied if I lead 200,000 soldiers."

Wei Yuan patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "You and I are soldiers of the same year, right?"

Lin Zhaoyuan shook his head and said, "General Wei joined the army in the third year of Huangyou, and I joined in the fourth year of Huangyou."

Huangyou was the third-to-last reign title used by Zhao Zhen, which lasted a total of six years. There was also a Zhihe reign title in the middle, which lasted a total of two years, making it the eighth year of Jiayou.

Based on this calculation of Wei Yuan’s age, he is already 29 years old this year.

It was extremely rare in all dynasties for a 29-year-old to be in charge of an army of millions.

"You and I only joined the army one year apart. Now that I can command a million strong army, why not let you command an army of 200,000?"

Wei Yuan spoke slowly.

Lin Zhaoyuan bowed and said, "How dare I compare myself with General Wei?"

"General Wei, General Xiao is more stable than me, and General Shen is better at commanding troops than me. In terms of seniority, I am not as good as them. After all, I was a scout, and they were all the captains who guarded Yanmen Gate."

Wei Yuan stood with his hands behind his back and walked forward slowly. "Don't belittle yourself. I know your ability well. You are more meticulous than Xiao Yuming and more considerate of the overall situation than Shen Qing. This is a military order and you are not allowed to refute it."

Lin Zhaoyuan had nothing to say, so he could only bow and say, "Yes."

Wei Yuan said in a deep voice: "On March 15, we will launch a general attack on Yonghe. You still have a few days to prepare. Don't be anxious. Fight well and fight slowly. As long as you can recapture Yonghe and Tangyi before the armies reach the designated locations, it will be fine."

Lin Zhaoyuan nodded firmly, "Please rest assured, Commander Wei."

Wei Yuan employed Lin Zhaoyuan for another reason.

Lin Zhaoyuan’s greatest advantage is his tough character and his ability to fight tough battles.

When the battle of Xiangzhou begins, Tangyi and Yonghe will be the places that will bear the heaviest pressure in the whole situation.

Two hundred thousand. Wei Yuan felt it was not enough.

However, in order to effectively annihilate the main force of the Liao army, it is impossible to send more troops to the two places.

With Wei Yuan's arrival in Tangyin, the entire Central Plains seemed to be stirred up.

Troops were being deployed in various places, and strategic deployments were being made. In short, no place or army was idle.

Mobilizing a million-strong army seems easy, but there is still considerable resistance in implementing it.

However, Wei Yuan was not in a hurry. It was Yelu Renxian who should be anxious.

If the latter is unwilling to fight a big battle in Xiangzhou, then he will have to give up Xiangzhou. But once Xiangzhou is given up, the Liao army's overall strategy of dividing the country and establishing its own territory will be thwarted.

Therefore, Yelu Renxian had to fight this battle and he had to win it.

For Wei Yuan, the battle of Xiangzhou was his first battle since he took command, and he must win.

During these days, Zhou troops in various places were all excited and ready to fight.

Even in the Tangyin camp, every soldier's face was filled with excitement, and they seemed to be looking forward to the start of the battle of Xiangzhou.

Wei Yuan also noticed something unusual. On March 14, he summoned Xiao Yuming and others to discuss matters. Before he arrived at the big tent, he heard their laughter.

Afterwards, Wei Yuan walked into the big tent and asked curiously, "What's the matter? You're so happy?"

Chen Daniu laughed and said, "General Wei, you have been mobilizing the troops for several days, but the enemy troops in Xiangzhou have not made any moves. It is obvious that they have accepted the declaration of war."

"Ever since the Liao army moved south, including the Battle of Damingfu, we have been passive in the battle and had to be led by them."

"But since you took over as the commander of the Self-Defense Forces, we took the initiative to launch the battle and led them by the nose. How can we not be happy?"

Xiao Yuming echoed, "General Chen is right, Commander Wei, now all the soldiers in the army agree that under your leadership, our army will definitely be able to recover the lost territory."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Let's discuss matters."

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers of the three armies stood up in silence.

Wei Yuan waved his hand at them, signaling them to relax, and then asked Shen Qing,
"Where are Lin Zhaoyuan and the others?"

The latter responded, "We have already stationed in the Youshui area, only fifty miles away from Yonghe."

Chen Daniu chuckled and said, "Lin Zhaoyuan is really a bold guy. He dared to set up camp fifty miles away from Yonghe."

"Don't talk." Wei Yuan looked at Shen Qing again, "Go on."

Chen Daniu curled his lips and stood aside.

Shen Qing said "yes", came to the sand table, and said slowly:

"Where the upper reaches of the Youshui River meet the Tangshui River is where General Lin is stationed. The terrain is high and you can overlook the entire Yonghe."

"An hour ago, General Lin sent a scout, saying that before launching the general attack at noon tomorrow, he hoped to breach the dam and release the water, so as to use the water to attack the city."

Wei Yuan nodded, "How many people are there in Yonghe Town?"

Shen Qing said: "About thirty or forty thousand."

Chen Daniu could no longer hold back and spoke again: "There are 30,000 enemy troops in Yonghe City. Use their lives to bury the people of Yonghe City!"

What he meant was that he agreed with Lin Zhaoyuan's plan to break the dike and release the water.

Wei Yuan frowned deeply, "Go outside the tent and get the ten military sticks."

Chen Daniu was dissatisfied and clasped his fists and said, "Yes!"

Just as he was about to walk out of the tent, Wei Yuan suddenly shook his head and said, "Forget it. Today we are here to discuss matters. I shouldn't ask you to keep silent. Speak less."

Chen Daniu said, "I'll go and lead the army, and come back to continue the discussion after the fight is over."

Having said that, he was about to lift the curtain of the tent.

At this time, Xiao Yuming persuaded him and said, "General Chen, please be patient. It won't be too late to lead the army after we finish discussing the matter."

When Chen Daniu heard this, he thought it made sense and returned to his original position.

Wei Yuan glared at him and said earnestly, "In your eyes, the dam bursting and the water released will only result in tens of thousands of casualties."

"But do you know how much people's support will be lost once this matter gets out?"

"Without the support of the people, how far do you think our army can go?"

"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. At this moment, our army must be an army of justice."

Chen Daniu seemed to be thinking about something.

Wei Yuan sighed.

He discovered more than once that Chen Daniu's military tactics were becoming more and more extreme.

They are bloodthirsty by nature. They either release water or burn mountains. This is totally against the harmony of mankind.

Fighting a war is not as simple as just winning.

Moreover, Wei Yuan was also worried that once the water was released, the people who had suffered from floods would be very likely to get sick due to various factors. What would he do if a plague broke out as a result?

But if we don't release the water, we will lose the advantage of geographical location in vain.

When Wei Yuan deployed troops, he always believed that at least two of the favorable time, location and people were necessary to effectively ensure the development of the war and the ultimate victory.

If you only have one of them, it's called a fight with your back to the wall.

"You can save the land and lose the people, or you can lose the people and save the land."

Wei Yuan sighed and asked again: "Who is the commander of Yonghe Town?"

Shen Qing replied, "His name is Xiao Yan. In the Battle of Yanmen in the first year of Jiayou, he was the first to ascend the battlefield and fought against you."

Xiao Yan?

Wei Yuan frowned, as if he wanted to find this person from his memory, but after thinking for a long time, he still had no impression of him.

"I only remember that in the Battle of Yanmen, there was a guy named Yelu Guozhen. Who is this Xiao Yan?" There are two major surnames in the Liao Kingdom, Yelu and Xiao. The Liao royal family also said that Yelu and Xiao were nephews and uncles for generations, and they shared the same fate.

It is like the descendants of Wei Yuan and Minglan, who will always be uncle and nephew and will never betray each other.

Shen Qing said: "I don't know much about this man, but I heard that he is very trustworthy. Once Yelu Renxian went to war, and Yelu Guozhen violated military law by openly drinking in the army."

"Yelü Renxian wanted to execute Yelü Guozhen, but Xiao Yan later begged Yelü Renxian to spare Yelü Guozhen's life, saying that he and Yelü Guozhen were as close as brothers."

"If Yelu Ren wants to kill Yelu Guozhen first, it will be the same as cutting off his limbs. Without limbs, what's the point of living? I want Yelu Ren to execute him first."

"Later, Yelu Renxian was moved by Xiao Yan's kindness and spared Yelu Guozhen's life."

Chen Daniu was surprised and said, "In a barbarian country, there are still heroes who are so loyal and righteous?"

Xiao Yuming smiled and said, "General Chen, the Liao Kingdom has long been familiar with the culture of our Central Plains. Now, whether it is their official system or the emphasis on Confucianism in governing the country, they are trying to emulate our Great Zhou."

"In fact, many people in the Liao Kingdom claim to be the orthodox of the Divine Land and the chosen one by heaven. They believe that the land of Kyushu is not only the homeland of the Han people, but also their homeland."

Everything Chen Daniu was thinking about.

At this time, Wei Yuan suddenly smiled and said, "Loyalty and righteousness. This problem is easy to solve."

"Send an order and send an envoy to persuade Xiao Yan to surrender. Tell him that I value him very much and admire him. I want to make friends with him, or even become his sworn brother. If he can return to Zhou, I will report to the court and give him a high position and generous salary."

"Order Lin Zhaoyuan to hold his troops for the time being and postpone the general attack tomorrow."

When this was said, everyone was puzzled.

"General Wei, the outcome of the war is still unclear. We are in a state of war with the Liao army. How can the Liao generals surrender to our Great Zhou?"

"Yes, very few Liao generals surrendered, I'm afraid it's difficult for General Wei to do what he wants!"

"."

Wei Yuan nodded, "I know that, but I didn't expect Xiao Yan to surrender to our army."

what?
Everyone was even more confused.

Why then did they try to persuade Xiao Yan to surrender? Wasn't it a waste of time?
Although Xiao Yuming and others were confused, they did not dare to disobey Wei Yuan's orders and had to do as Wei Yuan said.

On that day, the Zhou army sent an envoy into Yong'an City to meet Xiao Yan and express Wei Yuan's intention.

In the county government office of Yongan City.

Xiao Yan summoned all the generals and met with the Zhou army envoy. After hearing what the other party said, his face suddenly showed a hint of arrogance.

"You mean, your commander Wei Yuan wants to become sworn brothers with me? And you want me to surrender?"

Envoy Zhou followed Wei Yuan's instructions and acted very humbly. "Our General Wei will not say anything more. Even if you do not surrender, we are willing to make friends with you because we know that General Xiao is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan burst into laughter and said, "Go back and tell your General Wei that I appreciate his kindness, but now that the two armies are fighting, I look forward to fighting with General Wei again."

The Zhou envoy clasped his hands and took his leave.

Then, a group of Liao generals slowly spoke:

"General Xiao, could this be Wei Yuan's plan to sow discord?"

"Yes, this Wei Yuan is the enemy's commander after all. I'm afraid he has no good intentions. Please be on guard, General Xiao."

"."

Xiao Yan said disapprovingly: "Wei Yuan is as good at commanding troops as a general, why would he use such a divisive strategy that can be seen through at a glance?"

"This general's reputation for righteousness is known to the world, and Wei Yuan was named the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery by the Emperor of the Zhao family. Since ancient times, loyal and brave people are no more loyal than righteous people."

"It is understandable that he wants to make friends with me. Unfortunately, the two countries are at war now. Otherwise, I might have become close friends with Wei Yuan."

The Zhou envoy brought the news of Xiao Yan's refusal to Wei Yuan.

The latter seemed very calm.

Shen Qing was puzzled, "General Wei, I really don't understand, what do you mean by this?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "You will know the answer in two days."

The next day, Wei Yuan sent another envoy and presented a box of gold and silver. The Zhou envoy fully expressed Wei Yuan's "intentions".
"General Xiao, General Wei said that you must accept this box of treasures. General Wei has no intention of alienating you. All the Liao generals present here can bear witness to this."

"The commander also said that the war between the two countries was a last resort and that he would lead his army to attack the city soon. He also said that there was a blue cloak in the box containing the treasures."

"When the city is captured, put on this cloak, and the Zhou army will not shoot you, so your life can be saved. When the war between the two countries is over, if both of you survive, General Wei is willing to drink with you and talk about friendship instead of state affairs."

Hearing the voice, Xiao Yan was deeply touched.

In fact, he was somewhat moved when Wei Yuan sent an envoy yesterday.

Who is Wei Yuan? He is as famous as the Marshal!

A hero of our time!

Such a big shot would actually want to make friends with me after learning about my reputation for friendship, and this was during wartime.

The emperors of the Zhao family were all very suspicious.

Wei Yuan must have anticipated some consequences before he could do such a thing, but he still wanted to do it.

What kind of behavior is this? This is self-respect!
Xiao Yan was deeply moved. He opened the box, took a look at the blue cloak covering the gold and silver, and said to Envoy Zhou:
"Please tell the commander that I appreciate his kindness, but it is the fate of a soldier to die on the battlefield."

"If the city is breached, this general will not live alone and will defend the city to the death."

"If General Wei fails to capture the city after a long time and is suspected by the Emperor of the Zhao family, General Wei can come to the Liao Dynasty. Even if I risk my life, I will ask the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty to grant General Wei a high position and generous salary, so that he will have no worries in his life!"

The Zhou envoy took his leave.

Afterwards, some Liao generals expressed their opinions on this matter.

"This Wei Yuan actually values ​​General Xiao so much!"

"General Xiao has a sense of justice, who wouldn't admire him? Wei Yuan is no exception!"

"This is a bit strange. It's hard to explain."

"."

When the Zhou army generals learned that Wei Yuan let Xiao Yan wear a blue robe and spared his life, they subconsciously thought that General Wei would not really value Xiao Yan?
Just because Xiao Yan is loyal and righteous?

But in this world, there are too many people who value love and friendship!

"What does Wei Shuai mean?"

"I do not know!"

"."

Chen Daniu and others discussed for a long time but could not come to a conclusion.

Another day passed.

Wei Yuan sent an envoy again. This time, he gave Xiao Yan two military books, both of which were military books that could be found everywhere in the bookstore. The only difference was that these two military books had Wei Yuan's autograph.

The envoy of Zhou said to Xiao Yan,
"Everyone knows that General Wei loves military books, and he carries these two books with him all year round. General Wei said that since General Xiao does not like material things, you must accept these two books. It can be regarded as General Wei's spiritual friendship with you."

"On the day when the city is captured, if General Xiao is determined to fight to the death, General Wei respects your opinion. General Wei will set up a tablet for you in his ancestral temple and let the world know that your loyalty is no less than that of the ancient Guan Gong."

"General Wei also said that when two armies are fighting, it is reasonable for soldiers to die on the battlefield. This is the only way to maintain the reputation of loyalty. However, it is a worthy death for soldiers to die on the battlefield. It is not right to let the people of the whole city suffer from the flames of war."

"So, General Wei suggests that you let all the people in the city leave Yong'an. In this way, the people in Yong'an will spread your name of loyalty and righteousness, and General Wei will be able to fight you openly and squarely."

"By the way, the commander said that he admires your loyalty, so when attacking the city, the commander will only use 10,000 more soldiers than you do, and you will be the one defending the city. This way, it will be fair to both sides."

"We, the commander, earnestly hope to have a fair fight with you. This battle is destined to go down in history!"

The more he spoke, the more excited Xiao Yan became. He couldn't help but sigh to the sky.

"I never thought that my best friend would be in an enemy country. Alas!"

"Please tell the general that if he leads his army to attack us personally, it doesn't matter if he has only 10,000 more troops than us. Regardless of whether I can defend the city or not, I will have no regrets in my life if I can fight the general."

After saying this, the envoy Zhou took his leave.

Afterwards, even some Liao army generals felt that Wei Yuan was a true hero and not just a conspirator.

Xiao Yan said to the soldiers, "General Wei is right. The battle between the two armies is a matter for the generals of both sides and has nothing to do with the people trapped in the city."

"Send an order, let the people leave the city and find their own way out!"

As soon as these words came out, a Liao general immediately stood up to object.
"General Xiao, no, if defending the city is difficult, they may be able to help our army!"

Xiao Yan shook his head and said, "After all, they are the people of Zhou. They will not help the Liao Kingdom wholeheartedly. Besides, withholding the baggage and food of the whole city and letting those people find their own way to survive will not affect our army. It can even add some reputation for benevolence to our army."

The Liao general wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Xiao Yan.

"Alright, this matter is settled, you all follow my orders!"

All Liao generals stood up and bowed, "Yes!"

On March 18th of the eighth year of Jiayou, Xiao Yan opened the city gates and let the people leave the city.

On March 20th, Wei Yuan personally gave the order to release water to flood the city.

On the same day, Xiao Yan thought of the three envoys from Wei Yuan and became so angry that he vomited blood. He looked up to the sky and sighed:
"Wei Yuan, you are a thief!"

On March 21, Wei Yuan issued another order, ordering Lin Zhaoyuan to launch a general attack on Yong'an.

An army of 200,000 surrounded the city on all sides and attacked Yong'an, which was hit by floods.

(End of this chapter)