I became a saint by picking up corpses in Water Margin

Chapter 400: I will support your wife

In mid-February, the sudden deployment of the Jin army in Zhaozhou made the Jin army in Hebei unable to cope.

Our army is gathering and preparing to attack Zhending as soon as the weather gets warmer.

I didn't expect that you guys would come out on your own?
Zhending is an important town in Hebei Province, located in the northeast of Taihang Mountain. Its defense is like an invisible Great Wall that blocks the Jin Army's passage to the south. Its attack is like a sharp knife against Hebei's waist and ribs, and the slightest force can injure the kidneys.

At this time, Yang Changren was trapped in Western Xia. How could the century-old country perish so quickly?
It took the Liao Dynasty ten years from the counterattack by the Jin Dynasty to its demise. Even after Yelu Yanxi lost his country and fled to Jiashan, he only managed to hold out for two or three years.

It is true that Yang Chang has amazing martial arts power, but in the final analysis, he is just a brave man. It takes time to conquer a country, and its inherent forces need to be divided and disintegrated. Otherwise, it will be like Yunzhong in the past, which rebelled several times after being conquered.

There are 200,000 elite Xixia troops in Guanzhong. If Yang Chang does not wipe out all these elite troops, Xixia will definitely continue to exist in the world, and the Xixia cities he occupies will be unstable.

So, he couldn't come to Hebei.

But what does Li Yanxian want to do?
I heard that he was competing for credit with the commander-in-chief. Could it be that the two of them had a rift recently, and he deliberately led his troops to die in an attempt to weaken Zhending's defense?
When Wuzhu received this information, his head was buzzing and he couldn't figure it out.

On the one hand, he sent his general Shu Liesu to lead 10,000 infantry and cavalry to Shenzhou for a test, and on the other hand, he sent people to Zhongshan Prefecture to inform Salihe and ask him to pay attention to the movements of the Zhending defenders.

Afterwards, Shu Liesu was ambushed and killed by Li Yanxian outside Jing'an City in Shenzhou due to heavy fog.

The conversation continues back to the battlefield in Zhongshan Prefecture.

When Salihe received the information from Wuzhu, he was also confused. He immediately sent scouts to Zhending to inquire, and the result was surprisingly good.

Sun An personally led an army of 20,000 and had crossed the Mudaogou north of Zhending, and was quietly marching towards Xinle County.

Good man, you can’t hold it back either, can you?
Salihe was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately went to his tent to summon all his generals, ready to go out and fight.

When General Wuyan Huligai heard the news that Sun An attacked Xinle, he hurriedly stepped forward to warn, "Li Yanxian is attacking Shenzhou with great momentum, while Sun An is secretly advancing his troops to Zhongshan Prefecture. This is clearly a tactic of the Han people to make a feint to the east and attack in the west. The commander-in-chief must be on guard."

"You think I didn't see that?"

Salihe smiled confidently and said with a grin, "Wuzhu and I are just trying to take Zhending, and we are still worried about the strength of the city. Now Sun An suddenly comes out to attack us. If we don't beat him to death, it would be a shame for his cooperation."

"That's strange. Sun An obviously has few soldiers and should be defending the city, but he suddenly took the initiative to attack. This is too suspicious."

“Although it’s a bit deliberate, it’s also reasonable.”

"Within reason?"

Wuyan Huligai's face was full of question marks.

Salihe frowned and said seriously, "We have been gathering troops recently. I believe Sun An has also obtained intelligence. He and Li Yanxian are playing a trick on us, one in the open and one in the dark. Isn't it the same strategy as before? They are trying to bluff and delay time."

"Bluster? Do you need to make such a big deal?"

Wuyan Huligai swallowed his saliva and murmured, "Li Yanxian has mobilized a lot of troops, and Sun An has almost sent out all his troops. There are probably only a few defenders left in Zhending City. Once we defeat them outside, we can recover the lost territory in one go. How dare they do that? I heard that these two were known for their caution in Pingding before. I am worried that there is a trick."

"They are just bluffing by sending troops. They also want to use Commander Yang's reputation to scare us into not daring to send troops. But Commander Yang can't come at this time. We can't use this kind of bluffing. If it works every time, do they really think we are fools?"

"Will Yang Chang really..."

"Absolutely impossible! This is the consensus between Wushu and I!"

Salihe interrupted rudely and said solemnly to the generals in the tent: "If we don't take this opportunity to take back Zhending, we will never be able to take it back when Yang Chang handles the chaos in Xixia and comes back. So we must seize the opportunity and fight. Anyone who retreats will be killed immediately!"

"Yes!"

All the generals echoed in unison.

Wuyan Huligai didn't dare to persuade him anymore, but he always felt something was wrong, so he deliberately walked to the end when the tents were dispersed. After the rest of the generals had walked out of the tent, he turned around and ran back.

Seeing this, Salihe frowned and warned in a deep voice: "Wuyan Huligai, this commander-in-chief has just made it very clear. If you are still cowardly and unwilling to fight, don't blame me for not remembering our friendship. I will punish you by military law!"

"Don't be angry, Commander-in-Chief. I am not afraid of fighting, but I am here to offer advice."

"Offer a suggestion?"

"Yes, offer a suggestion."

Wu Yanhuligai stepped forward and said softly: "If Sun An is really bluffing when he goes to attack Xinle, do you believe he will withdraw before our army arrives? And Xinle is not far from Zhending, we may not be able to catch up with him."

"Stop talking so much and get to the point!"

"Yes, I suggest keeping the troops in place."

"What did you say?"

Salihe narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, isn't this just cowardice?

Do you really think I won't kill you?
Wuyan Huligai quickly added: "General, think about it. We have very few troops stationed in Xinle. Sun An will definitely be able to capture the city. If we don't move, do you think he will continue to advance or divide his troops to defend Xinle?"

"did you mean."

Salihe finally understood, and immediately murmured back, "Sun An was just bluffing. If he doesn't leave any troops to garrison, then his bluffing will be broken. If they are separated in Xinle, then the number of defenders in Zhending will be reduced, right?"

"That's the first point. The second one is even better. If Sun An leads his troops to Anxi, won't it be even farther away from Zhending? The troops under his command are mainly infantry. Then we will make sure he has no way back!"

"Isn't this too idealistic? After all, Sun An is the Marshal of Taihang North Route. He would never be so reckless."

Wu Yan Huligai saw Salihe shaking his head, and suddenly revealed a mysterious smile, and said meaningfully: "Why don't we also bluff and provoke Sun An to lead his troops to Anxi?"

"Exciting? How exciting?"

Salihe sat cross-legged, and his interest could be seen from his expression.

Wuyan Huligai continued, "Xinle is in trouble, the commander-in-chief should send reinforcements. If he doesn't send or sends too many troops, it means that he has seen through his bluff. I suggest sending a small number of troops, preferably pretending to be defeated and returning."

"Showing weakness? But we have more soldiers."

"We are afraid of Yang Chang, so isn't it normal to show weakness? Even if we have more soldiers, we have to flee."

"Great! We escaped once before, so it makes sense to escape again."

Salihe nodded frequently, and then he stood up and patted Wuyan Huligai on the shoulder, saying seriously: "You have learned a lot, but since this is a suggestion, you should go out in person and lead Sun An to Anxi!"

"Yes, I will go and organize the troops right away!"

"Go!"

Seeing that Wuyan Huligai responded decisively, Salihe thought to himself, since you are so confident, we will definitely be able to avenge our previous defeat this time.

Yang Chang, ah, Yang Chang.

Why did you go to Xixia when there was nothing to do? How could you fight a war like this? You didn't even finish one battle, but you went to do another big thing.

If it's really lost, you deserve to know, right?
Wuyan Huligai accepted the order and immediately gathered 5,000 soldiers from his own department and hurried to Xinle County.

After leaving the city, he ordered the army to move forward slowly.

After all, this is a feint attack to lure the enemy, so we naturally have to conserve our energy before retreating. It would be best to wait for the Jin army to capture the city, and when they are exhausted after the battle, we can then go to the city to challenge them and show our strength.

In fact, there was no need for Wu Yanhu to change his plan. Since Salihe was scared away by Yang Chang last time, his military layout in Zhongshan Prefecture was similar to that of the Song Dynasty, with strong trunk and weak branches, that is, the main force was concentrated in Anxi County, the seat of government, and a small number of garrisons were left in other places to keep watch.

Therefore, Xinle County had only two thousand local soldiers, and the garrison commanders were sons of local wealthy families. These sons relied on the Jin people to bully the common people, and they did not have the courage to confront the regular army head-on.

Salihe was driven away like a dog, and these people would not defend the Jin Kingdom to the death.

Sun An led his army to approach Xinle, and Xinle garrison commander Jia Guozhong was very conflicted upon hearing the news. The Jin army implemented military control in Zhending, and was not as willing to give up power to the local clans as the Jin army. Direct surrender might not put their lives in danger, but the family's privileges would likely be deprived. In addition, the Zhending garrison was not as large as the Jin army, so surrendering at this time would likely be a hassle later.

After repeated consideration, Jia Guozhong used the excuse of seeking help, but secretly escaped with his core troops and property before the arrival of the Jin army.

There were only a few hundred local soldiers left. Facing the 20,000 Jin troops, they put up a few hasty resistances and then took the initiative to open the city gates. Sun An then led his troops into the city to rest.

Yang Chang and Qiu Qiongying followed the army, but in order to catch the enemy by surprise, they did not show their faces and watched Sun An perform freely the whole time.

However, not long after entering the city, Sun Anque sent Liu Tang to the government office to ask for instructions, saying that he had learned that An Xi's troops were coming.

Yang Chang did not comment, but asked Liu Tang: "What does Marshal Sun think?"

"The Marshal suggests that we keep our troops in place. If the Jin army comes out in full force, we can use Xinle to defeat them. If Salihe bypasses Xinle to attack Zhending, we can follow them and attack them."

"Doesn't he understand clearly? Then why did he send you to ask?"

"They are worried that the enemy has few soldiers, so they come to Xinle to test their strength. The Marshal doesn't know whether to strike hard or show weakness to lure the enemy to send more troops."

As soon as Liu Tang finished speaking, Yang Chang laughed and said, "Haha, didn't you say I was going to kill Salihe? You should use my name to defeat the invading enemy fiercely."

"Then you are exposed, right?"

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"No, this is what is called false and true. Go back and tell Sun An, he will understand."

"Yes!"

Seeing Liu Tang walking away, Qiu Qiongying stepped forward and asked, "My lord, are you really not going to intervene this time? What if Sun An can't handle it well?"

"Why? Madam, you still don't believe him?"

Yang Chang turned his head with a meaningful expression, and then reminded: "He was once a general under Tian Hu. You know his abilities better than I do. After surrendering, he led troops independently for a long time. His ability is beyond doubt."

"Sun An has no problem commanding his troops, but the king is better at it after all. I think if you were in command, the casualties among the soldiers would be less."

"The world is so big, I can't manage it all by myself. I don't want to take care of everything. I want to give my brothers a chance to practice. Now that I'm helping them, they can do it with more confidence. Let's rest early if we have nothing to do. Didn't you learn the new moves from my elder sister? Let me open my eyes tonight."

"That's great, let's go!"

After saying this, Qiu Qiongying came over to hold his hand.

The next morning, Qiu Qiongying had just fallen asleep due to exhaustion the night before, and when she woke up it was almost 9:00 p.m.

It was already bright outside the window, and Yang Chang was sitting at the table, neatly dressed, drinking hot water slowly.

"woke up?"

"What time is it? Why didn't the king wake me up? And he let you dress yourself."

"It's almost time. My wife worked hard last night. It won't hurt to sleep a little longer. Besides, I can take care of myself."

"At si hour?"

Qiu Qiongying sat up suddenly and asked anxiously: "Aren't we going to continue to march north today? Your Majesty will not delay the departure of the army because of my deep sleep? Then I will become a sinner."

"Haha, what crime have you committed? In the morning, the enemy army knocked on the city wall, and Sun An led his men to fight them. Now the army has not set out yet."

"There are enemy troops knocking at the door? Are they the troops we spotted yesterday? Your Majesty, you don't even want to go and take a look?"

"It's okay, Sun An can handle it, huh?"

Yang Chang was originally sitting at the table, but he sensed a familiar aura, so he stood up and said, "My lady, you can sleep a little longer. I'll be back soon."

"I"

How could Qiu Qiongying still sleep?

She immediately got up and put on her clothes. As soon as she opened the door of the dormitory, she saw Yang Chang walking towards her with a smile.

"Are you dressed, my lady? We are about to set off."

"what happened?"

"Liu Tang just killed the traitor Jia Guozhong outside the city, and the Jin general Wuyan Huligai was defeated by him. At this time, the Jin army retreated to Anxi, and Liu Tang led his troops to pursue. Sun An is gathering his main force to set off. It's the right time for my lady to get up."

"Are you done with the battle? Then hurry up and go!"

Qiu Qiongying blushed with shame and urged Yang Chang to go out.

The couple followed Sun An's army until they arrived at the west of Anxi City on the eve of dusk. They then ordered a thousand infantry and cavalry to bypass the city and head straight for Tang County overnight.

Wuyan Huligai forced Jia Guozhong to send him off, and then took Liu Tang back to Anxi with a false defeat, and repeatedly shouted to Sali to report the victory, saying that the big fish had taken the bait.

Sali was delighted after hearing this, and immediately began to mobilize his troops, preparing to launch a counterattack against Sun An before dawn tomorrow, and then take Zhending in one fell swoop.

He was deploying troops in the big tent when the commanders of the west and north gates of Anxi sent people to report that a force of a thousand men had bypassed Anxi and headed towards Tang County overnight.

Salihe didn't care at all. He waved his hand and said to everyone, "Sun An is addicted to acting. He even pretends to cut off our retreat. I will beat him so badly tomorrow that his parents won't recognize him."

"General, are you going to ignore the troops heading to Tang County? Should we send someone to pursue them?"

Wuyan Huligai's reminder made Sali laugh. "You personally lured the enemy here, weren't you waiting for this day? I left 3,000 garrisons in Tang County. What can a mere 1,000 people do? Are you really going to take us down? Unless it's Yang Chang who leads the team, it's almost okay. I also hope that Sun An can send more troops, so that his troops in Anxi will be less. Don't worry about it."

"Oh."

Before dawn the next day, Salihe received another good news.

Twenty thousand Jin troops were mobilized overnight, and Sun An divided his troops into three parts and deployed them at the east, west and north gates of Anxi.

Salihe was eating breakfast and was planning to lead his troops out of the city. He spat out his food after hearing this information and couldn't help laughing: "Sun An was so stupid as to go to the capital. I have 40,000 troops in Anxi, and he has 20,000 troops. He even dared to besiege the city? And he left the South Gate empty? What? Let me take Zhending?"

"Everything is going according to plan. Sun An is really overdoing it. Commander-in-Chief, why don't you tell him to eat faster? I'm afraid he'll run away."

"Run? Where can he run? Dividing the troops into three, they can't work together quickly."

Wuyan Huligai was about to say something when suddenly someone rushed in from outside the tent and shouted in panic: "General, Tang County is lost!"

"What did you say? Tang County has 3,000 defenders, how could it be lost?"

"It's Commander Yang. Commander Yang is leading the team personally."

As soon as the scout finished speaking, Salihe and the others' faces turned green, and at the same time a voice rang in their hearts: That man is back!
"How to do?"

"No, didn't the Jin army besiege the city? How could you enter the city?"

"I don't know. No one stopped me on the road. Maybe it was too dark."

"This person spread false information in an attempt to seduce the army. Drag him out and execute him!"

The scout was stunned when he heard this, and he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Ah? I am innocent."

Salihe came to him, squatted down and whispered: "I know you are innocent, but in order to keep tens of thousands of soldiers alive, I can only lend you your head."

"I do not want"

"You have no choice, go ahead and die. I will take care of your wife, don't worry!"

(End of this chapter)