The struggle of the reborn prince

Two days after the truce, the Gaochong Corps marched towards Liaoyang Mansion with the prestige of Jinzhou's great victory.The army took the leopard as the vanguard, the wolf generals and the guards as the central army, and the Zhongyong army as the rear guard. After leaving Jinzhou, they turned to the northeast and continued northward.The Tiger Wing Army attacked Liaoxi Prefecture, Xianzhou and other counties along the main road, and protected the left wing of the army.The army rolled forward as if entering an uninhabited territory, and the counties and counties along the way either surrendered or fled, with little tenacious resistance. At this time, everyone sighed again. I don’t know how the emperor’s head is so long. He can always predict people first. , came up with some strange ideas.

After Zhao Tun conquered Jinzhou, he ordered the city gates to be opened to let the people flow freely, and the population was not confined to one place.In an agricultural society with low productivity, population means productivity and property, and only a large population can bring vitality to a city.However, the emperor allowed the people of the enemy country to flee, and was released again by Xiao Zhonggong, the captured left minister of the Jin Kingdom, as an envoy. Of course, this strange order puzzled everyone.

Along the way, everyone realized that the emperor was fighting another propaganda war, and those refugees who escaped from Jinzhou were their volunteer propagandists.These refugees spread the tragedy of the Battle of Jinzhou all the way through their own personal experience, especially the devastating artillery fire and the serious casualties caused to the soldiers and civilians. The rumors have been continuously processed and processed. Exaggerated, and turned into a more terrifying version, it really changed everyone's face, and I frightened myself.

Think about it, Jinzhou city is a hundred times stronger than my own small city, with tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of generals, but it was breached in a day, two chief officials were killed and one captured, the whole city was turned into ruins, and tens of thousands of people were killed and injured .I heard that Song Jun continued to go north.The common people are scrambling to flee north, and the guard's legs are already shaking before the battle.Besides, what are you waiting for if you don't run with your own strength, so the Song army is simply attacking cities and land at the speed of marching.Wherever you go, there is already the territory of Song Dynasty...

The army marched towards Liaoyang Prefecture at a speed of [-] li a day. The vanguard crossed the Zhuizi River on April [-], and the scouts arrived at Heye. Only then did they find out that the Mawei Corps wiped out Jinshui at Sanjiangkou on the [-]th of this month. The army killed Xu Wen, the governor of the capital, and now the land and water armies are advancing side by side, and have fought the Jin army for more than ten battles near Liaoyang. The navy has entered the middle reaches of the Liang River, more than forty miles away from the city.It is only two days away from Liaoyang City to conquer Binzhou and Guanshishan Fortress by land.

"It was a false alarm!" Zhao Tun let out a sigh of relief after receiving the report. He had been worried about the Mawei Corps these days, and urged the troops to move quickly along the way.

"Hmph, when you see Ma Wei, you must kick his ass hard. If you don't send a message for such a long time, let us worry about him, and we have to change the battle plan!" Zhao Lian said angrily.

"Forget it, they are going deep alone. The news must be delivered by water, and there will be delays due to twists and turns." Zhao Tang twisted his waist and said, he has been riding a horse these days, and his body is sore.

"Your Majesty, since Ma Wei has already arrived at Liaoyang Mansion, we don't have to travel day and night, we will still take the car tomorrow!" Seeing this, Jianxi said to the emperor, beating his waist.

"The weather is getting hotter and hotter now. Sitting in the car is suffocating, and it's better to ride a horse." Zhao Tong waved his hands.I feel grateful in my heart that I am an emperor who has almost lost my housekeeping skills, and the calluses on my buttocks worn by the saddle since I was a child have softened.

"Your Majesty. But there are still two imperial concubines. How can they bear it?" Jianxi knew the emperor's temperament, and persuading him would only be counterproductive, so he attacked in a roundabout way, hitting the emperor's weakness.

"This...wouldn't this delay the military plane, no, or let them slow down after the army." Zhao Tang knew in his heart that he was so tired, even though the two concubines were still riding horses and practicing martial arts in the palace. , but it's no better than it was back then.

"Your Majesty, the accompanying civil servants are also exhausted. Several adults are already exhausted. I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Liaoyang Mansion if we march with the brigade." Zhao Lian also added fire.

"Your Majesty, now that the Liaohe River is flooded, a large boat can be used. The large warships on standby outside the mouth of the Liaohe River have already escorted the second batch of supplies along the Hebei River. Your Majesty can go north by boat after arriving at Heye, so that the journey will not be difficult. It won't delay the trip." Zhao Yong thought for a while and said.

"Alright, transfer the camp to the boat, and we'll go to the city of Liaoyang Prefecture." Zhao Tang thought for a while, and this was the only way.

Three days later, the army arrived in Heye, where the deep waters of the port became a transit point for the navy, leaving a marine brigade stationed there, and the surrounding counties had all been conquered. The Dengzhou navy support fleet was here after receiving the order Waiting for the holy driver, Cheng Xishou was thoughtful, considering that the emperor might go by water, so he incorporated the emperor's ship "Shenwu" into the second batch of northbound fleet.Zhao Tun ordered all the troops to rest here for two days to replenish supplies.

The battalion was transferred to the 'Shenwei', and all the entourage boarded the imperial boat.Fortunately, the 'Shenwu' was big enough, and as the emperor's royal boat, the facilities were complete and the layout was comfortable. The top floor was naturally the emperor's private territory, and a small team of internal guards led by Xifu acted as guards.The third floor is the world of sailors, and the first floor is requisitioned by the inner guard brigade.The second floor is the residence and command post of the ministers accompanying the camp, which saves the ministers from the pain of reprinting and climbing the ship every day.

Because most of the ships were loaded with supplies destined for the front line, the guards only had four brigades accompanying the fleet to escort them. This was because this brigade was deployed by Ma Wei to protect the safety of the emperor during the Battle of Yanjing. An elite temporary force.But after the war, they were laid down by the emperor and incorporated into the Guards. Officers and soldiers were also selected from the navy and marine brigade to fill in the vacancies every year to maintain their combat effectiveness. Safety when traveling.

The emperor boarded the ship, and of course Zhai Cheng, the commander of the naval reinforcement formation, did not dare to be negligent. He specially mobilized four brave warships to accompany the escort, and the Jiangling Navy, which was cruising on the Liao River to wipe out the remnants of the enemy and maintain the safety of the waterway, also joined the escort. Formation, serving as guard on both wings.On land, the guards marched along the river to defend against enemy raids, and the entire camp was under strict protection.The Mawei Corps was safe and the army did not have to rush to the road anymore, so Zhao Tang took the opportunity to rest in Heye to reward the three armies and commend the officers and soldiers in the Battle of Jinzhou.

Zhao Tong learned that the Jiangling navy had performed well in the battle to annihilate the Jinshui army and killed its commander Xu Wen, so he specially summoned Du Feng and other meritorious generals on the imperial boat.Du Feng presented Xu Wen's weapon.He also told the story of the battle, and of course Zhao Tong praised him greatly.A heavy reward was given, and Jin was awarded the rank of major general.He also personally wrote "Across the River and Sea", made a banner and presented it to the Jiangling Navy.Having won such an award from the emperor for the first time in the war, the morale of the army was of course boosted and they pledged their allegiance to the death.

After rewarding the troops, the soldiers were divided into two groups, and the navy continued to go up Hebei, and turned from Sanjiangkou to Lianghe.On the land route, Gao Chong led them along the opened road through Binzhou, passed Guanshi Mountain to Liaoyang Mansion, and met at the foot of the city seven days later.At that time, all the Gaochong Corps attacking from the South Road will be gathered in Liaoyang Mansion, with six generals in total.Three artillery brigades, four marine brigades and most of the Dengzhou Navy, with a total strength of 12...

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Liaoyang was called Xiangping in ancient times, and when Koguryo occupied Liaodong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was rebuilt as Liaodong City.Located on an alluvial plain on the east bank of the Liao River, the old city is between the Hun River and the Liang River, and the Liang River in the east bends from the south along the east city wall to the north and flows westward.Fifteen miles to the southwest and facing Shoushan.The pearl of the ancient city on the banks of the Liangshui River, which has been around for more than a thousand years, has undergone changes, repairs, and renovations in various dynasties, and its scale has gradually increased, and it has become even more magnificent in this generation.

The city is a square city built with earth.There are two layers of city walls inside and outside, with gates on each side. There are neat streets and magnificent palace-style buildings in the city.There are more than [-] households living inside and outside the city, about [-] people.There are two-story and three-story buildings and pavilions in the inner city, which are government offices; the outer city is a commercial area.City gate three.The east and west are opposite, the double gate building.The city walls have turrets.Battlements, parapets and other buildings.Known as the No. [-] city in Northeast China, it was promoted to Tokyo after the Jin Dynasty and the Liao dynasty.

The economic development of Liaoyang in the Jin Dynasty.At that time, there were folk songs describing: "Jiayi" wood in the east of the city, "Bingding" fire in the south of the city, "Gengxin" gold in the west of the city, and "Rengui" water in the north. "Wood" refers to a large amount of wood in the eastern mountainous area of ​​Liaoyang, which is mostly transported to the north of the city or transferred to other places through the Lianghe River; Iron agricultural tools, handicraft tools, weapons, and daily utensils are all manufactured here; "water" refers to the Liang River in the north of the city, which is an important water port, and most people make a living by operating ferry boats.

During the Liao and Jin Dynasties, merchants from the Central Plains and the South also passed through the Liaohe River to the Hunhe River and Lianghe River to sell goods under the city of Liaoyang. Therefore, the Lianghe River played an important role in the economic development of Liaoyang.But at this time, Wan Yanyong, who stayed behind in Tokyo, was very annoyed. Xu Wen, the commander of the navy, not only failed to eliminate the enemy of the Southern Dynasty waterway, but lost his own life.Now in the rainy season, the river is full of water, and the large ships can go directly to the city. That is to say, the warships of the Song Army can come and go freely under their noses, and the artillery fire directly enters the city.

Now the navy of the Southern Dynasty is less than forty miles away from Liaoyang City, destroying the pontoon bridge on the river and cutting off the main road connecting Shenzhou.On the other hand, the Song army on land conquered Guanshi Mountain, the only critical pass 2 miles outside the city, and set up camp against their army against the mountain.According to the report of the remnant army who fled to Liaoyang Mansion, Jinzhou City was captured by the army commanded by Zhao Er in just one day, and [-] troops including Wan Yanliang were wiped out.Li Cheng's troops from Jinzhou, sent by Liaoyang to rescue, were ambushed in Chaya Mountain, the whole army was annihilated, Li Cheng was killed, not only failed to rescue Wanyan Liang, but took [-] of his own.

The Khitan people in Liaodong were also very noisy, and the Five Kingdoms Department also took advantage of the fire to cooperate with the Song army to attack the counties on the peninsula. Kaizhou and Laiyuanyuan were captured successively, and they had entered Muzhou.If there is no reinforcements, I am afraid that it will not last for a few days before falling.In this way, only the Yanzhou Road is left to connect with the capital.However, according to reports from the spies, Zhao Er has led an army of [-] to the north, and has arrived at Heye. He will reach Liaoyang City in a few days. At that time, he will probably cut off all ties with the outside world and become an isolated city.

"My lord, the imperial court ordered us to defend Liaoyang City and prevent the enemy from continuing to go north." Wan Yantu, the capital commander of Liaoyang Prefecture, said to Wan Yanyong quickly.

"Well, how many reinforcements have the court sent?" Wan Yanyong asked with a nod.

"The Western Route Army of the Southern Dynasty has entered the grassland and is approaching the capital. The imperial court may not be able to send a single soldier. We can only rely on ourselves to resist the Song army." Wanyan Tuhe replied with a wry smile.

"After the Song army joined forces, there were [-] troops, and their strength was not inferior to mine. Although there is a strong city to rely on, its artillery fire is sharp. Can we stop them?" Wan Yanyong asked in a daze, He knew that although he was in a high position, he was much less experienced than Tuhesu. Among the many powerful generals who followed the Taizu to conquer the world, there were still a few hardcore generals left in the world. Many things still needed to be consulted. his opinion.

"My lord, don't be deceived by the rumors. The Song army's artillery fire is indeed sharp, but it is by no means as powerful as the rumors. Those are all Zhao Er's tricks. He wants to intimidate the army and the people. If we want to surrender without fighting, we must fight!" Don't fall for it." Tuhe said with a quick smile. "As long as our army and people in Liaoyang are united, how can we not defend the city? Moreover, His Majesty has sent envoys to negotiate peace with the Southern Dynasty. Maybe things will turn around. Your Excellency, don't worry too much."

"Having said that, according to the Zuo Xiang who fled back from Jinzhou City, the artillery used by the Song army to attack Jinzhou this time is much more powerful than that used in the past, and the city wall of Jinzhou City, which was more than four feet long, collapsed under repeated heavy blows in less than half a day. For more than ten feet, an iron bullet the size of a bowl fell into the commander's mansion. The one in it was instantly turned into a pulp, and the house collapsed in a blink of an eye, all in ruins, and there was no way to stop it. As for the peace negotiation, I think it is too remote." Yan Yong said, Xiao Zhonggong was once besieged in Jinzhou City, what he said is all his own experience, even if it is a bit exaggerated, there should be no falsehood.

"Well. Even so, our Liaoyang City is deeper and much larger than Jinzhou City. Their artillery fire cannot reach the inner city. Even if the outer city is destroyed, we can still rely on the inner city to hold on and stop the Song army." Wanyan said quickly.The circumference of Liaoyang City is more than twenty miles long, and the side length is more than five miles.As far as he knew, the longest range of the Song army's artillery was only two miles, and it could not hurt the inner city.It can be blocked layer by layer.

"My lords, my subordinates think that the Song Army's artillery is the second most powerful, and the most worrying thing is the water!" At this moment, Li Qiong, the military commander of Liaoyang Prefecture, suddenly interrupted.

"Water?! Is the general worried about the Song army's water army?" Wan Yanyong frowned and said.

"No, my lord, my subordinates are worried that the Song army will flood the city with water." Li Qiong said, "Now is the time when the river is plentiful. If the Song army builds embankments in the lower reaches of the Liang River to cause the river to surge, it will definitely pour into the city. By then Without bombardment, the city wall will collapse on its own after soaking for more than ten days, and most of the soldiers and civilians in the city will be killed or injured. The Song army can easily take the city without a single soldier. Art of war, proficient in war strategy, it is impossible to think of it."

"Well, the general is very worried, and this plan is vicious. Our city is an earthen city, and we can't resist soaking it for a long time. We really have to defend against water as a soldier. Does the general have a solution?" Wan Yanyong also agreed. Surprised, he pondered for a moment and asked for advice.He is better than Wan Yanliang in that he can not be ashamed to ask his subordinates and sincerely ask for advice, while Wan Yanliang guards the experienced veteran Sa Lihe and does not want to use it for himself, but he wants to put him to death, and the result is that the city is destroyed and people die .

"We can only block the four gates, use the city wall as an embankment, store grain and grass in the high ground, build more high platforms in the city, and weave rafts, thinking that the army and the people are only used to avoid water, so that they can temporarily avoid the city's destruction." Li Qiong said.

"The general's strategy is to avoid it for a while. If the Song army does not retreat after besieging the city, or if the flood recedes after the river is dredged, the city wall will surely collapse. What happened in Taiyuan back then can be a lesson for the past!" Wan Yanyong listened to his response plan , but it is not a perfect solution, he said with deep worry, this is really a difficult problem that has not been eliminated, and another difficulty has been added.

"Since the enemy can use water as a soldier, why don't we do the opposite and use water to retreat from the enemy!" Kong Yanzhou, the commander of the Han army in Liaoyang Prefecture who had not said a word, said with a smile while sweeping around the sad-faced people.

Kong Yanzhou was also a rebel general of the Song Dynasty. He was from Lin Lu in Xiangzhou. He was from the same town as Li Qiong.This kid has a very bad character. He had a concubine who gave birth to a very beautiful daughter, so he forced the concubine to admit that the daughter was not born to him. Later, he took his own daughter as a concubine, which was simply incest. Not as good as animals.In addition, he is also very generous when his subordinate officials do not pay back their debts. They don't have to pay back the money and use their wives to pay off the debts.

When Jingkang was in trouble, Kong Yanzhou responded to Zhao Gou's call and joined the military service king. Because of his bravery in combat, he was promoted to the jurisdiction of Jingxilu Bingmaqian.Due to the lack of leadership management, Kong Yanzhou refused to obey the restraint and began to reveal his rogue nature, following the example of Li Cheng in burning, killing and looting in Huainan, harming the people.After Zhao Tong seized power and reorganized the old army to suppress the rebellion, Kong Yanzhou's indiscriminate army was naturally included in the attack, so he fled to the Yanjing area with his soldiers and took refuge in Wushu.

But it is such a rogue, rogue and beast who has won the full trust of Wushu, and this is of course because of his merits.Kong Yanzhou, who was born as a rascal, is bold, resolute, daring, and very heroic.Moreover, he was very constrained after he arrived in the Kingdom of Jin. He never did the dirty work of robbing houses, and even continued to perform meritorious service. He was promoted to Meng'an of the Han Army. …

"Oh, please tell me what good strategy General Kong has!" Wanyan Tuhe asked hastily.

"My lords, we can first build an embankment around the city, and then break the embankment to release water, flooding the surrounding area of ​​Liaoyang City into a swamp country. In this way, the water level of the Liang River can also be lowered, making it difficult for the Song army's warships to move, and the cavalry army can't wade through the water to attack the city. It is difficult to use troops for a while. However, our city is surrounded by a levee to avoid flooding, and there is sufficient food and grass in the city, which can last for several months. However, the food and grass of the Song army need to be transported thousands of miles. The supply of food and grass must be insufficient, so we can only retreat and return to the country, and siege the city." Kong Yanzhou revealed his plan... (to be continued...)