Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 500 A bold idea

Xijing City

Accompanied by a group of generals, Yelu Yixin inspected the defenses on the city wall.

Looking at the Song army camp that was faintly visible a dozen miles away, Yelu Yixin asked, "How is the morale recovery?"

"Return to your majesty!"

A general stepped out and said, "Morale has been restored, but if we can't find out what the Song Dynasty is using, the soldiers are still a little afraid!"

The main reason why Yelu Yixin kept defending was because of morale issues.

The Song Dynasty used gunpowder to blow up the city walls. The Liao Kingdom had no idea what methods the Song Dynasty used, let alone the ordinary soldiers.

When the defenders of various cities retreated to Xijing, all kinds of rumors spread in the army.

Some said that the Song Dynasty had magical powers, and there were even rumors that Yelu Yixin had rebelled, which caused the Eternal Heaven to punish the Song Dynasty and help it blow up the city wall.

In short, there are all kinds of rumors, and they become more and more mysterious.

After learning about this, Yelu Yixin ordered his men to investigate the rumors strictly and forbid the soldiers from discussing the matter.

After killing many soldiers who spread the rumors, the spread of the rumors was controlled.

However, due to the rumors and the fact that the Liao Kingdom had lost so many cities, the morale of the army was very low.

During this period, he would personally patrol the city walls every morning and evening in order to boost morale.

Yelu Yixin nodded, looked at Yelu Qi, and asked, "How is the Song army camp doing these days?"

"Go back to Father!"

Yelu Qi bowed and said, "The Song army camp is still very well guarded!"

"This Duke Ying of the Song Dynasty is really difficult to deal with. It seems that the plan has failed again." Yelu Yixin sighed.

The Song army captured dozens of cities without much effort. How could he not notice the pride among the soldiers?

At that time, he had the intention of launching a surprise attack on the Song army camp.

However, after sending people to monitor, they found that although the Song army was arrogant, the Duke of Ying was very sober and would patrol the camp several times every night. The camp was well guarded.

If the morale of the Liao army had not been hit, he could still take a gamble and send troops to raid the camp.

The Song army's defenses were quite strict, so the chances of successfully robbing the camp were slim.

If they fail, the Liao army's already low morale will be further hit.

That was why he did not raid the camp for a long time.

"But the plan has not completely failed. The intensity of the Song Dynasty's siege has decreased a lot in the past few days. It seems that they already know that I have a support force in Shuozhou City." Yelu Yixin sneered.

Zhao Xing's guess was correct. The information Li Ge mentioned was indeed leaked by him on purpose.

But Li Ge, or rather Nerugu, didn't know.

Nerugu is under semi-house arrest. How could he know this kind of news if no one wants him to know it?

Seeing that the chances of robbing the camp were slim, Yelu Yixin deliberately had someone reveal to Nerugu that he had hidden a troop of soldiers in Shuozhou City.

He even knew the news that Li Ge was going to the Song Dynasty.

"Father, although it is beneficial to our Liao Kingdom to drag it on like this, the Song Dynasty has rare materials such as cement. If we raise the city walls, even if the Song Dynasty withdraws its troops in winter, it will not be easy to counterattack." Yelu Qi said worriedly.

"Humph!"

Yelu Yixin snorted coldly: "Li Liangzuo is called the leader of the revival of the Western Xia, but in fact he is just a short-sighted person!"

Although he was angry that the Song Dynasty sent troops at this time, he hated Li Liangzuo the most.

Li Liangzuo took the initiative to contact the Liao Kingdom, saying that Western Xia would pretend to join forces with the Song Dynasty, and when the Song and Liao dynasties went to war, he would counterattack from the northwest.

Yelu Yixin arranged reinforcements in Shuozhou City in order not to alert the enemy. He waited for Xixia to make a move, and then the Song Dynasty would withdraw part of its troops before engaging in a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty.

Who would have thought that Western Xia would attack Hehuang and had no intention of launching a surprise attack on the Song Dynasty.

Didn’t the Western Xia know that as long as the Song Dynasty was severely weakened, the Song Dynasty would have no way to interfere with the Western Xia’s annexation of Hehuang?

"Your Majesty, our Liao Kingdom is not afraid of the Song Dynasty. Even if Xixia does not send troops, we can still fight against the Song Dynasty with the bravery of our Liao Kingdom's soldiers!" said a general.

"That's right. There are only 400,000 Song troops outside the city now. Together with the troops in Shuozhou City, our Liao Kingdom also has 300,000 troops. We can definitely have a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty!" A general echoed.

Then many generals spoke out in support of a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty.

The Liao army soldiers were afraid of the mysterious objects used by the Song Dynasty, but the Liao army generals were much more knowledgeable than the soldiers.

Although they didn't know what it was, it was so powerful that it would definitely not be able to distinguish between friend and foe.

As long as the two armies are mixed up, the Song Dynasty will be useless.

The Song Dynasty captured dozens of cities in a row, and the soldiers were proud.

However, when facing the Song Dynasty, the Liao generals were naturally proud and did not take the Song Dynasty seriously at all.

300,000 Liao troops against 400,000 Song troops. Even though our numbers are smaller than those of the Song Dynasty, in the eyes of the Liao generals, we still have the advantage.

"We'll discuss the issue of sending troops later." Yelu Yixin said calmly.

He didn't take the 400,000 troops of the Song Dynasty seriously.

But he didn't want to have a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty.

He had only been on the throne for a short time, and he had not been able to fully control either Yelu Chongyuan's troops or the troops that originally obeyed Empress Dowager Xiao.

He doesn't dare to use these troops now.

Not only can it not be used, but a part of the troops have to be left behind for surveillance.

The only troops he could actually mobilize were these 300,000.

Even if he could win the decisive battle with the Song Dynasty, if his side suffered heavy losses, he would not be able to suppress the internal discord.

However, he could not say these things, nor could he directly reject the generals' requests to fight and undermine their morale.

"Well, it's getting late. I have ordered people to prepare a banquet. My dear ministers, please have a few drinks with me. Now it is wartime, everyone can just satisfy their craving for wine, but don't be greedy! If I find out who is drinking privately, don't blame me for being rude!" Yelu Yixin looked at everyone and said lightly.

The bitter cold in the north caused the Liao generals to love drinking.

There is an order that prohibits drinking in the army, but many people do not follow it completely and drink secretly.

Yelu Yixin also knew that it was better to loosen up than to block, so in addition to ordering his men to conduct strict inspections, he would occasionally host banquets to entertain the generals and let them drink a little.

So as to prevent these generals from losing their patience and trying to get wine.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" When the generals heard that they could drink, they all thanked him with a smile.

…………

After the banquet, Yelu Yixin sent the generals away and said to his son, "Tomorrow you will go to Xixia in person and ask them to stop using troops against Hehuang and attack the Song Dynasty from the northwest!"

"Father, I heard that Xixia has already invaded the heartland of Hehuang. If we ask Xixia to withdraw now, I'm afraid they won't agree." Yelu Qi said. "You have to agree even if you don't want to. Tell Li Liangzuo that if Xixia doesn't follow the agreement, Liao will send troops to help Hehuang!" Yelu Yixin said calmly.

"Will this anger Western Xia?" Yelu Qi asked worriedly.

"I am angry, but am I afraid of Xixia?"

Yelu Yixin sneered, "Li Liangzuo is really good at scheming. When I go to war with the Song Dynasty, he will take the opportunity to seize Hehuang. Then he can decide whether to send troops to the Song Dynasty or the Liao Dynasty depending on the situation."

"Under the current situation, Hehuang may not survive until winter. Once Xixia occupies Hehuang, Xixia will see that Liao is at a disadvantage and may mobilize troops against Liao instead of Song."

"Isn't Western Xia afraid that the Song Dynasty will become more powerful?" Yelu Qi asked puzzledly.

"Humph!"

Yelu Yixin sneered, "In terms of population and taxation, the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia combined cannot beat the Song Dynasty. But the Song Dynasty cannot defeat the Liao Kingdom, and even the Western Xia cannot defeat it. Do you think the Western Xia will be afraid?"

"The Han Chinese have a saying that goes, 'Everyone is in turmoil because of profit.' Xixia and the Song Dynasty sent troops to attack the Liao Kingdom together. After gaining the advantage, they could contact the Liao Kingdom to send troops to attack the Song Dynasty. Do you think we could refuse at that time?"

"Sigh~"

Yelu Qi took a breath when he heard this.

If Western Xia annexed Hehuang, it would then launch an attack on the Liao Kingdom.

Even if Western Xia occupied some Liao cities, Liao had no choice but to agree to cooperate with Western Xia.

Because the Liao Kingdom could not withstand the joint attack of the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom, they had no choice but to agree if they did not want their country to be destroyed.

"I understand, your son. I will set off early tomorrow morning!" Yelu Qi replied.

"Ah."

Yelu Yixin nodded and continued to give instructions.

…………

"Zhong Huai, what are you looking at?"

Wang Shao walked up to the city wall and came behind Gu Tingye. Seeing that he was looking to the north, he asked with some confusion.

"I just want His Majesty to lead the army in person, but I can't fight for His Majesty and live a peaceful life here."

Gu Tingye shook his head and asked, "But Dong Zhan sent someone again, asking us to send troops to support him?"

Western Xia attacked Hehuang, but did not attack the city where Gu Tingye was stationed.

When the Western Xia invaded the heartland of Hehuang, Dong Jian sent people many times to ask Gu Tingye to send troops.

Although Gu Tingye only had 30,000 soldiers and horses, according to the conditions proposed by the Song Dynasty before, he needed to provide war horses to Gu Tingye and train these 30,000 soldiers and horses into cavalry.

Under Gu Tingye's training, these 30,000 soldiers have become an elite cavalry.

The only drawback is that they have not been baptized by war and cannot be called true elite.

The hinterland of Hehuang is all plains, and with the help of 30,000 cavalry, Dong Zhan's pressure can be greatly relieved.

However, Dong Jian accepted Empress Dowager Xiao and others without the consent of the Song Dynasty.

He also concealed his identity and sent Empress Dowager Xiao and others to the Song Dynasty. He was unwilling to hand over the young emperor of Liao, harboring evil intentions.

In addition, the Song Dynasty was at war with the Liao Kingdom at that time, so how could he provoke Western Xia at this time?

"no!"

Wang Shao shook his head and said, "Western Xia suddenly stopped attacking the city the day before yesterday, and has not launched another attack until now. The camp is heavily guarded, and it is very likely that something has happened. It's just that there is too little information to tell."

"Suddenly stop the siege?"

Gu Tingye was surprised and said, "Could it be that Xixia saw that Your Majesty had taken dozens of cities in a row and wanted to stop attacking Hehuang and launch a surprise attack on the border of Song Dynasty?"

"I have the same suspicion, but Western Xia stopped attacking the day before yesterday. If they really wanted to launch a surprise attack on the Song Dynasty, they should have taken some action. Otherwise, if it drags on for too long, it will arouse suspicion. But there was no unusual movement in the Western Xia camp, and there was no siege either. It is really puzzling!" Wang Shao frowned.

Gu Tingye pondered for a while, unable to guess what had happened. He shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. You came at the right time. His Majesty has already replied. Let's adapt to the situation."

After Western Xia launched an attack on Hehuang, they wrote a letter to Zhao Xing for instructions.

He asked whether he should send troops to help or retreat to the Song Dynasty if Hehuang was defeated by Xixia.

Zhao Xing was still very confident in Gu Tingye and Wang Shao, and told them to adapt to the situation.

You can help Hehuang or retreat back to the Song Dynasty, let them handle the situation themselves.

"That's great. If the situation is not right, we can also lead our troops back to the Song Dynasty. Dong Jian should not dare to break off relations with the Song Dynasty at this time. With these 30,000 troops, even if Western Xia invades, we can hold out for some time and wait for reinforcements." Wang Shao said with a smile.

Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "Zichun, do you think the Song Dynasty can still mobilize reinforcements now? There are soldiers and horses, but where is the food and grass? There are nearly 600,000 soldiers and horses gathered in the north now. If there is another war in the northwest, where will the court get so much food and grass?"

"Zhong Huai, do you have any plans?"

Wang Shao has been working with Gu Tingye for so long that he has some understanding of Gu Tingye's personality.

Gu Tingye probably said this to him not to discuss the issue of food and fodder, but rather to have some other plan.

"Zichun, whether Xixia occupies Hehuang or launches an attack on Song, it will affect your majesty's northern expedition."

Gu Tingye said: "I didn't send troops to help Dong Zhan, not only because he is too ambitious, but also because we have too few troops. This amount of troops will not have much impact. At most, it can only temporarily delay the Xixia offensive."

"These days I have been thinking about how to solve the unstable factor of Xixia. After thinking about it, I came up with a solution. Can you help me think about it?"

"What method?" Wang Shao asked curiously.

"You come with me!"

Gu Tingye brought Wang Shao to the city wall, where there was a huge sand table.

The two came to the sand table, and Gu Tingye pointed at it and said, "This is a sand table based on the Xixia intelligence collected by the spies."

"This is the city we are in now. This is the capital of Xixia."

Gu Tingye pointed to two locations on the sand table and said, "It's only more than 600 miles from here to the capital of Xixia, and there are no major passes along the way."

"You are crazy!"

Wang Shao had already understood what Gu Tingye meant, and exclaimed, "That's the capital of Western Xia. Even if Western Xia attacked Hehuang, there would be many defenders in the capital. How could they break through with only 30,000 cavalry?"

"What's more, the distance is more than 600 miles. Even if it's all cavalry, it will take several days to arrive. There are Xixia cities all along the way, and there are a lot of villages outside the city. It's impossible to hide it!"

"Zichun, don't be anxious, listen to me!"

Gu Tingye said: "Of course I won't joke about the lives of the soldiers. The total strength of Xixia is more than 500,000. If you count some local troops, it's only about 600,000."

"And Xixia sent out 400,000 troops this time, which means Xixia only had 200,000 soldiers in total."

"But Xixia has deployed a lot of troops on the border facing the Song Dynasty. Apart from that, Xixia only has a few hundred thousand troops at most. If these hundreds of thousands of troops are dispersed among the cities, how many troops can the country have?"

"In my estimation, there are no more than 50,000 of them. As long as we hide our tracks and launch a surprise attack and break into the city, even if we can't capture the Xixia royal family and officials, we can force the Xixia to withdraw."

"Once the Western Xia withdraws its troops, Hehuang will be safe. It will take time for the Western Xia to send out troops again, and the Western Xia will not dare to mobilize so many troops again. In this way, the pressure on the northwest defense line will be much less."

(End of this chapter)