You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 90 Isolated and helpless
Xia Prefecture, as the "birthplace" and northern barrier of the Western Xia Dynasty, has always been the second capital of the Western Xia.

Its garrison system has always been based on the strategy of "mainly using the system of non-Han peoples and supplementing it with the system of Han peoples". It maintains its rule over the region through the joint governance of the royal family, military generals and chieftains.

Therefore, the Western Xia royal princes were stationed here, nominally holding the highest power, and in fact, they could indeed make the final decisions.

But he doesn't usually get involved.
Since the Battle of Hengshan began, when Tong Guan was fighting against Xia, the defense of Xia Prefecture was directly commanded by Prince Jin, Richard, the frontline commander who held the Privy Council.

Later, Richard was defeated in battle. Fearing that his elder brother would be forced to abdicate, he led his troops back to Xingqing Prefecture to protect him.

Yeli Chongshan, the governor of Xia Prefecture, temporarily assumed the highest authority.

In the Xia army camp, Yeli Chongshan carried a knife and only brought his most valued nephew, Yeli Jin, and a few personal guards to patrol.

He was tall with broad shoulders and well-defined muscles, exuding the fierce aura of someone who had fought for many years.

This was the first time in Yeli Chongshan's life that he had engaged in a large-scale battle with the Song army in such a flat terrain.

He climbed to a watchtower and looked around; the Song army did indeed look somewhat different.

In fact, Chen Shao did something that he thought was normal, but in this era, it was quite unusual.

He really did distribute the pay to the soldiers;
He really did give the food to the soldiers;
He actually used his military merits to promote his subordinates by giving them official positions.
In this day and age, there are not many who can do this, not just very few.

The next person to achieve this was Yue Fei.

Then his troops became the Yue Family Army, which was more unshakeable than mountains.

Yeli Chongshan pointed ahead and said to his nephew Yeli Jin, "Jin'er, look at this group of Song soldiers. What's different about them compared to before?"

Yeli Jin observed for a while and said, "It seems there are more cavalry."

Yeli Chongshan sighed, "It's not just that there are more cavalry; half of this Song army are our Western Xia men."

"In recent years, the imperial court has been using the manpower of other tribes excessively in its wars. These men are not from our Yeli tribe, nor are they even Tanguts. They don't care about the imperial court."

"They didn't have the chance before, but now that they have the Song Dynasty, which is even stronger than the Western Xia, as their backer, they all want to take revenge."

Yeli Jin angrily said, "After we drive the Song people away, we'll deal with them one by one!"

“Then you are wrong.” Yeli Chongshan shook his head and said, “Not only can we not deal with them, but we must also appease them and gradually win them over. Our ancestors built this empire, and we cannot act recklessly as we please. The current emperor is not bad; he has the air of a restorer. As long as he can get through this crisis, our Western Xia still has a chance.”

Although Yeli Chongshan was tall and fierce, he was actually very kind and spoke in a simple and honest way. “Our ancestors in the Xia Kingdom were just tribes on this land. They thought of resisting when they were oppressed. In recent years, you have exploited people too much and even killed them. Sooner or later, everyone will fight you to the death.”

"If you want to gain a foothold here, you have to make sure everyone else has a way to survive."

Yeli Jin was still somewhat unconvinced, and kept his head down without saying a word. Seeing his appearance, Yeli Chongshan was not in a hurry and patiently said, "Look at that Song general on the other side, what's his name, Chen Shao? After he came, he subdued so many tribes at once."

"These tribes used to help the Western Xia. If the Song people held grudges and settled scores like you have, would they have been able to gather this force?"

After saying that, he looked at the Song army camps stretching for miles in the distance and sighed, "I'm not afraid of them setting up their formation and fighting us, but I'm afraid they'll build those damn fortified camps again, which is really a headache."

"In the past, only the Song people built it, but now the Han people and Miqin people on the grasslands have also started building it."

Just then, someone came running from afar, shouting, "Commander, a messenger from Yinzhou has arrived!"

"Oh?" Yeli Chongshan said, "Where is he? Bring him here quickly so I can ask him."

"The person who came in is seriously injured and is being bandaged."

Yeli Chongshan forced a bitter smile and said, "They must have broken through the encirclement. Let's go take a look!"

Upon entering a tent, Yeli Chongshan and Yeli Jin stared at the blood-soaked figure before them, with fragments of armor lying on the ground.

"Thank you for your hard work. How is Yinzhou City?" Yeli Chongshan asked.

"Grand Commander!" the newcomer shouted, pulling at his wound and wincing in pain.

After waiting a while and calming down, he slowly said, "Grand Commander, send troops to rescue us immediately! Yinzhou City is in imminent danger!"

Yeli Chongshan put his hands behind his back, walked around the tent, and finally sighed, "Given the situation, where can we send troops to provide support?"

"The Song army is coming in endless numbers, and they have many siege weapons. If the commander-in-chief doesn't send troops soon, Yinzhou City will fall."

Yeli Chongshan tried to comfort him with a few words, but the messenger wouldn't listen at all and just kept urging the troops to be dispatched.

Faced with his persistent entreaties, Yeli Chongshan compromised and said, "There are really no troops in Xiazhou City that can go there. How about this, I will write another letter to the Khitans and ask them to send troops to support us!"

Inside the tent, everyone felt heavy-hearted; distant water could not quench immediate thirst.

Leaving aside whether the Khitans will send troops, they are already too busy to take care of themselves. Even if they do send troops, by the time the Khitans arrive, will Yinzhou City still be in the hands of the Xia Kingdom?
Yinzhou City was on the verge of being abandoned.

Let the Song army besiege the city; they only need to cut off the water supply, just like when the Western Xia recaptured Yinzhou, to starve the defending troops to death. Unless the Xia army attacks from the flanks and opens a path out.

The 'blood man' who came to deliver the message suddenly burst into tears upon hearing it.

The man was covered in blood, having trekked here. His willpower was as strong as an iron man's. Just moments ago he was arguing his point, but now he was sobbing and crying.

Everyone in the tent remained silent. Yeli Chongshan's eyes widened, and he stomped his foot hard. "If I have a way and don't go to save Yinzhou, then I'm not a son of my parents!"

His face showed extreme pain, but he suppressed his emotions and slowly continued: "The Song army on the other side has captured four prefectures: Yan, You, Hong, and Long, but its main force has not been lost. All the Hu people and chieftains in the vicinity have submitted to it."

My Xia Prefecture is isolated and on the verge of collapse. How can we rashly divide our forces? The Song Dynasty is powerful and skilled in attacking fortified cities. If we divide our forces and the enemy takes the opportunity to capture Xia Prefecture, how will this war end?
Don't forget, Yinshan is only a mountain away from Yan'an Prefecture, but it's a full three hundred li away from Xiazhou!

Even if I send troops, Old Zhong is a veteran general; do you think he wouldn't have a countermeasure?

After saying this, Yeli Chongshan turned and left, thus sealing the fate of Yinzhou City.
-
In the Song army camp, Chen Shao fiddled with his horsewhip and laughed, "This Grand Commander of Xia Prefecture is truly a remarkable figure. At a time like this, he can both refrain from sending troops to support Yin Prefecture and use appeasement to win over the surrounding Qiang and Hu tribes."

Han Shizhong looked at the smiling Chen Shao and nodded inwardly.

In the past, no matter what decision Chen Shao made, especially when it came to military campaigns, he always gritted his teeth and acted recklessly.

Although I followed him, I always felt that he was taking risks, especially when he was guarding Richard in Yokoyama.

But this time, his smile showed such confidence, after experiencing so much. Chen Shao was also growing at an incredibly fast pace.

“My original intention was to let him make the first move. Since he won’t fight, then we will. Grand Commandant Zhong has made a firm decision to attack Yinzhou City, and the fall of Yinzhou City is imminent. If we win another battle, the surrounding tribes will know that the world is about to change.”

If we can hold our ground in this battle, even if it's a draw or a stalemate, we can demonstrate to the people here that we have a firm foothold. Then, Xiazhou City will slowly die.

Chen Shao stood up and said, "Let's set up our formation and clash with them!"

Upon hearing this, the person inside the tent immediately perked up.

The general has just conquered so much territory, and all of it was taken over after the cities were breached.

All the previous official positions were naturally vacant.

Currently, the group in Yanzhou, led by Yang Cheng, whom the military commander brought from the Song Dynasty, is setting up official positions, pacifying the common people, and reforming the bureaucracy.

The officials and subordinates of Youzhou, Yanzhou, and Hongzhou were appointed and adjusted, and the various laws and regulations formulated by Chen Shao were implemented.

The army was greatly expanded; originally, when they entered Yanzhou, there was only one battalion led by Han Shizhong.

There are now thirteen battalions, all of which are fully staffed.

Plenty of official positions and opportunities were waving at them.

Compensation and rewards/punishments have the greatest impact on the morale of the army, and the availability of the army's morale is the source of Chen Shao's confidence.

Chen Shao only made the decision to fight, but did not give instructions on how to fight.

He wanted his subordinates to discuss it among themselves.

After all, he was no longer the commander who only had three forts under his command.

If a leader clings to power and refuses to relinquish control as his territory grows, his subordinates will become dependent on him and will never be able to grow into capable leaders.

Moreover, Chen Shao knew himself well. He had no talent for fighting and was not a born general.

It was only through foresight regarding the general trend and extraordinary courage that the current situation gradually came about.

He cannot guarantee that his opinion will always be correct.

In these territories today, what I need to do is close to establishing a local government.

He has many things to worry about, especially those involving personnel and finances. He needs to coordinate and make decisions on many matters.

After winning this battle to establish his authority, he will return to Youzhou.

The matters at the front lines are left to the generals to handle.

How to manage relations with various forces, how to gain the support of the Song Dynasty court, and how to eliminate their fears are the things Chen Shao should do.

These matters are numerous and complex, and are still a mess. Chen Shao is not a genius who is knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and who is skilled in both literature and military strategy.

He must learn through trial and error, reflect on himself, and may even need some luck and opportunity.

Otherwise, his newly emerging power, lacking any real foundation, is very likely to be short-lived.

(End of this chapter)