White Horse, Silver Spear, Grand Commandant Gao

The third year of the Qingtai era, the eleventh day of the intercalary winter month, Bingyin day.

Yelü Deguang offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth to announce the success, and said to Shi Jingtang, "Sang Weihan has been loyal to you, and should be made prime minister."

Shi Jingtang had no objections. After nearly three months of siege, they had finally cracked the tough nut of Jin'an Village. A huge weight was lifted from his heart, and he could start planning the next steps.

The emperor appointed Zhao Ying as Vice Minister of the Chancellery and concurrently Chancellor, and to oversee the compilation of the national history.

Sang Weihan was appointed as Vice Director of the Chancellery, concurrently serving as Chancellor and Grand Academician of the Jixian Hall, and concurrently served as Privy Councilor. He was also granted the title of Meritorious Minister for Loyalty, Prosperity, and Governance.

The imperial edict described Zhao Ying as "a virtuous scholar among men, a gentleman at the banquet," and Sang Weihan as "a leading figure in the literary world, a force to be reckoned with in the sea of ​​learning," comparing him to "a distant figure like Xiao He and Cao Shen, a close figure like Fang Xuanling and Du Fu." It is unknown whether this was written by the author himself, a self-praise.

Yang Guangyuan was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards Cavalry and Infantry.

Liu Zhiyuan served as the military governor of Baoyi Army in Shanzhou and the commander of the Imperial Guards Cavalry and Infantry.

He also sent envoys to inform neighboring prefectures that the new emperor had ascended the throne, established a new reign title, and pardoned the crimes of Li Congke, the Prince of Lu, and other officials.

The entire document made no mention of the Khitan, presumably out of concern for preventing conflict between the military and civilians.

On this day, at the Khitan camp.

Shi Jingtang sent Liu Zhiyuan to assist Yang Guangyuan, who recruited and commanded the lower and middle-ranking officers and soldiers, while senior generals were monitored by the Khitans and kept separate from their subordinates.

"Although Shi Jingtang has declared himself emperor, whether he will succeed is still uncertain. Should we just surrender to him like this?"

When Fu Yanqing asked this question, Gao Xingzhou remained silent for a moment before replying, "We have no horses now, and all our armor and weapons have been taken away. Even if we try to unite our old troops to resist, it will be futile. Let's wait a little longer."

"What other changes might occur if we keep waiting?"

"According to Minister Long, if the Prince of Beiping can join forces with Prime Minister Fan, there is still a chance for the situation to turn around.

"You and the Prince of Beiping are from the same hometown, do you think he can do that?"

Fu Yanqing's question was sharp and incisive, and Gao Xingzhou sighed, "For the sake of my family, I have no choice but to endure it."

When family members were mentioned, Fu Yanqing's attitude softened.

"My family is all in Yizhou, where we are safe for the time being. Your wife and children are in Luzhou, which is a necessary route for the Khitans to march south. Wherever the chaotic soldiers pass, they kill everyone, regardless of rank. You really need to make arrangements as soon as possible."

Gao Xingzhou was worried about his wife and children in Luzhou.

If I insist on refusing to surrender, I will die, and my family will inevitably suffer. Now that I have submitted to the enemy, I wonder how my children will view me?

The two sat facing each other in silence for a long time. Thinking of Zhang Jingda's self-sacrifice and Kang Sili's indignant death, they both let out a long sigh.

……

In Taiyuan City.

Shi Jingtang was about to lead his troops south with the Khitan ruler and wanted to leave one of his sons to guard Hedong. He consulted Yelü Deguang for his opinion.

Yelü Deguang ordered all his sons to be released, saying, "I have chosen them myself."

Shi Jingtang called out several of his sons.

The eldest son, Shi Chongying, was executed in Luoyang. The second son, Shi Chongxin, was eighteen years old. The third son, Shi Chongyi, was seventeen years old. The fourth son, Shi Chongyin, was Shi Jingtang's younger brother. He loved him and raised him as his son. He was killed along with the eldest son. The fifth son, Shi Chongjin, died young.

Yelü Deguang was not very satisfied with Shi Chongxin and Shi Chongyi. His gaze fell on a man in his early twenties who looked like Shi Jingtang but was short in stature and had wide, bright eyes.

When asked about his background, he revealed that he was Shi Chonggui, the son of Shi Jingru, the elder brother of Shi Jingtang. Because his father died early, he was raised as his own son.

Yelü Deguang pointed and said, "This one with big eyes is suitable."

"Father has excellent eyesight."

Shi Jingtang praised him and then appointed Shi Chonggui as the garrison commander of Beijing, the prefect of Taiyuan, and the military governor of Hedong.

On that day, Yelü Deguang appointed the valiant general Gao Mohan as the vanguard, and together with the surrendered soldiers, they advanced to Tuanbai Valley and clashed with the government reinforcements.

The twelfth day of the intercalary winter month, Dingmao.

The Khitan army acted swiftly and launched an attack.

The two armies fought for a day, and the battle ended in a draw.

Although Gao Mohan was brave and invincible, his 25,000 imperial guards were all elite troops, and his more than 10,000 soldiers in the northern expeditionary force had long been stationed on the border and often fought against the Khitan. Despite the enemy's elite cavalry charging, he did not fall behind.

However, the moment they saw the soldiers of Jin'an Village walk out of the enemy camp, the morale of the reinforcements was severely damaged.

The former comrades, unarmed and without armor, stood in rows, becoming a backdrop to the Khitans' swaggering and arrogant behavior, a sight that was truly heartbreaking.

Even if Gao Mohan's vanguard is defeated, Yelü Deguang's army is still behind, and even the surrendered soldiers of Jin'an Village may take up arms against their former comrades. Just thinking about it makes one feel depressed and frustrated.

Most importantly, the person they were trying to rescue no longer exists, so what's the point of continuing to fight to the death?

Perhaps you should consider your own situation more.

Zhao Dejun and Zhao Yanshou were the first to consider retreating, abandoning their command responsibilities and fleeing overnight. Shi Sai, a trusted and beloved general, abandoned his lord and led light cavalry eastward from Fukou Pass, bypassing Xingtang Prefecture, and returning to Yuyang.

With the departure of the Zhao family father and son, generals such as Zhang Yanqi, Fu Yanrao, Liu Yanlang, and Liu Zaiming fell like dominoes, vying to lead their troops in retreat, resulting in a complete rout of the army.

In their flight, soldiers threw down their weapons and armor, trampling each other in the valleys; countless soldiers perished or were wounded, numbering over ten thousand. (Note 1)

The next day, Gao Mohan, unaware that his opponent had slipped away, waited all day in vain, but no one came forward to challenge him.

The next day, scouts were dispatched to investigate, only to find that the opposite camp had become an empty one, so they urgently reported to the imperial tent.

……

The 14th day of the intercalary winter month, the day of Ji Si.

Zhao Dejun and his son, relying on three thousand Khitan guards with silver saddles, returned to Luzhou in a sorry state.

They dawdled on their way there, taking seven or eight days to travel, but returned in less than two days. Of the 30,000 troops they had painstakingly annexed, only a few thousand scattered and dead remained.

Before Gao Huaide's scouts could even report back, tens of thousands of defeated soldiers had already swarmed into the city.

They were in large groups, their military discipline was lax, and they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days. Starving, they rushed into any tavern or restaurant they saw and stuffed whatever food they could find into their mouths, looking exactly like a group of starving ghosts who had just escaped from hell.

Fortunately, still shaken by the recent defeat, they dared not plunder their own prefectures and counties on a large scale.

Zhao Dejun and Zhao Yanshou headed straight for the government office to rest, but found the gates tightly closed and the bell and drum towers filled with armored soldiers, so they stopped in their tracks.

"Who dares to block my way!"

Although Zhao Yanshou was defeated, his prestige as the Privy Councilor and Imperial Son-in-Law remained intact, and he immediately sent someone to question him.

On the right side of the "Cloud Movement" bell and drum tower, a child's figure appears, which is Gao Huaide.

"Is Chancellor Zhao Shu well? You've returned; has he lifted the siege of Jin'an Village?"

Upon hearing that the defeated troops had entered the city, Gao Huaide hurriedly deployed his forces to take control of the government office. The squad of guards left behind by Gao Xingzhou finally came in handy.

Zhao Yanshou didn't take this brat seriously at all. He was about to put on airs as an official and order the door to be opened.

Zhao Dejun coughed and stepped forward, saying, "You must be the son of Grand Tutor Gao. Your father and I are old friends from the same hometown. Let us in first, and we can discuss the details later."

Although it was Gao Huaide's first time meeting Zhao Dejun, his dislike for the Zhao family father and son was already deeply ingrained, so he was not easily fooled.

Seeing Zhao Dejun's tall but slightly hunched figure, and his face not being clearly visible from a distance, Gao Huaide naturally assumed that he must be a sinister and treacherous man.

Having previous battle experience, Gao Huaide saw the two men rushing back in a disheveled state and guessed that they had probably suffered a defeat.

"The rebel soldiers are rampaging through the city, so we dare not open the gates. We urge the Prince of Beiping and the Grand Councilor to restrain them to avoid disturbing the people."

Following the pre-explained explanation from Lu Qian, Gao Huaide gave a plausible reason.

Zhao Dejun is a cunning and shrewd old man. How could he be easily persuaded? Besides, what does it matter to him, the military governor of Youzhou, whether the people of Luzhou are frightened or not? Making sure his men have enough to eat is the only way to stabilize morale.

Upon entering the city, he sent men to take over the money and grain from the treasury, but since Zhao Yanshou had already looted it once, it was hard to say how much was left.

Lu Qian anticipated that Zhao Dejun wouldn't be so easy to talk to. The initial conditions he offered were just a pretext. He then used the excuse of fearing to frighten the women of the household to demand that the soldiers not enter the government office.

Zhao Dejun's most reliable force consisted of three thousand silver-saddled Khitan soldiers. He did not want to let them leave his side, but Gao Huaide was adamant about this, making it his bottom line and stating that if they dared to force their way through, he would fight them.

The garrison troops in each town are all elite forces directly under their command. It would be painful to lose even a few of them. Zhao Dejun was unwilling to have a fight break out here. Moreover, it would be unreasonable for them to attack his own government office over a mere disagreement, given the current situation.

He glanced at Gao Huaide a few times, then ordered the Silver-Saddled Khitan to set up camp in the western suburbs outside the city, agreeing to let him bring only a dozen or so personal guards inside.

Upon hearing the order, the Khitan cavalry gave a whistle and departed in neat and orderly formation, truly a well-trained force.

Gao Huaide was secretly alarmed. If Zhao Dejun had gone mad and ordered them to storm the government office, they probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it. Fortunately, they managed to intimidate the old thief.

As they brushed past each other, Zhao Dejun said with a forced smile, "Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young. Just wait patiently for a few days; your father will be here soon with the Khitan army."

"..."

What does this mean? Has Father been captured by the Khitan army? A heavy weight pressed down on Gao Huaide's heart.

"Anyone who didn't want to die a tragic death like Zhang Jingda would surely surrender to the Khitans along with Yang Guangyuan."

Zhao Dejun lowered his head, his face almost touching Gao Huaide's, as if enjoying Gao's gritted teeth expression and taking pleasure in it.

"You're talking nonsense!"

Gao Huaide couldn't help but shout, "How could my father be mixing with the Khitans?"

He never imagined that his father, who had always been upright and righteous, would compromise his principles with the Rong and Di tribes. He must have been slandered by Zhao Dejun.

"Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. The King and the Privy Councilor are tired. Let's talk about it another day."

Zhao Dejun waved his sleeve, ignoring Gao Huaide who was standing there, and walked inside with Zhao Yanshou and his grandson Zhao Zan.

Exhausted from running for two days and two nights, covering more than 400 li, Zhao Dejun, who was over 60 years old, was already extremely tired, which was one of the reasons why he did not force the issue.

Upon entering Luzhou City, the three generations of the family relaxed, feeling dizzy and wanting nothing more than to collapse into bed and take a nap.

The fifteenth day of the intercalary winter month, Gengwu day.

Upon learning of the great victory at Tuanbo Valley, Yelü Deguang ordered his troops to pursue the enemy overnight. He commanded Shi Jingtang to lead a light cavalry force to defend strategic locations. The cavalry caught up with over ten thousand infantrymen, who all surrendered. (Note 2)

He led tens of thousands of Khitan troops southward, heading towards Luzhou.