The leading troops advanced very quickly, and even if they attacked the Jianlu manors along the way, they would not have much impact. Many manors had even been emptied of people, and Jianlu had fled in panic.
The cavalry troops did not take care of the villages along the way, leaving all of them to the infantry at the rear.
Depending on the size of the village, dozens or hundreds of infantrymen enter to take over, distribute food, harvest crops, prepare dry food, and then organize the villagers to move closer to Tonghua.
The work was intense, busy and orderly. While fighting, advancing, and migrating the Liao people, after a few days, only empty villages and destroyed manors were left to the Jianlu.
Two days had passed since the army could not be seen at a glance. The villagers, who were still in shock, finally made preparations, and dozens of Dongjiang Army soldiers began to migrate.
Yang Xiaohe carried more than 30 kilograms of fried wheat on his back, not forgetting to pick up the precious iron pot. After two days of full meals, Yang recovered some strength and followed his son out of the house with the baggage on his back.
.
There was no nostalgia, but the mother and son still looked back at the thatched cottage where they had lived a miserable life, and then followed the villagers towards the entrance of the village.
Chief Wei and a few young people were organizing and greeting people at the entrance of the village. Everyone in the village knew who was sick or had children, and the seven or eight ox carts were specially prepared for these people.
There were also several bullock carts loaded with silks, furs, and dozens of bags of grain captured by the Dongjiang Army. All the captured horses were handed over to the army, leaving only two for the sentries to ride.
"Xiaohe, mother, take this car." Boss Wei waved and called, "We're about to leave when the seats are full."
Mrs. Yang hurriedly thanked her and sat on the edge of the bullock cart. There were already four or five people sitting in the cart. When they saw Mrs. Yang coming, they all said hello with a smile.
"Xiaohe, mother, are you feeling better?"
"Look at his face, he looks much better than before."
"How long have we not seen each other? It's been almost half a month, right?"
Yang had a smile on her face and answered one by one. She felt the enthusiasm of the villagers and their hope for future life.
How long has it been since I saw such smiling faces of my fellow villagers? They are all so overwhelmed by survival that they don’t know how many days they can survive. How can they still care about others, and how can they have any laughter.
In addition to ox carts, there are also many people pushing carts. Those with a larger population can take care of each other.
The soldiers had taken the lead and were divided into the front team and the rear team, with a long line of civilians in the middle, rolling towards Tonghua.
The sky was clear and the autumn wind was bleak, but people's hearts were full of enthusiasm and excitement. The scenery along the way was not beautiful, but in their eyes, it was full of brilliance.
The children ran and jumped back and forth in the team, and from time to time they ran into the fields, chasing birds, plucking grass and wild flowers, and letting out crisp laughter. They were the most carefree after having enough to eat and drink.
The adults shouted and scolded, but with fondness and smiles.
Yang Xiaohe followed the bullock cart, carrying dry food on his back, but his pace did not seem heavy. The eyes of mother and son met from time to time, and they both showed understanding smiles.
"It takes almost three days to walk to the edge of the Nanjiang River." Old Wei, who was also carrying dry food, explained to a few people next to him as he walked, "Everyone has taken the trouble to arrange the food and accommodation on the way, don't bother the soldiers.
."
"Don't worry." Sun Hua smiled and stuffed fried wheat into his mouth, chewing it deliciously. "It's neither cold nor hot today. I can sleep in a leeward place. In two or three days, I can't sleep."
Got through it.”
Another villager nodded repeatedly and said: "As long as you are not hungry, are there any other sins that you cannot suffer?"
Leader Lao Wei exchanged the dry food on his shoulder and sighed: "I didn't expect that so many great things have happened outside. Even the new emperor of the slave chieftain, Huang Taiji, was killed by the Dongjiang Army."
"I heard that Huang Taiji led his troops to take a detour and break into the border wall, and also surrounded the capital. When he went back after plundering enough, he was blocked by the Dongjiang Army who crossed the sea by boat in Zunhua, and a huge battle broke out...
…”
"I heard that Huang Taiji was captured alive and taken to the capital to be cut into pieces..."
They had very little information about these imprisoned Liao people. Jianlu would not talk to them much, except to scold and whip them, and even kill them.
The Battle of Zunhua was a shame for Jianlu, so naturally they would not publicize it. The soldiers of the Dongjiang Army were completely different. It was the greatest honor. When they talked about it, they talked about it with great joy and held their chests and heads high, wishing that everyone knew about it.
Yang Xiaohe listened to the villagers chatting and discussing with great interest, and his eyes flashed with strange light. The Jianlu were hated by everyone, and their tragic defeat made people happy and excited.
The sonorous march of the army through the villages shocked Yang Xiaohe and other people, and it was deeply imprinted in their minds, bringing them peace of mind and confidence.
In their simple thinking, if such a powerful army can invade Jianzhou, it means that Jianlu is doomed.
"Xiaohe, give mom the dry food. Mom is holding her in the car." Only when Yang saw someone doing this in the car did she dare to call her son.
Yang Xiaohe smiled and said, "Mom, I'm not tired. I'll take it off when I am."
Yang didn't hesitate, leaned on the bundle, wrapped the leather jacket around her body, her eyelids were a little twitching, her weak body felt sleepy again, she curled up her legs and closed her eyes slightly.
Although she was traveling in the wild and there was a lot of noise around her, Ms. Yang felt very at ease and fell asleep in the lake. She didn't notice that her son beside the car took off his coat and covered her with it.
At the same time, people in surrounding villages also began to migrate, heading for dozens or hundreds of miles along the Nanjiang River.
Nanjiangyan is a common name. It is a ferry crossing of the Hunjiang River flowing through Tonghua. It can also be regarded as a dock.
The Hunjiang River is the largest river flowing through Tonghua. When the water is abundant, the width of the river is generally about 100 to 300 meters, and the water depth is about 3 to 5 meters. It is a natural golden waterway.
As early as the Bohai Kingdom in the Tang Dynasty, it has been the main transportation channel for Yalu Prefecture in Xijing to communicate with other places. It goes up to Badaojiang (Baishan) and down to Andong. April to November is the water transportation period, and it is frozen in winter and becomes a sledge.
transportation channel.
If the Dongjiang Army has enough seaworthy ships, it can certainly reach Tonghua and then march to Hetuala.
However, conditions did not allow it, and Guo Dajing also wanted to destroy Jianzhou as much as possible and liberate more Liao people, instead of just pursuing speed, he adopted a combat strategy of advancing on both land and water.
In the areas passed by the Dongjiang Army, the forwards eliminated more and stronger enemies, while the main force cooperated with infantry and cavalry to sweep the surrounding manors and villages.
While rescuing a large number of Liao civilians, they also collected and seized grain and grass supplies needed for continued fighting. It can be said that it killed two birds with one stone.
It was originally a remote, vast and sparsely populated place, but it was only by forcefully driving away a large number of Liao people that the Jianzhou Guards experienced a major change.
But this change is still far from enough. At least in Guo Dajing's view, this level of development is not an exaggeration to call the Great Northern Wilderness.
At the same time, the decentralized manor-style management of the Jianlu was also backward and barbaric. How much enthusiasm for production the serfs had could not even guarantee their lives, let alone the harvest they would get after their hard work.
Looking around, Guo Dajing hesitated and followed the troops of the brigade forward.
Except for a medium-sized battle reported by Liu Xingzuo, there was no decent resistance after five or six days in Jianzhou.
There were only dozens of captives in one manor, and how many of them were able to resist with force if they had family documents? Even if there were strong men and women joining the battle, they would be like scum under the fierce firepower of the Dongjiang Army.
"This is the lair of Jiannu?!" Fang Zhenghua, who had no beard, could only caress his chest and said with emotion: "The defense is so sparse, it shows that it is at the end of the road and defeat is not far away!"
Guo Dajing glanced at Fang Zhenghua, smiled, and said: "What Eunuch Fang said is absolutely true. Jiannu has indeed declined, but it is too early to say that defeat is not far away."
Fang Zhenghua looked at Guo Dajing in confusion and asked: "Jian Nu's troops are no longer enough. He doesn't even have heavy troops in his lair. Could it be that..."
Guo Dajing said indifferently: "Eunuch Fang knows how much territory the Jiannu occupy, how many places need to be stationed with troops, and how many people they have left. Then you will understand that the so-called lair is indeed difficult for them to take care of."
With his fingers crossed, Guo Dajing analyzed Fang Zhenghua carefully, "Haizhou, Liaoyang, and Shenyang must retain at least 30,000 troops to build slaves. They are the core ruling areas and cannot be lost."
"Our army is also threatened in Liaodong. At Lianshanguan and Yafuguan, at least three thousand troops should be left to garrison at each place where the captives are built. In addition to Kaiyuan, Tieling, Fushun, Benxi and other places, it takes less to say
Thousands of people, right?”
Fang Zhenghua was good at arithmetic. He nodded and said, "That's more than 40,000. Jianzhou has about 4,000 or 5,000. Well, Jiannu really doesn't have too many troops."
Guo Dajing laughed and said: "The number of troops capable of mobile combat is only more than 10,000, unless we abandon some places to save men and horses."
Fang Zhenghua was a little surprised, but also a little regretful. He shook his head and said: "It's a pity that Liaoxi cannot contain the Jiannu. Otherwise, the situation will be more favorable."
As for Liao Zhen, even if they dared to attack Liao and Shen, they would only be sending equipment, materials, and lives to the rebels.
At its peak, Guan Ning's army numbered more than 100,000 troops, but they could only shrink back and dare not fight. Guo Dajing sneered at the waste of food and was quite disdainful.
If Mao Wenlong is a warlord, he can still be regarded as a warlord who fights for the country; but those guys in Liao Town, for their own selfish interests, have they ever thought about their family and country?
Fang Zhenghua suddenly brought the topic to western Liaoning, but he did not say it casually. Seeing Guo Dajing showing such a posture, he asked tentatively: "The war in Liaodong, the rebellion in the southwest, and the imperial court's financial distress! Long live intends to remove Liao Town, but is worried that Shanhaiguan will not be able to do so."
It's a buffer. Besides, if there is a military disturbance in Liao Town, it will be difficult to deal with it."
There were Jianlu in the east of Liaodong, chaos in She'an in the southwest, domestic disasters were frequent and spreading, and Liao Zhen, who only had to eat and not work, really made Chongzhen feel very sad.
Moreover, although Chongzhen did not punish Guan Ning's army for leaving the battlefield without authorization and ignoring the monarch, ministers and people of the capital, he may have already defined him as a rebel in his heart.
After more than half a year of defense rectification, the defenses of Jizhen and Shanhaiguan may have improved. It is reasonable for Chongzhen to settle accounts after the fall.
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said slowly: "According to Jiannu's current strength, it is absolutely impossible to attack Ningyuan Jiancheng, let alone Shanhaiguan. Just imagine, Jiannu will not even occupy Guangning, Jinzhou and other places..."
The mobilization of Jianlu has its own strategic purpose. The most important thing is to support war with war. If there is no capture, if the effort is greater than the gain, basically we will not do it.
Ningyuan has fortified city artillery, and Jianlu has many irons. Do you dare to confront them head-on? Besides, you won't be able to rob anything, unless you launch it in winter and take advantage of the ice of the sea to plunder Juehua Island again.
But now Juehua Island is no longer as rich in supplies as before. The Dongjiang Army, which is eyeing the enemy, does not allow the Jianlu to calmly use their troops and conduct long-distance attacks.
Chongzhen is now determined to clean up Liao Town, and even if he withdraws into the pass, he will not be reassured. He wants to completely abolish the army, turn the officers and soldiers of Liao Town into civilians, and then resettle them in the pass.
Such worries are justified. Thirty thousand troops from Liao Town would not have the guts to attack the rebels, but they are quite elite in China. If they really rebel in the capital, they will definitely be in ruins.
Therefore, it is definitely not possible to cross Shanhaiguan with arms. It is also difficult to disband in Ningyuan. Directly cutting off the supply of food and wages, and fearing that Liao Town will surrender Jianlu and create great difficulties for Pingliao.
Guo Dajing could also guess a lot about Chongzhen's psychological activities. He wanted to save money and vent his anger by disposing of Liao Town, but he didn't want to cause a big commotion.
However, before the imperial court and Dongjiang Town were fully prepared, Chongzhen seemed to be too impatient, which may disrupt Guo Dajing's planned plan and affect the great cause of Ping Liao and the extermination of the captives.
"Liao Town still has more than 30,000 troops in Ningyuan. If the pressure is too urgent and they surrender to Jianlu, the situation in Liaodong may change drastically. If they are guided by it, they can directly attack Guanmen, or take a detour to enter Guan again, and there will be another battle.
catastrophe."
Guo Dajing had made up his mind and wanted to stabilize Chongzhen first, buy time for Dongjiang Town, and then deal with Liao Town more properly.
If there are no captives, Liao Zhen can be forced to surrender by hard and soft methods. If Liao Zhen can be annexed, the time for Liao Zhen to be pacified will be greatly advanced.
Now that Chongzhen has decided to withdraw from the town, the Dongjiang Army can attack Liao Town without worrying about constraints and dissatisfaction from the imperial court.
Obviously, Yuan Chonghuan's death brought the Liao Rating Group to the verge of collapse, and it no longer dared to offend Chongzhen at this time.
Fang Zhenghua nodded his head and agreed very much with Guo Dajing's judgment. The emperor was indeed a little impatient, and even he could see that something was wrong.
Guo Dajing thought about it and continued: "We can reduce the food and salary, or even default on arrears, but we must give Liao Town a chance to survive and not push it to a dead end. Then we can issue an order to divide its troops and first transfer 10,000 horses to southern Liaoning...
"
Although he despised Liao Zhen's combat effectiveness, Guo Dajing believed that it could be reformed.
Of course, he was not prepared to reuse those generals from Liao Town. What he wanted were ordinary soldiers, and more importantly, war horses.
Instead of using generals, these 10,000 men and horses should first be diluted into the Dongjiang Army and completely transformed into the Dongjiang Army. After rigorous training, they will become combat-worthy soldiers.
To provide you with the fastest update of the master's "Defying Heaven and Changing Light". In order that you can check the fastest update of this book next time, please be sure to save the bookmarks!
Chapter 417 Chongzhen wants to withdraw from Liao Town. Free reading. This chapter has been completed!