The two of them were playing chess and chatting casually.
Xiao Siwen was originally a well-known figure in the Khitan and the number one prince-in-law of the Khitan, but he stayed in Nanjing.
But now the position is really embarrassing.
Originally, Yelujing had no intention of blaming Xiao Siwen. She just thought that if Youzhou City was lost, she would just lose it and just take it back.
But as the battle became more and more difficult, Yelujing became more and more disgusted with Xiao Siwen.
If it weren't for his incompetence, he would have lost the vital Youzhou.
How could they get into this situation?
Yelujing has not given Xiao Siwen a good look these days.
Xiao Siwen was frightened and began to make connections in the military camp.
It's just that he has struggled for half his life, his family, wife and daughter are all in Youzhou, and he has nothing to offer, so he can only get close to him with an old face.
Gao Xun knew it well, but he didn't refuse anyone who came.
Mainly not to hinder his own promotion path, Gao Xun does not dislike having multiple allies in the political field.
The two chatted happily, and the chess game was very close.
Suddenly I got a message from Xiao Daqian asking for help.
Both of them were stunned.
Gao Xun's heart trembled slightly.
Xiao Siwen's face turned even pale, and the chess piece in his hand fell to the chessboard, unconscious.
This herd is their food lifeline. If they lose the herd, not only will the battle be unwinnable, but this year's winter will also be affected.
The biggest natural enemy of nomads is winter.
Gao Xun was very wise and quickly calmed down and said hurriedly: "How many people are there on the other side?"
The visitor said in a trembling voice: "There are about ten thousand people. They suddenly came out from the direction of Xiangshan. We were not prepared at all. Your Majesty, stay behind and provide support quickly. If it's too late, all the livestock will fall into the hands of the Central Plains people."
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Gao Xun immediately said loudly: "Brother Dejiang, I have troubled you to stay in charge of the camp. I will immediately lead my troops to support..."
Xiao Siwen was heartbroken. In the previous pursuit, he had lost many troops and horses, more than half of his generals were killed, and there was even a mutiny.
The man who stayed behind in Nanjing had realized that he was not the type to lead troops in a war.
Not to mention avenging his shame, now he doesn't even dare to lead troops into battle. He just wants to return to the Khitan center, hold a civil position, find a way to get his wife and daughter back, or directly find a concubine and give birth to a son and a half.
In short, I will never come to Nanjing again.
However, the current situation did not allow him to refuse.
When the herd is in trouble, it is impossible not to save it. With Gao Xun leaving, who else in the military camp has a higher status than him?
Xiao Siwen followed Gao Xun out of the military camp.
At this moment, a harsh bone whistle sounded in the camp.
Bone whistles came and went, resounding throughout the entire camp in an instant.
At this time, they used Khitan's unique communication method.
A communication tool for generals above the level of team commander and special personnel such as scouts and sentries.
As soon as the sentry's bone whistle blows, the generals who hear the whistle will also blow the bone whistle. From person to person, it only takes a few breaths to spread throughout the entire military camp.
Gao Xun and Xiao Siwen's expressions changed drastically. They no longer cared about rescuing the herds, but understood the situation facing the military camp.
The sentry came to the nearby area in panic and reported: "There is an army approaching our army. The smoke and dust cover the sky and the sun cannot be seen clearly. It is estimated that it is at least 30,000."
"Thirty thousand?"
Gao Xun exclaimed and said: "How is it possible? How can there be so many soldiers in the Central Plains? Is it possible that the Guo thief has not left and everything is a ruse?"
Gao Xun, who was in the rear, also had a certain understanding of the battle that started at Sanggan River.
On the north bank of the Sangqian River, the Zhou army had between 50,000 and 60,000 soldiers. The Jingu camp originally had 20,000 soldiers, but some of them were now used to transport food. In Youzhou City, there were almost over 10,000 soldiers and horses.
Where did they get the remaining soldiers?
Xiao Siwen's heart moved, but he remembered an allusion. He had read a piece of unofficial history notes.
It is said that Zhang Fei broke the bridge across the water and used twenty cavalry to attack Cao Cao's troops by dragging tree branches with them.
Is this smoke and dust covering the sky?
Will it be the same?
"I heard..."
Xiao Siwen was about to open his mouth to remind him, but he shut his mouth in an instant. After realizing it, he thought to himself: "If my guess is false, isn't the military camp dangerous? The king went to save the herds. If he loses the military camp, he will be punished.
If you wait, I'm afraid it will endanger your life."
Having said these words, he forced him to take them back: "The people of the Central Plains have always been cunning. Now that the minister in the rear has died of illness, just send the minister back. Why does Guo Thief need to go back in person? It is most likely a false shot. Don't be careless, Mu.
We have lost our army, and if we lose our military stronghold again, I, Daliao, are afraid that we will be buried here as soon as possible."
Gao Xun also felt that it made sense.
They didn't know that Guo Rong was sick, so from the beginning they felt that Guo Rong's withdrawal was inexplicable.
But all clues prove that Guo Rong did retreat south, crossed the Yellow River, and arrived at Chanyuan.
No matter how hard I thought about it, I accepted the situation.
But now something unexpected happened, and Gao Xun couldn't help but contact his superiors and think more about it.
Gao Xun did not dare to rescue rashly, so he could only send scouts to detect the enemy's movements.
Xiao Siwen asked: "Do you need to let your Majesty know about the attack on the herd?"
This question made Gao Xun's heart beat wildly.
The two sides are now fighting a decisive battle near the Sanggan River.
Soldiers versus soldiers versus generals.
In a battle involving nearly 100,000 people, it is impossible to determine the winner in a short period of time.
But if Yelujing is informed of the situation in the rear, the morale of the army will be shaken, and the result will inevitably be the defeat of the Khitan army.
But if you don't tell them, if the enemy really has 30,000 people, you can take advantage of the herds to form your own military base, and then encircle them.
It's a situation where the entire army is annihilated.
Gao Xun sternly ordered: "Everyone be prepared to meet the enemy!"
He does not intend to make judgments before the situation is clear and deal with it in a foolproof way.
But his delay gave Han Lingkun enough time.
Han Lingkun said he was driving the herds to Youzhou, but in fact he was driving them to Xiangshan.
This experienced general in the army was experienced in military affairs. He was worried that the generals in the Khitan army camp would guess that they would drive the herds to Youzhou, or that there would be deserters to report the situation, so he intercepted them on the way and came to build a plank road in the open and secretly visited Chencang.
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Xiangshan is a rare mountain group near Youzhou City, and its terrain is relatively complex.
Even if the Khitan soldiers and horses follow the traces of cattle and sheep, they can set up an ambush on the way and repel the Khitan pursuers.
Sure enough, his consideration was correct.
Through constant testing, Gao Xun finally discovered the true situation of the opponent's "30,000" army.
It’s just a mere three thousand.
Gao Xun was furious and immediately decided to take back his cattle and sheep.
He also knew that he had been delayed for a long time and now it was too late to go to the pasture.
It happened that the news that the Central Plains general was transporting all the cattle and sheep to Youzhou was found out from the mouths of the escaped soldiers.
Gao Xun decisively went straight to the north gate of Youzhou, intending to intercept them first...but no trace of the enemy was found.
Gao Xun initially thought that the Central Plains people were not good at controlling herds, but when he sent people to search, he discovered that Han Lingkun had entered the Xiangshan area.
Gao Xun was filled with resentment and did not dare to pursue further, so he could only return to the camp angrily.