That night, a raging flame rose in Dading Mansion.
Under the cover of the fierce flames, the Khitan army began to flee north.
Luo Youdu got the news in his sleep. He didn't even have time to get dressed, so he was wearing a big fur coat.
He was such an alert person. Looking at the fire in the distance, he instantly understood what the other party meant.
The opponent is trying to use Dading Mansion to trap him, making him unable to pursue, or unable to pursue with all his strength.
Luo Youdu had no complaints. When the two armies fought, they used their own methods, no matter whether the strategy was vicious or not.
He was not so naive as to expect his opponents to be merciful and kind-hearted.
But he had no choice. Even though he knew it was a trick, he still had to step on it.
This has nothing to do with the benevolence and righteousness mentioned by Zhao Kuangyi. Luo Youdu was using the banner of benevolence and righteousness, but it was just a means, a way to achieve the goal, and did not really follow stupid benevolence and righteousness.
The reason why Dading Prefecture cannot be left alone is because he needs a stable Dading Prefecture to control Monan, not a ruin.
Due to the turmoil of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the population north of the Yellow River was severely underpopulated.
Why did the Wuhuan incident occur in history?
Is it because of the great turmoil at the end of the Han Dynasty that caused excessive population losses? The Cao, Wei, and Jin dynasties massively moved the Hu people into the north, causing a population imbalance?
The insufficient population in the north will lead to the decline of the imperial court's control over the north, and this decreased control over the north will also affect the imperial court's control over the grasslands.
This series of causal relationships are mutually reinforcing.
Now Han people and Khitan people live together in Dading Prefecture, and the Han people are also used to living in Monan. This is a good model.
If it continues, the Central Plains Dynasty will be able to completely control Monan, and thus control Mobei through Monan.
This is a long-term plan for the future development of the Dayu court.
Dading Mansion was really destroyed, and the people in the city suffered heavy casualties, causing the herdsmen to scatter. The Han people found another way to make a living, and it was not easy to gather again.
Luo Youdu understands this very well.
The population in the north is sparse, which is not conducive to control. In this regard, someone in the Dayu court had already proposed that southerners move north.
The imperial court has also been persuading the people of the recovering Central Plains, as well as Wuyue, Bashu and other places in the south of the Yangtze River that have experienced little war, to move northward, and has also provided many benefits.
There were only a few responses. After all, everything was going well. Who would be willing to leave their hometown when life is worry-free?
That is to say, the overall situation of the world is uncertain, so Luo Youdu tolerated it and did not force it. After the Khitan was destroyed, he would force the people of Bashu to fill the north of Helong, and let the people of the Central Plains and south of the Yangtze fill the east and north of Hebei.
This forced the people to move to Helong, Hedong and Hebei. According to estimates, even if the people were dissatisfied, they would not resist too much. After all, this is the land of China and Jiuzhou. But if we really want to force the people from the south of the Yangtze River in the Central Plains to move to Monan, it will take a minute.
rebel.
Therefore, in the eyes of Luo Youdu, these Han people in Dading Mansion who have adapted to the life in Monan are the supreme treasure.
No matter what, he had to maintain the harmonious life style of Han and Khitan in Dading Prefecture, so that the Khitan people could truly integrate into China and become the people of Dayu.
This is why he asked Zhang Jin to monitor Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong. He needed a complete Dading Mansion.
"Yao Neibin, go and call Yao Neibin!"
Luo Youdu's reaction was not unpleasant, but in the blink of an eye, he had already made a decision and continued: "Let him stop coming and go directly to take over Dading Mansion and appease the people. Remember, all troublemakers will be killed without mercy.
Let him try to contact old friends in the city and grant official positions appropriately without reporting. Let him stabilize the situation and reduce casualties in the shortest possible time."
If there is such turmoil in Dading Mansion, merchants and people will inevitably rush out of the city, so they can directly enter the city to take over.
Yao Neibin, a native of Lulong in Pingzhou, has lived under the rule of the Khitan since he was a child. He has also made great achievements for the Khitan. He once worked as an inspector in Dading Prefecture for several years, and was finally transferred to Waqiao Pass as a customs envoy.
, and thus surrendered to the Central Plains.
Luo Youdu had a certain understanding of the lives of his generals. Yao Neibin grew up in Khitan, was proficient in Khitan and Chinese, and had some old acquaintances in the city. It was most appropriate for him to appease the people.
"Send the order and ask Gao Huaide to immediately go north to pursue the enemies fleeing north. There is no need to go too deep, just harass them. Order Han Lingkun, Shi Shouxin, and Cao Bin to march on the left and right towards the Laoha River until dawn, and sit back and watch the situation."
He did not blindly pursue the Khitans.
It was dark and the road was difficult to travel, so they were far less familiar with the terrain around Dading Prefecture than the Khitan locals.
If you pursue blindly, you will be confused.
Anyway, the Khitan's retreat direction must be north to Linhuang Mansion in Beijing. As long as they go north, there won't be much difference.
At dawn, let's think about the battle again.
Faced with emergencies, the ability of those in power to adapt is increasingly tested.
Under this situation, he had no time to discuss with Fu Yanqing, Lu Duoxun, and Han Wei, so he relied on his own split-second decision.
Order after order was issued from his mouth to everywhere.
The Dayu military camp, which was originally resting at night, followed the orders issued one after another, and tens of thousands of torches gathered together, lighting up the sky, like a scorching sun rising from the ground.
"Your Majesty..." Lu Duoxun and Han Wei rushed over.
Fu Yanqing came a little late due to his old age and lethargy.
When he arrived a little tired, Luo Youdu was already preparing to leave for the north.
"First go to the outside of Dading Mansion to check the situation..."
Luo Youdu said to Fu Yanqing.
In the eyes of many people at this moment, pursuing Yelu Bishe is the top priority at the moment, but in Luo Youdu's heart, stabilizing the situation in Dading Mansion as quickly as possible is the top priority.
Yelvbishe ran away as soon as he could, and he didn't expect to be able to keep them all.
The monks can escape, but the temple cannot escape. When they hit Linhuang Mansion, there will be no place to escape. But if Dading Mansion is destroyed, it will not be so easy to regroup.
Arriving at the south of Dading Mansion, Yao Neibin had already entered Dading Mansion from the south of the city.
Looking towards the city from this distance, there were fires all over the city, and there were shouts of death and exclamations.
The dead soldiers captured by Yelubi to create chaos would not be able to cause much trouble.
But chaos brings out all the evil in human nature.
Especially those bullies and gangsters who usually dominate the city. They know that the girl in the city is smart and know the position of the rich man in the city, so they start to take advantage of the chaos.
Those who have a grudge take revenge, those who have a grudge complain, intercept and kill each other, and create chaos.
"His Majesty!"
Zhang Jin actually walked out from the south of the city at this time. He led two people to Luo Youdu and said, "These two are the Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong you want."
At critical times, in addition to testing the adaptability of those in power, the executive's ability to handle things is also tested.
Zhang Jin learned that there had been changes in Dading Mansion, and immediately contacted Yao Neibin. With his help, he got in touch with the Wude Secret Agent in the city, and then forcibly brought out Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong who Luo Youdu wanted.
Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong were not cooperative along the way.
Zhang Jin used some small tricks, and the two of them looked a little embarrassed at the moment, and their hands were tied.
"Let go!"
Luo Youdu looked at Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong in front of him.
Xing Baopusheng had a square face, big ears, and an aristocratic appearance, which gave people the impression that he was easy to talk to. However, this gentleman was a famous case-solving expert in the history of Khitan, and he could be called the Khitan version of Di Renjie and Bao Qingtian. There were many adult case backlogs in the Liao Dynasty.
He solved all the problems. Especially Brother Yelu Xiu was too kind. When he was governing Youzhou, he showed courtesy beforehand and could not bear heavy punishments. As a result, a gentleman could be bullied and he was seriously imprisoned in Nanjing. Yelu Longxu sent Xing Baopu to Nanjing to assist.
Handled. All suspicious cases that had been accumulated for ten days were settled without any unjust cases, which was highly praised by the people.
As for Zhang Yong, he was an elderly Confucian scholar with a wrinkled face, a turban, and wrinkled clothes, and he was swaying from the cold.
The two were untied, but they were still a little angry when they stood in front of Luo Youdu. Both of them were Khitan officials and had the bad temper of scholars. Facing Luo Youdu, the emperor of the Central Plains of the Southern Dynasties, they did not give any face to Luo Youdu and ignored him completely.
Zhang Jin gave the Wudesi pawn behind him a wink.
The soldier directly stepped on his feet, kicked Xing Baopu to the ground, and said, "Why don't you be polite when you see your majesty?"
Xing Baopu stood up with a sullen face, patted the dust on his body, and remained silent.
Luo Youdu waved his hand and said to the two of them: "I don't care whose ministers you are or who you are loyal to. Now I give you a task to help me appease the people of Dading Mansion. I will ask the soldiers in the city to cooperate with you. It's done.
After that, if you want to leave, I will send you away. If you want to stay, I will remember your merits. If you continue to put on airs, I will kill you. Zhang Jin..."
He called Zhang Jin's name.
Zhang Jin understood this and drew his sword.
Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong looked at each other unexpectedly.
A trace of emotion flashed in Xing Baopu's eyes, and he said first, "I am willing to help your majesty appease the people in the city."
In fact, when Xing Baopu was captured, he was trying to calm the chaotic people.
Xing Baopu's talent had already been proven, and Yelu Bishe retreated first to cover a group of talented people who were useful to the Khitan as they headed north.
Xing Baopu is one of them.
But Xing Baopu escaped and chose to stay.
Xing Baopu served as an official in Dading Prefecture for eight years and had a certain affection for the people in the city.
Yelvbishe used this method to retreat. He could understand it, but he couldn't accept it. He couldn't change everything and could only choose to use his influence to appease the people in the city and minimize the harm to them.
At this time, he was captured by Zhang Jin Wude Si, so he was full of resentment and had no good looks towards anyone.
But seeing that Luo Youdu invited him here for the sake of the people in the city, Xing Baopu was moved and accepted his kindness.
Zhang Yong's situation is a little different from Xing Baopu's. He was abandoned by the Khitan.
As a great scholar like him has a great reputation and has students all over the world, he naturally has no choice but to rely on the old talk and criticize things that he doesn't understand.
During Yelvbishe's reign, he was threatened by the Central Plains and developed armaments and expanded the army.
All of this requires money.
Therefore, the taxes in Khitan were very heavy and the people's life was not good.
Zhang Yong frequently called Yelu Bishe a tyrant.
If it weren't for Zhang Yong's high prestige and too many students, Yelu Bishe would have wanted to get rid of him long ago.
People like Zhang Yong are a bit disgusting with their mouths, but his virtue is unquestionable. When he was captured, he also planned to mobilize his own connections and find ways to stabilize the situation in Dading Mansion.
He regards teaching and educating people as his own duty, and has no intention of becoming an official. At this moment, he bowed seriously and said: "I am also willing to help your majesty to stabilize the chaos in the city."
"Okay!" Luo Youdu knew that at this critical moment, their thousands of words could not compare to the words of Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong, which gave them great power, and said: "Take them to see Yao Neibin
, ask Yao Neibin to cooperate with them."
Xing Baopu has a high status in the hearts of the people, just like Master Qingtian, and the people are willing to listen to his words.
And Zhang Yong had great prestige among the scholars and gentry in the city.
When they heard that Zhang Yong had contacted the Emperor of the Central Plains and was working for him, they were all like chicken blood, hoping to show off in front of the new master and rely on their past influence to make the people in the city obey orders.
This solved the basis for the expansion of unrest, and the remaining sources of trouble became obvious.
The turmoil in Dading Mansion, thanks to the help of Xing Baopu and Zhang Yong, stabilized at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Seeing that the situation in Dading Mansion had improved, Luo Youdu gave up the idea of going into the city to stabilize the situation himself, and said to those around him: "Let's go to the north of the city!"
He originally planned that if Yao Neibin could not control the situation, he would personally go to the city to meet with the city's wealthy gentry, elders, and remaining officials to stabilize the situation.
Now that Dading Mansion no longer needed him to take action personally, he diverted to the north of the city, where he could take care of the situation of Dading Mansion and the pursuing troops at the same time.
Arriving in the north of the city, Luo Youdu received the first frontline report sent by Gao Huaide.
The messenger led the war horse, performed a military salute, and said: "Your Majesty, Marshal Ma asked his subordinates to report to Your Majesty that he caught up with the enemy twenty miles north of the city and fought with them. It was discovered that the Khitan did not retreat urgently, but instead used infantry to retreat.
He left behind the palace slowly with the intention of luring the enemy, which is likely to provoke our army to go deep into a fierce battle."
Luo Youdu blinked, looked at Fu Yanqing behind him and said: "The other party is not retreating, but wants to fight our army decisively?"
At this point, Fu Yanqing also figured out the key and said in a deep voice: "What a good plan. Starting by burning down Dading Mansion. On the surface, it is to create chaos and cover for my retreat. In fact, it is to trap some of my troops.
The other party must have seen the shortcomings of our army's fatigue and frostbite due to climate problems, and also saw through our intention not to let them retreat calmly, so they specially set up a battle..." He took a breath and said: "
Thanks to His Majesty's caution, he did not pursue a hasty pursuit, but chose to let Marshal Ma pester him and planned to fight again at dawn. If we were really eager to win and plunged in, the consequences would be disastrous."
He said in admiration: "I never thought that besides Yelu Wuzhi, there are such talented people in Khitan."
Lu Duoxun reminded: "Commander Yao may not be able to spare anyone, and only Commander Liu's Divine Guards are available, but the Divine Guards are too heavily armored and not suitable for pursuit. In the winter, wearing fifty
The Laijin Armor operation lasted a night, and I'm afraid we won't have much combat power by tomorrow. We only have 30,000 cavalry at our disposal, and the other party's preliminary estimate is that there are at least 60,000 more. Counting the private armed forces of the nobles who ran with them, we only have 30,000 cavalry.