After killing Yelu Lage in the Battle of Baishan Mountain, Uncle Cong took stock of the supplies and then decisively ordered to move towards Yunzhou.
On the morning of September 22, we arrived at Lizhai in the eastern suburbs of Yunzhou.
There were few soldiers in Yunzhou, so the defenders did not dare to attack and could only sit back and watch as their troops approached the city.
In the afternoon of that day, part of the Feilong Army reached the west of the city, and Yunzhou was already facing enemies on both sides.
It is inevitable for people to panic, but there is nothing we can do. The main force is in Yanchang City.
This city is located forty miles north of Yunzhou, on the north bank of Yangshui (silt river).
Tens of thousands of troops from Datong, Youzhou, and Hedong towns attacked day and night. The city wall was in dilapidated condition, but they were never able to capture it.
On this day, Li Siyuan personally climbed the mountain to observe what was going on in the city.
At that time, the north wind was blowing hard, rain and snow were starting to fall, and the weather was getting cold very quickly.
This is the first time that Xia and Jin have fought so late in Daibei.
In recent days, as the Xia army continues to increase its troops, the siege of Yanchang City has gradually stopped, and the army has gradually withdrawn to the south bank of Yangshui. Last night, as the Datong soldiers burned the barracks to deter the pursuers, the last
The troops were also withdrawn, and the siege was effectively over.
In fact, it won’t work if it doesn’t end.
Taking advantage of their large number of troops, the Xia people continued to send cavalry and carried several days of food and grass southward in an attempt to outflank their army. Naturally, the Jin army sent a large number of cavalry to the enemy and drove them away. However, as they fought, their morale was shaken.
inevitable.
This battle can no longer be fought.
According to Li Siyuan's original intention, the Jin army should have retreated to Yunzhou from the moment they learned about the Khitan's retreat. Losing one opportunity was better than being wiped out. But Shi Shanyou disagreed. If he suffered a big loss this time, it would be entirely his fault.
people.
It's a distance of forty miles, how do you want me to retreat? It's impossible without losing a big piece of meat.
There was another sound of fighting on the north bank of the Yangshui River.
Li Siyuan only glanced at it briefly and then lost interest. There have been too many cavalry confrontations in recent times. They are all mutual fighting in a venting style and cannot fundamentally change the situation of the battle.
The wind was getting stronger, and there was also some rain and snow, which made people feel wet and cold.
Li Siyuan went down the mountain and rode back to camp.
In a few days, the light sleet will turn into heavy snow, making it even more difficult to fight.
"Xia troops are approaching from the south." As soon as he entered the camp, Li Siyuan heard the report from his staff.
This man is very young and is from Youzhou. Because he has been an official in Youzhou for many years, Li Siyuan still likes to reward and promote Yan people. Many of his cronies in the army are Yan soldiers and Yan generals.
After the former military judge returned to his hometown in old age, he recommended Feng Dao, whose ancestral home was Yingzhou, to join Li Siyuan. He started as a lower-level staff member, mainly doing clerical work, which was not conspicuous.
But Li Siyuan felt that this man had some abilities, and after several conversations, he promoted him to serve as a judge, handle food and other chores, and also make suggestions.
At this time, Feng Daozai reported to Li Siyuan.
"Tell me carefully." Li Siyuan sat down and said.
"Xia Jiang's uncle Cong, with thousands of people, defeated more than 2,000 Khitan people on Baishan Mountain and killed Yelu Lage." Feng Dao said: "At this time, we have arrived at the foot of Yunzhou City. There are also Feilong Army, among them
About three thousand people have arrived at the west of Yunzhou City. They may march north in the near future and block the return of our army. At the capital, the situation is extremely critical and we cannot delay for even a moment.”…
Li Siyuan silently thought about the geography of the mountains and rivers, then suddenly slapped the table and stood up.
Feng Dao quietly stepped aside. He knew that this was a sign that Li Siyuan was angry, and there was no need to get into trouble.
"Shi Shanyou is harming me!" Li Siyuan said angrily: "We should have withdrawn a long time ago. What are we doing now?"
Feng Dao also recalled the map and felt that Shi Shanyou was really too deceptive. As soon as the Khitan retreated, the Xia army in the direction of Shuozhou was freed up. Even if they were worried that Jin troops would leave Ningwuguan and harass Shanyang again, Ma
The city must be guarded by troops, but a lot of troops can be freed up.
Shishu Cong led his army to capture many towns east of Yunzhou, and now he is advancing westward, showing his combat effectiveness and becoming a major threat.
The main force is suppressing the formation from the front, and there are partial divisions from the sides and rear. Isn't this a common tactic used by Xia thieves?
It is commonly used, and it is indeed easy to use. It works every time and makes you lose your temper.
"This battle cannot be fought." Li Siyuan said, "We have to find a way to withdraw our troops, the sooner the better."
Feng Dao agreed with this view, and then added a little more: "In Dutou, the bandit general Shi Shucong first attacked Yun, Wei, Xin, Yi and other states, and then moved westward. However, the two generals Li Cunxiao and Li Siben in Guizhou did not make any progress.
You must be on guard."
Li Siyuan suddenly looked at Feng Dao, his eyes full of surprise, anger and even murderous intent.
Feng Dao lowered his head slightly and avoided Li Siyuan's gaze.
Li Siyuan looked at him for a long time and then turned away.
Staff have the obligation to remind and inform, and Feng Dao has done it, which can be said to be a competent one. Whether you believe it or not is up to the commander himself, and they cannot be blamed.
Moreover, what he said is also true.
Li Siyuan did not believe that Li Cunxiao would rebel, but he had resentment in his heart and it was possible without much effort. As for Li Siben, he was even more unpredictable and felt that something was wrong.
With this thought, the idea of withdrawing troops became even more determined.
"Will Shi Shanyou also..." Li Siyuan lowered his voice and asked.
Feng Dao hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Shuai Shi just values the foundation too much. Dutou, if you want to retreat, you have to retreat as soon as possible. And you can't retreat towards Yunzhou. Forty miles, you can't retreat."
Going back."
"What's the explanation?" Li Siyuan asked.
"The Xia Feilong Army comes and goes like the wind, and their fighting strength is tyrannical. Now that they have reached the west of the city, they can advance to the north of the city in a moment, dig trenches, and camp. If our army retreats, can we be sure to capture their camp? If they cannot attack for a long time, they will be behind.
What will happen if the main force of the Xia army comes over again?" Feng Dao sighed: "This road seems to be very close. A normal march can reach Yunzhou in less than two days, but it is very dangerous and may not be possible."
Li Siyuan nodded slowly. Then he would have to take another path, and he would have to discard a lot of luggage, and the road would not necessarily be safe, which would still be very troublesome.
"I know it well." Li Siyuan said, "Come on, accompany me to see Shi Shanyou. If this guy is still stubborn, there is nothing I can do about it."
"Yes." Feng Dao responded with his hands raised.
Li Siyuan did what he said and soon led Feng Dao to Shi Shanyou's Datong Army camp.
Shi Shanyou was drinking. When he saw Li Siyuan coming, he was in a bad mood and snorted coldly. It was obvious that the relationship between the two was relatively tense now.
Li Siyuan saw that his nose was not a nose and his face was not his face. He felt very unhappy, but he still said: "Shi Shuai, now is not the time to vent your anger. Tens of thousands of horses must be beaten back. Yanchang is a place of death and cannot be stayed for a long time.
Do you have a charter?”…
Shi Shanyou looked at Li Siyuan, then at Feng Dao, and said, "I already know everything you know. What? Are you trying to persuade me to withdraw my troops again?"
"May I ask Commander Shi, how many people are there in Yunzhou? How many people are there in Yuzhou? Who is in Shuozhou's hands?" Li Siyuan didn't want to make excuses with him anymore, and asked directly: "After this war, what's left?
How much?"
"I know what you mean, there are still a lot of people in Yunzhou..." Shi Shanyou said.
"After this battle, how much is left?" Li Siyuan asked bluntly.
Shi Shanyou was speechless at first, and then got angry. Are you here to see my joke?
"Shi Shuai didn't answer, I'll answer!" Li Siyuan said: "There are not many people left! Thousands of households in total can support the sky. With such a small number of people, what's the point even if they are saved? Shouldn't we rely on Xindai's relief?"
Shi Shanyou's face looked a little unnatural.
Xindai is now Li Siyuan's territory. He takes what others have, uses what they have, and ends up getting angry and quarreling with them. This is indeed a bit outrageous.
"Retreat." Li Siyuan said firmly: "Every extra day you stay will be more dangerous. If you stay any longer, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave. Shishu Cong is a famous general in Liang. He is brave and strategic. He led his army to Yun
The state is not easy to deal with. Why not take advantage of its unstable footing to rush in and kill its army, so that we can escape."
Shi Shanyou sat on the chair, twisting around irritably.
"Retreat or not, Shi Shuai will give you a pleasant word." Li Siyuan pressed.
"Your Majesty ordered us to wait for the trip to the north, but now we have returned without success. Is it appropriate?" Shi Shanyou asked in return.
"Compared with the king's blame, it is more important to retreat smoothly with the soldiers. If all the men of Hedong, who have fought for the rest of their lives, are lost, the king will really blame you and me." Li Siyuan directly refuted Shi Shanyou as being very clumsy and weak.
reason, said.
"It still doesn't work..." Shi Shanyou said with a frown.
"Bang!" Li Siyuan kicked over a mazaar and said angrily: "Shi Shanyou, I have tolerated you for a long time. You are so greedy that you don't know whether to live or die. Your Majesty is really blind when you hand over the Datong Army to your hands - uh..."
Having said this, Li Siyuan's tone was choked.
Words like "blind" are not something you would carelessly say in Hedong. If someone snitches on you, you may not know what will happen. Fortunately, Shi Shanyou is also a rough man, so he didn't say anything and pretended that he didn't hear anything.
"If you don't retreat, I will retreat!" Li Siyuan no longer expected to persuade Shi Shanyou. He only heard him say: "I have sent an envoy to report to the king, with details of the situation of the war in Yunzhou. Your Majesty, Yingrui, will definitely understand my painstaking efforts. Yanchang
I won’t play with you here in the city.”
After saying that, Li Siyuan opened the curtain and left.
When he got outside, the cold wind blew, and his mind became clearer.
"Quickly prepare food, grass, equipment, chariots and horses, and prepare to retreat." Li Siyuan said, "Send scouts to inspect the march route in advance."
The first half of the sentence was addressed to Feng Dao, and the second half was addressed to the general. The two of them accepted the order together.
"Du Tou, you don't know which way to go?" Feng Dao asked softly.
"Go southeast and climb over the mountain." Li Siyuan said: "It is inconvenient for thieves and cavalry to chase in the mountains, which can reduce a lot of trouble. After entering the mountains to escape the pursuers, then go south across the Sanggan River and enter Yuzhou."
Feng Dao understood clearly.
If the Xia thieves were to pursue him, would he follow Li Siyuan over the mountains and ridges, or should he take the plain post road and pursue Shi Shanyou? The answer is obvious.
Du Tou had already fulfilled his obligation to inform and did not leave without saying goodbye. He was not Shi Shanyou's subordinate and there was no need to listen to his orders. There is one theory. In theory, Feng Dao felt that King Jin's arrangement was inappropriate.
Yes, but in reality, it doesn't seem that bad, because Shi Shanyou is already crazy.
After leaving the Datong Army Camp, Li Siyuan summoned all the generals on the spot to discuss and quickly arrange for a retreat. Shi Shanyou, the military commander of the Datong Army, also sighed deeply after a long silence.
The Khitans retreated and were attacked from both sides, so the battle was indeed unwinnable.