There was a deathly silence in the golden tent. Yelu Zongzhen's eyes were in a daze and he didn't know where to look, and he didn't know whether the expression on his face was anger or sadness.
"Your Majesty, all the generals are here, Your Majesty," the veteran Zhang Jian coughed and whispered.
Zhang Jian was a veteran of two dynasties, and was the chief supporter of Yelu Zongzhen's ascension to the throne. He was named Zhenliang, Hongjing, Baoyi, Jiede, Taishi, Zhongshuling, Jiashanfu, and a series of other official positions and titles, which can be said to be
He is a highly respected person, and he is the only one who dares to ask for help at this time.
Yelu Zong really came back to his senses, sat up straight, his expression returned to dignity, and he spoke in a hoarse voice: "My dear friends, before you entered the tent, did you see the 100,000 human ears outside the tent?"
The ministers nodded one after another, casting doubtful eyes on Yelu Zongzhen's face.[
"Those are the ears of the more than 50,000 soldiers of our forward army. Just last night, the forward army led by King Xiao Hui of Han was attacked by 150,000 Xia troops in the wilderness twenty miles north of Ketun City. The entire army was completely wiped out.
Mo and Xiao Hui fought their way out of the siege and escaped with their lives!" Yelvzong could not hide his anger, and his voice was trembling.
The ministers immediately started uproaring like a pot. The news was like a thunder exploding above their heads. Some of the ministers were shocked, some panicked, and some even started to cry sadly.
Yelu Zongzhen sighed deeply and said: "I came with an army of 220,000 troops, and actually 60,000 cavalry were annihilated in the first battle. How will this attack on Xia end? It is really difficult for me to make a decision, so I summoned all the generals and ministers here.
We are discussing countermeasures, I don’t know if this is the best time to attack Xia Kingdom.”
The ministers and generals began to discuss it one after another. After a while, someone came out and reported: "Your Majesty, Yelu Qi, just reported this."
Everyone stopped talking and looked at Yelu Qicai. This person was the deputy envoy of the Northern Privy Council, and his official position was second only to Xiao Hui. Although he was a scholar, he had written extensively on military affairs, so he was promoted to deputy minister of the Northern Privy Council.
The envoy is the famous man in front of the emperor.
"I believe that King Xiao's defeat was not his fault. It was obvious that the Xia people were on guard. According to pre-war reports, it was learned that 300,000 troops of the Xia Kingdom were concentrated in southern Xinjiang. The total number of troops north of Dingzhou was insufficient.
Eighty thousand people. If there is really a 150,000-strong army attacking King Xiao's forward army this time, it is obvious that the Xia army is well prepared. Under this situation, I suggest that it is better to retreat immediately. If the Xia Kingdom is prepared,
If you go south, you may suffer greater trauma, so please give a clear judgment."
All the ministers nodded, and what Yelu Qi said made sense. It was unbelievable that the Xia army had so many troops.
"Your Majesty, I agree with the Deputy Privy Councilor's statement. In addition, I have some doubts. In just one month, even if it recruits all its troops and horses, it is difficult for the Xia Kingdom to gather so many troops and horses, and King Xiao's tent is full of capable people.
Fighting with good soldiers, even if the Xia people recruit soldiers and horses, but do not train them, although the number of King Xiao's forward troops is inferior, they will not be defeated so completely." A Han minister also came out to report, this person is
Liu Zixun, the Minister of Nanyuan, said that in the Liao Kingdom, Nanya was a place where Han people concentrated their posts, and Nanya did not have the power to control the army. However, Xingzong of Liao also valued the Han ministers in Nanya very much, and he also brought many Han people with him during this expedition.
The ministers followed and made suggestions.
Yelu Zongzhen frowned and thought hard. Logically speaking, the Song people launched a fierce attack in Huizhou and Youzhou. The main force of the Xia people should be contained. Where did so many Xia troops come from? Could the previous intelligence be wrong?
?The Xia Kingdom is actually not as weak as the intelligence indicates? If that is the case, it is entirely possible for the Xia army to split up on both sides to resist the attack. In comparison, if the forces are equal, the terrain in the north is better at cavalry.
, which means that the Xia people are more comfortable fighting with their own cavalry; on the contrary, the southern Song people are good at using equipment to attack cities. Compared with the two, it is not that the Song people are restraining the main force of the Xia Kingdom for the Liao Dynasty, but that they are doing it for the Song people.
It's time to make wedding clothes; if the Song Dynasty captured Xingqing Mansion before the Liao Dynasty, what's the point of fighting this battle?
"Your Majesty, what the gentlemen said makes sense. The original strategy was to attack the enemy's emptiness. With the Song Dynasty as a check, the main force of the Jiaoxia Kingdom could not come for reinforcements, and they quickly attacked south to capture the enemy's capital, Xingqing Mansion. Now it seems that even if
Without more Xia troops stationed, the 150,000 troops that have already appeared are already very difficult. It seems that the strategy must be reevaluated and we must not rush in." Zhang Jian said.
Yelu Zong was really silent and had some difficulty making a decision.
Suddenly, an arrogant and loud voice rang out from outside the tent. Along with the thumping of footsteps, a tall figure with bright silver armor and a red cloak strode over. His tone was full of disdain: "It's a joke, it's just a defeat."
, are you scared out of your wits?"
Everyone knew who had arrived without looking, just by listening to the voice. This person was the emperor's younger brother Yelu Zhongyuan, who led an army of 70,000 men as the flank and the commander of the southward marching army on the left side of the forward army.
"Boji, why are you here? Didn't I want you to stay where you are? Once the front army was defeated, your 70,000-strong army has now become the most advanced army. Why don't you stay in the army?"
"Brother Imperial, I have to come. I can guess that there will be a group of people who are afraid of death to dissuade the emperor from continuing to attack. Xiao Hui's arrogance was taken advantage of by the Xia people, but this defeat alone scared him out of his courage.
We have withdrawn our troops. Is this still the style of Daliao? Is it possible that more than 50,000 warriors died in vain? If we withdraw now, how will we get along with the Xia Kingdom in the future? This matter will become a shame for our Daliao and will be branded forever.
It is in the face of our Daliao soldiers and civilians, so instead of retreating, we must attack the Xia people even more severely in order to regain this face." Yelu Chongyuan waved his arms impassionedly.
The ministers knew that Yelu Chongyuan was not to be trifled with. The Khitan officials in the Northern and Southern Councils and the Han officials all hid when they saw the emperor's younger brother, because not only was this person arrogant and domineering, but more importantly, the emperor treated him badly.
She loves him very much and never punishes him when he makes mistakes. Of course, everyone knows the reason for this.
The current sage, Yelv Zongzhen, is the eldest son of the late Emperor Shengzong of Liao Dynasty, but he is not the biological son of the Queen of Shengzong, Xiao Bodhisattva. His mother is just a palace maid with a rather low status. The queen gave birth to Yelv Zongzhen, so Yelv Zongzhen was adopted and raised by the queen.
But after the death of Shengzong, his biological mother Xiao Yujin became the regent. However, she felt resentful because Yelu Zong was really unwilling to follow her advice and killed her adoptive mother Xiao Bodhisattva, and even plotted to raise her youngest son Yelu Zhongyuan.
As the emperor, he wanted to depose Yelu Zongzhen from the throne.
Yelu Zhongyuan was only twelve years old at the time. Perhaps he was fooled by the small favors his brother Yelu Zongzhen usually gave him. He actually informed his brother Yelu Zongzhen about the matter. Of course Liao Xingzong was furious and immediately deposed his biological mother Xiao Yu.
Jin went to Qingling to guard the mausoleum. In order to express his gratitude, Xingzong immediately named Chongyuan the emperor's younger brother. When he was drunk, he promised to pass the throne to him after his death, and he was extremely favored to him.
When Yelu Chongyuan became an adult, I don't know if he regretted his decision that day, but as the emperor's younger brother, he seemed to regard himself as the future successor to the throne, and his actions and words were quite outrageous, but the emperor never blamed him.
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After the emperor's brother scolded him, all the ministers were naturally willing to provoke him and just stared at him waiting for the emperor to speak.
Zhang Jian cupped his hands and said: "Well... Your Highness, you can't say that. The outcome of the war between the two countries is related to the safety of the country and the country. It is a matter of great importance. How can you abandon your roots easily just because of the size of your face? A small amount of tolerance will lead to chaos.
Da Mou, if the main force of the Xia people is really in the north and our army rushes forward easily, once defeated and all the elites are lost, won't it give the Xia people a chance to take advantage of the situation? By then we will be in a passive position. Although the 60,000-strong army will be killed or injured,
It’s a bit unclear, but it’s a blessing in disguise, and a timely retreat may bring greater benefits.”
"Teacher Zhang, Lord Shangfu, you are getting old, and your courage has been tempered to the point that no trace of courage is left. Your Highness does not understand anything about 'a small impatience will ruin a big plan', a blessing in disguise, and so on. Those nagging people of the Han people
The principle doesn't work for me at all. To sum it up, it's just like covering your face and shrinking back like a poor little lamb after being slapped. How can I, a Khitan from Daliao, tolerate such humiliation? After retreating from the army,
What's the benefit? I don't see any benefit except humiliation."
Zhang Jian's old face turned red and his beard flew up as he said: "Your Highness, after the troops retreat, the pressure in the north of the Xia Kingdom will be reduced. However, the Song people in the south are attacking urgently. The Xia people will definitely send troops south to rescue them. At that time, it is not a bad idea to advance with troops."
It's not a good idea. One step forward and one step back is the way to strategize. It's not the best way to fight head on."
Yelu Zhongyuan laughed loudly, pointed at Zhang Jian and said to the people around him: "Listen, Mr. Zhang is talking about the art of war. He is also strategizing in and out. His face is swollen, so what are you talking about?
Planning a strategy? Let me tell you, it was entirely the luck of the Xia people to meet Xiao Hui this time. If they had met His Highness, even with an additional 150,000, my soldiers would have defeated them."
The ministers clicked their tongues, and someone murmured secretly: "I'm not afraid of the strong wind blowing my tongue."
Yelu Chongyuan had a very good ear and immediately pointed at the ministers and shouted: "Who said that? If you have the ability, say it to your face!"
Zhang Jian and other senior ministers shook their heads and smacked their lips, and Yelu Zongzhen couldn't stand it any longer. He shouted in a low voice: "Bo Ji, please restrain yourself. We are all important ministers of the Liao Dynasty, so we must not be overly polite."
Yelu Zong really spoke, but Yelu Chongyuan did not dare to contradict him. He only said: "Please give the imperial brother an order, and use my younger brother as the vanguard. My younger brother will flatten the northern part of Xia Kingdom for you and go straight to Xingqing Mansion! I still have a large army.
170,000, why are you afraid of him? The Xia army can't even eat enough, how can a bunch of rabble resist? The 100,000 ears outside the tent are a naked humiliation. If you can bear this, how can you be worthy of the dead soldiers?