novelAbuy Chapter 121 Clever Words to Cut the Yan and Yun
Chapter 121 Clever Words to Cut the Yan and Yun
Gao Xingzhou still didn't get to see his family. Once the situation around Luzhou stabilized, he returned to the front-line army.
During the more than half a month he was away, there was not much progress in the battle, and the imperial army continued to besiege Taiyuan.
When Gao Xingzhou brought back news of the suppression of the rebellion in Yedu, and learned that the Hebei troops would arrive soon, the generals were greatly encouraged.
"The weather was not cooperating, and the long siege could not be closed. Many people were sent out of Taiyuan City."
Zhang Jingda was no mediocre general, and he could easily have imagined that Shi Jingtang had sent an envoy to seek help from the Khitan.
"Why not send a cavalry unit to patrol and capture animals at Hubei Pass? In case the Khitan army comes, we can report back in time."
Fu Yanqing offered his advice.
This Hubeikou is not the Hubeikou of the Great Wall of Jizhou, but a narrow terrain fifty miles north of Taiyuan City, on the banks of the Huyu River.
To the east of the area is the Fen River, and further north is the Yumen River. These three rivers, along with the rolling mountains to the west, divide the already limited area into a small section.
With troops stationed here, even a Khitan army of tens of thousands could not easily sneak past.
Zhang Jingda was no mediocre general and did not underestimate the Khitan cavalry's ability to launch surprise attacks and maneuver. The Khitan army would surely come from the north, and once they discovered the enemy's movements, they would quickly report back, allowing their own army to prepare and calmly meet the enemy.
He immediately ordered: "Deploy 1,000 cavalry from the Zhangsheng Army to garrison the Hubei Pass!"
Gao Xingzhou had no objection to Zhang Jingda's deployment, but he was not entirely at ease with the assigned troops.
"How about I lead the northern cavalry?"
Fu Yanqing noticed Gao Xingzhou's unease and volunteered to take on the task.
Once Zhang Jingda issued the military order, how could he easily change it? His face darkened: "Lord Fu, do you believe that the cavalry in the northern camp are more valiant than His Majesty's personal guards?"
He glanced at Gao Xingzhou: "Or is it that Grand Tutor Gao is unhappy with me transferring your troops?"
"This humble general dares not!"
"Gao had no such intention."
"Alright, let's proceed according to plan."
Just one day later, scouts reported that Zhang Wandi, the commander of Zhangsheng who had been sent to Hubeikou, had defected to Taiyuan with 500 cavalrymen.
……
The surrendered soldiers from various units, including An Shenxin, An Yuanxin, An Chongrong, and Zhang Wandi, numbered in the hundreds or thousands. Shi Jingtang appointed Liu Zhiyuan as the commander-in-chief of the troops, and they all fell under his command.
Shi Jingtang was worried about the battle situation, so he personally climbed the city wall and lay down under arrows and stones. Liu Zhiyuan advised him: "Looking at Zhang Jingda and his ilk, they have built high walls and deep trenches. They want to make a long-term plan, but they have no other clever strategies. They are not worth worrying about."
"I wish Your Excellency would travel far and wide as an envoy to manage foreign affairs. Defending a city is extremely easy, but Zhiyuan alone is capable of doing so."
He could hear the slight sarcasm in his top confidant's tone, and knew that he was still resentful about the generous bribes to the Khitans, and that the knot in his heart had not been untied.
Shi Jingtang took his hand, patted his back, and said, "Zhiyuan, do you think I did something wrong?"
"How dare I question Your Excellency's decision, but..."
Shi Jingtang picked up the conversation: "It's just ceding the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and serving the Khitan ruler as a father, isn't that too humble?"
Since his lord had spoken frankly, Liu Zhiyuan did not hide his true thoughts: "Indeed, I believe that submitting to the emperor is sufficient, but treating him as a father would be too much. We should bribe him with gold and silk, which will be enough to attract his troops. There is no need to offer him land, lest he become a great scourge to China in the future, and we will regret it too late."
"Come and see."
Shi Jingtang pointed to the area below the city. The punitive army was like a dark swarm of ants. The breathing, whispers, footsteps, hoofbeats, clashing weapons, and fluttering banners of tens of thousands of people blended into an unsettling, low noise that hummed incessantly.
"Even if we repel this current offensive, with just one town against an entire nation, Li Congke will quickly bring in a steady stream of troops from elsewhere. Zhiyuan, you say defending the city is easy, and it's possible to hold it for a long time?"
Liu Zhiyuan was knowledgeable about military affairs and was unwilling to say anything against his conscience.
"Two years ago, Li Congke was in the same desperate situation as I am now. He moved the troops by climbing the city wall and crying bitterly. I could never do what he did. It would be really unsightly for a seven-foot-tall man to have tears in his eyes."
Shi Jingtang feigned nonchalance, making a sarcastic remark about his former colleague, before asking seriously, "If the Khitan ruler only sends twenty or thirty thousand cavalry to aid us, can they withstand the imperial army?"
Liu Zhiyuan remained silent. If the Khitan did not mobilize all their elite troops, their fate would most likely be the same as the Battle of Dingzhou a few years ago—a pointless death.
"Our lives, our success or failure, rest on the whim of the Khitan ruler. If we do not offer him substantial benefits and humble words, how can we salvage our current situation? Moreover, if I can bribe him with gold and silk, the court can do the same. How can the wealth of Jinyang compare to his?"
Shi Jingtang analyzed the current situation: "In Yedu, Zhang Lingzhao can't hold out for long; he'll be suppressed by the court sooner or later. Once the troops from the various Hebei garrisons arrive, and Zhao Dejun's Youyan army joins in, even though Jinyang is heavily fortified, who can guarantee its safety?"
Liu Zhiyuan was speechless. The expeditionary force was insufficient, which was why they had not launched a large-scale attack on the city. Once the troops from Hebei and Youyan arrived and launched a strong attack with more than 100,000 men, the intensity of the battle and the casualties would increase several times over.
At that time, the two of them would no longer be able to chat so leisurely.
Liu Zhiyuan still had questions: "All warfare is based on deception. It wouldn't be wrong to offer Zhao Dejun's Youyan region as a gift to shift the focus of our attack, but why also offer up the prefectures and counties behind Daibei Mountain?"
Seeing that his confidant's tone had softened, Shi Jingtang explained, "The Khitan reinforcements are heading south. The five prefectures of Yun, Ying, Shuo, Huan, and Wei are either on their only route or threaten their rear. Even if I didn't mention it, they would still be their targets."
"The Khitan army's attack on Sha Yanxun, Yin Hui, and An Shuqian can indeed relieve the pressure on Taiyuan City."
From a military perspective, Liu Zhiyuan could barely accept this argument.
However, he vaguely felt that "enemy defense zone" and "object of cession" were not necessarily the same thing. Even if the Khitan army conquered these states, they could simply pay more money to redeem them from Yelü Deguang after the matter was settled.
Once ceded, it would no longer belong to China in terms of status.
"And what did Wesejun say?"
"Zhai Zhang, that tiger-like fool, is in charge of the Weisai Army. He is also a pawn sent by Li Congke to deal with us. We might as well take advantage of the Khitan to deal with him."
Shi Jingtang explained his reasons for choosing the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, but Liu Zhiyuan remained depressed.
As a result, the Great Wall, stretching for over a thousand miles from Lulong Pass in the east to Yunzhong County in the west, was shared with the Khitans. The natural barrier separating the Chinese and the barbarians was completely destroyed, and the heartland of Hebei and important towns in Hedong were all exposed to the iron hooves of the northern frontier.
"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. With the Yanmen Pass firmly in our grasp, we can still keep the Khitans out of Hedong."
Shi Jingtang further persuaded him, "Zhiyuan, you have always been decisive. When you are in dire straits both internally and externally, the only way to win a chance of survival is to take a desperate gamble and offer a bargain that the Khitan ruler cannot refuse and that Zhao Dejun cannot match."
Liu Zhiyuan's attitude softened slightly: "To cede large swathes of northern territory and have millions of Han people submit to the Khitans is something I wouldn't even dare to think about. Besides, Yelü Deguang is ten years younger than you, my lord. How could I possibly kneel and call him 'father'..."
"Alas, if I had any other choice, would I really want to?"
Seeing that his chief confidant was already wavering, Shi Jingtang sighed deeply.
"You have followed me through thick and thin for over twenty years, so you should know that I, Shi, am not a traitor seeking personal gain. But in this time of crisis and survival, what other good plan is there? If so, I will certainly follow it."
"If I act impulsively out of a moment's pride, refusing to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, how could I bear to see tens of thousands of soldiers and over a hundred thousand civilians in Taiyuan perish?"
Shi Jingtang emphasized, appealing to their emotions: "Zhiyuan, your wife, Li, and your three sons are all in Taiyuan City. I remember your eldest son is only fifteen, your second son is only six, and your youngest son was born not long ago. If the city falls, how will you survive?"
He became so emotional that he couldn't help but shed two tears: "My two sons are in the capital now, and I'm afraid they can't be saved."
Seeing that his lord had spoken to such an extent, Liu Zhiyuan could no longer insist on his own opinion.
As Shi Jingtang said, he had followed him for more than 20 years and had long shared life and death, honor and disgrace. Even if he did not agree with his lord's actions, he could only follow him to the bitter end.
……
Meanwhile, a humble yet generous petition was laid out on Yelü Deguang's desk.
He tried to keep his expression still, but couldn't help leaning forward, wanting to read the text a few more times, even though the Han official had just read and explained it to him.
"Send it to the Empress Dowager and ask her to make a decision."
Yelü Deguang spoke in a calm and even tone. Only those very close to him knew that he had been suppressing his excitement when he hunted the bear and tiger, and on the night he forcibly took his brother and sister-in-law. That was why he spoke like this.
Looking down at the back of Sang Weihan's head, who was prostrate at his feet, Yelü Deguang couldn't help but sigh at the depths of human depravity. It was truly unpredictable. The territory he had always thought of conquering by force had unexpectedly been handed over by someone.
May the Emperor bless us! Our nation's destiny is about to arrive, and our Khitan shall surely prosper!
A young eunuch ran over quickly. Yelü Deguang recognized him as Han Kuangsi, the third son of Han Zhigu, a Han official, who served Shulü Ping in Changning Palace.
Han Kuangsi approached and conveyed Lü Ping's oral instruction: "It is permitted!"
Yelü Deguang was overjoyed: "Now that the Empress Dowager has given her approval, this matter is definitely feasible. You may rise."
The fourth day of the eighth lunar month, the day of Wu-Wu.
The Khitan sent an envoy named Moli to the court to continue communicating with the court, thus concealing their strategic intentions.
The fifth day of the eighth lunar month, the day of Jiwei.
Yelü Deguang sent Xiao Xiali to inform the army in Hedong of the upcoming battle, agreeing to mobilize the entire nation to provide aid by mid-autumn.