In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

In early August, the north wind howled, the northwest was vast, and the Song army was unstoppable in the midst of the flames of war.

On the sixth day, the Song army arrived at Lanzhou City.

On the same day, the commander of the front army, Jingtai, sent the vanguard Jia Kui to break through the river mouth, and launched a series of surprise attacks, seizing eleven camps and thirty-three fortresses of the Xia army, destroying more than 10,000 enemies, and capturing countless supplies.

Many Xixia defenders suffered heavy losses, and only about 6,000 remnants of more than 10,000 people remained. They either fled north to Zhuolao City or west to Miaochuan Village.

After occupying the river mouth, the Song army set up camp on the spot, lived in the tents of the Xixia people, used their supplies, and even occupied the north bank, controlling the junction of the Zhuanglang River and the Yellow River.

It can be said that the Song army was extremely arrogant.

On the seventh day, the Song army where Jingtai was located arrived at the river mouth.

The main force led by Zhang Kang also entered Lanzhou. The Song army's actions were not hindered at all. Li Yuanhao's arrangement to stop the Song army did not work at all.

But Li Yuanhao did not expect the Xixia army at the river mouth to stop the Song army for how long. What he never expected was that it was only half a day.

In his plan, it should be blocked for three or four days at least.

It's too outrageous.

In Miaochuan City, Li Yuanhao listened expressionlessly to the scouts who escaped back first and reported the situation. There seemed to be no emotional fluctuations on his face.

But his heart was already in turmoil.

With only 3,000 people, even the main force of the front army behind the Song army had not arrived yet, and the more than 10,000 people he arranged at the river mouth were defeated.

Such a speed was far beyond his imagination.

Because in Li Yuanhao's cognition, no matter how powerful the Song army was, they would have to transport artillery.

Even if it was not a large artillery, but a small steel cannon weighing more than 200 kilograms.

But the other side did not use artillery at all. Relying on the muskets he had seen before, they completely suppressed the Xixia soldiers, which greatly exceeded his expectations.

Unlike the Liao Kingdom, Xixia had not yet started to study muskets. They had not yet fully studied artillery, let alone firearms.

Although they had seen the power of muskets and knew that the Song army had such things.

However, Xixia's national strength was so small that it had no ability to deeply understand muskets, so Li Yuanhao greatly underestimated the combat effectiveness of muskets.

Or it should be underestimated the progress of the Song army in developing firearms.

After all, when the muskets first appeared, the muskets at that time were not as well designed as they are now, and the range and power were also a little smaller than they are now.

So in this case, Li Yuanhao did not realize how vulnerable his arrangement was.

"Your Majesty, we have deployed so many troops at the river mouth in the hope of blocking the offensive of the Song army first, at least for a few days, and then blocking it under the city, but now it seems that it is afraid."

The general next to him, Ye Li Wangrong, hesitated: "Should we withdraw the military camps placed on the mountains and concentrate them all in the city?"

Huangzhou Miaochuan City is actually the Ledu District of Haidong City in the future. The terrain here is relatively flat, and the high mountains on the north and south sides are more than ten kilometers away. Even if the Song army deploys artillery on the mountains, it cannot enter the city.

There is only a small hilly area in the north, which is located almost near the North Gate Road in the north of the Ledu District in the future, about one kilometer away from the city.

If it were in the past, this place would definitely have no value, but in the artillery era, if the Song army deployed artillery on the mountain, it would pose a great threat to the city, so Li Yuanhao deployed military camps here early to achieve a mutual clamping effect with the city.

In theory, Ye Li Wangrong is also a veteran, and it is impossible for him not to know this.

But he knew that with the posture of the Song army in the field battle, this military camp might not be able to play its role at all.

It might even be quickly destroyed by the Song army.

So Yeli Wangrong thought it was unnecessary to make fearless casualties, and it was better to concentrate the forces in the city.

As for whether the Song army would occupy this hill to bomb the city.

Don't forget that they also have artillery.

"No, if the troops outside the city are withdrawn, then we will only rely on the city, which is not good for us."

Li Yuanhao pondered for a moment and said: "Let all the remnants who retreated go to the Beishan camp to defend, and then concentrate half of the artillery in the city on the north wall."

"This"

Yeli Wangrong immediately understood what he meant.

If there were no defenders outside the city, the Song army would directly surround Miaochuan City and attack.

Although they had artillery in the city, they were far inferior to those of the Song army in terms of quantity and performance.

But if there were troops outside the city, it would be different. In order to prevent being attacked from both sides, the Song army would inevitably remove the nails outside the city before attacking the city.

The city can first use artillery to attack the Song army's troops attacking the military camp outside the city.

In this way, it will definitely delay a lot of time.

But this means that the army outside the city has become a discarded pawn, and there is almost no possibility of survival at that time.

This made Yeli Wangrong hesitate.

Seeing his hesitation, Li Yuanhao sent out his soul to ask back: "Kindness does not lead the army. This is a truth that the Han people understood thousands of years ago. Don't you understand it?"

"Yes."

As a general, Yeli Wangrong naturally understood this truth. He collected his mind and said that he knew it.

"This place is handed over to you. The task I give you is one month."

Li Yuanhao said lightly: "Hold on for one month, then withdraw from Miaochuan and go to Qingtang. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I will not retreat, even if I die, I will never give in."

Yeli Wangrong nodded firmly.

He knew that the king was going to do something big now.

The Song Dynasty was too powerful.

They had no way and no possibility to attack the Song Dynasty's homeland from the south.

So they could only choose to make a feint to the east and attack the west, avoiding the real and attacking the fake.

For this plan, even if there are sacrifices, it is inevitable.

Otherwise, one day, the powerful Song Dynasty will easily crush Xixia and take the land they depend on for survival.

In the afternoon, Li Yuanhao left Miaochuan City with only a few hundred light cavalry and went north through the Qilian Mountains to return to Xixia.

There have been small paths here since ancient times. In the Battle of Gezong River in the first year of Jingyou in history, Li Yuanhao led his army across the mountains in this area, almost destroying Qingtang and giving Zuo Silu an opportunity to defeat him.

In later generations, this small path became the Zhanian Highway, connecting the G341 National Highway, that is, the Gangqing Highway directly to Tianzhu County.

Li Yuanhao would then return to Xixia through this path, and then head east to lead his main army to fight a decisive battle with the Song army's feint attack troops.

Even if it was just a small victory.

As long as he broke the myth of the Song army's growing strength in recent years, he would still be able to boost the morale of the Great Xia army and cooperate with the Liao Kingdom in a decisive battle with the Great Song on the border.

"Yelü Zongzhen should have already started to act by now. If he is not stupid, he should understand that this is the last chance."

"Song State has become more and more powerful. In the past, when there were conflicts on the border, Daxia always had the upper hand. Only dozens of warriors of our tribe could chase hundreds of Song troops."

"Now they only have two or three thousand people, and they can kill more than 10,000 warriors of our tribe."

"Before that, even the once powerful Liao State had been defeated. If the stalemate continues, sooner or later Song State will annex all of Liaoxia."

"So we all understand that we have to fight to the death this year!"

Li Yuanhao rode on horseback, with a white cloak fluttering behind him, standing on a hillside. He turned his head to look at the distant Miaochuan City in the south, his face wooden, and then turned his horse's head and went north.

Whether Xixia lives or dies depends on this battle.

And just as Li Yuanhao was implementing his plan step by step,

At this moment, far away in the northeast, on the land of Liao, Yelu Zongzhen was also mobilizing a large army.

Unlike the Xixia army, which was mainly composed of the Dangxiang people, the Liao Kingdom was based on the Khitan people, and then coerced a large number of other ethnic groups to form a vanguard army to serve as cannon fodder.

The Jurchens of the Jin Dynasty and the Mongols of Mongolia were originally subordinate tribes of the Liao Kingdom, and only rose up to devour their masters after they became strong.

This set of tactics has been used to this day.

After Yelu Zongzhen arrived at Liaoyang Prefecture, the eastern capital of the Liao Kingdom, the first thing he did was to deter Liaodong.

He reused Wanyan Aguda's grandfather Wanyan Wugunai, and used the strategy he provided to eliminate the opposition leader of the Jurchen tribe, Wanyan Shixian, and quelled the possible Jurchen civil strife.

Moreover, he found that Wanyan Wugunai's strategy was quite useful, so he used the same method to force the leaders of the Bohai, Shiwei, Wimo, Mohe and other tribes to meet him.

There were hundreds of tribes of various ethnic groups, and the Liao Kingdom controlled the large tribes of various ethnic groups, and then controlled the small and medium tribes through the large tribes.

Many leaders of large tribes were forced to go to Liaoyang Prefecture, and in the face of the power of the Liao Kingdom, they finally had to continue to choose to surrender.

In this way, Yelu Zongzhen easily suppressed the northeastern region, which was originally somewhat restless and slightly dissatisfied with the Liao Kingdom and rebelled.

After temporarily pacifying Liaodong, Yelu Zongzhen began to organize troops to invade Goryeo in the south.

He ordered the army composed of Jurchen, Wimo, Bohai and other tribes as the vanguard to start the attack on Goryeo, and he led the main army, brought food and supplies, and set off from the rear.

In mid-August, Xiao Ying, the general of the Liao Kingdom, who stayed in Tokyo Liaoyang Prefecture, led the various tribes and arrived in Baozhou, which was the area of ​​Sinuiju in later Korea.

Because the border between Liao and Goryeo during the Song Dynasty was not bounded by the Yalu River, but from Sinuiju to Anzhou City and Hamhung City in North Korea, Goryeo naturally lost a barrier.

However, it is precisely because of this that Goryeo has built the Great Wall on the border over the years, sending envoys to the Liao Kingdom to pay tribute while secretly guarding against it.

So when the Liao army went south, the two sides fought fiercely in Dangwan, Yanzhou and other places on the border.

At first, Goryeo barely repelled several tentative attacks from the Liao Kingdom, but as the battle expanded and a large number of border tribes poured in, the border defenders began to be unable to resist and slowly retreated to Guizhou.

Guizhou has a complex terrain, high walls and thick walls. In the early years, the Liao Kingdom conquered Goryeo. The Goryeo army won a great victory in Guizhou under the command of Jiang Hanzan, the commander-in-chief of the northwest camp, and severely damaged the Khitan army. Therefore, Jiang Hanzan was also regarded as a national hero of Goryeo.

But unfortunately, Jiang Hanzan had died of illness fifteen years ago, and Goryeo was in a very embarrassing period at this time.

Since the last war with Liao was 28 years ago, Goryeo had been at peace for too long, so the army's combat effectiveness was low.

In addition, the country happened to encounter the death of King Heng of Goryeo King Jingzong, and the new Goryeo King, later King Wenzong of Goryeo, had only been on the throne for less than three months, which was a time of ups and downs for the regime.

Although Wang Hui was a wise ruler who created a period of peace and prosperity in Goryeo.

But after all, he had just succeeded to the throne and lacked prestige. There were still many people in the country who wanted to be closer to the Liao and farther away from the Song Dynasty, so the internal political situation was still quite turbulent for a while.

However, Wang Hui was not a young master, but the younger brother of the previous king. He was twenty-seven years old this year and still had some courage. He decided to defy all opinions and personally lead the army to the north to meet the invading enemy.

In this way, he can also establish his prestige and get rid of the dilemma of insufficient prestige just after he succeeded to the throne.

Guzhou, Yeonju, and Weizhou were almost the area around Gucheng, Pyochon City, and Yongbyon County in North Pyongyang Province of North Korea in later generations. This was already the only passage between Goryeo and Liao.

If the Liao Kingdom invades from the south, it must go here.

Wang Hui arrived in Weizhou and sent his generals Cui Zunjian, Li Yi, and Jin Xuanyong to go north in three divisions to assist Guizhou, Yinshan, Guozhou and other places.

In late August, although Xiao Ying led a large army to launch a fierce attack, and the other units also moved south separately, they were stubbornly blocked by the Korean army, which continued to use the terrain to harass and surprise them.

Soon, with the help of the right time, place and people, the former Liao army suffered defeats and retreated to Danwan, Yanzhou and other places.

Wang Hui was very happy to hear the news. He came to Guizhou in early September. While rewarding the three armies, he stood on the top of the city and looked into the distance.

On September 2nd, it was the late autumn season, and Wang Hui's utensils stood majestically on the city.

After he heard that the enemy had suffered a defeat, he retreated, reorganized his troops, and began to attack Guizhou again.

Ministers Cui Zhonggong, Li Ziyuan, Pu Qiyan, Xu Weijie, Jin Yuanchong and others on the top of the city followed.

"Your Majesty, the Northerners are here again. It would be best for Wang Jia to leave Guizhou first."

Li Ziyuan advised.

"It's okay, it's a minor problem, no need to worry."

Wang Hui said with a smile, then turned to look at several ministers and said: "If the Liao people want to beat me, they should be prepared to be attacked by me, otherwise they will think that I am easy to bully."

Until now, Wang Hui thought that this was because the Liao Kingdom was dissatisfied with Goryeo's increasingly pro-Song attitude over the years, and wanted to use the period when Goryeo was changing kings to beat him.

It's not that they are stupid, but it's really hard to imagine that the Liao Kingdom would actually move south in a large scale.

After all, their scouts outside only found out that the tribes sent to attack were all tribes affiliated with the Liao Kingdom in the north. None of the Liao Kingdom's own troops came, so they had nothing to fear.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, we should still write a letter to reconcile with the Liao Kingdom."

Cui Zhonggong said: "Although the Song Dynasty is powerful, it is separated by the sea after all. And your Majesty, don't forget that it was the Song people who abandoned us in the first place."

"Well, I naturally know that after repelling the invading enemies, I will naturally send a letter to the Liao Kingdom."

Wang Hui waved his hand.

What can be done?

Don’t small countries have to swing between big countries?

Once you choose a side, you are doomed.

Although swinging is not good, both major powers are worried about pushing them to the other side, so they will not push too hard.

This is also how small countries survive.

"Your Majesty, no luck, the enemy is here again!"

At this moment, the city guard general Kang Chengzhi hurriedly came to report.

"snort!"

Wang Hui snorted coldly: "It doesn't hurt to let him come."

It was noon, the autumn wind was howling, and the sound of countless galloping horses could be heard outside the city.

On the vast plain to the north of the city, a large number of dense black spots appeared.

They moved quickly, approaching several miles away, and seemed to begin to form troops, with no intention of setting up camp or besieging the city.

"strangeness."

Everyone on the top of the city looked outside the city, very puzzled.

The enemy came from afar and planned to attack the city directly. Didn't they stop to rest for a few days, cut down trees, make siege equipment, and then attack the city when they were fully prepared?

But in the afternoon, the movements of the Liao army outside the city gave them the answer.

I saw a large number of baggage carriages appearing behind these Liao troops. These carriages struggled to pull heavy cargo and were then dragged to the front of the formation.

Before the battle, Liao craftsmen began to assemble.

Because the distance was too far, it was impossible to see clearly from the top of the city. Only some small black dots seemed to be busy with something, which made people confused.

"What are they doing?"

"I do not know."

"Your Majesty, the enemy came in a hurry and must be tired. Do you want to take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack?"

"Let's take a look first and then talk."

"yes."

Everyone on the top of the city looked on.

About half an hour later, the artillery line of the Liao Kingdom in the distance was finally assembled.

To be honest, it was only 200 kilometers from Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo, Liao Kingdom, to Guizhou in Korea, but almost all of this month was spent on the cannon truck.

The artillery was heavy and cumbersome. Coupled with the rugged terrain and roads, including swamps, mountains, rivers, and numerous obstacles, the artillery troops could only march more than ten miles a day. It was already very difficult to reach the city.

However, Yelvzong really felt that everything was worth it.

Because the power of the cannon is enough to make his expectations come true and will not disappoint any of his expectations.

At this time, Yelu Zongzhen was riding on horseback, standing on a small hill, with his cloak fluttering in the autumn wind behind him, looking at the Guizhou City a few miles away to the south.

It was here that his father fell into disgrace. During the southern expedition to Goryeo, he suffered a disastrous defeat and finally retreated, giving up his intention to annex Goryeo and acknowledging that Goryeo still occupied the status of the Three Korean Peninsula.

But at this moment, it's time to avenge his past humiliation and clear his father's name.

"Your Majesty, the artillery is ready!"

The lookout reported to him.

"fire!"

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

The lookout shouted loudly.

The shouts were quickly transmitted downwards.

Then a sharp whistle sounded in the artillery position.

"Toot, toot, toot!"

This was the order for the Liao artillery army to fire.

After receiving the order, all the gunners began to act.

They quickly stuffed the gunpowder, pushed the shells, and then lit the fuse with the fire sticks they carried with them.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Hundreds of heavy lead bullets drew an arc in the air, and suddenly fell into Guizhou City in the stunned eyes of the Korean monarchs and soldiers.

In an instant, there was a roar, and some of the heavy lead bullets hit the city wall, causing the wall to dent. Some hit the tower, knocking down the huge tower, and some even hit a few unlucky guys, and blood and flesh flew everywhere, and they were torn into pieces.

"Your Majesty, hurry up!"

The ministers around Wang Hui were quick to pull him into the city.

The city was in chaos.

Dust was flying everywhere, and all kinds of terrified howls continued.

Outside the city, there were continuous shouts, and the shouts to the sky were like waves.

"Hurry up and ask the Song Dynasty to send troops!"

Before Wang Hui fled Guizhou, he turned his head to look at the smoke and dust in the city and shouted in panic.