Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

"Save Brother Li!" Zhao Kuangyin shouted. A group of brothers stepped forward to hug Li Jixun, someone grabbed his arm, someone grabbed his hand, and then they snatched the sword away.

Li Jixun looked at the only remnants and defeated soldiers around him, filled with grief and indignation. He sighed and said: "Li Yun and other young people killed my eldest son, I endured it. But in the end, I still lost so badly, what face is there in being alive!"

He looked up, and there were endless mountains in front of him. In the early winter, the mountains were desolate, and the cold wind howled in the miserable valley, as if there was no hope for the road ahead.

Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly persuaded: "This victory or defeat is not because Brother Li is inferior to others, nor is it that Guo Shao is so smart and has different strengths. Brother Li has 20,000 people (other village braves and civilian husbands have no fighting power), and Guo Shao also has 20,000. But Guo Shao's men are the elites left by the Southern and Northern Wars of several dynasties and generations, and supported by the national treasury. Ten thousand is a completely different strength, and it cannot be regarded only by the number of people.

The troops Guo Shao uses, one soldier consumes at least five times the national strength of the local town soldiers, not much more. Therefore, brother Li is restricted in all aspects of mobility and combat power, which is beyond human control. "

Li Jixun said dejectedly: "The first emperor just passed away, he was able to quickly stabilize Tokyo and mobilize heavy troops; he was able to attack suddenly at this juncture, I always feel that it is not just luck... Maybe I am doomed to lose if I fight together, it is simply hitting a stone with an egg!"

Zhao Kuangyin's black face was quite embarrassing, and Li Jixun was forced to join the army simply because he was one of the ten brothers of Yishe. Fortunately, he is in the same situation as himself, and all the strength in his hand has been lost.

Also, helping Li Jixun blow up the wall was bad. Guo Shao was able to blow up the wall, but Zhao Kuangyin did it like that... It really is like a mountain. Zhao Kuangyin wondered if he hadn't paid attention to the seal. Only then did he remember that there was a hole in the front of the firework, and the gunpowder also rushed into the opening. Based on his life experience, he finally figured out the reason; but at that time, time was tight, and he really didn't pay attention to such things.

Seeing that Li Jixun was looking into the distance, Zhao Kuangyin also watched the situation of mountains and rivers. Zhao Pu said "heaven will send a great mission", "who can give me" and other things that he thought were fate, but at this time he felt that the big things in his heart seemed to be drifting away.

"You have to vote for Li Chongjin. Brother Li, after meeting Li Chongjin, don't blame him for being slow and procrastinating. It will only increase your grudges." Zhao Kuangyin persuaded, "No matter how bad Li Chongjin is, he is still a general from the Great Zhou Dynasty. He is a fellow with us and easy to talk to. If the Northern Han Dynasty rulers find that we are not worth much, who will care about us?"

...

"Where is Li Chongjin?" Guo Shao asked in the Xingyuan of Jinzhou City.

Murong Yanzhao said: "Yesterday's spy report is in the shade."

Guo Shao buried his head and took a look. The place name Yindi was not marked on the map. His drawing was drawn from the files of the Privy Council and based on the text descriptions of various side newspapers in Hedong. It is very rough. The imperial court has not prepared to deal with the Northern Han Dynasty in recent years, and the preparations for this expedition are very insufficient.

"Where is it?" Guo Shao asked.

Murong Yanzhao said: "Going north along the Fen River, it is estimated to be more than a hundred miles." Guo Shao asked in detail: "More than one hundred, how much?"

Murong Yanzhao shouted: "Come here, call the Governor of Jinzhou and Chang Shi together!"

Guo Shao was not surprised by this. Murong Yanzhao was also well-known in the Zhou Dynasty and was regarded as a good general. However, good generals in this era are not so clear about the terrain that is too far away. They don't pay attention to the details.

"Second Brother." Guo Shao said, "Go to the army now and distribute the dry rations collected by Li Jixun's soldiers to the troops. We don't have many wheat cakes, so we need to replenish some rations first. Li Gu hasn't arrived in Jinzhou yet, but Li Jixun's camp has seized a lot of food, and our supply is not a problem right now."

Seeing this, Xiang Gong asked, "Marshal Guo is going to take the initiative to attack Li Chongjin?"

Guo Shao pondered and did not answer.

Not long after, a group of civil officials from Jinzhou came to Xingyuan, and Guo Shao asked Murong Yanzhao to call the scout generals of the Jinzhou Army who reported the military situation. He asked very carefully, where is the terrain, where is the town market, and how far the distance is.

Zuo You and others are used to Guo Shao's style, but Jinzhou Wenwu may find it strange. Guo Shao didn't say anything about the art of war, and he just focused on tinkering with all the details. While drawing pictures, he scribbled down the descriptions of everyone.

Guo Shao has almost figured out the general situation of the terrain, climate, and population density ahead. From Jinzhou along the Fenshui River is a corridor, with the Luliang Mountains on the west and Taiyue Mountain on the east. The valleys 250 miles north from Jinzhou are full of hills, and the road is not very easy to walk. Fortunately, the hills between the two mountains are relatively low; after more than 200 miles, you enter the southern plain of Taiyuan, where the terrain is very flat.

"One hundred miles to the north of Yindi is Fenzhou, which is guarded by the Northern Han Army." Murong Yanzhao reminded.

After hearing this, Guo Shao hurriedly took a ruler to measure on the map, drew a circle, and wrote Fenzhou. One side said: "No matter how heavy the army is in Fenzhou, it will not be the main force of the Northern Han army. The main force of the Northern Han army should be in Taiyuan. It is 380 miles from Taiyuan to the Yindi where Li Chongjin is located. As long as Li Chongjin does not go south with the Northern Han army, it is too late to rescue Li Chongjin."

The information is still incomplete, and it is completely different from his preparations when he attacked Qin Feng; now he only knows a general idea, and many things are only based on guesswork.

"Li Chongjin is on the east side of Fenshui?" Guo Shao took the trouble to confirm. Although this kind of thing hardly needs to be asked, Li Chongjin came from Liaozhou in the southern part of the Northern Han Dynasty; Jinzhou is also on the east bank of Fenshui. Li Chongjin was originally to reinforce Jinzhou, so of course he should march from the east bank. But Guo Shao still wanted to ask.

The general of the scout battalion said, "It's on the east bank."

Shi Yanchao and other generals looked at Guo Shao, waiting for his decision.

Guo Shao couldn't bear the temptation of military exploits now, but he still acted cautiously. His eyes contained complex emotions of excitement, desire, and restraint. He asked in a deep voice, "Can you attack Li Chongjin?"

Shi Yanchao couldn't wait to say: "I have already walked a thousand miles, and I am afraid that I will go another hundred and fifty miles, so let's go!"

Xiang Gong said: "Yindi is close to the territory of the Northern Han Dynasty, and the north is flat and fast. When Li Chongjin heard that Li Jixun was defeated, he was likely to retreat; if he retreated, it would be the boundary of Fenzhou. If the Zhou army pursues the Northern Han Dynasty, pay attention to the Northern Han army's preparations."

"What Commander Xiang Jie said is very true." Murong Yanzhao also reminded, "Marshal Guo only has 20,000 people after all. If he confronts the Northern Han army now, it would be a bit hasty. But the Northern Han has been standing still for a while, so it may not be possible to meet him."

Shi Yanchao said: "The traitor is vulnerable, and Li Chongjin is no better than Li Jixun, so he was dealt with in half a day. After the battle, the Northern Han dared to go after Jinzhou to fight the Great Zhou? Liu Jun would have been wiped out seven or eight times without relying on the Khitans."

Guo Shao felt that the Northern Han army was not as bad as Shi Yanchao said. Back then, Chai Rong mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops to besiege Taiyuan, but they failed.

Guo Shao held his breath, ignored the comments of the generals, and pondered over the map and some information he had just drawn again. It is easy for people to make mistakes in judgment when faced with emotional influences such as temptation and anger. Guo Shao has long wanted to do it in his heart, but another voice reminded him: the rebels can't afford to lose, and he can't afford to lose either.

"So..." Guo Shao finally said, "Xiang Jieshuai and Murong Jieshuai lent their horses to the imperial army. Shi Yanchao and other cavalry have two horses, separate for riding and fighting; the infantry marches on horseback. The whole army travels lightly and only takes five days of rations. Send troops tomorrow morning and arrive in Yindi before noon the day after tomorrow. Pursue Li Chongjin and fight him!"

Guo Shao turned his head and said to the arch again: "In case, I mean in case the battle does not go well, after you receive my military order, bring the soldiers and civilians of Jinzhou along the Fen River to transport food northward for reinforcements. Prepare some ships and send them up together, and prepare to build a pontoon bridge to cross the river if necessary... Zuo You, in a while, you can find a few people, take my seal to Jiezhou, and order Li Gu to stop delivering food. Li Jixun's camp seized enough for us."

Xiang Gong clasped his fists and said, "The last general takes orders."

Guo Shao said to Shi Yanchao: "General Shi is very brave and sharp in breaking the formation. He was still the vanguard in the battle against Li Chongjin. I will borrow you from the general's Zhen'an army horses, and return him after victory."

Shi Yanchao cupped his fists and said, "Decree!"

In the afternoon, Guo Shao summoned the commander of the Imperial Army and dozens of generals to arrange military affairs in the Xingyuan Hall. With Shi Yanchao as the vanguard, Dong Zunxun's horsemen borrowed Murong Yanzhao's Jinzhou army horses as their mounts.

Jinzhou has been rectifying its troops and horses throughout the afternoon, preparing for the war.

In the evening, Guo Shao rode his horse to inspect the barracks, and saw that the camp in the city was filled with smoke, and all the troops were cooking. He walked into a camp, and the soldiers sitting around the stove piled up with rubble immediately stood up, clasped their fists and said, "I'll pay my respects to Marshal Guo."

"After eating dry food for more than ten days, I finally have a hot meal tonight." Guo Shao said, "Everyone has worked hard and worked hard for the country."

A young man plucked up his courage and said: "I fought with Marshal Guo from Qinfeng, and I can always win with you. This little trouble is nothing, and I can get the reward when I go back."

"Haha..." Everyone burst into laughter.

With a smile on his face, Guo Shao picked up a spoon to look at what was cooking in the pot, and said back, "There is also bacon, haha."

Then the young man said: "The soup is good, but the wheat cakes given to me are bloody, and the smell is strong."

Guo Shao looked back at Yang Biao. Yang Biao said: "Some cakes are harvested from the dead on the battlefield, good food can't be thrown away."

"That's right, let's eat it as soon as possible. People nowadays may not be able to eat dry biscuits during Chinese New Year." Guo Shao said kindly, "We are just licking blood, so what's the point of eating blood?"