Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

A few days passed, the artillery still roared during the day, and new fortifications began to be built. The progress of the siege was much slower than that of Jinyang. Guo Shao asked Yang Biao if he hadn't woken up yet.

The sun gradually set on the western horizon, and the sky and the earth were also dim and quiet. When Guo Shao walked out of the Chinese army tent, he saw that the sky was gray and black, with no stars or moon. He vaguely remembered that when he first arrived in Youzhou, he walked out at night, but his mood at that time was different.

At this moment, the soldiers had already returned to the camp, and the bonfire was lit in the wilderness, and there were faint sounds of bugs in the grass. The soldiers guarding the camp stood up straight and looked sideways at Guo Shao. Behind him, Wang Pu and other staff members were still standing at the door of the tent.

The sky is gray, and the clouds seem to be very low, which makes people feel depressed. The wind and clouds are faintly surging in the dark and hazy place, mysterious and indistinct.

There may be gods in the sky, but Guo Shao is still standing on the ground. However, the world thinks that he is the God of War. Of course, God is omnipotent and must be able to win.

Guo Shao is clearly aware of the adverse effects of retreating, and he has a feeling that he will not be able to step down.

This is a difficult choice.

The pressure Guo Shao faced was not mainly being harassed by the first wave of reinforcements from the Liao army, but that the siege of the city was not going well. The main force of the Liao Kingdom will come... Youzhou City has a circumference of 10 to 20 miles. In addition to more than 50,000 motorized cavalry, more than 100,000 people surrounded the city, and the troops were very scattered.

He has thought a lot these days. The Northern Expedition itself was a strategic adventure.

If the mounted infantry of the Huben Army hadn't been allowed to attack the Liao army's palace tent cavalry, which would have affected morale, if the excavation site had been chosen correctly, if the defenders hadn't placed a large number of catapults in the blind area of ​​the artillery, and if...with better luck, there were not so many subtle factors affecting the progress of the siege, and perhaps Youzhou City could be captured in time.

Then strategic adventure is the correct decision, and Guo Shao will not think about these things anymore. The confrontation between countries mainly depends on strength, but there is great uncertainty in the outcome of just one or two battles, and it even depends on luck.

Wang Pu is right, there is still opportunity and time until now.

... Guo Shao felt that he did not dare to take any more risks.

This battle has been a strategic adventure from the very beginning, with a low tolerance for error and a high risk of failure; but now the risk has suddenly increased.

The consequences became even more serious. If the main force was lost, Guo Shao would face an irreparable disaster; the elite of the forbidden army could hardly be regenerated in a short period of time. Once lost, Guo Shao would have no strength to maintain national defense and rule.

With such serious consequences, even if the risk is small, it will still make people nervous, not to mention the risk of delaying it now is not small.

In a trance, he seemed to have returned to the college entrance examination in his previous life. At that time, everyone told him that it was a turning point in his life. He has done countless exercises and is very well prepared, but he is still worried about accidents and failures on the spot. Even if the risk is relatively low, as long as the results are not down, he will not be at ease.

Now, the risks and threats of failure are far greater and the consequences are far greater. Once the Great Zhou army is defeated, it is not only his fate that matters!

The anxiety in Guo Shao's heart is beyond words.

He also had to weigh: Is the risk worth it, between the benefits and the consequences?

... Guo Shao was unwilling to give up.

He wanted to avoid serious consequences, but he didn't want to give up Youzhou, and he would come back sooner or later. However, once I retreat this time, the waiting time for the next one is too long, which is an unbearable torment.

Withdrawing troops also creates other risks and consequences, mainly domestic.

Guo Shao can't escape, he has to face challenges both in advance and in retreat, different challenges.

He took a deep breath in his heart and couldn't help coughing twice.

At this moment, Wang Pu came up and said, "Your Majesty, it's cold at night, you've been standing outside for too long."

Guo Shao turned around, walked into the tent, and said: "I will not admit defeat, but will accumulate strength and find a new path for the next comeback... There must be a better path than the current strategy."

After hearing this, Wang Pu asked in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is determined to retreat?"

Guo Shao felt like he didn't know where he was, and he felt a little floating when he walked. He raised his head and stared at Wang Pu's old face: "The green hills are still there, and the strength is not damaged, so we can actively choose a new opportunity; instead of staying here passively to take risks...there is a better opportunity than now."

"Oh." Wang Pu's sigh came from the bottom of his heart.

Guo Shao whispered in a heart-to-heart tone: "I can't bear the risk of losing the imperial army, but I can afford the temporary domestic challenges."

Wang Pudao: "The old minister seconded His Majesty's intention...just a little disappointed."

"I understand." Guo Shao said. He clenched his fists and said, "Tomorrow morning, we will gather generals from all walks of life and deploy an orderly withdrawal strategy to prevent the cavalry of the Liao army and the Youzhou defenders from being harassed."

Wang Pu clasped his fists and said, "I obey the order."

Guo Shao went through the big tent and went to bed at the back. Wang Pu stood in the tent, bowed to see him off, and did not leave for a long time.

An attendant bent down and opened a curtain. When Guo Shao walked in, he turned his head slightly and glanced at Wang Pu from the corner of his eye.

The furnishings inside are very simple, but there are maps on the table and the walls of the tent, which doesn't look so neat. There is a candlestick on the table, a thick candle with a thick wick to illuminate the place, the side of the bed and the case are brighter, and the light in the corner is getting more and more hazy.

Guo Shao sat down and watched the flames dance.

The loss in my heart can't be covered up no matter how rationally I analyze it. In such a night, in front of such lights, he still felt a chill...

He thought of Luo Mengzi, the third younger brother had limited aptitude, and as Guo Shao had done more and more things over the years, the third younger brother was a little far away from Guo Shao's inner circle. But Guo Shao still can't forget that he and his third brother were in Gaoping, Wuqi Town, and Qinfeng...

"If it weren't for my old Luo's iron skin, he would have been shot and leaked, haha..."

"Brother says to do it, my old Luo will follow..."

Guo Shao reached out and rubbed his forehead vigorously, doing some trivial movements, but he didn't say a word.

Even if he became the emperor, Guo Shao still couldn't escape these simplest emotions. When he was in such an environment, his psychological quality was not very good... What kind of qualifications should an emperor and a hero have? It wasn't supposed to be him anyway.

With a series of successes, the world has placed too much expectations on him, thinking that he is fearless and capable, and even thinks that he is a god!

At this moment, Guo Shao felt that he was really not a god. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person who couldn't be more ordinary, and he had to do his best to make a living, and he was devastated. Even he himself didn't think he was the master of great things... At this time, all kinds of negative emotions flooded him, and he felt extremely vulnerable.

However, already in this position, he will not admit defeat. Even if they are stalkers, they must make a comeback! Because for that grand goal, too many people and too many people he cared about have died, it is impossible to give up!

"Ahem..." Guo Shao covered his mouth to hold back his coughing.

He was tired, and without taking off his socks, he kicked off his boots and went to bed. In my sleep, I had constant nightmares, as if I was in a volcano.

... That night, the attendants found that Guo Shao's face was flushed and hot. Startled, he hurriedly called Wang Pu and Zuo You in overnight.

Zuo You repeated several times anxiously: "Your Majesty has always been strong and healthy, how could he be suddenly ill?"

Suddenly, Wang Pu suddenly realized, and said urgently: "The foster daughter of the old man is in the healing camp, send someone to call her quickly!"

Zuo You said, "Wang Shijun's adopted daughter?"

"It's Lu Lan, the goddess doctor that His Majesty brought back from the Kingdom of Shu, who cured the old man. When the old man grows up, let her be the foster daughter of the old man." Wang Pu said.

Zuo You hurriedly said: "Then call quickly."

...

Early the next morning, Wang Pu, the privy envoy, summoned the officials of the "Youzhou Qianying Military Mansion" and a few generals of the various routes to discuss matters in the central army tent, announced the emperor's imperial decree, and ordered the withdrawal of the troops.

First discussed the deployment and strategy of a withdrawal of troops, and then continued to call the generals above the military capital Yuhou to the Central Army for specific deployment.

The generals talked a lot, and none of them were reconciled. In this battle, the Zhou army has not yet suffered a real defeat. It has been almost a month since they arrived in Youzhou. After several battles, only a thousand people were killed. The generals thought that they could defeat the Liao army and make contributions! It is impossible to understand why the emperor withdrew his troops.

Later someone asked Wang Pu why the emperor didn't deliver the decree himself. At this time, the news of Guo Shao's illness came out.

After leaving the tent of the Chinese army, a civil servant from the Qianying Military Mansion discussed in private: "According to the current situation, Youzhou City is not easy to break through at once, and His Majesty has hurt his sworn brother again. I am afraid that he will have to withdraw the army as a last resort, so he pretends that the dragon is not in good health..."

"Why call it sick?"

The civil official said quietly: "If you lose the general and then withdraw the army, you are suspected of being defeated... Withdrawing the army due to illness is to temporarily spare the lives of the Liao people."

In any case, the orders agreed by the privy envoys and the generals are still authoritative, and the armies began to prepare to retreat according to the military order... The artillery fire has not stopped immediately. According to the meaning of the former battalion military mansion, it is to confuse the enemy and hide their intentions.

But the artillery stopped roaring the next day... because it was raining!

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the sound of spring thunder replaced the sound of cannons. The rain fell lightly, but the soil was slowly wetted with a patter.

Zuo You looked at the rain curtain and sighed: "It's true that God won't help me. God won't let Da Zhou take back Youzhou! Even if he didn't order the troops to withdraw, if the rain doesn't stop quickly, we still won't be able to attack the city."

Wang Pu sighed, "It rained well, so we won't make this battle a pity."

He lowered his head and thought of the "Xuanren Gongde Pavilion" built in the city of Tokyo. He gradually admitted in his heart that before the war, he and the ministers had been encouraging the emperor's northern expedition in order to achieve fame. He was indeed blinded by the desire to go down in history... There are too many factors that cannot be grasped in the time-limited city break and surprise attack strategy.