Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

"Xuanren City" is a city with a very colorful name. It is full of barracks, warehouses, and government offices. The buildings are either rough and thick, or simple and low. The biggest feature of the city is that it looks bare, the saplings planted have not yet grown, and it is too troublesome to move the big trees. Anyway, ornamental and greening are not considered in the city building.

Even the palace where Guo Shao lived had rammed earth on the walls, without any decoration or wooden boards. He could still smell the freshly built dirt while sitting in it.

Guo Shao looked at the accounts reported by the Tokyo Neiku, the Ministry of Households, and the Qianying Military Mansion. The figures are simply astronomical!

Nearly 300,000 troops on the front line maintain armor and weapons, military pay, enough food and drink, hundreds of thousands of civilian laborers for building the city to transport food, and subsidies for the town soldiers who guard the city.

Spending money like running water is indescribable. This is simply the loss of the Yellow River breaking its embankment. According to this rate of consumption, if there is only the fiscal revenue before the Great Zhou Dynasty, the taxes and taxes on those sites in the dilapidated Central Plains that have been conquered for years cannot be afforded at all.

Kingdoms such as Shu, Southern Tang, and Southern Han have accumulated wealth for decades, and the wealth in the area south of the Yangtze River. Guo Shao has robbed Shu and then Southern Tang over the years. He was originally rich... Such a huge wealth would not be exhausted for any family in ten thousand years, but Guo Shao took it in his hands and did nothing. He went to the Northern Expedition twice.

If it goes on like this, it is estimated that in one or two years, the savings in Tokyo's internal treasury and local government treasuries will have to be emptied.

Guo Shao has a feeling that he can't stop even if he runs a thousand miles. But he is still calm on the surface, at least there are still things to dig out in the warehouses in various places, so it is not the time when the situation is desperate.

Below the lobby, there are forty or fifty people lined up on both sides. But it was very quiet at this time, and even the chirping of birds that flew to the new city to "watch" could be heard.

Wei Renpu finally turned his head to look at the civil and military personnel present: "We will deploy to besiege Youzhou City immediately, and all the ministries should boost the morale of the soldiers and prepare to move out."

All the generals said: "Obey."

Wei Renpu said again: "The construction of the city has been completed, and the army is approaching Youzhou City, but we still can't be too hasty. The strategy of the military government is that the main force of the Liao army will besiege Youzhou before the main force of the Liao army goes south; once a large force of the Liao army goes south to threaten the siege army, it will retreat to the five cities on the northern line to confront each other. Repeat this until the Liao army is overwhelmed, or the Zhou army breaks through Youzhou!"

Although this method was not overbearing, it was rascal enough. Hearing what Wei Renpu said, everyone was full of confidence, thinking that the capture of Youzhou would be a matter of time, and the hope of victory lay within sight.

The lobby gradually became lively. The officials of the military government sent a stack of papers, and Wei Renpu explained the idea of ​​attacking the city according to the map around Youzhou City, and at the same time issued military orders to the ministries for deployment. In the hall, military generals stepped forward to receive military orders one after another, and the repeated "orders" answered powerfully and full of confidence!

Only Guo Shao didn't say a word, but he pretended to be calm and calm, and sat on the top seat in an even manner.

After the deployment was complete, Guo Shao ordered the disbandment, and there was a sound of long live in the lobby.

...The previous steps went smoothly, as long as the next steps do not make mistakes, the military expenditure can still be maintained... But if one of the links fails, all previous victories will be meaningless.

The consequences are not just as simple as the failure of the Northern Expedition!

Guo Shao has already seen the monthly expenditure accounts, and the Northern Expedition cost a lot. The ability to support it is entirely due to the accumulation of the plundered southern countries; if it is exhausted and fails to do anything, it will take a long time to accumulate the treasury again in the future... After this long-term large-scale war of attrition, if you want to do it again immediately, you will undoubtedly drink poison to quench your thirst!

Then for at least ten years, it will be difficult to mobilize resources for the Northern Expedition. In ten years, the internal and external situation has changed too much.

Guo Shao once again fell into the subtle patience of years ago.

At this time, Wei Renpu was signed into the custody room to see him, and reported: "Ji, Shun, and Tan prefectures, the Liao army and the Han general sent envoys to Xuanren City, intending to open the city gate and surrender to Dazhou."

Guo Shao raised his head and said casually: "Hebei Han'er, his heart is still toward the imperial court."

Wei Renpu said: "In the current situation, all places are very optimistic about the success of the Great Zhou's Northern Expedition. Those Han generals cannot be trusted at all. They can have a future if they surrender to the Great Zhou. Few are willing to be enemies of the Great Zhou."

Guo Shao stretched out his hand to smooth the drawings on the table, and raised his sleeves, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Wei Renpu hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed.

After a while, Guo Shaocai said: "The battle line has been spread too wide. Write a letter to the generals of the three cities, telling them not to act rashly for the time being... Then give the letter of appointment, and secretly appoint officials to them."

Wei Renpu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is wise, I will implement it immediately."

He also said: "Goryo and Liao have old grievances. Although the Liao army fought hard to seek peace, the enmity has not been resolved because of the force of the Liao army. Now that our Zhou Dynasty is in a state of momentum, Goryeo may be willing to take the opportunity to attack Liao and set fire to its backyard. The minister said that he would send envoys across the sea to Goryeo to form an alliance with Goryeo and make an agreement to jointly attack Liao."

"This plan is very clever." Guo Shao took it without hesitation... Anyway, there is no loss if it is successful or not. He immediately ordered very simply, "Choose an envoy, bring a guard of honor, and cross the sea from Dengzhou the nearest."

"Follow the order." Wei Renpu bowed.

Wei Renpu resigned, and everyone was busy preparing to leave.

... A few days later, the weather was clear and the army was dispatched as scheduled. In the army, Huang Gailuan accompanied him, but there was nothing under the canopy. Guo Shao was wearing armor and riding westward on horseback.

The mighty people can't see the head in front and the tail in the back, and there are a lot of people on the north bank of Sangqian River. On the river, the sails were like clouds, covering almost the entire water surface. Teams of cavalry on the other side are galloping on horseback. The scene is very grand.

In the afternoon, Guo Shao saw the big city standing in front of the sky on the green plain.

Seeing Youzhou City, looking back at its control of this large flat land, and thinking of its strategic importance, Guo Shao immediately felt that everything he had done was worthwhile! Guo Shao stared round his eyes, looked back at his army and the thick defense line behind him, and thought: It's time to settle the score!

On the main road, the faces of thousands of Han Erlang are also facing the same direction: Youzhou.

In this vast land, all the people everywhere should be paying attention to this group of soldiers approaching the city. At this time, Youzhou is not only a city, but also condenses too many grievances, dreams, blood, honor and disgrace, it is a symbolic place!

Back then, the Central Plains Dynasty cut the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and after three dynasties and decades, they could not take it back. Guo Shao even knew that it had not been taken back for hundreds of years. Some dynasties were forced to send it out, and if they took it back in their own hands, then the prestige and national power would not need to be emphasized too much.

Daliao has been recognized as the most powerful and feared country for many years. Today, the generals of the Zhou army came to its gate. Whoever is strong and who is weak, this city is a place for fair competition!

Guo Shao swept away the anxiety in his chest, and said in his heart: Now that we have reached this point, then let go!

He immediately rode his horse and galloped forward, and the generals and guard cavalry immediately followed him on horseback. A group of cavalry rushed straight to the south gate of Youzhou. On the quaint tall buildings with double eaves, standing there were warriors in barbarian clothes. The enemy soldiers were already in full swing.

The general shouted loudly behind him: "Your Majesty, take care of the dragon body!"

Guo Shao reined in his horse nearly 200 paces away, jumped off the horse, and set his bow with an arrow. His eyes were wide open, his face was flushed, and his big hands pulled the strong bow in his hand like a full moon.

The soldiers held their breath for a while, staring at the bow and arrow in Guo Shao's hand.

The cluster of arrows slanted towards the sky, and there was a loud "bang!", and the violent trembling shook away all the fine things on the bow, as if a faint smoke rose.

The heavy arrow roared and flew into the air.

Seeing this, all the soldiers shouted loudly: "Long live! Long live..."

Guo Shao got on his horse, raised the bow in his hand, and shouted: "We must take Youzhou!"

The army cheered up, shouting and surrounded Guo Shao and turned his horse around. Sure enough, after running for a while, stones and ballistas in the air flew out one after another, falling behind one after another.

Guo Shao looked back at Youzhou, the words, flags, and people on the city gate became blurred, but he seemed to see Luo Mengzi who was bleeding from all seven orifices, a young lady who was ravaged and trampled to the point of inhumanity, a burning village, people whose families were destroyed and displaced, and sons whose heads were piled up into a Beijing temple...Scenes and scenes flashed before Guo Shao's eyes one by one like a picture.

Running back to the formation, the shouts of soldiers like a sea of ​​steel shook the sky in the wilderness outside the city.

"Recover the homeland with iron and blood..." Guo Shao rode his horse in front of the army with extremely provocative emotions.

"Long live!" Countless men shouted frantically.

"Da Zhou Erlang's vengeance will burn out the Liao army. It's time to clean up the crime..." Guo Shao was emotional and shouted loudly.

He drew his long sword and pointed it at the air. All the troops were excited, and they raised their swords and guns and shouted at Guo Shao in response.

The situation created momentum, and the Zhou army was full of confidence in victory and morale was high. That night, the soldiers and civilians began to build barracks and siege fortifications, and people carrying soil could be seen everywhere trotting to work.

A few days later, people in Youzhou came to the Youzhou military camp with baskets, first-class tools, and dry food to serve voluntarily.

Obviously, Khitan is unpopular. In the early stage of Liao Kingdom's occupation of Youyun, there must be constant contradictions in its stable rule. Although Xiao Siwen implemented a pacification strategy after taking power in the South Court, it obviously could not make up for the extremely unfair actions of the Khitan nobles and common people. After Yeluxiu took over, the situation became worse. In order to attack the fortress of the Zhou army, innocent people were forced to rush to the battlefield to fill the ditch.

Tat for tat, after Zhou Jun Wangshi arrived in Youzhou, such a situation became a matter of course.

Although Youzhou City is majestic, the scene of thousands of people digging soil and building fortifications seems to be digging the foundation of Liao Kingdom's rule in the South Courtyard like a colony of ants. \u003c