So, Huo Nu gradually realized that his father had other plans, and he wanted to ask his father what his plans were.
He could fight to the death, throw his troops under a fortified city regardless of casualties, and even take Wanyan Huonu's life, but he needed his father to say it clearly.
As long as he said it, he was willing to go through fire and water for his father, and he dared to guarantee that the 100,000 soldiers of the Western Route Army would also be willing to go through fire and water with him!
In the last ten days of the first lunar month, just two days after Wanyan Huonu sent out a handwritten letter and made some decisive psychological preparations, Wanyan Loushi personally rushed to Baqiao... After all, there was no need for Wanyan Loushi to be too mysterious to his own sons, especially the eldest son who had already become the commander-in-chief.
"Where are the troops from Jingyuan Road and Yanfu Road that I asked you to investigate in Weibei before, that is, Hu Yin and Wu Jie? How many troops do they have?"
The weather was clear, and Wanyan Loushi, who had regained his usual vigor, rode to Baqiao. He saw the willow trees along the river sprouting green, which made him feel refreshed. He was no longer tormented by the rainy days before. He simply did not enter the military camp, but stood under the willow trees on the bank of the Bashui River. He called his son out of the camp and asked him a few questions.
"Reporting to my father." Huo Nu hurried out of the camp. Seeing her father in a good mood, she also felt a little relieved. She simply dismounted, walked forward and hugged one of his legs, and answered directly by the river. "I have already personally investigated Hu Yin's side... After we went south to Tongguan, they directly divided their troops. Wu Lin, the younger brother of the Wu brothers and the military commander of Yanfu Road, was still stationed in Luojiao to guard against the direction of Yan'an, while Hu Yin personally led Wu Jie and tens of thousands of people from Jingyuan Road to the south. About four or five days ago, they arrived in Fuping area. It may be because Han Shizhong had already entered the pass at that time, and Chang'an City sent a message, so he stopped."
"It's pretty much what I thought. After Qu Duan left, at least no one in the Western Army dared to hold their own... Last time I came here, I didn't see such a beautiful scenery here." Lou Shi looked around, nodded repeatedly, and spoke casually. "What about Bashu and the rest of the Western Army's reinforcements?"
"I'm not sure about Bashu, but the troops of Qinfeng Road had already gathered in Wugong and Meixian areas seven or eight days ago, with about ten thousand people. It should be that Yuwen Xuzhong knew that Han Shizhong's army was coming, so he asked them to stay behind as reinforcements... But I guess, it is also possible that he wanted to wait for Zhang Jun to lead the reinforcements from Bashu and Xihe Road to gather there and serve as a general reserve. It's just that there is no specific information at the moment, so it's hard to determine." Huo Nuqiang suppressed her doubts and replied patiently.
In any case, this is his basic duty as a subordinate.
"In other words." Lou Shi immediately pondered after hearing this. "When we went south, Jingyuan Road, Yanfu Road, and Qinfeng Road were not delayed at all. They also came to our aid in the shortest time possible, just like the east?"
"That's right." Huo Nu answered seriously. "After a year of training, the Song army has regained some spirit."
"Not counting Xihe Route, just these three routes and Jingzhao's Western Army, how many people are there? What is their combat effectiveness?"
"The number is unclear, probably less than 30,000 or 40,000." Huo Nu gave a positive answer. "In terms of combat power, except for Jingyuan Road, which was Qu Duan back then, and the 10,000 men led by Wu Jie and his brother, who are considered elite, the rest of the troops are far inferior to the elite troops of the Imperial Camp, and their weapons are even worse..."
"I have also carefully asked the local officials who surrendered in the past few days." Lou Shi nodded repeatedly. "The Western Army uses the money and food from Bashu, but it has only been rebuilt for half a year, so it looks weak... However, if the money and food are continuously supplied, with the endurance of the Song people in Shaanxi and the care of the Song emperor in Tokyo, this group of troops will sooner or later become elite, and I estimate that the number can reach 50,000... Don't you think so?"
"Yes." Huo Nu simply answered, but she was thinking about explaining everything to her father in her heart.
"Then let's wait a little longer." Lou Shi pondered for a while and spoke again. "I want to see if Zhang Jun will come and how many people he can bring with him?"
The living woman hesitated to speak.
"I know." Lou Shi glanced at his son and ordered calmly. "This month is the deadline. If Zhang Jun comes, we will withdraw our troops. If Zhang Jun doesn't come, we will also withdraw our troops!"
However, when she heard the word "withdraw troops", Huo Nu was already stunned.
Lou Shi laughed at this and said, "You wrote to me to ask for my opinion, and I came here today to give you my opinion. Why are you surprised?"
Huo Nu's mind was in a mess, and it took her half a day to sort out the whole story of this battle - there was a surprise attack on New Year's Eve, and then the whole army was delayed in Tongguan for more than ten days, waiting for the reinforcements of the Song Army to arrive. Then they attacked from both fronts, but failed. Now they have to wait for all the reinforcements of the Song Army to arrive before they can withdraw.
Judging from the situation, this is correct... Since Chang'an and Shanzhou cannot be taken, then just withdraw the troops. But the problem is, if this is the case, then what are the 50,000 to 60,000 elite troops doing heading south this time?
If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?
"Daddy." Huo Nu tried to calm down and continued to hug her father's thigh and asked. "If we go back like this, won't we be laughed at by Ba Lisu?"
"Does he dare to laugh in front of me?" Lou Shi couldn't help but laugh. "Before, I told him to wait for reinforcements to arrive before attacking Shanzhou, but he didn't even have the courage to tell me in person, so he had to let the second brother tell him. Now he has the courage to do it?"
The living woman became more and more confused.
"They are all good lands." Lou Shi suddenly turned his head and pointed his whip at the surrounding wilderness. "Tell the Han people in the surrounding villages not to delay the farming season and to plant when it is time... In the last few days, you must also control your people, and not plunder, kill people indiscriminately, or trample on good farmland."
"Why?"
Huo Nu didn't hear the last part of the sentence clearly. He still asked this question with confusion about the withdrawal of troops and this attack.
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