Chapter 227: Defeat at Qigou Pass
The Spring Festival is the most important festival of the year. It is a day to worship ancestors, get rid of the old and welcome the new, and pray for a good year. Pasting Spring Festival couplets, cutting New Year pictures, setting off firecrackers, making dumplings and rice cakes, and the family sitting together to eat a rich reunion dinner.
These festive occasions are gone this year. Yunzhou City has just experienced war, and money, food and other supplies have been looted by the Liao army. Yunzhou City is good to have a hot New Year's Eve dinner.
Luo Li took the letters from her father and mother from Chengdu Prefecture to the capital, and then forwarded to Yunzhou City. She felt sad and her nose was sore, and tears rolled in her red eyes.
The concern and longing between the lines, the earnest instructions, made her miss her relatives too much.
After arranging to use the materials transported from Huanzhou to provide porridge and food to the people in the city, Qin Wang Zhao Defang returned to the government office and found the princess sitting in a daze in the study.
Seeing Luo Li's red eyes and the letter on the desk, Qin Wang stepped forward and hugged her into his arms.
His voice was low but extremely gentle: "Li'er, you won't have to wait too long, you will be able to reunite with your parents and family.
I originally planned to take Sichuan and Shu into my pocket before the New Year, but the sudden outbreak of the Northern Expedition forced me to put this matter aside for the time being, so as not to shake the morale of the Northern Expedition Army and allow the Liao Army to take the opportunity to counterattack and invade the Song Dynasty."
Luo Li leaned her head on him, his heartbeat was strong behind the hard and cold armor.
"Zhao Defang, no need to explain, I know that you are a patriot who loves your country and your people first, and then a rebel who fights for survival."
Qin Wang Zhao Defang raised the corners of his lips and stroked her black hair lovingly, "Li'er, no one knows a husband better than his wife. You are simply a worm in his stomach. I think..."
Luo Li pushed him away angrily, "You are so disgusting! You You are the disgusting worm!"
Qin Wang Zhao Defang quickly apologized with a wicked smile, "I said the wrong thing, and I was led astray by you, a naughty boy who always likes to express elegance in rough ways. We are not the disgusting worms in each other's stomachs. We are a couple who understand each other very well."
Luo Li was amused and laughed, and her depressed mood suddenly became cheerful.
"Zhao Defang, if the Eastern Army suffers a crushing defeat, what good strategy do you have for dealing with it?"
The King of Qin squatted down, looked Luo Li in the eye, and asked, "The Eastern Army commander Cao Bin and deputy commander Gao Huaide are both veterans who are used to fighting. They are brave, resourceful, and steady. Will they really be defeated so quickly?"
Luo Li's guilty look was a little flustered, and her sight wandered to the window next to her, "I'm talking about if, if! Do you understand, you idiot? If is if."
The corners of the King of Qin's lips still had a hint of guilt . With a wicked smile, "I understand. If is if, if is inevitable." He held Luo Li's hand tightly, "I will try my best to take away all the Han people in these four states and let them return to their own land to live.
The lives of the soldiers cannot be sacrificed too much in vain. Even if we are defeated, I will let the soldiers of the Song Dynasty have the pride of soldiers."
Luo Li looked at his firm eyes and couldn't say that as long as you and the father and son of the Yang family can save their lives, other things are not important. Only when you are in the situation personally can you understand why some people are willing to sacrifice their lives and be heroes with passion.
: "Report!... Your Majesty, the Eastern Army's food supply route has been cut off. They were defeated at Qi Gou Pass and retreated to Yizhou City, but were broken by the Liao Army again. The 60,000 Song Army were scattered and were hunted down and surrounded by the Liao Army! Cao Bin broke out with several thousand soldiers. Gao Huaide, who was attacking Mozhou, had no choice but to retreat. The Eastern Army commander, Yelu Xiu'ge, led a large army from the Song Dynasty straight to Daizhou. The Liao Queen Mother Xiao personally led a large army straight to Weizhou City!"
Yun Yi, who was always calm, had a voice full of anxiety.
Qin Wang Zhao Defang stood up with a stern expression, his voice was still steady and calm, "Please ask Yang Ye and his son to come to the government office to discuss the military situation."
"Old General Yang has come, and Young General Yang's subordinates have also sent people to notify them." Yun Yi's voice also calmed down.
Luo Li's heart was beating "thump thump thump". She only knew that the Eastern Army would suffer a great defeat, but she didn't remember the details. Now it seems that the defeat was really terrible. The situation where the Song Army had the upper hand changed in an instant, and the situation was critical!
[Oh my god! Will history repeat itself according to the original plot? Can the fate of Chen Jiagu, where Yang Ye died, be reversed? 】
Luo Li was panicking, and she shouted anxiously to the back of Qin Wang Zhao Defang, "Zhao Defang, pay attention to Chenjiagu!"
Qin Wang Zhao Defang paused, turned to look at Luo Li, nodded solemnly, and then turned and left, his steps were swift but firm and calm.
When Qin Wang came to the study, Yang Yanzhao also arrived.
The father and son stood up to greet each other. The King of Qin waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite. Let's get down to business!"
"Your Majesty, the Eastern Army was defeated at Qi Gou Pass, and the Western Army's rear is in danger. Yelu Xiu'ge is going straight from Yizhou to Daizhou. If Marshal Pan Yuan can't hold on and Yanmen Pass is captured by the enemy, we will be trapped in a jar. Should we withdraw to Yanmen Pass as soon as possible?" Yang Yanzhao was a little anxious.
Yang Ye said calmly: "Even if Yelu Xiuge goes directly from Yizhou to Daizhou, he will encounter stubborn resistance from our army along the way. There is still time. Even if we retreat to Yanmen Pass, we can do it calmly. Besides, we still need to wait and see what the emperor's will is."
Yang Ye was a little worried. The emperor's edicts were coming one after another to urge the battle. If he was accused of disobeying the emperor's edict and retreating without fighting, the civil officials in the court would drown him with spit. Besides, there was also the military supervisor Wang Qun watching in Shuozhou.
Qin Wang Zhao Defang still looked calm and composed. "This Northern Expedition will definitely end in failure. The Eastern Army was defeated at Qi Gou Pass, and the situation is worse than we expected. If we wait until the imperial edict to retreat comes, we don't know how the situation will develop. We should make plans early and act early. There
are more than 300,000 Han people in the four states of Yun, Ying, Huan and Shuo. They have lived a life worse than dogs under the rule of foreign races for decades. I plan to relocate these Han people to the territory of the Song Dynasty, and General Yang will write the memorial to the emperor to report this matter.
Old General, you and Yan Zhao, take retreat action immediately, and start to relocate the Han people in Yunzhou and Yingzhou to Yanmen Pass."
"What about you?" Yang Yanzhao interrupted and asked.
"What about me? I will stay here with two thousand elite Moyun cavalrymen, fight guerrilla warfare with the Liao army, and cover you and the people to retreat."
"Your Highness, no! It is better for the two of us, father and son, to stay here to resist the Liao army, and you will lead the people to retreat and relocate." Yang Ye objected.
Qin Wang Zhao Defang smiled faintly, "It would be easier if you withdrew in advance, but if I withdrew in advance, the emperor would definitely punish me.
Moreover, if we stay behind the enemy and fight guerrilla warfare with the Liao army, my two thousand elite Moyun cavalrymen would be more capable of doing it."
Yang Ye was in a heavy mood. His Royal Highness Qin Wang was right. If he withdrew in advance with the Moyun cavalrymen, the emperor would be worried about not finding an excuse. He would be charged with disobeying the emperor's order and fleeing because of fear of battle.
: "Your Highness, my father will lead 20,000 vanguard troops to protect the people's retreat. I will stay with 3,000 elite cavalry of the Huoshan Army to block the Liao Army together with your Mo Yun Cavalry."
: "That's feasible! Your Highness, your Mo Yun Cavalry and Yan Zhao's Huoshan Army Cavalry are both elite light armored cavalry. The two cavalry can echo and support each other."
: "Your Highness, my injury has healed, and I have no problem riding a horse to kill the enemy. Let's decide it!" Seeing that the King of Qin was silent, Yang Yanzhao stood up anxiously.
The King of Qin smiled and said, "Okay! Yanzhao, our two elite cavalry units will wreak havoc in the enemy's territory."
Yang Yanzhao's blood boiled, and he was full of heroic spirit. "Okay! I will kill the enemy together with you." ... ...
King of Qin Zhao Defang handed a secret letter written with scallion juice to Yun Yi, "Send someone to deliver this letter to Shu as soon as possible, and give it to Sima Qingyun and Yun Fei, Bei The war is over, there is no need to worry about anything. This king ordered them to act immediately, and after taking Sichuan and Shu into their pockets, let Yun Fei lead 5,000 elite Feiyun cavalry out of Jianmen Pass, rush to Qinfeng Road to attack Lanzhou, and intimidate the party members who are ready to make a move from the flank. "
The prince finally took action, Yun Yi's heart surged, his blood boiled, "Yes, sir!"