After traveling through time, I became Han Zhang’s grandson?

Chapter 384 Progress

In the second year of Yuanyou in the Song Dynasty and at the end of June in the third year of Da'an in the Liao Dynasty, the five infantry and cavalry corps of the Song army, namely Ningxia, Yunying, Yizhou, Xiongzhou and Bazhou, brazenly crossed the Song-Liao border and entered the Liao Kingdom without the permission of the Liao Kingdom.

The Liao army, which had already made preparations, fired the first shot without hesitation to stop the Song Dynasty's Northern Expedition.

The two sides were fighting on a battle line that stretched for thousands of miles, and the back and forth was very lively.

But for the generals and soldiers fighting on the front lines, every step must be taken with extreme caution, because often the collapse of one point will reverse the entire situation.

It is a consensus that neither the Song nor the Liao countries will give up easily.

But who will win in the end is an unknown question.

Ultimately, no one knows whether Han Ming is the Emperor Taizong of Later Zhou or Emperor Taizong of Later Zhou a hundred years ago, or whether he is repeating the same mistake and carrying out the same sloppy Northern Expedition as Emperor Shenzong.

Therefore, no matter how loudly the Northern Expedition was called for, how many generals there were, and how strong the lineup was, the final result pointed directly to a realistic question - could Han Ming achieve victory in the Northern Expedition?

As a result, both the Song and Liao dynasties were eager to prove themselves.

The Liao Kingdom believed that since the Later Jin Dynasty ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, they had never been driven out of Yanyun. Instead, they had completely integrated into the Yanyun region over the past hundred years.

As for the Song Dynasty, it had accumulated a wealth of experience after repeated northern expeditions. Even under the leadership of Han, it had seized the five states of Yun, Ying, Huan, Shuo and Yi, giving it a great advantage.

The second is to demonstrate their strength in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, regardless of Song or Liao.

The direction of the war was beyond everyone's expectations. Except for the Ningxia Corps and the Yunying Corps who were fighting vigorously on the west side, the three major corps in the Liaoning Nanjing Road area were all caught in a tough battle.

First, the Yizhou Legion led by Yao Si and his son collided with the Liao army's flank while crossing the Qifeng and Baimashan areas.

The Liao army general Yelu Asi and Yao Si, father and son, and three generations of their grandson, all had the same idea. They all planned to go around the mountains north of Yizhou, then cross Taining Mountain and raid the Yishui grain and grass camp behind the Yizhou army.

As a result, the two sides met "love at the corner" at Qifeng Mountain and Baima Mountain in Yizhou.

Seeing that the Liao army dared to raid the "Yishui Grain and Grass Camp", the elderly Yao Si was very angry. The first round of the battle between the two sides became intense and they were really angry.

"Father!"

"We can't let the Liao army hinder us. Our mission is to penetrate directly into the two states of Gui and Ru and cut off the Liao's support routes from the east and west."

"If we hold on to a stalemate with Yelu Asi here, it will be easy for the Liao army to find a flaw!"

Yao Xiong used his spear to knock down an enemy soldier who was trying to launch a sneak attack from behind Yao Si, and then shouted loudly.

"This area is basically blocked by the Liao army. You and Erlang will take Xiyan (Yao Pingzhong) westward, cross Zijingling, jump out of the defense line in this area, and head straight to Guizhou!"

Yao Si was quick-witted and immediately planned another route.

"Father, what about you and Second Uncle?!"

Yao Xiong immediately asked.

"Your second uncle and I will stop Yelu Asi here. This bastard wants to sneak attack the Yishui grain and grass camp. Is he dreaming?!"

Yao Si had a bad temper and was always straightforward on the battlefield.

This time, Yelu Asi's strategic layout was destroyed. The old man's temper can be imagined. He insisted on taking the other party's head to vent his anger.

Yao Xiong felt nervous. Although he wanted to persuade her a few more times, he knew that the situation was urgent and he couldn't waste any more time. He could only clasp his hands and agree.

"Take care, father. I will definitely take over the two states of Gui and Ru within the scheduled time!"

Yao Si nodded heavily and shouted, "Xiong'er, whether the Yao family can be successfully passed down depends on this time. Don't disgrace the honor of our ancestors!"

Yao Xiong gripped his spear tightly, spurred his horse and rode away, calling out to his second brother Yao Gu and nephew Yao Pingzhong to kill the enemy, then rushed westward.

The departure of the three took away a part of the Song army. Yelu Asi suddenly had an opportunity and tried his best to press forward to compress the front line of Yao Si and Yao Lin.

"Big Brother!!!"

Yao Lin charged and fought for a while, then rushed to Yao Si's side from the side.

"Order the entire army to retreat to the Qifeng and Baimashan areas. Let's engage the Liao army in a mountain battle!!!"

"Remember, we must delay Yelu Asi's return to defend Gui and Ru states, giving Xiong'er and the others time to attack the city!"

Yao Si's order was conveyed to the remaining soldiers of the Yizhou Legion, and then the two sides entered the second stage - stalemate.

While Yao Si's Yizhou Legion was stuck in a stalemate and delay, the Xiongzhou Legion on their right was also facing a tough battle in the Zhuozhou area.

Guo Kui, Gu Tingye, Zhang Qie, Shen Congxing and others were caught off guard by Xiao Boyu's plan not to defend the city but to go forward to fight.

However, after a brief contact, Guo Kui quickly stabilized the front line and, relying on the war horses and cavalry he had cultivated over the years, began a head-on confrontation with Xiao Boyu.

As a result, Xiao Boyu made up his mind and dug up the Zhuo River, flooding the land around Zhuozhou City. The Song and Liao armies were caught off guard and both fell into the trap.

However, this time the Song army was fully prepared, even bringing a large number of bamboo rafts, which broke Xiao Boyu's "stupid move".

I thought Xiao Boyu was in a panic at this time and chose a deadly move that did not distinguish between friend and foe to resist the Song army.

Unexpectedly, the irrigation of the Zhuo River turned the area around Zhuozhou City into a swamp, and the cavalry and chariots of both sides could not be used.

Even the troops transporting food and fodder in the rear found it extremely difficult to enter the vicinity of Zhuozhou City.

"What a guy, Xiao Boyu! I thought he was making stupid moves, but it turns out he was just trying to buy time!"

Gu Tingye's hair and beard are now slightly gray, but the occasional sharpness in his eyes still reveals his youthful appearance.

"I was careless. I didn't expect Xiao Boyu to abandon even his own army in order to delay our army's march north."

Zhang Qi stroked his white beard and frowned.

"So what should we do next? Wait for the water to retreat before we advance?"

Shen Congxing asked several people with some headache.

"There's no time. I heard that Yelu Hongji has been withdrawing troops from Shangjing Road, Dongjing Road, and Zhongjing Road to resist our Northern Expedition. This is to strengthen the defense of Xijin Prefecture."

"If we don't capture Xijin Prefecture quickly, the Liao army will likely find an opportunity to support us, leading to a repeat of the failure of the Yongxi Northern Expedition."

Cao Ping's ancestor Cao Bin was in the Zhuozhou area and was tricked. He was finally defeated at Qigou Pass, which triggered a chain reaction and led to the failure of the Yongxi Northern Expedition.

Therefore, he has the most say in the attack and defense of Zhuozhou.

"So what does General Cao mean?"

Guo Kui also wanted to hear what this general, known as 'Little Han Ming', had to say.

"Split the troops!"

Cao Ping immediately gave his own thoughts.

"How to divide the troops?!"

Guo Kui's eyes lit up. He had long had the idea of ​​dividing the troops, but he was not sure what the generals thought.

"Cross the Li River from the right, attack Gu'an and Anci, then go north along the Gaoliang River and directly attack Xijin Prefecture in Youzhou!!!"

The boldness of Cao Ping's strategy shocked all the generals, and they quickly thought about the feasibility of the strategy.

"agree!"

Zhang Qi immediately voiced his support.

"agree!"

"agree!"

"..."

Then everyone nodded in agreement, and Guo Kui felt relieved.

"Okay, since everyone agrees on the strategy of dividing the troops, then Zhong Huai, Zhi Fu (Zhang Qie), and Gong Zheng (Cao Ping) will lead the army eastward."

"I and the other generals will be stationed at the front lines in Zhuozhou to contain Xiao Boyu's return north!"

Upon hearing the military order, Gu Tingye and the other two quickly stood up, clasped their fists, and replied, "Yes!"

As for the last part of the Bazhou Legion, after successively capturing Yongqing and Wuqing, they were ambushed by the Liao army general Yelu Chongge near Xincang.

The battle between the pioneering young players Di Yong and Zong Ze and the veteran Yelu Chongge ended in a dismal manner.

"You dare to bully my Sanlang? This Yelu Chongge's life is over."

"I request that the troops attack Xincang and capture Yelu Chonggede's head as a sacrifice!"

When Di Zi saw his third brother being beaten to a pulp by Yelu Chongge, he couldn't help but get furious and wanted to fight with him.

"We don't have the time to tangle with him here. As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. We must block the Liao army's escape routes to the north and east before anyone reacts."

Di Liang is now increasingly showing the demeanor of his father, Duke Wuxiang of Di. Years of leading and training troops have allowed him to catch up with his father's pace.

Looking at Xincang on the northeast side of the military map, this is the most convenient road to Jizhou.

"Which Liao general is stationed in Xianghe?"

Di Liang asked Lieutenant General Liu Changzuo who was writing and drawing on the map.

"I heard it was Xiao Xiamo, the son-in-law of the Liao princess!"

Liu Changzuo did not turn around, but continued to mark the deployment of the two armies along the way, diligently doing his job as a soldier.

"Prince Consort Xiao Xiamo?"

Gao Zunyu scratched his head in confusion, as if he had never heard of it.

"Xiao Xiama, also known as Xiao Derang, was a son-in-law of the Liao Dynasty."

"His wife was Yelü Hongji's daughter, Princess Yelü Sagezhi of Wei."

"She's the tough woman who smuggled Xiao Guanyin here some time ago."

"Xiao Xiama's sister, Xiao Tansi, is now Yelu Hongji's second empress."

"Therefore, he is both Yelu Hongji's son-in-law and his brother-in-law."

Liu Changzuo had already sorted out the information in this regard, so he could easily explain the other party's situation.

"Tsk tsk, there's something interesting here."

When Di Zi heard the story of the man who was both his son-in-law and his wife's brother-in-law, he couldn't help but marvel at it.