Due to the chaos of Youyan and the poor communication, although the spread of the news lagged behind, it finally reached Liu Chengyou's ears clearly. Although it can be seen from the reaction of the Liao army on the southern front that Zhao Yanshou must have made a major breakthrough in Youzhou and hit the sore spot of the Liao army, the result still surprised Liu Chengyou and his ministers.

Youzhou City was really taken by Zhao Yanshou, is it so easy, how much waste is there in Yelu Jieli?

The news is a little distorted in the process of transmission, probably Zhao Yanshou Shenbing descended to the city of Youzhou, brazenly launched an attack, invincible, the defenders could not stop, took the city in one fell swoop, and got the support of the Han people in the city, Youyan Haojie, moved after hearing the news, and rushed to vote, Zhao Yanshou has tens of thousands of people according to Youzhou.

Remove the useless information, but one thing is certain, the most important and difficult target of this Northern Expedition, Youzhou City, has been won.

Then, a question was placed in front of Liu Chengyou, what should he and the Longqi Army do?

A group of generals who stayed behind to defend Zhending once again asked to fight, looking at the faces full of eagerness and impatience, Liu Chengyou felt that he had to think about it. Most of the Longqi Army was basically scattered, and the generals and colonels were mainly from the Third Army, and they were basically middle and lower-level officers.

Youyan's news spread very quickly, if they were allowed to travel four or five hundred miles to fight Youzhou in advance, it is estimated that no one would have confidence, but now Zhao Yanshou led a group of rebels to take it down when the Liao army was prepared. It turned out that Youzhou was not so easy to fight, so these officers and soldiers who were really determined couldn't sit still, and they also had to make meritorious contributions.

Liu Chengyou naturally wouldn't look at things so simple like ordinary soldiers, thinking that Youzhou was really that easy to fight. To his surprise, Guo Rong and Xiang Xun also couldn't sit still, their appetite also increased, and they lost their normal heart, instigating Liu Chengyou to go north to support Zhao Yanshou with all his might, and reintegrate the land of Youyan into the rule of the national dynasty.

But this time, Liu Chengyou was extraordinarily calm as usual. For a moment, he was really tempted, but he was able to contain that impulse. Immortal feats that seem to be within reach are often worth thinking about and weighing.

"Your Highness, Youzhou is under us, then we have a foothold in Youyan, relying on Jiancheng, it is enough to compete with the Liao army and drive it out completely." Xiang Xun was excited, even if he noticed that Liu Chengyou was not interested, he still couldn't help but persuade him.

"With our current strength alone, is it enough to compete with the Liao army? You must know that in response to this dispatch, we have done our best, at the expense of the defense force of Chengde Zhenzhou! Glancing at Xiang Xun, Liu Chengyou asked lightly.

Guo Rong took the initiative to say: "You can make Zhang Du command and lead the first and second armies to the north." ”

At first, Zhang Yanwei was ordered to lead 6,000 cavalry east to intercept and kill Xiao Han's army returning to the north, and intercepted the last Liao army in the lower reaches of the Yellow River eastward, at the junction of Decang and Decang. Xiao Han's army of more than 20,000 people, or because of the morale of the army, fought conservatively and cowardly, Zhang Yanwei and Ma Quanyi, with the cooperation of local warlords and righteous troops, fought with them for more than 20 days, and finally had a result.

Xiao Han woke up in the end, he might not be able to wait for Youyan's support, and led the remaining 4,000 horsemen, abandoning all the "burdens" and leaving for his life. Zhang Yanwei seized a lot, in the final analysis, Xiao Han was so insistent before, he was still reluctant to bother to loot the beauties.

Zhang Yanwei's speed of returning to the division is not fast, and the big cars and small cars are still in Jizhou.

Hearing his words, Liu Chengyou said directly: "The first and second armies have been fighting for nearly a month, and they will be tired and tired. ”

"Your Highness can make the towns and state soldiers of Hebei come north, and then recruit Yan Zhao warriors." Xiang Xun's voice was a little quieter.

Liu Chengyou couldn't help but look at him and didn't speak, but his eyes were full of words. As if wondering, this kind of suggestion was really put forward to Xun. Recruiting troops may be useful, but after several wars, how much is left with Ding Zhuang, even if one or two thousand people are raised, it is enough? If you want to continue to invest in Youzhou, what you need is immediate combat power. As for the towns of Hebei, the warlords in these places are newly attached, and if they can not rebel and cause chaos, they are already burning high incense.

Thinking of these, Liu Chengyou's thinking became clearer and clearer. Shaking his head gently, he stretched out his hand to stop Guo Rong, who also wanted to say something more: "With our current strength, it is reluctant to control the Chengde Prefectures and the Northern Frontier. The previous time, I strongly advocated the Northern Expedition of the Yan Army, and all the monarchs expressed their opposition, why are there so different opinions today? It's all because of the city of Youzhou. The proposal of the Northern Expedition was originally based on the fact that if the enemy was strong, it would be advantageous to attack with disadvantage, I dared to take the risk of doing this, and the contradiction between the Khitan and the seizure of the throne intensified, and Youzhou was empty, which was the opportunity given to us by the Khitans! ”

"King Yan won Youzhou, although it is gratifying, but how easy it is to take it, how fierce it will be in the face of the Liao army's counterattack."

"For hundreds of miles of expedition, how many soldiers and horses, how much armor, how much grain and grass are needed, how to ensure the supply of the back road, and how to make contributions. The two of you won't be unaware of the difficulties in between. Although the time for this mobilization is not long, it has reached the limit of our army, and more than half of the treasury of the summer harvest has been consumed. Next, it is necessary to raise both soldiers and people, and it is still necessary to be prepared for emergencies. If we put more strength into Youyan, I am afraid that we will fall into it, and if Youzhou has no result, we will collapse ourselves......"

In fact, Liu Chengyou said, with the intelligence of Guo Rong and Xiang Xun, where can they not recognize, but the huge temptation is in front of them, which is too unbearable.

And the reason why Liu Chengyou was able to endure it was just that his expectations were not so high, and Zhao Yanshou was chaotic, this was his real purpose. And suddenly found that there seemed to be a chance to recapture Youyan, and the vigilance in Liu Chengyou's heart became higher.

Liu Chengyou expressed his attitude so solemnly, and the two of them calmed down, glanced at each other, and Guo Rong said: "Your Highness, as you said, if Youzhou is lost, the Liao army will definitely fight back with all its might." Without our support, Zhao Yanshou may be difficult to resist. ”

At this time, Wei Renpu, who had not spoken, spoke: "The city of Youzhou is strong, and you only need to gather the Han people to defend it, if you only use the remnants of the army in Youyan at this time, it will be difficult to recapture it in a short time." However, if the main force of the Liao army out of Lingbei returns to the south, it will be difficult to say. ”

"I can only hope that the Khitan infighting can last longer and buy more time for Zhao Yanshou!" Liu Chengyou said.

After such a discussion, the tone was set. However, Xiang Xun was still a little unwilling, and sighed: "What a good opportunity, it's a pity!" ”

Liu Chengyou stiffened his face and said: "Vested Long, look back at Shu?" ”

"The Liao army has shrunk its strength to Youyan, won't our army do anything?" Xiang Xun.

Touching his chin and thinking about it for a while, Liu Chengyou stretched out his hand and crossed the map on the case, and said: "The right to fight independently with the two route armies, but there is one point, the Longqi Army is not easy to water!" ”

From beginning to end, Liu Chengyou behaved calmly.

The mood is naturally good. In fact, as long as Zhao Yanshou takes Youzhou, no matter how the situation develops next, his goal of chaos will be achieved. In his opinion, Youzhou is in hand, even if he doesn't do anything on his side, the Liao army will definitely not be able to recapture it from Zhao Yanshou without paying a certain price.

According to Liu Chengyou's script, the next best thing is for Zhao Yanshou to base on Jiancheng, gather the power of Youyan, and confront, see-saw, and fight against the Khitan, day after day, year after year.

Of course, judging from Zhao Yanshou's past experience, I am afraid that it will not be possible to let him fight to the death with the Khitans. This person may have the idea of oscillating between the north and the south, and the left and right. But when it comes to a life-and-death crisis, he can't bear the pressure, and it is not difficult to descend the Khitan again, even if Liu Chengyou has used a lot of means to avoid this possibility.

However, Zhao Yanshou had to have that opportunity.

......

As the protagonist of Liu Chengyou's discussion with his subordinates, Zhao Yanshou's side is actively enterprising. After taking Youzhou, most of the hanging heart fell, and the confidence was enough.

All the Hu soldiers in the city were driven and killed by his order, and the Yan soldiers entered the city, and the situation reversed, and the Han people, who had been oppressed and monitored, were able to turn over, but the Hu people were controlled. Zhao Yanshou quickly mobilized tens of thousands of Ding Zhuang from the city, and at the same time sent people to declare Tan, Ji, Zhuo, Yi and other prefectures and counties, and called on the Han people to fight against the Khitan.

Zhao Yanshou is really a bit of prestige in the land of Youyan, and there are many old departments serving in the state and county, and there are indeed many responses. Although the Khitan's north-south bicameral system, which governed the Han with the Han Dynasty, had a positive effect on its development, the sequelae were exposed when the Han rebelled.

Of course, the Youyan Han people responded to Zhao Yanshou, in addition to his prestige, the decline of the Khitan strength after the Battle of Luancheng and the contradiction between the Hu and Han also promoted the Han people's resistance.

Entering Youzhou, taking stock of the treasury, gathering heroes, arming soldiers, and appeasing people's hearts, Zhao Yanshou can be described as exhausted.

In contrast, Yelujieli, who took the initiative to go south, was in an awkward situation. When I arrived in Gu'an, I saw that the county town besieged by the Liao army in the north was crumbling. There was nothing to rejoice about, and then the news that the Yan army was coming to Youzhou City by water.

The anger and hatred started from the heart, and under the shame and indignation, he also had the mood to order the destruction of Gu'an, kill all the hundreds of Yan soldiers in the city, and leave a blood debt, before leading the army to return north.

Youzhou, Yelu Jieli must be taken back, otherwise not only will he lose face and the matter will be small, but he will not be able to explain the big matter to Yelu Ruan. Don't look at him, he is also Yelu Ruan's cousin in terms of generation and blood, but he really lost Youzhou, even if Yelu Ruan is praised for his "generosity", he will not let him go.

The Liao army of Ding and Mo was urgently ordered not to entangle with the Longqi army, abandon the state and county to go north, and then made two ways to retreat, and Dingzhou Jiedu Yelu'an was also beheaded by Li Yun. Yelu Jieli gathered the Liao army in the Yishui defense line and its surroundings, drummed out more than 10,000 people, and returned to Youzhou in the north.

However, when the soldiers approached the city, they found that he no longer had the advantage of troops. For Jerujah, the fortification of the city was not terrible, but it was terrible that there were enough troops to defend it. Don't think it's a rabble, in this kind of world, the Youyan heroes who take up arms can teach them to be people.

As soon as his brain was hot, Yelu Jieli brazenly ordered an attack, and then hit his head and broke the bloodstream, losing hundreds of soldiers. After calming down, Yelu Jieli simply set up camp under the city, ready to wait for reinforcements.

However, you want to regroup, but the Yan army in the city will not let you, Zhao Yanshou saw the opportunity, so he sent Yan cavalry out of the city to attack and harass, so that the Liao army did not get tired of it. It is not possible to fight against the nomads without cavalry, and as long as there is, it will not be completely passive.

In this case, Youyan's Liao army was extremely demoralized, and even stopped listening to commands. The Liao army left behind in Youyan, the number of soldiers of the Khitan tribe was not large, and more were miscellaneous soldiers such as Xi Ren, Murowei, and Bohai. And Yelu Jieli is not very popular on weekdays, and he is stubborn and self-serving, and he misjudged several times, which led to the erosion of Youyan's situation.

In this situation, Yelu Jieli directly lost control of the army and was almost defeated directly under the city. Even Zhao Yanshou sensed that something was wrong, until Xiao Han led the remnants of the army from the north of Tokyo. These two can be described as difficult brothers, and when they got together, Xiao Han directly seized power. Whether it is official position, status, or seniority, Xiao Han is stronger than Yelu Jieli. Although Yelu Xie was angry on the surface, he was actually relieved in his heart, and he was not pure stupid.

After some discussion, I felt that it was not enough to counterattack Youzhou with the soldiers under the city, and if I stayed too long, it was easy for it to take advantage of it. Therefore, everyone voted to withdraw to the north to rest and recuperate, and then make plans.

Before retreating, Yiganhu people moved their minds and planned to solve the remaining Yan generals among the generals, such as Yang An, who had previously guarded Mozhou. But Yang An is not the master of mermaids, he learned the news in advance, decisively led the crowd to rebel, rushed out of the Liao camp, surrendered to Zhao Yanshou, and reported the reality of the Liao army. At this time, Xiao Han and Yelu Xie Li were very decisive, withdrew with people, ran fast, and finally didn't find a chance for Zhao Yanshou.

Although the treasury of Youzhou is not full, there is always a lot of surplus, especially grain. The retreat of the Liao army eased the tension in the city and gave Zhao Yanshou more time to prepare and respond.

Pulling out the blade and stabbing through a sack, a lot of newly harvested summer grain flowed out, grabbed it and grasped it in his hand, and a trace of laughter bloomed at the corner of Zhao Yanshou's mouth.

Soon, though, his smile froze. From Youzhou City, a sudden burst of killing sounds broke out, and it spread at an extremely fast speed. His face changed greatly, you must know that the city has always been ordered by him to be under martial law, why did he suddenly kill.

"What's going on, what's going on?" Asked angrily. With the guards, he went out of the treasury.

Soon, some generals hurriedly came to report: "King Yan, the soldiers in the city are killing Hu people......"

"What!" Zhao Yanshou's face turned blue this time: "Nonsense, who made them do this?" ”

"The soldiers shouted for revenge." Seeing that Zhao Yanshou was angry, General Yan explained: "King Yan, there are nearly 100,000 Hu people in the city, and it is also a hidden danger for these people to stay, and it is not good for the city to be guarded. Moreover, food is too wasteful to spend on them. Especially those Khitans, there is a lot of surplus in their families, if they can use it for military use......"

After listening to General Yan's statement, how can it be so reasonable? However, Zhao Yanshou always felt that something was wrong, and angrily reprimanded: "Why do you act without permission? Passing on Lone's order, all the armies immediately stopped and gave the colonel to Lone's bound soldiers. ”

However, Zhao Yanshou's order did not have much effect at this time. The city was already in complete chaos, not only the Yan army, but also the Han people in the city joined its ranks, killing their people, occupying their houses, and taking their food...... Seeing that things could not be violated, Zhao Yanshou simply took his pro-army troops to defend in Beicheng in case of emergency.

When Youzhou City calmed down again, the blood stained the city walls, as if it was responding to the death of Xiangzhou.

Zhao Yanshou was physically and mentally exhausted and arranged the aftermath affairs, cleaning up and burning the corpses, and clarifying the seizures. No matter how unhappy the mood is, one thing is for sure, the wealth and goods of the Hu people in the city are gathered, which is enough for him to defend Youzhou for more than half a year......

When everything was over, Zhao Yanshou investigated the matter with a cold face, and found that the matter was led by several Yan generals, acting together.

As for the reason, Zhao Yanshou couldn't help but look to the south, and sighed in his heart: "So ruthless!" ”

After such a thing, he Zhao Yanshou basically had no second choice......