(2-in-1)

The more silent the crowd became, the more angry Yelu Zongyuan became. As the saying goes, how great is hope, how big is disappointment, he thought that today's battle would break through Liaoyang Mansion, but the sudden change made him lose his mind a little.

"No, I poured the power of the whole country into it, and I couldn't help the Jurchen traitors? When did my Da Liao become so weak? You must not have done your best, and some of you have a tacit understanding with the Jurchens and Wanyan Agu, who want to destroy my Daliao and destroy me. I warn you that if I find out about this conspiracy, I will destroy his entire clan! Yelu Zongyuan angrily slapped the table and shouted.

The faces of the civil and military officials changed, and some of them were stunned, shocked by the emperor's words. Some of them looked sarcastic, thinking that it was unreasonable for the emperor to say such crazy things at this time.

Prime Minister Han Yanshou really couldn't be silent, his brows were furrowed, and his expression was extremely serious. At such a time, the emperor's words are obviously not conducive to combat, and will make the hearts of the upper and lower people panic, and everyone will be in danger. It will shake the morale of the military. It does not play the role of motivation and promotion at all. These words are ill-conceived.

"Your Majesty, please calm the wrath of the thunder and listen to the old minister." Han Yanshou said.

Yelu Zongyuan snorted angrily and said in a deep voice: "What does the prime minister say?" That's it. ”

Han Yanshou bowed down and thanked him, although the old man's voice was low, he said clearly: "Today's battle failed to make a contribution, and the emperor's anger is understandable. However, victory and defeat are a common thing in soldiers. Although our army lost more than 40,000 and the siege plan was blocked, it was not the time to win or lose at this moment. Victory or defeat is still unknown. The emperor can't blame the siege soldiers today. Today, the old ministers watched the battle, and our Daliao warriors were still attacking with all their might, and it was rare to see anyone who was slacking off in battle. At this time, the emperor must not catch the wind and blame the soldiers. What we need to do now is to regroup, gather our confidence, and come out of today's defeat. Keep on the offensive and get the win. ”

Yelu Zongyuan's face was a little ugly, and Han Yanshou actually directly criticized him for his inappropriate words, which made him even more angry. However, Han Yanshou is the person he relies on very much, Yelu Zongyuan can not listen to anyone's words, but he must listen to Han Yanshou. Han Yanshou was the greatest guarantee that he could be the emperor with peace of mind, and he was the communicator between himself and a group of courtiers and nobles who were dissatisfied with his seizure of the throne. With him, Da Liao can at least maintain superficial unity, and his position as emperor can be widely recognized.

Yelu Zongyuan sighed and said in a deep voice: "I may indeed be a little impatient, but I am really heartbroken. How can I not be angry that we have been so well prepared, but in the end, we have fallen short? ”

Han Yanshou nodded and said, "The emperor's thoughts and ministers understand, but this battle is obviously more prepared by the Jurchens. Our methods are restrained by each other. In fact, every step is in their calculations, which is why they have the current result. But the old minister said, this is nothing. We lost more than 40,000 people, and they lost a lot. The old minister estimated that they had at least about 20,000 dead and wounded. Let's exchange two for one, because we have more than twice as many soldiers and horses. If this development continues, all their people are dead, but we still have an army of 100,000. So, they actually hurt more than us. In fact, this battle cannot be regarded as a defeat. ”

Han Yanshou's analytical angle is clear, but it has won the recognition of many officials. But anyone with a clear mind knows that this is just Han Yanshou's sophistry. Your own casualties are more than twice that of the other side, and this is not a defeat, so what is it? The old prime minister's mouth can say that the dead are alive, and he is almost about to be called a victory by him, but he can really blow it. However, it can also make everyone feel better. If this technique can help the soldiers come out of their despair, it can also be a kind of encouragement. Perhaps the prime minister is trying to inspire people with this.

Sure enough, Yelu Zongyuan's expression became much more relaxed. According to Han Yanshou's calculations, the 500,000 siege soldiers and horses of Daliao had enough capital to exchange with the Jurchens. Even if it is two for one, the elimination of the 200,000 Jurchen soldiers and horses requires the lives of the 400,000 troops of the Great Liao, but as long as all the Jurchens can be wiped out, it is worth it. As long as the goal of exterminating the Jurchens can be achieved, it is okay to die as many people as possible.

"Lao Chen is not saying that we can celebrate the victory in this battle, our army failed to conquer the city, and the number of casualties was twice that of the Jurchens, which is really frustrating. But looking at the big picture isn't necessarily a bad thing. The old minister knew that the emperor and the generals were in a hurry, and wanted to take Liaoyang Mansion in one fell swoop and annihilate the Jurchens here. However, if you don't hear that you want to hurry, you won't be able to reach it, and the more anxious you are, the more panicked you will be. This mistake was just made by Yang Jun, the privy envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty a few months ago, because he was in a hurry to capture the Xijin Mansion, so he was wiped out by Lord Han, the king of the Southern Courtyard, along the way, and weakened his strength. When it came to attacking Jinfu, he also attacked continuously day and night, showing impatience. In the end, he exhausted his elite soldiers and was defeated in the final battle. Imagine, if he had fought steadily, not so anxious to attack the city, and adopted the strategy of siege and attrition, I think the battle of Xijin Province would have been a different situation. How can we repeat the lessons of the past? ”

Everyone nodded their heads, and the prime minister's words were thought-provoking. Although the old prime minister is old, he still sees things sharply. How can you not listen to his counsel?

Yelu Zongyuan also pondered, but he quickly shook his head and said, "Although the Prime Minister's words are very reasonable, the situation at this moment is different from when the Great Zhou attacked my Xijin Mansion. Today is the ninth day of October, and heavy snow will fall in Liaodong in mid-October. The supply of our army will come from the Nakakyo Road, and once the heavy snow blocks the supply channel and the grain and grass supplies are difficult, the consequences will be unimaginable. If you want me to fight steadily and besiege and consume, how can I hold it steady? If Liaoyang Mansion can't be conquered within a few days, the consequences should be needless to say. The Prime Minister and all of you should understand this. ”

"Since the emperor knows that time is pressing, why did he wait here for twenty days and stay still? Our generals have repeatedly asked to go to war, but the emperor has vetoed the request, and the current situation is not caused by us. A rough voice rang out, and everyone looked at it when they heard it, and it was the chief of the Darimi tribe, Meng Sago, who was standing at the head of the table. There was obvious disrespect in his words, and this was about to turn over old scores.

Yelu Zongyuan said coldly: "I have to wait for the arrival of the siege equipment to attack the city, Brother Mengsa, are you blaming me for delaying the fighter?" ”

Brother Mengsa smacked his lips with his panicked little yellow braids: "I don't dare to accuse the emperor of not, but it turns out that those siege equipment are useless." After working for a long time, hasn't it become a pile of rags? Tell me that I should have stormed the city a month ago, and what siege equipment do you want? Just do it. When did my Da Liao soldiers and horses rely on those crooked things? It turns out that those things don't work with birds. ”

Yelu Zongyuan glared angrily, and was about to reprimand Meng Sa Ge's ignorance and provocation, Han Yanshou was the first to speak: "Chief Meng Sa Ge, your words are so stupid, the old man is not allowed to say such things. Today, it is no longer a world where cavalry is rampant. Don't you see that even the Jurchens have learned to defend the city, because of the strength of the equipment. At this point, the old minister absolutely supports the emperor. Who said siege engines were useless? Catapults destroyed a large number of fortifications at the head of the city, and how many enemy towers were destroyed? The carts nearly blasted open their gates, and if they hadn't blocked them in advance, the city would have been broken. Without these equipment, today's battle would not have cost 40,000 soldiers and horses, but even 80,000. Whoever says these stupid things means that he is not worthy of leading the army at all. ”

Brother Mengsa's face turned red, and he opened his mouth but didn't speak. On the one hand, Xiao Zheng helped the chiefs of the tribe such as Kulu Eight Bald Bone Sa to signal him not to say much with his eyes, and on the other hand, Brother Mengsa himself knew that there was something wrong with the words of the right talent. The effect of siege equipment is obvious, and he wants to take the opportunity to direct the responsibility to Yelu Zongyuan, but it seems that it will not work. Prime Minister Han Yanshou has made it clear that he should stop this attempt immediately, otherwise he will become the target of public criticism.

"The prime minister taught me that I was stupid and that I was unheard. I apologize to the emperor, that is, the emperor, my brother Mengsa is a stupid person, and I ask the emperor to forgive me. Brother Mengsa can bend and stretch, and immediately choose to apologize.

Yelu Zongyuan naturally won't hold on to it, and he wants to clean up these guys, but it's not the time at this moment. only snorted coldly and said, "If you know that you are stupid, don't talk casually." Only those who know understand that you have a short view, and those who don't know think that you are using the topic to play, and you have ulterior motives. Be careful when you talk after that. ”

Han Yanshou stroked his beard and said: "The emperor is magnanimous, but the chief of Brother Mengsa has no malice, they are all anxious about the siege of the city, and they are all for my Daliao." But...... The emperor said that the weather forced him to attack quickly, and the emperor's worries were also clear in his heart. But Lao Chen believes that you can't rush to attack because of the weather, if the hasty attack leads to bad results, what is the difference between it and the consequences caused by heavy snowfall? I want the old minister to say that today's battle just gave us a good reminder. First, the Jurchens are well prepared, and they must not be irritable and irritable, thinking that it is unrealistic to eat the opponent at once, but they need to be prepared for a long-term attack. Second, there is still something to be done at the moment, whether it is to attack the city or to prepare for a long-term siege. We've only lost 40,000 horses, but that's just a drop in the bucket. The cloud car was only damaged a dozen planes, and more than thirty of them were evacuated in time and well preserved, and they were still a sharp weapon for attacking the city. Lao Chen Shicai also discussed with several generals the method of counter-cracking the opponent's rope pulling, in fact, it is very simple, equipped with a long-handled scythe, so that the hands at the top of the cloud car can cut the opponent's rope to crack it. The Jurchens had no choice but to use that method, and the next time they attacked, they would no longer be able to use that method. ”

Everyone nodded yes, and Yelu Zongyuan also nodded slightly. It's not difficult for the other party to crack that method, and there is no need for him to be thunderous. It's just that he was upset by the Jurchens' methods during this time, and the expected victory of destruction and decay was not realized, so he was irritable. But in fact, if it weren't for the impatience caused by the pressure of the impending snowfall that I couldn't afford to delay, today's defeat was actually nothing.

"The prime minister is right, I'm too anxious. If you can't attack it today, you can attack it again tomorrow. I'm a little impetuous, and that's a big taboo. Still, I'm worried about the weather. I'm afraid I'll fall short. Yelu Zongyuan nodded.

Han Yanshou also nodded slightly: "The emperor's worries are necessary, so the old minister has to make additional suggestions." Please ask the emperor to make a decree to let Han Desu, who was stationed in Xijin Mansion, speed up the matter of urging the delivery of grain and grass. To increase the number of people, prepare the sled. Once the snow falls, block the road. At that time, even if people are used to push sled carts, the supply of food and materials must be guaranteed. Moreover, the speed of delivery of the grain and materials compensated in the south was too slow, and the emperor had to ask Han Desui to urge the Great Zhou court to cash in as soon as possible. At the same time, we must also be prepared to prevent the weather from being severe after the arrival of heavy snowfall. The camp should be walled against wind and snow, and the tents should be reinforced. At the same time, it is necessary to allocate some manpower to cut firewood on the spot and prepare for the cold. In short, be prepared in all aspects, so as not to rush when the snow hits. After the heavy snow falls, everything will inevitably be more difficult, but we are trapped in this city, and the Jurchens will not have a good time. How much food and materials can a small Liaoyang city have? How much firewood can be used for heating? If we are not happy, will they be better? The principle is actually the same, it depends on who can hold on. Obviously, we have a greater advantage, we can replenish the soldiers and horses we have killed, and the food and grass materials are supplied by the Great Zhou people for us, but they can't do it, one less one dies, and one stone less to eat. Even if it is a long-term battle, the advantage is on our side. ”

Everyone who Han Yanshou said was relieved, and the old prime minister saw things very clearly at a critical time, and the countermeasures were also clear. In the end, ginger is still old and spicy, the prime minister's arrangement is indeed reasonable and calms people's hearts.

……

After the third watch, the weather changed abruptly. The north wind strengthened significantly, and the weather became extremely cold. At the time of the fourth watch, there was a mess in the camp of the Liao army. Many tents were blown away by the strong winds, and the camp's stockpiles and dozens of tall watchtowers were torn apart. It's a mess, chickens and dogs jump.

When it was light, Yelu Zongyuan got up. When he came out of the tent and went outside, he found that the sky was very dark, and the clouds were rolling in the sky. The camp was dusty, and the harsh north wind was raging through the camp. The whole camp was a mess. Many soldiers had no tents and had to huddle on the sides of some sturdy tents to avoid the wind.

Yelu Zongyuan's face suddenly became as gloomy as the clouds in the sky, and his mood became as gloomy as the sky. All of this indicates one thing, heavy snow is coming, and time is running out. Originally, I thought that there was at least a gap of five or six days to ten days, but obviously, God didn't give face, and today is only the tenth day of October, and the sky has changed. Although he had already issued a holy decree last night, Han Desui urged Da Zhou to speed up the speed of grain transportation, and let Han Desui personally escort the grain and grass to ensure that even if the heavy snow falls, there must be food and materials. But that obviously takes time to prepare. Heaven has changed. It seems that it is already too late.

When Yelu Zongyuan led his ministers to step onto the viewing platform, he was almost stumbled by the strong wind, but fortunately, the generals around him helped him and did not fall down the steps. Yelu Zongyuan's face was gloomy, and he muttered curses in his mouth. Although the wind was strong and cold, blowing him cold, and his whole face was painful, Yelu Zongyuan didn't want the wind to stop at all at this moment. Because he knew that once the north wind stopped, it was a sign of heavy snowfall. This is common knowledge that everyone knows.

Time was pressing, and even in such weather, according to the plan, Yelu Zongyuan still decided to continue the attack. In the long sound of the horn, the cold snot and tears flowed turbulently, and the cold soldiers and horses of the Liao army were still lined up and prepared. After the sound of drums, the army rushed down the city with shouts, and the siege of the next day began again.

Yelu Zongyuan still followed the previous routine, he still planned to suppress the head of the city with catapults and cover the soldiers and horses to attack the city. First, the horses moved the dozen or so scrapped motives that were lying across the passage so that the subsequent moots could move forward. This time, the top platform of the cloud shuttle is equipped with a long sickle, which specializes in dealing with the hooks of the Jurchens. Once the opponent repeats the same trick, the long scythe can cut the rope to protect the safety of the roller coaster.

But as soon as the offensive began, the Liao army quickly felt the effects of the gale. The catapult had to go another thirty paces to within two hundred and twenty paces before it could throw the stones up the city, because the wind was very resistant. The range of the bed crossbow and feather arrows at the head of the opponent's city has increased because of the tailwind, and it is more powerful and fast. Your own strata cart was already difficult to move forward, but now it is even more difficult and slow. And because of the wind, the cloud cart squeaks and shakes when it moves, and it seems that it may fall down at any time. The Liao soldiers had to add some counterweights below to maintain the center of gravity and increase stability. But in this way, it also makes the movement more slow.

But in any case, even in the face of strong north winds, the siege still had to be carried out. More than 100,000 infantrymen braved the fierce wind and the fire of arrows like a storm, and still broke through under the cover of catapults. The ladders were erected, and the soldiers began to attack the city. The roller was also slowly approaching the riverbank. After laying a large number of logs as pedestals, the Mob is progressing much more smoothly today than it was yesterday. Some are on the right track. Although the casualties are still huge, the progress has not been difficult.

The strong wind also brought trouble to the defenders at the head of the city, and there were many Jurchen soldiers on the city who threw heavy objects too hard when they threw them down, and the wind blew from behind, and even people and things fell to the bottom of the city. The higher the place, the stronger the wind, the Jurchens have thin bodies, and a fierce wind blows, and the Jurchens at the head of the city have to hold on tightly to the city wall so that they will not be blown away. This is not an exaggeration, the strong wind in Liaodong is famous, there are folk songs that say: Liaodong October day, gravel flying all over the sky, houses without tiles, big trees with roots. You don't need to test your fame, you can go to the sky. Although this ballad has a somewhat ridiculous and exaggerated tone, it also describes the fierce north wind in Liaodong at the beginning of winter in October.

Moreover, the crumbling enemy towers at the head of the city that were smashed by catapults could not withstand the strong wind, and they fell down several times, killing many Jurchen soldiers and horses. Another method of splattering oil in the stone to repel the enemy was also useless on a windy day. Because when the barrels are transported to the city, they will be overturned by the wind in mid-air. Fire oil was spilled everywhere. If the other side attacks with rockets, or if you accidentally light a fire, the consequences will be unimaginable. If the rolling wood on the platform at the head of the city is contaminated with black oil and ignited, can the whole city still stand people? If a fire breaks out on a windy day, there is no way to save it. The lack of this extremely effective means of defending the city made it extremely difficult for the defenders to defend the city. The only thing they can comfort is that as soon as the wind stops, there will be heavy snow, which is the situation that the Liao people are most afraid of. The bitter cold and the difficulty of supplies would force them to retreat. However, the premise is that before that, Liaoyang Mansion will not be breached by them.