Guo Xu was a little embarrassed, and smacked his lips: "I don't want to run away, but ...... Now Taiyuan Mansion is occupied by the Liao, and the northwest soldiers and horses cannot be reinforced. The Jurchens were about to come to the capital as soon as they spoke. If Bianliang can't hold it, wouldn't it be bad then? I'm not afraid of death, it's okay even if I take the lead, but I'm afraid that the morale of the army and the people will be discouraged, and it will be out of control. ”

Lu Zhongtian said in a deep voice: "The emperor doesn't need to explain, the old minister naturally knows that the emperor's safety is very important, and there is indeed a lot of risk in staying in Bianliang." However, the emperor's departure from the capital at this moment is a great blow to the morale of the army and the people. At this time, not to mention taking the lead, the emperor also has to show an attitude of hatred and hatred. Otherwise, how can the military and civilians have the heart to fight to the death? As soon as the emperor leaves, Bianliang will be lost, and if the emperor does not leave, he will stick to Bianliang, and Bianliang will still be saved. Bianliang is the capital of my Great Zhou, and it is the lifeblood of my Great Zhou, how can the emperor have such thoughts at this moment? This is also too disappointing for the old minister. Shen Fang, this dog thing, made such a suggestion to the emperor at this moment, his heart can be punished, and he can't be spared. ”

Guo Xu hurriedly said: "Grandfather, don't be angry, since my grandfather said something inappropriate, I won't leave." Shen Fang is also kind-hearted, he is worried about my safety. However, does my grandfather really think that Bianliang can hold it? ”

Lu Zhongtian said in a deep voice: "Why can't you? I have ordered Yuan Zhenqian to recapture Taiyuan Mansion and open the way to reinforce the capital. Yuan Zhenqian will definitely be able to do it. We only need to hold on to Bianliang, and once Yuan Zhenqian's army arrives, it will be the time for us to annihilate the Jurchens. The emperor must not leave the capital at this moment, otherwise my Da Zhou will really be hopeless. Not only can the emperor not leave, but he also has to show fearlessness in front of the ministers and the people of the capital. The old minister suggested that the emperor go to inspect the streets in the afternoon, so that the people would know that the emperor was with them, so as to reassure the people and the army. ”

Guo Xu was silent for a long time, and finally nodded: "Okay, I will listen to my grandfather." ”

……

The Jurchen army attacked the city and plundered the land all the way, the fourth day of the first month, Cizhou was lost, the sixth day of the first month, Xiangzhou was lost, the seventh day of the first month, Tangyin was lost, and the eighth day of the first month, Liyang was lost. A series of bad news arrived in the capital, and the officials of the court were like pins and needles, and they couldn't live in fear. To the south of Liyang is the land of Gyeonggi, and the Jurchen army has reached the northernmost point of Gyeonggi, and one leg is already about to enter the land of Gyeonggi.

The good news is that the Jurchen army finally stopped its southward march in Liyang. Of course, this is not that they gave up the idea of attacking Bianliang, but after many days of continuous fighting, the Jurchen soldiers and horses also need to rest. Naturally, they knew that they would encounter a fierce battle when they entered the capital, and they had to mobilize and prepare for this. Another reason is that south of Liyang is the Yellow River. The Jurchen army finally encountered the first terrain moat, and they had to cross the Yellow River to enter the land of Gyeonggi. Crossing the river was the biggest thing for the Jurchens at the moment.

Naturally, the Great Zhou court was not without response, and the withdrawal of the border towns and the Xiang army from the surrounding areas of Gyeonggi had been fully assembled a few days ago. Although there were less than 150,000 men and horses, Bai Qi, who commanded the soldiers and horses with meritorious service, suggested to the imperial court: Baima at the crossing of the Yellow River south of Liyang

Du led the army to block the opponent's crossing of the river, and took advantage of the geographical advantage to resist the enemy to the north of the Yellow River. There are not many crossings of the Yellow River north of Gyeonggi, and the most suitable for a large army to cross the river is the Baekba Ferry, which has a gentle water, and the other side will definitely cross the river from here. As long as they hold Baimadu, as long as the Jurchens can't cross the Yellow River, they can only look at Bianliang and sigh. Although the opponent's combat strength is strong, it is not so easy to cross the Yellow River under the resistance of the army.

The imperial court adopted Bai Qi's suggestion, and all the 150,000 troops were laid near the Baima Ferry, and immediately began to build fortifications and arrow towers, preparing to repel the enemy. Guo Xu also personally rushed to the barracks of the Baimadu army on the tenth day of the first month. On that day, Guo Xu wore armor and rode a war horse, and delivered an impassioned speech in front of more than 100,000 soldiers. The emperor's personal expedition greatly boosted morale, and hundreds of thousands of troops shouted like a tsunami, and all the generals vowed to stop the Jurchens here, and swore not to let the Jurchens step into Gyeonggi. From the sound of the tsunami, Guo Xu also felt a trace of comfort. The confidence in his heart is also recovering, maybe this time he can really resist the enemy north of the Yellow River and turn the whole situation around.

……

In Liyang City, there was a noisy scene of soldiers and horses. A small Liyang city simply could not accommodate 200,000 Jurchen troops and a large number of supplies, chariots and horses. The entire city was packed, and the hillsides outside the city were densely packed with Jurchen soldiers and horses.

The army stopped here because it was to rest and wait for the arrival of the slow siege equipment, and on the other hand, it was indeed because the crossing of the Yellow River had not yet been decided. Wanyan Aguda personally took people to the bank of the Yellow River and walked around, exploring dozens of miles in the east and west directions, and it turned out that except for the Baima Ferry, other places were indeed not suitable for the army to cross the river. The entire Yellow River is in the flow of more than 200 miles in this section of Hebei West Road, and Baima Ferry has become the best place to cross the Yellow River since ancient times because of the gentle and open water flow. Especially in this season, the Yellow River in the Baimadu area has frozen, and the ice layer is several feet thick over time. This is also the reason why Wanyan Agu captured the small city of Liyang instead of continuing to go southwest to capture Weizhou, the capital of the state. Wanyan Agu Da just wanted to cross the river with the army one day earlier and point his sword at Bianliang City.

However, when the army arrived in Liyang, the first news it received was frustrating. Although the section of the Hakuba River is also frozen, it is all some thin ice floes, and it is not connected at all. In this case, the only way to cross the river was to cross the river by boat, which caused great trouble. The soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou Dynasty also quickly gathered on the south bank of Baimadu, obviously trying to rely on the natural danger of the Yellow River crossing to prevent their army from crossing the river. Although he already has some understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Great Zhou soldiers and horses, he knows that the combat effectiveness of the Great Zhou soldiers and horses is vulnerable, and they are not opponents at all. However, after the other party has such a large river as a barrier, it is obvious that there will be heavy losses if they forcibly cross the river. Wanyan Aguda would never do such a stupid thing.

For several days, there was no end to the discussion of how to cross the river, but there was no good idea. Discuss to discuss

The only way to go is to cross the river by boat. The river has been explored for hundreds of miles, and there is no suitable place except for Baimadu. The river above and below Hakuba Ferry is narrow, the water is turbulent and fierce, the canyon is steep, and it is definitely a place where large armies cross the river from time to time. I don't know what to do.

Five or six days have passed, and the follow-up baggage equipment has arrived, and the soldiers have almost rested, but the plan for crossing the river has not yet been decided. Wanyan Agu was so anxious that on the night of the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, he summoned all the generals to discuss how to cross the river.

According to the people under his account, Li Junqiu took people to the bank of the Yellow River in the afternoon to check the terrain along the bank of the river. He was obviously worried about crossing the river.

At the meeting, after discussing for a long time without any result, Hu Lu and the others simply suggested that Wanyan Aguda give up attacking Bianliang and instead attack the Daimyofu and other state capitals to the east, swallowing up all the territory north of the Yellow River. Even if you can't capture Bianliang, swallowing up the vast territory north of Bianliang is a victory. And the further east you go, the more crossings there are, the easier it is to cross the river, and a roundabout attack may be the most appropriate course of action at the moment.

But such an offer was rejected by Wanyan Agu. He knew it in his heart. At war with a big country of Great Zhou's size, it is absolutely impossible to let the other side breathe. Capturing Bianliang in one fell swoop is the best solution. In the roundabout battle, each battle has huge losses in personnel and materials, and later, there is little left of the soldiers and horses at hand, how to attack Bianliang? In order to destroy the Great Zhou, it is necessary to directly cut to its vital point and directly occupy its capital. That kind of situation is the result that Wanyan Aguda wants most. As a last resort, Wanyan Aguda would never consider giving up Bianliang. This is already in front of you, and the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which is less than three hundred miles away, will be determined by itself.

After such a proposal was rejected, all the generals were gone. Wanyan Aguda couldn't help it, and when the meeting reached the second watch, he announced the end of the meeting. However, at this time, Li Guoqiu returned, and he came to the meeting place as soon as possible.

"Strategist, we're all ready to disperse, and we can't come up with an idea. Did the military advisor go to the bank of the Yellow River today? What can you think of? Wanyan Aguda asked casually, he didn't have much hope, and Li Guoqiu was afraid that there was no good way.

However, Li Guoqiu's answer was surprising.

"Great Chief, it seems that a solution has been found." Li Guoqiu held his hand and stretched out his hand to bake on the stove.

Wanyan Agu was overjoyed, and hurriedly poured a bowl of hot tea for Li Guoqiu and handed it over, and said in a deep voice: "The military advisor has found a way?" How do we cross the river? ”

Li Guoqiu drank a few sips of tea, and Hu Lu and the others shouted anxiously: "Strategist, say it quickly, what are you selling?" What the fuck ......."

Wanyan Agu shouted: "Shut up, let the military advisor drink tea." ”

Li Guoqiu put down the teacup and said with a smile: "Great chief, generals, I have found the reason why Baima does not freeze." ”