The sound of artillery rumbled, and the smoke of gunpowder filled the air.

In the northern part of Hejian Fu Road, Cangzhou Road and the territory of the Zhaoyi Army. All the places were in a mess. Nearly 700,000 officers and men on both sides fought the most tragic fierce battle on both sides of the Yellow River, which flows north. After receiving the news that Taiyuan Mansion had been captured by the Hedong Army, the Republican Army Du Ji Yisi immediately issued an order to attack the entire line to the Hebei East Road Corps, the Hebei West Road Corps, and the Taihang Army as a reserve.

At this time, the Hebei East Road Corps, the Hebei West Road Corps and the Taihang Army were all greatly strengthened. All the garrisons of the fortresses on the Zhou side along the border of Hebei were incorporated into three corps. The total number of infantry divisions and cavalry divisions under the jurisdiction of each corps reached 10.

In addition, the three corps were each supported by a large number of siege artillery units and independent engineering units. The total strength of the three major legions has exceeded 450,000!

At the same time, in order to provide logistical support to such a large number of troops. Zhou's Tianjin, Yanshan, Yizhou, Zhuozhou, and other places were fully mobilized. At least 600,000 people, 200,000 mules and horses, and thousands of boats were concentrated.

That is to say, on the battlefield of Hebei alone, the Republic of the Great Zhou has invested more than one million well-organized armed soldiers and civilians!

Such mobilization and organizational capabilities were unimaginable on the side of the Song Dynasty.

In the history of the Xuanhe Northern Expedition, the army on the books was only 100,000, and the actual number was probably less than 100,000.

For this war, the Great Zhou Republic mobilized more than 1.3 million manpower in the territory excluding the new territory of Hedong, accounting for nearly 10 of the total population.

This kind of mobilization and organization ability is close to the level of a modern country or the Seven Heroes of the ancient Warring States.

Of course, the use of people's power to this extent is not only the advantage of the organizational ability of the Civic Republic, but also the contribution of the black soil in the Liaohe River Basin.

As early as the era of the Liao rule, the Liao River valley was vigorously reclaimed, and tens of millions of acres of fertile land were cultivated. During the Great Zhou Republic, the development of the Liaohe River basin was once again accelerated by large-scale land grants and investment by the Liaodong Agricultural Bank.

Han Chinese farmers who migrated from Yandi and Hebei to the Liaohe Valley brought with them advanced agricultural technology, Tianjin's powerful handicraft industry was able to provide high-quality and low-cost iron farming tools, and the knights' homes of the Zhou and Eastern Liao provinces were able to provide enough large livestock for farming in the Liaohe Valley.

Moreover, by constantly encroaching on the land of the Jin State, the cultivated land area of Liaodong Province is also increasing. By the time of the annexation of Shangjing Province in the eighth year of the Republic, the cultivated land of Liaodong Province alone reached 70 million mu!

This is 70 million acres of black soil! Even if half of the seeds are sown by the rotation method, 35 million acres of land are planted with wheat, and the annual harvest is more than 100 million stones.

With a population of just over 10 million, the Zhou State simply could not consume so much grain, even if it was exported in large quantities, brewed wine and fed livestock, it would not be used that much.

Therefore, by the outbreak of the Song and Zhou Wars in the eighth year of the Republic, the Zhou State had accumulated an astonishing amount of grain stocks!

Even if agricultural activities in the country were to cease completely for three years, there would be no famine.

Therefore, Zhou Guocai was able to draw millions of laborers from agricultural production for warfare.

On the other hand, although the population of the Song Dynasty was as high as 100 million, the vast majority of the landed population was controlled by landlords and doctors who had no combat effectiveness. The imperial court could not even clear the land, let alone reasonably distribute the burden of war mobilization.

However, it is more fortunate that Yelu Yanxi's invasion more than ten years ago made the Shidafu landlords in Hebei know that they are powerful, so they became more cooperative. The great development of the Zhou State absorbed the surplus population of Hebei, greatly alleviated the contradiction between people and land in Hebei, and to a certain extent, also reduced the burden on the working people of Hebei, so that they could provide logistical support for the huge Hebei garrison new army and Zhaoyi soldiers.

Of course, the strong combat effectiveness of the new army is also the reason why Hebei is tamed.

In the face of 300,000 new-style troops, any popular uprising is not worth mentioning!

However, this time, the Republic of the Great Zhou sent 450,000 new-style troops with better equipment, training, and morale. Moreover, when the new army of the Song Dynasty was detoured by the Hedong Army of the Zhou Army and had to start retreating, it launched a magnificent attack operation.

In the Hebei Xuanfu Division, which had just moved to Shenzhou, there was a noisy, panicked and gloomy atmosphere. Those high-spirited scribes in the past could no longer cope with the chaotic war, so they had no choice but to transfer some professional officers from the army to assist Liu Ziyu, who replaced Zhang Jun in charge of the engine room of the general army.

But now the Hebei Song army has fallen into a decline that is difficult to reverse, and it is no longer possible to reverse it with good command and scheduling.

The whims in the military engine room, whether they were serious professional officers or amateur scholars, were helpless by the black arrows that continued to extend on the map, symbolizing the thief. The red arrows representing the Song army and the fortress defense system along the border have all been scattered.

Cangzhou Road is quite stable, Wang Yu is worthy of being a famous general who has grown up with the new army, although he is old, he is still quick to react. When the main force of the Hebei East Road Corps of the Zhou army broke through between the Qingchi fortress and the Yanshan fortress and made a detour to the rear of Nanpi Castle, he decisively issued an order to retreat on the whole line.

In order to retreat as soon as possible, he even ordered the destruction of heavy artillery and a large amount of grain, grass, and baggage that had been transported to the front line with great difficulty, and also abandoned many troops stationed in the fortresses of the front line. only led the main force of less than 50,000 people, and ran lightly all the way. Finally, before the Zhou army detoured to encircle the Nanpi Fortress, he led the army to rush across the Yongji Canal Canal, which won a little time for the smooth retreat of the troops.

But in terms of Hejian Fu Road, the Song army suffered a catastrophe!

The more than 100,000 republican troops who were "trapped" in the triangle of Dacheng, Diaoyu Village, and Cheongju suddenly attacked, forcibly broke through the defense line of the Song army, and then rushed to the river. As a last resort, Dao and Yao Gu, who were in the Ayutthaya Overseers, had no choice but to gather their troops and follow the Republican Army. As a result, they encountered a head-on attack by the superior forces of the Republican Army near Shucheng.

It was a battle, and the planting master Dao and Yao Gu met the enemy with the Chebao tactics used by the Song army. The Zhou army, on the other hand, put on a large phalanx tactic, first using overwhelming artillery to carry out fierce bombardment, and then launched a phalanx assault, using the latest arquebuses and spears to completely crush the Song army that had lost the cover of the fort.

After only one day of decisive battle, the 60,000-strong army led by Seed Master Dao and Yao Gu was crushed.

Under the protection of his own soldiers, Yao Er barely escaped to Hejian Fucheng, and there were less than 3,000 soldiers and horses. It's not enough to defend the Riverhouse. Therefore, they could only protect the Hebei Xuanfu Division, the Hejian Road Jingluo, the pacification envoy and other government offices, retreat across the Hutuo River and flee to Shenzhou.

After this battle, a terrifying gap appeared in the Hebei defense line of the Song State. The fortress defense line, which had been pinned on high hopes, no longer had any effect.

After capturing Hejian Province, the Zhou Army's Hebei West Road Corps was almost free to move around in the hinterland of Hebei.

It can not only directly attack the residence of the Daimyo of Hebei Caosi, but also attack the flank of the Zhaoyi Army to the west, or cooperate with the Hebei East Road Army to the south to encircle and annihilate Wang Yu's department.

You can even do all three at the same time!

In the final analysis, on the battlefield in Hebei, the Republican Army is fighting 300,000 with 450,000 people! And there were 100,000 troops detouring from Hedong. The superiority in strength is quite obvious, so it is possible to attack in multiple ways without worrying about being broken by the opponent individually.

On the other hand, on the Song army's side, at least 100,000 people are now left behind in the fortresses and fortresses that have lost contact, and their lives are uncertain! More than 50,000 people were annihilated in the Battle of Shucheng.

Of the 300,000 new troops, only half of them are still available!

However, the remaining half of the new army did not have a good time. Nearly 50,000 of Wang's men are still trying to escape.

Although the tens of thousands of people of the Zhaoyi Army have shrunk in a timely manner, they have now abandoned Zhendingfu and Dingzhou, and are moving towards the old nest of Xiangzhou. But the speed at which the Zhou army detoured the troops was obviously faster than them! You will definitely be able to capture Xiangzhou City before the Zhaoyi Army!

In addition, the Taihang army of the Zhou army also moved south from the Yizhou assembly area, and hundreds of thousands of troops followed behind the butt of the Zhaoyi army, constantly eating the palace army thrown out by the Zhaoyi army.

For the Song army on the battlefield in Hebei, it was now in a desperate situation.

Lu Yihao sat in Jiyi's room, looking at the Dao of the Seed Master, the Seed Master, Yao Gu and a group of Ji Yi gathered in front of the map and argued with a blank face.

But there are only eight words in my heart: "I have the intention to kill the thief, but I have no power to return to heaven".

Because this battle of Hebei was not lost on the battlefield, but on the national law.

The Great Song Dynasty, with a population of 10,000, exhausted its national strength and even owed huge debts, barely maintaining a new army of more than 300,000. And the Zhou State, which has more than 10 million people, is likely to exceed 600,000 new troops invested in the Hebei battlefield alone!

The mere comparison of the mobilization and organizational capabilities of the two countries will already determine the outcome of the outcome.

The Great Song Dynasty lost to the ancestral family law!

If this ancestral family law cannot be completely changed, the Great Song Dynasty will die!

Just when Lu Yihao thought of the sore spot of the Great Song Dynasty's imminent demise, and his eyes were full of tears, a young officer wearing a stubborn armor walked into the Jiyi room quickly, and reported loudly, "The last general Xuanfu Division's pro-military camp General Yue has seen Xuanshuai, the pro-military camp has been sorted out, and he can escort Xuanfu Division to transfer in at any time!" ”

Because Yue Tuo's battalion of soldiers and horses was defeated and their morale was not high, they were used as reserves in the Battle of Shucheng. Therefore, he was lucky and was not annihilated by the Zhou army, but fled with the two kinds and Yao Gu.

After arriving at Hejian Mansion, Lu Yihao, who had little troops around him, was asked to serve as a personal soldier.

Today, he was ordered by Lu Yihao to organize his troops and prepare to escort the Xuanfu Department and other government offices to continue to escape.

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