Zhao Yuanzuo took two steps forward with some embarrassment, bent down, and said in a low voice: "General, do you know that smuggling arms, gold, silver and bronze and Shi Baoji from the Liao State?" ”

Yelu Hugo was stunned for a moment, then squinted at him, and nodded slowly: "You sent him?" ”

"The general is smart!" Zhao Yuanzuo picked his thumb, "I can't come out for too long, so as not to arouse suspicion." Time is pressing, I won't be verbose, let's get straight to the point,—— I hope we can cooperate with both sides, how about it? ”

"What kind of cooperation is it?" Yelu Hugo didn't have much interest, said lightly, picked up a piece of beef, tore off a piece, chewed it, and still squinted at him.

Zhao Yuanzuo swallowed his saliva with some difficulty, and bent his head lower: "You grabbed my father and forced him to pass the throne to me." When I become the emperor of the Song Dynasty, you will kill him. Then I will cede to you all the land north of the Yellow River. and give you a tribute of a million taels of silver every year! How is it? ”

Yelu Hugo looked him up and down: "Do you have the ability to become the emperor?" I heard that the actual command of the forbidden army of your Song Dynasty is in the hands of a person named Leng Yi! And the power is in charge of your queen mother. ”

"That's why I asked you to help me. As long as I have my father's clear decree of succession, I will have a way to kill the one surnamed Leng, abolish the queen, and control the overall situation. Of course, if it doesn't work, I'll borrow troops from you, and of course, if that's the case, I'll cede some more places to you as payment. How is it? ”

Yelu Xiuge snorted coldly in his nostrils: "How do I know that after you become the emperor, you will give us land and compensation?" ”

"I can swear by poison!"

"Forget it, don't you Han people talk about soldiers who don't get tired of cheating? There are too many things that go back on your word, and I won't believe any poisonous oath. ”

"And how are you going to believe it?"

"You've got to show real sincerity."

"What is true sincerity?"

"I heard that you are in control of the 100,000 forbidden troops in Yizhou?"

"yes?"

"Well, after you go back, withdraw your 100,000 forbidden troops, as well as all the border troops, and retreat to the south of the line of Jinju and Xiangzhou. It shows that you are sincere. When our army is stationed in this area, we will help you become emperor according to your request. When he becomes emperor, he will sign a covenant and give us the rest. ”

The line of Jinzhou and Xiangzhou is already very close to the Yellow River, that is, close to the capital of the Song Dynasty, Bianliang (Kaifeng). It is equivalent to handing over most of the ceded land proposed by the Liao State to the Liao State for occupation first. Then they helped Zhao Yuanzuo become emperor.

Jinzhou and Xiangzhou are the northern gateways of Bianliang, these two cities were occupied by the Liao army, which is equivalent to opening the gate of the capital, on the vast plain, the Liao army iron cavalry can be a soldier in one day under the capital division of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, as long as the Liao army advances here, they are not afraid that Zhao Yuanzuo will regret not handing over the rest of the place to them when the time comes.

Zhao Yuanzuo was stunned for a moment and said, "Then how do I know that after I lead my troops back, you will help me become the emperor?" ”

"We Khitans are the talkers! Definitely not a lie! If you say help you, you will help you, and besides, you just want your emperor to give you an edict to pass on the throne, and then let him die. This one is simple. ”

"Really?"

"Of course, because we can be sure that as long as we take Liangxiang City, your father will definitely agree to cede the land and pay compensation. Therefore, we will send someone to tell your father, the emperor, that he will pass on the throne to you, and that when you become emperor, you can sign an alliance with us and cede the land and pay compensation, so that he can be released. He will definitely say yes. ”

Zhao Yuanzuo was overjoyed and thanked him again and again: "Great! That's it! However, when you get to Liangxiang City, after you lay down Liangxiang City, you first help me get the edict of my father's succession, let me take a look, I can rest assured, you can not give me the edict, I will go back, immediately withdraw the army, and then you give it to me, this is okay, right? ”

Yelu Hugo smiled and said, "Just show you the edict, that's fine." ”

"Good! Let's make a decision! ”

Jeruhugo nodded.

Zhao Yuanzuo was overjoyed and left Yelu Xiuge's big tent and returned to their tent, but he didn't know that among his guards, there were a pair of vicious eyes that were secretly staring at him.

In the afternoon of the next day, they arrived outside the city of Liangxiang. Jeruhhuge himself led them to camp outside the city of Liangxiang. Here, however, they were strictly restricted from going out and could only move around in the designated areas of the barracks.

The next morning, just after dawn, they were sent to a high mound of earth by the heavy guards of the Liao army.

Standing here, the whole battle situation is in full view. I saw that in the distance, Liangxiang and outside the city were densely packed with Liao troops. Moreover, the neat and tidy queues surrounded the entire Liangxiang City.

Not far from Liangxiang City, several mounds of earth about the height of the city walls of Liangxiang City have been built, on which many large stone throwers are assumed. And in the open plain outside the city, all kinds of siege equipment are prevented. Such as bed crossbows, carts, artillery carts, nest cars, crashes, and so on.

Although the endless area was full of Liao soldiers, except for the neighing of war horses, there was hardly any sound of talking, and they were all quietly waiting for the order to attack.

On the other hand, on the wall of Liangxiang City, although it is also densely packed with Song troops, it seems to be very flustered, and there is no decent equipment to defend the city. Looking at the city gate again, it is also tattered, but I am afraid that it will not be able to block the impact of the Liao army's collision and other door-hitting tools. The walls are also relatively low, and in some places they are rotten. The most terrible thing is that this Liangxiang City is only a small county town and has no moat. This can be fatal for the defending side.

After reading it, Yang Yanpu sighed and said: "No wonder the Liao army dared to boast of Haikou and capture Liangxiang City in one day, now it seems that it is probably not a lie." ”

Hearing his words, the corners of Zhao Yuanzuo's mouth showed joy, but his face was like a mournful woman, with a sad face.

That's when it happened. I heard the thunderous sound of war drums in the distance!

The soles of his feet began to tremble, but it was the trebuchet on the small dirt hill that began to rumble and throw stones the size of a millstone into Liangxiang City. Some smashed on the battlements and collapsed a large piece, some hit the city gatehouse, and some directly concentrated on the front of the city wall and smashed a large pit. Others, hit the Song army on the city tower, screams one after another, and the city wall of Liangxiang was in chaos.

The bombardment lasted for almost half an hour, and the entire city wall of Liangxiang City was full of holes. The Song army on the city tower suffered heavy casualties, and many soldiers fled to the bottom, so that most of the guards on the city wall were missing.

At this time, the war drums of the Liao army changed again, the stone thrower stopped, and rows of bed crossbows were pushed out and aimed at the city wall. Then, I heard the sound of aggressiveness. Long crossbow arrows shot out from the bed and flew towards the city wall. Messily nailed to the city walls! These were for the besieging soldiers to climb.

The drums of war have changed again. The Liao army began to move, they pushed the carts to resist the bow and arrows, and the soldiers hid behind, wriggling and advancing towards the Liangxiang Chengcheng.

On the city wall, the bows and arrows of the Song army swished down. Yang Yanpu shook his head and sighed: "The enemy army has not yet attacked the city and released arrows, is this archery or sending arrows to others?" ”

Comer's face was also frustrated: "This frame, I'm afraid it won't take half a day to break through the city defense!" ”

The chariots advanced under the city wall, and the ladders that advanced at the same time as the Liao army also arrived, and under the cover of the rows of archers behind, they began to advance the siege ladders towards the city walls.

In the confrontation between the city and the city, many soldiers on both sides died.

When the Liao army assembled under the city was already in place, the sound of war drums changed again, and the soldiers of the Liao army, who were hiding behind the chariots, let out a deafening roar: "Kill——! They got out together, and climbed up the ladder or the bed crossbow arrows on the walls.

At this time, the bows and arrows of both sides in the city and the city increased a lot at once, and it was really like a rain of arrows. The soldiers fell to the ground with arrows. And the rolling wood and stones on the castle tower also began to be thrown down, and soldiers continued to fall down the ladder and die tragically. There were also some Song soldiers who pushed the ladder with a long pole and tried to overthrow it.

At the gate of the city, a huge crash car advanced to the gate hole under the cover of many wheels. Began to pound violently on the gates. But obviously, the Song army behind the city gate had been blocked with an obstacle and could not be opened for a while.

The battle went into a stalemate.

Yang Yanpu and the others stood relatively high, could see far away, and could also hear the sound of shouting and killing from other directions. The Liao army launched a strong offensive in several directions.

By noon, the resistance of the Song army had weakened significantly. Because the sergeants in the Xiang army, who still have a relatively little combat effectiveness, have almost been killed and wounded. And after the storm, the city gate has been smashed into a large hole. The Liao army began to rush through the hole to kill.

On the city wall, part of the Liao army also broke through the defense of the Song army, forcibly climbed the city tower, and started a fierce battle with the Song army on the city wall.

As more and more Liao troops climbed the tower and drilled into the broken city gates, the shouts of killing in the city became louder and louder, and most of them were in the Khitan language of the Liao army.

Then, the obstacles behind the city gate were cleared, the city gate opened, and the powerful cavalry of the Liao army began to rush in like a tide. Raging fires began to burn in many parts of the city. The smoke almost obscured the sun in the sky.

And at this time, the sun was right above their heads.

Xiang Gong and the other five people looked at each other, and their faces were very ugly.

The shouts of killing in the city gradually concentrated in the center of the city, and then, slowly, it decreased, and where the city was on fire, the flames began to become smaller, and finally extinguished, and the smoke turned into white smoke.

Groups of Song prisoners were escorted out of the city gates, tied their arms one by one with ropes, and walked slowly to the north after leaving the city. Looking at those Song troops, most of them were not injured, and it is clear that after the Liao army entered the city, they surrendered without any resistance.

The captured Song army came out of the city in an endless stream and headed north. It wasn't until the evening that it was over.

Yang Yanpu and the others have been watching from Xiaotushan, and Zhao Yuanzuo is crying heartbreakingly in a pretended posture, but he didn't shed a single tear. It's just howling.

In the evening, they left the small dirt mountain and returned to the camp. (To be continued.) )