Although the defenders in Liaoyang City stopped the meaningless action of filling in the trenches, Zou Zhenyuan outside the city did not dare to take it lightly, and still arranged several battalions of troops to closely monitor the movements in the city to prevent the Khitans from coming back. Of course, he did not forget those Khitan dead soldiers who were likely to have crossed the blockade line of the Zhou army, and urgently dispatched four mixed cavalry companies of the "Flying Dragon Army" and "Security Army" to search and advance in the four directions of the southeast, south, and northwest, and find and eliminate the former as much as possible - although he was full of confidence in Yang Kefu's elimination of Yeluxian and his party, but for the sake of safety, to prevent Yeluxian and others from escaping from Yang Kefu's encirclement, they encountered this group of Khitan dead soldiers who broke through the siege and reported the news, so as to give up going south to Liaoyang City and escape into the deep mountains and old forests, Therefore, the search for those Khitan dead soldiers is still indispensable.

However, in the early morning of the next day, after a group of messengers brought the news of the complete victory in the Battle of Shilihe and the capture of Yeluxian and all the important Khitan ministers to the Zhou army camp under Liaoyang City, Zou Zhenyuan's only concern immediately disappeared. On the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Yang Kefu's department and the two soldiers and horses he had sent to support the former escorted Ye Luxian and others to the Zhou army camp, and Zou Zhenyuan was even more determined. Not only did they withdraw the four mixed cavalry companies that went out to search, but they also temporarily shelved the plan to attack the city immediately after the two northward supporters returned to the city, and turned to study with Yang Kefu and other generals how to use Yeluxian and other captured Khitan Wenchen military officers to take Liaoyang City bloodlessly. It's just that plans never catch up with change. Before Zou Zhenyuan, Yang Kefu and others could come up with a detailed plan for the peaceful capture of the city, the main force of the Northern Expedition Right Route Army led by Huang Hai was nearly 30,000 troops, and the main force of the pursuit group led by Cheng Fei was nearly 5,000 men and horses, and the figures of the sentry of the Zhou army's camp had already appeared in the field of vision of the sentries of the Zhou army's camp.

With the arrival of the Yellow Sea and Cheng Fei's troops at the foot of Liaoyang, the total strength of the besieging Zhou army has exceeded 50,000. Even if you don't use any strategy, you can be sure that you can take the city in half a day by attacking head-on. However, in order to reduce casualties, especially among the civilian population in the city, Huang Hai and Cheng Fei later decided to continue to realize the ideas of Zou Zhenyuan, Yang Kefu and others, in order to capture Liaoyang City without blood.

While Huang Hai, Cheng Fei, Zou Zhenyuan and others were planning in the Zhou army camp outside the city, Yelu Heli, Han Deshu and others were also thinking hard about countermeasures in the palace left behind in the city.

Four teams of dead soldiers sneaked out of Liaoyang City, and it is still unknown how many people can escape the pursuit of the Zhou army's scouts and scouts. In other words, whether the Son of Heaven and the civil and military forces in the court can know the situation on the side of Liaoyang City in advance is still between the two. Therefore, neither Yelu Heli nor Han Deshu gave up the plan to defend the city. After all, as long as Liaoyang City is not conquered for a day, the Zhou army will not withdraw for a day, and the existence of the Zhou army's camp is the best warning for the Son of Heaven and the courtiers. Even if none of the dead soldiers he sent could complete the task, the Son of Heaven and his ministers should have enough time to change the route of the march and stay away from Liaoyang City, the Longtan Tiger's Den. However, as the Zhou army arrived one after another, the hearts of other officials and guards in the city continued to sink. When they saw that the commander of the right army of the Zhou army had commanded the handsome banner of the Yellow Sea to appear in the camp outside the city, and nearly 30,000 Zhou troops, cavalry, and artillery soldiers slowly entered the camp, even those who had been the most staunch supporters of defending Liaoyang and fighting for the opportunity to avoid danger for the Son of Heaven and the courtiers were shaken in confidence and worried. Among the civil and military officials in the entire Liaoyang City, only Yelu Heli, who was determined to live and die with the city, and Han Deshu, who had no way to retreat after sending Han Yongzhong (Han Tiexin), still had the heart to fight to the death against the Zhou army at all costs.

The change in the thinking of the officials and guards under his command naturally could not escape the eyes of Yelu Heli and Han Deshu, but in addition to using various opportunities to cheer everyone up and cheer them up, they couldn't think of a better way to change the situation - it was never advisable to punish those officials and guards who were not strong-willed, because if they really wanted to do that, nine out of nine middle and high-ranking officials and guards in Liaoyang City would have to be implicated. When the time comes, I am afraid that I will have to rely on myself to lead those soldiers who are likely to have lost their fighting spirit to go to the Zhou army desperately. It's just that it is impossible to regain the courage of these "cowards" who have been afraid of Zhou Jun by words alone. Therefore, in the face of his subordinates whose morale was becoming more and more depressed, Yelu Heli and Han Deshu had to discuss privately again and again, racking their brains and meditating hard to find a solution.

In the early morning of the fifth day of the lunar calendar, when Yelu Heli and Han Deshu gathered again in the secret room of the Liufu Mansion to discuss the way to break the current deadlock, a henchman of Yelu Mansion risked being scolded by the master, broke in, and reported an even more unbelievable news to the two with an unbelievable expression - the King of Qi and the imperial uncle Yelu Gangsage came with a holy decree and had arrived outside the Huaiyuan Gate, asking officials such as Yelu Heli and Prime Minister Han Deshu to meet them immediately.

After listening to the report, both Yelu Heli and Han Deshu showed the same expression as the henchman - unbelievable. Not to mention how Yelu Gang Sage broke through the blockade of the 50,000 Zhou army and came to Liaoyang City, just to say when Yelu Gang Sage, who was originally just the king of Taiping, became the king of Qi, and he also had the name of the imperial uncle, it was enough to make Yelu Heli and Han Deshu puzzled. After all, although the Son of Heaven did not clearly establish a prince before, all indications indicate that the heir to which he belongs is his nephew Yeluxian and not this brother Yeluxian Sage. What's more, even if the Son of Heaven suddenly changed his mind and wanted to pass on the throne to Yelu Gangsage, his name should be the emperor's younger brother and could never be the emperor's uncle.

"Is His Royal Highness the King of Taiping coming alone or with a large army?" Yelu Heli subconsciously asked after the initial stunned, but the name of Yelu Sage still used the previous name.

"His Royal Highness the King of Taiping only brought two retinues, and there were no soldiers and horses to accompany him." The Jerufu family will answer truthfully.

This guy must have surrendered to the Zhou army, and then pretended to be an envoy of the court to deceive the city gate - this was the first thought that popped into Yelu Heli's mind after hearing that Yelu Sage had only brought two retinues. Therefore, he immediately instructed the confidant general: "Decree the guards of Huaiyuan Gate, Yelu Gangsage betrays the Lord to seek glory, intending to open the city gate by fraud, and such rebellious villains should be shot to death with random arrows, and they must not be merciful." ”

The general of the Yelufu family did not dare to slack off when he heard this, nodded yes, turned around and wanted to go to give the order. However, before he walked out of the secret room, Han Deshu, who had not reacted to the news, suddenly moved in his heart, and thought of another possibility, while letting the family general leave slowly, he turned his head to Yelu Heli and said: "I think that although the Taiping King is a mediocre person, but after all, he is the Great Liao Imperial Family, even if he really lowers Chai Zhou, it is impossible for the other party to give it a heavy use." At most, like the previous kings of small countries in the south of the Yangtze River, they were "invited" to Kaifeng City to find a house to raise them, and they never wanted to leave half a step again. And with his identity as the prince of the royal family, as long as he did not die on the battlefield, even if he was captured alive by Zhou Junsheng, the result would not be much worse than what he said earlier. On the one hand, he is a traitor seeking glory, bearing a lifetime of infamy, and on the other hand, he is defeated in battle and captured, and he has a reputation of loyalty and patriotism. Therefore, the lower officials thought that the reason why the Taiping King came to be this so-called 'messenger' was probably not to save his own life, nor to open the city gate by fraud, but to have another hidden reason. It's better for the lower officials to go to the city to take a look, and listen to the truth before making a decision. ”

Although he doesn't look down on Yelu Sage's character, the other party is a member of the royal family after all, and he really wants to betray the lord for glory, and he doesn't look good on the royal face, so Yelu and Li don't want their judgment to be right in their hearts. Therefore, Han Deshu, who nodded in agreement, suggested that he go to meet the Taiping King outside the city for a while, and then deal with it.

Although it was not explicitly stated in front of Yelu He, after hearing the news that Yelu Sage had come to deliver the decree, Han Deshu had already guessed that the latter was probably captured by the Zhou army and had to do this very humiliating thing. It's just that, considering the previous news, Yelu Sage has been following the Son of Heaven since he left Changchun Prefecture. If he is captured, it means that the Son of Heaven and other important ministers in the court are likely to be in trouble. If you add to the strange phenomenon that Yelu Gang Sage was named the emperor's uncle, after some reasoning, the result will be even more unbelievable - the son of heaven Yelu Jing has died, and his nephew Yelu Xian, who was his favorite during his lifetime, succeeded to the throne, so that the nondescript title of Yelu Gang Sage will appear. What's even more serious is that once the news spreads, no matter whether this is the case or not, the morale of the officials and guards in Liaoyang City will inevitably collapse completely. At that time, even if he and the left-behind adults are the reincarnation of Zhang Yi, they will never want to condense everyone's minds again. Therefore, he did not break it in person, but planned to take Yelu Sage to the city and ask about the situation.

However, Han Deshu obviously overestimated the character and integrity of such a Taiping king. Because when he stood at the head of Huaiyuan Gate, the scene that greeted his eyes made him unforgettable for the rest of his life. I saw that by the moat under the city, the king of Taiping, or according to his own words, the king of Qi and the imperial uncle, Yelu Gangsage wore a crown on his head, wore a brocade robe, held a yellow silk holy decree in his left hand, and held a scepter representing the identity of the messenger of the Son of Heaven in his right hand, accompanied by two retinues, was riding on a tall horse, full of arrogance and very impatient shouted at the Huaiyuan Gate guards at the head of the city, urging him to quickly send Yelu Heli, Han Deshu and others to come to greet him, so that he could enter the city to announce the decree. If the hour is delayed, the gatekeeper will ask.

At the same time, Yelu Sage also saw Han Deshu at the head of the city. So, without waiting for the latter to ask, he shouted loudly: "When the holy decree of the Son of Heaven arrives, Prime Minister Han Cheng still opens the city gate quickly to greet him, does he have to resist the decree and disobey it?" ”

Although he was not ashamed of Yelu Gangsage's performance, Han Deshu, who was anxious to know the situation of the Son of Heaven and the important ministers of the court, did not care about these things with the other party at this time, but while bowing to him and calling him sluggish, he ordered the guards of Huaiyuan Gate to open the city gate to welcome the angels into the city.

Han Deshu was anxious to take Yelu Sage into the city, but the Huaiyuan Gate guard next to him received the order but made a difficulty. Opening the gates is easy, just move the latch and open the gate. But the problem is that the suspension bridge and the passage bridge outside the city were either destroyed by the Zhou army's artillery fire, or were demolished by themselves. Even if the city gate is opened, the king outside the city will not be able to enter the city with a thousand years of age.

Seeing that the Huaiyuan Gate guards beside him could not be ordered, Han Deshu was a little annoyed at first, but quickly thought of the problem from the other party's sad expression. So, he had to turn around, and while saluting Yelu Gong again, he said with a wry smile: "In order to resist the siege of the Zhou army, the left-behind lord has ordered people to tear down all the drawbridges and temporary bridges. He also asked the prince to wait for a while, and the lower official ordered someone to build a raft and take the prince and his entourage over the moat. ”

Yelu Gangsage obviously accepted other people's instructions before he came, so Han Deshu's voice just fell, so he waved the scepter in his hand and said disapplausively: "Prime Minister Han Cheng just ordered someone to open the city gate, and the king will find someone to solve the matter of crossing the river." After speaking, he turned around, put away his arrogant expression, and said to an entourage beside him with a smile on his face: "There is a signal from Lao Li Xiaowei to invite all the soldiers of the Zhouqiao Battalion to come and build the bridge." ”

The commander of a cavalry battalion of the "Flying Dragon Army" who was dressed as an entourage next to him did not answer when he heard this, but took out a signal gun from his arms with a cold expression and pulled the trigger into the sky.

As the green flare rose into the air, the camp of the Zhou army, which had been silent, immediately moved. Nearly 200 soldiers of the Zhouqiao Battalion of the Engineer Regiment of the Fifth Composite Infantry Division of the "Flying Dragon Army," under the cover of the first battalion of the cavalry regiment under the division, drove their horses and pulled the device used to build a steel bridge over the trench, and slowly drove towards the Huaiyuan Gate.