The heavy snow that lasted for many days was sprinkled one after another, and it did not stop. The snow on the road was knee-deep, and if you stepped on it, half of your leg was sunk deep, and it was difficult to walk, and the carriage and horses could not do it. Such weather was by no means suitable for marching and fighting, but the opportunity was fleeting, and that night, Dunshe issued an emergency assembly order.

Divide the troops into three ways.

On the first road, Chen Hu took command, walked through Jiashan, crossed the Gaima Plateau, approached the area of Dongmu Mountain, and threatened Shenyang; Protect the right flank of the main force. The second road, led by Zhao Guo, after the arrival of Pyongyang reinforcements, went out of Gaizhou, captured the Haiyang Inspection Division, and watched Guangning and Liaoxi; Responsible for the security of the main left flank.

On the third road, Deng She personally commanded, accompanied by Qing Qianxing, Tong Shengyang, Yang Wanhu, and He Guangxiu, and a total of more than 30,000 Jurchen, Lishu, and Han soldiers, and went straight to Liaoyang City.

As for the rear, there is Hong Jixun in Shuangcheng, Jang Gang on the northeast border, and Munhwa Kook on Pyongyang and the southern border. The ministries were on strict alert to prevent further incidents such as the Jurchen civil unrest. At the same time, Hong Jixun and Wu Henian were fully responsible for the allocation of baggage, grain and grass, and requisitioned tens of thousands of people to ensure that they could be continuously sent to the front line.

There are a total of 100,000 people in the two cities, more than 10,000 on the left wing, more than 10,000 on the right wing, and more than 30,000 on the main force; More than 40,000 people left in the rear, simply defending and guarding, were enough.

The wind and snow are pervasive, and the flag is cracked. Although most of the sergeants and soldiers in the army are natives of Liaodong and Guanbei, they have long been accustomed to such cold weather, and the supply of cold materials such as cotton clothes is also sufficient, but along the way, people and horses are frozen to death. After several days of rapid marching, on this day, Deng Shebu arrived on the bank of the Yalu River.

The river that used to be boiling is now frozen in many places, and people can walk through it without the need for a ferry. After crossing the river, Deng She ordered to build a camp in situ and rest for the time being.

"How frostbite?"

The medic said, "Twelve out of ten." Many of them had frozen their legs and could not walk; The camp was overcrowded. ”

"What is the downsizing of the ministries?"

This time, Qing Qianxing was the deputy marshal, he counted the list reported by various departments, and replied: "The total number of frozen deaths in the whole army is 634, among which the Lishu battalion of the Hewanhu Department is the most serious, accounting for one-third. The Jurchens had the smallest number, less than a hundred. ”

There are two camps in Lishu, one in the Heguangxiu department and one in the Qingqianxing department. Most of Ha Guangxiu's subordinates were soldiers left by the Goryeo during the last counterattack, and the southern Goryeo people were not satisfied with water and soil, and they couldn't stand this kind of weather; Qing Qianxing's subordinates are all the northern soldiers recruited later, and their ability to resist cold is a little stronger.

Deng She hummed, and only froze to death more than six hundred, much less than expected. He asked, "What about the horses and the cattle drawn by the baggage battalions?" ”

"There are not many military horses that freeze to death, but many of the livestock in the baggage battalion freeze to death."

"The frozen horses were buried on the spot. The frozen animals were stewed and cooked, and the brothers were beaten for tooth offerings; Ginger soup was boiled, and each person was given a bowl. After a hard journey, get some rest tonight. Left car? ”

Zuo Che was originally stationed in another place, and Deng She transferred him over to participate in this operation. He took a step forward: "The end will be there." ”

"Take two teams of people and send away the frostbitten brothers at night, and there is not a city of ours more than twenty miles to the southwest? and those who froze to death were brought over and buried for me. "Remember, be secretive, give it directly to the garrison, and don't let the local authorities know." ”

The left car obeyed the order.

Deng She gave an order that those who froze to death should not be thrown on the side of the road. If you fight with him, you must die as you deserve, and you must not die until you die, and you will be finished by throwing it on the side of the road. Those who die on the side of the road are called starvation, not soldiers. His move, in addition to increasing the sense of honor of the soldiers, also helped to unite the morale of the army and generate centripetal force; Let the soldiers feel that the commander is benevolent and humane, and treats them as human beings.

"It's not far from Liaoyang. The whole army was ordered to throw away all the useless things; Early tomorrow morning, speed up the march. ......, did Chen Hu and Zhao Guo send a military report? ”

"It was sent once yesterday, Pyongyang's reinforcements have already arrived in Gaizhou, and General Zhao said that he must take Haiyang the day before the general arrives in Liaoyang, so please rest assured. General Chen walked on Jiashan, the distance is short, but the mountains are dense and dense, and it is not easy to walk than us, so we have just crossed the Yalu River, and we may be about to reach Dongmu Mountain. ”

The three armies had an agreement, in order not to startle the snakes, the time of their arrival at the predetermined position must be accurate. Six days later, Chen Hu arrived at Dongmu Mountain; At the same time, Zhao Guo laid down the Haiyang Inspection Division. After they secured both wings, Deng She would appear under Liaoyang the next day.

"Yang Wanhu."

"Yes."

"Take a few people and go to the front. Command the rangers to spread out twenty miles more, and capture all those they meet, whether they are enemies or inhabitants, and kill those who resist! It is necessary to ensure that there is no leakage of rumors and that the suddenness of our army's appearance is ensured. ”

The biggest difficulty is snow; The biggest cover, also snow.

The weather when the beasts return to the nest and the birds nest is not connected. Until Deng She's army appeared overwhelmingly under the city of Liaoyang; The news of the fall of the Haiyang Inspection Division and the fall of Dongmu Mountain into the hands of Chen Hu has not even reached the ears of Guan Duo and Nahachu.

"Besiege the city, build a camp."

Dunshe straddled his horse and whipped his whip and watched from afar around the city. When he came to Liaoyang for the first time, he had observed the surrounding terrain and knew the mountains and rivers; He also had a little understanding of the various defensive measures in Liaoyang City. Urging the horse to run up a small dirt slope, he looked far away.

Looking at the snowflakes fluttering, three or four Liaoyang generals stood at the head of the city, and there was chaos in the wind. Their arrival was so unexpected that Guan Duo couldn't believe that Deng She dared to blatantly come to besiege the city.

In the camp outside the city, many red scarves did not have time to withdraw to the city, and the city gates were closed. In the face of the wind and snow, they were in a panic, dismantling everything that could be demolished, and piling up everything that could be piled up. Hundreds of men, hiding behind weak defenses, wielded shovels and hammers, dug trenches, and built makeshift fortifications.

"The moat also froze. General, give the last general 500 men, and you can break up the defenses outside their city. ”

A gate of artillery was drawn up to the head of the city, and strong bows and crossbows were placed in suitable positions. The Liaoyang defenders, who reacted, hurriedly entered a state of preparation for war. Rolling oil, sassal wood, flying hooks, wolf tooth slaps, buckets, rows, pieces, one by one, are classified into their positions.

After all, Guan Duo has been on the battlefield for a long time, and he still has a hand in defending the city. Despite the haste of the incident, his subordinates were experienced and had a clear distinction between the priorities and the urgency, and in the blink of an eye, the panicked city head looked a little orderly.

"Give you a thousand-man team, I want the hill in the north corner of the city gate."

The mountain is not high, it is not born, it is man-made. When the Japanese army besieged the city, Naha came out of the fortification. After the siege was lifted, Guan Duo sent people to calm it down; Later, as soon as Liu Daqing and others died, he was busy with the garrison and reorganization, and in the heavy snow, he didn't care about leveling it, leaving it seven or eight meters high.

Yang Wanhu galloped out, circled around the headquarters camp, ordered some elite soldiers, threw down the camping equipment, picked up the gun, and rushed over with a roar.

"Ha Mitsu Xiu!"

"Yes."

"Whoever brought you, shovel the snow! From here, to the moat outside the city, not a single snow is allowed on the ground. The length is based on the mayor of Liaoyang. ”

"Yes!"

"Spread the message to Haiyang and Dongmu Mountain, saying that our department has arrived and will start attacking the city tomorrow. The Tartars of Shenyang and the two Pingzhang of Guangning and Liaoxi put one person in and asked them to come to see him. ”

"Yes."

"What about artillery, trebuchets? Move over and test the gun! ”

The iron ball and the stone bullet fly together, and when the attack occurs, the sonic shock is nine days; When it fell, the man shouted and the horse neighed. Shenji Battalion ,—— the name given to the artillery battalion by Dunshe. Most of the gunners in the Shenji battalion were veterans, and two or three guns were tested far and near. With this as the criterion, other gunners may raise or lower the gun mount; Or pull the catapult back and forth, and soon, the bullet will not miss.

There are two trenches outside Liaoyang City.

the first, a few miles from the city, a moat; The next one, a ditch several feet deep from the city, there was no water in the ditch. On the top of the two trenches, there are suspension bridges. Deng She noticed that the two batches of suspension bridges before and after were not pulled up. If the drawbridge on the moat is not pulled, it is because the river is frozen, and it is useless to pull it; Well, why don't you pull on the trenches too?

He glanced at the defenders who had not withdrawn to the city.

"Holy shit, it's not that they didn't have time to withdraw, Lao Guan didn't plan to withdraw them at all." Tong Shengyang and the others who surrounded Deng She came to their senses.

"What about the firecrackers? What about archers? Onward, onward! ”

The drawbridge is not pulled, which is convenient for the army in the city to enter and exit. The defenders outside the city, leave a part and do not retreat, so as to facilitate the counterattack and break the enemy.

"Who is the castle guard?" Dunshe asked.

The person who sneaked out of the city a day earlier to answer replied: "Today's shift, Xu Ren." ”

is a good person, he didn't intend to defend or attack from the beginning. Where to fight, wisdom also; Fight, Yongye; Array, Qiaoya. Defending the city without attacking, first of all, there is no courage, the initiative is gone, passive beating, and mediocrity. Where the way to defend the city, the defender of the city should be the first to hurt the enemy, and those who wait for help to arrive for a long time are not generals, and those who do not know the defenders of the city are also.

Drums sounded at the head of the city, and the gates were wide open.

Ten thousand arrows were fired together, arrows and stones were like rain, and the two military horses rushed out with shouts. Outside the city, they pretended to be in a hurry, smelled the drums and drank excitedly, and met with them. Thousands of people were divided into two strands. One rushed across the drawbridge, jumped on the edge of the snow, and crashed into the camp in front of Dunshe; One turned northward and snatched the hill at the foot of the city.

"Fire, fire, archery!"

The Shuangcheng Army, which had an unstable foothold, and the Liaoyang Army, which was still busy at the head of the city, collided in an instant. Flesh and blood flying, fierce battle. At the foot of the city, the sound of killing boiled; In front of the suspension bridge, knives resonate. Xu people at the head of the city, Deng She under the city, both of them only stopped here for a moment, and then one continued to supervise and prepare for war; A herald accelerates the construction of camp.

The two of them knew that there was a small confrontation, but Liaoyang gave a dismount, and it was just a color. Who wins and who loses has nothing to do with the overall situation. Liaoyang won, and there is more room for maneuver for miles; The Twin Cities won, cheering up the fatigue of the soldiers after a long journey.

But that's all, that's all.

The weather is cold, and the snow on the ground is deep. The weapon is cold and can't be held, the snow is deep and can't walk, and the confrontation comes and goes quickly. The Liaoyang army threw down a hundred and ten corpses, and with the sound of Ming Jin, the tide retreated. Check the casualties, the number of casualties killed by the army of the Twin Cities is equal.

Yang Wanhu took the hill at the foot of the city, and the red flag planted in the mountain peak was displayed, and the red was dazzling in a piece of snow.

"Archers and musketeers are not allowed to retreat, lest they come out again."

"Yes."

Dunshe took the reins and planned to go back to the tent. Bi Qianniu suddenly said: "General, look. Following his fingers, he saw that on Liaoyang City, dozens of generals hugged an old man and climbed the city tower. Hundreds of defenders shouted in unison: "Pingzhangguan of Liaoyang Province of the Great Song Dynasty, please Deng, the head of the Shuangcheng Governor's Mansion of Liaoyang Province of the Great Song Dynasty, and talk to the city." ”

The two big songs shouted out in one go, making people inevitably feel strange when they heard it. Bi Qianniu spat: "Attack the heart." ”

"What he said is right, they are born from the same root, why are they in a hurry?" Deng She smiled and said, "What about Hu Zhong? Tell him to call back what I said. ”

Hu Zhong took the lead, and the Shuangcheng Army responded in unison: "Deng, the governor of the Shuangcheng Province of Liaoyang Province of the Great Song Dynasty, will return to Pingzhangguan of Liaoyang Province of the Great Song Dynasty, and I will not say this." In addition, Hu Zhong, the Marshal of Liaoyang Wing of Liaoyang Province of the Great Song Dynasty, has a sentence to ask Lord Guan Pingzhang, where are Liu Daqing and others now? It's the same root, why is it too anxious to fry each other? ”

The city was silent for a moment, and shouted: "Liu Daqing and others, deducting military salaries, encroaching on people's land, violating our military discipline, and mutilating our army and people, have been beheaded." The military discipline of the country, law, can not be underestimated? Mr. Deng asked the city to speak. The words mention the law and military discipline, which should not be underestimated, and the meaning of a faint threat. If you dare to make trouble, do you know what will happen? Liu Daqing is a role model.

Deng She galloped on his horse, and hugged him to the front of the suspension bridge: "What does Lord Pingzhang say?" ”

"Lord Pingzhang asks you: Why did you raise the army so far, and did you suffer from the villain's slander? What is the misunderstanding, my family can say it clearly, why bother to meet each other? Didn't have to be cheap outsiders Tartar. ”

"I, Deng She, serve the country wholeheartedly. Treat adults as fathers, and I treat them as sons and nephews. But whenever the adults are sent, there is no disobedience in the sword and the sea of fire, and they are put to death and reborn. To adults, it is necessary to be respectful and obedient. Do I respect adults? Definitely! What I respect is the loyalty of adults. ”

Deng She raised his horsewhip, pointed to the sky, and said impassionedly: "What I respect is the loyalty of my lord to my lord and my emperor Song. However, are adults really loyal? betrayed Pan Mei, traffic Naha out; Kill Liu Daqing and annex his subordinates, what did he do? Sima Zhao's heart is well known to passers-by. The adults have anti-intentions, secretly communicate with the Tartars, and are not loyal to my emperor Song, that is, not my emperor Song Zhipingzhang, but a thief, and people can punish him! ”

There are many inside information, and the soldiers do not know. As soon as Deng She's words came out, the defenders of the city rioted slightly.

Mao Jujing and Zheng Sanbao came forward in person, shouted loudly, and said: "There are 100,000 defenders in my city, and there are enough soldiers to eat; There are also Pan Pingzhang of Guangning and Liu Pingzhang of Liaoxi, and 300,000 reinforcements will arrive soon. What do you say about the Secret Tartar? Hugh is so bloody that you don't see Naha besieging the city with a million people, and if you still can't break and flee, will you use tens of thousands of people to make a rebellion? Quickly tie up Hu Zhong's fang, and remember that you have contributed to opening up the territory of my Great Song Dynasty, so as to save you from death. ”

Deng She laughed, the snow in front of him and behind him was stained red with blood because of the brief battle. He sighed and said, "Lord Pingzhang, don't quibble; Pan Mei's blood book, now in my hands, do you want to read it? Look at the dead on this earth, all of them are my great Song Huben; All that is shed is the blood of my loyal and brave men. What does it mean that relatives are painful and enemies are happy? That's it.

"Lord Pingzhang, if you still have the idea of being loyal to your lord, you open the city gate and bear the guilt; Although I am a humble person, I am willing to guarantee with my life, and I am willing to use my credit for conquering Goryeo, and I will definitely beg the lord to keep you from dying. ”

The head of the city was silent for a long time, the big banner was sassy, and a group of people surrounded Guan Duo and walked down.