Chapter 44, Yelu Dashi
Kedun City, Liao Dynasty Northwest Road recruits Si Yamen
Outside, with heavy snow falling, the biting cold wind howled like a ghost; inside, in the dark and gloomy room, a huge tallow torch burned blazingly.
Suddenly, there was only a "bang" sound, and the closed wooden window was blown open by the blizzard. The strong wind outside the house immediately rushed in with snowflakes, and the flames twisted wildly, pulling the shadow of the man sitting inside the house. It's like being trapped in a ghost.
——The cold wind suddenly hit. Even though he was wrapped in a luxurious mink fur cloak, Yelu Dashi couldn't help but shiver. He had to stand up, close the window panel again, and move a heavy cabinet to block the window panel. He sat back under the firelight again, holding the brush and frowning in thought.
Although he had already set up a government office in Kedun City and divided the officials among them. Unfortunately, although Mobei has been governed by the Liao Kingdom for a hundred years, the cultural and educational atmosphere is still weak. Literate people who are proficient in writing are rarer than the best horses, and many trivial official documents are still only handled by him, the Khitan Hanlin.
What made him couldn't help but lament was the reserves and military power that Keyun City currently had.
"...80,000 army horses, 500 palace soldiers, 10,000 tribesmen cavalry, 200 pairs of iron armor, 3,000 pairs of leather armor, and the food in stock can last for two months... Alas, I am a powerful Liao, and the territory of the past is Wan Li, how can he still compete with the Jin people when he is reduced to this little wealth?”
——Since Emperor Yelu Yanxi of Tianzuo was defeated and captured two years ago, the shattered and collapsed edifice of Liao Kingdom has only been left with the lonely army of Yelu Dashi in the remote Mobei, and the northwest road to recruit Si Zhi. Suokedun City is such an isolated city.
In the past, when the Liao Kingdom was in its heyday, its territory reached the North Sea (Lake Baikal) and encompassed the entire Mobei grassland. It also established the Northwest Road Recruitment Division and the Ugu Enemy Lietong Army Division to control various ethnic groups in Mobei. By the end of the Liao Dynasty, the Khitan people's control over the Mobei people had greatly weakened, and the Ugu Enemy Lietong Army Division had ceased to exist in name only. However, the local nomadic people in this area still had not yet formed a unified climate, and only some local conflicts had occurred. , unstable tribal alliances. Relying on the remaining power of the Khitan people in the past, Yelv Dashi could barely frighten the tribes in Mobei and save the city of Kedun.
But the problem is that if he wants to rely on Mobei's manpower and material resources to confront the Jin Kingdom that stretches across the Central Plains, it will be like a mantis trying to use his arms as a chariot.
——For the overlords like the Xiongnu and Turks who have risen in the past, and the Mobei nomads who have all the people as soldiers since ancient times and are known as "controlling a hundred thousand strings", the Khitan people have always been more wary and restrictive than they were against the Jurchens. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, efforts have been made to restrict the import of iron tools and salt into the grasslands, forcing them to use stones and bones to grind arrowheads for hunting, thereby weakening the military strength of these nomads. At this time, most of the tribes in Mobei were extremely poor, and even tribal leaders might not be able to own a pair of iron armor. Ordinary tribesmen are considered wealthy if they can get an iron pot.
In the era when the Liao Kingdom was powerful, this harsh policy effectively weakened the combat effectiveness of the grassland nomads. Even if there were occasional rebellions, they would rise and fall. But when all five capitals of the Liao Dynasty were lost, and only a corner of Kedun City was left, it became a huge obstacle for Yelu Dashi to reorganize his armaments. Although they were also highly mobile cavalry, these men in leather robes and shooters in Mobei How can the pre-professional militia armed with bone arrow clusters defeat the Jin's heavy armored cavalry?
If we say that repelling the Jin soldiers and restoring the motherland is just a long-term plan, we can slowly wait for the opportunity and think of a solution. So the grassland white disaster caused by the snowstorm has almost put Yelu Dashi's weak regime into a crisis of self-disintegration - a large number of livestock were frozen to death in the snowstorm, causing the gap in food supply to further increase. Many warriors were frozen to death, which made Yelu Dashi feel sad.
As an important town in the northwest of the Liao Dynasty and a frontline military base for suppressing grassland rebellions, Kedun City's treasury has always been well stocked. However, during the Jurchen war to destroy the Liao Dynasty, although the city of Kedun had not been invaded by the Jin soldiers, the troops stationed, the horses grazing and the baggage stored were used by the Liao army many times. When Yelu Dashi took over the city of Kedun, After that, the grasslands were hit by disasters year after year, and the little savings they had were gradually exhausted.
Although Yelu Dashi had no choice but to dismiss most of the nomadic cavalry of the Mobei tribe that had been summoned before, allowing them to return to their own tribes to eat, in order to reduce the pressure on food and fuel supply in Ketun City. But in the current city of Kodun, there is still a lack of iron ingots, a lack of medicine, a lack of cloth, a lack of salt, a lack of food...even the fuel for heating is not enough. Although the only grains and livestock left in the treasury are enough for the entire city's soldiers and civilians to survive this winter, how will they survive the coming spring famine?
Yelu Dashi was so worried that he almost lost his hair when he thought about the trouble these clever women were having to deal with without rice. But even if he scratches his scalp, he can't conjure grain and iron tools out of thin air - for grain and salt, he can still find a way to organize a caravan after the beginning of spring and purchase some from the Xixia people. But things like iron tools that can enhance the potential for war are contraband that is not allowed to be sold on a large scale to the grasslands even in Xixia...
Moreover, the grassland has always been poor and barren. Even if the Xixia ban is lifted, he will not have much gold and silver in his hands now.
As time went on, the glow of the butter torch began to dim, seemingly as the fat burned away. Yelu Dashi rubbed his eyes and threw down the account book. Just as he was about to light another torch, he realized that the storm that had been roaring outside had become silent at some point.
He immediately turned around, moved the cabinet, and pushed open the window panel. Immediately, a bright sunlight fell down, almost blinding him.
...Is this... the snow has stopped? Thank God.
Looking at the clear blue sky with white clouds, Yelu Dashi felt a little confused by such a sudden change in weather, but he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. The rare and brilliant sunshine in winter fell on him, making Yelu Dashi feel much warmer. He was about to move his desk to the window and work while basking in the sun, but suddenly he heard a faint sound of music coming from a distance.
music? !
In this twelfth lunar month of winter when the wind and snow are raging? And it’s not even a holiday? ! Someone is actually playing music? ! !
——A frontier military town like Kedun City is not a big city like Bianliang or Yanjing, and there is no place for entertainment every night. Even Yelu Dashi, the lord of a city, would not hire a bunch of musicians and singers to play for fun whenever he had nothing to do.
Not to mention that this was a critical moment after a snowstorm had just passed, when the soldiers and civilians in the city were suffering from hunger and cold, their hearts were scattered, and their future was uncertain.
Therefore, Yelu Dashi opened the window and looked around in confusion, but found nothing. I even suspected that there was something wrong with my ears. But the melodious and elegant music became clearer and clearer, and the more beautiful it sounded, just like fairy music... It wasn't until he discovered the commotion on the city wall and saw countless residents pouring out of their houses and looking up to the sky that he I focused my attention on the high clouds, and finally got something:
A majestic, gorgeous and indescribably luxurious palace floated out of the clouds while playing music in the distance!
The gilded roof tiles and carp statues are shining with golden light, and auspicious clouds are floating around the palace, adding a touch of fairy charm to it.
——What a shock! How magnificent! How breathtaking! How incredible!
"Heavenly Palace! Immortal!" Seeing this scene, the soldiers and civilians in the city couldn't help but think of these two terms. Seeing such a shocking vision coming from the sky, all the residents of this city knelt down in unison, prostrate themselves on the ground, and muttered words, praying to the immortals in the palace in the sky to bless them. And Yelu Dashi was also hesitating whether to kneel down... However, at this moment, the music from the "Heavenly Palace" above his head suddenly stopped, and a hoarse voice rang out:
"...Silence! Silence! Guo Jing, the real person who protects the country of the Song Dynasty, is here! He is specially here to escort the coffin of your emperor! Where is the leader of this place, Dashilinya?"