Chapter 258 The British Duke's Decision
"The weather is getting colder and colder now. If we continue to delay like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to complete the repairs to the border city this year." The British Duke frowned.
“No, that’s what those Liao guys had in mind.” Fang Zhou gritted his teeth.
While he was talking, the soldier who reported the news ran forward and saluted: "Report to Duke Yingying and Marquis Qingyuan. Mr. Yan, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, has returned and said that there is an imperial edict to be read. Let Duke Yingying and Marquis Qingyuan go to the state. Yamen receives the order!”
“Imperial order?”
The two of them were stunned when they heard this and did not dare to delay. They quickly left the city and rode to Bazhou Yamen.
When the two came to the Yamen, the incense table had been set up in the Yamen courtyard.
With no time to say more, Yan Kuan, who looked tired, directly asked the two to accept the order.
Yan Kuan was tortured a lot during this period. He first rushed to the Liao Kingdom to go to Beijing as an envoy, and stayed for two days before returning.
When he arrived in Bazhou City, he only rested for one night before setting off again to return to Beijing.
After only a few days of departure, Bianjing sent another imperial edict at a 800-mile speed, and asked him to announce it by name.
He did not dare to delay, so he could only turn around and come back.
In order to rush for time, we traveled all night.
The literati's physique is inherently poor. Half of his life is gone after going back and forth like this.
That is why he was not in a hurry when he went back. Although he walked for a few days, he actually didn't cover much distance.
If he had traveled as fast as he came here, the distance back would probably have been doubled.
The British Duke and Fang Zhou did not know this. They knelt in front of the incense table and waited for Yan Kuan to announce the decree.
Yan Kuan did not delay and began to read out the imperial edict.
The British Duke and Ark, who were kneeling in front of the incense table, were stunned when they heard the contents of the imperial edict.
The officials actually asked one of them to serve as chief and the other as deputy, leading the troops to encircle and suppress the plundering cavalry sent by the Liao Kingdom.
"You two, please accept the edict!"
After reading the edict, Yan Kuan reminded him aloud when he saw that the two of them did not move.
"I obey the decree!"
The two came to their senses, saluted the imperial edict, and then stood up.
The British Duke stepped forward and received the imperial edict.
"I have already told Marquis Qingyuan about the hiding place of the Liao cavalry. It is up to the British Duke and Marquis Qingyuan how to encircle and suppress it."
After Yan Kuan finished speaking, he left.
"The British Duke, this..."
Fangzhou looked at the British Duke excitedly, because he was so excited that he didn't know what to say for a while.
Although the British Duke was also excited, he was still calm and said: "Let's go to your house to discuss it carefully!"
"Yes!" Fang Zhou nodded.
Angzhou has been stationed in Bazhou City for many years, so naturally he has a mansion here.
I brought the British Duke to my home, went to the study, took out a map, pointed at the two marked places and said: "Look, British Duke, these two places are the Liao Cavalry that Yan Kuan said "Hide there."
"These two places are indeed suitable for hiding." The British Duke nodded and said with some concern: "I am afraid that there is fraud in them. Although these two places are valleys, they are not big mountains. , For war horses, the impact is not big, but for infantry, the impact is great."
"I have also thought about what the British Lord said, but I have not been able to get it from the court before. I didn't dare to send someone to investigate because of the order. Now that I have the order, I will send someone to investigate now." Fang Zhou said.
"No!" The British Duke shook his head and said: "If we send someone to investigate, once they are discovered, the hidden Liao cavalry will definitely be alert and even retreat. Now we can only take a gamble."
After hearing this, Fang Zhou also felt that it made sense and suggested: "How about sending some troops and horses from Xiongzhou City to support us?"
"Can't!" The British Duke thought carefully for a while and said: " Not only the soldiers and horses of Xiongzhou City cannot be moved, but the original defenders of Bazhou City cannot be moved. They can only use the 50,000 soldiers and horses I brought. Even if there is a trap, all 50,000 soldiers and horses will be lost, and the Song Dynasty will not be able to move. It can be afforded, but Xiongzhou City and Bazhou City cannot afford to lose anything!"
Bazhou City originally had 30,000 forbidden troops, and with the 50,000 he brought, there are now 80,000 soldiers and horses! .
The official imperial edict stated that he should be the leader and Fang Zhou the deputy, but it did not give him the right to mobilize all the soldiers and horses on the border. What he could really use were these 80,000 soldiers and horses.
He could not mobilize the soldiers and horses in Xiongzhou City, nor could he mobilize them.
Even worried that the Liao Kingdom would set a trap, even the soldiers and horses of Bazhou City could not be used.
"But there are only 50,000 troops and horses, and there are two enemy hiding places. And these two places are only dozens of miles away from the Liao city. If it cannot be solved quickly, the Liao country will send cavalry, but It's dangerous." Fang Zhou worried.
The reason why the plundering cavalry of the Liao Kingdom did not return to the city, but hid outside.
Firstly, traveling back and forth wastes time, and secondly, frequent trips in and out also make it easy to be exposed.
Although the Song Dynasty knew the identities of these horse-robbers.
But knowing is one thing. When you actually do it, you definitely have to hide it.
Otherwise, we could just send troops directly. Why pretend to be horse bandits?
"Although there are risks, it can only be like this. Now I can only bet that the Song Dynasty has never sent anyone into the buffer zone between the two countries to search for them in these years, and the hidden cavalry is very lax." The British Duke said .
This possibility is still very high. There has been no war in the Song Dynasty for decades, and the soldiers are very lax.
The soldiers of the Liao Kingdom were also human beings. The Song Dynasty was helpless in the face of their plundering for so many years, and it never sent troops to search the buffer zone between the two countries.
In the eyes of the Liao people, this was a sign of weakness in the Song Dynasty. Those Liao cavalry may not be very alert.
“But…”
“Don’t be but, the weather is getting colder and colder now, maybe it will snow one day, there is no time to delay. And I don’t have to bully I also have some considerations for the soldiers and horses in Bazhou. There may not be anyone who colludes with the Liao Kingdom.
The soldiers and horses I brought were all from the western suburbs camp. They had never guarded the border before, so there was no need to worry about leaking the news.
When the imperial edict was just read out, there was no one else around. But if there is an imperial edict from the imperial court, it cannot be concealed.
I asked people to spread the news that the imperial edict was calling me back to Beijing. We will lead the army back early tomorrow morning and take a detour from here. ”
The British Duke pointed at the map and told his plan.
Although the plan he made had many loopholes, it was the best way to do it in haste.
He might be able to take some time to formulate a more detailed plan, but there must be spies from the Liao Kingdom here in Bazhou.
Once the news of the imperial edict from the imperial court was known to the Liao State, and they could not find out the content of the imperial edict, they would definitely be alert.
Moreover, soldiers are expensive and fast. Now that the weather is getting colder and colder, who knows when the hidden Liao cavalry will retreat.
Finally, he had the opportunity to take the initiative. If he was too cautious and caused those who slaughtered the people to retreat, he would not be able to forgive himself.
"Is this too hasty? There are not even enough troops to respond. What if it is really a trap?" Fangzhou asked worriedly.
"If it is really a trap, then what the Liao Kingdom is planning is the border city of the Song Dynasty, let alone arranging troops to respond. Otherwise, the defense of the border city is insufficient. Once the city is lost, we cannot afford it!" said the British Duke.
He has already made plans to succeed or die.
Even if there is a trap, border defense forces cannot be mobilized.
"Okay!" Fang Zhou gritted his teeth and said, "Then I will accompany the British man to go crazy for once!"
"Haha!" The British man laughed and said: "Okay, how about we say it well? If it doesn't work out, we'll be buried in horse leather. I'm old, and this may be my last chance to lead an army."
Fang Zhou felt a little complicated when he heard this.
Since ancient times, famous generals are like beautiful women, and they are not allowed to grow old in the world.
But for military generals, don’t they feel aggrieved when their country is bullied by foreign enemies, but they can live a stable life until they are old?
He has been stationed at the border for many years, and every year he hears how many people died in Liao's raids on the valley.
I wish I could send my army north and fight the Liao Kingdom. Even if I die in battle, it is better than being indifferent.
Fang Zhou still remembered that when he first came to the border to garrison, he had not yet inherited the title. Hearing that horse bandits were raging, he personally led his troops to encircle and suppress them.
Thousands of people surrounded and suppressed a group of horse bandits with hundreds of horses. It took five or six days to encircle them.
There was no way, the opponents were all cavalry, and he led only infantry. It was only through his familiarity with the terrain that he forced them to a dead end and completed the encirclement and suppression.
Although the process was hard, when he returned to the village with the heads of the horse bandits, he would never forget the way the surviving people in the village looked at him.
That look in his eyes was very complicated, with joy and admiration in it.
It was also during that siege that he learned that these so-called horse bandits were actually Liao cavalry.
But he suffered revenge from the Liao Kingdom afterwards.
Those Liao cavalry who pretended to be horse bandits looted more frequently and sent out more small groups of cavalry.
In the past, they only stole money and food, and abused women, but they rarely massacred villages.
After all, the people of Liao are not stupid, and they also know that they cannot drain the lake to catch the fish.
If they kill too many people and all the people are gone, they can't go deep into the Song Dynasty to plunder.
But because of his reasons, the Liao Kingdom pretended to be marauding cavalrymen and massacred many villages in revenge.
After that incident, the imperial court also issued an order. From then on, Fangzhou also ignored the plunder of the Liao Kingdom.
Are you worried that the officials will blame you? Or are you afraid of retaliation against the people?
As time passed, Fang Zhou couldn’t tell the difference anymore.
The two discussed in detail for more than half an hour before leaving to prepare.
Not long after, a news spread in Bazhou City.
Bianjing came with an imperial edict to summon the British Duke to return to the capital.
The people of Bazhou do not care about this purpose, but some caring people do.
…………
Early the next morning, the British Duke led the army to leave Bazhou City and headed towards Bianjing.
The army did not move very fast. By evening, it had only traveled thirty miles.
After the army set up camp, the British sent spies to patrol around.
Knowing that no one was secretly watching, after the soldiers had dinner and it got dark, the British Duke and Ark braved the moonlight and led the army to leave the military camp and march along the planned route.
Only one air force battalion and a small number of soldiers were left patrolling to prevent being discovered.
(End of this chapter)