One Piece of Song Dynasty

At this time, the sun was setting in the west, and the golden light on the Lugou River was shining brightly and the scales were shining. A row of weeping willows on the shore are reflected in the river like an ink painting. Liu Yanqing pointed at the river with his riding crop and said: "Look, what a beautiful scenery this is and how suitable it is for fishing."

Liu Guangshi echoed: "Yes, fishing in Lugou is very beautiful, but I don't know if there are any fish in the river." The other generals were silent.

Guo Yaoshi thought: As the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief, it is really inappropriate to talk about fishing in the ditch without planning with the generals how to fight. The war was about to begin, but it was incredible that they both had such a leisurely and elegant heart.

The river flows eastward. There is a pontoon bridge not far to the east, connecting the two sides, but the bridge deck is old and gray, and it seems that no one has walked on it for a long time. On the north bank of the pontoon, there stands a dilapidated Dragon Palace Temple. It is unknown when it was built. From a distance, it looks dilapidated and it has gone through many winds and rains.

Liu Yanqing asked again: "Is the river deep?"

Zheng Jianxiong replied: "There are deep ones and shallow ones. The deep ones are up to the top, and the shallow ones are only up to the waist."

Liu Yanqing looked around the generals seriously and ordered: "Now that the enemy's situation is unclear, we cannot rush into battle. We must dig more trenches, dig more trenches, and build up forts to wait for the opportunity."

That night, two scouts ran back and reported to Zheng Jianxiong that the north bank of the river was crisscrossed with trenches, and not far to the north was a large forest that stretched for dozens of miles from east to west. The main force of the Liao army was hidden in the forest, waiting.

Zheng Jianxiong asked: "Approximately how many soldiers and horses are there?"

The scout replied: "I can't see clearly, but it's probably not less than horses. To the east, there is a large horse farm with probably thousands of horses. All roads have been blocked and pedestrians are not allowed to move forward."

Zheng Jianxiong decided to go to Liangxiang in person and report the situation to Liu Yanqing. He took a dozen soldiers with him and rode towards Liangxiang. The Lugou River is only thirty miles away from Liangxiang. On this endless plain, thirty miles is not a long journey.

There is no moon in the sky, only the stars are shining. When Zheng Jianxiong walked near the Liaoshi Hill in the northeast of Liangxiang, he suddenly found a large group of cavalry, quietly bypassing the Liaoshi Hill and heading straight for Liangxiang. Zheng Jianxiong judged that this must be the Liao army coming for a sneak attack.

This is a group of Liao cavalry led by Xiao Qian himself. They intend to go to the south of Liangxiang to sneak attack the Song army's granary.

Zheng Jianxiong sent several soldiers to Liangxiang to report the news, while he led the rest of his soldiers to shoot arrows at the Liao army. When the Liao army was attacked, they immediately turned their horses and rushed towards Zheng Jianxiong.

Zheng Jianxiong hurriedly ran into the watchtower and joined the guards in the tower. Upon seeing this, Xiao Qian changed his plan and gathered a large number of troops to launch a fierce attack on the watchtower. Zheng Jianxiong and the garrison in the tower were eventually outnumbered and all died.

By the time Yang Keshi led the reinforcements to Liaoshi Gang, the Liao army had withdrawn from the battle, and the Song army pursued them all the way to the Lugou River but failed to catch up with the Liao army. Yang Keshi wanted to cross the river to pursue him, but was severely reprimanded by Liu Yanqing. Looking at the surging river, Yang Keshi was helpless.

When the former army officers and soldiers heard that Zheng Jianxiong had died for his country, they all asked for battle and strongly demanded that they cross the Lugou River to avenge General Zheng. Liu Yanqing issued a strict order: No one is allowed to cross the river without authorization.

In fact, Liu Yanqing had feelings for Zheng Jianxiong. He said: "Jianxiong has followed me for many years, chasing Xixia and conquering Fangla. He was the vanguard everywhere, but I didn't expect that tonight he would die on a stone hill. He and Jianxiong had the best relationship." Well, I am more heartbroken than anyone else for his heroic sacrifice. However, at this time, the more we must be calm. Be rational and not impulsive. All armies must strictly guard their positions, especially strengthen river defenses, and always be alert to another sneak attack by the Liao army. "

Liu Yanqing's idea was that as long as our army maintained a high-pressure posture on the banks of the Marco Polo River, the Liao army would not be able to hold on for long and would collapse without a fight. Now is a time to compare strength, but also a time to compare psychological endurance. The two armies face off to see who can persist to the end.

For several days, the two armies faced each other across the river and faced each other. No one dared to advance and no one was willing to retreat.

Xiao Qian attacked Liao Shi Gang at night and lost a lot of soldiers and horses, but did not make much profit. He felt that the Song Army's combat effectiveness was not that bad. Therefore, he was also hesitating. He had been planning a sneak attack on the Song Army's grain camp, hoping to force the Song Army to retreat. However, seeing the Song Army's prepared posture in front of him, he did not dare to act rashly. He thought it was better to be cautious. After all, he has too few soldiers and horses in his hands.

Tong Guan was also sad to learn that Zheng Jianxiong died for his country in his good hometown. He was very dissatisfied with Liu Yanqing's confrontation with the Liao army on the south bank of the Lugou River for many days and his failure to take the initiative to fight across the river. On this day, Tong Guan sent someone to issue a marching statement to Liu Yanqing: "After arriving at Liangxiang, the army has not advanced for several days. What is the reason? Can we find a way to win by surprise? Our army is dozens of times more than the enemy's army, and the balance of strength is very advantageous." , hoping that the army can advance bravely and reach Yanjing City.

Liu Yanqing received the letter and immediately convened a meeting of generals in Liangxiang to discuss. Guo Yaoshi offered advice and said: "Currently, Xiao Qian has placed his main force on the north bank of the river to stop us. The city of Yanjing will inevitably be empty. We can take advantage of this opportunity to sneak in. I suggest that we select a light cavalry to quietly go eastward from Gu'an. Cross the river to Anci, and then go straight to Yanjing. If the Han people in Yanjing know that Wang Shi is coming, they will respond internally. In this way, Yanjing can be captured."

Liu Yanqing asked: "So, are you familiar with this route?"

Pharmacist Guo replied: "I am very familiar with it. I am willing to lead the army as the vanguard. Please rest assured, Liu Shuai."

Liu Yanqing asked again: "Can Xiao Qian be undefended in the Gu'an and Anci areas?"

Pharmacist Guo replied: "Xiao Qian has limited troops, and his defense line cannot be that long. It is eighty miles from Zhuozhou to the east of Gu'an, and more than one hundred and thirty miles from Gu'an to the northeast to reach Anci. It's so far. The distance should be able to jump out of Xiao Qian's defense line."

Liu Yanqing asked the generals again, and they all thought this was a clever plan to win by surprise. Therefore, Liu Yanqing approved the plan to surprise Yanjing.

Pharmacist Guo asked Liu Yanqing to allow Liu Guangshi to lead his army to Yanjing to respond when the time came, and Liu Yanqing wholeheartedly agreed.

Guo Yaoshi led the ever-victorious army with men as the vanguard. Four generals, Zhao Heshou, Gao Shixuan, Yang Keshi, and Yang Kebi, commanded a total of troops. As the main force, they set out quietly on the night of October rd, the fourth year of Xuanhe. These six thousand men and horses were all light cavalry. They galloped eastward from Liangxiang.

Six thousand light cavalry galloped all night. They secretly crossed the Lugou River from the west of Gu'an County, and then detoured to Anci. At midnight the next day, they arrived at the east of Yanjing without anyone noticing. A man named Sanjia Shop in front of the village. Because it was a long-distance attack, with a forced march of more than miles in a day and night, the soldiers and horses were very tired and needed to rest.