Chapter 232 Popularity, frequency increase!
Yang Chang and Zhao Fujin turned back to observe and did not return to Weisheng until dawn.

Only half of the Jin army in Feiting withdrew, and the remaining half did not move.

It was originally thought that with the death of their commander, the 100,000 Jin troops would not only collapse directly, but would at least withdraw from the battlefield first. However, the result was such a strange situation that left Yang Chang confused.

The reason why he made a wrong judgment was that he did not understand the Jin army's system well enough. Usually the commander-in-chief was accompanied by a deputy as a substitute.

If an accident occurs to the commander-in-chief during a battle, his deputy will temporarily take over the command of the army. Just like when Aguda died of illness, his deputy Nianhan took over the military power on the front line, while another deputy Xieye (Wanyan Gao) sent the body back to Beijing.

Nianhan's deputies were Wushi (Wanyan Xiyin) and Olu (Loushi after his death), and Hanlib's deputies were Erliduo (Wanyan Zongfu) and Talai (Wanyan Chang).

When Hanli was not assassinated, Talan was in Feiting Town, and Erliduo took over the command of the central army.

That night, several palace maids knew they could not escape, so they huddled in their tents awaiting their fate.

When Erlido saw the corpses everywhere, he did not kill the palace maids to vent his anger. Instead, he calmly asked a few questions and then sealed off the central military tent.

"what is this?"

Erlido picked up the nourishing jade and questioned the "eyewitnesses" again.

All the women shook their heads after seeing this. Erliduo frowned and asked again, "Never would a Jurchen general wear jade. Could this be left by the murderer? Well said. You can be spared from death!"

"We really don't know, but after Yang Guo's assassination attempt, he squatted beside the marshal for a while."

"Oh? It was really left by the murderer? What does this mean?"

As Erlido was muttering to himself, he heard his strategist Liu Yanzong calling out outside the tent, but he was stopped by the guards and not allowed to leave.

"Marshal, Marshal"

"Let Liu Shumi enter the tent."

"Yes."

Liu Yanzong then came into the tent and became very emotional when he saw the corpse on the ground.

"Everything was fine just now, how could such a disaster happen? Is it these bitches?"

"Second brother is quite brave. They are weak, how can they get close to him?" Erliduo denied it first, then shook his head and added: "It is said that a man named Yang Guo suddenly broke in and killed people indiscriminately."

“Yang Guo?”

"Does the Privy Councilor know this person?"

Seeing Liu Yanzong's surprised expression, Erlido frowned again.

"Master Guo mentioned this man, saying that his martial arts skills were unfathomable and that he had killed the Ever-Victorious Army in Jizhou. However, a jianghu warrior is always a ruffian. How could he avoid the garrison and come to the central army to assassinate the commander?"

"My second brother has a strong desire."

Erlido finished speaking here, and Liu Yanzong understood his meaning. The two of them started discussing Yang Guo's identity in the tent.

"This man wore a Jin army uniform, but claimed to be the Han Chinese Yang Guo, and told those women to report the truth. Don't you think this is very deliberate?"

“You mean.”

"The last time we attacked Song from two directions, the Western Army was stopped in Shanxi, but my second brother was able to march to Bianliang and received a huge compensation. This time the Western Army was stopped again, and Nianhan went to Yanjing to discuss it. I think there must be a connection between them, and the soldiers of the Western Army are unwilling to accept this."

At this time, there was an outsider present in the tent. Liu Yanzong immediately reminded him: "If there is no evidence, don't make random guesses. We should block the news and take down Weisheng."

"Why are you still fighting for Weisheng?"

Erliduo raised the jade token and swung it, then put it in his arms and said in a deep voice: "Yang Chang killed Lou Shi and his son, which is not an easy bone to chew. I plan to withdraw to Yanjing slowly, report the matter to His Majesty for decision, and then discuss the southward attack on Song. However, the soldiers of each camp had a lot of gains last time, but now they have nothing. Does the Privy Council have any way to appease them?"

"this one"

Liu Yanzong stroked his beard and thought for a while, then dismissed the rest of the irrelevant people in the tent, and then stepped forward to offer a plan: "At present, we can only take it in Luzhou, and the other option is to blackmail the Emperor of the Song Dynasty."

"Blackmail the Emperor of the Song Dynasty? But we haven't reached Bianjing yet, so I'm afraid this plan won't work."

"Not necessarily. King Kang Zhao Gou is in Xiangzhou. I just sent someone to contact him a few hours ago."

After hearing Han Libu and Liu Yanzong's plan, Erliduo pinched his chin and thought for a while, and finally replied solemnly: "This time we withdraw the troops back to Yanjing, and we have to report to His Majesty. We will not attack Bianliang in the short term. Why not give Zhao Gou a credit? Let him get the military power and break with Zhao Huan, and we will reap the benefits next time?"

"This plan works."

Liu Yanzong nodded happily and added: "Zhending is already in my hands. Hebei will be in my pocket sooner or later. By supporting Zhao Gou and Zhao Huan in their struggle for power, we can weaken the national strength of the Song Dynasty. However, the spoils of war for the soldiers can only be taken from Luzhou."

"It doesn't matter."

Erliduo looked indifferent and laughed coldly, "How much you take depends on your ability. However, the retreat of a hundred thousand troops is a big deal. Lou Shi has been killed by Yang Chang. Nianhan will definitely lead his troops to retaliate. We should not hold him back."

"If that's the case," Liu Yanzong pondered for a moment and immediately gave his plan: "It's best not to announce the death, announce to the inside that the marshal is ill, send someone to send the body back first, and the rest of the troops will take the property according to the assigned cities within ten days, and then withdraw in batches."

"Old Chen is prudent, this is a good plan."

Erliduo nodded in affirmation, and then added: "Captain Yang is a bit weird. If this man leads his troops to pursue us, what should we do?"

"It's very simple. Ask the military supervisor to leave some soldiers behind to cover the retreat. If you want to confuse Yang Chang, you can't pretend to attack by retreating. Weisheng's defenders are few, so he won't dare to take the initiative to attack."

"As expected of you, you are the strategist."

Seeing Liu Yanzong's confident smile, Erlido followed the plan that night.

Yang Chang returned to Weisheng in the morning. Before taking a nap, he asked Lin Chong to go to Weiting to inquire again. When he woke up, he still heard the news that the Jin army had not retreated.

He waited for another day without making any comment. In the morning, the scout reported that the Jin army was moving northward. The Weisheng defenders waited for half a day but saw no one. In the afternoon, they heard that the enemy had retreated to Weiting.

The next two days were like the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

There are battle warnings every day, and every day is full of tension.

On the afternoon of October 16, Yang Chang inspected the four gates of Weisheng.

They noticed that the soldiers' mentality had changed. They all thought that the Jin army was just pretending, but they were frightened by the power of Yang Chang's magical arrows and did not dare to attack seriously.

This idea is very dangerous.

In the use of troops, one must pay attention to the truth and falsehood. One should be afraid that nine times of falsehood will turn into truth and catch the defenders off guard.

After the inspection, Yang Chang felt confused.

Why did the Jin army become more cunning than before Han Li died?

No, I want to go scout myself.

Thinking of this, Yang Chang called Zhao Fujin again and went to Weiting to inquire at night.

The two men went around to the rear of Bi Ting and, by counting the number of tents, they could tell that the number of Jin troops had decreased, and there should be only about 10,000 people left.

With a snap, Yang Chang realized what was happening and clapped his hands in self-deprecation.

"We should have come earlier, but we were tricked by Jin Gou and he played tricks on us for several days."

"Wei Sheng has only a few soldiers and horses. Can they defeat the existing garrison at Feiting?"

Hearing Zhao Fujin's reminder, Yang Changxin said, "I have [Po Jun], and Wu Song has recruited another 20,000 men. If I deal with the more than 10,000 men of Fei Ting, won't I win?"
"Of course, we can go back now and gather troops to attack tomorrow."

"it is good."

But the plan did not change quickly. Yang Chang arranged his troops on the night he returned to the city, ready to attack Weiting early the next morning. However, just before the troops were to set out, he received an urgent report of Nianhan's attack.

As the incident happened suddenly, Yang Chang had to change his plan and let Lin Chong continue to monitor Fu Ting while he went to the battlefield in the north.

At noon on October 17, Yang Chang led a light cavalry to Nanguan Town, where they happened to meet Sun An coming to support from Wuxiang. The number of his troops was about 10,000, a mixture of regular troops and militia.

When Sun An saw Yang Chang, he rode up to him first, held the reins, clasped his fists and greeted him, saying, "General, why are you here? Did the Jin army in Feiting really retreat?"

"Retreat." Yang Chang nodded and replied, "I wanted to pursue the victory today and take Luzhou into my pocket, but it happened that Nianhan came to attack, and his general Lou Shi was killed. He might take crazy revenge, so I came to meet him in person."

"The Taigu River Gorge is long and deep. As long as our army guards the entrance to the valley carefully, we won't be afraid of the Jin army. Besides, as a general of the army, it is unlikely that Nianhan will personally go to the front line."

"I have to see it to feel at ease, but you come quickly."

"I am in charge of the Valley Defense Zone, so I must actively respond to changes, otherwise I will be unworthy of the general's trust."

Yang Chang was very pleased to see Sun An had such awareness. He thought that he could entrust him with important tasks, and when he took over Luzhou himself, he might use him as the commander-in-chief of the army.

"Let's go. Let the troops stay in the town temporarily. We will ride forward lightly."

"Yes."

Later, the two arrived at the outpost and did not see any fierce fighting.

Hu Cheng had already arrived to support them. When he learned that Yang Chang and Sun An had come together, he went to greet them: "You are all here? The Jin army today is really strange."

"eccentric?"

"Yes, they act very strangely. From early morning till now, they have attacked four times in total. Although they charge forward and fight fiercely every time, they quickly retreat on their own initiative. I don't understand what kind of military strategy this is."

"General, this must be Nianhan's plan."

Seeing Yang Chang frowning and not answering, Sun An reminded Hu Cheng and then asked: "General Hu, you sent someone to report in the morning. How did you confirm that Nianhan was here in person? Did you send someone to verify it in the morning?"

"They are flying under the banner of Nianhan. I didn't have time to confirm it before, but I just sent Li Yanxian to chase them into the valley. Maybe we can find some useful information."

"Chase into the valley?"

Sun An was shocked when he heard this and shouted excitedly: "Beware of fraud!"

"Li Yanxian led a hundred cavalrymen to pursue us. If there is real danger, they will evacuate in time. How many people did you bring? If it is just today's situation, my army can hold on."

"In the art of war, you must be careful about what you do and what you don't. Don't be overconfident, and don't underestimate the enemy."

"okay."

While Hu Cheng was responding, he looked at Yang Chang and asked guiltily, "Am I too anxious? Should I have checked it out before reporting it?"

"Brother, don't blame yourself. Military intelligence is not important. It was right to report it early, but..."

Yang Chang first gave his affirmation, then changed the subject and murmured, "As Brother Sun said, the Taigu Gorge is long and deep. As long as we guard the entrance of the valley, we can be like one man blocking a thousand. No matter how many Jin soldiers there are in Taiyuan, they can't move forward. And a strong attack would cost a huge price. Nianhan would not fight a stupid battle, so he must be feinting to support us."

"General, you are right. The two Jin armies are attacking together and are trying to make us unable to take care of each other. But Wuliebuwu Zengzhao has retreated. I am afraid there is a conspiracy."

After Sun Anya finished speaking, he stroked his beard and thought, with a look of confusion on his face.

"Haha, there is no conspiracy."

Yang Chang first gave his conclusion, then glanced at Qiu Qiongying in the distance, and finally covered his mouth and whispered: "Wulibu is already dead. The day before yesterday, I sneaked into the Jin camp and killed him with one sword, so they are retreating normally."

"Dead? The general sneaked into the Jin army's tent alone and killed the Jin army's marshal?"

"This is a matter of chance and luck. I am afraid that the ladies will worry, so I only told my second brother and Lin Chong. Please keep it a secret."

"hiss"

After listening to the conversation between Sun An and Yang Chang, Hu Chengshi took a breath and swallowed his saliva and said, "Sanniang too..."

"I kept it a secret too."

"Then I can save myself the trouble."

"We are blocking the center of the Jin army from both the east and west. It will be troublesome if Nianhan and Wuli don't contact each other. This guy must not know that the eastern army has retreated, so he is putting on a show here?"

Yang Chang nodded and responded to Sun An, "According to common sense, this is the case, so the pressure here may not be too great. If you can defend the entrance to the valley, I plan to go south to find Coach Lin. We must take Luzhou to expand the defense line. Then we can use Taihang Mountain to easily defend against the Jin army on the east route."

"General, rest assured. If I lose Gukou, I will bring my head to you!"

"Brother Sun, you don't have to do this. You all need to live well. There will be important tasks waiting for you in the future."

"Yes."

Sun An and Hu Cheng said in unison.

"Then I'll go first. I'll report back if there's anything else."

"General (Sanlang), walk slowly!"

Yang Chang glanced at the entrance of the valley and thought to himself that Nianhan was just playing around so little that he didn't feel any sense of urgency at all. Are you kidding me?

In fact, it was not that Nianhan was just making a small move, but that the commander of the front army, Yelu Yudu, had fought with Yang Chang once and had been afraid of him ever since, so he was unwilling to put all his efforts into this attack.

Nianhan led a small army from Zhending to attack Pingding, hoping to open up the connection between Taiyuan and Zhending, but was met with stubborn resistance from the defenders of Pingding. He did not expect to run into a wall in Pingding, and finally broke the city at the cost of 30,000 casualties. It was the battle with the heaviest losses except for Yang Chang.

The Pingding Army was located east of Taiyuan and west of Zhending. Zhong Shizhong and Liu Qian both passed through here to rescue Taiyuan. Although both armies were defeated in the battle, many defeated soldiers fled to Pingding and hid.

This time they had nowhere to escape, so they all voluntarily followed the defenders to defend the city, which led to Nianhan's underestimation of the situation and suffered a great loss.

Most of Nianhan's detachment was lost, so he could only use the Jin army from Taiyuan as the main force to attack Weisheng. He then sent Yelu Yudu to attack Taigu Gorge, while he led his troops to Wenshui County, preparing to retake Fenzhou that had been abandoned by Yang Chang.

Yang Chang and Qiu Qiongying returned to Nanguan Town and led their troops south. On the way, they met Lu Zhishen who had returned from the battle.

Yang Chang asked him to support the Gukou outpost, and gave half of Weisheng's only 20 artillery shells to Lu Zhishen to take away happily.

If the shells exploded in the canyon, the reverberation in the enclosed environment would be more shocking than a battle to defend the city. Yang Chang believed that with Sun An and others guarding the entrance of the valley, he could move south with peace of mind.

When the army arrived at Weiting at night, Lin Chong had already led his troops to capture the stronghold, but because his troops were less numerous than those of Talan, he could only follow from a distance and did not dare to engage in a fight. The arrival of Yang Chang gave him confidence.

On October 18, Weisheng's 20,000 infantry and cavalry arrived near Xiangyuan. Due to the looting in batches, only 5,000 Jin troops were left here by Talan. Seeing that the situation was not right, he decisively withdrew, and Yang Changbing captured another city without bloodshed.

To the east of Xiangyuan are Licheng, Shexian, and Fukouxing, which were the only way for the Jin army to come and go. To the south of Xiangyuan are Lucheng, Shangdang, and Huguan, where there may also be remnants of the Jin army.

The Jin army fled without a fight, so there was no need to chase them with 20,000 troops. Yang Chang wanted to quickly occupy the entire Luzhou, especially Shangdang, which he had been longing for, so he planned to divide his troops in Xiangyuan.

Considering the strong combat capability of Jin army and the blessing of [Po Jun], he planned to lead half of the troops to chase eastwards.

Lin Chong seemed to see through Yang Chang's thoughts. Before he could give the order, he took the initiative to offer his services. He said in a sonorous voice, "Brother Yang, in the past two years, all the generals have made great contributions, but I have rarely fought in battles. Please give me a chance."

"Go and be safe!"

Yang Changsui divided his forces with Lin Chong, and he himself took 10,000 infantry and cavalry, mainly new recruits, and entered Lucheng on October 19 to take over.

On October 20th, there was a popular uprising in Shangdang.

The prefect Zhang Youji and the magistrate Li Xie were finally killed by the angry people for allowing the Jin army to plunder the city. At the same time, they seized the city gate from the puppet army and led Yang Chang's army into the city.

Yang Chang easily occupied Shangdang, the capital of Luzhou, without firing a single shot, and ordered Yan Qing to be in charge of the defense of Shangdang.

That night, Yang Chang leaned back in his chair with a towel on his face and soaked his feet in a wooden tub to relieve his fatigue.

Suddenly, a prompt popped up automatically in the sea of ​​consciousness.

【Gain 1 popularity point.】

Um?what's the situation?
I didn't pick up the body.

He was just wondering when the reminder came again.

【Gain 2 popularity point.】

【Gain 1 popularity point.】

Oh my god, the pop-up window in the sea of ​​consciousness is flashing!

(End of this chapter)