Chapter 312: Thunder in the Night Camp
Rebuilding the Liao Kingdom?

So exciting?

Yelu Yudu stared at Yang Chang in a daze. Although he had complaints against the Jin Kingdom, he had never had such ambitions.

Firstly, he was involved in political struggles and was forced to rebel against Liao, but he led the Jin people and accelerated the demise of Liao. This "bad record" made it difficult for him to gather the remaining Liao forces; secondly, although he was from the royal family of Yelu, he was not a direct descendant of Abaoji, and lacked identity recognition in founding a country.

"What? Didn't I make it clear?"

"no."

Yelu Yudu was distracted when he was interrupted by Yang Chang. He quickly waved his hand and explained: "General, you are too kind. I am just an old soldier of the previous dynasty. How can I plot to restore the country? If you have any instructions, please speak frankly. Yudu will do his best to cooperate."

"Heh." Yang Chang smiled playfully and said, "You were once the general of the Left Jinwu Guard, but now you call yourself an old soldier of the former dynasty. It's not good to be too humble. Since we are cooperating, we must pay attention to mutual benefit. How can I take advantage of you?"

"But I have neither the will nor the power to restore my country."

Before Yelu Yudu could finish his words, Yang Chang turned around and pointed at Han Funu, "What does the Liao emperor wear? When you come down, find someone to make one for you. The weather is going to get cold soon, so buy some clothes for the general."

"what?"

Han Funu was stunned when he heard this, thinking, isn't this what Zhao Kuangyin did? We don't have to play like this in the Liao Kingdom.

Seeing that both of them were stunned, Yang Chang added meaningfully: "As long as you put on the clothes, you will naturally feel the desire to restore the country. As for the strength needed to restore the country, don't you have me?"

"This"

Yelu Yudu wanted to say something but stopped.

At this time, the guards rushed over after hearing the news, but were stopped outside by the captain of the guards Pu Da at the signal of Han Funu.

Yang Chang was so close that it would be easy for him to assassinate him. Yelu Yudu did not dare to refuse and immediately asked, "Restoring the country is not easy. I wonder what the commander wants me to do?"

"Cooperate with me to destroy the Jin army in the west, and you can restore your country in Yunzhong."

"Destroy the Jin army in the west? How easy is that? Besides, the Jin army is not limited to the east and west. There are large numbers of troops stationed in the northwest, north, and Goryeo. Even if I can restore my country in Yunzhong, I may not be able to defend it later."

Yelu Yudu was no fool and expressed his concerns to his face.

After hearing this, Yang Chang solemnly comforted him, "Don't worry about this. Can I watch my allies get beaten? You don't think that if I destroy the Jin army in the west, this matter will be over, right?"

"What the commander meant."

"I am the ambassador of Hedong and Hebei. The Jin army in the east is entrenched in my territory. How can they have a good life? When I recover Hebei, will the Jin army still care about Yunzhong?"

"hiss"

Yelu Yudu gasped as he saw Yang Chang pick up the copper wine cup on the table and crush it into pieces with just a flick of his finger, just like he was crushing the Jin army.

What kind of strange power is this?

He was thinking of waiting for Yang Chang to leave and then dispatching more guards to surround and kill him in the camp, so that his predicament would be immediately resolved. However, his heart suddenly sank when he saw this scene.

If I can't keep her, the consequences will be disastrous. I can't be impulsive.

Thinking of this, Yelu Yudu quickly asked back: "What do I need to do now?"

"Yelü Tushan from the North Gate, could he be used by you?"

“You can try to fight for it.”

"Talking alone is useless. You will lead your troops north tomorrow and join forces with them. Remember to camp further back. I will help you win them over with virtue."

Yang Chang spoke lightly and Yelu Yu was confused. But when he realized that one should win people over with virtue, he immediately swallowed his saliva.

"I wonder when the commander will take action? I can prepare in advance."

"Preparing for what? An ambush?"

"No, it's not."

"I have my own plan for this matter. Letting you camp behind Yelu Tushan is not just giving you a chance to leave first."

Yelu Yudu suddenly realized what was going on and asked without hesitation, "And then?"

"Then?" Yang Chang raised his lips slightly and said, "Return to Xinzhou and wait for my news. You know what to do specifically."

"Uh yes."

"By the way, the military supervisor, Puchashi's slave, was captured alive this morning. I heard that he has been targeting you?"

"install?"

Yelu Yu looked puzzled and angry. Then he heard Yang Chang say, "This man will be temporarily detained in Yangqu. When we destroy the Jin army in the west, we will give him as a gift. What do you think, General?"

"well."

Yang Chang's words were obviously a threat, and Yelu Yudu realized at this moment that he had no choice.

Once he refused to cooperate with Yang Chang, the other party only needed to release the slave of Pucha Shi, and Yelu Yudu would not be able to explain himself. At this point, he was completely convinced.

Seeing Yelu Yudu's expression change, Yang Chang finally smiled knowingly and stood up.

"Since the matter has been settled, I will not disturb you any further. Goodbye."

"I'll see the commander off."

"No need."

While Yang Chang stretched out his hand to block him, he suddenly stopped and asked, "General, do you know that the Jin army is besieging Mount Wutai?"

"I have heard that this should be the order of Marshal Xieye. It seems that he wants to invite a monk to come down the mountain. The details are not clear. I can help find out when I return to Xinzhou."

"I just asked casually, you don't have to take it seriously, and you don't have to see me off. Goodbye."

"okay."

Yelu Yudu bowed and finished the chest-touching ceremony. When he stood up, he found that Yang Chang had disappeared. He immediately looked at Han Funu in astonishment and asked, "Where is he?"

“It disappeared in the blink of an eye”

"Pu Da?"

"General, this man looks like a ghost. We can't stop him at all. I will go out and take a look."

Pu Da spread his hands with a bitter face, turned around and strode out of the big tent.

Seeing him constantly looking ahead, the twenty or so guards looked at each other in bewilderment. Suddenly, one of the guards in the front row bravely asked, "General, what are you looking for?"

"Didn't you see anyone coming out?"

"It was just a shadow, it flashed and then disappeared"

"Then what are you still doing here? Get moving and continue patrolling."

After Pu Da taught his subordinates a lesson, he walked to the open space in front and looked around but saw nothing unusual.

Apart from the moving lights of the patrolling fire, the rest of the place was pitch black. The man was running around in the dark camp without making any noise. There was a heavily guarded central army nearby. Could he have burrowed underground?

That night, Yelu Yudu inspected the camps and sent more personnel to strengthen the alert all night, but he did not find any trace of Yang Chang, as if he had not appeared. As long as there was darkness as a cover, Yang Chang no longer needed [Camouflage Feather] to be invisible. With his current cultivation level and [Flowing Light and Glimpse], he was really as elusive as a ghost, and he had to be alert enough to see the residual image.

Yelu Yudu’s camp was five miles away from the city, so the return journey didn’t take too much time, and they arrived at their previous landing point in a short while.

Yang Chang didn't feel anything when he jumped down just now, but when he looked up this time, he felt his scalp tingling. This place was probably as high as a three-story building. Could he really get up there with his lightness skills?
With a whoosh, he leaped upwards.

He grabbed the wall halfway to gain leverage and then landed easily on the city wall, but he unexpectedly stepped on a stone, which bounced out with a slight noise.

"Who?"

"Who is where?"

The guard lit a torch and stepped forward. He saw that it was the Grand Commandant Yang Chang. He hurriedly clasped his fists and apologized, "I didn't know the Grand Commandant was here. Please forgive me for disturbing your leisure time."

"I'm just doing my job. What's wrong with that? Don't be nervous. I'll just look around."

"Yes"

After encouraging the guards, Yang Chang returned to the South City Tower and spoke a few words to the commander. Then he swaggered downstairs and walked home. On the way, he unexpectedly met Wu Song.

"Sanlang? What are you doing here?"

"I had nothing to do at night, so I went out to the street to have a look. I just came back from the South Gate."

"South Gate?"

Wu Song was stunned when he heard this, and asked hurriedly: "Are you worried about Yelu Yudu's surprise attack?"

"He doesn't have the guts. I'm just walking around. Besides, there are Night Owl Army in the city, so you don't have to patrol the city yourself. You and my little sister have just gotten married, so you should spend more time with her."

"I saved it, but we must distinguish between public and private matters. Now is a special wartime situation, so I have to inconvenience my wife for a few days. But she has her sister to take care of her, so she won't feel lonely."

"Haha, then I'll go back first, and don't be too late, second brother."

Yang Chang patted Wu Song on the shoulder and thought to himself, of course my sister-in-law is not alone. Every time you go out to fight or patrol, she goes to chat with her sister to relieve her boredom. But this affects my nightlife, so tonight it is Zhao Fujin's turn to be on duty.

However, if Zhao Fujin left late or stayed overnight, Hu Sanniang would usually arrange for a shift change.

After bidding farewell to Wu Song and continuing forward, Yang Chang suddenly smiled evilly halfway through the journey, thinking of the sword skill talisman he had just peeled today. Isn't this a good opportunity to accept Hu Sanniang as his disciple? By the way, there will be a big fight between master and disciple.

My heart skipped a beat and I quickened my pace.

Wu Song walked a few steps and looked back. Yang Chang was no longer on the street. He then shouted to the people beside him, "Go right. Let's go to the South Gate to have a look."

Yang Chang never does meaningless things. His visit to the South Gate alone tonight still made Wu Song suspicious. Combined with his evaluation of Yelu Yudu yesterday, Wu Song was worried that there might be some action in the south.

Little did he know that Yang Chang had returned from outside the city in less than an hour.

And tomorrow, we must deal with the enemy in Yangqu.

Yang Chang went to great lengths to support Yelu Yudu, not because he really needed the Liao army's help. He could defeat the Jin people with his own strength, but it might take longer. Having help from the other side could speed up the process.

As for instigating Yelu Yudu to proclaim himself emperor and setting the capital in Yunzhong Prefecture, this was an idea that Yang Chang had carefully considered.

Most of Yang Chang's civil and military officials came from Liangshan. He led them to build their business from scratch in Shanxi. Although they temporarily replicated the territory of Tian Hu during his heyday, the foundation cannot be compared with that of a formal country. Therefore, even if they establish their own regime, they cannot expand blindly.

The Jin army withdrew its main force to Zhending and stationed there, while Zhaozhou, Xingzhou, Cizhou and Mingzhou south of Zhending were all empty. Yang Chang was fully capable of taking them but did not because the cost of occupying and defending them was high.

Although he could lead an army alone, the generals under him were all ordinary people. When the national strength did not reach a matching level, he had to rely on the natural terrain advantages.

First, take Hedong, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers, as your base, and develop it for a few years before talking about conquering the world. Yunzhong Prefecture is located north of Yanmen Pass, and the cost of occupying it is also high. The Jin people can counterattack from all directions.

Making Yelu Yudu a target can effectively attract the hatred of the Jin people on the one hand, and on the other hand, he can serve as a resentful species to help Yang Chang get beaten. Then, troops can be sent north from Yanmen to help, and after the battle, they can pick up the corpses and return to Daizhou. The Jin army will have to attack Yanmen Pass to retaliate, which will be very infuriating.

As for going out of the pass and heading north to destroy the Jin Kingdom? Yang Chang would not consider it for a long time.

First of all, there is no horse farm to breed war horses, and it takes too long to rely on infantry to fight northward, and it is difficult to return to support if something happens in the rear; secondly, the area outside the Great Wall is too large. Not to mention the high cost of defense after occupation, the income from grazing is not as high as that from farming; finally, the traitors Zhao Gou and Song Jiang have not been eliminated. According to intelligence analysis in recent months, at least Hei Sanlang has been in cahoots with the Jin people, and destroying Zhao Gou's forces has a higher priority than destroying the Jin people.

On the morning of August 7th, the Yamen of the Ministry of Administration was established.

Yang Chang summoned the commanders of various armies to make arrangements for the attack on Yelu Tushan.

As soon as he finished his instructions, Shi Qian rushed in and reported, "General, Yelu Yudu's army has moved. They broke camp early in the morning and are now taking a detour from the east of the city. They are expected to meet up with Yelu Tushan."

"what?"

Liu Tang's eyes widened and he was about to ask for a fight, but Yang Zhi, who had tasted success in the previous battle, made a suggestion to Yang Chang first.

"General, Yelu Tushan's camp is ready. It will be more difficult to attack than yesterday. Why don't we turn around and kill Yelu Yudu? If Yelu Tushan comes to rescue, we will divide our forces to attack him. If he doesn't come to rescue, we will use all our strength to defeat Yelu Yudu!"

"I think it's feasible."

"I agree!"

After Yang Zhi finished speaking, he looked at Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, and Liu Tang. As expected, Lu and Liu agreed with him. Wu Song knew that Yang Chang was trying to win over Yelu Yudu, so he gave a cautious opinion.

"Let's hear what the commander has to say."

"Yes, the general is a master at using troops, so he must have a plan."

Lu Junyi agreed with Wu Song's words and thought he would hear Yang Changgao's argument, but the other party only said three words: "Don't worry about him."

"No matter? No matter?"

Yang Zhi saw Yang Chang nodded, and immediately frowned and asked in confusion: "Why? If the two armies join forces, the total strength is greater than that of the Yangqu defenders. If they set up camp and hold on, it will be difficult for us to attack by force."

"No problem, I have my own way to defeat the enemy." Yang Chang smiled confidently, waved his hand and said, "You go and prepare first, and wait for my order to send troops at any time."

"Yes."

Except for Yang Zhixin who had some doubts, everyone else was full of confidence. After all, Yang Chang had never been defeated.

On the eve of dusk, the east and west gates of Yangqu were opened wide, and the ships at the dock also weighed anchor and left the shore. According to the pre-war plan, the troops were divided into three groups and headed towards the Liao army camp in the north of the city.

Horses are easily frightened in night battles, so Yang Chang mainly relied on infantry this time.

It was dusk and the soldiers advanced in the dim light, which was the same color as the mountains and rivers, so the Liao army was unaware.

When darkness enveloped the earth, the stars and the moon in the sky temporarily dimmed, and only the light of the camp fire flickered.

From yesterday noon to today noon, Yelu Tushan had been in a state of tension, worried that Yang Chang would send troops to attack him. After all, he had the least number of troops among the three routes. This tension continued until Yelu Yudu joined him.

The confidence of a general in command depends on how many troops he has, even if they are friendly forces.

Yelu Tushan was very happy that night. He asked someone to prepare a few more dishes at night and invited Yelu Huaiyi, who had come to surrender after his defeat, and Yelu Yudu to have a drink together.

As night fell, candles flickered in the central army tent.

Yelu Huaiyi held the wine bowl in his hand, squinted his eyes and murmured: "Brother Tushan invited me to a banquet, and I couldn't refuse. I don't know whether he looked down on me or you."

"It's just a few glasses of wine, how come he's so drunk?" Yelu Tushan frowned and replied softly: "Yu Du hasn't settled down yet. He's focusing on military affairs. It's reasonable for him not to come for a drink."

"Reasonable? This guy likes to protect himself the most. He hides behind you even though he has more soldiers. I despise him." Yelu Huaiyi was not finished mocking when he was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise outside the tent. He turned around and muttered, "Is it thundering?"

Bang bang bang!
"No, it's an enemy attack!"

(End of this chapter)