Now that we have siege equipment, the threat these things pose to the defenders is extremely great.

In addition to attacking Youzhou City, Yelu Abaoji left only 400,000 troops with him and sent the rest out to plunder and attack the neighboring Yizhou and Yingzhou.

For an army of 600,000, the amount of food and fodder needed for horses and men every day was an astronomical figure. Apart from the food and fodder that the army brought at the beginning, all their food and fodder were used to support the war, so they plundered everywhere in the Central Plains.

Even if there is no food, they can still find “two-legged sheep”. In war, they have long been accustomed to using any means necessary.

……

In the village, smoke rises from cooking fires as people work in the fields, working from sunrise to sunset.

Suddenly, they saw black spots moving in the distance, from far to near. When they got closer, they could see clearly that they were a team of Khitan cavalry wearing fur shorts.

“Run!”

“The Khitans are coming!”

In an instant, familiar memories came to their minds. Fear appeared on their sallow faces. They dropped their hoes and hurried to the village.

However, how could two legs outrun four legs? Before they had run a few hundred meters, they were caught up by the Khitan cavalry behind them.

Seeing the people in front of them fleeing for their lives, they were in no hurry and just played with them like a cat catching a mouse. When they could no longer run, they rode forward and struck them with a light knife.

The villagers received the alert and quickly gathered together, taking food and preparing to escape, but the place was so large and flat, where could they run to?

As soon as they went out, the Khitan cavalry caught up with them.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves behind them, the people gave up running away and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.

However, what awaited them was a ruthless massacre. No one was spared, young or old, male or female. They looted all the food, set fire to the village, and left.

There was endless blood and gore on the open plains, and the roaming Khitan soldiers were extremely cruel and committed all kinds of evil.

At the same time, Yingzhou, Yizhou and other places were also massacred by Khitan soldiers, but Su Ming had already taken the lead in sending people to fortify their walls and clear the fields. These people were unwilling to leave their homeland and were reluctant to leave their crops in their hometown.

A considerable number of civilians were transferred in advance to large defensive cities with high walls. These tasks were prepared a year ago, but the execution was quite sloppy.

In a month’s time, the Khitans had captured Yizhou and Yingzhou, but Youzhou was still struggling. Because there were many civilians in the city and the city was thoroughly cleared, Yelu Abaoji did not want to waste time here. He left some troops here to continue the siege and led the main force to continue southward.

At this time, after a month-long journey, the imperial guards arrived in Jinyang.

In this battle, Su Ming was the nominal commander-in-chief, and his deputy commander was Li Wentong. His decades of experience enabled him to defeat Shi Jingtang and other generals in military exercises that swept across the Central Plains, making him the undisputed commander-in-chief of this expedition.

In addition to the 100,000 imperial guards, Su Ming also gave them another 10,000 cavalry to command, while the Shen Ce Army and the Xuan Jia Army were commanded by him and Yuan Tiangang.

The two armies had a lot of baggage, and Su Ming had already stockpiled armor and weapons at the front line, so after rushing to Jinyang, the cavalry quickly changed horses and went around to gather information about the enemy.

Chapter 294 The king dies in the country

“Youzhou is under siege, Yingzhou and Yizhou have been captured, and now Cangzhou and Dingzhou are also being besieged by Khitan troops.” Upon hearing the report from the scouts at the front line, the generals in the military tent fell silent.

The Khitans attacked the city too quickly. In previous battles, Yelu Abaoji had besieged Youzhou and attacked the reinforcements from point to point. Unexpectedly, this time Yelu Abaoji did not stay in Youzhou, but instead led a large army to besiege Cangzhou City.

Li Wentong looked at the sand table in the center of the tent and said in a deep voice, “The Khitan army has about 500,000 soldiers. They entered from the border of Youzhou. Those vassal states that had not surrendered to us opened their gates and surrendered directly. It was not until they were under the city of Youzhou that they encountered a tough battle.”

“In addition to attacking Youzhou, they also sent two armies to capture Yingzhou and Yizhou. They are not far from each other and can support each other. Moreover, they have sufficient troops. The cities in Yizhou and other places are not big and difficult to defend.”

Shi Jingtang stroked his chin and asked, “It’s just that it took the Khitans at least a month to capture a city in the past. Even though the cities in Yizhou were small, they were limited in their attack. Why was it so fast this time?”

At this time, Su Ming spoke up, “The Khitans conquered Bohai and captured its craftsmen. They have siege equipment.”

“Siege equipment?”

Hearing these four words, all the generals present frowned. The Khitans had obtained siege equipment, which was simply an added advantage. Once they captured a city, the people and food supplies inside would become their helpers.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just the fact that they are carrying refugees to charge into the battle line is a troublesome thing. When the unarmed refugees are standing in front of the battle line, can you bear to attack them?

However, most generals would still take action when faced with such a situation, because if they did not, more people would die later.

You may have a kind heart, but you cannot be a general. There are many examples in ancient times where soldiers were allowed to loot, burn, kill and rob in order to boost morale. Even Zhu Yuanzhang could not avoid this, let alone the warriors of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms today.

“Yelü Abaoji wants to have a head-on battle with us and not give us the chance to defeat him one by one.” Shi Jingtang said in a deep voice as he looked at the movements of the Khitan troops on the sand table.

“Yes, each Khitan unit has no less than 50,000 soldiers and they are not far apart. If we want to wipe out one unit, the price we have to pay is not small.”

“If we fail to capture the city, we may even be pinned down and surrounded.” Li Wentong was frowning as he was thinking about countermeasures.

There was no way. One can defeat ten with one’s own strength. The Khitan soldiers were too many, and they could eat locally and fight to support themselves, but they couldn’t.

There are military regulations within the Imperial Guards, and Su Ming cannot open this loophole. The bottom line will be slowly breached. If this place is opened, what about other places?

In the end, all military orders will become empty words. He has worked so hard to reform these warriors, and he cannot let them return to their original state.

Seeing that they were having trouble making a decision, Su Ming said in a deep voice, “Since we can’t avoid it, let’s fight them head-on. The Imperial Guards may not be their match. This time, I have brought them a great gift.”

It’s not that they haven’t fought in battles with drastic disparities in troop strength. In the struggle for supremacy between Jin and Liang, Li Cunxu’s troops were smaller than Liang’s almost every time, but he won by defeating the larger force. Otherwise, how could he be called the God of War?

In the past, they might have made the decision, but now, there is an emperor in the military camp and they must take his presence into consideration.

“Your Majesty, please think twice. A head-on confrontation will be dangerous. I beg Your Majesty to go into Jinyang City first and take charge.” The imperial guard general Fu Yanchao was the first to dissuade him.

Then, other generals who did not know the truth also advised, “Your Majesty, there is no mercy on the battlefield. If the emperor is injured, we will die without hesitation. Please stay in Jinyang and we can kill the enemy with peace of mind.”

They didn’t know the truth about the battle for the Longquan treasure, and thought that Su Ming only knew some rudimentary kung fu and was a weakling on the battlefield who would die if touched.

Little did they know that the person standing in front of them was the number one person in the world, and even if they attacked together, they would not be their match.

Su Ming laughed loudly, “Don’t worry, everyone. Now that I am here, I must go to the battlefield. In this decisive battle with the Khitan, I and the Bad Commander will serve as the vanguard and fight the Khitan head-on.”

“This is also what I, General Li, and General Shi have agreed on.”

Seeing the generals’ gazes, Li Wentong’s expression froze, and he quickly explained, “Yes, Your Majesty will lead the Shen Ce Army as the vanguard to fight against the Khitan cavalry, and the Buliang General will also lead the Xuanjia Army to go to war together.”

“These two cavalry units are the most elite cavalry units of the imperial court. I will not joke with them. Since Your Majesty dares to go to the battlefield, you must be confident. If you don’t believe me, then don’t you believe Your Majesty?”

After these words were spoken, the generals looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

At this moment, Su Ming called out softly, “Lie Lu, come out!”

The next moment, in the central army tent, a man wearing bright light armor and an evil ghost mask suddenly appeared in front of everyone. He moved so fast that they couldn’t react.

“General Buliang pays respects to His Majesty.” Seeing Su Ming, Yuan Tiangang saluted respectfully.

There are only a few people in this world who know that the Buliangshuai is Yuan Tiangang. Except for the rulers of various countries and some top masters in the world, other people only know that there is an organization called the Buliangren in this world, and that the leader of this organization is the Buliangshuai.

Su Ming helped him up, looked at the generals, and said with a smile, “How is it? Can this method be used on the battlefield?”

Is he the world-famous Bad Leader?

Fu Yanchao and other Fu brothers looked at Yuan Tiangang, who was wearing Ming Guang Armor, in surprise, with astonishment in their eyes. Others also had different expressions, obviously shocked by the means that had just appeared.

“Your Majesty, General Bad’s methods are unpredictable and he can go to the battlefield, but Your Majesty is the supreme emperor. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. If something unexpected happens, we will never refuse to die.” Some generals still insisted.

But the next moment, his eyes widened.

Su Ming, who was more than ten meters away from him just now, came to him as if he had teleported, staring at him coldly, “Now, do you still have any opinions?”

This move made him swallow his words, “Your Majesty’s martial arts are unparalleled. I admire you!”

The generals who were able to survive in the troubled times until now, although they trained their fighting skills on the battlefield, also had martial arts skills. Not to mention the small celestial level or the middle celestial level, they at least had the middle star level and the great star level.

However, like Yuan Tiangang, they were unable to see clearly how Su Ming teleported just now.

“The emperor guards the country’s gates, and the king dies for the country. Li Cunxu can go to the battlefield in person, and I will not be inferior to him. More than 300 years ago, Emperor Taizong also led the army into battle in person. I, the descendant of the future, should follow his example.”

“In this battle, you don’t have to worry about me. Fight as you should. I and the Bad Commander are the vanguard. As long as the Shen Ce Army and the Black Armor Army are not crippled, we can charge in any way we want!”

Chapter 295 The First Battle Is the Final Battle

After these words, the whole tent fell silent. The emperor guards the national border and the king dies for his country. What a spirit of courage! The fact that the emperor can lead the army in person is enough to amaze these generals.

Not to mention that he had to go to the battlefield himself to fight with the Khitans.

Neither Li Wentong nor Shi Jingtang said anything. They knew Su Ming’s true strength and did not stand up to express their opinions.

“Your Majesty, swords and spears are merciless on the battlefield. Even if you have great martial arts skills, it will be difficult for you to survive among thousands of soldiers. Please revoke your order and choose another general.” Fu Yanchao said in a deep voice. He was a veteran general from Hedong and was very old.

In his impression, Li Cunxiao, the strongest general in Hedong at that time, had practiced martial arts all his life, had almost no rivals on the battlefield, and was extremely brave. But even so, facing an army of 500,000, he could not guarantee that he could retreat unscathed.

Seeing that everyone was trying to persuade him, Su Ming was too lazy to talk nonsense with them. He turned to look at Li Wentong and said, “I have made up my mind. No need to persuade me anymore. Li Wentong, you just need to arrange the troops. I and the Bad Commander will be under your command. You should know when to go into battle and when to withdraw.”

“Wei Chen understands.”

Then, Su Ming left with Buliangshuai.

……

Outside Cangzhou City, Yelu Abaoji sat in the central army tent, looking at the ongoing fighting on the city walls of Cangzhou, his eyes full of lofty ambitions. He had failed in Youzhou twice in his previous marches south.

This time, he gave up the plan of besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements, and restricted Youzhou City, using the fast to defeat the slow, and plundering food, money and people. In this battle, he wanted to start from the Yanyun border, break through Hebei, break Bianzhou, and go straight into the Central Plains.

“Where are the Tang army? It’s been so long, they should be here by now.” He asked calmly, looking at the stalemate in the war outside.

“Father, according to spies, the Tang Kingdom has mobilized an army of 100,000 and has arrived in Jinyang, Hedong. They will engage in battle with our army soon.” Yelu Bei replied in a deep voice.

Yelu Abaoji’s eyes flashed with a gleam of light, “Who is the commander this time? Li Maozhen or Li Siyuan?”

“No, neither of them. I heard that it was Emperor Li Xingyun of the Tang Dynasty who led the army in person.”

Yelu Abaoji was stunned at first, then he burst into laughter, “That kid actually imitated me to lead the army in person? He thought he was Li Shimin? My Khitan army of 500,000, even if Li Shimin were alive, he would not be my opponent.”

Yelu Bei also smiled faintly, “Father is right. There are 500,000 troops heading south, but he only has 100,000 troops. And I heard that the imperial army was established only a few years ago and has not experienced many wars.”

Yelu Abaoji suddenly asked, “What about the cavalry? They bought so many war horses, so they must have formed a cavalry. How many cavalry do they have?”

This question stumped Yelu Bei. He only paid attention to the large army and the high mobility of the cavalry, so he could not find the Khitan spies for a while.

Yelu Bei looked embarrassed and could only reply, “Father, the time is too short and the spies are still investigating.”

“Your brother is advancing at a rapid pace and has already captured Yingzhou. I don’t plan to let him continue fighting. I will let him come back in a few days.”

“The people of the Central Plains should not be underestimated. Li Cunxu won the battle despite having a small force. This time we have more troops, so we must not repeat the same mistake. Their cavalry is no worse than ours.”

“Go, find the cavalry from the Central Plains. This army must be their strongest elite. It’s ridiculous to play with cavalry in front of us.” After saying that, Yelu Abaoji sneered and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

“I’ll go right away, kid.”

……

Ten days later, Yelu Abaoji received a declaration of war from the Tang Dynasty.

“Strange, are the people in the Central Plains really not afraid of us? It is impossible that all 100,000 people are elites?” Yelu Abaoji looked at the declaration of war sent to him unsolicited, feeling hesitant.

“Father, perhaps the people in the Central Plains know that we have a strong military force and the previous tactics are ineffective, so they confront us head-on and fight to the death.” Yelu Deguang stood beside him and said in a deep voice.

“The Tang Kingdom has few cavalry, only 20,000, but these cavalry may be no less elite than ours, because their scouts are more difficult to deal with than before, and they seem to be using our Khitan tactics.”

“How could they learn our Khitan tactics?” Yelu Abaoji was very shocked. This meant that if these 20,000 cavalry were used well, they would be enough to change the situation of the war.