While Li Duozuo was determined to take advantage of the victory to rebuild the morale of the Zhou army and inject the morale of the Zhou army into Hebei, Wu Yizong had just arrived at Zhaozhou with his army.
With Lou Shide and Shazha Zhongyi as the vanguard, Wu Yizong sent his army to Hebei first. He used the excuse that the gathering of troops was too slow and waited for Lou Shide and Shazha Zhongyi to lead the vanguard into battle in Hebei. He assumed that there was no longer any danger before sending his army.
Zhaozhou was first attacked by the Khitans and then looted by the Turks. Now it was a wasteland and the businesses in the city had withered. Before the Turks retreated, they had killed a large number of the young men and women they had kidnapped from Zhaozhou. Countless families lost their children and were filled with grief.
Wu Yizong's army of more than a hundred thousand marched majestically into Zhaozhou. When the people of Zhaozhou saw them, although they had wooden expressions, they still felt some comfort in their hearts.
Although the army of the imperial court came late, it was better than not coming at all. No matter how much pain they had experienced, life had to go on. Now that such a large army of the imperial court was stationed here, Zhaozhou could finally be at peace.
Wu Yizong was short and small and his back was bent. Wearing the Radiant Armor, he did not look valiant and instead made him look even uglier. Wretched.
The provincial governor of Zhaozhou had already committed suicide when the Turks attacked the city. Many other officials either committed suicide or were killed. There were also those who escaped. Because they had abandoned the city and fled, they did not dare to return. Right now, the people waiting in front of the magistrate's office were some small officials who had survived the previous battle by hiding among the people.
Wu Yizong was short and small. Although the horse he rode was not tall, when he reached the magistrate's office and pulled the stirrups, his short legs could not touch the ground no matter what. Wu Yizong's face reddened and he could not help but scold his personal guard, "Idiot, quickly help me get off the horse!"
The personal guard hurried over and knelt on one knee to support Wu Yizong. He let Wu Yizong step on his thigh before he smoothly landed on the ground.
The officials of Zhaozhou hurried forward to welcome him. Wu Yizong proudly said, "Hebei is plagued by bandits. His Majesty is worried about the people of Hebei and sent me to suppress the bandits. I have arrived at Zhaozhou today and will only stay here for two days to reorganize. I will then continue north to attack Ying Zhou and suppress the bandits … "
The officials quickly complimented, "Great General, it has been a long journey and it must have been tough. With the Great General's mighty army, Zhaozhou will no longer have to worry about being harassed by bandits. Zhaozhou with Great General's army, and will no longer have to worry about bandits. " Today, I have specially prepared some wine to welcome the Great General. Great General, please! "
Wu Yizong smiled proudly. Just as he was about to step into the residence, a junior colonel with a red flag on his shoulder flew over. He fell off his horse and knelt down on one knee. He cupped his fists and shouted, "Report! Wu Wu and to Wu, Wu to Wu Zong. He Wu Wu Wu Zhou! "Wu to Yizong Zong smiled. Wu Wu Wu smiled and said.
Wu Yizong calmly stood his ground and said in disdain, "Just a few thousand enemies, just a bunch of clowns. How dare they be so arrogant in front of me, humph! ", I, I, I, I point of, Zhou, I, I will, I, I, I, they will., I point..., Where is Ji Zhou? How far is it from Zhaozhou? "
Without waiting for the general to explain the situation, a Zhao state official hurried forward and explained to Wu Yizong.
Wu Yizong thought that with Lou Shide and Shazha's loyalty, the Khitans would not be able to come into contact with him. But when he heard that Ji Zhou was only two hundred li away from Zhaozhou and could be reached in a day, his face changed. He shouted, "How can a few thousand Khitans dare to attack Ji Zhou? There must be a large force behind the Khitan cavalry. Send the order, retreat to Xiang Zhou and build a defense! "
At Wu Yizong's order, not only were the Zhaozhou officials stunned, even the generals in his own army were dumbfounded. "Only a few thousand Khitan cavalry have appeared, and they are still in Jizhou. This General Wu, who has just entered Zhaozhou, is going to lead more than a hundred thousand soldiers from Hebei to Henan?"
The Right Leopard Guard General He Jiami, as the Deputy Marshal, advised uneasily, "Great General, the enemy only has a few thousand cavalry while we have a hundred thousand troops. Even with manpower, we can crush them. This general thinks that the Khitan cavalry does not know that our army has arrived, which is why they dare to harass Ji Zhou. We should quickly send a force to Ji Zhou and destroy them while they are unprepared! "
Wu Yizong said angrily, "Fool! Cao Renshi and Wang Xiaojie are as arrogant as you, which is why they suffered successive defeats and suffered heavy losses, causing the court to lose face! This general has always been prudent in commanding troops and pays particular attention to advancing step by step. How can we repeat their mistakes! "
He Jiami said, "Then … then we will station in Zhaozhou. If the Khitan army attacks, we have enough troops to defend!"
Wu Yizong said, "Zhao Zhou has been repeatedly attacked by the Khitans and the Turks. The city is already in ruins. It is not a good place to defend!"
Marching Major Zhang Yuanyi puffed out his large belly and came forward to suggest, "Great General has an army of more than a hundred thousand. How can you flee at the mere sight of a few thousand enemy troops? The enemy troops do not have supplies and rely on plundering to survive. If our army fortifies the walls and clears the fields, the enemy troops ten times their number will also retreat. Naturally, Zhaozhou will not be besieged for long. When the enemy troops retreat, our army will give chase and obtain a great victory. "
Zhang Yuanyi's words' flee at the mere sight of a gust of wind 'made Wu Yizong's face turn red. He angrily shouted, "If we fall into the enemy's trap and lose our hundred thousand troops, can you, Zhang Yuanyi, bear this loss? 'Reverse Current Toad', don't be noisy in front of this general. Pass down my order, immediately move to Xiang Zhou and set up defenses. Those who disobey will be executed! "
Zhang Yuanyi's appearance was nothing special. He had a big belly, thick and short legs, and the fat on his neck was so thick that his neck could not be seen. Moreover, his eyes were bulging out, making him look like a giant toad that was swimming upstream. That was how he got his nickname. In his anger, Wu Yizong did not care that he was in the army and directly called him by his nickname. He then flicked his sleeves and left.
Wu Yizong hurriedly walked out of the mansion and had his personal guard help him climb onto the back of a horse. Like a wisp of smoke, he left the Zhaozhou government officials and Wu Yizong's many generals standing there dumbfounded.
"This … this … this …"
Zhang Yuanyi was so angry that his entire body was trembling. He could not help but look up to the sky and let out a sorrowful laugh. He recited, "The long bow is short, the arrow is short, the Shu horse is short of steps. Going seven hundred li to the enemy, fighting alone against the wall. Suddenly encountering the enemy, riding a pig to the south. "
Zhang Yuanyi had an unforgiving temperament. Although the opponent was a Wu prince and a great general, he could not help but make a limerick in his anger.
What he meant was: 'The bow in your hand is long, but the arrow you shoot is close range. Although the Sichuan horse is short, you still need to find a step to ride it. The enemy is already seven hundred li away, but you are still circling around the city walls pretending to fight. If you really encounter the enemy, you will ride a pig to the south. '
Commander Luo Jiu asked in bewilderment, "Why did you ride a pig and not a horse?"
Zhang Yuanyi sneered, "As soon as I heard that the enemy had arrived, I was so scared that I wet my pants and ran away with a si (homophonic sound: sh * t) in my mouth. How could I care about riding a horse?"
When the generals heard this, they could not help but roar with laughter. Although He Jiami was also angry at Wu Yizong's incompetence, he could not allow them to humiliate the commander-in-chief in front of him. With a dark expression, he said, "Shut up! What a disgrace to talk and laugh like this! "
Luo Jiu asked, "General He, what should we do?"
He Jiami said, "What else can we do? A military order is like a mountain, who dares to disobey? Let's go! "
He Jiami stormed out angrily, leapt onto his warhorse and chased after Wu Yizong. The other generals sighed and followed him out, leaving only the officials of the Zhaozhou government standing there, watching the 'pig-riding general' leave with an indescribable expression on their faces.
At first, Wu Yizong was only trying to find an excuse to avoid battle, saying that he suspected the thousands of Khitan cavalry were only the vanguard and that there was still a large army behind them. But when he really began to retreat, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case.
Wu Yizong remembered the complete annihilation of Cao Renshi's army and Wang Xiaojie's death on the spot, and could not help but be alarmed. "Why did the main Khitan force appear in Jizhou? Could it be … Lou Shide and Shazha's loyalty are also finished? If that's the case, once the Khitans arrive, my life will be over! "
Thinking of this, Wu Yizong's expression immediately changed. He suddenly reined in his horse and said, "Men!"
He Jiami, Zhang Yuanyi, and the others were dejectedly following behind him. When they saw him suddenly stop his horse, they could not help but feel their spirits rise, thinking that this pig-riding general had made up his mind to fight. But then they heard Wu Yizong shout, "Why is the army advancing so slowly? Once the enemy arrives, we will not have a way out! Pass on my order, abandon all supplies and march at full speed to Xiangzhou! "
…
When Wu Zetian received the news of Li Duozuo's great victory, she was wild with joy.
Li Duozuo had completely annihilated the three thousand garrison troops at Ping Jia Ao, burned their provisions, and wiped out nearly six thousand Khitan soldiers lying in ambush. Then he immediately moved his troops to Ma City and defeated the besieging enemy troops, forcing them to flee in panic.
This was the first great victory they had obtained after dispatching four armies in a row into Hebei. Naturally, Wu Zetian was incomparably happy.
More importantly, Li Duozuo had foiled the Khitans' strategic plan. This was more important than the annihilation of a hundred thousand soldiers. Wu Zetian immediately issued a commendation and ordered Wu Youyi to hand over his military power and temporarily be under Li Duozuo's control. She finally understood that this nephew of hers was not cut out to lead troops into battle.
Before her joy had faded, she received a memorial of impeachment from the officials of Zhaozhou, accusing Wu Yizong of fleeing without a fight. Not only did he flee, he even abandoned a large amount of provisions along the way. In the end, the several thousand Khitans who arrived the next day picked up a large amount of supplies along the way, and Zhaozhou was once again lost. This was because the more than one hundred thousand soldiers of the imperial court had abandoned the city and fled, breaking the hearts of the people and civilians of Zhaozhou. With no one to defend the city, why would they fight? Why fight?
When the several thousand Khitan horsemen arrived, the remaining forces in the city and the countless commoners all left the city and went their separate ways. This impeachment memorial was written in blood by the officials of Zhaozhou who were determined to perish together with the city!
As Wu Zetian read this memorial, she gently closed her eyes. After a long time, tears gently flowed down from the corners of her eyes …
Shanghai Wan'er worriedly asked, "The Saints?"
Wu Zetian sadly said, "Chengsi is sick, Sansi is also 'sick'. It is better to close the city and not fight. Yizong fled at the sight of the wind, unable to be helped up! Both of them are unable to be helped up! I … really want to support the Wu family. I … really want the Wu family to pass on the legacy of Zhou for generations to come! But … "
Wu Zetian's lips trembled for a long time before she calmed down. A bitter smile of self-mockery escaped from the corners of her lips, and she murmured in a somewhat hollow voice, "Perhaps, I … really should return the power to the Li family. I … have no choice, no choice … "
…
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