HLnovel Chapter 353 I am standing in front of you, do you think I look a bit like before?
Chapter 353 I am standing in front of you, do you think I look a bit like before?
If we were to say what Yelu Hongji and Xiao Boyu were most "unforgettable" and "unbearable to look back on" in their lives, it would probably be the "Battle of Baigouyi".
After all, it was from that battle that the Liao Dynasty began to decline.
No matter how Yelu Hongji controlled the government and cracked down on various problems, the decline was only slowed down.
Especially during the process of the Song Dynasty's conquest of the Xia Dynasty and the recovery of Jiaozhi, the Liao Kingdom no longer relied on strong military pressure to force the Song Dynasty to stop as it did in the past.
In addition, there were powerful ministers in power, numerous factions, and rebellions by ethnic minorities on the border. The entire Liao Dynasty was completely caught in internal and external troubles.
I thought there was no hope for these days, but then my brothers from the south came to bring me some warmth.
The Yuanfeng Northern Expedition gave Yelu Hongji a glimmer of hope to integrate the court and lead the Liao Dynasty to take off again.
Although the process was tortuous, in terms of results, the Liao Dynasty achieved its basic goal and integrated domestic forces into one.
As long as Yelu Hongji can turn defeat into victory, completely defeat the Song army and recover the lost territory, just like Empress Dowager Xiao and Emperor Shengzong Yelu Longxu did in the past, then the "Emperor Shengzong's prosperous era" will reappear in the Liao Dynasty.
Filled with passion, Yelu Hongji pulled out his trump card, the 'Iron Forest Army', and even led the army personally, finally winning the 'Battle of Jizhou'. And this is what you, the Song army, did?!
Listening to Xiao Boyu's angry curses, Yelu Hongji also felt dizzy. The events of twelve years ago flooded into his mind. His body swayed and he almost fell.
"His Majesty--!"
Xiao Boyu's face changed and he quickly reached out to support the other person.
“Send an order——!”
"Use all your forces to attack the city! We must not give the Song army a chance to build a defense!"
"This time, I will personally take the field and sacrifice the lives of Yang Wenguang and his men!"
"Avenge the hundreds of thousands of troops from Nanjing and Xijing!"
Yelu Hongji's heart-wrenching roar drifted far away with a gust of cold wind...
. . . . . .
"Oh my! This scene seems familiar!"
Seventy-nine-year-old Mr. Yang Wenguang stroked his pure white beard and sighed.
Cao Ping, who is now middle-aged, is no longer the young boy he used to be. He has established a family, a career, and has children. He is now a father.
It can be said that twelve years passed in the blink of an eye!
"Haha, how can this not seem familiar, old General? We fought the same winter battle twelve years ago!"
Although Cao Ping has matured a lot over the years and has been promoted to higher and higher positions, he can no longer find the artistic conception of conquering the battlefield and galloping across the world.
Especially after he defeated the Xia Dynasty and gained enough military merits, his old father and the Empress Dowager Cao both gave him some advice, so that he was directly transferred back to the capital.
Later, he worked in the "Military Administration Department" and worked with British Duke Zhang Wenbi and others to handle military reform matters.
I have been staying here for almost ten years, and I feel like my spirit is almost worn away by the heavy paperwork and reports.
The "Yuanfeng Northern Expedition" was a matter of great importance. Although it encountered opposition from many court officials in the early stages, it was successfully carried out under the strong measures of Emperor Shenzong.
As a member of the royal family and a descendant of a family of military generals, Cao Ping had been waiting for this day for a long time, so he quickly submitted a petition requesting permission to go north to fight with the army.
Emperor Shenzong was naturally happy to see someone take the lead. Isn't this playing a positive leading role?
Not long after Cao Ping's memorial was approved, a series of requests for imperial decrees came in, all from middle-aged and elderly generals who had participated in the "Battle of Baigou Station" that year.
They did not want to miss such an opportunity. As long as the court endorsed it, they were willing to try to fulfill their century-old wish regardless of success or failure.
They fought well in the early stage, and their Eastern Army was unstoppable. In just a few months, they swept across the three states and approached Xijin Prefecture, the headquarters of Liaonan Road.
The battle was raging with no clear winner. Unfortunately, at the critical moment, a group of heavily armored "Iron Forest Army" suddenly appeared and beat the central army to pieces, and even their flanks were broken.
For a time, the defeat was like a landslide!
Thinking of this, Cao Ping couldn't help but sigh repeatedly: "Han Xiang is a master of military strategy. In just one month, he has stabilized the entire front line."
Yang Wenguang smiled complacently. After all, he was one of his disciples, and an exceptionally outstanding one at that. How could he not be proud?!
"If Jingyuan heard you praising him like that, his tail would probably be lifted up to the sky."
Cao Ping smiled knowingly, reached out to pat the old warhorse under his crotch, and his eyes gradually became firm.
"Xiao Feng, the battle twelve years ago was not the end..."
"You and I have waited for twelve years! This time, it is the end of our journey together!"
"Old buddy, let's have a hearty fight like we did twelve years ago!"
Cao Ping stroked the warhorse under his crotch and muttered to himself, the blood in his heart that had been dormant for more than ten years began to boil again.
The warhorse under his crotch seemed to understand what his master meant. It snorted violently and shook its head. For a moment, there was something mysterious surrounding its body.
"The horse is a good horse, the man is a good man, it turns out that a hero deserves a good horse!"
Yang Wenguang was full of admiration and couldn't help but grin as he looked at the descendants of the blue-maned horse that had been bred for who knows how many generations under him.
If the old comrades from back then knew that they had invaded the Liao territory several times, would they be jealous to death? This was a result they had never achieved in their entire lives.
"Old General, how about we join hands and kill them again?!"
Cao Ping's eyes were filled with fighting spirit. He held a spear in his hand and came to a position parallel to Yang Wenguang, looking at him sideways.
"Ha ha ha ha...."
"Come with joy and leave with satisfaction—!"
Yang Wenguang laughed heartily, kicked his horse's belly, raised the spear in his hand, and galloped forward at a rapid speed.
Behind him, Cao Ping and a thousand or so people rushed forward, just like twelve years ago, not afraid of who the other party was, because on their side was the old general Yang Wenguang!
. . . . . .
"Report——!"
"Over a thousand Song soldiers rushed across the river, carrying a banner with the character 'Yang' on it!"
A scout came galloping from a distance. When he got close, he jumped off his horse and slid on one knee. His movements were quick and decisive, showing that his horsemanship and experience were excellent.
"Squeak!"
Yelu Hongji and Xiao Boyu both tightened their horse's reins at the same time.
"The Song army has really gone too far!"
"In such a critical situation, are we really going to send a 79-year-old veteran to raid the battlefield?!"
"Is there no one left in the Song army?!"
“Ridiculous, so ridiculous—!”
"..."
The fact that Yelu Hongji and Xiao Boyu remained silent did not mean that the new generation of generals and representatives of various factions who had just entered the central government from the local areas did not laugh at the Song army.
This group of people could not understand why the "Battle of Baigou Station" had turned out like that, leading to a series of subsequent troubles.
"The mouse is short-sighted!"
Xiao Boyu sneered in a low voice.
"His Majesty..."
Xiao Boyu looked down upon these court officials and generals who had taken advantage of the internal rebellion to suppress it. They were simply a bunch of nouveau riche with a temperament and uncouth mannerisms that were disgusting.
Compared to them, Xiao Yi, who is now living a peaceful life in Bianjing City, looks more pleasing to the eye.
"I understand what you mean, but this battle cannot be neglected. Morale must not be affected. We must win it firmly!"
Yelu Hongji knew what Xiao Boyu meant. He just wanted these good-for-nothings to fight Yang Wenguang a few times so that they could know the other party's ability and give up their lives.
But this will affect morale. You know, being defeated in a battle on the battlefield is a devastating blow to an army.
Therefore, unless the two armies are sure to win and the situation is overwhelming, they will never rashly enter the "fighting between generals" stage.
Although Yelu Hongji did not want to let these trash play for the sake of safety, unfortunately some people just didn't realize it.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to be the vanguard and dampen the enemy's arrogance!"
Yelu Anda rode out on his horse, looking ferocious and evil.
Yelu Hongji frowned slightly, staring at the other person closely, then waved his hand expressionlessly and said, "Go!"
Yelu Anda was excited, and he kicked his horse hard, and with a "hiss" sound, he rushed straight towards the silver-haired and white-bearded old man who was leading the group opposite him.
"Come and inform the general—!"
Although Yelu Anda raised his weapon and prepared to strike first, he pretended to roar.
Yang Wenguang doesn't care whether you are a general of the Liao Kingdom or not. In terms of seniority, none of the military commanders in the world are not his juniors.
If grandpa doesn’t speak, you have nothing to say!
Yang Wenguang's whole body trembled, and the blood vessels on the back of his dry hands bulged violently. In an instant, the spear he clenched tightly pierced through Yelu Anda's chest like a dragon emerging from the sea.
Then he pulled out the spear with a shake, swept and stabbed, and Yelu Anda's head was hanging clearly on the spear.
“Who else—?!”
Yang Wenguang held the horse rein in one hand and raised the spear in the other. His eyes were as cold as a ray of light, his posture was like a god descending from heaven, with silver hair and white beard, he looked very majestic!
Your grandpa is standing in front of you today, do you think I look a bit like I did before?