Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 297: A standout! (4k ha)
The defender of Yinzhou asked for help from the Western Xia army at the Youzhou base camp. Yinzhou is now one of the gateways to the five states of Dingnan, so it naturally cannot be lost. The Youzhou base camp quickly dispatched 10,000 troops to provide assistance.

This fell right into Su Yun's plan, because this was a siege and attack.

Siege is only a prelude to the tactic of besieging a point and attacking its reinforcements. The casualties in siege are too great, so a man like Su Yun will naturally not waste too many troops on it. The key is to fight in the field and use the ambush that they are best at.

Su Yun set up a heavy ambush near Shendui Post Station. When more than 10,000 Western Xia soldiers and horses left Shendui Post Station, they were ambushed by 8,000 Jingsai troops. After a fierce battle, the Jingsai army defeated more than 10,000 Western Xia soldiers and horses, beheaded more than 4,000 of them, and the rest all fled.

Seeing that no one came to help, Yinzhou City became even more anxious and sent people to ask for help again. However, Youzhou had already learned that more than 10,000 soldiers had been annihilated, and immediately understood the plan of the Fuyan Road Army. For a while, the reinforcements did not dare to come.

But at this time Su Yun began to take the initiative and turned his attention to Longzhou, which had weaker defenses. He led 8,000 Jingsai troops straight to Longzhou and knocked on the door together with the Baoan troops.

Longzhou was soon in danger. Longzhou was close to Youzhou. If Longzhou was lost, Youzhou would face the threat of the Fuyan Road army. This place had to be rescued.

The Western Xia army did not dare to delay and quickly sent 30,000 to 40,000 troops to rescue.

You can ambush an army of 10,000, but I have an army of 30,000 to 40,000. Do you, the Song army, still dare to come up?
Su Yun did not choose to confront head-on, but instead waited for the outcome of the battle between the Huanqing Army and the Hedong Army.

The Huanqing Army is attacking Hongzhou fiercely, while the Hedong Army is attacking Shizhou fiercely. If these two states are taken down, Xiazhou will be attacked from the south and the north, and Xiazhou will surely be destroyed!

By then, Yinzhou and Youzhou will be completely separated. Yinzhou will be isolated and helpless, and will surely open its gates and surrender the city. The Western Xia army trapped in Youzhou will lose its strategic maneuvering space and will be trapped in Youzhou and doomed to death!
Su Yun was waiting for news, and then received intelligence that an army of tens of thousands from Xingqing Prefecture of Western Xia was heading straight for Yanzhou, trying to open up a passage through the Western Xia army and Xingqing Prefecture.

Su Yun was not worried about this. The Huanqing army was stationed in Yanzhou. As long as there were more than 10,000 soldiers in Yanzhou City, they would not be afraid of the siege of tens of thousands of people. As long as the Huanqing army held Yanzhou tightly, the 300,000 Western Xia army would have to stay in the five states of Dingnan!
In this battle, when Su Yun captured Yanzhou City, the advantage was already on the side of the Song Dynasty. Otherwise, the Song Dynasty court would not have unanimously agreed to launch another national war. Since they agreed, it meant that the Song Dynasty had already gained a great strategic advantage.

This is actually true.

The 300,000-strong Western Xia army was isolated in the Five Prefectures of Dingnan. The Five Prefectures of Dingnan were connected to the territory of the Song Dynasty. What did this mean? It meant that it was very easy for the Song army to supply food, especially since Luowu City was also in the hands of the Song Dynasty.

With the existence of Luowu City, the Hedong Army and the Fuyan Road Army have a reliable logistics base.

The Song and Xia countries were constantly attacking each other, and usually whoever penetrated deeper into the other's territory would eventually suffer defeat, mainly because it was too difficult to transport food and it was easy for the other side to cut off the food supply.

Once the enemy cuts off their food supply, hundreds of thousands of troops will easily lose their combat effectiveness.

During the Qingli period, Li Yuanhao of Western Xia led his troops to attack the Song Dynasty. Although Western Xia won all three battles, the Battle of Sanchuankou, the Battle of Haoshuichuan, and the Battle of Dingchuanzhai, and even won great victories, it eventually signed the Qingli Peace Agreement with the Song Dynasty. Was it because Western Xia did not want to annex the Song Dynasty?

Of course not, it’s just because I’m exhausted.

In the fourth year of Yuanfeng, the Song Dynasty launched five expeditions against the Xia Dynasty. The Song army advanced deep into Song territory and won victory after victory at the beginning. However, after entering deep into the heart of Xia territory, the Western Xia army began to cut off the Song army's food supply. After that, many Song army members starved to death due to lack of food, and the Song army suffered a defeat.

But this time, the Western Xia army was cut off from returning by Su Yun and was trapped in the Five States of Dingnan. The Five States of Dingnan were on the side of the Song Dynasty, and there was no problem of transporting food and fodder. This was the best opportunity for the Song Dynasty!

If this battle could wipe out all thirty Western Xia armies here, capture the five states of Dingnan, and control Yanzhou, then Western Xia would probably have to move its capital further north, because Yanzhou is too close to Xingqing Prefecture!

If the Song army were allowed to control Yanzhou, it would be like a sharp sword that could fall at any time, and we would not be able to sleep well!

Su Yun led the Jingsai Army to threaten Yinzhou, Longzhou and Hongzhou back and forth, attracting a large number of troops from the Western Xia army and creating an excellent opportunity for the Huanqing Army and the Hedong Army. As long as they captured Hongzhou and Shizhou, the balance of this war would completely tip towards the Song Dynasty.

Naturally, this good news also reached the imperial court. When Zhao Xu and the various ministers heard the news, whether it was Cai Que, Zhang Dun, Wang Gui, Zhang Xu and others, they were all deeply encouraged.

Although Su Yun might be deified because of this battle, once the Song Dynasty captured the five states of Dingnan and held onto Yanzhou, the offensive and defensive situations between the Song and Xia countries would be different, and Western Xia might no longer be a threat to the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, although Su Yun may get the greatest credit, Wang Gui, Zhang Xu and others also have interests in the northwest. If the Song Dynasty gains an advantage, they will also benefit. In this regard, everyone's interests are finally the same.

However, God always plays jokes on Zhao Xu. Even in such a good situation, unexpected things would still happen.

First, the Hedong Army attacked Shizhou, and then the famous Xixia general Mei Ledu Bu set up an ambush in Mingtangchuan. In this battle, Mei Ledu Bu led 2,000 Iron Harriers and personally led the charge, fighting against more than 20,000 troops of the Hedong Army's northern route, and then defeated the 20,000 troops of the Hedong Army!
Afterwards, Meiledubu went straight into Xiazhou and attacked the Southern Army of Hedong Route that was besieging Xiazhou. The 30,000-strong Southern Army of Hedong Route was suddenly attacked, and not knowing why, they retreated again and again, and even withdrew in the direction of Yinzhou!

It didn't matter that the Hedong Army and the Southern Army retreated, but the withdrawal of the troops in the direction of Yinzhou immediately exposed the flank of the Fuyan Road Army!

The Western Xia army immediately seized the opportunity, and the Xiazhou Army and Shizhou Army sent troops to directly attack the flank of the Fuyan Road Army.

The Fuyan Road Army was suddenly caught in a tough battle.

The Fuyan Road Army was originally besieging Yinzhou, but now its flank was stabbed, and it was instead besieged by the Xiazhou Army, Shizhou Army, and Yinzhou defenders!

The situation suddenly took a turn for the worse!

When Su Yun heard what the Hedong Army had done, he immediately became extremely angry with Lu Huiqing.

However, Su Yun was able to keep his composure. Facing the siege of the Xiazhou army, Shizhou army and Yinzhou army, Su Yun calmly dispatched his troops to block the attacks from the flank. Then he used the trained Fuyan Road Imperial Guards as the core, and with the wing troops, foreign soldiers, archers and others as assistance, he fought steadily and not only withstood the fierce attacks of the three Western Xia troops, but also launched several beautiful counterattacks!

Su Yun was not in a hurry. As long as Yanzhou was defended, the overall situation would still be on the side of the Song Dynasty!
Yanzhou is guarded by the Huanqing Route Army. Su Yun has some understanding of Li Changzuo, the governor of Huanqing Route. When the five armies attacked Xia, this man was the most courageous. If it weren't for Gao Zunyu, who was a good-for-nothing, they might have achieved better results.

Yanzhou is now guarded by Li Changzuo's men, so this should not be a big problem. Defending a city is not the same as attacking it, and the difficulty is much lower. As long as they don't make rash decisions and have enough manpower and supplies, the city will be difficult to break.

Otherwise, Su Yun would have captured Yinzhou City long ago. In fact, up to now, Su Yun is still not prepared to attack the city head-on.

Therefore, as long as Yanzhou City was still in the hands of the Song Dynasty, the counterattack of the Western Xia army would not be a concern. Su Yun took steady steps and used the strength of the Fuyan Road to resist the three armies of the Western Xia army.

The Fuyan Road Army was able to hold off the three Western Xia armies on its own, firstly due to Su Yun’s superb command skills, and secondly due to the tenacity and bravery displayed by the Fuyan Road Imperial Guards.

The power of Su Yun's military training finally showed up.

The most outstanding troops were naturally the nearly 10,000 Jingsai troops. They were roaming around, appearing and disappearing near the infantry, forcing the Western Xia army to always be on their guard when besieging the Fuyan Road army to prevent being attacked by the Jingsai troops. Therefore, the Iron Harrier cavalry of the Western Xia army did not dare to be deployed to the battlefield, but had to serve as a reserve army to guard against the Jingsai troops.

If the Iron Harriers do not join, then it will be a clash between the Western Xia army's infantry and the Song army's infantry.

In fact, the infantry of the Western Xia army was superior to that of the Song army in terms of fighting will. Even in the clashes between the infantry, the Song army might not necessarily gain the upper hand in the past, and most of the time the Western Xia army defeated the Song army head-on.

But this time the Western Xia infantry met a tough opponent.

The fighting will of the Fuyan Road Imperial Guards' infantry was quite firm. In the direct confrontation with the Western Xia army, they defeated the enemy head-on more than once. There were even several times when Meiledubu risked using iron kites to attack the Fuyan Road infantry's formation. Not only was the Fuyan Road infantry formation not defeated, but it fought back instead.

Since the Western Xia army used the Iron Harriers, the Jingsai army would naturally not stand idly by. If you charge at my formation, then I will naturally charge at your formation as well!
Tens of thousands of Jingsai troops directly attacked the anus and defeated the Xixia army's infantry!

If the Western Xia army did not have three armies that could support each other, Meiledubu's Shizhou army might have been annihilated in one fell swoop!

Although the Hedong Army can no longer be relied upon, Su Yun is not in a hurry to consume the Western Xia army, because time is on the Song Dynasty's side.

This time, the Western Xia raised an army in anger, originally just to scare the Song Dynasty and make it transfer Su Yun away, so that the blue and white salt can continue to sell well in the northwest, so there is not much food and fodder in the five states of Dingnan.

After two months of consumption, the food and fodder in the five states of Dingnan should be running low. As long as Yanzhou is not lost, these 300,000 troops will soon be out of food. By then, they will collapse on their own without having to fight!

Therefore, Su Yun even had the leisure to make adjustments to the army while fighting.

The Imperial Guards only underwent minor adjustments, but the Guards underwent major operations.

The fighting spirit of the Xiang army was very weak. If it were not for the Imperial Guards leading the way, once the Xiang army came into direct contact with the Western Xia army, it would probably have been defeated in a short time.

Therefore, Su Yun mainly made some adjustments to the Xiang Army. Since they were not the main force, the adjustments did not affect the combat.

Su Yun followed the training method of the Imperial Guards and selected all the generals, battalion commanders, captains and even team leaders of the Wing Army. They then rushed them to Yanzhou in the rear to participate in the command class. He transferred the battalion commanders and captains of the Imperial Guards to command the Wing Army.

In order to prevent the lower-level soldiers of the Xiang Army from banding together to resist command, Su Yun completely disorganized the Xiang Army, selected young and strong men among them, reorganized the army, and trained them by battalion commanders and captains who had completed several months of command courses.

After half a month of training, the army looked quite capable. Of course, it was only slightly better than before, but it had not yet formed a qualitative change and still needed time.

However, because of this, the Fuyan Road army became stronger and stronger, while the morale of the Western Xia army on the opposite side was low.

The impact of food and fodder shortages is beginning to show!

Su Yun became more confident after seeing this. In another ten days, the Western Xia army might start to riot, and it was time to end this great battle!

Su Yun began to prepare.

This preparation is naturally for pursuit.

The Western Xia army might simply abandon the five states of Dingnan and start fleeing.

In fact, the best time for the Western Xia army to escape was when Yanzhou was just captured by Su Yun. At that time, with 300,000 troops trying to escape, even Su Yun could not do anything to them.

But if he runs again now, Su Yun is confident that he can completely defeat them and break the backbone of Xixia completely!

The development of things to this point was actually beyond Su Yun's expectations.

Su Yun originally just wanted to occupy Yanzhou, then consume the troops of the Western Xia court, and then let the Western Xia tribe occupy Yanzhou. In this way, it will only take ten years, and the Western Xia court and the tribe will begin to change in strength, and may even fall apart.

However, Zhao Xu and others gave him a surprise by launching a new national war and locking the 300,000 Western Xia troops in the five states of Dingnan. Even if they failed to keep the 300,000 troops, they would at least defeat them and break their backbone!
Then they occupied the five states of Dingnan and Yanzhou, and directly positioned their troops under the neck of Xingqing Prefecture. From then on, Western Xia would need to maintain a large-scale army to defend against the Song Dynasty.

Xixia's economy was already very weak and its population was very small. If it had to maintain a large army all year round, Xixia might not be able to bear it in a few years!

Su Yun was even confident that as long as the court's policies could be maintained for another five years, he would be able to conquer Xingqing Prefecture and completely destroy Western Xia within five years, bring Western Xia back to China, and even open up the Silk Road!
Thinking of this, Su Yun couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

Once he conquers Western Xia and the Hetao horse-breeding areas, he will definitely form an army of tens of thousands of cavalry. Then he will let the Liao people see that when it comes to cavalry, they have to look to China!

However, Su Yun was just thinking about it. He still had to quickly formulate a plan on how to destroy the effective forces of the Western Xia army as much as possible.

Although the Western Xia army is short of food, they are well-trained and should not retreat and end up in defeat. However, Su Yun is determined to formulate a pursuit plan to force them to be defeated!

(End of this chapter)