Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 442: Take over Hetao! And take over Dingnan Five States!
The 20,000 elite troops led by Weiming Chago were completely wiped out in the battle of Shunhua Ferry. The news soon reached Liang Yibu who had just arrived in Dingzhou.

When Liang Yibu heard this, he was completely dumbfounded.

He could understand if Weiming Chago was just defeated. After all, he had always known that the Jingsai Army was very strong, otherwise he would not have been able to lead an army of 100,000 at once.

But the defeat was so quick and decisive, with 20,000 people being wiped out, which really scared him!
The fact that they were able to completely annihilate an army of 20,000 showed that the combat effectiveness of the Jingsai Army had far exceeded his imagination!
There is an old saying that goes, even if you give people a group of people to catch 20,000 pigs, they may not be able to catch them all, but how can 20,000 elite troops be wiped out?

This means that the Jingsai Army is not only extremely powerful, but also highly mobile, which is why it was able to completely wipe out the Weiming Chago tribe, whose cavalry accounted for 70% to 80% of the total!
Liang Yibu knew very well that the Jingsai Army must have obtained enough war horses from the ranch of Qiantao Qunmusi and had armed the army to the teeth.

The Jingsai Army was already unrivaled in field battles, and now with enough cavalry, its last shortcoming was made up.

Thinking of this, Liang Yibu suddenly felt chilled: This means that if he cannot defeat the Jingsai Army, he will not be able to escape even if he wants to!

What a good thing!

At this moment, General Helian Chi came in and asked, "Prime Minister, we have been repairing in Dingzhou for two days. Should we continue to set off or rest for a while?"

Liang Yibu stared at the sheepskin map on the table. The Shunhua ferry where Wei Mingcha Ge died was painted in cinnabar in a shocking way.

His Adam's apple rolled twice, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard the sound of hurried horse hooves outside the tent. A scout, covered in blood, dismounted from his horse: "Report! The vanguard of the Jingsai Army has passed Jinming Lake and is less than a hundred miles away from Dingzhou!"

Helian Chi stood up suddenly with his hand on the hilt of the knife, and the candlelight in the tent cast a swaying shadow on his face.

Liang Yibu, however, tightly grasped the corner of the case, his knuckles turning white as frost, and suddenly slammed the tiger talisman on the table fiercely: "Pass the order down, demolish all the houses within three miles outside the city, and transport all the bricks, stones and wood to the top of the city! The entire army will defend Dingzhou to the death, and anyone who leaves the city without permission will be executed!"

"Prime Minister!" Helian Chi was stunned when he heard this, and then he was so anxious that veins popped out on his forehead, "Our army is not good at defending cities but good at field battles. We still have elite cavalry. If we take advantage of the fact that the Jingsai army has not yet established a firm foothold,

"Not yet firmly established?" Liang Yibu suddenly overturned the table. Among the scattered bamboo slips, he picked up a half-broken pen and drew an arc on the ground. "What about the 20,000 cavalrymen who crossed Shunhua? Wei Mingcha Ge's head is still hanging on the flagpole of Jingsai Army! Field battle? What can we use to fight in the field!"

The night wind, carrying fine sand, hit the cowhide tent, and outside the tent came the sounds of demolition of houses and the curses of soldiers.

Liang Yibu looked at the winding Hulu River on the map and suddenly remembered what Wei Mingcha Ge said before he went to war: "If I lose, I will die by the Yellow River and never let the corpses of Xixia warriors be exposed in enemy territory."

Now, 20,000 heroic souls have been buried in Shunhuadu, and it is difficult to find even their complete bodies.

"General Helian," Liang Yibu suddenly smashed the bronze wine cup against the city wall, sparks flew on the bricks and stones, "You lead 5,000 crossbowmen to guard the west gate, set up chevaux deer horns every ten steps on the top of the city wall, and fill the moat with poisonous water overnight!"

Seeing that Helian Chi was about to speak but hesitated, he suddenly made a harsh urging sound and said, "Go quickly!"

Helian Chi stamped his feet in anger, then strode out of the tent. The cold autumn wind outside blew on his face, instantly cheering him up.

The strategic value of Dingzhou concerns the survival of the Western Xia capital!

Dingzhou is located at the junction of the Hetao Plain and the Loess Plateau, and controls the throat of the road from the Hedong area to Xingqing Prefecture in the west.

Once Dingzhou is lost, the gates of Xingqing Prefecture will be wide open, and the enemy cavalry can march straight in along the undefended Yinchuan Plain. In just a few days, they will be able to reach the capital, which will be like a sharp blade against the neck of Xingqing Prefecture!
However, from the perspective of military defense, although the prime minister's decision seemed a bit conservative, Dingzhou was the core fulcrum of the Western Xia's eastern defense system. Not only was a large amount of food and military equipment stored in the city, but more than 100,000 elite troops were stationed there. It was the last barrier to protect Xingqing Prefecture.

Therefore, by holding Dingzhou, Xingqing Prefecture can be stabilized. From this perspective, there seems to be nothing wrong with the choice of the prime minister.

The imperial court built solid walls and moats around Dingzhou and set up multiple defensive fortifications, like weaving a tight protective net.

If Dingzhou fell, the eastern defense line that Xixia had painstakingly built would collapse completely. Xingqing Prefecture would lose its outer military buffer zone and would have to face the enemy head-on, facing the huge risk of being surrounded or even quickly breached.

Therefore, as long as Dingzhou is defended, the Jingsai Army will be helpless.

Helian Chi breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to make arrangements.

……

Su Yun's 30,000 cavalrymen stopped for a while at Jinming Lake. Various pieces of information came in, and Su Yun processed them quickly. He then understood Liang Yibu's plan.

Su Yun only thought about it for a moment, then immediately gave the order: "Send a message to Gao Huaide to lead 20,000 cavalrymen to attack Dingzhou directly!"

Su Yun's fingertips traced the mark of Dingzhou on the map, and suddenly poked Yanzhou fiercely with his wolf hair brush, "I will personally lead 10,000 elite cavalry, and we will capture Yanzhou within three days!"

The generals in the tent responded loudly, only to see their commander already mounted his horse, his black cloak fluttering like a flag in the twilight.

The horses' hooves crushed the cold stars as ten thousand cavalrymen crossed the desert.

Su Yun looked at the sky gradually turning pale and recalled the heroic feat of cutting off the food supply route of the Tanguts here before.

"Once Yanzhou is lost, it will be difficult to protect the five states. Haha, we lost Yanzhou due to a bunch of stupid teammates, and were counterattacked by Xixia. This time..."

He gripped the reins tightly, his eyes sweeping over the soldiers carrying the ladders behind him, "This time, we're going to make Xixia taste the pain of having its fuel cut off once again."

At the same time, under the city of Dingzhou, Gao Huaide's cavalry had formed a goose formation.

Looking at the densely packed barricades on the city wall, he sneered, waved his command flag, and three thousand archers shot their arrows in unison. The rain of arrows covered half the sky.

Helian Chi on the city wall wiped the blood off his face and roared to command the crossbowmen to fight back, but he saw dozens of catapults suddenly launched from the enemy formation, and huge stones hit the city wall like meteorites, and the sound of cracking bricks and stones mixed with screams came one after another.

A hundred miles away, Su Yun's cavalry had quietly arrived at the desert outside Yanzhou. "Abandon the horses!"

He drew his sword, and the blade reflected the camel thorns winding on the sand. "Back then, the Tanguts raided Yanzhou with camels, and today we will take it back with our feet!"

Five thousand cavalrymen took off their leggings, stepped barefoot into the hot gravel, and groped their way to the city wall under the cover of night.

When the first cockcrowed, the Western Xia army flag on the city wall had been torn down and replaced by a scarlet battle flag embroidered with the words "Jingsai".

When the news reached Xingqing Mansion, the teacup in Liang Yibu's hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

On the sand table, the two red dots in Yanzhou and Dingzhou are like bleeding wounds.

"Quick! Dispatch the Helan Mountain garrison to support Yanzhou!"

Just when Liang Yibu was preparing to mobilize troops to retake Yanzhou, the Huanqing Road army suddenly headed north to attack Qingyuan Military City and Hama Village.

These two military camps are guarding the border between Song and Xia. Once Huanqing Road captures these two military camps, the return routes of the five states of Dingnan will be completely cut off, and the Jingsai Army will also be connected!
When there was chaos near Xingqing Prefecture, these two military camps had no military support and were captured by Huanqing Army in just a few days!

The north wind brought sand and gravel that lashed at the faces of the Jingsai soldiers like steel needles. Gao Huaide's 20,000 cavalrymen were like an iron-gray wave, firmly holding down the more than 100,000 troops in Dingzhou City!

It's funny to say that there is a military book that says, if your number is ten, surround them; if your number is five, attack them; if your number is twice as many, fight them.

It was obvious that the Western Xia army was larger in number and stronger in power, but they hid in the city and dared not come out. Instead, the smaller side was eyeing the larger side covetously, especially since the larger side consisted of the Dangxiang people who were the best at field battles. If the emperor and his ministers in the Song court knew about this spectacle, they would be dumbfounded.

Not only that, Gao Huaide also began to attack the city!

On the city wall, Helian Chi looked at the giant goose cart tunnel that was slowly being pushed out from the enemy's formation. The wooden frame was three stories high, and the top wrapped in raw cowhide was as sharp as a beak, which could directly climb over the three-meter city wall.

His Adam's apple rolled violently, and the sweat on his palms wrinkled the flag. "Drum roll!" He waved the flag at the top of his lungs, and the crossbowmen behind the battlements pulled the trigger, and the arrows flew out of the air.

However, more than a thousand light cavalry suddenly rushed out of the enemy's formation, holding round shields to form a mobile cover. The bronze beast faces on the shields were hideous and terrifying.

The light cavalry galloped to the beat of drums, with no gaps between their shields, tightly protecting the goose cart hole behind them.

The arrows hit the shield with a continuous dull sound, like rain hitting withered lotus leaves.

Helian Chi was truly shocked when he saw this scene.

At the same time, Su Yun's 10,000 elite cavalry rushed towards Youzhou like arrows.

The Huanqing Road Army has already taken over the defense of Chizhou. Su Yun is very relieved this time because the Huanqing Road Army is also the elite of the Jingsai Army, and the commander is still Wang Shunchen. If the Western Xia people are allowed to take it back, Su Yun can only say that the destiny is not in his hands.

Su Yun's 10,000 troops avoided the official road and galloped along the edge of the Mu Us Desert, advancing silently in the night.

The desert night wind carried sand and gravel, making it impossible for people to open their eyes, but it could not stop them.

Only the sabers produced by the Suide Military Factory reflected the cold moonlight, flashing a captivating cold light.

When the Youzhou defender discovered the unusual movement on the top of the city wall, the Jingsai army's grappling hook had already been set on the city wall.

Su Yun took the lead, cutting through the night with his blade, and climbed up the city wall with his death squad. "Set fire to the granary!"

He shouted loudly, and the soldiers behind him threw sackcloth soaked in kerosene onto the grain pile.

In an instant, raging flames shot up into the sky, illuminating the entire night sky.

Amid the billowing smoke, the morale of the Youzhou defenders collapsed instantly, with shouts, screams, and cries intertwined together.

The 30,000 troops in Huanqing Road were divided into two groups, with the main force going straight to Xiazhou and the small force attacking Yinzhou. Zhong Pu stood beside the bed crossbow and personally calibrated the direction.

Zhong Pu eventually joined the Jingsai Army. He had been captured for a long time and was unwilling to surrender at first. However, under the arrangement of the Su Society, he worked and attended classes together.

As time went by, he actually felt that the Jingsai Army of the Su Society was the happiest place in the world, so he actively approached it and became a glorious member of the Su Society. He gained its trust and was given important tasks.

His brows were furrowed and his eyes were focused, as if the noise around him had nothing to do with him.

With a loud hum, the crossbow arrow penetrated the city gate, creating a bloody mist in the city. The huge impact force knocked the defenders behind the city gate to the ground, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

In the direction of Yinzhou, Zhe is likely to lead 5,000 suicide squads to advance rapidly.

They climbed along the steep cliff, and the rubble in the mountain rolled down from time to time, startling the calls of night owls.

Taking advantage of the terrain, they launched a surprise attack from a cliff where the defenders would not expect it.

When the first horn sounded, the Western Xia army flag on the top of the city had not yet been completely lowered, but the Jingsai army's cannon had already resounded through the sky.

Zhe Ke was the first to rush into the enemy camp, waving a big knife. Blood splattered on his face, but he was unaware of it and only had eyes for the enemy.

The 40,000 troops in Fuyan Road locked Suizhou tightly like an iron clamp.

They used heavy-armored infantry as shields and archers as spears, gradually eroding the defense line of the Western Xia defenders.

Veteran general Liu Ping stood in front of the battle, his white hair fluttering in the wind. He beat the drum himself, the sound of the drum was like thunder, shaking the hearts and minds of the people.

The trench bridge of the Jingsai Army slowly advanced into the moat, and the "wooden wall" composed of shields pressed towards the city gate. The rocks thrown from the top of the city hit the shields and sparks flew, but they could not stop the approaching torrent of steel.

Some soldiers were hit by stones and fell into the moat screaming; some were shot by arrows, but they continued to move forward while covering their wounds.

The blood dyed the water in the moat red, and corpses floated on the water, it was a horrific sight.

But the soldiers of the Jingsai Army did not retreat at all. They shouted slogans, stepped on the corpses of their comrades, and marched forward bravely.

When the smoke of war in the five states of Dingnan died down one after another, Su Yun climbed up the city wall of Youzhou and looked at the endless grassland in the north.

Tens of thousands of soldiers from the Xiangyou Army, the Zuoxiang Shenyong Army and the defeated troops from the Five States rushed into the Hexi Desert. It is unknown how many of them managed to come out alive.

Su Yun was able to lead his army out of the desert because he had made sufficient preparations. These defeated troops had rushed in with no other options. Whether they could get out alive in the end depended on God's will.

The cold wind howled, making his cloak rustle.

This time, Su Yunzhi was very proud.

After taking over the five states of Dingnan, the Hetao and Qiantao regions opened their arms to the Jingsai Army.

This time, Su Yun led the army through Mingtangchuan and attacked Qiantao directly. Upon hearing the news, the Qiantao defenders fled in panic, but were blocked by Gao Huaide at Shunhua Ferry. In one battle, more than ten thousand Qiantao defenders were killed, and the rest fled!

At this point, Gao Huaide defended Shunhua Ferry and controlled the entire Donghetao area. The Jingsai Army obtained a very precious piece of horse-breeding land!
And it means much more than that.

The Jingsai Army's control of Dongtao was like placing a key chess piece on the chessboard that determined the outcome of the game between Song and Xia.

From a strategic perspective, the Dongtao region, as the eastern core of the Hetao Plain, is backed by the Yinshan Mountains in the north and connected to the Ordos Plateau in the south, forming a natural military barrier.

The Jingsai Army's garrison here was equivalent to strangling the throat of Western Xia's expansion to the north, while at the same time building a solid line of defense against the southward invasion of nomadic forces from the north.

In the past, Western Xia could use Dongtao as a springboard to launch surprise attacks on Song territory.

Now that the situation has reversed, the Jingsai Army can not only rely on the Dongtao terrain to organize a defense line, but also use it as a base to launch a pincer attack on the heartland of Western Xia at any time.

This caused important cities such as Xingqing Prefecture to be exposed to military threats for a long time, completely reversing the strategic situation of confrontation between Song and Xia.

Economically, Dongtao can be called "Jiangnan on the Great Wall". The Yellow River water irrigates and nourishes vast fertile fields, and the annual grain output is enough to support the huge military expenditure.

More importantly, there is abundant water and grass here, making it an excellent natural pasture.

After the Jingsai Army obtains the Dongtao, the quantity and quality of horses will be greatly improved, and the cavalry units will be able to continue to expand and strengthen.

With sufficient war horse resources, the Jingsai Army can not only maintain the existing cavalry size, but also form more elite cavalry, fundamentally making up for the long-standing shortcomings of insufficient cavalry numbers and poor mobility.

In addition, the rich salt and iron resources in Dongtao will greatly enrich the logistics of the Song army and provide solid material support for subsequent military operations.

On the political level, the capture of Dongtao by the Jingsai Army was an inspiring victory for the Jingsai Army. It greatly enhanced the prestige of the Su Society and the confidence of the people and consolidated the foundation of its rule.

For Western Xia, the loss of Dongtao was not only a loss of territory, but also a severe blow to the morale of its military and civilians, which may have exacerbated internal conflicts.

At the same time, this move will also cause strong shocks in the surrounding regimes. The Jingsai Army will gain more voice in the diplomatic game with the Song Dynasty, Liao, Tubo and other forces because of this victory, reshape the border political landscape, and create favorable conditions for subsequent diplomatic negotiations and strategic alliances!
(End of this chapter)