Chapter 882 A letter from the Qincha! (Thanks to the book friend 59085 for the reward!)

Regarding the Imperial Army’s initiative to withdraw from Shizhou, Yuan Song believed that this was a strategic retreat by Yang Chongqing, but he did not perceive any special intention behind it.
In the last Battle of Pingyang, Yang Chongqing led the main force of the imperial army to encircle Pingyang, leaving Shizhou with only two battalions of more than 7,000 soldiers.

Although 7,000 troops are not a lot, they are enough to guard a city like Shizhou. If guarded properly, they can cause considerable trouble to the Fengwu Army.

Of course, although it would cause trouble, it was still impossible to stop the Fengwu Army from capturing Shizhou with only 7,000 people!

Yuan Song's original battle plan was to deploy Ye Tao's Eighth Division and Ninth Division and carry heavy artillery to attack Shizhou.

Although the Eighth and Ninth Divisions had suffered some casualties in previous battles, the casualties were not large overall. The two divisions together had 35,000 people, five times the number of enemies in Shizhou. Coupled with the Fengwu Army's heavy artillery, Yuan Song was still very confident in capturing Shizhou and felt that he could take Shizhou within half a month.

Now it seems that Yang Chongqing also understands that it is difficult to defend Shizhou with only 7,000 imperial guards, so between defending Shizhou and relying on the city to inflict casualties on the Fengwu Army, and giving up Shizhou to preserve the living force, he chose the latter!
Although he gave up Shizhou, it did not mean that Yang Chongqing became weak and afraid of fighting. Based on his understanding of Yang Chongqing's style, the deeper purpose of Yang Chongqing's move should be to better concentrate the power of the imperial army to defend the Pingyang area...
Judging from the terrain alone, Pingyang is next to Eryang Mountain, which is surrounded by hilly areas. It is not a very favorable place for defense. If the enemy captures Eryang Mountain, the attacking army can attack the defenders in the city from the top of Eryang Mountain, and may even use Eryang River to launch a water attack.

Shizhou is surrounded by plains and is relatively easier to defend than Pingyang!

Although the natural conditions are like this, as the saying goes, military is the continuation of politics, and political factors must be considered when fighting a war!
Behind Pingyang is Wei Pass, and three hundred miles west of Wei Pass is Luoan. Therefore, if Pingyang is not defended, the Fengwu Army will face Wei Pass directly. Although Wei Pass is an indestructible city in the world, it is only the last barrier of Luoan after all!
Once the Fengwu Army launched a fierce attack on Wei Pass, even if Wei Pass was not lost, the already tense atmosphere in Luoan would become even more panic-stricken. There might even be dignitaries in Luoan who would flee to Sichuan in order to avoid the Fengwu Army's offensive!

But Shizhou is different. Behind Shizhou is the vast Yongliang. Although the area is vast, it is very poor and also faces the threat of the Cumans. Its political and economic significance is very average. Therefore, considering all factors, Pingyang is much more valuable than Shizhou!

If Yuan Song guessed correctly, Yang Chongqing gave up Shizhou and withdrew his troops in order to strengthen the defense of Pingyang·····························

Although Yang Chongqing won two consecutive victories in Shizhou and Pingyang, the fall of Jinyang had a huge impact. So according to the news from the General Coordination Office, there was even news from the Luoan court that Ma Chongyang, the commander of the Xuanwu Army, would replace Yang Chongqing.

Although the Luoan court has recently released many signals that it continues to trust Yang Chongqing, the Luoan court must have asked him not to give up Pingyang and to do his best to protect Pingyang and prevent the Fengwu Army from facing Wei Pass directly!
Therefore, Yang Chongqing was also under tremendous political pressure. It was impossible for him to give up Pingyang like he gave up Jinyang. He had to fight the Fengwu Army head-on in Pingyang!

Yuan Song felt more at ease after realizing this. To be honest, after being fooled by Yang Chongqing, Yuan Song was a little worried about Yang Chongqing who did not play by the rules. He was worried that Yang Chongqing would be up to something weird and plot something behind his back!

Although Yang Chongqing could rely on the city fortifications and enjoy geographical advantages in Pingyang, as the defender, the strategic situation was quite passive, which left Yang Chongqing with little room for surprise attack.

The Fengwu Army has a great advantage in firearms. With perfect logistical support, the Fengwu Army can use wave after wave of artillery strikes to offset the geographical advantage of the Imperial Army. Therefore, Yuan Song is willing to fight this kind of offensive and attrition war with Yang Chongqing...

Because he has the entire Fengwu Army system as his backing, Yuan Song would rather play it safe when facing a famous general like Yang Chongqing. Even if it costs him more, he is unwilling to take risks and give Yang Chongqing a chance to turn the tables!

Looking at the sand table, Yuan Song pondered for a while and then instructed Zheng Chuang beside him:

"Stop the plan of the Eighth and Ninth Divisions to attack Shizhou. Let the Ninth Division send a battalion to Shizhou to take over the territory there!"

"Also, have the Flying Tiger Battalion sneak into the Pingyang area to investigate the situation there. Also, have Ye Tao's Eighth Division prepare to launch a tentative attack on Shuanghu County."

After hearing Yuan Song's order, Zheng Chuang, the lieutenant general, nodded subconsciously, but he soon realized the problem. After hesitating for a while, he reported to Yuan Song:

"Sir, the Third Army has been preparing for war. The brothers of the Second and Fourth Divisions are very motivated, especially Commander Xun, who has been asking to serve as the vanguard of the army. I think Commander Xun will have no objection to giving this task to the Eighth Division."

In response to Zheng Chuang's words, Yuan Song shook his head and said:
“That’s why I can’t hand it over to the Third Army. Pingyang is a tough nut to crack and we can’t rush it. I can understand Commander Xun’s feelings, but all I want now is a tentative attack. If I hand it over to the Third Army, Xun Ke will definitely seriously attack Shuanghu County…”

After hearing what Yuan Song said, Zheng Chuang suddenly realized and said with some embarrassment:

"My Lord, you are very thoughtful. I am overthinking!"

Yuan Song waved his hand and said:

"It's great that you can think of this. As a commander, you should not only study your opponent, but also study yourself and unite your colleagues. Only in this way can you know yourself and the enemy and win every battle!"

At this point, Yuan Song patted Zheng Chuang on the shoulder and said:

"You are a good candidate, work hard! The commander has seen your contribution. Once we have driven the enemy out of Yunbing, it will be time to give you more responsibilities!"

Zheng Chuang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately bowed and said:

"Thank you for your appreciation, sir!"

Yuan Song nodded slightly when he heard this. Seeing that Yuan Song had nothing to say, Zheng Chuang bowed and walked out.

After Zheng Chuang left, Yuan Song, who was alone in the room, couldn't help but sigh.

Although he just said it calmly, he was indeed worried about Xun Ke's reaction. After conquering Jinyang, Xun Ke was persuaded to come back by him with a personal letter.

After returning to Jinyang, Yuan Song also talked to him, and Xun Ke also promised that he would remain rational and not act on impulse in the next battle.

However, during the half month of rest, the Third Army led by Xun Ke has been preparing for war. Xun Ke has also said privately many times that blood debt must be repaid with blood, and that the Third Army must take revenge on Yang Chongqing and the Imperial Guards.

Therefore, Yuan Song was somewhat worried about whether Xun Ke would keep his promise. Considering this aspect, he gave the task of the exploratory attack to the Third Division.

Although he thought he had made the right choice, Yuan Song was also a little worried about whether Xun Ke would make some emotional actions after hearing the news· ...
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Yijing, Ye Mansion Study

At three quarters in the morning, when Ye Mingsheng was studying the report on Qilu's economic development prospects sent by the Government Affairs Bureau, he heard a familiar knock on the door.

"Enter!"

With Ye Mingsheng's permission, Ye Cheng walked in and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"Sir, the Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, Su Yi, has something important to report!"

Because Su Yi had just submitted a memorial to him about Jingchu a few days ago, Ye Mingsheng had a preconceived notion that there was something new in Jingchu, and that Su Yi, the deputy director, was undecided and wanted to ask for his advice, so he nodded and said:

"Let him in!"

"Yes!"

After a cup of tea, the handsome Su Yi came to Ye Mingsheng and bowed. In order to save time, Ye Mingsheng said straight to the point:

"What the hell is Sun Chenggong up to?"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng asking this, Su Yi was startled and then quickly reported:

"Sir, ever since you asked Da Dongsheng to stop supplying firearms to Jingchu, Sun Chenggong has given in. Not only did he release several clerks from our Foreign Affairs Bureau in Jingchu, he also lied that it was all the subordinates who acted on their own initiative and killed several people as scapegoats. His attitude is very good!"

Upon hearing this result, Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction. He knew that Sun Chenggong did not have the courage or capital to fight him to the end.

However, for matters like this, it would be enough to just submit a memorial. Why must he come to meet me to report? My time is very precious. I still need to study the report sent by the Political Affairs Bureau. I will also have to listen to Chen Changgui's report later. There are a lot of things waiting for him to deal with...
Just when Ye Mingsheng was a little dissatisfied, Su Yi continued to speak:

"Sir, I am not here because of Jingchu's affairs, but because I have something very important to report to you!"

After saying that, Su Yi took out a letter and introduced it to Ye Mingsheng very seriously:
"Sir, the envoy of the Golden Horde, Shavkat, has just arrived in Yijing. He brought a handwritten letter from the new Khan of the Golden Horde, Asdogan, to you!"

Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised when he heard this, and he realized that he had misunderstood Su Yi. He immediately took the handwritten letter from Su Yi.

Ye Mingsheng opened the letter and looked at the densely written Kipchak characters on it. He felt helpless. He did not know Kipchak characters and could not understand what Esdogan had written to him.

Putting down the letter, Ye Mingsheng asked Su Yi:

"Just tell me what he wrote in this letter!"

Su Yi organized her words and said:

"Sir, this letter from Asdogan first asked if you and your family were okay, and then said some polite words!"

"The rest is the main content of this letter, which I will mainly divide into three points!"

“First, Aisiduoan believes that their war with the Robe people is the grassland people’s business. As the power of the Great Zhou, you must not interfere in any form. He requires you to stop selling firearms, food, cloth and all other supplies to the Robe people…”

"Secondly, I want to tell you that he does not want to get involved in the internal struggle of the Great Zhou. However, the Astai region is the sphere of influence of the Golden Horde. He does not want any soldiers of the Fengwu Army to enter the Astai region. If the Fengwu Army enters Astai, they will bear all the consequences!"

"Thirdly, Asdogan hopes to trade with us, so he hopes we can give him tariff concessions and other conveniences!"

Asdogan said that if you and the Fengwu Army can accomplish these three points, you will gain the friendship between him and the Golden Horde, and the war will never happen!

After saying this, Su Yi looked at Ye Mingsheng with some concern. He was very shocked and angry when he knew the content of the letter, but as the deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, he still had to report the contents of the letter to Ye Mingsheng truthfully.

Under Su Yi's gaze, Ye Mingsheng showed no anger at all. Instead, a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Although I don’t know what gave Asdogan the courage to write such a letter to me, but if Ye Mingsheng remembered correctly, no one dared to speak to him like this since he led the Fengwu Army into the Central Plains to compete for the throne...

Putting aside his own emotions, the letter that Esidogan wrote to him still contained a lot of information, and the one Ye Mingsheng paid the most attention to was the second one.

The Astai area mentioned by Esidogan is the name used by the Cumans. According to the Great Zhou, it is called Yongliang. This area is the border between the Great Zhou and the Cuman Khanate. The two sides have fought many bloody battles over this area. It is currently under the actual control of the Luoan court.

However, in order to withdraw the Liang Army and concentrate its forces to march east to attack the Fengwu Army, Shangguan Hongyuan reached a secret agreement with the Golden Horde, acquiescing in the Golden Horde's occupation of some grasslands on the Yongliang border and giving the Golden Horde some preferential policies.

Now, from the letter of Esidogan, the new Khan of the Golden Horde, it can be seen that the Golden Horde has regarded Yongliang, a territory belonging to the Great Zhou, as their sphere of influence and will not allow the Fengwu Army to interfere...
(Since everyone wants me to continue writing about the surrounding areas and creating a prosperous world, I won’t rush to finish the book and will continue writing!)

(End of this chapter)