Chapter 515 Change of tune
In the first year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty, which was the sixth year of the Yanyou reign of the Northern Han Dynasty, Liu Xuanji, the ruler of the Northern Han Dynasty, came to Jinyang from Yecheng.

General Liu Changmin, General Yang Kan, Duke of Chu, General Tuoba Tianbao, Governor of Bingzhou Wang Sizheng and other senior officials went out to the outskirts of the city to welcome him.

Jinyang is the core of Bingzhou. Four of the eight passes in Taihang Mountains are directly controlled by Jinyang City. Jinyang is in Bingzhou, and Bingzhou is in Hebei.

Therefore, although Jinyang City is not Liu Xuanji's base, it is the most important town in the Northern Han Dynasty besides Yecheng.

It was a matter of life and death. Therefore, the person guarding Jinyang was Liu Xuanji's cousin Liu Changmin, assisted by defense experts and strategic masters such as Wang Sizheng.

As for General Yang Kan, who was in charge of the Eastern Expedition, he had been leading his troops in Jinyang for rest and recuperation since returning from the conquest of Xiazhou. As for Tuoba Tianbao, he came because his base was in Dai County, but he had to come to meet the emperor when he came to Jinyang.

Liu Xuanji did not bring too many people with him when he traveled, only a few thousand soldiers, including the Yulin Army, Huben Army, Tielin Army of the Imperial Guards, and more than a thousand Baibao men.

Among the civil and military officials, there were only a dozen people including Zuo Pushe Ling Jing, Xiaoqi General Hulu Jin, Kaifu General Xue Andu, and War Minister Xue Yongzong.

Liu Xuanji's purpose of going to Jinyang was not only for daily inspections and meeting the army that Yang Kan brought back from Guanzhong, but also to discuss the strategy of Northern Han with the generals in Jinyang, and even to try to send troops from Bingzhou to attack the Tang Dynasty.

After all, the Northern Han had gone through Guandong in the last three expeditions to Tang. Whether it was Heqiao, Mangshan, or Henei, the battles were extremely difficult. Almost no results were achieved. The current battle line has almost returned to the state before the Battle of Baigou, except that there are now a few more cities, such as Liyang, Chaoge, and Fangtou.

I came to Jinyang just to discuss with the generals in Jinyang whether we can make a breakthrough from here?
Therefore, after Liu Xuanji met everyone outside the city and exchanged a few simple greetings, he quickly led his men into the city and held a meeting with everyone in Jinyang Palace, going straight to the point.

Everyone knew the purpose of Liu Xuanji's visit, so they had already prepared a plan.

To send troops from Bingzhou to Guanzhong, they had to follow the Fen River, enter the Yellow River, and then enter the Wei River. This is an important water transport channel.

Therefore, if they wanted to use military force, they had to first take over Hedong. Along the Fen River, there was the important town of Pingyang, and the extremely dangerous Yubi. These two cities were very tough nuts to crack.

Strategic master Wang Sizheng directly pointed out the biggest difficulty of deploying troops in Hedong.

First of all, Pingyang is an important town in the southern part of Bingzhou, and it is located along the Fen River. It is a must-pass place for Jinyang to go south to Hedong.

So this is an important town and it is very difficult to attack.

Even if they could take Jinyang, there was still a Yubi City behind. After taking Jinyang, Wang Sizheng urged Liu Xuanji to capture Pingyang as soon as possible and then build a city in Yubi.

But in the end, before the two sides finished fighting in Pingyang, the Yubi City had already been built. Although Liu Xuanji had never seen the Yubi City with his own eyes, he had walked along the Fenshui River and was familiar with the Emei Terrace where the Fenshui River turned. If a city was built here, it would really block the Fenshui waterway. Moreover, this city was not just easy to defend but difficult to attack, it was a natural barrier among natural barriers.

Therefore, Wang Sizheng quickly clarified the situation that Bingzhou had to face. The difficulty of conquering Hedong was no less than that of Henei, and might even be greater.

Liu Xuanji did not become depressed after hearing this. He had actually thought about these things before he came.

But he came this time, which means that he might have decided to try in the direction of Bingzhou even when he left Yecheng. However, during the military meeting, Liu Xuanji never expressed his opinion.

After the meeting, Liu Xuanji stayed to talk with Yang Kan, and the two of them climbed up the southern city wall of Jinyang together. They could see the endless mountains in the west and the rushing Fen River in the east.

"General Yang's 8,000-mile journey is a feat that even ancient generals have never heard of. He was able to escape unscathed in the face of such a defeat. He is indeed the son of Duke Yang Jingwu of Yue."

After hearing about the 10,000-man army's charge along the way, the battles in the snow, and the 800-man rear guard, Liu Xuanji couldn't help but admire Yang Kan's bravery.

Yang Jingwu refers to Yang Su, the father of Yang Kan. Among all the Han generals in Dayan, Yang Su was undoubtedly the most meritorious and the best at using troops.

Yang Kan felt a little embarrassed when he heard Liu Xuanji's praise. After all, this was a long expedition without any achievements. It even took a lot of effort to retreat with the entire army.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. Although I have traveled 8,000 miles, I have not been able to achieve anything. If it were not for the Turks, I am afraid that our 10,000-plus cavalry would have been killed outside Gaoping City and at the foot of Liupan Mountain."

Liu Xuanji said: "After all, this battle was led by Li Erlang himself. The Turkic army of more than 100,000 was no match for the Tang army. And with the heavy snow, it was like divine help. But I didn't expect Li Erlang to pass away so early. God is jealous of his talent."

Yang Kan was a little surprised when he heard Liu Xuanji's sigh, after all, the two sides were enemies. But he was relieved immediately. Liu Xuanji and the Li family were old friends. He became rich by following Li Silang. He often visited the Li family before and even married Li Yuan's niece. The relationship was very deep.

Moreover, Liu Xuanji never slandered the Li brothers in front of others. Even if he suffered a defeat, he just said that he was unlucky.

It is generally said on the Li family's side that they have never used past events to accuse Liu Xuanji of being ungrateful. On the contrary, the father and sons and brothers of the Li family have all openly said in the court that Liu Xuanji is a hero of the time. I guess this is what it means when heroes appreciate heroes.

As for Li Erlang, Yang Kan also felt that he was a talent that was envied by heaven. He was born in the Hongnong Yang family and had known the Li family for a long time. Li Erlang was a few years younger than him. They were both from Guanlong wealthy families and had hunted together.

After the chaos in the world, this name became even more famous. In the Battle of Gaoping, the two of them faced off directly. Yang Kan felt that even if there was no heavy snow, the Turkic and Northern Han coalition forces would not win this battle.

Liu Xuanji was silent for a while and then continued: "Now that Li Erlang has passed away and Li Sanlang has succeeded him, this guy's plot is like the abyss, unfathomable. If he fights with the Li Si brothers, I can benefit from it. If the two brothers cooperate sincerely, then our Han Dynasty will be in danger."

Yang Kan said: "Although the Tang Dynasty is strong and has elite soldiers, the Han Dynasty is in Hebei and has the advantage of the great river. Jizhou has fertile fields for thousands of miles, Bingzhou is the backbone of the country, and Youzhou has the advantage of cavalry. To the south, we can compete with the Tang Dynasty in the Central Plains and to the north, we can drive out the Hu people in the northern desert. Your Majesty is a great man of the time. Why do you want to boost others' ambitions and destroy your own prestige?"

Liu Xuanji smiled and said, "General Yang's words are like enlightenment to me."

The two of them set up a banquet in the tower of Jinyang South City and drank while gazing at the magnificent mountains and rivers in the distance.

After a few drinks, Liu Xuanji suddenly stood up and said to the south, "I once climbed up here with Li Silang to look far into the distance. At that time, I was only a lieutenant. We looked far into the distance, gazing at the mountains and rivers of Bingzhou, and made a great wish to serve the world. Time flies like a flowing flower, and time is like a whip. Now it has been more than ten years. Although the Han Dynasty has been re-established and the three states of Hebei are in our possession, we are still far from unifying the Central Plains and recovering the land of the Han Dynasty. How can a man be stopped by a dangerous city?"

"I will definitely conquer Pingyang and Yubi, and then I will march straight into Guanzhong!"

(End of this chapter)