Before attacking Houcheng, Wang An accepted Li Fengyun's suggestion and sent envoys to Gao Shida and Zhang Jinsheng to ask for help. He told the truth that Li Fengyun crossed the river north and made an appointment with him to attack Houcheng, asking two heroic and handsome cameras to provide support.

Li Fengyun came to Hebei and Yongji Canal. This was mixed news for the Hebei heroes. The joy was that they could use Li Fengyun's power to compete with the official army and pass on the crisis. The worry was that after the situation changed, if Li Fengyun gained the upper hand, the East would inevitably increase troops, which was very unfavorable to the Hebei rebel army. On the contrary, if Li Fengyun was defeated and was furious, he transferred more troops from the south of the river to ignite the raging war on both sides of the Yongji Canal, and all the rebels from Hebei would be on the battlefield, then Hebei would definitely be full of war and life would be ruined. This would be a nightmare.

Therefore, it is certain that Gao Shida, Dou Jiande and Zhang Jin said that after the Zhang Jinshu brothers heard the news, they would approach Houcheng as quickly as possible, watch the fire from the other side of the river, watch the tiger fight, and wait for Li Fengyun and Duan Da to suffer losses, so they took advantage of the situation to rob, kill two birds with one stone, and solve all problems in one battle.

The two strongest rebels in Qinghe came from the north and south sides of Yongji Canal. Duan Da was in a dilemma of being attacked from both sides. Will he still attack Houcheng? The answer is self-evident. Unless Duan Da loses his mind, it is impossible to fight against Li Fengyun to the death in the harsh situation of food and grass inside and outside without reinforcements.

However, the change in the situation was different from what Li Fengyun expected. Duan Da was too cautious and was almost timid in the battle. Duan Da had too many concerns before and did not support Houcheng as soon as possible, giving Li Fengyun sufficient time to attack the city. Now Duan Da was still hesitant, and the army stopped thirty miles away from Houcheng, which resulted in sufficient rest time for the rebel soldiers in Houcheng, and Gao Shida and Zhang Jin, who were rushing from north and south to north of Yongji Canal, said they had enough time for marching.

The soldiers under Duan Da's tent also talked about his coach's "cowardice and never fight". Many people despise Duan Da, and some even privately called him "Madam Duan" and believed that he was as timid as an old lady, as timid as a mouse. However, Duan Da's stance was firm and would never go to fight without fully understanding the purpose of the traitor, and without the absolute certainty of winning. As for the siege battle that would damage the soldiers and lose generals, he would even resolutely not fight.

To the official army, suppressing the rebellion and suppressing the thieves is actually equivalent to "distributing welfare" and killing the thieves is secondary. The important thing is to use the excuse of killing the thieves to plunder the wealth of local nobles and wealthy people. The official army said that you are a thief, then you are a thief. All those related to the thieves, or those who may be related, or Yu Qian directly accused them of the thieves, are the targets of the official army's abduct. Therefore, so far, the official army has been still killing people and plundering people in the fight against the rebellion and suppressing the thieves, and has not been raised to the height of the survival of the country. It is precisely because of this that Duan Da's "cowardly battle" is equivalent to cutting off the wealth of the soldiers under his command, harming the interests of the soldiers, and naturally arousing the abuse and resentment of the soldiers.

Similarly, when the rebel soldiers who were waiting for the battle in Houcheng saw that the official army was slow to attack the city, they also understood it as a cowardly battle, and also used insults and ridicule Duan Da to relieve their nervousness. What is particularly surprising is that the rebel soldiers also called Duan Da "Duan Lao", and such tacit understanding is unique, and the name of "Duan Lao" gradually spread.

Duan Lao was not surprised by honor and disgrace, and was unmoved. He even sneered at the childish behavior of humiliating him by calling him "Duan Lao" by the soldiers on both sides.

The alliance soldiers arrived new, and did not know Duan Da's power. They thought Duan Da was afraid and did not fight when he was thirty miles away. This was understandable, but Wang An had experienced it personally. He knew Duan Da's power, so he specially found Li Fengyun and warned him.

If Duan Da deliberately set up a trap on the battlefield of Houcheng with the food and grass in Houcheng as bait, then his actions at this moment were deliberately waiting for various rebels from Hebei to gather and then make a contribution to the battle.

To put it bluntly, Wang An did not have an intuitive understanding of Li Fengyun's strength. So far, he still heard from hearsays, and hearsays are mostly exaggerated. The moisture is too great. Although he saw with his own eyes that the soldiers of the alliance were fully armed and had high morale, having weapons and morale does not mean that they had the combat effectiveness to compete with the official army. There are many conditions to determine the size of combat effectiveness, among which the personal qualities of officers and soldiers are crucial. A group of killing and robbing thieves led a large group of farmers. Even if they had weapons and morale, they had no combat effectiveness. Therefore, Wang An preconceived ideas and pushed others by himself, seriously doubting the combat effectiveness of the alliance army. Even if the alliance has captured Houcheng now, he still did not believe that Li Fengyun had the strong strength to defeat Duan Da.

Li Fengyun disagreed with Wang An's warning and did not have any intention of explaining it. However, considering that Wang An was the first partner he cooperated after entering the Hebei battlefield, and that this person had ideas, courage and decisive decisions. If he could win it over, it might be helpful for his future dominance of Hebei, so he never tires about it and analyzed and deduced the situation in Hebei from a political perspective.

If we only look at it from a military perspective, Wang An's warning makes a lot of sense. With the strength of Duan Da and the three thousand Youzhou guards, it is enough to fight a life-and-death battle with various rebels from Hebei gathered in Houcheng. If nothing unexpected happens, he has a great chance of victory. Of course, the price he paid for it is also very high.

However, if we analyze it from a political perspective, Duan Da's move obviously sent a compromise message to the Hebei aristocratic group headed by the Cui clan of Qinghe.

The situation in Hebei has reached this point, which is directly related to the manipulation and fueling of the Hebei aristocratic group. The purpose of the Hebei aristocratic group is to coerce the Dongdu with the stability of Hebei and the security of Yongji Canal to gain political benefits.

What benefits do Hebei people urgently need to seek? The Eastern Expedition was defeated, and the Holy Lord and the Reformers suffered a heavy blow. Faced with the "strong counterattack" of the conservative forces in Dongdu, they retreated step by step. At this time, if they want to reverse the situation with the fastest and sharpest means, they must launch a second Eastern Expedition immediately, and they must compromise with the conservative forces in Dongdu, but there are principles and bottom lines. In order to adhere to the principles and bottom lines of compromise, the Holy Lord and the Reformers must unite all forces that can be united to the greatest extent. The Shandong people and Jiangzuo people who fought fiercely with the Guanlong people became the targets of the Holy Lord and the Reformers.

The people of Shandong and Jiangzuo did not both support reform, and they were not both reformists, and they even had sharp conflicts of interest with the Saint Lord and the Reformers. However, in order to compete with the Guanlong people in politics, they had to rely on the power of the Saint Lord and the Reformers to form a three-legged stamina with the Guanlong people. To achieve this goal, they could only support the Saint Lord and the Reformers in exchange for political interests. Every political struggle and every political storm in Dongdu is an opportunity for Shandong and Jiangzuo people to seek political interests and accumulate political power, and it is also an opportunity for them to realize the three-legged stamina political structure step by step.

"Do you know why the situation in Hebei has become more and more severe with Duan Da's suppression of rebellion? Duan Da played a singular song on the battlefield of rebellion, but the safety of Yongji Canal is becoming less and less guaranteed. Why is this? The Second Eastern Expedition is about to come. After the spring, the army and materials must go north quickly. The importance of Yongji Canal can be imagined. At this moment, Duan Da has less and less time to deal with the crisis. If he continues to fight against the Hebei people, he will not be able to complete the trust of the Holy Lord and the Central Committee, and cannot ensure that the Second Eastern Expedition begins as scheduled. Therefore, he must change his course, adjust his strategy, and compromise with the Hebei people, and use his own compromise and concessions to help the Hebei people achieve their political goals. As long as the Hebei people obtain the political benefits they need in the Dongdu, then the Yongji Canal will be safe, and the Yongji Canal crisis will be resolved. For Duan Da, his task of suppressing Hebei will be completed."

When Li Fengyun said this, he looked at Wang An with a sudden look in his eyes and asked with a smile, "Do you know why you dare to attack Houcheng now?"

Wang An has been attracted by Li Fengyun's analysis and deduction, and admires his profound knowledge, unique perspectives and unique views. At one moment, he even felt respect for Li Fengyun, which also caused a series of questions: How could such a person be a thief from the market and a murderous robbery?

Seeing Wang An nodding frequently, Li Fengyun continued, "The reason why I dared to attack Houcheng is that I determined that Duan Da and the Hebei people were in a deadlock. As the second eastern expedition was about to begin, the resolution of the Yongji Canal crisis was imminent. Duan Da must compromise, and the only way to compromise is to defeat Qinghe immediately to exacerbate the deterioration of the Yongji Canal crisis."

"The more serious the Yongjiqu crisis, the more threatened the Second Eastern Expedition, Duan Da's ability and means to deal with the crisis are insufficient. In this way, he can only hand over the problem and let the Holy Lord and Dongdu deal with the Yongjiqu crisis."

"The purpose of Hebei people is this. Duan Da is just a disruptor in their eyes, and it is insignificant. However, Duan Da does not have such awareness. He thought he was able to deal with Hebei people, but he was in an embarrassing situation. If he didn't stop, he would be in danger. Fortunately, Duan Da was not in vain at such a young age. He still saw his position clearly at the critical moment and decided to lose to Qinghe and not get into this muddy water again."

Wang An didn't understand and asked, "Duan Da was defeated and failed to suppress the rebellion. Wouldn't he be punished by the Holy Lord?

Li Fengyun shook his head, "Duan Da is defeated and has great knowledge in the inner world."

This "defeat" depends on how to "defeat". Duan Da is the confidant of the Holy Lord. The purpose of the Holy Lord sent Duan Da to suppress the rebellion in Hebei is definitely not to use force to control the Hebei people. Because in the political struggle in the Dongdu, the Holy Lord needed the support of Shandong people, and the strength of support is directly related to the political benefits the Holy Lord gave to Shandong people. However, the Holy Lord could not completely satisfy the Shandong people, and both sides would definitely have to bargain. Therefore, Duan Da's suppression of rebellion must have "defeat" and should be appropriate. It should not only put heavy pressure on the Hebei people, but also not angered Hebei people. It should not only help the Holy Lord take the initiative in bargaining, but also not help the Holy Lord to fall into a passive position. It is conceivable how difficult it is for Duan Da.

Wang An thought for a long time but still couldn't get the answer. He didn't know how Duan Da was defeated, whether he left without a fight or left without a defeat? But one thing is certain. If the truth of the situation in Hebei is exactly the same as Li Fengyun's deduction, then Houcheng would be in danger in this battle. This time he was a big bet, and his profits were full of money and his development prospects were very good.

However, is the fact really so beautiful? A golden toad will really fall from the sky?

Just two days later, Zhang Jinxie's army appeared on the south bank of Yongji Canal, less than fifty miles from Houcheng. Almost at the same time, Gao Shida and Dou Jiande led Gaojipo's army to appear on the north bank of Zhangshui, about sixty miles from Houcheng.

After receiving the news, Li Fengyun immediately sent a messenger to divide the money and grain of Houcheng on the condition that the four armies divided the money and grain of Houcheng. Zhang Jin said that he would immediately cross the Yongji Canal and ask Gao Shida to cross the Zhang River south and advance towards Houcheng with a force of attack from north to south. He and Wang An General led the main force out of the city and launched an attack from the front towards Duan Da.

The atmosphere on the battlefield in Houcheng suddenly became tense. Zhu Yingyang jointly asked for battle. Wu Ben Lang General Zhao Shizhu also asked Duan Da to defeat each one, or retreat to the Qinghe?

Duan Da was silent for a long time and said four words, "Watch the changes."

Zhao Shizhu could understand, but Zhu Yingyang was "furious". The rebels rushed outside the camp and rode on Zhu Yingyang's head. Duan Lao was not fighting yet and was still enduring. How could you endure? There was no reinforcements inside and outside the food and grass. If you want to fight, fight, and retreat if you don't fight. Stay in this icy and snowy wasteland and serve as a target for the rebels?

On the third day, Dou Jiande led his army to cross the frozen Zhangshui River and advanced twenty miles towards Houcheng.

At the same time, Zhang Jinsheng led his army across Yongji Canal and advanced twenty miles to Houcheng.

Li Fengyun was dispatched, and the alliance army came out in full swing. The soldiers were still in rags, holding high the banner of the Linqing Rebel Army, and advanced ten miles towards the official camp with great momentum.

The officers were excited and full of fighting spirit. The guards were angry. They did not fight the rebels, but the rebels took the initiative to kill them. They bullied them too much. They must fight this battle, and they must kill them.

From morning to afternoon, from dawn to dusk, Zhu Yingyang asked for battle again and again, but Duan Da ignored it and hid in his tent to keep warm and sleep.

That night, news came from Qinghe City that Qinghe County Government retreated all the civilians outside the city into the city on the grounds that the rebels came overwhelmed and the garrison in the city was seriously insufficient. The rebels did not retreat for a day, and the city gate did not open for a day.

Duan Da and Zhao Shizhu looked at each other and smiled bitterly. The Qinghe people finally showed their "real face", forcing Duan Da to get out of Qinghe immediately.

Qinghe City closed the city gate, which cut off Duan Da's last support for food and grass. Without food and grass, Duan Da's fight to the death with the traitors? But Qinghe County Government has sufficient reasons. Qinghe City's grain reserves are very limited. After tens of thousands of civilians outside the city retreated into the city, the county government would ensure their food and clothing, so of course it would not be able to support Duan Da. Houcheng was right in front of Duan Da. As long as Duan Da defeated the traitors and regained Houcheng, there would be food and grass, and all problems would be solved.

Not to mention Duan Da will not fight at this moment, even Zhao Shizhu, who was already ready to move, dared not fight. This is obviously a trap. A murder pit dug by a Hebei man. No matter how powerful Duan Da is or how tough the three thousand Youzhou guards are, they are all "worms" at slaughter.

Without hesitation, Duan Da ordered to evacuate overnight, evacuate northward, cross the Zhang River, and retreat to Changle City, the capital of Xindu County, more than 200 miles away.

Duan Da 100,000 reported to the Dongdu, saying that the thieves in Hebei were too powerful and the suppression of the rebellion was unfavorable. The Yongji Canal crisis became increasingly serious, so he asked for support.
Chapter completed!