After hearing this, Yao Pingzhong felt a little disappointed.

When the Yunzhou Alliance signed between Shaozai and Khitan came, everyone knew that Qinlong's troops were divided into two groups.

All the way to Datong Mansion, all the way to the Land of Youyan.

In comparison, Datong was relatively comfortable and could only protect the Lord of Liao.

In the land of Youyan, it is very likely that there will be a fierce battle, and the situation will be unpredictable and strange, and the relationship between enemies and friends is complicated.

The Song Dynasty and the Khitan formed an alliance, and the Jurchens were the common enemy. However, Yelu Chun and Yelu Dashi definitely did not recognize this alliance. They were hostile to the Song Dynasty and the Jurchens.

After a chaotic battle, it will be a great achievement. The one who takes You Yan can be crowned the king.

Today, he always regards himself as inheriting his father and brother's legacy to consolidate his orthodox status, and he will definitely not betray his father's last words.

If the general is crowned king, the rewards for those under him will not be low. In the end, this opportunity belongs to Han Shizhong.

Yao Pingzhong had expected this result for a long time, but when it came to the end, he was inevitably a little disappointed.

Seeing that he was not in a high mood, Yang Lin smiled and said: "Xi Yan, the situation of this battle is uncertain. Anything may happen in the future. When you arrive at Datong Mansion, you must practice diligently. You may need to cooperate from the west at some point.

"

It didn't matter to Yao Pingzhong, the young generals around him brightened up. It was easier to march eastward from Yunzhou and attack Youyan than Hebei.

This huge achievement can be regarded as the most dazzling achievement since the founding of the Song Dynasty. As a general, who would not want to make a name for himself on such a stage.

Yang Lin got off the carriage and found a stone to sit on on the grassy border.

Yao Pingzhong stood in front of him. Yang Lin breathed a long sigh of relief and said: "Xi Yan, I have a lot of feelings when I go to Yunzhou this time. The Lord of Liao is licentious and extravagant. Xiao Fengxian is a fool and a traitor. Khitan must not have many years left to rule the country."

Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, our territory has been the smallest in history. Although we have taken Dali and Tubo, it is still difficult to restore the glory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Now the opportunity has appeared, right in front of you and me, and taking the land of Youyan is the beginning."

Yao Pingzhong nodded, his expression surprisingly calm. In fact, he was not as eager as his subordinates to open up new territories. Yao Pingzhong could and would fight, and he was brave enough to win the three armies, but he was indeed not a man who served the country and the people.

If he were asked to choose between serving the country and avenging his second brother, he would definitely choose the latter.

Otherwise, when everyone from the emperor to the officials were looking for him to come out to save the crisis, this guy wouldn't have gone to the mountains to practice Taoism.

Yang Lin took in all his expressions and sighed inwardly, none of my disciples are normal.

"Your two senior brothers are in Datong Mansion. Talk to them more after you go there. After all, they have been staying in Khitan for almost a year."

Yao Pingzhong now had some hope and said with a smile: "Don't worry, teacher."

Yang Lin smiled and scolded: "What's there to worry about? Have you ever been to Jingzhao Mansion recently to see Ping Yi?"

Speaking of Yao Pingyi, Yao Pingzhong did not hide his hatred for this younger brother at all. He sneered and said: "To be honest with you, my teacher, I don't want to see him again in my life."

Yang Lin knew the whole story. Yao Ping Zhongding resented him for helping the murderer and forging the death scene of his second brother, so he didn't give much advice at the moment.

Yang Lin stood up and patted his butt, and said with a smile: "Without further ado, our master and apprentice say goodbye. We hope to meet again in Yanjing one day."

Yao Pingzhong clasped his fists and said: "Students respectfully bid farewell to their mentor."——

Back at Yanmen Pass, Yang Lin didn't even rest, and directly ordered the three armies to set off and rush to Hebei.

In places like Hedong and Hebei, because the Youyan barrier was lost and the Khitan people continued to invade from the south, they dug large channels and planted giant trees in these places.

These rivers and airtight forests can resist the Khitan cavalry going south.

In fact, this was not invented by the Song Dynasty. As early as the Qin Dynasty, General Meng Tian led an army of 300,000 to conquer the Hetao area with overwhelming force. He recovered the vast area in the north and south of the Hetao in one fell swoop and established forty-four counties, expanding the power of the Central Plains Dynasty.

To places like Ordos, Baotou, and Bayannur in later generations.

Later, many place names related to trees appeared in these places, such as Yulin and Yuzhong, which are still called today.

This is not without reason, it is because Meng Tian "used the river as the boundary, the stone as the city, and the elm trees as the barrier."

By the time of the Zhao and Song Dynasties, we had lost the northern barrier and the doors were wide open, so these trees and rivers were even more important. The imperial court issued special edicts many times, requiring all people to plant and protect trees.

"Edicts for prefectures and counties to teach people to plant elms, willows and suitable trees", "Edicts forbidding cutting down mulberry and jujube", etc.

Historical records record that elms and willows were planted at the dividing line between north and south in Waqiao area. There was a path in the middle, which could only accommodate one horseman. Waqiao Pass was located in the southwest of Xiong County, Hebei Province in later generations. The terrain was flat and there were no dangerous points to defend. The Khitan soldiers and cavalry

I often come and go here, and it is obvious that the "defensive forest" here has played a military role.

But since these things can prevent the Khitans from going south, they can also prevent the Song Dynasty's troops from advancing north.

Yang Lin led his troops into Hebei and felt the malicious intent of these protective forests.

In many places, only one cavalry was allowed to pass, which required a large circle, wasting precious time.

Yang Lin was so angry that he didn't have time to meander here, so he simply ordered an army to be sent to the front to cut a road.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the order was issued, the first county encountered trouble. On the outskirts of Qinshui County in Hedong Province, a group of people, led by a squire, knelt on the roadside and begged not to cut down trees.

If Han Shizhong was the coach, he would have ordered them to be driven away long ago, but with Yang Lin here, he did not dare. After all, Shaozai was also a civil servant, so he still had to cherish his feathers and worry about his reputation.

Han Shizhong immediately sent someone to invite Yang Lin to come and deal with Qinshui County here. Similar matters can be handled accordingly in the future.

After Yang Lin dismounted, he frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

A middle-aged squire wearing fur clothes, a long beard under his chin, and a fair complexion came out and said: "Wei Yishan, a grassroots man from Qinshui County, has seen the young master."

Yang Lin held up a hand and asked: "I am leading the troops to march, but the road is difficult to travel. If we open up a road, it will not only be convenient for us to march, but you and other villagers will benefit for generations. Why are you blocking it?"

Wei Yishan bent over, looking miserable, and argued: "Young Zai, we can't cut them down. We in Hedong have been repeatedly plundered by the Khitan from the south. Because of the blockage of this dense forest, Qinshui County has been fine. What if we cut down the trees?"

Defend the enemy?"

Yang Lin wondered: "If I don't chop down trees, then if the Khitan people really come, won't they chop down trees too?"

"They plundered the countryside and returned."

Yang Lin's anger rose slightly and he cursed: "What's the difference between villagers and villagers? They are all citizens of the Song Dynasty. We have the Great Wall left by our ancestors and don't want to take it back. We guard a broken forest and risk the lives of our compatriots in the villages outside."

, as a protective umbrella?”

Wei Yishan asked in confusion: "Wouldn't the loss be smaller if the Khitan thieves plundered the village than if they plundered the town?"

With a snap, Yang Lin threw an empty whip flower and said in a deep voice: "Being timid, treating a mermaid like a human being, having a knife on your neck and only trying to dodge without thinking about resistance, isn't that a deep-rooted slavish trait?

The imperial court has failed the people of Hebei and Hedong in recent years. Therefore, I do not blame you for your actions today, but I want you to know that this is not advisable.
Chapter completed!