Han Shizu

Chapter 1277 The pressure is not small

Probably because God couldn't bear to see the tragic and cruel scene in Jinzhou City, so he closed his eyes, and then it became dark, forcing the attackers and defenders who were addicted to the war to calm down.

After a day of bloody battles, both the Han and Liao suffered heavy casualties, they could only lick their wounds silently, waiting for the next wave of battles.

In Jinzhou City, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive. Many Liao army guards seemed numb, and the brutal fighting almost wiped out their thoughts and humanity.After the high-intensity confrontation, the body was extremely tired, but the tense nerves did not relax in any way, and even the freshly prepared food did not arouse a trace of joy.

Although the night had completely fallen, the city never stopped and was quiet. A new group of guards went up to the city, and Brother Yeluxiu personally arranged the nighttime vigilance.

A large number of auxiliary soldiers and civilian husbands cleaned up the corpses, carried the equipment for defending the city, and craftsmen repaired the damaged city walls and ordnance.The clear summer wind was constantly blowing, and the air seemed to have the smell of the sea. The lights in the city released a dim light, shining on Yeluxiu's young and resolute face.

Brother Yeluxiu is not too old, he is not yet 30 years old, but he is one of the few young talents in the clan and army of the Liao Kingdom. Not only is he born tall, but he also became famous at a young age. With war experience.

In the first battle between the Han and Liao Dynasties, he followed his father Yelu Wansi in the army. Although he did not have much participation, he had some knowledge of the tactics of the Han army, and these also provided him with a lot of ideas for defensive operations. .

Up to now, Yeluxiu's reputation for being resourceful and good at fighting has been spreading among the Liao army. Yelu Xiezhen resisted all opinions and let him be in charge of Jinzhou's defense, which was a bold decision after investigation.You must know that facing the hundreds of thousands of Han troops who are good at attacking fortifications, this kind of heavy responsibility and pressure is not something ordinary people can bear.

Judging from the current results, Brother Yeluxiu did not disappoint Yelu Xiezhen's trust and reuse. Facing the menacing Han army, Ha did not show any timidity.From the beginning of the Han army's eastward march, there was no passive defense, but the initiative was taken. Whether it was the harassment and delay during the march, or the calm command after the soldiers approached the city, they all showed their outstanding talents and excellent qualities.

Even if the soldiers are trapped in the city right now, they are not passively defending. They dare to leave the city from time to time to give the Han army a "surprise" and disrupt the rhythm of the Han army's attack.

At the same time, he also dispatched several small groups of troops to pass through the mountains and trails in the northwestern part of Liaoning.

However, these methods are only small troubles after all, and although they have an impact, they do not affect the overall situation. Regarding this point, after this period of offense and defense, Brother Yeluxiu himself knows it well.

The defender of Jinzhou City, Yelu Xiezhen, originally assigned him 20,000 soldiers, including [-] cavalry, and less than [-] people could devote themselves to defending the city.

Facing the powerful offensive of the Han army, Brother Yeluxiu took shifts to guard. Until now, except for the cavalry, all the troops had taken turns, so he had to ask Yelu Xiezhen in Liaoyang for reinforcements.Due to the battle damage, Brother Yeluxiu reorganized the remaining defenders in the city.

But what about the Han army outside the city?Thinking of this, Brother Yeluxiu couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. The number of troops is the greatest advantage of the Han army, which is better than those sharp weapons. The continuous and fierce attack certainly caused a lot of damage to the Han army. But compared to the overall strength of the Han army, it is worth a few points, and it probably only scratches the surface.
Under the city of Jinzhou, there were piles of corpses, some from the Liao army and some from the Han army. The mountain of corpses and the sea of ​​blood lay there so quietly that the Liao army did not even allow the Han army to clean them up.

In the past few days, it has already affected the deployment of the Han army under the city, forcing the Han army to resist the attack from the city and clean up the corpses.And as the weather gets hotter, there is also the problem of corpse corruption and disease, which makes the Han army have to do something, and it is also one of the many troubles Yeluxiu caused to the Han army.

However, Yeluxiu didn't feel complacent or proud about these things. He clearly realized in his mind that the grim situation hadn't changed in the slightest.

The troops in the city are still sufficient, and the food is also sufficient, but the consumption of ordnance far exceeds what Yeluxiu can expect.The extravagant tactics are a bit difficult for the Liao army. He can't use bow and crossbow ammunition without any scruples like the Han army.
And once the ordnance in the city is exhausted, the most difficult days will begin. He has already asked Liaoyang for the supply of ordnance, but it is not an unlimited supply after all.

The workshop in Liaoyang is being built urgently. In Jinzhou City, Brother Yeluxiu even organized some people to use the Han army to shoot the crossbows in the city to repair and use them.

The lights in the city swayed endlessly under the blowing of the night wind, and brother Yeluxiu's mood was like this flickering light.Looking outside the city, the huge fortress of the Han army that can't be seen is even more daunting under the cover of night.

He received the latest order from Liaoyang, a strict order to stick to Jinzhou for another three months!Three months!Brother Yeluxiu knew that the previous offense and defense were difficult enough, but the more difficult ones were yet to come.

The soldiers of the Han army are brave and fearless enough, and the generals are also well-led. Facing such an opponent, it is not easy to say no to them.
Outside the city, the camps of the Han army were distributed in companies. The fortresses were connected to each other in a very hierarchical manner, and they were not far from the city wall. This left enough room for the deployment of troops and equipment under the city, and also compressed the space for the Liao army to attack as much as possible.

A ten-foot-wide trench stretched across the front of the camp, and the hard planks for passage had been removed. This was specifically for night raids and harassment against Liao cavalry.Zhang Yongde, who was the envoy of the camp, set up a new round of defense, especially the protection of those heavy siege weapons, and then went to the commander's account of the Chinese army with a heavy heart.

In the Han camp, the lights are relatively dense, no matter how dim the light is, it can give the soldiers some psychological comfort.Most of the soldiers, after eating, slept in their tents in accordance with the military regulations, and rested silently.In the front camp near Jinzhou City, apart from the sounds of routine patrol soldiers, there was no other movement.

Compared with the middle and lower ranks of soldiers, as the brain center of this army, the generals responsible for commanding the battle did not have a moment's rest.In the big tent of the Chinese army, a group of generals gathered to conduct a summary meeting on today's offense and defense.

Prince Liu Yang is naturally in the commander-in-chief seat, Zhao Kuangyin and Gao Huaide are on the left and right respectively, and under them are senior generals such as Zhang Yongde, Liu Guangyi, Dang Jin, Ma Renyu, and Li Hanqiong.

Due to the unsatisfactory siege, everyone's faces were not so good-looking, especially Zhao Kuangyin, as the commander in charge of the specific command, he was also under the greatest pressure.

Although he never said it out loud, he has already developed a lot of jealousy for the Liao general Yeluxiu who brought great resistance to the army. In the confrontation, I had a fair judgment in my heart.

Liu Yang was sitting in the commander-in-chief, his young face was also silent. It's not that he has never experienced war. He also visited the battlefield during the Northern Expedition. Those bloody and cruel scenes are still vivid in his mind.

It's just that I was still young at that time, and apart from the instinctive fear and panic, I didn't have too deep feelings.But it is different now. He is the commander of the army, and he is also responsible for the Northern Expedition in name. He is mentally prepared for bloodshed and sacrifice, so that he will not be frightened, but behind the bloody siege, he also feels great pressure. .

After making eye contact with Liu Yang, Zhao Kuangyin looked at Wang Yu, the secretary of the camp, and asked in a deep voice, "How many casualties are there in today's attack?"

Wang Yu is the eldest son of Wang Pu, who is the Duke of Yan State. He is a low-ranking and heavy-ranking prince in this account, so he can't be proud at all. Facing Zhao Kuangyin's question, he respectfully replied: "According to statistics, 763 people died, with minor or serious injuries. 1352 people, the heaviest casualties since the start of the war!"

"The casualties are too heavy!" Zhao Kuangyin took a deep breath and said!
That's right, counting the auxiliary soldiers and Ding Zhuang, there are nearly 300,000 people in their hands, but they can't withstand such a large number of casualties every day. Jinzhou is just the beginning, and there are still bigger battles to be fought.The point is that if the city is defeated for a long time, the morale will inevitably be hit with such casualties. If it affects the morale of the army, the problem will be even more serious.

Regarding this, all the generals were silent, and it was fine for others not to speak, but Ma Renyu, who was in charge of the front-line command, had to speak, stood up and said to Liu Yang in a heavy tone: "The last general's command is ineffective, and he has no way to attack the city. , Your Highness, please punish me!"

Seeing this, Liu Yang hurriedly spoke out to appease him: "The general dared to risk the stone and came to the front line. He has tried his best, and the soldiers also forgot to fight. It is not the fault of the general and the soldiers under his command, the general must not blame himself!"

Hearing what Liu Yang said, Ma Renyu's face looked a little better, and he replied in a deep voice, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

As he said that, looking at Zhao Kuangyin, Ma Renyu said: "Please send five thousand soldiers to replenish your subordinates, and attack again tomorrow!"

All the way east, Ma Renyu was the one who directly wrestled with Yeluxiu brother. Under the situation of continuous deflation, Ma Renyu also became angry. At this time, he was more like a wounded tiger, wanting revenge .

(End of this chapter)