Han Shizu

Chapter 1282 It is hard to be optimistic
At the current stage of the Northern Expedition, no matter how the battle situation changes, no matter what achievements the various fronts have made, the Han court has always remained true to its original intention, and everything is moving towards the original strategic goal according to the established plan.

Therefore, regardless of the progress of the other Han armies, they are not the focus of the Great Han Center. Success is full of joy, and defeat is harmless.During the war period, the Han court basically focused on the war, and most of the ministries and yamen of the court worked around the Northern Expedition.

Among them, the most worthy of attention is naturally the war in Liaodong.There is no way, in order to realize the initial plan to attack Liaodong, the imperial court has invested too much in the Liaodong battlefield. The huge Eastern Route Army and its supporting characters and wealth are crazily devouring the national power of the big man.

Due to the relatively short distance and smoother and more convenient traffic conditions, the Han court also received more and more timely reports from the Liaodong battlefield.

However, after the Donghai Navy landed on the peninsula and made great achievements, wiped out nearly [-] land and sea Liao troops, and successively took over Suizhou, Fuzhou, and Ningzhou, the entire Liaodong war situation gradually fell into a stalemate.

On the western front of Jinzhou, due to Brother Yeluxiu's tenacious persistence and Liaoyang's continuous support from the rear, Zhao Kuangyin's army was still frustrated under the strong city and could not make progress.

This point has caused some discussions in the court. After all, they are sitting on the main force inside and outside, with sufficient supplies of personnel and weapons and sharp weapons are also given priority in transfer and distribution, but there is no way to take a small city of Jinzhou.

Prior to this, Zhao Kuangyin had rested for more than half a month when he camped in Youzhou, using training preparations as an excuse to delay his entry.Now, the soldiers are approaching the city, and they have been fighting for a month, but they can't advance an inch.

How could the big Han bureaucrats behind the center have no idea? The past victories of the big Han not only boosted the self-confidence of the soldiers, but also made the civil servants proud.

In their view, with the strength of the big man and his ability to tackle tough problems, how could he be hindered by a mere Jinzhou.A Jinzhou city is so difficult to attack, how much effort will it take to attack Liaoyang and recover the entire Liaodong, and even the Haidong area.

As a result, the Zhengshitang received more memorials about the Liaodong War, and many of them were even directly submitted to the Chuigong Palace for imperial cases. Among them, there were not only civil servants, but also some generals.

Criticism towards Zhao Kuangyin began to increase. Of course, it was only aimed at Zhao Kuangyin, but no one dared to point the finger at His Royal Highness as the coach.

I dare not mention the suggestion of changing the commander just before the battle, but there are quite a few similar memorials for letting Emperor Liu issue an edict, urging and spurring Zhao Kuangyin, and putting pressure on the battalion.

As for the discussions in the court, Emperor Liu saw and listened to them, so naturally he didn't pay much attention to them.With Emperor Liu's vision and determination, he would not do the act of disordering the army.

Emperor Liu himself knew something about it. Many people only saw the situation of the Han Dynasty, but ignored the Liao Kingdom and the actual situation in Liaodong.The Liao Kingdom has developed for so many years, and there is no shortage of exchanges with the great Han, and they are also making progress.

Therefore, a few setbacks are not worth mentioning. Emperor Liu still has this kind of patience. In the past, he fought wars and started in half a year.

According to the deduction of the Privy Council, as long as a breakthrough is made on the east and west fronts, the troops of the East Route will basically not encounter too many obstacles when they enter Liaoyang.Without the advantage of being easy to defend and difficult to attack geographically, although Liaoyang is the capital of Liaoyang, it may not be more difficult to conquer than Jinzhou.

However, although Emperor Liu was able to relax and keep calm, the real problem of being blocked under the city of Jinzhou actually existed and needed to be resolved.

It's only mid-summer now, so there's still enough time, but what if it takes longer?If it is delayed until autumn, plus the cost of marching, how much time is left to fight Liaoyang and conquer Liaodong?If it is delayed until the beginning of winter, then the troops can be dismissed and the battle declared to be a failure of the Northern Expedition.
Therefore, no matter how calm Emperor Liu was on the surface, how could he not have any thoughts in his heart?It's just that he doesn't want to put too much pressure on the frontline generals, interfering in the decision-making of the camp and camp across two thousand miles.

As for the general issue, Emperor Liu has no doubts about Zhao Kuangyin's ability, and his doubts about loyalty will not affect his appointment for the time being.However, deep in Emperor Liu's mind, there seemed to be such a vague memory that Zhao Kuangyin had a tradition of being defeated in Jiancheng.
The sea route, which belonged to the Eastern Route Army and was controlled by the Northern Expedition, was a surprise to the imperial court, especially when the autumn wind swept across the peninsula like fallen leaves, marched into Liaodong Bay, and blocked the mouth of Liaohe River.

The news of this good news is enough to make the court feel excited, and it is the smooth progress of the Eastern Front that has attracted such a big response from the court.Comparing the two phases, it will naturally appear that the Western Front is "incompetent".

After the victory in the first battle on the Eastern Front, the deployment of troops in the battalion also advanced according to the previous plan. From Wuqing Port on Yanshan Road and Laizhou Port on Henan Province, the reserve troops were calmly transported to Liaodong by sea.The imperial court is also on military supplies, so it continues to raise funds and dispatch and increase supplies.

By the end of April, the Great Han had gathered more than [-] land and water troops on the Liaodong Peninsula. Although the level of refinement was somewhat different from the main force on the western front, this strength was already considerable.

The army marched northward, with soldiers against Chen and Yao, and within five days, they broke through Chenzhou and approached Yanyuan City in Yaozhou, only the last pass before entering Liaoyang.

The breakthrough of progress on the Eastern Front made Emperor Liu feel optimistic, and murmured in his heart, could it be that the Eastern Route Army would finally break the deadlock and invade Liaodong first.If this is the case, he will not live up to his high hopes.

However, this optimism did not last long. In Yaozhou, the Han army once again encountered stubborn resistance from the Liao army. After more than half a month of bloody battle, Yanyuan was still as stable as a rock.

In terms of the configuration of the troops on the Eastern Front, they are comparable to the main force on the Western Front. Although there are some elites, on the whole, the fighting will and ability of the soldiers are not the same.

In addition, the Donghai Navy is a navy after all, and it has to be used to fight on the water and control the command of the Liaohai Sea.As in Suzhou, it is inappropriate and too extravagant to transfer sailors to fight on land or to attack the city.

Therefore, the [-] troops on the eastern front are not counted as navy troops, and after removing some of the troops guarding and suppressing the southern counties, there are only more than [-] troops that can really be used to attack and defend Yanyuan.

As for Yanyuan City, although it is not as strong as Jinzhou, it is the entrance to the Liaohe Plain after all. Its geographical advantages lie there, so it is better to defend than to attack.More importantly, the Liao general Yeluhai, who was in charge of defending the city, was ashamed of the past and had the will to die, which drove the Liao army guards to fight to the death and caused great trouble to the attacking Han army. In the month of attack and defense, the Han army suffered six thousand casualties.

As far as this is concerned, I still have an estimate of the strength of the Liaodong army in the Liao Kingdom, and it is estimated that its strength is insufficient.On the Jinzhou side, although the Han army was difficult to dismount, the heavy pressure on the Liao army was almost solidified. They were constantly adding troops, people, food and equipment, and it was necessary to ensure the guarding of Liaoyang and other counties in Liaodong. The suppression of those tribes that are about to move, so the defensive power used in the rocky abyss is also limited.

Under this premise, the Eastern Front dared to let go of their hands and attack. After all, they did not have the confidence to attack the Western Front.

As a result, the east and west lines were blocked on both sides, and the mood of the Xijing court was as restless as the hotter weather. This trend had already affected Emperor Liu.

(End of this chapter)