Han Shizu

Chapter 1287 The city collapsed

The defeat in the Battle of Yaozhou had a greater impact on Kaibao’s Northern Expedition than Emperor Liu’s monarchs had expected. The invincible momentum that the big man had created before was broken.

For the Han army, the command system was adjusted, and Gao Huaide went east to take over. It took a certain amount of time to adjust. The lost troops and supplies had to be transported to the east front, and it would take time to restore strength and launch an attack again, and this time was not short.

At the same time, pulling one hair and moving the whole body will add more pressure to Jinzhou, which has been unable to attack for a long time.It also dealt a blow to the morale of the entire East Han army.

As one ebbs and another, the morale of the Liao army will inevitably be improved, and their confidence will increase. Although the Han army is powerful, it is not invincible. They have the support of Shangjing and the commander of King Yelu. The will to resist will come later. more firm.

As far as the Liao army was concerned, after the Eastern Front had no worries for the time being, they also got a sufficient buffer period to rectify their troops and horses, and the large amount of military supplies they captured also relieved their pressure on military supplies to some extent.

Moreover, you can free up your hands and rest assured to support the Western Front.The Liao army took the initiative to attack this time, and they also took great risks. Yelu Xiezhen was also betting, but he saw the timing and grasped it.

And when Yelu Xiezhen planned Yaozhou's counterattack, his support for Jinzhou was naturally relaxed. Unlike the Han army, the Liao army wanted to take care of both sides, but it was not that simple.However, luck was on the side of the Liao army this time, and Yelu Xiezhen won the bet.

From late May to early June, the influence of the Battle of Yaozhou gradually settled under the respective adjustments of the Han and Liao sides, and the battle situation stabilized again.

After a period of urgent financing and scheduling, the imperial court continued to send more troops and food to the Liaodong Peninsula. During this period, more pressure was turned to the front line of Jinzhou.In any case, the land and water troops on the Eastern Front were also restricted to camping on the Western Front. Although they had a lot of autonomy, there were twists and turns on the Eastern Front, and it was difficult for the Western Front to be completely peaceful.

Especially for Zhao Kuangyin, the actual commander-in-chief of the army, he had naturally heard about some of the turmoil in the court before, even with Emperor Liu's protection, he was always under some pressure.Today, that pressure is magnified.

With the development of the war to this day, all the focus is ultimately on Jinzhou. The outcome of the Han and Liao attacks in Jinzhou can determine the direction of the entire battle.

No matter how many surprises there are in the Western Regions and Mobei, no matter whether Liu Tinghan's army has made achievements or not, no matter what setbacks they have suffered in Yaozhou, it is not decisive.

Fortunately, when the pressure from all sides swept over, and when the burden of winning or losing the entire Northern Expedition was on his shoulders, Zhao Kuangyin did not panic. No matter how anxious or complicated his mind was, he always maintained a calm face and acted more calmly.

Zhao Kuangyin also summed up the reasons for Yaozhou's defeat. First, he underestimated the Liao army, and second, the Han army was impatient and aggressive. With the lessons learned from the past, how could Zhao Kuangyin commit another crime without vigilance.After all, he is a hero with the posture of wearing a crown. Of course, Zhao Kuangyin can bear the burden that ordinary people cannot bear.

Throughout May, the main group of the Han army on the western front was not without gains. First of all, after the young general Hou Yanguang's suppression, the Liao army that was harassing the grain roads like flies was basically suppressed, especially Hou Yanguang's conspiracy. , Through an ambush, the main force that harassed the Liao army was basically wiped out, and the smooth flow of the Liaoxi Corridor was once again guaranteed. Although there were remnants who refused to give up, they were only a small group of troops, and it was difficult to play much role.

The attack on Jinzhou City was also becoming more and more intense. Under Zhao Kuangyin's overall planning, waves of attacks were launched towards Jinzhou City. Even the main force of the Imperial Army, the Longqi Army, was sent to take charge of the attack for a period of time.

Even with the solidity of Jinzhou City, the damage was serious. Although the Han army suffered a lot of damage, the casualties of the defenders in the city were also very large. After a long period of fierce fighting, the strength of the defenders was greatly weakened, both in terms of military and material resources.

However, in the end, the Han army gradually slowed down its offensive. One was the impact of the Yaozhou Battle, the other was that the soldiers were tired after a long battle and the soldiers needed to be adjusted, and the third was that it was midsummer and the weather was getting hotter.Under such circumstances, Yelu Xiezhen supported Jinzhou with [-] soldiers and a large amount of ordnance, and paid a huge price to defend the city. Brother Yeluxiu also needed to rest.

However, behind the short rest, there is a stronger murderous intention, and the Han army is obviously brewing a more violent attack.Jinzhou has been attacked for two full months, from early summer to late summer, Zhao Kuangyin also knows the situation of Jinzhou's city defense and the situation of the enemy and ourselves.

Frustrated and unable to attack the city for a long time, although the situation seems to be less friendly to the Han army, under heavy pressure and when the situation remained stalemate, Zhao Kuangyin made up his mind to plan to break it.

On June [-]th, Prince Liu Yang once again raised his account in the Chinese army and convened the middle and upper-level generals of the army. This meeting did not last too long, nor did he make too many summaries of the previous offensive and defensive gains and losses. Siege will never drag the battle of Jinzhou past the summer.

Therefore, starting from the [-]th, after about half a month of silence, the Han army launched an attack on Jinzhou City again, and it was more violent and crazy than before. Under the current situation, no one dares to hold back, but those who are slack and fearful of war will be dealt with by military law. The military law of the Han Dynasty has always maintained a high degree of strictness.

As for the defenders in the city, although they received a batch of support from the rear, the pressure they were under did not change. On the contrary, it multiplied. Offensive, it is naturally more difficult to resist.

Of course, Zhao Kuangyin is not willing to blindly attack by force and rely on the sacrifice of soldiers. However, after several trials of city defense, there is no other way, just like when he led the army to invade Shu, facing the high mountains and dangerous fortresses, Zhao Kuangyin played flexibly.

It's just that the opponents we face today are different, and the opponents' responses are also different. When it's time to pay the price, there is nothing reluctant.As a battle-tested veteran, how could he be merciful and frightened by some casualties.To put it in a simple way, there is no one who is not dead in a war.

In order to break through Jinzhou, Zhao Kuangyin also racked his brains and racked his brains.In addition to maintaining the consistent siege tactics of the Han army, it is also useful.

However, in the face of Jinzhou's terrain and city defense, there is no condition for water attack. The kerosene and rockets caused a lot of damage to the Liao army, but they were not fatal.

If there is not enough space to pile up the mountain, it will also create difficulties for yourself, and Brother Yeluxiu is not just passively guarding, sometimes sending people to fight out at their own risk.

Blowing up the city wall with gunpowder was also used. A large number of soldiers and civilians piled gunpowder barrels to the bottom of the city against the blow of the city. In the end, they were stopped by the soldiers sent by Yeluxiu, and even risked their lives to detonate them in advance. In short, they did not pile up Ample opportunity.

As for the tunnel acupoints, it was very difficult to dig, and landslides occurred continuously, and even two of them were submerged due to a heavy rain.In this regard, the city also had defenses. The Han army dug outside the city, and the Liao army dug inside the city. When there was an intercommunication, they set off smoke and set fire to them, killing and burning many civilian workers.
However, no matter how strictly guarded Yeluxiu was, there were always omissions, and he encountered setbacks and obstacles everywhere, and finally became a cover-up, attracting the defensive attention of the defenders.

Among all the tunnels that have been opened, there is one that has always been cautious. It was carefully dug by the Han army to the southwest corner of Jinzhou City, which has never been "taken care of". gunpowder.

So, on the morning of June [-]th, when the Han and Liao armies fought desperately above and below the city, with a shocking explosion, the long-tested outer city of Jinzhou collapsed.
(End of this chapter)