Han Shizu

Chapter 1319 The Abandoned Yelu Xiezhen
Tongzhou, located in the hinterland of the Songliao Plain, belongs to the main thoroughfare linking Liao to Shangjing and Tokyo. It soared in a straight line for more than a month.

Today, on the Liao side, this city has succeeded Liaoyang and has become the political and military center of Liao's rule over the Northeast.Of course, this elevated political status during the war seemed so illusory, with a touch of desolation, and even a bit of irony.

This is the direct impact of the defeat on the Liaodong battlefield. At the same time, the territory that it can directly control and maintain a certain influence is already very limited. Compared with the vast Northeast land, it is even a corner.And what Yelu Xiezhen can rely on is only this corner of land to resist the indomitable and aggressive Han army.

The land of Haidong, which they rely on, still belongs to the Liao Kingdom in name, but in fact, it has completely lost control.Those scourges in Shiwei and Jurchen who had never been completely wiped out took the opportunity to attack without accident, and the old land of Bohai Sea also turned against Yingtian. The generals, using simple, brutal, fierce and cruel methods, destroyed Liao's rule over the Northeast.

Because the rebellion sprang up and spread throughout the territory, many states and departments could no longer be contacted. Among the officials and generals of the Liao Kingdom, there may be some who are loyal and stand by for help, but most of them are directly changing the king's banner, changing their appearance, and taking the opportunity to fight for power and profit. of.

Many tribes, officials, and generals under the rule of the Liao Kingdom have established themselves, and even took some letters of appointment from the great Han, and under the banner of the Han, they began to seize territory and annex the tribes
Counting from Yelu Abaoji's eastern conquest of Bohai Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom has ruled the Northeast for almost 50 years. Half a century is not too short. The assimilation and rule of the local area has been in progress, and the effect has been good. .

However, the facts proved that the originally seemingly stable rule was so fragile that it collapsed so quickly that people couldn't react in time.The failure of the frontal battlefield had too much impact, and even through some secret agents, it caused chaos and got out of control.Yelu Xiezhen wanted to rely on the back to defend against the enemy's rear, but eventually collapsed first and became a thorn in his back.

Similar to Liaoyang, Tongzhou was also in turmoil, the army was in turmoil, the people were in turmoil, and all kinds of people gathered in Tongyuan City.There are local tribesmen, refugees who suffered from war, nobles who fled, and defeated soldiers.

The influx of a large number of people has directly exceeded the carrying capacity of this unremarkable city. Even with Yelu Xiezhen's strong rectification, it will only treat the symptoms but not the root cause.

The most basic point, with so many mouths, how can we fill them up and afford them?After the protracted battle between Liaodong and the Han army, all kinds of supplies have been seriously consumed. The battle of Liaohe even destroyed a large amount of food and luggage that were exploited and looted from the cities of Liaodong to retreat northward.

Therefore, for the remnants of the Liao army that retreated to Tongzhou, the threat of the Han army in the south was great, but the most urgent crisis lay in food and military supplies.

After retreating to Tongzhou, apart from rectifying the army and strengthening the city defenses to wait for the Han army, Yelu Xiezhen also focused most of his energy on raising military supplies.The situation was already bad enough, but what troubled him the most was this matter, which was an urgent problem that had to be resolved.

For this reason, Yelu Xiezhen also tried his best, and was even more ruthless than before, regardless of the consequences.All the people who fled to Tongzhou, regardless of their status, their property, food and clothing were confiscated. At the same time, troops were sent to plunder, and all the people's food, property and livestock were collected. As long as they could be used, they were gathered in Tongyuan City.

Yelu Xiezhen sent several troops northward and eastward, not only to wipe out the rebellious army, quell the rebels, and try to restore stability in the rear, but also to "collect" food and livestock, so the food was kept outside.

At the same time, the refugees in Tongzhou were also selected, and the able-bodied laborers were incorporated into the army. All the other old and weak women and children were expelled, sent a small amount of rations, and rushed to Shangjing. Life and death were no longer considered.In this way, it also relieved a certain amount of logistical pressure.

There are also some nobles and officials who fled to Tongzhou, and they were also unlucky. The destination of many people was not in Tongzhou, but wanted to flee to Beijing for refuge.However, Yelu Xiezhen refused, not only the people were detained, but also the property, cattle and horses they brought were confiscated for military use.

Under such circumstances, it is conceivable that the hearts of the people in Tongzhou City are scattered and there are many complaints.The most ominous thing was the loss of morale of the army. Even though Yelu Xiezhen had tried to boost it, rewarding the looted gold, silver and jade, it hadn't revived morale.

That is to say, the army sent out to quell the chaos achieved some victories, brought back some captured goods, and let the Liao army have a full meal. Only then did the troops calm down a little.

However, the emotions of failure and despair still spread in the Liao army and shrouded the city, no matter what, they couldn't get rid of it.After the Battle of Liaohe, Yelu Xiezhen's lofty prestige also suffered a major blow. Many people in the Liao army lost confidence in Yelu Xiezhen and did not think that he could lead them to another victory.

The loss of confidence is also the most terrifying.

This year's autumn wind seems to be extraordinarily gloomy and cold. Even though the sky is high and the clouds are light, the entire Tongyuan City seems to be shrouded in a haze.Inside and outside the city, it is very quiet, except for the sound of wind and animals, there are few human voices to be heard.

On the top of the city, the flag of the Liao Kingdom is still flying, but it gives people a feeling of crumbling.The defense of the soldiers was fairly tight, and patrolling Liao soldiers passed by from time to time, but everyone seemed to be restrained by an invisible pressure.

Tongyuan City is not only the last and most important base for Liao Kingdom to defend the Northeast, but at the same time, it seems to have become a cage, restraining Yelu Xiezhen and all the people "kidnapped" by him.

Standing on the city wall, looking around, you can see two rivers surrounded by stretches of farmland, showing desolation and destruction. In the past season, there were birds and beasts chasing it. However, this year, due to the war, the land was abandoned. Birds and beasts are not willing to patronize more.

Yelu Xiezhen stood solemnly at the top of the city, with the desolate wind blowing on his face, chilling his heart, he was not yet forty, but his age was obvious, his hair was pale, even if it was only compared with a few months ago, that Also almost two people.

Failure, especially heart-wrenching and unforgettable failure, is often the catalyst of time. The same is true for Yelu Xiezhen.

Looking at the desolate scene below the city, feeling the gloomy atmosphere in the city, Yelu Xiezhen's eyes were a little blurred, and it was hard to express his mood in words.No one can understand the current situation better than him. The end of the mountain has not yet come, but after all, there is no hope and no way out.In a daze, he even saw the end of himself, Tongyuan City, and the remnants of the Liao Army.

Perhaps, there is still a way out, which is to lead the remnants and retreat westward to Shangjing, but that is destined to be a difficult way, whether it is because of personal face, pride or other things, he has chosen to reject that decision.

Regarding the loss of Liaodong, Liao Emperor Yeluxian still did not blame him. He even sent a consolation edict as quickly as possible after receiving the battle report, and still let him take charge of the Northeast War, coordinate military affairs, and defend the Han army.

Behind this magnanimity and trust, Yelu Xiezhen could clearly perceive the mixed emotions of anger, disappointment and dissatisfaction.

Yelu Xiezhen himself understood that he had no other way, and if he chose to flee back to Shangjing, he might end up with a sinful death.After all, it was already a capital offense to abandon Liaoyang in disregard of the imperial edict before, which eventually led to the great defeat in Liaohe.

The reason why Yeluxian handed over all the military affairs of the Northeast to Yelu Xiezhen was because Yeluxian had already chosen to give up, and Yeluxian, like the huge Northeast, was an object of abandonment and no longer embraced it. hoped.
(End of this chapter)