Han Shizu

Chapter 894 The suffocating method of siege

On the 11th day of the ninth month in the [-]th year of Qianyou, on the sixth day of the Han Emperor's visit to Youzhou, the war machine erected by the Han Dynasty in Youyan started again, showing its sharp edge, and launched an attack on the Liao army.

According to the consistent tactics of the Han army, in order to organize this wave of attacks, they have made exceptionally sufficient preparations in advance.In the direction of Tanzhou, 130,000 soldiers and civilians were used, with Xiaodi, Husheng, Hebei [-]th Commander, and Yan Army [-]th Commander as the main offensive force, and Murong Yanzhao personally supervised the battle.

On the front line of Juyongguan, An Shenqi personally led [-] people, Fengguo and Xingjie as the main force, cooperated with the Yan army, auxiliary soldiers, and Xiangding, went out of Changping, and went straight to Juyongguan, not for combat, but for persecution and surveillance .

As planned by Chai Rong and others, the basic goal of launching this offensive is only Tanzhou. As long as the nails on this Younan land are pulled out, the initiative of the war will completely fall into the hands of the Han army, and The Han army planned to eat up the [-] Liao troops in one bite.

Facing the active invasion of the Han army, the Liao army also did not choose to shrink back and wait passively. More than 30,000 Liao cavalry rested and reorganized to attack again with the intention of harassing the Han army and attacking the supply line.

But this time, the space for the Liao army to display is getting smaller and smaller, and the Han army has long guarded against this move.More than [-] cavalry were gathered, and even the iron cavalry from the imperial camp were sent out. Under the command of Gao Huaide and Guo Chongwei, they intercepted the Liao cavalry. A huge cavalry battle broke out between the two sides on the plain of Wenyu and Heyang.

In the end, there was no absolute victory or defeat, because Liao Qi took the initiative to retreat before the large forces of the Han army encircled them.The Han cavalry took advantage of the victory to pursue and pursued, and gained a lot. The Northwest Fan cavalry recruited even ignored them. And even bigger.

The northwestern Tibetan cavalry recruited this time consisted of Wenmo, Uighur, Tubo, Dangxiang, and Hexi adherents. They were hired by the court, and they were hired by the court.

However, these people's enthusiasm for fighting is very high, mainly because of the court's reward.When these people arrived in Tokyo that day, they were overwhelmed by the prosperity of Tokyo and the strength of the Han army. At the same time, the imperial court allocated a large amount of funds to reward the army, and promised that those who participated in the Northern Expedition, the casualties, and the compensation would be the same as that of the Han army.And the fan cavalry who aggressively pursued them this time was a member of Zhebu's family, a local tyrant in Liangzhou.

In the Battle of Wenyu River, the Han and Liao did not fight to the end, and ended with nearly [-] casualties on both sides.However, in terms of tactical goals, it was the Han army that succeeded and took the initiative. The Liao army, which had retreated two passes, did not dare to attack lightly, while the main force of the Han army moved northward more calmly to attack the Liao army.

Miyun, Tanzhou is the intersection of Yanshan Mountain and the plain. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and connected by a river. There is only a gap in the southwest.

With the loss of Youzhou, the Liao Kingdom has not relaxed in any way towards Miyun's military in these years, and has gradually strengthened it.Especially during the few years when Xiao Siwen, the Southern Privy Envoy, personally sat in the town, he made a lot of repairs and updates to his military equipment.

Xiao Siwen is a member of the Khitan Kingdom's uncle's family, and is closely married to the royal family. If he has any great talents in the world, it is not enough, but he always gives people a prudent and cautious impression, as stable as an old dog.

In the past few years, although Xiao Siwen was in charge of military affairs and was stationed in Tanzhou, his life was not too easy.On the one hand, there is military pressure from the south; on the other hand, his two sons-in-law have participated in the activities of rebellion and usurpation of power, and while he is in office, he is really worried about being implicated.Fortunately, Yelvjing didn't implicate him, instead he kept him in a high position and took charge of military affairs.

This time, the Han army made a large-scale northern expedition, and Xiao Siwen's performance was quite satisfactory, and he immediately went to Yelujing, saying that the Han army was coming fiercely, and the picture was not small, so he was invited to conquer it himself.That's right, Xiao Siwen was the first minister of the Liao Kingdom to suggest that Yelvjing go on a personal conquest.

To the south of Miyun City, the Han army's company battalion was tens of miles away, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and blocked all key obstacles, trapping Miyun City to death.And the Liao army in the city, under the leadership of Xiao Siwen, has long been ready for battle.

Under the construction of Xiao Siwen, Miyun City is very strong. The city is high and deep, and the food and equipment are abundant. The reserves in the city are enough for the soldiers and civilians to hold on for half a year.Murong Yanzhao didn't have any hesitation about this fortified city and the Liao army who had put up a solid defense posture, nor did he choose any other tactics, just two words: strong attack.

As for the method of siege, the Han army has rich experience and has the right method. It repairs carts, sculls, equipment, and leaps the soil away from the country. Straight to the city wall.

After that, all kinds of sharp siege equipment were put on the table.Although in the method of using troops, the whole country is the top priority, followed by breaking the country;However, since the emperor Liu Chengyou, the big Han has a certain understanding of the law of war. Although the strategy is the most important thing to destroy a city, there is always a time when it is necessary.

As for the method of siege, the big man has spent a lot of effort in these years, in addition to the training of soldiers, it is reflected in various equipment.Thunderbolt cannons, bed crossbows, ladders, and flying ladders are always in stock.This time, to attack Miyun, only 150 thunderbolt guns were prepared. In addition to the [-] kerosene bombs prepared in advance, it was even more difficult to mine mountains for bombs, and tens of thousands of stone bombs were obtained.

Under the city of Miyun, the Han army also carried out a large number of civil engineering projects in advance, extensively reshaping the landform, erecting earthen walls, setting up wide distance mounds, and taking soil to pile up ports as stacking roads.They also set up wooden sheds and set up leather fences to avoid front stones.

All methods are to avoid the enemy's attack on the city as much as possible, and to reduce the loss of the army during the siege through these projects.In fact, these practices of the Han army are very manpower-intensive. If every battle is fought like this, the loss will be too serious.However, under Miyun City, the most important thing for the Han army is people. There are nearly [-] auxiliary soldiers and civilians accompanying the army, who are used to do these things.

In Miyun City, Xiao Siwen and others who had been waiting for the Han army to attack and then killed them felt a threat visible to the naked eye when they saw the Han army's actions.Among other things, the defensive attacking equipment fell into the eyes, like a beast with rough skin and thick flesh, but sharp minions. Although Miyun is strong, it has no confidence to guarantee that it will not be eaten clean.

Facing the progress of the Han army's preparations, Xiao Siwen and Han Kuangmei reacted quickly, and immediately gave up the idea of ​​blindly defending.Had to send people out of the city to harass, trying to destroy the siege equipment of the Han army.

However, the Han army was already prepared for this. If you stay in the city, I will attack the city step by step. If you go out of the city to fight in the field, that is what Murong Yanzhao can only wish for.

As a result, it is obvious that the Liao army attacked more than ten times in a row, but they were all repelled by the Han army, with a loss of more than [-] soldiers.The effect is still there, killing and wounding many civilians and destroying some equipment, but for the Han army, this loss is not worth mentioning.

All the coping and struggling of the Liao army in Miyun seemed weak and futile.By September 23rd, in addition to a series of targeted siege facilities, four wooden roads and earthen mountains were piled up in front of Miyun City under the helpless gaze of the Liao army. Hit the city directly.

The morale of the Liao army in Miyun City was directly weakened by a few percent in preparation for the siege. Although the Han army had not yet formally attacked the city, the powerful and incomparable momentum it displayed was shocking. them.Even the most ordinary guards of the Liao army have a sense of powerlessness in their hearts, that is, powerlessness.

In fact, when a large group of Han troops advanced to the city of Miyun, the battle for the city basically came to an end.In terms of city offense and defense, the Han army has enough self-confidence.

The autumn wind howled, the war drums beat, and with Murong Yanzhao's order, the Han army formally launched an attack on Miyun.Thunderbolt cannons, bed crossbows, and crossbows were launched almost at the same time, and the overwhelming kerosene bombs, stone bombs, crossbow arrows, and bow arrows all attacked Miyun City indiscriminately.

(End of this chapter)