I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 552: The eve of the war! The life-and-death battle between Song and Liao

July 24th, near dusk.

Inside the Liao army camp.

More than a dozen craftsmen were tied up and taken to an open space, where they were beheaded.

after that.

All three of their clans will be sentenced to death by beheading.

They were all craftsmen designated by Yelu Hongji to make firearms.

The limited one-month period has not yet expired.

But they knew they could not complete the task, so they took advantage of the war between Song and Liao to escape.

When Yelu Hongji, who had just been defeated in the battle, learned about this, he became furious and immediately ordered his men to kill them all.

now.

There was a depressed atmosphere throughout the Liao camp from top to bottom.

This was the first battle led by Yelu Hongji himself.

This disastrous defeat was entirely due to Yelu Hongji's inappropriate decision-making.

If he had not misjudged the Song army's offensive strategy, even if the Song army had a chariot vanguard battalion, the casualties would not have been so heavy.

It is not easy to train a soldier of the Pi Shi Army.

Now, eight thousand people were killed and wounded in one battle, which was like a loud slap in the face of Yelu Hongji.

……

Liao camp, inside the central army tent.

Yelu Hongji looked at the civil and military officials standing below and asked, "How should we fight next? Do you have any good ideas?"

After nearly ten breaths of silence, a Liao general stood up.

"Your Majesty, I think we should immediately shrink our defenses and gather all our forces in front of Tanzhou City. If the enemy advances, we will retreat; if the enemy retreats, we will pursue. Only in this way can we be invincible!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a civil servant from the Liao Dynasty stood up.

"This strategy won't work! How is this different from a turtle that sometimes retracts its head and sometimes stretches it out?"

"This is not a war, this is to outlast the Song army!"

"It's a competition of endurance, food, and armaments. But right now our food is not enough to sustain us and the Song army. This strategy can't cause any significant damage to the Song army at all!"

Immediately afterwards, another Liao general stood up.

"I suggest that we turn defense into offense and give full play to our advantages in cavalry and archery to force the Song army to fight us in the field. If they have chariots, we will use fire attacks. If they have firearms, we will use bows and crossbows. In close combat, the outcome will be decided within three days!"

Another civil servant stepped forward.

"This is the work of a reckless man. How can one fight a war so disorganized? A quick victory is exactly what the Song people like!"

"We don't know if the Song army has any other means at the moment. If we attack rashly, we will most likely suffer a disastrous defeat. We cannot afford another disastrous defeat. Once our forces are exhausted, how will we defend? This is the worst strategy that will put us in danger of national destruction!"

"This won't work, and that won't work either! You...you...how do you think we should fight?" A Liao general looked at the civil servant.

"I haven't come up with a good plan yet, but until I have one, keeping my troops still is the best plan!"

"Bullshit! I...I want to beat you up. No matter what I say, you are right!"

"Try to move me!"

……

As they were talking, a quarrel broke out in the tent.

Yelu Hongji's face was dark. After the officials had been arguing for half a minute, he stood up and shouted, "Enough! Enough! Enough!"

Suddenly, the tent became quiet again.

Yelu Hongji looked at Xiao Weixin and Yao Jingxing, the prime ministers of the Northern and Southern Palaces, who had not spoken yet.

"Prime Minister Xiao, Prime Minister Yao, do you have any plan?"

Xiao Weixin and Yao Jingxing looked at each other, then clasped their hands at the same time and said loudly: "Withdraw the troops immediately and abandon Yanyun!"

"what?"

Yelu Hongji couldn't believe it.

After just one battle, the two prime ministers from the north and the south were about to retreat. If it were someone else's words, he would have already wielded a knife and killed someone at this moment.

The other civil and military officials also looked incredulous.

At this time, withdraw troops and retreat from Yanyun.

Their names will be engraved on the Khitan people's pillar of shame.

"What's the reason?"

Yelu Hongji looked at the two of them with eyes that were almost murderous.

Xiao Weixin was the first to speak: "After this battle, the morale of the Song army was very high, and their fighting spirit was soaring, while our army's morale was low, and they were already afraid of the Song army. In addition, we were short of food and grass, and we had no ability to take back Yanyun."

"Losing Yanyun is inevitable, so it's better to just abandon Tanzhou."

"Even if Song wants to attack our homeland after taking Yanyun, it will take some time to prepare. During this time, we can rest our troops, prepare food and weapons, and fight another battle with Song. When we reach our homeland, we will be surrounded by our Khitan people. Whether it is preparing food or resisting the Song people, it will be much better, and we will have a chance of winning!"

"Your Majesty, as long as we have green mountains, we will never be short of firewood!" Yao Jingxing added: "If we use up all our troops now, we will have trouble defending our homeland. The Song army will march straight in, and we will have no choice but to retreat again and again!"

At this time.

A general said, "Your Majesty, we must not retreat! In this battle, we just fell into the trap of the Song army. If we fight again, their chariot formation will definitely not be so useful. In addition, the frequency of their use of firearms this time is much lower than that of Youzhou. They don't have so many firearms. If we retreat, not only will all of us become a shame to the Khitan people, but it will also make the Song even more arrogant!"

"Next, we have to achieve a great victory, which is the only way to save the Liao Dynasty from destruction!"

"Your Majesty, you cannot retreat!"

"Your Majesty, you cannot retreat!"

"Your Majesty, you cannot retreat!"

……

Several generals opposed retreating.

They believed that in this battle, they had fallen into a trap set by the Song army and had not demonstrated their true strength.

Yelu Hongji frowned tightly, unable to make a decision for a moment.

If they risked everything in the war, winning would prevent the invasion of the Song Dynasty, but losing would likely lead the Liao Kingdom into an irretrievable situation.

If we do not fight and make preparations at home, our chances of winning will indeed be greater.

But he still had more than 100,000 troops at his disposal. If he announced his withdrawal, he would probably be known as the "most cowardly" emperor of the Liao Dynasty in the future. Even if he retreated, he might not be able to defeat the Song Dynasty.

Yelu Hongji thought for a moment.

"This is a serious matter. Please allow me to think about it carefully." Yelu Hongji said.

His decision affected the fate of the Liao Kingdom, and he had made a wrong judgment in the first battle, so he had to think about it seriously.

……

And at this moment, in the Song Dynasty military camp.

Officials such as Zhao Zhen, Pang Ji, Fu Bi, Han Qi, and Su Liang were not immersed in the joy of victory in the first battle.

Instead, they were seriously discussing the next battle plan.

Fu Bi looked at the Yanyun map and spoke first.

"Next, we can adopt the strategy of using static to counter dynamic. If Yelu Hongji still maintains the 'triangle army formation', we will specifically attack the Pishi army. If he sends a large army forward, we will disperse our forces and attack slowly. If he retreats into the city, we will begin to prepare for a siege."

"In this battle, as long as we can destroy more than half of the Liao army of 200,000, we will be able to complete the most important step in the mission of destroying Liao."

……

Zhao Zhen and all the ministers nodded.

Fu Bi was best at analyzing military situations. After defeating the Liao army in this battle, the next battle to destroy the Liao army would become a game of "Eagle Catches Chicken".

At this time.

Han Qi suddenly asked, "Is there a possibility that the Liao Kingdom chooses to evacuate Danzhou City immediately?"

As soon as these words came out, the camp instantly became quiet.

From the perspective of the Song Dynasty, the biggest worry at the moment was that the Liao Kingdom would abandon Danzhou and choose to retreat defensively.

This move could buy time for Liao and preserve its strength. If this were done, it would be difficult for Song to fight against Liao.

Pang Ji said: "According to Yelu Hongji's character, it is unlikely, but if he listens to the advice of the civil officials below, it is hard to say!"

At this time, Su Liang stood up.

"To avoid this from happening, I suggest that we write a letter to Yelu Hongji, insulting him and denouncing his various foolish actions since he ascended the throne, asking him to abdicate immediately. This will anger him and will definitely affect his decision."

"It's feasible, it's feasible. Yelu Hongji cares a lot about his face. If we can stimulate him, he will most likely not retreat right after leading the army in person." Liang Shi said.

As an emperor, he led an army to war for the first time and retreated after losing the first battle.

This is not something that an ordinary king can do.

And for Liao, doing so is not necessarily a good strategy.

To retreat meant to wait for a beating.

The financial resources of the Liao court were not enough to support them in a protracted war.

Zhao Zhen also nodded in agreement, and then asked: "Then this letter will be delivered by..."

Zhao Zhen looked at Su Liang and found that Su Liang was looking at Han Qi. He was stunned for a moment, then looked at Han Qi with a smile.

At this moment, everyone else also looked at Han Qi.

Han Qi's mind was confused for a moment, but soon he understood.

He was humiliated in the Song-Xia War.

In the past few years, he has been working hard in the military and political affairs of Hebei in order to avenge the humiliation. Now, giving him a chance to show his face is to help him wash away the shame.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, my colleagues. I will definitely do my best to fulfill your mission!" Han Qi bowed heavily.

……

The next day in the afternoon.

A letter to Liao Lord Yelu Hongji written by Han Qi himself was delivered to Yelu Hongji.

The letter states:

Since Yelu Hongji ascended the throne, he has imposed heavy taxes and excessive killings, causing the people of Liao to live in misery. Now the country is on the verge of collapse.

The Jurchens rose up in rebellion, and many Khitan people also wanted to return to the Song Dynasty.

Now, the Liao army is far from being the enemy of the Song army. In order to reduce the killing and take care of the people's livelihood.

The Song Dynasty persuaded Yelu Hongji to surrender, and after surrendering, he would be treated as a prince, live in Bianliang for a long time, and die peacefully.

……

Tear!

Tear!

Tear!

Yelu Hongji tore the letter to pieces.

"The Song people are too evil. How can I retreat? I will beat them hard! I will make them all my prisoners! Prisoners!"

At this moment, Yelu Hongji was almost in a state of insanity.

Soon, he gave the order.

He ordered the tribal cavalry on both wings of Danzhou to merge into one, add some soldiers, and form a tribal elite cavalry of 50,000 people, and set up a military formation ten miles north of the city gate.

In addition, 30,000 Pi Shi troops set up camp outside the city, ready to charge into the field at any time.

The purpose is obvious.

Use the tribal cavalry to consume the Song army, and then order the Pi Shi army to attack it.

at the same time.

He also ordered people to prepare a large amount of kerosene and rockets to guard against the chariot vanguard camp of the Song Dynasty.

This was obviously a life-and-death battle with the Song army in front of Danzhou City.

……

The next morning, early in the morning.

Zhao Zhen gathered Su Liang and others together.

They did not expect that the "Letter to Liao Lord Yelu Hongji" would have such a strong impact, and it directly made Yelu Hongji prepare for a major battle with the Song army.

Zhao Zhen looked down and said, "My lords, the enemy's defense is very obvious now."

"The 50,000 elite Liao cavalry are like a wall, meant to consume us, while the 30,000 Pi Shi troops are like a knife, waiting to attack us after we are consumed. In addition, they will certainly use fire attacks to deal with our chariot vanguard camp!"

Yelu Hongji still has some strategies.

This kind of formation is equivalent to using 50,000 elite tribal cavalry as shields and 30,000 Pi Shi troops as spears, which can maximize the attack performance of the Pi Shi troops.

He deliberately ordered 50,000 elite tribal cavalry to advance ten miles, in fact, to leave enough distance for the 30,000 Pi Shi troops to attack.

"Next, how should we attack?"

Fu Bi and Han Qi stood up at the same time and said, "Avoid the Pi Shi army and attack the elite cavalry of the Liao tribe."

Recently, Fu Bi and Han Qi slept in the same tent, and they often discussed strategies at night.

The two are so unified.

Apparently he had guessed last night that the Liao army would use this method to switch between offense and defense.

Fu Bi continued, "Yelü Hongji arranged the battle formation this time because he learned from the experience of the last failure, to prevent us from using the chariot vanguard camp to attack the Pishi army again."

"Then we will do the opposite this time. We will attack from both wings and severely damage the elite cavalry of the Liao army. If the Pishi army rushes to the front, we will fight a defensive battle!"

Hearing this, all the ministers nodded in agreement.

The combat effectiveness of the Liao elite cavalry was far weaker than that of the Pi Shi Army, and even weaker than the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty.

Yelu Hongji believed that the purpose of the Song army was to break through the defense of the Liao cavalry and severely damage his Pi Shi army again.

But the Song Dynasty took the opposite approach and focused on attacking the elite cavalry of the Liao Dynasty.

The elite cavalry of the Liao tribe are soldiers from various tribes of the Liao Kingdom. If they are hit hard by the Song Dynasty this time, while the Pi Shi army is safe and sound, there must be problems within the Liao Kingdom.

And this time.

If the Song Dynasty's spies spread some false information within the Liao Kingdom, it would surely cause chaos both inside and outside the Liao Kingdom.

If there is chaos within the Liao court, it will accelerate the demise of the Khitan.

Zhao Zhen said: "Okay, let's do a big fight this time!"

"They used 50,000 troops to consume us, so we dispatched 80,000 troops to counterattack them. This time, the chariot vanguard camp will not rest, and the Dragon Feather Army will not rest. Send 40,000 Hebei Imperial Army, 20,000 Kaifeng Imperial Army, and 20,000 Northwest Imperial Army to resist the enemy!"

"At three o'clock the day after tomorrow, 80,000 soldiers will be divided into four routes, focusing on attacking the elite cavalry of the Liao tribe. Adhering to the principle of 'attack when encountering the elite cavalry of the Liao tribe and defend when encountering the Pi Shi army', let them suffer another major defeat!" Zhao Zhen puffed out his chest and said loudly.

"I obey!" All the ministers raised their hands in unison.

Pang Ji and Han Qi laughed so hard that their back teeth were exposed. The emperor kept his promise and still favored the Hebei Imperial Guards.

This is a battle that must be won.

How much military merit the soldiers below can achieve depends on their respective abilities.

……

An hour later.

The whole army knows that a great battle is coming.

Roar!Roar!Roar!
The soldiers who were in training were shouting much louder than usual.

Everyone's eyes were wide open, and they were very excited.

Military merit is their only chance to change their fate.

now.

The Song army was superior to the enemy in terms of numbers, weapons, and fighting spirit. If they could not fight a good battle, it would be their problem.

Zhao Zhen, Su Liang, Han Qi and others were also very excited when they heard these roars.

In the Song Dynasty military camp.

Everyone is providing fighting spirit, energy, and confidence in victory to those around them...

(End of this chapter)