Chapter 225 Its not enough to rely on the navy alone
The setting sun hangs in the west, hanging in the sky. It can be seen that it is a good weather today. The distant sky is covered with clouds, emitting brilliant and colorful light, falling on the sea, dyeing the sea water red, as deep as blood.
Liao Suzhou Port has been reduced to ruins. The sea breeze became stronger in the evening and the thick smoke cleared, revealing a shocking scene.
Most of the enemy ships were damaged and sunk, with broken planks rippling in the seawater, and corpses floating in pieces. The air was filled with an unpleasant burnt smell, which was blown away by the roaring sea wind.
The Liao army's Luzhai was also affected, and most of it was burned. Faced with the Han army's unreasonable tactics, all their pre-war arrangements failed to work.
The officers and soldiers of the Liao Navy were like experiencing a terrible nightmare. More than half of them were burned to death or bombed to death. Along with their ships, many of them drowned and fled back through the Fu River.
There are only a few hundred people on land.
Even if they managed to survive, every one of them would be in shock, as if losing their temper. However, this was not the end for them. The Han army adhered to the principle of beating the drowned dog, and continued to attack without any relaxation, and Guo Tingwei still had a huge appetite.
It is necessary to swallow up the remaining Liao army stationed near Suzhou Military Port.
Yelv Xiezhen deployed a total of more than 17,000 Liao troops here, distributed dozens of miles from the military port to the city, and built a large number of fortresses and military strongholds between the two places, all of which were used for confrontation.
consume the Han army.
However, the navy was burned to the ground, allowing the Han army to easily lose one of its wings. The county town was also ravaged in the face of attacks from the sea, causing heavy casualties and a serious blow to morale.
At the same time, the Han army stormed the beach and landed. Like a sharp knife, it came ashore and cut in the middle, cutting off the connection between the city and the military port.
The dusk is getting darker, but the sound of fighting between Suzhou City and the military port is still fierce. The Liao army commander in charge of the defense of Suzhou is named Yelu Hai. He is in his prime and is a general with rich combat experience.
After receiving the battle report from the south, the navy was destroyed and the general died in the battle, I was a little panicked, but I quickly adjusted. While facing the indiscriminate bombardment of the Donghai Navy in Suzhou City, I decisively dispatched troops and personally led 3,000 soldiers.
Leave the city and go south.
Yelu Hai knew clearly that the Han army's warships could not sail ashore. Although the kerosene bombs and rockets were extremely powerful, they could not overwhelm the city and pose a fatal threat. In comparison, the Han troops who landed were more threatening.
big.
Of course, his purpose was not to support the Military Port Luzhai, but to open a passage to meet the remaining defeated generals in the south. The previous defenses were just like tofu, and they would break when poked. As a veteran general, Yelu Hai knew that
The only thing left to resist the Han army was the city of Suzhou.
However, defending the city requires people. If the thousands of defeated soldiers from the south can be brought back to the city, it will also be a huge improvement to the strength of the city defender.
The task given by Yelu Xiezhen to Yelu Hai was to defend Suzhou for a month, while he used naval forces to attract the attention of the Han army, with the intention that the north and the south would form horns with each other, so that the military port could be defended for at least twenty days.
As a result, the reality is so bleak.
However, although Yelu Hai was a bit brave, the opponent he encountered, Shi Yande, was not a good opponent. He had rich combat experience and was a veteran who had gone through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He was especially good at fighting tough battles.
In those days, both Pingshu and Pingnan were tempered by mountains of swords and seas of fire. In addition, with the stimulation of the naval army's achievements in front of them, their fighting spirit was even higher.
His mission was originally to cut off the two Liao armies, wipe out the remaining Liao armies in the south, and then attack Suzhou City.
Yelu Hai's proactive attack not only brought pressure to him, but also allowed him to see an opportunity. After sending a force to deal with the desperate and frightened enemies in the south, he decisively led his troops to attack.
An encounter took place more than ten miles southwest of Suzhou City. When the two sides met, it was a life-and-death fight. There was not even too much arrangement. They started fighting when they met, which was almost a chaotic battle.
What Yelu Hai brought were all elite soldiers sent by Liaoyang. There were no Han soldiers. Among them were some veterans who had participated in the Northern Expedition and the Western Expedition. They were also supervised by Yelu Xiezhen, so they were very powerful.
The army led by Shi Yande belongs to the second-line army in Hebei. Although it is not as elite as the Forbidden Army and the frontier army, the quality of Hebei warriors is there, and the equipment is better than that of the Liao army. With Shi Yande taking the lead,
Naturally, he did not fall behind.
This kind of fighting was a little more complicated, and what was fought for was the bravery and will of the soldiers. Although the Han army was in a somewhat uncomfortable state after living at sea for many days, the combat cooperation was still very orderly.
In terms of hand-to-hand combat, the Han army also maintained long-term training in terms of coordination between troops. However, because it had been peaceful for many years, it was difficult to achieve perfect performance in actual combat.
However, actual combat and casualties are also the best way to improve. As the fierce battle continues, these Han army soldiers quickly enter the state and actually bring what they have learned in daily training to the battlefield.
Although Emperor Liu has been worried about peace for many years, and the soldiers will inevitably be slack in returning to Nanshan, but the army at the beginning of the empire's prosperity did not deteriorate so easily. The imperial army built through more than 20 years of war is still
It is strong, the generals have the will to fight, and the soldiers have the ability to die effectively.
On the battlefield, the two armies were fighting with less than ten thousand people. The scene did not look that huge, but the sound of killing was loud enough, the fighting was fierce enough, and the fierce fighting on the front line continued to devour the lives of soldiers on both sides.
After more than an hour of fighting, the Liao army was outnumbered due to their numerical disadvantage. Yeluhai was seven feet tall and powerful, and stood out among the Liao army. He also fought on the front line, holding a shield in one hand.
Holding a knife in one hand.
The sword in his hand has been changed three times, and twenty-one soldiers have died under his sword. Almost every time he swings the sword, the soldiers facing him will lose blood and armor.
However, relying on bravery to lead the Liao army to support the battle, it was difficult to save the overall situation. Fighting on the front line, he could clearly feel the changes in the Han army. The fighting spirit was high and the team cooperation was also improving.
The veteran general on the battlefield has a keen sense of smell. When he senses that something cannot be done, he has the intention to retreat. He personally goes to the rear and leads the people to retreat towards Suzhou City. At the same time, he curses the army in the south and the Han people for being unreliable. The army in the south...
Most of them are Han Chinese.
He fought for so long, but the army in the south didn't seem to have much reaction. There were not many Han troops who landed. If we could attack from both sides, defeat this Han army, and then return to the city to hold on, we would be able to restore morale and increase the number of people who can continue to defend.
capital.
However, the fighting situation did not go according to his ideas.
Shi Yande was staring at Yelu Hai. The bravery of this Liao general was somewhat beyond his expectation, but he did not show off his strength and compete with others. Instead, he always stayed in the formation and directed the battle.
When the Liao army showed intention to retreat, he, who was good at seizing opportunities, immediately attacked them with his men and never let them retreat. He did not feel the threat from the enemy forces in the south, so he allowed him to fight freely.
It was due to their quality that the Liao army's retreat to the north did not turn into a rout. Yeluhai led his troops to the rear, retreated while fighting, and kept returning along the way they came. The Han army, under the command of Shi Yande, clung to it and waited.
When the Liao army retreated outside the city, the last light in the sky quietly disappeared.
The world fell into darkness, but the light did not dissipate. There was a fire in Suzhou City, the city towers were burning, and the huge navy ships at sea spread out wildly and fired pyrotechnic bombs at the city.
Although the firelight did not have the effect of reaching the sky, it was like a beacon, illuminating both sides of the fierce battle. Shi Yande had devoted all his troops to chasing and fighting, but he had never been able to defeat him. In addition to the resilience of this Liao army,
Yeluhai took the lead and was too aggressive.
Targeting this person, Shi Yande also used hidden arrows and shot five sharp arrows himself. However, the effect was not good. One arrow was blocked by the shield, one hit the armor, one was dodged, and the rest were all missed.
When approaching Suzhou City, the Han army's pursuit, under the command of Shi Yande, had already relaxed. At one time, the troops were exhausted from the fierce battle, and at the other, they were worried about sending reinforcements in the city.
The night was not chaotic, it was even a little clear. Looking at the Liao army retreating into the city from a mile away, and the gate that was gradually closing, Shi Yande couldn't help but spit, and the steel knife with a curled blade was inserted into the ground under his feet unwillingly.
.
At this time, he was also sweating profusely, and the smell of blood and sweat was intertwined on his body. The armor covering his whole body loyally protected his master, but it was also full of knife marks and arrow marks. In the final fierce battle, he personally led the charge.
"Let them run away!" Shi Yande said unwillingly.
Of course, he was just talking. After this confrontation, it was obvious that just with his few thousand men, he could not seize the opportunity to invade the city, capture Suzhou City in one fell swoop, and achieve great success. However, this battle
The results of the battle are worthy of recognition. The casualties of the attacking Liao army must be more than half.
"To attack the city, we have to rely on our brothers to fight!" Looking at the naval fleet that had finished its work on the sea in the distance, Shi Yande cursed: "So much ammunition was wasted, and the city is still standing still. It's really
Do you think you can defeat the city with these?"
"General, what should we do now?" a general asked Shi Yande.
Without any hesitation, Shi Yande directly ordered: "Gather the soldiers, retreat south, set up camp, count the losses, treat the wounded. And capture prisoners, no, don't take prisoners..."
"General, killing prisoners is a violation of military law." The military discipline of the Han Dynasty was still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Seeing that Shi Yande was a little over the top, the general reminded him hesitantly.
"The mortal enemies of Han and Liao, why should we be polite to the Liao army? These barbarians have good fighting prowess and must be the enemy's elite. How can we expect them to surrender?" Shi Yande said calmly: "Inform the navy to send military supplies and wounded medicine ashore, and then send troops
Assist to prevent the Liao army from counterattack!"
As he said that, Shi Yande turned his gaze to the south, with murderous intent in his eyes. He would first clean up the remaining enemies in the south, and then break through Suzhou City!
