On September 15, the eleventh year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, on the sixth day after the Han Emperor visited Youzhou, the war machine set up by the Han Dynasty in Youyan started up again, showing its edge and launching an attack on the Liao army.
According to the consistent tactics of the Han army, in order to organize this wave of attacks, extremely sufficient preparations were made in advance. In the direction of Tanzhou, 130,000 soldiers and civilians were mobilized, with Xiaodi, Husheng, Hebei Thirty Command and the Yan Army
Twenty commanders were the main offensive force, and Murong Yanzhao personally supervised the battle.
On the front line of Juyongguan, An Shenqi personally led 100,000 people to serve the country, with Xingjie as the main force, and cooperated with the Yan army, auxiliary soldiers, and villagers to leave Changping and approach Juyongguan, not for fighting, but for persecution and surveillance.
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Just as Chai Rong and others planned, the basic target of launching this offensive is only Tanzhou. As long as this nail in the land of Younan is removed, the initiative of the war will completely fall into the hands of the Han army, and
The Han army planned to eat those 40,000 Liao troops in one bite.
Faced with the Han army's active invasion, the Liao army also did not choose to sit back and be beaten passively. More than 30,000 Liao cavalry who were resting and reorganizing attacked again, intending to harass, delay the Han army, and attack the supply line.
But this time, the space for the Liao army to display its performance was getting smaller and smaller. The Han army had long been on guard against this move. More than 35,000 cavalry were concentrated, and even the imperial cavalry troops were sent out.
, under the command of Guo Chongwei, intercepted the Liao cavalry, and a huge cavalry battle broke out between the two sides on the plains of Wenyu Heyang.
There was no absolute winner in the end, because the Liao cavalry took the initiative to retreat before a large number of Han troops encircled them. The Han cavalry took advantage of the victory to pursue it, and made a lot of gains. The recruited Northwest Tibetan cavalry did not care and rushed forward.
When they arrived at the Juyong Pass, they were ambushed by the Liao army and more than a thousand of their horses were lost. If the veteran general Guo Chongwei had not personally led the rescuers, the losses would have been even greater.
The northwest Tibetan cavalry recruited this time were composed of Wenmo, Uighur, Tubo, Dangxiang and Hexi survivors. There were a large number of them. They were hired by the imperial court. They only had a rough training and then followed the Han army to the north.
However, these people were highly motivated to fight, mainly due to the rewards from the imperial court. When these people arrived in Tokyo that day, they were impressed by the prosperity of Tokyo and the strength of the Han Dynasty. At the same time, the imperial court allocated a large amount of resources to reward the army.
He also promised that for those who participated in the Northern Expedition, the casualties would receive the same pension as those of the Han army. The Fan cavalry who ventured into pursuit this time were the local tycoons from Liangzhou who broke away from their families.
In the Battle of Wenyu River, the Han and Liao did not fight to the end, and ended with nearly 10,000 casualties on both sides. However, in terms of tactical goals, the Han army succeeded again and took the initiative. The Liao army, which had withdrawn from the two passes, no longer dared to move out lightly, and
The main force of the Han army moved northward to attack the Liao army more calmly.
Miyun in Tanzhou is the junction between Yanshan Mountain and the plain. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and connected by water. There is only a gap in the southwest, which is an important passage connecting the southern and northern parts of the country. It is also an important gateway to Youzhou.
Even with the loss of Youzhou, the Liao Kingdom did not relax its military control over Miyun in these years, and gradually strengthened it. Especially in the years when Xiao Siwen, the Southern Privy Envoy, was personally in charge, a large number of repairs were made to its military equipment.
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Xiao Siwen was a member of the Khitan Kingdom's uncle's clan, and was closely married to the royal family. If he was said to have any great talents, he was not a great man. He just always gave people the impression of being prudent and prudent, as steady as an old dog.
In the past few years, although Xiao Siwen was in charge of military affairs and was in charge of Tanzhou, his life was not very easy. On the one hand, there was military pressure from the south, and on the other hand, his two sons-in-law were involved in plotting to rebel and usurp power.
activities, and while he was in his position, he was really worried about being implicated. Fortunately, Yelujing did not implicate him, but instead kept him in a high position and in charge of military affairs.
This time, the Han army launched a large-scale Northern Expedition. Xiao Siwen's performance was quite satisfactory. He immediately went to Yelujing and told Yelujing that the Han army was coming in force and that his plans were not trivial. He asked him to personally conquer it. Yes, Xiao Siwen was the number one.
A minister of the Liao Kingdom who suggested that Yelujing go on a personal expedition.
To the south of Miyun City, the Han army camped for more than ten miles, blocking all key obstacles and trapping Miyun City. The Liao army in the city, under the leadership of Xiao Siwen, had already been prepared.
Miyun City, built by Xiao Siwen, is very strong. The city is high and the pond is deep. The food is abundant and the weapons are sufficient. The reserves in the city are enough for the soldiers and civilians to hold on for half a year. For this strong city, the Liao army has done enough to defend the city.
, Murong Yanzhao did not hesitate at all, nor did he choose any other tactics, just two words: attack by force.
As for the method of siege, the Han army was experienced and had its own methods. They repaired chariots and oars, equipped with equipment, and moved away from the country with earth. First, they filled the ravines with thousands of bags of earth and rocks, so that the Han army could use their weapons.
Go straight to the city wall.
After that, all kinds of sharp siege equipment were put on the table. Although in terms of military use, the whole country is the best, and the destruction of the country is second;
Everyone has a certain understanding of the methods of attacking a city. Although strategy is the top priority when destroying a city, there will always be times when it is necessary.
In terms of siege methods, the Han Dynasty has spent a lot of effort over the years. In addition to the training of soldiers, it is also reflected in various equipment. Thunderbolt cannons, bed crossbows, cloud ladders, and flying ladders are all in stock. This time,
To attack Miyun, 150 thunderbolt cannons alone were prepared. In addition to the 3,000 kerosene bombs prepared in advance, they also had to mine the mountains for bombs, obtaining tens of thousands of stone bombs.
At the foot of Miyun City, the Han army also carried out a large number of civil engineering projects in advance, massively transforming the landform, erecting earthen walls, setting up wide ridges, and taking earth piles to form stacked roads. They also built wooden sheds and set up leather fences to avoid
Sharp stone.
All measures were taken to avoid attacks by the enemy troops on the city as much as possible, and through these projects, the losses of the army during the siege were reduced. In fact, these actions of the Han army were very manpower-consuming. If every battle
If they fight like this, the losses will be too serious. However, under Miyun City, the most important thing for the Han army is men. There are nearly 80,000 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 kill them, felt a visible threat when they saw the Han army's actions. If nothing else, it was a defensive attack.
When the instrument fell into the eyes, it looked like an evil beast with a rough scalp and thick flesh but sharp claws. Although Miyun was strong, he had no confidence that it would not be eaten clean.
Facing the Han army's preparations for the attack, Xiao Siwen and Han Kuangmei reacted very quickly. They gave up the idea of defending blindly for the first time. They had to send people out of the city to harass and destroy the Han army's siege equipment.
However, the Han army has been prepared for this. If you huddle in the city, I will attack the city step by step. If you go out to fight in the city, that is what Murong Yanzhao can only dream of.
The result is obvious. The Liao army attacked more than ten times in a row, but was repulsed by the Han army, with a loss of more than 3,000 soldiers. The effect was still there, killing many civilians and destroying some equipment, but for the Han army
To a large extent, this loss is not worth it.
All the responses and struggles of the Liao army in Miyun seemed weak and in vain. By September 23, in addition to a series of targeted siege facilities, four wooden roads and earthen hills were standing helplessly in front of the Liao army.
Under the watchful eye, they piled up in front of Miyun City, and the Han army climbed on it, and their bows and crossbows could directly hit the city.
Due to the preparations for the siege, the morale of the Liao army in Miyun City was directly weakened by several percent. Although the Han army had not officially attacked the city, the unparalleled momentum it displayed was intimidating.
They, even the most ordinary Liao army guards, have a sense of powerlessness lingering in their hearts, that is, powerlessness.
In fact, when the large forces of the Han army advanced to the foot of Miyun City, the city battle basically came to an end. The Han army had enough confidence in the attack and defense of the city.
The autumn wind howled, the war drums beat, and with Murong Yanzhao's order, the Han army officially launched an attack on Miyun. Thunderbolt cannons, bed crossbows, and crossbows were launched almost at once, overwhelming kerosene bullets, stone bullets, crossbows, bows, and arrows.
