When Fu Yanqing's army finally lost control and marched north, the chaos in Yunzhou was still continuing, but the Liao army's retreat was coming to an end. Yelujing divided the Liao army into three main groups.
A group of 20,000 people returned north first to determine the thoroughfare, open up mountain roads, and smooth the road surface.
The second batch of 50,000 troops, with the main baggage, livestock, and property, Yunzhou was a place where the Liao Kingdom had been operating for 20 years. It was called the pearl on the fortress and was one of the richer areas among the counties and counties controlled by the Liao Kingdom.
Therefore, a large amount of wealth was carried. At the same time, this was also the brigade with the most diverse personnel. In addition to the army, there were also a large number of ordinary people with their families.
Although the government asked them to flee on their own to avoid the war and join the tribes in Saibei Prefecture and County, many people still chose to follow the army in the hope of being protected. Regarding this situation, Yelujing felt helpless and did not order to disperse, but just followed.
Well, as long as you can keep up! At the same time, grant opportunities to the generals of each army. Don't put the army in danger by following the army and the people.
The third batch of Liao troops consisted of more than 30,000 people. They were the most powerful troops. They were the troops to defend the Liao Emperor. Most of the elites gathered here. Yes, the Liao Emperor chose to personally cut off the Yunzhou army's rear. This was a plan to confuse the enemy. After all, it would not last long.
, once the Han army reacted, they would definitely pursue and fight fiercely. Although the Liao army had many livestock and high mobility, they were not returning north lightly, and their marching speed would not be as high as expected.
Therefore, when it comes to withdrawing troops, the most critical and important thing is how to prevent the Han army from pursuing it after it is discovered. To this end, the Liao army has made two preparations. One is that the Liao Emperor personally leads the most elite troops.
With more than 30,000 troops behind the scenes, this was opposed by many people, but Yelujing stubbornly insisted. In his opinion, this was a measure to boost morale and unite the morale of the military.
In addition, Yelujing also recruited all the Han men in Yunzhou and the areas east of it, plus some of the original Han troops, and handed them all over to the command of Han Kuangmei, and returned north together, leaving behind a bunch of old, weak, women and children.
For the Han army, other places cannot be taken care of for the time being, but in and around Yunzhong, Yelujing, even a young man of Han nationality, does not intend to leave it to the Han army.
To this end, the Liao army spent a lot of effort and did not hesitate to resort to force. Because of Yelujing's relocation decree, a large number of Han families were fragmented in the Yunzhou area. This was a very disappointing move, but,
Yelujing couldn't care less about that. Everything that caused trouble to the big man was worth doing.
The other hand was to hold on to Yunzhong City. Although he decided to withdraw his troops, he did not completely abandon Yunzhou. Yelujing left a group of troops to hold on. This was proposed by Yelu Talie, the king of Nanyuan. He said that if
If Yunzhong City is abandoned directly, the Han army can pursue it unscrupulously. Once it is caught in a pursuit battle, the outcome is unpredictable. Even if it can escape the pursuit of the Han army, it is difficult to guarantee the loss.
Therefore, it is better to leave a few elite troops to garrison the city to contain the Han army's pursuit, and then coordinate the evacuation of the army. At the same time, Yunzhong City is strong and will be defended. If it can withstand the Han army's attack, it will delay the attack and pull it away.
If they attack and defend fiercely, they will inevitably withdraw when the Han army becomes exhausted or the food supply is no longer sufficient. In this way, there is even a hope of preserving Yunzhou, even if this hope is very weak.
Yelu Talie was deeply familiar with Han affairs and saw clearly that for the Han army, if they maintained an army of 300,000 people outside the Great Wall and fought fiercely for a long time, the price they would pay would be much heavier than that at Youyan. Logistics
The pressure on supplies is even greater.
Moreover, Yelu Talie suggested that after Yelujing successfully evacuated the Great Wall, a strong force could be left to operate on the front line of the Yinshan Great Wall, and cooperate with Feng Sheng's troops and horses in the northwest to coordinate with the defenders in Yunzhong. If there is God's blessing,
The city can be used to hold on until the Liao emperor has put down the domestic rebellion, the soldiers have been recuperated, and the horses have grown fat. At that time, if the Han army is still there, they can march south again...
Yelu Talie's strategy was to use part of the Liao army to gamble, earn a war miracle, and gain a strategic foothold for the Liao Kingdom in the Yinshan Mountains and south of the Great Wall. After all, Yunzhou was an important support for the Southern Dynasty's border defense.
Point, if it really falls into the control of the Han Dynasty, based on the current development of the situation, it is basically impossible for the Liao Kingdom to get it back.
Yelujing was persuaded by the King of Nanyuan and agreed to his strategy. After choosing the general who stayed behind, Yelvtalie asked him to take over. In response, Yelujing sternly refused at first. Although Yelutalie was older, he
With extremely high prestige and powerful abilities, he is the rare backbone of the Liao Kingdom. How could he be willing to abandon him in a dangerous situation where he would almost die?
However, Yelu Talie strongly requested him, saying that there was no one more suitable than him to control the defense of Yunzhong City. Moreover, if he wanted to defend the city, it would take only capable ministers and good generals to do the job. The emperor always used the imperial army as his army.
After the palace, as the king of Nanyuan, Yunzhou is the territory he governs, and it is his duty to defend it.
Yelv Talie's words deeply moved Yelujing. At the same time, he also understood in his heart that if he wanted to rely on a cloud city to hold back one hundred thousand or even hundreds of thousands of Han troops, he would only need important ministers with great reputation and ability.
Gaoyelul Tarlie is capable of taking up his duties.
For this reason, Yelvjing left more than 27,000 troops for Yelvtalie, the main force of which were Nanshu tribesmen. These people were previously commanded by Yelutalie, plus the soldiers recruited from various tribes who dared to die.
The scholars thought that some of the Hu people in the Yunzhou area were strong and strong, so much so that Yelujing left three thousand Pishi troops for Yelu Talie.
These soldiers and horses are not weak troops, and they have few worries. In the hands of Yelu Talie, with the help of Yunzhong Fort, they can cause major trouble to the Han army. But there is a special thing about it, there are only a few resumes
For innocent Han soldiers, it is obvious that in truly critical moments, national problems will come to the fore, especially when faced with the attack of the Han army. Even if Yelujing has a tolerant attitude, he does not dare to trust the Han people.
In addition to personnel arrangements, there is a large amount of food and grass in Yunzhong City. With special allocation, in terms of supplies, it is enough to supply the defenders for half a year. In terms of weapons, Yelujing also gave great support, and the general scored three points.
All of the armor and weapons were left to Yun Zhong, and some craftsmen with the army were assigned to build weapons for him to defend the city.
On Yunzhong City, the Liao flags were constantly swaying in the cool breeze of early spring. The city was very quiet, with a solemn atmosphere. Outside the city, several huge camps of the Liao army still existed, but they no longer had the same people as before.
There were sounds of animals chirping, and everything was deserted.
It's not that people left the camp. One of the Liao camps was a mess, with cries, shouts, and all kinds of noise intertwined together. But nearly 20,000 old, weak, women, and children who were originally in the city were forcibly moved out.
The city is temporarily guarded.
In the view of the determined Yelu Talie, these people were just a burden if they stayed in the city. They could not play a role in defending the city and only caused trouble. Yelu Talie was not a cruel Khitan minister, but he still ordered people to inform these people, and Ansheng
Stay outside the city and wait for the Han army to arrive. They will help them. This can be regarded as a kind reminder.
In the north of the city, more than 30,000 Liao troops had already set off and were on their way back north. Below the city, Yelu Talie took a group of subordinate generals to see the Liao Emperor off. Yelv Jing took a group of important ministers to bid farewell to him.
The scene is serious and solemn.
Looking at Yelu Talie, who was nearly sixty years old and still wearing armor, Yelujing bowed deeply and said: "I will leave everything to you regarding Yunzhou. Please take care of yourself!"
Yelu Talie acted very calmly and responded: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will lead the troops to resist the Han army and fight until every soldier is killed. If the Guo city is destroyed, then the inner city will be defended; if the inner city is destroyed, the official offices will be defended."
If Yunzhou cannot be defended in the end, then I and my subordinates will surely kill forty thousand Han troops and bury them together before they are destroyed!"
What Yelu Talie said made Yelujing moved again. Noticing his decisive expression, he saluted again. The ministers behind Emperor Liao also saluted greatly to show their respect for him.
Before boarding the underground train, Yelujing looked back again, at Yelu Talie, and then at Yunzhong City standing behind it. The emotions in his heart were extremely complicated. He didn't know what the final outcome of this city would be.
How, I don’t know if there will be a chance in the future to climb the tower as the master again.
After Yelu Jing went north, Yelu Talie returned to the city and went straight to the south city. The thick city gate of the north gate of Yunzhong slowly closed, as if closing the retreat.
"Your Majesty, the Han army is heading north!" The Liao army officer in charge of scouting came to report to Yelu Talie.
Without much emotion, Yelu Talie asked: "How many people are there? Are they all the army? Where is the army? Who is the general who leads the army?"
"There are only a few thousand horses, heading straight into the clouds. The leading general is Shi Yanchao, the general of the Han army. The cavalry in the south are attacking and intercepting them. It is estimated that their distance is less than fifty miles away!"
"Explore again! Find out the situation of this Han army!" Yelu Talie did not make a judgment easily, but ordered calmly. Of course, he immediately ordered to mobilize 10,000 cavalry and leave the city to prepare for war. The Liao army who stayed behind in Yunzhong was still
Mainly cavalry.
On Shi Yanchao's side, after receiving Fu Yanqing's military order, he excitedly led five thousand cavalry and rushed north. Just twenty miles away, Liao cavalry spontaneously came to attack and intercept. However, the Han cavalry led by Shi Yanchao
They were all elite Han troops, well-armed and well-trained, and with a strong general like Shi Yanchao taking the lead, they were naturally invincible. Although the small group of Liao cavalry were equally fierce, they could not resist Shi Yanchao's attack.
Huairen was less than eighty miles away from Yunzhong, even including the twists and turns on the road. He marched all the way north and continuously defeated four groups of Liao cavalry. It only took more than two hours to approach Yunzhong City. After entering the army,
The momentum can be described as sharp.
"General, the Liao army only has a small group of cavalry coming to intercept us. The situation seems to be different!" A lieutenant nearby reminded Shi Yanchao, who was urging the troops to advance.
At this time, the spring sun was setting in the west, and Yunzhong City, dormant in the north, was already in sight. Although Shi Yanchao was impatient, he was a veteran on the battlefield and had extremely rich combat experience. He had already noticed this when he came north.
After asking some questions, he said with certainty: "The Liao army does have something different, and our task is to reveal its true and false intentions!"
With that said, he led the army to continue heading north. At a place more than ten miles south of Yunzhong City, Shi Yanchao finally encountered the first wave of somewhat decent interception, the three thousand Liao cavalry who had already set up their formation.
In this regard, his subordinates expressed their opinions, saying that after such a long time, the Liao army should have known about their situation, but they only sent three thousand cavalry to intercept them, which was probably a fraud.
However, Shi Yanchao laughed: "I am taking you north to break into the hundreds of thousands of Liao army camps. What is there to fear about the Liao army in front of you?"
After saying that, he ordered to change the formation, take the lead, and lead the army to charge forward.
