With the efforts of the Han army, the inner city of Yunzhong became a huge furnace. The flames mercilessly devoured the lives in the city, drying out their flesh and blood, and constantly adding fuel and fire. The screams coming from the city shocked the city. The Han soldiers outside could not help but feel their scalps numb.
The fire burned for nearly a day before it subsided. Under the high temperature, some cracks had appeared on the walls of the city wall. After learning of the situation, Liu Chengyou immediately sent thousands of people, each carrying wooden barrels and containers, to get cold water to pour on them. , and then used chariots and flying stones to hit the city wall violently, causing the inner city to collapse.
However, due to the high remaining temperature, they only kept a close watch, with elite troops arrayed and ready to attack, ready to attack. This fire had the effect of breaking the city and burning the defenders, but it was difficult to completely annihilate them. .
Although the inner city is small, there are always places that cannot be covered by flames. In the central area, Yelu Talie led his people to clear an open space, where thousands of people were huddled.
When the surrounding area was devoured by fire, this area was like an isolated island. In order to compete for the power of survival, the Liao army even had internal strife. When the offensive and defensive battles reached this point, after experiencing countless cruelties and sufferings, Yelu Talie lost his power for the first time. In order to control the army, if it were not for the strict protection of his close friends, he might have died in the rebellion.
It wasn't until dawn on the next day that the Han army entered the city. Even after a night of cooling, the inner city could still feel the residual warmth at this time. As they rushed in, the soldiers' foreheads were involuntarily sweating. It's conceivable. And we know what the scene of the Liao army in the city is like.
When the Han army came to attack, the remaining Liao army basically did not resist. When they saw the Han army, they abandoned their weapons and surrendered. Each one of them was disgraced, in panic all day long, and their mouths were dry. Their only prayer was: He just hopes to be taken out of the city and can't wait to escape from this hell on earth.
Of course, among the Liao troops who were begging for surrender, there were still some outstanding ones, about 700 of them. Under the leadership of King Yelu Talie of the South Campus, they resisted stubbornly. In this regard, the Han army did not have much to say. Immediately exterminate.
At the end of the road, they stubbornly resisted, but they had no more use than adding more casualties to the Han army. The first to enter the city to clear out the city was the Baoning Army led by Zhe Deku, and the general also gave him a lot of favor.
Faced with the resistance of the remnant enemy, Zhe De also showed great respect, that is, leaving no room for mercy and ordered to kill them all. Yelu Talie, who was nearly sixty years old, was not good at fighting, but he still personally raised the issue. The sword supervises the battle, but his mood is full of melancholy. The light of the sword and the shadow of the sword cannot affect his mood. For the sake of Daliao, he can be regarded as devoting himself to death.
It is a pity that all the plots cannot withstand the crushing force of absolute strength. If the external enemy is as strong as this, there will be no peace internally. Death on the battlefield is considered a worthy death.
In the end, after being hit by a stray arrow, Yelu Talie killed himself with a knife, not wanting to be humiliated by his captors. Obviously, during the long years of sinicization, Chinese culture has had an irreversible impact on the values of the Khitan ruling class. This is a subtle change.
When he was dying, he was still thinking about the situation in the country and the situation of fighting the rebellion. As his life continued to pass, he could only hope that the lone eagle hovering in the sky could bring his blessings to the Liao Emperor.
For Yelu Talie, the most regrettable thing was probably that the Haikou boasted in front of Yelu Jing could not be realized. Killing 40,000 Han troops, even including the injured, was less than half of the target.
The final battle ended quickly. Under the slaughter of the soldiers of the Baoning Army, the stubborn resistance only added a bit more blood to Yunzhong City. Moreover, more than two hundred more prisoners were taken.
Stepping on the bloodstains, he walked forward and stood in front of Yelu Talie's body. Zhe Deqing asked, "Is this Yelu Talie?"
The prisoner being held in custody immediately replied in jerky Chinese: "Returning to the general, it is the King of the South Campus!"
Although he has a strong local accent, it is indeed Chinese. He has been stationed in the north all year round and dealt with barbarians, so Zhe Deku understands it. In fact, just by looking at his armor, you can understand his identity.
But Zhe Deqing snorted twice and said contemptuously: "What kind of king of the South Campus is just a thief chieftain!"
However, after taking a few glances at Yelv Tarlie's body, the contemptuous expression on his face subsided. He nodded towards him to show respect, and then he decisively pulled out the sword from his waist. A bright light flashed and blood spattered three feet.
The confidant officer excitedly wrapped up Yelu Talie's head. A joyful smile appeared on Old Zhe De's face, and he said to the Baoning Army officers and soldiers beside him: "Continue to search and suppress the whole city to see if there are any fish that have slipped through the net.
Now that we have beheaded the thief chieftain, the sons and sons have worked very hard, so that I can save face and not fail to speak before the emperor and the generals. I will definitely ask for your merits and rewards from your majesty..."
These words made the sergeants under his command smile and show relaxed expressions. With the death of Yelu Talie, Yunzhong City was completely captured, which meant that the goal of the Northern Expedition was achieved and the war was basically over.
According to past practice, when the war is over, in addition to getting out of the dangerous battlefield and recuperating, there are rewards based on merit. For the soldiers of the Han army, fighting with their lives can only be rewarded with the most practical things such as honor, salary and benefits.
In this regard, the imperial court has always done a very appropriate job.
News of the victory spread, and cheers began to spread from inside the city. A large number of officers and soldiers raised their weapons and shouted for victory. The offensive and defensive battles in Yunzhong were fought cleanly, but they did not hide the hard work.
The nature of the situation, the casualties and losses of the Han army were not small. Now that the city was successfully conquered, the suppressed emotions were naturally released.
Those who feel even more relieved are the civilians who accompany the army. They are the lowest status people on the battlefield. They do hard and dirty work, and their safety is least guaranteed in the bloody storm.
Therefore, for them, the end of the war is like overcoming the tribulation and winning the rest of their lives. The dead will be compensated, and the living will be rewarded. Basically, they can return to their hometowns, and maybe there is still time to plant some grains...
...
After learning that the inner city had been successfully captured, Liu Chengyou seemed very calm in the camp, and just asked the generals to deal with the aftermath. He himself studied a military map carefully and considered it carefully.
With the capture of Yunzhou, the Han Dynasty's defense depth in the north was greatly expanded. Depending on the terrain, a more trustworthy and less expensive defense system could be easily constructed. How to arrange it was something he needed to think about first.
At the same time, Liu Chengyou is considering how to end the process, the status of the Yunshuo states, the administration of this area, who will serve as the military commander, and other matters.
Zhe Deku went back to the camp to ask for an audience, and Liu Chengyou immediately declared his audience.
"Your Majesty!" My father-in-law entered the account with a smile, holding a blood parcel in his hand and presented it: "This is the head of Yelu Talie. I have fulfilled my promise and dedicated it to you!"
Zhang Dejun took it on his behalf, opened it carefully, and showed it to Liu Chengyou. After looking at it for a while, Liu Chengyou was generous with his praise. However, after thinking about it, he said: "I heard that Yelu Talie is calm and wise, and he is trustworthy in rewards and punishments." , was quite popular among the people. During his tenure, he paid taxes and encouraged people to cultivate crops. The people of Yunshuo benefited a lot from him. Although he was an enemy chief, he was still respectable. Since he was dead, there was no need to humiliate him too much. He had to be dealt with by others. The corpse, give it a generous burial!"
"yes!"
In fact, although Liu Chengyou showed some courtesy to Yelu Talie, he did not pay much attention to him. The reason for treating him politely was to appease people's hearts.
Yelu Talie was responsible for the affairs of the southern part of the Liao Kingdom for eight years. He made great achievements and had a high reputation in the minds of the Hu and Han people. At the same time, the Han people in Yunshuo suffered heavy losses during the Northern Expedition. Now that they are back under Han rule, it is inevitable to feel fear.
After all, they had been obedient people of the Khitan for twenty years. The Han emperor could treat a recalcitrant chief with a ceremonial funeral, let alone ordinary people like them. On the other hand, as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he really had no need to treat the corpse. What articles should I write to show my majesty?