When talking about Liaodong, the Liaohe River is an unavoidable point. This largest water vein in Liaodong region nurtures the civilization of this land, and the plain is named after it. Of course, the water conditions of the Liaohe River during this period were not good, and floods
Frequent.
As the political, military, and economic center of the Liao Kingdom in the northeast, Liaoyang City was not on the edge of the Liao River, but on one of its branches, the Dongliang River. If the Han army successfully advanced and reached the foot of the Dongliang River, it might be possible to use
"Battle of Dongliang River" was used to name that battle.
Liaoyang in summer is less dull and much cooler than the world in the south. After a heavy rain, the growing heat was eliminated, and the pressure from the Han armies from the west and south was temporarily relieved.
However, this was just a brief pause in the fierce battle. It is conceivable that after the short rest, the Han army's offensive will become more fierce. Under the pressure of the Han army's two-pronged attack, the Liao Kingdom defended Liaodong's situation.
Still serious.
The Liaohe River area can also be regarded as a place of great beauty. It is sandwiched between two hills in western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning. The terrain is dependent on Jinzhou in the west and Chenzhou and Yaozhou in the south.
Jinzhou is less than three hundred miles away from Liaoyang, and Yaozhou is less than two hundred miles away from Liaoyang. Once you cross these two gates, you will be bounded by a vast plain, and the entire Liaohe Plain will become a garden for the Han army to gallop.
Therefore, in order to defend Liaodong and Tokyo, these two passes are must-win areas for the Liao army and must not be given up easily.
In the yamen of the Liao Dynasty left behind in Tokyo, Yelu Xiezhen stood in front of the huge palace with a solemn face, and a heavy cloud shrouded his resolute face. The burden related to the rise and fall of the country and even life and death was on him, bringing about
The pressure was extremely heavy. He had a set of countermeasures in mind for the defense of Liaodong, but the progress of the war was still somewhat beyond his expectation.
According to his previous arrangements, the focus of defense was on the Jinzhou front line, which was also the main attack direction where the Han army's forces gathered. However, with the defeat of the southern peninsula, he had to shift his attention to the battle on the southern front.
.
Yelv Xiezhen knew the strength of the Han navy and did not have high hopes for relying on the southern army to withstand the Han attack, but he did not expect that it would be defeated so quickly.
In Yelu Xiezhen's plan, the war to defend Liaodong would turn into a tug-of-war, a war of attrition, delaying time, consuming the Han army's troops, money and food, waiting for a good opportunity to counterattack.
Even the defensive barriers of Jinzhou and Liaodong Peninsula are not impossible to throw away when necessary, but they cannot be thrown away like this. The counterattack time for Yelu Xiezhen's target is set in winter, but it is not yet midsummer. If the two portals are like this
If they were so lost, even Yelu Xiezhen would not have the confidence to be able to resist the Han army for four or five months on the open and flat Liaohe Plain. Even if he could, it would be doubtful whether he would have the strength to fight back by then.
When the news of the defeat in the south came, Yelv Xiezhen was very angry, but after learning the specific process, he couldn't help but remain silent. Of course, he could see that the root cause of the defeat was still a problem with his defense layout.
He also had no idea that the Han navy would be so powerful, and that water warfare would have such an impact on land warfare. The form of the war seemed to have changed as a result, and he was caught off guard.
"Your Majesty, Shangshu ordered Xiao Siwen to lead the army from Shangjing!" The report from his subordinates interrupted Yelu Xiezhen's train of thought.
After hearing this and coming back to his senses, Yelu Xiezhen took a deep breath, suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and ordered: "Please come quickly!"
In the vestibule of the official office, it was still a scene after the rain. The ground was not dry yet, and the fallen leaves and mud looked a little messy. Yelu Hai lowered his head and knelt there silently. After arranging Chenzhou's defense, the Han army temporarily stopped.
After the offensive situation, he hurriedly returned to Liaoyang and apologized to Yelu Xiezhen.
Xiao Siwen, who was walking by under the guidance of his staff, noticed Yelu Hai at a glance and asked, "What's going on?"
Yelu Hai was a general under Yelu Xiezhen, so Xiao Siwen naturally knew him. His staff briefly explained the situation, and Xiao Siwen's expression suddenly darkened.
The situation in the Liaodong war seems to be a little bad!
During the period when Yelvxian succeeded to the throne, Xiao Siwen was somewhat high-spirited. He was promoted and promoted, sweeping away the decline and decline of the previous ten years. At the same time, he controlled the Youpishi Army and became one of the most powerful figures in the Liao court.
Moreover, he was still pushing Emperor Liao to marry his brilliant third daughter Xiao Yanyan, with the intention of becoming the head of the state and further consolidating his power. However, at this time of national crisis, Yelvxian was focused on resisting the invasion of the Han Dynasty and had not yet agreed.
"You stay outside the hall, I'll go see the King of the South Campus!" Before entering the hall, Xiao Siwen ordered in a deep voice to a young general who was following him.
"Yes!" This general's name is Xiao Taolin, and he is the nephew of the Xiao Siwen clan.
Obviously, Xiao Siwen's pride could not be brought to Yelu Xiezhen. When he saw Yelu Xiezhen, he was still polite. Regarding Xiao Siwen's arrival, Yelv Xiezhen was both surprised and expecting.
Sitting down to talk, Xiao Siwen said: "The Han army is suppressing the territory with strong troops. Your Majesty is concerned about the situation in Liaodong and has sent me here to reward the king and the soldiers and bring some support!"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!" Hearing this, Yelu Xiezhen looked slightly relieved and asked, "I wonder how many soldiers and horses the minister has brought with him?"
"Not many, 30,000 cavalry!" Sensing the urgency hidden in Yelu Xiezhen's calm tone, Xiao Siwen replied: "Ten thousand Youpishi cavalry, and another 20,000 infantry of all ethnic groups! His Majesty said, Tokyo
The defense requires infantry even more, and His Majesty has mobilized all the infantry from around Shangjing!"
Yelu Xiezhen's frowning eyebrows relaxed a little, and he responded: "The minister ordered me to come here to help me out of my troubles!"
Xiao Siwen said seriously: "I heard that we suffered a defeat in southern Liaoning?"
Yelv Xiezhen did not hide it at all, and said directly: "It was a disastrous defeat. Not one out of ten of the more than 20,000 naval and army troops I deployed in the south was left. It was my carelessness and did not pay attention to the benefits of the Han army's navy! As a result, the Han army easily moved northward.
Knock on the dust and shine in the two states!"
Xiao Siwen also lived in Liaodong and knew the geographical situation here very well. His expression became more solemn and he asked: "If this is the case, the situation in Liaodong is very critical. Does your Majesty have any solution to the problem?"
Yelu Xiezhen said in a deep voice: "At present, the Han army is attacking the pass in two directions, and its strength has reached more than 300,000. The Jinzhou side is under fierce attack. Brother Yelu Xiu is defending very hard. In the past half month, there have been more than 3,000 casualties.
, I have added five thousand soldiers to support the defense.
The problem still lies in southern Liaoning. All the elite troops were lost in the First World War. Although Chen and Yao cities were re-defended, the blow to morale was too great. Tokyo has exhausted its weapons, but not many can directly go into battle. Liaoyang can
Only less than 50,000 people were mobilized, half of them were cavalry, and the pressure of the various states had to be taken into account! In order to resist the Han army, they had already resorted to aggressive military tactics, and people's hearts were very unstable. The Jurchen and other tribes also heard the news and needed to be on guard...
"
From Yelu Xiezhen's words, we can feel the pressure that is like Mount Tai. Xiao Siwen's military talent may not be outstanding, but he is a knowledgeable man. Therefore, he directly said: "The 30,000 troops and horses I brought are at your disposal."
Dispatch! I will also give my full support to the king and prepare to fight against the enemy!"
"Shang Shuling Gaoyi! I would like to thank you!" Yelu Xiezhen stood up and said solemnly. In fact, Yelv Xiezhen was dissatisfied with Xiao Siwen's speculative behavior during Yelvxian's succession to the throne, but at this time
Jing was also a little moved by his statement.
Seeing this, Xiao Siwen quickly left his seat and returned to say: "At this time of national crisis, we can only work together to tide over the difficulties!"
Yelu Xiezhen nodded. He also knew in his heart that Xiao Siwen led the army. In addition to providing support, he also had the intention of supervising the army.
Walking to the map, Yelu Xiezhen said: "Originally, I planned to pass through Jinzhou and the cities in southern Liaoning, drain the strength and morale of the Han army, set up obstacles at every step, and lure the Han army to go deeper. However, the progress of the war was somewhat unexpected. In Liao,
Nan's failure had a huge impact. Now we have to strengthen our defense forces and stabilize our defense!
Now, the war in Jinzhou is raging, and the military situation in Chen and Yao is urgent. There is no room for loss in these two places, and they need to withstand the Han army for at least three months!"
"In my estimation, the Han army has made such a breakthrough in southern Liaoning. Next, it will definitely send more troops through the sea route and strengthen the attack on the southern route. Therefore, while holding on to Jinzhou, it needs to strengthen the defense in southern Liaoning. Now Chen Yao Er
The state only has a garrison of more than 15,000 soldiers, so it must be strengthened!"
Xiao Siwen nodded and expressed his approval. Of course, he did not have the power or ability to interfere in military decisions, even though he suffered a tragic defeat under Yelu Xiezhen's arrangement.