The Jinzhou offensive and defensive campaign ended with the Han army's complete victory. It started in early April and ended in mid-June. It took more than two months. For this reason, both Han and Liao sides paid huge casualties.
The Liao army's troop deployment in Jinzhou was initially only about 20,000 soldiers, with an additional 5,000 troops added in the middle. After the Battle of Yaozhou, Yelu Xiezhen added another 20,000 troops, plus some auxiliary soldiers and civilians. The Liao army invested in garrison forces before and after Jinzhou.
There are nearly 70,000 people, as well as a large amount of food, baggage, and weapons.
However, the Liao army that finally succeeded in escaping the Han army's pursuit with Brother Yelvxiu and successfully evacuated had less than 5,000 infantry and cavalry. The rest, except for a few who escaped and disappeared, most of them died in the battle, and there were not many prisoners.
Excluding the previous entanglements and fighting, as well as the fierce offensive and defensive battles, the day when the city was broken caused the greatest casualties. This was true for the Liao Army and the Han Army. Of course, when the Han Army was completely in control of the situation, there were some unnecessary casualties, many of which were unnecessary.
The soldiers were unable to escape from the brutal battle. They did not have time to sheath their swords, and without any discernment, they focused on killing people, causing the city of Jinzhou to be filled with blood and rivers.
In the end, it took three days to clear out nearly 50,000 corpses from the city, pile them up into mountains, and collectively bury and burn them. The stench full of evil atmosphere polluted the air throughout Jinzhou...
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The Liao army suffered all casualties, and most of the casualties were elites from Liaodong. The ordinary army could not stand up to the Han army in such a fierce offensive and defensive stalemate for so long.
Of course, the battle losses paid by the Han army were also high. In the Battle of Jinzhou, more than 16,000 corpses were left behind. On the day the city was broken, the number of soldiers exceeded 5,000. Moreover, all those who participated in this battle also
They were the Forbidden Army, the elite of the frontier army, Longqi Army, Xiaodi Army, Husheng Army, Pinglu Army, Shimen Army and other armies. Each of them suffered from injuries, especially the Pinglu Army under the command of Ma Renyu, which suffered from injuries.
If some fights outside Jinzhou are included, the number of soldiers killed would be even more. Because the attack and defense in Jinzhou were too fierce and cruel, and the death rate was extremely high, the proportion of casualties was far higher than any war initiated by the Han Dynasty in the past.
According to the final statistics, by the time Jinzhou was captured, the casualties of the Han army on the western front exceeded 30,000, not counting the strong civilians who supported the front line. There were also many injured soldiers who died before they could receive treatment.
, there were also some who died due to serious injuries. This was despite the deployment of thousands of military doctors in the camp and the preparation of a large amount of wound medicine.
The cruelty of war is vividly reflected in Jinzhou. The price paid by both Han and Liao due to the Battle of Jinzhou also profoundly explains the saying that one general's success will lead to thousands of bones drying up.
However, although the price paid is high, it is worth it for the Han army, not to mention the damage done by the Liao army far exceeds that of the Han army. With the size of the Han army, it does not matter if tens of thousands of people are lost. As long as you are willing,
It can be replenished at any time, and there is no need to even drop it from the rear. There is sufficient reserve power among the various types of troops on the front line to replenish it.
The tactical victory has been achieved, but the strategic value is even greater. After Jinzhou is defeated, there is a vast plain to the east. There is no danger to defend. The distance to Liaoyang is less than 200 miles, except for a few rivers.
There were no obstacles, and with the Han army fully occupying the advantage of water and land transportation, it was naturally a smooth road for the Han army to march eastward to Liaodong.
Jinzhou's gains and losses are related to the entire Liaodong war situation, and even the victory or defeat of the entire Northern Expedition. Once hundreds of thousands of Han troops are allowed to enter Liaodong unobstructed, the situation faced by the Liao army will be beyond description.
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Liaoyang, the political, military, and economic center of the Liao Kingdom in the Northeast, will be directly exposed to the attack of the Han army. If Liaoyang is lost, the Liao Kingdom's rule over the entire Northeast will be shaken.
During the Han-Liao War, the Han Dynasty had been secretly communicating with some tribes in the Northeast, such as the Jurchens, Shiwei and even the Bohai people. Although those who were dissatisfied with the rule of the Liao Kingdom took some actions, they always maintained a simple attitude.
He was shrewd and did not get involved rashly. This was due to Yelu Xiezhen's vigilance and suppression, and also because the Han army had not made any major progress before.
When the Han army entered Liaodong, they did not need to take any more actions. As long as they approached Liaoyang City, it would send a signal to many foreign tribes in the Northeast that the Liao Kingdom was in doom. It is foreseeable that in this situation, those who are waiting to see the situation will
The developing tribe can no longer restrain its restless ambitions.
The greatest significance of the Battle of Jinzhou is to move the whole body with one move, and to take the initiative and completely control the situation of the Han-Liao War.
After conquering Jinzhou, under the command of Zhao Kuangyin, the Han army did not take too many actions. They were not impatient and did not advance rashly. They pretended to break the city and advanced into Liaodong.
On the contrary, they sought stability again, just like when they first went north, reorganizing their troops and horses, recuperating their soldiers, replenishing their weapons and supplies, and at the same time repairing Jinzhou City and turning it into a new base for advancing into Liaodong.
The reason for this approach is also very simple. After the bloody battle in Jinzhou, the soldiers really need a certain amount of time to rest and recover, and the hot weather factors in midsummer also need to be taken into consideration, and the huge losses previously need to be replenished.
More importantly, with Jinzhou in hand, the gate of Liaodong has been blasted open, and the strategic initiative is in his hands. All the previous pressure and anxiety have dissipated invisible. In terms of using troops, Zhao Kuangyin will be more calm and comfortable.
Therefore, within half a month after capturing the city, all the Northern Expedition armies on the East Route entered a period of rest. After passing through the two major battles of Yaozhou and Jinzhou, the Liaodong war situation returned to silence.
During this period, Zhao Kuangyin only sent a few lines of cavalry eastward into Liaodong, as far as the Liaohe River, directly establishing contact with the naval forces on the eastern front. With the open door of Liaodong, the Han army could gallop easily.
Compared with the calmness of the Han army, the Liao army was extremely sad. The bold move in Yaozhou achieved miraculous results, reaped the fruits of victory, and alleviated the dangerous situation.
However, this joy only lasted for twenty days before the Han army responded mercilessly. You fought in Yaozhou, and I attacked in Jinzhou. It was a powerful and fatal blow.
Even Yelu Xiezhen couldn't help but become optimistic after the Battle of Yaozhou, and even generously gave Brother Yelu Xiu reinforcements of 20,000 troops. Given the previous offensive and defensive situation in Jinzhou, many nobles, officials, and generals of the Liao Kingdom were concerned about
I was relieved to hold Jinzhou, and I even felt that I could plan a counterattack against the Han army.
Therefore, when the news of the fall of Jinzhou came, even Yelu Xiezhen couldn't help but knock over the teacup, and it took a long time to recover.
It’s not that I hadn’t considered the fall of Jinzhou before, but it shouldn’t have been a fall like this, and it shouldn’t have been a fall at this time. The unexpected fall caught Yelu Xiezhen off guard and disrupted all his arrangements for the Liaodong war.
In comparison, Yaozhou's previous victories seemed bleak.
While the Han army was resting, Yelv Xiezhen certainly did not sit still and wait for death. Even though the Han army did not continue to exert pressure, he had a strong sense of urgency and made emergency adjustments.
All defense focus was placed on Liaoyang City in Tokyo. He knew that the Han army did not have much time left for him, and would not leave him more time.
As for Jinzhou's defeated general Yelv Xiuge, Yelu Xiezhen was not severely punished. He was only demoted and retained in office, so that he could serve his crime and make meritorious service. On the contrary, he was privately praised for his previous performance.
When autumn came, after resting in Jinzhou for nearly twenty days, as the 30,000 cavalry recruited by the imperial court were added to the front of the army, 300,000 infantry and cavalry marched eastward and advanced into Liaoyang.
The shift of the center of gravity of the battlefield to Liaoyang also represents the advancement of the Liaodong War and the Northern Expedition to the final stage.