Chapter 258 Battle of Liaohe River, singing a triumphant song
The Wuqing County delegation was included, and Emperor Liu, who had returned, sat directly in the tent and accepted the instructions from his ministers who looked relaxed.
"Is there a result? Liaoyang was won?" Emperor Liu was smiling and in high spirits.
"Exactly! The battle situation has been decided!" Liu Xu responded affirmatively.
During the month of Emperor Liu's northern tour, the war in Liaodong reached a new climax after the Han army marched eastward. Both sides stayed on the Liaohe Plain, surrounding Liaoyang, Shenzhou, and Liaozhou. Zhucheng launched a large-scale offensive and defensive battle.
Regardless of the scale or intensity of the war, it far exceeded previous battles. After nearly a month of fierce fighting, the results were finally achieved.
At first, Yelv Xiezhen adopted the method of concentrating his forces and shrinking the defense line, intending to lengthen the front and move the battlefield of the decisive battle in Liaodong to the Xianping and Tongyuan areas in the north.
In the process of preparing the Han army to advance eastward, he did allow him to transfer a lot of military strength, money and food. However, after all, this war was a matter between both parties, and it was difficult for him to allow him to wishful thinking.
The reaction speed of the Han army greatly exceeded Yelu Xiezhen's expectations, and the ability and efficiency in collecting and transmitting intelligence also exceeded his imagination.
The spies from the military intelligence and military ethics agencies learned about the Liao army's unusual movements. Although they were a little surprised by Yelu Xiezhen's boldness and decisiveness, and some couldn't believe it, they still basically judged the Liao army's intentions.
On this basis, Zhao Kuangyin also changed his previous conservative and rigid tactics, and instead took the initiative and chose to attack boldly. The eastern front was commanded by Gao Huaide and supplemented by Li Hanqiong's troops. With a force of 100,000, the Liao army abandoned the defense. Yanyuan City, headed straight for Liaoyang.
Zhao Kuangyin, on the other hand, led the main force of the battalion, abandoned Liaoyang instead of surrendering, turned north, and advanced into Shenzhou and Liaozhou areas. In the process, the Han cavalry, which had been supplemented to 50,000 people, launched a large-scale attack to pursue them. Annihilate the Liao Army.
Previously, the cavalry played little role in the city's attack and defense, and Zhao Kuangyin also spared the use of cavalry. It was basically only used to protect the logistics supply line of the Liaodong Corridor.
But on the Liaohe Plain, the role of cavalry could be fully utilized, and Zhao Kuangyin dared to use it boldly. The rivers on the plains also had little restriction on Han cavalry.
The Liao army in Liaodong was actually based on infantry. Although the Han cavalry was supplemented after the Battle of Jinzhou, although there were more Ban cavalry recruited, the strength of the Han cavalry had already surpassed the Liao army. This gave Yelu Xiezhen plan, causing great obstacles and a major blow.
When the activity range of the Han cavalry spread to Liaozhou in the north, Yelu Xiezhen's northward withdrawal operation completely failed. In the difficult situation of the war and the irreversible decline, he wanted to safely and calmly withdraw the army to the north. It's difficult, not to mention so many people and animals.
The reaction speed of the Han army was surprisingly fast and the execution ability was surprisingly high. For the Liao army, the situation became more and more embarrassing. Faced with such a critical situation, Yelv Xiezhen was naturally unwilling to be restrained and responded positively and took countermeasures.
Yelu Xiezhen also chose his target very clearly, and directly placed it on those Han cavalry who were sharp-edged and unscrupulous. At that time, the only Han cavalry operating in the Yanjin area of Liaobin, eighty miles north of Shenzhou, was the Han general Cao Han led 7,000 Han cavalry. Although it caused great obstacles to the Liao army's operations in the northern part of Liaodong, it also seemed to be a lonely force.
Therefore, Yelu Xiezhen decisively dispatched all the nearly 20,000 cavalry he had reserved in his hands and attacked in two groups. The two sides fought on the east bank of the Liao River. The Han army was outnumbered and the Liao army was outnumbered. They launched a sudden attack, so that the Han army was at a disadvantage. Downwind.
General Cao Han may be brutal in character, but he is very tough on the battlefield. When faced with an unfavorable situation, he showed great tenacity and led his troops to fight vigorously.
Of course, this also lies in the fact that it is very difficult to completely annihilate a group of cavalry on the plains. It took a lot of effort before the Liao army bet Cao Han's army on the banks of the Liao River.
However, Cao Han did not fight alone. After hearing the news, the Han cavalry who were fighting in the Shenzhou area rushed to support them. Other Liao cavalry who were entangled with them were also ordered to join the battle.
As a result, a counterattack launched by Yelv Xiezhen gradually evolved into a cavalry battle. More than 80,000 cavalry from both Han and Liao sides were engaged in a series of large and small battles in an area of hundreds of miles in Shenzhou and Liaozhou. fighting.
Moreover, this was just the beginning. Zhao Kuangyin's army in the south, which was marching towards Shenzhou, was convinced. Without hesitation, he sent Ma Renyu and 50,000 infantry and cavalry to the north along the Liaohe River and marched alongside the waterway for support.
In this regard, Yelv Xiezhen also made up his mind and sent troops to harass and delay. However, the Han army relied on the advantage of water transportation, and the Liao army was unable to completely cut off support.
It took Ma Renyu's army three days to rush to the battlefield, and the main force of the Liao army was also assembled in place under Yelu Xiezhen's dispatch. On the shore of the Liao River fifty miles southwest of Liaozhou, the Han and Liao sides launched a battle A forced decisive battle.
On the frontal battlefield, the Liao army, under the command of Yelu Xiezhen, concentrated nearly 70,000 infantry and cavalry, and the Han army was slightly smaller, with more than 60,000 people. If the cavalry battle outside the main battlefield is added, the number of horse and infantry troops participating in the battle increased. There were nearly 180,000 people there.
For this battle, Yelv Xiezhen tried his best and put in all the combat-ready troops he had accumulated after the Battle of Jinzhou. He did not want to make such a gambling decision, but helplessly, the Han army's sword was already ready. If you don't take the initiative to ask for a fight, you will eventually be trapped and squeezed to death by Zhao Kuangyin's oppression and encroachment.
However, as far as Zhao Kuangyin is concerned, you have already exerted your full strength, and I am still able to handle it with ease. Under his control, the Han troops camping in the camp were continuously sent through the Liao River for support.
If there is any major mistake made by Yelv Xiezhen, it is that the battlefield was chosen on the shore of the Liao River, but this was not determined by his personal wishes.
Therefore, when the Han army on the front battlefield exceeded 100,000 people, the Liao army could no longer support it. This battle lasted for a total of thirteen days, and finally formed a battle between you and me, and you among me. In the melee, the Liao army was helplessly trapped in it, unable to extricate itself.
In the end, it was the Han army that relied on its stronger troops and more abundant supply support to win the Battle of Liaohe, while the Liao army ended in a complete defeat.
By July 28, when the defeat was irreversible, the Liao army retreated without support. This retreat was a rout.
On the front and auxiliary battlefields, the Liao army suffered more than 30,000 casualties and more than 10,000 prisoners. The rest were routed and had no way to escape. In the end, Yelu Xiezhen did not return to Liaozhou, but fled directly to Yinzhou (Tieling) east of Liaozhou. Following him, there were only a little over 20,000 troops left, and even with the Liao army cavalry being taken in one after another, the number was less than 30,000.
On the Han army's side, after such a fierce battle, casualties were inevitable. However, thanks to sharper weapons, better protection, and being the victorious side, the casualties were well controlled, and in the end the casualties added up. It was less than 20,000. Among them, Cao Han's army suffered the heaviest loss, which was reduced by more than half.
In fact, the Liaohe River Battle completely established the situation of the Liaodong War. This battle was also the most powerful counterattack that Yelv Xiezhen could launch to face the Han army's invasion. However, due to the Han army's stronger strength and more powerful In response, he failed miserably.
In the Battle of Liaohe River, the Liao army suffered heavy losses, and it was considered that it had lost the capital to counterattack the Han army in the end. Since then, the Liao army has no troops to deploy and no food to levy in Liaodong and even the Bohai area. From the vast area south of Yinzhou , they could only let the Han army attack them.
As for Yelu Xiezhen's plan to retreat northward and defend Tongzhou in anticipation of a counterattack, it was aborted. Instead, he suffered a huge defeat in the process of execution.
Especially in Shenzhou, which was used as a transit point for the northern evacuation, most of the supplies failed to be transferred successfully and were trapped in the city. In fact, when the Battle of Liaohe River was in full swing, Yelu Xiezhen had already received a message from Shangjing. Yelvxian's order was not to abandon Liaoyang but to defend it.
However, by that time, it was already irreversible. Yelu Xiezhen paid for his decisive and bold decision. As a result, the Liaodong war was in ruins and it was difficult to recover.
Perhaps, following Liaoye Luxian's order, concentrating all efforts to defend Liaoyang without any additional thoughts would have resulted in another outcome, at least not defeat so quickly or so miserably.
But the final result would not be too optimistic. What Yelv Xiezhen could imagine was to concentrate his troops, be surrounded by the Han army, and have another "Jinzhou offensive and defensive battle".
However, when fighting in the past, choosing to be trapped has always resulted in giving up the initiative. Without foreign aid, it will only lead to self-defeat, and it is impossible to escape the final outcome of defeat. Moreover, due to the same concerns, Liaoyang is more difficult to defend than Jinzhou.
Perhaps Yelu Xiezhen also saw the hopeless ending and took such risky measures, including launching the Liaohe Battle, which was also a sign of wanting to break the situation, but he failed.
In the final analysis, the strength gap between the Han and Liao armies is too great. The Han generals have too many cards to play and many choices. As long as they are clear-headed and don't make mistakes, no matter what Yelv Xiezhen's plans and plans are, Plans are all meaningless struggles, and they all seem so weak.
The Battle of Liaohe only fast-forwarded the battle in Liaodong. After that, the three most important Liao cities from the southwest of Yinzhou, Liaoyang, Shenzhou, and Liaozhou, were all under siege by the Han army.
Liaozhou was empty and simply surrendered. Then Shenzhou, under siege by Zhao Kuangyin's main army, only lasted for three days and was defeated. Only Liaoyang, as the capital of Tokyo, did not have time to withdraw from Liao general Yelu Hai. This is also a tough nut. , and will fight to the death.
There were only more than 14,000 Liao troops under the command of Yelu Hai. He also gathered all the men and women in the city to help defend the city. Of course, this was destined to be a battle between trapped beasts.
Facing the siege of Gao Huaide's 100,000-strong army, it only lasted ten days before being defeated. What Emperor Liu received this time was the good news of regaining Liaoyang.
After Liaoyang, the most mature areas developed by the Liao Kingdom in the Northeast will also be in the hands of the Han Dynasty, which also means that the Liao Kingdom's rule over the Northeast region has officially entered the countdown. The Han army can use the Liaohe Plain as a base to continue to calmly advance to the Northeast.
Chasing and annihilating the remnants of Yelv Xiezhen.