Compared with the earth-shattering situation on the Tanzhou side, the situation in the direction of Juyongguan was much calmer and more peaceful. Unlike the direction of Miyun, for Juyongguan, the Han army mainly monitored and responded to the Tanzhou side's offensive.
Tanzhou is a place that must be conquered, and Juyong Pass is the eighth pass of Taihang, the most powerful pass in the world, and the situation is dangerous. Compared with Miyun, it is not a bit superior in terms of geographical location. And behind Juyong Pass, the Liao army has gathered heavily and can support at any time if it wants to break through.
, it’s not that easy, and if it doesn’t work even a little bit, things will go wrong.
Therefore, although the Han army also mobilized troops and launched a large-scale attack from Changping, it looked aggressive, but in fact it was very cautious and prudent. Changping was very close to Juyongguan, only about twenty miles away, and the two sides could be said to be under each other's noses.
Therefore, there is no need to set up another supply camp to supply grain, fodder, ordnance. They are all stationed in Changping City. Han Hui, a doctor in the Ministry of War and deputy envoy of the battalion, is stationed and is responsible for arranging and supplying. Han Hui, a "camel camel", also became an official.
For some years now, he has been a rising star in the court. He has been serving in the Ministry of War. He is deeply valued by Prime Minister Wei Renpu, and he teaches and supports him every step of the way.
Of course, this is not only because he is Han Tong's son, but mainly because he is indeed qualified. Although his image is a little bit, he has good knowledge and his ability to do things has been honed in the years at the Ministry of War. This time, he was able to join the Northern Expedition.
He was also entrusted with a key position. As long as he didn't make any mistakes, it would be natural for him to be promoted, receive honors, and gain important positions after returning to the court.
Unlike the Miyun side, the Han army directly attacked the city to encircle it, seize key points, cut off contact, and exert full pressure. An Shenqi's side, with a hundred thousand troops, was as steady as an old dog, and did not even dare to approach Juyongguan City too closely.
Seized the south entrance, but made no further progress.
Similar to the situation in Miyun, in the south of Juyongguan, the Han army also carried out large-scale construction, erecting strong walls and setting up fortresses. It was obviously an attack, but they adopted a defensive posture. At the same time, between Changping and Nankou, they built a
A corridor about ten miles long is a smooth road used to transport grain and supplies.
These actions are very skillful for the Han army, and they are not afraid of wasting the people's strength. Regarding the behavior of the Han army, the Liao army in Yongguan did not completely sit back and watch, and sent cavalry to harass them. However, just like the previous confrontation, there was harassment.
effect, but its effect is minimal.
In fact, under the strong and decisive response of the Han army, they were entangled several times. Once they were stranded or unable to retreat, they had the effect of being surrounded by infantry and cavalry. Therefore, since the Han army left Changping and the Liao cavalry attacked from Juyongguan,
Nearly two thousand people were captured and annihilated.
In fact, not only the Han army, but also the Liao army found out about this battle, and seemed to be completely suppressed. It was completely ineffective to rely on cavalry to attack vertically and horizontally. In terms of field battles, the Han army was completely worthy of the victory.
In a battle, relying on the cooperation of infantry and cavalry, the Han army could completely overwhelm the Liao army.
To give full play to the mobility of cavalry, a small number of soldiers is useless. The tens of thousands of cavalry that the Han court spent ten years training were mobilized to participate in the battle. If there are many soldiers, once they enter the pass, they have to worry about whether they can
They retreated smoothly. The Han infantry might not be able to catch up with the four-legged soldiers, but if combined with the cavalry, the castle, the terrain, and the huge army and manpower, the suppression force against them would be too strong.
Thanks to the strong engineering capabilities of the Han army, a large and strong fortress was built outside the south of Juyong Pass. After the fortress was completed, there was no more movement, and there was no intention to move forward and launch an attack against the Liao army.
Apart from building heavy attack weapons and monitoring enemy passes, there was no other action. As the commander-in-chief, An Shenqi, in addition to controlling the soldiers, paid more attention to the battle situation in Tanzhou, and at the same time led people to inspect the terrain around Juyong Pass.
Praise for its majestic mountains and beautiful scenery...
The Han army in Juyongguan South seems to have come for a "outing", but the scale is a bit large, and the arrival is not good. They attack but don't attack, and retreat but don't retreat, which makes the defending Liao army uncomfortable.
Since the Northern Expedition of the Han Army, the Liao Army has gathered a large number of soldiers and horses in the Juyongguan area, nearly 50,000 people, mainly cavalry, stationed in Guancheng and the Yuanru and Gui areas thereafter.
This area has been a place of struggle for hegemony since ancient times. It has been a key point of defense. For thousands of years, wars have occurred many times. Not to mention, since the Tang Dynasty, the heroes have been fighting for hegemony. The struggle between Hedong and Lulong has basically revolved around this area.
In this area, Li Keyong repeatedly sent troops to attack, intending to capture Youyan through Juyong Pass.
That is to say, Shi Jingtang was too "generous" and gave the Sixteen Provinces to the Khitan. He handed over the mountains and rivers, fortified the passes and dangerous obstacles, and gave them to others, causing huge trouble to those who came after him. Of course, the terrain was a strategic point and was occupied by the enemy.
, but what determines the outcome of a war is hard power.
The commander-in-chief of the Liao army at Juyongguan was named Yelv Cong. He was from the Khitan royal family. He had followed Yelv Deguang to destroy the Jin Dynasty. He was very capable and could predict the strength of the enemy and advance and retreat appropriately. Since the Northern Expedition of the Han army, Xiao Siwen had been responsible for all front-line battles against the Han.
He took the lead and cooperated with each other. Overall, it was quite effective.
However, during the period when An Shenqi's army occupied the south entrance, he was in a very irritable mood. First, the performance of the Han army made him panic and worried, and second, the enemy strategy from the Liao Emperor's palace made him feel anxious.
He is bored.
Yes, Yelucong was opposed to the strategy of "defensive counterattack", relying on city gate defense and depleting the morale of the Han army's frontline troops. When he learned that it was proposed by Yelu Wuzhi, the king of the Beiyuan, he was even more moved.
I was depressed, and I didn’t know why Yelu Wuzhi, who was always known for his wisdom and judgment, would make such a foolish move.
He went to the Wende camp several times to express his opinions and expressed his ideas, but he was turned back and was only asked to guard the city gates. Fortunately, on September 21st, Emperor Yelujing of the Liao Dynasty came east in person to accompany him.
There were also 80,000 Liao army infantry and cavalry. As soon as he arrived, the strength of the Liao army on the front line of Juyongguan suddenly exceeded 130,000.
After hearing the news, Yelvcong couldn't help but be overjoyed. After explaining the defense affairs of Juyong Pass, he flew out of the pass and went straight to Huai Lai, hoping to pay a personal visit to the Liao Emperor.
"I see your Majesty!" In the imperial tent, Yelu Cong successfully met the Liao Emperor and paid homage to him.
"The public is exempt from courtesy!" Yelujing has always been very polite and trusting to such veterans of the Taizong Dynasty.
After ordering someone to serve him milk tea, Yelujing looked at him and asked: "How is the defense at Juyongguan? I heard that the Han army has not launched an attack yet."
Yelvcong nodded and said: "Judging from the current situation, the Han army at the south entrance is just a feint. Their main attack direction is Miyun, Tanzhou. After seizing the south entrance, they build a large defensive fort to block our army.
Their intention to the north of the south entrance is very obvious, I guess they want to gradually remove Daliao's city gates in Yannan from blocking the entrance!"
Hearing what he said, Yelujing looked a little serious. After thinking about it seriously, he looked at Yelucong and said solemnly: "The Duke has written several times about the military strategy and said that the Liao Dynasty should not be used for defense, but should be based on offense.
I’m here also to hear your thoughts personally!”
"I am about to report to Your Majesty!" Seeing the Liao Emperor's attitude, Yelvcong immediately said: "This Han army's Northern Expedition has mobilized more than one million troops. Although its force is fierce, it is unstoppable. The Liao Dynasty is certainly not strong enough to fight head-on with it. However,
If you want to take a defensive position, rely on defense to retreat the enemy, and compete with the Han army for consumption, I really don’t agree with you!”
Glancing at Yelujing, he saw that he was listening attentively. Yelucong's thoughts were clear and he spoke more calmly: "Since ancient times, the southerners are good at attacking and defending cities, while the northerners are good at riding and shooting for hunting. The Liao army mainly relies on iron cavalry.
If a man who controls strings huddles in a city and a stronghold until the Han army comes to attack, wouldn't he be depriving himself of his martial arts skills and taking advantage of his own shortcomings?
The Han army, on the other hand, was dominated by infantry. They fought in formations and in cities. Based on their strengths, they were allowed to calmly approach the city and be fully prepared. However, when they sent troops to attack, they used their strengths to attack our weaknesses, which is really not advisable!
I have heard for a long time that the Han army has strong armor and has prepared a large number of huge siege weapons. If you want to hold on, it will be difficult to protect it. For example, in Juyongguan, although the terrain is in a critical position, the city can be said to be strong, but it does not have many troops, and
It is conducive to defending the north. Now the Han army attacks from the south entrance, but it is difficult for our army to rely on it."
After a slight pause, Yelvcong continued: "Even if our army can hold on and achieve results, the Han army will be unable to advance even an inch. However, if we want to confront them for a long time, it is even worse.
This time, in order to resist the Han army, Your Majesty will mobilize more troops and horses from west to east, and send out 300,000 troops. The daily rations and fodder required by the 300,000 troops are so huge that compared with the Liao army,
How long can today's national power be used to support a large army?
This is not the case with the Han army. Their strength is so great that it is difficult to estimate how long they can sustain it. If we engage in long-term fierce battles and try to tire out the Han army and bring it down, I am afraid that not only will we not be able to achieve our goal, but we will play into their own designs.
....”
Yelu Cong's words were clearly explained in the previous memorial. It was precisely because of this concern that Yelu Jing's attitude changed and he personally led the army.
After pondering for a while, Yelujing asked: "As you said, if you can't defend, you can't defend, but you can attack. How can you attack it? If you face the enemy head-on, can you defeat the Han army?"
In this regard, Yelvcong said: "Your Majesty, the Han army is powerful and talented. It actually mobilizes more than 500,000 soldiers and civilians, which is very prosperous. However, to provide military supplies for these 500,000 people, it takes a lot of effort.
The cost is beyond imagination, and the key lies in the food road! If it can hit its food road, there is no need to fear it if it controls the people. And this is also the strength of the Daliao Iron Cavalry, which should be brought into full play.
The place!"
Hearing what he said, Yelujing frowned deeply, showing a hesitant expression, and responded: "Previously, the cavalry went south to plunder Youyan. The Han and Yan soldiers and civilians tried their best to resist, and fought fiercely for more than forty days. Hasn't it been proven that
The effect was not good and caused considerable losses to our army!"
Regarding this, Yelvcong said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I believe that the failure of the former is that the attacking army was not strong enough. Even so, the damage caused to the soldiers and civilians of Youyan and Han was considered serious.
Your Majesty is now personally leading a large army to hunt south. If you can use a grand strategy to concentrate your strength, attack its food routes, attack its rear, and spread the war to Hebei. By fighting in the plains and entangled with the Han army on this road, how can Daliao be afraid of it?
, also use my strengths to attack their weaknesses!"