Iron Kites, just like its name, the men and horses are covered with armor, the dark background reflects the cold light, and releases a dangerous atmosphere. Three thousand Liao army heavy cavalry, divided into ten squads, gathered like arrows, straight They attacked the front stronghold of the Han army.
Because the distance is not enough and he is carrying heavy armor, it is not easy to increase his speed, and his momentum is difficult to reach a high point, but even so, the momentum brought by the attack is still shocking.
The Qianzhai Zhazhai that was holding firm had been destroyed by the Liao army's continuous attacks and was unable to form a solid formation. It was difficult to provide reliable support. Taking advantage of the gap between the attacking Liao soldiers and the dispersal of the Liao soldiers, Han Lingkun seized the time to replenish his soldiers and adjust the formation. , prepare for the next wave of attacks.
Watching the heavy cavalry attack of the Liao army, his face changed drastically, and hot sweat broke out on his forehead. In an emergency, he issued several orders: "The crossbowmen retreated, the shield soldiers came forward, the spearmen stood up, and the remaining Pull up all the frames for me!"
Under Han Lingkun's order, the Han army's response was not slow, and could even be described as positive. However, after the former's long-term fighting, the soldiers in the front camp suffered heavy casualties, with more than 2,000 soldiers killed directly. , coupled with the decline in mental strength, in such a state, adjustments will inevitably be made.
In fact, Han Lingkun once tried to withdraw the sergeants on the front line of defense and replace them with a group of fresh troops, but he failed to implement it. First, the battle was fierce and anxious. The Liao army did not hesitate to casualties and launched fierce attacks without stopping. It doesn't give much chance to adjust at all.
The second is that a hasty retreat is likely to cause the entire defense line to loosen and even lead to a rout. As a result, Han Lingkun could only constantly dispatch officers and soldiers to fill in, forming a situation of adding more troops and adding fuel to the fight.
Behind, the stone bombs and kerosene bombs from the Han army were still flying, high above the Han village, circling, and with strong force, they hit the Liao army outside. This kind of attack with difficult to identify the target can The damage caused was actually not great. As for the blow to morale, it has to be said that the Liao army came well prepared and was on the offensive, so the effect was not good.
The heavy cavalry of the Liao army galloped with strong hoofs and feet, and the dull sound of hoofbeats, one after another, seemed to be stepping on the heart of the Han army in the front camp. Many soldiers' faces turned pale and their lips trembled because of this. Not only was their energy severely exhausted, , is also a manifestation of fear. The Han army is also a human being, made of flesh and blood, and will be afraid in such a battlefield situation.
Before Han Lingkun's defenses were fully in place, the Iron Kites suddenly came forward. A wave of crossbows hit him intensively, causing some damage, but in the end they were in the minority. In terms of heavy cavalry assault, this The Liao Army was obviously well-trained and highly experienced. If the former failed, the latter would follow.
Facing the Han army's chariot, shield and gun formation, they did not attack head-on. Instead, they focused on weak points and joints to attack, and the attack was effective. Without entanglement, soon the attack became tough and unmatched. With great force, they penetrated into the Han army's formation and directly broke into a distance of one mile.
Under such an offensive rhythm, although the Han soldiers in the front camp tried their best to resist, they fought hard for a long time. No matter how capable they were, they finally failed and fell into a collapse situation. The Liao army's heavy cavalry wanted to achieve the effect of breaking the formation. , successfully implemented.
In the rear, seeing the effectiveness of the heavy cavalry assault, more than 10,000 cavalry took advantage of the situation and advanced, then retreated to reorganize the infantry. Their morale was also boosted, and they then attacked with cavalry.
As a result, the Liao army directly devoted its offensive force to the front stronghold, broke through 20,000 infantry and cavalry, and successfully broke through the stronghold. The Han army, on the other hand, looked like a rout in chaos.
The front camp was also divided into three camps. The northernmost front camp fell directly. The soldiers were divided and had their own warriors. More of them retreated in embarrassment and spread to the middle and rear camps. As the commander-in-chief, Han Lingkun, in this kind of situation
Seeing that the situation was irreversible, we chose to retreat, wanting to abandon the front camp and occupy the middle and rear camps to re-establish our position.
Such a choice cannot be completely denied, but the consequences are almost fatal. With his retreat, the entire front village felt like it was crumbling under the rapid attack of the Liao army.
On the tower of the Chinese army's stronghold, An Shenqi had been climbing high to watch the battle since the fierce battle began. He also issued emergency orders, dispatched adjustments, and sharpened his troops to defend against the enemy. He kept an overview of the performance of both the offensive and defensive sides. The ferocious offensive of the Liao army made his
His old face was always tense and extremely serious. When he saw the critical situation in the front village, he finally couldn't help it and cursed: "This Han Lingkun, what is he doing! Twenty thousand people can't hold a strong fortress!"
As he spoke, he quickly went downstairs with quick steps. Luo Yanxuan, who was in charge of the Chinese army's defense, followed closely and said in a serious tone: "The Liao army's offensive is fierce and continuous. Our army hastily joined the battle to respond to the enemy, which is unsatisfactory.
Now that the front stronghold is in chaos, we should immediately deploy troops to support and bring order to the chaos, so as to contain the Liao army's offensive. Otherwise, once the front stronghold is completely destroyed, the situation will be irreversible and our army will be in danger!"
"You and Han Chongyun guard the central stronghold!" An Shenqi ordered in a cold voice, and immediately led the already assembled 3,000 Chinese soldiers and horses and 500 heavy armor to the forward stronghold.
At this critical moment, as the commander-in-chief of the army, An Shenqi showed great ability to take on the responsibility. The front camp and the back camp were in turmoil, with people running around and animals running around, and there was a lot of noise. He urgently killed hundreds of scurrying people.
The people had just restrained themselves. In the back camp, An Shenqi personally made arrangements to stabilize people's hearts and strengthen a line of defense on the original basis.
Han Lingkun led his men to retreat directly to the rear camp, which had not yet been completely dispersed. He was followed by hundreds of soldiers. When he saw An Shenqi personally leading his men to support him, he looked happy and stepped forward quickly.
His steps were fast, and An Shenqi's movements were even more agile. He didn't look like a sixty-year-old man at all. He swung the whip and struck Han Lingkun three times in a row. The whip hit Han Lingkun's face, knocking him unconscious.
An Shenqi stared at him fiercely, pointed to the north, spitted and said angrily: "The soldiers are still fighting bloody battles and tenaciously attacking the enemy. As the commander of the army, how dare you abandon the camp and retreat with your back on the army?"
!”
Facing the furious An Shenqi, Han Lingkun opened his mouth and wanted to explain something. However, the severe pain on his face prevented him from speaking for a while, and his tear ducts were a little out of control.
Looking back to the north, the sound of killing was still fierce and the Liao army's offensive was still vigorous. However, although the Han army was defeated, it was not able to take advantage of the situation and penetrate the Han stronghold in one fell swoop. From the front camp to the back camp, there were Han soldiers and civilians running scattered, but there were still
Some sergeants reorganized on the spot and resisted desperately, drawing the Liao army into positional warfare again.
Among them, two generals played a key role. One of them, Liu Tinghan, was a general under An Shenqi. He also belonged to the Hebei frontier army. He was promoted by him in Chai Rong in his early years. This time, he and Han Lingkun resisted in Qianzhai.
At the time of the collapse, he was also affected. However, during the attack of the Liao cavalry, he actively rallied the soldiers and shouted, "Don't mess up, don't disperse. If you mess up, you will die, if you disperse, you will die." He personally picked up the sword and carried it with him. They killed the Liao army that was advancing southward.
In such a chaotic situation, there was no backbone. With Liu Tinghan taking the lead, many Han troops immediately gathered around him to regroup and fight against the Liao army.
The other officers and soldiers of the Han army were also infected, and they gathered together to fight against the Liao army. These people were all well-trained people who had experienced the hardships on the battlefield. They knew that if they collapsed completely, they would only fall into the trap of being chased and killed by the Liao army. , a situation where they are left to be slaughtered, so even if they are at the end of their strength, they still muster up the courage to resist, not for the sake of the overall situation, but for survival.
The other person was the veteran general Wang Yin. During this Northern Expedition, Emperor Liu Chengyou finally gave him a chance to join the army. Based on his qualifications, he assigned 3,000 Hebei Prefecture soldiers to his command.
When the defeat was overwhelming, Wang Yin's approach was similar to Liu Tinghan's, gathering soldiers and resisting on the spot. Instead of being in danger step by step and being slaughtered by others, it was better to fight hard and fight for life.
Wang Yin's will is particularly resolute. His participation in the Northern Expedition is his last and best opportunity to clear his name and earn blessings for his descendants. If he loses in this battle, the responsibility will certainly not lie with him, even if he saves his life in the end. , he will spend his later years in desolation. Instead of doing this, if he fights to the death, even if he dies in battle, he can still be treated like a martyr and protect his descendants.
Therefore, when Wang Yin held a determination to destroy the cauldron and sink the boat, the energy that exploded was astonishing. The veteran general who was nearly sixty years old, holding a sword in his hand, took the lead and killed the Liao army in succession. He was traumatized and seemed to be unconscious, but his fighting spirit was still high. It seemed that he had returned to the scene eleven years ago, when he followed the army to attack Du Chongwei, and the arrow hit his head and broke the cluster in his mouth.
The heroic and fearless performance of Wang Yin, a veteran general, was very morale-boosting. The soldiers around him were all deeply affected and resisted bravely.
In this way, under the leadership of Liu Tinghan, Wang Yin and other generals and officers, although the Han army in Qianzhai was defeated, it showed great resilience. Of course, it was also driven by the desire to survive.
The officers and soldiers of the Han army, regardless of their organization, gathered individually and resisted on the spot, forming small formations with thousands of soldiers and hundreds or even dozens of soldiers to fight against the Liao army.
The situation on the battlefield, in this desperate fight, fell into a state of complete chaos. Not only the Han army, but also the intruding Liao army. The cavalry assault ability that the Liao army relied on suffered a huge blow. Weakened and contained, it was impossible to charge forward. As for the Liao cavalry, the Han army focused on cutting the legs of the horses, gradually dragging the Liao army into a chaotic battle. However, many Liao soldiers simply dismounted and fought, fighting and fighting indiscriminately. Into a pot of porridge.
Han Lingkun was beaten and scolded by An Shenqi. The pain on his face was not as good as the shame in his heart. He didn't say anything more. He saluted An Shenqi and said: "King Chenliu is here. I have no worries!”
After saying that, he took his hundreds of Xiong'an soldiers and turned around and rushed back to the north, gathering the defeated soldiers along the way and killing those who had completely lost their ambition without looking back.
An Shenqi also sent 500 heavy-armored infantry troops. These people are a fresh force. Gods can kill gods when they stand in the way, and Buddhas can be killed when they stand in the way of Buddha. They are extremely sharp.
He personally took charge of the rear camp and stopped moving. He mobilized his manpower and continued to set up fortifications in front of the camp, arranging formations and digging holes. He did not relax at all and did not dare to waste the time that the soldiers in the front camp fought bloody battles to buy him.
At the same time, troops and horses were mobilized from the Central Army and Youzhai to support. An Shenqi knew very well that although a chaotic battle interrupted the Liao army's offensive rhythm, with its superior strength, it could easily defeat the Han soldiers in the front village.
The army grinds to death.
Xingjie Army Shi Shouxin also received the order to retreat, and with his men, he retreated towards Zuozhai. The restrained Liao Cavalry refused to let go easily, but after several rounds of bow and crossbow attacks, they successfully got rid of it. However,
The thousands of Hebei frontier cavalry continued to stay outside the stronghold, fighting and fighting with the Liao cavalry.
Later, on the basis of ensuring defense, Shi Shouxin also sent troops to support the frontier village. In this way, the Han army showed a posture of outflanking the Liao army in the frontier village.
After learning about the battle situation in the stronghold, Yelu Cong, a member of the Liao army, couldn't help but sigh: "I knew the Han army was strong, but I didn't expect it to be so tenacious. It is actually a powerful enemy of the Liao!"
However, I am deeply moved. Faced with such a situation, there is no reason to be timid. The forces in my hands are still very strong and the troops are abundant. Then I mobilized the troops into the camp to participate in the battle, and ordered the Liao troops in the camp to regroup and attack, so as to get rid of the chaos as soon as possible.
Get out of the fight.
He also divided his troops into 20,000 troops each to attack the left and right Han strongholds without attacking, to contain the other Han armies, and sent an additional 10,000 cavalry to encircle and suppress the annoying Hebei frontier cavalry.
Afterwards, Yelvcong ordered to move his central army command forward to encourage the Liao army's soldiers. Instead of weakening, the Liao army's attack continued to strengthen.
The melee in the front camp of the Han army lasted for another full hour and a half. With the continuous input of troops from the Liao army, the Han army took the initiative to retreat. The front camp and the middle camp were all abandoned and retreated to the rear camp.
In the middle camp, An Shenqi ordered firewood and grease to be piled up, and a big fire was set to stop his pursuit.
There were originally about 20,000 Han soldiers and civilians, but less than 8,000 survived, and almost everyone was injured. The Liao army reorganized their formation and continued to attack, hoping to defeat the Han army in one fell swoop and invade the central army.
However, in front of the rear camp, An Shenqi took personal command and arranged his troops to prepare for the attack. The Liao army, which was on top, rushed forward and fired their bows and crossbows, shooting down a large area.
The newly assembled heavy cavalry wanted to follow the example and attack again, but in front of the Han army's formation, there were horse traps and hook locks, and they had to face a neat formation of guns, shields, chariots, and a row of crossbows.
Even men and horses can be shot through.
After losing more than 200 cavalry, Yelvcong no longer dared to attack the Iron Harrier Army like this. The Liao army's offensive was truly contained after breaking through the Han army's front stronghold.
Faced with this situation, Yelu Cong did not back down. He once again gathered his infantry, carried shields and carts, and approached the Han formation. Under the cover of bows and arrows, he still wanted to fight at close range. Because of the lack of troops, he even ordered some Liao soldiers to dismount and pick up
The Han army's shields and other defensive weapons followed and continued the attack.
When the cavalry had to fight on foot to attack the formation, it can be seen how far the Liao army was forced. Faced with the Liao army's style of fighting, which completely ignored casualties, the pressure on the Han army was huge. Even An
Shen Qi could not help but be shocked. He had no other choice and led his soldiers to resist tenaciously.
The battlefield was a millstone of flesh and blood, continuing to devour the lives of soldiers on both sides. From the dawn of the battle until noon, the shouts of killing at the south entrance did not stop. Although the Liao army's offensive was fierce, it was still under the effective command and tenacity of the Han army.
During the battle, he blocked his attack.
The Liao army directly committed 50,000 soldiers to attack the stronghold. While causing heavy damage to the Han army, it also suffered heavy casualties. However, being blocked in the front and back camps, it was impossible to break through the Han army no matter how hard it was to advance.
defense and attack its army.
Under such circumstances, Yelvcong had no intention of slowing down the offensive. He gave all the troops dead orders, neither giving the Han army a chance to breathe, nor giving himself a chance to relax.
Until, another huge Liao army came out of the Victory Gate. In fact, the Victory Gate was not far from the south entrance, and the Liao army had already moved in place and was ready to attack.
However, Yeluwuzhi was not in a hurry to attack. He only sent people to pay attention to the battle situation. It was not until noon that he ordered the assault. At a distance of more than ten miles, the cavalry arrived in an instant. When Yeluwuzhi led 70,000 Liao cavalry, they rushed from the side and rear.
At the southern entrance, everyone from the commander to the soldiers of the Han army was frightened.
Only then did An Shenqi understand why the Liao army coming out of Juyong Pass was so crazy. The real killer move was at the point of victory. Knowing the size of their troops, An Shenqi had to admit that he was still careless.
If the Liao army's proactive attack was expected, then it was unexpected for them to mobilize such a powerful force to eat them.
With Yeluwuzhi's attack, the Han army in Nankou also entered the most dangerous moment.