In the eleventh year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, winter, the first day of October,
Early winter has arrived, and the desolation between heaven and earth is getting worse. The north wind crossing Yanshan has begun to show its harshness, blowing the grass and dead trees in the wild. Outside the south entrance, a hundred thousand soldiers and equipment of the Han Dynasty, who have been rested, are arrayed in an array. In front of the cemetery, they stand solemnly. .
One hundred thousand Han troops were divided into ten military formations. They were neatly organized and majestic, creating a solemn and grand scene. In addition to the army and generals, many local officials in Youyan, as well as the accompanying imperial concubines, princes and ministers, all They are all here in formal attire, with solemn expressions.
A high platform for worship was raised from the ground within three days. Along the steps, the Emperor's ceremonial guards were deployed. Under the gaze of everyone, Emperor Liu Chengyou appeared on the stage in full imperial robes. This was a memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers at Nankou. , the scale was very large, and it was also a political show, but after watching the battle, the morale of the soldiers was somewhat dampened, so Liu Chengyou came up with a way to gather the morale of the soldiers and boost their morale.
The person performing the ceremony was An Shenqi, the king of Chenliu. He was wearing a royal armor gifted by the emperor. His face was solemn. He held a sacrificial text in his hands and read it aloud. Liu Chengyou personally held the incense and solemnly performed the sacrificial ceremony.
Under the altar, a group of people bowed their heads solemnly to show respect. After the ceremony, Liu Chengyou turned around and looked around at the 100,000 people under the altar. Such a mighty and majestic warrior was only a small part of the great strength of the Han Dynasty. Partly, he allowed himself to be driven by himself, but his thoughts actually had some ups and downs. How many heroes and heroes could always stay awake and not lose themselves in such status and glory? Liu Chengyou felt that he was already calm enough.
After steadying his mind and clearing his throat silently, Liu Chengyou opened his mouth and delivered a speech. Liu Chengyou's speech was not long and had three main points. The first was to commemorate the soldiers who fought bloody battles and fought bravely and sacrificed their lives since the Northern Expedition; the second was to reiterate the Northern Expedition. great cause; the third one encourages soldiers to keep up their efforts, make meritorious service to the country, and make meritorious deeds for oneself.
Of course, the manuscript was prepared in advance, and while Liu Chengyou was speaking, the Xuan Wei Lang in the army quickly and accurately conveyed what the emperor said.
All this seems very formal, but in many cases, formal things are very effective in inspiring people's hearts.
Finally, Liu Chengyou raised his arms and shouted, all the inspiring words condensed into one sentence: "The Han army is mighty!"
"The Han army is mighty!"
Deafening shouts erupted under the altar, and everyone shouted at the top of their lungs. Standing in front of the formation, Liu Fang looked very excited, raising one hand high and waving it vigorously.
The mighty voice lasted for a long time, and under the guidance of thoughtful people, it turned into calls of "Long live" and "Ten thousand victories". A faint smile appeared on Liu Chengyou's tense face unconsciously.
After the ceremony, Liu Chengyou made another arrangement. After the Northern Expedition ended, he would set up a town at the south entrance, relocate residents, enrich the population, serve the cemetery, and take care of the heroes' souls to show respect for the meritorious soldiers.
After Liu Chengyou's series of kindness and courtesy, the morale of the Han army was greatly boosted, and the strength of the camp was also rapidly restored.
In comparison, separated by a mountain, the situation of the Liao army was much more miserable. Instead of getting better, there were signs of continued deterioration. The military strength was greatly damaged, morale was low, and people's hearts were in turmoil.
As for the losses of the Liao army, the Han army only made an estimate. The specific details are known to the Han army. Of the 200,000 troops that attacked, only less than 120,000 actually returned to the back of the Pass, and the entire camp was full of wounded soldiers. Because
There was a serious lack of medicine, and many injured Liao soldiers died because they did not receive timely treatment.
Of course, only a few people died of serious injuries, and those who were seriously injured could not come back at all. Even so, there were still thousands of soldiers whose injuries worsened and lost their lives. During this period, the Liao Army arranged several concentrated cremations.
, the morale of the military was hit hard again.
The losses of the Liao army were all-round, not to mention the casualties of the subordinate ethnic groups and servants. The tribal armies of the Liao army suffered heavy casualties. The remaining elite and iron kite troops were all wiped out. The left and right Pishi troops who defended the imperial power also suffered casualties.
Exceeding 10,000 was a huge blow to Emperor Liao.
After returning to Shanyou, the Liao army did not stay long at Juyong Pass. There was no room for more than 100,000 Liao troops there. Except for leaving some of Yelujing's newly assembled troops to garrison Guancheng, the rest of the Liao army rested in Huailai County.
, licking the wound, the more you lick the wound, the more painful it becomes, the kind that hurts your heart.
In fact, Yelujing concentrated all the remaining forces of the Shanyou armies in Huai Lai this time. There are still 130,000 people. However, the defeated army cannot be relied on, even the powerful soldiers of the Liao army.
After responding to the defeated army, Yelujing also took a series of measures to appease the morale of the soldiers, such as giving generous rewards of wine and meat, arranging people to treat the wounded soldiers with all their strength, and personally inspected and comforted the soldiers without any intention of blaming them. Although it played a certain role in maintaining stability,
The serious decline in morale was inevitable. The officers and soldiers of the Liao army on the southern expedition became increasingly timid about fighting and longed to return home.
After such a bitter battle at Nankou, for the Liao Kingdom, let alone the overall situation such as strategy, it has already suffered a serious crisis. For a long time to come, the Liao Army will no longer be able to withstand a major war.
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If it was just a matter of morale, it would not be that serious. The key point is that after this battle, the prestige of the Liao Emperor plummeted, which led to a lot of criticism within him.
Many of the nobles and ministers who accompanied him began to raise objections to the decision to march southward. Among them, the one who made Yelujing the most angry was King Yelu Dilie of Anping, who was involved after all.
A force against Yelujing began to accumulate again. Although it was not enough to shake his throne, there were signs of instability after all. A defeat, a major setback, exposed many problems.
As for the situation that affected his throne, Yelujing seemed very sensitive. He once had the intention to take action, but he held back and did not take action. The enemy was still in front of him, and it was difficult for him to make another setback and act rashly. However, Yelujing still strengthened his control over the army.
Control and restraint.
Fortunately, the military strength controlled by the Liao Emperor was still strong enough to suppress it. During this period, the most important thing he did was to appease the tribal generals, and he spent a lot of energy.
After that, as news of the Han Emperor's memorial ceremony at Nankou came, Yelujing really freed up her energy and began to think about how to face the current situation and how to deal with the still aggressive Han army.
In these days, another strong Han stronghold was erected at the south entrance, staring at Juyong Pass. Li Chongjin, who had occupied Jinshan Mountain, did not stop and sent his Qingqi to attack Huailai. Although the number was not large, it was very rampant and attracted a lot of attention.
The Liao army was shocked.
Regarding the outcome of the battle at Nankou, Yelujing was both angry and regretful. He was angry at Tanzhou for improper defense and the ineffective battle at Nankou, and regretted that he should not have attacked rashly, which made the situation of the Liao army even more embarrassing.
Of course, Yelujing did not fully reveal these emotions, and it was not yet time to investigate the responsibility. However, the noble ministers of the Liao Kingdom, many of whom were smart, could feel it to some extent. The first person to plead guilty to Yelujing was Yeluwuzhi.
But after this battle, Yelujing relied on him even more. Instead of criticizing him harshly, he comforted him with gentle words.
As for Xiao Siwen, he was directly taken down and deprived of all official positions, with the intention of settling the old and new problems together. It was only because Xiao Husi, who was accompanying him, interceded that he was spared.
As for Han Kuangmei, because he was seriously injured in the battle, he was exempted from the blame. Yelujing greatly encouraged him for his loyalty and bravery, and promoted him to a noble title. The more critical the moment, the more important it is to set some examples.
On the contrary, it caused two major defeats at the southern entrance via Tanzhou. Among the Liao generals, Han Kuangmei, a Han minister, became the only minister to receive praise.
In Huailai City, Yelvjing once again convened several close ministers to hold an imperial meeting. He looked seriously and without unnecessary nonsense, said directly: "In the two battles at Tanzhou and Nankou, our army was severely bruised. So far, Daliao has reached a very critical point.
The situation was very unfavorable for me. During this period of time, I thought about it over and over again, made in-depth summaries, and felt a lot.
Although the losses in the Battle of Nankou were heavy, it was not because of the incompetence of the Liao soldiers. Only in the Battle of Tanzhou, tens of thousands of defenders were defeated in one battle. The reason for this has to make us think deeply.
Facts have proved that taking the initiative to attack was not an improper decision, and sticking to the city was only exposing one's shortcomings and allowing the Han army to do whatever they wanted, which was not a good idea!"
After hearing what Yelujing said, Xiao Husi took the initiative and said, "Your Majesty, Tanzhou's defeat is indeed worthy of our warning. I have learned in detail that there are three reasons for its defeat.
First, the Han army had sharp weapons and a large number of weapons for attacking fortresses, but our army lacked the means to deal with it, which allowed them to take advantage of it;
Second, our army was poorly prepared, but the Han army occupied the city and carried out large-scale construction projects without hesitation in the consumption of ordnance. This was the first time since the war between the two countries;
Third, the Han army had strong morale, was well-trained, and attacked with all its strength, regardless of casualties.
Therefore, I believe that the loss of Tanzhou was caused by many reasons. Based on this lesson, Daliao only needs to make all preparations in advance, and the Han army will not be able to easily break through our city again!"
What Xiao Husi said was purely because he did not want to heighten the ambition of the Han army. What he said was reasonable and true, but it lacked some feasibility.
Yelujing sighed and looked around: "After these two battles, our army lost hundreds of thousands of troops. This was an unbearable loss for the Liao Dynasty. Today, the main force of the Han army, 200,000 strong, is still stationed in
Outside the south entrance, the Jinshan Han army is also watching, and the soldiers and horses from Hedong are also out of the fortress to attack Yunshuo. In this critical situation, what adjustments and choices we should make is the most important thing at the moment. What do you have to say?"
After Emperor Liao finished speaking, the ministers looked at each other several times with worried expressions on their faces, but no one responded for a while. Finally, it was Yelu Wu who was still the hostage. He looked at Yelujing solemnly and said: "Your Majesty, I forgive you.
Frankly speaking, after this battle, with the strength in our hands, we will never be able to compete with the Han army in Yan!"