Shi Yanchao's sacrifice was still valuable. Kang Zaiyu was finally able to lead the remaining army and successfully escaped southward. Although the Liao army also won the victory, they were exhausted after such a hard night battle and suffered many casualties.
Xiao, so he did not pursue deeply, but withdrew his troops and returned to camp to rest and recuperate.
The Han army was already extremely exhausted, and their mental and physical strength were exhausted. If it were not driven by the desire to survive, they would not even be able to escape. However, when Kang met again, he noticed the situation of the Liao army and stopped in time.
, gather the officers and men, and withdraw them in order to prevent the elite cavalry of the Han Dynasty from completely turning into stragglers.
After retreating to the entrance of the Great Wall, they felt the darkness and got a chance to breathe. Even so, in order to reduce their attention and avoid attracting possible Liao army pursuers, they did not even dare to start a fire. After a little inventory, they successfully followed Kang Zai
When encountering the Han army fleeing south, there were only less than a thousand horsemen, and most of them were wounded.
After such a short rest, several officers and soldiers fell off their horses, but they were too exhausted and no longer knew it. The remaining people, except for a period of panic, were all drowsy.
Seeing this embarrassed image, Kang Zaiyu couldn't help but lament in his heart, since the Northern Expedition, have all the Han armies been as miserable as this one? At the same time, he secretly cursed Shi Yanchao, you went there happily, he took this with him
If the remaining soldiers are defeated, how can they have the dignity to return to camp?
Of course, no matter how much negative emotions you have, you don't dare to show them in this situation. You have to try your best to appease the soldiers and urge them to continue to withdraw southward. The entrance of the Great Wall is still close to the Liao army and it is not a place where they can stay for a long time. They should leave immediately.
"General, look!" Just as he was about to leave, a junior officer exclaimed.
Looking around following the sound, they saw several lights flickering on the mountain road to the south, undulating towards them. The other Han riders couldn't help but wavered when they saw this, and subconsciously clenched their knives.
"Is it another Liao army ambush?"
"Shut up! If the Liao army was ambushing the army, the killing general would have come long ago! There are not many people coming, more like sentinels!" Sensing the instability of the army's morale, Kang Zaiyu scolded him, quickly made a judgment, and ordered:
"Everyone be careful and prepare for battle! Listen, no matter who comes, anyone who dares to block our way will be killed by me!"
Kang Zaiyu's performance effectively stabilized the soldiers. At least everyone still had a backbone. However, in the end, they became nervous in vain. It was Yang Yejun who came from the north.
As for Yang Ye, he set out about an hour later than Shi Yanchao, but by the time he caught up, the delay was far behind. Although Yang Ye was anxious, he controlled his emotions forcibly, unlike
Like Shi Yanchao, he galloped forward quickly. Although he increased his speed, he had to give the soldiers and horses enough rest time every hour. Even so, they had to walk for a while before arriving at Jiaoshan Pass.
However, Shi Yanchao's army was still not seen, and he immediately judged that Shi Yanchao had marched overnight. Yang Ye couldn't understand why Shi Yanchao had the confidence to march at night, cross the Great Wall, and climb the mountains.
Therefore, Yang Ye was even less optimistic about Shi Yanchao's situation. While sending sentries and cavalry to continue northward to investigate, hoping to get in touch with Shi Yanchao's army, he temporarily rested at Jiaoshan Pass. However, at that time, Shi Yanchao's army had already fallen into a breakout.
in a deadly battle.
When Kang Zaiyu led the remnant army and joined Yang Ye's army, even the defeated soldiers couldn't help but express the joy of surviving the disaster. As for Kang Zaiyu, his eyes almost shed tears.
Yang Ye ordered to rest on the spot. He sent people to investigate and arranged for defense. At the same time, he distributed rations and drinking water to supplement the forbidden cavalry who had survived the bloody battle. He also asked accompanying military medical officers and soldiers who knew basic medical treatment skills to help heal their injuries.
Yang Ye himself took Kang Zaiyu and helped him heal his injuries. At the same time, he asked Shi Yanchao and the situation of the war. The defeat was an obvious thing. What Yang Ye wanted to know was the course of the war and the situation of the Liao army.
.
In fact, when faced with the inquiry from Yang Ye, a young general, Kang felt quite unhappy when he met such a veteran again, and he still cared about his face. However, a defeat is a defeat after all, and he did not dare to conceal military information.
So he narrated the whole story. However, he didn't say much about Shi Yanchao's rash advance. Although he was the culprit, Kang Zaiyu didn't mean to add insult to injury.
"You have been fighting fiercely with the Liao soldiers for nearly two hours? The Lord of Liao is also in the rear army?" Yang Ye quickly analyzed the military situation and asked in surprise.
"If it hadn't been for the attraction of the Lord of Liao and the lack of troops and horses, General Shi would not have rushed in to pursue!" Probably because of the wound, Kang Zaiyu couldn't help but gritted his teeth and replied: "However, the Liao army's pursuit of our army,
It was obvious that he was prepared and laid an ambush in advance, resulting in this defeat and heavy casualties!"
"It's so hard to return to the army!" Yang Ye sighed.
After thinking for a while, Yang Ye asked: "Do you know where the Liao army is stationed?"
"I don't know? But I think it's not far from the battlefield!" Kang Zaiyu responded, but noticed Yang Ye's strange expression and suddenly asked: "General Yang, you don't have any ideas, do you?"
Hearing this, Yang Ye shook his head, but it was obvious that he didn't mean what he said: "I came to Xiabei to support you. General Shi and all the soldiers died in the battle, but now that I have arrived to support you, it's time to retreat!"
After resting for about an hour, there was still no movement from the Liao army. The Han army at the entrance of the Great Wall also felt relieved. Most of the soldiers who escaped were wrapped in armor and slept on the ground, snoring loudly.
As the commander-in-chief, Yang Ye personally inspected the security situation until the sentinels returned. Yang Ye quickly asked: "How is the situation ahead?"
Several sentry riders, skilled in their profession, immediately reported the situation: "The valley where the ambush was being carried out was in a mess. There were no soldiers of the Liao army left, and corpses were piled all over the ground. The armors and weapons had not been sorted out, perhaps because it was already dark.
, the Liao army is exhausted from fighting and is ready to clean up again during the day."
"Have you been noticed by the Liao army? Have you discovered the Liao army's camp?" Yang Ye asked again.
The sentry immediately said: "General, don't worry, we have been paying attention to hiding our whereabouts. As for their camp, it is in a mountainous area about five miles north of the ambush valley. There is no fence, only some felt tents, piles of vehicles and horses, and it stretches for a long distance.
You can't see the edge. It was probably the first victory of the Liao army, and the defense was not very tight. From outside the valley, there is another narrow path leading to the Liao army station, but it is rugged and difficult to navigate..."
Listening to his description, Yang Ye showed a satisfied smile: "You did a good job. You were able to find out the situation of such a complex terrain in such a short time!"
"General, my subordinates have been spying in hiding before, but they can walk this way!" the sentry officer replied hehey.
"Do you still have enough energy left? Come with me for another walk!" Yang Ye asked.
"I would like to follow the general!" the officer said without hesitation.
So, taking advantage of the thick darkness of night, Yang Ye went north in person, climbing over mountains and walking through gorges to spy on the situation of the Liao army. After working secretly for a long time, it was already the ugly time when he returned to the Han army's garrison at Changchengkou.
The first thing he did when he came back was that Yang Ye ordered people to call the officers together, looked around and said directly: "While you were sleeping, I personally went to explore the Liao camp. Not far from here, more than ten miles away,
An hour of urgent march will take us there..."
As soon as he said this, a military academy immediately understood and asked: "General, you don't want to attack the Liao camp, do you?"
"Exactly!" Yang Ye nodded without hesitation.
The two decisive words made the officers feel sleepy. Under the stunned eyes of everyone, Yang Ye said: "I looked at the layout of the Liao army. It is quite restricted in the mountains. It can be said that it is full of flaws and stretches for ten miles. It is difficult to see the beginning and the end.
.And after the previous encirclement and annihilation battles, they were tired from running around and their vigilance was greatly weakened. They could expect a troop of soldiers and horses to pursue them, but unexpectedly, after the pursuers, there would be pursuers. And even though they were defeated and frustrated, they still dared to stay overnight.
Advance troops and launch an attack."
"This is a fighting opportunity. It is an opportunity that thousands of Han soldiers have given their lives to fight for for us. We must not let it go!" Yang Ye mobilized his men passionately: "Furthermore, the Lord of Liao is also in the army. If we march this time, we will not let it go!"
If you can control it, all of you here will achieve unparalleled military exploits!"
"In the Battle of Luancheng, Yang was fortunate enough to follow His Majesty and defeat hundreds of thousands of Liao troops. Now, we are once again under the care of Tianwei, and we are attacking tens of thousands of exhausted enemies and scattered troops. How can we be invincible!
Will you all come with me?"
Yang Ye's words had a very significant motivating effect. Coupled with his reputation for being good at planning and fighting, his subordinates also had subconscious trust in him. And those cavalry officers often heard Yang Ye's name, so,
After a little hesitation, he expressed his willingness to follow.
Reaching a consensus, Yang Ye led 5,000 Han troops to immediately mobilize and prepare to attack at a very efficient speed. Unexpectedly, after learning of Yang Ye's plan, Kang Zaiyu marveled at his courage and expressed his willingness to
He led some of the forbidden cavalry to assist in the battle after a short rest.
But Kang Zaiyu felt that after a defeat, he would inevitably be punished when he returned, so he might as well fight. Of course, Yang Ye's calm performance and analysis and grasp of fighter aircraft were much more trustworthy than Shi Yanchao's.
On the Liao army's side, the chariots, horses, tents, and baggage stretched along the mountain. As Yang Ye and the sentry cavalry had discovered, the loss was serious. This was also for the convenience of the march, plus a battle against the Han army.
After ambushing the pursuers and achieving a great victory, it was inevitable to relax.
Although there are defenses and sentries in the poor, dangerous and narrow places, apart from serving a certain warning function, they cannot be relied upon for defense.
The Emperor of Liao was in an ordinary felt tent, but his imperial tent could not be opened. Before dawn, Yelujing was sleeping with a beautiful concubine in his arms when he heard a killing sound and was quickly awakened.
"Who's coming, where's the killing sound, what's going on!" During this period, Yelujing was under great mental pressure, so when she heard something strange, she took the gold knife she carried with her and went out of the tent wearing a lining to inquire.
The sergeants in the guard room also looked at each other, for some unknown reason, but they all stood on guard and protected him firmly.
The morning was hazy, and the sound of killing came from the south, and as time went by, it became more intense and closer. When Yelujing was getting ugly, he received news that three Han armies were launching a surprise attack. The front was in danger and the rush was unstoppable.
Ask him to retreat north first. Yelvwu heard about the change and already organized a resistance...