Although he looked impatient and eager to attack, after the formation was actually set up, Yelu Dilie did not launch an attack directly. Instead, he ordered the entire army to remain on alert and rest in place, separated from the Han army's mountainous formation. The confrontation was about two miles away.
At the same time, rangers were widely deployed to search within ten miles from east to west to detect any other unusual movements by the Han army in preparation for any eventuality. After all, the Han army's move of leaving the pass with two thousand infantry was so bold that people had to think about whether there was any conspiracy in it.
Judging from Yelu Dilie's performance, although he is young and energetic, he is also arrogant and cunning. After about half an hour, I got my reward, and there was nothing unusual in the surrounding areas.
In this way, Yelv Dilie was a little relieved. The summer sky hangs high, releasing a blazing light, shining on the Han and Liao military formations in the north of Gouzhu Mountain. There is silence in the wilderness. In the tense atmosphere of the battlefield, only the suppressed sounds of animals can be heard.
When Yelu Dilie was about to order an attack, Yelu Sa persuaded him again and asked him to wait patiently, which made Yelu Dilie furious: "I have checked all around, and there is nothing strange! The Han army broke away from the fortress. If you form a formation in front of the pass, you will take advantage of your own shortcomings. I will attack them with many times the number of troops and horses, so why should you be timid?"
Yelusha said: "The sun is scorching in the sky and the weather is hot, which is not conducive to fighting. Please put the attack on hold for the time being and let the soldiers continue to replenish water and rest! Wait until the sun moves westward before attacking again!"
This reason reluctantly persuaded Yelu Dilie. After preliminary preparations, it was already past noon. The blazing sunshine shone on the armors and weapons of the soldiers on both sides. The reflected light was so intense and dazzling that Yelv Dilie could only temporarily suspend his intention to attack.
Standing on a chariot in the Chinese army formation, Yang Ye had been observing the movements of the Liao army, with a calm look on his resolute face. During these days, Yang Ye also had a clear picture of the situation of the Liao army. Indeed, only more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry were recruited in the Yunshuo area. Although he could not figure out the intentions of the Liao army, after confirming that he only had to deal with the ten thousand Liao army, Yang Ye formally implemented his decision to boldly attack the enemy and test the results of his military training.
The camp general of the Chinese army said to Yang Ye: "General, this Liao army is too timid, and they dare not attack like this!"
The blazing sunshine made it difficult for Yang Ye to fully open his eyes, and he narrowed his eyes slightly. Yang Ye said: "The Liao army wants to compete with us for patience, so let's see who has more patience! If you pass on the order, without my order, each camp will not be able to do anything." Move gently and let the soldiers take turns to rest and replenish water!"
"yes!"
In this way, the two sides faced off until the sun moved westward, the light was not so bright, and the heat of the armor also weakened, the Liao army finally could no longer hold back.
In terms of strict military discipline, solemn flags and armor, and orderly advance and retreat, among the Liao army, only the Pishi army can be used. Although the rest of the tribal armies have many warriors and combat experience, they are ultimately weaker in terms of discipline. In addition, this is a temporary recruitment and gathering, lacking in training, so in this long confrontation, restlessness is inevitable.
In comparison, the Dingxiang army, which had been trained by Yang Ye for many years, remained as still as a mountain even under the bright sun. The military discipline was strict, and they even cooperated in drinking water and eating.
"Let the Han soldiers rush into my center and hit the center directly. The soldiers on the left and right are divided into one team each, and attack the two flanks with cavalry and fire!"
Following Yelu Dilie's order, the Han soldiers in front of the Liao army's formation began to attack the Dingxiang army. At the same time, a tribe of about 700 riders separated from the two wings and headed straight towards the Han formation.
This is also the Khitan's consistent fighting method, using servants and vassals to attack, supplemented by fine cavalry cruising to pressure and fight, while leaving the most elite troops at the end to find flaws and kill with one blow. At this time, the three thousand Han soldiers recruited were used as cannon fodder.
Yang Ye was familiar with this. Facing the Han soldiers who rushed towards him under the supervision of Liao Cavalry, although he felt a little emotional in his heart, he was not at all merciful. Under the military order, the soldiers in the formation all mentioned Be excited and ready for battle.
The first thing the Han soldiers of the Liao army faced was the attack of the Han army's bows and crossbows. In order to deal with the Liao army, the Han army in the north was the best in terms of the configuration of bows and crossbows.
According to the orders of the Han army officers in the formation, the crossbowmen cooperated in an orderly manner, round after round, like a machine, constantly firing on the military string, and continuously striking at the oncoming "Han soldiers" with a rhythm. Full of feeling.
And just to get close to the Han army's formation, the thousand "Han soldiers" who attacked frontally suffered hundreds of casualties. After the crossbows, there were spears, and after the spears there were knives and axes.
When it collided directly, the "Han Soldier" was like a wave hitting a rock, and was shattered into pieces. Years of training in combat skills allowed the Han army in front of the formation to simply harvest the lives of the cannon fodder, cooperate in an orderly manner, and kill calmly. In just two quarters of an hour, the thousand "Han soldiers" who were ordered to rush into the formation collapsed. He fled and suffered nearly 300 casualties. The Liao cavalry supervising the battle team behind them couldn't stop.
"Why are these Han soldiers so unreliable? They were defeated and returned in just a short time!" Behind them, in the cavalry formation of the Liao army, Yelu Dilie was furious.
"Your Majesty, the Han army across from us is an elite force with tight formations and orderly coordination. It is definitely a strong army. Otherwise, we would not have the confidence to leave the border with just two thousand people and confront us head-on!" A subordinate will confront him! Said: "If you want to rely on these Han people with low fighting spirit to break through their defenses, it is almost impossible!"
"Send people to take in those defeated soldiers!" Yelv Dilie immediately ordered: "Let the two teams of cavalry withdraw first!"
Looking at the distance, the Han army's formation had not wavered at all despite the impact and was being refilled and adjusted. Yelu Dilie once again confirmed that this was indeed a strong enemy.
While the "Han soldiers" were charging into the formation, the two teams of rangers were also harassing with mounted fire, trying to disrupt the Han army's morale, but obviously had little effect. Under the command of Yang Ye, the Liao cavalry remained unmoved from afar, while the Liao cavalry was approaching with bows and crossbows to greet them. As for the cavalry charging into the formation, facing the forest of chariots, shields and spears, without a death order, no Liao cavalry would want to go. To test its edge.
After repelling the first wave of attacks by the Liao army, the Han army adjusted their positions intensively, treated the wounded, and quickly recovered as before.
On the Liao army's side, Yelu Dilie faced the "Han soldiers" who were contained or captured in front of the formation with a tyrannical face. In his opinion, although the Han army's military formations were tight and their soldiers were well-equipped, their failure in the first battle was due to the fact that these Han people were useless, ignored his military orders, and were unwilling to fight to the death for Daliao.
"Pick out the injured soldiers who have returned to me!" Yelu Di Lie pointed his hand and gave an order.
After hearing the order, the surrounding Liao cavalry stepped forward and soon picked out about a hundred "Han soldiers" who had returned alive and injured, and gathered them together at Yelu Dilie. Yelv Dilie said to him: "They are all good people, take them down first!"
Then he ordered the remaining five or six hundred people to be gathered together. With a grin on his face, Yelv Dilie ordered: "Prepare bows and arrows to shoot all these war-fearing and cowardly people!"
After his words fell, everyone was horrified, but under his cold orders, the Liao cavalry drew their bows and arrows, and fired thousands of arrows straight at the defeated "Han soldiers". Without speaking Chinese, only two rounds, and without any psychological preparation, most of the "Han soldiers" fell down. In fear, they ran around, but no matter how fast their legs were, they could not outrun the bows and arrows, let alone the cavalry. Strangling, very quickly, corpses fell on the ground in front of the Liao army's formation. The blood level was even higher than that of the Han army's battle in front of the formation.
After such a change, the expressions of the remaining two thousand "Han troops" on the other side changed drastically. Another group of thousands of "Han troops" were led to the front. Facing the murderous Liao cavalry, they were all worried.
Yelu Dilie was also courageous. He led a small group of Pishi troops forward and said loudly from a high position: "Those people just now were timid and fearful of the enemy, which led to the failure of the offensive. Such incompetent soldiers are not needed in Daliao. They have been replaced by us." Behead.
Although you are Han people, you are our soldiers of Daliao. Your parents, wives and children have been preserved under the rule of Daliao. For Daliao, you need to charge and fight for Daliao.
I emphasize again, killing the enemy is meritorious, those who are timid will die, and those who dare to retreat due to fear of the enemy will be killed! "
After Yelu Dilie's actions, not to mention the "Han Army", even the soldiers of the Khitan headquarters couldn't help but look askance. Yelusha, who was in the back of the leather room, looked at Yelu Dilie with a little shock. This King of Anping, despite his young age, was so ruthless. Before, he had looked down upon him.
The movement in front of the Liao army's formation caught the eyes of the Han army on the opposite side. For some reason, they started fighting each other. Yang Ye saw the truth, his resolute expression became very serious, and he saw the problem. Immediately Gao Li shouted: "The Liao people are cruel and treat the Han people like nothing. Their second attack is imminent. All officers and soldiers in the army, listen to my orders and prepare to defend against the enemy. Follow my general to defeat them and kill them!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The soldiers in the formation shouted in unison, knocking their shields, raising their guns, or raising their swords, and their morale suddenly reached its highest level.
But Yang Ye knows in his heart that the defensive pressure he will receive will increase a lot. Under Yelu Dilie's cruel military laws and the pressure of death, the fighting will of the "Han soldiers" will not be destroyed so easily. If you want to be like just now It won't be so easy to kill them off like that.
On the Liao army's side, after adjustments, the second batch of thousands of Han troops prepared for attack and attacked again. The development of the battle was just as Yang Ye expected. This group of "Han soldiers" were indeed more brave and courageous. They risked their lives to attack the Han army's formation. Although it was still difficult to break through, the pressure it brought to the Han army was greater than that of the enemy. Casualties are also different.
This time, the "Han soldiers" attack lasted for half an hour, but still ended in failure. There were more than 400 casualties. Among the people who retreated, there were nearly 200 who were not injured. Yelu Dilie still followed the previous law and shot them on the spot.
As a result, the third batch of "Han soldiers" no longer had any chance of retreat or luck. Under the supervision of Liao Cavalry, they desperately attacked Yang Ye's battle formation. This attack lasted to the end and was repulsed with more than half the casualties and everyone wounded.
After an hour and a half of fierce fighting, every "Han soldier" on the Liao army's side had been attacked for one round. Thousands of people were directly killed or wounded by the Han army, and the rest were no longer able to fight. On the Dingxiang Army side, the casualties were over 200.
"Your Majesty, the Han soldiers have no fighting power, and the enemy's formation is still difficult to shake. If we don't expose any flaws and don't invest our own cavalry, I'm afraid it will be difficult to defeat them!" A general said to Yelu Dilie.
"Send a team of cavalry and charge into the formation!" Yelu Dilie said immediately as his blood surged up and his face turned red.
However, Yelusa came to dissuade him again: "Your Majesty, if you charge the battle with cavalry, the damage will be great!"
"The attack and killing of the Han soldiers has weakened the vigor of the Han army and consumed a large number of their arrows. Under such circumstances, when the formation is broken, can we still give up halfway and withdraw the troops halfway?" Yelu dilie angrily yelled.
Yelu Sagui said equally seriously: "The Han army's formation is still rigorous. A strong attack may not be effective and will injure the soldiers!"
In addition to the imperial troops and tribal armies, the Liao army only had a small number of Xi, Bohai and other elite soldiers recognized by it. The rest were vassal soldiers and horses recruited for battle, and were generally used as cannon fodder and to do dirty work. Tiring work.
This move of troops was really hasty, so except for the three thousand "Han soldiers", the rest were all cavalry from the headquarters. Yelu was reluctant to let them charge into the Han formation, but the tribal generals were hesitant. Therefore, Yelusha got a certain amount of support despite his opposition.
The dispute on the Liao army's side affected Yang Ye's judgment of the battle situation. While he was contemplating, his general couldn't help but said: "General, the Liao army has lost three battles in a row and it seems they don't dare to attack!"
Yang Ye said: "The people who attacked the formation were all Han people who were enslaved by them. Their cavalry did not really engage in the fight, and the damage caused to the Liao cavalry was not great. Our formation is strong and the arrows are sharp. We are using it as a weapon and we dare not use it rashly. The cavalry is just attacking!"
"General, we have killed many enemies in this battle. It is considered a victory. Why don't we retreat slowly to the fort?" a battalion general suggested.
Hearing this, Yang Ye frowned. He was going out to fight with the Liao cavalry. It was no problem to give up when things got better, but he was always unwilling to accept it.
The sun was setting in the west, hanging on the left side of the army. The sunlight had become much softer, and there was not much time left. After pondering for a while, staring at the still swarming Liao army in the north, Yang Ye suddenly said loudly: "Soldiers, the Liao army is afraid! How dare you follow me and ride with the enemy to fight again!"
Yang Ye was full of pride. As soon as he stood up, Sergeant Dingxiang, who had been trained by him for a long time, howled and accepted the challenge. Seeing that the military's morale was available, Yang Ye no longer hesitated and immediately ordered: "Listen to the order and change into the Six Flower Square Formation. The entire army will advance one mile north and approach the Liao Formation!"
Yang Ye was planning to take a risk. Without the cover of Guanling, there was a risk of being surrounded by the Liao army. However, under Yang Ye's military order, the soldiers under his command did not hesitate at all, and followed him through mountains of swords and seas of fire.
Soon, the Han army's formation changed, flags were waved, people moved and vehicles moved, and with extremely high tacit understanding and speed, they transformed into a six-flower formation. They maintained a rigorous formation and steadily advanced one mile.
The movements of the Han army certainly attracted the attention of the Liao army. After waiting for the advance, Yelu Dilie gave up the argument, but looked at Yelu Sagui and others, pointed at the Han army, and said: "The Han army is so arrogant and takes the initiative to leave the mountains. We are still several times stronger, so you still dare not attack? Are you really too timid to fight here? Have the courage of the Liao soldiers been completely lost?"
Partly provoking the generals, and partly because the Han army's actions were too ironic, a group of Khitan generals finally decided to surround them and annihilate them.
Soon, Yelu Sagui led the Pishi army to suppress the formation, and Yelu Dilie personally led five thousand tribal cavalry to surround them. Separate a group of cavalry to monitor the Han army in the mouth. The remaining people adjusted their formation and besieged them on all sides.
The Han army, led by Yang Ye, was also calm and serious. There is foreshadowing and no need to warm up, and the battle reaches a climax immediately.
There is a saying that the combat effectiveness of the Liao army's tribal army is indeed more than one level higher than that of the "Han army" in those prefectures and counties. The Han army really felt the pressure when they resisted.
Forming a formation to resist was a serious blow to the cavalry. The large shield was like an iron wall and the carriage was covered with thorns, which effectively blocked the impact of the cavalry. The bows and spears also dealt a serious blow to the Liao army.
Similarly, the fearless cavalry had a huge impact on the Han army. The line of confrontation between the two armies was the line of death, which was constantly devouring the lives of soldiers on both sides. The Liao cavalry advanced one after another, and the Han army also replenished in an orderly manner.
After two-quarters of an hour of fierce fighting, the Han army's formation had been broken. Under normal circumstances, when the formation was broken, it was a good opportunity for the Liao cavalry to expand and break up the enemy's formation.
However, under the command of Yang Ye, the Han army quickly filled the vacancies from the inside out, re-established defense lines, and blocked external enemy cavalry. The scattered Han troops were regrouped under the leadership of their commanders to prepare for another battle.
The Liao cavalry who rushed into the Han formation were quickly killed by the Chinese army and the soldiers in the formation. The development of the battle soon fell into such a repetitive cycle.
The Liao army continued to attack, disperse, and rush into the Han formation. Then it was divided internally and externally by the Han army that reacted. It was blocked externally and annihilated internally. At the beginning, the Han army was a bit disorganized and needed officers from Yang Ye down to give constant orders. Later, the role of daily training was fully reflected, and ordinary soldiers developed the instinct to fill their positions and adjust themselves.
Under the full charge of the Liao army, the Han formation was repeatedly broken and restored, and gradually shrank. The word resilience was vividly reflected in the Dingxiang army led by Yang Yesuo. Although it was constantly shrinking, it was always firm and unbreakable.
The casualties of the Han army were increasing, and those of the Liao army were doubled. Outside the military formation, Yelu Dilie was no longer as confident as before, and he was no longer ecstatic about the breakthrough in the Han formation. At this point, he finally understood why this Han army was so confident.
After more than half an hour of fierce fighting, the sky was already getting dark. The strong backbone of the Dingxiang Army had shattered the teeth of the Liao Army. The soldiers of both sides were entangled, and the fiery killing sounds resounded across the wilderness, almost shaking away the clouds on the horizon.
Among the defenders, Yelu Dilie stared at the Han formation that was still unbreakable under siege, and at the Han general in the Han formation who was hit by an arrow but still resolutely commanded the resistance.
He was once again faced with a choice, either to withdraw his troops or to use the Pishi Army to completely defeat and annihilate this proud Han army before dark. However, if the Pishi Army goes into battle, can they really defeat Yang Ye? If he retreated, he had already paid such a high price, how could he be willing to do so?
Yelu Dilie did not hesitate for too long. Someone helped him make a choice. When the fighting outside the mouth was in full swing, Kang Yanze, who was hiding in Baicao mouth, finally led the Dingxiang Han cavalry to rush out.
The sound of killing shook the wilderness, and their hooves trampled on the grassland. Under the cover of the faint dim light, it was almost difficult to distinguish their numbers. The surveillance cavalry arranged by Yelu Dilie faithfully performed their duties and stepped forward to intercept them to prevent them from affecting the battlefield. However, the Han cavalry did not fight with them at all. Regardless of casualties and with clear goals, they went straight towards the Liao army general Yelu Dilie.
In his mouth, Kang Yanze had been observing the changes in the battlefield situation, and had a panoramic view of the Liao army's layout, so he chose the right time.
Therefore, in the face of such a determined attack by the Han cavalry, Yelv Dilie did not react for a moment and was directly scattered. It was only under the protection of his own guards that he did not die directly.
The chaos on Yelu Dilie's side meant that the besieging Liao army was in chaos. The Han army, both inside and outside, cooperated to defeat the enemy and soon wavered. The deepening of twilight further fueled the panic.
Behind, Yelu Sa, who was holding the formation, saw that the situation was not good, so he did not need to give orders, and directly led the Pishi army to rush forward, blocking the Han army and rescuing Yelu dilie. It was with the help of Yelu Sagui that Yelu Dilie escaped from Kang Yanze's pursuit in embarrassment.
After that, he finally stopped arguing with Yelusha, gathered together the Liao army, which was gradually defeated under the attack of the Han army, and retreated north in embarrassment. The Han army, led by Kang Yanze, gave up pursuit after a while. Firstly, there were few soldiers; secondly, it was already dark; thirdly, the Pishi Army was indeed the most elite army of the Liao Kingdom and had its cover, so they pursued rashly. Fear of something going wrong.
Even so, the battle at Baicaokou still ended with the victory of the Han army. Yang Ye used 3,000 infantry and cavalry to face the Liao army's 10,000 troops head-on and won the battle, including the elite Pishi army of the Liao emperor's Suwei. Regardless of the process, the actual situation, or the specific gains, at least on the surface, the Dingxiang Army can "one Han serve as three Liao".
And Yang Ye, a young general who had been in the garrison for ten years, became truly famous throughout the world through this battle, and his reputation in the army rose rapidly.
