The pursuing Han army was still the Yongqing army, but it added some Hebei Xiangyong and Yandi warriors. However, its combat effectiveness has not declined. After all, the backbone is still there, and after successive battles since going north, the original training has been completely transformed. For combat effectiveness, this is how the iron-blooded warriors and warriors of hundreds of battles are created.
Wearing a heavy suit of armor, with his whole body covered by armor plates, with his phoenix wings clasped under his hood, Ma Quanyi's expression was very cold, and his eyes were filled with a penetrating light. What reflected in his pupils was the scene of the Han army soldiers attacking the Liao army. The fierce killing sounds and splashing blood formed a tragic and cruel picture, but it could not move Ma Quanyi in the slightest.
In the Han army's assault team, serving as arrowheads were nearly 170 heavily armed infantrymen covered in armor. Everyone is selected from the elite, and their quality is particularly outstanding. The sword they wield is like a harvesting machine. Every time they wave it, they will gain something.
The Liao army's attacks on them often only produced some sparks. In the absence of effective means to restrain the Han army's heavy armor, the Liao army could not resist it at all. The subsequent Han soldiers followed up the powerful offensive capabilities of the heavy armor, attacking at their heels, and fought calmly.
Over the years, the Han Dynasty has invested a lot of effort in military equipment and technology, and it has spent a lot of money on training and arming the heavy armored infantry. So far, there are only about 3,000 people in the entire Han army.
These heavy armors can all be used to defend the heavy cavalry of the Liao army head-on. In so many years of fighting in the south, they have never been used just to deal with the Liao army. The Yongqing Army allocated 200 people, which also shows Liu Chengyou's trust in Ma Quanyi.
Outside the infantry battlefield, the cavalry of the two armies were also clashing. Under the cover of more than 1,500 Liao cavalry, Gao Mohan had the confidence to retreat while fighting. However, the Liao cavalry tried to attack the Han army's flanks several times, but they were entangled by Ma Quanyi's army.
The Liao cavalry under Gao Mohan are mainly Xi people, and their combat effectiveness is not strong, mainly due to their weak will to fight. Ten years ago, they followed the Khitans as they raided the Central Plains southward, robbing and killing people, eating meat and drinking soup. They were full of energy and could unleash considerable fighting power. But now that he was recruited to fight the Han army in a bloody battle, he was not so happy after all.
Under the rule of the Liao Kingdom, the ethnic composition was complex, and the cohesion of people's hearts was a major issue. For a long time, the only armies of the Liao Kingdom that could maintain strong combat effectiveness were the Pishi Army and the tribal armies of the Khitan tribes.
Up to now, the combat effectiveness of those Han puppet troops is stronger than that of those miscellaneous soldiers. The main component of Gao Mohan's men who resisted the Han army were Han people. As for the Bohai cavalry, he consciously ordered them to withdraw to Luanzhou.
Of course, there were still a thousand Bohai soldiers left by him, which was why he was able to withstand the Han army's attack. The Yongqing army attacked all the way, while the Liao army gradually retreated. Along the way, there was blood and corpses lying on the ground.
In the military formation, Ma Quanyi observed the progress of the fighting, but his expression gradually became serious. Regardless of the battlefield situation, the Han army was suppressing the Liao army but did not achieve a decisive breakthrough. First, the troops were ultimately weak. Although the heavy armor attack was sharp, it was already weak after a long battle.
As for the Liao army, the veteran Gao Mohan set an example and led the Bohai navy to resist desperately. He was still in fierce battles with the Han army and was used to that rhythm. Rabbits will bite people when they are anxious, let alone humans?
Moreover, as they gradually approached Shicheng County, their morale also recovered. Gao Mohan continued to motivate his soldiers. Even after retreating to the county seat, the Han army had nothing to do with them, which Ma Quanyi could not accept.
Fighting with cold weapons, the field of vision is limited and very narrow, but through the array of guns and knives, Ma Quanyi can still see the figures. Among the flying arrows, there is a tall figure of the old man, shouting, boosting morale, and holding his head high. Waving the flag, the command is determined. There were many veteran generals among the Liao army.
Since going north, I have fought against the enemy troops in Liaodong several times. The impression they gave Ma Quanyi is that bravery leads to bravery, but the military discipline is not strict enough and the will to fight is not strong. But at this time, facing the resilience displayed by the Liao army led by Gao Mohan, Ma Quanyi was very moved.
However, he lamented that he could not completely defeat them. Seeing the approaching Shicheng County, Ma Quanyi finally decided to change his tactics and issued several military orders: "Send the order, the heavy armor will withdraw to the middle camp to rest. The entire army will gradually disengage from the Liao army." , reorganize the army, take the opportunity to rest, and advance in to defeat the enemy!"
"General, if we let them retreat into the city, all their efforts will be in vain!" A battalion general who was following him said to Ma Quanyi.
"Then we have to wait until they can retreat!" After hearing this, Ma Quanyi said directly: "After fighting for so long, the ambition of this Liao army has been revealed. The reason why they resisted resolutely is that we oppressed too much, and the city wall Don't hope for it later. If we hold it back temporarily, their morale will be depleted. When they fight to enter the city, I don't believe they can still maintain such resistance!"
As he said that, Ma Quanyi looked at the cavalry duel on the other side. The two parties were fighting together, and their manpower and horsepower were exhausted. Seeing this, Ma Quanyi couldn't help but said angrily: "Send someone to ask about General Li's situation, urge him to speed up, and cooperate with us to annihilate this Liao army!"
"yes!"
Just as Gao Mohan was worried, behind the Yongqing Army, there were thousands of cavalry led by Li Hanqiong, the envoy of the Xin'an Army. Although the main focus of the Han army was still on the main force of the Liao army in the west and north, Gao Mohan had no intention of letting him leave easily as he supported the Liao army.
Due to the different departure locations and pursuit times, the Yongqing and Xin'an armies were in tandem. However, this could also ensure mutual support and avoid risks.
The Han army responded to the order, relaxed its offensive, and gradually broke away from the confrontation. The pressure on the Liao army was greatly reduced. Although it was unclear what the purpose was, Lai Gao Mohan's military quality was indeed good. He immediately took the time to adjust and led his men to retreat towards Shicheng County at a faster speed.
After approaching the county seat, as Ma Quanyi expected, after the fierce energy was released, the morale of the Liao army really relaxed. Seeing the soldiers who kept looking back and looking at the city wall, Gao Mohan also discovered this problem.
Looking up and looking to the west, the Han army has rearranged its formation, looking ready to launch an attack at any time. Seeing this, Gao Mohan secretly scolded the Han general for being cunning. They did not dare to withdraw directly into the city with their men, which would easily give the Han army an opportunity. Instead, they chose to form an array behind the city and continue to confront the Han army.
However, in front of Shicheng County, something happened that damaged morale. The city gate was closed tightly, showing no sign of acceptance. Soon, several Liao flags on the Tucheng fell down, and a Han flag was erected again. It was obviously made temporarily, with white cloth as the background and crude writing on it. A "Chinese" character.
Afterwards, more than 30 Khitan heads were thrown down, and a big man shouted on the city: "Wang Lin of Luanzhou is here. He has killed the barbarians and welcomes Master Wang!"
This loud shout immediately shook the minds of the Liao soldiers under the city, especially those Han soldiers, who looked around and wanted to disperse. In this regard, Gao Mohan's eyes were splitting. He struggled with the Han army all the way, and his confidence lay in this small but adaptable earth city. However, the situation at this time was that there were pursuers in front and the retreat was cut off.
What made him even more desperate was that behind the Yongqing Army, Han flags were flying and smoke was swirling. He hurriedly and slowly arrived, and the Xin'an Army finally arrived. On Ma Quanyi's side, reinforcements arrived and he saw something strange in the city. He decisively ordered the whole army to attack Gao Mohan. This time, he spared no effort. He personally charged forward with a knife.
Xi Qi, who was entangled with the Han cavalry led by Ma Renyu, saw this scene and did not dare to stay any longer. He quickly got rid of it and fled eastward, but he had no intention of caring about Gao Mohan.
Gao Mohan wanted to use the armies of Han and Xi to give him the rear, but he never thought that he would find it difficult in the end. In fact, no matter how weak Xi Qi's combat power is, with his superior strength, he will not be completely involved by Ma Renyu, and the pressure he brings to the Han army should not be just that little. But if you sow the cause, you will reap the result, that's all.
Ma Renyu did not continue to pursue Xi Qi, but turned his troops around and besieged Gao Mohan's infantry, followed closely. After Xin'an's army participated in the battle, under siege from three sides, the complete collapse of Gao Mohan's army came.
However, it is not an exaggeration to use the term "subordinate soldiers" to describe those Bohai soldiers. All the puppet troops were defeated and surrendered, but there were more than 300 Bohai soldiers left, protecting Gao Mohan to the death.
In this regard, the Han army had no intention of persuading them to surrender, they just attacked and killed them. In the end, it was Ma Renyu, a brave general, who personally led his men to rush in, killing 5 people in a row. He rushed in front of Gao Mohan, raised his sword, and Da Hao's head fell to the ground.
Ma Renyu's knife had already curled up a bit. The blunt knife only cut off half of Gao Mohan's neck, and his last consciousness was only severe pain.
In the Battle of Shicheng, Gao Mohan, the Prime Minister of the Southern Liao State, the Third Division of Kaifu Yitong, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army, were beheaded by the formation. This was the highest-status general of the Liao State killed by the Han army since the Northern Expedition, even though he was from Bohai.
After spending some time cleaning the battlefield, a rough statistics of the results came out quickly. In addition to the escaped Xiqi, more than 3,000 Liao army infantry and cavalry were completely wiped out, and more than 1,500 puppet troops surrendered and were captured.
Ma Quanyi was a little curious about Gao Mohan's troop deployment. He only found out the reason after interrogating the prisoners. Ma Quanyi couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "This Gao Mohan is also considered a famous general of the Liao Kingdom. In order to preserve his strength, he was exhausted by Han Xi's troops, but was eventually abandoned. His great head became our harvest, but he also reaped the consequences!"
"It's a pity that after fighting for so long, most of the casualties were Han Chinese!" Ma Renyu sighed.
After hearing this, Ma Quanyi also showed a little anger and said: "Send an order to take these 'Han people' into custody first and pick out all their officers!"
"yes!"
"Let's go into the city to rest, and also meet the heroes of Shicheng. This time we were able to accomplish all the feats. They still have great achievements!"
