On September 15, the eleventh year of Qianyou, on the sixth day after the Han Emperor visited Youzhou, the war machine set up by the Han Dynasty in Youyan started to move again, showing its edge and launching an attack on the Liao army.
According to the consistent tactics of the Han army, in order to organize this wave of attacks, they made extremely sufficient preparations in advance. In the direction of Tanzhou, a total of 130,000 soldiers and civilians were mobilized, with Xiaodi, Husheng, Hebei 30th Command and Yan Army 20th Command as the main offensive forces, with Murong Yanzhao personally fighting the battle.
On the front line of Juyongguan, An Shenqi personally led a hundred thousand people, with Fengguo and Xingjie as the main forces, and cooperated with the Yan army, auxiliary soldiers, and villagers. They left Changping and approached Juyongguan, not for fighting, but for persecution and experience. .
Just as Chai Rong and others planned, the basic target of launching this offensive is only Tanzhou. As long as this nail in the land of Younan is pulled out, the initiative of the war will completely fall into the hands of the Han army, and The Han army planned to eat the 40,000 Liao troops in one bite.
Facing the Han army's active invasion, the Liao army also did not choose to retreat and passively suffer the attack. More than 30,000 Liao cavalry who were resting and reorganizing attacked again, intending to harass, delay the Han army, and attack the supply line.
But this time, the space for the Liao army to display was getting smaller and smaller, and the Han army had long been on guard against this move. More than 35,000 cavalry were gathered together, and even the imperial cavalry troops were sent out. Under the command of Gao Huaide and Guo Chongwei, they intercepted the Liao cavalry. A huge cavalry battle broke out between the two sides on the plains of Wenyu Heyang. .
The outcome did not determine an absolute winner, because before a large number of Han troops encircled them, the Liao cavalry took the initiative to retreat. Taking advantage of the victory, the Han cavalry pursued and gained a lot. The recruited Northwest Tibetan cavalry rushed to the foot of Juyong Pass without caring about it. They were ambushed by the Liao army and lost more than a thousand cavalry. If the veteran general Guo Chongwei had not led his men to rescue him personally, The losses are even greater.
The northwest Tibetan cavalry recruited this time were composed of Wenmo, Uighur, Tubo, Dangxiang and Hexi survivors. There were a large number of them. They were hired by the imperial court. They only had a rough training and then followed the Han army to the north.
However, these people were highly motivated to fight, mainly due to the rewards from the court. When these people arrived in Tokyo that day, they were impressed by the prosperity of Tokyo and the strength of the Han Dynasty. At the same time, the imperial court allocated a large amount of funds to reward the army, and promised that those who participated in the Northern Expedition would receive the same pension as those of the Han army. The Fanqi who rushed in and pursued him this time were members of the Zhebu family, a local tycoon in Liangzhou.
The Battle of Wenyu River was not fought to the end by the Han and Liao sides, and ended with nearly 10,000 casualties on both sides. However, in terms of tactical objectives, it was the Han army that succeeded and took the initiative. The Liao army, which had retreated to the two passes, no longer dared to leave lightly, while the main force of the Han army moved north more calmly to attack the Liao army.
Miyun in Tanzhou is the junction between Yanshan Mountain and the plain. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and connected by water. There is only a gap in the southwest, which is an important passage connecting the southern part of the country and the north part of the country. It is also an important gateway to Youzhou.
Even with the loss of Youzhou, the Liao Kingdom did not relax its military force against Miyun in these years, and gradually strengthened it. Especially in the years when Xiao Siwen, the Southern Privy Councilor, was personally in charge, a large number of repairs and updates were made to its armaments.
Xiao Siwen was a member of the Khitan Kingdom's uncle's clan, and was closely married to the royal family. If he was said to have any great talents, he was not a great man. He just always gave people the impression of being prudent and prudent, as stable as an old dog.
In the past few years, although Xiao Siwen was in charge of military affairs and was in charge of Tanzhou, his life was not very easy. On the one hand, there is military pressure from the south, and on the other hand, his two sons-in-law are involved in activities of rebellion and usurpation of power, and he is really worried about being implicated in his position. Fortunately, Yelujing did not implicate him. Instead, he kept him in a high position and in charge of military affairs.
This time, the Han army launched a large-scale Northern Expedition, and Xiao Siwen's performance was quite satisfactory. He immediately went to Yelujing to tell Yelujing that the Han army was coming in force and that his plans were not small, and he asked him to personally conquer it. Yes, Xiao Siwen was the first Liao minister to suggest that Yelujing fight in person.
To the south of Miyun City, the Han army camped for more than ten miles, relying on mountains and rivers to block all key obstacles and trap Miyun City to death. The Liao army in the city, under the leadership of Xiao Siwen, was already ready.
Miyun City, built by Xiao Siwen, is very strong. The city is high and the pond is deep. The food is abundant and the weapons are sufficient. The reserves in the city are enough for its soldiers and civilians to hold on for half a year. Regarding this fortified city and the Liao army that had made a full defense posture, Murong Yanzhao did not hesitate at all, nor did he choose other tactics, just two words: attack by force.
As for the method of siege, the Han army was experienced and had its own methods. They repaired chariots and oars, equipped with equipment, and moved earth away from the country. First, they filled the ravines with thousands of bags of earth and stones, so that the Han army could use their weapons. Go straight to the city wall.
After that, all kinds of sharp siege equipment were put on the table. Although in terms of military use, the whole country is the best, and the destruction of the country is second; the whole country is the best, and the destruction of the country is second. However, the Han Dynasty, from the emperor Liu Chengyou down, all have a certain understanding of the law of war. Although strategy is the most important thing when breaking a city and building a stronghold, there will always be a last resort.
In terms of siege methods, the Han Dynasty has spent a lot of effort over the years, not only in the training of soldiers, but also in various equipment. Thunder cannons, bed crossbows, cloud ladders, and flying ladders are always available. This time, to attack Miyun, 150 thunderbolt cannons alone were prepared. In addition to the 3,000 kerosene bombs prepared in advance, they also had to mine mountains for bombs and obtain tens of thousands of stone bombs.
At the foot of Miyun City, the Han army also carried out a large number of civil engineering projects in advance, massively transforming the landform, erecting earthen walls, setting up wide ridges, and collecting earth to form stacked roads. They also built wooden sheds and set up leather fences to avoid sharp rocks.
All measures are taken to avoid enemy attacks on the city as much as possible, and through these projects, the losses of the army during the siege are reduced. In fact, these actions of the Han army were very manpower-consuming. If every battle was fought like this, the losses would be too serious. However, under Miyun City, the most indispensable thing for the Han army is people. There are nearly 80,000 auxiliary soldiers and civilians accompanying the army, who are used to do these things.
In Miyun City, Xiao Siwen and others, who had been waiting for the Han army to attack and then kill them, felt a visible threat when they saw the Han army's actions. Not to mention anything else, just that defensive offensive weapon looked like an evil beast with a rough scalp and thick flesh but sharp claws. Although Miyun was strong, he had no confidence that it would not be eaten clean.
Facing the Han army's preparations for the attack, Xiao Siwen and Han Kuangmei reacted quickly and gave up the idea of defending blindly at the first opportunity. They had to send people out of the city to harass and destroy the Han army's siege equipment.
However, the Han army was well prepared for this. If you huddle in the city, I will attack the city step by step. If you go out to fight in the city, that is what Murong Yanzhao wishes for.
The result is obvious. The Liao army attacked more than ten times in a row, but was repulsed by the Han army, losing more than 3,000 soldiers. The effect was still there, killing many civilians and destroying some equipment, but for the Han army, this loss was not worth mentioning.
All the responses and struggles of the Liao army in Miyun seemed weak and in vain. By September 23, in addition to a series of targeted siege facilities, four wooden mountains of earth were piled up in front of Miyun City under the watchful eyes of the Liao army. The Han army climbed on them and fired their bows. The crossbow can directly hit the city.
Due to the preparations for the siege, the morale of the Liao army in Miyun City was directly weakened by several percent. Although the Han army had not officially attacked the city, the unparalleled momentum it displayed was intimidating. them. Even the most ordinary Liao army guards have a sense of powerlessness lingering in their hearts.
In fact, when a large number of Han troops advanced to Miyun City, the city battle basically came to an end. In terms of attacking and defending the city, the Han army was confident enough.
The autumn wind howled, the war drums beat, and with Murong Yanzhao's order, the Han army officially launched an attack on Miyun. Thunderbolt cannons, bed crossbows, and crossbows were launched almost simultaneously, and an overwhelming barrage of kerosene bullets, stone bullets, crossbow arrows, and bow arrows struck at Miyunnan City indiscriminately.
