The terrain of Nankou can also be described as "a key place, a choke point, where military strategists must fight". Although the terrain is not as dangerous as Guancheng, it is equally complex, with rare mountains and numerous mountains. The high mountains in the north and south are the exit of the long and narrow Juyong Road, which can be regarded as a gateway to the northwest of Youzhou. The Han army seized this place and established a stronghold, which acted as a seal and kept the Liao army outside.
In late autumn, the golden wind whistled, the sky was bright, and the surroundings were still dim, but the battle at the south entrance was already in full swing. The fierce fighting started when Liao launched his first attack, without any effort being spared.
Due to the terrain restrictions at the pass, it was difficult to accommodate too many troops. It was difficult for the Liao army to completely deploy its formation, and even fewer could attack at the same time. Therefore, Yelvcong divided the Liao army attacking the stronghold into ten teams. , each team of two thousand soldiers took turns attacking the Hanzhai.
The Liao army that attacked the stronghold, in addition to the Han soldiers and Bohai soldiers who were better at infantry fighting, were more affiliated soldiers from the north and some barbarians, and these people were completely used as cannon fodder.
Although they were cannon fodder and were forced by bows, arrows and swords from behind, Yelvcong did not let the attackers attack the Han army's stronghold with their flesh and blood. They were not stingy in their armament, and all the knives, axes, shields, and guns stored in Juyongguan and the surrounding areas were taken out. The Liao army recruited craftsmen and built ordnance. In addition to the charging chariots for attacking the stronghold, they were broad and thick shields. Knowing that the Han army's bows and crossbows were powerful, they wanted to use this to block them as much as possible.
In addition, Yelvcong also specially selected two thousand warriors from the elite Khitan soldiers who dared to die and divided them into ten teams to lead the charge. In this battle, among the Liao generals, those like Yelu Cong were already prepared for heavy casualties. As long as they could successfully engage in the battle, they would kill the Han army based on their numbers.
Before the Liao army launched its attack, thousands of cattle were prepared, with their tails tied with grease. That's right, it was the Fire Ox Formation. It was proposed by Yelu Xiezhen, who was promoted to Pishi after being received by the Liao Emperor, and Yelv Cong also decisively adopted it. It just works if he is not afraid of old age.
The fierce battle between the two sides also started with Huo Niu charging into the stronghold. Although the Han army's camp was strong and the base of the camp was dug deep, it still suffered heavy losses in the face of the crazy beasts. Although it was not shattered, there were many places that were broken and damaged. Even those who successfully crashed into the Han stronghold were eliminated by the Han army by beheading, crossbows and other means, but the attacks from all directions still caused considerable confusion and losses to the Han army.
Following closely behind was the Liao army's assault force, which focused on the damaged areas and launched an attack. That is to say, the Han army had a certain amount of preparation time, coupled with good training, and was able to get out of the chaos under the restraint of superior and subordinate officers. However, what followed was a desperate charge by the Liao army.
In the face of the Liao army's attack, the measures taken by the Han army, in addition to calling Juma and Luzhai to defend the fence, relied on bows and crossbows to kill the charging Liao army, which indeed achieved certain results. However, this At this time, the Liao army's fighting will and determination were very firm, and with certain protection, they were not intimidated by casualties, and quickly achieved close combat effects.
Due to the terrain and preparations for battle, the Han army's large number of sharp ordnance was not put to use immediately. The result was that the two sides followed the front stronghold and started a bloody battle.
The person responsible for the garrison of Qianzhai was the Xiongan Army commanded by Han Lingkun. In order to strengthen its defense, An Shenqi also deployed 16 commands under the original Hebei capital and unified them under the command of Han Lingkun, plus the local army in Hebei. , with a strength of 15,000 men, including nearly 20,000 civilians.
After the battle began, Han Lingkun also actively organized his troops and deployed defenses to meet the impact of the Liao army. But what has to be said is that in this battle, the Liao army took the lead, and its responses in all aspects were hasty, and its own advantages were unable to be fully utilized. The wall of the stronghold that could be relied upon was not stable under the impact of the fire bull, so that after the battle, the Liao army was quickly led into a bloody situation.
Before the Hanzhai, the fighting was fierce, the sound of killing was loud, and the crossbow arrows pierced the air. Outside the Han camp, the Liao cavalry was in full swing. The men who controlled the strings continued to attack the Han camp with mounted fire. Although the damage caused was not much, it had a minimum containment effect and created space for the Liao soldiers who attacked the camp.
Under the strict military laws, the Liao army's attacking soldiers were driven crazy and were not allowed to retreat until half of them died. The soldiers of the Han army who defended the fortress were not unheroic. Their difficulties were eliminated by killing and bloodshed. They maintained their usual strong posture and formed crazy formations to resist.
The Liao army came to the ground in waves, refusing to give the Han army a moment to breathe. The Han army also rotated accordingly, refusing to take a step back. Relying on the desperate resistance of the soldiers in the front village, the other villages, especially the middle camp, were able to buy a lot of time to prepare their troops and horses, and were finally ready for support. At the same time, heavy weapons such as thunderbolt cannons and bed crossbows were also urgently moved to the front to adjust shooting.
The autumn wind whistled more and more fiercely, and the war drums at the south entrance did not stop. The fighting between the two armies did not weaken as time went by, but became more fierce, bloody, and cruel.
Within an hour, the Liao army had launched seven waves of attacks on the Han army's front stronghold. Corpses were piled up in front of the stronghold, five feet above the ground. The following Liao army stepped on the corpses of their comrades. Rush upward.
The Liao army suffered heavy casualties, and the Han army suffered heavy casualties. Such a battle was a waste of human lives. On the battlefield, stone arrows were flying. As the thunderbolt cannons fired, stubborn rocks and fire bombs continued to fly outside the stronghold. They did not cause much direct damage to the Liao army. The deterrent effect was somewhat effective, but not enough.
It was not the style of the Han army to be passively beaten. After making huge sacrifices and firmly blocking the Liao army's attack, An Shenqi's prepared counterattack force was dispatched.
After eating, they were fully equipped. Shi Shouxin, the commander-in-chief of the Xingjie Army, led the Xingjie Army and the Hebei frontier cavalry, and took the initiative to attack from Zuozhai, threatening the flanks of the Liao Army.
As soon as there was a movement here, the Liao army immediately noticed it. Regarding this move, Yelu Xiezhen, who had practiced beside Yelu Cong and also served as a staff officer, was not surprised but overjoyed. He said: "The Han army is too arrogant. They dare to Take the initiative to leave the stronghold!"
"It's good to come out!" Old Yelvcong raised his eyebrows and said immediately: "Order the right army's 10,000 riders to go and contain the Han army. Just keep an eye on them. Once the Han stronghold is broken, then encircle and annihilate it!"
"yes!"
Soon, the Liao army's right wing, with 10,000 cavalry, attacked and went straight towards the more than 13,000 Han army infantry and cavalry coming from Zuozhai. This would be a smart move, not to attack forcefully, but to deal with it and contain it. In the military formation, Shi Shouxin looked extremely serious when he saw the performance of Liao Qi. In fact, he did not agree with taking the initiative under the current situation, which could easily put himself in danger.
But the military orders are like mountains, and I dare not disobey them. However, observing the battlefield situation, Shi Shouxin did not stay away from the stronghold. He only made gestures to deter from a distance and was ready to retreat at any time.
As for the Liao army, although their attention was slightly distracted, their focus was still on the attack on Qianzhai.
"Ten attacking teams have taken turns to fight, with nearly half of the casualties. The Han army's resistance is very tenacious. They alone cannot break it!" Observing the changes in the battlefield, Yelu Xiezhen said to Yelucong.
It was already completely bright, but Yelucong's old eyes were filled with blood. Looking at the shattered Han stronghold, with corpses piled all over the ground, Yelvcong said decisively: "Withdraw, let the 'Iron Kites' come up, and the left army's 10,000 soldiers will follow them to attack and defeat the Han stronghold in one fell swoop!"
