After Gao Huaide led the army to approach, probably for the first time since the fierce battle at Nankou, the commander-in-chief of the Liao army hesitated and hesitated, and the fluctuations in his heart were very obvious. It is not easy to make a choice between taking a risk and playing it safe. It requires accurate judgment and decision-making based on the actual situation on the battlefield.
However, the truth is this, and everyone with a little knowledge of military affairs knows it, but it is not so easy to make the most correct decision in a rapidly changing situation when you are really on the scene.
Yelvcong hesitated. It must be said that the stubborn resistance of the Han army in Nankou made him gradually less confident. He could not guarantee whether he could defeat it in one fell swoop if he continued to invest new forces.
The Han army's reinforcements were already approaching, and the first ones to arrive were only the people from Niulan Mountain. It was basically conceivable that the Han army from Youzhou was also on the way. Looking at the rising morale of the Han army at Nankou, if we try our best and still can't defeat it, then we don't have enough reserve force to deal with the sharp soldiers of the Han army coming from behind.
There is a bit of reality. Over there, after a long period of fierce fighting, the Liao army also became exhausted. Under such circumstances, if there is no force to cover up the situation, it is likely to put the entire army in danger.
It was under this psychological influence that Yelvcong did not choose to give it all a go. In this regard, the young Yelu Xiezhen raised objections. He believed that although the Han army's resistance was tenacious, it was actually at the end of its strength. When the enemy's reinforcements arrived, they should go all out to break them, and then find and destroy their reinforcements.
If you worry about the future, even if you leave enough troops to deal with the Han army, if the south entrance is not broken and the Han army reinforcements arrive, then the Liao army will be in a dilemma of being attacked from both sides, which is dangerous.
You must know that there are more than one or two reinforcements from the Han army. Tanzhou is only a day away. If there is another division of troops from there, their "200,000" army, which has been fighting for a long time, will not even be able to maintain its strength advantage. However, the Han army can continue to send reinforcements from other places.
Moreover, Yelv Xiezhen pointed out that the Pishi Army has always been dispatched at the most critical moments in battles. Now at the right time, the King of Beiyuan has divided his forces to control the Han cavalry. As the commander of the front, how can you look forward and backward?
However, for Yelv Xiezhen, appreciation is appreciation, but in this case, Yelvcong chose to believe in his own judgment and refused to accept advice. Yelu Xiezhen was so angry that he ran directly to the south to find Yelu's house hostage. However, Yelu Wuzhi's reaction also seemed a bit hesitant, and he did not express any opposition to Yelu Cong's decision. Perhaps it was because he was older and sought stability, which became his subconscious preference.
Although he chose to be conservative, Yelvcong still issued strict orders to increase the strength of the general battle, urge the armies, and strengthen the offensive intensity, hoping to see if he could break it. As you can imagine, the more crazy you attack, the more confidence you have in the defense of the Han army in Nankou, proving that the reinforcements have really arrived.
However, the Han stronghold was still strong and the Han army became more courageous. Yelvcong became more convinced of his judgment. Even if he invested more troops and horses, it would still not be easy to defeat the enemy.
In autumn and winter, the sky gets dark very quickly, especially at dusk, when the evening sun sets even faster. Before long, there is only a lone ray of setting sun hanging in the sky, and under the sky, the mist is heavy, and the sky and the earth are shrouded in haze.
Probably because the fierce battle at the south entrance was too cruel, the cold dusk wanted to calm down the two sides and stop the fighting. However, the effect was not great. Although the Liao army slowed down their offensive, they did not stop the attack. Instead, they set up bonfires and tree lanterns around them and continued to fight.
Because the Han army's defense line continued to shrink, the number of troops available for the Liao army to deploy was greatly reduced. The Liao army also adjusted according to the situation, rotating troops and horses, eating and resting separately. Obviously, it still persisted in its determination to destroy the Han army in Nankou.
In fact, the progress of the war to this extent has greatly exceeded the expectations of the soldiers on both sides. The Liao army's attack paid a huge price and could not be easily given up.
The Han army struggled to support itself and persisted. The news of reinforcements strengthened its belief. Also taking advantage of the changes in the Liao army, we seized the time and made adjustments. In fact, at this point in the battle, the condition of the Han army was extremely bad. Hunger and poverty became more and more serious as the night fell. Many soldiers were obviously weak when it came to handling their weapons.
Darkness has become a protective color for people, and it also aggravates the uneasiness of many people. From top to bottom, we have relied on the faith in our hearts to persist until now. In fact, many ordinary soldiers do not know what this belief is. If it is to survive, then under the siege of the Liao army, a large number of soldiers died in the fierce battle. They just watched the generals and officers persist, and the robes around them were persist in......
To the east of Nankou, tens of thousands of cavalry from both Han and Liao sides were still fighting. The Han army was at a disadvantage. Under the attack of Zuopi Shijun, the Fan cavalry was defeated, with only Gao Huaide still supporting them.
Fortunately, the fall of night provided cover, allowing Liao general Yelu Sa to be more conservative. In order to avoid falling into a melee, he only resolutely monitored and intercepted Gao Huaide's army, faithfully fulfilling the tasks assigned by Yelvwu.
Of course Gao Huaide also noticed it, so all he could do was to contain this extremely powerful Liao Cavalry. As for the relief, it depends on the arrival of other reinforcements.
Although they knew that the south entrance was in danger, Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin were speeding up, but they were not desperate. Although the 50,000 Han troops coming from the north of Youzhou were composed of infantry and cavalry, they were mainly infantry.
The journey of a hundred miles seemed not far away, but the soldiers' physical strength should not be exhausted in order to rush. Both of them were familiar with military affairs, and each had experience in commanding. They knew that if they advanced too hastily and rushed troops recklessly, even if they arrived, the soldiers would not be able to retain their combat effectiveness. Not only would they not be able to save the crisis at Nankou, but they might invite an attack by the Liao army. , putting yourself in danger.
For Chai and Zhao, they must try their best to avoid the situation where the strong crossbow is at its end. As a result, the arrival of Youzhou reinforcements will be even slower.
Before the Youzhou reinforcements arrived, someone took action and used their brains. It was Han Hui, the person in charge of Changping. As mentioned before, there are more than 15,000 people in Changping City. Although they are mainly civilians, the soldiers are not powerful.
But this is also a large force. When they set up their formation, they were overwhelming. Realizing that the Liao army was besieging the south entrance, they did not relax their guard while attacking. As soon as Gao Huaide arrived, he divided his troops to resist.
Han Hui realized that the Liao army was wary of reinforcements from the Han Dynasty. Therefore, he arranged for three thousand people, each carrying flags and torches, to secretly leave the city and go five miles away. With great fanfare and torches, they made a lot of noise, marched north, and returned to Changping City.
Three thousand people, pretending to be 30,000 people. Such a blatant momentum was naturally detected by the Liao army's scouts traveling north of Changping City and reported to the general.
After learning that another reinforcement of tens of thousands of people from the Han army had arrived and entered Changping City, the Liao army responded immediately. Yelu Wuzhi and Yelu Cong had already gathered together to discuss the response to the Han Dynasty army coming from the south.
On Gao Huaide's side, Yelusha was keeping an eye on him. Of course, this Han army should not be underestimated. When they learned that he did not come directly to the south entrance to rescue the siege, but chose to enter Changping City, the two of them expressed great fear.
Obviously, the leading Han generals are very "rational" and come a long way, and do not want to fight with machines. Based on the current situation, they chose to rest in Changping and prepare for the attack, which was more frightening to the two than attacking directly. After all, arrows that are drawn but not fired are more dangerous and more deterrent.
After discussing with Yelu Cong, Yelu Wuzhi immediately decided that Liao general Yelusha would lead 40,000 cavalry south to Changping to set up a blockade and monitor the Han reinforcements. Even if this army is divided again, the Liao army at the south entrance still has more than 100,000 troops, twice as many as the Han army defenders.
However, due to the changes in Changping, the Liao army finally slowed down the Han army's offensive at Nankou. First, night is really not conducive to the launch of the attack, and is the time when accidents and dangers are most likely to occur; second, the Liao army's officers and men also fought hard throughout the day and were in urgent need of rest and recuperation.
Even so, the Han army, which was also at the south entrance, had a chance to breathe and chose the lesser of two evils. The Han army persisted for so long, always tightening the string, and continued to attack with force, which may not be effective. If the attack is stopped and allowed to relax, the will to continue fighting may be reduced. Of course, this is just an attempt.
Moreover, if they rest and recuperate, locally speaking, the Liao army at the south entrance will have the upper hand. Because they had food and drink, although a lot of grain, fodder and even ordnance of the Han army in the surrounding villages were burned, the Liao army also captured a lot. In fact, many of the weapons and protection used by the Liao army in attacking fortresses were captured from the Han army.
The remaining tens of thousands of Han troops who were shrinking in Zhongzhai were actually short of food and medicine. They only had the basic rations of Zhongzhai, supply and support, and could not even provide all the soldiers with a full meal.
As the Liao army slowed down its attack and turned to siege and rest on the basis of the original Han strongholds around it, the battle at Nankou finally came to an end for the first time. The sound of killing subsided and gradually became non-existent. Both armies were like seriously wounded beasts, each licking its wounds, gathering strength and preparing for the next battle.
In comparison, the Han army's trauma was more severe. As the Liao army stopped fighting, the Han army officers and soldiers in Zhongzhai were indeed relaxed, especially the officers and soldiers at the bottom.
As the commander-in-chief of the army, An Shenqi did not dare to relax. Although the Liao army had put away its offensive minions, the crisis was still not resolved. If it really relaxed, it would be fatal.
He personally led his troops to inspect various military camps, personally encouraged the soldiers and soothed the morale of the troops. At this time, he had sufficient confidence, because reinforcements had arrived, otherwise the Liao army would not have ceased the war.
Of course, An Shenqi also knew that although reinforcements arrived, they obviously could not pose a fatal threat to the Liao army, otherwise they would not choose to besiege and have no intention of retreating. Naturally, it is impossible to tell the officers and soldiers below.
Countless corpses were piled up around Zhongzhai, and the bloody scene was like Shura Hell, which was even more terrifying under the shadow of the night. During the day, there was a desperate fight, the blood surged, the blood rushed to the brain, and all the senses were blocked under the fighting. But after calming down, a sad atmosphere began to brew.
While patrolling the southern camp, An Shenqi suddenly heard a burst of crying. It was very miserable. He took people to check, but there were a group of civilians who couldn't stand the cruel battlefield and their mentality collapsed. There were more than 200 people.
In response, An Shenqi acted very solemnly and coldly, and immediately arrested the more than two hundred people and quickly killed them. Such a ruthless approach made all the soldiers and civilians who were affected by Zhou become emotionally depressed.
Although it was a bit cruel, it had to be said that An Shenqi's approach was undoubtedly correct.
The fighting at the south entrance suddenly subsided, but Changping City was still tense. Forty thousand Liao troops came from the south to force the city, and it was difficult to relax. However, Han Hui showed a relieved expression and couldn't help but laugh a few times.
Dang Jin, who had retreated to the city to recover from his injuries, saw him and couldn't help but wonder: "General Han, why are you laughing?"
Han Hui is still a civil servant now, but after the war started, his behavior in the city and his command and dispatch were very much like a battle-hardened general, which made people feel reassured. People around him changed their words and called him general. The party Jin followed suit.
After listening to his question, Han Hui explained: "Our trick of doubting the soldiers worked. The Liao army sent tens of thousands of troops south to deal with Changping. The strength of the troops at the south entrance was weakened again. King Chen Liu and others, the crisis is temporarily resolved, and there is no fear of destruction. !”
Hearing what he said, Dang Jin nodded subconsciously, bared his teeth and said, "I didn't expect you, a camel, to have such a good brain!"
Dang Jin's words were actually a bit rude. On weekdays, when Han Tong heard other people calling his son such nicknames, he would always respond with an old fist. But Han Hui was very well-educated. He just smiled lightly and said without caring, "Now, we only need to guard Changping City and wait for His Majesty's follow-up reinforcements!"
But they didn't wait too long. In the cool night of late autumn, Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin led the army and finally arrived in Changping. Han Hui immediately sent someone to contact him and learned that without any hesitation, Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin immediately decided to go to the city to rest.
Due to Yelusha's army, Zhao Kuangyin personally led the cavalry and supported them to ensure safety. The arrival of Youzhou's 50,000 infantrymen shocked the Liao army even more.
