The imperial meeting ended in a slightly depressing atmosphere, but a major decision was finally made to withdraw from Wende to the west and temporarily get out of trouble.
The ministers retired and prepared arrangements for appeasing the troops and withdrawing them. For the newly defeated army, this was also something that required proper preparation and arrangements. Emperor Yelujing of the Liao Dynasty was sitting in the government hall, but his face was very ugly and his expression was very gloomy.
In fact, the current situation of the Liao army, although not optimistic, is far from being exhausted. There are still hundreds of thousands of troops in the Huailai area. As long as they are properly handled, their morale is restored, and their combat power is rested, there may be some benefits in a battle.
At the same time, although the offensive capabilities of the Han army are strong, they are still blocked by the Yanshan Mountains. Fighting over the mountains is not that simple, especially as time goes on and winter deepens, it will be even more unfavorable for combat.
On the Liao army's side, they can take some positive actions, such as sending troops to blockade the mountain pass while holding on to Juyong Pass, and besiege and trap Li Chong's army who controls Jinshan to death.
Of course, this is only a possibility. If the Liao army does this, it is uncertain what consequences it will have, what impact it will have, and how the Han army will respond.
However, once they choose to withdraw westward, it will prove that the current Liao monarchs and ministers have no hope of fighting the Han army. This is probably the impact of Nankou's defeat.
As Yelujing himself said, the Yanshan defense line had all been relied on. After the Han army came over the mountain, how could the city on the right side of the mountain be used to defend against the Han army's offensive?
Therefore, although Yelu Jing agreed with Yelu Wuzhi's suggestion, she still had doubts in her heart and was extremely depressed. And the more I think about it, the more irritable I feel.
With a gloomy face, he was sitting deep in thought. Before he knew it, it was dinner time. Two attendants carefully carried a bottle of wine, a plate of roasted mutton, and some refreshments, ready to serve the Liao Emperor.
Probably because Yelujing's expression was too gloomy and cold, the waiter looked very nervous under the shock. One of them, while fiddling with it, his hands trembled and he spilled the drink on the table in the hall.
Yelujing turned her head sharply, and her sharp gaze fell on the attendant like a knife. The man's face turned pale and he was frightened. He quickly knelt down and begged for forgiveness.
Seeing this, Yelujing smiled, stood up, and with a flash of ferocity on his stern face, he pulled out the sword from his waist, pointed it at the neck of the attendant, and chopped it down.
With a scream, the head fell to the ground, blood spilled on the floor, stained Yelujing's clothes, and also splashed on the face of another chamberlain. This commotion immediately aroused the vigilance of the imperial sergeant. The officer of Su Wei broke in with several soldiers, and what he saw was this scene:
The Liao Emperor was holding a blood-stained knife in his hand, and his breath was undulating. There was a headless corpse lying at his feet, and the head rolled aside. Spare your life.
The sergeants in Suwei were all shocked by this. Yeye Lujing took a deep breath, discarded the sword in his hand, looked around, and didn't explain anything. He just gave a faint order: "Take care of this place!"
After killing someone, the anger on Yelujing's face dissipated, and the depression in her heart seemed to be relieved a lot. A pair of eyes regained clarity again, and the ideas in his mind became much clearer.
After thinking about it, Yelujing called the guard officer and ordered: "Go and find the King of the North Campus!"
Here at Yelu House, I was called back alone not long after I left, and I felt a little bit puzzled. When I came back, I happened to see Sergeant Su Wei moving the corpse out. Seeing this, I quickly stopped and asked about the situation. In fact, the guard didn't know the specific situation and didn't dare to talk nonsense. He just revealed one point in detail. The emperor personally killed a close attendant...
The slightly frowned brows relaxed, and Yelu Wuzi breathed a sigh of relief subconsciously. He thought there was an accident. You must know that during this period, Yelv House was also highly vigilant against the undercurrents under the Liao Emperor and those with ulterior motives.
When he saw Emperor Liao, he had already changed his clothes and the hall had been cleaned. Even the smell of blood had been removed and was covered by the smell of spices.
"I wonder, Your Majesty, what are your orders?" Upon entering, Yelu's housekeepers saluted respectfully and abided by their ministerial etiquette.
Instructing Yelu Jingzhi to sit down, Yelujing glanced at him, as if he was pondering, and organized his words for a while. Then he looked directly at him and said in a deep voice: "We have just discussed the military meeting, and all the ministers have made suggestions. Although I have also decided to go west." Withdraw to temporarily avoid the Han army's advance, but there is still no strategy for how to deal with the Han army's Northern Expedition, and how to resist the enemy has not yet been solved!"
Obviously, Yelujing still saw some things very clearly. His expression was extremely serious and he questioned Yeluwu: "I always feel that the Lord just made his remarks, had reservations, and did not fully express what he said! Now, there are only two of us, the monarch and his ministers. , please give me some advice!"
Facing the Liao Emperor's question, Yelu Wuzhi was quite stunned, but after paying attention to his eyes, he couldn't help but sigh to himself. He stood up and raised his hands and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. Even if our army retreats to Wende, it will be difficult to escape." The edge of the Han army!"
After hearing what he said, Yelujing immediately said: "In that case, why do you suggest retreating to the west!"
I could feel the slight dissatisfaction in Emperor Liao's tone. Yelu Wuzhi showed hesitation. He raised his eyes several times to observe Yelujing's expression. Finally, he took a deep breath and knelt down directly: "Your Majesty, in fact, I want to make a suggestion. , the army should not only withdraw to Wende, but also abandon the Shanyou states and retreat to Yunzhou!"
As soon as he said this, Yelujing's eyes widened and he stared at him: "Do you know what you are talking about? These counties and counties are all the land that Taizong has worked hard to obtain, how can you give it to others so easily!"
Seeing Emperor Liao's reaction, although he was a little excited, he was not too angry, and Yelu Wuzi became more calm. After considering his words, Yelu Wuzhi reported: "Your Majesty! As of the Battle of Nankou, Daliao has suffered heavy losses, its military strength has been greatly reduced, and its cities have been destroyed. As of now, our army's situation is already very critical, and we are determined to defeat the enemy. The strategy has reached the point where there is no need to delay!
Qishui Gong's opinion is also recognized by Chen Shi. After the defeat at Nankou, our army no longer has the strength to launch an active attack on the Han army in a short period of time. If the war is delayed, it will be difficult to sustain it after the setback. After all, it is difficult for us to have an army of hundreds of thousands and fight against the Han army in the ice and snow. A fierce battle..."
After hearing what Yelu Wuzhi said, Yelujing's face softened a lot, and she calmed down again. She stretched out her hand to signal to him: "Keep talking!"
Yeluwu asked: "I suggest retreating to Yunzhou for three reasons. First, it reduces the difficulty of supplying the large army and increases the supply difficulty of the Han army. If the battlefield is set in Yunzhou, our army's strength will be reduced, and If the Han army wants to go into battle and its military strength moves westward, the consumption it needs to endure will greatly increase;
Secondly, although the terrain of the states on the right side of the mountain is dangerous and solid and can be used as a defensive basis, the same terrain also limits the flexibility of the Liao cavalry. Fighting fiercely with the Han army in the mountains is actually a shortcoming of our army. , and promoted the director of the Han army. The Yunshuo area is relatively open and has a wider area for our army to move and fight. It is the place where the Daliao cavalry can use its skills. Moreover, Yunzhou has been managed by our dynasty for many years. It has strong city walls and sufficient food and equipment. If we rely on it to resist the Han army, our army's predicament can be greatly reversed.
Third, the current sentiment among the armies is extremely unstable, and the area on the right side of the mountain is not a good place to rest and recuperate. Retreating to Yunzhou, with the grassland at your back, can also ease the soldiers' longing for home. In addition, if our army retreats, it will not be easy for the hundreds of thousands of Han troops to adjust. This can also give our army more time to rest and recuperate! "
After hearing Yelu Wuzhi's considerations, Yelujing did not agree directly for a while. Instead, he thought carefully for a long time and said to him: "If we give up the states, wouldn't it be an advantage to the Han army and damage to the prestige and morale of our army? Furthermore, , it’s easy to give up, but it’s hard to take it back!”
Yelu Wuzhi was also silent for a moment. After all, the issue of territory is very serious. This time, if Emperor Liao had not inquired, he would not have expressed his thoughts so quickly.
After a moment of silence, Yelvwu said: "If our army still persists here, it may not be easy for the Han army to make a breakthrough in a short period of time. However, I am afraid that this will play into the Han army's ambitions! A fierce confrontation with the Han army. The soldiers here are competing for consumption, and they are definitely no match for them, and it is difficult to give the army adequate rest. Since there has been a loss, why not consider it earlier?
The Han army's northern expedition was to completely seize the land cut off by Shi Jin. If this goal was not achieved, it would be difficult to stop. Our army adopts a shrinking defense, but at the same time, it can also be arrogant.
Retreating to Yunzhou is also a way to exhaust the Han army and wait for a fighter! "
In fact, Yelu Wuzhi still had something to say, that is, if things go wrong, the Yunshuo area should also be abandoned. However, fearing that Yelujing would not be able to accept it, he did not dare to say it directly.
However, Yelvjing hesitated even more after Yeluwu's bold advice, with a look of confusion on his face. After a long time, he sighed: "I think about this Liao-Han war, Daliao was always under the control of the enemy, so that one step was taken, one step was slow, and one step was wrong.
To sum up, the reason lies in the fact that our army was insufficiently prepared and unable to respond in time. We had the intention of plotting against the Han, but unexpectedly the Han army also decided to launch a large-scale Northern Expedition. Since the beginning of the war, although Daliao has suffered repeated setbacks, I have never regretted any of the decisions I made.
The only mistake I felt was that I took the initiative to stir up disputes when I was not fully prepared for the southern expedition, so that the Liao-Han War broke out unexpectedly..."
Hearing Emperor Liao's sudden emotion and summary, Yelu Wuzhi felt inexplicable and couldn't help but softly called out in a comforting tone: "Your Majesty!"
Yelujing suddenly calmed down, stared at Yelu's house with sharp eyes, and said coldly: "Even if we want to withdraw, we can't hand over the states to the Han army easily!"
When Emperor Liao said this, it proved that he already agreed with Yelu Wuzhi's opinion from the bottom of his heart.
