When Fu Yanqing's army finally lost control and marched north, the chaos in Yunzhou was still continuing, but the Liao army's retreat was nearing its end. Yelujing divided the Liao army into three main groups. The first group of 20,000 returned north first to determine the thoroughfare, open up mountain roads, and smooth the road.
The second batch of 50,000 troops, with the main baggage, livestock, and property, Yunzhou was a place where the Liao Kingdom had been operating for 20 years. It was called the pearl on the fortress and was one of the richer areas among the counties and counties controlled by the Liao Kingdom. So a lot of wealth was carried. At the same time, this is also the brigade with the most diverse personnel. In addition to the army, there are also a large number of civilians with their families.
Although the government asked them to flee on their own to avoid the war and join the tribes in Saibei Prefecture and County, many people still chose to follow the army in the hope of being protected. Regarding this situation, Yelujing felt helpless and did not order to disperse. He just followed as long as he could keep up! At the same time, the generals of each army are given the opportunity to do so. They must not put the army in danger by following the army and the people.
The third batch of Liao troops consisted of more than 30,000 people, and they were the most powerful. They were the troops defending the Liao Emperor, and most of the elites gathered here. That's right, the Liao Emperor chose to personally cut off the Yunzhou army's rear, and the plan to confuse the enemy would not last long. Once the Han army reacted, they would definitely pursue and fight. Although the Liao army had many livestock and high mobility, they were not returning north lightly, and their marching speed was not as high as expected.
Therefore, when it comes to withdrawing troops, the most critical and important thing is how to prevent the Han army from pursuing it after it is discovered. To this end, the Liao army made two preparations. One was that the Liao Emperor personally led the most elite army of more than 30,000 to the rear. This was opposed by many people, but Yelujing stubbornly insisted. In his opinion, this was a A measure to boost morale and unite the hearts and minds of the military.
Moreover, Yelujing also recruited all the Han people from Yunzhou and the areas east of it, plus some of the original Han troops, all handed over to the command of Han Kuangmei, and returned north together. A bunch of old and weak women and children were left for the Han army. Other places could not be taken care of for the time being, but in and around Yunzhong, Yelujing was not even planning to leave a strong Han man to the Han army.
To this end, the Liao army spent a lot of effort and did not hesitate to resort to force. Because of Yelujing's relocation decree, a large number of Han families were broken up in the Yunzhou area. This was a very disappointing move, but Yelujing didn't care about that much. Everything that caused trouble to the big man was worth doing.
The other hand was to hold on to Yunzhong City. Although he decided to withdraw his troops, he did not completely abandon Yunzhou. Yelujing left a force to hold on. This was proposed by Yelu Talie, the king of Nanyuan. He said that if Yunzhong City is abandoned directly, the Han army can pursue it unscrupulously. Once it is caught in a pursuit battle, the outcome will be unpredictable. Even if it can escape the pursuit of the Han army, it will be unpredictable. No guarantee of loss.
Therefore, we simply left a few elite troops to garrison the city to contain the Han army from pursuing them, and then coordinate the evacuation of the army. At the same time, Yunzhong City is strong and we should defend it. If we can resist the Han army's attack and delay the attack, we will drag it into a fierce offensive and defensive battle. When the Han army becomes exhausted or the food supply is no longer available, it will inevitably withdraw. In this way, there is even hope of preserving Yunzhou, even if this hope is very weak.
Yelu Talie was deeply familiar with Han affairs and saw clearly that for the Han army, if they maintained an army of 300,000 people outside the Great Wall and fought fiercely for a long time, the price they would pay would be much heavier than when they were at Youyan. Logistics The pressure on supplies is even greater.
Moreover, Yelu Talie suggested that after Yelujing successfully evacuated the Great Wall, a strong force could be left to operate on the front line of the Yinshan Great Wall, and cooperate with the Feng and Sheng troops in the northwest to coordinate with the Yunzhong defenders. If, with God's blessing, the city can be defended, and when the Liao emperor has put down the rebellion in the country, the soldiers have been recuperated, and the horses have grown fat, then if the Han army is still there, they can march south again...
Yelu Talie's strategy was to use part of the Liao army to gamble, earn a war miracle, and gain a strategic foothold for the Liao Kingdom in the Yinshan Mountains and south of the Great Wall. After all, Yunzhou is an important support point for the Southern Dynasty's border defense. If it really falls into the control of the Han Dynasty, and the current situation develops, it will be basically impossible for the Liao Kingdom to take it back.
Yelujing was persuaded by the King of Nanyuan and agreed to his strategy. When selecting the generals who stayed behind, Yelu Talie asked him to take charge. Yelv Jing sternly refused this at first. Although Yelu Talie was old, he had extremely high prestige and strong abilities. He was the rare backbone of the Liao Dynasty. How could he be willing to abandon him in a dangerous situation where he would almost die.
However, Yelu Talie insisted on asking him, saying that there was no one more suitable than him to control the defense of Yunzhong City. Moreover, if he wanted to hold on to the city, it would take only capable ministers and good generals to do the job. The emperor always used the imperial army as his army. After the palace, as the king of Nanyuan, Yunzhou is the place he governs, and it is his duty to defend it.
Yelu Talie's words deeply moved Yelujing. At the same time, he also understood in his heart that if he wanted to rely on a cloud city to hold back hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Han troops, only the famous and capable Yelu Talie could be the important minister around him.
For this reason, Yelvjing left more than 27,000 troops for Yelvtalie, the main force of which were Nanshu tribesmen. These people were previously commanded by Yelutalie, plus the soldiers recruited from various tribes who dared to die. The scholars thought that some barbarians in the Yunzhou area were strong and strong, so much so that Yelujing left three thousand Pishi troops for Yelu Talie.
These soldiers and horses are not weak troops, and they have few worries. In the hands of Yelu Talie, relying on the strong city of Yunzhong, they can cause major trouble to the Han army. One special thing is that there are only a very small number of Han soldiers with clean resumes. Obviously, in truly critical moments, national issues will come to the fore, especially when faced with the attack of the Han army. Even if Yelujing has a Tolerant and tolerant, I dare not trust the Han people.
In addition to personnel arrangements, there is a large amount of food and grass stored in Yunzhong City. With special allocation, in terms of supplies, it is enough to supply the defenders for half a year. In terms of weapons, Yelujing gave him great support. One-third of the general's armor was left to Yunzhong, and some craftsmen with the army were assigned to build weapons for him to defend the city.
On Yunzhong City, the Liao flags were constantly swaying in the cool breeze of early spring, but the city was very quiet, with a serious atmosphere. Outside the city, several huge camps of the Liao army still existed, but they no longer had the previous sounds of people and animals, and they were deserted everywhere.
It's not that people left the camp empty, one of the Liao camps was in a mess, with cries, shouts, and all kinds of noise intertwined together. However, nearly 20,000 old, weak, women and children who were originally in the city were forcibly moved out of the city and were temporarily guarded.
In the opinion of the decisive Yelu Talie, these people staying in the city are just a burden. They cannot play a role in defending the city and only cause trouble. Yelu Talie was not a cruel Khitan minister, but he also ordered people to inform these people to stay outside the city Ansheng, and when the Han army arrived, he would help them. This could be regarded as a kind reminder.
In the north of the city, more than 30,000 Liao troops had already set off on their way back north. At the foot of the city, Yelu Talie led a group of subordinates to send Emperor Liao off. Yelujing took a group of important ministers to bid farewell to him. The scene was solemn and solemn.
Looking at Yelu Talie, who was nearly sixty years old and still wearing armor, Yelujing bowed deeply and said: "Everything in Yunzhou is left to the public, so don't take care of yourself!"
Yelu Talie acted very calmly and responded: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will lead the troops to resist the Han army and fight until every soldier is killed. If the Guo city is destroyed, then the inner city will be defended; if the inner city is destroyed, the official offices will be defended." If Yunzhou cannot be defended in the end, then I and my officers and men will kill 40,000 Han troops and bury them together before they are destroyed!"
Yelu Talie's words made Yelujing moved again. She noticed his decisive expression and bowed again. The ministers behind Emperor Liao also bowed greatly to show their respect for him.
Before boarding the underground train, Yelujing looked back again, at Yelu Talie, and then at Yunzhong City standing behind it. The emotions in his heart were extremely complicated. He didn't know what the final outcome of this city would be. How, I don’t know if there will be a chance to climb the tower as the master again in the future.
After Yelujing went north, Yelu Talie returned to the city and went straight to the south city. The thick city gate of Yunzhong's north gate slowly closed, as if closing the retreat.
"Your Majesty, the Han army is heading north!" The Liao army officer in charge of scouting came to report to Yelu Tarlie.
Without much emotion, Yelu Talie asked: "How many people are there? Are they all the army? Where is the army? Who is the general who leads the army?"
"There are only a few thousand horsemen, heading straight into the clouds. The leading general must be Han Army General Shi Yanchao. The cavalry in the south are attacking and intercepting. It is estimated that their horse distance is less than fifty miles away!"
"Explore again! Find out the situation of this Han army!" Yelu Talie did not make a judgment easily, but ordered calmly. Of course, he immediately ordered to mobilize 10,000 cavalry and leave the city to prepare for battle. The Liao army that stayed behind in Yunzhong was still dominated by cavalry.
Shi Yanchao, after receiving Fu Yanqing's military order, excitedly led five thousand cavalry to rush north. Just twenty miles out, Liao cavalry spontaneously came to harass and intercept them. However, the Han cavalry led by Shi Yanchao were all elite Han troops, well-armed and well-trained, and with a strong general like Shi Yanchao. Taking the lead, they are naturally invincible. Although the small group of Liao cavalry are equally fierce, they cannot resist Shi Yanchaofeng at all.
Huairen was less than eighty miles away from Yunzhong, even including the twists and turns on the road. He marched all the way north and continuously defeated four groups of Liao cavalry. It only took more than two hours to approach Yunzhong City. The momentum of advancing troops can be described as sharp.
"General, the Liao army only has a small group of cavalry coming to intercept us. The situation seems to be different!" A lieutenant nearby reminded Shi Yanchao, who was urging the troops to advance.
At this time, the spring sun was setting in the west, and Yunzhong City, dormant in the north, was already in sight. Despite Shi Yanchao's impatience, he was a veteran on the battlefield after all and had extremely rich combat experience. When he came north, he had already noticed some problems and said with certainty: "There are indeed differences in the Liao army. Our task is to eliminate them." Show your true and false intentions!"
With that said, the leader continued to head north. More than ten miles south of Yunzhong City, Shi Yanchao finally encountered the first wave of decent interceptors, three thousand Liao cavalry who had already set up their formation.
In this regard, his subordinates also expressed their opinion, saying that after such a long time, the Liao army should have known about their situation, but they only sent three thousand cavalry to intercept them, which might be a fraud.
However, Shi Yanchao laughed: "I am taking you north to break into the hundreds of thousands of Liao army camps. What is there to fear about the Liao army in front of you?"
After saying that, he ordered to change the formation, take the lead, and lead the army to charge forward.
