While Yang Yejun was roaming in the beautiful spring scenery, clearing battlefields and enjoying the fruits of victory, Liao Emperor Yelujing led the defeated army to rush eastward. Of course, it was not because they were afraid of Yang Yejun, but after this defeat, the morale of the Liao army, which had been victorious in the ambush, was severely damaged again, and they really had no intention of fighting again.
The more than 30,000 Liao troops suffered over 10,000 losses after the ambush and Yang Ye's raid. Although many were lost in the mountains, there were only less than 20,000 who could be organized to defend the Liao Emperor.
Moreover, people are panicked and morale is low. Fortunately, most of the soldiers and horses lost were mainly tribal troops, and the Pishi Army's casualties were not many. It is conceivable that after the Han-Liao war, the Khitan tribesmen must have been filled with resentment. They fought in conquests and suffered heavy casualties.
As for the baggage, property, horses, livestock, etc. that accompanied the army, they were completely ignored.
King Yelu of the North Courtyard has been working hard on his affairs, and now he finally has a chance to rest. Yang Ye's arrow was so powerful that it penetrated the armor's protection and penetrated into his flesh. Fortunately, the vital part was not hit, but after escaping through the mountains, he was unable to receive complete rescue in time, so he bled excessively and was still in a coma.
The reason why Yelujing hurriedly marched eastward was just as Yang Ye guessed. There was something wrong with the Liao army in Wuzhou. During the withdrawal process, Yelusha was chased by the Han army and lost more than 20,000 people... .
For Yelujing, this is nothing more than adding insult to injury. He was eager to advance eastward, but he planned to clean up the mess. At the same time, he was also very angry about Yelusha's performance and felt that he had betrayed trust. He withdrew his troops twice, once to the south entrance, and once to Wende. There were problems.
Of course, from a practical point of view, Yelusha, a general of the Liao Kingdom, was a little aggrieved. When they withdrew from Changping last year, they were forced to fight by Gao Huaide and the Han army.
And this time, after receiving the order from Emperor Liao, preparations were made for withdrawal at an extremely fast speed. Moreover, it did a good job in confusing the Han army and did not change the rhythm of the attack on Murong Yanzhao's army.
The problem still lies with the Han army. After the automatic troops, in accordance with the previous arrangements and combat policies, Murong Yanzhao led the army to advance steadily, and deliberately slowed down in the face of the crazy harassment of the Liao army.
However, when Murong Yanzhao used troops, he always kept the initiative in his own hands and fought steadily, but it did not mean that he was restraining himself. Long before the troops were launched, troops who were good at trekking were drawn from each army, especially soldiers who had participated in the battle to destroy Shu.
A total of 5,000 soldiers, led by Han Chongyun, entered Yanshan from the north. Under the leadership of the guide, they made a large circle and detoured nearly 300 miles of mountain roads, intending to penetrate directly into the rear of the Liao army. Li Chongjin also asked for an order to accompany the army, and to take the roundabout way through the mountains, which was not only difficult and risky, but for Li Chongjin, who had been demoted, Murong Yanzhao was able to give him a chance, mostly because of Chai Rong. On face.
Murong Yanzhao, on the other hand, led the army to deal with the Liao army in the front, attracting its attention, but the Liao army was completely unaware of this. Therefore, you can imagine how surprised Yelusha was when he abandoned Wende and led more than 20,000 cavalrymen who had attracted the attention of the Han army to retreat quickly, and met Han Chongyun's army at Duanyunling, twenty miles northwest of Wende County.
At that time, after twelve days of marching, the Han army had gone through untold hardships and was freed from the winding and rugged mountain roads. They were resting in hiding and preparing to launch a wave of attacks on the Liao army from behind.
Facing the movements of Yelvsha's army, Han Chongyun and Li Chongjin immediately judged the purpose of the Liao army, and they wanted to escape. Generals Han and Li naturally had nothing to say and led the troops to refuse.
Duanyunling, as its name suggests, is in a dangerous situation, and the Yang River flows through it. With the Han army seizing the road and fortifying it, the Liao army has no other choice but to pass through quickly except for a frontal assault.
A tragic encounter suddenly unfolded. The Han army was small, and the energy consumed in the process of crossing mountains and ridges was not recovered, but it had a psychological advantage and a time advantage.
The Liao army was large in numbers and eager to return home. With the drive to survive, the energy it unleashed was considerable. However, it is not easy to break through the interception of the Han army's formation.
Murong Yanzhao's side was as motionless as a mountain and as invading as fire. After learning that the Liao army was retreating, he ordered Guo Chongwei to lead five thousand cavalry to pursue them, and Shi Shouxin to lead his troops to follow up. He himself led the Chinese army to follow. As for Wende County, he only sent a thousand soldiers to take over.
Therefore, under attack from both front and rear, Yelusha's more than 20,000 troops soon fell into despair and were forced to have no choice. Yelusha led his people into the Yanghe River and drowned countless people. In the end, only a dozen cavalrymen escaped successfully, which was no different from the entire army being annihilated.
In the battle at Duanyunling, tens of thousands of people were captured alone. Annihilating more than 20,000 enemies was considered a great victory and the results were rich. However, people are always satisfied, especially after learning about the withdrawal of the Liao army, they felt even more regretful.
As for the loss of more than 20,000 troops that Yelujing received, that was because as Yelusha withdrew from Wende, there were only more than 20,000 troops... The Liao army in the east originally numbered more than 60,000. There were more than 40,000 people stationed in Wende with Yelusha.
In fact, Yelusha still tried his best to withdraw his 20,000 troops in advance and exited the fortress through Yehuling. He himself chose to lead his men to break up the entanglement with Murong Yanzhao's army. Otherwise, if they are all intercepted at Duanyun Ridge, they may not be able to escape the fate of being annihilated.
As for the other 20,000 Liao troops, they were stationed in Huai'an County to the west of Wende, which was where the Liao army actually planned to hold on. Because they were in the rear, they seemed much more calm after receiving the Liao Emperor's order to withdraw their troops.
The commander-in-chief of the Liao Army in Huai'an was named Han Deshu. He was the eldest son of Han Yanhui, the founding hero of the Liao Kingdom, and a distinguished nobleman of the Liao Kingdom. Han Deshu was also a man of outstanding talents. In his early years, he was hailed as a "national treasure" by Yelu Deguang, Taizong of the Liao Dynasty. After Yelujing succeeded to the throne, he used him to control Liaodong and made outstanding achievements. After the conflict between Han and Liao Dynasty, he was transferred to the south to serve.
The withdrawal of the Liao army seemed very sudden, but Han Deshu was the only one who truly implemented Yelujing's edict and implemented his ideas, and even led the army and people to withdraw northward. Therefore, when the Han army won the victory at Duanyunling and rushed to Huai'an, only an empty city was left. The people were moved away, the houses were burned, the roads were destroyed, and the water sources were polluted...
For the Liao army, this large-scale evacuation failed to escape intact. In the end, the various Liao armies gathered in Yanzi City, more than thirty miles north of Yehuling. Excluding those Hu and Han civilians who accompanied the army, the total number of armies was less than 120,000, and they were mainly composed of remnants and weak brigades. Although some elite troops were retained, their morale was extremely low.
The more realistic problem is that Yelujing still has to rely on these troops to return to his country to put down the chaos. However, under the repeated attacks of the Han army, the morale of these troops was also unstable, and there were many headaches for the Liao Emperor.
Fortunately, there are many Hu and Han talents under Yelujing who can serve him, offer advice and suggestions, and organize the army to benefit the people. Even so, after such heavy losses, the rule of the Liao Kingdom fell into the most dangerous situation in decades, which was even more tense than the situation after the Battle of Luancheng. In addition to the huge loss of military and national power, the big Han in the south is watching behind them.
After Murong Yanzhao's army completely restored Wuzhou and captured Huai'an to the west, they also faced a choice in response to the large-scale withdrawal of the Liao army to the north. Should he follow the established plan and go west via Huai'an to join forces with Fu Yanqing and Zhao Kuangyin in Yunzhou? Or should he go north through the Great Wall and the fortress to continue chasing the Liao army.
This was an adjustment based on changes in the military situation, but when it came to the strategic planning of the imperial camp, Murong Yanzhao did not dare to take charge of it himself, so he temporarily stationed in Huai'an and ordered people to go to Youzhou to ask the emperor for instructions. At the same time, he sent troops to seize Yehuling and other places. Deploy defenses at dangerous points and the passes of the Great Wall, and get in touch with Fu Yanqing to the west to learn about his battle situation.
Liu Chengyou was also a little surprised by the Liao army's choice to withdraw troops. After weighing the decision, he asked Murong Yanzhao to stay temporarily and make a decision based on the military situation in Yunzhou. At the same time, Liu Chengyou also arranged to step up his spying on the Liao Kingdom and find out the reasons for the sudden withdrawal of the Liao Army.
