With the efforts of the Han army, the inner city of Yunzhong became a huge furnace. The flames mercilessly devoured the lives in the city, drying out their flesh and blood, and constantly adding fuel to the fire. The shrill screams coming from the city made the Han soldiers outside the city feel numb.
The fire burned for nearly a day before it subsided. Under the high temperature, some cracks had already appeared on the walls of the city wall. After learning of the situation, Liu Chengyou immediately sent thousands of people, each carrying wooden barrels and containers, to pour cold water on them. They also used carts and flying rocks to hit the city wall, causing the inner city to collapse.
However, due to Yu Wen's high temperature, they were just keeping a close watch, with their elite troops arrayed and ready to attack. This fire had the effect of destroying the city and burning the defenders, but it was difficult to completely annihilate them.
Although the inner city is small, there are always places that cannot be covered by flames. In the central area, Yelu Talie and his people urgently cleared an open space where thousands of people were huddled.
When the surrounding area was devoured by fire, this area was like an isolated island. In order to compete for the power to survive, the Liao army even had internal strife. As the offensive and defensive battles progressed to this point, after experiencing countless cruelties and sufferings, Yelu Talie lost control of the army for the first time. If it weren't for the close protection of his confidants, he might have died in the rebellion.
It wasn't until dawn the next day that the Han army entered the city. Even after a night of cooling, the inner city could still feel the residual warmth at this time. As they rushed in, the soldiers' foreheads were involuntarily sweating. It's conceivable. Who knows what the Liao army in the city looks like.
In response to the Han army's attack, the remaining Liao army basically did not resist. When they saw the Han army, they abandoned their weapons and surrendered. Each one of them was disgraced, terrified all day long, and thirsty. Their only prayer was that they could be taken out of the city, and they couldn't wait to escape from this hell on earth.
Of course, among the Liao troops who were begging for surrender, there were still some outstanding ones, about 700 people. They were led by Yelu Talie, the king of the South Campus, and resisted stubbornly. In this regard, the Han army had nothing more to say and immediately carried out the extermination.
At the end of the road, the stubborn resistance has no more use than adding more casualties to the Han army. The first one to enter the city to clear out the troops was the Baoning Army led by Zhe Deku, and the general also gave him more favor.
In the face of the resistance of the remaining enemies, Zhe Deyi also showed great respect, that is, leaving no room for mercy and ordered to kill them all. Yelu Talie, who was nearly sixty years old, was not good at fighting, but he still personally carried the sword and supervised the battle, but his mood was full of melancholy. The light of the sword and the shadow of the sword could not affect his mood. For the sake of Daliao, he could be regarded as devoting himself to death.
It's a pity that all the plots can't withstand the crushing force of absolute strength. If the external enemy is as strong as this, there will be no peace internally. Death in battle is considered a worthy death.
Finally, after being hit by an arrow, Yelu Talie cut himself with a sword, not wanting to be humiliated by his captors. Obviously, during the long years of Sinicization, Han culture has had an irreversible impact on the values of the Khitan ruling class. This is a subtle change.
When he was dying, he was still thinking about the situation in the country and the situation of counterinsurgency. As life continues to pass, one can only hope that the lone eagle hovering in the sky can bring his blessings to Emperor Liao.
For Yelu Talie, the most regrettable thing is probably that the Haikou that he boasted in front of Yelv Jing could not be realized. Killing 40,000 Han troops, even including the wounded, was less than half the target.
The final battle ended quickly. Under the killing of the soldiers of the Baoning Army, the stubborn resistance only added a little more blood to Yunzhong City. Moreover, there were more than two hundred prisoners.
Stepping on the bloodstains, he stepped forward and stood in front of Yelu Talie's body. Zhe Deqing asked, "Is this Yelu Talie?"
The prisoner being held in custody immediately replied in jerky Chinese: "Returning to the general, it is the King of the South Campus!"
Although it has a strong local accent, it is indeed Chinese. He has been stationed in the north all year round and dealt with barbarians, so Zhe Deku can understand it. In fact, one can understand its identity by looking at its armor.
But Zhe Deqing snorted and said contemptuously: "What kind of king of the South Campus is just a thief chieftain!"
However, after looking at Yelu Tarlie's body for a few times, the contemptuous expression on his face subsided. He nodded towards him to show respect, and then decisively pulled out the sword from his waist. A bright light flashed and blood spattered three feet.
The confidant officer happily wrapped up Yelu Talie's head. A joyful smile appeared on Old Zhe De's face, and he said to the Baoning Army officers beside him: "Continue to search and suppress the whole city to see if there are any fish that have slipped through the net. Now that we have beheaded the thief chieftain, the sons and sons have worked very hard, so that I can save face and not fail to speak before the emperor and the generals. I will definitely ask your majesty for your merits and get rewards..."
These words made the sergeants under his command smile and show relaxed expressions. With the death of Yelu Talie, Yunzhong City was completely captured, which meant that the goal of the Northern Expedition was achieved and the war was basically over.
According to past practice, when the war ends, in addition to getting rid of the dangerous battlefield and recuperating, there will be rewards based on merit. For the soldiers of the Han army, fighting with their lives can only be rewarded with the most practical things such as honor, salary and interests. In this regard, the imperial court has always done a very appropriate and in place job.
News of the victory spread, and cheers began to spread from inside the city. A large number of officers and soldiers raised their weapons and shouted for victory. The offensive and defensive battle in Yunzhong was fought cleanly, but the nature of the battle was not concealed. The casualties of the Han army were not small. Now that the city was successfully conquered, the suppressed emotions were naturally released.
Those who feel even more relieved are the civilians who accompany the army. They are the lowest status people on the battlefield. They do hard and dirty work, and their safety is least guaranteed in the bloody storm.
Therefore, the end of the war, for them, is like successfully overcoming the disaster and winning the rest of their lives. The dead will receive pensions, and the living will receive rewards. Basically, they can return to their hometowns, and maybe have time to grow some grains...
After learning that he had successfully captured the inner city, Liu Chengyou seemed very calm in the camp and just asked the generals to deal with the aftermath. He himself studied and considered a military map carefully.
With the capture of Yunzhou, the Han Dynasty's defense depth in the north was greatly broadened. Depending on the terrain, a more trustworthy and less expensive defense system could be easily constructed. He needs to think about how to arrange it first.
At the same time, Liu Chengyou is considering how to end the process, the status of the Yunshuo states, who will serve as the administrative and military governors of this area, and other matters.
Zhe Deku went back to the camp to ask for an audience, and Liu Chengyou immediately declared his audience.
"Your Majesty!" My father-in-law entered the account with laughter, holding a blood parcel in his hand and presented it: "This is the head of Yelu Talie. I have fulfilled my promise and dedicated it to you!"
Zhang Dejun took it on his behalf, opened it carefully, and showed it to Liu Chengyou. After looking at it for a while, Liu Chengyou was naturally generous with his praise. However, after thinking about it, he said: "I heard that Yelv Tarlie is a calm and wise man, trustworthy in rewards and punishments, and is very popular. During his tenure, he paid taxes and encouraged farmers to farm. The people of Yunshuo have received many benefits. Although they are enemy chiefs, they are still respectable. Since the person is dead, there is no need to humiliate him too much. Let others pick up his body and bury him generously!"
"yes!"
In fact, although Liu Chengyou showed some courtesy to Yelu Talie, he did not pay much attention to him. The reason for treating him politely was to appease people's hearts.
Yelu Talie was in charge of the southern affairs of the Liao Kingdom for eight years and made great achievements. He had a high reputation in the minds of the Hu and Han people. At the same time, the Han people in Yunshuo suffered heavy losses during the Northern Expedition. Now that they are back under the Han rule, they are inevitably afraid.
After all, they had been Khitan's obedient citizens for twenty years. The Emperor of the Han Dynasty could treat a recalcitrant chief leniently, let alone common people like them. On the other hand, as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he really did not need to do anything about his body to show his majesty.
