To the north of Yunzhou, the Yinshan area outside the Great Wall is its eastern foothills. The mountains are still densely packed vertically and horizontally. Although the terrain is not as high as in the west, it still plays the role of isolating the north from the south and transecting the plateau.
This area is located at the junction of Fengzhou and Fengsheng Prefectures in the Liao Dynasty. The landform is complex, with undulating mountains, hills, and ravines. There are also several plains in between. The hydrological conditions are good. Compared with the bitter cold Mobei, this area is also known as A good place for nomads.
In this land, there were originally a large number of Khitan tribes living. However, with the beginning of the Han-Liao War, decades of peace were instantly broken, especially after the Liao army retreated northward.
A large number of soldiers from the Yunzhou Basin fled northward, bringing crisis, tension and chaos. As the Liao Emperor hurriedly returned northward, he left behind even more chaos.
Knowing that Yunzhou was being besieged by hundreds of thousands of Han troops, even from two hundred miles away, I could feel the edge and danger. In the process of going south to resist the Han, these soldiers were also recruited and sent out large numbers of troops, but very few came back, which added to the fear.
After surviving the cold winter and entering spring, it was originally a time for horses, cattle and sheep to recover. In previous years, they could rest and recuperate safely, but now, this stability no longer exists. The Khitan had dominated the southern and northern deserts for decades, and the decades of stability had made the people under its rule no longer as wild and fierce as they had been in the early years.
No matter how brave a person is, he will inevitably deteriorate after being at ease for a long time. The military capabilities of the Liao army were no longer solely reflected by the bravery and bellicosity of the grassland people.
Therefore, when the 20,000 Han troops on foot and cavalry, led by Shi Shouxin and Guo Chongwei, left the Great Wall north, the Khitan tribesmen living in this plain and river system were completely panicked.
With heavy casualties in soldiers and depleted animal power, and facing the front line of the Han army, most people chose to follow their leaders and clan elders and continue to flee deep into the Yin Mountains, hoping to avoid the Han army's attack.
Faced with the reaction of the Khitan tribesmen, Shi Shouxin and other Han generals were a little surprised. In any case, the Khitan was also the overlord of the grasslands and had been powerful in the north for decades. Even during the Northern Expedition of the Han army, they suffered heavy trauma and losses. It's not like he's so cowardly.
Of course, the few doubts in their hearts did not hinder the Han army's military operations. They drove, killed, and plundered the Khitan tribe mercilessly, and achieved a lot in a short time.
In this dangerous situation, the Liao army was not totally helpless. Yelu Xianshi, who was appointed by Yelujing to lead the military in the south, was also a capable Liao noble. Being ordered to stay was to unite the military forces in the Yinshan and Hetao areas of the Liao Kingdom to support the war in Yunzhou.
However, when the Han army divided its forces to attack, Yelu Xianshi could no longer take care of Yunzhong. How to deal with Shi Shouxin and Guo Chongwei's 20,000 Han army infantry and cavalry was the first priority.
Yelv Xianshi did not dare to make such a decision. Faced with the burning, killing and looting of the Han army, he decisively gathered all the young and strong laborers of the remaining tribes in the name of resisting the invasion of the Han army. There was no objection from the various tribes. .
Then, they adopted harassment and movement tactics to contain the Han army, and achieved good results. Facing the enemy head-on, with the strength of the Han army's infantry and cavalry, coupled with the united front capabilities of Shi and Guo, they were able to completely defeat the rabble that Yelv Xian had assembled at the right moment.
However, Yelu Xianshi also knew his own disadvantage, that is, he strictly avoided direct confrontation with the Han army, focused on harassing and tiring the enemy, and conducted a marathon with the Han army at the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain. In addition, lure small groups of Han troops to attack, concentrate their forces to annihilate them, or raid individual Han cavalry who are robbing soldiers. If reinforcements arrive, they will decisively withdraw and give up all efforts. Therefore, over a period of time, the Han army also accumulated considerable losses.
During this entanglement between the two sides, the remaining Liao army tribes were given time and space to evacuate safely, and were able to avoid the battlefield without causing greater losses.
Of course, this is also the reason why the Han army focused on Yelvxian's military fitness. Although the overall maneuverability of the Han army's infantry and cavalry troops was weakened, especially when they had made a lot of captures and needed to be guarded, they further lost their flexibility. However, with the coordination of foot and cavalry, and the integration of offense and defense, one can basically remain invincible.
After suffering several losses under Yelu Xianshi's tactics, Shi Shouxin discussed with Guo Chongwei and decided to counterattack. This area is rich in water and grass and is a good place for natural grazing. However, it is a mountainous terrain after all. It is the transition zone from the plateau to the basin. It is not boundless. Therefore, when fighting in this area, the Liao army is also subject to certain restrictions, while the Han army Not that uncomfortable.
At that time, I received news that there were many Khitan people staying in the Baishui River area at the eastern foot of Daqing Mountain. Shi Shouxin immediately judged that this was a trick of the Liao army, and immediately decided to use the trick and sent Guo Chongwei to lead three thousand cavalry to conquer. Sure enough, when Guo Chongwei arrived at Baishui River, he faced an ambush from the Liao army. After achieving some small results in succession, Yelv Xian wanted to do something big.
In order to deal with this partial division of the Han army, Yelu Xian gathered more than 17,000 Liao troops and launched a siege. Although the combat power is not strong, if the Han army is not prepared, so many people can be piled to death, and even if the entire army is not wiped out, they will suffer heavy losses.
Of course, Guo Chongwei, who was confident in his heart, led his troops to fight, retreating while fighting, looking for favorable terrain to resist. Waiting for Shi Shouxin's reinforcements. In order to avoid being discovered by the Liao army, Shi Shouxin stayed behind and hung him sixty miles away. It wasn't until the news came that he led his troops to press forward.
When Shi Shouxin and his main force arrived, Yelu Xianshi realized that he had fallen into the trap. This person was also decisive and without any hesitation, he ordered the retreat before engaging the main force of the Han army.
The Liao army wanted to leave, but the Han army could not let it go. Guo Chongwei and his men turned from defense to attack, while Shi Shouxin also led his men to intercept and kill them. In the Battle of Baishui River, the Han army killed more than 3,000 Liao troops and captured nearly 2,000 at the cost of more than a thousand casualties.
This is the result of Yelv Xian retreating quickly and decisively, and escaping in scattered ways. Otherwise, if he had been entangled with the Han army for a while longer, he would have suffered more damage.
After the Battle of Baishui River, Yelv Xianshi was severely wounded and fled to the Jiujiuquan area in the southeast of Liaofeng Prefecture to rest and recuperate. This was the assembly point he set up to gather the defeated troops and continue to explore the movements of the Han army, but he did not dare to act rashly again. .
Although the Han army achieved a great victory, Shi and Guo were not satisfied. They could neither completely annihilate the Liao army nor kill the Liao army's general Yelu Xianshi on the battlefield. In the previous and later confrontations, I also found that he was a difficult opponent, cunning and alert, sizing up the situation, and exploiting his strengths and avoiding weaknesses.
However, after missing such a rare opportunity, it is not that easy to find it again. Therefore, Generals Shi and Guo were also a little helpless. With the Hu people fleeing north one after another, it would be difficult to achieve big gains. As for continuing to go deep into the Liao territory, the two of them just thought about it. One was unprepared, and the other was risking their lives by rushing deeper.
Of course, this is why Generals Shi and Guo are a little dissatisfied. After all, the mission given to them by the camp is only to contain the Liao army to prevent them from affecting the war in Yunzhong. In this regard, the two have exceeded their expectations.
"This Yelv Xianshi is really cunning. The scouts have searched the surrounding area for hundreds of miles, but there is still no trace of him. He is completely hiding!" In the military tent, Generals Shi Shouxin and Guo Chongwei were sitting cross-legged, eating meat. While drinking, Guo Chongwei couldn't help but sigh.
"In the battle at Baishuihe, he was beaten to pain. Now, this man is like a hamster, snake, and insect, hiding in the foothills of the mountains. I'm afraid he won't escape easily!" Shi Shouxin chuckled: "However, There is no need to be anxious, old general, since we left the fortress, we have made a lot of gains, and we have an explanation for our camp!"
Guo Chongwei shook his head: "I'm just a little unwilling! If you give me 20,000 cavalry, it's not impossible to drive the Khitans completely out of Yinshan!"
"Having said that, the imperial court is unable to continue the Northern Expedition!" Shi Shouxin shook his head.
As for Guo Chongwei, he actually understood this truth. Take the 20,000 cavalry who accompanied them out of the fortress as an example. Many of the soldiers had lost most of their fighting spirit and had no intention of fighting again. They were eager to return home.
"I wonder how the battle is going in Yunzhong? More than 200,000 troops are besieging it. The enemy army shouldn't be able to hold on for long!" Guo Chongwei said again.
I am afraid of talking about everything, so in the afternoon, a messenger came from the camp to report the battle situation in Yunzhong. At the same time, I received an order to withdraw the entire army south. After receiving the order, the two of them had no objections and led their troops back south the next day. In addition to the seizure and prisoners of cattle, sheep, horses and camels, there were also some Han people who had been forcibly moved north. These people are very happy to return to their hometown in Yunzhou. In total, there are more than 2,000 people.
