When talking about Liaodong, the Liaohe River is an unavoidable point. This largest water vein in Liaodong region nurtures the civilization of this land, and the plain is named after it. Of course, the water condition of the Liaohe River during this period was not good, and flooding occurred frequently.
As the political, military, and economic center of the Liao Kingdom in the northeast, Liaoyang City was not on the edge of the Liao River, but on one of its branches, the Dongliang River. If the Han army advances smoothly and reaches the foot of the Dongliang River, perhaps the battle can also be named the "Battle of Dongliang River".
Liaoyang in summer is less dull and more cool than the world in the south. After a heavy rain, the growing heat has been eliminated, and the pressure from the Han armies in the west and south has been temporarily relieved.
However, this was just a brief pause in the fierce battle. It is conceivable that after the short rest, the Han army's offensive will become more fierce. Under the pressure of the Han army's two-pronged attack, the Liao Kingdom defended Liaodong's situation. Still grim.
The Liaohe area can also be regarded as a beautiful place. It is sandwiched between two hills in western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning. It relies on the terrain, with Jinzhou in the west and Chenzhou and Yaozhou in the south.
Jinzhou is less than three hundred miles away from Liaoyang, and Yaozhou is less than two hundred miles away from Liaoyang. Once you cross these two gates, you will be bounded by a vast plain, and the entire Liaohe Plain will become a garden for the Han army to gallop.
Therefore, to defend Liaodong and Tokyo, these two passes are must-win areas for the Liao army and must not be given up easily.
In the yamen of the Liaoning government in Tokyo, Yelu Xiezhen stood in front of a huge military map with a solemn face, and a heavy cloud shrouded his resolute face. The burden related to the rise and fall of the country and even life and death was on him, and the pressure brought was particularly heavy. He had a set of countermeasures in mind for the defense of Liaodong, but the progress of the war was still somewhat beyond his expectation.
According to his previous arrangements, the focus of defense was on the Jinzhou front line, which was also the main attack direction where the Han army gathered its forces. However, with the defeat in the southern peninsula, he had to turn his attention to the war on the southern front.
Yelv Xiezhen knew the strength of the Han navy and did not have high hopes for relying on the southern army to withstand the Han attack, but he did not expect that it would be defeated so quickly.
In Yelu Xiezhen's plan, the war to defend Liaodong would turn into a tug-of-war and a war of attrition, delaying time and consuming the Han army's troops, money and food, waiting for a good opportunity to counterattack.
Even the defensive barriers of Jinzhou and Liaodong Peninsula are not impossible to throw away when necessary, but they cannot be thrown away like this. Yelu Xiezhen's target counterattack time is set for winter, but it has not yet reached midsummer. If the two gates are lost like this, even Yelu Xiezhen has no confidence that he can resist the fourth and fifth Han armies on the open and flat Liaohe Plain. In a month's time, even if they can, it will be doubtful whether they still have the strength to fight back by then.
When the news of the defeat in the south came, Yelv Xiezhen was very angry, but after learning the specific process, he couldn't help but remain silent. Of course, he could see that the root cause of the defeat was still a problem with his defense layout. I didn't expect that the Han navy's navy would be so powerful, and that water warfare would have such an impact on land warfare. The form of war seemed to have changed as a result, and he was caught off guard.
"Your Majesty, Shangshu ordered Xiao Siwen to lead the army from Shangjing!" The report from his subordinates interrupted Yelu Xiezhen's thoughts.
After hearing this and coming back to his senses, Yelu Xiezhen took a deep breath, suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and ordered: "Please come quickly!"
The front yard of the government office was still a scene after the rain. The ground was not dry yet, and the fallen leaves and mud looked a bit messy. Yelu Hai lowered his head and knelt there silently. After arranging the defense of Chenzhou and suspending the offensive of the Han army, he hurriedly returned to Liaoyang and apologized to Yelu Xiezhen.
Xiao Siwen, who was walking by under the guidance of his staff, noticed Yelu Hai at a glance and asked, "What's going on?"
Yelu Hai was a general under Yelu Xiezhen, so Xiao Siwen naturally knew him. His staff briefly explained the situation, and Xiao Siwen's expression suddenly darkened.
The situation in the Liaodong war seems to be a little bad!
During the period when Yelvxian succeeded to the throne, Xiao Siwen was somewhat high-spirited. He was promoted and promoted, sweeping away the decline and decline of the previous ten years. At the same time, he controlled the Youpishi Army and was one of the most powerful figures in the Liao court.
Moreover, he was still pushing Emperor Liao to marry his brilliant third daughter Xiao Yanyan, with the intention of becoming the head of the country and further consolidating his power. It's just that at this time of national crisis, Yelvxian was focused on resisting the invasion of the Han Dynasty and had not yet agreed.
"You stay outside the hall, I'll go see the King of the South Campus!" Before entering the hall, Xiao Siwen said in a deep voice to a young general who was following him.
"Yes!" This general's name is Xiao Taolin, and he is the nephew of the Xiao Siwen clan.
Obviously, Xiao Siwen's pride could not be brought to Yelu Xiezhen. When he saw Yelu Xiezhen, he was still polite. Regarding Xiao Siwen's arrival, Yelu Xiezhen was both surprised and expected.
Sitting down to talk, Xiao Siwen said: "The Han army is suppressing the territory with strong troops. Your Majesty is concerned about the situation in Liaodong and has sent me to reward the king and soldiers and bring some support!"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!" Hearing this, Yelu Xiezhen looked slightly relieved and asked, "I wonder how many soldiers and horses the minister has brought with him?"
"Not much, 30,000 cavalry!" Sensing the urgency in Yelu Xiezhen's calm tone, Xiao Siwen replied: "Ten thousand cavalry from Youpishi, and another 20,000 infantry from all ethnic groups! His Majesty said, Tokyo The defense requires infantry even more, and His Majesty has mobilized all the infantry from around Shangjing!"
Yelu Xiezhen's frowning eyebrows relaxed a little, and he responded: "The minister ordered me to come here to help me out of trouble!"
Xiao Siwen said seriously: "I heard that we suffered a defeat in southern Liaoning?"
Yelv Xiezhen did not hide it at all, and said directly: "It was a disastrous defeat. Not even one out of ten of the more than 20,000 navy and army troops I deployed in the south was left. I was careless and did not pay attention to the benefits of the Han army's navy! As a result, the Han army easily moved northward. Knock on the dust and shine on the two states!"
Xiao Siwen also lived in Liaodong and knew the geographical situation here very well. His expression became more solemn and he asked: "If this is the case, the situation in Liaodong is very critical. Does your Majesty have any solution to the problem?"
Yelu Xiezhen said in a deep voice: "At present, the Han army is knocking on the pass in two directions, and its strength has reached more than 300,000. The Jinzhou side is under fierce attack. Brother Yelu Xiu is defending very hard. In the past half month, there have been more than 3,000 casualties. , I have added five thousand soldiers to support the defense.
The problem still lies in southern Liaoning. All the elite troops were lost in the first battle. Although defenses were re-arranged in Chen and Yao cities, the blow to morale was too great. Tokyo has exhausted its weapons, but not many can directly go into battle. There are less than 50,000 people available in Liaoyang, half of them are cavalry, and they still need to take into account the pressure of the various states! In order to resist the Han army, they have resorted to military violence, and people's hearts are very unstable. The Jurchen and other tribes have also taken notice of this and need to be on guard..."
From Yelu Xiezhen's words, we can feel the pressure that is like Mount Tai. Xiao Siwen's military talent may not be outstanding, but he is a knowledgeable man. Therefore, he directly said: "The 30,000 troops and horses I brought are at your disposal." Dispatch! I will also give my full support to the king and prepare to fight against the enemy!"
"Shang Shu Ling Gaoyi! I would like to thank you here!" Yelu Xiezhen stood up and said solemnly. In fact, Yelv Xiezhen was dissatisfied with Xiao Siwen's speculative behavior during Yelvxian's succession to the throne, but at this time, he was also a little moved by his statement.
Seeing this, Xiao Siwen quickly left his seat and bowed back: "At this time of national crisis, we can only work together to tide over the difficulties!"
Yelu Xiezhen nodded. He also knew in his heart that Xiao Siwen led the army. In addition to providing support, he also had the intention of supervising the army.
Walking to the map, Yelu Xiezhen said: "Originally, I planned to pass through Jinzhou and the cities in southern Liaoning, drain the strength and morale of the Han army, set up obstacles at every step, and lure the Han army to go deeper. However, the progress of the war was somewhat unexpected. In Liao, Nan's failure had such a huge impact that now he had to strengthen his defense forces and stabilize his defense!
Now, the war in Jinzhou is raging, and the military situation in Chen and Yao is urgent. There is no room for loss in these two places. They need to withstand the Han army for at least three months! "
"In my estimation, the Han army has made such a breakthrough in southern Liaoning. Next, it will definitely send more troops through the sea route and strengthen the attack on the southern route. Therefore, while holding on to Jinzhou, it needs to strengthen the defense in southern Liaoning. Now Chen Yao Er The state only has a garrison of more than 15,000 soldiers, so we must increase our strength!"
Xiao Siwen nodded and expressed his approval. Of course, he did not have the power or ability to interfere in military decisions, even though he suffered a tragic defeat under Yelu Xiezhen's arrangement.
