Due to the long distance and almost cut off transportation, the actions of the Han armies in Hexi and Yulin in Mobei could not be spread to the country in a short period of time. The great achievements of the troops in Yanran and the galloping outside the territory will still need time to accumulate and ferment.
The Han cavalry going out from the north are actually like kites with broken strings being flown out. They are basically out of control, and it is difficult to provide timely and effective feedback on any situation. The center of the imperial court in Xijing does not even have to worry about logistical supplies. All they can do is wait silently. ,bless.
In fact, just like the war in the Western Regions, the imperial court did not have too many expectations or requirements for these two partial armies. This is the first time since the founding of the Han Dynasty that Qingqi has gone out of the extreme territory and can show its power beyond the Great Wall. The first time also represents an attempt and there is room for error.
In comparison, Liu Tinghan's army on the front line of Shanyang deserves more attention. One of them mobilized more troops, more than 30,000, all of whom were elite cavalry of the Han Dynasty. Between the two, since the Liao army retreated to the north and the Han army advanced, Liu Tinghan's army was closest to the Liao capital Shangjing. If any army could threaten Liao's Shangjing, it was only Liu Tinghan's army coming out of Shanyang.
The military layout of the Han Dynasty's Northern Expedition was led by Liaodong, Hexi and Yulin were at the tail, and Shanyang was at the waist. Since it was already top-heavy, the waist needed to be strengthened even more.
However, while Guo Jinjun was advancing with great success, and Yang Ye and Wang Yansheng were marching in, the Han cavalry led by Liu Tinghan was still tepid and did not make many achievements.
After receiving further permission from the court to relax the rope and delegate power, Liu Tinghan also led his army out of the fortress for the second time and penetrated deep into the Liao territory, but the result was still unsatisfactory.
The Khitan tribe in Monan retreated too cleanly. Within three hundred miles, the Han army was not able to seize their tracks. The only one who gave them a chance was Han Kuangmei, the recruiting envoy in southwestern Liaoning, who led the resistance.
The two armies had a confrontation at Yuanyangbo, about 200 miles northeast of Baishuiluo. Later, because the Han army was stronger, the Liao army took the initiative to withdraw. With the support of the Liao reserve troops, they calmly got rid of the entanglement of the Han army.
In the battle of Yuanyangbo, both sides used a lot of troops, but the result was somewhat anticlimactic. The Han army captured less than 2,000 soldiers. Although its own casualties were not large, Liu Tinghan was obviously not satisfied with the result.
You must know that the troops led by Han Kuangmei were not the elite of the Liao army. They had no heavy armor, no guards, and no hide rooms. What was Liu Tinghan's purpose of going out to the fortress was to contain the Liao army's strength and effectively attack and kill its troops and subordinates. However, with the Liao's contraction strategy, this intention was not realized.
After suffering a loss, Han Kuangmei learned the lesson and no longer had rash contact with the Han army. She became conservative again, avoided fighting blindly, and started guerrilla warfare with the Han army in the northern part of the Monan Grassland.
After all, this is the home court of the Liao army. The Han army attacked hard, but the air was knocked out with one punch, which was very uncomfortable. It's not that there was no contact between the two sides, but it was a small group of reconnaissance cavalry and scouts fighting. No matter how fierce it was, it could not affect the overall situation.
By May, Liu Tinghan once again went hundreds of miles northwest, but found nothing more than the Liao army scouts who had seen and tested his own army.
At this time, starting from Yunzhou, the Han army had already advanced more than 500 miles. Naturally, it was not as fast as the Hexi and Yulin routes. However, in this eastern grassland, the Liao army was obviously stronger and the tribal forces were also stronger. More concentrated.
Under such circumstances, Liu Tinghan's army did not have many choices. If they wanted to break the situation, they could either be bolder like Yang Ye and Wang Yansheng, completely abandon the rear, advance into Mobei regardless, and burn the war to the Liao Kingdom. of the rear. Most of the tribes in Monan, Liao Kingdom, migrated north. They could escape for five hundred miles, but they could not escape for one thousand miles.
However, this determination is difficult to make. Unlike the situation in the northwest of the desert, if you rush northward, the greater possibility is not to reap the miraculous effect of sweeping across the desert and opening up the situation, but to get stuck and unable to get out. The risk involved is too great!
The other option is to have a clear goal, hit the key points directly, and march towards Liao Shangjing. At this time, Liu Tinghan's army was located in the middle of the desert, and the straight-line distance from Liao Shangjing was only about 600 miles. With the high mobility provided by the sufficient mules and horses in Liu Tinghan's army, he could always reach Shangjing in as fast as ten days or as slowly as half a month.
However, this is also a dangerous choice, and the risk is even greater than fighting in Mobei. Since the beginning of the war, after several trials, the Han and Liao sides' understanding of their opponents has gradually become clearer. The situation and circumstances that were previously ambiguous due to information blockade and poor communication have gradually become clearer.
Moreover, through the fights with Han Kuangmei in Monan and Mozhong, Liu Tinghan always had doubts in his heart. In his opinion, the strength possessed by the Liao Kingdom was definitely not as strong as it appeared on the surface.
Of course, some situations can be explained. For example, the defensive pressure on Liaodong was too great, and the Liao Kingdom provided strong support, which resulted in the lack of strength in Mobei and Shangjing, so they adopted such a passive defensive approach.
However, if you simply make such a conjecture and regard it as reality, it would be a bit self-deceiving. Liu Tinghan has been at the border for some years, and he still has a basic understanding of the Liao Army, even if he is not familiar with the details.
As a general who was favored by Emperor Liu, he was not only courageous and decisive, but also somewhat prudent. Under the "understandable" appearance of the Liao army's response to the Han cavalry, Liu Tinghan always felt uneasy in his heart.
Therefore, after advancing into the desert, he became cautious in every move he made, not daring to take advantage of others. His alertness was raised to the highest level, and the range of his scouts was expanded to fifty miles around.
The scouts from both sides were also fighting brutally in this ample space. Scouts are generally the most capable, keen, and experienced soldiers in the army. However, in this kind of strangulation and fighting, the Han army lost more than 700 soldiers, so Liu Tinghan had to deploy replacements. After all, on the vast grasslands outside the territory, on other people's territory, one must keep one's ears and eyesight, and no matter how big a sacrifice is made, it is necessary.
The desert seemed to have become a thunder pool. For more than a month, Liu Tinghan kept a cautious attitude, not daring to cross, as if taking one step forward would lead to an abyss.
In the army, there were many generals who could not stand this boring situation. They rode their horses out of the fortress to fight the Khitan and make achievements, especially the forbidden horses assigned to Liu Tinghan.
In addition, taking the initiative and going deep into the grassland was Liu Tinghan's initiative. However, when the army moved north, you, the commander-in-chief, hesitated. You were afraid of the enemy, delayed your advance, and missed the opportunity.
The war situation was murky externally, and the generals and schools were pressing against each other internally. Liu Tinghan was under great pressure, but it was this kind of pressure that made him even more afraid to be careless.
The generals under his command only need to obey the command and do not need to think too much. However, as a coach, especially a coach who was trained by Emperor Liu, Liu Tinghan cannot think so simply.
This is a general who has a big-picture view. He has to be responsible for the 30,000 soldiers accompanying him and the court. Half of the 30,000 cavalry under his command were forbidden by the imperial court, plus the side cavalry and the recruited Tibetan cavalry. This was a powerful force. It was not easy for the Han Dynasty to train so many cavalry.
In addition, this time, too many Han border troops were deployed in Shanyang and Yulin. If there was a problem with their strategic force and the Liao Kingdom sent troops south to knock the pass, it would be a new enemy for the Han Dynasty. Stressed out.
Even if such a situation can be withstood with a perfect defense system, it is unpredictable what impact it will have on the entire battle situation.
After all, Shanyang is no better than the west, and the vast Gobi desert is also a natural barrier for the Han Dynasty. This is where Liu Tinghan really worries.
Therefore, after hesitating for a long time, Liu Tinghan finally made up his mind not to move forward any further. He even used the serious consumption of military supplies as an excuse to withdraw his troops two hundred miles south to receive grain and grass supplies from the rear.
What does it mean to obey the overall situation and disregard personal interests and merits? This is it!
In fact, Liu Tinghan's prudent approach was correct. His cautious and cautious behavior also made the Liao Kingdom uncomfortable.
Under Han Derang's planning, the Liao Kingdom had already set a trap for Liu Tinghan's army. It didn't take much as long as he advanced another hundred miles. Because of Liu Tinghan's hesitation, the Liao army even planned to release another bait, but Liu Tinghan withdrew.
In order to plan Liu Tinghan's army, all the elites from the Liao Kingdom came out. Yelvxian sent out all the soldiers and horses of the Su Guards. The final outcome was that it was visible but intangible, and the duck that was about to mature flew away... ...
