The Jinzhou offensive and defensive campaign ended with the Han army's overall victory. It started in early April and ended in mid-June, which lasted more than two months. For this, both Han and Liao sides paid huge casualties.
The Liao army's troop deployment in Jinzhou was initially only about 20,000 soldiers, with an additional 5,000 troops added in the middle. After the Battle of Yaozhou, Yelu Xiezhen added another 20,000 troops, plus some auxiliary soldiers and civilians. The Liao army invested in garrison forces before and after Jinzhou. There are nearly 70,000 people, as well as a large amount of food, baggage, and weapons.
However, the Liao army that finally succeeded in escaping the Han army's pursuit with Brother Yelvxiu and successfully evacuated had less than 5,000 infantry and cavalry. Of the rest, except for a few who escaped and disappeared, most of them were killed in battle, and there were not many prisoners.
Excluding the previous entanglements and fighting, as well as the fierce offensive and defensive battles, the day when the city was broken caused the greatest casualties. This was true for the Liao Army and the Han Army. Of course, when the Han army was completely under control of the situation, there were some unnecessary casualties. Many soldiers were unable to escape from the brutal battle. They did not have time to put away their swords, and without any discernment, they focused on killing people, resulting in bloodshed in Jinzhou City. Drifting oars.
In the end, it took three days to clear out nearly 50,000 corpses from the city. They were piled up in mountains and buried and burned collectively. The stench full of evil atmosphere polluted the air throughout Jinzhou... ...
The Liao army suffered all casualties, and most of the casualties were elites from Liaodong. The ordinary army could not sustain a stalemate with the Han army for so long in such a fierce attack and defense.
Of course, the battle losses paid by the Han army were also high. In the Battle of Jinzhou, more than 16,000 corpses were left behind, and on the day the city was broken, the number of soldiers exceeded 5,000. Moreover, those who participated in this battle were all the elites of the Forbidden Army and the Border Army. The Longqi Army, Xiaodi Army, Husheng Army, Pinglu Army, Shimen Army and other armies all suffered losses, especially those led by Ma Renyu. The Pinglu Army was injured.
If some fights outside Jinzhou are included, even more soldiers will be killed. Because Jinzhou's attack and defense were too fierce and cruel, and the death rate was extremely high, the proportion of casualties was far greater than any war initiated by the Han Dynasty in the past.
According to the final statistics, by the time Jinzhou was captured, the casualties of the Han army on the western front exceeded 30,000, not including those strong civilians who supported the front line. There were many injured soldiers who died before receiving treatment, and some died of serious injuries. This was despite the deployment of thousands of military doctors in the camp and the preparation of a large amount of wound medicine.
The cruelty of war is vividly reflected in Jinzhou. The price paid by both Han and Liao due to the Battle of Jinzhou also profoundly explains the saying that one general can achieve great success with thousands of bones.
However, although the price paid was high, it was worth it for the Han army, not to mention that the damage to the Liao army far exceeded that of the Han army. With the size of a big man, it doesn't matter if tens of thousands of people are lost. As long as you are willing, you can make up for it at any time, and you don't even need to drop them from the rear. There are sufficient reserves among the various types of troops on the front line. Replenish.
A tactical victory has been achieved, but the strategic value is even greater. After breaking through Jinzhou, there is a vast plain to the east. There is no danger to defend. The distance to Liaoyang is less than 200 miles, and there are no obstacles except a few rivers. With the complete advantage of water and land transportation, the Han army eastward Entering Liaodong is naturally a smooth road.
Jinzhou's gains and losses are related to the entire Liaodong war situation, and even related to the success or failure of the entire Northern Expedition. Once hundreds of thousands of Han troops are allowed to enter Liaodong unobstructed, the situation faced by the Liao army will be beyond description.
Liaoyang, the political, military, and economic center of the Liao Kingdom in the Northeast, will be directly exposed to the attack of the Han army. If Liaoyang is lost, the Liao Kingdom's rule over the entire Northeast will be shaken.
During the Han-Liao War, the Han Dynasty had been secretly communicating with some tribes in the Northeast, such as the Jurchens, Shiwei and even the Bohai people. Although those who were dissatisfied with the rule of the Liao Kingdom took some actions, they always maintained a simple attitude. He was smart and didn’t get involved hastily. This was due to Yelu Xiezhen's warning and suppression, and also because the Han army had not made any major progress before.
When the Han army entered Liaodong, no more actions were needed. As long as the troops approached Liaoyang City, it would send a signal to the many foreign races in the Northeast that the Liao Kingdom was in doom. It is foreseeable that in this situation, those tribes who are waiting to see how the situation develops will no longer be able to restrain their restless ambitions.
The greatest significance of the Jinzhou Battle is to take the initiative and completely control the situation of the Han-Liao War in your hands.
After conquering Jinzhou, under the command of Zhao Kuangyin, the Han army did not take too many actions. They were not impatient and did not advance rashly. They pretended to break the city and advanced into Liaodong.
On the contrary, they sought stability again, just like when they first went north, reorganizing their troops and horses, recuperating their soldiers, replenishing their weapons and supplies, and at the same time repairing Jinzhou City and turning it into a new base for advancing into Liaodong.
The reason for this approach is also very simple. After the bloody battle in Jinzhou, the soldiers really need a certain amount of time to rest and recover, and the hot weather factors in midsummer also need to be taken into consideration, and the huge losses previously need to be replenished.
More importantly, with Jinzhou in hand, the gate of Liaodong has been blasted open, and the strategic initiative is in his hands. All the previous pressure and anxiety have dissipated invisible. In terms of using troops, Zhao Kuangyin will be more calm and comfortable.
Therefore, within half a month after capturing the city, all the Northern Expedition armies on the East Route entered a period of rest. After the two major battles of Yaozhou and Jinzhou, the Liaodong war situation returned to silence.
During this period of time, Zhao Kuangyin only sent a few lines of cavalry eastward into Liaodong, as far as the Liaohe River, and directly established contact with the naval forces on the eastern front. With the open door to Liaodong, the Han army could gallop easily.
Compared with the calmness of the Han army, the Liao army was extremely sad. The desperate attempt in Yaozhou achieved miraculous results, reaped the fruits of victory and alleviated the dangerous situation.
However, this joy only lasted for twenty days before the Han army ruthlessly fought back. You fight in Yaozhou, and I fight in Jinzhou. It is still a powerful and fatal blow.
Even Yelu Xiezhen couldn't help but become optimistic after the Battle of Yaozhou, and even generously gave Brother Yelu Xiu reinforcements of 20,000 troops. Given the previous offensive and defensive situation in Jinzhou, many nobles, officials, and generals of the Liao Kingdom were optimistic about the situation. I was relieved to hold Jinzhou, and I even felt that I could plan a counterattack against the Han army.
Therefore, when the news of the fall of Jinzhou came, even Yelu Xiezhen couldn't help but knock over the tea cup, and it took a long time to recover.
It's not that I haven't considered the fall of Jinzhou before, but it shouldn't be lost like this, and it shouldn't be lost at this time. The unexpected fall made Yelu Xiezhen unable to move forward and disrupted all his arrangements for the Liaodong war. In comparison, Yaozhou's previous victory seemed bleak.
While the Han army was resting, Yelv Xiezhen certainly did not sit still and wait for death. Even though the Han army did not continue to exert pressure, he had a strong sense of urgency and made emergency adjustments.
All defense focus was placed on Liaoyang City in Tokyo. He knew that the Han army did not have much time left for him, and would not leave him more time.
As for Jinzhou's defeated general Yelv Xiuge, Yelu Xiezhen was not severely punished. He was only demoted and retained in office, ordering him to perform meritorious service. On the contrary, he was praised privately for his previous performance.
When autumn came, after resting in Jinzhou for nearly twenty days, as the 30,000 cavalry recruited by the imperial court were added to the front of the army, 300,000 infantry and cavalry marched eastward and advanced into Liaoyang.
The shift of the center of gravity of the battlefield to Liaoyang also represents the climax of the Liaodong War and the Northern Expedition.
