Wuqing County Commissioner was included, and Emperor Liu, who had returned, sat directly in the tent and accepted the instructions from his ministers who looked relaxed.
"Is there any result? Liaoyang was won?" Emperor Liu was smiling and in high spirits.
"Exactly! The battle situation has been decided!" Liu Xu gave a positive response.
During the month of Emperor Liu's northern tour, the war in Liaodong reached a new climax after the Han army marched eastward. Both sides stayed on the Liaohe Plain, surrounding Liaoyang, Shenzhou, and Liaozhou. Zhucheng launched a large-scale offensive and defensive confrontation.
Regardless of the scale or intensity of the war, it far exceeded previous battles. After nearly a month of fierce fighting, the results were finally achieved.
At first, Yelv Xiezhen adopted the method of concentrating his forces and shrinking the defense line, intending to lengthen the front and move the battlefield of the decisive battle in Liaodong to the Xianping and Tongyuan areas in the north.
In the process of preparing the Han army to march eastward, he was indeed allowed to transfer a batch of military strength, money and food. However, after all, this war is a matter between both parties, and it is difficult for him to have wishful thinking.
The reaction speed of the Han army greatly exceeded Yelu Xiezhen's expectations, and the ability and efficiency of collecting and transmitting intelligence also exceeded his imagination.
From the spies of the military intelligence and military ethics agencies, we learned about the changes of the Liao army. Although they were a little surprised by Yelu Xiezhen's boldness and decisiveness, and some couldn't believe it, they still basically judged the intentions of the Liao army.
On this basis, Zhao Kuangyin also changed his previous conservative and rigid tactics, but took the initiative and chose to attack boldly. On the eastern front, commanded by Gao Huaide and supplemented by Li Hanqiong's troops, a hundred thousand troops left the Yanyuan City abandoned by the Liao army and attacked Liaoyang.
Zhao Kuangyin, on the other hand, led the main force of the battalion himself, abandoned Liaoyang instead of surrendering, and turned north to advance into Shenzhou and Liaozhou areas. During this process, the Han cavalry, which had been replenished to 50,000 men, launched a massive attack to pursue and annihilate the Liao army.
Previously, the cavalry played little role in the attack and defense of the city, and Zhao Kuangyin also spared the use of cavalry. It was basically only used to protect the logistics supply line of the Liaodong Corridor.
But on the Liaohe Plain, the role of cavalry could be fully utilized, and Zhao Kuangyin dared to use it boldly. The rivers on the plains also had little restriction on Han cavalry.
The Liao army in Liaodong was actually based on infantry. Although the Han cavalry supplemented after the Battle of Jinzhou included more Ban cavalry recruited, the strength of the Han cavalry had already surpassed the Liao army. This gave Yelu Xiezhen plan, causing great obstacles and a major blow.
When the Han cavalry's activities spread to Liaozhou in the north, Yelu Xiezhen's northward withdrawal operation completely failed. When the war situation is difficult and the decline is irreversible, it is difficult to safely and calmly withdraw the army to the north, let alone so many people and animals.
The Han army's reaction speed was surprisingly fast and its execution ability was surprisingly high. For the Liao army, the situation became increasingly difficult. Faced with such a critical situation, Yelv Xiezhen was naturally unwilling to be restrained and responded positively and took countermeasures.
Yelu Xiezhen also chose his target very clearly, directly targeting those Han cavalry who were sharp-edged and unscrupulous. At that time, among the Han cavalry operating in the Liaobin and Yanjin areas, eighty miles north of Shenzhou, there were only 7,000 Han cavalry led by Han general Cao Han. Although it caused great obstacles to the Liao army's operations in the northeastern region of Liaoning, it still It also appears that he is alone and deep.
Therefore, Yelu Xiezhen decisively dispatched all the nearly 20,000 cavalry he had in hand to attack in two groups. The two sides fought on the east bank of the Liao River. The Han army was outnumbered and the Liao army was outnumbered. They launched a sudden attack so that the Han army was at a disadvantage.
General Cao Han may be brutal in character, but he is very tough on the battlefield. In the face of adverse situations, he is particularly tenacious and leads his troops to fight vigorously.
Of course, this also lies in the fact that it is very difficult to completely annihilate a group of cavalry on the plains. It took a lot of effort before the Liao army bet Cao Han's army on the banks of the Liao River.
However, Cao Han did not fight alone. After hearing the news, the Han cavalry who were fighting in the Shenzhou area rushed to support them. Other Liao cavalry who were entangled with them were also ordered to join the battle.
As a result, a counterattack launched by Yelv Xiezhen gradually evolved into a cavalry battle. More than 80,000 cavalry from both Han and Liao sides were engaged in a series of large and small battles in an area of hundreds of miles in Shenzhou and Liaozhou. fighting.
Moreover, this was just the beginning. Zhao Kuangyin's army, which was marching towards Shenzhou in the south, was convinced. Without hesitation, he sent Ma Renyu to lead 50,000 infantry and cavalry to go north along the Liaohe River and advance along the waterway for support.
In this regard, Yelv Xiezhen also made up his mind and sent troops to harass and delay. However, the Han army relied on the advantage of water transportation, and the Liao army was unable to completely cut off support.
It took Ma Renyu's army three days to arrive at the battlefield, and the main force of the Liao army was also assembled in place under Yelu Xiezhen's dispatch. On the bank of the Liao River fifty miles southwest of Liaozhou, the Han and Liao sides launched a forced decisive battle.
On the frontal battlefield, the Liao army, under the command of Yelu Xiezhen, concentrated nearly 70,000 infantry and cavalry. The Han army was slightly smaller, with more than 60,000 people. If you add in the cavalry battles outside the main battlefield, the total number of horse and infantry participating in the battle was nearly 180,000.
For this battle, Yelv Xiezhen tried his best and put in all the combat-ready troops he had accumulated after the Battle of Jinzhou. He didn't want to make this kind of gambling decision, but he had no choice but to put the sword of the Han army on his neck. If he didn't take the initiative to ask for a fight, he would eventually be trapped and squeezed to death by Zhao Kuangyin's oppression and encroachment.
However, as far as Zhao Kuangyin is concerned, you have already tried your best, and I am still able to do it with ease. Under his control, the Han troops in camp were continuously sent through the Liao River for support.
If there is any major mistake made by Yelv Xiezhen, it is that the battlefield was chosen on the shore of the Liao River, but this was not determined by his personal wishes.
Therefore, when the Han army on the front battlefield exceeded 100,000 people, the Liao army could no longer support it. This battle lasted for a total of thirteen days, and eventually it became a melee in which you were surrounded by me, and you were surrounded by me. The Liao army was helplessly trapped in it, unable to extricate itself.
In the end, it was the Han army that relied on its stronger troops and more abundant supply support to win the Battle of Liaohe, while the Liao army ended in a complete defeat.
By July 28, when the defeat was irreversible, the Liao army retreated without support. This retreat was a rout.
On the front and auxiliary battlefields, the Liao army suffered more than 30,000 casualties and more than 10,000 prisoners. The rest were routed and had no way to escape. In the end, Yelu Xiezhen did not return to Liaozhou, but fled directly to Yinzhou (Tieling) east of Liaozhou. Following him, there were only a little over 20,000 troops left, and even if the Liao army cavalry were taken in one after another, the number was less than 30,000.
On the Han army's side, after such a fierce battle, casualties were inevitable. However, thanks to sharper weapons, better protection, and being the victorious side, the casualties were well controlled, and in the end the casualties added up. It was less than 20,000. Among them, Cao Han's army suffered the heaviest loss, which was reduced by more than half.
In fact, a battle in the Liaohe River completely established the situation in the Liaodong war. This battle was also the most powerful counterattack that Yelv Xiezhen could launch to face the invasion of the Han army. However, due to the stronger strength and stronger response of the Han army, he was completely defeated.
In the Battle of Liaohe, the Liao army suffered heavy losses, and it was considered that it lost the capital to counterattack the Han army in the end. Since then, the Liao army no longer had troops to mobilize or food to levy in Liaodong and even the Bohai region. The vast area south of Yinzhou could only be conquered by the Han army.
As for Yelu Xiezhen's plan to retreat northward and defend Tongzhou in anticipation of a counterattack, it was aborted. Instead, he suffered a huge defeat in the process of execution.
Especially Shenzhou, which was used as a transit point for the northward retreat. Most of the supplies failed to be successfully transferred and were trapped in the city. In fact, when the Battle of Liaohe was in full swing, Yelv Xiezhen had already received an order from Yelu Xian of Shangjing, not to abandon Liaoyang and to defend it to the death.
However, by that time, it was already irreversible. Yelu Xiezhen paid for his decisive and bold decision. As a result, the battle in Liaodong was a complete defeat and it was difficult to recover.
Perhaps, following Liaoye Luxian's order, concentrating all efforts to defend Liaoyang without any additional thoughts would have resulted in another outcome, at least they would not have been defeated so quickly or so miserably.
But the final result was not optimistic. All Yelv Xiezhen could imagine was to concentrate his troops, be surrounded by the Han army, and have another "Jinzhou offensive and defensive battle".
However, in the past, when fighting and choosing to be trapped, we have always given up the initiative. Without foreign aid, we will only trap ourselves in death, and ultimately cannot escape the outcome of defeat. And, again, Liaoyang is more difficult to defend than Jinzhou.
Perhaps Yelu Xiezhen also saw the hopeless ending and took such risky measures, including launching the Battle of Liaohe River, which was also a sign of wanting to break the situation, but he failed.
In the final analysis, the strength gap between the Han and Liao armies is too great. The Han generals have too many cards to play and many choices. As long as they have a clear head and don't make mistakes, no matter what Yelv Xiezhen's plans and plans are, Plans are all meaningless struggles, and they all seem so weak.
The Battle of Liaohe just fast-forwarded the battle in Liaodong. Afterwards, from the southwest of Yinzhou, the three most important Liao cities, Liaoyang, Shenzhou, and Liaozhou, all fell into siege by the Han army.
Liaozhou was empty and simply surrendered. Then Shenzhou, surrounded by Zhao Kuangyin's main army, only lasted for three days and was defeated. Only Liaoyang, as the capital of Tokyo, did not have time to withdraw from the Liao general Yelu Hai. This is also a strong backbone and will fight to the death.
There were only more than 14,000 Liao troops under the command of Yelu Hai. He also gathered all the men and women in the city to help defend the city. Of course, this was destined to be a battle between trapped beasts.
Faced with the siege of Gao Huaide's 100,000 troops, they only lasted ten days before they were defeated. What Emperor Liu received this time was the good news of regaining Liaoyang.
After Liaoyang, the most mature areas developed by the Liao Kingdom in the Northeast will also be in the hands of the Han Dynasty, which also means that the Liao Kingdom's rule over the Northeast region has officially entered the countdown. The Han army can use the Liaohe Plain as a base to continue to advance toward the Northeast calmly. Chasing and annihilating the remnants of Yelv Xiezhen.
