"His Royal Highness the Prince went south from Shenzhou to supervise the battle on the 5th. Faced with the siege of An Guogong's 100,000 troops, external aid was cut off, internal military morale was turbulent, and the Liao army was unable to support it.
The last attempt to persuade them to surrender was rejected by the enemy defender Yelu Hai. On August 8, Duke An gave the order to launch a general offensive. On the third quarter of the lunar month, the city of Liaoyang was defeated.
After conquering Liaoyang, most of the soldiers and civilians in the city surrendered in response to the situation. However, Liao general Yelu Hai led three thousand enemies to die in the inner city and resisted the trapped beasts. Two generals, An Shouzhong and Shi Yande, led their troops to annihilate them.
At the same time, the defenders of Guide (Fushun) in the northeast of Shenzhou surrendered to Xingying, and Liaoxi Prefecture in the west was also captured by Zhang Yongde.
At this point, except for the cities of Kai, Mu, Bao, and Ding in southern Liaoning (Dandong area), Liaodong has basically fallen under the control of the Han Dynasty. The southeastern Liaoning area is densely covered with mountains and hills. After the Liaohe River War, they just defended their own territory. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has sent envoys to appease..."
"Okay! Very good!" After listening to Cao Bin's detailed report, Emperor Liu was in a good mood. His face almost burst into laughter. He read the battle report twice and looked up at the people present with a smile. Ministers: "With the fall of Liaodong, doesn't it mean that our first strategic goal of the Northern Expedition has been achieved?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers were startled, and then they came to their senses. It was obviously because of the previous fierce attack and defense, but people ignored this.
"As your Majesty said, this is nearly two months earlier than I and others expected. It's autumn now, and with the cities in Liaodong as our support, at least for the time being, we don't have to worry about the dangers of fighting in winter!" Cao Bin has always been calm and serious! His face also relaxed, and he cupped his hands in response. No one was unhappy with the glorious results on the Liaodong battlefield.
"In this case, the previously formulated strategic plan should be followed up and adjusted in time to cope with the new situation in Liaodong!" Emperor Liu's smile quickly faded, and he regained his composure. His eyes were clear and he looked at Cao Bin: "Also We need to hear the opinions of the frontline generals. Over there at the camp, do you have any opinions on the next steps?"
Emperor Liu's change was natural. It was obvious that Emperor Liu was not satisfied with the situation of taking Liaodong in advance, and wanted to go further, pursue and annihilate the Liao army, and obtain greater results.
Noticing the slight excitement in Emperor Liu's mood, Cao Bin frowned slightly. He felt that although the emperor appeared calm, his attitude was impatient.
With a solemn voice, Cao Bin said: "Your Majesty, I am reporting from the camp. After marching eastward, there were successive battles. Although there was a great victory in the Liaohe River and all the cities were recovered, after more than a month of marching, fighting, and attacking cities, all the armies showed signs of fatigue. .
Right now, what our army needs to do is to rectify the troops and horses, recuperate the soldiers, replenish food and ammunition, sort out the city defense and transportation, consolidate the results obtained, and then plan to advance! "
After listening to Cao Bin's words, Emperor Liu didn't react at all. He just raised his hand and continued.
Cao Bin's expression became more and more fluent: "According to the wishes of Duke Rong and the generals, the fierce battle in Liaodong has lasted for more than four months. The Liao army suffered heavy casualties and almost all of its elite soldiers were lost. During the Liaohe River Battle, It has been found that the combat effectiveness of the Liao army has seriously declined.
Today, the Liao commander Yelv Xiezhen only led his remaining troops of 30,000 to 40,000 men and retreated to the Xian and Tong areas. The troops were few and the morale was declining. More importantly, due to the rebellion of the Bohai, Shiwei, and Jurchen tribes, the Liao army was unable to suppress it. It had lost its rear and was unable to follow up. Without the troops to go to Beijing to aid the east, the Liao army would be irreversibly defeated in the northeast.
Now, Yelu Xiezhen's army is no longer a concern. As long as the king's division is finished resting and regrouping, and then calmly marching northward with a large number of troops, and attacking steadily, they can defeat it in one fell swoop! "
"Don't be impatient, seek victory steadily, Zhao Kuangyin is still so old-fashioned!" Emperor Liu pondered for a while, then showed a smile: "Do other generals have any objections?"
"Your Majesty, the generals of the camp have reached a consensus on the above!" Cao Bin responded.
After saying this, Emperor Liu frowned subconsciously, his eyes flashed slightly, and the meaning was unclear. He looked at Liu Xu, Li Ye, Cao Bin, Chu Zhaofu, Song Xiong and other internal and external ministers present: "What do you think?"
At this time, everyone could feel the strange attitude of the emperor. They looked at each other and dared not speak for a while. It was Qin Guogong Liu Xu who came out and said: "After receiving the report, I will discuss with Prime Minister Li, Privy Cao and others. However, I also feel that we should be cautious, follow the instructions of the camp, and rest with the soldiers!"
After nodding, Emperor Liu's voice suddenly became louder and asked, "What do you think, Prince?"
After hearing the question, Li Ye stood up and bowed to report: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince reported that after several months of fierce fighting between the Han and Liao Dynasties, the Khitans went on a rampage, and the entire Liaodong region was devastated, with people devastated and ruins everywhere.
Although the cities in Liaodong are currently in the hands of the king, the people are in chaos and there is no order. Because the Khitan is recruiting grain, horses and livestock, the various ethnic groups in Liaodong are in desperate need of food.
Moreover, although there were many people who surrendered this time, they were only forced by the might of the Han army. Their faces were convinced and their hearts were unsettled. Therefore, His Royal Highness the Prince believes that not only the soldiers need time to rest to relieve the fatigue of months and days of fighting, but the people of Liaodong also need time to comfort themselves.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince requested His Majesty's instructions, hoping to quickly mobilize a group of capable officials and urgently dispatch Liaodong to take over the civil affairs of the cities, establish rule, and restore public security and order.
It is also necessary to inject more money and food to provide relief to the local people of all ethnic groups and win the hearts of the people. When Liaodong is at peace, we can then strengthen our troops and go north to conquer Buchen! "
After Li Ye finished speaking, Emperor Liu once again showed a slight smile on his face and said: "The prince's suggestion is good. Raise troops and support the people to lay a solid foundation. The war situation in Liaodong has been established, so there is no need for the Han Dynasty to be impatient. To recover Liaodong, although people will inevitably die and be injured, People were killed, but now that we have reached this point, we should consider the issue of treatment! I don’t want Liaodong to be completely reduced to ruins!"
Emperor Liu's preference for the prince was obvious. Others would say he was indifferent to similar suggestions, but Liu Yang showed a broad and understanding look on his face. Of course, with Emperor Liu's attitude and style towards war, even if he could not get his way by pursuing safety, at least he would not lose his heart.
When Emperor Liu said this, Liu Xu and other ministers naturally agreed in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Waving his hand, Emperor Liu thought for a while and gave instructions: "I agree to all requests from the camp! Han Hui was asked to arrange the transportation of relief grains. In addition, if there is an emergency, the camp can allocate military rations in a timely manner. Relief.”
"As for sending Liao officials!" Emperor Liu looked at Li Ye and Chu Zhaofu again and said, "Deploy officials nearby and select officials from Yanshan and Hebei to take up their posts in Liaodong. They must be capable and capable. This matter will be left to the state. My uncle is responsible for the coordination, and Chu Shijun is also here. You two can start this matter later!
In short, I do not expect the people of Liaodong to surrender quickly, but I want to see the results in the shortest possible time in the reconstruction of the ruling order! "
"Yes!" Ministers Li and Chu immediately responded.
Moreover, the two exchanged glances, and both noticed a little joy in the other. This power in personnel matters is often the most attractive. Under the new rule of Liaodong, even if some old officials are retained, the vacancies will be large. This is a good opportunity to promote people and recruit people.
The only shortcoming is that the matter is urgent and limited to Yanshan and Hebei Roads. The room for maneuver is not so large, and it requires talented officials. Especially for Li Ye, who knew the emperor's temperament, if he compromised on this matter, he would definitely be punished.
Ignoring the petty thoughts of the two ministers, Emperor Liu thought about it for a while and then told Cao Bin: "The king's division has won the victory and Liaodong has been initially determined. It is all due to the heroic fighting of the soldiers. Cao Bin, on my behalf, you will go to Liaodong to express my condolences to the soldiers." The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, whether we can catch up or not, I send you my blessings and expectations to the soldiers!"
"Yes!" Cao Bin immediately responded.
In this regard, Liu Xu couldn't help but look at Emperor Liu, hesitating to speak. After thinking for a while, he finally lowered his head and did not take the initiative to ask for orders.
Emperor Liu was still immersed in the overall situation of the Northern Expedition. He walked to the Northern Expedition route map hanging in the imperial tent, pondered for a long time, and asked: "Liaodong has been captured, and the Northeast is turbulent. It can be said that the Liao Kingdom has lost half of it. However, this has not damaged its fundamentals, and the strength of the Liao Kingdom still exists. What will the Liao Dynasty do next?"
No one can give a definite answer. Transportation is inconvenient and news channels are blocked. Under limited conditions, it is too difficult to make an accurate judgment on the enemy's situation.
The imperial tent was quiet for a while, and Cao Bin again responded cautiously: "Your Majesty, looking at the response of the Liao Kingdom before and after, the war situation in Liaodong has deteriorated to this point, and veteran general Wang Yanchao has entered Raole, they should not attack Liaodong again. Reinforcements are being sent!”
"What's the situation in the Monan area? Is Liu Tinghan still entangled with the enemy? The hundreds of thousands of people recruited by the Liao Lord are still standing still?" Emperor Liu looked at Li Chongju.
"Except for adding 30,000 troops to completely drive Liu Tinghan's army back to Monan, there were no other changes. According to the news coming out of Beijing, due to the threat from Mobei and Wang Yanchao's army, the Liao army did not dare to move lightly, so they hesitated!" Li Chongju said.
"Then it won't be delayed to this extent!" Emperor Liu frowned.
"Is there anything going on at the Military Intelligence Department?" Emperor Liu asked Cao Bin again.
The Military Intelligence Department is still an intelligence agency subordinate to the Privy Council, and has the power to inspect military conduct and discipline. However, when it comes to the preparation of internal and external spies, there is still a big gap compared to the Wude Department.
Therefore, Li Chongju was unable to provide clear information, and it was naturally difficult for the Military Intelligence Department. When asked by Emperor Liu, Cao Bin could only reply frankly: "Not yet!"
"Don't relax too much yet!" Emperor Liu immediately instructed: "Continue to strengthen military intelligence spying!"
