Han Dewei slowly stood up, looking at the tragic scene at the gap in the Baozhou city wall, his iron-like heart twitched. The Liao troops who swarmed towards the city wall were frightened by the horror before them, lost all will to fight, and retreated one after another.
Looking at the situation of depleted morale, Han Dewei waved his hand feebly and said to the commander: "Ming Jin withdraws the troops!"
The Liao army and the Central Plains army had different advance and retreat orders. When attacking, the Song army beat drums to boost morale, while the Liao army blew horns to boost morale. However, when retreating, they both beat gongs and rang gold to retreat.
The siege in the past three days has exhausted both the attackers and defenders. Both Han Dewei and Yang Yanzhao understand that they have reached the critical point of success or failure. Maybe the next moment the city will be captured, or maybe the next moment the siege soldiers will be completely defeated. collapse.
After another unsuccessful siege, night gradually enveloped this bloody Shura hell. Since night fighting was unfavorable to both sides, the two sides almost tacitly agreed to fight during the day and stopped after dark.
The biting cold wind mixed with withered and yellow grass flew to the sky and was blown away. Time also entered the period between Shen and You. On the top of the Baozhou city, the officers and soldiers guarding the city were almost caught in the cold wind. Unable to hold their pewter pole spears, the sudden drop in temperature forced the soldiers to pace back and forth at the top of the city to maintain their body temperature and dispel the cold.
Outside the Song Army's Central Military Camp in Baozhou City, Yang Yanzhao, the patrol officer on the edge of Baozhou, stood in the night and stared deeply at the cold yet bright black starry sky. Yang Yunfan, who was standing next to him, also raised his head for a while. Sky, then looked at Yang Yanzhao, and said firmly and seriously: "It should be the coldest hour at midnight tonight. Please make a decision, Fourth Uncle!"
Yang Yanzhao closed his eyes hard, then opened them suddenly, and shouted loudly: "Send orders to all the generals in the camp to listen to the order!" Then he turned and walked into the tent. The soldiers on the side bowed and accepted the order and left.
The night was getting darker. In Baozhou City, in the main tent of the Song Army, the generals were lined up on both sides. Yang Yanzhao looked around at everyone and issued a military order...
At Mao o'clock on the second day, under the supervision of the general, the soldiers of the Liao army put on their armor and braved the biting cold wind to push the siege vehicles towards the Baozhou city wall. When approaching the city wall, the Liao soldiers walking in the front row raised their heads and looked at the towering city wall not far away, and were stunned for a moment.
I saw that the Baozhou City Wall in front of me was as crystal clear as glass, glowing brightly under the rising sun. The city walls on all sides were covered with thick ice, causing the advancing Liao army to stop.
The scouts came to the Liao army camp on fast horses and reported to Han Dewei. Han Dewei frowned and said nothing. He rode a fast horse and came to the front of the formation. Looking at the crystal clear ice city in front of him, his heart sank to the bottom. The Liao soldiers in front pushed the trebuchet, loaded the stones, and threw them at the city wall. The rocks as big as a bowl hit the ice of the city wall, leaving only a white spot. The Liao soldiers looked at each other in shock. No stone can cause damage to the ice wall, and ordinary bows, arrows, and knives are useless. Moreover, the ice wall is extremely slippery, and it is even more difficult to climb it than to reach the sky...
"Your Excellency, Song Gou took advantage of the cold weather and poured water on it at night to build a wall of ice. What should we do..." Xiao Qiangui, the former captain of the Liao Army, asked Han Dewei.
Han Dewei looked at the ice wall in front of him, looked up to the sky and sighed: "God won't help me, God won't help me..." Then he ordered the three armies to slowly withdraw to the camp.
Looking at the Liao army who stopped to watch and slowly retreated outside the city, the soldiers on the tower of the Song Army were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other blankly, and finally shouted excitedly: "The Liao dogs have retreated! The Liao dogs have retreated..." "
Some generals even came to Yang Yanzhao excitedly to ask for instructions, and wanted to take the opportunity to lead their troops to pursue the Liao army. Yang Yanzhao calmly ordered: "The whole army must not act rashly. Send scout cavalry to check the enemy's situation."
Although he relied on the ice city to force the Liao army back, Yang Yanzhao was not so arrogant as to use the Song infantry to fight the Khitan cavalry in a wild battle. The soldiers could be crazy or impatient, but as the coach, he must remain calm throughout the whole process and not be overwhelmed by temporary gains and losses. Confused.
After the scouts came back quickly to report, it was finally confirmed that the Liao army had really retreated. Only then did Yang Yanzhao truly breathe a sigh of relief. Others may not know the inside story, but as the coach, he understood that this time was a big gamble. What will be the consequences of losing?
It turns out that although Baozhou City is a large city, its main water source comes from the Yimuquan River in the west of the city. However, the river water has been intercepted and cut off by the Liao army, and the city's water supply can only rely on several wells in the city. Soldiers cut ice to collect water every day to supply water to the whole city. Fortunately, the well water is connected to the underground river and will not dry up in a short time. However, it is still unsustainable to supply water to the whole city for a long time.
The Liao army also accurately calculated the water supply problem in the city and launched a long siege to achieve the effect of "conquering the enemy without fighting." However, Yang Yanzhao acted vigorously and implemented a rationed supply system in the city, which prevented chaos and also made the Liao army It is doubtful whether the water source in the city comes from another source.
So when Yang Yunfan proposed to take advantage of the sudden drop in the cold weather to cover the wall with water and turn it into ice to resist the Liao army's attack, Yang Yanzhao also made a great deal of determination to take the gamble. Fortunately, Han Dewei saw Song Song who was supposed to be short of water. The army dared to use precious water to cover the wall with ice and confirmed their suspicion: "Baozhou City indeed has another water source!" This also indicated the failure of his strategy of cutting off water and siege the city, so he retreated sadly.
After settling the city's defenses, Yang Yanzhao and Yang Yunfan led a group of cavalry to the Liao army and swept through Qingyuan Village.
Qingyuan Village is a fortress relatively close to Baozhou City. According to the records of Baozhou City, there are more than 2,000 soldiers and civilians in Qingyuan Village, including about 500 officers and soldiers, and more than 1,500 civilians. Passing by After more than ten years of development, Qingyuan Village has become a quite prosperous and lively village.
The Qingyuan Village in front of us was in deathly silence, with rubble and wooden beams of smoking houses all over the place. On the broad martial arts field northwest of Qingyuan Village, rows of corpses were piled up like a mountain, including some with white hair. There were old women and children waiting to be fed. Apparently, the Liao army gathered the entire village on the martial arts field and carried out a mass killing. No one in the village survived.
Looking at the Shura field in front of him, Yang Yunfan closed his eyes in pain, then opened them again, and said loudly: "I didn't expect the Liao dogs to be so cruel, even leaving old women and children alive!"
Yang Yanzhao sighed and said: "The Liao people have always been like this in "tricking grass in the valley". After the army passes, no chickens or dogs are left behind. Moreover, this time the Liao army returned from the southern expedition without success, they will definitely use the nearby fortresses to vent their anger."
"Let them be laid to rest!" Yang Yanzhao ordered a large pit to be dug to the west of Qingyuan Village, and all the victims were laid to rest.
"Fan'er, you have to remember, don't expect mercy from the enemy. These dead soldiers and people are all because of the weak power of the Song Dynasty army, which led the Yi Di to dare to invade the border. The key to controlling the Liao people lies in the ten years of Yan Yun The six states are separated by the Yanshan Mountains and the Great Wall, making it difficult for the Hu cavalry to overcome. Only by recapturing the Yanyun Land can we completely secure the border. This is also the expectation of generations of my Yang family!" Yang Yanzhao said earnestly.
Yang Yunfan nodded heavily and said nothing.
