Chapter 264 Winter, Ending
After so many battles, in fact, most of the Liao Dynasty’s elite troops had died.

To be honest, those who are lucky enough to be alive now have long been frightened by their own side’s alarming casualty rate and no longer want to fight.

After all, soldiers fight for military merit and benefits, but you will die in battle.

What the Liao soldiers lack now is a legitimate, reasonable and legal reason to flee.

Seven hundred thousand people themselves are just a mob.

In fact, many of them were farmers and herdsmen who were transferred here.

Before going to the battlefield, these farmers and herdsmen didn’t even know why they were fighting or what benefits they could get from fighting.

natural!

These people would never selflessly sacrifice their lives for Yelu Hongji’s good life.

This is not!

When Zhao Xin ordered the cavalry to charge, Yelu Hongji soon wanted to order the peasant army and herdsmen army on both wings to outflank the cavalry.

But the peasant armies and herdsmen armies on both sides simply did not obey orders.

Of course, the reasons for disobedience are not just those mentioned above.

Just imagine that you are just a farmer and you love peace very much. Suddenly one day, they give you some simple weapons and send you to the battlefield.

But the problem is, you are not blind, even though we are all soldiers.

Your weapons and equipment are obviously much weaker than others.

The infantry armor of the Song Dynasty was tightly wrapped from head to toe. Look at yourself.

It can only barely maintain five or six points.

This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that before this, you have always been a good citizen.

Although before the war, and also in peacetime, your superiors will lead you in training.

But training is training, actual combat is actual combat, and you even know clearly that the Liao general who trained with you is actually not a good person at all.

He often beats and scolds you.

just now……

He asked you to follow him.

But why?
Only a fool would be willing to follow along!

This time, Yelu Hongji recruited many Han people to serve as infantry.

I thought that with the help of these Han infantry, even if we couldn’t win the battle, we could at least cause a lot of trouble to the Song army.

But the actual situation that followed was that these Han infantrymen did not move at all when their main camp was attacked.

It’s like we’ve agreed that you guys fight your own way and we won’t help anyone.

of course!

Maybe it’s not that they don’t help.

But…

If they helped, they also risked being flanked.

because……

The Song army’s infantry were also walking slowly towards them not far away.

Zhao Xin ordered the troops to spread out in a crescent shape.

Normally, this is not an option for the anvil and hammer tactic.

but……

Zhao Xin also arranged the Li Yuan army, which had the strongest offensive capabilities, to break a gap first.

Let some of the enemy’s soldiers flee first.

By the time these fleeing soldiers had created a gap.

Then you can move on to the anvil and hammer.

Of course, some people have to be left in this gap to provide fire suppression to prevent new enemies from rushing in.

However, Zhao Xin basically didn’t use these prepared things.

Because…

Although the Liao soldiers seemed to be arranged in layers, their military appearance was very grand.

But actually…

They are all useless.

Not turning around and running away immediately was already their limit.

Because if you turn around and run away before the enemy reaches you, it means you are fleeing because you are afraid of the fight. If you are discovered by the supervision team, they will chop you to death on the spot.

Then you have to find a time when even the supervisory team is too busy to kill you, and then you can escape.

Moreover, by that time everyone would have scattered, and the supervision team would not have been able to catch anyone in time.

That’s right!

The timing of this escape was exactly when they were about to collide with the army of the Song Dynasty.

One hundred and fifty steps!

I will stand firm and live and die with the Liao Dynasty!

One hundred steps!

Following orders, bows and crossbows were strung and ready for battle.

There was still fifty steps to go, and with thousands of arrows fired at once, we could just muddle through!

But the Song Dynasty never gave them such an opportunity.

Because…

The Song Dynasty actually pushed the cannon up.

boom!
Ok!

Things have changed!

There’s no time to wait until you’re fifty steps away, just run away!

Because everyone else was so scared that they didn’t dare to stand there anymore.

The supervision team can no longer handle it now.

Zhao Xin originally thought that what would follow would be a physical fight between two men, but all he could say was…

The other party did not give him such an opportunity.

Those in front fled backwards.

The ones in the back aren’t stupid either!

Now that things have developed to this point.

Victory and defeat are common in military affairs.

then……

A large number of Han infantry began to flee.

Zhao Xin’s cavalry almost broke in front of Yelu Hongji.

can only say……

The war has come to this point.

Yelu Hongji seemed to have no hope for his future.

Some people advised Yelu Hongji to retreat quickly.

But Yelu Hongji understood that even if they retreated today, they would still be defeated tomorrow.

So instead of doing this, it’s better to just surrender.

of course!

Thinking of this, he soon thought of his wife and son, and then his eyes became firm again.

withdraw!
Keeping the green hills, you don’t have to worry about having no firewood.

The battle lasted until after half past the hour of Si in the morning.

Then it stopped.

Because most of the enemy’s cavalry ran away.

Apart from the river, there are plains here, which is also suitable for escape.

So the number of enemies killed was not that large, probably only about 20,000 or 30,000.

But in this battle, the Song army captured more than 100,000 people, almost all of whom were Han people.

They were all Han soldiers drawn from the Liao Dynasty’s Zhongjing Xingqing Prefecture and Dading Prefecture.

Zhao Xin soon learned from these Han soldiers and generals that Zhongjing was extremely empty at this time. In order to show their loyalty, those who had just surrendered asked Zhao Xin to take Zhongjing and said they could lead the way.

only……

In Zhao Xin’s opinion, Zhongjing is too far away.

But the Dading Prefecture is worth a try.

The so-called Dading Prefecture is actually Yingzhou in the Tang Dynasty.

The population here is as high as 30,000 to 40,000 households.

Assuming there are five people in one household, there are nearly 100,000 to 200,000 people.

It is also a place with a very prosperous population.

If there is someone to guide us, then it will be easy.

Zhao Xin immediately ordered a small group of people to ride lightly on horseback.

We must try to capture this place as soon as possible before the Liao Kingdom can react.

Soon…seven or eight days later.

News came from Dading Prefecture that the people in the city were willing to surrender.

They are all Han Chinese, there is nothing much to say.

It is not shameful for Han people to surrender to Han people and return to their ancestral roots.

Zhao Xin also had to send 3,000 soldiers to garrison the area.

at this time……

This side of Liaodong.

Only then did Goryeo finally conquer Kaizhou of Liao.

Kaizhou is a place where, at most, there are only a few thousand defenders.

However, the fight against Goryeo lasted for more than one year, almost two months.

Do not!
It really lasted for two whole months!

This naturally made the King of Goryeo, Wang Hui, very dissatisfied.

He thought that under his governance, Goryeo’s strength should be stronger than at any previous time.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

But Zhao Xin expressed his understanding of this.

Because I, the Great Song, couldn’t do it at the beginning. I had to wait until I grew up before I could fight.

A country with clear politics, prosperity and wealth does not necessarily mean that the country is capable of fighting.

On the contrary, those poor countries may be much more powerful in foreign conquests.

and……

In fact, Goryeo had not fought a foreign war for nearly forty years.

to be frank!
It would be good enough if we could avoid a major defeat.

Wang Hui was also shocked when he learned that Zhao Xin had captured Tokyo Liaoyang Prefecture and helped them cut off the Liao Kingdom’s retreat.

Is the Song Dynasty really that powerful?
Next…

Just when Wang Hui was about to send someone to take over, he discovered that the Liao people seemed to have taken it back again.

When the people sent by Wang Hui arrived at the city, they were almost shot to death by the defenders on the city wall.

then……

Then he went back and reported the relevant information to Wang Hui.

“Didn’t they say that they have already taken over Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo?”

Wang Hui asked the person who came to deliver the message.

The person who delivered the message was also confused. He didn’t know what was going on.

Because when he arrived, Tokyo Liaoyang Prefecture had indeed been captured by the Song army.

We can only wait for the next step and see what happens.

It was September of that year.

Zhao Xin specially sent someone to take a boat to the Goryeo capital of Kaifeng to explain the relevant situation to the other party.

They originally wanted to help Goryeo to quickly take over the Liaodong region, but unexpectedly, the Liao Kingdom sent 700,000 troops with the intention of encircling them.

Zhao Xin said that it was fortunate that they ran fast.

Otherwise, there would probably be no chance to explain the relevant situation to the other party at this time.

When Wang Hui heard this, although the number of 700,000 was a bit too much, but…

It’s still barely acceptable.

Because when the Liao Kingdom attacked them, it was said that it used a total of 400,000 infantry and cavalry.

Immediately afterwards…

Then discuss the next plan.

Zhao Xin also directly asked someone to reveal to Wang Hui that although the Liao Kingdom sent out 700,000 troops, they almost surrounded them.

But fortunately, they have been defeated.

Nowadays…the Liao Kingdom is already at the end of its strength.

Goryeo can fight without any worries.

at this point……

The Goryeo Prime Minister and other ministers nodded in acknowledgment.

after all……

If it had happened in the past, if they had attacked Liao’s cities in this way, Liao would have had to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to attack them.

But now there is none, which means that the Song Dynasty did play some role in the west.

Zhao Xin also had people report all the lands occupied by the Song Dynasty to the other side.
There is no need to say much about the Liaoxi Corridor, and then there is the Dading Prefecture of the Liao Dynasty.

If you add it up…

Maybe five or six states.

I can only say that it is not a lot.

Let’s look at Korea…

Since Kaizhou, we have occupied two more small cities. I can only say that the difference is not that big.

The Liao Kingdom also sent envoys to Kaifeng to ask Wang Hui what was going on.

Wang Hui had nothing to say. After all, he could just make an excuse to become the prime minister.

In October of that year, due to weather reasons.

All three parties began to strike.

Yelu Hongji is now being attacked by both the Song Dynasty and Goryeo at the same time, and his country may be destroyed in an instant.

and so……

Yelu Hongji was under the greatest pressure at this time.

The second person who is under the greatest pressure is Wang Hui.

Because he didn’t expect that it would be so difficult for their soldiers to capture Kaizhou.

and so……

Wang Hui planned to unite the Jurchens in the northeast.

If we could get the Jurchens in the northeast to move south together and attack from both the north and the south, the effect might be better.

In fact, the Jurchens in the Northeast have always maintained an inseparable relationship with them.

of course!

If you want people to help you, you have to pay them.

So the next issue facing Wang Hui and his ministers was how much reward should be given.

This can also be seen from this.

Wang Hui very much hoped to take over Liaodong as soon as possible.

However, the prime minister and other ministers in the country thought that if they really asked the Jurchens to take action, then if they did not fight well, would the Jurchens look down on them?
King Wang Hui and his ministers have already noticed that there are some issues with their soldiers’ combat capabilities.

and……

Next, the army must be reformed. Otherwise, if it keeps procrastinating like this, how long will it take to reach Liaoyang Prefecture?
However, considering that the Jurchens were very few in number and could not be compared with a big country like Goryeo, we should not underestimate them.

So……

There is nothing embarrassing about asking the Jurchens for help.

Anyway…

The most important thing is to take over Liaodong as quickly as possible.

that’s it!
All three parties have been preparing for war non-stop this winter.

Zhao Xin also wrote to Yelu Hongji again, asking him to stop struggling.

after all……

The Khitans numbered only about one to two million people.

The rest of the people in the Liao Kingdom were basically Han Chinese, as well as people from other tribes.

nowadays……

Among the five capitals of the Liao Dynasty, three have been lost.

Even if Yelu Hongji struggled, it would be of no use.

The weather is cold, so I’m sending you two quilts as a token of my friendship.

One bed for my mother-in-law and one bed for my son-in-law.

After reading Zhao Xin’s letter, Yelu Hongji could only say that he had never seen anyone so shameless.

Who is your mother-in-law and who is your son-in-law.

However, the son-in-law that Zhao Xin wants is indeed smart.

After understanding his father’s sorrow, he also said: “Now that our Liao Kingdom is weak, why can’t we pretend to agree to the other party first? And… why does the other party always want to persuade you to surrender? Have you ever thought about it, father?”

Yelu Hongji asked, “Jun’er, why do you think this is happening?”

Yelu Jun said, “Maybe they are not our Khitans. They are not used to living in grasslands. Why do we in Liao let Han officials manage Han areas? It is also because we, the Khitans in Liao, are not used to living in cities.”

Yelu Hongji said: “So Jun’er, what you mean is…”

Yelu Jun said, “Even if they destroy the Liao Kingdom, they will still need someone to manage this grassland. Even if it’s not our family, it will be someone else on the grassland. If we don’t surrender, the other side might really replace us. By the way, Dad, what is a son-in-law?”

Yelu Hongji: “…”

(End of this chapter)