Chapter 186: Song Jun actually dared to fight back?
Yelu Hongji's personal expedition, coupled with the troops mobilized by Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, the total force reached 600,000, including more than 400,000 cavalry. This is also the largest cavalry regiment in the world.
In order to recapture Youzhou, Yelu Hongji also spent a lot of money, 30,000 Pishi troops, this time he directly brought 20,000, and the imperial chariot was in full operation.
When the news came back to the Song Dynasty, the whole country was shocked. No one expected that Yelu Hongji's reaction would be so violent. The joy of Qin Hao's formation to kill Yelu Chutai and capture Youzhou disappeared in an instant, and was replaced by black clouds covering the city.
of fear.
The psychological pressure caused by the Liao Kingdom on the Song Dynasty was accumulated from generation to generation. Originally, the curse had just been loosened, but now it has been cast a shadow again.
Youzhou City.
Zhao Yingce's face was also full of worry at this moment. He had witnessed the Liao army's strength more than once. If Youzhou City hadn't used thunder and fire bombs to blow up a hole, I'm afraid he would still be drinking from the northwest wind outside the city.
Yelu Hongji was also the emperor of the Liao Kingdom, and he personally came to conquer the country with the strength of the whole country. No one would be sure.
"Yelu Hongji's army is expected to arrive in just one month. What do you think?" Zhao Yingce asked in a deep voice.
The British Duke said: "Your Majesty King Huan, Youzhou City is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Liao Kingdom has no thunder and fire bombs, so it can only be filled with human lives. The general believes that the most important thing to do now is to strengthen the city's defenses and stock up on food and grass. As long as we hold on for more than a month,
, the Liao army's 600,000-strong army will inevitably be in short supply, and we will look for opportunities to win decisively when the time comes."
This proposal has also been recognized by many veterans: "The British adults say that this method is the most feasible."
Zhao Yingce nodded and looked at Qin Hao and Gu Tingye: "What do Marquis Jinghai and Marquis Ningyuan think?"
Gu Tingye said loudly: "Your Highness, our cavalry now has 80,000 people. If we stick to it, it will be useless. It is better to take the initiative, march from Zhuozhou, seize Qigou Pass, and take the opportunity to advance westward. This will not only damage the morale of the Liao army, but also
It will make it impossible for the defenders in Yuzhou, Yunzhou and other places to rush to rescue."
This proposal was also affirmed by the generals present. Zhuozhou was the retreat route to the Song Dynasty. If it was cut off, the morale of the army would inevitably be weakened. Taking the initiative to attack could prevent the Liao army in Yunzhou from acting rashly and ensure the safety of the food routes in the rear.
Qin Hao looked at the map and fell into deep thought. He pointed to one of the places after a long time: "Juyong Pass, as long as Juyong Pass is taken, the Liao army coming from the west will not be able to advance. We only need to face Yelu Hongji's army alone. Yelu Hongji
It is said to be an army of 600,000, but the actual infantry is only 200,000. The cavalry has almost no effect in siege warfare. Given the ebb and flow of one thing and another, our chances of winning are actually very good."
Although there was an element of comfort in these words, the analysis still made sense, and the atmosphere in the Chinese military tent was not as heavy as before.
However, Cheng Guogong proposed: "Juyong Pass is known as the most powerful pass in the world. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Moreover, Youzhou is a long way away. If we divide our troops at this time, if we cannot conquer it before Yelu Hongji's army arrives, I am afraid it will be a disaster."
Qin Hao smiled and said: "It will naturally take some time if we go by land, but there is a waterway in front of Juyong Pass. As long as a fleet of ships can reach Juyong Pass in three to five days, and with enough thunder and fire bombs, we can definitely conquer it in one fell swoop.
.”
Zhao Yingce also laughed: "Haha, I have forgotten the reputation of the Mingzhou navy. In this way, Duke Cheng Guo led an army of 30,000 to capture Juyong Pass."
"The last general takes the order!" Cheng Guogong happily accepted it. This was a good job that could achieve meritorious service. He had clearly seen the power of thunder and fire bombs in the Battle of Youzhou, and he was confident of conquering no matter how difficult the pass was.
After discussing countermeasures, the army began to take action. First, according to Qin Hao's suggestion, hundreds of thousands of troops began a logging journey, cutting down all the trees around Youzhou City that were suitable for building siege equipment, so as to make arrows.
The materials are also available, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
Looking at the bare mountains around him, Qin Hao felt a little emotional. The destructive power of human beings is really terrible. In just half a month, there was a locust plague around Youzhou, and it felt like there was no grass growing.
After acquiring a large amount of wood, Youzhou City deployed a large number of defensive fortifications about a hundred steps away, such as horse-rejecting stakes and horse-falling pits. Qin Hao even dug a moat to introduce running water from the Gaoliang River. The entire Youzhou City was compared to before.
The defense power has been greatly enhanced.
The only pity is that time is too tight, Qin Hao only had time to dig the moat to 30 meters wide. If time were enough, he would definitely dig the moat to 180 meters wide like Xiangyang City. Yelu Hongji probably wanted to vomit blood when he saw it.
In fact, when Yelu Hongji led the army to Youzhou, he almost vomited blood. Is this still the Youzhou in his memory?
The rest of the Liao generals also felt a chill when facing the strengthened defenses of Youzhou City. How many corpses would have to be left behind to fill up such defenses?
However, the Emperor of the Liao Kingdom went on a personal expedition, and the bullshit has been blown out. If Youzhou is not recaptured, there will be problems in the internal governance of the Liao Kingdom. The tribes that are attached to the Liao Kingdom will inevitably have dissent. A suzerain without strong force will no longer be able to control the Liao Kingdom.
Cohesive.
Yelu Hongji also knew this very well, so he issued an attack order early the next morning after the army arrived in Youzhou.
This emperor who advocated Buddhism did not have any compassion in his heart. He did not care about the death of soldiers. Rights were his consistent pursuit.
Of course, the first ones to charge were not the real Liao army, but some northern ethnic minorities who were attached to the Liao Kingdom. Forced by the Liao army's swords and guns, they rushed to the gate of Youzhou City.
Qin Hao was responsible for guarding the south gate. From afar, he saw a group of soldiers wearing fur products rushing towards the city in a scattered formation.
One hundred and fifty steps, one hundred and twenty steps.
One hundred steps ahead, just when these soldiers were about to rush to the outside defense line, Qin Hao ordered: "One hundred steps ahead, shoot, release!"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The soldiers on the city head raised their bows and arrows to 45 degrees, pulled half the string, loosened their hands, and the bows and arrows shot away like raindrops.
"Ah~~~"
Screams resounded on the battlefield, and the soldiers who were about to lift their horses were instantly shot into a hornet's nest. The horses, which required more than a dozen people to lift, fell to the ground again, stirring up bursts of smoke and dust.
This scene was also staged at several other city gates. Just after the initial contact, the Liao army paid a heavy price of thousands of casualties.
Yelu Hongji looked very unhappy and ordered to increase the offensive force to consume the number of bows and arrows of the Song army and prepare for the real siege later.
Those northern ethnic minorities became cannon fodder. The Liao army did not care about the life and death of these people and drove them to continue to die.
In the fierce battle on the first day, the Liao army suffered tens of thousands of casualties. In the end, it only broke through the first horse-rejecting barrier and advanced to an area eighty steps away from the city gate.
However, the Song army did not suffer any casualties. Logically speaking, this should be a happy thing, but the faces of everyone in the Chinese army tent were quite serious.
The determination and madness of the Liao army made everyone realize that this would be an extremely difficult battle, especially Yelu Hongji's nearly 400,000 cavalry outside the city. If it were not for the advantage of Youzhou City's terrain, they would not be able to fight in the wild.
I'm afraid no one here can survive.
The cavalry in ancient times was equivalent to the tanks of later generations. It could not be stopped by manpower, especially such a large-scale cavalry regiment.
Everyone realized that Youzhou City could not be lost, otherwise, what awaited them would be the complete annihilation of the entire army.
Then, there was a week of offensive and defensive battles. The Liao army suffered more than 50,000 casualties, while the Song army suffered only 3,000 casualties. Most of them were injured by bows and arrows from ethnic minorities, and the rest were shot by slingshots.
From stones to even javelins, the minority's long-range attack methods can be described as diverse.
Under such huge casualties, the Liao army finally cleared the obstacles outside Youzhou City. The only thing standing in front of them at this time was the 30-meter-wide moat dug by Qin Hao's men.
However, there have also been some changes in the mentality of the Liao army. The most obvious is that the leaders of the northern ethnic minorities have begun to feel war-weary. They originally wanted to go south with the Liao to plunder the resources of the Song Dynasty, but they were sent to the battlefield.
Those who died in the meat grinder were all young warriors of their tribe, which posed a huge threat to their survival.
Yelu Hongji also knew that if he continued to press, a mutiny was likely to occur, so he could only agree to let these ethnic minorities rest and replace them with Liao troops to attack the city.
Compared with those ethnic minorities, the Liao army's military formations were more orderly and their equipment was more advanced, and they even used large equipment such as catapults.
However, the Song Army's catapults on the wall occupied a high position and had a longer range. Moreover, as early as when training the Fourth Army in front of the palace, Qin Hao trained a group of soldiers to operate eight-oxen crossbows and trebuchets, teaching them how to operate them.
The cross positioning method is far more accurate than the opponent's trebuchet.
In just one morning, more than twenty trebuchets of the Liao army at the South City Gate were all destroyed.
After hearing the news, the British quickly asked Qin Hao to borrow someone to suppress the Liao army at the west city gate, and soon achieved excellent results.
The production of trebuchets is relatively complicated. The Liao Kingdom itself is a nomadic people, and there are very few people who have mastered this technology. The number of trebuchets is very limited. After destroying fifty trebuchets, Yelu Hongji could only order the trebuchets to be withdrawn.
Out on the battlefield.
Without the cover of large long-range weapons such as trebuchets, the casualties of the Liao army began to increase exponentially. Coupled with the investment of eight oxen crossbows at the top of the city, even people holding shields could be shot through, causing serious consequences to the Liao army.
Great psychological pressure.
For four consecutive days, after leaving more than 5,000 corpses, the Liao army filled the 30-meter-wide moat with sandbags, and the Liao army could finally enter the siege.
Qin Hao couldn't help but sigh. The time was still too short. If the moat could be dug deeper and wider, the casualties of the Liao army would be at least several times higher.
Yelu Hongji no longer had the same high spirits as before. It took him more than ten days just to clear the peripheral obstacles. This was an unprecedented failure for the Liao army.
That night, Yelu Hongji held a pre-war mobilization meeting and ordered that no matter who could capture Youzhou, they would be awarded the title of Marquis of Kaiguo County. If they had the title of Marquis of Kaiguo County or above, they would be directly promoted to one level.
All the generals of the Liao Kingdom were so excited that they screamed and declared on the spot that they would be the first to stand on the Youzhou City.
However, when they actually attacked the city, they realized how easy it was to defend and difficult to attack Youzhou City. Just like the difficulties encountered by the Song Army, the ladders in Youzhou City had become almost a decoration, and the only thing they could do was to provide relief to the defenders.
The soldiers in the city brought some psychological pressure.
By the time they climbed up the ladder, they were already too tired to hold the knife. They felt as if they had just finished rock climbing without protection and would soon be hacked to death by the soldiers defending the city.
However, after entering the siege, the casualties of the Song Army began to increase. Thousands of Song Army soldiers were killed and injured almost every day. The wounded barracks were already overcrowded. Zhao Yingce had already vacated all the government offices in the city and the mansions of Liao nobles as
The temporary clinic, as for the original Liao nobles, has naturally been cleared away, are they still left to celebrate the New Year?
The casualties of the Liao army were even more terrifying, almost four to five times that of the Song army defending the city. Under such horrific casualty data, Yelu Hongji also became particularly anxious. He had a total of 200,000 infantrymen, and now he has lost them.
Nearly half of the time, Youzhou City still shows no signs of being captured.
If this continues, he will have no choice but to dismount his cavalry and attack the city. This is undoubtedly a prodigal act and very stupid.
Yelu Hongji could only think of other ways: "Why haven't the reinforcements from Yunzhou arrived yet?"
The general under his command gave an embarrassing report: "Your Majesty, the news I just received is that Qigou Pass and Juyong Pass have been lost not long ago. Yunzhou's reinforcements are blocked in the Taihang Mountains. I'm afraid they won't be able to arrive for the time being."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Yelu Hongji was furious: "Then we will recruit troops from Jizhou, Tanzhou, and Shunzhou. Regardless of Liao and Han, as long as they are over 14 years old, they will all be recruited."
Pull me to the battlefield!"
"promise."
This law was soon strictly enforced by the Liao army. How strict was it? Men over 1.5 meters tall were arrested. This also made many northern Han people very angry. The consequence was that they were not originally
In areas that were not averse to the rule of the Liao Kingdom, rebellions began to appear.
The Northland was originally an environment where Hu and Han people lived together. The Han people in the Northland were also very tough and skilled in bow and horse. The original small judgment was just that, but judgments appeared in three states. This also caused the grain roads in the rear of the Liao Kingdom to be affected.
threatened.
Yelu Hongji could only order his troops to be divided to extinguish the rebellion. These Liao cavalry, which had been idle on the battlefield for half a month, finally had a place to use. However, the Liao Kingdom was already very ferocious, and their only way to face the rebellion was
It is killing, and it is killing indiscriminately.
This also led to more and more northern Han people joining the resistance organizations. The originally sporadic rebellions completely formed a prairie fire in Jizhou, Tanzhou, and Shunzhou.
Yelu Hongji did not realize the seriousness of the problem. In his opinion, if it was not possible, all the Han people in the North would be killed. If they were not from our race, they would have different minds. He had also heard this saying and agreed with it.
.
After that, the offensive and defensive battle in Youzhou entered the bloodiest moment. The Liao army launched attacks almost day and night, not giving any breathing space to the Song army defending the city.
Even later, the Liao army ran out of bows and arrows, so they directly picked up the bows and arrows shot by the Song army from under the city gate to fight back. The Song army's bows and arrows were also depleted for a long time, and their inventory was very wretched.
Qin Hao could only organize the people of Youzhou City to participate in making bows and arrows. Although it was only a drop in the bucket, it was better than nothing.
In this way, both sides spent a month, and the size of the Liao army dropped from the initial 600,000 to less than 400,000, while the size of the Song army also dropped from 400,000 to just over 300,000.
At this time, both sides had problems with food and grass. Although Youzhou City had stored a lot of food and grass, these food and grass had to supply not only the army, but also the people. The food in the warehouse had bottomed out.
The Liao army also has the same problem. The grain roads in the rear are constantly being harassed. In addition, the Liao country itself is not a farming nation. In the past, it relied on war to support war. Now, more than a month later, Youzhou City has still not been conquered. Naturally,
Can't get supplies.
What worries Yelu Hongji even more is that the horses have not received good food supplies for more than a month and have begun to lose weight. This is undoubtedly bad news for the cavalry. The horse power cannot be guaranteed and the cavalry's combat effectiveness will also decrease.
That is to say, Yelu Hongji knew that the Song army did not have the ability to pursue, otherwise he would have ordered the withdrawal long ago.
However, one day, a spy came to report that a cavalry unit with more than 70,000 people appeared sixty miles west of Youzhou City.
At first, Yelu Hongji thought it was the reinforcements from Yunzhou, and he was about to be happy, but when he saw the opponent's flag, his eyes widened in fright.
I saw the word "Song" written on the big flag with red characters on a black background in the distance, and the word "Gu" written on the flag next to it.
Gu Tingye finally came back. After going down to Qigou Pass and repelling several attacks by the Yunzhou reinforcements, he confirmed that the opponent could not conquer the pass. He left 10,000 soldiers behind and led 70,000 cavalry to the Youzhou battlefield.
Along the way, he was still worried about what he would do if Youzhou City was captured when he arrived, but when he arrived, he found that the Liao army was already exhausted.
The arrival of Gu Tingye also made Qin Hao see the opportunity to counterattack, so he quickly found Zhao Yingce and Duke Cheng to discuss it.
"We can order a surprise attack on the Liao army camp tonight."
If it were a few days ago, Zhao Yingce and Cheng Guogong would never agree to this risky strategy, because the costs and benefits are not proportional. They are both infantry. Even if the surprise attack is successful, the Liao army will not be injured. The Liao army only needs to mount their horses.
No one can catch up.
But when Gu Tingye came back, the situation was completely different, and they had the capital to pursue.
The appearance of a large number of cavalry also made Yelu Hongji no longer dare to attack the city without hesitation. The Liao army trapped outside the west city gate withdrew to the south city gate, and the siege that day also seemed a bit anticlimactic.
What everyone in the Liao army didn't expect was that after being besieged for more than a month, the Song army in Youzhou City actually had the courage to leave the city for a sneak attack.
At nightfall, Qin Hao led thousands of soldiers to quietly sneak out from the south city gate, stopped about a hundred steps away from the Liao army camp, and waited quietly for the arrival of midnight.