Chapter 1275: A Hundred Li Rout

The night often brings tranquility and peace to heaven and earth. The wind carrying the sea tide was not particularly gentle, but blowing against the body, it still dispelled much of the summer heat. However, for Yelu Hai, the Liao commander responsible for the defense of southern Liaodong, there was no mood whatsoever to enjoy this comfort.

The night grew hazy and gradually deepened, just like the shadow shrouding Yelu Hai's heart. A force of indistinguishable size, led by Yelu Hai, was driven along the official road, tense in spirit and low in morale.

Liao never paid much attention to road construction, nor did it have the energy to do so. Add to that the fact that the southern Liaodong region was somewhat remote, the roads looked rough and uneven, extremely crude—one could sense the twists and turns ahead without even looking.

At a military command, this Liao army finally halted. Their tense nerves relaxed, and once relaxed, they completely degenerated into a mob of undisciplined defeated soldiers, scattering about, with many simply lying down on the spot.

Yelu Hai also dismounted from his horse. The moment his feet hit the ground, his body swayed, and he nearly failed to stay standing. At this moment, Yelu Hai looked exceptionally bedraggled, like a stray dog. The sting of defeat's pain made him almost ignore the agony of his wounds.

In the twilight, to the right were layered mountain ridges, to the left were lush forests and open fields. The wind blew through the grass and stirred the trees—cool, yet also chilling. Yelu Hai was something of a tough man, but at this moment, seeing the officers and men who still followed him, facing this ragged remnant of a defeated army, he could not help but feel sorrow well up within him.

Defeated—in the end, defeated! Even if he had anticipated it somewhat, he never imagined the defeat would be so thorough, so stifling...

In no more than ten days, the Suzhou city he was defending had been breached by the Han army—this was something he never could have imagined. Who could have thought that the Han army's marines were not only skilled in naval combat but also adept at land warfare—taking cities and seizing strongholds—and that the Han commanders would be willing to deploy those marines for land operations.

One must understand that, by branch of service, the training requirements and standards for marines were higher, with those constraints in place. Of course, it also came down to the fact that the current naval soldiers still lacked that much "technicality"—close-quarters killing was still a basic skill.

On the second day after the naval battle at Suzhou Harbor, the Han army launched sustained attacks, first finishing off the several thousand defeated troops to the south. Only one night had passed since the tragic annihilation of the Suzhou naval force, and those who remained had long since lost their nerve—officers without fighting spirit, soldiers without will to fight. Moreover, most of them were of Han or Balhae origin. Facing the Han army's assault, aside from a small number of diehards, most chose to surrender.

The series of defensive stockades and fortifications Yelu Hai had arranged around Suzhou Harbor collapsed almost without serving any purpose. Shi Yande's men swept through them, easily annihilating them. To be fair, most of the manpower for this naval force Liao had established came from Han people of the southern Liaodong prefectures and counties.

It must be said that when the Great Han took Liaodong, those who suffered the most harm and loss were the local people of all ethnicities, including the Han. However, against the backdrop of the decisive Han-Liao battle, in such a great era, there were only friend and foe, not distinctions of ethnicity.

While Shi Yande was mopping up the remaining Liao troops to the south, Yelu Hai did not sit idle waiting for death. Instead, he once again chose to take the initiative and strike out, hoping to pin down the Han army's movements and disrupt their intentions.

This time, he still failed. A different man had been sent against him—Lin Renzhao, Chief Commander of Laizhou, another surrendered general from Jiangnan. Back in the war to pacify the south, Lin Renzhao had resisted with all his might and launched the most ferocious counterattack the southern army ever made against the Han army. But the tide of events could not be turned; talented and decisive as he was, he ultimately could not reverse the course of fate. He was defeated outside Changzhou and fled back to Runzhou in disgrace.

Later, Jinling was besieged, Li Yu surrendered, and with no other choice, Lin Renzhao also submitted to the court. For this pillar of Jiangnan, this last great general, Emperor Liu had heard of his reputation and was quite interested, personally receiving the man.

After an examination, the Emperor expressed his appreciation and assigned him to serve in the East Sea Fleet. The life of a surrendered general was generally not easy, but the Great Han Empire had always been tolerant, and Lin Renzhao, having received the Emperor's praise, was naturally deeply moved. His thinking shifted quickly—upon arriving at the East Sea Fleet, he immediately set his identity and position straight and devoted himself faithfully to his duties.

Moreover, unlike the typical surrendered ministers and generals of Jiangnan, he was originally from the state of Min. After the Southern Tang destroyed Min, he submitted and served them. Now that the realm was unified, he naturally would not feel overly nostalgic for that small separatist regime that had been eliminated.

Thanks to his outstanding command abilities and diligent performance, over the years Lin Renzhao had integrated into the Han navy while also being promoted in rank and office. In addition to his naval post, he concurrently held the position of Chief Commander of Laizhou. However, he also needed an opportunity to prove his loyalty—in this regard, he was even more eager and impatient than Guo Tingwei. Thus, the northern expedition suited his aspirations perfectly.

Therefore, when Yelu Hai struck out again, he faced the battle-hardened Laizhou marines that Lin Renzhao had commanded for years, almost as if they were extensions of his own limbs, combined with his outstanding command abilities.

Yelu Hai, who had suffered defeat only the night before, was thwarted once more. After paying nearly a thousand casualties, he had no choice but to withdraw, shrinking back into Suzhou city once again.

The subsequent progress of the campaign followed the Han army's usual rhythm, advancing step by step. After clearing the remaining enemies to the south, they struck with combined land and naval forces, pressing toward the city. After two days of rest and meticulous preparation, the Han army launched its assault on Suzhou.

In fact, after advancing to Suzhou Harbor and confirming the enemy's response, Guo Tingwei had already sent men to notify Wuqing Harbor to the west and Laizhou Harbor to the south, arranging for the follow-up troops and military equipment to be transported to southern Liaodong, replenishing losses and increasing the strength of the land offensive.

The sea route offensive was a strategic decision, but the Great Han side had never imagined that the East Sea Fleet alone could sweep through southern Liaodong and push all the way to Liaoyang—that was unrealistic. Behind the fleet, forty thousand troops had also been prepared.

However, transporting all of these to southern Liaodong would take time. But having destroyed the enemy fleet in one battle and then brought the army to the city gates in the next, facing such abundant results, Guo Tingwei's heart was also stirred. To deny the Liao army more breathing room and to annihilate the enemy in Suzhou, he gave the order to attack the city directly.

At that time, the Liao forces inside Suzhou numbered only a little over six thousand. For a small city like Suzhou, such a force was not weak, and with substantial stores of grain and weapons in the city, their defensive strength was sufficient. However, having suffered repeated setbacks, their morale had long since collapsed and their confidence was gone. Facing pressure from both the Han army's land and naval forces, the outcome naturally could not go as Yelu Hai wished.

This time, the marines were the protagonists. Guo Tingwei dispatched a full fifteen thousand marines ashore to coordinate with the infantry under Shi Yande's command in the assault on the city. When it came to overcoming difficulties, the marines might not match the army, but that was only relatively speaking.

Add in the conditions—both hard and soft, such as the situation, morale, and weapons and equipment—the East Sea Fleet fully displayed its formidable caliber. They lacked large siege engines like cloud ladders, but they were not short on such lethal tools as thunderclap cannons, trebuchets, and bed crossbows, as well as battering rams.

The reason the East Sea Fleet's expedition had such a massive fleet was that, besides warships, there were also numerous large transport vessels loaded with military supplies and equipment, including the aforementioned lethal tools.

Moreover, before the assault, Guo Tingwei ruthlessly used the surrendered captives as cannon fodder. When all manner of unfavorable factors descended upon the Liao defenders simultaneously, the outcome was predetermined.

Liao general Yelu Hai's will was tenacious, and he had the heart to hold the city, but he could not force his officers and men to be as resilient as he was. Under the Han army's ferocious assault, casualties were heavy. After resisting for six or seven days, seeing that the city could not be held, he still chose to abandon it.

Guo Tingwei did not choose to besiege the city but instead attacked from the east and south simultaneously, supplemented by naval support from the sea. Yelu Hai led the remaining four thousand-plus troops fleeing north. He had no other choice—it was either that or fight to the death like a cornered beast.

As for reinforcements, he did not count on them. Yelu Xiezhen had only given him these nearly twenty thousand troops in total. After leaving the city, as was somewhat expected, they were ambushed and intercepted by Han troops lying in wait. Guo Tingwei's three sons rendered great service, pursuing relentlessly and leaving half of the defeated army behind before breaking off the engagement.

They had fled for an entire day, collapsing a hundred li in rout, and only now had they gained a chance to catch their breath.