Chapter 1329: Anticipating Difficulties, Preparing Beforehand

If Emperor Liu was dissatisfied with the results achieved so far and wanted to continue the war, pursuing greater gains and relentlessly hounding Liao, then Liu Tinghan's setback would make him angry, displeased, and even furious.

However, after accepting Liu Yang's recommendation to withdraw the northeastern forces, Emperor Liu's mindset had already become more open. Even if he couldn't completely end the war (that wasn't something the Great Han could accomplish unilaterally), he intended to reduce the scale of the war and keep it within a range the Great Han could bear.

Therefore, the anxiety he had felt upon learning that Liu Tinghan's army was besieged had largely dissipated. Under these circumstances, Liu Tinghan's main army was also among those being withdrawn, and even with this setback, as long as they could be rescued and brought back, that was acceptable.

Even if the entire army were annihilated, it would only add to the casualties—when summarizing this northern campaign, they would simply report greater losses. Of course, Emperor Liu wasn't truly that magnanimous. Liu Tinghan's army was all elite troops of the Great Han, especially the ten thousand-plus imperial cavalry, which formed the backbone of the cavalry forces. If they were truly all lost, he would certainly feel the pain.

"The central army sallied forth and fought bitterly beyond the frontier—they've worked hard! Though there were missteps this time, they still did their utmost for the northern expedition. One defeat cannot obscure their glory and merit; they deserve recognition!" Emperor Liu set down his teacup and said softly:

"Draft an imperial edict to console the officers and men of the central army, and send word to Liu Tinghan to let the returning soldiers rest well. Additionally, have Chu Zhaofu of the Yan Mountains and Shi Xizai of Hedong each procure a batch of grain, flour, wine, meat, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs to be sent to the army as a token of appreciation. As for Liu Tinghan, tell him not to rush to beg forgiveness—merit and fault will be judged by the court. Let him first attend to military affairs!"

"Yes!" Cao Bin acknowledged.

"With this defeat, the military dispositions along the Guan Mountain line need adjustment! What movements has the Liao army made? Having finally won a victory but not achieving complete success, they won't let things rest, will they?" Emperor Liu frowned and pointed out. Clearly, he also knew that the more pressing matters were the aftermath—how to eliminate the effects of the defeat and how to respond to the Liao army's next move.

Cao Bin replied in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is wise! As Your Majesty says, the Liao emperor personally led over a hundred thousand troops, pressing south in pursuit of victory, halting at Yanzi City! Liu Tinghan has already arranged defenses at Yahu Ridge. The terrain there is perilous, the fortifications complete, easy to defend and hard to attack. Though the enemy is numerous, they will find it difficult to break through! Beyond Yahu Ridge, scorched-earth measures have also been implemented—cattle, horses, livestock, and the people's property have all been gathered within the passes. If the Liao army attacks with arrogance, they will surely suffer a heavy defeat!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu's face showed no joy; it seemed shrouded in dark clouds. He glanced at Cao Bin and said coldly: "Yahu Ridge—if this battle lets the Liao army fight all the way to the gates of Xuanhua, and if there's a failure, can the Liao army then threaten the security of Youzhou!"

"We ministers are incompetent, causing this failure—please calm your anger, Your Majesty!" Seeing signs of Emperor Liu's fury, Cao Bin bowed his head in apology, then said: "In this northern expedition, the border troops and the two circuits of the Yan Mountains have had much of their manpower and civilian resources drawn away. Military strength is mostly concentrated on the eastern route, leaving the defenses of the Great Wall passes hollow. Liu Tinghan's army was defeated, and the Liao army advanced south in force, hence this predicament!"

Glancing at Emperor Liu's gloomy expression, Cao Bin continued: "If the Liao army intends to take Yahu Ridge, break Xuanhua, and threaten Youzhou from the east, then relying on the terrain and defenses, we can still hold them off. As long as we rapidly reinforce the garrisons, the threat can be resolved!

However, what I worry about more is that the Liao army might abandon Yahu Ridge, turn their forces westward, sweep through Monan, and attack Shanyang! From Yunzhong to Xuanhua, though the several hundred li of passes and mountains have the Great Wall as a defensive backbone and numerous fortresses, we cannot cover every point. Under these circumstances, if the Liao army breaks through at just one point, they could very well burst through south of the Great Wall and thrust into the heartland of Shanyang.

At present, since Army Commander Li led troops north to reinforce, Yunzhong City is extremely hollow, with only fewer than five thousand men of the Fengyi Army stationed there. The only nearby force that can serve as reinforcement is the Ningyuan Army, which also has to cover the Great Wall defenses.

If the Liao army successfully breaks through the Great Wall defense line, then Yunzhong is in peril, and Shanyang is in peril! Even if Yunzhong's walls are strong and can hold, the Shanyang Circuit will surely suffer the ravages of war, and the Great Han's more than a decade of management of Shanyang will be destroyed.

Moreover, north of the Great Wall, there are also many Han people and naturalized tribes who have not yet been moved inward. Suddenly caught in this upheaval, they will find it hard to resist the Liao army's incursions.

Therefore, I believe that the situation in Shanyang is currently the most critical and the most dangerous. The court needs to respond urgently, mobilize troops, and send them north to strengthen defenses, to repel the Liao army and minimize losses..."

After hearing Cao Bin's words, Emperor Liu could no longer remain seated. He stood up directly and paced in the study, just as Cao Bin had done while waiting earlier.

This was perhaps the gravest expression Emperor Liu had worn since the northern expedition began. Even the great defeat at Yaozhou more than two months ago hadn't made Emperor Liu this tense.

The autumn chill surged in like a tide, continuously seeping through the windows and doors. The dim candlelight flickered precariously, the dancing flames seemingly telling of the anxiety in his heart.

In his mind, he continuously reviewed the military arrangements and plans of this northern expedition. Fragments of information flashed by, and Emperor Liu suddenly realized that the Great Han side seemed to have been somewhat overconfident. There was his own fault as an emperor, and also the carelessness of the civil and military ministers and the generals.

"Liao can still muster over a hundred thousand troops to march south?" Stopping his somewhat heavy footsteps, Emperor Liu's face showed no superfluous emotion, returning to calm as still water as he asked in a deep voice.

Cao Bin answered: "To answer Your Majesty, summarizing previous intelligence and battlefield reports, since the war began, Liao has sent no more than fifty thousand troops to reinforce the northeast at various times. From Monan to Mobei, though the Liao army has also suffered some losses, apart from the Mobei forces, the Xi, and Han Kuangmei's army in southern Monan, Liao still maintains a heavy force at Shangjing!

Moreover, since the Khitan are a nation of all-able-bodied soldiers, Liao has the strength to organize an army of over a hundred thousand, possibly even more..."

"Liao endured for so long, and this is the surprise they give me!" Emperor Liu turned around and slowly sat down, saying: "I underestimated that young friend Yelu Xian... Emptying the nest to march south—that's a great resolve!"

After a brief sigh, Emperor Liu directly asked Cao Bin for counsel: "How should we respond? Do you have a plan in mind?"

Cao Bin: "The only course now is to quickly order all the Great Wall passes to raise their vigilance, strengthen their defenses, and implement scorched-earth measures both inside and outside the Great Wall. At the same time, what must be done swiftly is to reinforce Shanyang with additional troops to strengthen defensive strength, especially the defenses of Yunzhong—they cannot afford any failure!"

"How many troops are still available for deployment around Yunzhong?" Emperor Liu pressed. He had taken in everything Cao Bin said, especially the point about the hollow defenses of the northern passes.

"The area with the most surplus troops is only Liaodong, but distant water cannot quench a nearby thirst. Even if troops could be drawn from there, over a thousand li of reinforcement travel, their combat effectiveness would be hard to maintain!" Cao Bin said: "Around Yunzhong, the only forces that can be urgently drawn are a portion of the Ningyuan Army, the Dingxiang Army at Yanmen, and the Yongning Army at Shuozhou. But both of those armies are understrength and still need to ensure the security of their fortresses—at most two thousand men can be drawn.

Additionally, the Baoning Army at Shengzhou and the ten thousand troops General Yang left at Fengzhou before heading north can be called east for reinforcement. However, the journey is long and difficult, and sending orders for eastern reinforcement will also take considerable time—they may not necessarily arrive before the Liao army."

Emperor Liu silently calculated, then said: "So, counting all the nearby Fengyi, Ningyuan, Baoning, and Dingxiang armies together, the total forces we can gather still don't reach twenty thousand?"

"Your Majesty, even with full conscription, it's only thirteen thousand men!" Cao Bin said with a bitter tone: "Therefore, the only option is to conscript able-bodied men from the civilian population to supplement the defenses! Fortunately, the autumn harvest in Shanyang has already passed. If we can gather the people of Shanyang into the cities ahead of time, that can somewhat compensate for the shortage of troops!"

"That still isn't enough, is it?" Emperor Liu said.

"We can conscript soldiers from Hedong to march north!" Cao Bin said directly.

Shanyang has Hedong at its back. In such a critical moment, the only one that can provide the greatest support is Hedong—this is also the responsibility Hedong should bear.

Therefore, Emperor Liu didn't hesitate much and directly instructed: "Issue an edict to the Hedong Circuit administration to devote full effort to reinforcing Shanyang from the north!"

"Additionally, on the Youzhou side, also draw ten thousand troops and able-bodied men to reinforce the west!" Emperor Liu added another instruction.

Upon hearing this, Cao Bin immediately tried to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, Youzhou's troops are also insufficient and still need to guard Your Majesty's person. This absolutely cannot be drawn away!"

Emperor Liu immediately retorted: "Draw three thousand men from the accompanying imperial guard to reinforce the west. Their duty is not just to guard me—protecting the realm, pacifying the people, and defending the country against enemies are also their mission!"

Though Cao Bin still had reservations, seeing Emperor Liu's resolute attitude, he didn't dare press his remonstrance further. But under these circumstances, even if not so critical, the emperor's safety remained the top priority. He therefore reported: "In that case, we should conscript more soldiers and civilians from Hebei to march north, to guard Your Majesty's person!"

"Agreed!" Emperor Liu did not veto this suggestion.

"Send the order: Liu Tinghan is to be demoted but retained in position, guarding Yahu Ridge! Tell him directly—if there is another misstep, he needn't come back to see me!" Emperor Liu's tone was severe, a complete reversal from his earlier attitude.

"Li Chuyun returns to Yunzhong, responsible for Shanyang's defense!" Emperor Liu said again.

"Your Majesty, Governor Li, exhausted from the northern reinforcement efforts, has already fallen seriously ill. I fear he can hardly bear the heavy burden of Shanyang's defense!" Cao Bin hesitated briefly, then reported.

This was another thing Emperor Liu hadn't anticipated. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Have Li Wanchao come north from Hedong, take up position in Yunzhong, and oversee all the armies, to prepare against the Liao army's invasion! At the start of the war, Army Commander Tian Chongjin of the Fengyi Army performed well—let him assist Li Wanchao!"

"Yes!"

Li Wanchao, the Marquis of Jiuyuan, had been recuperating at his home in Taiyuan since stepping down from his post in Fengzhou. He was later reinstated and served within the Hedong Circuit, waiting for retirement. During last year's northern inspection tour, the emperor had specially received him.

Back then, he had said he would put Li Wanchao to great use again. Who would have thought his words would prove prophetic—it truly was great use. Though the old general's body was still relatively sturdy, he was after all sixty-seven years old. But when matters arose, considering the situation in Shanyang, the first person Emperor Liu thought of was Li Wanchao—he truly was willing to use him, and truly dared to use him!