Chapter 1340: The Battle of Shanyang

For Liao, the consequences of the Xi submitting to the Great Han were severe—most directly, the loss of a pillar minister, the loss of over ten thousand Khitan tribesmen, and the opening of the road north for the Han army, creating extremely favorable conditions for the Han army to strike north at the undefended Supreme Capital.

In the long term, it created an irreparable hole in Liao's defenses against Han—a hole even more serious than the fall of Liaodong or the great chaos in the northeast. Through the Xi tribal lands, the Han army could drive straight to attack the Supreme Capital, which was closer and far more convenient than setting out from any other Han city or pass. Liao's Supreme Capital, Linhuang Prefecture, was no longer a safe rear area.

Moreover, losing the Xi also meant losing a long-term source of troops, warhorses, money, and grain. And if the Xi's lush pastures and several hundred thousand people were digested by the Great Han, they would instead become a powerful asset for the Han's continued strikes against the Khitan in the years ahead.

How severe the consequences, how far-reaching the impact—this was easy to imagine. But for the Liao emperor Yelu Xian, who had not yet received the news, he had no mood at the moment to feel this pain cutting to the bone. Even if he had known, he would have had no energy to deal with a situation so grim that no future could be seen in it.

At this time, Liao Emperor Yelu Xian's own position was already perilous enough. He was personally experiencing the dangers and hardships the Liao army had once faced, feeling the panic of seeing danger in every bush and hearing alarms in every breeze.

Once Yelu Xian made up his mind to withdraw, his ability to act was not weak. The withdrawal plan had no obvious flaws—he secured the rear route, sent troops ahead to control the passes, and kept the way safe and clear.

At the same time, he guarded against Han pursuit, withdrawing in batches in an orderly fashion, leaving elite soldiers and fierce generals to hold the rear against any contingency. However, many things do not yield good results simply because one does one's own part well.

When the Han army existed as an external factor, the course of events was clearly not something the Liao army could decide unilaterally. And this external force of the Han army was full of hostility and destructive desire, ceaseless and unending—not seeking to accomplish anything, but only to ruin everything.

Facing the Liao army's northward withdrawal, the Han army at Yunzhong, under the direction of Li Wanchao, Marquis of Jiuyuan, held back until the very end. Only after the entire Liao army had marched out did they agree to let Tian Chongjin lead his troops out.

The Han troops accompanying Tian Chongjin in pursuit numbered only nine thousand infantry and cavalry—five thousand cavalry and four thousand infantry. Compared to the Liao army's combined force of nearly a hundred thousand, their strength was truly too thin. But this was Tian Chongjin's own request—he insisted on leaving enough troops at Yunzhong for emergencies, in case the pursuit went wrong or unexpected events occurred.

Though few in number, the troops he led were all Yunzhong's finest, drawn from the northern frontier garrisons. Most had experience in border defense and combat. And Tian Chongjin himself had a tough style, the courage to risk everything, and the resolve to succeed or die trying.

Following the Liao army's northward retreat route, he advanced by tracking their traces, breaking through three waves of Liao rear-guard cavalry that harassed and delayed him along the way, and fiercely caught up with the Liao rear army south of the Great Wall. Then, disregarding the exhaustion of a forced march of over forty li, he displayed the spirit of daring to fight and daring to charge—after a brief adjustment, he led his men in continued attacks on the Liao army.

The Liao army naturally had precautions against Han pursuit, leaving elite cavalry to ambush and strike south of the frontier—only to have Tian Chongjin and his men smash through them. The Han army, coordinating infantry and cavalry in an integrated offense-defense formation, once again displayed its power. Even without heavy crossbows and great catapults, relying solely on the sharpness of their bows and crossbows, the Han army erupted with formidable combat power in this rapid, mobile fighting.

The Liao commander responsible for rear-guard defense was the imperial uncle Yelu Daoyin. Whether Han or barbarian, at critical moments people still trusted their own kin most—this was almost instinct. Yelu Xian had also specially transferred five thousand Pishi Army troops to Yelu Daoyin, placing them under his command.

Yelu Daoyin did not rely merely on his status as imperial uncle to gain importance. Benefiting from the fine traditions and family education of Yelu Bei's line, combined with his own natural gifts, he could be called accomplished in both letters and arms—calm in temperament, unflustered in crisis, fearless in danger, and strict and clear in his military commands.

In terms of the rear-guard mission alone, Yelu Daoyin did not disappoint Yelu Xian's great trust, handling command with great competence. Facing Tian Chongjin's ferocious pursuit, he keenly perceived that the enemy was biting at their heels with fierce momentum. And since the Liao army, though withdrawing voluntarily, was ultimately retreating, morale was hard to keep unified—so he decisively abandoned any entanglement with the Han army on the plains.

Instead, he changed tactics: not seeking to quickly break the pursuing Tian Chongjin force, but shifting to harassment and attrition—fighting while retreating. The Han army's combined infantry and cavalry, after all, could not match the flexibility of the Liao army's all-cavalry force.

However, no matter what tactics the Liao army employed, the Han troops under Tian Chongjin fought with a reckless, all-in style—seizing any opening, taking any space, heedless of everything, charging forward without looking back, attacking the Liao army and destroying all who stood in their way.

Over the roughly twenty li from the southern mouth of the Great Wall to Jiaoshan Town, Yelu Daoyin set up two defensive lines and one wave of ambush for Tian Chongjin. There were no surprises. The Han army was like brainless barbarians—their eyes fixed only on the Liao army, recognizing only one direction: north, pursue, kill—keep going north!

No retreat route, no fear of ambush, no dread of encirclement. Such conduct shook even a man as composed as Yelu Daoyin. By the time they fought their way to Jiaoshan Town, the attacking Han troops had already suffered over two thousand casualties. In a head-on confrontation, with such losses, even the Han army would have to consider falling back...

Jiaoshan Town was also the Liao army's bottom line—further north, the main body of the Liao central army had not yet fully withdrawn. When Yelu Daoyin led his troops back to this point, he abandoned his earlier soft tactics and strictly ordered all units to resist resolutely.

The truly fierce and brutal fighting unfolded around Jiaoshan Town. The Liao army refused to retreat; the Han army, once biting, would not let go. Neither side had any reason to stop. Here, the Han army inevitably suffered some losses. Having pursued over eighty li and fought several battles in succession, with barely any rest in between—even eating in shifts during combat—many officers and men had no time even to relieve themselves, soiling their trousers. How intense the fighting was, one can well imagine.

The Liao army, by contrast, had far more abundant strength. Though Tian Chongjin's force was relentless and broke through several of their formations, Yelu Daoyin steadied them all, and the Pishi Army held the line behind them. But their greater pressure came from the northward withdrawal itself.

Therefore, even when forced to dismount and fight the Han army among the mountain passes of the Great Wall, they still relied on superior numbers to counter the Han. Yelu Daoyin even launched several counter-charges—though they could not break the Han formations, they did disrupt the Han attacks.

As for Tian Chongjin's force, having sunk their teeth into the Liao army, they dared not stop fighting and would not rest. Fortunately, Tian Chongjin's force was not fighting alone—first the Han army from Yunzhong came north to support, then reinforcements arrived from Hedong.

Two days later, under the command of Kang Yanze, the main body of the Hedong reinforcements arrived as promised after resting. When the Han forces gathered together, the pressure on Yelu Daoyin's rear-guard army grew even greater.

Unable to hold Jiaoshan Town, he chose to burn it down, sacrifice a portion of his troops, and continue retreating north. The defense at Jiaoshan Town bought them the space to keep withdrawing.

The fighting in the south, though fierce and costly in casualties, was not fatal to either side. By comparison, the battle in the north was far more brutal—except the roles were reversed: the Liao army attacked, and the Han army defended.

A Han force of approximately eleven thousand infantry and cavalry, led by the brave general Kang Bao'yi, joined with a portion of the Shengzhou Baoning Army, and after crossing Baidao Slope and Yaneduo Waters, arrived south of Baishui Marsh.

This eastward journey was not easy—over eight hundred li of road, crossing mountains and rivers. By the time they reached south of Baishui Marsh, Kang Bao'yi's force was already thoroughly exhausted.

Their original plan was to establish a camp along the road at the foot of the Yin Mountains, cutting off the Liao army's northern route home, while also resting. However, the changes on the battlefield did not go as the Han wished—there was little time to rest. Before the camp walls were even half-built, Liao troops had already been ordered north to meet them.

This could be called a meeting engagement, but it unfolded far more swiftly than the pursuit battle in the south. The Han troops were mostly exhausted; the Liao troops were not at ease either. The Han were ordered to block; the Liao fought for survival, to break through the obstacle to their northward retreat.

And upon learning that Han troops had indeed come to block their rear, Yelu Xian did not even wait for Han Derang and others to advise him—he personally led his personal guards north, joining the attack on Kang Bao'yi's force and supervising the battle from the front. With blockers ahead and pursuers behind, there was simply no other choice.

If there was anything the Liao army did poorly in the withdrawal, it was carrying too much plunder with them—the heavy supplies slowed their movement and consumed their manpower, and their decision to abandon it came too late.