Chapter 1361: Dong Zunhui's Army at the Gates of the Upper Capital

Inside the imperial carriage, having become in-laws, the atmosphere carried an extra warmth. The ruler and minister chatted freely, and from within the carriage traveling through the cold wind, bursts of hearty laughter erupted from time to time.

Zhao Kuangyin was naturally overjoyed. To form a marriage alliance with the imperial house was already an honor, but to directly deepen his relationship with the Crown Prince was a blessing upon a blessing. He certainly would not think that a Crown Prince's secondary consort would be a grievance to his daughter—after all, the current Crown Princess was from the Murong family.

Over the years, as the early founding generals and meritorious officials gradually retreated behind the scenes, the vigorous and capable Zhao Kuangyin had become ever more prominent. By now, Zhao Kuangyin was only in his forties, and the junior of yesteryear had fully become a leading figure of his faction, a pillar of the state.

Added to his inclusion among the Twenty-Four Ministers of Qianyou, the Zhao family's position in the Great Han was steadily climbing, quite illustrious. If one added his undeniable achievements on the Liaodong battlefield, his seniority and prestige would rise even further.

But even so, Zhao Kuangyin had no confidence that he could completely overshadow the Murong family. Even though Murong Yanzhao had been dead for some years, Zhao Kuangyin dared not claim his own reputation could surpass his—a wild goose leaves its cry behind, a man leaves his name; Duke Wei of the Great Han had once been the foremost general of the realm.

Of course, Murong Yanzhao's death from illness had indeed caused the Murong family's momentum to decline somewhat, but the Murong family was not just Murong Yanzhao alone. Pillars like Murong Yanqing and Murong Yanzhong, though far inferior to Murong Yanzhao, were still veteran generals and heavy ministers of the court.

And Murong Yanzhao had many sons, no lack of elite talents among them. Murong Deye was already a high official at the prefectural level, and Murong Defeng was even a trusted close minister of the Crown Prince. Compared to the Murong family, his Zhao family still relied on him to hold things up. Though his brother Zhao Guangyi also received considerable favor from the Emperor, overall, it was still too thin.

Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, being able to send his daughter to the Eastern Palace was absolutely of enormous benefit to the Zhao family. Moreover, the Crown Prince had always treated him with great respect, and during the Crown Prince's regency in governing state affairs, he had often sought his counsel.

If Emperor Liu had not taken the initiative to propose it, Zhao Kuangyin would not have dared to entertain such thoughts for fear of arousing suspicion. But since Emperor Liu was the one who wanted the marriage alliance, he naturally would not refuse.

Furthermore, considering the reasons the Emperor had for settling this marriage—besides being a political alliance for the purpose of co-opting—perhaps it also had to do with that problem in the Eastern Palace. The Crown Princess had borne no children, and those with discerning eyes had all taken note. Zhao Kuangyin was clearly one of those with discerning eyes.

If his daughter were fortunate enough to bear an imperial grandson, then...

While communicating with Emperor Liu, Zhao Kuangyin's thoughts churned a hundredfold, and the more he thought, the more he could not hide his smile. Compared to Zhao Kuangyin, Emperor Liu's considerations were relatively simpler.

The main reason was that the Crown Prince had no heir, so he wanted to help enrich his harem. At the same time, since it was a political marriage anyway, Zhao Kuangyin was qualified to become his in-law. Emperor Liu was not afraid of the Zhao family's prestige and position continuing to rise—the Great Han already had more than enough consort clans, and he did not fear another one rising.

"Your Majesty, military report from the Yan Mountains route!" Accompanied by the urgent sound of hoofbeats, Academician Zhang Yong reported from outside.

Without any sense of being disturbed, he glanced at Zhao Kuangyin and instead seemed to gain some interest, responding: "Present it!"

The imperial carriage Emperor Liu currently rode was almost a mobile bedchamber. Emperor Liu occupied the sleeping quarters himself, while Yan Tuo and three other palace eunuchs attended in the front.

Zhang Yong did not dare enter inside. After boarding the carriage, he only hunched at the doorway, presenting the urgent memorial and reporting: "General Dong Zunhui has already led his army to raid the Liao upper capital and returned!"

"Oh? Any gains?" Emperor Liu asked while flipping through the document, a hint of expectation in his tone.

"Broke five Liao cities, threatened the upper capital with troops, killed over four thousand, and seized ten thousand captives and forty thousand cattle, horses, sheep, camels, and livestock before returning!" Zhang Yong answered crisply.

"So in the end, they still could not breach the upper capital?" Emperor Liu seemed unimpressed by the reported results, saying with slight regret.

"When our troops arrived at the city, the Liao army gathered in force to defend. Our army lacked siege weapons, and with the bitter cold weather, and the Liao sovereign leading troops back, fearing losses, we had no choice but to withdraw in time!" Zhang Yong said.

Emperor Liu reviewed the military report. It came from Wang Yanchao, and the account of Dong Zunhui's army leading troops north was very detailed. To be fair, after Emperor Liu had decided to send troops on the long-distance raid on the upper capital, Wang Yanchao had moved quickly.

The combined Han-Xi cavalry under Dong Zunhui, totaling over fifteen thousand riders and claiming to be twenty thousand, departed from Dading City on the tenth day of the tenth month. Guided by scouts, braving the wind and cold, they drove straight for the upper capital.

By the twentieth day, they had already watered their horses at the Huang River. Because Yelu Xian had gone south earlier, the area around the upper capital was already in a very depleted state. The troops left at various places were very few—even adding the small number of soldiers who had fled back from the Xi tribes, they numbered less than ten thousand. It was clearly impossible for them to cover the defense of the entire upper capital and its surroundings.

Originally, the Xi tribes to the south had provided a protective screen to ensure its safety from the threat of war. But Chou Ning leading the Xi people to rebel northward was something no one had anticipated. Not only did it collapse the defensive line the Liao court had constructed and cost them over ten thousand troops, it also completely exposed the upper capital to the edge of the Han army's blades.

This Han army under Dong Zunhui coming north had truly exploited a huge gap. When the Han banners flew high on the banks of the Huang River, the various cities panicked and the upper capital was shaken.

In Liao, many prefectural cities were established around the upper capital. After Dong Zunhui swept clean the cities on the south bank of the Huang River, he quickly crossed north, first breaking Raozhou, then advancing his troops toward the upper capital.

However, compared to the surrounding small towns and minor cities, the upper capital was after all the capital of Liao and had a certain level of defense. Most importantly, when the enemy situation suddenly arrived and the situation deteriorated, one person stepped forward.

Xiao Siwen!

As for Xiao Siwen, to say he possessed any astonishing military talent would be going too far, but at the critical moment, he did display some sense of responsibility. Unlike at Tongzhou, where he had chosen to flee back to the upper capital, this time he took the initiative to shoulder responsibility. Uniting with some of Liao's noble ministers, he contributed men and resources, gathered troops, and defended the city.

In times of crisis, some people buckle under pressure and collapse, but this old chieftain Xiao Siwen withstood the pressure and rose to meet the challenge. At that time, the upper capital was in chaos, with hearts and minds in turmoil and the city in upheaval—yet under his maneuvering, it was stabilized. Of course, it was after all the capital of the Great Liao, the center of Khitan statehood for over half a century, so it still possessed a certain cohesion.

Faced with this situation, Dong Zunhui did not force the issue. Instead, he dispatched troops to sweep clean the cities and tribes around the upper capital that had not fully evacuated, while he himself led the main force to pressure the upper capital.

However, although several tens of thousands had gathered within the upper capital, and they could even temporarily arm an army of twenty to thirty thousand, Xiao Siwen dared not leave the city to give battle, only stubbornly defending. He saw clearly that the Han army had come from afar and lacked siege capabilities—as long as he defended the city in peace, there would be no danger.

Although passive defense often led to mistakes, the situation between the two armies was special. The Han army simply could not stay long, and if dragged out, time was on the defenders' side.

Dong Zunhui remained calm and patient for nearly ten days, but seeing the upper capital standing immovable, its defenders as steady as Mount Tai, unprovoked and unshaken, he was quite helpless.

After entering the eleventh month, the weather grew ever colder, and the situation showed no change whatsoever. With the stalemate unbroken, Dong Zunhui had already developed thoughts of retreat—he was no reckless fool.

After repeated provocations yielded nothing, he finally recalled all his forces, and after regrouping, decisively withdrew south with his plunder. But perhaps out of spite, before leaving, he had the entire army urinate toward the upper capital's walls as an insult.

He went quickly and withdrew just as decisively, even employing some feints, giving the Liao army at the upper capital no chance to pursue. It was precisely because Dong Zunhui withdrew swiftly that Yelu Xian, who had suffered a disastrous defeat at Shanyang, was able to return after more than a month of gathering and recuperating his forces. Though they were weary and beaten troops, had the withdrawal been slower, coordinating with the people at the upper capital, even if they could not have severely wounded Dong Zunhui's army, the captured spoils might not have all been brought back.

By the twentieth day of the eleventh month, Dong Zunhui led his army back to Dading City. This trip, though it failed to breach the upper capital and achieve the most glorious results, was definitely a major blow to Liao.

After Dong Zunhui's plundering and slaughter, the upper capital region—the core ruling area of Liao—was left in shambles, its vitality severely damaged. It could be said that since the northern expedition, there was no place in the vast Liao that had not been ravaged by war, and the foundation of Liao's rule had once again been shaken.