Chapter 873: The Liao Emperor's Disposition

Compared to the Han army at Yanmen Pass enjoying the joy of victory, as the losers, the Liao army could only be described as utterly disgraced, and the most disgraced of all was naturally Yelu Dilie, who had led his men to defeat.

Although the Han army did not pursue with relentless ferocity, Yelu Dilie still led his defeated troops in a full retreat all the way northeast to Jincheng County, which was the forward operating base for his southern campaign, and only there did he finally have a chance to catch his breath.

After a brief rest and reorganization at Jincheng County, the initial casualty figures were quickly tallied. Not counting the "Han conscripts," the loss of soldiers was around 1,700 men; as for weapons, banners and armor, horses, and provisions, those losses were even greater, and all the pack animals accompanying the army were left to the Han army. The only stroke of luck was that the Pishi Army had not suffered heavy losses, with casualties of less than two hundred.

As for the attached "Han conscripts," their losses could only be described as disastrous. Used as cannon fodder to assault the formations, with Yelu Dilie having executed about 700 of them to maintain discipline, and being the primary targets of the Han army's pursuit, combined with the losses from the assault on the formations, fewer than 800 men ultimately made it back to Jincheng County. Moreover, resentment was widespread; while on the battlefield they had been cowed by Yelu Dilie, but after fleeing to Jincheng, many now looked at this defeated general with hostile eyes.

Of course, for Yelu Dilie, no matter how fierce the gaze of sheep might be, it was not enough to frighten a tiger. He had neither the time nor the inclination to placate those puppet troops.

After returning to Jincheng and calming down, regret filled his mind. He only then realized that although he had been defeated by the Han army, the strength he still held in his hands was still superior to theirs—otherwise, why would the Han army have given up the chase after only a brief pursuit? It was precisely because they feared his remaining strength.

If, after breaking contact, he had reorganized his troops at the fastest possible speed and charged back into battle, the Han army, flushed with victory, would certainly have been lax, and he could have turned the tide of defeat.

However, at that moment, he had only thought of fleeing north, leaving the battlefield to minimize losses, and no one had reminded him otherwise. Of course, if Yelu Dilie had possessed that kind of strategic acumen, boldness, and grasp of battlefield opportunities in the heat of battle, then Liao would have had reason to congratulate itself on gaining another famed general of the imperial clan.

But even with this hindsight analysis, Yelu Dilie still did not think deeply enough. For instance, given the circumstances at the time—the cavalry fleeing in desperate haste—who would have been willing to charge back into battle with him? And moreover, had the Han army truly let down their guard?

Yelu Dilie was extremely unwilling to accept this defeat. Being defeated by Yang Ye, a "no-name" Han general, while outnumbered, filled him with even greater shame and rage.

The other Khitan commanders who had also suffered defeat naturally saw their morale plummet. As troops stationed to guard the southern frontier, many among them had interacted with Yang Ye before and knew he was a tough nut to crack. This battle proved that point once again. From then on, it wasn't that they feared the Han, but they understood a profound lesson: if one wanted to invade Hedong through Yanmen, one should not entertain such delusions without sufficient strength and resolve.

Just as the Han soldiers and civilians in the north harbored a certain resentment and hatred toward Liao beyond the Great Wall, so too did the Khitan. Since the founding of the Great Han, they had not achieved a single victory worthy of praise in over ten years.

Back then, Yelu Deguang had mobilized the full might of the nation to march south against the Jin. Although they had fought bitterly against the Jin army at first, in the end victory was theirs—they successfully destroyed the Jin and swept through Hebei and the Central Plains, bringing the Han lands to submission.

But then there was the Battle of Luancheng to mention. For the Khitan, that was truly a national tragedy. From then on, their national strength was greatly diminished, the people were impoverished, the soldiers exhausted, and internal strife was constant. It was only in these recent years since Yelu Jing ascended the throne, adopting policies of recuperation and reconciliation of conflicts, that things began to improve...

The young Yelu Dilie did not have a clear understanding of all this, but he was still infected by that sentiment that pervaded the entire nation.

For Yelu Dilie, there was only one question before him: he refused to admit defeat and still wanted to rest, reorganize, and then march south again to contend with Yang Ye. The result, of course, was that Yelu Sagei advised against it, but he stubbornly argued and insisted, refusing to agree. In the end, it took an imperial edict from the Liao Emperor Yelu Jing at Yunzhong to settle the dispute and also put an end to Yelu Dilie's military adventurism.

It turned out that Yelu Jing had learned of Yelu Dilie's defeat and directly ordered the two of them to arrange the defenses and then return to Yunzhong to report. Faced with the Liao Emperor's command, Yelu Dilie did not dare to openly oppose it and obediently went back.

"The Prince of Anping and the Xiangwen kneel before the hall, requesting an audience!" In the city of Yunzhong, a close attendant, his voice tinged with caution and fear, addressed Yelu Jing, who was studying a map of the southern prefectures and counties of Liao.

During this period, Yelu Jing had remained in Yunzhong City, sleeping less, drinking less, and no longer going out of the city to hunt. Ever since Youzhou had been retaken by Zhao Yanshou, Yunzhong City had become the largest city on Liao's southern border. Under the governance of Yelu Talie, it was also considered stable, with thriving trade, a gathering of all manner of goods, and no small development in handicraft industries.

"Let them in!" Yelu Jing said, barely moving his eyelids as he gave the order.

Soon, Yelu Dilie and the other entered. Upon seeing the Liao Emperor, they prostrated themselves on the ground and began confessing their crimes. But meeting Yelu Jing's scrutinizing gaze, Yelu Sagei was filled with panic, feeling he had failed in his entrusted duty, while Yelu Dilie felt mostly shame and embarrassment.

"How many soldiers did we lose?" Yelu Jing asked Yelu Dilie calmly.

"More than two thousand of our troops were killed or wounded!" Yelu Dilie replied.

"Are the casualties of those 'Han conscripts' not to be counted?" Yelu Jing immediately rebuked.

At this moment, Yelu Jing had none of his usual casual and harmless demeanor. His expression was stern, and his sharp gaze seemed to pierce straight into the depths of their hearts. Yelu Dilie, who had been maintaining a certain proud bearing, immediately wilted.

"How many enemy soldiers did you kill?" Yelu Jing asked again.

Yelu Dilie hung his head and did not answer. It was Yelu Sagei who carefully reported: "Your Majesty, the Han army's casualties should be around one thousand!"

Hearing this, Yelu Jing's gaze softened somewhat. At least they hadn't lied; otherwise, he would have directly ordered them to be dragged out and executed. As for the details of the Battle of Baicaokou, over the past two days or so, Yelu Jing had of course already investigated and understood them thoroughly.

"You, rise!" Yelu Jing pointed at Yelu Sagei and said: "In this battle, thanks to your vigorous efforts, you promptly halted the tide of defeat and reduced the loss of soldiers. Well done! I grant you fifty bolts of gold-woven silk, fifty head of cattle and fifty sheep, and ten fine horses!"

Hearing this, Yelu Sagei was stunned. He had marched south with Yelu Dilie and fought a losing battle, believing he deserved to be punished, yet instead he was being rewarded. This was completely unexpected. After being stunned for a moment, he finally reacted and prostrated himself once more before the Liao Emperor, saying in a moved tone: "Your subordinate thanks Your Majesty!"

If it had been a smarter general, he might have declined, saying that a general of a defeated army dared not accept rewards. But the generals of Liao rarely had such awareness; since the Emperor had rewarded him, he might as well accept it generously and express his gratitude.

Yelu Dilie was also very surprised at Yelu Sagei receiving a reward, and he stood there dumbfounded, unable to figure out the connection. The main and deputy commanders of the southern campaign—if the deputy received a reward, then who would bear the blame for the defeat? That was now quite clear.

"Tell me, how did you fight this battle?" Yelu Jing turned to Yelu Dilie, his tone turning serious again.

Yelu Dilie's spirits had sunk considerably. He carefully recounted his actions since marching south and the circumstances of the engagement, with Yelu Sagei supplementing from the side, which allowed Yelu Jing to gain an understanding from the perspective of the main commander.

After hearing the two men's accounts, Yelu Jing couldn't help but look at the Great King of the Southern Division, Yelu Talie, standing to the side, and remarked with emotion: "As you said, that Yang Ye truly is a great general!"

"He was lucky to win this battle. Next time, I will definitely defeat him!" Mentioning Yang Ye brought up the pent-up anger in Yelu Dilie's heart, and he said through gritted teeth.

Hearing his words and seeing his demeanor, Yelu Jing finally became angry and said loudly: "A defeat is a defeat! Instead of reflecting on the lessons to be learned, you indulge in empty boasts. How can you possibly be his match!"

"I..." Yelu Dilie opened his mouth to retort.

He was subjected to a torrent of scolding from Yelu Jing: "Before you marched south, what instructions did I give you, and how much of them did you remember? This battle could have been avoided entirely, and even if you had engaged, the losses could have been reduced. If not for your arrogance and obstinacy, why would the result have been like this?"

Seeing that his imperial elder brother was truly angry, Yelu Dilie no longer dared to talk back. He muttered wordlessly and finally lowered his head, like a rooster that had lost a fight.

Seeing his dejected appearance, Yelu Jing lowered his voice and said: "For this defeat of yours, you cannot escape culpability. Go receive thirty lashes, be temporarily stripped of all your official titles while retaining your noble rank, and go reflect properly. Put away your arrogance and read a few more military treatises. If you don't even understand the enemy's tactics and formations, how can you defeat the Han army!"

This punishment from Yelu Jing was not particularly severe; it all depended on how Yelu Dilie himself chose to think about it.

After the two had withdrawn, the Great King of the Southern Division, Yelu Talie, couldn't help but say to the Liao Emperor: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Anping's performance in this battle did have its commendable points. His fighting spirit was high, and he was decisive in battle. He is young after all; with more tempering, he could become a great general of the Great Liao in the future!"

In fact, looking at Yelu Dilie's overall performance during the southern campaign, there were no major errors or omissions. Every move he made and every battlefield judgment he rendered was well-founded. As for why he failed, it still came down to the display of hard strength by the Dingxiang Army, and the key factor was Yang Ye. Without that kind of courage, strategy, and boldness, the Han army could not have won.

"But in the end, he lost!" Yelu Jing said: "If I had sent you instead, this defeat would never have happened!"

Yelu Talie responded: "Your Majesty, if your servant had led the army, even if I had not been defeated, it would still have been difficult to overcome Yang Ye and capture Yanmen Pass!"

Hearing this, Yelu Jing was silent for a moment, his expression returning to calm, and he said in a deep voice: "This engagement was not entirely without gain, however. The Han army's combat effectiveness may well exceed our estimates! One Yang Ye, one Dingxiang Army, and they are already this troublesome—let alone those elite Han troops in the southern court who have been fighting for years!"

Hearing this, Yelu Talie shook his head and said to the Liao Emperor: "Your Majesty, your servant believes that one Yang Ye cannot represent all Han generals, and one Dingxiang Army cannot represent all Han troops! The defeat at Yanmen was due more to the particular circumstances of the enemy situation there—the general's courage and strategy, soldiers drilled for many years—while our army was mobilized in haste, and the Prince of Anping was young and hot-blooded...

Your servant believes that Your Majesty may take this defeat seriously, but there is no need to overrate the Han army because of a single minor defeat!"

"Your words are most apt!" With Yelu Talie's counsel to ease his mind, Yelu Jing's somewhat heavy mood did indeed improve.

"I'll leave the aftermath of this battle to you to arrange!" Walking a few steps in the hall, Yelu Jing instructed Yelu Talie: "Among the Khitan tribes, the soldiers who were killed or wounded are to receive generous compensation. Those who killed Han soldiers are to be rewarded according to merit; those with no battle achievements, from squad leader and above, are all to be demoted one rank! As for the Pishi Army, I will handle them separately!"

"Your Majesty's rewards and punishments are clearly distinguished—your servant admires this!" Yelu Talie responded.

Yelu Jing had more to say: "As for those 'Han conscripts,' based on their performance in this battle, promote them all one to three ranks, and give each of them grain and cloth!"

Hearing this, Yelu Talie was somewhat surprised, but his expression could not help showing approval: "Your Majesty intends to bestow favor upon these Han people!"

Yelu Jing then said with emotion: "Basujin's actions this time went too far. That will only provoke disgust and resistance among the Han conscripts, which is not conducive to consolidating the loyalty of the people. Under the rule of the Great Liao, there are many prefectures and counties, and the Han populace numbers in the hundreds of thousands. Even those who have been under our rule for the shortest time have been here for over ten years. If these people were to rise up in unison, the Great Liao would be in turmoil. But if we can truly make them serve our purposes, it would be of great benefit to the state!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Yelu Talie could be considered one of the more rational among Liao's noble ministers, able to provide a certain degree of fairness to the people of the various ethnic groups under their rule. Since the Liao Emperor had ascended the throne, he had actually shown a certain aversion to "Han" matters, but it was only at this moment that he came to realize that in the Emperor's heart, he actually placed great importance on the issue of the Han people under his rule.

However, completely winning over the Han populace within Liao's borders and achieving the use of both Hu and Han was not so easy. The Liao Emperor alone could not represent the will of the entire Khitan, and among the Khitan noble ministers, rational ministers like Yelu Talie were far too few.

More importantly, as the Great Han in the south grew ever stronger and posed a threat to Liao, the affinity of shared culture and ethnicity felt far more familiar than the Khitan. However, that still required a precondition called "interests."