Chapter 894: Liao's Response

In September, the autumn air was crisp, the horses were fat, and the sky was clear for ten thousand li. Because of the Han-Liao war, a killing aura pervaded heaven and earth, and the Yanyun region, as the main battlefield, exuded a heart-stopping atmosphere, as if a great calamity were imminent, restless and uneasy.

Wende County, Guihua Prefecture of Liao — this was originally the seat of Wuzhou, and over a hundred thousand Liao troops had already assembled here. During the fierce fighting in the Youyan region, Liao had not relaxed at all domestically; the pace of conscripting tribal soldiers and marching south for battle had been very swift.

Even given the vast territory under Liao's control and the wide distribution of its tribes, by the time Emperor Liu Chengyou of Han arrived at Youzhou, the main body of the Liao army had also successively moved south to assemble and was stationed at Wende County.

Like the Han army, Liao also had its Emperor Yelu Jing personally leading the expedition. Two monarchs of similar age, each controlling one of the two most powerful empires in East Asia of their era, would collide head-on for the first time — and that collision would shake heaven and earth.

On the Great Han's side, there was a massive mobilization of troops, straining the entire nation's strength. On the Liao dynasty's side, the commotion was no less — palace guard troops, tribal soldiers, prefectural and county troops from various regions, and conscripted auxiliary forces, all added together, the mobilized army exceeded three hundred thousand.

Troops on such a scale were already comparable to when Yelu Deguang destroyed the Later Jin, and with all elites dispatched, sparing no effort, merely in terms of numbers, this already represented one-tenth of Liao's population.

In fact, Liao's preparations for this great war were insufficient. Even with a profound understanding of Han-Liao relations, the Great Han's sudden large-scale mobilization of troops still caught them somewhat off guard.

After all, following the Battle of Yanmen, both sides had taken "active" measures, exchanging envoys to offer condolences, intending to eliminate "misunderstandings." On Liao's side, they still wanted to make more war preparations, reform military construction, and perfect strategic plans.

But the Great Han's rash mobilization completely disrupted Liao's rhythm, catching them unprepared and throwing them into a passive position. In terms of national organization and mobilization, Liao was inferior to the Great Han, let alone the fact that Liao had not fought a major war for a full eleven years.

However, no matter how sudden, no matter how thorny, for Liao's monarch and ministers, facing the Han army's great northern expedition, they had no other choice but to actively respond and fight this decisive battle that was not within their recent plans.

At Wende County, 150,000 Liao troops were concentrated, mainly cavalry, and had been stationed here for two days. On the one hand, most people had traveled long distances and were exhausted, needing rest — for the vast territory of Liao, opening a southern campaign meant trekking a thousand li before even reaching the border, and the Mobei tribes had marched south for several thousand li.

On the other hand, some military reorganization and training were needed. Among the Liao army, in terms of strict military discipline and well-trained troops, only the Pishi Army guarding the imperial tents could compare with the Central Plains. And because the army's composition was diverse, in terms of clarifying military discipline and orders and coordinating combat operations, preparations indeed needed to be made, especially since they were facing a Han army that had dispatched all its elites.

At the same time, the Han army's movements needed to be scouted before acting, and a plan for how to fight this battle also needed to be formulated.

Somewhat coincidentally, back then Shizong Yelu Ruan had also led a great army through Wende County, intending to exit east through Juyong Pass, invade Youyan, and attack south into the Great Han. It was only because of the rebellion of Yelu Chage that he lost his life, ending anticlimactically.

At Huoshen Dian, the traces of the mutiny still remained. Having come to this place, Yelu Jing still led the accompanying imperial clan and civil and military officials in a ceremony of homage. Then, taking this as a lesson, he strengthened the monitoring and control over the troops on the expedition.

Inside the imperial tent, the accompanying imperial clansmen and ministers were all present, and the atmosphere was somewhat solemn. This was already the fourth military council Yelu Jing had held since marching south.

This time, however, Yelu Jing first delivered an inspiring speech, then offered condolences and mourning for Gao Mohan, who had fallen at Shicheng County, and gave him his final verdict, posthumously conferring on him the title of Prince of Anfeng and greatly favoring his descendants.

In fact, Gao Mohan's death had a far more serious impact on Liao than the Han army imagined. In the Han army's view, they had merely killed a high-ranking Liao official and general, and a Balhae man at that.

However, it was this Balhae man who had long become a banner of Liao, helping it pacify the hearts of the Balhae people and rule their lands. Over thirty years, the former Balhae territories had not only been Liao's granary and strategic depth but had also provided it with a large source of soldiers.

In all kinds of Liao military units, including the imperial tent guard, the shadows of Balhae remnants were active, playing an extremely important role in Liao's expansion, with outstanding merits in consolidating border defenses and foreign wars.

And Gao Mohan was the standout among them — not only exceptionally capable, with great prestige, but also loyal to Liao. He himself was a banner attracting Balhae people to serve Liao.

Now this banner had unexpectedly fallen at the very beginning of the great Han-Liao war. The blow to Liao could not be called light. Among the Balhae people, there were those like Gao Mohan who were loyal to Liao, but equally, in the shadows, there were no few ambitious schemers dissatisfied with Liao's rule and harboring intentions of restoring their state.

Gao Mohan's death had a huge impact. As Yelu Jing said, he did not grieve over the several thousand troops lost in the Battle of Shicheng; he only lamented the death of the old general Gao Mohan. After learning the specific details of the battle, Yelu Jing immediately ordered that the chief commander of those two thousand Xi cavalry who had abandoned Gao Mohan and fled be executed to accompany him in death.

However, for the present, the most immediate problem before Yelu Jing was: "The Prince of Anfeng unfortunately fell in battle. Now who should command the various armies of Liaodong to deal with the Han army at Lulong!"

Facing this question, the Great King of the Northern Division, Yelu Wuzhi, said: "Your Majesty, at present, in the three prefectures of Luan, Ping, and Ying, the one in charge is Gao Xun, Military Governor of Liaoxing Army. His nature is quick-witted, he is diligent, versed in military and civil affairs, and has been handling Han affairs for many years. During this period, he has already integrated the various armies of the eastern route to resist the Han army. Why not have him take overall command of the great army on the Yu Pass route!"

Gao Xun was also from a famous family of the Central Plains, one of the few people in the late Later Jin who insisted on defecting to Liao and serving it. In fact, all along, Liao's monarchs had placed great importance on Han Chinese sons of famous families and men of learning and talent, never stinting on high office and noble rank to treat them well.

For example, in official history, the Han clan that ran through the entire rise and fall of the Khitan — the Han family — had already taken root and sprouted within Liao's borders, sharing the state's fortunes. The previously mentioned Han Kuangmei, the one who formulated and executed the "besiege the point, strike the reinforcements" plan, was serving as Army Commander at Tanzhou, assisting Xiao Siwen in defense preparations.

However, upon hearing Yelu Wuzhi's suggestion, some Khitan ministers immediately became displeased and said to Yelu Jing: "Your Majesty, your servant has heard that the Prince of Anfeng's defeat and death were all due to the betrayal of the Han people of Shicheng; otherwise it would not have come to this. Moreover, the captured Han soldiers all surrendered to the Han army and turned to attack the Great Liao. Appoint another capable general!"

Facts proved that among a portion of Khitan noble ministers, there remained vigilance and fear toward Han Chinese power. Hearing this, Yelu Jing's brow could not help but furrow. He was not worried about Han betrayal, but this kind of Hu-Han mutual suspicion was truly not a good omen. One must know that this time, among the great army Liao mobilized, the various local militia and puppet troops numbered forty to fifty thousand — no small number.

However, after careful consideration, Yelu Jing still chose not to entrust the eastern affairs to Gao Xun, but looked at Yelu Wuzhi: "Are there other candidates?"

Hearing this, Yelu Wuzhi thought for a moment and said: "Yelu Wansi, Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs of the Southern Bureau, is still at the Central Capital. How about having him come south to command the troops?"

Hearing this, Yelu Jing thought for a moment and said: "Acceptable!"

Yelu Wansi was not a figure of great fame, but he was of Khitan imperial clan, and he had a son who would become famous in the "Song-Liao War" — Yelu Xiuge. At present, Yelu Xiuge was still young, but he already had some reputation. He had joined the army as a youth, and a few years ago, in suppressing the Shiwei rebellion, he had earned military merit and entered Yelu Jing's field of vision.

"Appoint Yelu Wansi as Pacification Commissioner of the Southeast, with Gao Xun as deputy, commanding the forces of Lulong and Liaodong, to threaten the Han army's flank from the Yu Pass route!" Yelu Jing made the decision.

Then, looking at Yelu Wuzhi and the other ministers, he took out a letter, waved it, and said: "The Han Emperor sent me a letter, saying he knows I enjoy hunting and wants to go hunting with me beyond the northern frontier. What do you all think — how should I reply?"

Hearing this, the Prince of Anping, Yelu Dilie, immediately said: "With the great army here, why fear the Han army? How can we allow them to be so arrogant? Perhaps we could lead troops out of the pass and meet them in a hunt south of Yan as our reply!"

As for the hot-blooded Yelu Dilie, Yelu Jing directly ignored him and still sought Yelu Wuzhi's opinion. In recent years, although he had suppressed Yelu Wuzhi's power somewhat, when matters were urgent and great decisions had to be made, the one he valued most was still this man.

To this, Yelu Wuzhi also gave a definitive answer: "Your Majesty, this time the southern court has mobilized troops on a grand scale, advancing with great momentum, and has won over the soldiers and people of Youyan. In the previous fierce battles, they have had many victories. Their momentum is at its peak and their troops are at their sharpest. We cannot engage them head-on.

Your servant believes it would be better to temporarily hold firm at the pass cities, wait for them to attack, wear down their morale, and await the opportune moment for a counteroffensive. The Han army has already shown signs of dividing its forces. Your Majesty should concentrate elite troops on one route — once they reveal a flaw, launch a fatal strike to break the enemy!"

Yelu Jing basically approved of Yelu Wuzhi's suggestion, but could not help asking: "Will the Han army take the initiative to attack?"

"The Han army has come this time, so they must be based on offense!" Yelu Wuzhi replied with certainty.

And just a few days after this council, Yelu Jing received news from Juyong Pass — the Han army had indeed advanced north in force, dividing into two routes to attack Miyun and Juyong Pass.