Chapter 901: The Great Battle of Nankou 1

The terrain of Nankou could also be described as "a vital point, a throat-like passage, ground every military force must fight for." Though not as precipitous as the pass fortress itself, it was equally complex—rugged mountain ridges, layered peaks upon peaks. The tall mountains to the north and south formed the narrow exit of the Juyong corridor, serving as a gateway to the northwest of Youzhou. The Han army seized this position, erected a sturdy stockade, and sealed the opening, blocking the Liao army inside.

It was deep autumn, the golden wind rustling. The sky was just beginning to lighten, everything still shrouded in dimness, yet the battle at Nankou was already raging in full blaze. The fierce slaughter had begun with the Liao's first assault, with no effort spared whatsoever.

Due to the constraints of the pass terrain, it was difficult to accommodate too many troops. The Liao army could not even fully deploy its formation, and the number that could attack simultaneously was even smaller. Thus, Yelu Cong divided the assaulting Liao forces into ten companies, each with two thousand men, taking turns attacking the Han stockade.

Among the Liao troops attacking the stockade, besides the Han and Bohai soldiers who were more adept at infantry combat, the majority were auxiliary tribesmen from the north and various barbarians—and these people were completely used as cannon fodder.

Though they were cannon fodder, driven forward by bows and blades from behind, Yelu Cong did not send the assault troops to charge the Han army's sturdy fortifications with bare flesh and blood. He was not stingy with armaments—all the swords, axes, shields, and spears stored at Juyong Pass and its surroundings were brought out. As for the military equipment the Liao army had craftsmen forge, besides the battering rams for attacking the stockade, there were wide, thick shields, knowing the Han army's crossbows were formidable, hoping to block them as much as possible.

Beyond this, Yelu Cong also specially selected two thousand death-defying warriors from the elite Khitan tribal troops, distributing them among the ten companies to lead the charges. In this battle, generals like Yelu Cong among the Liao command had already prepared for heavy casualties—as long as they could successfully close with the enemy, they would bury the Han army under sheer numbers.

And before the Liao army launched its attack, they had also prepared over a thousand oxen, their tails bound with grease. That's right—it was the fire-ox formation, proposed by Yelu Xiezhen, who had been promoted to Pishi after being received by the Liao emperor, and Yelu Cong decisively adopted it. A trick need not be new; it just needs to work.

The fierce battle between the two sides began precisely with the fire-ox charge against the stockade. The Han army's camp was certainly sturdy, its foundations driven deep, but facing a herd of maddened beasts, it still suffered heavy damage. Though not shattered to pieces, the places broken through and battered were by no means few. Some oxen even succeeded in charging into the Han camp—though they were dealt with by means such as chopping off their legs and crossbow fire, the impact all around still caused considerable chaos and losses for the Han army.

Following close behind came the Liao assault troops, targeting the damaged sections and launching their attack. It was only because the Han army had some preparation time, coupled with disciplined training, that they managed to break free from the chaos under the restraint of their officers at various levels. But immediately after came the Liao army's death-defying charge.

Facing the Liao assault, the measures the Han army took, besides deploying chevaux-de-frise and abatis and reinforcing the stockade palisades, were relying on crossbows to inflict casualties on the charging Liao troops. This did achieve some effect, but this time, the Liao army's fighting will and resolve were firm, and with their protective equipment, they were not intimidated by the casualties, quickly achieving close combat.

And hampered by the terrain and the readiness for close engagement, a large portion of the Han army's formidable weaponry could not be brought into play at the first moment. The result was that both sides engaged in bloody slaughter along the front stockade.

Responsible for defending the front stockade was the Xiong'an Army under Han Lingkun's command. To strengthen its defense, An Shenqi also placed the sixteen commands originally under the Hebei Commander-in-Chief's jurisdiction entirely under Han Lingkun's direction. Adding the Hebei local troops, the force numbered a full fifteen thousand, and counting the laborers assisting, nearly twenty thousand.

After the battle began, Han Lingkun actively organized his troops, arranged defenses, and met the Liao army's assault. But it must be said that in this battle, the Liao army seized the initiative. Every aspect of the response seemed hasty, and their own advantages could not be fully brought to bear. The stockade walls they relied upon were also unstable under the fire-ox charge, so much so that after contact was made, they were quickly drawn by the Liao army into a contest of bloody flesh-and-blood combat.

Before the Han stockade, the slaughter was fierce, killing cries shook the heavens, crossbow bolts tore through the air. Outside the Han stockade, Liao cavalry galloped freely, their archers continuously striking into the Han camp with mounted archery. Though the casualties inflicted were not many, it provided at least a harassing effect, buying space for the Liao troops attacking the stockade.

Under harsh military law, the Liao assault troops were driven to madness—they could not retreat until half their number lay dead. The Han soldiers defending the stockade were by no means lacking in bravery; fatigue was swept away by slaughter and bloodshed, and they maintained their consistently aggressive posture, just as madly forming ranks to resist.

Wave after wave, the Liao army came on, refusing to give the Han army a single moment to catch their breath. The Han army likewise rotated in response, refusing to yield a single step. Through the desperate resistance of the front stockade troops, they bought considerable time for the other camps—especially the central camp, which finished marshaling its troops and finally prepared for reinforcement. At the same time, heavy weapons such as thunderbolt catapults and bed crossbows were urgently moved to the front and adjusted for firing.

The autumn wind howled, growing ever more violent. The war drums at Nankou never ceased. The slaughter between the two armies, as time passed, showed no sign of weakening—instead growing ever more fierce, bloody, and cruel.

Within the span of one hour, the Liao army had already launched seven waves of assault against the Han army's front stockade. Corpses lay piled before the stockade, stacked high, five feet off the ground. The succeeding Liao troops were charging upward stepping on the bodies of their comrades.

The Liao army's casualties were heavy, but the Han army's were not light either. This kind of fighting was simply consuming human lives. On the battlefield, stones and arrows flew wildly. As the thunderbolt catapults exerted their force, boulders and fire bombs continuously flew beyond the stockade. The direct casualties they inflicted on the Liao army were not many, and the intimidation effect achieved something, but not enough.

Passively taking a beating was not the Han army's style. When they had firmly held back the Liao assault at the cost of enormous sacrifice, the counterattack force An Shenqi had prepared was unleashed.

Having finished their meal and fully equipped, the Xingjie Army's Chief General Shi Shouxin led the Xingjie Army and the Hebei border cavalry out from the left camp in an active sortie, making a show of threatening the Liao army's flank.

The moment they moved, the Liao army immediately noticed. At this move, Yelu Xiezhen—who was gaining experience at Yelu Cong's side and serving as an advisor—was not alarmed but delighted, saying: "The Han army is far too arrogant! They actually dare to come out of the stockade on their own!"

"Good that they came out!" Yelu Cong's old brows shot up, and he immediately said: "Order the right army's ten thousand cavalry to go contain this Han force. Just keep an eye on them—once we break the Han stockade, we'll surround and annihilate them!"

"Yes!"

Soon, from the Liao army's right wing, ten thousand tribal cavalry rode out, heading straight for the thirteen thousand-plus Han infantry and cavalry advancing from the left camp. This time they were smarter—they did not press a hard attack, merely maneuvering and containing. Watching the Liao cavalry's performance from within the formation, Shi Shouxin's expression was exceptionally grave. In truth, he did not approve of taking the initiative to sortie under these circumstances—though it could achieve a containing effect, it also easily placed oneself in danger.

But military orders were as mountains; he dared not disobey. However, observing the battlefield situation, Shi Shouxin did not stray far from the stockade walls, only making a show of distant intimidation, and was ready to withdraw at any moment.

As for the Liao side, though their attention was somewhat diverted, their focus remained on the attack against the front stockade.

"The ten assault companies have all taken their turns in rotation, with casualties nearing half. The Han army's resistance is very tenacious—relying on them alone, we cannot break through!" Observing the changing battlefield situation, Yelu Xiezhen said to Yelu Cong.

The sky was now fully bright, yet Yelu Cong's old eyes were shot through with bloodshot red. Gazing at the already shattered front of the Han stockade, with corpses piled across the ground, Yelu Cong said decisively: "Pull them back. Send in the 'Iron Sparrows.' The left army's ten thousand tribal troops will follow their attack and smash through the Han stockade in one stroke!"