Chapter 905: The Great Battle at Nankou 5

By late afternoon, the autumn sun hung low in the west, slanting as if about to fall, much like the tottering Han army camp at Nankou. The Liao army's ferocious assault had not ceased for a moment. Even relying on superior numbers to launch wave after wave of attacks, by this point in the battle, the Liao army was also utterly exhausted.

After prolonged heavy assault, several Liao army units had been shattered and rendered combat-ineffective. The cannon fodder had long since been unable to fight on. What continued to sustain the Liao army's furious attacks were entirely their tribal elite troops.

If the Liao army was struggling so hard, the Han army's situation was even more perilous. Officers weary, soldiers exhausted, surrounded on all sides, reinforcements not yet arrived—their survival to this point was owed entirely to the effective command of their generals and the desperate fighting of their officers and men. Even so, the Han army at Nankou was essentially holding on by a single breath. Before that breath gave out, the Liao army could not break them.

Ever since the southern stockade had fallen, An Shenqi had chosen to contract his forces and hold fast around the central camp's fortifications. After more than an hour and a half of bitter fighting, the Liao army had made no further progress.

The more tenaciously the Han army held, the more stubbornly they resisted, the more frenzied the Liao army became under their commander's urging. Yelu Wuzhi had opposed taking the initiative to attack, but once actually on the battlefield, he commanded with the utmost resolve—even more unreservedly than Yelu Cong. He cared nothing for preserving elite troops; his only objective was to break through Nankou and annihilate the Han army.

If this elite army of the Great Han were to be wiped out, Yelu Wuzhi knew all too well the value and significance of such a victory. Yet however resolute his will, watching Khitan sons fall one after another against the Han army's desperate resistance, his heart could not help but grow heavy.

In truth, during this most intense period of attack and defense, the Liao army had achieved breakthroughs. But every time at the critical moment, Han army officers and men had stepped forward.

On the southern front, when a gap was torn open, it was the Yan general Gao Yanhui who personally led five hundred Yan troops in desperate combat, using their flesh and blood to firmly block the Liao cavalry's swift raid, buying Luo Yangui precious time to regroup his men and rebuild the defensive line, and successfully suppressing the Liao army's rising momentum once again. The price paid was that Gao Yanhui and those five hundred Yan troops all died in battle.

On the northern front, where the Liao army had committed the most troops and where defensive pressure was greatest, the line nearly collapsed several times. At the most critical moments, it was the old general Wang Yin who stepped forward again.

Since the battle began at dawn, this old general had remained on the killing line, his ferocity no less than that of vigorous young men in their prime. He personally led one thousand Han soldiers in a counter-charge against the northern Liao forces. His reckless, death-defying tactics actually succeeded in breaking through the attacking Liao troops, driving north a full half li, thoroughly disrupting the Liao formation and shattering their offensive rhythm.

The enraged and humiliated Liao army surrounded them from all sides, falling into a heavy encirclement and slaughter. Yet Wang Yin showed no sign of retreat or fear. He led his men, fighting to the last soldier, and ultimately fell in battle.

Such conduct from an old general had a tremendous inspiring effect, deeply moving the Han army. Chief General Liu Tinghan, eyes bloodshot, seized the opportunity to lead one thousand elite soldiers in a counterattack, personally wielding his blade in desperate combat as he launched the assault.

Behind him, Han Lingkun, after urgently redeploying men and reinforcing the line to stabilize the defense, did not hesitate either. He led another thousand soldiers in a counterattack right behind.

Relying on the Han army's fierce courage and fearless fighting, they actually achieved a partial counterattack victory, killing and wounding over fifteen hundred Liao troops and forcing the Liao army to fall back. Though the Liao army, with its vast strength, quickly steadied itself, Liu Tinghan managed to recover Wang Yin's body.

When the Liao army regrouped and launched another attack, they faced a Han army with a newly constructed defensive line and renewed morale. Then a new round of fierce attack and defense, brutal slaughter, began anew, and both sides once again fell into a stalemate.

Men like Wang Yin and Gao Yanhui were merely representative figures among the Han army's death-defying soldiers. It was precisely through their leadership that the Han army's will to resist never collapsed.

On the eastern and western fronts, the pressure was somewhat lighter, but no less fierce. Dong Zunhui and Shi Shouxin each commanded their troops with resolute leadership, and when danger arose, they led from the front, blade in hand, killing enemies without the slightest hesitation.

An Shenqi, as commander-in-chief, continuously patrolled among the various units, urging them on and boosting morale, demonstrating that officers and men were one, sharing life and death together.

Just as the bitter battle at Nankou was reaching its peak, the Han army's first wave of reinforcements finally arrived. Though cavalry was fast, they needed to scout enemy movements and preserve their horses' strength to ensure they still had combat capability upon arrival. Thus, by the time Gao Huaide led his men approaching Nankou, it was already past late afternoon.

"Reporting to the Great King, Han army reinforcements have arrived from the east!" South of the stockade, Yelu Wuzhi was overseeing the battle when he received the scout's report.

The Liao army had clearly made preparations for possible Han reinforcements, dispatching numerous scouts—watching Niulan Mountain to the east and keeping an eye on Changping to the south.

Upon hearing this, Yelu Wuzhi quickly made his judgment: "This must be the Han iron cavalry from Niulan Mountain. How far away are they, and how many men?"

"Over twenty li away. A dense mass of men, packed tight. Judging by their banners, there should be fifty thousand troops!" the scout replied.

Hearing this report, Yelu Wuzhi immediately rebuked: "Where would the Han army get so many cavalry? This must be their trick of bluffing to inflate their numbers!"

After brief consideration, Yelu Wuzhi ordered the Pishi Army's Xiangwen, Yelu Sagei, to be summoned. He said sternly to him: "The Han reinforcements are near, and our assault on the stockade is at a critical juncture—there can be no mistakes. You will lead the Pishi Army to intercept them. You must not allow them to affect our annihilation of the Han army at Nankou! You were defeated at Yanmen Pass before, and His Majesty did not punish but instead rewarded you. Now is the time for you to wash away that shame and repay your sovereign's grace!"

"Yes!" Facing the stern and harsh Yelu Wuzhi, Yelu Sagei dared not hesitate. He responded solemnly, then led the Left Pishi Army, which had not yet seen combat, eastward to meet Gao Huaide's forces.

After a moment's deliberation, Yelu Wuzhi summoned another officer and instructed: "The Han army's first wave of reinforcements has arrived. Report this to the Qishui Commandery Duke. Tell him our time is running out!"

On Gao Huaide's side, the moment he detected the Liao scouts, he had already fully deployed his men into combat formation, ready to meet the enemy. Sure enough, more than ten li from Nankou, the Pishi Army came surging toward them. Gao Huaide did not hesitate in the slightest. Iron spear in hand, he led from the front, personally charging forward with his men. Another cavalry clash between Han and Liao began—except this time, they faced the most elite force in the Liao army, the Pishi Army.

And after engaging, Gao Huaide keenly felt that the Pishi Army truly lived up to its reputation as the Liao imperial guard. Whether in organization and discipline or in ferocity, they surpassed the Liao troops they had faced before.

Therefore, after the initial clash, Gao Huaide quickly adjusted his tactics, no longer fighting head-on. The Liao army's intent to intercept was obvious, and Gao Huaide saw through it at a glance. While entangled with the Pishi Army, Gao Huaide seized an opportunity and sent the Longjie Army general Dang Jin with one thousand cavalry to break through the Liao cavalry's blockade and charge straight for Nankou, while Gao Huaide and Guo Chongwei continued to lead the main force in skirmishing with the Liao army.

Originally, Gao Huaide's plan had been to launch a surprise attack if the Liao army was unprepared. Now that the Liao army was prepared, he could only do his best to entangle them, drawing the attention of the Liao forces besieging Nankou, diverting their troops, and reducing the pressure on the defenders.

The fact that the Liao army had split off forces to intercept also indicated that Nankou had not yet fallen and An Shenqi was still holding out. Under such circumstances, it was even more necessary to give the defenders hope and strengthen their will to resist. Dang Jin's one thousand cavalry were meant precisely for this purpose—not to break the enemy and rescue them.

Though Dang Jin was crude in temperament, on the battlefield, besides being unafraid of death, he was also clever. Carrying out Gao Huaide's orders, he led his men straight at the Liao army's rear. Though the Liao forces were numerous and prepared, he still managed to create a certain amount of harassment.

Most importantly, Dang Jin ordered his men to connect three long poles together, hoisting the Great Han banner high for all to see, and had his men shout in unison that reinforcements had arrived, urging the defenders to hold on.

For this small band of Han cavalry, the Liao army naturally split off forces to encircle and destroy them. Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Dang Jin led his men to change direction, moving from east to south, riding and shouting as they went. This tactic thoroughly enraged the Liao army. In their hunt to destroy him, he was several times surrounded, but each time he charged left and right with his men, hacking out a bloody path by sheer force. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, he fled toward Changping city with fewer than two hundred riders.

Dang Jin's small force hadn't inflicted many casualties on the Liao army, but the effect they achieved was significant. The chaos he caused on the Liao army's periphery was noticed by the defenders.

Dong Zunhui was the first to notice, and then he pointed at the abnormally high-flying Han banner and shouted that reinforcements had arrived. Many others saw it too, and soon the news that reinforcements had come spread throughout the entire camp. The Han army, already nearly spent, suddenly had their morale boosted.

Though it was only a small force that could hardly accomplish much on its own, at least the desperately holding defenders at Nankou saw tangible hope. Reinforcements were not far away.

The ones who felt the change in the Han army most keenly were, of course, the attacking Liao troops. After fighting so long, suffering so many casualties, and still unable to break through, the Liao army's momentum had in fact declined somewhat. Though not yet to the point of impotence, many could not help but feel their resolve waver. A thought of failure unconsciously sprouted in their minds.

Both Yelu Cong and Yelu Wuzhi were extremely furious about this, yet they had no quick way to break through. The battle had reached a point where both attacker and defender were locked in a dead knot.

Of course, relying on superior numbers, the Liao army still had considerable reserves. For instance, on Yelu Cong's side, there were still over thirty thousand troops, including the Right Pishi Army, that had not been committed to battle.

And at this moment, it was the Liao commanders' turn to make a choice: throw everything in, commit more troops, and launch an all-out assault to seek a breakthrough. Or maintain the current siege while holding forces in reserve to deal with the Han reinforcements, guarding against the unexpected.