Chapter 911: After the Battle

North of Changping city, banners and dragon standards fluttered and snapped in the wind. Liu Chengyou stood tall and stern as a pine, his dragon robe trembling in the autumn breeze, yet not a single movement could shake his frame.

"Your Majesty, the autumn wind is cold and biting. You have stood here for nearly four shichen—this truly harms your sacred person. Why not rest for a while? I will keep watch here in your stead, and should any military intelligence arrive, I will report it to you at once!" Beside him, seeing the Emperor's nose reddened by the wind, Zhang Dejun said with great concern.

Zhang Dejun hesitated several times before finally unable to hold back and offering his counsel. As the Emperor's loyal servant, seeing him treat his own dragon body with such disregard filled him with deep distress.

And sure enough, Liu Chengyou shook his head very decisively and said stubbornly: "No need!"

Liu Chengyou had a feeling—the battle at Nankou was nearing its end. He had already waited four shichen; what were one or two more hours? At this moment, only five thousand soldiers and civilians remained in Changping city, because upon learning that the remaining pursuers had all been dispatched, led by An Shouzhong and Han Hui, they had been sent out to reinforce the pursuit and annihilation.

At this time, the defense around the Han Emperor could be called thin. If a crack unit of the Liao army could launch a surprise attack on Changping, then although they could not completely reverse the tide of battle, they could buy more space for the large-scale retreat of the Liao army at Nankou.

Unfortunately, there was none, and Liu Chengyou maintained an air of utter fearlessness throughout.

Finally, at the beginning of the wei hour, several riders came galloping in. The leading imperial army officer dismounted with an extremely agile posture, landing easily, and quickly ascended the city tower.

The arrival was Li Shoujie. After An Shouzhong led his troops north, he had been sent by Liu Chengyou to observe the battle situation and report any changes at any time. This time, he had returned in person. Liu Chengyou's expression and movements showed excitement; without waiting for the formal salute, he asked directly: "Has the battle reached a conclusion?"

Li Shoujie cupped his fists and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Liao army has already been defeated and is retreating toward Juyong Pass. Commissioner Chai of the Bureau of Military Affairs and Commander-in-Chief Zhao are leading troops in hot pursuit. The Prince of Chenliu and the various armies are mopping up the remaining enemy, and Commander-in-Chief Murong has also led his troops to arrive..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengyou could not help but sigh: "How many of the Liao army escaped?"

Though his tone carried some regret, there was no anger. With a Liao army of two hundred thousand, how could one hope to annihilate them all? In large-scale army operations throughout history, annihilating the enemy completely in field battle—especially a Liao army that was primarily cavalry with extremely strong mobility—was nearly a fantasy.

After the battle situation at Nankou had been continuously reported southward, and upon learning that the Liao army had firmly seized the mountain pass, Liu Chengyou had already anticipated this outcome. It was not that the Han generals commanding the pursuit were incompetent, nor that the officers and soldiers were not brave enough in battle, nor that Murong Yanzhao had arrived too slowly.

In fact, with the Liao army's retreat route secured, even if Murong Yanzhao's main force had arrived ahead of schedule, it would at most have inflicted more casualties. There was just one problem—the Han army could not fully deploy its strength.

And on Liu Chengyou's side, although he had planned and arranged according to a complete annihilation, he truly had not held much expectation for that. His main purpose was only to inflict as many casualties on the Liao army as possible, reducing their numbers and weakening their strength.

The most favorable situation for the Han army would have been for both sides to be locked in chaotic melee combat, with the Tanzhou forces arriving to deliver the decisive blow, followed by pursuit of the fleeing enemy. But after fighting for so long, the Liao army was not stupid. From the moment they reacted and began their early retreat, the Han army could only do its best to respond.

Facing the Emperor's question, Li Shoujie replied: "Your Majesty, the Liao army has left tens of thousands of corpses, too many to count. The pursuit and annihilation of the fleeing enemy is still underway. Though they were not completely wiped out, they have been severely mauled!"

"What are the casualties among our various armies?" Liu Chengyou asked again.

At this, Li Shoujie fell silent, his expression grave, hesitating. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou immediately said to Zhang Dejun, who was waiting nearby: "Transmit my order—prepare the horses. I am going to Nankou!"

"Your Majesty, you cannot! The battle is not yet fully concluded. Better to wait until the area is cleared before you make your visit!" Zhang Dejun hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

Liu Chengyou furrowed his brow and glared at him: "Must I say it a second time?"

"Yes!" Zhang Dejun dared not meet Liu Chengyou's eyes. Sensing his unwavering resolve, he could only comply.

Liu Chengyou then strode forward, walking somewhat hurriedly, stumbled, and nearly fell. It was Zhang Dejun who, with quick eyes and swift hands, caught and steadied him. Having stood for so long with little movement, his legs had gone stiff. So when Liu Chengyou left the city heading for Nankou, he rode in a carriage.

Traveling north from Changping, traces of war were visible everywhere along the way—banners, armor, corpses, blood, horses and livestock—forming a gruesome picture of the battlefield. A grand scene of iron and steel seemed to surface in the mind's eye.

Of course, what Liu Chengyou could see was the cruelty behind it all. Along the way, many Han soldiers lay exposed in the wilderness. This battle had cost the Han army no small number of dead and wounded as well.

When the carriage arrived at Nankou, only then did he see a true hell on earth—severed limbs, mountains of corpses, seas of blood. The entire Nankou seemed to have been dyed red.

Liu Chengyou had indeed experienced many battlefields, but a scene so shocking to the eye was his first. Even though his heart had long been tempered to iron and stone, he could not help but feel a surge of emotion at this moment.

This battle had been fought with too much ferocity. The remaining enemy outside Nankou had basically been cleared. Within the mountain edges, along the Juyong road, faint sounds of killing could still be heard, not yet ceased.

The gruesome battlefield weighed on everyone's spirits. Stepping down from the carriage onto ground softened by soaked blood, Liu Chengyou could not help but feel a pang of melancholy. The Emperor's bright yellow robes were highly conspicuous, yet there was no cheering, no rejoicing.

Zhang Dejun followed beside Liu Chengyou. Seeing this scene, his face turned pale and his features were drawn tight. Under the arrangements of the generals, the troops and laborers had already begun to reorganize and clean up the battlefield.

The troops from Tanzhou had not been able to make it in time for the most critical fighting, but they could help with the aftermath—guarding prisoners, gathering scattered soldiers, treating the wounded, and collecting weapons, banners, armor, and horses...

The first to come pay respects to Liu Chengyou was Murong Yanzhao. Yesterday, when he received the Son of Heaven's decree and learned of the military situation at Nankou, Miyun had only just been stabilized not long before. The soldiers had not rested for long, but Murong Yanzhao was a commander with a sense of the bigger picture. Without much hesitation, he issued the order to move the army westward.

Murong Yanzhao had brought a hundred thousand troops. To maximize speed, they traveled light—besides essential weapons, each man carried only three days' rations. They marched through the night, stopping to rest only twice along the way.

"You came through the night, Minister—the journey must have been arduous!" Seeing the thick dust of travel on Murong Yanzhao's face, Liu Chengyou said.

To this, Murong Yanzhao replied with regret in his tone: "Your servant pushed his march with all possible speed, yet in the end could not arrive in time—truly a pity. For delaying the military situation, I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Glancing around at his surroundings, Murong Yanzhao continued: "If we speak of hardship, I dare not compare myself to the Prince of Chenliu and the soldiers at Nankou!"

Liu Chengyou admired Murong Yanzhao—not only for his command abilities, but also for his habitual humility and his grasp of the greater picture. Hearing this, Liu Chengyou immediately waved his hand and encouraged him: "Minister need not dwell on it. Your achievement at Tanzhou is outstanding and meritorious. Though your army did not arrive in time, its influence on the battle at Nankou was considerable. The reason the Liao army was anxious to withdraw, and the opportunity our army seized, was precisely because they feared you. If you had not broken Tanzhou, who knows how the battle at Nankou might have developed!"

Murong Yanzhao knew this well in his heart, but in his mouth he still replied modestly: "Your Majesty overpraises me!"

"There is one more matter I must report to Your Majesty!" Murong Yanzhao said again.

"Speak freely!" Liu Chengyou looked at him.

Murong Yanzhao said: "Before arriving at Nankou, I ordered Li Chongjin and Murong Yanqing to lead ten thousand troops, changing course northward to attack Deshengkou!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengyou raised an eyebrow and let out a deep sigh, saying to Murong Yanzhao with admiration: "The Liao army's elite troops are mostly concentrated here, leaving their passes empty. If this succeeds, even if the Liao army still has remaining forces, they cannot hold Juyong Pass. Your vision sees the whole picture—truly farsighted!"

If all went smoothly, Li Chongjin's forces would seize Deshengkou, take the mountain road north through the North Pass, and strike Ruzhou's Jinshan County. That would be like driving a nail into the Liao army's flank—westward they could threaten Huailai, southward they could pressure Juyong Pass. The Liao army's position would become even more awkward.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Chenliu has arrived!" At this moment, an imperial guard officer came to announce.

"Quickly, invite him in!" Liu Chengyou said hurriedly.

Soon, An Shenqi arrived to pay homage, accompanied by several generals. An Shenqi's eye sockets were deeply sunken, his aged eyes shot through with bloodshot veins, and the exhaustion on his face seemed almost to condense into water. In less than two days and nights, the gray at his temples had visibly increased by several shades.

Seeing An Shenqi, Liu Chengyou stepped forward directly, firmly gripping his rough, ice-cold hands, and said solemnly: "The Prince of Chenliu has worked hard!"

"This old servant dares not speak of hardship—the ones who worked hard are the soldiers who persisted in battle!" An Shenqi said in a hoarse voice.

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengyou nodded affirmatively and said in a loud voice: "In this breaking of the Liao army, the various forces at Nankou shall be credited with the foremost merit!"

He then looked at the several Han generals following behind An Shenqi—all bearing an aura of iron and blood, every one of them wounded, without exception.