Chapter 915: Where Does the Liao Army Go From Here?

The eleventh year of Qianyou, winter, the first day of the tenth month.

Early winter had arrived, and the desolation between heaven and earth grew ever more pronounced. The north wind sweeping over the Yan Mountains had begun to show its biting chill, rustling the withered grass and dead trees of the wilds. Beyond Nankou, one hundred thousand fully rested Han troops stood arrayed in full armor, facing the public cemetery, solemn and still.

The hundred thousand Han soldiers were divided into ten battle formations, rigorously ordered and immensely imposing—a scene of grand solemnity. Besides the army and its generals, many officials from Youyan, as well as the imperial consorts, princes, and ministers accompanying the emperor, all stood in formal attire, each wearing an expression of gravity.

A tall sacrificial platform had risen from the ground within three days. Along its steps, the Son of Heaven's ceremonial guard was arrayed, and before the gaze of the multitude, Emperor Liu Chengyou, clad in ceremonial robes and crown, ascended the platform. This was a memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers of Nankou, conducted on a grand scale—and also a piece of political theater. Yet it was a method Liu Chengyou had devised after observing that the army's morale had been wounded following the great battle, a way to consolidate the troops' spirit and rouse their fighting will.

Presiding over the ceremony was the Prince of Chenliu, An Shenqi, clad in an imperial armor bestowed by the Son of Heaven, his expression solemn. Holding a memorial prayer in both hands, he read it aloud in a clear voice. Liu Chengyou personally held incense and performed the rites with due reverence.

Below the altar, the assembled crowd all bowed their heads in solemn respect. When the ceremony concluded, Liu Chengyou turned around and swept his gaze across the hundred thousand troops below the platform. Such a mighty and valiant host—and yet only a small portion of the Great Han's true strength, all at his command. The thought stirred his heart. How many heroes and bold men could maintain their clarity in such position and glory without losing themselves? Liu Chengyou felt that he himself had been cool-headed enough.

Steadying his mind, he silently cleared his throat and began to speak, delivering an address. His speech was not long, consisting mainly of three points. First, mourning the soldiers who had shed blood in battle and sacrificed their lives fighting the enemy since the northern expedition began; second, reaffirming the great cause of the northern expedition; third, encouraging the troops to press on, rendering merit for the state and building glory for themselves.

Of course, the draft had been prepared in advance, and while Liu Chengyou spoke, the army's comfort officers swiftly and accurately relayed the Son of Heaven's words down the ranks.

All of this appeared highly formalized, but often, formalities can be extremely effective in inspiring people's hearts.

Finally, Liu Chengyou raised his arm and shouted, all his rousing words condensed into a single phrase: "The Han army is mighty!"

"The Han army is mighty!"

Below the altar, a thunderous roar erupted in response—everyone straining their voices to shout at the top of their lungs. Standing at the front of the formation, Liu Fang appeared deeply stirred, one hand raised high, waving with vigor.

The cries of might lasted for a long while, and under the prompting of those with intent, transformed into shouts of "Long live!" and "Ten thousand victories!" A faint smile unconsciously crept across Liu Chengyou's taut features.

After the memorial ceremony concluded, Liu Chengyou arranged another matter: once the northern expedition's war ended, a town would be established at Nankou, with households relocated and migrants brought in to populate it, tending the cemetery and watching over the heroic spirits, as a mark of respect for the meritorious fallen soldiers.

Through this series of favors and honorific gestures from Liu Chengyou, the Han army's morale and fighting spirit were greatly roused, and the field headquarters' strength was rapidly recovering.

In comparison, across the mountain, the Liao army's situation was far more miserable—not only failing to improve, but showing signs of continued deterioration. Military strength heavily depleted, morale low, hearts unsettled.

As for the Liao army's losses, the Han side only had estimates; the specifics, they knew themselves. Of the two hundred thousand troops who had marched out, fewer than one hundred twenty thousand truly returned behind the pass, and the camps were filled with wounded. Due to a severe shortage of medicine, many wounded Liao soldiers died for lack of timely treatment.

Of course, those who died of untreatable wounds were ultimately the minority—those truly gravely wounded never made it back at all. Even so, several thousand soldiers still succumbed as their injuries worsened, losing their lives. During this period, the Liao army arranged several mass cremations, and morale suffered yet another heavy blow.

The Liao army's losses were all-encompassing. Setting aside the casualties among affiliated tribes and auxiliary troops, the Liao's various tribal armies suffered grievous losses. Of their remaining elite forces, the Iron Sparrowhawk Army was entirely wiped out, and the Left and Right Pishi Armies that guarded imperial authority also suffered over ten thousand casualties—a blow to the Liao Emperor that could hardly be called insignificant.

After retreating west of the mountains, the Liao army did not linger long at Juyong Pass—there was simply no room there for over a hundred thousand troops. Apart from leaving a portion of the newly assembled forces under Yelu Jing to garrison the pass, the rest of the Liao army rested and recuperated at Huailai County, licking their wounds. But these wounds only hurt more the more they were licked—the kind that pierced to the heart.

In fact, Yelu Jing had concentrated all the remaining strength of the western mountain forces at Huailai, still numbering some one hundred thirty thousand. But a defeated army cannot be relied upon, even if they were Liao's elite troops.

After receiving the routed troops, Yelu Jing also adopted a series of measures to soothe the army's spirits—generous distributions of wine and meat, arrangements for full efforts to treat the wounded, and personal inspections to comfort the soldiers, without a trace of blame. Though this played some role in maintaining stability, the severe slide in morale was already inevitable. The Liao soldiers of the southern campaign grew increasingly fearful of battle and ever more desirous of returning home.

After such a bitter battle at Nankou, for Liao—setting aside grand strategic considerations—it had already suffered a grave crisis in itself. For a long time to come, the Liao army would be unable to endure another major battle.

If it were merely a matter of morale, it might not have reached such a serious degree. The key issue was that after this battle, the Liao Emperor's prestige had plummeted, giving rise to considerable dissent within his own ranks.

Many of the accompanying nobles and ministers began to voice objections to the decision to launch the great southern invasion. And among them, the one who angered Yelu Jing the most was the Prince of Anping, Yelu Dilie, who had ultimately gotten himself involved.

A force opposing Yelu Jing began to accumulate once more. Though not yet enough to shake his throne, there was nonetheless an ominous sign of instability. A single defeat, a single major setback, had exposed many problems.

Yelu Jing was extremely sensitive to anything affecting his imperial position. At one point he considered rectifying the situation, but he forcibly restrained himself from acting—the great enemy was still at hand, and it would not be wise to stir up more complications by acting rashly. Still, Yelu Jing strengthened his control and discipline over the army.

Fortunately, the military strength in the Liao Emperor's hands remained formidable, still sufficient to suppress dissent. During this period, the thing he did most was placate the tribal generals, expending tremendous energy.

Afterward, when news arrived of the Han Emperor's memorial ceremony at Nankou, Yelu Jing finally found the leisure to turn his mind to how to face the current situation, how to deal with the still-aggressive Han army.

These days, another sturdy Han fortification had risen at Nankou, glaring menacingly straight at Juyong Pass. And Li Chongjin, who had occupied Jin Mountain, was not idle either—he sent light cavalry to harass toward Huailai. Though few in number, they were extremely audacious, repeatedly startling the Liao army.

As for the outcome of the great battle at Nankou, Yelu Jing was both furious and regretful—furious at the failed defense of Tanzhou and the poor performance at Nankou, regretful that he had rashly sallied forth, making the Liao army's situation even more awkward.

Of course, Yelu Jing did not fully display these emotions—it was not yet time to assign blame. But among Liao's nobles and ministers, there were no shortage of clever men who could sense it. The first to come and confess fault to Yelu Jing was Yelu Wuzhi, but after this battle, Yelu Jing relied on him even more heavily—far from reproaching him, he offered gentle words of comfort instead.

As for Xiao Siwen, he was directly removed from his post, stripped of all official rank, with the implication that old and new offenses would be settled together. It was only because Xiao Husi, who accompanied the emperor, spoke up to plead for him that he was spared.

As for Han Kuangmei, because he had fought fiercely and been gravely wounded, he was exempted from blame. For his loyalty and valor, Yelu Jing greatly commended him, promoting him in rank and elevating his title. The more perilous the moment, the more models needed to be established.

This made Han Kuangmei—a Han minister—the only official to receive commendation among Liao's generals and ministers after the two major defeats at Tanzhou and Nankou.

Within the city of Huailai, Yelu Jing once again summoned several trusted ministers for an imperial council. His expression was stern, and without superfluous words, he spoke directly: "In the two battles at Tanzhou and Nankou, our army has suffered grievous losses. At this point, the Great Liao has reached an extremely perilous juncture, and the situation is greatly unfavorable to us. These past days, I have pondered repeatedly, deeply summarized, and felt much.

Though the losses at Nankou were great, it was not for lack of effort by the Great Liao's soldiers. It is only the battle at Tanzhou—tens of thousands of defenders, taken in a single stroke—whose causes compel us to reflect deeply.

Facts have proven that taking the initiative to strike was not a flawed decision. It was defending behind walls that exposed our weaknesses, allowing the Han army to do as they pleased—truly not an acceptable approach!"

Hearing Yelu Jing's words, Xiao Husi took the initiative to speak: "Your Majesty, the defeat at Tanzhou indeed warrants our caution. I have looked into the matter in detail, and there are three causes for the defeat.

First, the Han army possesses sharp weapons and a great quantity of siege equipment, while our army lacks the means to counter them, allowing the enemy to exploit this advantage;

Second, our army was insufficiently prepared, while the Han army, pressing against the city, undertook massive construction works, sparing no expense in expending military supplies—the first such occurrence since the two states began hostilities;

Third, the Han army's morale was high, their training superb, and they attacked with full force, heedless of casualties.

Therefore, I believe the loss of Tanzhou was caused by multiple factors combined. With this lesson, the Great Liao need only make thorough preparations in all aspects in advance, and the Han army will have no easy time breaching our passes again!"

Xiao Husi's words were purely meant not to let the Han army's prestige grow too great. What he said was reasonable and true, but it rather lacked feasibility.

Yelu Jing sighed and looked around the circle: "After these two battles, our army has lost over a hundred thousand troops—an unbearable loss for the Great Liao. Now, the Han army's main force of two hundred thousand remains encamped beyond Nankou, the Han troops at Jin Mountain also glare at us from the side, and the Hedong forces have also left the passes to attack Yun and Shuo. In this perilous situation, how we should adjust and what choices we should make are the most pressing matters at hand. What counsel do you all have to offer?"

After the Liao Emperor's words fell, the ministers exchanged glances, all showing worried expressions, yet for a moment no one answered. Finally, it was Yelu Wuzhi who looked gravely at Yelu Jing and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking bluntly—after this battle, with the strength in our hands, it is utterly impossible to contend with the Han army in the Yan region!"