Chapter 916: Withdraw West!

The warning tone in Yelu Wuzhi's words was fully felt by Yelu Jing, who fell silent for a moment. In fact, over this period of time, Yelu Jing had reflected deeply on his pain and already had a very clear understanding of the Liao army's situation.

Fighting was certainly out of the question—on the one hand, their strength had been greatly diminished; on the other, morale could not be sustained. As for prolonging the standoff, although Yelu Cong had served the state loyally, Yelu Jing still fully endorsed his views on the overall strategic situation.

Winter had already set in. For the nomadic peoples beyond the Great Wall, every winter was a calamity, a hurdle. Even with the Khitan's unprecedented control over the grasslands, objective laws still had to be respected—one could not contend with heaven.

Moreover, a two-thousand-li expedition maintaining a massive army in the south was an extremely difficult matter. As could be seen from the Han army's campaign against Tang years ago, the Han army was fully capable of sustaining winter warfare.

As for Liao itself, if the main army could drive straight in, fight on enemy soil, and plunder Han territory for supplies, it could hold on. But beyond the Great Wall, if they waited until the land was frozen and snow-covered while remaining locked in a prolonged standoff, setting aside the pressure of logistics, even their own morale would be difficult to guarantee.

Sometimes, the clearer the consideration, the more thorough the insight, the worse Yelu Jing felt inside. In the decades since the Khitan rose and founded their state, though they had not been able to take whatever they wanted from the Han lands of China, they had still come and gone with ease. Taizong had even been able to lead his army to destroy the Jin, establish an unprecedented achievement, ascend to the position of Son of Heaven, and found the Great Liao.

Even in the era of Yelu Ruan, the Khitan had held the initiative in matters concerning the Han. How was it that when it came to his turn, he faced a Central Plains empire on the verge of unification, with its military edge already pointed directly at his face...

Yelu Jing was ultimately still young, and over so many years he had enjoyed smooth sailing without any major setbacks. Yet since the war with the Great Han began, he had been utterly exhausted at heart.

After pondering for a while, pushing aside the distracting thoughts that kept welling up in his mind, Yelu Jing looked at Yelu Wuzhi and said in a low voice: "The situation being what it is, I must admit it. But how to deal with the Han army, I ask the Great King of the Northern Division for his counsel!"

Hearing the question, a trace of hesitation flickered across Yelu Wuzhi's solemn face. After a moment's deliberation, he reported: "Your Majesty, in the battle at Nankou, although our army suffered heavy losses, so too did the Han army. They also need to replenish troops, weapons, and provisions. In the short term, the Han army cannot launch a large-scale offensive.

Therefore, in my view, for the Great Liao, the urgent matter is still to soothe the hearts of the troops and regroup. After this defeat, the soldiers in the army have lost much of their will to fight. If such a situation is not reversed, it is more dangerous than the Han army itself!"

"The Great King of the Northern Division speaks truly!" As soon as Yelu Wuzhi finished, Xiao Husi immediately rose to second the motion, speaking with a grave tone: "I have inspected the various armies. Aside from the Pishi Army, which stands firm as iron and stone, the remaining troops and provincial soldiers, though no longer panicked, still feel lost and directionless. An army without morale cannot fight. Thus, calming the hearts of the men and rekindling their fighting spirit is truly the foremost priority!"

"I know this as well!" Yelu Jing sighed slightly. This was also what he had been devoting himself to during this period. He said directly: "What suggestions do you all have?"

Yelu Wuzhi thought for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, in this great battle at Nankou, none of the soldiers showed cowardice or fear of the enemy. Most fought bravely and battled to the death without cease. I suggest that meritorious soldiers be promoted and rewarded, sparing no gold, silver, cattle, sheep, horses, or camels. Many officers at all levels were killed in action, so we can also take this opportunity to reorganize the troops and give the soldiers more time to rest. In this way, the soldiers will be grateful for Your Majesty's grace, and both morale and unity of purpose will be restored!"

Yelu Wuzhi's opinion, simply explained, was to buy the loyalty of the army through rewards and benefits, while also affirming the contributions of the Liao soldiers in the Battle of Nankou. In fact, in recent days, Yelu Jing's actions toward the military had already been extremely conciliatory—he had not been harsh or reproachful—but rewarding the soldiers was something he had not considered.

Seeing Yelu Jing nod, Yelu Wuzhi continued: "The Han ruler personally conducted a memorial ceremony at Nankou. I believe Your Majesty could do the same, to use it to unite the hearts of the troops!"

"Then let it be done as you say!" Yelu Jing agreed. After a brief pause, he said to Yelu Wuzhi: "For the Battle of Nankou, for those officers who performed outstandingly, you and the various armies and units should draft a commendation list. I will personally confer rewards upon them. As for the other soldiers, all shall be rewarded!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Having said this, Yelu Jing looked at the several ministers again and asked once more: "The recovery of morale will still take time. As for how to deal with the aggressive Han army, we should also come up with a plan!"

At this, there was another bout of silence. After this battle, these wise minds of Liao no longer held any hope of defeating the Han army. Likewise, how to respond to the Han army's next offensive—for the moment, they found it difficult to produce a practical and feasible plan.

This was not a matter of cowardice or fear of battle, but rather the result of the balance of strength. From the actual commencement of the Han-Liao war at the end of the seventh month to the Battle of Nankou, the Han army's casualties had reached approximately one hundred ten thousand in total—truly no small loss.

However, an even more terrifying reality was that the Liao army's casualties before and after had truly exceeded one hundred seventy thousand, and they had lost cities and territory. From Gao Mohan to Yelu Cong, Liao had already lost two pillar ministers of state. South of the entire Yan Mountains, only the Luanping and Zunhua regions west of Yu Pass remained under Liao control, but with the Liao main force pushed to the west of the Yan Mountains, their loss was only a matter of time.

For Liao, casualties of one hundred seventy thousand were an utterly unbearable pain. But the Han army, even having lost one hundred ten thousand, still had nearly four hundred thousand soldiers and civilians committed to the battlefield across all routes combined. The contrast could not be starker.

The further the war progressed, the more the Liao ruler and his ministers could feel just how terrifying the rising Central Plains empire truly was. Thus, when Yelu Jing asked about counter-strategies, there was a moment of silence.

In the end, Yelu Jing turned his gaze to the Great King of the Northern Division.

Meeting the Emperor's gaze, Yelu Wuzhi said: "Your Majesty, the loss of Deshengkou and the fall of Jinshan mean that the natural barrier of the Yan Mountains can no longer serve as our shield. The two hundred thousand Han troops before the pass are not a concern for now, but the twenty thousand Han troops at Jinshan are like a fishbone stuck in our throat."

"Are you suggesting that I eliminate the enemy at Jinshan?" Hearing this, Yelu Jing's body tensed involuntarily, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at Yelu Wuzhi. The others also looked at him in shock.

Seeing this, Yelu Wuzhi could not help but smile bitterly and shake his head: "That is not my meaning! The Han army has already taken the cities and passes. A rash sortie would only plunge us into another bitter struggle, which our army cannot sustain!"

With this, the Liao ruler and his ministers all subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time realized that given Yelu Wuzhi's prudence, he would not propose such a reckless idea under these circumstances.

Yelu Wuzhi explained: "In my view, with the Han army at Jinshan to the rear and the main force at Nankou to the front, the natural barrier of the Yan Mountains is no longer sufficient to rely upon. Although Juyong Pass is dangerous and narrow, it faces the prospect of being attacked from both front and rear, and cannot be held to defend against the Han army.

At present, the Han army has not moved, only resting—or perhaps using this to lull our army into complacency. I suggest abandoning Juyong Pass and Huailai, withdrawing the main army west to Wende, and letting the Han army out of the Yan Mountains. In this way, we can both contract our defensive line, escape the current geographical predicament, and stretch out the Han army's supply lines..."

Noting Yelu Jing's expression, Yelu Wuzhi continued: "When the time comes, we can adapt our strategy to the situation as it unfolds!"

Yelu Jing could not help but furrow his brow. After considering for a while, he said: "If even the natural barrier of the Yan Mountains is not worth relying upon, how could the cities west of the mountains possibly withstand the Han army's attacks?"

Yelu Wuzhi immediately replied: "But if the main army lingers here for long, it will give the Han army the opportunity to attack from two sides, and the main army will be placed in grave danger."

"What do you all think?" Yelu Jing asked Xiao Husi and the other ministers.

At the side, Yelu Sha, who had participated in the Battle of Nankou, took the initiative to report: "Your Majesty, I believe the Great King of the Northern Division's concerns are well-founded. Huailai and Juyong Pass are not worth relying upon. We should withdraw from this trapped ground before the Han army makes its next move and find another place to rest and regroup!"

The others, having been prompted by Yelu Wuzhi's analysis, also came to their senses and expressed agreement. Huailai was indeed not entirely suitable.

After pondering for a long while, Yelu Jing looked at Yelu Wuzhi and the others, and finally made his decision: "Since you all agree, then let us withdraw west as soon as possible!"