Chapter 925: The Liao Emperor's Decision

The Liao Emperor's intense fury was keenly felt by all the Liao heavyweights present, and none could suppress their dread. This winter, Yelu Jing's temper had grown increasingly volatile, prone to sudden rage, and the man radiated a murderous aura throughout. Seven palace eunuchs who served him had been executed on his orders, each put to death by a different method, the techniques bizarre and cruel.

Everyone knew that Yelu Jing was venting the malice and anger within him. Ministers had admonished him, but to no avail—killing a few close attendants was like disposing of slaves or objects, the private property of the emperor. The consequence was that everyone around the Liao Emperor lived in fear, and the generals and ministers regarded him with an added layer of awe.

Thus, the military councils during this period were pervaded by an unmistakably oppressive atmosphere. Faced with Yelu Jing's fury, no one dared to speak for a time. After a moment of silence, it was Yelu Wuzhi who took the initiative to speak: "Your Majesty, the situation is clear. After the battle at Nankou, the Han army has grown more cautious.

Since they moved their troops on the eighteenth, they have advanced slowly and steadily, revealing not a single flaw, offering not a single opening. The Han army is prepared. At this rate, our plan to lure one of their columns and annihilate it in a concentrated strike will be difficult to carry out!"

He noted Yelu Jing's expression—beneath the gloomy countenance, worry was even more evident. After hesitating for a moment, Yelu Wuzhi continued: "Your Majesty, the Han army has now dispatched three great columns, all pressing toward Yunzhou in overwhelming force. They are unhurried, unflustered, advancing steadily and methodically, gradually tightening the noose, with the intent of converging on Yunzhou and fighting a decisive battle beneath the walls of Yunzhong City. Though the great battle has not yet begun, our army's position is already extremely unfavorable. After the battle at Nankou, our casualties were severe, our elite troops greatly diminished, our fighting strength depleted, and morale has never truly recovered.

After this bitter winter, the soldiers long for home and have no heart for battle. I have inspected the various tribes, and from the commanders on down, there is much grumbling and an urgent desire to return to the tribal pastures to rest and recover. Now, with our troops weary and our horses weak, facing the Han army's massive advance, trying to meet them head-on in battle is by no means an easy task!"

"Everything the Great King of the Northern Division says sings the praises of the Han army's might. By your account, we are already doomed to defeat before we have even engaged in battle? Are my Great Liao's two hundred thousand warriors nothing but rotten wood and withered grass, waiting to be broken by anyone?" Yelu Jing looked at Yelu Wuzhi, his anger undisguised in his tone.

Yelu Wuzhi rose, raised his hand to his chest, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the situation is what it is. At the onset of early spring, the war situation is indeed unfavorable to our army. The forces at Yunzhou and Shuozhou have nearly exhausted the realm's finest troops. We can no longer afford heavy losses, or it will harm the very foundation of the Great Liao's dynasty. I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully and devise a sound strategy to repel the enemy!"

Yelu Wuzhi was extremely calm and composed, but hearing his words, Yelu Jing could not help staring at him: "Strategy! Strategy! Are you again going to urge me to abandon Yunzhou and Shuozhou, to hand over the lands won by our ancestors' blood and sweat to the Han army!"

Clearly, having already lost Youyan, abandoning Yunzhou and Shuozhou as well was intolerable to Yelu Jing. And the two hundred thousand troops still maintained in this region were, by and large, the stubborn bottom line of his resolve.

Facing the Liao Emperor's interrogation, Yelu Wuzhi shook his head and said gravely: "At present, I do not advise abandoning Yunzhou. Do not be fooled by the Han army's slow progress and their pursuit of stability and completeness—given the current situation, once we abandon Yunzhou, they will surely pounce like a pack of starving wolves, snapping at our heels in pursuit!"

"How to resist the Han army, what countermeasures there are—speak plainly, Chancellor!" At this point, Yelu Jing's emotions gradually calmed, returning to his usual composure as he looked at Yelu Wuzhi and asked.

Though his face remained cold, his demeanor gave one a sense of reassurance, unlike before, when hearts were constantly in suspense. Yelu Wuzhi clasped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I maintain my earlier advice. The forces at Yunzhou and Shuozhou can no longer withstand heavy losses. For the sake of the state, preserving our strength must take priority. In the current situation, whether in military strength, morale, supplies, or provisions, our army is inferior to the Han army. Under such circumstances, fighting a decisive battle with the Han army at Yunzhou offers but a slim chance of victory. If we lose, the Great Liao's vital energy will be utterly depleted. The balance of gain and loss, the weight of advantage and disadvantage—I beg Your Majesty to think thrice!"

Looking at Yelu Wuzhi and seeing his earnest countenance, Yelu Jing knew that this was indeed a loyal minister of deep foresight who understood the stakes. He offered this advice with straightforward integrity, almost staking his own reputation and prestige on his counsel. After all, offering such a suggestion of surrendering territory and humiliating the nation was bound to invite criticism.

Drawing a deep breath, Yelu Jing glanced at the other ministers and asked: "The Great King of the Northern Division advises preserving our strength and avoiding battle. What are your thoughts?"

He first looked at Yelu Talie, the most senior imperial clansman present. Yelu Talie pondered for a moment, then replied in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, if the Han army continues its current strategy and method of advance, then when their forces converge to besiege Yunzhou and we fight a decisive battle, our army is certainly no match for them!"

It was Xiao Husi's turn. He lowered his head slightly, weighed his words, and said: "Your Majesty, the Xi King has reported that the various Xi tribes are showing signs of unrest. They hope to withdraw their troops to suppress the tribes!"

Within Liao, the Xi were a pillar of strength, widely distributed and numerous in population, forming part of the foundation of rule. In the early years, when Yelu Abaoji reorganized the Khitan tribes, the integration of the Xi tribes was included. Thus, the Xi's importance to Liao went without saying.

With his mention of Xi unrest, Xiao Husi sought to remind Yelu Jing to pay attention to the situation within the Khitan realm. After all, even the front-line troops bound by military discipline were restless at heart—how much more so the tribes at home who had contributed troops and supplies for the great Han-Liao war.

Yelu Jing clearly understood Xiao Husi's intent, and his brow furrowed even more tightly. In truth, he was not ignorant of the domestic situation—indeed, that was precisely why he was so deeply frustrated. He wanted to resist the Han army to the end, yet every factor was working against him. His Great Liao dynasty, overlord of the grasslands, had fallen into such a dire predicament, and under his own rule at that—his heart was filled with oppression and shame.

"Minister Han, what do you think?" With a sigh, Yelu Jing turned his gaze to Han Kuangmei, who sat silently to one side.

Han Kuangmei cautiously glanced at the Liao Emperor, then at the assembled ministers, hesitated for a moment, and replied: "Your Majesty, at present we cannot fight. If we wish to withdraw and avoid battle, we should make preparations early while the Han army is still advancing steadily. Otherwise, once the Han army is at the city walls, extricating ourselves from them will certainly not be easy!"

Looking at the several ministers, whether Khitan or Han, they all expressed the same sentiment: under the current circumstances, the possibility of defeating the Han army was minuscule. Apart from Yelu Wuzhi, though none said it explicitly, all leaned toward avoiding battle. Of course, the more pleasant phrasing was preserving strength, retaining vital energy, and biding time for the future; the more honest phrasing was abandoning territory to preserve manpower and withdrawing north.

"Let me think it over!" Looking at the assembled heavyweights, Yelu Jing could not help but sigh.

A wave of loneliness surged into his heart. Yelu Jing was not unaware of the current situation—it was just that there was a hurdle in his heart he found difficult to cross. Abandoning Yunzhou and Shuozhou was not a difficult decision to make; if he chose to withdraw, the difficulty was not great either, at least compared to Nankou, where the Liao army had far more room to retreat.

The key issue was that if he withdrew now, all the territory and population gained through southward expansion since Taizong Yelu Deguang's time would flow away like water. Twenty years of painstaking Khitan effort would be undone in one stroke, returning to the starting point. And if Yunzhou and Shuozhou were lost, the vast lands and pastures south of the Yin Mountains would also be exposed to the Han army's campaigns and strikes.

If that happened, while Liao would not exactly be in decline and would still be the northern overlord, the strategic situation between Han and Liao would undergo a cataclysmic transformation. The Khitan would find it difficult to maintain the "heavenly hand" strategic advantage they had previously held over Han.

The contest between the grassland dynasty and the Central Plains empire would most likely return to the track of history. And taking history as a mirror, in such struggles, under the backdrop of a unified Central Plains and a rising empire, the final victor was always China.

Having such awareness could be said to show Yelu Jing's far-sightedness. However, reality kept pressing him. If he truly exhausted his remaining forces at Yunzhou and drained his vital energy, then in the future he would not even be able to preserve the qualification to contend with the Han dynasty.

Yelu Jing had also considered sending envoys to the Great Han to negotiate peace and end the war, demarcating territory and returning the Youyan region to the Great Han. But Yelu Wuzhi had directly advised against humiliating himself—given the martial prowess the Han army had displayed this time, how could they possibly be satisfied without thoroughly conquering the Yunzhou and Shuozhou region?

After hesitating for a moment, an interpreter walked in with a grave expression and presented a military report: "Your Majesty, a military report from Shuozhou!"

"Speak!" From his expression, Yelu Jing knew it would not be good news.

The interpreter replied: "Shanyang has been breached by the Han general Zhe Deyi. Shuozhou has fallen, and the defending troops have surrendered!"

At these words, though the expressions of the Liao ruler and ministers tightened somewhat, none were overly surprised—though disappointment was unavoidable. A certain force had been stationed in the Shuozhou region, with some lingering hope of holding out, waiting for another day to spring some unexpected effect. But now, with Shanyang breached, those plans had been thoroughly dashed.

One report was followed by another. While Yelu Jing hesitated over strategy, a secret report from Shangjing dealt him another heavy blow.

After reading the secret report from Xiao Haili, the chancellor of the Northern Administration, Yelu Jing could no longer contain his emotions. His face was nearly twisted, the bloodshot veins in his eyes seeming to multiply. He slammed his hand hard on the table, gasped for breath several times, and cursed: "Despicable!"

Closing his eyes to calm himself for a long while, Yelu Jing slowly relaxed his body. When he opened his eyes again, he radiated a sharp, piercing aura. In a cold voice, he said: "Prepare to withdraw the army!"