Chapter 928: Placing Oneself in a Deadly Situation

As Fu Yanqing's main army finally could no longer hold back and marched north, the chaos around Yunzhou was still ongoing, yet the Liao army's withdrawal was already nearing its end. Yelu Jing had divided the Liao forces mainly into three groups—the first group of twenty thousand heading north first to confirm the route, cut open mountain paths, and level the road surface.

The second group of fifty thousand troops carried the main baggage, livestock, and property. Yunzhou was a place the Liao had managed for twenty years, worthy of being called a pearl beyond the frontier—one of the more prosperous regions among the prefectures and counties under Liao control—hence a great quantity of wealth was being carried away. At the same time, this was also the most motley contingent, for besides the army, there were large numbers of common folk traveling with their families.

Although the authorities had told them to flee on their own to avoid the fighting and take refuge in the prefectures and tribes beyond the northern frontier, many still chose to follow the main army, hoping to receive protection. Faced with this situation, Yelu Jing felt helpless and did not order them dispersed—if they wanted to follow, let them follow, as long as they could keep up! At the same time, he issued instructions to the various commanders that they must not place the main army in danger because of the civilians accompanying it; when necessary, they were to abandon them.

The third group of Liao troops numbered over thirty thousand, the most elite of all—these were the troops guarding the Liao emperor, and the cream of the army was concentrated here. That's right, the Liao emperor had chosen to personally cover the retreat of the Yunzhou army. A ruse to confuse the enemy could not last forever; once the Han army reacted, they would surely pursue and strike relentlessly. Although the Liao army had abundant livestock and high mobility, they were ultimately not traveling light on their return north, and their marching speed would not be as fast as one might imagine.

Therefore, in the matter of withdrawal, the most critical and most emphasized concern was how to stop the Han army's pursuit once they discovered the retreat. To this end, the Liao army made preparations on two fronts. The first was the Liao emperor personally leading the most elite force of over thirty thousand to cover the rear—this met with opposition from many, but Yelu Jing stubbornly insisted, for in his view, this was a measure to boost morale and unite the hearts of the army and the people.

Moreover, Yelu Jing had also conscripted all the able-bodied Han males from Yunzhou and the regions to its east, and together with some original Han troops, placed them all under the command of Han Kuangmei to return north together. Leaving behind only the old, weak, women, and children for the Han army—other places he could not attend to for the moment, but in Yunzhong and its surroundings, Yelu Jing did not intend to leave a single able-bodied Han male for the Han army.

To this end, the Liao army went to considerable trouble, not hesitating to resort to force. And because of this relocation decree of Yelu Jing's, a great number of Han families in the Yunzhou region were torn apart. This was an extremely unpopular measure, but Yelu Jing could no longer care about such things—anything that caused trouble for the Great Han was worth doing.

The other hand was the refusal to give up Yunzhong city. Although the decision to withdraw had been made, they had not completely abandoned Yunzhou—Yelu Jing left a contingent to hold it firmly. This was proposed by the Great King of the Southern Division, Yelu Talie, who said that if they directly abandoned Yunzhong city, then the Han army could pursue without restraint. Once drawn into a pursuit battle, the outcome would be unpredictable; even if they could shake off the Han army's pursuit, there was no guarantee of how great the losses would be.

Therefore, it was better to leave an elite force to hold the city, tying down the Han army's pursuit and supporting the main army's withdrawal from behind. At the same time, Yunzhong city was formidable—holding it in defense, if they could withstand the Han army's attacks, delay time, and drag them into a grueling siege, then once the Han army grew weary from prolonged campaigning or ran short of provisions, they would inevitably withdraw. In this way, there was even hope of preserving Yunzhou, however faint that hope might be.

Yelu Talie was deeply versed in Han affairs and saw things very clearly. For the Han army, if they maintained a force of three hundred thousand beyond the frontier and fought a prolonged campaign, the price they would pay would be far heavier than during their time in Youyan, and the pressure of logistical supply would be even greater.

Furthermore, Yelu Talie suggested that after Yelu Jing successfully withdrew beyond the Great Wall, he could leave a crack force operating along the line of the Yin Mountains and the Great Wall, coordinating with the Feng and Sheng troops in the northwest direction to support the Yunzhong defenders together. If heaven blessed them and the city could hold, then once the Liao emperor pacified the rebellions within his domain, the soldiers rested and recovered, and the warhorses grew fat, then if the Han army was still there, they could once again descend south in force...

Yelu Talie's strategy was to gamble with a portion of the Liao army, to win a military miracle, and to secure for Liao a strategic foothold south of the Yin Mountains and the Great Wall. After all, Yunzhou was an important supporting point in the southern dynasty's frontier defense—if it truly fell into the Great Han's control, given the current direction of developments, it would be basically impossible for Liao to take it back.

Yelu Jing was persuaded by the Great King of the Southern Division and agreed to his strategy. On the choice of the main general to remain behind, Yelu Talie volunteered himself for the post. At this, Yelu Jing at first refused in stern terms—although Yelu Talie was advanced in years, his prestige was extremely high and his abilities extremely strong; he was a pillar of state that the Great Liao could ill afford to lose. How could he be willing to abandon him in a deadly perilous place?

But Yelu Talie earnestly insisted, saying that no one was more suitable than him when it came to mastery of Yunzhong's city defenses, and moreover, if one wished to hold a city firmly, it could not be done without a capable minister and good general. The emperor himself was covering the army's rear with his imperial tent guards; as the Great King of the Southern Division, Yunzhou was his governing territory, and the duty of defense was one he could not shirk.

Yelu Talie's words deeply moved Yelu Jing. At the same time, he understood in his heart that if he wanted to use a single city of Yunzhong to tie down a hundred thousand or even several hundred thousand Han troops, among the important ministers at his side, only Yelu Talie—with his great reputation and high ability—could bear that responsibility.

To this end, Yelu Jing left Yelu Talie over twenty-seven thousand troops, the main force being the southern garrison troops who had previously been under Yelu Talie's command, plus dare-to-die warriors conscripted from the various tribes and some sturdy Hu barbarians from the Yunzhou region. Moreover, Yelu Jing even left three thousand Pishi Army soldiers for Yelu Talie.

These troops were no weak or feeble soldiers—with few worries behind them, and in Yelu Talie's hands, relying on the formidable walls of Yunzhong, they could cause major trouble for the Han army. One peculiar aspect was that only a very small number of Han soldiers with clean records were included. Clearly, at truly critical moments, the question of ethnicity came to the fore—especially when facing an attack by the Han army. Even though Yelu Jing had a tolerant disposition, he dared not trust the Han.

Beyond personnel arrangements, Yunzhong city was stocked with large quantities of grain, and with additional deliberate transfers, the provisions were sufficient for the defenders for half a year. In terms of weapons, Yelu Jing gave even greater support—leaving one-third of the army's armor and weapons in Yunzhong, and also assigning a portion of the army's craftsmen to forge siege-defense weapons for him.

Above Yunzhong city, the Liao banners fluttered continuously in the cold early spring wind. The city was quite quiet, exuding a solemn atmosphere. Outside the city, several massive Liao army camps still stood, but no longer echoed with the sounds of men and beasts as before—everywhere was empty.

It wasn't that the camps were completely deserted, though—one Liao camp was in complete chaos, with crying, shouting, and all kinds of clamor interwoven. These were the old, weak, women, and children originally from the city, nearly twenty thousand of them, forcibly moved out of the city and temporarily held under guard.

In the eyes of the resolute Yelu Talie, these people left in the city would only be a burden—they could not serve in the city's defense and would only add trouble. Yelu Talie was not exactly a cruel Khitan minister; he even ordered people to inform these folk to stay put outside the city, and that when the Han army arrived, they would provide relief and aid to them. This could be considered a kind of well-intentioned reminder.

To the north of the city, over thirty thousand Liao troops had already set out, embarking on the road home. Below the city walls, Yelu Talie led a group of subordinate officers in seeing off the Liao emperor's carriage. Yelu Jing, accompanied by a group of important ministers, bade them farewell—the scene was solemn and dignified.

Looking at Yelu Talie, who at nearly sixty years of age was still clad in armor, Yelu Jing bowed deeply and said: "The matter of Yunzhou is entirely entrusted to you, sir. I earnestly beg you to take care of yourself!"

Yelu Talie remained very calm and replied: "Your Majesty, rest assured. Your servant will surely lead the troops to resist the Han army with all our might, fighting to the last man. If the outer city falls, we will defend the inner city; if the inner city falls, we will defend the government offices. If Yunzhou ultimately cannot be held, then before your servant and the soldiers under my command are destroyed, we will surely kill enough Han troops to number forty thousand, to serve as our burial companions!"

These words of Yelu Talie's moved Yelu Jing once again. Noting his resolute expression, he bowed once more. The ministers behind the Liao emperor also performed grand salutes to show their respect for him.

Before mounting his carriage, Yelu Jing looked back once more—at Yelu Talie, then at the towering Yunzhong city behind him. His emotions were exceedingly complex. He did not know what the final outcome of this city would be, nor whether he would ever again have the opportunity to ascend its city towers in the capacity of its master.

After Yelu Jing departed north, Yelu Talie returned to the city and headed straight for the southern wall. The thick northern gate of Yunzhong slowly closed, as if sealing off any path of retreat.

"Great King, the Han army has moved north!" The Liao officer in charge of scouts came to report to Yelu Talie.

Showing little reaction, Yelu Talie asked: "How many men? Is it the entire army? Where have they reached? Who is the commanding general?"

"Only a few thousand cavalry, heading straight for Yunzhong. The commanding general should be the Han army's great general Shi Yanchao. The tribal cavalry to the south are harassing and intercepting them. Estimating their horses' pace, they should be less than fifty li from here!"

"Scout again! Get a clear picture of this Han force!" Yelu Talie did not make a hasty judgment but calmly gave the order. Of course, he immediately ordered the mobilization of ten thousand cavalry to leave the city and prepare for battle. The Liao troops remaining in Yunzhong were still predominantly cavalry.

On Shi Yanchao's side, after receiving Fu Yanqing's military orders, he eagerly led five thousand cavalry charging north. Just over twenty li out, Liao cavalry came on their own to harass and intercept, but the Han cavalry under Shi Yanchao were all elite troops of the Han army—fine armor and weapons, well trained—and with a fierce general like Shi Yanchao at the lead, they naturally swept all before them. Though the small bands of Liao cavalry were equally ferocious, they simply could not withstand Shi Yanchao's edge.

From Huairen to Yunzhong, even accounting for the winding roads, it was less than eighty li. Advancing north all the way, breaking through four bands of Liao cavalry sent to intercept them, it took only a little over two hours to draw near Yunzhong city. The momentum of their advance could truly be called sharp.

"General, the Liao army has only sent small bands of cavalry to intercept us—the situation seems unusual!" A captain at his side reminded Shi Yanchao, who was urging the advance.

At this time, the spring sun was slanting west, and the dormant Yunzhong city to the north was already visible in the distance. Although Shi Yanchao was hot-tempered by nature, he was ultimately a veteran of the battlefield with extremely rich combat experience. On this march north, he had already sensed some problems, and said with certainty: "The Liao army is indeed acting strangely. Our mission is to force out their true situation and intentions!"

Saying this, he led the troops continuing north. At a point over ten li south of Yunzhong city, Shi Yanchao finally encountered the first somewhat respectable resistance—three thousand Liao cavalry already drawn up in battle formation.

At this, his subordinates again raised objections, saying that after all this time, the Liao army must already know their situation, yet they had only sent three thousand cavalry to intercept—there was probably a trap.

However, Shi Yanchao just laughed heartily: "I brought you north intending to charge into the camp of a hundred-thousand-plus Liao army. This paltry force before us—what is there to fear?"

Having said this, he ordered a change of formation and, taking the lead on his horse, charged forward with his troops into the attack.