Chapter 941: A Cornered Beast Still Fights

"Such a formidable city, breached in a matter of days—this fully demonstrates the sharpness of our Great Han's military might, and moreover, it is Your Majesty's majesty descending upon us, the soldiers emboldened and fighting with valor, while the enemy, trapped and desperate, faces utter ruin..." Seeing the city fall, the Han army was universally inspired, and on the viewing platform, there was also a scene of jubilation. Zhang Ji, in particular, directed a stream of flattery toward Liu Chengyou.

A slight smile involuntarily crept onto Liu Chengyou's lips. In the tone of a victor, he calmly commented: "City siege and defense—this is our strength, and the enemy's weakness. No matter how much preparation the Liao army has made, holding fast within city walls and stubbornly resisting the heavenly troops is ultimately striking with one's weakness against another's strength. Moreover, the Great Han surrounds them with tenfold numbers, elite soldiers and sharp weapons, sparing no expense in losses, advancing steadily and securely—how could their lone city hold out for long?"

Since the northern expedition began, there had been over a hundred battles large and small between the Han and Liao armies, but for the Han army, there had been only two true siege operations: one at Tanzhou, and one at Yunzhou. Although the Han army's sieges might look like playing dirty and fighting a war of abundance, this mode of siege warfare was in fact difficult to employ as a conventional method of operation—it was far too extravagant.

If every city were fought this way, even the Great Han's national strength could not sustain the consumption. The Han army merely arranged suitable tactics in appropriate places—just two battles in total, yet they were already sufficient to determine the direction and outcome of the war.

"What Your Majesty says is most true. This is overwhelming by sheer momentum, and once that momentum is established, it cannot be stopped—it is not something the mere garrison of Yunzhong can resist!" An Shouzhong also voiced his view.

"However, Yelu Talie can be considered a man of heroic mettle. He keeps the whole picture in view, plans for the long term, and dares to hold this lone city with an isolated force, resisting our army with all his might. This courage and boldness are indeed worthy of admiration. Since our troops arrived at the city walls, nearly a month has passed. Facing relentless, day-and-night assaults, to have held out this long is already remarkable!" Liu Chengyou added.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji said: "To receive such praise from Your Majesty, that Yelu Talie can die without regret!"

"With these more than twenty thousand Liao troops in Yunzhong annihilated as well, it will deal another heavy blow to the Khitan! Combined with their internal strife, the Khitan will not only suffer severe damage to their national strength—I fear they face the danger of national ruin!" Guo Tong, the emperor's maternal uncle accompanying the army, said.

"Adding frost to snow—and that is all there is to it!" Liu Chengyou said.

"Since the northern expedition began, through all the battles fought, the Liao army's direct combat losses add up to roughly two hundred thousand, not to mention the wounded and missing. These were all Liao's able-bodied soldiers. Having suffered such losses, their vitality has been gravely wounded. After this arduous campaign, the Great Han has not only fully recovered Yanyun, but the heavy blow dealt to the Khitan is also an achievement of unprecedented merit. I can assert that for the next ten years, the barbarians will have no strength to invade the south, and the Great Han's northern border will be free of worry..." An Shouzhong expressed his view.

"The Liao army's losses are severe, but the Great Han's casualties are not small either!" Liu Chengyou nodded while sighing: "National strength has been heavily depleted, the soldiers are weary, farming seasons have been disrupted—I can already foresee that after returning to court, I will have a headache over the two words 'money and grain'!"

Though he said this, everyone could sense the ease in the Emperor's words and the joy in his mood. Because although this battle had cost the Great Han no small price, compared to what was gained, it was all worth it. In this era, there was likely no one who understood the significance and value of recovering Yanyun better than Liu Chengyou.

The two words "Yanyun" were indeed somewhat heavy, but perhaps no one could truly share with him the joy of its recovery, or reach a place of empathy. However, Liu Chengyou's own sense of relief was enough.

"Send someone to ask which army breached the city first!" Liu Chengyou ordered.

"Yes!"

While the Emperor and his close ministers conversed freely atop the high platform, the battle within Yunzhou city was still ongoing, and still fierce. The city was indeed solid—though it had suffered the Han army's relentless bombardment and was scarred in many places, its foundations had not been greatly damaged. Along the lengthy city walls, the Han army had now occupied every position. Because the city gates had been completely sealed shut, countless Han soldiers, like swarms of ants, climbed up the walls using all sorts of scaling equipment, striking and killing the Liao troops.

From all directions, over a hundred war drums pounded madly, urging the soldiers forward. The Liao troops on the walls had already fallen into a rout, contracting back into the city, while the Han soldiers, amid the melee, had also lost their formation, simply relying on their daily training to pursue and strike relentlessly, advancing into the city.

The subsequent fighting proved that the Liao army's fighting spirit had not been completely broken. The northern wall was breached first, and thus collapsed into rout, but the other city gates were still holding on with desperate effort.

Though the city had fallen, Yelu Talie still refused to concede. Just as he had promised the Liao Emperor before his departure, he would fight to the last man. In the emergency, he did three things.

First, he calmed the troops' morale and strengthened the defenses of the inner city. Second, he ordered the defenders at the remaining three gates to voluntarily withdraw and contract toward the inner city, dispatching a portion of troops to provide support along the streets. Third, he personally led troops to gather the routed soldiers from the north gate and hold back the advancing Han army.

Under Yelu Talie's calm command, the Liao army, though defeated, did not fall into chaos. After paying a certain price, they regrouped and continued to resist. Thus, the fighting after entering the city did not diminish—it grew even more intense.

The Liao army's response also caught the Han army off guard. In their previous experience, once a city was breached, it was a matter of pursuing the fleeing and slaughtering at will—even if some resistance was encountered, it could be easily suppressed. The experience at Tanzhou had corroborated this.

But the Liao troops at Yunzhou displayed a firmness of resistance and a tenacity in combat that genuinely surprised the Han army. Under orderly support arrangements, the Liao troops in the city, relying on every street and every row of houses, engaged the Han army in desperate combat. Ambushes, flanking maneuvers, cutting off formations—all sorts of urban warfare techniques that the Han army excelled at were unexpectedly employed by the Liao troops, and for a time, they inflicted no small casualties on the Han army.

Of course, the Liao army's desperate struggle was almost a provocation to the Han soldiers, and it thoroughly enraged them. Without the slightest hesitation, mid- and low-ranking officers spontaneously led their men in fierce combat against the Liao troops within the city.

In the fighting within the city, the Han army in fact lost many of its advantages. Their formidable siege engines could not be brought to bear, and as the space narrowed, their numerical superiority could not be fully deployed. Under the Liao army's desperate resistance, casualties began to rise—even more severe than the fighting on the walls. Of course, the dead and wounded were on both sides.

The Liao army's stubborn resistance quickly made the commanding generals realize that the battle was not yet over, and the Liao troops were far from the point of collapse. Moreover, as time went on, they unanimously changed their tactics, ordering that there was no need to rush for quick results—instead, they would steadily compress the enemy's space and methodically mop up the remaining foes.

As the Han army changed its tactics, the pressure on the Liao troops multiplied, with breakthroughs being made on all fronts. Seeing them on the verge of collapse, the Han army naturally intensified its attacks, while Yelu Talie continued to contract toward the inner city.

Moreover, during the retreat, he set another fire—a towering blaze. Yelu Talie's preparations were indeed thorough. In many of the houses, he had stored large quantities of hay and firewood, and had sprinkled them with fire oil and grease. Fire and water are merciless—truly not something flesh and blood can withstand.

The Han army's offensive was inevitably checked. Beneath the boiling flames, the soldiers instinctively fell back to avoid being devoured by the fire. The Liao troops, seizing this opportunity, all withdrew into the inner city.

The inner city of Yunzhou was not large, but it was equally solid. The surrounding area was completely bare—all buildings and structures had been demolished, both for defensive purposes and to serve as a firebreak.

Gazing at the raging flames beyond the inner city, Yelu Talie's expression was exceptionally grave. Though he had checked the Han army's offensive, he could not relax in the slightest. In his estimates, these contingency measures were not supposed to be used until at least a month later—but the Han army had breached the outer city far too quickly...

There was little time for him to reflect or lament. The Liao troops who had retreated into the inner city still numbered over ten thousand, most of them exhausted soldiers, with a very high proportion of wounded. Yelu Talie personally oversaw the city's defense arrangements, tended to the wounded, and calmed the troops' morale.

The Liao army retreated in disarray, but the Han side was also somewhat singed and embarrassed. Flames soared into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and the entire heavens were nearly blackened. Of course, this was also because night was falling, which made everything appear darker.

On the viewing platform, the "laughter and cheerful talk" was no more. Reports of the fighting within the city kept coming in, and for the Great Han's ruler and ministers present, it was somewhat awkward—after all, it was a bit of a slap in the face, having rejoiced too early.

Gazing from afar at the scene of fire and smoke, Liu Chengyou smiled, putting on a somewhat relaxed air, and said: "It seems I truly did not underestimate that Yelu Talie—he still intends to fight like a cornered beast!"

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Wei has sent someone to ask whether replacements should be sent in to continue the attack?" An Shouzhong asked.

"The Prince of Wei is the overall commander of the siege—he may decide for himself!" Liu Chengyou replied. However, after a pause, he still gave the order: "Transmit my command—temporarily halt the attack. We have fought for four days and three nights; let the soldiers rest!"

"Yes!"