Chapter 172: Both Fronts Victorious, Raising Our Nation

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Under the persuasion of imperial concubines such as Xiao Sese, Xiao Duoli Lan, Xiao Guigee, and Xiao Shigu, Yelu Yanxi finally ordered Xiao Changge to send two envoys to Xiongzhou to demand an explanation.

Xiao Changge feared that Zhao Yu would kill the envoys, leaving no room for negotiation and forcing total war; thus, he dispatched Xiao Fengxian and the Han minister Zuo Qigong—both of whom had previously succeeded in their mission to the Zhao Song court and still held Zhao Yu's favorable impression—to meet Zhao Yu in Xiongzhou.

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong arrived at the Baisou River and, fearing accidental harm, raised a large banner inscribed with the characters "Peace Talks" in both Khitan script and Han characters.

A bridge spanned the Baisou River, its southern end controlled by Song troops and its northern end held by Liao forces.

The "Peace Talks" banner carried by Xiao Fengxian's attendants flapped loudly in the wind; Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong hid behind several attendants holding shields and crossed the river in trembling fear.

Fan Chunchui sent men to receive Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong's party, then sent word to Xiongzhou, instructing the Pacification Commission to dispatch a Guest Reception Official to escort them to Xiongzhou.

Under Fan Chunchui's arrangements, Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong's party were first lodged in a remote camp of the Eastern Route Army.

Zuo Qigong wished to take the opportunity to observe the Song army's condition.

But the men sent by Fan Chunchui refused them any chance to interact with the Song troops; once they entered the camp, they were immediately placed under guard.

Seeing this, Zuo Qigong could only reluctantly give up.

While Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong's party anxiously waited in the Eastern Route Army camp for the Guest Reception Official to come and take them to Xiongzhou, a distant sound of fierce battle suddenly erupted.

Xiao Fengxian was terrified and rushed out of his tent to ask the guard: "May I ask, what is happening?"

The guard replied harshly: "Your Excellency, please return to rest."

As he spoke, the guard placed his hand on his sword hilt.

Seeing this, Xiao Fengxian could only obediently retreat back into his tent.

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Let us rewind time by two hours.

Wang Shan, commander of the Western Route Army, had always been an ambitious and aggressive general.

In his early years, Wang Shan was punished for falsely claiming rewards; to redeem himself, he secretly devised a strategy to capture Qingtang. He led his troops to seize Miao Chuan and persuaded Xiazhen to surrender; later, he captured Qingtang, and the Song established Shanzhou from Qingtang and Huangzhou from Miao Chuan. For his achievements, he was promoted to Director of the Four Pavilions, Defense Commissioner of Rongzhou, Department Magistrate of Shanzhou, then appointed Commander of Weizhou and Regional Military Commissioner.

But Wang Shan proved a typical Western Army general—he later allowed his subordinates to plunder, provoking Qiang rebellions and a joint siege of Miao Chuan by Qiang and Western Xia forces. Song generals suffered heavy losses, and he was impeached by the Transport Commissioner for embezzlement and murder to cover his tracks, demoted to Right Thousand Ox General, exiled to Fangzhou, and later banished to Changhua Army.

Just as Wang Shan reached the lowest point of his life, humiliated and ready to take his own life, Zhao Yu ascended the throne and granted him a special pardon, sparing his life.

Zhao Yu not only pardoned Wang Shan but, recognizing his offensive nature, elevated him to commander of the Western Auxiliary Army, giving him a chance to redeem himself.

Of course, Zhao Yu personally warned Wang Shan not to bring the Western Army's ways into the new army; he specifically gave Wang Shan the military regulations and discipline newly compiled by Li Lin, ordering him to memorize and follow them.

Wang Shan had long sought to repay Zhao Yu's great favor.

Coincidentally, Zhao Yu again tasked Wang Shan with what he did best: seeking battle opportunities and striking first to crush the unconsolidated Liao forces, instructing them to fight only to win—with rewards for victory, punishment for defeat.

To Wang Shan, this was the heavenly opportunity to repay Zhao Yu's favor and the perfect chance to turn his fortunes around.

Thus, after arriving at Fancun, Wang Shan devoted himself to studying how to crush the Liao forces and erase his past disgrace.

From captured Liao spies, Wang Shan learned that the Liao general Xiao Taba also commanded thirty thousand cavalry stationed northeast of Fancun.

Xiao Taba also was a renowned Liao general who had played a role in resisting foreign threats and maintaining domestic stability.

After several days of stalemate, the Song army, ever seeking an opening, struck first while the Liao forces were still unconsolidated.

Xiao Taba stationed his troops on Beigu Mountain, deploying his thirty thousand cavalry in three lines; many Liao cavalry even brought three or four spare horses each.

Wang Shan personally led his elite cavalry to occupy the summit of Nangu Mountain, surveying the terrain and planning the battle.

At the start of battle, Wang Shan ordered a three-hundred-man heavy cavalry unit to descend and challenge; the Liao side refused to retreat, and under Xiao Taba's command, a three-hundred-man heavy cavalry unit also descended and charged fiercely.

As the two sides fought to a standstill on the battlefield, Wang Shan ordered Zhong Shizhong and Zhe Yanzhi to lead the Divine Machine Rear Army into battle.

The Divine Machine Rear Army deployed tiger-crouching cannons alongside divine-arm bows, causing Liao heavy cavalry to fall from their mounts, pierced by bullets and arrows; the front lines began to show signs of collapse.

Yao Gu led the Western Auxiliary Army's front cavalry in pursuit, but was met with a Liao counterattack; Yao Gu was struck by an arrow and fell back.

At the same time, Wang Shan ordered the Western Auxiliary Army's left wing to attack the Liao right flank, but made no breakthrough.

The Divine Machine Rear Army continued advancing, inflicting heavy casualties on the Liao forces.

Seizing the moment, Wang Shan ordered the Western Auxiliary Army's right wing to attack the Liao left flank; their cavalry clashed fiercely in close combat, suffering mutual losses—Western Auxiliary Army's right wing commander Ge Gu died fighting bravely.

Clearly, the Liao forces remained formidable.

Seeing the battle between Song and Liao forces reach its fever pitch, Wang Shan personally led several thousand elite cavalry from the Western Auxiliary Army's center column, charging straight down from the mountain summit into the heart of the Liao main force.

Struck by this fresh force, the Liao army finally collapsed along the entire front.

Song morale surged; the entire army launched a full assault, killing over ten Liao officers and commanders, beheading thousands of enemies, and capturing more than one hundred thousand cattle, sheep, camels, and horses before returning.

The remnants of the Liao army fled northward.

The Song army pursued for dozens of li, capturing over a thousand more Liao soldiers and horses.

Seeing the Western Front engage, the Eastern Front commander Gao Yongnian could no longer contain himself.

Gao Yongnian was a non-Han, not Han Chinese; during Wang Shan's campaign to capture Qingtang, Gao Yongnian commanded the barbarian troops as vanguard. During the Zongge rebellion, he led over a thousand cavalry straight to the city, opened the Shengzhang Gorge route, repelled the Qiang rebels, and repeatedly held off fierce Qiang assaults. He also cooperated with generals such as Miao Lu and Yao Xiong in battles at Xilan Zong Fortress, Dun Valley, and Qian Gou, displaying great bravery—he once rode alone, speared through the Qiang chieftain Biao Jisi in the midst of ten thousand enemies, causing the enemy to flee under cover of night—an absolute fierce general.

Later, when Wang Hou reclaimed the Qingtang region, he ordered Gao Yongnian to lead twenty thousand troops out of Jingyu Pass, capture Anchuan Fortress, reach Huangzhou, and then appoint him as Department Magistrate. In battle against Xishu Luosa, Gao Yongnian led his elite vanguard to break through enemy lines, decisively defeating the Qiang army and aiding in the pacification of Shanzhou.

Unlike Wang Shan, who was pulled from the depths of despair into the Four Auxiliary Armies by Zhao Yu, Gao Yongnian was elevated to commander of the Four Auxiliary Armies at the height of his fame and success.

Historically, he was betrayed by his own loyal Qiang bodyguards, captured by the Qiang, and later murdered by Duoluoba, whose men dug out his heart and liver and ate them.

Zhao Yu was fully aware of this; thus, when Zhang Chun recommended Gao Yongnian for commander of the Eastern Auxiliary Army, Zhao Yu immediately approved.

Though a non-Han, Gao Yongnian was highly sinicized and authored the "Yuanfu Record of Longyou," contributing numerous military victories for the Zhao Song dynasty along its northwestern frontier—truly a man of both literary and martial excellence, utterly loyal.

After the Western Front battle began, the Eastern Front Liao commander Yelu Wotela secretly dispatched a three-thousand-man light cavalry unit to reinforce the Western Front.

Yelu Wotela had served under Emperor Daozong and Yelu Yanxi, achieving notable military accomplishments, participating in campaigns against the Zubu and other tribes, and helping stabilize Liao's frontier regions.

Yelu Wotela knew full well that moving these troops would risk alerting the Song army and damaging morale on his own front if they attacked.

But in Yelu Wotela's view, he had moved the three thousand troops secretly; the Song army should not have noticed his maneuver, and even if they did, they might not seize the opportunity.

And if these three thousand troops appeared on the Western Front, they might greatly boost Liao morale—and even turn defeat into victory.

Unbeknownst to him, the Song army possessed telescopes, and Gao Yongnian had ordered men to constantly observe the Liao side across the river with them.

This allowed Gao Yongnian to learn of Yelu Wotela's maneuver at once.

Gao Yongnian immediately ordered: "Form ranks, march out to battle!"

Fan Chuncui hesitated slightly and asked: "Shouldn't we wait a little longer? What if this is an enemy trick…"

Gao Yongnian declared: "Even if it is a trick, I have fifty thousand troops, with the Divine Mechanism Army— they have only thirty thousand. What is there to fear!"

The new army operated under a dual-command system; from its founding, Li Lin had decreed that during peacetime, the supervising officer held authority, but in battle, the commanding general did.

Thus, when Gao Yongnian decided to attack, Fan Chuncui had no choice but to fully cooperate.

Soon, the vanguard of the Eastern Auxiliary Army began firing at the Liao forces, arrows falling like rain.

The Liao army, caught completely off guard, suffered countless casualties.

Meanwhile, the Divine Mechanism vanguard, led by Liu Zhongwu and Zhong Sida, launched an assault on the river bridge.

Gao Yongnian also specifically ordered the left wing of the Eastern Auxiliary Army to circle around to the upper reaches of the Baigou River, find a shallow crossing point, and prepare to strike the Liao forces by surprise.

Seeing this, the Liao general Yelu Wotela's face turned pale—he never imagined the Song army could detect his movements so swiftly and react so decisively. He urgently ordered his troops to reorganize their formation and prepare for battle, but in the chaos, commands failed to reach their units, and the Liao lines were already in disarray.

Gao Yongnian stood at the front of the formation, his telescope clearly revealing every move of the Liao army; he waved his command flag with calm authority.

"Send orders: accelerate the advance of the Divine Mechanism vanguard—cross the river bridge before Liao reinforcements arrive!"

At the banks of the Baigou River, arrows rained down.

The crossbowmen of the Eastern Auxiliary Army's vanguard fired in disciplined volleys, the whistle of arrows blending with the screams of the Liao soldiers.

Under Liu Zhongwu and Zhong Sida's leadership, the Divine Mechanism vanguard pierced the river bridge like a sharp blade.

The Song army's Divine Arm Crossbows and Tiger Squat Cannons outranged the Liao bows; the dense volleys of arrows and cannonballs pinned the Liao troops down, forcing them to keep their heads low.

Seizing this opening, the Divine Mechanism Army surged across the Baigou River bridge, while the Eastern Auxiliary Army's left wing arrived from upstream, encircling the Liao forces from both flanks.

Seeing the situation spiral downward, Yelu Wotela grew desperate. He knew that unless he stabilized his lines immediately, his army would collapse entirely. He personally led his elite bodyguards, aiming to break through the Song encirclement and restore morale.

Yet Gao Yongnian had anticipated this move—he ordered the Eastern Auxiliary Army's right wing to cross the river at a shallow point downstream, flanking the Liao forces from the side, forming a three-pronged pincer with the Divine Mechanism vanguard and the Eastern Auxiliary Army's left wing.

Though Yelu Wotela's bodyguards were fierce, they gradually grew overwhelmed by the Song army's relentless tide of attacks.

Crucially, the Divine Mechanism vanguard's firepower was too overwhelming—face to face, the Liao troops simply could not hold.

On the battlefield, explosions, shouts, clashing weapons, and neighing horses merged into a deafening roar.

Song soldiers fought with fearless valor, charging forward without hesitation; their eyes burned with the thirst for victory, while the Liao troops sank into despair, their morale crumbling, defeat now evident.

At this moment, Gao Yongnian personally led the Eastern Auxiliary Army's center and rear divisions across the river, launching a full-scale assault.

Song soldiers descended like tigers from the mountains, unstoppable.

Seeing the tide turn, Yelu Wotela tried to break out and flee, but was intercepted by a young Song officer; after only a few exchanges, Yelu Wotela was captured alive.

With their commander taken, the Liao army's morale collapsed completely, and they broke and fled in all directions.

Gao Yongnian ordered all cavalry to pursue relentlessly, chasing them all the way to the walls of Xincheng before returning with prisoners and spoils.

In this battle, the Eastern Route Army killed thousands of Liao soldiers, captured thousands more, and seized over one hundred thousand cattle, sheep, camels, and horses.

Zhang Xun and Fan Chuncui each sent swift riders to Xiongzhou to report the victory to Zhao Yu, and requested permission to advance the front line.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Yu was overjoyed; he immediately promoted Wang Shan and Gao Yongnian to Garrison Commanders, Zhang Xun and Fan Chuncui to Inspectors, and ordered immediate tallying of all other meritorious officers for swift rewards and promotions.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yu, following Ceng Bu's advice, authorized both the Eastern and Western Route Armies to advance toward Zhuozhou as their next objective, awaiting Guo Cheng's command to seize it…

Three days later, only after the Eastern Route Army had fully rested and departed did the escort officials Zheng Yunzhong and Ma Zheng arrive to receive Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong.

Zheng Yunzhong was relatively active in diplomatic affairs; he had participated in numerous Song-Liao diplomatic missions and played a role in handling certain diplomatic matters, making him well known to the Liao, so Zhao Yu assigned him as escort official.

Ma Zheng was the father of Ma Kuo, the famed Song diplomat of the Northern and Southern Song periods.

After receiving Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong, the latter, bursting with questions, immediately asked: "The sound of yesterday's battle echoed across the heavens—what was the outcome?"

Zheng Yunzhong smiled faintly, his expression brimming with pride: "Yesterday, both eastern and western fronts engaged simultaneously—and on both, our forces achieved great victories. On the eastern front, we captured alive your commander-in-chief, Yelu Wotela, proclaiming our nation's might."

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong turned pale with shock—they never imagined the Liao had lost on both fronts, and that even the famed general Yelu Wotela had been captured by the Song!

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong pressed for details.

Wanting to intimidate them, Zheng Yunzhong and Ma Zheng revealed everything they knew that was not classified.

After hearing it, Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong's hearts sank. They knew their mission was likely futile.

Still, from the reception they had received, the Zhao Song court clearly valued their visit. Regardless of intent, at least in form, the Zhao Song had fulfilled all proper courtesies—leaving them with a faint, desperate hope amid despair…

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(End of Chapter)