Chapter 193: Thought He Was Back in Form, Only to Be Completely Shocked Into Silence

…

Yelu Yanxi sent emissaries to probe Zhao Yu's terms for withdrawing his troops.

After learning of this, Zhao Yu ordered Han Zhongyan to tell Yelu Yanxi's emissaries bluntly that his conditions had never changed: return the tribute and interest, and peace negotiations could begin.

Moreover, Han Zhongyan specifically reminded the Liao emissary that the Liao Dynasty now had sufficient horses, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys, and should first return the interest to demonstrate sincerity toward peace.

Furthermore, the missing portion of the tribute should be collected from the Liao Western Capital, Liao Central Capital, Liao Eastern Capital, and even the Liao Upper Capital; both sides should swiftly deliver the tribute and initiate peace talks.

Finally, Han Zhongyan warned the Liao emissary on Zhao Yu's behalf: the Zhao Song Dynasty would neither negotiate peace nor withdraw its troops until it received the tribute and interest; the two sides must continue fighting.

Soon, the Liao emissary relayed Zhao Yu's stance to Yelu Yanxi.

Since the Liao reinforcements had gathered from all directions, the Song army had retreated to the Wanping and Xijin line and begun fortifying defenses in preparation for a major battle.

Even Zhao Yu's mobile command post began reinforcing its defensive works.

Notably, the palace attendants serving Zhao Yu—such as Li Chun, Cui Nianyue, Xiao Sese, the three Khitan princesses, the twenty-four Khitan noblewomen who came as dowries, and the three hundred beautiful girls from various ethnic groups—were all sent back to Xiongzhou's imperial palace under the protection of reliable personnel, except for ten who were exceptionally skilled in horseback riding and retained by Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu even considered sending Zhang Chun and Li Lin, both heavily pregnant, back to Xiongzhou as well.

But first, Zhang Chun and Li Lin did not wish to leave.

Second, Zhang Chun and Li Lin were still useful.

Third, even if only Zhang Chun and Li Lin, two pregnant women, remained, Zhao Yu should still be able to escort them away regardless of how chaotic the front became, for he commanded multiple elite armies, and escorting just these few back to Xiongzhou should pose no problem.

Additionally, Zhao Yu recalled all former Zhao Song officials previously dispatched to Yanjing, leaving only Zhao Liangsi and Lü Yihao to negotiate with the Liao and oversee the delivery of tribute and interest.

This gave Yelu Yanxi and his ministers the illusion that Zhao Yu feared the Liao reinforcements, that the Liao had regained the upper hand, and that Zhao Yu had extracted enough benefits and was preparing to flee.

Because they viewed the Song army's strategic retreat this way, Yelu Yanxi had lost enthusiasm and urgency regarding returning the tribute and interest to Zhao Song; moreover, the Liao side no longer mentioned the fifty thousand horses Yelu Yanxi had previously promised, clearly intending to renege on the debt.

In fact, from the Liao perspective, their refusal to pay was justified.

The gold, silver, silk, and brocade already delivered, ancestral treasures of pearls and jade, various jewels and antiques seized from the populace, plus horses, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys, along with weapons, strategic supplies, and grain, had already exceeded the total value of tribute extorted from Zhao Song.

Not to mention they had also given Zhao Yu Xiao Sese, Xiao Xiao Puxian Nv, the three Khitan princesses, the twenty-four Khitan noblewomen, and three hundred beautiful girls from various ethnic groups, as well as presented rare birds, fierce beasts, incense, tea, brocade, wine, fruits, and dowries.

To Yelu Yanxi, Zhao Yu's personal campaign had already repaid his losses; the Liao had extorted such wealth from Zhao Song for over a century and never amassed so much in one go—Zhao Yu had reclaimed it all in a single stroke. What more could he possibly want?

As for the treasures the Khitans had previously seized from Central Plains dynasties, those were never recorded—how could they be counted?

In short, Yelu Yanxi no longer wished to pay out anything further.

The most direct manifestation was that Liao officials ceased plundering the populace for gold, silver, and silk, and the caravans transporting silk and treasures to Zhao Song also halted.

In response, the conservative faction led by Han Zhongyan and Su Zhe believed Zhao Song should seize the opportunity to make peace and lock in victory.

But the radical faction led by Ceng Bu and Cai Bian argued that with hundreds of thousands of troops here and repeated victories, if the Liao still dared to renege, would they not immediately send reinforcements to Western Xia once these hundreds of thousands of troops withdrew?

Moreover, the radical faction led by Ceng Bu and Cai Bian believed this was a heavenly-given opportunity to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun; if missed, the Sixteen Prefectures might never be recovered, and Zhao Song might forever fail to achieve true unification.

Zhao Yu consulted Zhang Chun and Li Lin.

Zhang Chun said: "Your Majesty's personal campaign was meant to contain the Liao and prevent them from interfering with the Western Army's recovery of Western Xia. Now, at this critical moment in the campaign to reclaim Western Xia, how could we give the Liao a chance to disrupt us?"

Zhao Yu also believed that after witnessing Zhao Song's strength, Yelu Yanxi and his ministers—if not fools—could never allow Zhao Song to reclaim Western Xia, for once Zhao Song absorbed Western Xia, it would surely turn and destroy the Liao to achieve true unification.

This was a simple truth.

Therefore, withdrawing now might allow Western Xia to revive under Liao support.

Thus, before Zhang Jie and his men reclaimed Western Xia, they must not withdraw.

Li Lin told Zhao Yu: "Why make it so complicated? Our Divine Mechanism Army is well-equipped—we can directly engage the Liao army in battle and crush them utterly, ensuring they dare not provoke the Great Song again."

Li Lin's reasoning was sound: if the Liao were utterly defeated, Yelu Yanxi's cowardly nature would ensure he never dared challenge Zhao Song again.

'What cannot be won on the battlefield cannot be won at the negotiating table—we must fight one more battle.'

With this decision made, Zhao Yu summoned Guo Cheng, Zhong Pu, and other generals and told them: 'Ignore political considerations; strike when opportunity arises—victories will be rewarded…'

Upon receiving Zhao Yu's order, the Song army, long eager for a decisive battle, began actively preparing for war…

…

As elite cavalry from Tiande, Yunnei, Shuo, Wu, Ying, and Wei, the Northeastern Pacification Commission, the Wugu-Dielie Tribal Command, the Shiwéi Wang Fu, the Southern and Northern Jurchen Great Wang Fu, the Jurchen Shunhua Wang Fu, the Huang Longfu Jurchen Great Wang Fu, and the Yalu River Jurchen Great Wang Fu arrived, along with the elite forces led by Wanyan Yingge and Wanyan Aguda, the Liao army assembled beneath Yanjing exceeded seventy thousand, half of them cavalry.

Reinforcements from various regions gathered outside Yanjing, lacking unified command and unable to coordinate operations.

Yelu Heluwan felt this was untenable and submitted a memorial requesting Yelu Yanxi issue an edict placing all reinforcements under his command. He told Yelu Yanxi:

'The reinforcements have gathered in great numbers; military doctrine forbids division—unity of command is essential for success. I beg Your Majesty to place Xia Ma and others under my authority.'

Yelu Yanxi issued an imperial decree: 'The Prince Consort is old yet knowledgeable in warfare, and already holds high rank; he may serve as Deputy to the Imperial Uncle.'

Yelu Heluwan assumed Yelu Yanxi meant to appoint Xiao Xia Ma as Deputy Commander-in-Chief under his command.

Yelu Heluwan silently marveled at Yelu Yanxi's wisdom and proper judgment.

But events soon changed.

Xiao Fengxian told Yelu Yanxi this arrangement was improper: Yelu Heluwan must not be granted excessive military power, lest he become autocratic. Did he forget that Yelu Heluwan was Yelu Chun's father? If their combined military authority grew too great, it would threaten the throne; military power must be divided to maintain balance.

Yelu Yanxi found Xiao Fengxian's words profoundly reasonable.

Thus, Yelu Yanxi split the reinforcements: Yelu Heluwan commanded one portion, Xiao Xia Ma commanded another, and finally, Xiao Fengxian's younger brother Xiao Sixian commanded a small third portion to balance Yelu Heluwan and Xiao Xia Ma.

Added to this were Yelu Yanxi's own personal forces: the Pishi Army, the Shushan Army, and the Palace Division Armies.

The Liao army was now divided into four major parts.

Yelu Heluwan and Yelu Chun's forces were stationed southeast of the city; Xiao Xia Ma's forces were stationed southwest; Xiao Sixian's forces were stationed north; and Yelu Yanxi remained in command within Yanjing.

To prevent the other three Liao factions from competing or fighting among themselves, Yelu Yanxi repeatedly ordered Yelu Heluwan, Xiao Xia Ma, and Xiao Sixian not to interfere with one another.

Yet the Liao military command was now split into three parts, uncoordinated; when any party planned action, they often cited secrecy and failed to inform the other two.

This caused Yelu Heluwan's title of Supreme Commander of All Troops to become nominal in practice; true authority now rested with Yelu Yanxi.

From the perspective of preserving imperial authority, Yelu Yanxi's actions were understandable.

But from the standpoint of commanding an army, this violated the greatest military taboo.

Yelu Heluwan was deeply disappointed. He and his son had devoted themselves entirely to the Liao, even giving their future daughter-in-law to the enemy—yet they were still suspected.

This left Yelu Heluwan disheartened; he spent his days drinking and composing poetry in camp, leaving command to Yelu Chun.

Yelu Yanxi never realized that continuing this way would lead to disaster; seeing his own forces strong and well-equipped, his timid and cowardly mindset began to change.

Later, when Yelu Yanxi heard the envoy say that the Zhao Song dynasty would never negotiate peace with Liao unless it received the full annual tribute plus interest, and would continue fighting, he became furious and suddenly began to consider military action.

At the subsequent imperial council, the pro-war faction led by Yelu Heluoguan and Yelu Chun, father and son, and Xiao Xiamo, clearly gained the upper hand and received strong support from Yelu Yanxi.

The meeting preliminarily decided to defeat the Song army and restore Yelu Yanxi's and Liao's honor, even making corresponding military deployments.

But the peace faction, represented by Xiao Fengxian, harbored deep reservations about military action; they believed attacking the Song army was extremely risky, and if it failed, all previous peace efforts would be wasted, and the state would face the danger of collapse.

Between generals and ministers, a serious disagreement arose over national policy; this should have been Liao's supreme secret, but strangely, the matter quickly spread throughout the Liao court, and Liao officials and sensitive figures in Yanjing City all discussed it openly, voicing opinions, arguing endlessly.

In truth, the reason Liao was indecisive about war or peace lay entirely with Yelu Yanxi.

Previously, due to insufficient military strength and repeated defeats, Yelu Yanxi had been trapped in Yanjing City, at any moment liable to become a captive, and out of fear and terror, he adopted Xiao Fengxian's advice and became eager for peace, striving to seize every possible means to gather gold, silver, silk, jewels, and antiques, hoping to buy peace with money.

Now, over seventy thousand reinforcements had arrived for Liao, double the Song army; especially, Liao troops were mostly cavalry—fight if they could win, flee if they couldn't, and as long as they were careful, they could remain invincible. Yelu Yanxi felt his spine could now stiffen, so he now became eager to wage war against the Song army, hoping to drive them away with force, recover his lost face, and stand up like a true emperor.

Yelu Yanxi swiftly shifted from seeking only peace to pursuing only war; though the speed of this change was rapid, it did not violate human nature or basic logic. Previously, to save his own life, he had even sent away his pregnant favorite concubine, and personally begged Han Zhongyan for mercy—how humiliating he had been. Now that he had a chance to regain his dignity, he naturally yearned for battle.

But no one expected that Yelu Yanxi was so desperate to regain his dignity and stand tall again that he sent envoys five times in one day to urge Yelu Heluoguan to launch troops immediately.

Yelu Heluoguan, though disheartened, remained calm and composed; he consistently insisted that they must not engage the Song army in decisive battle, not even in a pitched battle—only hit-and-run and non-contact warfare using cavalry mobility was acceptable, otherwise Liao risked suffering a defeat it could not bear.

Yelu Heluoguan's conduct disappointed Yelu Yanxi, so Yelu Yanxi placed his hopes instead on Xiao Xiamo.

Xiao Xiamo saw this as a divine opportunity to replace Yelu Heluoguan and seize supreme military command of Liao, so he declared: "Your servant begs to personally lead the army to strike the Song Zhu's imperial camp at night, capture the Song Zhu, and avenge past humiliation!"

Yelu Yanxi was overjoyed and immediately promised Xiao Xiamo: "If successful, I shall grant you the title of Prince."

Yelu Yanxi even planned with Xiao Xiamo that if the night raid failed, Xiao Xiamo would take full blame, claiming it was his own unauthorized action with no connection to Yelu Yanxi.

Yelu Yanxi was deeply moved and believed Xiao Xiamo was Liao's greatest loyal minister, its pillar of strength.

To ensure the night raid succeeded, Yelu Yanxi specially consulted a shaman priest to divine an auspicious day.

The shaman priest divined that the eleventh day of the tenth month would be the day of victory.

Xiao Xiamo therefore decided to launch the night raid on the imperial camp three days later.

Three days later, deep in the night, there was no moonlight, the darkness was pitch black.

Xiao Xiamo, following the planned schedule, led twenty thousand elite troops out in silence, heading for the imperial camp at the sacrificial hall to launch a night raid, aiming to capture Zhao Yu and reverse the course of this war.

But Xiao Xiamo's forces raided two camps and found them empty.

At the third camp, the Song army was already fully armed and waiting for the Liao troops.

Before Xiao Xiamo could react, three thousand Jing Sai troops charged into the twenty thousand Liao troops.

In the early Song period, the Zhao Song dynasty lacked horses and could not form large cavalry units.

Later, Zhao Guangyi captured forty thousand horses during his northern campaign and personally oversaw the creation of the strongest cavalry force in Zhao Song's history—the Jing Sai troops.

This army, at full strength, numbered three thousand men, each with five horses; the riders were all from Yizhou in the northern frontier, capable of drawing bows of two hundred catties, exceptionally fierce. The horses were all superior steeds, and both soldiers and mounts were fully clad in heavy armor; their weapons, besides bows and arrows, were all equipped with hooked long spears.

Though small in number, this cavalry had never suffered defeat in any previous battle against Liao troops, repeatedly defeating Liao's strongest elite force, the Tie Lin army, head-on.

But this elite force had long vanished into the river of history.

This time, Zhao Yu extorted vast quantities of fine horses from Yanjing City, especially acquiring three thousand of Yelu Yanxi's precious steeds capable of traveling five hundred li per day, and also seized the equipment of Liao's Tie Lin army.

Thus, Zhao Yu waved his hand and resurrected the Jing Sai troops, appointing the fierce general Yang Keshi of the Western Army as commander.

This battle was the Jing Sai troops' first engagement.

As Yang Keshi led them, the Jing Sai troops galloped forward, and the earth trembled beneath them.

No war drums sounded, yet their might was more terrifying than any drum—the thunderous roar seemed like ten thousand lightning bolts exploding at once!!!

The hooves thundered like rolling thunder, kicking up clouds of dust that obscured the night sky, as if merging heaven and earth into a single chaos.

Seeing this, Xiao Xiamo was stunned; he never imagined the Song army possessed such elite armored cavalry, nor that they would be waiting here, ready and prepared.

Xiao Xiamo urgently ordered the Liao troops to retreat, but it was too late.

The Jing Sai troops struck like sharp blades, instantly cutting into the Liao ranks, unstoppable. Spears stood like forests, hooks entwined, flinging Liao elite cavalry from their mounts. Blood sprayed everywhere, screams rose and fell, the night dyed crimson.

Xiao Xiamo struggled to swing his long blade, trying to hold the line, but the Liao troops were already in chaos.

Xiao Xiamo understood clearly: this battle was lost; if they did not retreat now, they would be annihilated entirely.

So Xiao Xiamo shouted loudly, ordering the remaining Liao troops to fall back.

But how could the Song army let such a rare opportunity slip away? The Jing Sai troops pursued relentlessly behind, like cheetahs chasing exhausted antelopes.

The Liao soldiers were filled with terror, cursing themselves for not growing wings to fly away from this land of death.

Worse still, after a single drumbeat, the Shenji Front Army and Shenji Rear Army, hidden on both sides of the road, suddenly unleashed massive casualties upon the Liao troops with Shenbi bows, Hu Dun cannons, and Hong Tian leis.

Xiao Xiamo died in this Song attack.

In this battle, the Liao army suffered a crushing defeat; the Song army pursued them to the front lines, halting only upon encountering Yelu Yudu's Liao force sent to reinforce Xiao Xiamo.

In this engagement, the Song army beheaded nine thousand, captured over seven thousand, and seized more than ten thousand horses.

Do you think that was the end?

No!

At the same time, under the personal command of Deputy Commander Zhong Pu, Song cavalry units—more than a dozen of them—circled nearly a hundred li overnight, reaching the flank of Xiao Xiamo's camp just before dawn, launching a surprise attack on Xiao Xiamo's camp precisely as he struck Zhao Yu's imperial camp.

Zhong Pu ordered Song scouts to infiltrate Xiao Xiamo's camp and set fire behind its walls.

Seeing the flames, the Song troops beat drums and shouted, attacking along the entire line.

Xiao Xiamo had never considered his night raid might fail, nor that he might die, and had made no proper arrangements for the Liao troops under his command.

His deputy commander, Yelu Yudu, led thirty thousand elite cavalry to the front to reinforce Xiao Xiamo.

This left Xiao Xiamo's camp without a supreme commander.

More critically, the Liao army had been divided by Yelu Yanxi into four parts, each independent, and the other three Liao units had no intention of supporting Xiao Xiamo's force.

As a result, after the surprise attack, Xiao Xiamo's camp plunged into chaos due to lack of unified command; soldiers panicked, fled in all directions, confused and clueless. Flames raged, licking at tents, illuminating the night sky as bright as day. Smoke spread thickly, mixed with the stench of burning and blood, suffocating.

Zhong Pu led tens of thousands of Song light cavalry like tigers descending the mountain, unstoppable. They broke through the camp gates, setting fires and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the disordered Liao troops. Song swords and knives flashed in the firelight, like the scythes of death, reaping lives. The Liao troops, deprived of command, fought individually, utterly unable to resist the Song's fierce assault.

In an instant, over a hundred thousand Liao troops were thrown into chaos, collapsing and fleeing, utterly losing their fighting spirit.

The Song army followed up with a devastating attack, pursuing the Liao forces without pause.

At this moment, Zhong Pu's sole objective was this: not to give the Liao force any chance to catch its breath; they must pursue relentlessly, crush them utterly, and even annihilate this Liao force!

The Liao army abandoned their armor and weapons, fleeing to the Gaoliang River.

Unbeknownst to them, the Song army had set an ambush here.

Seeing the Liao forces approaching, Zhe Keqiu, the young master of the Fuzhou Zhe family, gave the order—and the hidden troops sprang up from all sides.

The Liao army had no will to fight; they only struggled desperately to escape.

In this battle, Zhe Keqiu's force of three thousand Zhe family soldiers killed more than five thousand, turning the waters of the Gaoliang River red with blood.

Zhe Keqiu had no interest in clearing the battlefield; stepping over discarded loot scattered everywhere, he ordered his soldiers to take back roads for a parallel pursuit.

Upstream along the Gaoliang River, Zhe Keqiu's force once again cut ahead of the fleeing Liao army.

Unfortunately, Zhe Keqiu's troops were few; faced with vast hordes of fleeing Liao soldiers, he could not possibly swallow them all.

The Zhe family soldiers pressed their attack as hard as they could, chasing over a hundred li, pursuing and slaughtering until their horses could no longer run, before sounding the retreat…

……

(End of Chapter)