Chapter 149: Emperor Taizong of Liao rode a camel, Emperor Taizong of Song rode a donkey
Song Dynasty, Kaibao period.

Zhao Kuangyin was full of disgust and dissatisfaction with Shi Chonggui's appointment of generals this time: "Zhang Cong'en, such a person who has no courage and bravery that a general should have, the young emperor actually gave him the highest command of the army... He is clearly a person who fears the Liao army like a tiger and only wants to protect himself. Zhao Yanshou and others retreated from Tangyin, and there was not a single person in the Liyang army who went out to pursue them."

Zhao Kuangyin sincerely despised Shi Chonggui's vision of employing people. It was fine for him to consolidate military power and engage in political struggles, but for such a core commander, at least he had to have a reasonable one, right? Otherwise, if he consolidated power one day, the country would be destroyed...

Just like him, although he was suppressing the military generals, on the one hand there were reasons for it, and on the other hand, he did not allow those rubbish to come to power.

What about Zhang Cong'en? The main forces of the Later Jin Dynasty all went to Liyang, and Tangyin, where Zhao Yanshou and other vanguards were located, was between Xiangzhou and Liyang. Seeing the Liao army's morale retreating and returning north one after another, why didn't these people in Liyang pursue them? It would be great if they could destroy some of the Liao's forces!

Zhao Guangmei and others agreed: "The vision of the young emperor Shi Chonggui is indeed..." As for the appointments of the generals listed by Tianmu, the most core ones, Du Chongwei and Zhang Cong'en, were unreliable. Not only did they not play much positive role in the battle with the Liao army, but they also contributed to the demise of the Later Jin Dynasty.

[Just when Shi Chonggui was preparing to lead the army himself, the Khitan troops returning from the north did not actually leave.

The main force of the Later Jin Dynasty was stationed in Liyang, avoiding fighting. Therefore, the vanguard army that went east to attack Ye City did not withdraw, but continued to fight in Ye City and surrounded Weizhou. At this time, Du Chongwei, who had disappeared for a long time, finally appeared and came to support the Weizhou defenders.

On the first day of February, Shi Chonggui led his troops to Huazhou, from where they crossed the Yellow River and headed north to Liyang. So the next day, Shi Chonggui went to Liyang to comfort the troops, and on the ninth day he reviewed the troops in Qicheng.

The chaotic Later Jin army now became orderly again. On the 11th, Ma Quanjie, Li Shouzhen and Zhang Yanze led the vanguard to set off. Subsequently, Fu Yanqing, Huangfu Yu and Li Yin led their subordinates to set off respectively.

Shi Chonggui also ordered Du Chongwei of Hengzhou to meet Ma Quanjie and then continue northward.

At the same time, the Zhenwu Jiedushi Zhe Congruan, who was located in Fuzhou (Fugu, Shaanxi), took the initiative to send troops to capture Shengzhou (Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia) in Khitan territory and continued to march towards Shuozhou. 】

Eastern Han Dynasty, the 17th year of Jianwu.

Liu Xiu was somewhat surprised. Did the Later Jin attack? Did they start a counterattack?

Therefore, the Later Jin Dynasty was not in chaos and powerless after all. It all depended on Shi Chonggui's use of people. Isn't the Zhenwu Jiedushi Zhe Congruan, who was far away in the frontier, a good choice? Shengzhou is not to be mentioned. Shuozhou was one of the prefectures in the Yanyun area that was ceded to Yelu Deguang.

Regardless of whether Shuozhou could be conquered in the end, the mere act of encircling Shuozhou was enough to put great pressure on Yelu Deguang - this was his way home. In this way, at least it could force the other side to withdraw and relieve the Later Jin Dynasty from its predicament.

"This Du Chongwei..." Liu Xiu was silent. This man had not appeared since he appeared in the previous appointment and dismissal of generals. Until he came here to rescue Weizhou - wasn't he the commander-in-chief of the northern camp? Wasn't he guarding Hengzhou? So many counties around Hengzhou had been conquered, why didn't he make any moves?
No, he had appeared before, and wrote a letter to Shi Chonggui telling him that Hengzhou was in a critical situation...

Liu Xiu was somewhat skeptical. In his opinion, the result of Yelu Deguang's southward march would definitely be to return to Khitan, which was not much different from the last time. However, if the Later Jin could operate properly, it should be able to gain certain results from the current changes in the situation. And now looking at the candidate that Shi Chonggui relied on... could he really do it?

【Since there were problems in his own territory, Yelu Deguang naturally did not have much desire to go to war.

As a result, the Khitan armies began to gradually return northward and began to withdraw - of course, it would not be such a peaceful journey.

On the second day of March, while heading north, a part of the Khitan army passed through Qizhou (Wuji County, Hebei Province). They used their weak troops to lure Qizhou into battle, and then used their elite troops to launch a sudden attack, seize the city gate of Qizhou, and capture Qizhou.

On the ninth day of March, Du Chongwei, together with Ma Quanjie, Li Shouzhen, Huangfu Yu and others, joined forces in Dingzhou. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Yelu Deguang's army continued to return north, they first recovered Qizhou, then continued northward and took the initiative to attack, launching a large-scale offensive on the fourteenth.

On March 14, Du Chongwei and others besieged and occupied Taizhou (Baoding, Hebei), one of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun; on the 18th, they recovered Mancheng (Mancheng County, Hebei); on the 19th, they recovered Suicheng (Xushui County, Hebei).

At this time, the final combat goal of the Later Jin side was to attack the combat capability of the Khitan in this series of operations, and it would be best if they had the opportunity to capture Youzhou.

Ming Dynasty, during the Hongwu period.

Zhu Di shook his head: "Yelü Deguang will not sit idly by and watch himself lose the Yanyun area, and neither will the entire Liao Dynasty." So, if the Later Jin Dynasty had recovered the two border cities of Mancheng and Suicheng, Yelu Deguang might not have reacted too much, but Taizhou was different.

What is Yanyun to Yelu Deguang? It is a merit, a merit that made the entire Liao Dynasty submit to him as an emperor, and it is also a key to his stability on the throne. There has never been a lack of struggles over the throne in the Liao Dynasty at this time, and it is quite natural. If Yelu Deguang wants to subdue these people, he must have achievements that can be shown off.

Moreover, if he wanted to promote a certain degree of sinicization and promote the Liao Dynasty's transformation into an imperial system, the achievement of Yanyun was indispensable as support.

On the other hand, from the perspective of Yelu Deguang's own goal of governing the country, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are also an indispensable part. Occupying the Yanyun area can be used as a base for advancing southward and gathering the Central Plains; retreating can be used as the first line of defense for the Liao Dynasty's homeland to protect the security of the Liao Dynasty's homeland - Yanyun is very important to the Song Dynasty, and the same is true for the Liao Dynasty.

Therefore, even though there was a struggle within the Liao Dynasty over whether to move south to the Central Plains, there was still a unified opinion on preserving the Yanyun region as a whole.

Zhu Gang agreed with this view. Even without looking at the disputes between Song and Liao later, judging only from the current situation, it can be known that Yelu Deguang would definitely not want to lose the Yanyun area: "Moreover, the internal problems of the Later Jin Dynasty were already very serious. At that time, in order to obtain sufficient military funds, Shi Chonggui required every seven households to provide a set of weapons to supply one soldier, and sent 36 envoys to collect all the money from the people. These envoys also went directly into the homes of the people with weapons and chains..."

How could the people not be terrified by such behavior? Moreover, the prefectures and counties in various places took the opportunity to plunder the people and colluded with them. Having just experienced war, and now encountering such an official, the people can only live in misery.

In this case, how long could the Later Jin Dynasty sustain the war? Especially since Shi Chonggui was arrogant and complacent and took the initiative to start the war.

【The next day, that is, the 20th, Du Chongwei retreated from Suicheng to Mancheng. The reason was that after the capture of Suicheng, among the prisoners in the Khitan army, a person who was originally under Zhao Yanshou's command reported to Du Chongwei a message: Yelu Deguang had returned to Gubeikou yesterday, and then heard the message from the flying horse that the Later Jin army was attacking in a large scale and was about to capture Taizhou. He immediately decided to send the baggage back to the outside of the Great Wall, but left all the light cavalry behind and led him to go south again. There were more than 50,000 cavalry in total, and the vanguard would arrive tomorrow.

Therefore, Du Chongwei discussed with Li Shouzhen and decided that in order to avoid the situation of the Khitan army being isolated and lacking food and fodder, they should temporarily retreat to Taizhou and see the current situation of the Khitan army.

As a result, the Later Jin army continued to retreat, retreating to Mancheng on the 20th, and to Taizhou on the 21st. On the 22nd, Zhao Yanshou led the Khitan vanguard army to approach Taizhou. On the 23rd, the Later Jin army withdrew from Taizhou and fled south, all the way to the vicinity of Yangcheng, where they were caught up by the Khitan army and suffered a severe defeat.

Afterwards, the Later Jin army entered Yangcheng (Shunping County, Hebei Province). On the 24th, they reorganized and formed infantry formations outside the city to fight against the Khitan. The two sides fought more than 20 times. In the end, the Later Jin army defended Yangcheng and the Khitan army retreated temporarily.

The Later Jin army continued to retreat southwards. On the 26th, they were besieged by Khitan cavalry while retreating southwards. They fought and retreated, but after only ten miles, their men and horses were already starving.

Qin Dynasty.

Wang Jian watched the actions of the Later Jin army and felt more and more that something was wrong.

How can this war be fought like this?
Yelu Deguang went south without any baggage, only cavalry. His most important purpose was to keep Taizhou and the Yanyun area he already owned, rather than going south to destroy the Later Jin Dynasty. Although he had a way to collect grain locally, this could not change the premise that the more than 50,000 cavalry did not carry any baggage.

So why did the Later Jin army flee south without stopping? Even if they wanted to withdraw, they had to pay attention to the formation, pay attention to steady steps, and maintain the basic stability and combat capability of the army. There must be a plan, to clearly know where to retreat to each step, whether there are enough food and supplies, and where to make up for it if not...

The retreat of the Later Jin army inexplicably seemed to be in a panic and as if they only wanted to retreat.

This core general Du Chongwei? Wang Jian shook his head secretly. He was not interested in evaluating such a general. He just said, "If the Later Jin cannot fight a battle that defeats the Khitan or causes a great shock to the Khitan, the Liao Taizong probably won't mind destroying this part of the army, or even marching south again."

It is true that Yelu Deguang abandoned the baggage, but if the Later Jin army continued to flee like this, Yelu Deguang would be truly letting himself and God down if he did not do something.

[On the 27th, the Later Jin army camped in a place called Baituanwei Village (Shunping County, Hebei Province). On that day, a strong wind blew in this place. The wind was so strong that it raised dust on the ground and broke nearby trees.

Yelu Deguang felt that this was a good opportunity to wipe out the Later Jin army in one fell swoop, so after daybreak, he ordered the Iron Harrier Army to dismount and fight, seized the Later Jin army's camp, and attacked with all their might wielding short swords, while also using the wind to set fire and raise dust to boost momentum.

Facing the fierce attack from the Khitan, the soldiers of the Later Jin wanted to have a chance of survival, so they shouted: "Why don't you use your troops? Let the soldiers die in vain!"

That’s right, Du Chongwei was still hesitating. He said that the wind was too strong now and he wanted to wait until the wind died down to see the situation.

This idea was opposed by many generals because the situation of the Later Jin Dynasty was not very good and the soldiers were extremely hungry and thirsty.

Li Shouzhen believed that they should take advantage of this opportunity to go into battle, because due to the wind and sand, the Khitan could not clearly see the specific situation of the Later Jin Dynasty. Once the wind stopped and they could see the actual weakness of the Later Jin Dynasty, there would be no good result for the Later Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, Huangfu Yu and others led their cavalry to attack vigorously, which was beyond the expectations of the Khitan side. Because the Iron Harriers had dismounted at this time, it was difficult for them to return to their original state for a while. In addition, the wind and sand were getting stronger and stronger, and the communication and command between the Khitan troops was also difficult to smooth. The Later Jin gradually gained the upper hand. 】

Tang Dynasty, Zhenguan period.

All the ministers who had some experience in fighting expressed their appreciation for the Later Jin Dynasty's final decision to attack.

Zhang Sun Wuji smiled and said, "Although it is said that 'when the wind is favorable, follow the call; when the wind is unfavorable, stand firm and wait for the enemy', we must also make decisions based on the actual situation of our own army. This time, the Later Jin Dynasty did just that. I think Liao Taizong must have believed that the Later Jin Dynasty would definitely hold its ground, so he forced his Iron Harrier Army to dismount."

The most fundamental condition of cavalry is that they are cavalry, riding on horses; once they dismount, they are no longer cavalry and lose the advantages of cavalry; more importantly, in an emergency, it is very difficult for dismounted cavalry to get back on their horses and become cavalry again.

The Khitan side dismounted the Iron Harrier Army, obviously intending to wipe out the Later Jin in one fell swoop. The premise for them to do so was that the Later Jin could not pose any threat to them. If they followed Du Chongwei's plan and waited until the wind died down, then perhaps the result the Khitan wanted would really be achieved.

The soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty were starving and thirsty. It was already quite difficult for them to be willing to fight at this time. If the commander insisted on not fighting, the morale would inevitably drop. And Baituanwei Village was just a place to camp, and there was no solid fortress to serve as a defense line...

Cheng Zhijie scratched his head and was very dissatisfied with Du Chongwei: "Is Du Chongwei incompetent or afraid of the Khitan? After this battle, he should be punished." He felt that how could such a general not be punished? As the commander-in-chief, he could not bear the responsibility of the commander-in-chief.

Fang Xuanling was a little subtle. From Tianmu's words and Shi Chonggui's behavior, he inferred that Shi Chonggui would not do what Cheng Zhijie expected.

[The situation changed, the Khitan army began to retreat, and due to the rolling sandstorm, it was difficult to judge the actual situation, so the news that reached Yelu Deguang became worse and worse.

Upon seeing this, Yelu Deguang immediately turned around and began to retreat. The Later Jin believed that they had to pursue them at this time. If they did not, the Later Jin might fall into an unfavorable situation again. So they pursued the Khitan army relentlessly under the cover of wind and sand.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Yelu Deguang felt that the Xi cart was not fast enough, so he got off the Xi cart, found a camel again, and rode the camel to escape the pursuit of the Later Jin army.

After the Later Jin army pursued the enemy, they thought their troops were thirsty and their victory was only temporary, so they retreated south to Dingzhou to protect themselves.

　Shi Chonggui is called Shaodi in the Old History of the Five Dynasties and Chudi in the New History of the Five Dynasties.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)