At the beginning of May, upon hearing that the main force of the Khitan army was approaching, the various Zhou troops lined up in a row in the wilderness north of the Zhuo River, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out.
Guo Shao's cavalry was located in the rear of the central army and it seemed that he could not participate in the battle because he was not leading the main cavalry force. The first main cavalry force was the Iron Cavalry under Zhao Kuangyin; followed by the various Banzhi.
At that time, Chai Rong rode in the middle, and the generals gathered around the emperor. Chai Rong rode on a tall horse and looked around at the generals and said: "If we win this battle in the Northern Expedition, we will take all the land of Youyun. Let's encourage each other."
The generals bid farewell one after another, and rode their horses out of the central army and returned to the barracks.
When Guo Shao returned to the army, several generals of the Hujie Army gathered around him to talk. He had no choice but to say: Let's wait for the result later.
After several years of preparation, the vigorous Northern Expedition finally reached the most critical step. However, Guo Shao did not need to bear any responsibility in this battle; this kind of field battle was the main field of cavalry, and in the emperor's mind, he seemed to be using it for siege.
Everyone had to dismount from their horses and line up beside them to save horsepower. In front of them, there was the roar of horses' hooves and countless war horses were being mobilized. From a distance, Guo Shao felt as if he had arrived at the African plains, where countless wild animals were migrating.
The sound of fighting could be heard from afar, but I couldn't see where the battlefield was. It seemed like the fighting was going on everywhere in the north.
By the afternoon, countless wounded soldiers were seen being transported back from the main road. The battle must have been very tragic. The large group of cavalry near the central army did not move all day. In the evening, Guo Shao received an imperial order to move all the troops to the Zhuo River to set up camp.
That night, he and other generals arrived at the central army camp again, only to see two injured generals. One of them had a bruised white cloth wrapped around his arm. He should be Zhang Guanghan, the commander of the left wing of the Longjie Army. Guo Shao was not familiar with him.
Zhang Yongde said: From today's battle, we can see that the Liao army is still strong. They attacked our army from both wings at the same time, advancing and retreating in moderation. We have no chance to take advantage. The Liao army has more cavalry than us. If the battle continues for a long time, we may not end up well.
Zhao Kuangyin and others also had no intention of fighting. No one rushed to ask for battle, and the morale could be seen from the atmosphere.
Chai Rong looked very unhappy and angry. He blamed the generals for not following orders and wanted to lead the cavalry to fight tomorrow. Shi Yanchao immediately asked to fight as the vanguard, and Chai Rong agreed.
The next morning, the two armies fought again. Shi Yanchao led his cavalry from the center and charged into the Liao army. When he entered the enemy camp, he saw the Liao cavalry on the plain like a vast ocean. The Liao army's front troops could not stop Shi Yanchao, so they made a detour to cut off their rear.
Most of the Zhou army's cavalry, Konghe army, and Longjie army were forced to take the initiative to attack from the left and right wings to prevent Shi Yanchao's troops from being surrounded, and they fought back and forth until dusk. In the end, more than half of Shi Yanchao's troops were killed and almost lost their combat effectiveness, and they returned without success.
That night, Guo Shao and other generals were summoned to the central army camp. Chai Rong looked very depressed. It was difficult to describe his expression, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Chai Rong made a prompt decision and ordered the rear army to retreat to the south of Zhuoshui River early the next morning. He also ordered Guo Shao and Zhang Guanghan's troops to return to Gu'an, Zhuozhou, to deploy defense along the Zhuoshui River, to meet the main army and block the Liao army's pursuit.
The situation is already very bad. It seems that the decisive battle between the Great Zhou and the Liao army has gained nothing, and there is no hope of winning. Otherwise, given Chai Rong's mood, he would definitely not be willing to give up.
The next morning, Guo Shao, together with Zhang Guanghan, the commander of the left wing of the Longjie Army, left the battlefield first, crossed the Zhuo River directly, and led the army to build a camp on the river bank, deploying troops in battle array and waiting.
As expected, in the evening of that day, a group of horsemen suddenly appeared from the north wilderness. They were the main force of the Zhou army retreating. The Zhou army seemed to have taken advantage of the gradually darkening sky when the Liao army retreated. The battlefield was full of horsemen, and the baggage vehicles were missing. It was estimated that most of them were abandoned.
After the troops crossed the Zhuo River, the river bank was guarded by elite soldiers of the Imperial Guards, and the troops were relieved. The troops set up camps all around the Zhuo River bank, stretching all the way to Qigou Pass.
The hasty retreat caused chaos among the troops, and the morale of the army was low for a while. However, the Zhou Dynasty did not suffer any loss, as it occupied a lot of territory and its main force did not suffer any major losses.
That night, there was no news of the Liao army pursuing them. As it was getting dark, the generals ordered to set up camp and rest on the spot to avoid greater chaos caused by the poor light.
In the Iron Cavalry Army's central tent, Zhao Kuangyin asked all the generals to return and discipline their subordinates. The aide Zhao Pu did not leave, but sat on the side without saying a word, and looked like he wanted to say something. Kuangyin dismissed his attendants and had a night talk with him by candlelight.
It's a pity to go north. Don't blame us for not working hard. There is really no good chance to make a breakthrough. Zhao Kuangyin spoke first.
Zhao Pu said in a deep voice: My lord, now is not the time to worry about the achievements of the Northern Expedition. It is difficult for the emperor to ride a horse today, and he had to endure it to cross the Zhuo River.
At that time, Zhao Kuangyin and others were not with the emperor, and they couldn't help but ask in a questioning tone.
Zhao Pu said: After crossing the Zhuo River, the tribes were afraid that the Liao army would come to chase them overnight, so they all tried their best to run south. But the emperor stopped at the river bank. I guess he couldn't run any longer.
Zhao Kuangyin was speechless.
Guo Shao and the Zhao family have a deep grudge. He is Empress Fu's man and married the Empress's sister. Therefore, Empress Fu and the master are not of the same kind. Zhao Pu whispered, and the shadow of the head wearing a futou was cast on the tent under the candlelight. In the dim light, it seemed like a ghost was shaking, and the atmosphere was very gloomy.
He continued: "My lord is a general in charge of the army in front of the palace, and he cannot be trusted by the queen. The situation will be dangerous in the future, and we must pay attention to it."
Zhao Kuangyin remained silent. He knew all these points without Zhao Pu telling him. But he just had no way to deal with the other party for the time being.
At this time, Zhao Pu said: I have a plan. Didn't Guo Shao lead the left wing of the Hujie Army to guard Zhuoshui? My lord, you can advise the emperor to occupy the bridgehead north of the Juma River and let Guo Shao stay in Zhuozhou to guard it, and don't let him return to Beijing.
When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, he immediately became interested. He had not said anything just now, but immediately said: Zhuozhou has no strategic location to rely on, and it is difficult to defend it for a long time.
Zhao Pu said: "The strength of the Zhou army has not been greatly damaged, and the expedition has not lasted too long. I guess the emperor is still unwilling to give up, but the army has no fighting spirit and will not continue the Northern Expedition for the time being. But he must still be thinking about Youzhou.
My lord, you can suggest that we withdraw our troops for the time being and wait for our imperial army to rest and recuperate before choosing another opportunity to march north again. The emperor will be very happy to hear that my lord supports him in the northern expedition. At this time, you can say that we should hold on to Zhuozhou first, so that we can directly threaten Youzhou and reduce the trouble of the second northern expedition. Most likely, the emperor will listen to you.
Zhao Pu's voice became smaller and smaller, and he whispered: The one the Queen is protecting among the imperial guards is Guo Shao, who is married to the Fu family. As long as Guo Shao is not in Tokyo, the situation will be beneficial to us; no matter what we plan to do in the future, we will be much calmer.
Zhao Kuangyin nodded slightly, and immediately felt that Zhao Pu had come up with a good idea. This method had very low costs and almost no risk; it could also remove the problem from under the cauldron, and it was indeed a good idea.
The aide was absolutely right. Previously, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde had advised the emperor not to advance rashly in order to preserve the military strength of the Zhou Dynasty. However, it was difficult to persuade the emperor as he was determined to launch a northern expedition. If the emperor made it clear this time that he wanted to support the second northern expedition, the emperor would definitely be happy if his generals expressed their support.
Zhao Kuangyin thought about it and felt that this plan was easy to succeed and feasible. He couldn't help but stroke Zhao Pu's back and said affectionately: I lost a brother, but I always treat you as my own brother.