The north bank of the Yalu River was engulfed in fire and black smoke billowed. All the military camps outside the Jurchen King's Palace were on fire, and the mountains and plains were filled with savages wearing animal skins.
At the city gate, a group of Khitan cavalrymen waved their weapons and shouted loudly in fear. Surrounded by ragged tribesmen, a Khitan soldier was dragged off his horse, and a large group of people immediately surrounded him frantically, with terrifying screams and blood rising.
There were a few savages nearby who were holding down a Khitan soldier who was struggling desperately. The savages picked up large rocks with both hands and smashed them on the Khitan soldier's head, with blood and brains splattering everywhere.
Smoke billowed in the city, and low houses and tents were on fire everywhere. Many panicked men, women, and children fled and begged for mercy in the smoke. The savages looted the houses wantonly, and bags of pearls, furs, ginseng, and other items were carried out by the noisy crowd, and then the houses were set on fire. A Khitan civil servant was stabbed with a wooden fork and his body was covered in blood. He was not dead yet, and he crawled on the ground and screamed. Then the sharpened wooden sticks hit him again, and he was beaten to a bloody mess.
A shirtless man riding a horse raised his fists, widened his eyes and yelled loudly, and the people around him also followed suit and shouted while dancing.
Women in dishevelled clothes were driven out everywhere. They were trembling with fear, and lowered their heads while being whipped and scolded by the savages. There were women ranging from a few years old to old women in their 50s and 60s. All the men were killed, and the ground was littered with corpses and groaning people who were not yet dead.
A few days later, fast horses coming from the northeast reported directly to the Liao king's tent.
Urgent reports came in that the Goryeo army had crossed the border to the Yalu River. The Jurchen palace was besieged and captured by more than a dozen tribes. The city and villages were looted, and the military commander and officials were slaughtered.
This is treason. Rebellion must teach those barbarians a bloody lesson. The nobles in the king's tent were furious.
At this time, someone said: The general manager of the army guarding the Yalu River Jurchen Palace is the son-in-law of the Liao Dynasty, and the princess is also in the palace.
After being reminded, the ministers then remembered that the princess was the half-sister of the late emperor Yelu Jing and the full sister of King Yue Yelu Bishe.
The man standing in the middle of the king's tent blurted out: All the women in the palace were captured and taken to the barbarian tribe. I heard that more than a dozen tribal leaders gathered in the mountains for fun, and most of the women were tortured to death.
There was an uproar in the king's tent all of a sudden. The Khitan nobles and ministers were all furious and cursed angrily. The shouting of humiliation made the tent seem like a boiling pot.
After the tyrant Yelü Jing was assassinated, Yizong's party came to power. The princess was a member of the current political enemy and had lost power. However, she was the blood of Taizu anyway, and it was related to the face of the royal family. Such an incident was an unacceptable shame for everyone.
Amid the noisy noise, Yang Gun saw the Northern Courtyard Privy Councilor Yelu Xizhen turning around, and Yang Gun reminded him: The King of Yue has the best relationship with his sister, who has the same father and mother as him. He will definitely be very sad when he hears the news.
Xiao Siwen was standing behind Yelu Xizhen. When he heard Yang Gun's words, he immediately remembered the secret letter he had received in Shangjing before: The King of Yue would definitely rebel.
At this moment, the thin Yelu Xian raised the scepter in his hand, and the angry noise in the big tent gradually subsided. Yelu Xian's eyes were filled with melancholy that did not match his age. He said: How to take revenge and resist the foreign invaders? Do you have any good ideas
A noble of the Yelu clan bowed and said: "Although the Han people of Xu are a great enemy, the most hateful are the Jurchen barbarians. The Xu army is coming from the south, mostly infantry, and the Dongdan government can move from Liaoyang to avoid the Xu army. I suggest that we first send a large army to retaliate against the Jurchens and the Koreans."
Yelu Xizhen said: Where will the Dongdan government move to
The noble said: Move back to Hukhan City.
Yelu Xizhen said: There are many Jurchen tribes near Huhan City, and the largest Wanyan tribe is not far away. What if those tribes also rebel
Yelu Huer echoed: Goryeo and Jurchen rebels are our primary enemies.
Yang Gun, who was standing behind, also bowed and said: "Korea paid tribute to the Xu Dynasty a few years ago and sent some beauties to Guo the blacksmith. In the current situation, Korea may have colluded with Xu to attack the Liao Dynasty from both east and west."
The Khan Yelu Xian looked at Xiao Siwen and asked: "What is your plan, Lord Xiao?"
Everyone suddenly shut up and looked sideways, and the atmosphere became a little subtle.
Xiao Siwen raised his head and said slowly: Since the court has already made some arrangements, it is better to wait for the news from the King of Qi. If we can force the people of Xu to retreat first, the chaos can be easily resolved.
The King of Qi, Yansa Ge, was originally titled King of Taiping, and was the younger brother of the previous emperor, Yelü Jing. However, he was also the son-in-law of Xiao Siwen, and married Xiao Siwen's eldest daughter, Xiao Huanian. After Yelü Xian came to power, he appeased and won him over, and named him King of Qi, and he still guarded Xijing.
At the beginning of this year, Yansa Ge led the Xijing tribal army to join the royal tent, and was sent south not long ago to attack the Liaoxi Corridor and cut off Xu Jun’s land food route.
Yansa Ge's tribe passed Chaoyang, Bazhou, Liao Dynasty, and went south along Linghe Daling River. He decided to first go to the left wing of Liucheng Kalaqin by Linghe River, find the Xi people in the north of Liaoxi Corridor, and unite with the local Xi soldiers to attack from the south along this important northern passage of Liaoxi Corridor. The local Xi people were more familiar with the terrain.
Unexpectedly, when the vanguard arrived at Liucheng, they found that the Liucheng fortress was tightly closed, as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
Yansa Ge said to his generals: "The Khitan and Kumo Xi have lived together for a hundred years. The Xi are our most trustworthy tribe. They will not betray us easily. Send someone to ask what's going on."
When the Liao army had covered the north bank of the Ling River in large numbers, the Xi people finally opened the gate and sent people out.
A Xi leader came running with a group of cavalrymen. When he saw the Khitan general, he said in panic: "Please forgive me, General. At first we thought it was the Han people coming again."
Yansa Ge asked hurriedly: Did Xu Jun attack you
The chief said: They came just three days ago, burned tents and villages, and stole cattle and sheep. Some tribesmen and herdsmen went to the city to seek refuge, while others went north to hide in the mountains.
Yansa Ge asked again, which unit of Xu Jun's army was this
The leader gestured and said: The tribesmen who escaped back said that the Han people all wore fine armor and rode big horses, and the leading general was twice as big as the others. He raised his hand exaggeratedly to describe his size, covered in iron armor, holding a huge spear made of fine iron, no one could stop him, like a ghost escaped from the underworld
Immediately, a general stood beside Yansa Ge and said in a deep voice: Shi Yanchao, the most powerful general of Xu Jun, is nearby.
Yansa Ge's expression changed after hearing this, and he hurriedly looked back. On the other side of the Ling River, the mountains were undulating, the forests were lush, and the surrounding terrain was very complex. He followed the flow of the Ling River and looked towards the main road south of Liucheng. The mountains on both sides of the river were towering, and the terrain gradually narrowed.
Xu Jun used ambush and siege tactics to make up for the lack of mobility of infantry in several battles in Youzhou, Pingxia and Hedong. In the recent battle in Hedong, tens of thousands of Liao troops were trapped in a siege and suffered heavy casualties, shocking the world. How could Yansa Ge not know this
Suddenly, a long bird cry was heard in the air, and the cry echoed in the forest on the other side. Yansa Ge came to his senses, hurriedly moved his body, and subconsciously looked up at the sky to find the bird. The warhorse under him also pawed its front hooves and took a step back.
Yansa Ge looked around but couldn't see the bird. He just felt the shadow of the mountain swaying around him.
Suddenly a general said: My king, we should send scouts to search the surrounding areas first.
Yansa Ge looked back and saw the cavalry on the north bank of Ling River like a long dragon. He stared and said: "Turn around and leave this place first!"
Several riders rushed out of the center army, shouting out military orders, causing an uproar among the troops. After a long time, the rear army became the front army, and they rode their horses toward the northeast road; the troops from all the divisions also turned around and retreated.
Yansa Ge led his troops on a march of hundreds of miles. The army stopped only when they arrived at Bazhou of the Liao Dynasty. It was already dark.
Bazhou has an undulating terrain, with mountains and hills on all sides. But at least there are no large mountains blocking the road, so the cavalry can still gallop here, and the army can also be deployed, so Yansa Ge felt relieved.
Only then did he order the establishment of a large camp, and the next day he dispatched a thousand vanguard cavalrymen back to Liucheng, ordering them to work with the Xi people to gather information about the military.
Tens of thousands of Xijing tribal troops stayed in Bazhou for five days. The vanguard sent people back to report one after another. Sometimes they said that ashes and sheep bones were found on the mountain road, and sometimes they said that there was no human habitation on the hillside with abundant water and grass. These were all worthless news.
Yansa Ge still didn't know where Shi Yanchao was, or maybe he had retreated after the robbery.
Soon, he received news that the Xu army had arrived in Jinzhou and was besieging the city. As long as he crossed the mountains to the east, he could hear the sound of artillery.
He discussed with the tribal leaders and generals in the central army: The enemy's situation is unclear, and we have stayed here too long. The opportunity for a surprise attack no longer exists. It is better to act cautiously and withdraw first to join the royal army.
Everyone had different opinions, but some people agreed with Yansa Ge's view that it was wiser to protect oneself first than to pursue military achievements.
After weighing the pros and cons, Yansa Ge decided that his plan to move southward from Songling Mountain would be in danger of being ambushed, and that he would not receive permission from the king's tent to rescue Jinzhou nearby. So Yansa Ge decided to retreat first.
At this time in Jinzhou City, the Xiaoling River and the Tuhe and Nv'er River were all covered with pontoon bridges. Tens of thousands of troops surrounded the city, and the siege fortifications and fences were like a long wall.
The city was originally built in the Tang Dynasty and later renovated. The old city tower seemed to be crumbling among the crowded barracks. At night, the flames shot up into the sky, and the city seemed to be burned down at any time.
Xu's army set up artillery arrays on all sides, with the muzzles of their copper cannons pointed at the city walls. Before the siege even began, the defenders were already filled with despair. It was said that even the tall and solid city of Youzhou could not withstand Xu's firearms, let alone the ancient city of Jinzhou.
Before the siege, the garrison commander had already sent several fast horses north to seek emergency help. Now his only hope was that the Liao emperor would send reinforcements to rescue him.