Chapter 316: Besiege and attack

Yelu Xiuge, a famous general of Liao State, led an army of 60,000 to rescue the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. After entering Ruzhou City from Beigukou Pass outside the Great Wall, he heard the news that the Song army had captured twelve prefectures from the east and west in just half a month. He was so shocked that his mind was in a mess and blank, and he didn't speak for a long time.

Xiao Yanluping, the defender of Ruzhou, was a nephew of Empress Dowager Xiao. When he stole a glance at the pale face of Yelu Grand Marshal, he spoke cautiously: "Grand Marshal, now our army only controls the four prefectures of Wuzhou, Ruzhou, Xinzhou, and Guizhou, and there are only more than 20,000 defenders.

The Grand Marshal is personally leading 60,000 troops to rescue. Dare to ask, should we send troops to rescue Xinzhou and Guizhou, or defend Wuzhou and Ruzhou so that we can advance and retreat freely?"

Yelu Xiu Ge came to his senses and his face froze!

: "I have arrived with 60,000 troops, and of course I am going to rescue Xinzhou and Guizhou. Not only do I have to stop the enemy's offensive, I also have to lead the Khitan warriors to drive the Song army out of the Sixteen Prefectures

of Yanyun!" Xiao Yanluping smiled bitterly in his heart, thinking that your reinforcements are too late. Although the 60,000 troops you brought are all elite cavalry of my Liao Army, it is not so easy to drive the Song army, which has captured twelve prefectures along the way, out of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?

Not daring to say the sad words in his heart, Xiao Yanluping only hoped that he could escape unscathed. He clasped his fists and said, "The great marshal is famous, and our Khitan warriors are powerful. They will definitely drive the Song army out of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

I am not talented, but I will definitely guard Ruzhou City for the great marshal and ensure that the rear of the army is worry-free."

Yelu Xiu Ge looked at him with contempt, thinking that Empress Dowager Xiao was a woman, but she was brave, resourceful, courageous and knowledgeable. She could manage the government in the court and kill the enemy on horseback. But why are there so many greedy and cowardly people among her brothers and nephews from her mother's family? They are shrewd and calculating when fighting for power and profit, but they are afraid of death when fighting.

"Since General Xiao has said so, we should continue to stay in Ruzhou City and protect the rear of the army!" Yelu Xiu'ge's words were full of sarcasm and disdain.

Xiao Yanluping pretended not to hear the sarcasm and disdain in the Grand Marshal's voice, and felt relieved. Defending in Ruzhou, they can advance and retreat. If the Liao army wins, they can get some small credit for protecting the rear supply route. If the Liao army loses, when they see the situation in Ruzhou is not good, they can turn around and run to the grassland outside the Great Wall from Beigukou.

Yelu Xiuge personally led 30,000 troops to reinforce Guizhou, and his general Yelu Sha led 30,000 troops to reinforce Xinzhou. When they reached the north of Guizhou, they divided their forces to reinforce the two states, catching the Song army's siege troops by surprise.

The veteran general Yang Ye, the Golden Sword Commander, led his troops to the city of Guizhou and set up a siege formation. Deputy General Liu Zhi led 10,000 troops to set up a siege formation at the city of Xinzhou.

The two fierce generals Yang Yanzhao and Meng Liangjiaozan led 6,000 elite soldiers of the Huoshan Army and quietly followed His Royal Highness the Regent Prince to join forces.

Regent Zhao Defang led 3,000 elite Moyun cavalry and 10,000 light-armored cavalry, plus Yang Yanzhao's 6,000 elite Volcano Army, out of Shunzhou and quietly sneaked into a valley between Guizhou and Ruzhou.

Yun Yi led the Shadow Guards and hundreds of elite Moyun cavalry to clear out the scouts released by the enemy, so that when Yelu Xiu'ge's army arrived near the pocket formation, they had to move in like a blind man.

This valley is called Feixiakou. It is narrow at the north and wide at the south. It is a big pocket with a big belly and a narrow mouth. Whether the enemy troops that have entered the pocket can be contained depends not only on the 3,000 archers ambushed at the bottom of the pocket, but also on the combat effectiveness of the 3,000 Moyun Cavalry and 6,000 Volcano Army ambushed in the mountains and forests near the bottom of the pocket. There are

also dense forests on both sides of the Feixiakou valley. The regents Zhao Defang and Yang Yanzhao each led 3,500 soldiers to climb the peaks on both sides and ambush.

After passing Feixiakou, it is still more than 30 miles to Guizhou City. Yelu Xiuge and Yelusha led 60,000 troops to the valley entrance, stopped their horses and waited for the report from the scouts in front, and then entered the valley and passed through the valley.

This is the rear of the Liao army's occupied territory. Yelu Xiu'ge did not suspect that the Song army would ambush here. It was only out of the prudence of a famous general that he stopped and waited for the scouts to get the news before entering the valley.

Yang Yanzhao, who was lying on the hill on the left, wore a disguise of grass leaves on his head, and secretly admired the prince's cleverness. Yun Yi and Yingwei waited for the scouts in front to report safety, and then when the main force of the Liao army began to enter the valley, they quietly killed the scouts in front. The main force of Yelu Xiu'ge in the back became a blind man trapped in a pocket formation by his own people.

Regent Zhao Defang was surrounded by his trusted soldiers. He took out the telescope given by the princess without hesitation and hid behind a rock to observe the enemy.

Seeing the main force of the enemy army mobilized and entered the narrow valley in a long line, Zhao Defang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as these 60,000 troops get in, they will be like the meat filling in the dumplings made by the princess, and I will swallow them up.

The entrance is narrow and the speed cannot be fast. When the vanguard troops came out of the wide valley in the south, the tail troops in the north had all entered the valley.

The regent Zhao Defang personally picked up a large thunderbolt, lit the medicine twister, and threw it at the head of the Liao army at the rear. With a sound of "Boom!...", the flames rose into the sky and the order for a general attack was issued.

On the hills on both sides, thunderbolts of large and small sizes were immediately thrown down one after another: "Boom!..." "Boom!..." "Boom..."

The rumbling explosions sounded continuously in the valley, flames ignited, and gunpowder smoke filled the air. The six hundred thunderbolts they brought exploded one after another in the valley more than ten miles long, and the straw bales sprinkled with kerosene were pushed down one by one. …

The Liao army marched in the valley in dense formations. The people who were blown up were thrown

to the ground, their limbs flew everywhere, and the people who were burned were screaming like ghosts and wolves. The burning people were struggling and screaming, just like a purgatory on earth. The Liao army at the north end turned around and ran back, but they were squeezed in the narrow valley entrance and trampled on each other. The Liao army at the wide entrance in the south mustered up their courage and rushed forward. Archers stood up from the low slopes on both sides and fired waves of arrows. The Liao cavalry fell off their horses one by one like dumplings. ...

The Liao army, which had finally managed to break out of the rain of arrows, heard a thunderous sound of horse hooves. Three thousand elite Moyun Cavalry soldiers in black armor and six thousand elite Volcano Army soldiers in dark red armor rushed out from the woods on the hillside three miles away.

Yelu Xiuge and Yelusha screamed desperately, commanding the army not to run around and trample on each other, but to rush out to the valley entrances on both sides. There were flames everywhere, and figures screaming and fleeing in fear everywhere.

Two hours later, less than five thousand Liao troops had rushed through the Moyun Cavalry and Volcano Army camps from the south, but more than ten thousand Liao troops had escaped from the narrow valley entrance in the north.

Regent Zhao Defang and Yang Yanzhao came down the hillside and joined forces.

"Yanzhao, you lead 6,000 Huoshan troops to pursue the enemy to the south, and work with General Yang to attack from the front and back to capture Guizhou City. I will lead the Moyun Cavalry and 10,000 elite troops to pursue the enemy to the north, and try to destroy this enemy army."

Yang Yanzhao accepted the order and led the Huoshan troops to pursue the enemy to the south.

Regent Zhao Defang personally led 13,000 elite troops to pursue the enemy to the north.