Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

Warfighters often say a word: the right time is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the harmony of people.So is there such a war: one side has the right time, place, people, and all three things, and has all the advantages in military strength and technical equipment, but in the end it loses in a mess.Anyone who engages in such a battle will feel that people are unlucky and their teeth will be stuffed with cold water, but someone did it, such as... Song Taizong Zhao Kuangyi. The Battle of Youzhou, which he personally commanded in 979 AD, seemed to be the Chinese football team capsized in the sewer. They took all the advantages they should have. They basically fought around the city gates of others. It was really unlucky to see blood seal the throat in a quick counterattack, just as Niu Qun Feng Gong's cross talk said: The Asian Games are the most stinky, and Chinese football's finishing kick is the stinkiest.If you look at it, the performance of the Song army in the battle of Youzhou was really bad.

But who is to blame if such a battle cannot be won?Blaming luck?When Brazilians encounter this situation, they will sigh: "God is helping them play football." What about Zhao Kuangyi?He can't blame God but one thing—his stupidity. This emperor of the Zhao family is also well-known in history. His elder brother is the founding emperor, and he is the second emperor.Although the younger brother is good at governing the country, he is far behind in terms of military ability. Normally, this is not a bad thing. After all, Zhao Kuangyin left him a rich military background. Generals with outstanding military talents such as Cao Bin and Pan Mei.But if you are afraid of fighting, you are afraid that the leader will command blindly. Zhao Kuangyi insists on taking command in person, even the gods can't save him.

At that time, the military situation in the Northern Song Dynasty was really good. The Northern Han Dynasty had already been destroyed, and the traditional Han areas were unified. The morale of the 300,000 Song army was high, and the soldiers pointed directly at the traditional land of the Central Plains regime-Youyun Sixteen Prefectures occupied by the Khitan and Liao Kingdom.Youyun Sixteen States should naturally be recovered. This is not only a matter of national face, but also a matter of national defense. Youyun Sixteen States are the barriers for the Central Plains regime to defend against the invasion of northern nomads. Losing Youyun Sixteen States, the Central Plains regime will be in no danger can be kept.It is right to send troops.The Song army was in full swing along the way, not only the Han people who accounted for the majority of the local population cheered, but even the Khitan guards begged to surrender. Things went smoothly unexpectedly, and the 300,000 Song army soon approached the last line of the sixteen prefectures of Youyun. The gateway - Youzhou, is completely surrounded, and the glory of recovering the country seems to be like picking something out of a bag.

In terms of weather, the Song army was victorious and their morale was high; in terms of geographical advantage, there was only an isolated city left in Youzhou, which was heavily besieged by the superior Song army; in terms of people and harmony, the local people responded one after another.All the conditions that should be met, no matter how you look at it, the Song Army's victory has not escaped.Song Taizong waved the flag: general attack! But Zhao Kuangyi just forgot an old saying - a trapped beast will still fight. 300,000 Song troops went into battle together, and all the most advanced weapons in the world at that time were brought up to greet them.The heavy armored infantry and cavalry of the Song Dynasty charged forward and took turns towards the city wall. The main force attacked from the four gates of Youzhou at the same time.This trick is effective for fighting devils in the era of hot weapons, but it may not be effective for fighting Khitans in the era of cold weapons. The defenders of Youzhou, who were under heavy siege, exploded with amazing energy in desperation, struggling to resist the offensive of the Song army. It was Han Derang, a well-known minister of the Han nationality in the Liao Kingdom. The Song Dynasty knew this person because he was the young lover of the Empress Dowager Xiao of the Liao Kingdom, but it turned out that his kung fu on the battlefield was even better.

Relying on the large number of people, hundreds of thousands of people went into battle in turn, attacking the city day and night, but Han Derang let the Song army see his outstanding military talent. At the same time, the city gate withstood the Song army's attack.As a Han general who is familiar with military books, he has brought into full play the strategies of defending the city in various Han military tactics.With meticulous arrangements and targeted defensive measures, he formed a three-dimensional defense system, which withstood the pounces of the Song army time and time again.In contrast, Song Taizong was very literary and artistic. He often ordered thousands of soldiers to stand shirtless under the city and perform "sword dances" on the spot with big knives. This was a method used when fighting the Northern Han Dynasty. , but the same recruiting of the steward once, the second time may not be effective. The Khitan defenders on the top of the city are not surprised, and they still resist desperately.After several days of continuous attack, the Song army could not move an inch.

The Song army did not take advantage on the battlefield, but the Song army made unexpected gains on the "underground work" front. The commander of Youzhou, Li Zalecan (Khitan) surrendered at the front of the line of fire. Finally, a gap appeared in Youzhou's defense line, and the Song army swarmed in. Go up, break through the outer city in one fell swoop, break into the city.At the same time, many Han people in Youzhou City also formed "guerrillas" to wreak havoc everywhere. Youzhou fell into chaos. went back.In addition, he also fully realized the "importance of doing ideological work". After the war, he comforted the Han people in the city and confided his heart, which greatly moved the soldiers and civilians who had originally opposed the Khitan.So far, the biggest crisis in Youzhou City has been resolved, the Song army has lost the best opportunity to break the city, and the veterans are tired. The victory that was originally within easy reach has gradually tilted the balance.

Rao is Han Derang's extraordinary talent, but the reason for Song Jun's bloody encounter may have to be found from Song Jun's own command.Zhao Kuangyi blindly attacked, but he didn't see the Song army come up with a flexible attack method. He only knew how to pile hundreds of thousands of people under the city to fight for consumption. As a result, the vanguard troops that originally attacked the city were all used as cannon fodder, and it was even more ridiculous to arrange soldiers to perform sword dances.It's really unconvincing that the battle has reached this point.

Zhao Kuangyi, who was so anxious to get angry, forgot the second thing: to fight for aid. Youzhou is in a hurry, and the Queen Mother's little heart is trapped in the city, so it is impossible for the Liao Kingdom to save it.The elite Khitan cavalry corps soon marched towards Youzhou, but the matter was not too serious. As long as the city was besieged with heavy troops, enough troops and favorable terrain were used to stop the reinforcements, cut off the communication with each other, and stick to the strategy of besieging the reinforcements to the end However, with the national strength of the Song Dynasty, it was only a matter of time before Youzhou was recovered.However, the Song Army was eager for success, and constantly transferred the Song Army, especially the cavalry, who were responsible for the mission of reinforcements, to the city of Youzhou. The charge of Yelu Xiezhen, the king of the South China Institute, bought time for the siege troops, but the time won was not as good as the time wasted by the main force. In this way, the Song army stormed Youzhou, and the Liao army on the periphery stormed the Song army who was attacking the reinforcements. No one can move forward and suffer in the stalemate.Whoever opens the breakthrough first will win the final victory!

At this time, another powerful general of the Liao Kingdom appeared on the stage-Yeluxiu, the king of the North Academy, this unlucky guy who was often repaired by the Yang family in the storytelling, was the most outstanding offensive genius of the Liao Kingdom in history.He led the Liao king's brand cavalry troops to the Gaoliang River outside Youzhou City. Facing the infantry phalanx of the Song army's reinforcements, Brother Yeluxiu did not attack like Zhao Kuangyi, but sent a small group of cavalry troops in a targeted manner Pretending to be defeated, he lured the heavy armored infantry of the Song Army to leave their positions and pursue them.Then, the main cavalry troops of the Liao Kingdom gave full play to their mobility advantages and encircled the Song Army infantry who had been lured out of their positions. The cavalry's steel knives fluttered, hacking and killing the infantry of the Song Army wantonly.After the Gaoliang River was defeated, the solid front of the Song army seemed like a dam that had been breached by a gap, and the whole line collapsed in an instant.At the critical moment, Han Derang in Youzhou City also took the initiative to attack and launched a swift counter-charge against the Song Army outside the city. Under the internal and external pincers, the tired Song Army finally collapsed!

Rout!The entire line was defeated, and the Song army, which had high morale, lost all morale and courage at this time, like a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered, allowing the Khitan cavalry to slaughter them.The infantry was fleeing, the cavalry was fleeing, and the 300,000 Song army threw away their helmets and armor, and ran for their lives hopelessly.Even Song Taizong himself fled in embarrassment in a donkey cart, and the concubines and attendants around him, as well as the imperial utensils, all became trophies of the Liao army.The Liao army chased and killed for dozens of miles one after another. The 300,000 elite troops of the Northern Song Dynasty who originally aimed to recover the rivers and mountains were wiped out under Song Taizong's absurd command.

Youzhou was saved, and the Song Dynasty was never saved. Youzhou has since become the city most feared by the Song army.A few years later, the Song Dynasty made another Northern Expedition, and it was defeated without even touching the border of Youzhou, and it even caught up with the veteran Yang Ye. More than 100 years later, facing the remnants of the Liao Kingdom who had been beaten to death by the Jurchens, the Song Dynasty attacked Youzhou again, still throwing away their helmets and armor.Youzhou became an obstacle that Song Dynasty people could never cross. The siege of Youzhou was a key battle that almost determined the fate of the Song Dynasty for the next 300 years.The Song Dynasty, which lost the Sixteen States of Youyun, not only lost its natural defensive barriers, and was in a passive situation since then, it also lost the traditional war horse production areas of the Central Plains regime, and it was no longer possible to form high-quality cavalry troops.In the era of cold weapons when cavalry determined victory or defeat, this almost doomed the national destiny of the Song Dynasty.The recovery of Youzhou, like the Tang Dynasty's attack on the Turks, and the Ming Dynasty's acquisition of Dadu, was originally a juncture that had the meaning of a carp jumping over the dragon's gate for the Song Dynasty's national fortune, but it finally failed to pass.The defeated Song Dynasty finally lost the courage of the traditional Han national government to subdue the barbarians, and began a ruling policy of keeping the inside out and ignoring the outside world, and finally tasted the painful fruit of dying under a foreign regime twice.