One Piece of Song Dynasty

Wang Yuan should actually be regarded as a direct descendant of Liu Yanqing. He once followed Liu Yanqing to conquer Fang La and also made military exploits.

The guards stepped forward and grabbed Wang Yuan's arm and dragged him away. Wang Yuan struggled to break away, fell to his knees with a thump, and cried: "I risked my life to escape from the Liao army just to deliver a message to you, general. This is absolutely true." Indeed."

Liu Yanqing waved to the guards to let them out.

Liu Yanqing asked Wang Yuan: "How did you know about such a big thing?"

Wang Yuan reported in detail how he eavesdropped on Xiao Qian's camp and how he escaped back.

Liu Yanqing was doubtful after hearing this. Is this true or is Xiao Qian using tricks? It is said that Xiao Qian is very scheming.

Liu Yanqing immediately sent someone to call Liu Guangshi. Liu Guangshi didn't believe what Wang Yuan said. He said: "Where did the soldiers and horses from the Liao Kingdom come from? Did they fall from the sky? It is impossible for the Liao Kingdom to have soldiers and horses now. If there are really so many soldiers and horses, , Emperor Tianzuo would not have fled to Jiashan. Besides, there are heavy Jin army troops stationed behind the mountain. Even if Emperor Tianzuo wanted to come to reinforce Yanjing, he would not be able to break through the Jin army's defense line."

Wang Yuan said confidently: "I heard this with my own ears. Every word is true, and half of it is a lie. It will strike like thunder from heaven."

Liu Yanqing felt that no matter whether this matter was true or false, it was still better to be careful. Now, Tong Xuanfu and Deputy Cai Xuanfu should have received their report requesting troop withdrawal. I wonder if they will approve it.

On the night when Wang Yuan came back to report the news, Liu Yanqing received replies from Tong Guan and Cai You. The reply was not a formal document, but a note. In the letter, the two said: "You can decide whether to withdraw based on the battlefield situation, but you must not miss the military."

Tong Guan and Cai Youyuan were in Xiongzhou and did not know much about the situation on the battlefield ahead. It should be said that it made sense for them to let Liu Yanqing handle it as appropriate. There are two main reasons why Liu Yanqing wanted to withdraw his troops in a hurry. First, since Guo Yaoshi and Yang Keshi defeated Yanjing, Liu Yanqing has been very nervous because he knew that % of the team he led were Hebei Forbidden Army, and the people who came in after the failure of the last Northern Expedition They all came from the Hebei Forbidden Army. Because they still needed to guard against Xixia, they did not mobilize troops from the Western Army again. Therefore, there were only tens of thousands of the original remaining Western Army in the Northern Expedition this time. And these Hebei Forbidden Army had not been carried out for a long time due to the peace between Song and Liao. After military training, if they fight against the Liao army, they will be completely defeated. By then it will be too late to withdraw. Second, he has always advocated that the Jin army should use the power of the Jin army to attack Yanjing. According to the Song-Jin alliance, the Jin army should attack Yanjing from north to south. However, the Jin army has still stood still, so our army should retreat and choose the opportunity. . Moreover, Liu Yanqing also knew that Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo had gone to the Kingdom of Jin to negotiate with the Jin people. He thought that after the negotiations had a result, it would not be too late to send troops north according to the situation.

That night, Liu Yanqing wanted to order a retreat, but Liu Guangshi objected. Liu Guangshi believed that it was already midnight, and the troops and horses were all asleep. If a sudden order was given to withdraw the troops, it would probably cause chaos. Even if the troops retreated, they would have to wait until dawn before giving the order.

That night, Liu Yanqing was on tenterhooks and had no sleepiness. At dawn he felt very tired, sat on the leopard-skin chair and fell asleep. Suddenly, Wang Yuan ran into the tent and reported: "Liu Dutong is in trouble. Someone saw a fire on the north bank. It is very likely that the Liao army is about to launch an attack."

Liu Yanqing was shocked. He hurriedly ran out of the tent with his sons Liu Guangguo and Liu Guangshi and came to the river bank to observe. Sure enough, he saw fires burning everywhere on the other side of the river.

Liu Yanqing hurriedly returned to the Chinese army's camp and ordered the camp and baggage to be burned, and the entire army retreated toward Baigou. After the order was issued, Liu Yanqing rode a big white horse and ran south under the protection of a large group of soldiers. After receiving the order, all the armies immediately burned their tents, destroyed their baggage, and saw only people shouting and horses barking, and it was chaos.

Seeing the chaos in the team, Liu Guangshi stamped his feet anxiously. He ordered more than people from each battalion he belonged to to assemble at Mangzhuang on the left front. He had a premonition that his father might make a serious mistake this time. At this time, if the Liao army took the opportunity to cross the river to pursue, what would he do? He decided to lead his troops to intercept the rear and cover the retreat of the army.

Xiao Qian learned that the Song army had begun to retreat south, so he and Yelu Dashi came to the river bank to observe. Seeing the thick smoke rising from the south bank, Xiao Qian smiled slightly and felt very proud.

At this time, it was just dawn, and Xiao Qian and Yelu Dashi each led their troops across the river to pursue them. The Song army's discarded ordnance, food, clothing, and other baggage were strewn all over the ground, making it a mess. Xiao Qian asked in confusion: "Isn't Tong Guan somewhat capable? How can a stupid pig like Liu Yanqing be used as a general?"

Yelu Dashi thought for a while and replied: "The Song Dynasty has always valued culture over military affairs. Although the economy and culture are developed, the military strength is not strong. The Song Dynasty is just a vain, and there are not many people who are really capable."

At this time, a scout came and reported that the Song army was found in the area of ​​​​Mangzhuang in the south.

At this time, a scout came and reported that the Song army was found in the area of ​​​​Mangzhuang in the south.

Xiao Qian and Yelu Dashi were shocked, a little unexpected, because Mangzhuang was not far ahead, it could be said that it was right under their noses, and they suspected that the Song army was going to set up an ambush there.

Xiao Qian suggested splitting up the action. He said: "You pursue from the front, I will detour to Zhuozhou, and the two armies will meet on the north bank of Baigou River."

Yelu Dashi nodded in agreement: "It's a deal."

The Song army operating in the Mangzhuang area was under Liu Guangshi's command. Liu Guangshi concluded that the Liao army would definitely cross the river to pursue him, so he wanted to set up an ambush in the Mangzhuang area to stop the Liao army.

Yelu Dashi moved very quickly. Before the Song army could ambush, the Liao army's cavalry had already arrived. Liu Guangshi saw that there was no need to ambush and ordered a direct charge.

Liu Guangshi rode a fiery red horse and rushed to the front. He brandished a snake spear that was eight feet long and ran rampant among the Liao troops. He stabbed more than a dozen Liao soldiers off their horses. When the Song army saw that their general had entered the Liao army, their morale increased greatly. They all shouted and charged towards the Liao army.

Yelu Dashi did not expect that the Song army would dare to charge. He was worried about being ambushed, so he ordered to retreat.

When Liu Guangshi saw the Liao soldiers retreating, he did not dare to pursue them, so he withdrew his troops and retreated south. Yelu Dashi saw that the Song army was in disarray and disorder, so he led his army to continue the pursuit.

Most of the Song army was infantry. How could they outrun the Liao army's cavalry in field battles on the plains? Infantry fighting against cavalry was like sheep fighting against wolves on the prairie.

Regarding the great rout of the Song army, historical records say: "The five armies were in chaos, scattered and trampled on each other. No one knows how many of them ran down the cliffs and streams. They abandoned all military plans and continued for more than a hundred miles. Since the Xifeng period, all the livestock and troops have been lost, and the people of Yan composed songs and rhymes to mock Yanqing and spread the news in Yanzhong."