In the 11th year of Wu Jianshuo, on the 19th of December, the main battle of Yu Yu Creek, which was regarded by later generations as a turning point for the entire Jin Kingdom, had come to an end on this day.
Of course, the continuation of the battle would not stop there.
The Battle of Yu Shui Creek was essentially the result of Qu Zhengyan's first frontal attack on the battlefield, under the premise that the quality of the Hua Xia army had already surpassed the Jin army. He took advantage of the psychological blind spot of the Jin people who had not yet fully accepted this fact. More than 14,000 Huaxia soldiers had directly defeated nearly 50,000 Jin, Liao, Xi, Bohai, and puppet armies. Taking advantage of the enemy's lack of reaction, they had expanded their victory.
The core factor that supported this battle was the fact that the Huaxia army had been able to directly defeat the Jurchen elites. Under this core factor, many of the details of the battle's planning and use of conspiracies had become minor details.
Among them, the bloody interception at Victory Gorge and the killing of Xie Lili at Eagle Beak Rock could only be regarded as the icing on the cake. From a general perspective, as long as the quality of the Huaxia army had already surpassed that of the Jurchen, it would inevitably be revealed on some battlefield one day, or through the accumulation of numerous achievements. What Qu Zhengyan and the others chose to do was to take the initiative and reveal their greatest trump card, while at the same time cutting down Yu Yu Xi in one go.
The war had lasted for two months. At this time, the Jurchen could no longer retreat. At this point in time, it was time to announce to everyone that the confidence of the Huaxia army in defending the southwest did not lie in the Jurchen's arduous expedition, nor did it lie in the geographical advantage of the southwest defense, nor did it need to take advantage of the internal problems of the Jurchen to drag out the other side's expedition.
The confidence of the Huaxia army in fighting the Jurchen was that even in a frontal battle, they were no match for them.
"… If that's the case, if I were Zihan, I would have a headache now …"
In the early morning of the 20th of December, while a large group of people at the headquarters in Zizhou were waiting for news from Yu Yu Creek, Qu Zhengyan and Yu Zhongdao, the two division commanders, were wrapped in quilts and warming themselves by the fire in a hut at the frontline, waiting for the arrival of dawn. That night, the mountains outside were still in a mess.
The battle in the daytime had brought about a firm and unquestionable victory. More than thirty thousand people were either killed or captured in the nearby mountains. Among them, the majority of those who died in battle were Nuzhenren, Khitans, Xi people, Bohai people, and Liaodong people.
Zong Han did not send more than 200,000 Han soldiers into the Swords Gate Pass in order to prevent the Han puppet army from suffering any negative impact on his own army. In the battle of Yu Yu Creek, there were nearly 50,000 attacking troops, including about 20,000 puppet army. The core forces of the battlefield were composed of the Jin, Khitans, Jin, and Bohai people.
Being led by the Jurchen to the south, these people's combat ability was not weak. Considering that the Jin Kingdom had been established for nearly 20 years, and it was a smooth golden period, the main ethnic groups had a strong sense of belonging. The Xi people and Bohai people were originally on good terms with the Jurchen. Even the Khitans, whose country was once destroyed, had a group of old ministers who were later put in important positions. The Han people of Liaodong, on the other hand, did not treat the southerners as their own people.
Twenty years had passed. Most of the Female Zhenrens had good families, and the other races were more motivated. It was like if you didn't have a good father, you would have to suffer a little more. This southern expedition was regarded as the last chance to make meritorious service. The armies of the other races, except for the Female Zhenrens, often showed a stronger desire to make meritorious service and fighting spirit than the Female Zhenrens.
Among the 50,000 Jurchen soldiers, many of them were not even mentally prepared to be defeated on the battlefield or to surrender on a large scale. As a result, even though they were at a disadvantage, many of them still fought with their lives on the line, increasing the casualties of the Huaxia Empire's army during the siege.
When the day was over, the outer camp of the Jin soldiers of Yu Yu Creek had been destroyed. More than 5,000 people, with the Jurchen people as the core, were gathered in the inner camp. They resisted tenaciously with dense artillery fire. Thousands of deserters were scattered in the mountains outside. At this time, considering the difficulty of annihilating the enemy, Qu Zhengyan kept his reason and started to retreat.
As a matter of fact, although the road between Yu Shui Creek and Huang Tou Crag had yet to be completed, the two generals of the Nu Zhenren, Yu Yu and Da Lai, who were of the same rank as Fei Lili, had already led a few hundred people through the mountain ridges to Yu Shui Creek.
Using 14,000 people to forcefully attack the enemy's 50,000 strong army, and on this day, they captured more than 20,000 people. The Huaxia army was exhausted and almost at their limit. At three o 'clock in the morning, which was about to pass, Dalai led more than 600 people out of the Yu Yu Creek barracks with difficulty and tried to launch a sneak attack on the Huaxia army's camp. He expected to cause the exhausted Huaxia army to explode, or at least cause a mutiny among the 20,000 captives who had not been completely escorted to the rear.
Unexpectedly, the monitoring network arranged by Qu Zhengyan at the frontline was still working. In order to prevent the Jurchen people from counterattacking that night, Qu Zhengyan and Yu Zhongdao did not sleep at all. They even personally supervised the small-scale patrol team to the frontline to carry out strict supervision.
In the dark of the night, the scouts discovered Dalai's troops sneakily approaching. The situation was quickly reported back. The regiment commander in charge nearby quietly mobilized a few cannons and took advantage of the enemy's approach to launch a round of artillery fire without warning.
Because it was night time, it was difficult to determine the damage caused by the artillery fire. However, the huge commotion it caused finally made Dalai and his people give up on their plan to launch a sneak attack, scaring them back to the barracks.
This was a small episode that happened in the early morning of the 20th. By dawn, the reinforcements from Zizhou had entered Yu Yu Creek one after another. What was left now was to clean up the defeated soldiers in the mountains and further expand the results of the battle. The basic foundation of the victory of the entire Yu Yu Creek battle was finally completely stabilized.
In the following days, the wounded soldiers and captives were transferred to the rear. The mountain road from Yu Yu Creek to Zizhou was filled with people coming and going every day. The wounded soldiers and captives were transferred to Zizhou, while the propaganda team, logistics team, and the new recruits who had undergone a certain amount of training went to the frontline to replenish their supplies. At this time, the Little New Year had arrived. The rear had slaughtered some pigs and chickens and transported them to the frontline to reward the troops. The art troupe had also come up. The results and significance of the battle of Yu Yu Creek had already been exaggerated by the propaganda department of the Huaxia army. The news spread to the rear and to various places in the army. The entire southwest was stirred up by the results of this battle.
In Huang Ming County, Ba Li Su's attack had temporarily stopped. The Jurchen people led by Zong Han in the mountains dozens of miles from Jiange to the frontline fell into true winter.
On the last journey of their lives, these Jurchen heroes who had dominated their entire lives were caught in an awkward situation where they could neither advance nor retreat.
Of course, they would make a decision.
The Huaxia army was also waiting for their decision.
On the afternoon of December 26th, after a preliminary treatment, Mao Yishan was called back to the rear as a hero representative. At this time, the casualty statistics and follow-up arrangements had all been completed. He returned with his two deputies, wearing red flowers on their chests, and several staff members from the propaganda department.
There was no hard and fast date for their return, and there were many soldiers on the way back. Mao Yishan felt that it was embarrassing to wear a red flower on his chest, so he took it off in embarrassment when he left the mountain pass of Yu Yu Creek. When he passed by the main camp for the wounded soldiers, he sent a few people from the propaganda department away first, and he went in with his deputies to treat his wounded comrades. In the evening, he met Hou Wu and Hou Yuanyong in the nearby camp for the captives.
He had personally killed Xie Lili and was a great hero. When he was arranged to temporarily leave the frontline, the division commander, Yu Zhongdao, casually gave him a bottle of wine. That evening, Mao Yishan took it out and gave it to Hou Wu and Hou Yuanyong to drink. Hou Wu was responsible for the work of the captives, so he waved his hand and refused. Hou Yuanyong accompanied him to drink the bottle of wine. After the meal, Mao Yishan visited the captives' camp happily and went directly to the captive Jurchen elite soldiers.
At this time, the camp was also having a rough dinner. When Mao Yishan went over, a large number of captives were taking shelter after dinner. The square ground was surrounded by ropes, and the captives had to walk around once. Mao Yishan walked to the wooden table next to him and asked, "These guys … Do they all understand Chinese?"
"A little … I understand a few words."
"Oh, Brother Wu, call someone over to translate for me." Mao Yishan was in high spirits and put his hands on his hips. "Hey! Grandsons of the Jurchen! Look at me! The one who killed your boss Xie Lili will be me … "
Hou Wu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Yishan, you didn't drink much …"
"What do you mean by invincible? Coward!" Mao Yishan smiled and pulled Hou Wu's sleeve. "Brother Wu, help me translate."
The Jurchen captives under the table looked over one after another. A few of them understood Mao Yishan's words, and their faces became unfriendly. Hou Wu's face turned cold and he waved to the soldiers around him. The soldiers around him immediately set up their crossbows.
"What! I'm not convinced! If you have the guts, come up and fight me one-on-one! My name is Mao Yishan. It's much better than your boss's … lousy name Xie Lili! "
Hou Wu stared at the movement in the crowd. Hou Yuanyong covered her face and secretly laughed. Mao Yishan was introverted in his early years. Later, he got married and became a military officer. He was known for his honest character and rarely showed off like this. He shouted a few times, but the captives didn't understand him. He asked his assistant for a big red flower and wore it on his chest. He danced and shouted, "I! Crack! Xie Lili! "
"Hahaha! You're not happy … "
After being so presumptuous for a while, Hou Wu pulled Mao Yishan away. When they returned to the room next to the bonfire, Mao Yishan's mood finally calmed down. He spoke of the battle at the Eagle Beak Cliff. "After the battle, I counted. Three hundred and thirty-two people died. Although it's said that it's inevitable for a general to die on the battlefield, I still have to send a letter to their families when I go back. "
He had been fighting for more than ten years, and the people around him had died over and over again. But no matter how many times he experienced it, such a thing was always like a word carved in his heart with a soft knife. It was a long, heart-wrenching pain that couldn't be vented in any hysterical way. Mao Yishan threw the firewood into the fire. His expression was restrained, and only his eyes were moist and red.
Hou Wu patted him on the shoulder. Hou Yuanyong laughed. "Uncle Mao, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about the fact that you killed Xie Lili. Guess who couldn't sit still after hearing it? "
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