sbdcsierra Chapter 287 Pingxingguan Victory!!!
Chapter 287 Pingxingguan Victory!!!
The battlefield was filled with smoke and the soldiers' shouts were deafening. It was obvious that the first battle had begun.
The shieldmen and spearmen in the Song army camp cooperated with each other, constantly strangling the Liao army soldiers who rushed forward madly. Blood splattered as swords and guns flashed.
On the other hand, the Liao army was determined to achieve its goal. The Liao cavalry, skilled in archery and horsemanship, drew their bows and arrows, and the rain of arrows fell into the Song army's formation like locusts, causing layers of blood to splatter.
The two sides fought back and forth, and the battle was very intense. Duan Cheng, who was in charge of the defense line in Pingxingzhai, looked at the Liao army rushing in frantically, and couldn't help but sweat on his forehead and became a little nervous.
Suddenly, a horn sounded from behind the Liao army, and a large number of cavalry rushed out from the left and right sides of the enemy camp, attempting to attack the bottle-shaped village from the flank.
Upon seeing this, Duan Cheng quickly adjusted his strategy and ordered the second echelon of infantry to form a shield wall defense to slow down the pace of the Liao army on the flank.
At the same time, all the cavalry in the camp were pulled out to try to launch a counterattack on the flank of the Liao army.
The result made Duan Cheng feel disappointed. The cavalry of Pingxingzhai was not enough to fill the teeth of the Liao army. With just one charge, they were knocked to the ground and made no sound.
"We can't fight like this anymore. This is enough to consume enough energy."
Duan Cheng's expression turned stern, and he shouted, "All troops must evacuate according to the designated plan. No lingering battles are allowed—!"
Upon hearing that they could retreat, the Song army, which had been resisting stubbornly, breathed a sigh of relief and immediately withdrew from the bottle-shaped village in an orderly manner while covering each other.
Faced with the Liao army's mad charge in desperation, they really couldn't hold their ground. If Duan Cheng had given the order a little later, it would probably not have been a planned evacuation, but the entire army would have been defeated.
Seeing that the Song army began to show signs of "collapse", the smile on Shi Mocha's face grew wider.
"Humph, if it weren't for some conspiracy and trickery, these Song troops would be no match for my Liao in a field battle!!!"
"Come, send a message to the rear, saying that Pingxingzhai has been breached by our army, and the entire army can pass through Pingxingguan and return to the Liao Dynasty!"
Shi Mocha's words inspired the Liao army, and they all howled and accelerated to pursue the Song army that had been completely "defeated".
Little did they know that at Pingxingguan Ridge, the Song army was sharpening their swords and waiting for them to sneak in.
After Xiao Yi received the message from Shi Mocha Ge, he became even more convinced of his previous analysis. There was absolutely nothing wrong with returning to the country through Pingxing Village.
When he led the remaining 50,000 elite Liao troops from the entire Xijing Road and slowly entered Pingxingguan, the Song-Liao War finally came to an end.
As Guo Kui issued the word "general attack", tens of thousands of Song army soldiers on Pingxingguanling all got into action.
The battle immediately entered a white-hot stage, with blood and limbs splattering everywhere, dyeing the sky red and sticking to the ground.
Every moment, people fell, both the Song army and the Liao army, but neither side was willing to retreat. One side was to defend the country, and the other side was to return home alive...
There are no winners in war for the civilians of any country. The final result is always mutual destruction and harm to innocent people.
However, in order to fight for a bright and new future, countless people will continue to fight and open up a world of happiness and well-being.
. . . . . .
On March 25th, a full ten days after the Battle of Pingxingguan, Guo Kui's battle report rushed into the capital of the Song Dynasty - Bianjing City from Hedong Road.
This day was not a significant occasion. There was no court meeting and nothing special happened. However, it later became a celebration for many people, or the general public.
After the news reached Bian Jing City, it was reported to the Privy Council immediately. Privy Councilor Zhang Sheng had nothing to do today, so he drank tea in the office and listened to the work reports of his assistants.
The next second, a group of six people rushed in from outside, led by Shen Huai, the deputy commander under Di Zi.
"General Shen Huai greets the Grand Master!"
Shen Huai looked so exhausted and aggressive that everyone in the government hall was stunned.
Then Zhang Sheng, with his white hair and beard, raised his eyebrows and said softly, "Shen Huai, you are not at the front line, how come..."
The old man was probably a little confused due to his age. He suddenly shook in the middle of his words and stood up immediately.
"Is there any news from the front?"
The old man's voice was trembling a little.
"I, your humble general, have fulfilled our mission and defeated Xiao Yi's army of 80,000 in Hulu Valley, Mount Wutai, annihilating 30,000 of them."
"Later, they set up an ambush in the Pingxingguan area, encircling and annihilating the remaining 50,000 elite Liao troops. Xiao Yi, the Liao Kingdom's Southwest Recruiting Commander, was captured—!"
"boom--!"
The entire Privy Council office was shaken instantly, and everyone opened their mouths and eyes wide, looking at Shen Huai in disbelief.
"This is the victory report signed by General Guo and Commander Di. Please review it, Your Excellency!"
Shen Huaisheng's voice was like a loud bell, causing everyone in the government office to stare intently at the document in his hand.
"Hurry up--!"
"I will personally go to the palace to present this to His Majesty. The Privy Council and all the subordinate offices, please post this news everywhere!!!"
Zhang Sheng felt that his good days had reached a new peak. He was originally endorsing others, but now, while he was enduring this, a huge achievement fell on his head.
Not to mention anything else, if he were to retire now, the government would have to grant him the honor of the Three Dukes or the Duke of the State, and he felt that his posthumous title would probably be the highest level.
"Grand Master, posting official documents requires the approval of the Secretariat."
The officer beside him immediately suppressed his inner excitement and hurriedly stopped Zhang Sheng.
"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and send the message to the Secretariat! You're wasting time!"
Zhang Sheng took the victory report from Shen Huai's hand, glanced at it quickly, and felt his blood boiling with excitement.
"My Lord, I have an order. I need to take your order to the Secretariat to go through the formalities!"
The assistant officer pointed at the seal of the Privy Councilor on Zhang Sheng's desk with an embarrassed look on his face.
"What a waste of time! When do we have to go through the formalities? It's driving me crazy!"
Zhang Sheng directly took a piece of white paper and slammed the seal on it with a "clang". A seal of "Privy Councilor" fell on it.
"Write it yourself. I don't need anything else. Just one word: 'quickly'!"
"If the Secretariat dares to stop us, we will just post it ourselves. If anything goes wrong, I will be responsible!"
"They've been spoiled by this. Procedure, procedure. When Marquis Han returns, I'll have to give these bastards a good lesson."
Zhang Sheng ran to the imperial palace angrily with the victory report.
Afterwards, the news of the Pingxingguan victory first caused a sensation in the entire imperial court.
The officials were extremely excited and ran around to tell each other, their faces filled with pride and excitement.
As time passed, this feeling of joy gradually spread to the streets and alleys, and in an instant, the whole city was boiling.
The people in the city came out of their homes and talked to each other, their words full of joy and excitement for the victory.
In teahouses and taverns, people were discussing this great victory. Even storytellers began to make up stories about the Battle of Pingxingguan, telling them vividly, and they were surrounded by people who were listening with excitement.
Inside the palace, Emperor Yingzong was overjoyed upon hearing the good news. He said nothing more, only laughed continuously. The depression he had been feeling for many days was swept away, and he felt refreshed.
When he came to his senses, Emperor Yingzong immediately ordered rewards for the three armies, and the rewards were transported in large quantities to the armies in Hedong and Hebei.
Guo Kui and his generals were all rewarded heavily, and the soldiers who participated in the early defense battles of Hulukou and Baigouyi were also rewarded generously.
Among the people, many young people were influenced and inspired by this war, and expressed their desire to join the army to defend their country. For a time, the trend of giving up one's pen and taking up arms began to take place in the Song Dynasty.
The Pingxingguan victory can be regarded as a key battle that changed the situation between the Song and Liao dynasties. Since then, the Song Dynasty psychologically erased the fear of Liao and the unequal differences during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong.
If the victory of the Second Song-Xia War kicked off the rise of the Song Dynasty, then the Battle of Pingxingguan laid the foundation for the rise of the Song Dynasty.
From the ruling class to the people, the Song Dynasty no longer clung to the ideas of "foreign trouble" and "conservatism", and they moved further and further towards another fork in the road.
The prosperous Tang Dynasty's open-mindedness and all-encompassing spirit began to take root in the hearts of the Song people and awakened again in all social classes.
In their eyes, since they have defeated Liao and Xia today, the day when all nations come to pay tribute is not far away...
When the vendor selling candied haws heard the news, he shouted on the spot: "Today the candied haws are free, to celebrate the victory of our Song Dynasty army!" People gathered around, eating candied haws and talking about the heroic deeds of the Pingxingguan victory.
The storyteller in the teahouse slapped the wake-up stick and said loudly: "Dear readers, today we will not talk about the Three Kingdoms or Water Margin, but the earth-shaking battle at Pingxingguan." Everyone fell silent and listened to him vividly describing the bravery of the Song army and the wisdom of the generals.
Inside the palace, the emperor's face was filled with joy. He immediately ordered rewards for the soldiers returning from the front lines. He also declared a general amnesty, sharing the joy with the people. For a moment, the entire city of Bianjing was immersed in a sea of joy. Children ran and played, imitating the soldiers, while the elderly sighed with emotion at the prospect of prosperity for the Song Dynasty. Although the soldiers on the distant frontiers could not witness this scene firsthand, they knew in their hearts that their blood and sweat had brought the pride and hope of the people of the Song Dynasty, and that all the sacrifices were worth it.