preface
In the Northern Song Dynasty, many people may think that the Northern Song Dynasty emphasized literature over military force, and its military strength was inferior to Liao, but in fact, no matter from historical records or various documents, the Northern Song Dynasty did not take much advantage of the confrontation between Song and Liao.
However, although the Northern Song Dynasty emphasized literature and light military force, it did not mean that the Northern Song Dynasty did not have famous generals, in the Battle of Xuhe, he led 10,000 Song troops to defeat 80,000 Liao troops and seriously injured Yelu Xiuge.
Who is this celebrity? And how did he emerge victorious in that battle that must have been lost?
War broke out
From the end of the 10th century to the beginning of the 11th century, when the Northern Song Dynasty was established, it faced a strong threat from the Liao Dynasty in the north, and people had the impression that the military power of the Northern Song Dynasty was not strong.
The Liao Dynasty was a powerful empire founded by the Khitans, known for their brave and skilled cavalry, which constantly infested the borders of the Northern Song Dynasty in an attempt to expand its territory.
During the turbulent period of the first year of Duangong, the Liao army invaded southward on a large scale, and fierce battles frequently broke out on the border between the Song and Liao countries, although under the excellent command of General Li Jilong, the Song army dealt a heavy blow to the Liao army in the Battle of the Tang River, but the tide of the war quickly changed, and the Liao army then broke through and occupied the strategic Yizhou.
In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops, the Song army urgently planned to transport grain and grass to the front line, however, this movement did not escape the keen insight of the Liao army general Yelu Xiuge, who quickly dispatched the army, intending to set up an ambush on the way to supply and cut off the Song army's food transportation line, thereby further weakening the Song army's combat effectiveness.
In fact, at that time, there was disagreement within the Song army about whether to continue to transport supplies, and the Wenchen represented by Zhang Wei advocated abandoning the front line of the Weilu army and shrinking the defense.
However, Li Jilong and other generals believed that the Weilu army was an important barrier and should not and could not be abandoned, and in the end, under Li Jilong's strength, the Song army decided to continue to transport supplies.
Yelu Hugo knew about the exhaustion of the Weilu army in the Northern Song Dynasty, and he seemed to have calculated that the Northern Song Dynasty would not give up the Weilu army, and wanted to send troops to cut off the supply lines of the Song army.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of the supply mission and give the Liao army a surprise blow, Li Jilong carefully planned a plan to lure the enemy into the depths, he decided to set off in advance, secretly mobilize troops, avoid the eyes and ears of the Liao army, and quietly approach the destination.
This move cleverly took advantage of the time difference, which caused the Liao generals such as Yelu Hugo to miscalculate, believing that the Song army was still making final preparations for the supply operation, so they relaxed their vigilance and did not immediately launch a large-scale pursuit operation.
When the Song army successfully completed the supply task of the Weilu army, Li Jilong quickly adjusted his tactical deployment, he knew that in order to safely evacuate and deal a heavy blow to the Liao army in the heavy encirclement, he must take the initiative to attract the Liao army to pursue.
So, he ordered his troops to quickly cross the Xu River, using the river as a natural barrier, both to cover his flanks and to prepare for the ensuing battle.
In this context, the Battle of Xuhe broke out, which was not only a direct collision of military strength between the two sides, but also a contest of will and wisdom between the two countries.
Before the Battle of Xuhe, the Northern Song Dynasty army had many encounters with the Liao Dynasty, and although it was generally weak, it also accumulated rich experience in actual combat.
Li Jilong was well aware of the superiority of the Liao cavalry, so he carefully arranged on the eve of the war, took advantage of the terrain, and formulated a tactical strategy of taking defense as an attack and luring the enemy into depth.
On the Liao side, Yelu Hugo served as the commander of the Liao army, and the Liao army he led was mainly cavalry, with strong mobility and combat effectiveness.
This time he went south to invade the Song Dynasty, Yelu Xiuge was determined to win, trying to break through the Northern Song defense line in one fell swoop and attack the Central Plains, however, he did not expect that what awaited him would be a painful defeat.
The Xuhe region, with its complex topography and vertical and horizontal rivers, provided a natural defensive barrier for the Song army, and Li Jilong made full use of this geographical advantage to arrange a defensive line and prepare to meet the Liao army.
The Liao army relied on the rapid advantage of cavalry, and soon advanced to the vicinity of the Xu River, and in the face of the menacing Liao army, the Song army did not rush to fight, but relied on the terrain to hold its position.
After a short confrontation between the two sides, the Song army deliberately showed weakness, making the Liao army think that they could not defeat it, and wanted to cross the river quickly, but the Liao army saw that the Song army took the initiative to cross the river, mistakenly thought that it was in a predicament, and sent a large army to pursue.
Yelu Hugo personally led the elite troops in an attempt to annihilate the Song army in one fell swoop, however, he never imagined that this was the trap carefully laid by Li Jilong.
As the Liao army pursued deeply, Li Jilong began to implement his second step plan, he skillfully used the terrain and troop advantages, divided his troops into two routes, one was led by Kong Shouzheng, and ambushed near the Cao River north of the Xu River, preparing to ambush the flank of the Liao army.
On the other hand, more than 1,000 death squads led by Yin Jilun were hidden ten miles north of the city, waiting for the best opportunity to attack, and when the Liao army penetrated into the ambush circle preset by the Song army, Li Jilong decisively ordered an attack.
The infantry and cavalry of the Song army ambushed on both sides quickly attacked, and the Song army facing the enemy formed a flanking attack, the Liao army was caught off guard, and the formation was in chaos.
With Yelu Hugo's serious injury, the morale of the Liao army was greatly reduced, and the Song army pursued the victory, and finally completely defeated the main force of the Liao army in a decisive battle, realizing the reversal of the tide of the war.
The remnants of the Liao army suffered heavy losses in the process of rout, a large number of soldiers were captured or killed, and in this battle, the Song army broke the Liao army of 80,000 with 10,000 people and achieved a brilliant victory.
Campaign outcome and impact
After the Battle of Xuhe, the Liao army was forced to retreat, and the Northern Song Dynasty successfully held the border defense line, and more importantly, Yelu Huge's serious injury made the Liao Dynasty lose an effective threat to the Northern Song Dynasty for a period of time, and won precious peace time for the Northern Song Dynasty.
After a period of time, the Liao Dynasty's offensive against the Northern Song Dynasty weakened significantly, and the two sides entered a period of relative stability.
It not only boosted the imperial court's confidence in border defense, but also boosted the morale of the soldiers, and more importantly, the battle provided valuable experience for the military reform of the Northern Song Dynasty.
It was from this time that the government of the Northern Song Dynasty began to attach importance to army building, strengthen border defense, and improve the combat effectiveness of the army, laying a solid foundation for the later war against Liao.
As an important battle in the early Northern Song Dynasty, the Battle of Xuhe cannot be ignored in history, it is not only a model of the Northern Song Dynasty army's heroic resistance to the enemy and winning more with less, but also a classic example in ancient Chinese military history.
Historical Enlightenment and Practical Significance
In the Battle of Xuhe, the Song army was able to accurately grasp the movements and troop deployment of the Liao army, thanks to its perfect intelligence and reconnaissance system.
In modern warfare, the acquisition and analysis of battlefield intelligence is also crucial, and only by grasping the enemy's dynamics in a timely manner can we make correct strategic decisions and tactical adjustments.
The combat effectiveness of the Northern Song Dynasty army in the Battle of Xuhe was inseparable from its long-term army building and training, and a well-trained and well-equipped army was an important guarantee for winning the war.
In the Battle of Xuhe, the Northern Song Dynasty army insisted on defense while actively looking for opportunities to counterattack, and this strategic thinking of combining defense and counterattack is also of guiding significance for modern warfare.
In the face of a strong enemy, it is necessary to maintain sufficient defensive strength to resist the enemy's attack, and actively look for the enemy's weaknesses to counterattack to win the victory.
The Battle of Xuhe was not only a military victory, but also a comprehensive demonstration of strategic vision, command art, and cooperative combat capability, which provided us with valuable historical enlightenment and practical significance, which is worthy of our in-depth consideration and reference.
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