History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 268 Khitan Goes South
[Khitans go south]

Earlier, the Khitans, under the instigation of Lu Wenjin, had sent out a large army to harass the northeastern part of Hedong and gained a lot of benefits. The grassland was filled with singing and laughter. At this time, Wang Yu and Lu Wenjin sang the same tune and actively encouraged Yelu Abaoji to invade the south. Wang Yu said to Yelu Abaoji: "Zhenzhou is prosperous and rich, with mountains of gold and silver treasures. There are a lot of beautiful girls! The sooner you go south, the sooner you can take it. Otherwise, it will be taken away by Li Cunxu (Zhenzhou is full of beauties and mountains of gold and silk. If you go quickly, you can take them all. Otherwise, they will belong to the King of Jin)."

Facing the instigation of the two traitors, Yelu Abaoji planned to send troops southward, but his wise and far-sighted wife, Empress Shulü, remained rational and thought that this was a way to help others. So she advised Yelu Abaoji, saying that we Khitans have herds of sheep and horses and are not short of money. Why should we mobilize troops and fight a war full of uncertainties to earn a little bit of profit? Moreover, Li Cunxu was a master of military tactics and had repeatedly defeated the Later Liang. His military power was strong, so it was not appropriate to compete with him.

As for money, Yelu Abaoji certainly doesn't care about it; when it comes to fighting, he is not afraid of Li Cunxu; as for beautiful women... these are acceptable.

So Yelu Abaoji mobilized all his armed forces and invaded the south.

At the end of the first year of Longde (921) (December 12), the Khitan launched a large-scale invasion of Youzhou, but encountered stubborn resistance. They then bypassed Youzhou and attacked Zhuozhou, captured the governor Li Sibi, and then attacked Dingzhou.

Wang Du appealed to Li Cunxu for help.

Li Cunxu had no choice but to draw elite troops from Zhenzhou City and personally lead 5,000 people north to support Dingzhou. The Hedong Group finally faced a three-front war, with three battlefields blooming at the same time.

When Li Cunxu was about to reach the front line of Dingzhou, scouts reported that the Khitan army had arrived in Xinle (south of Dingzhou) and was heading towards Zhenzhou. The two armies were about to meet between Zhenzhou and Dingzhou.

The officers and soldiers in Hedong were terrified and a large number of them fled. Officers at all levels tortured and killed people, but the situation could not be contained. There was a danger of them collapsing without a fight.

Generals at all levels have always believed that the Khitans have come out in full force with a large number of men and horses, and the disparity in numbers is too great, so we have no chance of winning. Also, we heard that the Later Liang army has invaded Hebei, so we should return to Weizhou.

Some people advocated returning to Weizhou, while others advocated withdrawing directly to the west of Taihang Mountains... In short, we must not fight against the Khitan.

Li Cunxu was hesitant and asked for advice from his adviser Guo Chongtao.

Although Guo Chongtao was a scholar, he was the only advocate of war around Li Cunxu. He analyzed: "The Khitans were only seduced by Wang Yu, with the purpose of plundering money, food and beautiful women, not really saving Zhenzhou. In other words, the Khitans will not shed blood and sacrifice for the people of Zhenzhou; moreover, the king has always won brilliant victories on the battlefield of the Yellow River (in the distant past, there were the battles of Luzhou and Baixiang, and recently there were the battles of Huliu, Desheng and Jiacheng, defeating He Gui, Wang Zan, and Kedai Siyuan), and his power has shocked the world. When the Khitans hear that the king is personally leading the expedition, they must be frustrated and terrified. As long as we can defeat their vanguard and severely dampen their spirit, they will definitely flee back to the grassland!"

Li Cunxu agreed with him and said, "I only used tens of thousands of people to pacify Hebei. Why should I be afraid of a few barbarians and clowns? Gather and prepare for a group battle!"
Li Cunxu personally led 5,000 cavalrymen to charge, and encountered more than 10,000 Khitan cavalrymen. Li Cunxu led the charge and shouted, "Go ahead!"

At that time, Li Cunxu's 5,000 men rushed out of the woods, and the Khitan soldiers did not see the full 5,000 men, but only saw 2,000 to 3,000 men. However, facing these 2,000 to 3,000 men, more than 10,000 Khitan cavalry resolutely turned around and ran away; Li Cunxu's soldiers split into two groups and chased them relentlessly, chasing them for dozens of miles in one breath and capturing one of Yelu Abaoji's sons.

The remaining Khitan soldiers panicked and walked on the ice to cross the river. As a result, the ice broke and countless people drowned.

When the news came, Yelu Abaoji retreated urgently, retreating to a place nearly 50 miles north of Dingzhou in one breath. Li Cunxu returned with the sound of whips and golden stirrups, singing triumphant songs, and stationed in Dingzhou City.

Wang Du personally went to greet Li Cunxu, held a celebration banquet at his official residence, and requested to marry his daughter to Li Cunxu's son Li Jiji. "Where is Dad?"

"Leave it until the New Year, and die."

Just a few days ago, on the first day of the first lunar month in the second year of Longde (922), Wang Du came to Wang Chuzhi's place of confinement to wish his godfather a happy new year.

Wang Chuzhi was furious. He grabbed Wang Du by the collar and wailed, "Traitor, rebellious son! How have I ever wronged you?" He cursed and beat Wang Du's chest, and was about to bite off Wang Du's nose.

Wang Du struggled hard, tore his sleeves, and finally escaped. Afterwards, Wang Chuzhi was assassinated and announced to the public that he died of illness. Wang Chuzhi did not escape the curse of Gao Pianshi. Feudal superstition kills people.

Time waits for no one, Li Cunxu took a short rest before leading his army to approach the Khitan garrison. Li Cunxu personally led a thousand cavalry to launch the first wave of attack, encountered five thousand enemy troops, and was surrounded.

Li Sizhao led 300 people to attack from the side and rescued Li Cunxu. Then the Hedong Army launched a general attack, and the Khitan was defeated and continued to retreat northward.

Li Cunxu pursued them all the way to Yizhou. At this time, it had been snowing for more than ten days, and the snow was several feet thick. The disadvantages of the Khitan army's lack of logistical supplies were fully exposed. The soldiers had no food and the horses had no grass, and a large number of non-combat casualties occurred.

Yelu Abaoji raised his hand and pointed to the sky, and said to Lu Wenjin: "This is God's will. God doesn't want me to be here." Then he ordered them to return to the grassland.

Li Cunxu followed the Khitan army and observed the Khitan garrisons along the way. He found that although the Khitans were defeated and retreated, they were able to maintain uniform movements. Even the straw on the ground was neatly laid out. The Khitans retreated in an orderly manner, not in a rout. Li Cunxu could not help but admire Yelu Abaoji's good military management from the bottom of his heart, and said to those around him: "The military discipline of the barbarians is so strict, much better than ours."

Li Cunxu understood that the Khitans' retreat was a strategic shift. As Guo Chongtao said, they were just taking advantage of the situation and were not really risking their lives. They could not gain any benefits and were just going home. The only thing the Hedong Army had to do was to drive the Khitans away. The Khitans' fighting power should not be underestimated.

After arriving in Youzhou, Li Cunxu only sent 200 cavalrymen to follow the Khitan army, and repeatedly told them to just watch the Khitans leave the border, and once they left, they should come back immediately!

As a result, these 200 cavalrymen were short-sighted. After two victories, they really thought that the Khitans were vulnerable. They ignored Li Cunxu's earnest warnings and went out of the country to pursue the Khitan army. Except for two people who took a shortcut and escaped, the rest of the Khitans were all captured.

Li Sigong took advantage of the victory to recapture Gui, Ru, Wu and other states occupied by the Khitans.

Yelu Abaoji's trip to the south this time was a loss. He lost more than he gained, so he took his anger out on Wang Yu, handcuffed and shackled him, and escorted him back to the grassland.

With his extraordinary courage and firm belief, Li Cunxu successfully eliminated the threat from the north temporarily.

(End of this chapter)