Great Han Empire

Chapter 194
The low sound of horns and the mighty sound of war drums suddenly resounded through the battlefield, through the Linghe River, and through Lingtai Mountain.

The iron cone array on the battlefield quickly reached the front of the infantry phalanx.At this moment, with a loud bang, the iron cone formation suddenly split into two.

Lou Lu and Lu Huanyang, who were on the left wing of the formation, led the soldiers to face the fleeing enemy and killed them head-on.They quickly moved to the north of the battlefield, intending to block the enemy's fleeing army and drive the enemy to Linghe.

She Yingtong, on the right wing of the formation, led a group of murderous fighters with his fists, shouting and roaring, followed the frantically fleeing enemy soldiers, and killed them all the way.

Li Hong led the soldiers of the Black Panther Yicong, turned around and headed towards the west of the battlefield, chasing after the enemy fleeing westward.
Li Wenhou and his personal guards had no intention of fighting at all. They escaped from the battlefield before the Fengyun cavalry and infantry encircled them. The Qianghu cavalry ran faster than rabbits, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye. between.

The enemy soldiers who lost their command suddenly became chaotic. They ran wildly on the battlefield in a state of chaos, and were chased and killed by the iron knight soldiers.

Under the command of Xian Yufu, the infantry phalanx quickly broke into the center of the battlefield.Not only did they firmly hold the east side of the battlefield, but they also successfully cut off the enemy's route of fleeing south.

When the sun rose completely, the enemy finally couldn't resist and began to surrender in large numbers.

The battlefield gradually fell silent.

===

noon.

Li Hong set up his camp on the bank of the Ling River five miles away from the battlefield.

Although Li Hong was not seriously injured, he was very tired after fighting in the middle of the night, and fell asleep on the embankment.After a short time, he vaguely heard someone talking, and quickly opened his eyes.He saw Shi Sangyang, the head of Taiwei's mansion, and his marching Sima Zuoyan standing not far away, talking and laughing.

Seeing that he woke up, Sangyang happily congratulated him.

Li Hong waved his hands, asked them to sit down, and asked with a smile, "Did you arrive just now?"

"We set off from Lingtai Mountain in the morning. We caught some prisoners on the way, and it took a lot of time, so it was a bit late." Zuo Yan replied, "My lord, just now Sima Sheyingtong from another department sent someone to report, and they Chased southward for more than 50 miles, but failed to capture Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou. Now they are escorting the prisoners back."

Li Hong nodded and asked Sangyang: "Master Sang, judging from the direction in which the enemy is fleeing, will they pass by Du Yang?"

Sangyang shook his head and said: "They bypassed Duyang and crossed Qishan Mountain. Although they walked a little longer, they could still return to Liangzhou. But now they are fleeing in panic and have no food. If they are hungry, they may kill them." Go back to Du Yang."

Zuo Yan said with a smile: "A few days ago, when they withdrew from Du Yang City, they had already ransacked Du Yang. Now that they go back, can they find something to eat?"

Sangyang smiled slightly, and said: "This place is located at the junction of Youfufeng County and Liangzhou Anding County. It is a small county town like Duyang for hundreds of miles. If you want to find food, you have to go there and find a way."
At this time, Zhao Yun hurried over and shouted loudly: "My lord, good news, good news, Beigong Boyu has been captured."

Li Hong was overjoyed, stood up and asked, "How did you catch it?"

Zhao Yun said with a smile: "Lord Captain sent someone to send news that a few Qiang Hu soldiers accidentally discovered it while cleaning the battlefield. Beigong Boyu was seriously injured and has been lying unconscious on the battlefield."

Sangyang clapped his hands happily and applauded loudly.

"How about our loss? Has Mr. Xianyu calculated it?" Li Hong asked hastily.

"Yes, my lord." Zhao Yun's face darkened, and he said in a low voice: "More than 400 cavalry were lost, more than 1 infantry were lost, and more than 300 were slightly or seriously injured. About 400 people."

Li Hongru's complexion changed drastically after being hit hard.He stared blankly at the river, and was so sad that he couldn't speak for a while.

He was very sad.He said he would take them back to Jizhou, but he found it hard to accept that more than 1 people died in the first battle.Although he knew that there would be sacrifices in war, he just couldn't accept it, and it became more and more unacceptable.In the past, there were few soldiers, and after the first World War, at most a few thousand people were killed in battle, but now with 1 soldiers, more than [-] people died in the first World War. He felt as if he had cut his own flesh, and the pain was unbearable.

Li Hong sat on the grass in a daze, staring blankly at the blue sky, speechless for a long time.

Sangyang and Zuo Yan looked at each other in surprise when they saw Li Hong's dejected look, and both felt that Li Hong's feelings were too immature.But considering that he is young and has not been in the army for a long time, it is normal for him to be unable to accept such a large number of casualties in the army for a while.Everyone has a growth process, and veterans also come from recruits step by step.Even if Li Hong became the chief general, he still needs a process of adapting to the increasingly bloody battlefield.No one is born ruthless, no matter how old a person is, he will cry because of being moved and suffering.

After a while, Li Hongcai gradually recovered from the great grief.

He looked at Zhao Yun who was squatting beside him, and asked in a low voice, "Where are the enemies? How many enemies have escaped?"

"More than 7000 rebels were killed, more than 700 were injured, and more than 400 were captured. We estimate that the rest escaped, about 5000 people." Zhao Yun said disappointedly, "Among them There is Marquis Li Wen. Many captured enemy soldiers said they saw Marquis Li Wen fleeing south with people."

Li Hong shook his head and said very dissatisfied: "We raided at night, and more than 3000 soldiers were killed..."

"Our losses are mainly infantry." Sangyang sat down next to him and comforted him in a low voice, "Li Zhonglang's ability to fight with the enemy's cavalry with a dense infantry phalanx is already very remarkable. Over the past ten years, in the On the Xiliang battlefield, the battle where more than 4 enemies can be wiped out at one time is the Linghe battle commanded by Li Zhonglang."

Zuo Yan sighed lightly and didn't say anything.In the Yellow Turban Army, he witnessed 10,000+ people and hundreds of thousands of deaths. He has become numb to the bloody and cruelty on the battlefield.On the battlefield, human life is like ants, what can a little pity and grief change?
"Although these Qiang people have not received any formal training, they are naturally tyrannical and aggressive, and each of them is quite capable in combat. We were able to achieve such results because of the sneak attack, which caught them by surprise. If it was during the day, we Face to face with them, 4 against [-], there is no chance of winning at all." Sang Yang continued, "Although our losses were a bit greater, we have wiped out more than [-] Xiliang rebels and captured Beigong Boyu. , Completed the plan of Lord Taiwei. The entire battle situation in Xiliang is about to undergo earth-shaking changes due to the fall of Beigong Boyu, and the day when the rebels will be defeated is just around the corner."

Li Hong forced a smile and said, "Master Chang Shi has this confidence?"

Sangyang was very excited. He smiled and said, "With Li Zhonglang and Fengyun Iron Cavalry such a brave and capable army, how can the Xiliang rebels be their opponents?"

Li Hong pointed to the battlefield in the distance and said: "If the Xiliang rebels are so difficult to fight, no matter how many troops I have, I can't afford such losses. If the fight continues like this, our troops in Jizhou and Youzhou will be wiped out immediately." The battle will be over. After the army has finished fighting, why are we talking about pacifying Xiliang? My lord thinks highly of us."

Immediately, Li Hong turned his head and said to Zhao Yun: "Zilong, inform Lord Hengda to assemble the cavalry immediately. Send someone to tell Lord Xianyufu to immediately order Lord Yan to gather troops. At the same time, order Lord Hengda, Lord Yan, Lord Gao and Lord Fang Come to the Chinese army camp immediately."

===

Heng Ji rushed to Li Hong's big tent first.

Li Hong pointed to Du Yang City on the map and said to Heng Ji: "You rush to Du Yang immediately."

"I'm not sure if Li Wenhou brought the defeated army back into Duyang City, but we know that the rebels have nothing to eat, no food at all, and it's hard for them to survive except to kill the horses. So each of you bring two horses, immediately Set off, keep chasing, and march for more than 200 miles at the fastest speed, and rush to Duyang."

"The enemy is being chased by you. They are hungry and tired. In desperation, they may re-enter Duyang City and temporarily avoid your pursuit. If they enter the city, you should surround the city and wait for the main force to arrive. "

Heng Ji looked at the map carefully and asked, "My lord, are you sure they are fleeing in the direction of Du Yang?"

Li Hong pointed at Sangyang and said with a smile: "Master Chang Shi of Taiwei's Mansion is very familiar with the terrain. Lord Sang is very sure that if the rebels flee south, they can only pass through Duyang, cross Qishan Mountain to the vicinity of the Weishui River, and then Flee west to Liangzhou. Duyang is the place where the rebels must pass through."

"My lord, if the enemy doesn't enter the city, what if they flee directly to Qishan?" Heng Ji continued to ask.

"Just give up." Li Hong said, "Give up. The army will return to Fufeng County tomorrow, and you will wait for us to go back together in Duyang."

Sang Yang asked in surprise: "Li Zhonglang, why did you withdraw? After you eliminated Beigong Boyu, there would be no enemies in Anding County. You can take back several counties in Anding County very smoothly, and the soldiers can also make more military exploits. Such a good thing, why don't you do it? Are you going to give up the victory of recovering Anding County to others?"

Li Hong smiled bitterly and said: "We lost a lot in the battle of Linghe. Now, apart from the 5 people who were killed and wounded, only 3 were able to fight. Everyone is exhausted and needs to rest urgently. In addition, the food we brought Not enough, we only brought food and grass for fifteen days. If I don’t withdraw, who will give us food and drink?”

Li Hong glanced at Sangyang and said, "Master Sang, Anding County is vast and sparsely populated. It is just a small county with a population of tens of thousands. An army of [-] people can solve all problems if we enter Anding. , the problem of food and grass is too difficult to solve, there is really no need to cause this trouble. We appreciate your kindness."

Sangyang shook his head, smiled in disbelief, and said, "Li Zhonglang is really generous."

Li Hong smiled indifferently, and said, "I don't know if my lord is willing to go with Master Evergrande? They are not familiar with the terrain and Du Yang, so I don't know if my lord can..."

"Yes, yes." Sangyang said, "I will personally accompany Mr. Hengda. If you can capture Li Wenhou in Duyang, it will be more credit than regaining Anding County."

Everyone in the big tent laughed.

Li Hong, Zuo Yan and others sent Sangyang out of the big tent.

Zuo Yan looked at Sangyang's back, and asked with a smile: "Sir, you send Master Sang away at this time..."

"Beigong Boyu is in Anding with an army of 5 people. He must have a lot of money in his hands for activities in the two counties of Beidi. Otherwise, how can he maintain the expenses of the army? I want to keep this money and reward the soldiers. If Lord Taiwei asks in the future, I will just push it away. Anyway, Lord Sang is not here, and they have no evidence, so what can they do with me?"

Zuo Yan said with a smile: "Master Sang stays here, so he will definitely know?"

Li Hong glanced at him and said with a smile: "We are not familiar with him, so it's better to avoid him, so as not to cause trouble."

Yan Liang, Gao Lan and Fang Biao came galloping on horseback.

Li Hong went up to meet him from a distance, and seeing Gao Lan's body was bandaged several times, he asked heartbroken, "Is the injury serious?"

Gao Lan grinned and nodded, and said, "After resting for several months, I was injured in the first battle. It's too unlucky. How is your injury?"

Li Hong patted his leg and said helplessly, "It hurts."

Yan Liang said with a smile: "Next time we will propose to Lord Assassin Guard that we need to add a clause in the military discipline that the leader must stay away from the battlefield to command, otherwise his salary will be deducted for one year."

Li Hong waved his hand and said with a smile: "What good does this do for you? Aren't you the leader of the army now?"

Fang Biao laughed and said, "Your Excellency Yan must have been so refreshed, I forgot."

Yan Liang said: "How can my general be compared with my lord, who is the commander-in-chief of an army..."

"Okay, okay..." Li Hong said, "Stop talking nonsense. You set off immediately and rush to Du Yang." He then said his thoughts again, and then said: "If Li Wenhou occupies Du Yang and is sacrificed Surrounded, he will definitely break through. So you should be faster, and rush to Du Yang as soon as possible to support."

The three said goodbye in a hurry.

===

Li Wenhou led the troops and ran for seventy or eighty miles in one breath before stopping.

The soldiers fought with the Han army for half the night on the battlefield, and then were chased and killed by the iron cavalry for a long time. They were all tired and hungry, almost lying on their horses.

Li Wenhou ordered the soldiers to kill horses to satisfy their hunger.There is no food, only to kill the war horse to eat, first to fill the stomach.The scattered soldiers who fled all the way gathered under his battle flag one after another. It didn't take long, and there were 5000 to [-] soldiers.

Seeing Nie Xiao, Li Wenhou was so angry that he wanted to stomp him with a knife.But now that Nie Xiao had more than 2000 people in his hands, he didn't dare to kill him casually, so he had to scold him and settle the matter.The two sat together dejectedly and discussed how to escape back to Liangzhou.

Now there is only one way, which is to cross the Qishan Mountain from Duyang to the Weishui River, and then cross the Weishui River to escape to Hanyang County.Crossing the Qishan Mountains, the road is difficult, the time is long, and there is no food, the soldiers are very likely to disperse.Just when the two of them were frowning and at a loss, Heng Ji chased after them with Fengyun cavalry.

Li Wenhou and Nie Xiao hurriedly led the troops and continued to flee.

The next morning, the rebels fled to Duyang.The soldiers fled for more than 200 miles in a row, and they were exhausted. It was already very good to be able to continue riding on the horse.Many wounded couldn't hold on, so they simply gave up and fled halfway, and they were at the mercy of their lives.At this time, the rebels would have no choice but to enter Duyang City.If he continued to escape, the entire army would be wiped out immediately.

Heng Ji immediately commanded the troops to surround Duyang City.

On the morning of the third day, Yan Liang rushed to Duyang with his infantry.

Li Wenhou and his soldiers were planning to break through the siege after a day's rest in Du Yang, but when they saw the infantry of the Han army arriving, they couldn't help but think of the unbreakable phalanx on the Linghe battlefield, and they felt desperate to the extreme.

On the fifth day, Li Hong rushed to Duyang with a large army.

Sang Yang and Zuo Yan took Li Hong's victory report and rushed to Yong County immediately.

After the various units of the anti-rebellion army followed the rebels into Hanyang County, Liangzhou, Taiwei Zhang Wen moved the camp to Yongxian County, where he commanded the entire Xiliang battlefield.

===

Zhang Wen was in high spirits after reading the document and listening to Sang Yang's narration.

"This is our first victory, our first real victory, since the Xiliang Rebellion." Zhang Wen shouted excitedly, and said loudly, "Quick, quick, report your victory to His Majesty immediately, eight hundred miles fast Riding to win."

"Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou's [-] troops have been solved, and the Xiliang rebellion is half done." Zhang Wen stood up and laughed loudly, "If General Zhou can quickly deal with Han Sui, the Xiliang rebels will be able to deal with it quickly." It was swept away, and the matter of countering the rebellion was settled."

"Master Changshi, please write another book immediately, detailing the process of the Linghe battle, and talk about Li Zhonglang's contributions, and tell your majesty that Li Zhonglang is my lucky general." Zhang Wen pointed at Sangyang and said with a big smile .

Seeing Lord Taiwei so excited, Sangyang and a group of Taiwei's staff were very happy and agreed again and again.

"Gongzu, send an order immediately to send the news of Linghe's great victory to the front line, so that the front line soldiers will be happy and boost their morale."

Tao Qian hastily agreed.

Zhang Wen immediately saw Zuo Yan.

"Is this Zuo Sima mentioned in Li Zhonglang's book?"

Zuo Yan hastened to pay respects.

Zhang Wen was in a particularly good mood, so he stepped forward to help him up and greeted him a few words.

Zuo Yan said slowly: "My lord sent me here, because I need to consult the Taiwei lord's opinion on something important?"

Zhang Wen said, "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"It is how to deal with Beigong Boyu and the Qiang captives." Zuo Yan said, "This matter is of great importance. If it is not handled properly, it will affect the Taiwei Lord's Xiliang counter-insurgency plan, so the Lord specially sent me to consult the Taiwei. My lord's opinion. After the battle of Linghe, there were only more than 3 troops left. Now we have to guard the prisoners and prepare to attack the city. Give an answer."

Zhang Wen was taken aback for a moment, obviously a little caught off guard, and then he smiled and said: "Li Zhonglang is very thoughtful, this matter is indeed very important."

He asked Zuo Yan to sit back on the table, pondered to himself, and walked back to the desk slowly, without speaking for a long time.It's not that he didn't think about this issue, but firstly, the possibility of capturing Beigong Boyu is very slim, and secondly, how to deal with Beigong Boyu is directly related to Xiliang's counter-insurgency and future stability, so he finds it very difficult. I didn't think deeply about it.Now that Li Hong had caught Beigong Boyu, this issue immediately became the top priority.

Beigong Boyu has a very high prestige among the Qianghu who belonged to Xijiang. Killing him is likely to arouse more rebellions from the Qianghu who belonged to him.Will the rebellion in various parts of Xiliang intensify because of Beigong Boyu's death?But he has no right not to kill him.If you want to pardon Beigong Boyu, you must go to the emperor.But if it is played, it must explain the reason for not killing Beigong Boyu, and it must be a very convincing reason, otherwise, his end may be almost the same as Huangfusong.

===

(End of this chapter)