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Chapter 558: Battle Situation (I)

General Song’s defeat was not actually unjust.

He led the Yongwei Battalion to reinforce, and all of them were cavalry, which could be called an elite division. If he had been more cautious and not so eager to make achievements, and let the exhausted soldiers rest for a few days after the long journey, and then cooperated with the border troops to attack together, perhaps he could have defeated the Rouran cavalry in one fell swoop.

General Song was eager to make achievements, and he was also too proud and confident. He had been stationed in the capital for many years, and he felt that his elite troops were far superior to the border troops. The border troops were defeated repeatedly, not because the Rouran cavalry was so powerful, but because the border troops were weak and useless. This time he led his troops to Sizhou, not only to defeat the Rouran cavalry, but also to let the border troops see the power of the Yongwei Camp, and let the emperor and the ministers in the court see who is the best general in Daliang!

With this in mind, General Song made the big mistake of underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly!
As for the Rouran cavalry, most of their food and fodder had been burned, and a small part of their stables had been burned, resulting in the loss of several thousand county horses. More than 2,000 people died in the fierce battle that night, and thousands were killed and wounded in the battle with the border troops the next day. It can be said that this was the biggest defeat the Rouran had ever experienced.

The Rouran Khan Fu Mingdun was furious and personally led his troops to attack Sizhou City. The Rouran cavalry had been aroused by the fierce battles in recent days, and their morale was at its highest.

One was a tired army coming from afar, and the other was a pack of wolves chasing their prey. Suddenly, they collided with each other. The result was predictable.

This great defeat caused Daliang to lose more than 6,000 elite cavalry. If the border troops had not come out of the city to support at the critical moment, more people would have died.

The reinforcements were unable to bypass the Rouran camp and enter Sizhou. After being defeated, they had to retreat to the simple temporary military camp. The Sizhou city, 40 miles away, was far away but out of reach.

As a result, the Rouran cavalry stopped attacking Sizhou City and instead continued to attack the reinforcement camp.

The reinforcements defended the camp with great difficulty, but were defeated again and again, and their morale was completely destroyed. What was even more terrible was that the Rouran cavalry entered the palace during the day and raided at night to burn food and grass, so the reinforcements never stopped.

General Song stayed up for several days and nights. His eyes were red and his mouth was covered with blisters due to anxiety and anger.

He quickly summoned the generals in the army to discuss countermeasures.

At this point, they could no longer care about their dignity. If they continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before the Rouran cavalry overran their camp. All the men in the Yongwei Camp would have to be handed over here.

"General, send someone to Sizhou to deliver a letter, asking General Fan to send troops out of the city to attack the Rouran camp. We will also send troops together to attack from both sides."

"Yes! Let's just fight the Rouran barbarians!"

"We can't wait any longer! The soldiers are fighting during the day and have no peace at night. They can't stand it any longer. If the barracks are blown up, it will be the end."

"General, please write the letter quickly! I am willing to go to Sizhou in person to deliver the letter."

General Song's face was as gloomy as water, and his brows were furrowed. "It's easy for you to say. If we do this, we will fall into the trap set by the Rouran barbarians."

"The border troops have been in a stalemate with the Rouran barbarians because of the solid walls of Sizhou. If they abandon the danger of the walls and go out of the city to fight, they will not be a match for the Rouran barbarians at all."

A general sighed, "In a head-on confrontation, we in Daliang simply can't find any army that can directly confront the Rouran barbarians' cavalry."

After hearing these words, all the generals sighed.

No matter how high one's spirit is, one must bow down in the face of cruel and harsh facts. The elite cavalry of Daliang is simply no match for the Rouran barbarians. When the two sides' horses charged into battle, the Rouran barbarians were like a mighty iron stream, and could engulf the Daliang cavalry in an instant.

I really can’t beat him!
"Even if we send a letter to Sizhou, General Fan will not easily send troops out of the city." General Song sighed and said, "If I were the commander of the border army, I would make the same decision." The generals looked at each other in confusion, "What should we do now? Are we, tens of thousands of people, just going to die in vain and wait for the Rouran barbarians to come and take us?"

General Song gritted his teeth and said, "Let's hold on first. We have suffered heavy casualties, and the Rouran barbarians are also losing people. Let's see who can hold on longer. We will do our best to wear down the enemy's forces, and the border troops will be able to firmly hold Sizhou. Wait for the right opportunity, attack in one fell swoop, and defeat the barbarians."

……

Sizhou.

On the tall city wall, General Fan was standing with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of the reinforcements' camp.

Dozens of miles away, he could not see anything, nor hear any movement. But General Fan's ears were constantly ringing with the cries of soldiers who died tragically, and his eyes were always filled with blood.

"General, you've been standing here for half a day." General Chu advised, "It's no use just standing there like that. You should go back and rest!"

That's right, before, the Rouran barbarians attacked the city every day, and the border troops fought every day. These days, the Rouran barbarians stopped attacking the city and went directly to attack the reinforcements. Instead, the outside of Sizhou City became quiet.

Some generals volunteered to lead troops out of the city and attack from the front and back with the reinforcements, but they were all stopped by General Fan.

"We relied on the strength of the city walls to defend Sizhou and keep the Rouran barbarians out of the city." General Fan seemed to be talking to a confidant, or he seemed to be muttering to himself: "In a head-on battle, the border troops are no match for the Rouran barbarians."

"The Rouran barbarians are forcing us to abandon the city walls and leave the city. Once we can no longer hold on and leave the city gate, what awaits us will be a violent and violent attack by the Rouran barbarians."

"I can't let the border soldiers risk their lives."

General Chu couldn't help but whispered: "General, you did the right thing. These generals understand."

General Fan pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery and sighed again: "You understand, but some fools in the border army don't. Some people have been secretly spreading rumors that I am as cold-hearted as iron and would not help someone in need. They also said that I deliberately used the Yongwei Camp to wear down the Rouran troops. When we win the decisive battle in the future, it will be natural for me to take all the credit. General Song has become my stepping stone."

General Chu's eyes showed indignation: "Who is gossiping behind my back? I will investigate and catch these gossipers."

General Fan exhaled, his tone was relatively calm: "The Song family is a family of generals that has been passed down for generations in Daliang. There are also several Song family members serving in the border troops. Seeing that General Song is at a disadvantage and allowed to be bullied by the Rouran barbarians, and the border troops are unwilling to leave the city to help, it is inevitable that they are dissatisfied."

"No need to investigate strictly, just go find them privately and tell them to shut up."

General Chu left immediately.

General Fan stood on the city wall for a long time before going down.

It was already getting dark, and the soldiers began to eat dinner. Today's dinner was rice porridge and cornmeal buns, and each person was given a piece of meat. This was a rare sumptuous meal for the soldiers.

General Fan stepped into Yu Chong's tent and asked, "How are you today, General Yu?"