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Chapter 818: Extra: National War (Part )
"General! The people we sent out have already caught up with the Rouran cavalry and engaged them in combat. About 200 people were injured, so we had to retreat."

A bearded general hurried into the border army's chief general's tent and bowed hastily to report.

General Fan, who had not had a good sleep or good food for many days, was anxious and angry, with red eyes. Hearing this, his brows jumped and he said angrily: "Who told them to retreat? Pass on my order and tell them to continue the pursuit!"

The general whispered to his colleagues, "General, please calm down. It's not that we want to retreat, it's just that the Rouran barbarians are too brutal and bloodthirsty. We brothers can't stand it anymore. If we don't retreat back to the city, everyone who went there will die there."

General Fan tightly grasped the letter in his hand, his anger gushing out: "We can't just let the Rouran barbarians burn, kill, rob and abuse everywhere. Soldiers are paid, and now is the time to fight for the country and the people of the Liang Dynasty."

"Go and pass on the military order immediately! Only leave 10,000 men to guard the city, and send the rest out to chase the Rouran barbarians. Kill as many as you can!"

The trusted general had his face covered in saliva, but he had no choice but to accept the order and quickly ran out to pass on the military order.

General Fan took a deep breath, unfolded the letter in his hand, and read it again.

This is the emperor's personal letter. The content of the letter is very simple. The court has sent 200,000 troops, led by General Zuo of Weiyuan. The mission of the border troops is to hold back the Rouran cavalry and not let them come and go as the wind.

This national war cannot afford to fail. Even if the main general is not him, Fan Zhongliang, and the greatest credit after the victory belongs to Weiyuan Hou Zuo Feng, he cannot have any resentment or dissatisfaction, and must do his best to win this national war.

Once you lose...

No, can't lose!
Almost all the elite troops of the Daliang Dynasty had arrived. In order to supply food, fodder, and military expenses, the court personally did its best. The emperor even took out his family's wealth.

This battle can only be won and not lost. Once they lose, they will never be able to return to the court, let alone see the emperor.

The situation at the border is now very clear. The initiative is on the Rouran side. The Rouran barbarians have been starving and cold for a whole winter, and are crazy with poverty and hunger. Now they are looting and killing people everywhere. The border troops cannot sit idly by and must leave the fortified city to pursue the Rouran barbarians.

The casualties were shockingly high, with two, three, or even more lives of the border troops being exchanged for one life of the Rouran barbarians. In just a few days, the casualties of the border troops had reached a terrifying number. Fortunately, such desperate efforts were finally of some use, greatly slowing down the pace of the Rouran barbarians' plundering. And gradually figured out the distribution of the Rouran barbarians' forces.

Now, we must continue to hold out until the imperial court's 200,000 troops arrive. With the huge force, we can suppress and defeat the Rouran barbarians.

This is the most appropriate military strategy at the moment, but the casualties are too heavy, and there is no real achievement.

General Fan wiped his red eyes vigorously, forced himself to cheer up, walked out of the military tent, and went to the wounded camp to comfort the wounded.

In the wounded camp, there were wounded soldiers lying everywhere, some with broken legs and arms, some with blood gushing from their waists, abdomens, and backs. There were all kinds of miserable conditions. They were wailing and screaming in pain. Ordinary people simply couldn't bear to see such miserable conditions.

General Fan saw this and his chest ached.

He had been in the frontier army for six or seven years, and had gradually won the hearts of the soldiers. Although his prestige was not as high as that of the former General Zuo, he was well supported and loved by the soldiers because his military pay and food were better than before.

In the past few years, he has been training soldiers using Liu Hengchang's method and has trained many elite cavalry. Ordinary infantry is formed into small squares of five people, specially trained to deal with cavalry. Therefore, they are also capable of fighting against the Rouran barbarians.

The casualties are so heavy now, and the losses are too high. After this national war, I wonder how many people in the border army can survive to the end.

General Fan walked around the wounded camp for half a day, and when he came out, his eyes were red. For more than half a month, the fierce battle with the Rouran barbarians continued. Many Rouran cavalrymen were killed and wounded, and the border troops suffered even more casualties. They were holding on with their passion and bravery.

He no longer had the intention to compete with Zuo Feng.

General Zuo, please lead your troops to rescue us quickly.

The border troops can’t hold on any longer!
On the second day of May, the vanguard battalion of the imperial reinforcements finally arrived at the border.

General Fan was so excited that he almost cried. The general who came to explore the way and deliver the letter was from the Shenwu Camp and was also General Fan's former subordinate.

When the general saw General Fan's appearance at this time, he was also shocked: "Why does the general look so haggard?"

He was skinny, his eyes were red, and there was a dark patch under his eyes. How long had he been without food or sleep?
General Fan smiled bitterly: "Let's not talk about this for now. Where is Marquis Weiyuan leading his troops? How many days will it take for them to arrive? Our border troops are almost crippled! We are anxiously waiting for reinforcements from the court day and night!"

The general replied solemnly, "Our vanguard camp is three or four days ahead of the main army, and the main army will arrive in a few days. However, we still need to rest for a few days. The Marquis ordered me to tell the general to hold on and hold back the Rouran barbarians. Don't let them escape."

That's right, the border troops fought so hard because they didn't defend the fortified city, but took the initiative to attack. The border troops suffered many casualties, but they saved countless civilians and held back the Rouran barbarians.

If the Rouran barbarians fled at the sight of the enemy, the imperial army would come but would not be able to catch even the shadow of the Rouran barbarians, and would have no way to fight them.

Therefore, the border troops have to continue to fight with all their might.

General Fan bit his teeth tightly, his mouth smelling of blood. "Okay! I will lead the troops into battle myself! I will definitely hold back the Rouran barbarians!"

……

"Fan Zhongliang has made great progress in the border army over the past few years."

Ten days later, General Zuo arrived with his rested army. With the continuous military intelligence from the border troops, the imperial army accurately attacked the Rouran barbarian army.

One side was exhausted after a long battle, while the other side came from afar with high morale. The two armies collided like surging waves, with blood and flesh flying everywhere and shouts of killing shaking the sky.

This was the first time for almost all the soldiers to experience a war of this scale.

Because the battlefield was so large, it was no longer possible to issue military orders effectively and accurately. The only thing they could do was rely on the generals to lead their own troops and attack according to the previously decided military strategy.

General Zuo was the main general, sitting at the rear of the army. Standing on a high chariot, he looked at the fiercely fighting battlefield through a special telescope, and suddenly said something.

At this time, there were five or six military generals beside General Zuo.

There are about 100,000 troops dispatched now, and half of them are waiting for orders in the rear. Liu Hengchang is also among the waiting generals.

Liu Hengchang was the only one who could respond to General Zuo's sigh: "I came to the border army a few years ago. The current border army is indeed much better than before."