Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 311: Escape...?
Bloody battlefield.

Xue Rengui fought hard, but his right hand became numb and his consciousness became blurred.

All I could see was blood and severed human limbs. Occasionally, there were wounded soldiers who were not yet dead, wriggling unconsciously on the ground, uttering something.

He felt like he had fallen into a vat of blood. His whole body was covered in blood, his ears were buzzing, and his nose was filled with the pungent smell of rust.

He didn't know where he was or what he was doing.

He only knew that he had to hold on, and his men had to hold on as well.

They were driven all the way north and now had nowhere to retreat. Behind them was the Yellow River, and they were less than five miles away from the last line of defense.

The five miles that the soldiers fought hard to defend are the last umbilical cord connecting the main force of the Ming Dynasty with the outside world!
If this link is broken, the strategic situation will be completely reversed and everything will be over.

"die!"

Xue Rengui exerted force with his right hand and stabbed the sharp sword into the enemy's chest.

With a crisp clang, the sword broke between the ribs, and the tip of the sword pierced into the enemy's body, and they fell down together.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

Xue Rengui finally survived another hand-to-hand fight, breathing in deep gulps of air.

His voice was hoarse from shouting, and his arms were numb and painful from the hacking, with a big cut on the base of his thumb.

The roaring sound came from the Yellow River behind me.

Xue Rengui looked back subconsciously.

From the other side of the Yellow River, the Ming army sent several ships, apparently to rescue them.

However, these ships were intercepted by the Tang army fleet halfway through their journey, and a fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

The Tang army went downstream from the direction of Luozhou and was located upstream, always occupying an advantageous position.

The Ming army's warships were always at a disadvantage because they had to cover the transport ships and their movements were restricted.

Not to mention reaching shore to meet friendly forces, even crossing the Yellow River was extremely difficult.

"In the heat of battle, water transport is useless..."

Xue Rengui murmured.

Although the flow of the Yellow River is gentler than that of the Yangtze River, it is the mother river of China after all, and the water volume was still relatively abundant in the seventh century AD.

This means that the Yellow River cannot be docked anywhere, and ships must anchor at fixed port ferry crossings before large-scale ferrying of people can be carried out.

Ports are fixed, meaning they can be blockaded by enemy naval forces.

This blocked their way out of the encirclement by crossing the river - it was difficult for the Ming army's navy to resist the fierce attack of the enemy's main fleet while evacuating personnel.

Therefore, the only way to get there is by land.

Xue Rengui had no choice but to choose two options:

Either die or hold on.

This narrow five-mile stretch of land is the last hope for the entire village!
The battle lasted from day to night.

A blood-red moon in the sky illuminated the battlefield.

There are no mountains along the Yellow River, and the view is very good.

Both sides were completely blood-thirsty. When it got dark, they lit torches, and when the fire went out, they continued fighting during the day under the light of the moon and stars.

What kind of tactics and light are needed for close combat?
They were fighting purely on the instincts of their bodies, engaging in the most brutal and cruel battle.

In this way, the battle lasted from night to dawn.

The sky in the east began to turn pale, and a new day began in the midst of blood.

"General..." The scout reported to Xue Rengui. He was staggering as if he was about to fall down at any time.

"An unknown army appeared in the west."

Xue Rengui did not answer. His hands could not stop shaking and his neck turned mechanically in the direction the scout pointed.

The sky in the west was still dark.

In the darkness, a shadow could be vaguely seen, rising and falling like the sea.

When the shadow came closer, Xue Rengui discovered that the shadows were separate, some big and some small.

The big shadows are horses and vehicles, and the small shadows are soldiers, densely packed together.

It was a huge army, rapidly approaching the battlefield.

There was no expression on Xue Rengui's face.

He was completely numb.

"General, what should we do? Who are they? Are they friends or enemies?"

The scout's throat was so dry that it felt like it was smoking.

Xue Rengui did not answer the scout. He pulled the tip of the gun out of the enemy's body and continued to fight with his head down, returning to the life-and-death fight.

He can't control that much.

No matter whether they are enemy or friendly forces, Ming army or Tang army, go to hell with them.

He just kills!

By the time the morning sun had fully risen from the east, the troops had already arrived.

On the battlefield, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were fighting a desperate battle with the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty.

As the fighting went on, both sides discovered almost at the same time that uninvited guests had entered the battlefield.

It was a well-equipped and well-staffed team.

The cavalry is on guard in the front, the infantry is in support, and the baggage train is behind. This is the standard marching posture.

The two fighting parties paused and cast cold glances at the newcomers.

Three armies crowded together in this narrow passage, which was only five miles wide from north to south. The invaders had nowhere to hide and pressed forward until they finally came under the eyes of the Ming and Tang armies.

"Yes...it's friendly forces!"

The Ming soldiers immediately recognized the armor style of the newcomer and cheered.

This uninvited guest is not only a friendly force, but also a very strong and capable friendly force.

That was the main force of the Ming army led by Li Jing, the best general in the world!
"It's actually the reinforcements of the Pseudo-Ming?!"

One family was happy while the other was worried. The attacking Tang army cried out in dismay.

They had been fighting bloody battles for the entire day and were already exhausted. They felt that they were no match for that fresh force.

What's more, this newly arrived Ming army is tall and strong, well-equipped, and looks like they are not easy to deal with.

The offensive and defensive momentum is different!

"What is this...?"

Su Dingfang led the vanguard of the main force of the Tang army and was the first to step into the battlefield. He was immediately shocked by the tragic scene before him and was speechless.

There were corpses everywhere and blood flowing everywhere. It was hard to imagine how brutal the battle was here in the past day.

Even though he personally participated in the wars to annihilate the Eastern Turks and the Xueyantuo, even though he was a veteran of many battles, he had rarely experienced such heavy casualties on any battlefield.

Because both sides are Chinese armies, with similar combat effectiveness, skills and tactics, they are evenly matched opponents!
"It's simply... outrageous!"

Su Dingfang's eyes slowly turned blood red, like two dancing flames, staring at the retreating Tang army.

He raised a hand, subconsciously wanting to order a pursuit.

However, he changed his mind and suppressed the urge to avenge his comrades. He put his hand down painfully and continued on his journey with the vanguard.

He rode his horse for a while and asked a few old soldiers who were sitting and resting on the side of the road.

"Where is your general? Where is Xue Rengui?"

The old soldier didn't even look up at him, his face was dull. He slowly stretched out a withered hand, pointed forward, and then stood still, like a statue.

It was as if that hand, which looked like a dead branch, was the only moving part of the old soldier's body.

"Thank you." Su Dingfang did not blame the soldier for his rude behavior. Instead, he expressed his sincere gratitude and rode his horse in the direction the old soldier pointed.

Next to the pile of dead bodies, he finally found Xue Rengui.

The first young general of the Ming Dynasty, at this moment, was sitting on the corpse of an enemy, just like the old soldier on the roadside just now, with a dull and numb look on his face.

Xue Rengui seemed to hear the sound of horse hooves. He raised his head mechanically and saw his friend Su Dingfang.

"How...are you?" Su Dingfang looked worried and immediately got off his horse.

"I... I'm sorry to the soldiers, I'm sorry to Lord Li Wei, I'm sorry to Your Majesty..." Xue Rengui's words were unclear and his tone was flat, as if his soul had remained on the battlefield.

"I don't know how to fight at all. I was played around by the Tang army. I almost lost my position and was almost surrounded..."

Su Dingfang couldn't help but sigh when he heard this.

Last year, Lao Su and Xiao Xue teamed up to travel across Hebei and fight against the Xueyantuo invaders.

At that time, Xue Rengui was full of vigor and bravery, and he deserved the reputation of "young hero".

But now, it's only been a few days since we crossed the Yellow River, how come we have been beaten like this?

Not only did he lose all his spirit and confidence, but even his soul was beaten away...

Su Dingfang didn't know what his old comrade had been through, and didn't know how to comfort him. He could only pat his shoulder and said:

"It's alright. I have driven the Tang army away. You and your troops can return to Qizhou to rest."

Xue Rengui raised his head, a hint of doubt appearing on his calm face.

"Qizhou? But if we go to Qizhou, who will defend the passage from Zhengzhou to Qizhou? It will be occupied by the other side!"

"They can occupy it if they want. This passage is no longer useful."

Su Dingfang explained:

“Your Majesty has ordered that all troops south of the Yellow River immediately withdraw eastward to Qizhou, with Qizhou as the core of defense.

"The main force led by General Manager Li Jing is right behind us and will arrive soon."

Xue Rengui frowned, not fully understanding what his old friend said, and muttered:
"We... lost?"

Su Dingfang's face turned bitter and he shook his head:
"No, your mission is accomplished."

Huh... Xue Rengui let out a long breath, tilted his head, and fell to the ground.

"Xiao Xue! Xiao Xue!"

Su Dingfang was frightened and picked him up and shook him violently.

"Snoring...Snoring..." Xue Rengui was snoring.

After several sleepless nights in a row and having directed the killing all day yesterday, he was really tired.

Su Dingfang: "... Have a good rest."

He loaded his old comrade onto his horse, gathered Xue Rengui's troops, mixed them with his own vanguard troops, and continued to march forward on alert.

Behind them, the main force led by Li Jing followed and passed through the narrow passage between the Tang army garrison area and the Yellow River in an orderly manner.

This corridor, supported by the lives of the soldiers, faithfully fulfilled their duties and allowed the entire Ming army to escape from the battlefield safely.

They didn't stay here long.

Because behind them, Li Shiji's pursuers were chasing them closely.

…………

Just after the Ming army withdrew from Bianzhou, the pursuing Tang army quickly filled the gap here.

Li Shiji's main force finally joined forces with His Majesty Li Shimin's troops.

"His Majesty……"

Li Shiji knelt on one knee in front of the dragon chariot.

Li Shimin's scolding voice came from the carriage:

"You let Li Jing escape?"

"...I am extremely ashamed..." Li Shiji said in a muffled voice.

After Li Jing ran away early, Li Shiji was so anxious that he almost went crazy and chased him like a mad dog.

But all his efforts to intercept Li Jing were met with tit-for-tat resistance.

In terms of combat effectiveness, the two sides were at the same level. In terms of command, Li Shiji found that he was still a little worse than Li Jing.

Therefore, if Li Jing made up his mind to run away without fighting, Li Shiji would not be able to catch up with him no matter what.

"This is not your problem." Li Shimin sighed slightly.

"It's my problem."

Li Shiji was shocked:
"Why did your Majesty say this?"

Didn’t His Majesty Li II fight quite well?

"It's all my fault for giving birth to such a smart little son. He saw through my plan and that's why Li Jing escaped from the trap at the last moment."

There was no trace of regret in Li Shimin's tone, but rather he seemed quite proud.

"..."

Li Shiji didn't know how to continue, so he could only change the subject.

"Your Majesty, the command of this army will be returned to you..."

"What are you doing for me? You continue to lead the team. I am still seriously ill and don't have the brainpower to give orders." Li Shimin said he would not take the blame.

Through the carriage, Li Shiji seemed to see His Majesty waving his hands lazily in the carriage.

He could tell that this was just His Majesty's excuse.

The real reason why Your Majesty is unwilling to take over the 60,000 main forces is that if he takes over the main forces, who will command the other second-line troops?

Should we let Li Shiji come?

Li Shiji couldn't even command the elite troops, and he still wanted to command the second line?
It is better for you to command the elite troops and leave the difficult-to-command second line to Your Majesty.

Only under your majesty's command, which has reached perfection, can these mediocre troops burst out with combat effectiveness.

The combination of high and low-level generals is also a kind of Tian Ji horse racing that allows each unit to make the best use of its capabilities.

"There is no future in following them all the time."

Li Shimin said:

"You lead a cavalry unit and go eastward to the front.

“Pay attention, take the small road, and if necessary, you can go to Xuzhou and Xuzhou in the south.

"Don't let them find you this time. Remember?"

Li Shiji tensed up and answered immediately:

"According to the order!"

…………

Along the Yellow River, Li Jing's troops were marching in an orderly manner towards Qizhou.

Retreat is not difficult, but the difficult part is how to retreat in an orderly manner.

When there are pursuers behind, how to make the soldiers overcome their instinct to flee in panic and strictly follow the order of retreat is a subject that tests the army and the commander.

Li Jing did a very good job. Su Dingfang was the vanguard in the front, and he was in charge of the central army, including Xue Rengui's troops in the middle. The two wings were covered by Hou Junji and Li Daozon, and the fierce general Xue Wanche was the rear guard.

The arrangement is very scientific and reasonable.

Except for the necessary food and supplies, all the heavy siege equipment, large chariots, military tents and other bulky equipment that were not suitable for fast marching were discarded.

Therefore, Li Jing's troops retreated quickly.

The remnants of Mount Tai have appeared on the horizon!
(End of this chapter)