PDLP Chapter 198 Heading to Northwest Prefecture
Chapter 198 Heading to Northwest Prefecture
Sun Ting never expected that his army had just entered the canyon area. Even before they had completely entered the canyon cave, they were attacked. At the mouth of the canyon, huge rocks were rolled down from above. Those rocks rolled down from the mountains on both sides of the canyon. They hit the ground of the canyon heavily. The horses under him fled around restlessly. But they were soon calmed down by the cavalrymen riding on his back.
"Everyone, don't panic, follow me and rush out!" Lu Feng rode his horse and walked in the front. A cavalry flag was raised beside him. Soon, the cavalry gathered towards his position. There was some confusion at first, but the cavalry quickly stabilized.
Seeing this situation, Tang Hai, who was in charge of ambushing on both sides, gave orders without any hesitation, and the soldiers threw rolling logs and thunder stones down and shot arrows from time to time.
The cavalrymen were wearing full body armor. They charged forward with all their strength. Unexpectedly, they easily escaped the attacks from both sides.
"Oh no, they've been rushed out by the cavalry!" someone said anxiously at this time.
"It's okay! Our original purpose is to leave them! This way we can concentrate our forces and defeat the 2-plus troops behind him! Everyone, guard the mouth of this canyon and don't let those cavalrymen return!" Tang Hai gave orders while directing people to put more stones to block the mouth of the canyon. Even if those cavalrymen wanted to come back, they had to bypass a long section of the mountain range!
Yuan Quan rushed out first. Nearly 3 soldiers began to rush towards the camps formed by the local troops. Although the weapons in the hands of these 3 people were very simple and the clothes they wore were not uniform, their momentum was far higher than that of the people guarding the camp!
Since Song Ting followed the cavalry, he had been forced out of the canyon by the cavalry. But this also completely cut off his command over the temporary local troops behind him.
At this time, some of the local soldiers advocated resistance and took their own people to guard the front of the entire team, while others began to look for a place to escape.
"Oh no! Lord Sun has been captured by them! Why should we fight!" Someone shouted loudly at this time! Some people started running outside.
Yuan Quan was the first to take the lead, swinging the spear in his hand non-stop, knocking down or killing someone with every strike.
The middle-aged men who followed him were all veterans who had fought against the barbarians in the Northeast. So these people were not only responsible for protecting Yuan Quan's safety, but also directly charged into the ranks of this ragtag army.
In this chaotic battlefield, Yuan Quan's bravery and the assistance of the veterans around him became an unstoppable force. Their spears shuttled through the crowd, and every swing was accompanied by the screams and falls of the enemy. The morale of the local army quickly collapsed under the news of Sun Ting's capture. They began to flee in all directions, looking for their own ways to escape.
Tang Hai and his soldiers at the mouth of the canyon were on high alert, knowing that their mission was to stop the cavalry from returning and buy time for the army in the rear. As more rocks were rolled down to block the mouth of the canyon, they successfully cut off the cavalry's retreat.
On the other side of the canyon, although Song Ting was forced out by the cavalry, he was full of anxiety. He knew that his connection with the rear army had been cut off, and the chaos and disorder of the local troops made him feel powerless. He tried to find an opportunity to reorganize the team, but the chaos and panic around him made his efforts extremely difficult.
At this time, the most dazzling star on the battlefield was undoubtedly Yuan Quan. The army he led was like a sharp sword, piercing the heart of the local army. Under their attack, the local army's defense line quickly collapsed, and the originally chaotic battlefield became even more chaotic. And those local army soldiers who originally intended to resist became powerless in the face of Yuan Quan's bravery.
This army of more than 2 people, composed of local troops and civilians escorting food and supplies, was instantly overwhelmed by their momentum.
"Run!" The first person dropped his weapon and ran away. More and more people followed.
"Run! These rebels kill without blinking an eye!" Some people were running while threatening those who were unwilling to escape.
"Lord Sun has been killed by them, why don't you run away!"
Yuan Quan and his men were chasing after the 2 people. When they found out that Yuan Quan and his men were chasing them, they knew that this was not a solution. Some people started to leave the main group and escape to nearby ravines or other places.
The situation in Northwest County was that due to the drought, only patches of loess were left on the hillsides. There were many places on these hillsides that formed ravines. Some people hid in those ravines. Yuan Quan and the others would not pay attention to the few who escaped alone. I was the pursuer, the main force of the more than 2 people.
Sun Ting knew that he had been tricked. Fortunately, the five thousand elite soldiers he brought with him did not suffer any loss. Although he had been tricked, he was able to escape from the canyon.
"Lord Sun! Should we go back and rescue them?" Seeing this situation, Lu Feng asked for instructions!
"It's too late! It seems that I underestimated the kid from the Yuan family! I never thought that he would dare to ambush us halfway! I always thought he would find a way to delay us!" Sun Ting was almost depressed at this time. Although the 5000 elite soldiers were saved, all the food and grass were lost.
"My Lord, where do you want us to go? Should we go directly to Xichuan City or continue to fight the rebels here?" Sun Ting was lost in thought. His original plan was to use these 5,000 elite troops and the transportation team of food and supplies as bait to attract Yuan Quan's army to attack, and then use the terrain advantage in the canyon area to defeat it in one fell swoop. However, he never expected that Yuan Quan not only dared to ambush halfway, but also used tactics so cleverly that his plan was completely thwarted.
"We can't give up so easily." Sun Ting finally made up his mind. "Although we have lost our food and grass, we still have 5,000 elite troops. This is the key to our turnaround. We must quickly adjust our strategy and redeploy."
He turned to Lufeng and ordered, "Pass the order, prepare the whole army, and we will go directly to Xichuan City. There, we have more resources and troops to call upon. At the same time, send someone to notify the Xichuan City garrison to prepare. Once we arrive, immediately launch a full-scale attack and make sure to capture Xichuan City in one fell swoop."
Sun Ting understood that although he had lost his food and grass, he still had 5,000 elite soldiers, which was his greatest advantage. As long as he could quickly adjust his strategy and reintegrate his forces, he still had a chance to turn the tide of the war. He couldn't drag it out for too long. After all, without food and grass, both men and horses would lose a lot of combat effectiveness.
At this moment, Yuan Quan was leading his army to chase the more than 20,000 scattered enemy troops. He knew that victory in this battle was in sight, but he did not relax at all. He understood that although Sun Ting had temporarily lost, he would never give up easily, and there would be a more intense battle next.
"Pass the order, the whole army speeds up and must catch up with those defeated troops in the shortest possible time." Yuan Quan ordered. He knew that only by completely destroying these defeated troops could a solid foundation be laid for the next battle.
As the order was issued, Yuan Quan's army began to speed up and chase in the direction where the defeated troops fled. Meanwhile, Sun Ting's 5,000 elite troops were also advancing at full speed in the direction of Xichuan Prefecture City. A more intense battle was about to begin in Xichuan Prefecture City.
At this time, in the Northwest City, they had already known that the court had sent the Minister of War, Sun Ting, to support them.
Governor Wu Bin was very excited at this time and immediately sent people to contact the imperial army.
"Refugees are refugees! How dare they stay outside the city! As long as the imperial army arrives, none of them can escape! Before receiving the news from the imperial court, he was a little afraid of these rebels! Since receiving the news from the imperial court, the imperial court has asked the surrounding counties to open their warehouses to release grain, so that many refugees will receive grain and go home. I want to see how many of these rebels can stay!" Wu Bin looked at the military camp outside the city. He felt that the imperial court's strategy was very good. It can be said that it was a very clever conspiracy! Even if the rebels knew about it, there was nothing they could do. It was impossible to stop others from going home.
Just when Wu Bin was happily holding up his wine glass and about to take a sip, someone came to report that the Minister of War, Lord Sun, had sent someone over.