Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 354 Cutting the Grass
After leaving the battlefield, Zhu Shenzui's central army counted their losses.

The actual loss of the central army in this battle was not great, only less than a hundred cavalry, and there were slightly more wounded, but only more than two hundred people, and the overall strength was still preserved. However, because the left and right wings collapsed too quickly, and they fled to the west, they did not merge with the central army at all, and now they are nowhere to be found.

Bu Rigude's face turned blue with anger. He was defeated miserably in this battle. If the cavalry on both wings had not been unable to withstand the counterattack of Bu Shitu's cavalry, they should have won.

But now, the cavalry on both wings collapsed and fled the battlefield without caring about the central army. If Zhu Shencui had not responded appropriately and stunned Bu Shitu in one fell swoop, how could they have withdrawn so easily?
Thinking of this, Burigude wished he could capture all the leaders who commanded the two wings and chop off their heads. In his opinion, these cowardly guys were the culprits of the defeat.

Zhu Shenzhui could only comfort Burigude's anger. This result was already good. Fortunately, they had been prepared. Otherwise, if the two wings collapsed, the central army would be in danger. One mistake would result in the annihilation of the entire army.

Now the central army is still there and its strength remains, which is a blessing in disguise. As for the responsibilities of the two wings, it is too late to investigate them now. No one knows what happened to those guys who fled the battlefield. We will deal with them after we find them later.

After the battle had reached this point, it was impossible to continue moving northward. The strength of the central army was no longer able to compete with Bushitu. On the one hand, Zhu Shenzui sent news to Ligdan Khan, informing him of the course and outcome of the battle, and on the other hand, he complained about the other two tribes in front of Ligdan Khan, expressing his extreme dissatisfaction and indignation.

Finally, Zhu Shenzhui told Lin Danhan that because of the collapse of the two tribes, his tribe had to withstand the main force of Bu Shitu alone and suffered heavy losses. He had finally returned in defeat. Now the tribe suffered heavy losses and had no ability to continue fighting. Lin Danhan had to figure out the next war himself. He had to gather the remaining troops and withdraw to the tribe as soon as possible, regroup the troops to prevent Bu Shitu from going south at any time and blocking the enemy's steps.

After sending the letter, Zhu Shenzhui did not stay any longer, but led his troops directly south. Unlike before, the troops on the way back were very fast, and they completed the journey that took half a month in just a few days, and were not far from the tribe.

Just as Zhu Shenzui was returning, the cavalry on both wings, which had collapsed prematurely, fled in a panic like dogs that had lost their homes. In the end, only a few hundred people escaped, while most of the rest were left on the battlefield.

After escaping the battlefield, the danger was not over, because Bu Shitu's pursuers were still following them. They were in a mess along the way, and lost some men and horses one after another. Some were caught up and killed by the pursuers, and some were separated from the main force in a panic and no one knew where they ran away. As time went by, after two days, there were less than a hundred people left, and they were as pale as frightened birds.

At this time, there were two remaining Tenger leaders in the team besides the cavalry, and the leader of one of the tribes leading the left wing was also there. The leader of the right wing disappeared at some point, and it seemed that he was in great danger.

Finally, there were no pursuers behind them, and the group of people finally breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone looked at each other. These people who were so high-spirited not long ago were now covered in dust and dirt. Many of them had even lost their weapons while fleeing. Among the nearly 100 people, less than a quarter still had weapons. As for supplies, let alone some dried meat and water bags that they carried with them, they had lost everything else.

Even now they didn't know where they had run to. All they saw was vast grassland. They wanted to find someone to ask for their location, but after the news of the army's northward march spread, the nearby tribes had already fled in fear. It was impossible to find someone to ask in such a situation on the grassland.

Helplessly, after discussion, everyone could only find a place to rest temporarily. Camping was impossible. All their belongings were lost and there was no way to camp. They could only use the small amount of supplies they brought with them and local materials to make a temporary campsite, take a breath, light a campfire, eat something to restore their strength, and then think about what to do next.

After eating the hard jerky and swallowing it with water, several leaders gathered together to discuss what to do next.

A leader suggested that they turn around and head south tomorrow and go back to the tribe directly. After such a terrible defeat, continuing to go east would be seeking death. Going north and west is also impossible. The north is the territory of Bu Shitu, and rushing straight there would be walking into a trap. As for going west, it would be a desert, and once they reach the desert, they would almost be out of Tumed's sphere of influence. If they encounter a hostile tribe, they will have no power to fight back. It would be better to go back to the tribe directly.

But as soon as this suggestion was put forward, some people opposed it, saying that yesterday's battle might be disastrous. Although they fled the battlefield in advance and did not know the situation on the battlefield later, everyone understood that with the collapse of the left and right wings, Zhu Shenzhui's central army alone could not win this war. Maybe the central army is completely finished now, and Zhu Shenzhui and Burigude were either captured by Bu Shitu or died on the battlefield. Even Bu Shitu took advantage of the great victory and quickly went south to attack his own tribe. If this is the case, wouldn't it be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth to return to the tribe?
But after this statement was put forward, some people disagreed. Although those who opposed it thought that the central army was very likely to be defeated, even if they won this battle, it was unlikely that Bu Shitu would go south. The reason was simple, because Lin Danhan's main force was eyeing it in the east, and Bu Shitu could not fail to take this into consideration. Once he went south with all his strength, would Lin Danhan not take any action? What if Lin Danhan led the main force westward to attack Guihua City directly and kicked Bu Shitu's lair? Even if Bu Shitu took down the Tenger tribe, it would be useless. Without Guihua City and his tribe, Bu Shitu would be completely finished.

Therefore, Bu Shitu would not lead his troops southward. At most, he would pursue them, just like pursuing them. In this way, it would be safer to take a detour southward and find a way to return to the tribe. When this person expressed his thoughts, his eyes gleamed, and he seemed to have some expectations in his heart.

The others were not stupid either, and they immediately understood what this man was planning. If the central army was defeated, and Zhu Shenzhui and Burigude were captured by Bu Shitu or killed on the spot, wouldn't that mean that the main force of the tribe that went out on this expedition was all doomed?

Especially Zhu Shenzhui, why did this little kid Tengger become the Taiji? Why did this woman Tana become Alia? Isn't it all because of Zhu Shenzhui?
Without Zhu Shenzhui, what would this orphan and widow be? How could they still control the tribe? If so, wouldn't that mean that my chance had come?
Zhu Shenzui and Burigude could not go back, and all their elite troops were lost in this battle. Tana and her son had no one to rely on in the tribe. As the leader of the tribe, I might be able to take this opportunity to seize power of the tribe and replace them.

One leader even thought about what to do next: rush back to the tribe as soon as possible, bring back the news of the defeat, and take the opportunity to meet Tana and Tenger mother and son to directly control the orphan and widow, and then replace them.

As for the specific implementation, it was also very easy. He was the leader of the tribe and had his own people in the tribe, so it was not difficult to mobilize some manpower. And there was no need to abolish Tana and her son, just let them be puppets. Just like Zhu Shenzhui, he could also give himself the title of Zhaluhuchi, and he could also control the tribe.

As for the future, it will be even easier. Put all the blame for the defeat on Zhu Shenzhui and show enough loyalty to Lin Danhan. Lin Danhan will not care about these things at all. After a period of time, stabilize the tribe, and then take action against Tana and her son.

Tana is a widow, so just marry her. Isn't that the custom of the Mongolians? Whether she is willing or not, the outcome will not change, and I have countless ways to force Tana to marry me. At this point, the next step is to deal with Tenger. After all, Tenger is just a child. Isn't it normal for a child to die? At that time, send someone to give Tenger some medicine, let Tenger go directly to Changshengtian, and then announce that Tenger died of illness.

By that time all the plans will be completed, and I will be able to become a real tribal taiji. Thinking of this result, my heart was so excited that even my breathing became heavier.

Suddenly, he looked towards the remaining leader of his tribe. The two of them seemed to have a tacit understanding and their eyes met in the air. They saw heat and vigilance in each other's eyes.

They all thought the same thing and had the same plan in mind, which was to take advantage of this opportunity to become the master of the tribe and thus achieve success overnight.

With a thought in their minds, both of them wanted to kill each other, and even their hands involuntarily reached for the swords beside them. In their minds, the other party was now their biggest competitor. As long as they killed the other party, the tribe would fall into their hands. If they left the other party behind, there would inevitably be a fight, and it would be hard to say who would live and who would die.

But as soon as the thought came to their mind, they suppressed it at the same time. Because this situation was not appropriate. Although they were the leaders, there were people from other tribes around them. Moreover, their people were not as many as the other side. If a fight broke out, the other side might intervene. What if other tribes helped the opponent to deal with them? Wouldn't this put them in a difficult situation?
Helpless, they could only hide this thought in their hearts for the time being and wait for a chance in a few days. At the same time, one of them was still wondering, why didn't this guy die while fleeing? It would be great if he could be killed by Bu Shitu's pursuers with a knife or an arrow! In this way, he wouldn't have to worry so much.

Thinking about it, his eyes could not help but move to the other party, imagining these things in his mind. While he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard a slight sound of breaking through the air, and suddenly saw a feather arrow suddenly popped out from the other party's throat.

The leader who was eating dried meat was caught off guard by an arrow that suddenly pierced his head from behind. The arrowhead protruded from his throat. He was shocked and the dried meat in his hand fell to the ground. He subconsciously went to hold the arrow that pierced his throat with both hands. His eyes showed confusion and fear. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Then he fell down like a heavy sack, and after twitching, he was silent.

(End of this chapter)