Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 352 Who is the most powerful?
Bare trees drooped on both sides of the road.

The visibility of the dense forest did not increase due to the falling leaves. The rows of black trees standing in the distance still made it impossible to see clearly what was behind them.

The long team was moving slowly along the path.

Everybody is tired.

Liu Taozi walked in the middle of the team, staring at the distance vigilantly. The knights of the Mandrill Camp were not around. They were all sent out as scouts to keep track of the enemy's movements at any time.

After experiencing a brutal hand-to-hand combat, the infantrymen were exhausted and weak.

But their spirits were still good. Not far away, two soldiers were laughing and talking about the gains of the battle. They were covered with packages and were obviously very tired, but they were unwilling to throw them away.

These are their spoils of war.

Liu Taozi did not send anyone to collect the weapons, but let these people carry out the old tradition and clean up the battlefield.

They were not very good at fighting, but they were very good at cleaning up the battlefield and they did a very thorough job. Shi Wansui complained: These people would like to pinch all the lice off the corpses and put them in their bags.

The marching speed was extremely slow. After the hand-to-hand combat, it was impossible for them to march quickly. If I gave the order forcefully, I was afraid they would run away halfway.

But Liu Taozi didn't care. He walked and stopped from time to time, giving the soldiers enough time to rest.

All kinds of food and supplies were distributed without regard for their lives. They were even allowed to eat two meals in one day, and both were very rich.

This is the reward for being a winner.

Wei Pohu rode a pony, bouncing along beside Liu Taozi. He leaned forward, bent over the horse's back, a smile on his face, like a puppy trying to curry favor with his master.

"The general is truly invincible!"

"In my hands, ten of these people can't beat one Chen Bing. But in your hands, one can beat ten Chen Bing!"

"I used to hear people say that the bravery of an army depends entirely on its commander. I didn't quite believe it, but today I believe it now."

"It is truly unprecedented that a great general can lead such a group of people to defeat the enemy!"

"The general will definitely be enshrined in the temple in the future."

Along the way, Wei Pohu never stopped talking, even if Liu Taozi ignored him, he still wanted to talk.

Wei Po Hu thought about escaping before the battle, but because Lou Rui was staring at him, he did not dare to flee and was forced to fight.

Only after the fight did I realize what a correct decision it was not to run away.

There were many troops in Yangzhou. When Huang Fachi attacked Liyang, they gathered an army of more than 100,000 and marched against Huang Fachi and Wu Mingche.

As a result, before he even met Wu Mingche, he was knocked unconscious by Huang Fachi.

After escaping with great difficulty, they learned that Liu Taozi had defeated Wu Mingche. They attacked again, but were defeated again. Of the 150,000 to 160,000 troops from various places, only these 20,000 defeated soldiers were left. No one knew where the rest of the soldiers went.

If we really look at the battle losses, the people of Qi suffered a crushing defeat.

Huang Fachu alone has wiped out more than 60,000 Qi soldiers.
And Wei Po Hu was the biggest culprit.

He himself is not as close to Liu Taozi as Lou Rui is. What he is afraid of now is that he will be arrested and convicted after the war.

Looking at the silent Liu Taozi, he was about to say something, but Wang Lin rode over and cleared his throat unhappily.

Wei Pohu was very tactful. He smiled and slowed down, letting Wang Lin take his place.

Wang Lin glanced at Wei Pohu behind him and said, "The general still keeps him."

"This man is incompetent and unfit to be a general. He should be dealt with sooner rather than later."

Liu Taozi said softly, "When Gao Chuo was eating people with dogs, this man still tried to persuade him. When Lu Qian wanted to send troops, he also tried to dissuade him. Although he was defeated, he gathered the defeated soldiers and came to surrender. He has some conscience. After returning, he can be dismissed, but he does not need to be executed."

Wang Lin nodded, "The general is kind and righteous."

"But, General, are we really going to withdraw like this?"

"Chun Yuliang and Xu Du are still with us. If we leave, Lianghuai will be lost."

After defeating Huang Fachu, Wang Lin believed that the general would send troops again to defeat Xu Du and Chunyu Liang respectively, but the general chose to retreat and head north from the battlefield.

"Can't hold on any longer."

"If we keep fighting, even if we can defeat the three of them, my Mandrill Camp will disappear with them."

"At present, the new troops under my command are still in training, and the Mandrill Battalion is of great use."

Wang Lin frowned and sighed, "Unfortunately, I still couldn't stop them."

"My Lord, why did we send troops in the first place?"

"It is to prevent them from taking over Lianghuai."

"No, it's to prevent them from taking over the entire Henan area."

"From the south of the Yellow River to the Huai River, only the Heluo troops can defeat the Chen army. The rest of the county troops are even weaker than the army in Yangzhou Road. How can they stop the Chen army?"

"Besides, the country is in chaos, with various regions divided and no unified command. If we don't send troops, they will go all the way up along the Huai River, seize the Huai River, and then take Xu, Yu, Yan, Qing and other places, and take over the entire Central Plains in one fell swoop, confronting us across the river."

"At that time, Wu Mingche died, and the Chen army lost more than half of its troops. As the snow was about to fall and winter came, the logistical losses of the Chen army were even greater."

"They would never dare to go any further."

"We evacuated many officials from Lianghuai and took away a lot of dead people and supplies. When we were fighting the enemy, Zu Ting was not idle at all."

"A huge amount of supplies and people are stockpiled in Gwangju."

"When we send out troops after the autumn harvest next year, it's hard to say who will attack whom."

Wang Lin stroked his beard gently.

"That's true. The general has been away from the north for too long. I don't know if everything is going well over there."

Liu Taozi suddenly looked at Wang Lin and said, "Lord, I intend to keep you in Guangzhou and serve as the general of Guangzhou. I want you to open a new military headquarters in Guangzhou and train the navy and cavalry to fight against the southerners in the future. What do you think?"

Wang Lin licked his lips and said with a smile: "If the general wants me to garrison Guangzhou, you have to promise me one thing."

"Oh? Your Excellency, please speak."

"Please let Lord Lu be the governor of Guangzhou."

Liu Taozi was a little surprised, "Does Lord Wang have any friendship with Lord Lu?"

"We have never been friends, but when I was in Qinzhou, I saw so many people willing to fight for him. People from top to bottom missed his virtues, and tens of thousands of people left with him. If I had such a governor by my side, I am confident that I could build an elite infantry and cavalry for the general within a year, and a usable navy for the general within five years."

Liu Taozi replied calmly, "It's not up to me to decide. Lord Lu has been through a lot. He told me before that he wanted to go home and retire after the war, and I agreed."

"If the prince can convince him, I have no objection."

"it is good!"

Just as Wang Lin was thinking about the future with great interest, the neighing of war horses was heard in the distance. A moment later, a group of knights were seen rushing out from the small path. The leader was Shi Wansui. Shi Wansui galloped all the way and no one stopped him. He rushed to Liu Taozi with a solemn expression.

"General, we found Chunyu Liang's vanguard on the road from Shennong County to Yangping. There are about 3,000 people. They are marching very fast, and we were unable to capture their scouts."

Wang Lin sneered, "It seems that this guy is not willing to give up. He still wants to keep us?"

"No, his men are all infantry, and his scouts are weak."

Liu Taozi shook her head. "I think he just wanted to make sure we really withdrew, rather than looking for a place to rest and come back to attack them again."

Shi Wansui was stunned for a moment before he asked, "Then let's do him once?"

"Oh? Why?"

"Let them think we are just resting and will come back to fight them. Then, even if they can't see us, they won't dare to withdraw quickly and can only delay. The longer they delay, the greater the losses will be and the less resistance they will have in the future."

Shi Wansui conducted his analysis seriously.

Wang Lin stroked his chin again, "General, why not leave this kid in Guangzhou as well!"

"You lead your people and give it a try. Don't fight hard. Just repel them."

Shi Wansui laughed, "Don't worry, lord!"

"I'll be back soon!!"

"drive!"

Unlike the small path that Liu Taozi and his friends took, the Chen people took the flat official road.

Only a few of them rode horses, and the rest were infantry.

They moved quickly along the official road, keeping an eye on what was happening in the distance.

Due to the inconvenience of scouting, the combined tactics of the three armies were not successful. Huang Fachu was defeated too early, and the other two armies came panting and running wildly, no longer having the energy to dare to fight the enemy who had just won. Fortunately, the enemy's evacuation speed was not fast but rather slow, so they were able to follow closely with infantry.

Most of these people were elite soldiers, and they advanced at a fast pace. They kept close track of the enemies in the distance, and even when the scouts were unfavorable, they did not lose track of the target and maintained contact with the army behind them.

Just as they were walking up a gentle slope, the leader suddenly stretched out his hand.

"Back off!!"

"Change!!"

The army immediately stopped and began to line up in front of the gentle slope. Rows of shields appeared in front of the gentle slope.

This gentle slope is extremely convenient for cavalry charges.

Cavalry is the strong point of the Qi people, so when encountering such terrain, they must remain vigilant.

Shortly after they formed their battle line, a cavalry group slowly emerged from the end of the gentle slope.

Sure enough, they did not continue to move forward. It was correct to form a battle formation here. If they encountered cavalry when going uphill, no formation would be useful. They would be destroyed head-on and would have no power to resist.

Shi Wansui looked at Chen Bing in the distance with some disappointment.

This time he brought more than 300 cavalrymen with him. He had found an excellent gentle slope and planned to give the enemy a severe blow when they came up the slope and kill them all.

Unexpectedly, the enemy general was not incompetent. When he encountered a gentle slope, he began to retreat and form a battle line.

Shi Wansui, holding a lance, led the crowd and slowly approached.

Chen Bing also maintained his formation and retreated little by little.

During the retreat, their formation did not become chaotic. Shi Wansui looked at the enemy's situation and slowed down his pace.

He was about to say something.

"Bang~~"

There was a loud noise, and Shi Wansui lowered his head suddenly. The helmet on his head was shot off. His hair was disheveled and he almost fell off his horse. The knights on both sides hurriedly raised their shields to block him.

Shi Wansui was gasping for breath, and if the arrow had been a little lower, he would have been shot through the head.

Blood slowly flowed from the top of his head, and Shi Wansui felt a chill on his back.

During these days, he defeated the enemy many times and was disdainful and even looked down on the Chen people. This arrow quickly woke him up.

He looked at the enemy in the distance and raised the lance in his hand.

"You are a Jiangdong rat who stabbed people in the back!!!"

"Long live the vanguard of the Mandrill Camp! Who dares to fight me?!"

Shi Wansui used up all his strength, and the sound was like thunder, even the warhorse was frightened.

"Little Northern Hu kid!!!"

"General Chen Xiao Moha is here!!!"

"How dare you be so presumptuous?!"

Then, a loud roar was heard from the enemy camp, and a burly man riding an equally huge warhorse rushed out.

The man's face was wrapped in thick cloth, as were many parts of his body. He was obviously injured. As for Shi Wansui, his face was covered in blood, and his arms were also wrapped up, showing injuries as well.

After falling off the city wall, Xiao Mohe was sent back by Wu Mingche to recuperate. When Chunyu Liang decided to march north, he blocked Chunyu Liang's door and asked to go on the expedition together. In order to show that he was fine, he drew his bow in front of Chunyu Liang and shot the small flag outside the fence.

Chunyu Liang took into consideration that the northern Hu were very fierce and that his own subordinates did not have such a brave general, so he brought him along and used him as a vanguard to continue fighting for him.

The arrow just now was shot by Xiao Mohe. If he hadn't been injured, this arrow would have sent Shi Wansui home!

At this moment, he rushed towards the gentle slope with a spear in his hand and howling.

Shi Wansui ordered his men to make way, swung his huge lance, and rushed towards the enemy while shouting angrily.

The two men were moving so fast that their horses almost flew up. They both raised their weapons at the same time. Xiao Mohe held the spear in both hands, with the spear head pointing upwards, as if he was going to knock down his enemy, while Shi Wansui held his lance lower, with the tip pointed at Xiao Mohe's body, as if to pierce him through.

The two war horses collided with each other at lightning speed, and time seemed to slow down. Xiao Mohe's eyes widened with anger, and his heart was filled with resentment! !

He was unwilling to be harmed by a villain, which resulted in him achieving nothing and becoming a laughing stock of everyone!
Shi Wansui was also very angry. It was the first time he felt the horror of death.

"Bang~~~"

The weapons smashed together heavily, and the inertia of the horses almost caused the two men to fly out.

The two passed each other, then stopped at the same time and faced each other.

Shi Wansui's hands began to tremble slowly, either because of fear or because he had exerted too much force and his hands were numb.

Blood was oozing out of Xiao Mohe's body again, and it seemed that his wounds had not yet healed.

The two faced each other.

The cold wind blew and the fallen leaves flew.

This is a young hero with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He is tall and handsome, brave and fierce, and as agile as flying!
He rode an exotic blood-red BMW, wore black riding boots, was clad in fish-scale armor, a black belt, tiger-head shoulder guards, his long hair fluttered in the wind, and he held a heavy lance covered in blood!
He was a fierce warrior on the battlefield, with a broad back and strong arms, big eyes and a strong beard, unparalleled strength, and as strong as an ox!
He rode a tall horse with white spots on his crotch, wore pointed-toe shoes, wore a crotch armor, a black cloak, a cast iron helmet, his face was half covered, and he held a spear in his hand that flashed with cold light!
The next moment, the two men charged forward again.

All I saw was a strong wind blowing on the gentle slope, and I could hear the collision of weapons and the neighing of horses. The two men passed by once again, then turned around and charged again.

Their speed was getting faster and faster. Everyone could only see the flash of cold light, shouts of killing, and the neighing of war horses. The two men were like a gust of wind. They fought for several rounds and then began to walk side by side, hacking and killing each other! !
Both armies formed their battle formations and watched the two fierce generals fight to the death.

Xiao Mohe's spear was sharp, constantly chopping apart Shi Wansui's lance and heading towards his body. Shi Wansui was agile, dodging Xiao Mohe's stabs flexibly on horseback, and the lance in his hand kept changing angles, chopping at multiple angles!
The two men fought all the way, charging back and forth in front of the two armies.

Shi Wansui chopped at Xiao Mohe's abdomen again. Xiao Mohe suddenly dropped the spear in his hand and grabbed Shi Wansui's horse lance. He stared at Shi Wansui with a hint of joy in his eyes. The next moment, he exerted force suddenly, and Shi Wansui was lifted up by him. Shi Wansui retracted his legs and kicked Xiao Mohe in the chest.

The two men fell off their horses and rolled to the ground.

Xiao Mohe drew his sword and Shi Wansui drew his knife, and the two men rushed forward to fight again.

As the fighting progressed, the wounds on both men increased and their movements became more intense.

Finally, both of their swords were full of gaps, and they both dropped their short weapons and started fighting hand-to-hand.

Xiao Moha was extremely strong and tried hard to hug Shi Wansui, but Shi Wansui was agile and attacked quickly.

"General!!"

Several soldiers from the Mandrill Camp rushed forward, holding large shields and bringing war horses with them.

Shi Wansui took a deep breath, glanced at Xiao Mohe opposite him, and quickly followed those people to mount their horses.

Chen Bing also sent out several sword and shield warriors to protect Xiao Mohe.

The two men distanced themselves from each other, and Shi Wansui climbed up the gentle slope and looked at the burly and powerful general of the other side again.

"Just wait!!!"

After saying this, he led his troops to retreat quickly.

Xiao Mohe didn't care. He waved his shoulders and said, "If I hadn't been injured, I could have taken down this little kid with one hand."

He looked around, "The enemy has sent people to counterattack, maybe they have no intention of evacuating! Tell the general immediately!!"

"only!!"

When Shi Wansui, with his hair disheveled and his face covered in blood, caught up with the army in front, Wang Lin was shocked.

"What's going on here?"

"No problem, I met a fierce warrior. What if it was Xiao Mo He? I fought with him but failed to win."

"Xiao Moha?"

Wang Lin was very surprised. "That guy is known as the best general of Chen State. He is invincible in defeating all the Chen people. How can you come back alive at your age?"

Shi Wansui hesitated, "He looks injured, much more seriously than me. Otherwise, I might really be captured by him."

Liu Taozi glanced at him.

"No problem."

"Xiao Mohe became famous at the age of nineteen and has been fighting for more than ten years. You still have a lot of time. Don't look down on anyone. When you go back, take good care of your injuries, keep training, and fight him again in the future."

Wang Lin laughed.

"At this age, he can fight with Xiao Mohe. In another ten years, I'm afraid Wansui will become the most powerful general in the North Country and have no rivals."

"Oh, by the way, except for the general."

(End of this chapter)