Fu Shanhe

Chapter 458 A Tragic Song of Bloodshed

Tatar camp.

“Nichileg Wanhu, the enemy is packing their bags; it looks like they want to run away.”

How do you plan to fight the next battle?

Arutan Wanhu asked.

Cavalry had the advantage of mobility when fighting infantry, but the Yu army was not to be trifled with.

The biggest difference between the Jingying garrison and other Yu garrisons is that it possesses the most advanced weaponry of the time.

Firearms have evolved to the point where they can inflict significant casualties on cavalry.

If they foolishly charge straight in, Yu Jun's volley fire tactics will make them suffer a terrible defeat.

With the addition of artillery fire, the army could suffer heavy losses if they were not careful.

The Guifang people proved with their lives that their old kite-flying archery tactics had become ineffective.

"Naturally, they followed behind Yu's army, constantly harassing the enemy and seeking opportunities to defeat them."

"If we can fight, we will; if we don't have a chance to attack, then let them leave."

Nichileg replied calmly.

As the war has progressed, the Tatar Kingdom has already achieved a strategic victory.

Although Yu Jun did not seem to have suffered many losses, his morale was low, and his fighting ability would be diminished if they encountered them again in the future.

After this battle, the Great Yu will be unable to launch a large-scale counterattack in the northern frontier for at least ten years.

Moreover, this is just the beginning; there will be plenty of opportunities to expand the gains later.

Whether it was the trapped right wing army, the reinforcements sent by Emperor Yu, or the Yu army stationed at the Great Wall defense line, they were all meat on the chopping block.

This operation only involved two commanders, and no Guifang people were brought along, mainly because the other units had their own combat missions.

With insufficient troops and no confidence in defeating the enemy forces in front of them, the best course of action is naturally to play it safe.

"What? You're letting the enemy leave?"

"Nichileg, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

"If we let the Yu Emperor escape, how will we explain ourselves to the Great Chanyu when we return, and how will we maintain our standing in the army?"

Arutan immediately refused.

On the grasslands, the strong are respected, and this truth is also believed within the Tatar Kingdom.

Even among the major households, there is competition.

Whoever is stronger and has more outstanding military achievements will have more say in the royal court.

Everyone else is making achievements, while they're just slacking off. They'll be ridiculed by their colleagues when they get back.

From then on, whenever they encountered other households, they would have to take a detour.

“Arutan, I know what you’re thinking.”

The Great Chanyu ordered that it would be better to let the main force of the Yu army go than to harm the Yu emperor.

If we defeat the Yu army, anything can happen in the chaos. How can we guarantee the safety of the Yu Emperor?

Nichileg retorted irritably.

Having finally encountered a foolish opponent, I definitely need to protect him/her.

For the sake of the Tatar dynasty's overall interests, their hands and feet were tied from the very beginning of the battle.

"The Great Chanyu even ordered the capture of that brat Yongning alive, so you didn't take it to heart at all!"
"You, Nichileg, hailed as the First Commander of my Royal Court, dare not even capture that brat Yongning alive!"

Arutan retorted righteously.

He was also present at the last military conference, so he was fully aware of the orders from above.

If they could capture Emperor Yongning alive, they could use the emperor to command the feudal lords.

Of course, most of Yu's generals would not buy it.

But that doesn't matter; their target wasn't these die-hards in the first place.

By controlling Emperor Yongning, all the officials of the Yu Dynasty were given an excuse to surrender.

The answer is: The emperor ordered the surrender.

The concerns about one's reputation before and after death have been properly addressed.

In future history books, it will be Emperor Yongning who will be criticized, not these "loyal ministers" who followed the imperial edict.

With Emperor Yongning in hand, the difficulty for the Tatars to control the local areas will be greatly reduced.

The gentry who did not want to leave their hometowns were able to join the new dynasty with a clear conscience.

The political gains far outweighed the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of troops.

If we're lucky, we might be able to take advantage of the chaos and seize the entire northern land.

"What do you take Emperor Yu for?"

"Capture him alive? Arutan, you must still be dreaming!"

"No matter how incompetent Yongning may be, he is still an emperor."

Emperors have their own pride!
If you push them too far, they might commit suicide. Can you handle the consequences?

Nichileg immediately questioned him.

The emperor of the Yu Dynasty could be captured alive or released, but he could not die on the battlefield.

No matter how badly Emperor Yongning performed his duties, once he died on the battlefield, revenge would become the mainstream in the Great Yu Dynasty.

When revenge becomes politically correct, no matter who the new emperor is, the Northern Expedition will be implemented as a national policy.

Even if dynasties change, the Central Plains dynasty that inherits the Mandate of Heaven from the Great Yu will continue to seek revenge against them.

The matter will not be over until the Tatar people are wiped out and their nation is destroyed.

Such things that incite hatred are something that normal people would try to avoid.

"Suicide? Does that brat Yongning have the courage to do that?"

After making a weak complaint, Arutan chose to shut up.

Whether Emperor Yongning had the courage to commit suicide is not important; the key point is that there were quite a few people in the Yu Dynasty who wanted Emperor Yongning dead.

Others took advantage of the chaos to commit dirty tricks, and they will still have to take the blame.

Explanations are pointless; the Great Yu will not believe them.

In fact, most Tatars had no interest in conquering the Central Plains.

The Tatar leadership was just paying lip service; they didn't really take it seriously.

After all, the Great Yu Dynasty was merely declining, not dead.

Even the weakest tiger is still a tiger, and it can still eat people.

The strategies for conquering the Central Plains were devised by the Yu Dynasty people who had defected to them.

This group ostensibly received high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, but in reality, they did not enter the Tatar decision-making level.

Even the surrendered officials of the Yu Dynasty were not qualified to attend the important military meetings of the royal court.

This unassuming group, through long-term efforts, managed to change the national policy of the Tatar Kingdom.

However, the current strategic goal is not to directly seize the world.

The Great Yu is too large for them to swallow whole.

Their current goal is to conquer parts of northern Yu and establish a situation similar to that of the Song and Liao dynasties in history.

To achieve this, we cannot kill the Great Yu.

Historically, the final stage of a dynasty is undoubtedly its weakest period.

Once the corrupt giant collapses, the scattered princes will all be fierce and chaotic.

The newly established Central Plains dynasty was at the peak of its military power.

Crushing the nomadic tribes of the grasslands is a mandatory course after a change of dynasty.

……

Right Route Army.

"Your Excellency, the reinforcements were ambushed by the Northern barbarians a hundred miles away, and the army suffered heavy losses."

"Admiral Liu is leading his remaining troops southward..."

Upon receiving yet another devastating piece of news, Jing Yifeng was utterly devastated.

First they were besieged by enemy forces, then the Jing family's pillar of strength collapsed, and now there are no reinforcements left.

"I understand, you may leave now!"

After saying that, he looked at the map on the wall and secretly began to plan his escape route.

As the war has progressed, the number of troops lost by the Yu army is probably no less than 100,000.

Apart from Liaodong Town, which did not participate in the battle, all other battlefields were in a passive state.

It can be said that in this battle in the northern frontier, the Great Yu Dynasty was left with nothing but its last shred of strength. Its army had limited supplies and lacked the resources for a prolonged siege, and it received no reinforcements.

The only way to preserve the army is to retreat.

Unlike the central army, the enemy it faced numbered less than 20,000. As long as the army was cautious enough, it could retreat smoothly.

The northern enemy forces encountered by the right wing army numbered over 100,000.

In addition to cavalry, there were tens of thousands of infantry, and the number of infantry continued to grow.

Perhaps in order to minimize losses, the Northern barbarians did not kill the captured Yu soldiers, but instead used political inducement to induce them to surrender.

For ordinary soldiers, the concept of national righteousness is too abstract and ethereal, far less useful than a few steamed buns.

Even though the treatment of border troops improved after the imperial court reorganized military affairs, the actual benefits to the soldiers were still limited.

The people's loyalty to the imperial court had long been eroded by the hardships of the past.

Faced with the enemy's temptations, many officers and soldiers chose to surrender.

After a complete transformation, the original defense forces of Dayu became the vanguard forces attacking Dayu.

The enemies that the right wing army has recently encountered are mostly surrendered soldiers from the Yu army.

Perhaps due to improved treatment, these traitors' combat effectiveness increased significantly after their identities were changed.

Those troops who used to flee at the slightest breeze should now take up arms and launch an offensive.

"Admiral, the army's rations are only enough for three days. Order a breakout!"

General Song couldn't help but make the suggestion.

The intensity of the fighting these days has not been very high; it seems the Northern barbarians are determined to starve and annihilate them.

"Ok!"

"Distribute the military rations and bring out all the wine and meat in the camp so that everyone can have a good meal."

If there wasn't enough meat, they would also slaughter the packhorses used to transport supplies.

After a hearty meal and drinks, we'll break out tonight.

"Either fight your way out, or we all succumb to the blood on the battlefield!"

After a slight hesitation, Jing Yifeng immediately gave the order.

This prolonged stalemate is having a huge impact on morale and fighting spirit.

Rather than being trapped until our supplies run out, we should take advantage of our current strength to fight our way out.

A successful breakout would be ideal, but even a failed breakout could at least take some enemy troops down with it, ensuring a less lonely journey to the underworld.

"As ordered!"

The generals answered in unison.

The right flank army has been driven to a dead end, and they have no choice but to fight back desperately.

War may be lost, but the seeds of an army must be sown.

As sons of noble families, in addition to serving the country, they also have family responsibilities.

In this war, the noble group has already suffered a crushing defeat; we cannot let even their last hope be extinguished.

One by one, we can break through and escape. As long as the seeds are preserved, we can rebuild our forces.

As long as the core forces in the military remain, the foundation for the noble faction to establish itself in the imperial court will be secured.

Whether for the benefit of the group or the family, everyone must strive to survive.

……

"Rumble..."

With a loud bang, all the artillery ammunition in the camp was detonated.

On the way to break out, we couldn't carry these bulky things.

If we can't take it with us, and we can't leave it to the enemy, blowing it up is the best option.

Upon receiving the breakout signal, countless officers and soldiers rushed out of the camp and launched an attack on the encirclement.

In an instant, shouts of battle resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

The explosion interrupted Hugjil's battle from his bed.

Being disturbed when doing this kind of thing can be extremely dangerous.

In an instant, he became enraged, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Go check immediately what's happening outside!"

Hugjil immediately gave orders to the guards outside the tent.

His manhood suddenly went limp, as if it had been drained.

For a man, this is undoubtedly a fatal blow.

Deep down, he had already made up his mind to take the most ruthless means of revenge.

Outside the camp, the two armies engaged in a fierce battle on the plains.

In order to demoralize the right flank army, the grassland allied forces adopted a strategy of surrounding three sides while leaving one side undefended.

However, the situation did not develop as expected.

The Yu army that broke out did not head towards the only escape route, but instead went straight to the central camp of the grassland allied forces.

It wasn't that the Yu army's generals were being foolish; it was purely a practical necessity.

Two legs can't outrun four legs; even if you set off a night in advance, you'll still be caught up by the enemy.

After a night of marching, the men and horses were exhausted and the ranks were in disarray. Encountering the enemy's main force would be suicide.

Rather than passively taking a beating, it's better to take the initiative and launch an attack on the enemy camp.

Engaging in a major battle within the camp in complete darkness would minimize the advantage of the enemy cavalry.

With this battle won, the army can naturally withdraw smoothly.

Even if they lose, the sacrifice of the right flank army can still inflict heavy losses on the enemy.

"Kill!"

Amidst deafening battle cries, countless Yu army generals picked up their spears and led their personal guards into the enemy camp.

Like a sharp sword, it pierced the heart of the grassland coalition.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The continuous volleys of gunfire spoke of the fury of the Yu army.

Having been besieged for so long, everyone was seething with anger, and now they were venting it all on the northern barbarians.

The soldiers charging at the front fell, and the soldiers behind quickly took their place. The whole process was so smooth and uneventful.

They proved to the world through their actions that they are truly elite.

The bloody battle continued, and the steppe allied forces, having suffered losses, quickly realized that the enemy was looking for them to fight to the death.

However, the battle has reached a fever pitch, and regardless of Yu Jun's motives, they must now fight to the bitter end.

Time passed second by second, and the morning sun shone on the earth, illuminating the blood-red land and making the battlefield stand out.

The two sides are still fighting fiercely.

The war has entered a critical moment; whoever can hold out to the end will be the winner of this battle.

"Bring me the armor of this Chanyu!"

Seeing the enemy approaching the commander's camp, Hugjil, who was directing the battle, gave orders to his personal guards.

If it were an ordinary commander, he would inevitably feel fear when the enemy approached.

Hugjil is different.

From a humble border dweller to a powerful ruler of the grasslands, his life story is nothing short of legendary.

A life of military service.

He had experienced this scene countless times in the past.

The approaching enemy forces ignited his bloodlust, making him excited.

"Great Chanyu, the enemy is like a cornered beast fighting desperately. Let us retreat for now."

Seeing that her own Chanyu was about to go to the battlefield, Sarina hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

Despite the fierce attacks from the Yu army, the grassland allied forces, possessing superior numbers, were confident they could wear down the enemy.

It's far from the point where our own Chanyu (ruler) needs to personally lead the charge.

"Ha ha……"

"What's the point of avoiding such minor incidents?"

"Pass down the order: have the Royal Guard join the battle and shatter the enemy's unrealistic fantasies!"

……

(End of this chapter)