In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 911 Suckling, suckling

Shui Yong'an staggered into Li Chenggui's military tent.
His armor was crooked and twisted, and his hair was disheveled like straw.
His face was covered with the exhaustion and dust of traveling all night.

As soon as he entered the tent, he knelt down with a thud, his voice hoarse with sobs:

"Prime Minister Li, Prime Minister Li, something terrible has happened!"

Lee Seong-gye's already tense nerves instantly reached their limit.
But he quickly forced himself to calm down, frowning as he reprimanded:

"Get up! What kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing like this!"

Shui Yong'an remained lying on the ground, refusing to get up.

The guards immediately stepped forward and helped Shui Yong'an up, one on each side.

Yi Seong-gye's eyes were full of displeasure, and his tone was stern:

"What exactly happened? Tell me slowly!"

"How can a general be so weak?"

You've become like this, what will the other soldiers think when they see you?
Are you suggesting I start crying and wailing too?

Shui Yong'an raised his head, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress his trembling voice, saying in a deep voice:

"Prime Minister Li, the Northeast Route Army has been completely wiped out!"
Only the laborers survived by sheer luck; Lu Qidong's whereabouts remain unknown!

Although Yi Seong-gye was mentally prepared,

But hearing these words still felt like being struck by lightning.

He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and his body staggered backward uncontrollably.
He slumped heavily into the chair with a "thud."

He felt as if his soul had been ripped out, and he was speechless for a long time.

how come?
The northeastern army was more than 30 li away from Shun'an City, and more than 50 li away from this place.

How could they have been wiped out all at once?
After a long while, Lee Seong-gye slowly came to his senses, his face as pale as paper, and muttered to himself:

"Lu Qidong has eight thousand men under his command, nearly four thousand of whom are cavalry. They are the absolute elite of the entire northwestern border town!"

How could they have been wiped out so easily?

Shui Yong'an slumped to the ground again, his head hanging low, his voice as low as a mosquito's hum:
"Li Xiang, when we arrived at Mati Village..."

That place is a living hell!

"The ground is littered with corpses, and ninety-nine percent of them are our own people."

Yi Seong-gye slowly closed his eyes.
The horrific scenes of the battlefield involuntarily surfaced in my mind.
It felt like a huge rock was pressing on my chest, and the pain made it hard to breathe.

These were his truly trusted elite troops.
But now he's dead inside his own country!

He had also hoped that if the Ming army truly pressed in,

This force was able to engage the Ming army for a while, buying themselves some time.
Yi Seong-gye took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the grief in his heart, and said in a deep voice:

"Where is the enemy? Where are they located? How many of them are there?"

Shui Yong'an shook his head, his voice trembling slightly.

"We did not see the enemy's main force."

They only encountered a few scattered scouts on the way back.

They didn't seem to want to confront us directly; they just watched us from a distance.

"Prime Minister Li, judging from the battlefield traces, the enemy's numbers shouldn't be large!"

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the military tent.
Immediately afterwards, a group of generals rushed in.

They all walked in a hurry, their faces full of anxiety, clearly having heard rumors.

Upon entering the tent, everyone saw Lee Seong-gye sitting in a chair, his face deathly pale, and Su Yong-an slumped on the floor.

My heart sank immediately; I knew something terrible must have happened.

"Prime Minister Li, what has happened?"

Li Zhilan spoke first, her tone urgent.

Yi Seong-gye raised his head, looked at the group of generals before him, his eyes filled with helplessness, and slowly said:
"The entire Northeast Route Army has been wiped out."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the generals all gasped in surprise, their faces filled with disbelief.

They looked at each other.
They all stood there stunned, no one daring to believe the news.

After a long while, a young general finally came to his senses and looked at Shui Yong'an, asking:
"Lord Shui, please tell me what exactly happened."

General Lu has been stationed on the frontier for many years, and his troops are all battle-hardened elites.
How could we have lost so easily?

Shui Yong'an looked up at the generals.
He repeated, word by word, what he had said to Yi Seong-gye earlier.

After hearing this, the generals all fell silent.

A deathly silence fell over the military tent.

"Is this Lu Yunyi really that amazing?"

A young general murmured, his tone filled with disbelief.

They were certainly aware that military propaganda often exaggerated claims.

But even so,
They had long admired Lu Yunyi's achievements.

But unexpectedly, in their very first encounter, without even being properly prepared, they suffered such a crushing defeat.

It was too fast; they didn't even have time to react.

"Where did the enemy come from? From Shun'an City?"
Their scouts extend thirty miles outwards?

Li Zhilan frowned, keenly sensing that something was wrong.

"Judging from Lord Shui's description, the enemy is well-equipped and uses unpredictable tactics; they can only be the Ming army from Shun'an City," another general analyzed, frowning.
"And if I remember correctly..."

The Northeast Route army only arrived at Mati Village yesterday.

"We encountered the enemy so quickly; were they prepared all along?"

At this point, Li Zhilan suddenly raised her head, her eyes sharp as knives.

He glanced thoughtfully at the generals in the tent, his deep-set eyes revealing his unfathomable thoughts.

"What are you looking at?"

An old man felt uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze and couldn't help but ask in a deep voice.

"Could it be that there are spies in the army who have revealed our whereabouts to the Ming army?"

Li Zhilan finally voiced her doubts!
Upon hearing this, the generals all turned to look at each other, their eyes instantly filled with vigilance.

The atmosphere inside the military tent suddenly became tense and confrontational.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

Looking at the chaos before him, Lee Seong-gye felt a surge of irritation.

He knew very well that internal conflicts were absolutely unacceptable at this time, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

He took a deep breath, slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the assembled generals, and said in a deep voice:

"Alright, now is not the time to dwell on this."
The most urgent task is to regroup the troops and work together to address the current crisis.

Upon hearing this, the generals all lowered their heads, a hint of guilt on their faces.

They also knew that Yi Seong-gye was right.

Now is not the time for mutual blame and suspicion, but for us to unite and fight against the Ming army together.

"Pass on my military orders!" Yi Seong-gye's voice suddenly rose.
"Immediately strengthen the camp's defenses, reinforce the palisades, and deepen the trenches to prevent enemy surprise attacks."

At the same time, elite scouts were dispatched to closely monitor the movements in Shun'an City.

Report back immediately upon discovering enemy activity!

"Yes!"

The generals responded in unison and turned to leave to carry out the order.

But just then, a fierce wind howled outside the military tent.
The swirling sand and gravel clattered against the tent walls, and the military flags fluttered wildly in the wind.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, so gloomy it seemed as if it might collapse at any moment.

A scout was covered in sweat.
He stumbled into the tent, his voice trembling with rapid breathing:
"Prime Minister Li! There's something unusual happening in Shun'an City!"

A cavalry force of two thousand men has left the city and is charging towards our camp!

Yi Seong-gye suddenly stood up, his previous fatigue seemingly vanished instantly.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, but even more so, he was shocked!
He scanned the generals in the tent, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, the enemy has already reached our doorstep."
It is pointless to discuss the mistakes of the Northeast Army now.

The most important thing right now is to regroup and defeat these two thousand Ming soldiers!

Problems occurred in other areas.

Our central army must not afford to have any more problems!
Once the central army collapses, the entire Northwest Circuit will descend into chaos.
We have no place left in the imperial court!

"Now, someone! Pass on my order to summon all generals and prepare to meet the enemy!"

Lee Seong-gye's words
This instantly brought many of the distraught generals in the tent back to their senses.

They straightened their backs, their faces serious, and responded firmly:
"Yes!"

Yi Seong-gye walked to the map, pointed in the direction of Sunan Castle, and said to Yi Ji-ran:

"Li Zhilan, immediately dispatch a team of your trusted men."
Go immediately to the Northwest and North Route military camps and inform them to strengthen their defenses at once.
Under no circumstances should you act rashly. If anything seems amiss, retreat immediately.

The enemy scouts' reconnaissance range likely exceeds thirty li!

Remember, you must remind them to keep a close eye on enemy movements.
We must only defend and not attack; we must never send troops to meet the enemy without authorization!

"Yes!"

Li Zhilan accepted the order, turned around, and quickly left the tent.

Yi Seong-gye then looked at the other generals, his tone firm and resolute:
"The rest of you, follow me on this expedition to meet these so-called Jurchen elites!"

There's no need to be afraid, everyone. What storms haven't we weathered?

This little disturbance won't capsize our ship!

The generals responded in unison:
"Yes!"

Soon, Yi Seong-gye mustered five thousand elite cavalry.

They marched out of the camp in a grand procession, ready to meet the Ming army coming from Shun'an City.

Approaching the hour of Si (9:00 AM),
The sky remained overcast, and the morning sun was completely obscured by thick clouds, making it difficult to breathe.

The strong wind made the military flags flutter loudly, and the iron plates on the soldiers' armor clanged together in the wind, making a crisp "clinking" sound.

Yi Seong-gye rode a tall horse, his eyes as firm as iron.
This time, he must deliver a heavy blow to the Ming army.
Otherwise, morale will only decline further.

When the army marched into an open area...

In the distance, the Ming army's cavalry finally came into view.

Yi Seong-gye narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the enemy's orderly ranks.
And that calm and collected demeanor in the face of danger made my heart tighten.

He discovered the high level of skill of this Ming cavalry.
They are already nearly on par with their own elite troops.

Moreover, it's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that...

The cavalry in front of them had better weaponry and armor than they did.

Their only advantage might be their numbers.

Lee Seong-gye surveyed the surrounding hills and forests, his expression growing increasingly grave.
He wasn't sure if there were any ambushes nearby.

He waved his hand, summoning a personal guard, and gave the order:
"Go to the front lines and ask who the enemy's commander is. I do not kill nameless nobodies."

On the other side, Tuoluhuchar was wearing iron armor, with an additional layer of cold-resistant leather armor over it.
He gripped a long sword tightly in his hand and rode a tall, warhorse.

Behind him stood two thousand spirited Doyan Guard cavalrymen.
The army was in perfect formation, their morale was unstoppable!
Tuoluhuchaer watched as the Goryeo army gradually approached in the distance.
A slight upturn of the corners of his mouth revealed a hint of disdain.

In his view, this cavalry force of several thousand men,

There was no proper military system or discipline; the formation was as scattered as a pile of loose sand.

At that moment, he saw a troop of cavalry charge out from the Goryeo formation, about ten men in total.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers beside him immediately raised their hands to draw their bows, intending to aim and fire.

Tuoluhuchar raised his hand to stop them:
"Let them come over and see what they're up to."

As the group of Goryeo cavalry approached, the leader shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Who is the enemy's commander?"

The sound wasn't too loud.

This caused the entire Doyan Guard cavalry formation to fall silent instantly.

The soldiers at the forefront were armed with longbows and crossbows.
You look at me, I look at you.
A sense of bewilderment gradually spread through the military formation.
What's going on here?
Tuoluhucha's cold smile froze instantly, and his lips twitched.

He held the Goryeo soldiers in utter contempt for their fighting prowess.

In a proper battle between two armies,

Who would proactively disclose who the commander is?
Tuoluhuchaer took a deep breath, waved his hand, and said impatiently:

"Shoot! Stop talking nonsense!"

The moment the order was given, the longbows of the hundred or so soldiers at the front were instantly drawn to their full strength.

The bowstring was taut and making a "buzzing" sound.

"Whoosh-"

More than a hundred arrows, gleaming with silver light, shot into the sky, tracing an arc in the air.
Then it fell heavily like a torrential rain.

In an instant, the Goryeo cavalrymen were turned into pincushions!

This action instantly provoked the Goryeo cavalry not far away.

The battle formation, which was originally relatively stable,
They suddenly became restless.

The army of several thousand men began to split up and charged toward the Ming army from different directions.

Tuoluhuchaer watched the charging Goryeo cavalry with amusement.

They carefully observed their charging posture.
And the ability to coordinate during movement, giving orders in a low voice:
"Order the entire army to retreat three hundred paces!"
Remember the orders: just keep them occupied, and when they charge, run!

"Yes!"

The military order quickly spread throughout the entire army.

When the Goryeo cavalry closed in to a certain distance...
Two thousand Yanwei cavalrymen turned their horses around in unison.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, possessing a breathtaking beauty.

Then, under the astonished gaze of the Goryeo soldiers, the Ming cavalry rode away triumphantly!

The Goryeo cavalry were completely unprepared for the Ming army's sudden retreat.

We were caught off guard for a while.

But they quickly realized what was happening and spurred their horses on to continue the pursuit.

Tuoluhuchar led the Ming cavalry ahead.

He would occasionally turn around to observe the Goryeo pursuers behind him.

He deliberately slowed down to lure the Goryeo cavalry closer;
When the Goryeo cavalry were still a hundred paces away, Toruhuchar suddenly shouted:
"Fire a volley of crossbow bolts!"

Upon hearing the order, the Doyan Guard cavalry behind them did not slow their horses down at all.
His body suddenly leaned backward, and he sat firmly on the horse's back, drawing his longbow to its full draw once more!

Arrows were fired volleyed into the sky.

This allows the arrows to fly farther and land more accurately among the pursuing crowd.
Anyway, there were so many pursuers behind us that there was no need to aim.

At the same time, soldiers wielding crossbows and repeating crossbows pulled the triggers.

"Whoosh whoosh—"

Countless silver-white arrows shot into the sky.

Following the wind, they plunged fiercely into the Goryeo pursuit formation!

The sounds of flesh being slicing and slicing into meat were incessant.
The sharp fishbone arrowheads easily pierced through the armor of the Goryeo soldiers, embedding themselves deep into their flesh.

Screams instantly echoed across the battlefield!
As Tuoluhuchar watched his pursuing troops fall in droves, a smug smile crept across his lips, and he loudly gave the order:
"Speed ​​up! Leave them behind!"

Upon receiving the order, the Doyan Guard cavalry, who had just maintained a delicate distance from the Goryeo soldiers, instantly accelerated.

What was originally a difference of only a few body lengths was widened in an instant.

The Goryeo cavalrymen, seeing this, gritted their teeth in anger.
He fiercely cracked the whip and pulled hard on the reins, trying to increase speed.

But the difference in warhorses was undeniable.

They were never able to catch up with the Ming army ahead.
They could only passively endure the constant barrage of crossbow bolts, watching helplessly as their comrades fell.

"Slow down! Everyone slow down! Create distance and flank from the left and right!"

Within the Goryeo army ranks, Yi Seong-gye continuously issued loud commands.

The pursuing Goryeo soldiers gradually slowed down.

Wait for the cavalry on both sides to arrive, and prepare to surround them together.

Seeing that the Goryeo army had slowed down, Tuoluhuchar immediately issued another order:
"Turn around ahead and charge through! Remember, do not linger in battle!"

With the command flag waved, the army's loudspeakers immediately blared, broadcasting the order throughout the entire formation.

A moment later, the two thousand Ming cavalrymen circled in a large circle on a flat area ahead.
They turned their horses around and charged fiercely at the Goryeo soldiers!

At that moment, the wind blew a gap open in the dark clouds in the sky.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps.

Specks of golden light fell on the blades of the Ming cavalry, gleaming with a cold, icy light.

They roared with earth-shattering shouts:
"kill--"

The Goryeo cavalry did not expect the Ming army to turn around suddenly, and their formation was thrown into chaos.

But they were elite troops after all, and they quickly regained their composure.

Yi Seong-gye stood on the stirrups, his long sword raised high, and loudly encouraged the troops:
"Soldiers! The time to prove ourselves has come! Kill!"

The morale of the Goryeo soldiers was instantly ignited.

They gripped their long swords tightly, preparing to clash head-on with the Ming army.

But in the end, they were still disappointed.

The Ming cavalry charged to the front of the Goryeo lines.

They did not stop fighting; instead, they circled in a large arc in front of the formation once again.

At the same time, countless arrows soared into the sky once again, piercing fiercely into the Goryeo army's ranks.

Another scream rang out, and hundreds of corpses instantly appeared on the ground.

Then, under the furious gazes of the Goryeo soldiers, the Ming cavalry...

They drove off again, putting distance between themselves and the enemy.

Even a composed person like Yi Seong-gye,

He couldn't help but slam his fist on the reins and curse loudly:
"Son of a bitch!"

He knew very well that this couldn't go on forever.
The Ming army was deliberately trying to exhaust their strength.

Moreover, the difference in warhorses cannot be made up for by morale alone.

They can neither catch up with them nor hit them.

He had a lot of strength, but it was like hitting cotton.

"Take turns pursuing them! Maintain distance and wear them down!" Lee Seong-gye gritted his teeth and gave the order.

Thus began a protracted tug-of-war between the two sides on the battlefield.

The Ming army marched and stopped intermittently, occasionally turning back to shoot arrows in provocation.

The Goryeo cavalry were enraged.

They could only split into three groups to take turns pursuing them, but dared not get too close.
They feared that the Ming army might suddenly turn around and attack, causing even greater losses.

Time passed slowly, and the sun gradually began to set in the west.
The whole day was wasted on the chase.

Yi Seong-gye looked at the exhausted soldiers around him,
He sighed inwardly at the sight of those panting warhorses.

He had to admit that, in terms of mounted combat,
The gap between them and the Ming army was indeed still very large.

"stop!"

Yi Seong-gye finally made up his mind and shouted loudly.

Upon hearing the order, the Goryeo cavalrymen all reined in their horses and stopped.

They were all panting, their faces filled with exhaustion and anger, yet they were helpless.

"General, why did we stop? Are we just going to let them get away like this?" a general asked unwillingly.

Yi Seong-gye took a deep breath, his tone heavy:
"We can't let them lead us by the nose anymore. Temporarily withdraw the troops and return to camp to readjust our deployment!"

"Tomorrow, we will regroup our troops and advance, gradually approaching Shun'an City."
Once their room to maneuver shrinks, let's see how they run away!

(End of this chapter)