Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 441 Recapture of the Three Rivers
"Screw rustle..."

While the main battlefield at Cuiping Mountain was still raging, Gao Shu, who had been tasked by Liu Jilong to flank the enemy, successfully led three thousand infantrymen from the southern mountainous area to the mudflats on the west bank of Mahu River.

Several soldiers parted the withered reeds in front of them and walked several dozen steps deeper before finally spotting their Han comrades hiding among the reeds.

"Captain, five li north of the mudflats lies flat land, but there are several hundred elite Tang cavalry patrolling the road, possibly more."

The captain who led the scouts respectfully reported this. Upon hearing it, Gao Shu frowned and couldn't help but ask:

"Is the entire route flat? What about the riverbank near the Mahu River?"

"The riverbanks are all mudflats," the captain replied respectfully.

Upon hearing this, Gao Shu pondered for a moment, his thoughts racing, before finally issuing the order:

"The commander ordered me to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Tang army. Now that we have finally managed to get around them, if we retreat because the enemy is elite cavalry, even if we are not at fault, we will not have achieved any real merit."

"Pass down my military order: after half an incense stick's time, march north along the riverbank and mudflats. If any elite cavalry comes to harass us, we shall obey my orders!"

"Yes!!"

At the command of the generals, the three thousand Han infantrymen began to prepare, and after half an incense stick's time, the three armies broke camp and marched north.

Half an hour later, Gao Shu's troops were discovered by the Tang army's elite cavalry. The piercing whistles were relayed layer by layer as they headed north.

Upon seeing this, Gao Shu raised his voice: "Don't panic. If the Tang army's elite cavalry comes, just use bows and crossbows to kill them within a range of 100 to 50 paces!"

The military order was given, and the Han army advanced northward in a long, serpentine formation, while the elite Tang cavalry patrolling the route gradually assembled.

As the number of Tang elite cavalry continued to increase, and finally, with three thousand elite cavalry, they surrounded the Han army on the riverbank mudflats, the Han soldiers felt unprecedented pressure.

Although the numbers were not significantly different, the elite cavalry appeared to be "more" than the Han army.

If the three thousand elite cavalry were to launch a surprise attack, even if the Han army managed to hold its ground, it would suffer heavy casualties.

For a moment, Gao Shu's expression was uncertain, and the Tang army's elite cavalry could not make up their minds to launch a surprise attack when they saw the Han army walking on the mudflats.

If the cavalry were to be trapped on the mudflats, they would be easy prey for others to slaughter.

For this reason, Lin Ruzhen, who commanded the elite cavalry, did not attack rashly, but instead sent someone to convey the military intelligence to Cuiping Mountain, while at the same time maintaining a stalemate with Gao Shu's troops on the riverbank.

Two quarters of an hour later, when the fast horse brought news of General Lin Ruzhen's military situation, Gao Pian, who was stationed at Qianfo Temple, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He surveyed the battlefield and saw that Liu Jilong had already mustered his main force, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

With 30,000 men attacking 13,000 men, our side will surely be unable to hold out without other means.

"Prepare the catapult..."

"Yes!"

As Gao Pian slowly spoke, the flag soldiers immediately waved their command flags and sent out military documents.

Soon, the generals guarding the laborers at Nanshan and Cuipingshan received their orders and began to command the laborers to load catapults, awaiting military orders to launch an attack.

"Enter!"

"Uuuuuu——"

As the bugle sounded, 30,000 Han soldiers began to line up and launch an attack.

The Han army advanced continuously, with shield carts in front and infantry behind.

Faced with the Han army's attack, Gao Qin's Tang troops had solemn expressions and their palms were constantly sweating.

"put!"

"Bang bang bang-"

As the Han army advanced to within three hundred paces, the catapults on Nanshan and Cuipingshan began to fire.

In an instant, more than fifty stones, each about half the size of a person, fell into the Han army's ranks, injuring or killing many soldiers.

Even if many of the stones missed their mark, they would still roll down the hillside, injuring many Han soldiers.

After a round of slinging, the Han army suffered over a hundred casualties, but they remained unmoved and continued their attack in formation.

Half a cup of tea later, the Tang army launched another stone-throwing attack, causing considerable casualties among the Han army.

The Han soldiers in the formation watched helplessly as their comrades were crushed to death, which made their faces covered in cold sweat and their eyes empty and lifeless.

They feigned indifference and calmness, but fear continued to rise in their hearts, and hidden within that fear was a trace of anger...

Wang Jian, who was in charge of the vanguard, understood the soldiers' thoughts very well, because he had once been one of them.

Therefore, as the shield carts drew closer to the Tang army, he suddenly raised his lance:

"Killing the enemy and avenging our defeat is just around the corner."

"Think of our comrades who died in this battle! Think of our elders back home who are waiting for our triumphant return!"

"Whether you die a cowardly death from being pelted with stones, or die on the path of a charge, the choice is yours!"

"Uuuuuu——"

"kill!!"

As soon as Wang Jian finished speaking, Wang Zhi immediately blew the horn, igniting the anger of the Han army that had been suppressing its fury.

The shield carts, propelled by Han soldiers, crashed into the Tang army's formation, but caused no casualties to the Tang troops.

Gao Qin, who was in command of the army, and Gao Pian, who was observing the overall situation, were both puzzled, but they soon understood.

"Boom——"

When the gunpowder packets hidden under the wet cowhide of the shield cart were ignited and exploded, the entire shield cart was blown to pieces, and the Han army had already retreated more than ten steps away.

Caught completely off guard, the Tang army was struck by iron pellets from the gunpowder packs. Countless soldiers fell unconscious on the battlefield before they could even react.

"kill!!"

Before the Tang army could react, the Han army launched a decisive attack after most of the Tang army's flanks had been eliminated.

In an instant, 30,000 Han soldiers launched a fierce attack on the Tang army. The Tang army, which had lost most of its troops, had not yet had time to replenish its ranks before the Han army's charge broke through its front lines.

"The front ranks retreat, the central army forms the defensive line, and must not retreat!!"

Gao Qin realized what was happening and quickly adjusted his plans, while Gao Pian, standing in front of Qianfo Temple, was so angry that his face turned red.

He never expected that Liu Jilong would use the techniques meant for defending cities on the battlefield.

He had previously seen the magical weapons used by the Han army, and they were either too cumbersome or had too small a killing range.

For this reason, he did not yet regard these magical instruments as "weapons" that could be used on the battlefield.

However, Liu Jilong's use of shield carts for cover today has taught him a lesson.

"You think you're the only one who's proficient in such mere magical arts?"

Gao Pian looked at the flag bearer beside him: "Order the catapults to fireballs! We must not let the rebels break through our lines!"

"Yes!!"

The flag bearers waved their banners, and soon the generals on both mountain positions received the order. They all turned around and shouted, "Fire Dragon Fireballs!"

As the general's voice rang out, the laborers quickly brought over paper balls, each about three feet in size, placed them on the catapult, lit the fuse, and then struck to activate the mechanism.

In an instant, dozens of spheres were thrown from the mountaintop into the valley.

As these spheres were about to fall, they suddenly exploded in the air, sending countless iron ingots and pellets flying. However, their power was not great, and they could not penetrate armor like the firearms of the Han army.

Even so, their explosions still injured vulnerable areas such as the arms and calves.

"firearm?!"

Wang Sifeng looked surprised and subconsciously glanced at his prince.

Although Liu Jilong's expression changed slightly, he was relieved again after seeing the power of the firearms in Tang Jun's hands.

"It's just a slightly larger firework, don't worry, break the formation quickly!"

Liu Jilong calmly gave the order, and the Han army generals, who were initially surprised, finally came to their senses.

The firearms of the Tang army were indeed far less powerful than those of the Han army.

If the weapons thrown just now were the Han army's "ten-thousand-person enemy" and "gunpowder packs," then a large number of people would probably be lying on the official road by now.

Liu Jilong had anticipated this.

After all, gunpowder formulas had already appeared and spread in the mid-Tang Dynasty, and many fireworks factories had emerged in the Jianghuai region.

If Gao Pian put in the effort, he could easily find the formula for making gunpowder and the craftsmen to make fireworks.

However, the Han army's gunpowder formula was the most perfect formula after countless adjustments, while the Tang army's gunpowder formula was obviously wrong, so its power was much less.

Gao Pian was aware of this, so he increased the amount of gunpowder to increase the power of the iron balls.

Even so, the firearms of the Tang army were simply too weak. They were only effective against unarmored or lightly armored soldiers, and were far too inexperienced against the Han army, which was clad in heavy armor.

"Asshole!!"

Seeing that his own firearms were far less powerful than those of the Han army, Gao Pian couldn't help but clench his sword hilt tightly.

He spent several years and invested countless manpower and resources, but the firearms he produced were still inferior to those of the Han army.

Something's definitely wrong!

Gao Pian's mind raced as he looked at the two sides' firearms, which had similar ignition methods but vastly different power.

However, since Liu Jilong had seen his firearms, he naturally wouldn't give him much time.

"Give the order!" Liu Jilong shook the reins, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:
"Raise the great banner, and charge forward with the entire army!"

"Uuuuuu——"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

As the drums and horns sounded simultaneously, and the banner representing Liu Jilong was raised high, the Han army, which had already firmly suppressed the Tang army, became even more excited, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"His Highness the Prince of Han is here to oversee the situation!"

"Brothers! With His Highness the Prince of Han backing us up, what do we have to fear?!"

"Press it down!"

"kill--"

When Liu Jilong began to lead the three armies, the Han soldiers immediately felt a surge of strength appear out of nowhere.

If the King of Han dares to stand guard, then they, as his soldiers, must naturally ensure his safety!
"kill!!"

The shouts of battle rang out incessantly, and the Tang army, which had been barely able to maintain its composure, began to waver slightly.

"The formation must not be moved rashly!"

Gao Qin personally led the supervisory team to oversee the battle. Seeing this, the more than 5,000 men in the central army dared not retreat and could only engage in continuous battles with the Han army.

"Bang!!"

The spears broke, and the soldiers were each struck in the chest by their enemies, retreating wounded.

The soldiers in the rear quickly took their positions and stabilized the army's formation, while the Tang army's catapults continued to operate.

The Han army dared not use catapults to throw gunpowder packets because the Tang army was relatively small in number, and if the Han army clashed with the Tang army, the gunpowder packets would likely injure their own soldiers.

In contrast, the Tang army did not have this concern. After all, the Han army numbered over 30,000, and their ranks stretched for two miles, giving them ample space to employ their tactics.

This is why the Tang army's gunpowder packs kept exploding above the Han army's heads, but because the power was too small, they could not cause any significant casualties to the Han army except for psychological shock.

"kill!!"

On the mountainside of Cuiping Mountain, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lin led their troops into battle. Zhang Wu had more than 4,000 men under his command, while Zhang Lin had nearly 10,000.

As the two sides fought fiercely, the Han army gradually recovered their strength by relying on their formation. During the stalemate, Zhang Lin gradually became impulsive.

He saw Zhang Wu leading the charge, and immediately took out his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot at Zhang Wu.

"Captain!"

"I'm fine!!"

With an arrow lodged in Zhang Wu's chest, the surrounding captains and generals panicked, but Zhang Wu only took a breath before gritting his teeth and pulling the arrow out.

Zhang Lin was brave and skilled, and his bow and arrows were powerful enough to hit five stones per 1 stone and used for piercing armor. Zhang Wu was naturally wounded.

Even so, Zhang Wu remained calm and said to his men, "Summon the best archers in the army. I will provoke the enemy general later and have the best archers charge at him!"

"Yes!" The men on either side all responded, and then summoned the sharpshooter to approach Zhang Wu.

Seeing that more than ten archers were ready, Zhang Wu stood up, picked up a chisel arrow, and shouted at the Tang army, "Tell your generals to practice their archery skills! You actually managed to miss a shot from the shadows! Hahahaha..."

Zhang Wu's mockery dampened the morale of the Tang soldiers, and Zhang Lin, who was in the rear, was furious.

"Absurd! I clearly saw him being shot with my own eyes, why is this happening?"

Zhang Lin was unconvinced and prepared to draw his bow again. However, when Zhang Wu's dozen or so archers saw Zhang Lin draw his bow, they all drew their bows as well, and a barrage of arrows flew towards Zhang Lin.

"Uh-huh!!"

Zhang Lin covered his face and fell backward, only to see an arrow shot into his face. He was holding the arrow, and blood kept flowing from his face.

"My lord!!"

Seeing Zhang Lin struck by an arrow, the surrounding Tang army immediately fell into disarray. Zhang Wu, seeing this, raised his arms and shouted, "Haha, the enemy general is dead from an arrow wound! Follow me and kill!"

"kill!!"

Upon learning that the enemy general had been shot by an arrow, and with the Tang army's formation in disarray, the Han army did not hesitate and followed Zhang Wu to charge forward.

"Withdraw! Withdraw the troops!"

Protecting Zhang Lin, who was screaming in agony, as they retreated towards Qianfo Temple, the nearly 10,000 Tang soldiers were initially able to maintain their formation, but as Zhang Wu led his troops in relentless pursuit, their formation gradually became chaotic.

"what happened?!"

Seeing his own troops in disarray, Gao Pian, who had been standing calmly in front of the Thousand Buddha Temple, began to panic.

Before long, Zhang Lin was escorted to Gao Pian. When Gao Pian saw Zhang Lin, whose face was covered in blood, his heart sank.

"Why is Mr. Zhang acting this way!"

Gao Pian grabbed the general by the collar and questioned him. The general stammered, "The enemy sent a sharpshooter to attack Magistrate Zhang's face. Magistrate Zhang was hit in the face by an arrow. I had no choice but to order a retreat."

"Asshole!!"

Enraged, Gao Pian pushed him to the ground and then went to check on Zhang Lin's injuries.

The arrow struck Zhang Lin's left cheek, piercing his skin and breaking two teeth in the process.

It was precisely because these two teeth blocked the arrows that Zhang Lin's life was saved.

"Quickly, get him to Bodao City for treatment!"

Seeing that Zhang Lin was out of danger, Gao Pian immediately sent men to escort him to get treatment, and at the same time took control of nearly 10,000 Tang soldiers at Cuiping Mountain.

Under the pursuit of the Han army, nearly 10,000 Tang soldiers could only defend the Thousand Buddha Temple with their backs to it. After Gao Pian took command of the Tang army, he immediately began to form a battle formation, preparing to capture all the pursuing Han soldiers.

Seeing the tall banners and banners, Zhang Wu became wary and sent soldiers down the mountain to inform Liu Jilong of the situation.

Zhang Wu led his troops back several dozen paces to form ranks and rest, while the Tang army formed ranks and exchanged fire with the Han army using bows and crossbows.

In an instant, arrows flew like locusts, countless arrows darting between the two armies, hitting many soldiers.

The Han army was skilled at shooting arrows into the face, so many Tang soldiers were hit in the face by arrows.

Gao Pian's attention was diverted, as he not only needed to observe the overall situation of the battlefield, but also to personally command the nearly 10,000 Tang soldiers in front of him.

Gao Qin's troops on the official road were now being pushed back by the Han army.

With most of the 5,000 soldiers in the central army killed or wounded, Gao Qin had no choice but to use the rear guard to fill the gap. At the same time, he withdrew the central army and organized the remnants of the central army and the remnants of the front army into a single army.

Li Shangyin's army was locked in a stalemate with Lu Ruyue in the southern mountains, barely managing to hold their ground. However, if the Han army continued to hold out in the other two directions, his more than four thousand men risked being defeated.

In this situation, on the riverbank seven or eight miles away from them, Lin Ruzhen finally lost her composure and prepared to launch an attack on Gao Shu's troops.

"Sorry..."

Seeing that Lin Ruzhen was adjusting the elite cavalry's formation, Gao Shu immediately sensed something was wrong and raised his voice, "Each regiment should select horse catchers. If the enemy launches a surprise attack with their elite cavalry, the vanguard should intercept them, and the horse catchers should immediately capture horses. Anyone who does so will be executed on the spot!" "Yes, sir!"

Both sides agreed and quickly relayed the general's order to the entire army through flag signals and word of mouth.

"Uuuuuu——"

As expected, when the Tang army's horns sounded, three thousand elite cavalrymen immediately charged towards Gao Shu's troops.

For elite cavalry, a distance of about a hundred paces is just the optimal distance for a charge.

"Form ranks!!"

Gao Shu raised his voice and shouted, and the vanguard of the three thousand Han soldiers on the periphery immediately raised their spears and formed ranks.

Behind the spear formation, the horse catchers wielding long-handled swords were ready with their moves, while the leaping soldiers gripped their blunt weapons tightly.

"kill!!"

The dull thud of iron hooves seemed to shatter the earth as they charged forward with ferocious force.

At that moment, the soldiers on both sides, about to clash, were completely stunned. By the time they came to their senses, their spears had broken and they were falling to the ground...

"Hissing—"

"Oh!"

"Um..."

The warhorse neighed in pain, the rider was thrown off, and the Han soldier, who was part of the vanguard, was pierced in the chest by a spear. He was sent flying into the air and crashed heavily to the ground, blood and foam continuously flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Their comrades dragged them to the back, while the horse catchers followed the leaping soldiers and pressed forward.

The long sword, about ten feet long, was raised high and ruthlessly severed the horse's head.

Blood gushed out like water from a pump, and the knight fell from his horse. The leaping soldiers began to rush forward and smash the faces of these elite Tang cavalrymen with axes and hammers.

In just a few breaths, vibrant lives were reduced to rotting flesh.

"kill!!"

Seeing that the Tang army's elite cavalry charge had been thwarted, the Han army disregarded their own casualties and pressed forward with all their might, throwing the riders off their horses and having the leaping soldiers end their lives.

The mudflats restricted the cavalry's turning ability, and many cavalrymen became stuck in them due to their excessive weight.

Upon seeing this, Lin Ruzhen immediately blew her wooden whistle, preparing to retreat.

"Beep--"

"Don't let them escape!!"

Gao Shu heard the whistle and saw the elite Tang cavalry preparing to turn their horses around and retreat.

He raised his arms and shouted, leading the Han army into the formation. With thrusts and stabs, he knocked countless Tang cavalry off their horses and, together with the leaping soldiers, killed these cavalrymen.

Lin Ruzhen led over a thousand elite cavalrymen to withdraw from the battlefield. Seeing that the remaining elite cavalrymen were entangled by the Han army, he immediately spurred his horse and led his troops in a second attack.

"Form ranks!!"

Seeing that Lin Ruzhen was about to lead her elite cavalry in a second attack, Gao Shu ordered his men to unite and form a defensive formation.

More than a hundred people suddenly gathered in one place, forming a straight line in an attempt to block Lin Ruzhen's army.

However, when the two sides clashed, the Han army's formation was broken through by the elite cavalry in an instant. Fortunately, the Han troops on both sides formed a battle formation, and spears came from both sides. Lin Ruzhen, who was charging in front, was hit in the chest by someone and almost fell off his horse.

"withdraw!!"

Feeling pain in her chest, Lin Ruzhen immediately ordered a retreat, and the surrounding elite cavalry blew their whistles.

Three thousand elite cavalrymen charged in, but only two thousand managed to escape. The rest were either captured by the Han army or killed on the spot.

As she sped north, Lin Ruzhen felt something about to burst out of her chest.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, and those around him panicked at the sight: "Military Commander!"

"Withdraw! Send the order to King Gao: General Lin Ruzhen is incompetent and has failed to hold off the Han army..."

She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and Lin Ruzhen's face turned deathly pale.

They escorted him to the Bo Road, while leaving elite cavalry to guard the official road. Even if they couldn't defeat the Han army on the mudflats, the Han army wouldn't be able to easily ascend the official road from the mudflats.

"kill!!"

At this moment, the situation on the official road between Cuiping Mountain and Nanshan Mountain suddenly became clear.

Despite the interference from firearms on the two mountain positions, the Han army still managed to drive the Tang army into a series of defeats.

On Cuiping Mountain, Gao Pian, who was locked in a stalemate with Zhang Wu, was hesitating about whether to withdraw his troops when he saw a fast horse rushing along the mountain path to Qianfo Temple and bowing to him.

"King Gao, the Han army defeated our elite cavalry in the south, and Lin Ruzhen led his troops away wounded..."

"..." Gao Pian remained silent. After experiencing Zhang Lin's injury, he now regretted his confrontation with Liu Jilong in Bodao City.

He thought that with firearms, he could at least make the Han army suffer, but now he is the one who suffers.

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and said, "Order Lu Ruyue to retreat to Bodao City."

"After Gao Qin has held out for two quarters of an hour, he shall retreat with me to Bodao City."

"Yes!" Kuaima bowed in response, then spurred his horse to inform the various troops and departed.

After an incense stick had burned, Lu Ruyue, having received military orders, began withdrawing his troops from Nanshan.

Li Shangyin did not immediately pursue the enemy because the Han army he led was in a bad situation, and an easy pursuit would easily lead to a counterattack.

However, Liu Jilong, who was commanding the three armies, learned of Lu Ruyue's withdrawal and guessed that Gao Shu must have been the one to achieve the victory. Therefore, he ordered Liu Yingyan and Wang Sifeng:
"Order Wang Jian of the vanguard: whoever breaks through the enemy lines will be promoted three ranks!"

"Yes!!"

Liu Yingyan and Wang Sifeng bowed in agreement and soon sent someone to deliver Liu Jilong's military order to Wang Jian.

Upon receiving the military order, Wang Jian raised his arm and shouted, "Order the vanguard: whoever breaks through the enemy lines will be promoted three ranks!!"

"kill!!"

The military order was relayed, and the Han army, which was already on the verge of victory, became even more courageous. Seeing the Han army's bravery, Gao Pian immediately abandoned the catapult positions and laborers on the two mountains and led the army to retreat down the mountain.

Instead of pursuing Gao Pian, Zhang Wu led his troops to occupy the catapult positions on Cuiping Mountain.

The Tang army began to retreat like a tide, while the Han army displayed its relentless pursuit, chasing the Tang army out of the valley.

"King Gao, the rebels are hot on our heels; I'm afraid we won't be able to shake them off!"

Lu Ruyue spurred her horse to catch up with Gao Pian, her expression anxious.

Upon hearing this, Gao Pian immediately reined in his horse and looked at Lu Ruyue: "You will personally lead two thousand elite cavalry to cover the rear of the three armies. Just hold them off for a quarter of an hour!"

"Yes!" Upon hearing Gao Pian's words, Lu Ruyue immediately broke away from the group and took control of the more than two thousand elite cavalry left behind by Lin Ruzhen to cover their retreat.

When more than two thousand elite Tang cavalrymen lined up on the official road, the Han army, which had been pursuing them, immediately stopped and instinctively formed a defensive formation.

Seeing the Han army break out of the valley, Gao Shu immediately led his troops to join forces with Wang Jian. Meanwhile, Li Shangyin and Zhang Wu occupied the camps on Cuiping Mountain and Nanshan Mountain, capturing more than fifty catapults and more than five thousand laborers.

When Liu Jilong led his army out of the valley, Gao Pian had already led the Tang army to flee to the city of Bidao. When Wang Jian saw Liu Jilong arrive, he immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Highness, Gao Pian has retreated to Bidao City, leaving behind more than two thousand elite cavalry to cover his retreat. Should our army take advantage of this situation to pursue and defeat him in one fell swoop?"

"Your Highness, this humble general requests permission to pursue Gao Pian!"

Gao Shu also spurred his horse forward and bowed to Liu Jilong, requesting his orders.

Seeing the two men requesting orders, Liu Jilong, though knowing that Gao Pian probably wouldn't stay in Bidao City, still nodded in approval and said, "I order you two to lead the vanguard to pursue Gao Pian. Do not make any mistakes."

"Yes!!"

The two men bowed in agreement, then mustered their vanguard of over ten thousand Han soldiers, formed ranks, and charged toward Lu Ruyue. Lu Ruyue dared not engage the Han army directly, and could only use the superior speed of his cavalry to hold off the Han army and slow down their pursuit.

After a stalemate lasting fifteen minutes, Lu Ruyue finally abandoned the Han army and headed straight for the Bo Road.

Upon seeing this, Wang Jian and Gao Shu immediately led their troops in pursuit.

Shortly after they launched their pursuit, Zhang Wu and Li Shangyin withdrew their troops and laborers from Cuiping Mountain.

Upon learning that Liu Jilong had sent men to pursue Gao Pian, the two exchanged bewildered glances. Zhang Wu asked, puzzled:

"General, Gao Pian is cunning and will certainly not stay in Bidao City. He has probably already crossed the river to the east."

Li Shangyin stroked his beard and said, "In this battle, our army killed at least 10,000 Tang soldiers, which can be considered a heavy blow."

"Gao Pian probably never imagined that he would lose so many soldiers here."

Li Shangyin was right. Gao Pian originally intended to use firearms to catch the Han army off guard, but in the end, he was the one who was caught off guard by the Han army.

Now that Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen are both wounded and have lost more than 10,000 soldiers, Liu Jilong is worried that he will lose his spirit and be unable to open up the Qianzhong Road.

That's why he didn't personally lead his troops in a relentless pursuit, for fear of crushing Gao Pian's morale.

He still has a use for Gao Pian; at least with Gao Pian in the south, the south won't be divided into warlords and suffer from population decline.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at Li Shangyin and Zhang Wu: "Order the three armies to advance on the Bidao Pass."

"Yes……"

Although the two were curious as to why their prince's words and actions were inconsistent, they still issued military orders, directing the three armies to approach Bodao City.

Unsurprisingly, when they arrived at Bodao City, the iron chain bridge connecting the east and west banks of the Mahu River had been destroyed.

More than 20,000 people were left in Bodao City, which was then burned down by Gao Pian.

Wang Jian and Gao Shuzheng were leading troops to put out the fire. Liu Jilong, seeing this, also hurriedly sent troops to put out the fire. At the same time, he ordered Li Shangyin to settle the captured people and send them back to their hometowns.

Compared to the Han army's joy at capturing Bidao City, the Tang army, which was now crossing the river and retreating eastward, was in a low mood.

Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen were seriously injured, and although they received treatment, it was hard to say whether they would survive.

In addition, nearly 10,000 of the more than 30,000 soldiers were lost, and tens of thousands of civilians were abandoned.

Yang Fuguang wrote down all these battle results and finally handed them to Gao Pian: "Lord Gao, how many rebels did our army kill in this battle? Do you have an estimate?"

"It should be no less than five thousand..."

Gao Pian knew that Yang Fuguang was setting a trap for him, and his attitude towards Yang Fuguang became noticeably colder at this moment.

If he didn't need to put on a show for the Northern Army, he wouldn't have bothered with this half-hearted battle in the Bodao region.

Although Yang Fuguang was unhappy that Gao Pian was not falling for his tricks, he still wrote down the record of killing five thousand rebel soldiers.

After the memorial was written, he handed it to Gao Pian for review. Gao Pian read it quickly and replied with a cold face, "Supervisor Yang's writing is mediocre, but this memorial is indeed insightful."

"In that case, I will take the memorial and return to Luoyang."

Yang Fuguang didn't want to be snubbed. In any case, he had gotten what he needed, and now it was time to return to Luoyang and be promoted.

"Please..."

As soon as Gao Pian finished speaking, Yang Fuguang, with a smile that concealed a knife, rode away. The Northern Army soldiers who had come with him also shook their reins and followed in his footsteps.

Seeing this, Lu Ruyue and Gao Qin followed, unable to help but say, "King Gao, this battle..."

"No need to say anything more." Gao Pian also knew that this battle was very ugly, but as long as the goal was achieved, that was enough.

At this moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of the safety of Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen, as well as why his firearms were inferior to those of the Han army.

"After retreating to central Guizhou, we must clarify this issue."

"Without firearms, I'll always be one step behind Liu Jilong..."

While Gao Pian was deep in thought, the Han army advanced triumphantly, capturing various prefectures and counties in the Three Rivers region in succession, while he could only lead his troops and civilians to retreat into the Qianzhong Road.

However, Liu Jilong did not conquer the southern counties of Rongzhou, but instead allowed Gao Pian to continue to confront the southern barbarians in Qianzhong and Rongzhou.

The Han army only needed to defend Qingxi Pass and Bodao City.

As winter approached, Gao Pian led his army back to Qianzhong, and the Han army completely occupied the Three Rivers region. At the same time, they captured Fangzhou, Zhongzhou, Wanzhou, Kuizhou, and other places in Shannan East Circuit.

Liu Zhan reacted swiftly, promptly deploying 5,000 troops to garrison Zigui, thus halting the Han army's eastward advance.

As long as Zigui and Yiling remain in the hands of the Tang army, it will not be so easy for the Han army to march eastward.

However, Liu Zhan still had some reservations about Gao Pian losing the Three Rivers and Fourteen Prefectures after only two battles with the Han army.

Therefore, when Liu Zhan's memorial and Yang Fuguang's memorial arrived in Luoyang one after the other, Li Cui couldn't help but suspect that Gao Pian was harboring bandits to enhance his own power.

Setting down Liu Zhan's memorial, Li Cui picked up Yang Fuguang's memorial again and examined it. After a few breaths, he put it down and questioned, "Yang Fuguang..."

"Chen is here!"

At this moment, Yang Fuguang had changed into a scarlet robe and respectfully bowed in response.

"In your memorial, you wrote that Gao Qianli fought against the Han army at Yibin and Bidao, but Gao Qianli's 90,000 troops only lost 12,000 men before retreating to Qianzhong. Do you think this is appropriate?"

Yang Fuguang was about to say something when he saw his father give him a meaningful look. Although he didn't understand, he still bowed and replied:

"Your Majesty, at that time the rebel army had gathered 150,000 troops and crossed the Yangtze River southward, while Gao Qianli had already sent 20,000 troops to Lingnan and another 10,000 troops to garrison Qianzhong, leaving him with only 60,000 troops."

"With only 60,000 troops, we were outnumbered and outmatched by the rebel army of 150,000. Retreat was the only option."

"Moreover, Gao Qianli killed and wounded more than 10,000 rebels and beheaded no fewer than 10,000, which can be described as the greatest victory the court has achieved against the rebels in recent years."

"In my opinion, although Gao Qianli's actions were inappropriate, they were indeed a last resort..."

Yang Fuguang didn't want to say these things, but seeing his father's signal, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak well of Gao Pian.

On the golden platform, Li Cui, seeing Yang Fuguang say this, relaxed his brows slightly and nodded, saying, "I understand. You may all leave."

"We take our leave..."

Yang Xuanjie and the others bowed respectfully and then withdrew from the Zhenguan Hall.

Lu Yan and Yu Cong headed towards the South Office, while Yang Fuguang followed Yang Xuanjie and the other four nobles of the North Office towards the North Office.

Once they returned to the Northern Division headquarters, Yang Fuguang finally spoke, expressing his confusion: "Father, that was clearly a perfect opportunity to bring down Gao Qianli, why did you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Xuanjie took the initiative to say, "Gao Qianli is nothing more than greedy for power, but he still respects my Northern Division."

"But if we bring him down now, the person who will replace Gao Qianli is probably not the one we want to see."

"Moreover, Gao Qianli still has tens of thousands of troops under his command. Do you really think he can be so easily overthrown?"

Yang Xuanjie's words made Yang Fuguang keenly aware of the unfavorable situation currently facing the Northern Division.

"What Aye and you all mean is..."

He tentatively inquired, but Yang Xuanjie, Ximen Jixuan, and Qi Yuanshi all looked at Qi Yuanjian.

Qi Yuanjian frowned and said to Yang Fuguang, "Let's not create any more trouble for now. The right thing to do is to find a way to seize military power in Shannan East Circuit and Shaanxi-Guozhou."

“But…” Yang Fuguang wanted to say that the Han army was about to attack, but he realized that saying so would give others a handle to use against him, so he could only shut his mouth.

As Yang Fuguang's godfather, Yang Xuanjie naturally understood what he wanted to say, so he reassured him:
"If Luoyang doesn't work, there's Taiyuan; if Taiyuan doesn't work, there's Jiangnan..."

"If we cannot control military power, we will both be beheaded in the Ming Dynasty, do you understand?"

Now that the Northern Division is in decline, it can no longer control the Southern Division as firmly as before, and there are now many voices in the Southern Division opposing the Northern Division.

Ultimately, it's because the land was lost, everyone's interests were harmed, and there wasn't enough of a pie to go around.

It's impossible for them to defeat the Han army and reclaim the cake.

Compared to defeating the Han army, defeating an opponent at the same table is undoubtedly much easier.

That's why Yang Fuguang sensed something was wrong in Luoyang.

However, in his view, if the court continued to fight like this, then when Liu Jilong marched east, the court would probably be utterly defeated by the Han army.

Even if they manage to escape to Jiangnan, how long can they survive?

He really wanted to speak up, but those present were either lieutenants of the Shence Army or privy councilors, so it was not his place to offer suggestions, as he was someone who could not squeeze into the core of the Northern Division.

Thinking of this, Yang Fuguang sighed inwardly, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "In that case, this humble official will take his leave..."

"Go ahead, you've had a long journey, you should get some rest."

Yang Xuanjie calmed Yang Fuguang down with a few words, then ignored Yang Fuguang's retreating figure and turned his attention back to the other three nobles.

While they were still scheming against each other, Huang Chao in the south could no longer contain himself...

(End of this chapter)