Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 476 The Shatuo's Escape to the North (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)

"Cuckoo..."

The sound of horns fills the autumn air, and the waning moon hangs high above the pine branches.

On the night of the tenth day of the ninth month, the fires of the Han army camp were particularly conspicuous in the darkness among the hills more than twenty miles north of Wuzhou City.

Mosquitoes flew towards the campfire and were burned to death on the spot, leaving corpses all over the ground.

Outside the camp, the Yunzhou Hills are boundless grasslands and patches of forest growing in the hilly passes.

These forests are not yet dense; if you are willing to continue north for several dozen miles, you will see large tracts of forest to the north.

Such vegetation will not only be unseen a thousand years from now, but people will also have to endure sandstorms blowing from the northwest.

However, the three prefectures of Datong, protected by dozens of miles of vegetation, have never experienced sandstorms, despite their barren and windy terrain.

However, given the Tatars' habit of indiscriminate logging and unrestrained grazing in the north, the forests in the north may be completely cut down in a few decades or even a hundred years.

"The northern camp should set up more fire drums as a diversion. Listen carefully at midnight. If there is a wooden whistle, even if you hear it wrong, you must blow the whistle in response."

"Yes!"

Inside the camp, Cao Mao, along with Geng Huan, Chen Bingwen, and other second-generation generals from Longyou, inspected the camp and gave instructions continuously.

When facing an opponent with cavalry, one must be wary of night raids and morning surprise attacks, a lesson Cao Mao learned from Liu Jilong.

After all, in his opinion, his prince liked night raids and morning raids, and other talented cavalry generals must also like to do so.

After giving instructions to everyone, he inspected the camp one last time before returning to his tent to rest.

Following Cao Mao's instructions, Geng Huan and Chen Bingwen set up more fire drums in the northern camp where the cavalry and infantry rested, and increased the number of patrols in the southern camp.

Three hours passed slowly, and when the hour of Yin (3 o'clock) arrived, the sound of cavalry hooves suddenly came from the north.

The patrolling soldiers immediately became alert, bringing their wooden whistles to their lips, ready to blow them at any moment.

Fortunately, the figures under the torches were Han cavalrymen, and these dozens of Tang cavalrymen hurriedly retreated south. The patrolling soldiers at the camp gate dared not neglect them and quickly let them into the camp.

After the search, the cavalry was quickly brought to Cao Mao's tent. Cao Mao, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up and hurriedly walked out of the tent to look at Dou Jian, the officer on duty that night.

Upon seeing Cao Mao, Dou Jian immediately bowed and said, "Commander, an hour ago, the Tang cavalry clashed with the enemy more than thirty miles to the north. It seems that the enemy is preparing to launch a surprise attack on our army at dawn."

"Just as I expected." Cao Mao rubbed his temples, thinking to himself that it was fortunate he had made good preparations, otherwise Li Guochang and his son would have really succeeded.

"How many of them are there?"

"It's not very clear under the cover of night, but judging from the number of torches, there should be no fewer than five thousand people."

The cavalrymen were reporting back to Cao Mao. After listening, Cao Mao calculated the time and then said, "In two quarters of an hour, order the soldiers of the three armies to get up at night, put on their armor, and form ranks to await the arrival of the enemy."

"Yes!" Dou Jian nodded in agreement, while Cao Mao returned to his tent and, with the help of the guards, put on his armor.

Two quarters of an hour later, rustling sounds began to rise in the camp. To prevent a riot, the soldiers on night duty woke up the soldiers one by one and then called them to put on their armor and leave the camp.

The moments before dawn are undoubtedly the darkest.

Many sleepy-eyed Han soldiers forced themselves to cheer up and led their horses out of the camp.

The four thousand infantry and cavalry of the northern camp were the first to leave the camp, followed by the three thousand cavalry of the Han army.

The more than 1,000 soldiers on night duty were all assigned to the South Camp to take care of the cavalry's riding horses and draft horses.

Seven thousand Han soldiers lined up between the north and south camps, relying on the camp for protection of the main army's left rear.

In September, Datong already felt the chill of northern Taiwan, with the biting north wind scraping like a knife against one's face, forcing one to squint.

Fortunately, for the Han soldiers who came from Guannei Road, such an environment was far from harsh; on the contrary, the cold wind blew away all their drowsiness.

They took out the jerky they carried with them and started eating it. Before long, they had eaten three or five pieces of jerky, and their bodies began to warm up.

Gradually, the sky began to lighten, and the cavalrymen from all directions began to retreat.

They used horses for patrols, and the first thing they did upon returning to camp was to replace them with military horses.

With their additions, the number of Han soldiers increased from seven thousand to more than eight thousand.

Cao Mao did not order all the cavalry to withdraw, but left several hundred cavalrymen on the outskirts to ensure the patrols within a ten-mile radius of the main army.

By doing this, if Li Guochang and his son had any backup plans, they could react quickly and avoid being caught off guard.

As time passed, a quarter of an hour later, as the sun began to rise in the east, large plumes of dust appeared in the north.

Seeing this, Cao Mao slowly raised his hand, and Geng Huan and Chen Bingwen looked at the flag soldiers.

"Beep--"

The piercing whistle blew, and the Han soldiers who had been waiting for three quarters of an hour became alert. At the same time, the dust from the north was constantly approaching, eventually turning into a huge cavalry formation.

"Dog and rat, this Cao Mao is quite capable, daring to send the cavalry so far away. It seems he knows that I will lead a cavalry attack."

Under the banner, Li Keyong observed the Han army's formation two miles away, spat on the grass, and his mind was filled with conflicting thoughts.

He originally intended to launch a surprise attack on Cao Mao at dawn, but Cao Mao's cavalry was positioned too far away, and their whereabouts were soon exposed after they detoured to the north.

The assault failed. Now the options are either to withdraw and find another way, or to engage in a real battle.

Thinking of this, Li Keyong turned to look at the elite Hu and Han cavalry behind him. He saw that the number seemed to be less than when they set off, indicating that many people had fallen behind. However, there were still more than 6,000 elite cavalry in total.

Thinking of this, he turned to look at the Han army to the south, which, judging from the formation alone, numbered no less than seven or eight thousand.

With the number of people on both sides being roughly equal, a fight between them is not impossible.

"My lord, shall we continue the charge?"

Kang Junli was somewhat worried, but Li Keyong, upon hearing this, made up his mind and said confidently, "If Liu Jilong were to lead this army, I might still withdraw, but this Cao Mao..."

He deliberately paused for a moment, then scoffed, "I remember that he suffered many casualties when dealing with Zhou Bao and Li Sigong, and almost allowed the two of them to break through."

"If Liu Jilong hadn't anticipated the enemy's moves, Zhou Bao and Li Sigong would certainly have been able to break through the encirclement."

“Zhou Bao and Li Sigong are both mediocre talents, yet they were able to outwit him so easily. How much more so now that I am the one commanding the troops.”

"Order the army to rest for two quarters of an hour, then mount up and approach at full speed!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Kang Junli and Zhou Dewei quickly responded, while Li Keyong looked at Zhou Dewei and instructed him:

"Yang Wu, you lead the Crow Army to scout ahead. Follow my orders and find a way to attack the Han army's weak points. I will defeat this army and let Liu Jilong know that, apart from him, the Han army is nothing but chickens and dogs!"

"Yes!" Zhou Dewei replied calmly, his expression unchanged.

For a moment, the horses of both armies kept neighing, as if they sensed anxiety, and occasionally kicked the grass.

Two quarters of an hour passed quickly, and as Li Keyong began his operation, Cao Mao immediately gave the order:
"The cavalry shall form ranks. Geng Huan, you shall lead five hundred cavalrymen to the rear, don your armor and prepare to charge at the command. The infantry and cavalry shall dismount and seize their horses with swords and clubs after the cavalry engage."

"Yes!!" Chen Bingwen, Geng Huan, Dou Jian and others responded one after another, and then the three armies began to adjust.

Cao Mao deployed 4,000 elite cavalry in the front, 4,000 infantrymen in the middle, and 500 armored cavalrymen in the rear.

More than a thousand infantrymen dismounted and helped five hundred armored cavalrymen put on their armor, while four thousand cavalrymen waited for Li Keyong to lead his army within a mile before charging at the sound of the horn.

"Uuuuuu——"

"kill!!"

As the Han army's bugle sounded, four thousand Han cavalrymen charged forward. Li Keyong was already prepared and waited for the Han army to begin their charge before launching his own.

The figures of five thousand Hu and Han cavalry and four thousand Han cavalry almost obscured the grassland where the two sides clashed. Both sides drew their bows, and as the distance closed, they became tense.

"Beep--"

Seeing that the two sides were less than thirty paces apart, wooden whistles began to sound from within the Hu-Han cavalry formation, and countless arrows flew towards the faces of the Han soldiers.

The face armor worn by Han cavalry could only protect against stray arrows, but it was relatively weak against arrows thrust from the face.

In an instant, quite a few Han cavalrymen fell, but Cao Mao did not rush to blow his whistle. He only blew his wooden whistle when the Hu and Han cavalrymen were within twenty paces of him.

"Beep--"

After the piercing whistle blew, the Han cavalry and the Hu-Han cavalry were within fifteen paces of each other, and many Han soldiers even charged into the Hu-Han cavalry formation.

The Han cavalry, with their bows capable of drawing eight dou (a unit of volume), were naturally more powerful when equipped with armor-piercing chisel-shaped arrows than the Hu-Han cavalry, who could only draw seven dou (another unit of volume).

For this reason, at such a distance, the Hu and Han cavalry were simply powerless to stop them in a face-to-face confrontation.

"Uh-huh!!"

"Hissing—"

In an instant, the number of Hu and Han cavalrymen who fell far exceeded that of the Han army, especially many Han cavalrymen who did not care about capturing their horses and instead threw arrows at their heads.

The armor-piercing chisel arrows of the Eight-Peck Cavalry Bow could pierce directly through a horse's head, let alone the vulnerable faces of both Han and non-Han cavalry.

In just a hundred paces, the cavalry of both sides had already drawn their bows seven or eight times, and countless soldiers were shot and killed.

Li Keyong charged left and right in the formation, shooting arrows that struck many Han soldiers. If the Han soldiers tried to charge at him head-on, he would dodge left and right on horseback.

Even if his horse is shot through the head, he can still leap to the stray horses with his guards on either side.

Normally, his bravery would inspire many, but at this moment, the thousands of Hu and Han cavalry could only feel immense pressure.

"Uuuuuu——"

Just as things seemed to be clearing up ahead, before the Hu and Han cavalry could breathe a sigh of relief, a line of Han infantry suddenly appeared in front of them and had already formed ranks.

After the bugle sounded, the Han infantry used crossbows to fire powerful shots at the Hu and Han cavalry in the Han cavalry formation.

In a short time, many people and horses were thrown into disarray.

When their advance faltered, the Han archers dismounted and immediately abandoned their bows and crossbows, grabbing spears, long spears, and long swords from the ground and charging forward in unison.

"Change tactics! Don't get entangled with them!!"

Li Keyong was the first to turn his horse around and break through the encirclement, and the cavalry behind him, now on guard, followed suit.

Even so, the hundreds of Hu and Han cavalry who charged out of the Han cavalry formation still collided with the Han infantry.

In an instant, a flurry of spears came flying, and the horse catcher charged forward, slashing the Hu and Han cavalrymen off their horses, snatching the horses, and killing the fallen riders.

Of the hundreds of Hu and Han cavalrymen, only a hundred or so managed to break through the encirclement; the remaining hundreds were killed by the horse catchers.

Li Keyong led his Hu-Han cavalry to break through the encirclement, while Zhou Dewei, seeing the situation was not good, led his cavalry to flank the Han army from the rear.

As he arrived, Dou Jian personally led 500 armored cavalrymen in a charge against the flank of Li Keyong and his Han-Hu cavalry.

"kill!!"

Without a second thought, Zhou Dewei blew the horn and led the Crow Army in a charge from the flank of the Han army's armored cavalry, attempting to intercept them.

When the 1,500 Crow Army soldiers arrived, Dou Jian panicked somewhat, but he still gritted his teeth and shouted "Kill the traitors!" and led his troops to charge towards Li Keyong's forces.

Zhou Dewei's Crow Army charged into the Han cavalry, and the Han cavalry also charged into the ranks of the Hu and Han cavalry.

More than two hundred Han cavalrymen were blocked and surrounded by Zhou Dewei, while Dou Jian's more than two hundred Han cavalrymen broke the Hu-Han cavalry into two pieces.

At this moment, Chen Bingwen led four thousand cavalry and infantry in formation to attack Zhou Dewei, while Cao Mao, who had just led his cavalry out to attack, was also leading his cavalry to beat the dog when it was down.

Upon seeing this, Li Keyong immediately ordered his bannermen to relay military orders, and all his troops charged towards Cao Mao's forces.

In an instant, Zhou Dewei, Kang Junli and the others all reacted and left the battlefield, heading north to attack Cao Mao's troops.

Cao Mao's three-pronged attack did indeed cause Li Keyong considerable losses, but now that he had revealed that most of his troops were cavalry and infantry, Li Keyong had an idea.

First, defeat Cao Mao's cavalry, then deal with the large number of cavalry and infantry.

"Uuuuuu——"

"kill!!"

If a direct assault is not enough, then close combat will suffice!
Li Keyong waved his command flag, and the Hu and Han cavalry and the Ya'er Army all switched to long spears and lances. Cao Mao, seeing this, hurriedly waved his command flag and ordered the Han cavalry to retreat.

Li Keyong pursued, and Cao Mao led his troops to retreat, while continuously shooting arrows to disrupt the pursuit of Li Keyong's Hu and Han cavalry.

Many cavalrymen's horses were hit by arrows and fell. Seeing this, Li Keyong had no choice but to order his cavalry to change their bows and arrows and continue shooting at Cao Mao.

"My lord, our troops are outnumbered and we cannot pursue any further!"

Zhou Dewei hurriedly spurred his horse to catch up, and his words brought Li Keyong to his senses.

"Cao Mao, the dog and the rat, certainly has plenty of cunning schemes!"

Li Keyong realized that Cao Mao was wearing down their horses. After all, they had come from afar and their horses were not as powerful as Cao Mao's troops. If they were to run out of horses, they would truly become lambs to the slaughter.

After Li Keyong realized what was happening, he immediately ordered his army to retreat to the high hill to the west. Cao Mao, seeing this, ordered his cavalry to rest on the spot and wait for the infantry and cavalry to catch up.

Li Keyong led his troops up the hill, and relying on the slope of more than ten zhang between the hill and the plain, they began to rest and recover their strength while observing the casualties of both sides.

The Hu and Han cavalry suffered heavy casualties, and the ranks were visibly reduced in number.

In comparison, the Han army was not faring much better, with a considerable number of Han cavalrymen dead on the battlefield, but the proportion of non-Han cavalrymen was still relatively large.

Seeing this, Li Keyong's eyes flickered, while Zhou Dewei caught up and said, "My lord, they are now preparing to send cavalry and infantry to attack our army from the front. At that time, they will definitely send cavalry to flank us from the rear."

"What do you want to say?" Li Keyong looked at Zhou Dewei, who had reminded him several times. Zhou Dewei bowed and said:
“I am willing to lead five hundred Crow Army soldiers to flank the enemy first. If the Han cavalry flank and attack from behind, I will attack from the rear. You, my lord, will lead your army to break through from the front and we will surely defeat them and cause many casualties.”

"Is five hundred men too few?" Zhou Dewei shook his head as soon as Li Keyong finished speaking.

"Five hundred men is just right. If there are too many, the Han army will definitely notice."

"Good!" Li Keyong did not delay, and Zhou Dewei also led five hundred Crow Army soldiers to gallop towards the deeper hills to the east.

Less than a quarter of an hour after he left, the cavalry and infantry from the south caught up and dismounted to form ranks under the command of Cao Mao from the north, preparing to attack the high hill.

At the same time, Dou Jian's less than four hundred heavily armored cavalry also followed, ready to intercept any Hu and Han cavalry attempting to break through.

Just as Zhou Dewei had predicted, Cao Mao led his elite cavalry to prepare to bypass Li Keyong's forces and surround them from the flank and rear.

"Seven or eight thousand people tried to surround a group of five thousand or so people?"

Li Keyong was enraged by Cao Mao's attitude, but remembering Zhou Dewei's words, he suppressed his temper and waited for Cao Mao to complete the encirclement.

"Li Keyong's inaction in the face of our encirclement is unlike the strength he just displayed..."

Cao Mao sensed something was wrong, so he immediately looked around.

When he saw that there were also rolling hills to the east, he immediately summoned Geng Huan and said, "Send three hundred brothers to explore to the east."

"Yes!" Geng Huan agreed without hesitation, and then dispatched three hundred cavalrymen to explore eastward.

Their actions were under Li Keyong's watchful eye. Upon seeing this, Li Keyong's expression changed slightly. He knew that three hundred Han cavalrymen were enough to entangle Zhou Dewei, so he could not allow the three hundred cavalrymen to search eastward.

His thoughts settled, and suddenly he raised his arm and shouted, "Kill!!"

"Uuuuuu——"

Having recovered considerably from their rest, the Hu-Han cavalry immediately followed Li Keyong's banner and charged eastward toward the Han cavalry that were attempting to encircle them.

Upon seeing this, Cao Mao and Geng Huan immediately abandoned their intention to split up and search, and quickly gathered the scattered Han cavalry to prepare to retreat and avoid Li Keyong's high-ground attack.

They began to retreat, and Zhou Dewei, who was to the east, immediately sensed something was wrong after hearing his own horn sound. He then led five hundred Crow Army soldiers up the hill.

When he saw Cao Mao constantly retreating to avoid Li Keyong's advance, he immediately led his cavalry down the hill again, preparing to gallop north from the eastern plains to block the Han army cavalry's nearest retreat route.

In the race against time, Zhou Dewei was the first to appear on the retreat route of the Han cavalry, but the area was hilly, and his appearance could only hold off the Han army for a moment.

It was only a short while, but that was enough...

"kill!!"

When Geng Huan saw Zhou Dewei and his hundreds of men blocking his way, he belatedly realized that Li Keyong and Zhou Dewei were plotting something.

Instead of splitting his troops to retreat from the left and right sides after Zhou Dewei appeared, he planned to lead his army to defeat Zhou Dewei's five hundred men, open up a retreat channel for the main army, and cooperate with the cavalry and infantry to annihilate Li Keyong's troops there.

Seeing the Han army charging towards him, Zhou Dewei did not panic, but instead ordered a retreat.

They began to retreat, and the Han army pursued them while using arrows to harass Li Keyong, who was chasing from behind.

Seeing that the valley entrance was just ahead, Zhou Dewei and the others slowed down their horses slightly, and Geng Huan took the lead and gave chase.

In an instant, he personally led over a hundred cavalrymen into the ranks of Zhou Dewei's five hundred crow soldiers, heading straight for Zhou Dewei under his command flag.

Seeing this, Zhou Dewei reined in his horse, brandished his spear, and exchanged several blows with Geng Huan. He looked exhausted and, unable to defeat him, fled.

Seeing this, Geng Huan lunged left and right, simultaneously chasing after Zhou Dewei.

When he caught up with Zhou Dewei, Zhou Dewei suddenly reined in his horse, and a long spear suddenly thrust at him from the front. Geng Huan was terrified. As he dodged, he felt dizzy and when he regained consciousness, he found himself falling onto the grass, with blood flowing profusely from the neck of his warhorse.

"Just a hair's breadth away!"

When Zhou Dewei saw that his counterattack had failed to kill Geng Huan, he cursed himself for his lack of skill and then quickly spurred his horse forward to thrust his spear.

Fortunately, the pursuing Han army rushed forward at this moment, blocking Zhou Dewei and the Ya'er Army on his left and right who were trying to counterattack, and quickly helped Geng Huan mount his horse and retreat.

Zhou Dewei led the Crow Army in pursuit of the Han army, stopping even thousands of Han cavalrymen who attempted to break through.

When Cao Mao saw that the Han army pursuing them had suddenly retreated, he immediately ordered his army to bypass Zhou Dewei's troops and withdraw from the valley from the left and right.

Under Cao Mao's command, the Han cavalry split into two groups to avoid Zhou Dewei's forces, and surged out of the valley and returned to the plains.

Li Keyong pursued them, and Zhou Dewei rushed to Li Keyong's side upon seeing this, bowing respectfully: "Our army has suffered heavy losses and failed to stop this Han army. We must retreat to Yunzhong now, otherwise, when the Han army from Shuozhou moves north, we will be unable to support the commander's breakout."

Upon hearing this, Li Keyong gripped the reins tightly. Although he was unwilling to leave just like that, he knew that Zhou Dewei was right.

He brought all the cavalry out with him. If they didn't retreat in time, when Anpohu from Shuozhou in the south marched north, Yunzhong would definitely be surrounded, and his father and Gaiyu would have a hard time breaking through.

"withdraw!"

Despite his reluctance, Li Keyong decided to take the opportunity to withdraw his troops, and thus commanded his army to break through to the northeast.

After Cao Mao withdrew to Pingchuan, he had just gathered his troops when he saw Li Keyong withdraw his army.

"Ma Biao, you lead three thousand elite cavalry in pursuit, and I will follow with cavalry and infantry!"

"The last general takes command!"

Cao Mao originally wanted to order Geng Huan to pursue, but upon learning that Geng Huan had fallen from his horse and was injured, he could only order Ma Cheng's third son, Ma Biao, to give chase.

As both sides retreated and pursued, they gradually moved away in the northeast direction. Cao Mao began to clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded, and then led more than 3,000 cavalry and infantry in pursuit.

The two sides chased each other for less than forty miles, and in less than two hours they saw the Cloud City in the distance.

Seeing this, Cao Mao stationed his troops more than ten miles north of Yunzhong City, while Li Guochang led his army out of the city to meet Li Keyong and bring him back to the city.

Seeing the team reduced by more than a third compared to yesterday, Li Guochang felt as if his heart was bleeding.

"Father, I failed to defeat Cao Mao's troops. Please punish me!"

Li Keyong lowered his head, unwillingly kneeling to accept his punishment. Seeing this, Li Guochang could only tighten his grip on the horsewhip and lash Li Keyong's chest three times, then said in a deep voice:
"Rest for two hours, then break through eastward towards Huai'an!"

“Yes…” Li Keyong was unwilling, but he knew that the situation was hopeless and they had no choice but to break through.

Rather than becoming a prisoner, he preferred to retreat to the southern desert, where he might be able to unite with the Tatar tribes and march south to retake Daibei.

Seeing him lower his head, Li Guochang looked at Gai Yu and asked, "Is everything ready?"

"Everything is ready. The relatives of the craftsmen and soldiers have been sent to the pass of the Nanxiu River (Nanyang River)."

"As long as our army reaches the pass of Nanxiu River, and garrisons several hundred soldiers to hold the pass for three days, we will be able to break through and head to the south of the Gobi Desert."

As Gai Yu finished speaking, Li Guochang reluctantly looked back at the Cloud City.

The Shatuo tribe had finally obtained this place of refuge, but now they would abandon it and return to a life of homelessness.

"If we can't keep this city, then let's burn it down!"

"Yes!"

As expected, a great fire broke out in Yunzhong City under Li Guochang's orders, and Li Guochang and his son led 10,000 troops to break through to Huai'an in the east.

Upon learning the news, Cao Mao in the north immediately left 2,000 infantry and cavalry to extinguish the fire, while he personally led more than 5,000 cavalry and infantry to pursue the enemy eastward.

Li Guochang and his son would set fire to every pass and fortress they passed, forcing Cao Mao to continuously leave troops to extinguish the fires while pursuing them.

Zhou Dewei led 3,000 cavalry to intercept Cao Mao's forces. The two sides clashed six times, and Zhou Dewei's troops suffered heavy casualties.

Two hours later, An Pohu, who had rushed to Yunzhong, learned that Li Guochang and his son had gone east, and immediately led three thousand elite cavalry in pursuit.

At the same time, Li Guochang's troops and Cao Mao's troops gradually felt that their horsepower was insufficient. Both sides could only travel for a dozen miles, rest for a quarter of an hour, and then continue for another dozen miles.

Under such pursuit, after a day and night, Li Guochang's troops finally arrived at the pass of Nanxiu River, where they met more than a thousand Hu soldiers, hundreds of craftsmen, and the relatives of more than 30,000 soldiers.

"With this fortified position, it won't be easy for them to pursue us."

Li Guochang breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the three layers of trenches surrounding the camp, but Gai Yu, seeing this, forced himself to speak:

"We cannot linger here. Commander, do not forget that the Han army has techniques that can break through the city walls."

"Let the craftsmen and their families go first, and our troops will catch up after a short rest."

"Right!" Li Guochang realized belatedly, but mental exhaustion still made him grit his teeth and say, "Rest for two hours, then break camp and head north."

"Yes!"

Upon seeing this, Li Guochang immediately led his troops into the camp and rested along the valley road.

At that moment, they could practically fall asleep with their eyes closed, and soon after they sat down, snoring could be heard.

Cao Mao didn't let them rest for long. After he caught up with them, he learned that Li Guochang and his son were planning to head north through this valley, but his soldiers were exhausted.

There were many horses in Daibei. After Li Keyong and his men retreated to Yunzhong, they took a large herd of horses out of the city. Even though these horses were not good horses, they could still be ridden in turns.

Otherwise, given Li Keyong's repeated attacks and retreats of over eighty li, Cao Mao's army would have caught up with him long ago.

"The three armies shall rest in place. If the enemy makes any move, wake me immediately!"

Cao Mao gave the order and then sat down to rest on the ground.

Two hours felt like the blink of an eye; it was far too short to restore their energy, which they had been working tirelessly day and night.

Even though they were exhausted, Li Guochang and his son gradually awoke as the soldiers shook them.

The escape, like a stray dog ​​fleeing its prey, seemed to have matured Li Keyong considerably. He remained silent throughout the journey, simply following Li Guochang's instructions to lead the Crow Army ahead.

Xue Zhiqin led 3,000 troops to stay at this camp, and after holding out for an hour, he withdrew north.

The pass was not long, only about twenty li, so Li Keyong led his army to catch up with the artisans who had set off earlier in less than half an hour.

Cao Mao, who was asleep, was startled awake by the dull sound of horses' hooves and the constant shaking of soldiers.

"What's going on?!"

Cao Mao instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword, only to see Chen Bingwen bow to him: "Governor An has personally led three thousand cavalrymen here!"

"Good!" Upon hearing this, Cao Mao immediately stood up unsteadily. After regaining his senses, he saw three thousand Han cavalrymen rushing towards them.

The appearance of these three thousand Han cavalrymen delighted Cao Mao, but made Xue Zhiqin, who was stationed at the rear, look grim.

He knew that if he couldn't stop these 8,000-plus Han soldiers, then Li Guochang and his son would probably be unable to break through.

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath: "I have followed the General since childhood, and now it is time for me to repay his kindness!"

When they heard him say that, their faces immediately turned ugly, but then they thought of their families who had already gone north, and finally they suppressed their tempers and their gazes gradually became firm.

"You pig-dog bastards, we didn't bring gunpowder with us. It won't be easy for us to break into this place."

An Pohu gazed at the pass, his face growing grim. Cao Mao, seeing this, bowed and said, "I still have over two thousand cavalry and infantrymen under my command who can go into battle."

"Very well, if we can capture this place within two hours, I will personally report to His Highness and record their merits!"

An Pohu knew that the two thousand-plus cavalry and infantry were in poor condition, but he was even more unwilling to let Li Guochang and his son escape.

Under his watchful eye, the more than two thousand cavalry and infantry, who had only rested briefly for two hours, began to form ranks and prepare to attack the camp, while Xue Zhiqin also made full preparations.

Just as they were about to clash, Li Guochang and his son Li Keyong led more than 5,000 remnant troops to cover the northward march of 30,000 family members and craftsmen.

They emerged from the valley and attempted to cross the pass ahead along the Nanxiu River to reach the southern part of the Xiushui River basin.

However, shortly after they left the Nanxiu River Valley, they saw a large number of cavalry appear on the east bank of the Nanxiu River.

"Damn it, Father was right! Li Guochang and his son are indeed heading to Huai'an to escape!"

On the east bank of the Nanxiu River, thousands of cavalrymen had been waiting for a long time, and the one who spoke with relief was the general who led this army.

The general was around forty years old, and the banners and flags behind him bore the words "Lulong" and "Zhang".

Upon seeing the banners and flags, Li Guochang and Li Keyong's expressions immediately turned grim.

"Lulong..."

"Zhang, you traitors, why don't you surrender?!"

The forty-year-old general rode his horse to the east bank of the Nanxiu River and raised his voice to persuade the enemy to surrender.

"Who are you? What does my business with Liu Jilong have to do with you, Lu Long?!"

Li Guochang suppressed his temper and raised his voice to question the matter from the west bank of the Nanxiu River.

The two men, separated by the Nanxiu River, which was more than twenty feet apart, asked each other questions. Upon hearing this, the forty-year-old general laughed heartily and said, "I am Zhang Jianhui, the governor of Guizhou. You and your son have rebelled against the court, and you deserve to suffer this fate."

"Surrender now, or you will surely perish here!"

Zhang Jianhui's words made Li Guochang and Li Keyong's expressions even more unpleasant.

They assessed the forces of both sides. Zhang Jianhui's cavalry numbered no less than five thousand, and judging from the situation at the camp, there were likely other cavalrymen in other places, heading this way.

Although they had more than 5,000 soldiers, only 3,000 of them were armored, while the remaining 2,000 were unarmored.

Moreover, they had more than 30,000 soldiers and their families, as well as hundreds of artisans, behind them. They simply couldn't protect these people while fighting.

Thinking of this, Li Guochang took a deep breath, while Gai Yu spurred his horse forward: "Zhang Jianhui is the son of Zhang Yunshen, the military governor of Lulong, and he is not well-regarded in Lulong."

"In order to protect his sons, Zhang Yunshen flirted with Liu Jilong several times, and even transported money and grain, just to exchange for Liu Jilong's protection of his sons."

"Zhang Jian's presence here must be arranged by Zhang Yunshen."

"Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. The only option now is to send troops to escort the craftsmen out of the siege and then guard against Zhang Jianhui crossing the river to attack."

"If necessary, the safety of the commander and his lord must be the priority..."

Gai Yu's words were quite clear: if necessary, they could only abandon the more than 30,000 soldiers and their families to preserve their strength.

After all, the grasslands are a place where the strong prey on the weak; if they are too weak, they will inevitably be swallowed up by others.

Thinking of this, Li Guochang and Li Keyong nodded with heavy hearts, and then summoned Kang Junli to lead five hundred cavalrymen to escort the craftsmen away first.

How long until the rest of our troops arrive?

When Zhang Jian saw that Li Guochang and his men had sent a group of people to leave first, he immediately looked at the general beside him.

This man was a Uyghur who migrated south and was given the name Li Maoxun. He was a general in Lulong Town who defended the grasslands.

Li Maoxun was entrusted by Zhang Yunshen to assist Zhang Jianhui, so naturally he wouldn't watch Zhang Jianhui return empty-handed.

Facing the troops from Datong separated by the Nanxiu River, Li Maoxun said without hesitation: "There is no need to wait for reinforcements. The Nanxiu River has dried up several times due to drought, so there must be shallows for our army to cross and capture."

"Judging from their defeated army, they will certainly not be able to withstand the advance of our army!"

"Good!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Jianhui felt even more confident.

With Li Maoxun's assistance, Zhang Jianhui began to mobilize his troops, preparing to seek shallow waters and land on the west bank of the Nanxiu River.

If Li Guochang and his son had arrived half an hour later, he would have already led his troops across the river and trapped them inside the pass.

"They are looking for shallow waters; our troops must immediately retreat to Xiushui Plain!"

Gai Yu urged them on, and seeing this, Li Guochang and his son quickly ordered their families to go first, while they led the army to cover the rear.

These relatives, who had been moving slowly, started running around under Li Guochang's urging.

Li Keyong led Zhou Dewei and Gai Yu to cover the rear, while simultaneously sending troops to urge Xue Zhiqin to withdraw.

Unfortunately, they had only sent out fast horses to urge them on for a short while when Li Maoxun and Zhang Jianhui found the shallows and led their troops across the river on horseback.

The severe drought had caused the river to become shallow, barely reaching the calves of the horses, making it impossible to stop the Lulong army from crossing.

"Follow closely behind my banner, I'll see which of these elite cavalry from Youzhou is stronger, this one from Daibei!"

“Woohoo!!”

Although they were soldiers in distress, the more than four thousand soldiers from Daibei rose up in order to help their families break through the siege.

Li Keyong and Zhou Dewei led their elite cavalry in a charge, and the two sides clashed at the Nanxiu River. Gai Yu, meanwhile, commanded unarmored cavalry to harass the Lulong army with bows and arrows.

In an instant, the waters of the Nanxiu River began to turn murky, and then became stained red with blood.

The two sides fought for no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when a large number of Han cavalry charged out from the southern gorge.

However, An Pohu, Cao Mao, and the others who led the troops out were also in a state of confusion and did not understand the situation on the battlefield.

Why is the Lulong Army here?

"Could it be that they are preparing to invade Daibei?"

An Pohu and Cao Mao spoke up instinctively, but they quickly denied the possibility.

The Lulong Army is currently rife with undercurrents, and Zhang Yunshen has to entrust the fate of his own descendants to Liu Jilong after his death, let alone expand his territory.

"No matter what, deal with Li Guochang and his son first!"

The two men locked eyes and instantly decided to deal with the Daibei cavalry first.

"My lord, the Han army is attacking!"

"What did you say?!"

Li Keyong, who was commanding his troops in battle, only noticed the Han army figures two or three miles away after being reminded by Zhou Dewei.

His heart sank. He knew that the appearance of the Han army meant that Xue Zhiqin was likely in grave danger.

If the Han army learns of Lu Long's intentions, their more than four thousand men will likely find it difficult to leave this place.

Thinking this through, Li Keyong could only grit his teeth and say, "Retreat!"

"Yes!" Zhou Dewei breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began waving his command flag, directing the army to retreat northward.

"My lord, the Han army is attacking!"

"Excellent! This is the perfect time for me to claim credit!"

Li Maoxun reminded Zhang Jianhui, who was watching the battle, and only then did Zhang Jianhui belatedly realize that the Han army had arrived.

Not wanting to miss this opportunity to show off, he quickly ordered, "The army must pursue them! Don't let them escape!"

Under his command, the troops who had been observing the situation began to forcibly cross the river.

Seeing this, Li Maoxun reminded him, "The Han army is unaware of our intentions. You may go there yourself, my lord."

"Alright!" Zhang Jian agreed without hesitation. After watching Li Keyong lead his troops to retreat and his own troops pursue them, he crossed the Nanxiu River and chased after the Han army.

"I am Zhang Jianhui, the seventh son of Zhang Jiedushi of Lulong. I am here to greet the two generals!"

Zhang Jianhui rode up to the Han army. An Pohu and Cao Mao, seeing that they did not seem to be fighting for Daibei, then showed themselves and heard Zhang Jianhui's words.

"My father learned that the court had sent troops to Daibei, so he sent me here to help. It's a pity that I am too far away from here, otherwise I could have stopped these Shatuo barbarians in the pass just now."

Zhang Jianhui hurriedly tried to show off his achievements, and only then did An Pohu and Cao Mao learn the reason for the appearance of the Lulong Army.

"In that case, we must not let Li Guochang and his son go. Our armies should join forces to pursue them and capture them alive!"

"nature!"

At An Pohu's suggestion, the Han army and the Lulong army began to pursue Li Keyong. At this time, Li Keyong and Li Guochang no longer cared about the families of the slow-moving soldiers and could only hurriedly break through the encirclement with their own and their generals' families.

Along the twenty-odd miles, apart from a small number of family members who rushed into the pass by horse or cart, the remaining 20,000 families were left outside the pass and captured by the Han and Lulong armies.

"I will lead my troops to cover the rear, my lord, hurry and go!"

Zhou Dewei urged Li Keyong to retreat, and personally led less than two thousand Hu soldiers to dismount, take up long spears and guard the pass, buying time for Li Keyong and his men.

Upon seeing the "Zhou" banner standing at the pass, Cao Mao and his men, who had been pursuing them, waved their command flags without hesitation:
"Whoever captures Li Guochang and his son alive will be rewarded with ten thousand strings of cash and promoted three ranks!!"

Facing the thousands of elite cavalry charging towards them, Zhou Dewei personally held his spear and commanded the central army, raising his arm and shouting:

"Repay our debt of gratitude today! Kill!!"

"Whoosh-"

(End of this chapter)