Tiger Guards

Chapter 672 People's Hearts Yearn for Stability
"withdraw!"

"Come on!"

Yan Xing stood on the saddle, where he could barely see anything.

The sled chariots that suddenly rushed towards them moved in a relatively regular pattern. They did not pursue the fleeing soldiers, but anyone who got close to the chariots' path was immediately shot.

Yan Xing immediately recognized it as a variant battle formation derived from the circular horse-riding arrow formation.

As these chariots charged in an orderly fashion, they naturally blocked off the route and attacked the flanks with crossbows.

The tank convoys also moved in columns, one after another, with a safe enough contact distance between them.

If any rout soldiers were to pass through this gap, these chariot soldiers would not accelerate their pursuit.

These sled-mounted combat vehicles are more concerned with their internal movement trajectory; maintaining this battle formation is the best way to protect every soldier.

Seeing that the chariot soldiers were focused on their formation but had no intention of pursuing them or expanding their gains, they realized that the enemy was focused on their formation.

Yan Xing understood the other party's intentions. If he didn't want to die at this moment, he could only retreat with his men!

He shouted loudly, just trying to urge his relatives and fellow villagers not to step forward and fight.

As for the other tribes and clans, as long as they were in the battle zone, they were repeatedly attacked, crushed, and cut apart by the chariots' gear-like battle formation.

The Han and Qiang chieftains who did not enter the battle zone, with their hastily assembled troops, attempted to probe but failed to disrupt or defeat the chariots. They then feared that the chariots would expand their rotational trajectory, thus engulfing them as well.

So these people wisely abandoned Yan Xingzhong's army and their allies trapped in the wagon formation, and turned to run away.

"What kind of formation is this?"

On the north bank of the river, Ma Yi asked in surprise, his eyes filled with horror, because he couldn't think of a way to solve the problem.

"This wheel formation was developed by Grand Tutor after he defeated the Xianbei and other Hu tribes, and it is only suitable for use by chariots and cavalry."

Zhang He raised his hand to rein in his horse, then patted its mane to soothe its spirits.

Behind them, their respective followers were gathering in an orderly fashion, moving closer to the riverbank.

They still needed to wait for Zhao Ji's instructions on how to conduct the operation.

At this moment, Ma Teng had already led dozens of knights across the frozen river and went straight to Zhao Ji's carriage a dozen steps away. He dismounted, stepped forward five or six steps, and bowed deeply: "This sinful general Ma Teng pays his respects to the Grand Tutor."

"What crime has Lord Shoucheng committed?"

Zhao Ji pointed to the battle area: "I would like to ask Lord Shoucheng to ride in this chariot with me and jointly command the army to defeat the enemy."

"Here."

Ma Teng bowed in acceptance. Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, he was not intimidated and stepped forward steadily, boarding the vehicle under Chang Mao's guidance.

At this moment, how could Zhao Ji dare to let Ma Teng act alone?

Whether Ma Teng leads the troops as the vanguard or the rearguard, it is a major hidden danger that could lead to defeat.

The idea was to send Ma Teng away to Tianshui to suppress the prisoners... The fear was that as soon as Ma Teng arrived, he would annex and absorb the desperate powerful prisoners of Tianshui, transforming himself into a giant with an army of seventy or eighty thousand.

Perhaps Ma Teng was also mentally prepared for this, because after getting into the car, he sat calmly next to Zhao Ji, only glancing at the brown sunglasses Zhao Ji was wearing a few times.

At this moment, Zhao Ji still had his face covered by a scarf, making it impossible for Ma Teng to see his full appearance.

The sheer pressure emanating from Zhao Ji sitting there, as steady as a mountain, was enough to make Ma Teng dare not underestimate him.

Intelligent people are not necessarily sensitive, but sensitive people are generally not stupid.

Ma Teng could sense the aura of destruction and annihilation emanating from Zhao Ji. He feared that if he approached Zhao Ji even slightly or made any unsafe move, he would be immediately attacked and destroyed. Once Ma Teng was seated, Zhao Ji said, "Please have the Duke of Shoucheng send out tokens to summon the armies of Zhongtao to cross the river and join the battle. Tell them that in this battle, they should not take heads, but instead focus on pursuing and killing the rebels. Anyone who cuts off heads to disrupt the pursuit will be executed on the spot!"

"Here."

Ma Teng composed himself, but his heart sank; he knew his men would never be so obedient.

Zhao Ji will definitely enforce battlefield discipline, and anyone who dares to obstruct the enforcement of battlefield discipline will certainly be implicated and executed as well.

Ma Teng took out the token and repeatedly instructed the guards who came to the carriage, fearing that someone might be foolish enough to anger Zhao Ji.

Being killed for breaking the rules on the battlefield is tantamount to courting death, and this certainly doesn't count as provoking Zhao Ji.

If it were someone who was narrow-minded and arrogant, they might get angry over this and do something veiled or insinuating. In that case, Zhao Ji might also extend his affection to them and eliminate them as well.

Ma Teng was mentally prepared to enter the court and become a high-ranking official. He really didn't want to be affected by other things, so he spoke harshly, showing the spirit that if Zhao Ji didn't kill him, he would kill him too.

"Report~!"

Just as Ma Teng sent away his personal guards, a group of scouts crossed the river and headed straight for Zhao Ji's chariot.

The lead knight dismounted seven or eight paces away and presented a stack of military documents on wooden tablets: "Grand Tutor! Generals Zhang and Yang have replied here."

Wen Hui, who was waiting in front of the car, was about to go forward to take over when Zhang Wei was faster. He rushed forward, caught the car with both hands, ran back, and handed it to Wen Hui. Wen Hui smiled, stepped onto the car, and handed it to Zhao Ji.

Seeing that the silk rope and mud seal wrapped around the wooden tablet were intact, Zhao Ji took out his short dagger, cut open the rope, and gently pulled to break the mud seal, revealing a piece of paper sandwiched between the two pieces of the wooden tablet.

He took out the paper and read it over and over, then couldn't help but chuckle: "Very good. Send orders to Zhang and Yang's troops to be under General Zilong's command once they approach Jincheng."

"Here."

Wen Hui agreed and immediately leaped onto the carriage next to him, took the pen and ink prepared in the carriage, and began to write this simple edict.

After verifying that everything was correct, Zhao Ji sealed the document with his seal and dispatched another team of scouts and messengers to deliver the message.

If Zhang Xiu and Yang Qiu behave normally along the way, they will follow the same route they took to retreat from Jincheng and head back towards Jincheng.

There were also detachments sent by Han Sui along this road, but they were just detachments. Zhao Ji did not believe that detachments like those of Zhang Xiu and Yang Qiulian could not be defeated.

Given the current situation and battle circumstances, Zhang Xiu and Yang Qiu do not need to forcefully attack the fortified cities occupied by these pursuers. As long as they carry ten days' worth of supplies, they can bypass the city and head straight for Jincheng, which will force these pursuers to come out of the city to intercept them, thus triggering a field battle.

From the very beginning, the key point for the Hehuang rebels was Jincheng, while our side's key point was the area around Tianshui... When Tianshui was in turmoil, Ma Teng abandoned Didao and retreated to Zhongtao City, which was equivalent to Han Sui's Jincheng.

There are two routes from Jincheng to Zhongtao, one to the north and one to the south of Niaoshushan Mountain, which are the starting and ending points of each other.

Although Zhongtao was small, it ensured the connection between the various forces of Ma Chao, Zhu Ling, Zhang He, Zhang Xiu, and Yang Qiu, serving as their escape route.

Zhao Ji calmly read the military document and gave instructions on the spot.

Ma Teng waited patiently, and based on his merits in defending and expanding Zhongtao City, Zhao Ji would not treat him unfairly.

Originally, this achievement lacked a test from the rebels, but now Yan Xing has more than 10,000 men outside Zhongtao City, and there is also Han Sui's persuasive letter. These can embellish Ma Teng's military achievements and make them more dazzling.

In any case... he's pretty much guaranteed a county marquisate.

As Ma Teng pondered, his mind gradually calmed down. In an instant, all sorts of experiences since the rebellion in Xiliang flooded his mind, leaving him completely stunned.

Soon, a horse's neighing nearby brought Ma Teng back to his senses. Although he had almost escaped Liangzhou, a place of corpses and bloodshed, a veritable hell on earth, the war was far from over.

Next, under the command of Grand Tutor Zhao, he may participate in the war, crush the other evil realms, and annihilate them.

As a warlord stationed in Longyou, Ma Teng had always been eyeing Guanzhong, and he knew far better than Han Sui about the recovery of Guanzhong under Zhao Ji's rule.

In fact, Cho Ki was too suspicious. How many people in the world like to engage in rebellious art?
As long as you take good precautions, the other party can't possibly create conditions without them.
(End of this chapter)