Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 360 We now follow the Crown Prince's lead without question! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Kill me!"

Upon arriving at the Niuxindui tribe, Su Dingfang immediately issued an order to attack the tribe.

The battle ended after about 15 minutes.

Because this tribe only had a cavalry force of about a thousand men, it was simply unable to withstand the impact of several thousand black-armored guards.

Immediately after the battle ended, Su Dingfang summoned the intelligence officer and asked, "Are the enemy troops behind us still following us?"

"I've been following you all along!"

The intelligence officer immediately reported this.

Su Dingfang smiled, then said jokingly, "They've remained indifferent to our attack on their tribe; they must have some grand scheme in mind. Let's ignore them for now, let the brothers eat and drink their fill, then we'll march on another tribe and slaughter them until they feel the pain!"

"Of course, we must not let our guard down!"

"Yes!"

The intelligence officer immediately accepted the order and withdrew.

But then Su Dingfang ordered the surrounding captains, "Search for any usable warhorses. Those who aren't dead, go up and finish them off. Check their bodies for anything valuable. Take everything you can. If you can't take anything, just burn it!"

After saying that, he walked to a chieftain's hut on his own, intending to bake something to eat inside.

Meanwhile, a few miles away from this tribe, Tuoba Mi, who was following closely behind Su Dingfang, was stunned to hear that the Tang army had wiped out a Tuyuhun tribe in just a quarter of an hour.

Even if the Tuyuhun tribe was not large, it still had thousands of cavalrymen and two or three thousand able-bodied men. How could it have been wiped out so quickly?
You have to understand, he has fought against the Tang army before, and even the Tang army's most elite cavalry could not have done it so quickly.

Now he finally understood why more than a dozen tribes near Liangzhou City could be wiped out overnight. It was because the strength of this Tang army far exceeded their expectations!

But then one of Tuoba Mi's subordinates asked with lingering fear, "General Tuoba, what should we do now?"

At first, they were somewhat dissatisfied with Tuoba Mi for not coming to their aid, but now that they learned of the terrifying strength of the Tang army ahead, they were very glad that they had followed Tuoba Mi and not other Tuyuhun generals.

After all, none of the other Tuyuhun generals had the same 'foresight and vision' as Tuoba Mi.

Tuoba Mi feigned composure and said, "This Tang army should be the same one that attacked the Liangzhou City tribe. We are no match for them. Let's continue to follow them. If they pursue us, we will immediately lead them into the Chishui Plain!"

"it is good!"

The surrounding Tuyuhun generals all spoke in unison.

However, another Tuyuhun general couldn't help but ask, "What if they still don't pursue us?"

"This"

Tuoba Mi hesitated for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, he said coldly, "If they don't pursue us, then we'll find a way to make them pursue us!"

"any solution?"

"Why waste so much breath! This general has his own methods!"

Tuoba Mi irritably stopped this persistent questioning.

Then, he gave an unquestionable order: "Go to other nearby tribes and bring over some Han Chinese prisoners!"

the other side.

Upon receiving news from Tuoba Mi, Fu Yun and Dayan Mangjiebo immediately summoned the civil and military officials of Tuyuhun to discuss countermeasures.

Fu Yun spoke first: "Gentlemen, the Tang army has penetrated deep into the heart of our Tuyuhun territory, but their numbers are small, probably only about six thousand cavalry."

"However, the movements of this Tang army are very strange. They appeared at Mantou Mountain without making a sound. If we hadn't set up spies near Mantou Mountain in advance, we probably wouldn't have discovered them."

"From this point of view, it is not difficult to see that this is an extraordinary Tang army."

"in addition."

He paused, then looked around at the assembled officials and said, “I just received a report from Tuoba Mi. He said that when the Tang army discovered them, they did not pursue them, but instead headed towards Niuxindui.”

"However, as far as I know, there is no large army of our Tuyuhun in the direction of Niuxindui, only some scattered small tribes. Therefore, I guess that they must be having problems with their food supplies and are in a hurry to replenish them, which is why they thought of attacking the small tribes in Niuxindui."

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials of Tuyuhun nodded in deep agreement.

Then, Murong Xiujun, the King of Nanchang of Tuyuhun, stepped forward and said, "Great Khan, in my opinion, this Tang army should be a Tang army that has lost its way. They are probably demoralized at the moment."

"And we need a great victory to boost morale. Therefore, I believe this is a great opportunity for us to annihilate this Tang army and cripple it."

"Yes, Not Bad."

Fu Yun smiled and nodded, then looked around at the assembled officials and soldiers again, and asked, "What do you all think?"

“Father! Your son also supports the proposal of the Prince of Nanchang. This Tang army should be annihilated!” Dayan Mangjiebo was the first to stand up and say.

The other civil and military officials of Tuyuhun also stepped forward and said, "We second that proposal!"

"it is good!"

Fu Yun immediately ordered, "Men! Order Tuoba Mi to continue to follow and harass this Tang army, slowing down their raids on the Niuxindui tribe and exhausting them."

"In addition, a portion of elite troops should be transferred from Chishui Plain to rush to Tuoba Mi's aid. We must encircle and annihilate his main force near Niuxindui before the Tang army can replenish its supplies!"

"Yes!"

A Tuyuhun messenger immediately took the order and left.

But then Murong Xiujun said in a deep voice, "Great Khan! Your subject is willing to lead my troops to assist General Tuoba in defeating this Tang army and avenging my elder brother!"

"this."

Fu Yun hesitated for a moment, then looked at the other civil and military officials of Tuyuhun.

The other civil and military officials of Tuyuhun looked at each other, bewildered.

This Murong Xiaojun is the younger brother of Murong Xiaojun, the deputy prime minister of Tuyuhun who was arrested by Su Dingfang some time ago.

Therefore, Murong Xiaojun wanted to take this opportunity to avenge his brother.

Of course, it would be even better if they could capture a high-ranking Tang general and exchange him for their brother.

As if he had seen through Murong Xiaojun's thoughts, Murong Xiaojun, who was originally one of Dayan Mangjiebo's own people, naturally received his support.

But then Dayan Mangjiebo smiled and said to Fuyun, "Father Khan, what our Tuyuhun lacks most right now is unity. Since the Prince of Nanchang has such brotherly affection, I think it's a good thing. What do you think?"

"Yes, my son is right."

Fu Yun nodded in agreement, then turned to Murong Xiaojun and said, "Then let the Prince of Nanchang lead his troops to assist General Tuoba!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Great Khan!"

Murong Xiujun's face lit up with joy, and he quickly bowed respectfully.

Soon, he led his troops to Niuxindui.

Meanwhile, the Liangzhou and Ganzhou armies led by Li Daliang and Qiu Yu successfully joined forces at Shuhun Mountain in northern Tuyuhun.

According to Li Chengqian's original plan, the troops of the Eastern Palace he led, together with the Western Regions Allied Army, set off from the south, while the troops led by Li Daliang, Su Dingfang, and Qiu Yu advanced from the north.

As a result, because the altitude of the southern route was more than 1,000 meters higher than that of the northern route, he misjudged the impact of the plateau on the army, causing the advance plan on the southern route to come to a standstill.

Fortunately, he took advantage of Murong Shun's dissatisfaction with Tuyuhun Khan Fuyun, successfully turned him against him, and then smoothly captured Fu'e City.

Li Daliang's progress was somewhat slowed down because of those Qinghai horses.

Now that the troops from the two states have successfully joined forces, it also signifies that the advance plan on the northern front has entered the right track.

But then Li Daliang said with a smile, "We've made a lot of money from this raid on Qinghai Lake. Those Qinghai steeds are truly the finest of horses!"

"Oh, really? Then don't forget about my place in Ganzhou!" Qiu Yu smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Li Daliang immediately laughed it off and said, "Of course I won't forget you, but we'll have to wait for His Highness the Crown Prince to make the arrangements, don't you think?"

"Of course! We are now completely under His Highness the Crown Prince's command!"

"Who says it isn't?"

After chatting and laughing, the two quickly got down to business.

But then Li Daliang asked curiously, "Why are there only your troops in this camp? Where are Commander Su's troops?"

"Oh, before you arrived, Commander Su led his troops out, saying he was going to take a look around Mantou Mountain, because we haven't seen any trace of the Tuyuhun army for almost half a month!" Qiu Yu explained as if he had just realized what was happening.

Upon hearing this, Li Daliang frowned slightly and continued to ask, "How many days have Commander Su and the others been gone?"

"It should have been about ten days!"

"Ten days?"

Li Daliang paused for a moment, then looked around and said, "The food supplies in this camp seem plentiful. Didn't they bring much food with them?"

“I originally planned to have them take more provisions, but Commander Su said it wasn’t necessary. The Black Armor Guards are used to sustaining themselves through war. If they run out of provisions, they’ll just raid the Tuyuhun tribes!” Qiu Yu said helplessly, spreading his hands. Li Daliang said with a wry smile, “That’s quite in line with the tradition of the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace. The Wolf Fang Guards have the same habit!”

"Yes, after all, they are His Highness the Crown Prince's personal troops, so they are definitely different from the imperial army!"

After saying this, the two nodded knowingly.

Just then, a cavalryman suddenly came running from a distance, panting, and said, "Reporting to the two commanders, Commander Su's Black Armor Guards were ambushed by the Tuyuhun army near Niuxindui and are currently fighting a bloody battle!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, the two were startled and exchanged glances. Li Daliang spoke first, asking, "Do you know where this Tuyuhun army came from?"

"Reporting to Governor Li, according to our reconnaissance, they likely came from the desert region!"

"Sandy area?"

Li Daliang frowned, then turned to Qiu Yu and said in a deep voice, "Governor Qiu, what do you think?"

"If it's a force of ten or twenty thousand Tuyuhun soldiers, the Black Armor Guards won't be afraid of them. But if it's an army of tens of thousands, even the Black Armor Guards would likely be in grave danger!"

"So you think we should go and rescue Commander Su now?"

"What, does Governor Li mean we shouldn't go to the rescue?"

Qiu Yu's face darkened, and he immediately reminded him kindly, "Those are His Highness the Crown Prince's personal guards. What if His Highness blames us?"

"No, I didn't say we wouldn't go to rescue Commander Su and the others. What I mean is, don't you think this is a golden opportunity?"

Before Qiu Yu could finish speaking, Li Daliang interrupted him.

He paused for a moment, then asked, somewhat puzzled, "What incredible opportunity?"

But then Li Daliang laughed and said, "Think about it, you've been searching for more than half a month without finding the whereabouts of the Tuyuhun army, and now suddenly tens of thousands of Tuyuhun troops have appeared. What does that mean?"

"you mean"

Qiu Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Li Daliang with disbelief, saying, "Could it be that Tuyuhun Khan Fuyun is hiding in the desert region?"

"That's right!"

Li Daliang clapped his hands, then licked his lips and said, "If we secretly infiltrate the desert region while they are besieging Commander Su, do you think it's possible to capture Tuyuhun Khan Fuyun?"

"This"

Qiu Yu's eyes widened instantly, and then he clapped his hands, saying, "Brilliant! That's a really good idea!"

"Yes, I think it's a good idea too. However, we can't just stand by and watch Commander Su die."

"Hey! What's so difficult about that! We'll split up. I'll lead the troops to rescue Commander Su, and you'll lead the troops to launch a surprise attack on the desert area!"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Li Daliang burst into laughter, then patted Qiu Yu on the shoulder and said, "Alright! It's settled then. If we capture the Tuyuhun Khan, we'll split the credit!"

"Easy to say!"

Thus, the two made a decisive decision: one led troops to the desert area, and the other led troops to rescue Su Dingfang.

Meanwhile, Su Dingfang was leading the Black Armor Army, constantly charging and killing the Tuyuhun army.

Although the Tuyuhun army launched a fierce attack on them from the beginning, it did not cause them much damage.

One reason is that the Black Armor Guards' equipment is excellent enough, and the other reason is that their mounts are all new-style cavalry equipped with three-piece riding gear, which are not only highly maneuverable but also have top-notch mobility.

No matter how the Tuyuhun army tried to besiege them, they were able to break through the encirclement with ease and wreak havoc.

However, it is not to say that they can completely deal with the encirclement and suppression of the Tuyuhun army, after all, the enemy has tens of thousands of troops, and their numerical advantage is very obvious.

If this continues, the Black Armor Guards will find it increasingly difficult to cope.

But then Su Dingfang suddenly asked, "Have you seen where this army came from? Is it the royal army of the Tuyuhun Khan?"

It turns out that the reason they kept fighting this large army was not because they couldn't break through and escape, but because they wanted to find out where this army came from.

No sooner had Su Dingfang finished speaking than one of his captains summoned the intelligence officer.

But the intelligence officer quickly said, "Commander Su, I just observed this army, and it's not entirely the royal army of the Tuyuhun Khan. There are also troops from various tribes. It should be a coalition army!"

"Allied forces?"

Su Dingfang frowned, then pressed on, "What percentage does the Wangting Army represent?"

The intelligence officer thought for a moment and said, "Probably three out of ten."

"Only 30%?"

Su Dingfang pondered for a moment, then looked up at the Tuyuhun general on the battlefield and squinted, saying, "I feel that the Tuyuhun Khan is behind this allied army. Otherwise, it would be impossible for so many tribes' armies to attack us so unitedly!"

"Yes, that's what I guessed too!"

The intelligence officer chimed in, "The Khan of Tuyuhun must be somewhere nearby."

"Alright! In that case, let's take a gamble. Immediately send orders to break out to the west. If they pursue relentlessly, the Tuyuhun Khan is most likely in the west. If they give up the pursuit, immediately notify the Governor of Ganzhou to join us and search for the Tuyuhun Khan's whereabouts to the north!"

"promise!"

The intelligence officer responded with a nod.

The order was quickly relayed.

The Black Armor Guards, who were originally engaged in fierce fighting with the Tuyuhun army, immediately changed direction and broke through to the west side of the battlefield.

"Oh no! The Tang army is escaping!"

Murong Xiujun was the first to notice the change in the battlefield and immediately ordered those around him, "Take the troops and surround them immediately! Don't let the Tang army escape!"

"wrong!!"

The moment Murong Xiujun gave the order, Tuoba Mi immediately reminded him, "The Tang army is not breaking out; they are testing us!"

"You bastard! What are you saying?!"

Murong Xiaojun flew into a rage: "The Tang army is about to escape! If they get away, the Great Khan will cut off our heads!"

"Calm down! Take a close look at the direction the Tang army is breaking out from!"

Tuoba Mi's face turned ashen, and he couldn't help but remind him again.

Murong Xiaojun was slightly taken aback, then turned his head to look.

They noticed that the Tang army was breaking out in the direction of their main camp, and their expressions changed.

But then Tuoba Mi said in a deep voice, "They already had a chance to break through. If they try to break through now, they must have discovered something strange. If we desperately try to stop them, it might confirm their suspicions."

“But we can’t just let them escape like this,” Murong Xiaojun said with reluctance.

Tuoba Mi sneered, "Who said we were going to let them escape like this? The real show is yet to come!"

"A good show?"

Murong Xiaojun was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "What good show?"

"You'll see!"

Tuoba Mi responded irritably, then immediately ordered the men around him, "Bring those Han prisoners here!"

"Yes!"

Soon, prisoners, tied to tree trunks three meters high and placed on carts, appeared in front of the army.

Without another word, Tuoba Mi ordered again, "Beat the drums! Withdraw the troops!"

"Dong dong dong——!"

As a series of powerful drumbeats resounded, the Tuyuhun army, which had been trying its best to prevent Su Dingfang and his men from breaking through, immediately retreated like a tide.

Meanwhile, Su Dingfang and his group, who were breaking through the encirclement, stopped their attempt with puzzled expressions.

"Commander Su, please take a look."

A black-armored captain with sharp eyes pointed into the distance and addressed Su Dingfang.

"what happened?"

Su Dingfang frowned and turned his head to look in the direction the captain was pointing.

It would have been better if I hadn't looked; once I did, my face immediately darkened.

On the tree trunks, each about three meters high, hung many Han prisoners—children, women, the elderly, and soldiers—all stripped naked and humiliated.

Below the tree trunk was a cart piled high with firewood and cow dung.

It was obvious that these Tuyuhun people wanted to burn them alive.
(End of this chapter)