Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 454 Dog

The army was defeated like a mountain.

When the Wei army suffered a crushing defeat at Fangtou, its morale had already plummeted. Coupled with the Beifu Army's reputation for numerous victories over the years, the Wei army was increasingly outmatched.

"Your Majesty, let's go!" Seeing the situation was dire, Cui Hao hurriedly pulled Tuoba Si back.

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Si kicked him to the ground, his eyes bloodshot, "Han dog, ungrateful wretch!"

They were usually very close and could even pretend to be respectful and courteous to each other, but when it came to this, they stopped pretending altogether.

Regional discrimination is everywhere. People from the same Jin ethnic group would insult each other in the Jiangzuo region by calling each other "southern barbarians and northern scoundrels," creating a tense atmosphere between the two sides.

The State of Wei wasn't much stronger either. Cui Hao, at such a young age, held a high position, which aroused the envy of countless people.

"Your Majesty..." Cui Hao's face turned ashen.

"Get out of my way! I won't leave! I'd rather die on the battlefield!" Tuoba Si knew the consequences of losing this battle; in this vast world, there was no place for him to hide.

Cui Hao continued to advise: "Back then, Emperor Gaozu was held hostage in Later Zhao, and later the country was destroyed by Former Qin. He was unyielding and eventually rose to power in the south of the Gobi Desert and dominated Hebei. What is the importance of temporary success or failure? Although the Wei state has perished, the Tuoba clan must not perish."

The establishment of the Tuoba clan's state was also fraught with setbacks, being destroyed by powerful enemies several times, and rising again on several occasions.

Cui Hao's words resonated deeply with Tuoba Si.

Even though the Wei state was destroyed, as long as the Tuoba clan continued, there was always a possibility of them rising again one day.

However, Cui Hao's next words stunned Tuoba Si: "The Han emperor destroyed Yao Qin but did not kill Yao Xing, and he took over Nanliang and treated its ruler well. Your Majesty, now surrender to the Han Dynasty, lie low for the time being, seek one or two borderlands, preserve your people, and seek to reproduce your offspring. Endure hardship and bide your time, build up your strength for ten years, and learn from your mistakes for ten years. Eventually, you will rise again."

"Han dogs, they really are spies sent by the Han people!" Tuoba Xi, standing nearby, was furious.

For an emperor to kneel at the feet of his arch-enemy and beg for mercy is an utter disgrace.

Tuoba Si's face was also ashen. "Do you think Liu Daogui is a three-year-old child? I have fallen into his hands. How could I have any chance to rise again? You clearly want to use me as a pledge of allegiance to the Han Dynasty in exchange for fame and fortune!"

"How dare I..." Cui Hao meant well, but all he got in return was suspicion.

"Step back." Tuoba Si's voice became calmer.

But the more peaceful the situation, the less likely it is to be changed.

Cui Hao could only bow and leave.

But he hadn't taken two steps when he was stopped by a group of guards. Tuoba Xi caught up with him and asked, "Where does Lord Cui intend to go?"

Disheartened, Cui Hao said, "I will return to Qinghe and never concern myself with worldly affairs again."

Tuoba Xi raised an eyebrow. "Qinghe is in the southeast. Why are you heading west? Are you perhaps going to Guanzhong?"

"The east is blocked by Hu Fan's troops, so I'll return to Pingcheng first."

"Now that things have come to this, does Lord Cui still intend to make excuses?"

More than twenty guards stepped forward and surrounded Cui Hao with murderous intent.

"What do you want? I am the White Horse Duke of the current dynasty."

"You're nothing but a dog slave." Tuoba Xi kicked him, and Cui Hao fell backward.

More than twenty guards surrounded Cui Hao and urinated on his head, howling like dogs. Everyone around could hear it clearly, but no one stopped them. They either watched coldly or sneered.

Tuoba Si also saw it, but remained unmoved, watching helplessly as Cui Hao was hacked to death by the swarming soldiers.

Cui Hao should never have left Tuoba Si at this time. If he had committed suicide in front of Tuoba Si, he might have evoked a little pity from the Xianbei people.

On the battlefield, the Wei army had completely collapsed.

"Your Majesty, I shall fight to the death!" Wang Jian mounted his horse, spear in hand, and rallied his troops with unwavering righteousness.

"He is a loyal minister!" Tuoba Si's expression softened.

"Your Majesty, please wait!" Wang Jian led his troops southward in a fierce charge.

But halfway there, it suddenly turned its horse around and headed west.

Tuoba Si was dumbfounded. After a long while, he cursed, "You dog slave!" At this moment, Tuoba Si still had a chance to escape. In a battlefield with hundreds of thousands of people, there was chaos everywhere. Tuoba Si could at least escape back to Zhongshan City. However, he picked up his long spear, mounted his horse, ignored the guards around him, and silently charged towards the Han army to the south.

"His Majesty!"

This move, however, boosted the morale of the surrounding Wei troops, who spurred their horses to give chase.

Tuoba Si turned around and laughed loudly: "Excellent, everyone, you can follow me to kill the traitors!"

"Kill the thief!"

A thousand elite Wei soldiers charged fearlessly toward the Han army.

Those charging ahead were all volunteer soldiers from various regions, whose combat strength varied greatly. When they encountered the imperial guards of the Wei emperor, they were naturally no match for them. Amidst the flying blood and flesh, Tuoba Si and Tuoba Xi actually managed to cut through the Han army and successfully rescue several elite Xianbei troops who had been captured by the Wei army.

The troop strength increased to five thousand.

They rampaged across the battlefield.

"Hahaha, the Northern Army is nothing special!"

Tuoba Si's morale soared. He leaped onto his horse, brandishing his spear, and surveyed the battlefield. Suddenly, he saw a large banner with the character "Mao" standing four hundred paces to the southeast. He immediately gritted his teeth and shouted, "Mao Dezu!"

"Killing this man might turn the tide of the war!" Tuoba Xi was brave, intelligent, and skilled in military affairs. He was highly regarded by the imperial family and, at a young age, became the commander of twelve military officers.

"Kill!" Tuoba Si pointed his spear, full of vigor, and led his army to attack the central army of the Han army.

The Wei army collapsed, and the Han army's formation had long been in disarray.

Under the great banner, there were at most six thousand men, all of whom were infantry. If cavalry were to launch a surprise attack on infantry, Tuoba Si would indeed have a great chance.

When Tuoba Gui raised his army, his situation was not much better than it is now.

The cavalry charged forward, and Tuoba Si felt as if he had divine assistance, and the battle went more and more smoothly for him.

However, the Han infantrymen opposite them did not panic. They calmly formed ranks and raised their long spears.

"Charge forward and take the enemy general's head!" Tuoba Si's eyes were bloodshot.

At this point, there was no turning back; we had no choice but to grit our teeth and charge forward.

The warhorses crashed into the long spears, letting out pitiful cries. At the cost of more than three hundred riders, they finally managed to tear open a gap.

Tuoba Si became excited and could vaguely see Mao Dezhu, the commander of the Han army, standing under the banner.

However, at that moment, the Han army's formation suddenly changed, with the left and right flanks coiling around like long snakes.
The long spears suddenly became dense, like a gaping maw, swallowing Tuoba Si and his cavalry whole.

Countless spears pierced the ground, and the cavalrymen fell one by one.

Tuoba Si and Tuoba Xi charged left and right, like trapped beasts, their space for maneuver constantly shrinking, and their cavalrymen fell one by one.

The elite Han army came from the Northern and Western Prefectures and had fought against the Hu barbarians for decades, so they had long since figured out various ways to defeat cavalry with infantry.

However, among the Han army, only Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhen'e were capable of achieving such a high level of skill in infantry formation.

"Mao Dezhu!"

Tuoba Si roared repeatedly.

But the sound grew fainter and fainter, eventually drowned out by the sounds of battle.

The infantry formation dispersed, and few of the Wei cavalry who had charged in remained standing.

Tuoba Si fell to the ground, his chest pierced by an old soldier from the Northern Army.

Tuoba Xi had long since turned into a lump of blood and mud.

Mao Dezhu led his men through the blood and walked step by step to Tuoba Si.

Tuoba Si struggled for a moment, trying to say something, but spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Overestimating yourself!" Liu Zunkao, standing nearby, drew his long sword with a clang, a flash of cold light, and beheaded Tuoba Si. He raised the sword high, raised his arm, and shouted, "Destroy Wei!"

(End of this chapter)