As early as when the armored cavalry dispersed the two thousand rebel cavalry, the Yamen Army's fifteen hundred infantrymen had already chased the enemy and started killing them.
After chasing for hundreds of steps, they didn't hear the sound of retreating troops at all. Instead, behind them, there were three more buildings of Silver Spear Army infantry chasing them.
Not only that, the auxiliary soldiers also formed a team at the rear and came out one by one.
Three gaps were suddenly opened in the car array for them to enter and exit. It was obvious that they were using their hands to beat the drowned dog.
On the northwest and southwest sides of the main formation, the vehicle formations were also opened at the same time. After receiving the order, Chen Yougen and Li Chong each sent more than 2,000 troops to attack.
More than ten thousand soldiers rushed towards the enemy with shouts and made a noise.
The enemy's second group of infantry collapsed and fled backwards.
The rear formation fired thousands of arrows again.
But this time, they failed to drive away the thieves who were running around without thinking.
The defeated soldiers fell down one after another, trying to run to both sides, but there were high-pitched shouts of killing on both sides. In desperation, they could only push the people in front, use them as human shields, and rush towards their own side.
Back formation.
The pursuers did not stop for a moment, with swords in hand and spears stabbing at them. The defeated soldiers rushed into the rear formation and directly led them to collapse.
At this point, the 40,000 rebel infantry still on the battlefield collapsed, and were killed by more than 10,000 Jin troops who were chasing from three directions.
Shao Xun stood on the high platform and watched this moment calmly.
The scene of tens of thousands of people collapsing was spectacular and extremely shocking.
Looking down from a high place, three sharp knives were thrust into the enemy's soft abdomen from three directions: left, center and right, causing huge damage in an instant.
Chasing death and chasing north, move forward indomitably.
At this time, Shi Le's commanding flag had just landed.
He has no chance to make a comeback.
"I don't know how Shi Le became famous..." Shao Xun shook his head and got off the platform.
When Sui Gongshi Fan rebelled, he was killed by Sima Hui, the king of Fanyang, and was defeated.
In the Battle of Dongwuyang last year, the 50,000-strong army was defeated and completely collapsed in front of Gou Xi.
Historically, in the Battle of Feilong Mountain next year, more than 100,000 troops were defeated by Wang Jun and fled.
This person lost countless key battles in the early stage, but in the end he was able to basically unify the north, which is also an anomaly.
Perhaps, perseverance and being good at correcting mistakes are his outstanding qualities.
The entire pursuit lasted until evening.
The nine hundred cavalry came back first, followed by the infantry.
According to a rough plan, more than 20,000 soldiers were killed and 10,000 people were captured in this battle, which can be regarded as a complete defeat of the main force of the Han army heading south.
Everyone inside and outside the car array was beaming with joy, talking loudly, and laughing endlessly.
The hard-working auxiliary soldiers had to clean the battlefield, take care of the wounded soldiers, make fires to cook, even repair equipment, trim horses' hooves, and organize supplies...
While the soldiers were eating, Shao Xun took his soldiers to inspect each battalion. Wherever he went, although he didn't say much, judging from the expressions and actions of the soldiers, the commander's prestige had increased again.
This is the war dividend.
In addition to battlefield seizures, territory, and fame, the improvement of prestige in the army is also a huge gain.
No one likes to hang out with losers.
People who win battles are always more likely to gain support from others.
Of the 20,000 troops that went on the expedition, only half were from our own people, and the remaining half were attached to the imperial court. They were humans, not machines. After following such a big victory with Marquis Lu Yang, they would naturally have a tendency in their hearts.
Perhaps, at this stage, this tendency is not enough for them to abandon the court and seek refuge with Shao Xun. But as the saying goes, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. When the situation changes drastically, it will show its power.
After dinner, Shao Xun did not hesitate. Taking advantage of the enemy's defeat and shock, the whole army marched north and captured Yecheng after nightfall.
Almost at the same time, he ordered Li Chong and Chen Yougen to lead more than 7,000 Yamen, Changjian Second Army and auxiliary soldiers Ding Zhuang, carrying baggage vehicles and sidecars to pursue northward - he specifically told the army to be cautious.
, first think that you are invincible, and then wait for the enemy to be victorious. After all, most of the thieves' cavalry have escaped.
****
After Shi Le was surrounded by his men and fled, he first headed east and then north. It was not until midnight that he stopped to rest when his horse power was really insufficient.
He asked each general to report the number of troops and horses in his headquarters. After a rough calculation, he found that there were less than 3,000 horses around him.
Wang Mi and Liu Ling were still with them. They were feeding the horses outside and staying with their subordinates.
Shi Chao and Wang Sang fell behind.
This battle was really a miserable defeat.
After eating some water, he took a deep breath, and then frowned when he saw everyone looking downcast.
After a moment, a smile appeared on his face and he said, "Why are you all so dejected?"
Kui An raised his head and looked at him, but stopped talking.
Shi Le laughed loudly and said: "When we robbed the road in Chiping Garden, we only had more than a hundred riders. Later, we followed the Gongshi Fan in the uprising and were chased by the Yuzhou soldiers, running around. The tribe was scattered."
"After the defeat of Gongshi Fan, General Ji went on his own, and his troops expanded to 50,000 or 60,000 people. Later, he was defeated by Gou Xi. At the worst time, he only had a thousand cavalry at his side."
"After defecting to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, after a lot of hard work, we finally lost thousands and more than ten thousand riders. After two months of hard work, our number reached tens of thousands. Although we were defeated by Shao Xun, it was still not a loss."
"There are three thousand cavalry at the moment. If we gather them together, five thousand cavalry will not be a problem. The remaining brothers may not be dead. They may have run home and we can still see each other then."
"Over at Zhao County, the young men and goods were transported back to Bingzhou ten days ago. Even if we just go back like this, we will still make a lot of money, so why worry?"
Shi Le's words, recalling the bitterness first and then the sweetness, were somewhat effective. Moreover, he did not lie, it was all the truth and not exaggerated at all.
Since the uprising a few years ago, they have suffered defeats all the way. But the defeat did not crush them. On the contrary, it made them stronger and stronger as they fought.
After everyone thought about it carefully, they realized that this was indeed the case, so their morale recovered a little.
However, after all, they suffered a huge defeat and could not fully recover. Especially this time, they had gathered more than 60,000 cavalry and countless money, food and property. It was the strongest time since the uprising, and it was also the time when they were at their highest morale. As a result, they were defeated.
How could someone not feel uncomfortable when someone hits him on the head?
There was silence for a while.
Everyone was eating food and water and thinking about their thoughts. But at this moment, Zhang Fulidu, Zhang Du, Feng Motu and others walked in.
Shi Le's heart skipped a beat.
"Your Majesty." The three of them saluted in unison.
After you looked at me and I looked at you, Zhang Fulidu spoke again: "The tribesmen are clamoring to go home and don't want to fight."
Shi Le pondered.
Even after more than a hundred years after the tribes were moved inland, they still maintained the traditional tribal organizational form.
Tribes are made up of clans.
The so-called clan can be simply understood as a surname. The leader has a surname, and his surname is the name of the clan. Most people do not have a surname. After making meritorious deeds, they can take the clan as their surname because members of a clan are basically related by blood.
.
One or more clans come together to form a tribe.
The tribal leader needs the support of the clan leader, otherwise he will not be able to secure his position.
If the clan leader is dissatisfied with the tribal leader, he may drag members of his clan to leave and join other tribes.
Of course, a tribe composed of multiple clans may also break away from a tribal alliance and join another tribal alliance. This is normal - the famous Eight Tribes of Khitan are actually a tribal alliance. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Dahe clan was the leader.
, so it was called the "Dahe Alliance". In the middle of Xuanzong, it was defeated by the Tang army and reorganized. The Yaonian clan of the Chute tribe was the khan, so it was called the "Yaoran clan alliance", while the Yelv clan of the Diela tribe was the military leader.
(Yili Jin).
Jieren, Wuhuan, and Xiongnu all have this organizational form.
Therefore, when Zhang Fulidu mentioned that some tribesmen were clamoring to leave, he had nothing to do.
Shi Le frowned deeply.
He didn't realize it before, but after the Battle of Yemaoka, he became more and more aware of the dangers of tribal soldiers.
He cannot directly command even one soldier. He must give orders through tribal leaders, and tribal leaders have to carry out military operations through clan leaders, because they are dispatched in units of clans and tribes, not teams, buildings, armies, etc.
The common military organization form of Jin and Han infantry.
This kind of tribal soldiers gather together to gain benefits and disperse if there is no benefit. It is impossible for them to fight to the death for you.
"There's no need for the minister to leave in such a hurry." Shi Le quickly reacted, holding Zhang Fulidu's hand and smiling.
Zhang Fulidu sighed.
When he accepted an official position in the Han Dynasty, he was actually willing to obey Shi Le's orders, but the people below him didn't understand.
The Han Dynasty does not distribute money and food, so you have to provide your own horses and equipment when going to war. All you lose is your own money. If you can grab something, it's okay, but if you can't, why should you listen to you?
"Do you really want to leave?" Shi Le asked softly without letting go of his hand.
"I really have to leave." After Zhang Fulidu finished speaking, he seemed to care for An Shile and added: "After I return, I will go on an expedition next year according to the king's order."
Shi Le secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhang Fulidu and others: "It's not easy for you, the ministers. After the training, I will send someone to send a batch of money and food."
Zhang Fulidu and others were overjoyed and said in unison: "Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for the reward."
Shi Le also smiled, but after Zhang Fulidu and others left, his expression turned gloomy.
Seeing that the room was full of confidants, he did not hide anything and said directly: "This person can only be driven, not relied on to help."
Diao Ying and others nodded silently.
"Your Majesty." Taobao stood up and said, "I have robbed a lot of money and food this time. After I go back, I might as well use this to lure the barbarians from Daibei and form an army. Maybe I can use my fingers like an arm."
"Your Majesty, we should have done this a long time ago." Kui An supported from the side: "A lot of money was spent on Zhang Fulidu, Feng Motu and others. In the end, the soldiers are not all our own. What's the point?"
Shi Le stretched out his hand to stop everyone talking.
In fact, he had already made a decision in his mind. In the battle against Hebei, he still had to rely on his own people. What Taobao and others said was not wrong.
Not only can Hu be recruited on behalf of Beizai, but even Xiongnu tribesmen can be recruited - well, he just heard Taobao mention the word "Hu", and he was slightly unhappy, but this is not the time to dwell on this. .
Every time you take a step, you gain wisdom.
If you suffer a loss, you must learn from your experience and make improvements.
The cavalry must focus on its own people.
The infantry must also be well trained. The young men who are recruited at will are simply vulnerable to Shao Xun's skilled soldiers.
Next year—why not try your luck with Wang Jun?
Hearing that he was in trouble, they had already sent troops to Liaodong to support Duanbu Xianbei. They might not be able to look after Changshan, Zhongshan and other counties.
As for Yecheng, Shi Le doesn't want to come in the short term. It's really unlucky. After his strength has been accumulated to a certain extent, he may try to go south again.
Chapter completed!