Retreating is not that simple.
If the morale of the army is relatively high and full of fighting spirit, then they will retreat and the enemy may not be able to do anything to them. For example, when Liu Yao retreated from Chang'an and brought 80,000 ladies with him, what can Jia, Liang and others do?
?No.
This only shows that Jia Zhuang and others did not have much advantage on the battlefield. They were worried that if they caught up and were defeated, the Chang'an they obtained would be a piece of cake, so they simply stopped fighting.
But if the Chinese army in Luoyang besieged a fortified city for more than two months, the camps would be exhausted and the casualties would be heavy. It would not be so convenient to retreat.
Starting from August 23, the right guard who was not considered capable of fighting withdrew first, and the left guard who was relatively capable of fighting retreated. The Xiaoqi Army and the Liangzhou Army were cut off from the rear.
After the general policy was set, the noisy retreat began.
On the road of more than a hundred miles from Xin'an to Luoyang, there were crowds of people, horses neighing, and soldiers from various battalions scrambling to get ahead, even yelling and fighting.
In the first few days, we walked in an orderly manner, but as we ran, everyone's thoughts were like grass, and their will became more and more wavering.
Especially when Shi Le rode in pursuit, it was even more chaotic.
The valiant cavalry army and the Liangzhou army cannot stop all enemy cavalry, and some will always slip through. What's more, the hilly and mountainous terrain is not conducive to the cavalry charging in hand-to-hand combat. On the contrary, it is very suitable for the light cavalry to gallop and shoot.
After the Jin cavalry blocked them for a moment, the Huns' cavalry scattered in all directions, threatening and chasing down the retreating infantry.
The Jin cavalry returned to block the attack, and the Huns repeated the above tactics.
On the post road, wounded soldiers lay groaning on the roadside.
Armored battles were thrown everywhere, overturned and overturned grain carts, and baggage carts were everywhere. The emperor was reluctant to give Shao Xun military rations and weapons, all of which were cheap to the Huns.
Not many people died.
Because the Forbidden Army sometimes organized various units to stop and counterattack, blocking the Huns' cavalry and forcing them to stop or take a detour. In addition, the infantry ran towards the mountainous areas, and it was difficult for the cavalry to pursue them, so they did not gain much.
But the Huns' modest gains did not mean that these scattered soldiers would return to Luoyang one by one.
Many people just ran away, especially those who were incorporated into the army before the war. They didn't want to work for the Jin court anymore, at least not at this time.
Even among the Imperial Guard soldiers who had joined the army in the early years, many were discouraged and disappointed at this time.
Some people directly brought equipment and led a dozen or dozens of robes to join the Wubao commander, the manor owner, and the aristocratic family, and became part of their huge tribe.
Others met to build a stronghold in the mountains, half-ploughing and half-plundering, struggling to survive - if they really couldn't survive, they would think of other ways.
More people rushed home directly. No matter where their home was in Luoyang, they would never return to the Chinese Army.
On the night of the 26th, the first batch of defeated troops rushed outside Ximing Gate.
In the next three or four days, large groups of broken troops arrived every day.
There are only 3,000 soldiers left in the city, and they dare not let all the people in. Only 2,000 people can be allowed in at most every day, and the second batch will be let in after the order is completed.
By the last day of August, only about 12,000 veterans of the Chinese Army in Luoyang had been accommodated, and there were another 3,000 to 4,000 new refugee recruits. Only about half of them were allowed to enter the city, while the others set up camp in the residential area in the west of the city.
Fortunately, there were many houses in this area, which was not conducive to the movement of cavalry. Fortunately, some generals withdrew with relatively complete troops, and no one was left to blame. Therefore, this area in the west of the city gradually settled down.
What’s next—actually there’s no next.
The Luoyang court had only one thing to do: contain the defeated troops as much as possible, preserve more vitality, and then step up rectification and reorganize the troops to allow the defeated troops to recover.
Although Wang Mi won the defensive battle of Xin'an, he suffered heavy casualties and was unable to pursue.
Although Shi Le was very happy to pursue him, he only had more than ten thousand cavalry and divided his troops into two places. He could pursue them if he wanted to, and there was no need to fight head-on with the Xiao Cavalry Army and the Liangzhou Army.
Instead of doing that, it is better to collect the carriages, horses, grain, weapons, money and silk that the Jin people left behind, and enrich their own small treasury.
No one is a fool. Da Hu is a smart man who knows how to best benefit himself. What's more, he worked hard on this expedition and no one can criticize him.
****
The enemy cavalry rushed outside the city, and even though they were unable to attack the city for a while, they still caused a huge impact in Luoyang City.
Fu Chang was observing filial piety for his father at home. After hearing the news of Xin'an's defeat, he was speechless for a while.
Soon, fine autumn rain began to fall from the sky.
Fu Chang walked blankly to the courtyard and looked at the trees struggling to survive in the wind and rain.
The rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the clouds are getting lower and lower.
Fu Chang looked up and saw the dark clouds spreading their teeth and claws, so ferocious that they almost crushed the entire Luoyang.
The sound of chaotic footsteps could already be heard on the street.
Thieves and bad boys came out one after another, armed with knives, guns and sticks, and began to plunder.
Cries continued to sound, and people's hearts were in turmoil.
The servants of Fu's house hurriedly closed the courtyard door and stood nervously in the courtyard holding swords, guns and bows.
Two or three brave boy servants climbed up the wall with their bows in hand.
When the evil teenagers running around on the street saw these military-standard equipment, they knew that this family was not easy to mess with, so they dispersed one after another, looking for a better target to bully.
Fu Chang still had no expression. It seemed that whether the thief came or left, it had nothing to do with him.
Fu's wife drove the children into the back room, knelt on the futon in front of the incense table, and muttered something.
There are actually two statues placed on the incense table: Pagoda and Lao Tzu!
Lao Tzu is always associated with immortality. At this moment, there is only ashes of incense in front of him that have cooled down for a long time.
In contrast, in front of the pagoda, there are incense and mist.
Fu's wife looked pious and muttered words to this Rong god who had the function of warding off disasters and bringing good fortune, and made countless wishes and promises.
Fu Chang heard the voice and wanted to say a few words, but he closed his mouth weakly.
Perhaps, the pagoda has magic from foreign gods that can save their family from danger? After all, even Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty once offered sacrifices to the pagoda in Zhuolong Palace. I can see that this Rong god must have some magic power.
However, he soon sighed again and said to himself: "It is better to ask for yourself than to ask for others."
Of course, he will definitely not be able to defeat the enemy or kill the thieves with just his words.
But he has been studying since he was a child, traveled around, understood many principles, and accumulated a lot of experience. He can work for someone who can calm the chaos, push him up, and let him bring peace to everyone.
"Boom!" A thunder flashed across the sky.
Fu Chang was startled at first, then laughed out loud in the rain and said, "If God wants to stop me, why not stop the thief?"
As soon as these words came out, a string in my mind seemed to snap.
Fu Chang continued to laugh until tears came out of his eyes.
"The glorious China and the DPRK are like this, so what's the harm in abandoning them?" Fu Chang looked like he was crazy.
Fu's wife stopped chanting sutras and turned to look at her husband, her expression full of worry.
The servants were also stunned, almost thinking that the master was going to surrender to the Huns, but this was not impossible.
Thunder and lightning flashed continuously in the sky for a long time, as if countless people in Luoyang City were betraying the law of heaven.
Fu Chang smiled even more heartily.
Look, there are many people who think the same as me, right?
Who can be blamed? Blame the emperor for disappointing people time and time again. Blame the Jin Dynasty, which inherited three hundred years of abuses since the Han and Wei dynasties.
Since Han Guangwu Dingding, the root of the disease has been planted, right?
For three hundred years, no one has figured it out, and no one has the will to change it.
Then, don’t blame God for using another three hundred years of troubled times to force correction.
Fu Chang suddenly thought of Shao Xun's efforts to recruit government troops in Luonan, Xiangcheng, and Gaoping, and of his efforts to recruit refugees and distribute land in Chenjun, Nanton, and Xincai.
He didn't take it seriously before, but incidents one after another made him upset and he often doubted his past ideas.
When this kind of suspicion accumulates to a certain level, it only takes one opportunity to break a man's defenses and completely change him.
Let the wind and rain be stronger...
****
On the north bank of the Yellow River, fierce battles have been fought three times.
For the first time, on the afternoon of the 21st, hundreds of ships and 2,400 soldiers of the Heiji Army attacked the north bank, but ultimately failed.
The Huns didn't even dispatch their cavalry, and the Heiyi army was repulsed. The defeated troops rushed back to the ship in a hurry, leaving behind two to three hundred corpses.
On the night of the 24th, almost the second day after the Luoyang Chinese army began to retreat, two thousand Xuchang soldiers and two thousand garrison troops landed again on ships.
This time, the Jin army even used some newly built ships to carry more soldiers, and carried out sneak attacks at night, achieving a certain degree of surprise.
Sure enough, they caused some trouble for Zhao Gu and Shi Le's infantry. They even reached outside the enemy's camp, and the warriors who climbed first climbed over the camp wall. The sound of killing was loud and the momentum was terrifying.
In the dark night, the two sides fought together. The Huns cavalry were also a little confused, not knowing who to fight.
It wasn't until after dawn that they launched a large-scale attack and combined with the infantry to drive these people back into the river, causing them to flee in embarrassment.
From a military point of view, this was a successful sneak attack. If it had been on land without a big river blocking it, it might have been successful, but there are no guarantees in war. Rivers, mountains, and climate are important factors that generals have to consider.
On the 30th, Shao Xun already knew the outcome of the Battle of Xin'an and the situation near Luoyang. He remained unmoved and put all the ships he had collected in the past few days into use, preparing to load more sergeants across the river for the attack.
For a time, the river was full of rafts and oars, and the boats were densely packed.
At the same time, the pontoon bridge downstream of Mengjin was rebuilt tenaciously after being washed away twice. A large group of sergeants gathered on the south bank, eager to try.
The King of Bohai, Liu Fu, could not sit still and ordered all ministries to mobilize troops and horses to gather at the main camp of Zhemati to prepare for a decisive battle with the Jin people.
On August 30th, the autumn atmosphere was heavy and the rain was pouring.
Liu Fu received a report from a scout covered in mud on the Zhemati Embankment: the Jin Army's pontoon bridge downstream had been washed away for the third time due to the rising water in the Yellow River.
He couldn't help laughing.
How many years have the two sides of the river been fighting? Why are there only so many famous ferries? Do you think everyone is a fool?
"Shao Xun's plan is poor." Liu Fu said happily: "Send an order for each battalion to select three thousand sword and shield bearers to move closer to my big banner. Covering the horse embankment will become the burial place of Shao Xun."
Chapter completed!