"Brother." Yang Zhao immediately stepped forward and saluted.
"You?!" Yang Qianzhen was astonished and speechless, as if he had seen a ghost.
His younger brother obviously left later than him, so why did he arrive at Changbin Pass first?
But this is obviously not the time to dwell on this, as something more terrible is still waiting for them.
"Brother, I have asked people to cook the rice. Let's eat something first. The war horses also need to be fed." Yang Zhao said.
Damn, the food is ready! Yang Qianzhen was speechless.
"Let's eat first." He sighed, walked into the fairly complete Yamen Hall, and sat down.
After a while, several people brought food to the table.
"How many people are there in the city?" Yang Qianzhen picked up his rice bowl, took a few bites, and asked.
"More than two thousand, I didn't even count it." Yang Zhao ate his meal quickly and said.
As an important checkpoint on the post road and a former camp, the remaining soldiers at Changbin Pass were arranged by Yang Qianzhen, totaling 2,500 people.
"How much did you bring back?" Yang Qianzhen asked while eating.
"More than four hundred, all cavalry." Yang Zhao said.
"I brought back more than six hundred." Yang Qianzhen sighed.
The brothers ate in silence.
Out of an army of more than 30,000 people, there are only so many people left in front of us. This battle is going to be...
"We can't just leave like this." Yang Qianzhen suddenly said: "It's best to contain the defeated troops as much as we can. Otherwise, we will not end well."
Yang Zhao thought so.
Neither of them wanted to recall too much about the fiasco outside Yazhou City. Those tribesmen soldiers would not feel bad if they died, but the 20,000 people brought out from the Huichuan Governor's Mansion could not be lost and must be used as much as possible.
Possibly contained.
As for the more than 10,000 soldiers and horses from Tokyo's Shanchan Prefecture that Piao Xin strengthened for them, they can take them in if they can, even if they can't. No matter how good you are, no matter how good you are to them, you won't be able to switch to the Yang family. In this case, you will die in the ravine.
What does it have to do with me in the ditch?
After saying this, the two of them settled down to eat.
At the same time, some cavalry from Guanbei came back one after another.
Some were separated cavalry, some were officers who abandoned their troops and fled, and some were Liya tribe leaders who were afraid of being liquidated and pursued them all the way south with their cronies.
The soldiers who were eating in Guancheng did not dislike them, and immediately washed rice and cooked. We are both from the end of the world, so we can help if we can. We may have to run away together in the future, so we should look after each other.
The soldiers were so overwhelmed that they cried, and they all told of the Xia Bing's brutality and the difficulties along the way.
And with their arrival, panic spread like a plague in Guancheng. Within one meal, the news of the defeat in the north had become known to everyone, and people were panicked.
After Yang Qianzhen finished eating, his brothers Yang Zhao quickly noticed the situation in Guancheng and immediately ordered a ban on talking about the war in Yazhou, but it was too late.
In the afternoon, Yang Zhao melancholy took a few personal followers and headed north along the post road to gather the scattered soldiers.
Yang Qianzhen was hesitant.
He had previously planned to hold off at Changbin Pass. After all, the terrain here was very good. Even if there were only more than 3,000 troops, it would be difficult for the Xia people to break through if they really worked together.
But after walking around the city, he almost lost confidence.
The troops joining in one after another have completely destroyed morale. Now the whole city is frightened. It is very unlikely that they can rely on them to defend Changbin Pass.
Of course, if Yang Qianzhen was given a few days, he might be able to put things in order and restore a little morale to the soldiers, and then they might still be able to fight against the trapped beasts. But - he was not sure whether the Xia people would give him this opportunity.
At the end of the day, after sending an envoy to inform Zheng Renmin, who was stationed in Rongjing County, Yang Qianzhen fell into deep thought: Should he stick to it or not?
****
After Yang Zhao led more than a hundred riders out of Guancheng, they headed north quickly, collecting broken troops along the way.
Don't tell me, although the battle was not going well, Nanzhao's soldiers and horses were able to move very quickly in this mountainous area. In less than an hour, he took in more than a thousand people.
It was too late to identify their identities, so we had to take them all back to Guancheng first and then make further calculations.
By three o'clock in the morning, he had taken in nearly two thousand people. Just as he was about to return, more than a hundred broken soldiers poured out from the bend of the mountain road ahead.
Yang Zhao did not hesitate and asked several of his followers to step forward to take him in.
At this moment, the rapid sound of horse hooves sounded from behind the mountain road, occasionally mixed with the sound of arrows hitting the air and continuous screams.
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Yang Zhao's expression changed, the Xia thief came so fast! Too fast!
"Let's go!" He turned the horse's head directly and took the remaining thirty riders beside him to rush south towards Changbin Pass.
The Xia army's cavalry had turned around the mountain col, and their voices became clearer.
Yang Zhao turned his head and took a look, only to see dozens of Xia cavalry coming out first, with their bows in their hands, firing arrows in succession, and harvesting the lives of the routed soldiers with ease.
He cursed secretly, swung his whip continuously, and the horse under his crotch neighed several times in pain, and rushed towards the south like a gust of wind.
The distance they went forward was not far. Yang Zhao only ran for a quarter of an hour before he rushed through the wide open door.
"The summer thief is here!" Before he could speak, his followers started shouting.
"Boom!" The city suddenly became chaotic. The sergeants looked shocked and didn't know what to do.
"Close the door! Go to the city!" Yang Qianzhen rushed out from nowhere and shouted repeatedly.
His own soldiers and generals also shouted and drove the soldiers to the top of the city. They looked at the increasing number of Xia soldiers in the north with trepidation, with mournful faces, and prepared to fight to the death.
"Yes!" After Yang Zhao rushed into the city, he immediately changed his horse. Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, he got on his horse and rushed out of the south gate towards Rongjing County.
"Yang Xianfeng ran away!"
"Yang Xianfeng abandoned us and ran south!"
The shrill shouts rang out in the city, shocking everyone.
Yang Qianzhen took in and rectified more than 2,000 people in the afternoon. Counting the original soldiers, he now had 6,000 infantry and cavalry, and his strength was slightly improved.
After seeing so many soldiers and horses, he was originally hesitant and gradually inclined towards guarding Chang Biguan. He would wait and see what happened. But he never expected that his younger brother Yang Zhao would be so greedy for life and afraid of death. After hearing that Xia Bing
After chasing him, he didn't even defend the city and ran away for his life.
"Run! Stop working so hard!"
"If you can't beat them, Yang Xianfeng will run away. If you stay, you will die."
With Yang Zhao taking the lead, the others naturally didn't care about anything, just went down to the city, turned around and left.
Yang Qianzhen was so angry that he cursed loudly.
But he couldn't stop him at all. The barbarian cave master and Tokyo soldiers left him at the top of the city and fled southward in a swarm.
Dongchuan soldiers, you look at me, I look at you, and then I don’t know who is taking the lead. They all swarmed up and "swarmed" Yang Qianzhen down the city. After finding the horses, they also collapsed southward in a chaotic manner.
After Yang Qianzhen left, there was really no possibility of saving the situation. Almost in an instant, everyone threw away everything they could and ran away.
After a while, more than a hundred Xia army cavalry rushed to the gate. They killed the Nanzhao defeated troops who gathered outside the city. After observing the city head and finding that no one was guarding it, they immediately found someone to cut down the wood and made a few guns.
Using a simple ladder, we climbed up to the top of the city.
"Creak!" The city gate opened quickly, and the Xia army's cavalry swarmed in, easily capturing the pass.
At sunset, Li Lin and others also drove the carriage and rushed into Changbin Pass panting.
"Hurry up and cook, and rest for an hour after eating. I'm going to pursue you all night long!" He found a bed, sat down on the bed, and breathed heavily as he ordered.
All the soldiers responded with a roar.
****
Jung In-min just woke up from his sleep.
After receiving the news of the defeat outside Yazhou City from the palace's population, he became speechless for a while.
While he was stunned, Zhao Shanzheng, the Qingping official responsible for supervising the transportation of grain and grass, rushed over.
After a while, another Qingping official Duan Yizong also arrived in a hurry.
"Xiao Xin..." Before the two of them could speak, they were stopped by Zheng Renmin.
"Did Yang Qianzhen lose?" He looked at the two of them intently and asked through gritted teeth.
"We were defeated." Duan Yizong sighed: "It was a miserable defeat. Of the 30,000 troops, barely a few escaped. The Xia people were chasing them like sheep. I couldn't bear to be surprised."
"Peng!" Zheng Renmin punched the eucalyptus table and said angrily: "Shameless! Shameless! Even if the 30,000-strong army were to be killed by Xia thieves one by one, they wouldn't be so fast!"
"There are more than 30,000 troops!" Zhao Shanzheng said sadly from the side: "The masters of Li Ya Cave also brought in 20,000 people."
"It's not that serious." Duan Yizong said: "They ran away part of the way before the war. After the defeat, they were familiar with the geographical environment and ran very fast. The whole army should not be wiped out."
"What's the use of that?" Zhao Shanzheng sneered: "Next time Biao Xin comes, will these cave masters still respond? I heard that they were suppressed by the Xia people once before and suffered heavy losses. They will fight again this time.
I’m afraid I won’t be uprooted.”
Duan Yizong frowned and ignored Zhao Shanzheng.
This guy is still fanning the flames, which makes him very disappointed. There are some things that cannot be discussed later? It is important to get over the current difficulties first.
"Piao Xin, it's time to make a decision now." Duan Yizong took a step forward and said solemnly.
"What does Bu Xie mean?" Zheng Renmin asked, his thoughts confused.
"It's time to make a decision whether to fight or leave," Duan Yizong said.
Zhao Shanzheng also put away his mean look and started thinking seriously.
"What about fighting? What about leaving?" Zheng Renmin asked.
"If there is a war, Piao Xin will send an order to stay in Xizhou, and the soldiers and horses from Lizhou will go north to join the main force. They will also collect a batch of grain and grass, equipment and tribesmen, and find an open place to show off the outcome with the Xia thieves.
Duan Yizong said: "If you want to leave, you should arrange the order of retreat now, alternate cover, fight and leave. The Xia thieves fought for half a day and pursued for an afternoon. They must rest at Changbin Pass at this time. Guancheng is leaving here.
It's only seventy-five miles away. Whether it's far or not, or whether it's close or not, Ciao Xin must make a decision immediately."
Zheng Renmin was silent for a while and suddenly asked: "Where are these two shameless things, Yang Qianzhen and Yang Zhao?"
"Yang Zhao went outside the city at night, sent someone to inform him of the news, and then disappeared into the night. Yang Qianzhen was nowhere to be found." Speaking of these two people, Duan Yizong also had a headache.
What a trap! If Yazhou is defeated, it will be defeated, but Changbin Pass will not be defended? What on earth are you doing?
"Piao Xin, the Yang brothers must have fled back to Huichuan Governor's Mansion. They are afraid that they will start a rebellion." Zhao Shanzheng said.
"Nonsense!" Duan Yizong looked at Zhao Shanzheng and angrily shouted: "They lost nearly 20,000 people in Yazhou. Even if they return to the Huichuan Governor's Mansion, how many soldiers can they raise? How can they rebel?"
Zheng Renmin didn't believe that the Yang brothers still had the strength to rebel. He stopped the quarrel between the two prime ministers, his expression changed, and after a while he asked: "Both of them are great talents. During the Meng clan period in Nanzhao, were there any in Northern Zhaozhao?"
Was it so miserable? How did you deal with it at that time?"
"Tang generals Li Cheng and Qu Huan defeated Tibet more than a hundred years ago and ordered the coalition forces." Duan Yizong thought for a while and said: "At that time, Li Cheng led an army of four thousand, passing through Yazhou, heading south and crossing the Dadu River.
Defeated Tibetan soldiers and horses in Henan and beheaded more than a thousand people. Tubo was afraid and retreated. Fan Yang soldiers led by Qu Huan defeated Tibet in Qipan City, ordered the coalition forces to recover Wei and Mao prefectures, and then went south. At that time, it was also
, the Shu soldiers were also inspired and divided their forces to go south. The Tang troops crossed the river to Xizhou and defeated the Tibetan army. They ordered the coalition forces to behead more than 6,000 people. Nearly 100,000 coalition forces were trapped in the valley and lacked food and equipment. They were forced to break out of the encirclement and suffered from hunger and cold.
Tens of thousands of people died after falling off the cliff."
Zheng Renmin turned pale when he heard this, and couldn't help but ask: "One hundred thousand people are trapped in the valley. Why would they rather break out than fight a decisive battle?"
Duan Yizong remained silent.
However, Zhao Shanzheng sneered and said: "Xiao Xin, one hundred thousand may seem like a lot, but they are not united. The Tubo people are in a hurry to leave and will not fight to the death for Nanzhao. But as soon as the Tubo people break through, Nanzhao is alone, and its morale is
If you are frustrated, how can you fight alone? You can only follow and break out."
Zheng Renmin understands. Although Tubo and Nanzhao have joined forces, they don't trust each other very much, and they are all on guard. The Tubo people came to Jiannan to coordinate the northern battlefield, and they would not fight to the end. As soon as they left
, people in Nanzhao were panicked, and they even gave me a fart!
"Both Bu Xie are both experienced men seeking the country. In your opinion, should we fight at this time? Should we leave?" Zheng Renmin asked.
"I have been advising Piao Xin to retreat when the situation is good and retreat is the best option." Duan Yizong sighed and said, "But when the war situation has developed to this point, retreating is not a good idea. Piao Xin is smart and should know what I mean."
Zheng Renmin nodded.
"Piao Xin, if you don't leave now, when will you wait?" Zhao Shanzheng sang the opposite tune, only to hear him say: "After the Yang brothers return to Huichuan, they will definitely gather a large number of troops and threaten the army's retreat. Gao Shanzheng
The Duan family and the Duan family are not good people. They will definitely abandon Piao Xin and go alone. In this case, we might as well retreat to the south of the Dadu River first and then make further calculations."
Zheng Renmin nodded again.
Duan Yizong instinctively wanted to refute something, but after thinking about it, he sighed and said nothing.
Zheng Renmin looked at Duan Yizong and then at Zhao Shanzheng, hesitant.
After a long time, he subconsciously asked: "Why don't we send people to the north first to find a dangerous place and guard it with fences. One night, if we hurry up, it will be enough. Yuan will wait here until dawn, and then inquire about the news. By then
Make another decision?"
Duan Yizong and Zhao Shanzheng frowned almost at the same time.