There is only less than twenty miles from the battlefield to Meiyang City, but the journey is extremely difficult!
Without the harassment from the Xiliang army, and without any obstruction, the Han army's infantry was indeed exhausted.
This physical exhaustion was even more serious than Liu Zhang imagined!
Most of the soldiers didn't even have the strength to stand up, and some even fell asleep directly and couldn't be woken up, let alone walk twenty miles back to the city!
Fortunately, there were many free horses among the cavalry, and together with one man and two cavalrymen from Wu Feng Battalion, the infantry were finally pulled back.
In this way, the journey that was not that far ended up taking nearly two hours, and it was already dark!
Huang Zhong and others had already discovered the traces of Liu Zhang and others, and when Liu Zhang and others arrived at Meiyang City, they were already waiting here.
"Lord!"
Jia Xu, Xun You, Huang Zhong, and Dian Wei stepped forward one after another and welcomed Liu Zhang back to the city.
"Thank you for your hard work! Did the Xiliang army come to attack the city?"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Dian Wei laughed loudly, his pride written all over his face!
"My lord, the military counselor is really clever. He used a little trick to trick the Xiliang army into Wengcheng! The brothers in the Wushe camp must be happy this time, because the arrows are all in vain!"
"And I, lord, I personally captured the enemy general! Hahaha, captured alive!"
Zhang Wen, who was at the rear, heard Dian Wei's words and rushed to the front, even squeezing in front of Liu Zhang.
"Caught someone!"
Zhang Wen's reckless behavior greatly aroused Dian Wei's dissatisfaction, and he had no intention of replying.
Dian Wei had no favorable impression of Zhang Wen, and would not respect Zhang Wen just because of his official position. In Dian Wei's heart, there was always only one boss, and that was Liu Zhang!
Zhang Wen is not tall at all, only less than seven feet tall. Standing in front of Dian Wei, who is over nine feet tall, he can't even reach his chest. He can only raise his head and look at Dian Wei.
Although Dian Wei was reckless, he was very vindictive, so he pretended to turn a blind eye, raised his head and didn't even look at Zhang Wen, and just left him there.
Zhang Wen was the defeated general and did not dare to be angry with the victorious Dian Wei, so he could only look at Liu Zhang for help.
"Come on, who did you capture alive?"
Liu Zhang understood the idea and asked directly. He was also very curious.
Hearing Liu Zhang's voice, Dian Wei suddenly changed into a cheerful expression.
"My lord, he said his name is Marquis Li Wen! He has ten thousand cavalry with him!"
What! Li Wenhou!
Not only Liu Zhang was surprised, but all the generals looked incredulous!
Who is Li Wenhou? He is the general and commander-in-chief of the Xiliang rebels! He is a shareholder-level existence!
Now some of the soldiers and horses of the Xiliang army are actually Marquis Li Wen's private soldiers. Like Beigong Boyu, he is the leader of Yi Conghu in Huangzhong.
"What about the soldiers and horses under his command?"
Seeing Liu Zhang's expectant expression, Dian Wei laughed again.
"Hahaha, my lord, nearly half of the ten thousand cavalry were killed or wounded. Except for a few who escaped, the rest were all captured!"
"good!"
Liu Zhang couldn't help shouting, originally the official army was defeated on the battlefield, if the Xiliang army lost another 10,000 cavalry, this battle would not be a huge loss!
"Thank you for your hard work, two strategists! Without you, Meiyang City will definitely not be protected!"
Liu Zhang walked up to Jia Xuxunyou and expressed his deep gratitude.
Meiyang City has important connections. Once it is lost, the army, food, grass and supplies will all be lost, and we will have no choice but to retreat to Chang'an!
But without food, what will these tens of thousands of troops and tens of thousands of horses eat?
Without food, even if Liu Zhang had great power, it would be difficult for him to fight against the Xiliang army.
"My lord, this is all Wen He's plan. You don't dare to share the credit!"
Xun You didn't have any negative emotions at all and pushed Jia Xu out half-jokingly.
"Lord, don't listen to Gongda's nonsense, everyone here plays a vital role!"
Jia Xu had no intention of taking all the credit, and generously shared the credit equally with everyone.
Liu Zhang nodded with satisfaction. This direct kindness and humility from his subordinates made him very comfortable.
"General, the soldiers are all exhausted. It's better to enter the city as soon as possible!"
When Liu Zhang heard Zhang Wen's pleading tone, he was slightly startled and quickly agreed.
After all, Zhang Wen is also a cavalry general, but now he speaks in such a low voice?
It seems that the blow to Zhang Wen this time was very serious, and he has lost any confidence! In other words, he will rely more on himself in the future.
"Report!"
Just as everyone was about to step into the city gate, they heard a rushing sound from behind, which shocked all the generals.
"What's going on? Could it be that the Xiliang rebels are attacking again?"
Zhang Wen looked at the soldier nervously, fearing that the soldier would confirm his words.
"Reporting to the General of Chariots and Cavalry, it is not the Xiliang army that is attacking. It is General Diyang who has returned. I am asking to see the General outside."
Zhang Wen let out a breath and relaxed. However, Di Yang disappeared at the critical moment, and Zhang Wen was very curious about where he went.
"Let him in."
Not long after, a burly figure walked in and knelt down directly in front of Zhang Wen. He saw that this man had disheveled hair and was extremely embarrassed.
"My subordinates pay homage to Zhang Cheqi."
Zhang Wen did not ask Di Yang to get up, but frowned.
"General Di, why was there no trace of you when we were chasing the Xiliang army? We fought a bloody battle with the rebels, where are you!"
Zhang Wen didn't know much about military affairs, but he was not a fool. Looking back now, everything is very unreasonable.
First, Di Yang persuaded him to pursue the whole army, and then killed the general to boost his morale, and even defeated Beigong Boyu to increase his confidence!
Moreover, Di Yang once followed Huangfu Song to fight against the Xiliang Army, and suffered exactly the same ambush as this time. Why did he instigate himself to pursue him?
It is said that the authorities are confused and the beholder is clear. Now Zhang Wen has jumped out of the fog, and everything has become clear in his mind.
Di Yang was kneeling on the ground, with an unknown expression on his face, but the sweat on his forehead seemed to tell of his nervousness.
"Reporting to Zhang Cheqi, when my subordinate was chasing the Xiliang rebels, I unfortunately fell off my horse and fell into a coma! When I woke up again, the army was nowhere to be seen! I ran wildly for a long time before I returned here!"
Di Yang's tone was very calm, and no flaws could be heard. Coupled with his embarrassed look, there seemed to be no problem.
Zhang Wen looked at Di Yang kneeling on the ground, and his heart became entangled.
Falling off the horse? Is this convincing? But this statement cannot be completely denied.
Zhang Wen particularly appreciated Di Yang's bravery, but he was the instigator of this defeat, which made Zhang Wen feel grudged.
Undecided, Zhang Wen looked at Liu Zhang, hoping Liu Zhang could give him some advice.
Liu Zhang sneered, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Jia Xu beside him speak first.
"My lord, General Di is brave. It is understandable that he accidentally fell off his horse after a fierce battle. It is better for the general to return to the city to heal his injuries!"
Liu Zhang was slightly startled. He only hesitated for a moment before he agreed with Jia Xu's words.
"Yes, General Di has done a great job. You should return to the city as soon as possible to recuperate!"