This battle to defend the city lasted for most of the day. It was not until dusk that the attacking Tatar cavalry retreated.
On this day's attack on the city, the Tatars suffered less than a hundred casualties, but thousands of people died outside the city gate. The ground under the city gate was soaked with blood, and the strong smell of blood was blown by the wind.
Strange corpse.
The casualties among the soldiers defending the city were actually not heavy. Low morale, like boundless darkness, shrouded the hearts of all the soldiers in despair.
How to fight such a battle?
If this continues, the Tatar Rouran cavalry will not need to attack the city, but the morale of the frontier army will collapse.
When Zhu Yun got off the tower, his whole body suddenly convulsed and he vomited.
No one laughed at him.
In fact, His Highness the Crown Prince's performance today was very rare. The Crown Prince stayed on the tower for most of the day, regardless of the danger of stray arrows, and even personally beat the war drums to boost the morale of the frontier soldiers.
Only now did Zhu Yun's tense nerves relax and he vomited everything in his stomach.
As for the princes of Zhao, Zhu Yang, Ding Lang and others, they could no longer bear the cruelty of the battlefield and had retreated from the tower two hours ago.
Yuan Qing silently walked to the prince's side and reached out to hold Zhu Yun's arm.
Zhu Yun managed to stand firmly with the help of this support.
"How is His Highness doing now?" Yuan Qing asked in a low voice: "I'll have someone take His Highness back to the General's Mansion!"
Zhu Yun said, "I'm going to the military tent to discuss with the generals how to retreat from the enemy."
His Royal Highness the Prince insisted on going to the military tent, but Yuan Qing could not and could not stop him.
General He also had a great change in his view of His Royal Highness.
His Royal Highness the Prince is fair and handsome, with a bookish look on his face. However, he was able to withstand the critical moment. As for the fact that he personally beat the war drum to boost morale today, he did it very beautifully.
All the generals gathered at the main tent of the Chinese army.
The main tent was quite spacious and could accommodate dozens of people. Several tallow candles were burning, illuminating the silent and tense faces of the generals.
Yuan Qing opened his mouth to break the silence: "Today the enemy attacked the city and was repulsed by our frontier troops. However, the Tatar cavalry suffered very little damage, and most of the dead were innocent people. If you have any good strategies for repelling the enemy, you might as well tell us."
The military generals all held their breath and immediately spoke one after another.
"This battle was too frustrating."
"We just watched the people die tragically, and many died at the hands of our soldiers. Even if we won the battle, there is nothing to be thankful for."
"The general is willing to lead his troops out of the city and fight to the death with the enemy. Please give me permission, general."
"The general is also willing to go."
"And the last general! If we don't kill those sons of bitches, the last general will never come back."
The generals' momentum was boiling and they asked for battle one after another.
Yuan Qing glanced at it and said in a deep voice: "The Tatar Rouran cavalry drove the people to attack the city in order to provoke us to leave the city and fight to the death. Without a strong and tall city gate, can our frontier army withstand a hundred thousand cavalry?"
All the generals were immediately speechless.
General Yuan is right. If you stick to the city gate, you can still fight to the death. If you go out of the city gate, you may really be fighting to the death.
"General! I really can't take action anymore." A general with a dark face and red eyes suddenly choked up and lost his voice: "We are soldiers who guard the city and border, but now we have to attack innocent people. Every time we attack the city,
So many people have died. Our hands are stained with the blood of the common people, what kind of frontier troops are we?"
The other generals each turned their heads to the side, some with tears in their eyes, or some with red eyes. All of them had no morale at all and only felt strong sadness.
At this moment, a voice sounded: "This stalemate is not the answer. We must find a way to reverse the situation of the war."
All the military generals looked at His Highness the Crown Prince who was speaking. His Highness the Crown Prince's eyes were slightly red, but his expression was extremely calm, and he continued in a deep voice: "Please all the generals work together to come up with a countermeasure."
Yuan Qing calmed down and said in a deep voice: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said yes. Everyone should think carefully about countermeasures."
All the generals, you and I gave you ideas one by one.
General He, who had been silent until now, slowly opened his mouth and said: "Although the enemy has a hundred thousand cavalry, they are not invulnerable. They formed an alliance to invade the border, and each has his own agenda. The Tatar and Rouran tribes were once mortal enemies, and there must be something between them.
Estrangement. We might as well use tricks to drive a wedge between the two races."
"Also, for one hundred thousand soldiers and horses, the daily food and grass is a huge and astonishing figure. Once the food and grass are lost, the enemy's army will be demoralized and retreat without a fight. I suggest that brave men who are good at riding and shooting be drawn from the army to form a new army.
The first battalion quietly left the city and went around to the enemy's rear to burn the enemy's food and grass."
General He is indeed the top military general in Daqi, and the two strategies he proposed are quite feasible.
All the generals agreed.
Yuan Qing was refreshed and discussed carefully with the generals. There was great care in how to deploy troops and generals, how to find out information about the enemy, and how to conduct secret marches.
General He didn't speak much. Whenever he opened his mouth, his words would be sharp and to the point. He soon gained the respect of the border generals.
Zhu Yun had never led an army before, so he listened carefully and silently without interrupting at will. This also made Yuan Qing, General He and others secretly relieved.
His Highness the Crown Prince has a distinguished status. If he gives random orders, it will be troublesome for the generals to listen or not. Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince is quite self-aware and does not interfere with the generals’ decision-making. Having such a prince is really a blessing for the Qi Dynasty!
It wasn't until midnight that the generals dispersed.
…
Back at the General's Mansion, the chamberlain brought a midnight snack: "Your Highness has not eaten all day. I asked the cook to make a midnight snack. Your Highness, please have some!"
Late night snack is hot chicken noodle soup.
Zhu Yun was hungry but had no appetite. He reluctantly took a few bites and put down his chopsticks.
The waiter couldn't persuade him, so he had no choice but to take away the midnight snack.
Zhu Yun lay on the bed and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He finally closed his eyes, but he had nightmares again and again. He woke up in a cold sweat. He sat on the bed and breathed heavily.
At five o'clock in the morning, Zhu Yun got up and wrote a letter home to his wife Yuan Min.
"...I was born in the capital and grew up in the palace. Everything I see is prosperous. I have never seen such a tragic battlefield in my life, and I was shocked physically and mentally."
"I had nightmares last night and couldn't sleep. I just hope that the war will be settled soon and the innocent people who died in vain can rest in peace underground."
Then, he wrote another letter to Empress Yuan. A letter written to his mother-in-law cannot be so direct. He talked about the harmonious and harmonious relationship he had with his uncle Yuan Qing, and passed by the incident of the war.
The last letter was written to Emperor Qing'an.
This letter is very concise, with only a few lines.
"The morale of the frontier troops is low. This is all because the Tatar Rourans are cruel and drive the people to attack the city, using the people as shields."
"I came to the border and witnessed the most brutal battlefield. I will personally supervise the battle, beat the drums for the soldiers, and repel the enemy."
"As long as the border is not peaceful, our children and ministers will not return."
