This war lasted for three days. After the coalition forces of the princes were defeated by the Rong tribe, the remaining defeated troops fled in all directions. The Rong tribe's cavalry pursued them everywhere, hunting down the coalition forces of princes and robbing the coalition forces' supplies of food and grass.
In this area, there was a roar of wind and rivers of blood. During this round of pursuit, the coalition forces of the princes did not organize any resistance, and even went to the point of fleeing.
Through this battle, the Rong clan once again determined who was the best in horse fighting on land.
One dawn, Qi Jiguang gathered the remaining defeated soldiers together and temporarily camped at the foot of a hillside.
When they left Luofeng City, they brought out a total of 13,000 people. Up to now, only more than 3,000 people can be gathered together.
In terms of defeat, this battle was a complete defeat. As the commander of an army, it would not be too much for Qi Jiguang to wipe his neck and kill himself.
Most of the soldiers were injured, and a depressed atmosphere spread in the barracks. The prestige that Qi Jiguang had built up during many days of training was now being tested.
The soldiers were like this, and Qi Jiguang was exhausted. But he still managed to cheer up, help the wounded soldiers bandage their wounds, and distribute the few dry rations he had left.
Xu Wentian brought a piece of dry biscuit to Li Xingzai and said, "Your Majesty, please eat something first. It's important to take care of yourself."
"I can still hold on, so I'll give it to the wounded soldiers first."
Li Xingzai sat on a stone and looked northwest. Even in this situation, Li Xingzai must be given priority. Compared with ordinary soldiers, Li Xingzai is indeed not too hungry now.
"Your Majesty, you'd better eat something first. You must not fall down."
"Distribute the food to the soldiers." Li Xingzai raised his head: "Don't worry, I won't fall."
Qi Jiguang came to Li Xingzai and said: "Your Majesty, there are still three thousand soldiers. The crime of this war is all my fault. But when we return to the East China Sea, we can still make a comeback."
Li Xingzai shook his head: "I won't go back to the East China Sea for the time being."
Qi Jiguang and Xu Wentian were both stunned. Qi Jiguang said: "Now that we don't have the strength to compete with the Rong clan, what else can we do if we stay?"
"The war in the North has been decided, and the Rong tribe will be able to capture Chang'an soon. At present, we can only return to the East China Sea, reorganize the army, gather people and horses, and then confront the Rong tribe in the future."
"But why does the king still want to stay?" Qi Jiguang asked confused.
"There is nothing to do if you stay." Li Xingzai stood up and said: "The coalition forces were defeated by the Rong tribe. After this battle, there were many ownerless troops in the North. These people are precious resources. I will stay here
The purpose of this place is to recruit them under our command and prepare for the future Civil War."
Li Xingzai stood on the stone, much higher than Qi Jiguang and Xu Wentian. At this moment, a red sun just jumped up from the east, and the first ray of light in the morning fell on Li Xingzai. Qi Jiguang and Xu Wentian suddenly lost their minds, as if they saw
A five-clawed golden dragon soared into the sky.
After suffering such a defeat, even Qi Jiguang was a little disheartened. But Li Xingzai was not depressed or lost, and still maintained his fighting spirit. He was thinking about how to maximize the benefits from the failure.
At first, Xu Wentian was worried about whether Li Xingzai would collapse. It must be said that his worries were unnecessary.
Of course Li Xingzai will not fall, because he has experienced too much and fallen too many times. What is rare is that no matter how many times he is knocked down, he can stand up again.
One day, he will stand tall forever and no one can knock him down again.
Qi Jiguang knelt on his knees, clasped his fists with his hands and said, "I obey my orders."
He turned around and looked northwest. Even the king of the Rong clan would probably feel a headache when encountering such an enemy who had suffered repeated defeats.
…
After defeating the coalition forces, the Rong cavalry went out everywhere to seize resources, beat up drowned dogs, and hunt down the defeated generals who had escaped and were not recognized by their parents.
Three to five days later, the Rong cavalry gave up tracking and began to gather in one direction.
Their destination is Chang'an.
On the way to Chang'an, the first wave of enemies encountered was the 10,000 imperial troops led by Ma Mengqi.
The two sides engaged in an encounter in the wilderness. Ma Mengqi used 10,000 imperial troops to defeat the 30,000 Rong cavalry.
This is a bloody battle and a doomed battle.
But in order to buy time for the defense of Chang'an City, under the leadership of Ma Mengqi, this team showed unprecedented courage. Facing the Rong tribe, they launched one charge after another.
The outcome was destined, and the process was tragic. In the end, only 700 or 800 people were killed out of the 10,000 men. Ma Mengqi fell unconscious on the battlefield, and his men snatched him out of the dead. The remaining men and horses were wrapped around the confused horses.
Meng Qi broke out from the encirclement of the Rong tribe.
I didn't know how far I ran in one breath, and when I saw that the Rong clan did not catch up, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then a feeling of fatigue came over me, and more than a dozen people fell off their horses on the spot.
Ma Mengqi looked back and saw that all his soldiers were looking at him. Everyone's face was stained with blood. Many of them, Ma Mengqi didn't even know their names. There were more people who died on the battlefield, and Ma Mengqi also died.
Don't know their names.
"General, if we go a hundred miles west from here and then turn north, we can avoid the Rong army and get closer to Chang'an City. However, now that Chang'an has been surrounded by the Rong people, it will be difficult for us to return to the city."
Report from my subordinates.
"We..." Ma Mengqi spoke, only to realize that his voice had become hoarse at some point: "We will not return to Chang'an."
The men looked at each other in confusion, completely confused as to why Ma Mengqi said this. Going to Chang'an now would be tantamount to death, but to dare to say that not returning to Chang'an would be tantamount to treason.
Ma Mengqi did not want to betray Li Letian. When he collided with the Rong clan, he was prepared to die.
He didn't have the will to die, and he didn't dare to charge against the iron hooves of the Rong clan several times.
But he did not die on the battlefield, so Ma Mengqi came back to life.
After escaping this way, his mind gradually cleared up, and he also remembered what Li Letian had said to him when he left Chang'an City.
Pondering these words, I gradually realized something. I was afraid that at that time, Li Letian would have expected that this attack would be defeated. And Chang'an City would not be able to hold out for long under the attack of the Rong tribe.
He wanted to live and die with Chang'an City and preserve the dignity of the Li family. He wanted Ma Mengqi to live and use his skills to do more for the empire.
It takes courage to die generously. It takes even more courage to live with shame.
Ma Mengqi jumped off his horse, faced the direction of Chang'an City, and kowtowed three times solemnly.
He raised his head, his eyes were full of tears, but his face was as hard as cast iron.
"We are not going back to Chang'an." Ma Mengqi said loudly: "We can't keep Chang'an anymore. Let's choose another branch to recharge our batteries and bring back the Chongrong tribe after today's defeat."
The remaining defeated generals behind them all dismounted from their horses, followed Ma Mengqi's example, and kowtowed three times to Chang'an City.