Chapter nine hundred and seventy-fifth is war or withdrawal
The defeated Lu Fang army was no longer able to command, and tens of thousands of soldiers were fleeing in all directions. Under this situation, even if Jia Lan and others retreated to Dai City, there would not be many soldiers who followed them into the city, and they would have to face being conquered.
The Western Army's dilemma of catching a turtle in a urn.
In desperation, Jia Lan could only give up the order to withdraw from Dai City and led the remaining troops to retreat westward. It was at this time that King Auri arrived at the scene.
If King Aurichu leads 6,000 Huns cavalry, their sudden arrival may really change the situation of the battle. But the problem is that King Aurichu's 6,000 army now only has more than a thousand people left, and there are many of them.
of wounded soldiers.
This small number of soldiers and horses could not reverse the overall situation. Originally, it was just Jia Lan who retreated with the remaining troops. With the arrival of King Auri, Jia Lan and King Auri fled together with their troops.
The Western Expeditionary Army detached tens of thousands of its elite main force to pursue the defeated Lu Fang Army and the Xiongnu Army. During the pursuit, the Youzhou Cavalry led by Geng Shu also caught up.
The two sides were running and chasing, and the battle lasted for dozens of miles. It was not until the soldiers on both sides were exhausted that the Battle of Daicheng came to an end.
In this battle, the Zhengxi Army completely crushed Lu Fang's army, and the soldiers of Lu Fang's army were unable to fight back. The 80,000-strong army was completely routed. Only 20,000 soldiers followed Jia Lan to escape, and the remaining 60,000 were
, except for a small number of those who were killed or injured in battle, most of them either did not know where they had fled or were captured alive by the Han army.
After this battle, Lu Fang's army no longer had a foothold in Dai County. Jia Lan and Auri Zhuwang took the remaining troops and retreated again and again in Dai County, all the way to the junction of Dai County and Yanmen County. Here
It is also the junction between Youzhou and Bingzhou. If they continue to retreat westward, they will be forced to withdraw from Youzhou and be beaten back to Bingzhou.
The people responsible for chasing the enemy were Han Xin and Geng Shu. Han Xin led the 30,000 elite troops of the Western Expedition Army, while Geng Shu led the 4,000 Youzhou assault cavalry and the 3,000 cavalry troops of the Western Expedition Army.
The junction of Dai County and Yanmen County is mountainous and forested, and the terrain is complex and steep. If we continue to pursue the enemy, we will have to fight in the mountains, and we may even fight all the way to Bingzhou, Lu Fang's home base.
When they arrived here, Han Xin ordered to set up camp and suspend the pursuit.
In the Chinese army tent, Han Xin, Geng Shu and other generals gathered together to discuss the next strategy. According to Geng Shu's opinion, our side has nothing to hesitate and should continue to pursue the enemy and take advantage of the victory to attack.
Entered Bingzhou.
Han Xin grinned secretly and said with furrowed brows: "Bingzhou is Lu Fang's home base. Lu Fang has at least more than 100,000 troops in Bingzhou. With only our current strength, if we rush into Bingzhou rashly, it will be very dangerous.
!”
The generals below were also divided into two opinions. Some generals supported Geng Shu and believed that their side should invade Bingzhou, while others supported Han Xin and believed that doing so was too aggressive and risky.
Even Guo Ji, who wanted to avenge Peng Xin, said solemnly: "General Geng, the mountainous area between Daijun and Yanmenjun is steep and easy to set up ambushes, and the roads are mostly mountainous, which is not suitable for cavalry operations.
ah!"
Entering the mountains, our Youzhou Cavalry and the Western Expedition Army Cavalry, totaling more than 7,000 cavalry, have become decorations and cannot exert their combat effectiveness at all. Once they fall into an enemy ambush, they will become more than 7,000 living targets, and the consequences will be disastrous.
.
Hearing this, another general shouted dissatisfiedly: "In addition to cavalry, our army also has infantry, 30,000 elite soldiers, enough to defeat Jia Lan, Auri Zhuwang and other bandits in the mountainous area!"
Han Xin lowered his head in thought, considered for a long time, and said seriously: "The general is leading the main force on the way here. I think it is best to ask the general to make a decision after he arrives!"
Geng Shu said meaningfully: "The battle situation is tense, the fighter planes are fleeting, and the main army carries a lot of baggage. When they arrive here, it will take at least three to five days. By then, the remnants of the bandit army have already escaped. Huang Hua
The dishes are cold."
Han Xin fell into deep thought again. What Geng Shu said was not unreasonable. If he really waited another three or five days, there would be no chance. Han Xin thought about it and said: "I will immediately send a letter to the general and ask him
Views."
Geng Shu said anxiously: "General Han, it will take a day or two to send and receive letters!"
Han Xin was about to speak when he suddenly heard a shout from outside the camp: "Report - the general has sent an order!"
"come on in!"
A soldier quickly walked into the camp from outside and handed a token and a bamboo slip to Han Xin. Han Xin hurriedly took it and looked at it carefully. There were not many handwritings on the bamboo slip, only a few words.
After looking at it, Han Xin breathed a sigh of relief, put down the bamboo slips, and said to everyone present: "The general has given an order, asking us to stay put for the time being. The general is on his way here in a light pack and will arrive in half a day."
Hearing this, everyone's faces showed excitement, and the dispute between them ended.
Feng Yi led 50,000 Han troops, all lightly armed and marching all the way over.
After the meeting, Han Xin introduced the current situation to Feng Yi in detail.
The remnants of Jia Lan's escaped troops are estimated to be only about 10,000 strong, and the remnants of the Xiongnu army are estimated to be less than 1,000 strong. At present, the enemy troops have fled into the boundary mountain between Daijun and Yanmenjun, which is Baixing Mountain.
.
Now our own side is divided on whether to continue to pursue the enemy.
After hearing this, Feng Yi thought for a moment and asked someone to bring over a bamboo slip, handed it to Han Xin, and said, "This is the edict from your majesty!"
Han Xin straightened his face, adjusted his armor, took the edict respectfully, and opened it to read carefully. Geng Shu also came over curiously, stretched his neck, and looked at the contents of the edict.
The edict contained a lot of content, and Liu Xiu roughly explained the current difficulties faced by the Luoyang court in the edict.
Gongsun Shuju's army attacked Nanjun, and the Southern Expeditionary Army led by Cen Peng was engaged in a fierce battle with Gongsun Shu's army in Nanjun.
Wei Xiao had rebelled in Liangzhou and defected to Gongsun Shu's side. The imperial court originally wanted to send troops to annihilate Wei Xiao, but considering that both the northern and southern fronts were fighting, if the western front battlefield was opened again, the imperial court's money and food might not be able to support it.
Liu Xiu hoped that Feng Yi could make a quick victory in Daijun, end the northern battlefield as soon as possible, withdraw his troops and return to the court to support the western front battlefield.
After reading the edict from Liu Xiu, Han Xin slowly put it down and froze on the spot without speaking for a long time. Geng Shu didn't see it clearly and couldn't wait to take the edict from Han Xin and read it carefully.
Afterwards, his face became solemn and he handed the edict to the generals next to him for circulation.
They originally planned to take advantage of their own victory to invade Bingzhou in one go, possibly even annihilating Lu Fang's forces in one fell swoop. But now, the court is eager to fight against Weixiao, and fighting on three fronts is not realistic for the current court.
, whether the southern front battlefield can end as soon as possible, the decision-making power is no longer our own, then, whether the northern front battlefield can end the war as soon as possible, becomes crucial.
An officer frowned and asked, "General, are we going to withdraw our troops now?"
Another general said worriedly: "Once we withdraw our troops, Jia Lan and King Auri will definitely come back and return to Daijun to gather the remaining troops. Daijun will still be occupied by Lu Fang."
"So, when we came all the way from Chang'an to Daijun, we did nothing, changed nothing!" We also burned down a Lingqiu city for no reason. This is really infuriating!
Geng Shu said sternly: "General, you can't withdraw your troops! We obviously won the battle in Daijun and defeated the Lu Fang Army, the Xiongnu Army, and the Wuhuan Army. If we withdraw our troops now... this is equivalent to giving up all the victories.
Eastward flow!"
All the generals nodded in unison and said: "Yes, General, we cannot withdraw our troops now!"
Han Xin frowned and said: "Withdrawing the troops is His Majesty's will. Compared with Lu Fang, Wei Xiao is the most serious concern of the imperial court! Our army returns to Chang'an quickly, and it is imperative to fight against Wei Xiao!"
After a pause, he reminded meaningfully: "Besides, the withdrawal of troops is His Majesty's order. If you don't comply, you will resist the order and disobey it!"
When all the generals heard this, their bodies were shaken and they all lowered their heads.
Geng Shu took the edict over again, read it from cover to cover again, squinted his eyes and said, "Your Majesty did not ask our army to withdraw immediately, but asked our army to end the war in the north as soon as possible."
Han Xin said seriously: "The Lu Fang Army, the Xiongnu Army, and the Wuhuan Army have now been expelled from Dai County by our army. The war in the north is over!"
Geng Shu said: "The enemy leaders Jia Lan and King Auri are still here, so how can the war be considered over?"
Han Xin looked at Feng Yi and said meaningfully: "General, Wei Xiao and Gongsun Shu are allied, and Liangzhou and Yizhou are united. If the alliance between these two states is consolidated, it will be too difficult for the imperial court to send troops to pacify it.
Now, while the alliance between the two is not yet stable, we should send troops to Liangzhou in time to wipe out Weixiao!"
Feng Yi paced back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back. Everyone's eyes fell on Feng Yi. The decision of whether to fight or withdraw was ultimately made by Feng Yi.
Now, Feng Yi is also in a dilemma.
To withdraw the troops would be to hand over the fruits of victory. All the efforts made by our side in Daijun would be in vain. If we do not withdraw our troops, the war in the north will continue for an unknown period of time, which will inevitably affect the overall situation of the imperial court.
It’s so difficult! Feng Yi sighed in his heart while pacing.
People looked at Feng Yi eagerly, and the Chinese army tent was completely silent for a while. After an unknown period of time, Feng Yi suddenly stopped. People's eyes lit up and they stared at him intently.
Feng Yi looked around at the people present and said word by word: "Killing Wei Xiao is indeed the top priority!"
Upon hearing this, Geng Shu and other main battle generals were all disappointed. It seemed that the general could not withstand the pressure from the court and could only order the withdrawal of troops.
Before anyone could answer, Feng Yi suddenly changed the subject and asked, "How did we come to Daijun?"
People looked confused, how did they come here? Of course they walked on two legs! Han Xin thought for a while and said: "Our army started from Sanfu, followed by Hongnong, Hanoi, Jizhou, and finally came here
Arrived in Daijun!"
Feng Yi nodded and said: "Now that our soldiers want to return to Sanfu, how should we go back?"
The generals looked at each other in confusion. Wasn't what the general asked nonsense? We came by the Hongnong, Hanoi, and Jizhou route. Of course we will take the same route when we go back!
Feng Yi looked around at everyone, suddenly smiled, and said: "I thought that when our army retreats to the third auxiliary, we can change the route!"
"The general means..."
"Go to Bingzhou!"
"ah?"
"Cross Bingzhou, go to Beidi, Anding, and then go south to Sanfu." Feng Yi said: "The route from Hongnong to Hanoi to Jizhou is too roundabout. It is closer to take the route from Bingzhou to Beidi to Anding."
Some!"
People stared at Feng Yi blankly, looking at him as if they were looking at a madman.
The generals swallowed involuntarily, and one general reminded cautiously: "General...General, Bingzhou, and even Beidi County and Anding County are...all under Lu Fang's control!"
That's Lu Fang's sphere of influence, and our own army wants to pass through it openly? This... this is too crazy!
