All the more than 50,000 Xue Yantuo soldiers who stayed chose to surrender.
Li Min confiscated the armor and weapons of these Xue Yantuo soldiers and sent people to escort them back.
In recent years, Datang has developed rapidly.
The population of Datang was also growing rapidly.
But the population base is thin, and the new growth is all just babies.
It will take at least ten years before it can be used.
Datang is currently short of people, and the labor gap is very large.
It is really great to have these captured Xue Yantuo soldiers.
So far, as many as 70,000 to 80,000 of them have been captured.
I believe there will be opportunities in the future. Capturing 100,000 of them will definitely not be a problem.
Next, Li Min ordered people to clean up the battlefield and was not in a hurry to chase Xue Yantuo's army.
In fact, towards Xue Yantuo, Li Min did not have a strong desire to destroy their country.
Xue Yantuo was not very obedient, but his existence was more beneficial to the Tang Dynasty than his destruction.
Because once Xueyantuo is destroyed, the Turks will take the opportunity to occupy their territory and develop rapidly.
Of course, the Tang Dynasty did not want to see the rapid rise of the Turks.
It is very important to have a tribe that can compete with the Turks.
Therefore, what Li Min wants to do now is actually to beat Xue Yantuo and plunder more of their population.
Of course, Li Min wouldn't let things slip on purpose.
If Xue Yantuo really has no eyes and doesn't know how to advance or retreat, he will be destroyed no matter how easy it is.
For Datang and Li Shimin, the Turks were a threat.
To Li Min, no matter how powerful the Turks were, they were nothing more than bigger grasshoppers.
Which infantrymen did Li Min order to escort these prisoners to the Tang Dynasty?
Next, Li Min decided to lead the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty to continue chasing Xue Yantuo's army.
If we don't continue to chase, how can we plunder more of their population?
Bringing infantry will slow them down, and they will definitely not be able to catch up with Xue Yantuo's army, which is all cavalry.
Of course, the full cavalry lineup actually has its shortcomings.
For example, your food and supplies are not easy to carry.
Use cavalry to transport food and fodder for large armies?
This is somewhat unrealistic.
Therefore, Li Min was very straightforward and did not carry too much food and grass at all.
Each cavalryman only carried seven days' rations and water.
In this way, there is no need for special infantry to transport food.
As for what to do after seven days, it would naturally be to go to the Xueyantuo tribe for supplies.
This is exactly the strategy of using war to support war.
…
Let's talk about Xue Yantuo's army retreating in a hurry. This time, Xue Yannian only took away more than 70,000 Xue Yantuo soldiers.
When they came out, there were 200,000 troops.
When they returned, there were only 70,000 troops left, and they had even abandoned tents, food and other military supplies.
This time, it was definitely a disastrous failure.
Such a disastrous defeat would most likely make them, Xue Yantuo, unable to recover.
Among the army, Xue Yanshou, who was imprisoned, was also brought along.
Xue Yanshou was surrounded by two of his confidants.
Although these two people felt sad and sad because of Xue Yanshou's defeat.
But they were really happy for their general.
"General, yesterday, the military advisor would have known that what you said was true and you were not lying after just a casual investigation."
"The damn thing is, he didn't do that. And today, he finally got a taste of the Tang Army's power. He must know now that the general didn't lie, right?"
"This time, the military advisor will definitely release the general and pardon the general's guilt."
"That's right, the general is obviously telling the truth. The general's failure is not due to the war. The military advisor personally directed it. Isn't it also a complete defeat? The military advisor will definitely release the general."
Hearing the words of his two confidants, Xue Yanshou couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "If we, Xue Yantuo, win a great victory, maybe I will be released."
"But now that we have been defeated so miserably, I am destined to be killed. Listen up, you two, from now on, stay away from me and don't follow me."
Hearing Xue Yanshou's words, his two confidants were completely shocked.
"General, it has been proven that you did not lie. Why would the military advisor want to kill you? There is no such truth at all?"
Xue Yanshou smiled bitterly and said: "You don't understand people's hearts! If we, Xue Yantuo, win a great victory, the military advisor may let me go in order to show his generosity."
"But now, we, Xue Yantuo, have been defeated, and it was because the military advisor did not listen to my report that we suffered such a tragic defeat."
"Once this news spreads, what will happen to the military advisor? Therefore, I am destined to die. If you continue to stay with me, you will not escape the end of being killed."
Xue Yanshou's confidants said in disbelief: "But even if the general is killed, this matter cannot be concealed. With so many people knowing about this matter, it is impossible for the military advisor to kill everyone, right?"
Xue Yanshou smiled bitterly and said: "Do you think Xue Yanhua and Xue Yanli will talk about this? And after killing this general, how can the soldiers at the bottom come into contact with the level of the Great Khan?"
After hearing Xue Yanshou's words, his two confidants couldn't help but look thoughtful on their faces.
Both of them are orphans.
If Xue Yanshou had not adopted them and included them in the army, they would have starved to death long ago.
In their hearts, they already regard Xue Yanshou as their father.
Therefore, both of them said: "General, without you, the two of us would have died a long time ago! If the general is destined to die, the two of us are willing to follow the general. Under the nine springs, we can still serve the general!"
Hearing what the two said, Xue Yanshou couldn't help but said angrily: "This general is destined to die. What's the value of them dying with me? After I die, my wife and children will be entrusted to you!"
After hearing this, two of Xue Yanshou's confidants burst into tears.
"General, don't worry, as long as we are here, your family will never be wronged in the slightest! General, take care!"
After the two of them finished speaking, they quickly left Xue Yanshou and blended into the rebel army.
If it were normal times and the military was in good order, the two of them would definitely not be able to escape.
But now, the army is in such a mess that no one can tell which army they belong to. If you hide in the army at will, you won't be able to find them at all.
Once they reach the tribe, they can quietly break away from the army.
Not long after, the two of them saw Xue Yanshou being taken away.
Then, Xue Yanshou never came back.
Xue Yanshou, just as he guessed, was quietly dealt with by military advisor Xue Yannian.
This time, Xue Yantuo's army fled completely.
All marching supplies were thrown away.
They only had enough dry food to last three meals.
Fortunately, they could reach their nearest tribe in one day.
Otherwise, I'm afraid they will starve.
One day later, they finally arrived at their first tribe.
After arriving at the tribe, the 70,000-strong army ate up one-third of the cattle and sheep of the small tribe.
Moreover, these soldiers occupied all the tents of this tribe.
All the herders inside were driven out.
In fact, some pretty girls, and even many women, were dragged into the tents by the soldiers and suffered inhuman torture.
Xue Yannian, who lived in the most luxurious tent, could certainly see this situation and hear the shrill cries coming from around him.
However, military advisor Xue Yannian pretended not to hear it and had no intention of stopping it.
Xue Yannian was actually very strict in running the army.
But unfortunately, not all of these soldiers were his subordinates.
More than half of them are soldiers from other tribes.
Now is the time when their morale is at its lowest. If he strictly enforces military discipline at this time and prevents the soldiers from venting their anger.
It will definitely arouse the resentment of the soldiers, and there may even be civil strife.
Therefore, faced with this situation, Xue Yannian pretended not to hear or see.
Xue Yannian planned to repair here for three days before evacuating.
They had been marching for a whole day today.
The Tang army had infantry.
Xue Yannian estimated that it would take them at least five days to arrive.
After three days, he will ask these herders to relocate.
Herders originally lived a nomadic life, and moving around was a common occurrence for them.
The herdsmen were asked to relocate in order not to leave any food for the Tang army.
The Tang Dynasty's 200,000-strong army needed a lot of food and grass.
I believe that they won't be able to pursue them for long before they will be forced to evacuate due to food and grass problems.
The Central Plains are so powerful, why has there been no good solution to them?
It is because the grassland is so big that even if the Central Plains sends troops, it will be difficult to find their people.
If the Central Plains sent a large army, they would not be able to consume just food and grass.
However, Xue Yannian's wishful thinking was destined to be in vain.
Because the very next day, military scouts came to report that the Tang army had already come after them.
What?
How could Tang Jun be so fast?
How can this be?
How could their infantry keep up with the speed of the cavalry?
After careful questioning, Xue Yannian learned that those who were chasing him were all cavalry.
The infantry of the Tang Dynasty did not come at all.
So, how do they solve the problem of food and grass?
The Tang army was less than fifty miles away from them.
Xue Yannian did not dare to hesitate and immediately led the army to evacuate quickly.
…
Fifty miles away, Cheng Yaojin took the lead and charged at the front.
"Kill! You guys, soldiers of Xue Yantuo are right in front. They are all capable of running away with military merit! Do you want military merit? Do you want to be promoted and make a fortune? Do you want to be promoted to a higher rank? If so, follow me and rush.
ah!"
"Ouch, military merit, military merit!"
"Come on! Military glory is ahead!"
Zhongjun, Li Min looked at this scene and smiled silently.
Next to Li Min, Wang Fangyi asked curiously: "Your Highness, can we really catch up to Xue Yantuo?"
Li Min smiled slightly and said: "We are all cavalry, how can we catch up so easily?"
"However, we are not in a hurry to catch up with them. There will always be a chance if we stay behind them."
Wang Fangyi asked in confusion: "But we don't have enough dry food?"
Li Min laughed and said, "Isn't it easy to get dry food? Someone has sent us food in front of us."
Hearing what King Shu said, Wang Fangyi was a little hard to understand.
They're reaching Xue Yantuo's territory ahead. Will anyone deliver food to them here?
Fifty miles away, in less than half an hour, they rushed into Xue Yantuo's first small tribe.
Seeing the Tang army approaching the border, the entire tribe of Xueyantuo herdsmen were trembling with fear.
Xue Yantuo's own army was wolf-like in nature. They not only plundered their cattle and sheep, but also insulted their women.
But what is coming now is the Tang Dynasty army that is hostile to them. I am afraid that all of them will lose their lives, right?
What happened next seemed to confirm their suspicions.
The army of the Tang Dynasty gathered all the people in their tribe together.
Next, Li Min asked these herdsmen to slaughter all the horses, cattle and sheep in their tribe.
After the slaughter, they also asked them to process the meat.
In order to save their lives, these herders had to do what Li Min ordered.
But in their hearts, they have begun to despair.
These damn Tang troops killed all the livestock of their tribe.
Even if these beasts don't kill them in the end, they will starve to death.
They relied on grazing for food, and now there are not even any cubs left for them.
After eating all this meat, what else can they eat?
These herdsmen buried their boundless resentment in their hearts and wished they could eat the flesh of the Tang army and drink the blood of the Tang army.
On this day, 60,000 Tang troops ate large portions of meat and drank milk from large bowls, which was called a wanton joy.
These large armies, except for the 20,000 cavalry from Yizhou.
Have they ever had such a good meal?
Enough meat tube!
Normally it would be good if they could taste meat.
Even Yizhou's 20,000 cavalrymen, although they were always full of meat and fish, had never eaten like this.
The 60,000 cavalrymen couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
There is a future for you if you follow the King of Shu, you will have meat to eat and milk to drink!
It took a whole day to process only 30% of the slaughtered cattle, sheep, and horses.
This 30% is cooked meat, the kind that can be directly used as dry food.
Early the next morning, Tang Jun took the meat and set off directly.
Did these Tang troops actually leave like this?
In addition to killing all their livestock, they did not seize their tents or insult their women.
From this point of view, the Tang army was better than their own army.
The Tang Dynasty was indeed the hometown of Confucius and Mencius and the land of etiquette!
However, all the livestock they raised were killed, and they had no way to survive.
…
In front, Xue Yannian led more than 60,000 cavalry and fled all the way.
Originally their team numbered 70,000 people.
But on the way, many soldiers ran away secretly.
In the battle with the Tang Dynasty, many soldiers were frightened.
In their view, the Tang army knew magic and could lose their lives at any time fighting against the Tang army.
If they don't run, they may be the next to die.
Therefore, along the way, Xue Yantuo soldiers kept running away quietly.
As a result, Xue Yannian had to strengthen supervision and set up a special patrol team, and the situation of soldiers escaping was alleviated.
Two days later, they arrived at the next tribe.
This tribe is a medium-sized tribe.
In this tribe, Xue Yantuo's soldiers had a great time eating and drinking.
At night, these Xueyantuo soldiers once again raped countless women.
Because some prairie men resisted, many people were killed.
Faced with this situation, Xue Yannian still turned a blind eye.
Now the morale of Xue Yantuo's soldiers has reached an extremely low level, and Xue Yannian does not dare to restrain them too strictly.
After spending a whole night repairing, the Tang Dynasty cavalry actually pursued and killed them again early the next morning.
It’s so haunting!
Xue Yannian had no choice but to lead the army and flee in a hurry.
Li Min, on the other hand, led an army to this medium-sized tribe for repairs.
This time, they still adopted the same method as the previous tribe.
Slaughter all the livestock in their tribe.
Soldiers of the Tang Dynasty once again lived a delicious life of big chunks of meat and big bowls of milk.
However, when I eat meat this time, I don’t feel as good as the last time I ate it.
At this time, they really wanted to eat some vegetables.
But in this corner, it is simply impossible to eat green vegetables.
Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong and Li Daozong had no objections to Li Min's approach.
These four old guys are all experienced veterans.
Which hands are not stained with blood?
Not to mention that the King of Shu only ordered them to kill all the animals now, even if he ordered them to kill everyone, they would not have any objections.
But Wang Fangyi's order to Li Min was somewhat difficult to understand.
Wang Fangyi couldn't help but find Li Min's coach's tent and asked Li Min: "Master, why did you order the killing of all the animals in the Xueyantuo tribe?"
Li Min glanced at Wang Fangyi and asked with interest: "Oh, then master asks you, why can't I do this?"
Wang Fangyi asked tangledly: "Master was kind and did not order the killing of any herdsman in Xue Yantuo. However, he ordered the killing of all their livestock."
"Xue Yantuo makes a living by herding. If you kill all their livestock, they will starve to death sooner or later. What is the difference between this and killing them?"
Hearing Wang Fangyi's words, Li Min couldn't help laughing and said: "There is a big difference here. Killing all their animals is actually to prevent them from running away."
Wang Fangyi asked curiously: "What do you mean, master?"
Li Min patted Wang Fangyi on the shoulder and said: "Our Datang is in urgent need of population! Bringing all these people to our Datang will alleviate the population gap in our Datang!"
"I ordered all their livestock to be killed just to prevent them from escaping. Without horses, where could they run?"
After listening to Li Min's explanation, Wang Fangyi suddenly realized.
He quickly flattered him and said, "Master is brilliant, master is far-sighted, and my disciple admires me greatly!"
Li Min laughed loudly and said: "Okay, stop patting the master's horses. Let's continue to chase them early tomorrow morning and try to plunder more of their tribes."
Wang Fangyi asked with bright eyes: "Master, are we going to wipe out all the tribes in Xue Yantuo?"
Li Min couldn't help but reached out and patted Wang Fangyi on the head, and said angrily: "If all their tribes are wiped out, won't Xue Yantuo's country be destroyed?"
"Fang Yi, there are some things you still don't understand. Every war always serves politics. The destruction of Xue Yantuo will not be of much benefit to the Tang Dynasty."
"And Xue Yantuo is not very obedient. After a few years, he might jump out again."
After hearing the master's words, Wang Fangyi's eyes lit up and his face showed a thoughtful look.
"Master, what you mean is that as long as we wait for them to jump out, we can come and snatch his people again? Just like cutting leeks, one crop after another, and then harvest them when they grow taller."
Li Min nodded slightly, with a pleased smile on his face, and then said: "You can teach a boy!"
…
Xue Yannian led Xue Yantuo's army and fled in embarrassment.
Finally, he returned to the largest tribe in Xueyantuo and the residence of Xueyantuo's Zhenzhu Bijia Khan Yinan.
This tribe is equivalent to the capital of Xue Yantuo.
When Yi Nan learned that Xue Yantuo was defeated, Xue Yantuo's army of 200,000 went out to fight, but only 60,000 warriors were brought back.
Yi Nan couldn't help spitting out his old blood, so he immediately became furious and ordered Xue Yannian to be withdrawn and beheaded.
Finally, under the pleading of a group of generals, Yi Nan reluctantly spared Xue Yannian's life.
Then, when Yi Nan heard that the Tang Dynasty's cavalry was actually behind them, following them all the way and chasing them.
Yi Nan really wanted to vomit blood, and once again had a strong urge to chop off Xue Yannian's head.
Finally, after enduring it again and again, I finally managed to endure it.
Next, Yi Nan listened carefully to Xue Yannian's battle report.
When he heard that the Tang Dynasty was so powerful in combat, could also use magic, and could set fire at any time.
Yi Nan's first feeling was the same as Xue Yannian's, that he didn't believe it.
Because this is so weird and completely beyond their scope of cognition.
Fortunately, Yi Nan is not Xue Yannian. Although it is unbelievable, he does not deny it completely.
Instead, they summoned no less than fifty generals and asked them one by one.
These generals were from various tribes in Xueyantuo.
It is absolutely impossible for Xue Yannian to buy them all.
And the rhetoric of these fifty generals was actually exactly the same.
The fighting power of the Tang Army is really terrifying, and the Tang Army really knows magic.
They Xue Yantuo warriors have been killed by the Tang army.
If we were to face the Tang army, it would be good if we could ensure that they would not turn around and run away because their legs would weaken in fear.
In this situation, there is no way to continue fighting.
In the end, Yi Nan made a choice as a last resort.
They chose tribal migration.
Well, this is actually a very elegant way of saying it.
In fact, they were afraid of Datang and wanted to run away.
However, Yi Nan was Xue Yantuo's khan.
If he wants to leave, he must lead everyone in the tribe to go with him.
The entire tribe includes old and young people, as well as various supplies and daily necessities, which will take some time to sort out.
Fortunately, they move around all year round and are already used to it.
Everyone was packing their things quickly.
It only took them two days to pack up everything and load all the items onto the horses.
Next, the entire tribe began to migrate.
At this time, the Tang Dynasty cavalry also came after them.
Yi Nan did not kill Xue Yannian, but asked him to make up for his mistakes.
He was ordered to lead 60,000 cavalrymen to ensure the safety of their tribal herdsmen.
After receiving this order, Xue Yannian couldn't help but secretly complain.bdshare();
