As the sky gradually dawned, the Shatuo camp was burned to ashes, but this did not affect the Tang army's rich trophies. Thirty thousand war horses and more than 200,000 sheep alone were enough to satisfy Guo Song, but there was still a chance.
There was also Qilian garrison, a logistical center of the Shatuo Army. Before dawn, Guo Song sent Zhonglang generals Yao Jin and Ma Zhanjiang to lead five thousand cavalry to capture Qilian garrison.
Guo Song immediately stood on a high place and stared coldly below. The soldiers escorted groups of dejected prisoners of war to Zhangye City. Thousands of Shatuo soldiers were burned to death, and most of the soldiers who escaped became prisoners of war. They
There was no armor, almost all were barefoot, and they generally wore white linen robes. There were as many as 7,000 people in total.
A general rushed towards Guo Song, clasped his fists and reported: "Inform the Governor, the whereabouts of Zhu Xie Jinhai have been found. He and more than a hundred people were picked up by the patrol posts outside and escaped to the northwest."
To the northwest is Jiuquan. Guo Song pondered for a while and said: "Let Liang Wu come to see me immediately!"
Not long after, Liang Wu came galloping on horseback with more than a dozen soldiers. He clasped his fists on the horse and saluted, "See you, Governor!"
Guo Song pointed at the prisoners of war and said: "You bring the prisoners of war and the trophies into the city. You must take good care of them and guard the city to prevent accidents. I will lead five thousand troops to Qilian to garrison and support them."
"I humbly obey orders!"
After arranging the defense of Zhangye, Guo Song immediately led 5,000 cavalry to Qilian garrison, while Liang Wu led more than 6,000 men to guard Zhangye City.
Qilian garrison is located at the junction of Ganzhou and Suzhou, about 250 miles away from Zhangye City. Although the 30,000-strong army has been almost wiped out by the Tang army, Qilian garrison must still have some garrison troops. If Zhu Xie Jinhai also led some
When the remnants of the army rushed to Qilian garrison, the opponent's army was able to gather more than 2,000 men to fight the Tang army. Even if the Tang army defeated the opponent in the end, it would be a tragic victory and the casualties would be considerable.
Guo Song regretted that he only sent 5,000 troops to Qilian garrison, which was a bit underestimated. In order to catch up with the front army, Guo Song led his cavalry to march day and night. At noon the next day, they arrived at Qilian garrison, and heard the whimpering horn in the distance.
Voice.
At this time, Guo Song was no longer anxious. He waved his hand to stop the five thousand troops and sent a few soldiers to inquire about the news.
Not long after, the soldiers came back and reported: "Ten miles ahead, two cavalry teams are fighting fiercely on the grassland. One is our team and the other is the Shatuo Army."
Guo Song immediately said to Zhonglang General Li Bing: "You can lead the two thousand cavalry of your headquarters to ambush outside the Qilian garrison and intercept the enemy troops when they retreat back to the garrison!"
"Follow the order!"
Li Bing waved his hand and shouted: "Fourth Battalion, follow me!"
He led his two thousand cavalry to run northeast, where was the Qilian garrison.
Seeing that they were running away, Guo Song led three thousand cavalry to the battlefield ten miles away.
On the battlefield, horns were wailing, and the shouts of killing were loud. Two armies were fighting fiercely. One army was the 5,000 Tang Army cavalry led by Yao Jin and Ma Zhanjiang, and the other was the Qilian garrison's defenders, with a total of 2,000 people.
, although the Tang army's cavalry was twice as large as the opponent's, the Shatuo cavalry still believed that they could defeat the Tang army.
The Tang army was well-trained, well-equipped, and more numerous than the Shatuo people. Although the Shatuo people were very brave and good at fighting, they were still at a disadvantage in front of the Tang army's powerful cavalry formation. After a fierce battle for more than half an hour, the Tang army became more and more obvious.
Advantage.
At this moment, the trumpet sound suddenly sounded from the south, and three thousand Tang Army cavalry appeared. Yao Jin saw the flag of the Tang Army coach, and shouted excitedly: "The Governor has led his army to meet us!"
The morale of the Tang army's officers and soldiers immediately increased, and they became more and more courageous as they fought more and more. When more than a thousand Shatuo cavalry saw that enemy reinforcements had arrived, they knew that the situation was over and they had lost this battle.
The captain shouted: "Retreat quickly and retreat to the fortress!"
More than a thousand Shatuo cavalry turned their horses and fled towards the garrison several miles away. The Tang army took advantage of the victory to pursue them. The horses galloped on the grassland, forming a long queue.
When they were still one mile away from the castle, a Tang Army cavalry suddenly shot out from the slanting bayonet and cut off the Shatuo Army's retreat. The cavalrymen fired arrows at random. The Shatuo cavalrymen who were running at the front were hit by arrows and fell off their horses.
The captain at the front was hit by more than a dozen arrows and was killed on the spot.
Seeing that their retreat was cut off, the rest of the Shatuo cavalry turned around and fled south. At this time, three thousand cavalry led by Guo Song came from the south and cut off their escape again. Three Tang army cavalry formed a triangle and captured the last more than 800 cavalrymen.
The cavalry surrounded them.
The three armies fired arrows at the same time, and there was a wail from the Shatuo cavalry. Countless people were hit by the arrows and fell from their horses. This round of arrows killed more than half of them. The remaining less than 400 cavalrymen succumbed in front of the god of death. They all dismounted and knelt down to surrender.
At this time, Yao Jin stepped forward to salute Guo Song, and Guo Song asked: "How many brothers were injured or killed?"
"About 600 people, half injured and half killed."
Guo Song nodded and killed one thousand enemies and suffered eight hundred casualties. Although the Tang army was much more numerous than the other party, it was normal to have more than six hundred casualties.
"How many enemy troops are there in the fort?" Guo Song asked again.
"Basically there are no more, there are still dozens of people at most."
At this moment, the gate of the garrison opened wide, and a group of fifty Shatuo cavalry rushed out and galloped towards the north. Ma Zhanjiang led his army to chase, but Guo Song shouted: "No need to chase, let's go
They go!”
He led the army into Qilianshu. Qilianshu was a military city with a wall of about five miles around. It could station up to 3,000 people. It was the logistics center of the Shatuo Army. Outside the city, a military city covering an area of several thousand hectares was built.
There is a city of sheep and horses, but there are no war horses. They are all cattle and sheep, at least four to five million.
This is also the reason why the Shatuo army in the city wants to go out to fight. Their core asset is these hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep. If they are snatched away by the Tang army, they will not be able to explain to their superiors.
There are also tens of thousands of stones of grain and hundreds of thousands of loads of fodder in the city, as well as a large number of armored tents and sheepskin rafts. Tens of thousands of taels of silver and a large amount of sheep wine were also found in the cellars.
And of course there are thousands of camels used to transport supplies.
Guo Song said with a smile: "The enemy's camp was burned to ashes. I feel a little distressed. I didn't expect that the enemy's supplies are here. This time we will make a lot of money!"
"Captain, will the court commend us this time?" several generals asked expectantly.
Guo Song nodded, "This is the new emperor's first great victory since he ascended the throne. I believe he will not be stingy with rewards."
Guo Song immediately left Li Bing and his two thousand men to guard the fort, leaving them with food and some cattle and sheep. He led other troops to escort the cattle, sheep, supplies and prisoners of war back to Zhangye City in a mighty manner.
...........
For several days, the people in Zhangye City were beating gongs and drums to celebrate the victory. Guo Song ordered that each household be given three sheep and two bags of wine to celebrate.
After half a year of fear, the crisis was finally lifted. Everyone in the city drank to their heart's content and got drunk. The next morning, the Tang army had just finished cleaning the battlefield. Countless people in the city couldn't wait to drive their cattle out and start plowing and sowing. There was still time to plant.
A season of corn.
News of the Tang army's victory reached Liangzhou two days later, and a large number of Ganzhou people began to return to their homes one after another. They also wanted to plant a season of corn.
…………
In the back house, Guo Song was putting a small bamboo tube against his wife's belly to listen. After a while, he was surprised and said: "I heard a very weak fetal movement!"
Xue Tao stroked her husband's hair and smiled softly: "It's less than three months old. How can it be such an exaggeration? I heard the midwife said that it usually takes four or five months for fetal movement to occur."
"Maybe my child will grow up faster!"
Xue Tao said angrily: "Nonsense! You're not a monster, why do you grow up so fast?"
Guo Song chuckled, "I guess he's a young man."
"But I want a little lady. Tell me, if I give birth to a little lady, what should I name her?"
"Guo Weiwei!" Guo Song blurted out.
This was a name hidden deep in his heart. At this moment, it suddenly appeared in his mind, and he realized that his daughter in his previous life had never left his heart. An uncontrollable sadness suddenly poured into Guo Song
In his mind, he quickly turned around to get the tea cup to cover up his emotional gaffe.
Xue Tao didn't notice the change in her husband's mood. She was still thinking about the name her husband had given her. She smiled and said, "I think it's better to call her Caiwei. What do you think, husband?"
Guo Song's mood has returned to normal. He nodded and said with a smile: "Caiwei is not bad, very poetic."
"What if it's Xiao Lang?"
Xue Tao asked expectantly: "What's Xiaolang's name?"
"This... I haven't thought about it yet?" Guo Song scratched his head in embarrassment.
Xue Tao touched his belly and pretended to be aggrieved: "Little guy, it seems that you can only be a little girl. Who told your father to favor girls over boys?"
Guo Song laughed and said, "Why don't you ask the child's grandfather to think about it!"
"Then let my dad think about it! I'll write him a letter later."
At this time, the housekeeper said at the door: "Your Majesty, Liu Sima is in urgent need of help!"
"I see!"
Guo Song stood up and said with a smile: "I guess there is news about Jiuquan County, I'll come as soon as I can!"
Xue Tao nodded slightly and said: "Husband, go quickly! I just want to take a nap."