The low sound of horns and horns, and the majestic sound of war drums suddenly resounded through the battlefield, resounded through the Linghe, and resounded through Lingtai Mountain.

The iron cone array on the battlefield quickly reached the front of the infantry phalanx. At this moment, with a loud bang, the Iron Cone Array suddenly split into two.

Lou Lu and Lu Huanyang on the left flank of the large array led the soldiers to face the fleeing enemy and kill them on the ground. They quickly moved to the north of the battlefield, intending to hold back the enemy's fleeing army and drive the enemy to the Spirit River.

The shooting Yingtong on the right flank of the large array, with a group of murderous warriors in his fists, kept shouting and roaring, following the frantically fleeing enemy soldiers, killing all the way.

Li Hong led the soldiers of the Black Panther Righteous Followers, turned around and killed the west of the battlefield, chasing the enemy fleeing westward.

Li Wenhou and his personal guards had no intention of fighting at all, they escaped from the battlefield before the Fengyun Iron Cavalry and the infantry were surrounded, and the Qianghu cavalry ran faster than rabbits one by one, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, disappearing between the mountains and mountains.

The enemy soldiers who had lost their command were in chaos, and they were chased and killed by the Iron Knights.

The infantry phalanx, under the command of Xian Yufu, quickly broke through to the center of the battlefield. Not only did they hold the eastern side of the battlefield, but they also managed to cut off the enemy's southward escape route.

By the time the morning sun had fully risen, the enemy finally could not resist and began to surrender in large numbers.

The battlefield gradually fell silent.

＝＝＝

Midday.

Li Hong set up a large camp on the bank of the Ling River, five miles away from the battlefield.

Although Li Hong's injury was not serious, after fighting in the middle of the night, he was very tired and lay down on the river embankment and fell asleep. After a short time, he heard someone talking in a daze, and hurriedly opened his eyes. He saw Shi Sangyang, the head of the Taiwei Mansion, and his marching Sima Zuoyan standing not far away, talking and laughing.

Sang Yang saw that he was awake and happily congratulated him.

Li Hong waved his hand, invited the two of them to sit down, and asked with a smile, "Did you just arrive?" ”

"In the morning, we set off from Lingtai Mountain. On the way we caught some prisoners, and we were delayed for a while, so we were a little late. Zuo Yan replied, "My lord, just now Sima Yingtong from other departments sent someone to report, and they chased more than fifty miles south, but they did not catch Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou. Now they are rushing back with their captives. ”

Li Hong nodded and asked Sang Yang, "Lord Sang, judging from the direction of the enemy's escape, will they pass through Duyang?" ”

Sang Yang shook his head and said, "They bypassed Duyang and crossed Qishan, although they walked a little more, they could also go back to Liangzhou." It's just that now they are fleeing in a panic, there is no food, and if they are hungry, they may also kill back to Duyang. ”

Zuo Yan said with a smile: "A few days ago, when they withdrew from Duyang City, they had already ransacked Duyang. Kill it now, can you find something to eat? ”

Sang Yang smiled slightly and said: "This place is located at the junction of Youfufeng County and Anding County of Liangzhou, a small county town like Duyang within a radius of several hundred miles, if you want to find food, you have to go there to find a way." ”

At this time, Zhao Yun hurriedly ran over and shouted loudly: "My lord, good news, good news, I have caught Beigong Boyu." ”

Li Hong was overjoyed, stood up and asked, "How did you catch it?" ”

Zhao Yun said with a smile: "Lord Du Lieutenant sent someone to send a message saying that it was discovered by chance by a few Qianghu soldiers when they were cleaning up the battlefield. Beigong Boyu was seriously injured and had been lying unconscious on the battlefield. ”

Mulberry sheep happily clapped their hands and applauded loudly.

"What about our losses? Have you ever counted it? Li Hong hurriedly asked.

"Yes, sir." Zhao Yun's face darkened, and he said in a low voice: "The cavalry has lost more than 1,400 people, the infantry has lost more than 12,300 people, and more than 5,400 people have been seriously injured, and now only about 30,000 people can continue to fight. ”

Li Hongru was hit hard, and his complexion changed greatly. He stared blankly at the river, and was speechless for a moment of sadness.

He felt very uncomfortable. He said that he wanted to bring them back and bring them back to Jizhou, but in the first battle, more than 10,000 people were buried in a foreign land, and he felt that it was difficult for him to accept. Although he knew that there would be sacrifices in war, he just couldn't accept it, and he couldn't accept it more and more. In the past, he led few troops, and after fighting in the first battle, he only lost a few thousand people at most, but now with 50,000 soldiers, more than 10,000 people died in the first battle, and he felt like he had chopped his own flesh, and the pain was unbearable.

Li Hong sat on the grass in despair, staring blankly at the blue sky, speechless for a long time.

Sang Yang and Zuo Yan looked at each other in surprise when they saw Li Hong's sad appearance, and they both felt that Li Hong's feelings were too immature. But thinking that he is young and has not been in the army for a long time, it is normal for him to not be able to accept such a large number of casualties in the army for a while. Everyone has a process of growth, and veterans also come from recruits step by step. Even if Li Hong became the main general, he also needed a process of adapting to the increasingly heavy bloodshed on the battlefield. No one is born ruthless, no matter how old a person is, he will cry because he is moved and because of pain.

After a while, Li Hong gradually recovered from his great grief.

He looked at Zhao Yun who was squatting beside him and asked in a low voice, "What about the enemy?" How much did the enemy flee approximately? ”

"The rebels killed more than 27,000 people, wounded more than 4,700, and captured more than 15,400 people, and we estimate that the rest escaped, about 5,000 people." Zhao Yun said disappointedly, "Among them is Li Wenhou." Many of the captured enemy soldiers said they saw Li Wenhou fleeing south with his men. ”

Li Hong shook his head and said very dissatisfied: "We attacked at night, and we even killed more than 13,000 soldiers......

"Our losses are mainly infantry." Sang Yang sat next to him and comforted him in a low voice, "Li Zhonglang was able to use a dense infantry phalanx to fight the enemy's cavalry, which is already very remarkable. In the past ten years, on the battlefield of Xiliang, the battle of more than 40,000 enemies can be annihilated at one time, that is, the Linghe Battle commanded by Li Zhonglang. ”

Zuo Yan sighed softly and didn't say anything. In the Yellow Turban Army, he witnessed the death of more than 100,000 people, hundreds of thousands, and he was numb to the blood and cruelty on the battlefield. On the battlefield, human life is like ants, what can a little pity and sorrow change?

"Although these Qiang people have no formal training, they are naturally tyrannical and aggressive, and each of them is quite capable of fighting. We were able to achieve such a result entirely because of a sneak attack, which caught them by surprise. If during the day, we have a face-to-face battle with them, 50,000 against 50,000, there is no chance of winning at all. Sang Yang continued, "Although our losses are a little greater, after all, we have eliminated more than 40,000 rebels in Xiliang, captured Beigong Boyu, and completed Lord Taiwei's plan. The entire Xiliang War situation is about to undergo earth-shaking changes because of the fall of Beigong Boyu, and the day of the defeat of the rebels is just around the corner. ”

Li Hong reluctantly smiled and said, "Lord Changshi has this confidence? ”

Sang Yang was very excited, and he smiled: "With such a brave and good fighting force as Li Zhonglang and Fengyun Iron Cavalry, how can the Xiliang rebels be an opponent?" ”

Li Hong pointed to the battlefield in the distance and said: "If the Xiliang rebels are so difficult to fight, even if I have more troops, I can't afford such losses." If we continue to fight like this, our troops in Youzhou, Jizhou will be finished immediately. After the army is finished, what else is there to talk about pacifying Xiliang? Adults look up to us. ”

Immediately, Li Hong turned his head to Zhao Yun and said, "Zilong, inform the Evergrande people and assemble the cavalry immediately." Send someone to tell Lord Xian Yufu and ask him to immediately order Lord Yan to gather troops. At the same time, he ordered the people of Evergrande, Lord Yan, Lord Gao and Lord Fang to come to the camp of the Chinese army immediately. ”

＝＝＝

Heng Sai was the first to rush to Li Hong's big tent.

Li Hong pointed to Duyang City on the map and said to Heng Xi, "You rush to Duyang immediately. ”

"I'm not sure if Li Wenhou led the defeated army into Duyang City again, but we know that the rebels have nothing to eat, no food at all, and it is difficult for them to survive except killing war horses. Therefore, each of you took two war horses, set off immediately, chased them all the way, and marched continuously for more than two hundred miles at the fastest speed to reach Duyang. ”

"The enemy is being chased by you, hungry and tired, and in desperation, it is possible to re-enter Duyang City and temporarily avoid your pursuit. If they enter the city, surround the city and wait for the main force to arrive. ”

Heng Sai carefully looked at the map and asked, "My lord, are you sure they fled in the direction of Duyang?" ”

Li Hong pointed to the mulberry sheep and said with a smile: "Lord Changshi of the Taiwei Mansion is very familiar with the terrain. Lord Sang was very sure that if the rebels fled south, they could only pass through Duyang, cross Qishan to reach the vicinity of the Weishui River, and then flee west to Liangzhou. Duyang is a must for the rebels. ”

"My lord, what if the enemy doesn't enter the city and flees directly to Qishan?" Heng Priest then asked.

"Just give up." Li Hong said, "Give up." The army will return to Fufeng County tomorrow, and you will wait for us to go back together in Duyang. ”

Sang Yang asked in surprise: "Li Zhonglang, why did you withdraw?" If you destroy Beigong Boyu, there will be no enemies in Anding County, and you can recover several county towns in Anding County very smoothly, and the soldiers can also make war exploits again. Why don't adults do such a good thing? Do you want to give up all the merits of the war to recover Anding County to others? ”

Li Hong smiled bitterly and said: "In the battle of Linghe, we suffered huge losses, and now there are only 30,000 people who can fight, except for the dead and wounded, and everyone is exhausted and needs to rest urgently. In addition, we did not bring enough food, we only brought 15 days of food and grass. If I don't withdraw and go, who will give us food and drink? ”

Li Hong glanced at Sang Yang and said, "Lord Sang, Anding County is vast and sparsely populated, just a small county with a population of tens of thousands, and an army of 3,000 stationed in Anding can solve all problems. Tens of thousands of us have gone in, and the problem of food and grass is too difficult to solve, so there is really no need to cause this trouble. We appreciate the kindness of adults. ”

Sang Yang shook his head, smiled in disbelief, and said, "Li Zhonglang is really generous. ”

Li Hong smiled indifferently and said, "I don't know if adults are willing to walk with Evergrande people?" They are not familiar with the terrain and Du Yang, so I don't know if adults can ......."

"Yes, yes." Sang Yang said, "I personally accompanied the Evergrande people. If Li Wenhou can be captured in Duyang, the credit will be much greater than the recovery of Anding County. ”

The people in the big tent laughed.

Li Hong, Zuo Yan and others sent the mulberry sheep out of the big tent.

Zuo Yan looked at Sang Yang's back and asked with a smile: "My lord, ...... you take Sang away at this time?"

"Beigong Boyu is in stability with a force of 50,000 people, and he must have a lot of money in his hands to operate in the two counties of Beidi, otherwise how can he maintain the expenses of the troops? I want to keep this money and reward the soldiers. If the Captain asks in the future, I will push it off. Anyway, Master Sang is not here, they have no evidence, what can they do with me? ”

Zuo Yan smiled: "If Master Sang stays here, he will definitely know?" ”

Li Hong glanced at him and said with a smile: "We are not familiar with him, it is better to avoid a little bit so as not to cause trouble." ”

Yan Liang, Gao Ran and Fang Biao galloped over.

Li Hong greeted him from afar, saw that Gao Ran was bandaged in several places, and asked painfully, "Is the injury serious?" ”

Gao Ran grinned and nodded, and said, "I have been resting for several months, and I was injured in the first battle, which is too unlucky." How about the injury of an adult? ”

Li Hong patted his leg and said helplessly: "It hurts." ”

Yan Liang said with a smile: "Next time we will propose to Lord Assassin Wei that an article should be added to the military discipline, and the leader must stay away from the battlefield to command, otherwise he will be deducted for one year." ”

Li Hong waved his hand and said with a smile: "What's in it for you?" Aren't you the leader now? ”

Fang Biao said with a smile: "Lord Yan probably killed refreshed and forgot." ”

Yan Liang said: "How can I, the main general, compare with the adult, who is the commander of an army......

"Alright, alright...... "stop talking nonsense." You immediately set off and rushed to Duyang. He immediately said his thoughts, and then said: "If Li Wenhou occupies Duyang and is surrounded by Heng Sacrifice, he will definitely break through." So you have to be faster and rush to Duyang as early as possible to support. ”

The three of them hurriedly took their leave.

＝＝＝

Li Wenhou led his troops for seventy or eighty miles in one breath before stopping.

The soldiers fought with the Han army on the battlefield for half the night, and then were chased by the iron cavalry for half a day, one by one tired and hungry, almost lying on their horses.

Li Wenhou ordered the soldiers to kill horses to satisfy their hunger. There is no food, only killing war horses to eat, first fill the stomach and then talk. The scattered soldiers who fled all the way gathered under his battle banner one after another, and in a short time, there were even four or five thousand people.

Seeing Nie Xiao, Li Wenhou was so angry that he couldn't wait to stomp on him. But now that Nie Xiao had more than 2,000 people in his hands, he didn't dare to kill him casually, so he had to scold him. The two sat together dejectedly and discussed how to escape back to Liangzhou.

Now there is only one way, which is to cross Qishan from Duyang to Weishui, and then cross Weishui to escape to Hanyang County. The road over Qishan was difficult, the time was long, and there was no food, so it was very likely that the soldiers would scatter in a hurry. Just when the two of them were frowning and hesitant, Heng Xi chased after him with the Fengyun Iron Horse.

Li Wenhou and Nie Xiao hurriedly led their troops and continued to escape.

The next morning, the rebels fled to Duyang. The soldiers fled for more than 200 miles in a row, and the men were tired and tired, and it was good to be able to continue riding on their horses. Many of the wounded could not support it, so they simply gave up fleeing halfway, and their lives and deaths were decided. At this time, the rebels just can't enter Duyang City. If you continue to escape, you will immediately be wiped out.

Heng Sai immediately commanded the troops to surround Duyang City.

On the morning of the third day, Yan Liang rushed to Duyang with his infantry.

After Li Wenhou and his soldiers rested for a day in Duyang, they were still preparing to break through, but when they saw the infantry of the Han army arriving, they couldn't help but think of the unbreakable phalanx on the Linghe battlefield, and their hearts suddenly despaired to the extreme.

On the fifth day, Li Hong rushed to Duyang with a large army.

Sang Yang and Zuo Yan took Li Hong's report documents and immediately rushed to Yongxian.

After the various units of the counterinsurgency army followed the rebels into Hanyang County, Liangzhou, Tai Lieutenant Zhang Wen moved the battalion to Yongxian, where he commanded the entire Xiliang battlefield.

＝＝＝

After Zhang Wen read the document and listened to Sang Yang's narration, the whole person was full of energy.

"This is our first victory, the first real victory since the Xiliang Rebellion." Zhang Wen shouted excitedly and said loudly, "Quick, quick, immediately report to Your Majesty, and ride eight hundred miles to report the victory." ”

"Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou's 50,000 troops have been solved, and the matter of Xiliang quelling the rebellion is half completed." Zhang Wen stood up and laughed loudly, "If General Zhou can quickly deal with Han Sui, the Xiliang rebels will be swept away, and the matter of countering the rebellion will be settled." ”

"Lord Changshi, you immediately start another book, describe in detail the course of the Linghe War, talk about Li Zhonglang's merits, and tell Your Majesty that Li Zhonglang is the blessed general of my Han." Zhang Wen pointed to the mulberry sheep and said with a laugh.

Seeing that Lord Taiwei was so excited, Sang Yang and a group of staff members of Taiwei's Mansion were very happy and agreed again and again.

"Gongzu, immediately send the order to send the news of Linghe's victory to the front line as soon as possible, so that the soldiers on the front line will also be happy and happy, and boost their morale."

Tao Qian hurriedly agreed.

Zhang Wen immediately saw Zuo Yan.

"This is the Zuo Sima mentioned in Li Zhonglang's book?"

Zuo Yan hurriedly bowed to the shrine.

Zhang Wen was in a very good mood, and personally stepped forward to help him up and greeted him twice.

Zuo Yan said slowly: "My lord sent me here because I need to consult Lord Taiwei's opinion on important matters?" ”

Zhang Wen said: "Tell me, what's the matter?" ”

"It's how to deal with Beigong Boyu and the Qiang captives." Zuo Yan said, "This matter is very important, and if it is not handled well, it will affect Lord Taiwei's Xiliang counterinsurgency plan, so Lord Taiwei specially sent me to ask Lord Taiwei's opinion." After the Battle of Linghe, there were only more than 30,000 troops left. Now that we have to guard the prisoners and prepare to attack the city, the troops seem to be very tight, and we cannot concentrate on the siege at all, so my lord hopes that the captain will give an answer as soon as possible. ”

Zhang Wen was stunned for a moment, obviously a little caught off guard, and then he smiled and said: "Li Zhonglang is thoughtful, this matter is indeed very important. ”

He asked Zuo Yan to sit back on the seat, groaned to himself, and slowly walked back to the desk, and did not speak for a long time. It's not that he didn't think about this problem, but firstly, the possibility of catching Beigong Boyu is very small, and secondly, how to deal with Beigong Boyu is directly related to Xiliang's counterinsurgency and future stability, so he felt that it was very tricky, so he didn't think about it deeply. Now that Li Hong has seized Beigong Boyu, this issue has immediately become a top priority.

Beigong Boyu's prestige in the Qianghu in the western Xinjiang is very high, and killing him is likely to provoke more rebellions in the Qianghu. Will the rebellions in Xiliang intensify because of the death of Beigong Boyu? But he had no right not to kill him. If you want to pardon Beigong Boyu, you must play the emperor. But if it is played, it must explain the reason for not killing Beigong Boyu, and it must be a very convincing reason, otherwise, his fate may be almost the same as that of Huangfu Song.

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