Just when Li Chengqian was preparing to attack Yizhou City.
On the other side of the Eastern Front battlefield, the battle has also ended.
Of course, the final winner was not the Shu army.
From the 50,000 elites who left Shu, the number that later returned to Shu was less than 15,000.
This battle between the Shu army and the Shu army was not tragic.
The leader, Zhang Xiao, no longer had the high spirits and confidence he had at the beginning.
After this battle, not only the cronies around him died, but also those who escaped and those who were captured were captured.
Even he himself was shot through the shoulder by Gao Zhixing in the chaos.
The Shu army also showed a sense of mourning from top to bottom, with no desire to fight at all.
And Zhang Xiao also knew this situation.
Therefore, he did not continue to insist on confronting Gao Zhixing.
Instead, he decided to retreat to Shu first, and then consider it again after repelling Li Chengqian's group.
…
Inside Qutang Pass.
Guard general Xie Guangxian looked at the remaining defeated generals in front of him and couldn't tell what he felt in his heart.
Of course, there is more indignation than pity and sadness.
He just couldn't understand how 50,000 elite members of Shu were beaten like this?
This is not because Xie Guangxian looks down on Zhang Xiao.
In fact, this guy didn't do anything respectable.
You know, when the elite of the Shu army is in the hands of Li Ke, they are invincible.
In successive wars, it can be clearly seen that their advantages lie there.
Although the Shu army lacks military discipline, they are extremely courageous and fight hard. In particular, Shu has many mountains and hills, making them particularly good at mountain warfare.
Once upon a time, they also relied on this to beat the barbarians in the southern countries until they didn't even dare to show their heads.
From that time on, the people of the Tang Dynasty also called them the Second Fighting Group of the Tang Dynasty.
At the same time, the southern countries also called them the tigers stationed in the southern border of the Tang Dynasty.
But such an army, which had been praised by the outside world, was beaten to a miserable state under the leadership of Zhang Xiao.
Even from the beginning of the war to the end of the war, except for taking over Fuzhou City, which Gao Zhixing had given up defending, they never had the upper hand at all.
How can Xie Guangxian think highly of Zhang Xiao?
He sighed softly, then took a slow sip of tea and said, "General Zhang, it's not that I won't give you food supplies."
"It's just that you also know the situation at Qutang Pass."
"As the coast of the Yangtze River and the barrier to the east of Shu, this place cannot be lost."
"And the supplies in our army are quite abundant. If they are given to you, what will happen to my soldiers?"
"Are you planning to let my brother starve to fight?"
Xie Guangxian shook his head and said: "General Zhang, you'd better not think about this matter. If you have time, it's better to hurry up and pass the test."
"Wait until we get to the pass and then think about the issue of food and grass."
"This way, at least it will save the time for Gao Zhixing to catch up and scare the courage out of your remaining brothers."
This last sentence was obviously sarcastic and satirical to Zhang Xiao.
But what can Zhang Xiao do?
What could he say?
He himself lost the battle, what is there to explain?
This is the case among generals and the general public. If you win battles one after another, people will naturally admire you.
Of course, if you lose battles one after another, you will definitely not be able to hold your head up in front of your colleagues.
"That's not the case."
"Although these brothers under my command were temporarily defeated, they lost their momentum."
"But after all, they are also the elite team of our Shu region."
"As long as you take a little rest, you will be the same as before and invincible in a short time."
Zhang Xiao pursed his lips and said, "And the responsibility for this failure lies with me, and has nothing to do with my brothers."
"I, Zhang Xiao, am not as good as others. I have never beaten Gao Zhixing and Yuchi Jingde."
For the sake of the overall situation, Zhang Xiao is no longer afraid of embarrassment and loss of face.
He simply let go of his psychological shackles and satirized himself with Xie Guangxian.
In the end, even Xie Guangxian couldn't stand listening anymore.
It was true that Xie Guangxian was angry with Zhang Xiao for bringing his brother to death.
But after all, they are still colleagues and compatriots, and they still have to share the same hatred and hatred.
Therefore, he did not ridicule Zhang Xiao.
He turned around and said, "Okay, General Zhang, you don't have to say this anymore."
"I can see what's going on here."
"I'm just telling you that to remind you, don't be careless and underestimate the enemy in the future."
Xie Guangxian is not a trustworthy person, and what he said is not a lie.
This time's failure, no matter from which aspect, it was Zhang Xiao who underestimated the enemy.
If he could have prepared his logistics supply line in advance, how could Gao Zhixing destroy the Jigong Mountain main road?
If he could directly attack Gao Zhixing and leave them with no place to stay, how could they be blocked from the east and unable to return reinforcements?
If what he wanted was not to fight against Gao Zhixing, but to take a detour back to Shu, how could there be such a disastrous defeat later?
So in the final analysis, Zhang Xiao underestimated the enemy and did not take Gao Zhixing and his Xiangyang army seriously.
He thought that Gaozhi Guild would lead the Xiangyang army to defend step by step.
He thought that the Xiangyang army would collapse under the powerful offensive of the Shu army.
He thought that the combat power of his Shu army was enough to defeat the Xiangyang army...
In short, he was too wishful thinking, and he mistook the imperial team for those miscellaneous rebels in southern Xinjiang, which is why he ended up today.
As an outsider, Xie Guangxian saw things clearly.
That's why today, he wanted to deliberately make things difficult for Zhang Xiao.
And Zhang Xiao also knew what was going on with him.
Faced with the lesson from this man whose reputation was far behind him, Zhang Xiao was not angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "General Xie is absolutely right."
"In the future, I will definitely curb my arrogance, study the art of war and strategies, and never think about the things that are there and those that are not."
Speaking of this, Zhang Xiao paused.
He looked up at Xie Guangxian and said, "General Xie, if it is convenient, please lend me some military supplies first."
"When I return to Yizhou City and defeat the invading Liangzhou army, I will definitely ask for it from His Highness and then return it in full."
"Please thank General for trusting me once..."
After hearing these words, Xie Guangxian pursed his lips.
He looked up at Zhang Xiao, seeming to be thinking about it.
Seeing this, Zhang Xiao also hurriedly said: "General Xie, you also know that the situation in Yizhou is already very dangerous."
"Twenty thousand Liangzhou troops are approaching Yizhou City. If our army does not return for reinforcements, I am afraid that His Highness will abandon Yizhou City and retreat south or east."
"In that case, we brothers will lose our foundation."
"Let alone my brothers, even I have no intention of continuing to fight..."
"General Xie, you can kill or behead me if you want to in the future for your resentment towards me."
"But now is a critical period. You must put the overall situation first..."
If Zhang Xiao was begging Xie Guangxian at the beginning, then in the end it was a semi-threat.
"Okay, Zhang Xiao, beg me to do something and threaten me."
"But that's okay..."
He sneered at Zhang Xiao and said, "I can give you food, but you have to remember that I am not afraid of you, just because I am from Shu..."
