Qi Yoyo sent a team of elite cavalry to catch up and intercept, but they were blocked by the eight second-generation ancestors who said, "I will not accept the order of the foreign king." She was so angry that she wanted to tie up these eight idiots and hang them.
Xiao Chong didn't take it seriously.
I feel that these second-generation ancestors should be allowed to face cruelty and see the world, otherwise they will always think that war is so easy and comfortable, that cities and military exploits are so easy to obtain, and they will think that the soldiers who protect their families and country are nothing special.
These second-generation ancestors will be in charge of the empire in the future, and their thoughts and attitudes will determine the future posture of the empire, so they must be allowed to grow and mature.
Although Qi Yoyo agreed with Xiao Chong's point of view, he was still worried and hurriedly led the remaining 80,000 soldiers to pursue him.
The eight men took away a total of 270,000 troops, all of whom they brought with them.
There are a total of 500,000 troops in this expedition, of which 400,000 are the tribes brought by these second-generation ancestors. Only 100,000 are local Yancheng soldiers. Among these 100,000, there are 20,000 logistics troops.
In twenty-three days, eight first-level main cities were captured, with a total battle loss of more than 140,000.
If it were a normal siege, these battle losses would not be much, but they were attacking a defeated division with little fighting will left, so the battle losses would appear to be too much.
If it weren't for the second-generation ancestors' repeated greed for credit, Qi Yoyo would be confident that this number could be reduced by 50,000.
However, what caught Qi Yoyo off guard was that in just two days, the battle damage more than doubled.
The 270,000 aggressive troops plunged into the rebel ambush. The battle was horrific, almost a one-sided massacre.
If Qi Yoyo hadn't arrived with his army and fought at all costs to break through the rebels' iron-barrel encirclement and help the besieging army break out, the 270,000-strong army would have been completely wiped out.
The army was defeated like a mountain.
Qi Yoyo led his army to flee.
The rebels were like hungry wolves, chasing and attacking, and the number of battle losses increased at an extremely fast rate.
Qi Yoyo soon discovered that this was a premeditated ambush, because the opponent was a combat force of 300,000 fully armed, energetic, and with extraordinary combat effectiveness. This was definitely the core elite of the rebels. Logically speaking, it was not It should appear here.
To the north and west of Xiehuang Ridge, the rebels have made it clear that they have given up. Their attitude has been made clear. They will use Xiehuang Ridge as a natural moat and will not give in. They will occupy the southeastern corner of the empire and form a country of their own, and then slowly plan for it.
Therefore, the core elite of the rebels should not fight across Xiehuang Ridge, because it is a meaningless loss for the core elite to fight across Xiehuang Ridge.
If it is to vent bad anger and boost the morale of the army, it is understandable, but it is a bit strange to pursue, intercept, and insist on not letting go. Aren't you afraid of falling into the ambush of the Imperial Army?
Qi Yoyo thought for a long time but couldn't figure out why the rebels were suddenly so violent and crazy, until she Wu Guang inadvertently glanced at the eight second-generation ancestors, and a thought suddenly passed through her mind, and she couldn't help but guess that the rebels were not Could it be that they are here for these eight second-generation ancestors who are less successful than others and more likely to fail?
These eight second-generation ancestors are very valuable. If they can be captured alive, they can definitely be exchanged for considerable wealth or food supplies. They can also delay the empire's offensive and buy them precious time to stabilize their foundation.
The more Qi Yoyo thought about it, the more he felt that this should be the case, otherwise the rebels would have no reason to cling to them.
On the night of August 15th, the moon was full and the wind was slightly cool.
It was supposed to be a quiet and peaceful night, but Qi Yoyo and her remaining 160,000 defeated troops were still running away in a hurry, not in the mood to enjoy the gentle breeze under the bright white moonlight.
Just a few days ago, they had 350,000 troops.
It's hard to imagine what kind of brutal battles they have been going through these past few days.
"I feel that my body has reached its limit. The soldiers must be on the verge of collapse. We should order the army to stop and rest for a few hours. The rebels are not made of iron. They have to stop and rest. There is no way they can catch up with us. ." Hong Yehua, the son of a third-rank minister, said rather displeasedly. After several days of running on the run, he felt that all his bones were about to fall apart.
"I'm almost at my limit too."
"It's better to endure it. If you are surrounded by rebels again, without your request, the bloody butcher knife of the rebels will be happy to let you close your eyes and rest forever."
"Be content. If it weren't for a few of us, the soldiers would be lying in Tianling City sleeping soundly."
As soon as these words came out, several people immediately fell silent, leaving only the sound of the galloping horses' hooves.
Although on the surface they were still clinging to the honor of their second ancestor, everyone knew in their hearts that it was none other than the eight of them who had caused the current desolate situation.
It was their wanton behavior, disobedience to military discipline, disobedience to orders, blind arrogance, and greed for success that cost hundreds of thousands of soldiers their lives, turning the proud army that had been advancing steadily and winning a complete victory into a total enemy. The defeated army fled in panic like a bereaved dog.
They brought great disgrace to this expedition.
"Why don't you think she punished us?" After a while, someone suddenly broke the silence and asked, and the "she" in his mouth naturally meant Qi Yoyo.
After Qi Yoyo rescued them from the rebel encirclement, he didn't say a word of scolding to them.
"Do you really want to be slapped with a military stick?" Someone next to him glanced at him angrily.
The man was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed and said with a wry smile: "I didn't want it before, but this time - I always feel panicked unless I get hit a few times."
"Me too." Someone echoed in a low voice.
The atmosphere was depressing and silent again.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? Victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Isn't it just a loss? It's not like there's no chance of a comeback. Let's go back and regroup, then come back and kill these bastards!" Wei Nian couldn't stand it anymore and everyone was shouting. He had a sad face and shouted angrily.
He is the son of Marquis Wei Changping. If he wants to inherit his father's Marquis title intact, he needs to have special contributions to the empire, and military exploits are naturally the most convincing ones.
"Brother Wei is right. Victory and defeat are common things in military affairs. We cannot become decadent just because of one failure. A man should be able to bend and stretch, and become more courageous with every setback." One person echoed loudly.
"Hey -" one person suddenly let out a long sigh and said with a sad expression: "When I went out, I swore to the soldiers that we are going to Yancheng to collect our merits this time. I will ensure that you will return with a full load, attract the attention of everyone, and be promoted to the third level.
The results of it?
Of the 50,000 good men, there are now only more than 8,000 left.
I - I can't even imagine how the parents, wives and children of the more than 40,000 broken families will look at me when I return to Ningcheng with the remaining 8,000 people.
If I were to fight a rebel soldier against a general, and fight to the death without regrets, even if I was the only one left alive, I could go back with my back straight and proudly tell their parents, wives and children that their son, Well done to my husband and father. I didn't embarrass the men of Ningcheng or the men of the empire. Ningcheng is proud of them and the empire is proud of them.
But no.
It was my arrogance and greed for success that caused them to run into the enemy's ambush, causing them to die unworthy and unjustly!
I—I don’t have the shame to go back to Ningcheng! "
After saying this, he burst into tears and even beat his head with remorse and self-blame.
He has realized his mistake, but the price he paid is too heavy for him to bear.
After listening to his words, several other people also felt panicked, and their faces gradually turned pale and lost a lot of color.
Isn't that what they are?
But what was supposed to be a joyful comedy was ruined by them and turned into a tragedy.
"You can't blame us entirely. Who knew the rebels would be ambushing you there?" Hong Yehua yelled, squeezing his neck, but listening to his murmuring tone, it was clear that even he himself was shocked when he said this. Not convinced.
"Who is to blame? The rebels? Or Qi Yoyo? The sky is too dark and the moon is not bright enough? Or is it the horse that ran too fast and rushed into the enemy's encirclement without reacting?" Some people ridiculed, but they were also self-deprecating.
"Blame me for being careless, blame me for underestimating the enemy, blame me for not being strict with my subordinates. When I return to Yancheng, I will make a deep self-examination and apologize to the general!" Qi Yoyo said to Xiao Chong, blaming herself in every possible way.
The sudden huge defeat completely shattered her ambition during this period, and taught her a profound lesson. There is no such thing as trivial matters on the battlefield. Even when facing an enemy no matter how weak it is, she must work hard and improve. Be extremely prepared and vigilant, otherwise this will be the end.
An arrogant soldier will be defeated.
Xiao Chong said: "I let them leave, and I bear the main responsibility. However, now is not the time to blame myself. Have you figured out how to deal with the rebels' pursuit?"
Qi Yoyo frowned and said: "Our army has been fighting continuously for the past few months, and its physical strength and energy are far inferior to the elite troops of the rebels. According to the current situation, it will be a matter of time for the rebels to catch up. If we are caught up in the wild, , they will surely collapse thousands of miles away, leaving corpses everywhere, so I want to reject the city and defend it."
Xiao Chong nodded, he thought the same thing, and asked: "Are you in Gannan City ahead?"
"No." Qi Yoyo shook his head and said, "Gannan City is too big, and I'm afraid it won't be able to defend it with limited troops. I plan to go to Fuzhou to the west of Gannan City. Although the city wall is lower than the main city, its defensive range is also smaller, so Our current strength is enough to fully defend. The rebels will not dare to stay here for a long time, so we only need to hold on for a few days, and the danger of siege will be lifted."
"Okay, then let's go to Fuzhou." Xiao Chong nodded in agreement.
"I heard that your situation is not optimistic, but I didn't expect it to be so pessimistic." A voice sounded from the side.
As soon as Qi Yoyo heard the sound, his eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly followed the sound and asked in surprise: "Why are you here?"
"Because you are here." Zhang Xiaozu replied with a smile.
Qi Yoyo's frown spread out, and the corners of her mouth slowly raised into a beautiful smile.
