Wang Jingchong retreated to Fengxiang Mansion. After receiving the news, Zhao Hui was not in a hurry to attack. He first ordered all armies to gather the rebels and clear the battlefield. After an afternoon of bloody fighting, the two armies suffered casualties, but the Fengxiang army suffered greater losses, which was considered a small victory for the official army.
Guo Xin no longer had to go to the surrounding areas to defend himself, but he felt very annoyed when he returned to the camp. His Tiger Shooting Army did not have many soldiers and horses to begin with. After this battle, after excluding those who were killed and injured and lost their combat effectiveness, Wang Huan's Horse Army still had about 200 horses left. The heaviest losses were caused by Qi Tingxun and his own The two commanders of the infantry were basically reduced by 30%, and the Shehu Army suddenly could not even make up a thousand men.
I really didn’t expect that the losses in my first field battle would be greater than those in the three siege battles! If he continues to fight like this, he won't get much merit, but he has to go back to Tokyo first.
He was distressed when Zhang Chenghua walked into the tent and said, "Commander, the casualties have been recorded on the list."
Guo Xin responded, took the roster and flipped through two pages. He gently touched the nicknames such as Ergou and Yanger with his fingers, and couldn't help but sigh: "We have come a long way, and although we have made some achievements, we also have this disadvantage." Fewer casualties. Although the brothers did not die for me, I always feel sorry for them."
Zhang Chenghua hadn't left yet, so he stood waiting for Guo Xin to ask for anything. Hearing this, he said without hesitation: "We warriors will sacrifice their lives for whomever we get money and food. If we lose our lives on the battlefield, it will be over. What's more, now that the court has done something about it, We also provide pensions to the brothers’ families, which is better than ordinary people freezing to death and starving to death or being casually killed by bandits from the rebel army.”
"When we serve as soldiers, we should not only protect ourselves, but also change these things." Guo Xin pondered slightly, raised his head and took a closer look at Zhang Chenghua, and saw that his beard was unkempt and his face looked tired. Fortunately, his arms and legs were still intact. .
He paused for a while and then said slowly: "After this battle, as the commander-in-chief, I didn't do much. Vice-General Zhang's contribution is greater than mine."
This is true. The Shehu Army could remain undefeated in the battle at Donggouhe, and Zhang Chenghua was indispensable for commanding the response in the formation. On the other hand, he spent most of his time fighting small groups of enemy cavalry. Although he shot and killed an enemy general, his effect was obviously no greater than that of Zhang Chenghua.
"I don't dare!" Zhang Chenghua hurriedly refused with his fists clasped after hearing this: "If it weren't for Commander Guo's care, I would probably still be a general."
Seeing that Zhang Chenghua misunderstood what he meant, Guo Xin turned to him and said cordially: "Having said that, from Taiyuan Mansion to today, how can I not be without the support and care of the soldiers? Vice General Zhang can go down and tell the brothers that when he returns from this battle After Beijing, I will not take any rewards, but will distribute them all to the fallen and meritorious soldiers."
Zhang Chenghua grinned and said: "Commander Guo has always been very kind to the soldiers below. Everyone knows what he is doing and regards him as one of their own."
After Zhang Chenghua left, Guo Xin still sat in the tent and reflected. He thought to himself: Although the heavy losses of the Shehu Army were due to the overwhelming force from the opposite side, it was probably also due to the fact that his command had not experienced field battles since it was established. Field battles are indeed very different from sieges. The coordination between infantry, cavalry, bows and crossbows, the offense and defense of each army, and even the orderly advance and retreat of the army all test the generals' combat qualities. From this point of view, Wang Jingchong was able to withdraw his troops promptly and reliably despite losing on both sides, which is quite impressive.
No wonder Wang Jingchong was able to defeat the Shu army several times last year. It seems that this man does have some abilities. I should also make more preparations in advance and not just listen to Zhao Hui's pre-war deployment. For example, after crossing the river, try to move closer to Zhao Hui's central army in the south. Maybe I won't have to fight the enemy cavalry alone, right?
At this time, someone outside the tent wanted to see Guo Xin and made a noise in the military camp, interrupting Guo Xin's meditation.
The soldiers came in to report, and they said it was Zhao Yanjin who came.
Guo Xin was a little surprised when he heard this. During the Battle of Donggouhe, Zhao Hui did not send troops to rescue the Shehu Army, but went to rescue Zhao Yanjin. This incident made Qi Tingxun and Wang Huan secretly have some opinions about the Zhao family and his son, but Guo Xin felt that to be honest, this incident could not be entirely blamed on Zhao Yanjin and Zhao Hui.
After all, no one knew exactly how Wang Jingchong arranged his formation before the two armies engaged. Perhaps Wang Jingchong expected that the Han cavalry would cross the river from the downstream ford, so he deliberately concentrated spears and crossbows on the south right wing? It is human nature for Zhao Hui to choose one of the two to rescue Zhao Yanjin, but the Shehu Army, as a "victim", is emotionally unacceptable for the moment.
He thought that after shooting the Tiger Army, he would have to listen to Zhao Hui's control. Naturally, he could not make the relationship too tense, so he ordered his soldiers to invite Zhao Yanjin in first.
Zhao Yanjin didn't even take off his armor and walked into the tent in disgrace. Guo Xin stood up to greet him and saluted with clasped fists: "I don't know that General Zhao is here and he is not welcome from afar. I don't know what is going on with General Zhao?"
Unexpectedly, when Zhao Yanjin heard this, he immediately knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and lowered his head, saying: "Today in the battle, thanks to the Shehu Army holding a stalemate with the enemy on the right, my father was able to send troops to save me from the crisis. If the Shehu Army hadn't been there, , that’s all. I’m afraid that my life will be lost here. I’m afraid that the army will be defeated on the left and right, unable to advance or retreat by the Donggou River, and the overall situation will be missed! Therefore, I came here to apologize to Commander Guo." After saying this, he glanced aside.
Guo Xin was immediately stunned. When he saw Zhao Yanjin still kneeling on the ground, he quickly asked Zhao Yanjin to get up first and persuaded him nicely: "It is the duty of our army to fight the enemy. Fortunately, we did not lose the battle and saved the face of the imperial army." . As for General Zhao being trapped in the enemy’s formation, it’s just the enemy’s cunning, who can blame him?”
Zhao Yanjin stood up: "Having said that, I heard that the Shehu Army suffered a lot of losses, and I feel really ashamed. What's more, I didn't know that Commander Guo was brave before, so I felt very disrespectful towards Commander Guo. Who knew that Commander Guo was actually in the chaos of the army? I was struck by an arrow and killed Wang Jingchong's son. Now that I think about it, I feel really despicable."
Guo Xin stopped Zhao Yanjin in confusion: "When did I kill Wang Jingchong's son?"
Zhao Yanjin patted his forehead: "It seems that before I had time to tell you, didn't Commander Guo shoot and kill an enemy general wearing a red robe? That person was Wang Jingchong's son Wang Derang."
Guo Xin's doubts turned into surprise. He didn't expect that the enemy general had some background, and he accidentally ate a big fish.
Guo Xin waved his hand and said: "Forget it, the war has been decided, there is no need to mention these things again. You don't have to always call me Commander Guo. If you want, just call me Guo Lang."
The two chatted for a while, and Zhao Yanjin gradually showed the cheerfulness of a warrior and said with a smile: "In that case, my worries are at ease. My father still has military affairs, so it is inconvenient for me to stay with Guo Lang for a long time. , I hope there will be a day to fight side by side with Guo Lang."
