After suffering huge losses, Zhao Yulong had no choice but to retreat.
Ning Hu and Zhao Zhenhai did not choose to pursue. The reason was very simple. The size of the army was too large. A rash pursuit might lead to a loose formation and unpredictable risks.
Moreover, behind Zhao Yulong was Dingtao County, which contained a large number of defenders. Even a forced pursuit could not prevent Zhao Yulong from retreating back to Dingtao County.
However, the battle was won, and it was won with a high battle loss ratio, which was enough to severely damage the morale of the imperial army.
In addition, the imperial troops invading the northern border have also been blocked by various forces in the northern border. Even the three generals sent troops to join the battle to intercept the invaders on the south side of the northern border and prevent the war from continuing to expand.
As a result, there are not many choices left for Zhao Yulong.
Either launch a strong attack again and make a desperate move.
Either retreat immediately and declare the Northern Expedition failed.
The last result, and the worst result, is to wait for logistical supply difficulties to backfire on the entire army, and ultimately cause immeasurable damage to Daliang.
Although the inns near the battlefield were hit, the news spread back to Kyoto.
The atmosphere above the court has become extremely depressing.
All the officials, no one said a word, were quietly waiting for Emperor Liang to express his position.
Emperor Liang was sitting on pins and needles at this time and could only brainstorm ideas from his courtiers.
"The situation in the northern battlefield is extremely unfavorable to our army. It is difficult to break through the frontal battlefield, and the plan to fully invade the northern border is also blocked."
"The rear supply line has been hit hard!"
"If we can't find a way to turn the tide, I'm afraid this battle will be unfavorable."
After hearing this, the officials still lowered their heads and said nothing, but their hearts were filled with resentment.
Turn the tide? Looking at the entire Liang Dynasty, the person who is most capable of turning the tide has been forced to become an enemy by Emperor Liang. Who else, except Qin Feng himself, can turn the tide and change this disastrous situation?
The courtiers, who had already been secretly angry, looked at Chen Zheng one after another.
Chen Zheng, as the representative, naturally had the duty to do so, and immediately loudly remonstrated: "Your Majesty should immediately order the withdrawal of troops and declare the Northern Expedition to be a failure."
"If we continue to fight, I, Daliang, will taste the bitter fruits of belligerence."
What Emperor Liang was most worried about finally happened, and the court officials began to put pressure on him.
It's not that Emperor Liang didn't want to withdraw, but he couldn't withdraw. Once he retreated in such an embarrassing manner, Liang would be unable to restore its national strength in the short term, and it would be even more impossible to do anything to Qin Feng.
By then, Huang Wei will also be severely damaged, and Emperor Liang will reap the consequences without even having to take action from Qin Feng.
He couldn't let such a thing happen, and immediately refuted: "This battle is related to the destiny of the country, how can we retreat in a hurry?"
"Chen Zheng, your position has been erratic since the beginning of the war. Do you want to hinder national policy?"
Facing Emperor Liang's questioning, Chen Zheng's eyes remained calm and his voice was still sonorous and powerful: "My position has never wavered."
"From the very beginning, I did not agree with fighting this war."
"Although our national strength in Daliang is stronger than that of the Northern Territory, after all, it takes the whole country to deal with the Northern Territory. Even if it is a whole country, it is still a strong force on the outside."
"Can we ignore the life and death of the people, dig deep into the ground, squeeze out the wealth, and then gather together into a thunderous strike to defeat the Northern Territory in one go?"
"No! We can't do it!"
"The forces that can be sent to fight in the northern border can only account for 20% of the national strength. Even so, it is enough to make the entire Liang people miserable."
"With 20% of the country's strength, trying to shake the northern border is nothing more than wishful thinking."
"Doesn't your Majesty know until now how high the armor rate in the north is?"
"Since Your Majesty doesn't know, I will tell you that for every ten thousand people in the northern army, there are three thousand heavily armored soldiers, and the rest of the troops are all wearing half armor and light armor."
"And war horses!"
"There are 20,000 pure cavalry in the north. In addition to the cavalry troops, even the infantry troops, including horses and livestock, can be allocated one to two thousand horses for every 10,000 people."
"In addition, for every 10,000 troops, there can be a logistics force ranging from 5,000 to 20,000. The strength of the logistics force depends on the combat mission."
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, how should we fight such a battle?"
Faced with Chen Zheng's series of questions, Emperor Liang was speechless.
Under Qin Feng's painstaking management, the Northern Territory was not only extremely rich, but also armed to the teeth.
The northern border is sandwiched in the middle, which can ensure that Daliang and Beidi will be free from war for a hundred years.
If such a rich and powerful area is to be conquered by force, not to mention that the force is equivalent, it must reach at least 70%.
But now that Daliang's national power is extremely limited, it can only allocate 20% of its strength to attack the northern border. This is not a war, but a death.
Emperor Liang was betting, and it was a big bet. He was betting that Zhao Yulong could defeat Qin Feng, and he was betting that Qin Feng was constrained by the safety of the people and did not dare to let go.
But the facts proved that Qin Feng thought of everything that Emperor Liang thought of.
Qin Feng only counterattacked once, and almost destroyed the logistics lines and communication channels of the entire northern battlefield. If Qin Feng had been more ruthless, the 20,000 cavalry would have attacked Kyoto in one go, which would have definitely caused chaos in the world.
But Qin Feng didn't do this. He was waiting for Daliang to wear himself out.
Or wait... for a political strongman to appear and directly depose Emperor Liang.
Obviously, this strong man has appeared, it is Chen Zheng.
Emperor Liang could only place his hope on Zhao Li: "Captain Zhao, what do you think of Chen Zheng's remarks?"
Zhao Li didn't want to fight for a long time, or he didn't want to fight at all, but now he, like Emperor Liang, was riding a tiger with difficulty. After all, his son Zhao Yulong was already on the opposite side of Qin Feng. It would be a bad idea to retreat at this time. end.
Zhao Li had no choice but to bite the bullet and respond: "I believe that we can't retreat. As the saying goes, if you make a big move, it will weaken again, and then you will be exhausted."
"If we want to fight, we must take the northern border at once. If we retreat, we will never have a chance again."
With Zhao Li's support, Emperor Liang was immediately confident.
Chen Zheng had long expected that Zhao Li would support Emperor Liang, so he did not hesitate and just bowed: "Since His Majesty refuses to retreat, let time prove how wrong his Majesty's decision today is."
After saying that, Chen Zheng bowed again, and before Emperor Liang could speak, he said in a deep voice: "I retire!"
As soon as Chen Zheng left, half of the courtiers retreated from the entire court in an instant.
This scene was equivalent to issuing an ultimatum to Emperor Liang. Emperor Liang felt pressured, but at the moment he still believed that the situation had not deviated from his control.
After Chen Zheng left the palace, he went directly to visit Li Yong, who had been under house arrest.
Li Yong, who was fishing, couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, and chuckled: "After waiting for so long, I finally made a comeback?"
"Hehehe!"
