Under the attack of Shi Le's 30,000 light cavalry, the Jin army, which had gathered in a large formation, became a living target for the Hulu cavalry. Jin soldiers fell down after being hit by arrows.
However, the Jin army's infantry and bow counterattacks became increasingly weak, and the sparse bows and arrows could hardly cause effective damage to the Hulu cavalry guerrillas around.
Shi Le was riding on the horse, looking at the scene in front of him, feeling very happy.
Judging from the current situation, the 100,000 Jin court troops did not flee in a panic, and it was obvious that they had not lost their minds, because even if these 100,000 people could run, they would not be able to outrun Shi Le's cavalry.
"General, now the Jin army's defeat has been revealed. As long as our army attacks one of them with all its strength, it will definitely be defeated."
Shi Le's confidant Kong Chang spoke up.
After listening to Kong Chang's suggestion, Shi Le fell into thinking. Of course, he had already seen that the Jin army was defeated. As long as he launched a strong attack, he could complete his victory and completely defeat these Jin army in one battle.
However, Shi Le's men are all light cavalry. If they are dealing with ordinary stragglers or chasing down defeated troops, there will be no problem. However, if they are attacking a heavy infantry array gathered together, they can win. You will definitely have to bear a lot of losses.
If there are some so-called "sad soldiers" who are not afraid of death among the Jin army, they may have to suffer more casualties.
Just when Shi Le thought of this, Shi Zhangbing, the commander on the right next to him, immediately spoke up.
"No, general, these Jin troops are already on the verge of death. As long as we continue to intensify the harassment of cavalry and shooting, so that they cannot rest and settle down, it won't take long for the Jin army to lose morale and collapse. By then, we will use cavalry to clash with each other." , the Jin army will inevitably trample on each other and achieve complete victory without any effort."
Zhang Bin's words just touched Shi Le's heart.
The 30,000 troops under Shi Le, who were a mixture of barbarians and refugees, were already Shi Le's entire capital. It would be great if he could maintain his strength and annihilate these Jin troops.
"Youhou, it is indeed a prudent and sound strategy." Shi Le couldn't help but praise the right commander Zhang Bin.
Hearing this, Zhang Bin felt secretly proud and continued speaking positively.
"General, you can order the men in the army to attack the weak points of the Jin army with heavy troops. As long as one part of the Jin army breaks up and flees, the rest of the Jin army will definitely flee."
Shi Le squinted his brown-green eyes and looked up at the sky. The early summer sun was like a furnace, scorching the earth.
In this case, more than 100,000 Jin troops had to withstand the harassment of bows and arrows from the Hu and Han cavalry on the one hand, and on the other hand they were unable to get rest and water. Even if the Hu and Han cavalry did not attack heavily, it would not last long.
Because more than 100,000 hedgehogs gather together, it is impossible to march normally. Not to mention the command difficulties caused by poor information, drinking water for more than 100,000 people along the way is a big problem. If there is no river that is easy to get water, I'm afraid I won't be able to do anything in one day, except for the whole army to get water.
"Pass my order. The whole army must harass them all the time. Now it is divided into three armies. They will take turns to attack. Don't give the Jin army a chance to breathe!"
Following Shi Le's order, Kong Chang, Guo Heilue and others immediately took orders to arrange the arrangements.
Soon, the Hu and Han cavalry, like the wind, began to harass the Jin army with a more fierce attitude. The galloping horse hooves kicked up dust all over the sky, like a yellow poisonous mist, shrouding more than 100,000 Jin troops.
At this time, the sun was scorching and it was already noon.
Pinglu general Qian Duan, whose leg was trampled by the Hulu cavalry, was being carried by Zhou Heng, Han Hun and other old troops on wooden carriages. He saw the rising loess in the sky and the Hulu cavalry roaring back and forth. Qian Duan knew from his voice that these barbarians must have felt that the Jin Dynasty's army in Taiwan could not hold out for much longer.
Sure enough, as the Hulu cavalry became more and more courageous, many arrows flew over the crowd and fell into the Jin army's array. Qian Duan heard many Jin soldiers fall to the ground after being hit by arrows, and let out bursts of screams. .
"Take me to see General Zuowei!" Upon seeing this, Qian Duan immediately said to Zhou Heng and others.
"General, Sun Zuowei cannot be seen now. The Taiwei has summoned General Sun to the military department to discuss military plans."
An officer who had just returned from Zuowei General Sun Luo immediately told Qian Duan.
After hearing this, Qian Duan lowered his head and said nothing. After a long time, he finally sighed and said.
"The Hulu are so arrogant. If we continue to let them go like this, I'm afraid our army of 100,000 soldiers and ministers will be irretrievably defeated before nightfall."
After listening to Qian Duan's words, Zhou Heng, Han Hun and others all acquiesced in their hearts.
Since they left Ningping City in the early morning, they followed the army. In a whole morning and a half, they only walked about ten miles. At this speed, it would probably take two months to reach Xuzhou.
But in just half a day, these Jin troops were already hungry, thirsty and tired. If this continued, they would be killed by exhaustion without the Hulu cavalry charging into the formation.
"What should we do, general?" Zhou Heng finally couldn't help but ask.
"If we continue like this, the barbarians will continue to harass us, and they will kill us." Qian Duan looked up at the yellow dust in the sky, and continued, "The best way now is to leave a broken queen. The elite soldiers are used to hold off the Hulu pursuit, and the remaining people must be able to endure hunger and thirst, at least until they can cross the vortex in front of them. If they can reach the bitter city beside the vortex, they can rely on the vortex to If we postpone the Hulu pursuit for a while, if we can lead a strong force and inflict heavy damage on the Hulu, we can save everyone's lives."
After listening to Qian Duan's ideas, Zhou Heng, Han Hun and others present felt even more desperate, because Qian Duan's methods were impossible to implement based on the current situation.
Not to mention how to make more than 100,000 people endure hunger and thirst and arrive at Guoshui under heavy pursuit. It is completely impossible to leave an elite soldier with a broken rear. This kind of army with a broken rear is bound to die no matter how you look at it. The outcome, and given the current state of the Jin court soldiers, there are no elite soldiers available at all.
After General Pinglu Qian Duan finished speaking, he shook his head and smiled bitterly. He himself felt that it was impossible to realize his idea.
"Even if my method is implemented, it will be a very dangerous plan. I am afraid that even if I report it to General Zuowei, the lieutenant and the kings of the military department, they will definitely not implement it."
"Now, the road ahead is full of murderous opportunities. I'm afraid that we, the people, really have to hand over our lives here." Brigade Commander Zhou Heng said in a low tone.
"Oh, yes. Unless reinforcements can come to help, these sergeants will definitely have no intention of fighting to the death. It won't be long before they will be defeated and flee." Qian Duan sighed sadly.
Originally, if Qian Duan's leg was not injured, he would have thought of requesting orders from Taiwei Wang Yan and others to lead his troops to cover the army after the troops were cut off. But now, not only was Qian Duan injured in his leg and unable to move, but even his troops and horses were also injured. Most of the military officials were mobilized, and most of the Xingtai officials and officials who were used to cover the Chinese army were gone.
"Maybe the Qingzhou Army can really come to help?" At this time, an officer whispered.
Everyone listened in silence for a long time. Although they all felt that the Qingzhou Army had almost no reason to do this, these generals who were in despair still had a faint hope like a life-saving straw in their hearts.
At the same time, as the Hulu cavalry became more and more unscrupulous in their siege and shooting, the Jin court's Chinese army in Taipei suffered increasing losses. Soldiers from all departments had stopped marching, and the covering march of more than 100,000 people had been completely paralyzed.
The Jin Dynasty's Taipei Military Division was located under the cover of various departments of the Chinese army. At this time, Taiwei Wang Yan, Xiangyang King Sima Fan, Rencheng King Sima Ji, Wuling King Sima Dan, Xihe King Sima Xi, Liang King Sima Xi, Qi Dozens of people including Wang Sima Chao, Official Secretary Liu Wang, Tingwei Zhuge Quan, Yuzhou governor Liu Qiao, Taifu Changshi Yu Zhi and so on are gathering here.
With more than 100,000 people trapped in a dilemma, everyone knew that if this continued, defeat would only be a matter of time.
"Masters, please think of a solution quickly!" Grand Tutor Chief Shi Yuzhuo was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, pacing back and forth.
"There is nothing we can do now. It is better to divide the troops and march. In this case, the Hulu will definitely focus on one thing and not the other. Maybe we can get rid of these Hulu cavalry." Qi King Sima Chao said with a pale face.
He had just come from his headquarters. Among the soldiers of the King of Qi, the soldiers had already begun to spread rumors. The soldiers felt that the purpose of these barbarians' pursuit was the officials and clan members of Xingtai, not their identities. Lowly soldiers, so many people began to look for opportunities to escape from the army when they saw that if they continued like this, they would be waiting for death.
"No, this is a critical time. The people in the army are panicked. If we divide our troops and march, all the birds and beasts will immediately disperse. The Hulu cavalry can easily win as they hunt rabbits and foxes."
After hearing the proposal of Qi King Sima Chao, Yuzhou Governor Liu Qiao immediately opposed it.
"Then what do you think we should do! Is it possible that we should all hug each other and become prisoners of the barbarians!" Qi King Sima Chao immediately responded.
Among the troops of Qi King Sima Chao, there are many Liang people who are familiar with the local mountains and rivers geography. As long as they can not be pursued by the barbarians, Qi King Sima Chao is confident that he can lead his followers to escape the barbarians' pursuit. Of course, , As for what happened to the other people in Xingtai, this was no longer within the scope of Qi Wang Sima Chao's thinking.
There are also many members of the clan and ministers who have the same idea as King Sima Chao of Qi. They all spoke out and expressed their agreement with King Sima Chao of Qi's proposal, and they all wanted to break out separately. They all seemed very confident and felt that they could escape here. Born in heaven.
"The barbarians are all on light horse, and they can travel hundreds of miles in a day. How can we outrun the horses if we break out separately? If that's the case, we are really seeking death!"
Liu Qiao, the governor of Yuzhou, immediately said loudly.
"Then according to Zhong Yan (Liu Qiao's nickname Zhong Yan), what should we do?!" Taiwei Wang Yan, the military marshal, immediately asked.
In fact, in the heart of Taiwei Wang Yan, he agreed with the views of Liu Qiao, the governor of Yuzhou. If these 100,000 troops could be gathered together, no matter what, they would be a force that could make the barbarians fearful.
However, if it is as proposed by King Sima Chao of Qi and others, and more than 100,000 soldiers march separately to break out of the encirclement, not to mention whether they can outrun the horses, I am afraid that with this order, the platform of more than 100,000 people will immediately fall into a rush. In the chaos that collapsed, there was no way to break through and it would only become a killing field for Hulu.
"Lieutenant, the most important thing for our current plan is to stabilize the morale of the army first. The Hu Lu are now recklessly attacking with cavalry and shooting in order to make our army become chaotic without fighting. We must not let the Hu Lu get their way!" Yuzhou Governor Liu Qiao said.
As soon as Liu Qiao finished speaking, Ting Wei Zhuge Quan immediately expressed his support, and some other officials also expressed their approval.
"So, now we must find ways to calm down the soldiers and let them know that although the barbarians are fierce and stubborn in this battle, as long as our army maintains a stable formation, those barbarians can't do anything to us!"
"However, the soldiers in the army are already panic-stricken. Many people already feel that with tens of thousands of barbarians chasing after them, it won't be long before all the troops in Xingtai are fleeing completely!"
"The current situation is that the soldiers in the army have lost their hearts. We must find a way to let them know that our way forward is not so embarrassing, so that no soldiers will escape on their own." Tingwei Zhuge Quan said.
The current Chinese soldiers were very desperate for their future, and many of them had already begun to plan to escape. If it weren't for the ferocious Hulu cavalry around them, most of the entire Chinese army would have fled long ago.
"What's the best strategy?" Taiwei Wang Yan asked immediately.
"Taiwei, you can ask your officers to tell their soldiers that Liu Yu, the emperor's newly appointed general, has led an army of 100,000 to support the troops in driving away the Huru. As long as there are reinforcements from outside, that army will The soldiers in the army don't have to be frightened." Liu Qiao, the governor of Yuzhou, said immediately.
"Okay, if it's so useful, then come quickly and inform the troops in each battalion to stabilize the morale of the army. We must not let the Hulu defeat them!" Taiwei Wang Yan said without hesitation.
"No!"
Suddenly, an angry shout rang out, frightening the captain Wang Yan for a moment.
It turned out that the person who spoke was none other than Sima Fan, King of Xiangyang.
"Liu Yu is so ambitious. Falsifying imperial edicts is a capital crime. How could he deceive the soldiers like this?"
"Your Majesty, now we are in a critical situation. All the crimes on Liu Yu's head have been wiped out by the emperor's edict. Now I am still thinking about how to prevent tens of thousands of soldiers from being defeated on their own!" Liu Yu, governor of Yuzhou, said Joe said immediately.
After hearing Liu Qiao's words, Xiangyang King Sima Fan was also speechless.
Subsequently, Army Chief Taiwei Wang Yan discussed with Xiangyang King Sima Fan and others a plan to strive to maintain tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and never let these soldiers collapse into chaos on their own.
When Shi Le, who had been pursuing, discovered that these Jin troops had begun to camp in place, he had guessed something.
Looking at the way the troops of the Jin Dynasty set up camp like "iron bastards", Shi Le sneered.
If this is the case, the Jin court can travel more than ten miles a day at most, and it will be impossible to return to Xuzhou within three or two months.
Therefore, Shi Le was not in a hurry, but took time to order his cavalry to continue the attack while camping nearby.
At this time, the Qingzhou cavalry led by Liu Yu also entered Kucheng. After preparing to rest for a while, they set off towards the Jin court in Ningping City at Yinshi the next day.
