After withdrawing from the Metasequoia battlefield, Durham immediately led the Western Xinjiang coalition forces and marched non-stop to the King's Court in Chechi.
They had to travel all night.
The army had been fighting fiercely for a whole day, and they had barely made any progress and had reached their limit. Unexpectedly, the camp was suddenly destroyed at this time, and the luggage and supplies were either burned or discarded, which made the whole army panic.
If he didn't quickly return to the Chariot King's Court and get protection and supplies from the city as soon as possible, Durham was not sure how long he could control this skirmisher.
Fortunately, the journey back to Wangting from Metasequoia is not too far. Judging from the current formation of the mixed cavalry, if everyone rushes hard, it is expected that they will be able to see Wangting's city wall the day after tomorrow at the latest.
Durham sat on the horse, turned his head and looked at the cavalry around him who were so tired that they were sticking out their tongues, and then looked at the staggering and swaying infantry. He knew clearly that the soldiers and horses could no longer hold on. If they kept going like this, I'm afraid something will go wrong.
He couldn't help but sigh secretly, and ordered the whole army to stop temporarily and rest for half an hour before leaving.
As soon as the general's order came out, all the soldiers felt like they were being pardoned. The cavalry rolled off their saddles and dismounted, and the infantry took off their helmets and armor. They lay on the ground in groups, enjoying this rare opportunity to rest.
Durham took the kettle from the guard and was about to instruct his men to arrange security posts and patrol scouts, but when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back. Seeing the exhausted state of these people in front of him made Durham change his mind.
Oh, forget it, even if we send them, they will still be lazy and doze off.
At this time, the Turkic deputy marshal, Marquis Durham, suddenly felt that he was useless. Others led "heroic soldiers" to fight in all directions, but he led a group of "bear soldiers" to escape in embarrassment. These two stupid bears, Ali Kejiang and Geerhan, caused themselves to be humiliated repeatedly in Western Xinjiang. They really deserved death!
He secretly made up his mind that when he returned to the royal court of Chechi, he would write a letter to his cousin Ronya, asking him to agree to let his golden armor cavalry army come to join the battle. Only the blood of Metasequoia City can wash away the humiliation before our eyes!
"Yes, just do it!" Durham roared angrily, raised the kettle, and drank heavily.
However, just when Durham imagined commanding the elite Turkic troops to sweep across Metasequoia City, a deafening shout suddenly erupted not far behind him.
"Long live my emperor!"
There is no soldier in the Western Xinjiang Allied Forces who is not familiar with this sound - this is the charge battle cry of the Zhenjiang Protectorate!
In their view, "my emperor" and "long live" are not literal meanings on the surface. To them, it really means: Go to hell!
Whenever "Long Live Our Emperor" is heard on the battlefield, it means that the God of Death has arrived.
Li Jiangyao, Xu Youchang, Lin Feng, and Du Jian led the white-robed army. They did not hold up torches or light up the lights, but just rushed out from behind in the dark, like a group of ghost knights from hell.
The timing they chose was also very clever. It took less than a stick of incense for the coalition forces to stop and rest. The vast majority of Loulan Chechi soldiers had just laid down to rest, and everyone was in a state of relaxation.
At first they heard the thrilling war cry, followed by the clatter of hooves, and the white cloaks fluttering in the wind under the moonlight, reflected in the eyes of the soldiers from Western Xinjiang. All of this immediately made them feel not only frightened, but also horrified!
Run, run, the white robe army is coming!
Panic quickly spread to the entire army like a plague. The coalition soldiers didn't even bother to form a formation to resist. Without even the slightest hesitation, they stood up and ran away, hoping to get as far away from the group of white cloaks as possible!
The Marquis of Durham also woke up from the beautiful longing just now and fell into a completely confused state. He is now familiar with Li Jiangyao's combat style, because that is exactly the strategy used by their Turks: long-distance attacks, rapid assaults, and coming and going like the wind. Utilizing high mobility and powerful combat power, like a pack of wolves driving cattle and sheep, you can manipulate your opponents into the palm of your hand.
However, now he is not a wolf, but a sheep and cattle.
Under such circumstances, even if Prince Ronya of the Temple is here, or if the number one man in the Turkic military - Old Marshal Helianxiong is sitting in charge, or even if Ashina Zhijin Khan comes in person, it will probably be difficult to do so. The power of recovery.
Durham did not hesitate and immediately used another famous Turkic strategy: If you can't win, run away!
He shook his fat body, jumped on his horse, and pulled the nearby cavalry troops to escape immediately!
infantry? No matter! I can’t control it!
The vicious white-robed army has now rushed into the infantry group and started a brutal massacre! Even if he wanted to save him, Durham couldn't do anything. Instead of just standing there in a daze, waiting for the white-robed army to surround them, it's better to run away quickly to save your life!
Durham led the cavalry and ran wildly, finally getting rid of the white-robed devil behind them. However, they never expected that before they could breathe a sigh of relief, several lights suddenly lit up between the mountains and hills opposite. Thousands of torches.
A large number of tribal cavalry wearing animal skin armor and holding metasequoia flags, led by Curiban and Heishan, roared towards them.
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Under the front and rear attacks of the ghost-faced white-robed army and the Shenhua cavalry, the Western Xinjiang coalition collapsed completely.
There were deserters all over the mountains and plains, and the scene was terrifying and chaotic.
Just when Kuriban completely blocked Durham's path, the white-robed warriors of metasequoia appeared again behind the coalition forces. They maintained an orderly formation, followed the general closely, and rushed straight into the core of the enemy's formation.
The tribal cavalry under Heishan were completely dispersed, as if hunting, chasing and killing the defeated troops who fled to all directions. Especially Heishan, with his hair disheveled and holding a long-handled giant axe, looked like the devil in mythology. There was almost no living person within two feet of him.
More and more Western Xinjiang coalition soldiers are choosing to abandon their weapons and surrender.
At dawn, the battle was basically over. Nearly 10,000 coalition troops, including infantry and cavalry, withdrew from the Metasequoia battlefield. More than 3,000 were killed on the spot, and the rest were all made prisoners. Only a few dozen cavalrymen fought tooth and nail to protect the Marquis of Durham from a lucky escape.
Li Jiangyao joined forces with Kuliban, packed up the scattered weapons and horses, escorted a large number of prisoners of war, and returned to Metasequoia City in victory.
Durham was like a bereaved dog, running all the way back to King Chechi's court. The arrogant Turkic deputy marshal once again narrowly escaped death from the Metasequoia Army, and he couldn't help but feel ashamed and angry. He briefly described the defeat to Prince Gune and Duolun, and finally put all the blame on Alekjan and Geerhan.
"Your Highness, I want to deal with these two bastards with military law!" Durham jumped angrily: "It was because they escaped from the battle that led to my defeat!"
Geerhan said aggrievedly at the side: "Master Hou, you can't say that I escaped before the battle. At most, I fell into Li Jiangyao's trick by mistake."
"Asshole, you still dare to quibble!" Geerhan was so angry that his beard trembled: "Someone, drag him out, chop him up and feed him to the dogs!"
Upon seeing this, Prince Gurne quickly shouted back the Turkic guards who rushed in, and comforted Durham with good words: "Marquis, you need to calm down first. On the battlefield, victory or defeat is unpredictable. Who has not lost his horse? This time we were defeated. It’s not a big deal, let’s discuss it slowly.”
Geerhan said secretly on the side: A great defeat, so many soldiers from Western Xinjiang were lost. Our country of Chechi alone was severely damaged by two main legions, and more than 5,000 people were killed. But in the eyes of the Turkic prince, It’s not a big deal, but it really corresponds to the Western Xinjiang proverb – “One’s own sheep are sheep, and other people’s sheep are meat”!
Even if Durham didn't give face to anyone, he still had to give face to Gu Nie. When the prince said this, he had to suppress his anger: "Your Highness, thank you for your tolerance. I will ask the prince of the temple for an order. As soon as possible, mobilize the main Turkic forces to come and attack."
Gunye nodded in agreement: "Well, His Highness Ronya is the governor of Western Xinjiang, and he has to make the decision on this matter. I am ordered by the Great Khan to assist the Prince of the Temple in handling the civil affairs and diplomacy of Western Xinjiang. Since Metasequoia City Since banditry is so rampant, should we consider evacuating all the Turkic officials and businessmen from surrounding towns here for protection?"
Duolun had already had this intention and quickly continued: "Your Highness is wise. My patrol troops are scattered everywhere and their strength is weak. It is easy for Li Jiangyao to take advantage of the loopholes and defeat them one by one. Why not let them escort the officials and merchants back to Chechi Wang Ting, gather your strength as soon as possible. This can also avoid the mistakes made by the Zhenjiang Protectorate."
"Well, I think it's okay." Durham stroked his beard and said: "As the saying goes, an open hand is not as good as a clenched fist. Mobilize all the patrol troops stationed in Chechi Kingdom to strengthen the royal court's forces. .”
Hearing this, Geerhan couldn't help but think to himself: Damn it, all the Turks have been transferred, are they going to leave my soldiers and horses for Li Jiangyao to take care of? I'm not that stupid! After returning home later, he secretly ordered that all Che Chijun from the towns around Metasequoia should also return to Wang Ting to assemble, so as not to become scapegoats!
Duolun and Geerhan both planned to preserve their own strength and shrink all the troops scattered everywhere, but they never thought that this would give Li Jiangyao a good opportunity.
Since repelling the Western Xinjiang coalition forces, Li Jiangyao and others have been studying what to do next. Almost everyone agrees that we should take advantage of the victory and extend to the surrounding area as soon as possible. In this way, a coordinated defense town system can be formed, and Metasequoia is no longer trapped in an isolated city; at the same time, it can expand the scope of troops and supplies, and gradually increase its strength.
Li Jiangyao also agreed with everyone's views, but he was worried that there were strong enemy forces in the nearby towns, which made him feel embarrassed that he "wanted to play in a casino but didn't have much capital."
But not long after, the Shenhua family's informants in various places reported that the troops in several large towns near Metasequoia, whether they were Turks or Chechi soldiers, had begun to evacuate one after another.
In just half a month, within a radius of one hundred miles with Metasequoia City as the center, no trace of the enemy troops could be seen except for the chariot commander Wang Ting.
Three large counties, sixteen small towns, and fifty-eight rural tribes were presented completely and cleanly to Li Jiangyao.
this? Could this be a trap? !
Li Jiangyao couldn't believe that a pie had really fallen from the sky. He couldn't help but urgently urged the spies to find out the enemy's intentions as soon as possible! quick! quick! quick!
For a time, whether it was the palace offices of Che Chi or the streets of Wang Ting, "Why withdraw the troops?" became the hottest topic of the year. People are everywhere talking about this matter, as if you are too embarrassed to say hello to everyone without a few words about withdrawing troops.
The most accurate information was finally sent back to Metasequoia. After reading the information, Li Jiangyao immediately made a decision: No lunch, and we will send troops immediately!
Xu Youchang led the front army to occupy Dabancheng, north of Metasequoia. Facing the royal court of Chechi, they formed a horned force with Metasequoia.
Du Jian led the left army to the southeast, controlled Iklu, and set up defense lines against the two Turkic camps.
The right-wing army, commanded by Princess Holia who was "released after serving her sentence," captured the populous city of Pai, which borders several small countries in Western Xinjiang and has little defensive pressure.
Lin Feng's rear troops divided into multiple groups to clear out surrounding villages and towns.
At this point, the Metasequoia Garrison was officially upgraded and became the most prestigious Metasequoia Army in the history of Western Xinjiang, confirming its own ruling territory for the first time!
