"The enemy is defeated! The enemy is defeated!"
Seeing the Ama clan leader turning his horse's head and leading his surviving clansmen to try to retreat, Ming, Chen Li, Sun Chang, Wei Tao, Bao Rong and others beside the chariot cheered, and the morale of the nearby Tianwu Army soldiers was also boosted again. , the more they scrambled to kill the Qiang people of the Ama tribe, especially Cao Yuanbu, the commander of the fifth battalion who was about to outflank them.
Regrettably, although the Tianwu Army, carrying dozens of kilograms of infantry armor, had first-class defensive capabilities, its mobility was really terrible. The nearly a thousand surviving clan cavalry led by Amma still dared to outflank the three battalions of Zhong'e and Cao Yuan. , before returning for reinforcements, he broke away from the fight with the third and fourth battalions and evacuated decisively. Cao Yuan was so angry that he stamped his feet and cursed, feeling annoyed and regretful.
Obviously his fifth battalion was also stationed in this formation, but because it was located a little far away from the attack point of the Ama tribe, he didn't even catch a hair from the enemy.
At this time, the only ones who could bite the Qiang cavalry of the Ama tribe were the more than a thousand Tibetan cavalry led by Guo Kui's battalion commanders Gesang and Yile. Especially Yile, who led about 500 cavalry to intercept them. The retreat of the Ama tribe tried to delay the Zhong'e and Cao Yuan tribes as much as possible, but the final effect was not ideal. In addition to causing more than a hundred Ama tribe Qiang cavalry to fall from their horses, it ultimately failed to stop the remaining close-quarters of the Ama tribe leader. Thousands of tribes ride.
At this moment, a dramatic scene occurred. Gou Bin and Xu Si, who had been transferred away from the mountain, seemed to have woken up halfway and led thousands of cavalry to rush back, just in time to intercept the path of Ama and his group.
There were pursuers in front and behind, and the leader of the Ama tribe decisively ordered: "Disperse! Disperse! Break out from the east side of Tushan!"
After shouting, he took the lead in riding his horse to break through the high plateau to the east.
The Ama tribe's garrison is located on a narrow Tangu plain in the territory of Huaidejun. The terrain near Zhenrongjun in the south is relatively open, with a width of about twenty miles from east to west, while in the north it is narrower, with a width of only ten miles from east to west. The Ama tribe's base is located in the middle, occupying the most fertile land in the vicinity. In addition to vast pastures, it also has ample water resources.
However, the high plateaus on both sides of Tangu are not inaccessible to pedestrians. After all, even if there is a height difference of tens of feet between the two, as long as there is a suitable slope, it is enough for people to climb to the top of the plateau. But compared with the hills in the south, the terrain of the high plateau is broken and full of ravines. If someone who is not familiar with the local environment is walking or even running on the high plateau, it is easy to accidentally slip down the ravine, which may be a few feet or ten feet. The drop of ten feet or even dozens of feet is as steep as a cliff, enough to knock someone to death.
On weekdays, when the Ama tribe members were grazing on the high plateau, countless sheep fell to death in the ravines. The young and girls in the tribe were warned many times, but today there were Song Army cavalry chasing them, and the Ama tribe leader also They had no choice but to take risks and use the high plateau terrain to get rid of their pursuers.
Seeing the Ama clan leader leading nearly a thousand horses to break through the siege on the high plateau to the east and fleeing in scattered directions, the Song army on the battlefield also realized that today's battle was over, and they all cheered and shouted long live.
Even Wang Zhongzheng and others excitedly said to Zhao Yang: "Mr. Zhong, we have won! We have won!"
"Yes Yes."
Zhao Yang nodded perfunctorily, quite dumbfounded as he looked at the joyous scene on the battlefield, and looked at Fan Chunren and Wen Tong, who also didn't know what expressions to make.
You must know that in today's battle, the Song army has a total of 12,500 people. The cavalry alone has a total of 6,000, which is more than the more than 5,000 cavalry of the Ama tribe, not to mention the more than 6,000 infantry. , and even among these 6,000 infantry, there were 2,500 Tianwu Army newcomers with both quality and equipment. It was supposed to be a unilateral victory, but the result was an extremely thrilling battle. Zhao Yang was really not happy.
Taking a gentle breath, Zhao Yang ordered in an orderly manner: "Go down the order. There is no need to chase the fleeing Qiang cavalry. Each army gathered the sheep in the nearby area and treated the wounded at the same time. The prisoners must also be treated as much as possible, and no more indiscriminate killings are allowed." . Also, ask Gou Bin and Xu Si to come see me immediately!"
"yes!"
Several messengers followed the instructions and went to give the order, shouting on the way to inform the various Song armies.
"Commander Zhao has an order. There is no need to pursue the fleeing Qiang cavalry. The entire army will count the casualties and collect the prisoners and nearby sheep at the same time."
"Commander Zhao has an order. As long as the Qiang people lay down their weapons and surrender, they can all survive. They must not kill indiscriminately."
…
At this time, Cao Yuan, the commander of the fifth battalion of Tianwu's fifth army, had led his troops to join the third and fourth battalions to surround about a hundred Qiang people who had fallen from their horses. Upon hearing the order, Cao Yuan rushed towards the group of captured Qiang people. The surrounding Qiang people shouted: "The commander-in-chief of our army has an order. As long as you lay down your weapons and surrender, you can survive. If you are stubborn... Our camp has not seen any blood yet, so I will kill you!"
The more than a hundred Qiang people looked at each other and looked around at the densely packed Tianwu Army's forbidden soldiers. After a brief silence, they all dropped their weapons and knelt down to surrender.
It has to be said that these heavily armed Tianwu Army soldiers have really caused a serious psychological shadow on the people of the Ama tribe, especially the previous scene where nearly two to three hundred people were skewered into meat skewers with spears, which always loomed before their eyes. It won’t go away.
Seeing these Qiang people dropping their weapons and kneeling down to surrender, Cao Yuan's cold expression softened somewhat.
Or one of his men, Dutou, surnamed Sun, asked: "Commander, before the war, Marshal Zhao said that each prisoner would be rewarded with two guans. Are these considered prisoners?"
Cao Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "Go and discuss with the brothers from the third battalion opposite."
When Sun Du raised his head and looked up, he noticed that Pao Ze from the third battalion was looking at him unkindly. His eyes seemed to say: What? Want to eat alone?
Sun Dutou smiled sarcastically and did not dare to say more. After all, the most outstanding troops of his Tianwu Army today were the third and fourth battalions. Only a thousand infantry were able to block Ama's attack of nearly 1,500 cavalry. Even in In the subsequent hand-to-hand combat, he killed the Qiang people with overwhelming force and retreated steadily. In contrast, his fifth battalion didn't even touch the enemy, so how could he have the nerve to fight for prisoners?
"Shuai Zhao is here!"
"Shuai Zhao is here."
Amidst the shouts of all the Tianwu troops, Cao Yuan turned around and saw the chariot where Zhao Yang was heading this way, accompanied by the deputy commander of the Tianwu Fifth Army.
Chen Jin, the commander of the third battalion, and Yue Jia, the commander of the fourth battalion, who also noticed this incident, were the first to appear in front of Zhao Yang's chariot, holding their hands and fists in greeting.
Zhao Yang got out of the car and helped the two of them up, and said with a smile: "Today, the third and fourth battalions of our Tianwu Fifth Army were the most outstanding. With only a thousand men, they defeated nearly 1,500 enemy cavalry..."
To be fair, it is not surprising that a thousand heavily armed heavy infantry used a defensive posture to block the attack of 1,500 light cavalry, and even inflicted casualties on the opponent. However, as a military commander, Zhao Yang must be partial. The soldiers under his command spoke. After all, his Tianwu Fifth Army was just a newly formed army. Before today, almost all the 2,500 forbidden soldiers in the army had never seen blood. A proper recruit on the battlefield could fight like this in the first battle. , Zhao Yang is satisfied enough.
"Fortunately, I lived up to my fate!" Chen Jin and Yue Jia said with joy after receiving the commendation.
Seeing this, Zhao Yang asked the most concerning question: "How many casualties are there?"
Chen Jin said with a stern look: "Thirty people were suspected of having their arm bones broken by Qiang cavalry, and about thirty people had their leg bones broken by horse hooves. They were all front-row gunmen... Seventeen others were seriously injured, mostly due to trampling. , blood was seen in the mouth, and the remaining more than 100 people had minor injuries, which did not affect their movements. There are no dead yet."
Yue Jiayihui reported from the side: "Our camp was slightly lighter than the third camp. About forty or fifty people's arms and legs were broken by the Qiang people. Three people had their eyes injured, and the remaining more than a hundred people were mostly lightly injured. There are no dead people at the moment.”
After hearing this, Zhao Yang was greatly surprised: in a fight of two to three thousand people, there was only this little damage. As expected, the infantry had to be valued, but unfortunately the mobility was really lacking.
While sighing with emotion, he ordered Dr. Zhong: "Where is Sanlang? Ask him to lead the logistics battalion to drive over immediately, carry the seriously injured people into the car, and transport them to Gaopingzhai for treatment first. If the Zhenrong Army does not have a doctor, he will send cavalry to Weizhou to seek help. Doctor. In any case, before sunset today, I want to see that our wounded soldiers have been effectively treated in Gaopingzhai."
After Zhao Yang finished speaking, the Zhong Consultation said seriously: "Don't worry, Commander Zhao, I have sent someone to inform the Zhong Consultation."
Zhao Yang woke up and said with a smile: "I mistook Erlang for the new general... In that case, Erlang comes to deal with the aftermath, and I'll go see the sergeant cleaning up the battlefield."
After that, he said goodbye to everyone and took Fan Chunren and Wen Tong to inspect the battlefield.
In view of Zhao Yang's previous promise that "anyone who kills an enemy will be rewarded with a reward, and a prisoner who is captured will be rewarded with two rewards", when the Tianwu Army's Imperial Guards were cleaning the battlefield, they did not go so far as to kill prisoners who could obviously be treated, even if they were missing arms. The Qiang people with missing legs are also treated as much as possible, but the priority must be behind the Song Army.
What's interesting is that the Tianwu Army's third battalion of forbidden soldiers who had previously crushed Ama's knights to retreat steadily, after calming down, many people were holding their helmets and vomiting, and some even lost their helmets. There was no time to pick them off, and they all vomited into the armor, which made the first and second battalions who were jealous that they did not rush back to join the battle in time burst into ridicule, especially the veterans of the first battalion who thought they had followed Zhao Yang for the longest time, felt even more uncomfortable. .
No, when Zhao Yang passed by with Fan Chunren and Wen Tong, Wu Yong, the first commander of the first battalion under Zhonge, was mocking the vomiting forbidden soldiers of the third battalion, which made many forbidden soldiers of the third battalion dare not be angry. Word.
However, Zhao Yang was not polite and shouted from a distance: "Wu Yong, what are you doing?"
When he turned around and saw Zhao Yang, Wu Yong was a little panicked. He quickly shook his head and said, "No, I didn't do anything."
Unfortunately, the forbidden soldiers of the third battalion were not used to him. They pointed at him and complained: "Back to Commander Zhao, Wu Dutou laughed at the sergeant of my battalion."
Zhao Yang frowned and approached: "Is this the case?"
Under Zhao Yang's gaze, Wu Yong said: "It's not a mockery, it's just a joke..."
Zhao Yang glanced at Wu Yong, and then at the sergeants of the nearby First Battalion. He naturally guessed the reason, and reprimanded: "Our fifth Tianwu Army is one, how can we distinguish between the top and bottom? Although the third battalion is the most outstanding today, but Without the cover of the fourth battalion, and without the rapid outflanking of the fifth battalion and posing a threat to the enemy, how could the three battalions with only 500 men really block the 1,500 cavalry on the opposite side?... Among the five battalions, one battalion is the closest to me. Jiu, in our Tianwu Fifth Army, we are like the eldest brothers in the other four battalions. How can an elder brother be jealous of his younger brother? Are you still afraid that you will not have the opportunity to make achievements in the future? "
What they said made Wu Yong and the first battalion soldiers present felt ashamed. Wu Yong even apologized to the former third battalion soldiers on the spot, and the two sides were as harmonious as before.
When he mentioned the forbidden soldiers who were standing next to many corpses and vomiting, Zhao Yang immediately pulled Wu Yong in front of him to block the corpses: "Block it, don't let me see it, or I will spit all over you."
All the sergeants present laughed loudly, and even the forbidden soldiers who were so ashamed that they vomited on the spot because of the bloodshed also laughed out loud, feeling no more burden in their hearts.
Fan Chunren and Wen Tong watched from the side and were secretly surprised when they saw that Zhao Yang had no airs and quickly mingled with the forbidden soldiers present.
Wen Tong asked Fan Chunren in confusion: "Yaofu, I also talked and laughed with the forbidden soldiers, but I felt that the forbidden soldiers were too restrictive. Jing Xing's official position is much higher than you and me, so why can those forbidden soldiers get along with him? "
Fan Chunren shook his head slightly.
At this time, a voice behind the two said: "Is it possible that although the two of them respect the sergeants, they still have the idea of valuing civility over military affairs? Even though most sergeants are rude and stupid, they can actually tell who is sincere. "
"Ah." Fan Chunren and Wen Tong turned around to see the person coming, and quickly saluted with their hands raised: "You have been taught, Mr. Guo."
Guo Kui waved his hand and said with a smile: "Guo said something nonsense, please just listen to it."
With that said, he went over to meet Zhao Yang and report the casualties, leaving Fan Chunren and Wen Tong thoughtful.
At the same time, Feng Wenjun was also heading towards Zhao Yang's location. On the way, he met Gou Bin and Xu Si who came to ask for help.
As soon as he saw the two of them, Feng Wenjun felt itchy with hatred.
It was a must-win battle. Because Gou Bin and Xu Si were eager to advance, Ama was able to lead two thousand cavalry to attack the Song army's main formation. Although the result was not bad, the third and fourth battalions of the Tianwu Fifth Army who stayed behind the main formation were The five battalions all performed outstandingly. One battalion resisted, one battalion covered, and one battalion outflanked. They successfully repelled the Ama cavalry who went to attack. They even killed about 300 people and captured more than 100 people. The heart that had been in my throat was pressed back into my heart.
But when he saw the two of them, Feng Wenjun became angry again. He gritted his teeth and sneered, "The two governors led nearly 5,000 cavalry to pursue a mere 2,000 enemy cavalry. They must have made great gains, right? Just now I heard that Deputy Ambassador Zhao I sent someone to tell you two that I must be congratulating you two!"
Gou Bin and Xu Si looked at each other and begged with a grimace: "I have been serving under Zhijun for a long time, and have worked hard without any merit. Today I have made a big mistake. Please ask Zhijun to intercede on my behalf."
"Pleading for mercy? You two almost brought down the entire army, yet you dare to ask me to plead for mercy?... Let's go, go see Deputy Zhao first and listen to his comments."
"……yes."
Gou Bin and Xu Si had no choice but to follow Feng Wenjun to see Zhao Yang.
After a while, Zhao Yang saw Gou Bin and Xu Si, who looked gloomy and defeated, and asked with a straight face: "Are you two guilty?"
Xu Si said bitterly: "Xiaguan only wanted to defeat the enemy at that time, but he didn't expect the Qiang people to be cunning..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Gou Bin: "We both know the crime and let Deputy Zhao handle it."
Zhao Yang weighed it up and made a decision: "You two will be relieved of your wartime command. From now on, you will only be responsible for the food and clothing of the Fan army. You will no longer have the right to interfere in the military. Do you have any complaints?"
Xu Si was stunned for a moment, then carefully asked: "Still serve as the governor?"
Seeing Zhao Yang frowning slightly, Gou Bin quickly changed the subject: "Who should command the 12th Battalion of the Fanluo Army?"
Zhao Yang turned to look at Feng Wenjun.
Feng Wenjun guessed that Zhao Yang didn't know the reason, so he explained: "Although the two of them serve under Xiaguan, they belong to Zhou Road..."
It turned out that Zhang Kang would be appointed and dismissed.
Zhang Kang was one of his own, so Zhao Yang naturally had no scruples and asked Guo Kui: "The Fanluo cavalry under your command is quite outstanding today. How about recommending two people to take charge of the army on their behalf?"
Guo Kui hesitated and said: "A military attache should serve as the governor? I'm afraid it won't conform to the system."
Zhao Yang naturally understood what Guo Kui called "not conforming to the system", and pointed at Gou Bin and Xu Si and said: "You can ask them to supervise. ... Do you hear that? You can only supervise, and you are not allowed to interfere with the command. If you make any mistakes again, you will be dismissed from your official position. Go back to Weizhou!"
"Yes, yes." Gou Bin and Xu Si said yes repeatedly.
Seeing this, Guo Kui immediately summoned two battalion commanders, Gesang and Yile, and introduced them to Zhao Yang.
Zhao Yang did not say much, and said sternly to Gesang and Yile: "Today Gou and Xu, the two supervisors, almost caused a big disaster. I am relinquishing their wartime command and want to transfer you and the cavalry to the town." Rongjun, I will serve as the chief and deputy governor, and the two governors Gou and Xu will assist you."
Gesang and Yiler naturally understood that most of the so-called assistance was actually surveillance, but they were extremely surprised when they heard this. After all, being promoted from battalion commander to governor was a leap of several levels.
"The two of us are willing to die for Zhao Shuai!" the two said in surprise.
"For the Song Dynasty!" Zhao Yang corrected.
Gesang and Yile were stunned for a moment, then quickly changed their words: "Yes, yes, die for the Song Dynasty!"
Therefore, among the twelve battalions of the defeated cavalry of the Suppressing Rong Army that day, two battalions were transferred to Guo Kui's command, and Gesang and Yile led the cavalry of the battalion to be transferred to the Suppressing Rong Army and served as chief and deputy governors. In view of the fact that the two battalions were They are all military officers and have relatively low qualifications, so they are not called capital guards but wardens. In fact, they have the same authority.
As for Gou Bin and Xu Si, after weighing various considerations, Zhao Yang only removed their operational command rights and still asked them to be responsible for supervising the 12th battalion of the suppressed cavalry. After all, the example of warriors taking power in the late Tang Dynasty was indeed too It was shocking, and besides, Kelsang and Yile were also Tibetan people, so they really needed insurance, both for surveillance and protection.
According to post-war statistics, the Song army suffered few casualties in this battle. The most casualties were not the front led by Feng Wenjun, but the four battalions of Fanlu cavalry under Guo Kui on the left wing. The warrior of the Ama tribe, Gilma, led 500 cavalry to intercept them. , 63 people died, more than 90 people were seriously injured, and as many as 600 people suffered injuries or even broken bones.
Followed by Feng Wenjun were the 2nd Battalion of the Baojie Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the Dinggong Regiment and the 1st Battalion of Qingbian Crossbowmen led by Feng Wenjun. There were a total of 2,000 crossbow infantry, with 23 dead, 39 seriously injured, and 2 slightly injured. More than a hundred people.
Then came Gou Bin and Xu Sibu, who killed 19 people and injured more than 200 people. They killed 42 enemies and took no prisoners.
In comparison, Feng Wenjun's tribe killed 142 people and captured 62 people of the Ama tribe in this battle; Guo Kui's tribe killed more than 200 people and captured more than 200 people; and the Tianwu army killed nearly four people. Hundreds of people were killed, and more than a hundred were captured; forty-two people were killed by Gou Bin and Xu Sibu, a total of about 800 people were killed and nearly 370 people were captured.
At the cost of more than a hundred killed, more than a hundred serious injuries, and nearly a thousand minor injuries, 800 people from the Ama tribe were killed and nearly 400 captured. This battle can be described as a great victory.
So Zhao Yang immediately ordered to reward the army, gather the sheep left behind by the Ama tribe, slaughter the sheep and cook the meat, and reward the soldiers. As for the horses that died in the battle, Zhao Yang also ordered people to skin and cut the meat, preparing to use it to make bacon.
Of course, during the celebration and reward period, Zhao Yang did not dare to neglect the patrol at all. After all, he also understood that today's battle with the Ama tribe might be just the beginning of the suppression of the Qiang tribes on the Jingyuan Road.
