From the beginning to the end, Wang Jun sat firmly on the high platform and watched the two armies attack and kill in the distance, with a panoramic view of the battlefield situation. The north wind became stronger and stronger, whistling loudly, giving support to the army in battle. The blow on his face made him extremely wet and cold, but Wang Jun felt like a spring breeze. The sounds of fighting and shouts of killing on the battlefield were like listening to fairy music.
"You are all handsome, the Huai bandits are defeated! They are simply vulnerable!" When the Tang army was unable to resist the Han army and was defeated, Master Shen Hou said to Wang Jun on the general stage with excitement on his face.
"I saw it!" Wang Jun said calmly. His eyes were always fixed on the battlefield, and he never relaxed for a moment.
The tea on the small table had long since cooled down, but Wang Jun still picked up the tea cup and took a slow sip. His slightly trembling hands showed that his heart was not as restless as he appeared.
Shen Shihou was still overjoyed and said: "In this battle, the main force of the Tang army was defeated, and it will definitely affect the overall situation of Huainan. The commander-in-chief accomplished such a feat in one battle, and he will be famous all over the world!"
Finally, there was a smile on Wang Jun's lips. He raised his eyes and looked at the sky. It had completely dimmed, and the battlefield was already dark.
After describing the description, there was a vague chill in Wang Jun's eyes: "Send the order, let the whole Hujie army pursue and kill them all the way. Wherever the Tang army goes, they will chase them! The other armies quickly reorganized, held up torches, and followed them. Chase after them! Tell the troops that anyone wearing Tang robes or Tang armor can be killed so that no one can form a group to fight against the heavenly soldiers!"
"Yes!" Master Shen received the order and immediately sent people to Murong Yanzhao, who was commanding the front line.
Looking at the sky again, Wang Jun couldn't help but sigh: "It's a pity that the sky is already dark, otherwise I could have done all the work!"
The risks of night battles made Wang Jun worried. A careless move could increase his own casualties. But that risk is nothing compared to the fruitful results.
The combat command was entrusted to his subordinates. Wang Jun stepped down from the general platform and returned to the Han camp by the water. The cold wind blew for nearly an afternoon and he was almost suffering from rheumatism.
With the command of General Wang Jun, the adjusted Han army completely let go and pursued the Tang army, causing heavy casualties along the way and not caring about the prisoners. Following the way they came, they counterattacked and pursued for dozens of miles until they reached Shouchun City.
Along the way, faced with the fierce and tyrannical and merciless killings of the Han army, many soldiers and civilians of the Tang army jumped into the Fei River in order to avoid the weapons and tried to swim to survive. Even so, they were still not spared. They either froze to death, drowned, or were shot by the Han army. Only one out of ten survived.
Corpses littered the fields along the way, floating in the cold river, and the blood of the Tang army almost dyed the Feishui red.
On the Tang army's side, only Zhang Quan, who had tactfully requested the troops from behind, saw that the situation was not good and immediately led his men to retreat. He ignored them and ran southward. Although he was suspected of being timid in the face of battle, from Zhang Quanyue's point of view, he didn't care about that much.
The blazing sound of killing could be heard clearly from ten miles away. The situation was conceivable, and I couldn't help but feel fearful. Zhang Quanyue didn't want to lead the army in pursuit, but he couldn't handle Liu Yanzhen's military orders. He was forced to come here as a last resort.
As for the suggestion by one of his generals to send troops forward to rescue the army, Zhang Quanyue rejected it.
It was already obvious that the situation at Xia Cai Dutou was a conspiracy of the Han army. Liu Yanzhen was stubborn and did not listen to advice. He underestimated the enemy and advanced boldly. He insisted on leading the imperial army into danger.
It is not clear whether the Han army is true or not. Liu Yanzhen has already gone to die. How can he lead his soldiers to be buried with him? Rather than taking risks, it would be better to replace the Tang Dynasty and leave some troops to defend Huainan.
On the other hand, Zhang Quanyue could not care less about Liu Yanzhen's arrogance, questioning and humiliation before chasing him.
After just a moment's consideration, he gave the order to hold his troops still. When the news came from Xia Cai Ferry that Liu Yanzhen's army was defeated, he did not hesitate even more, turned around and headed south, and galloped back toward Shouchun.
Zhang Quanyue's retreat was considered fast, but the sixty or seventy miles of running back and forth had exhausted his soldiers and lost a lot. However, even if they were extremely hungry and tired, they were not slow to escape. Even so, they were still overtaken by the Han cavalry who were chasing after them, and they were defeated in one blow, unable to escape the fate of defeat.
Fortunately, when Zhang Quanyue's army was overtaken, they were not far from Shouchun. He gathered a thousand of his most elite troops to stop the Han cavalry with their lives, while he led most of them to Shouchun, and suffered close losses. In the middle of the night, under the cover of night, we crossed the pontoon bridge that the Han army had not dismantled before to lure the enemy.
In Shouchun City, He Jingzhu heard that the army was defeated and led his troops out of the city to respond. The two men led the troops and relied on the Feishui pontoon to gather more than 7,000 defeated soldiers. The tiger and horse army, between Xiacai and Shouchun, stretched for seventy or eighty miles, annihilating the defeated soldiers of the Tang army back and forth, and almost massacred them. Commanders Guo Chongwei and Shi Yanchao did not rush to attack the Feishui pontoon bridge until the Han infantry who were at the forefront of the assault arrived. He Jingzhu ordered the pontoon bridge to be burned, cutting off the Han army's pursuit path and also cutting off the survival path for other soldiers and civilians of the Southern Tang Dynasty. .
In the dark night, the torches held high by the soldiers were fluttering in the winter wind. The Feishui Floating Bridge was still burning, and the fire was raging. Through the light of the fire, we could see hundreds of dead soldiers from the Tang Army on the other side. They were driven to the water's edge by the Han Army and massacred with swords without any sympathy.
Begging, screaming, crying... until they reached the shore, and slowly regained their composure.
The sound of wind by the water became more and more desolate. The Tang army on the west bank watched helplessly the cruelty and atrocities of the Han army on the east bank. Many people showed hatred and anger, and many defeated soldiers showed signs of surviving the disaster, but more of them were still. fear.
He Jingzhu's short and stocky figure stood in front of the army, the flickering firelight imprinted on his indifferent face, and he burst into tears unconsciously. For a long time, I couldn't help but lament: "After this battle, how many families will be added to Jianghuai, wearing sackcloth and filial piety, fathers losing their sons, women losing their husbands..."
Zhang Quanyue stood beside him and couldn't help but sigh. His tired expression showed a little regret.
"Do you know what's going on with Liu Yanzhen?" He Jingzhu asked.
"I don't know!" Zhang Quanyue shook his head: "The whole front is defeated, and the army is fleeing. Where can I take care of it? Maybe I got lost and fled, maybe I fell into the enemy's hands, maybe I died in the formation..."
"This is a traitor to the country!" He Jingzhu burst out emotionally: "Even if I die a hundred times, I will never atone for my sin!"
Zhang Quanyue whispered: "Mr. He, the matter has come to this, how should we deal with it?"
Hearing this, He Jingzhu tried his best to calm down his emotions and calmly ordered: "Gather the defeated troops into the city, place them for rest, prepare a report, send out waiting cavalry, and explore the enemy's situation. You and I must be prepared to defend the city. If we are defeated, I will The situation in Huainan has changed drastically. In less than three or two days, the Han army will inevitably move south again. You and I will defend Shouchun, and a bloody battle will inevitably happen..."
So, He and Zhang took all the defeated troops from Cai back to Shouchun, repaired their armor, boosted their morale, and prepared to fight to the death against the Han.
It wasn't until late at night that the killing sounds floating between Shouchun and Xiacai, on the banks of the Feishui River, completely disappeared.
Early the next morning, Murong Yanzhao inspected the battlefield, escorted by Yidu cavalry. All the way south, as far as the eye can see, corpses are strewn in the fields and the ground is in chaos.
The various Han troops and civilians, after resting for half the night, cleaned up the battlefield, packed up the seizures, escorted the prisoners, and returned to Xia Cai Camp to rest and report their merits.
After the inspection, Murong Yanzhao discovered that some Han soldiers had died of frostbite. After all, they were exhausted after fighting and chasing for so long in the wilderness on winter nights. Many soldiers fell asleep in the temporary camp and did not wake up. Gotta come over.
The Han army was like this, but when it came to the captured Tang army soldiers and laborers, they were even more insecure and suffered more frostbite and death.
The cruelty of war was vividly displayed in front of Murong Yanzhao. In the battle of Luancheng that year, there were also many killings, but there was no scene like this, which made Murong Yanzhao feel sad in his heart.
"After this battle, the situation in Huainan has been settled!" As a general, Murong Yanzhao quickly suppressed the softness in his heart, quickly regained his strength as a stone, and sternly ordered to the left and right: "Send orders to all armies to quickly clean the battlefield and return to camp. , treat the disabled, count seizures, count losses, and assess military merit..."
"yes!"
"Take another look in the direction of Shouchun!" Calling to his subordinates, Murong Yanzhao drove his horse south.
Not far away, Han Lingkun, the commander of the Holy Guard Army, was seen riding lightly. When he saw Murong Yanzhao, his flying horse accelerated, and he dismounted to greet him.
"What's the matter?" Seeing his condition, Murong Yanzhao asked.
Han Lingkun's face looked a little solemn and he said: "I am reporting to the Marquis of Yu, and both Li and Wang are commanding envoys. They are killing prisoners, and I will continue to persuade them!"
"There is such a thing!" Murong Yanzhao's voice immediately rose.
With his heart slightly tense, Murong Yanzhao took this matter seriously and immediately asked Han Lingkun to lead the way to see him.
On the bank of the Feishui River in the winter morning, the mist is hazy and the water vapor is filled, and on the tidal flat, there are already people rolling in. About three thousand prisoners of the Tang army were tied up and detained by the Saint Guard sergeants. They were escorted to the shore in rows and killed mercilessly. Their heads were rolling, and they were bloody and cruel...
Li Chongjin and Wang Yansheng rode nearby, leading two battalions of sergeants, ready to suppress any unrest among the prisoners. The two looked relaxed and talked as usual. They had made great contributions in yesterday's battle.
When Murong Yanzhao arrived at full speed, only about 500 of the three thousand prisoners were left. They were all miserable and frightened, crying to heaven to choke her.
Li Chongjin and Wang Yansheng hurried to greet each other. Looking at the scene that was like Shura hell, Murong Yanzhao became completely angry and asked directly: "You two are so brave. Who asked you to kill the prisoners?"
Seeing this, Wang Yansheng looked relaxed and said: "Du Yuhou, please calm down. There are too many prisoners in the Tang army. Kill some to make it easier to control."
