"Did the Han army stop pursuing it?" Yelvxian asked, looking back to the southeast and coughing a few times.
Han Derang nodded and replied: "Both sides are tired from long battles, and the Han army is even more tired from the long march. It is not idle to pursue. After leaving Baishuiluo, its pursuit has slowed down. The rear of the palace is waiting for the cavalry. Report, there are no Han cavalry within thirty miles!"
Yelvxian breathed a sigh of relief subconsciously, thought for a moment, his face became uncertain for a while, and he said unwillingly: "If we had not chosen to retreat, but instead fought against it and fought to the death, would this be the result? "
Seeing that Yelvxian was still immersed in the defeat, Han Derang was also a little helpless. It was also difficult to adjust. The wounds needed medicine and stones to heal, and the pain needed time to relieve. He was not completely out of the pursuit of the Han army, and his mood and ambition were not easy to deal with. Yelvxian's will is not very firm and not strong enough.
In this regard, Handerang could only remind him in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the matter has reached this point. It is inconvenient to indulge in failure. The first priority is to pack up and return to Beijing!"
Looking around, he saw that all the Liao soldiers around him were tired and mentally weak. Yelvxian said, "You have escaped all the way. Let's rest. We camp here. It's time for the soldiers to rest!"
"Your Majesty, in order to completely escape the danger, all the officers and soldiers are slacking off. This is not good. In this situation, there is no room for negligence!" Han Derang advised.
"What do you mean, do you want to continue on your way?" Yelvxian's voice became louder, and he commanded the surrounding soldiers: "Look at these soldiers, they continue to run day and night, even the horses are gone, let alone the people? I have run away enough. Got it!"
Seeing Yelvxian's angry look, Han Derang hesitated for a moment and then said seriously: "At least cross the river first and camp on the other side!"
Han Derang's pitiful expression of humiliation and loyalty still touched Yelvxian. The unknown fire in his heart dissipated a little, and he nodded: "Then cross the river first!"
The Narzon River is not too wide, and the current is not fast. However, under the slightly gloomy sky, the water surface is solid and the depth cannot be seen. Yelvxian immediately called out: "Nvli!"
"Your Majesty is here!" Soon, the daughter of a close minister who had played a great role in Yelvxian's succession to the throne ran forward and listened to the order: "Your Majesty's orders!"
"Test the depth of the water, and then notify Yelu Sagui to have the whole army cross the river to rest!"
"yes!"
The depth of the water was quickly measured. The deepest point in the river was no more than a horse's head. There was no energy or need to build a pontoon.
Accompanied by the neighing sound of the horse, Yelvxian got on the saddle, ignored the dissuasion, slapped the horse's butt hard, let the horse enter the river, and swam directly. Immediately afterwards, the soldiers of Su Wei hurriedly followed to protect the emperor to avoid accidents. With the example of Yelvxian in front of them, other defeated soldiers of the Liao army also went down to the river one after another under the leadership of the general officers. For a time, the sound of splashing water filled the Narson River.
It was inevitable that the unlucky ones would drown in the river, but most of the Liao army successfully forded the crossing. After crossing the river, the most important thing was to set up camp and light a fire to keep warm. In this matter, everyone was very active, even though they were used to the grasslands. The climate environment is good, but he is also afraid of cold. In this weather, rolling around in ice water is torture.
Fortunately, there were pine forests and shrubs all around, and there was no shortage of firewood. It was not until the evening that the Liao army's simple camp gradually calmed down, but it did not calm down for long. The sound of sobbing began to fill the air, and there was no worry about safety for the time being. The mood of defeat began to spread. The Liao army was also a human being and was beaten to tears.
Sensing the desperate and restless mood in the army, Yelvxian had no choice but to hold on to his exhausted body, forcibly come out of the pessimism, inspect the camp, and comfort the soldiers. This approach is somewhat effective.
It was not until nightfall that Yelvxian dragged his extremely tired body back to the center of the camp, lit a bonfire, and rested to keep warm. The guards added pine branches from time to time, and crackling sounds erupted in the bonfire. The bright firelight shone on Yelvxian's face, which was still solemn, even looking autistic.
Yelvxian looked very weak, with an extra sheepskin on his body, and he no longer had the appearance of an emperor. His health was not very good to begin with. After going south to the high-intensity marching, fighting, and evacuation, and in Nelson After wading in the river, the cold air entered my body, how could I feel better?
In fact, if you look at age, Emperor Liu is indeed no match for Yelvxian. The difference between the two is nearly twenty years. But in terms of physical health, although Emperor Liu suffered some shortcomings, Yelvxian was not much better. After this blow, whether he could survive Emperor Liu was a question. Therefore, some of Han Derang's words can only be heard as words of comfort. Just listen to them, don't take them seriously...
Gu: "Your Majesty, let's have something to eat!" The girl took a piece of roasted meat and handed it to Yelvxian, still with a respectful smile on her face, serving her carefully.
As a lucky minister, his first priority was to please the emperor. He followed Yelvxian closely, never leaving him, and looked completely loyal. But it is not a loyal guard, but the strongest guard around the emperor, and it is safer to follow him.
Looking at the barbecue, it must be horse meat. The heat dissipated quickly in the cold wind. Although Yelu Xian was hungry, he was not in the mood and said coldly: "I have no appetite!"
"Then you have to eat some. You haven't eaten for a long time. Your Majesty, the journey back to the north is still far away. I sincerely ask your Majesty to cheer up and take care of yourself!" Nuli knelt down directly, her voice choked with sobs, and her tears came quickly. coming.
Seeing the way he was holding the meat in both hands, Yelvxian's expression softened a little and he sighed: "Get up!"
After saying that, he took the horse meat and opened his mouth to bite it. He ate it happily. He was going against his stomach and was just looking for trouble for himself.
Before long, Pi Shixiangwen Yelv Sagui and Han Derang came together. In the previous battle, the Liao army's nobles and generals suffered a lot of casualties. By this time, the most senior general following Yelv Xian was Yelv Sa Gei. Although he was a general promoted by the late Emperor Yelvjing, he still had no reservations and worked hard to defend Yelvxian. This has truly gained Yelvxian's recognition, at least he is no longer anxious to replace him.
"Your Majesty, camping and patrols have been arranged. The morale of the army has gradually calmed down. The soldiers are resting!" Yelusha reported to Hui.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Yelvxian nodded, looked at Han Derang, who was also full of fatigue, and said, "Han Qing, just now I spoke passionately and had an excessive attitude. I have wronged you. Please forgive me!"
"Your Majesty is serious!" Han Derang seemed to see the magnanimous Yelvxian again. Hearing this, he immediately said: "Compared with the shame and hatred of the defeated army and the pain in your Majesty's heart, this grievance is nothing! I only hope that your Majesty can regain his dignity. Take heart, I will still follow you to the death!"
Yelusha was standing by and quickly said that I was the same. Seeing this civil and military action, Yelvxian felt even more comforted.
Looking at Han Derang, Yelvxian spoke in a heavy tone: "You, the Han family, are full of loyal men and women who have been loyal to the Liao Dynasty for decades. You can be said to have dedicated your life to the Liao Dynasty until death. I am very grateful! You will be rewarded generously in the future!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Daliao's kindness to the ministers and others has been beyond the limit. The ministers and ministers have no choice but to exhaust the city in return!" Han Derang couldn't help but be moved, with a hint of sadness on his face.
They already knew about Yehuling's defeat and the death of Han Kuangmei, Han Derang's uncle.
"How many people are following me?" Yelvxian asked Yelvsha again.
Yeluxa seemed a little embarrassed to speak, and his expression was extremely heavy. Under Yeluxian's gaze, he still said a result that made his heart ache: "The total number of guards, soldiers and subordinates is less than 10,000. !”
Hearing this, Yelvxian bit his lip and said in a sad tone: "The country is excellent, and an army of hundreds of thousands went south, but there is not even a tenth of an inch..."
Seeing that Yelvxian was unable to hold on any longer, Handerang advised: "Your Majesty, although the number of escorting soldiers is less than 10,000, but they were evacuated in separate ways, the actual damage will not be this much. After that, they should be able to accommodate many more soldiers and horses.
The soldiers who escaped from the mountains and rushed out of the pass should be able to escape the pursuit of the Han army as long as they retreat with all their strength. The Han army was mainly infantry, with not many cavalry, and not enough to take care of all directions. They also did not have the extra energy to pursue in depth to expand the results! "
Handerang's words were not entirely words of comfort. They were based on facts, even if they were not as optimistic as he said. We need to know how many people the Liao army, which has lost most of its supplies, will eventually have in the vast grassland, after winter has entered, and in the southern part of the desert that has been plowed into a large no-man's land by the war between the two sides. If you insist on returning to the north, you need to put a big question mark!
