The bright moon rose high, and the remaining main cavalry in the Qi army was pulled away. The horses took off the luan bells, and the soldiers were ranked and left the military camp.
Yelu Mawu sent him out of the camp and watched Bali leave quickly, not knowing what he felt in his heart. Since surrendering to the Jin Dynasty, Yelu Mawu did not know how much contribution he made. He did not expect that he would be like this today.
Niu Gao had already finished his preparations and sent reconnaissance cavalry to monitor Jinying. After getting the news, I walked around there and couldn't make up my mind. Niu Gao was unwilling to let the Jin army withdraw like this. But Wang Xiaolie made it clear, leave the Jin army's baggage and leave the main force alone.
After thinking for a long time, Niu Gao said decisively: "The meaning of defense is that there is no need to chase the Jin army for a long time and leave behind its baggage. The Jin army has just withdrawn from the Jin camp, so it is better to chase them for a while. It is the Jin army's blessing that they cannot be held back. .If you keep them, they’ll be in trouble!”
After saying that, he left a thousand cavalry to monitor the Jin camp, and took two thousand cavalry to pursue Bali.
It was the weather in early April, and a quarter moon hung in the sky, vaguely reflecting on the road. Various flowers bloomed on both sides of the road, mixed with dew and exuding a strange fragrance. In the pond next to it, water birds were awakened by the horse's hooves from time to time and flew up screaming.
When Wang Xiaolie received the report of Niu Gao's departure in the commander's tent, he couldn't help but shook his head. After saying so much, Niu Gao still couldn't help but go after the main force of the Jin Army. There is no need to stop this kind of thing, as long as you come back in time.
Calling the generals, Wang Xiaolie said: "The Jin army has abandoned the camp and fled, leaving only a small number of soldiers and horses, and porters in the camp. We don't have to wait any longer, and take advantage of the night to rush into the Jin camp. Remember the distinction between soldiers. Open, form a team of fifty people, and fight each other. Also, the porters are our common people in the Song Dynasty, so there is no need to make it difficult for them. As long as they do not participate in the battle, their lives must be saved."
The generals crossed their hands and said yes.
Wang Xiaolie ordered Xue Cheng and Ma Chengzhong to lead their two groups of 6,000 men as the main force. Niu Gao's infantry covered them, and the cavalry pursued the escapers and killed them towards the Jin camp.
Yelu Mawu was drinking wine in the camp when he heard shouting. He thought to himself: "It's really here!"
He called his generals out of the tent and said to them: "Your Majesty has left with the main force, and now only more than a thousand of us are left. As you have seen in the past few days, nearly ten thousand soldiers and horses are no match for the Song army. How can we Can we hold it? Return to the base camp quickly to assemble the troops. If the main force of the Song army does not come to kill us, we will leave now. The porters in the camp can still hold off the Song army for a while."
A general said: "The looted property is all in the porters' camp. Why don't we go pick up a few pieces and have something to say when we go home."
Yelu Mawu scolded: "It's a blessing to be able to go back alive. Wealth and silk are all that we have! Needless to say, go back and gather your troops quickly!"
The general refused to accept it and said loudly: "What a waste of life! Without money, wouldn't it be more uncomfortable than death?"
Yelu Mawu looked at the other people and they all had this idea. He couldn't help but curse loudly: "You are all monsters even if you die, you are all monsters! No need to say more, gather your troops and prepare to escape! This is a military order, anyone who disobeys will be killed!"
Several generals had no choice but to curse and return to the military camp to assemble the troops.
Xue Cheng led his men and took advantage of the night to visit the Jin Army's barracks. They saw that everything was deserted, not even a sentry. While he was hesitating, two cavalrymen came over, crossed their hands and said: "The Jin army has fled eastward, and only the porters are left in the camp! We are ordered by Niu Zongzong to monitor the Jin army here, and we can see clearly! In an hour The main force of the former Jin Army fled, and half an hour ago, the remaining Jin Army also ran away!"
Xue Cheng scolded: "These golden prisoners are really fast! They are not tough!"
After saying that, he ordered his men to enter the golden camp. As long as you don't encounter the Jin army, you are not allowed to kill people and treat the porters properly. No property in the military camp is allowed to be snatched privately and must be disposed of in a centralized manner. After saying that, he lit the torch.
After chasing for thirty miles, the Jin army stopped temporarily, counted the men and horses there, and took a rest. Niu Gao, who was chasing behind, was overjoyed when he saw it. He ordered his subordinates to wrap their left arms with white cloth, divide them into small teams of fifty, and rush towards the Jin army.
As the Jin army got closer, the Song army fired arrows together and kept wandering. When he saw an opportunity, he stepped forward to fight.
During the march, the Jin army did not have heavy armor, but the Song army used strong bows. For a while, they screamed again and again.
Ba Lisu's expression changed drastically. Said: "No, the Song Army is chasing us! If we are entangled by them here, the Song Army will arrive tomorrow morning, and I'm afraid there will be no way out! More than thirty miles ahead is the Han River, and we have to cross the Han River. Safety!"
After saying that, he hurriedly divided his soldiers and horses into two parts, leaving a thousand people to block the Song army, and he took the rest to escape.
The Jin army originally numbered 10,000 people, but the number in the battle formation in front of Jingmen City was reduced by more than 3,000, and they were allotted to Yelu Ma with 5,000 people. Wanyan Yunying took away 1,000 people, and now another 1,000 people are left behind. There are only four thousand people in the army.
After getting on the horse, he looked at the scene of constant fighting in the night and couldn't help but sigh. Last year when I crossed the river, I was in high spirits. I didn't know how many Song troops were defeated and how many cities were taken. I didn't expect that we would end up like this. At this time, they went deep into the hinterland of the Song Dynasty and suffered a defeat. If they were not careful, the whole army would be annihilated. It is said that there are no strong enemies ahead, but in fact there are still many dangers.
Niu Gao saw that the main force of the Jin army had fled, so he asked a small number of cavalry to entangle the remaining Jin soldiers, and he chased for several miles. Seeing that Bali Su's army had been in good order, they retreated again. The remaining thousand gold troops were all wiped out by Niu Gao's troops.
Assembling the troops, Niu Gao led the team back
At this time, the rice plants have reached their height, frogs are constantly chirping around them, and a slanting moon hangs high above our heads. The moonlight is like water, pouring down, and there are dappled lights and shadows on the road. You can't see the color of the flowers around you, but you can smell the fragrance.
Niu Gao was excited after annihilating thousands of Jin troops, snatching their horses, and taking away their weapons and armor. In the last rescue of Shaanzhou, Niu Gao was the defender and did not fight in the big battle. This time against the Jin people, he finally became the main force and made consecutive military exploits.
At this time, the real generals in Wang Xiao's hunting army were Shao Ling and Niu Gao, Cao Zhiyan was slightly worse, and Yu Huan gradually stopped leading troops in battle. The lower level of control gradually grew up, and people such as Wei Sheng, Zhong Ci, Xue Cheng and Ma Chengzhong began to form a talent echelon. Zhang Jun was young and had never really led an army to fight. He became a special talent and went to the guerrilla zone.
At this time, the generals were under great pressure. If there is no military merit and no performance on the battlefield, it is likely that he will be replaced by someone who comes after him. There is no need for Wang Xiaolie to be partial to this kind of thing, everyone can see it.
Thinking of these things, Niu Gao looked at the moon in the sky and let out a sigh of relief. In this battle of Jingmen, my ability has been verified, and I no longer need to be as anxious as in the past few days. As a general, military merit comes first.
When I returned to Jin Camp, I saw the lights were bright and it had been occupied by the Song Army.
In the commander's tent, Wang Xiaolie looked through the military documents left behind by the Jin Army. Below, Yelu Mawu stood with his head bowed.
Niu Gao entered the commander's tent and made a promise to Wang Xiaolie.
Wang Xiaolie raised his head and looked at Niu Gao. He smiled and said, "Did you catch up with Bali Su? What was the result?"
Niu Gao said: "Return to the defense and catch up. Pulling away was too cunning, leaving a thousand cavalry behind and leading the main force to escape."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Ba Lisu is a veteran general. After countless battles, it will be good to catch up. In this battle, we wiped out about 5,000 Jin soldiers, took all their baggage, and captured a general. , it’s a big victory.”
Niu Gao looked at Yelu Mawu next to him and wondered: "Before the army came to attack, Yelu Mawu should have led his troops to escape. How come he was caught?"
Wang Xiaoxing said: "You left a thousand cavalry. When you saw Yelu Mawu running away from the camp, he entangled him three miles away. Soon the army surrounded him. Seeing that there was no way out, he naturally surrendered. Hey, the Jin army invaded the south. Over the years, is this the highest-ranking general captured?"
Niu Gao nodded, turned around and looked at Yelu Mawu, looking up and down. Yelu Mawu is tall, slightly fat, and has a fierce look on his face. There was an annoyance in his expression, and he looked obviously dissatisfied.
Seeing Niu Gao keep looking at himself. Yelu Mawu said angrily: "You man, just watch what I do!"
Niu Gao said: "Not on the battlefield, this is the first time I've seen such a high-ranking golden general like you. I'm blessed today, so take a closer look."
Wang Xiaolie said: "If Yelv Mawu hadn't surrendered earlier and continued to flee eastward, I might have bumped into you. The two of you are destined to get to know each other. Among the Khitan generals who paid gold, few are as good as Yelu Mawu. His official position is higher."
Niu Gao was completely relieved when he saw that Wang Xiaolie did not blame him for chasing Li Su. Wang Xiaolie's performance in the past two days clearly showed that he did not want to engage in a life and death battle with the Jin army. Previously, Niu Gao was afraid that he would be scolded for not entangling the Jin army's defenders.
Wang Xiaolie did not want to pursue the Jin army and leave his base too far, so he did not want to let them go. Niu Gao chased him for thirty miles and came back in time. Of course Wang Xiaolie would not blame him. As soon as the main force of the Jin army fled, the remaining porters were left unattended. The Song army all surrendered as soon as they arrived, and the battle went very smoothly. Almost all of the baggage that Wang Xiaolie cared about most fell into his own hands.
The Jin army swept across Jiangxi and Hunan and looted a lot of wealth. At a glance, Wang Xiaolie was overjoyed. When you are most short of money, with this wealth, many things will be easier to handle.
Relaxed, Niu Gao said: "Defense, I caught up with Bali Su thirty miles away. Fighting with the Jin army, and took some more packages. I opened them on the way, and they were mostly gold items. I think it was the Jin army who escaped. At that time, I picked something valuable and took it with me."
Wang Xiaolie nodded with a smile: "Jin people are used to being poor. How can they recognize so many jewelry when they suddenly become rich? In their eyes, the most valuable thing in the world is gold. What you snatched is the best. . Only in this way can we be considered a complete victory!"
No matter how determined Ba Lisu ran, he still couldn't bear to lose all the money he had snatched. He picked some of the most valuable gold objects and fine silks and took them with him. Unexpectedly, Niu Gao chased them quickly and was robbed of them all again. Although the five thousand gold troops escaped, they were penniless.
Putting down the documents in his hand, Wang Xiaolie said: "I have ordered the soldiers to step up the selection. We will take the valuables back to Xiangyang, and leave the rest to the Jie Zhi Army. This battle will cost a lot of food and grass for the Jie Zhi Army."
