kingnovel Chapter 2101 Fury
Chapter 2101 Fury
The news of Li Jing's return to camp was like the most effective stimulant, and also like a huge burden being lifted off his shoulders.
The Tang soldiers, who had been fighting bitterly on the front lines for a long time, were stunned at first, and then burst into a low cheer mixed with exhaustion, relief and liberation.
They were already exhausted and terrified of fighting, but they had no choice but to fight to the death to fulfill their military orders and protect their commander.
Now that the mission is accomplished, who would be willing to die in vain in front of this impregnable Chu army camp?
"Send the order!"
Xue Kehu no longer hesitated and shouted sternly, "The vanguard will become the rearguard, with archers providing cover. Each unit will disengage in turn and retreat to the main camp! Move quickly, maintain formation, and guard against pursuit by the Chu army!"
"Order!"
The order to retreat was quickly relayed. The Tang soldiers retreated like a receding tide; although their movements were somewhat slow due to exhaustion, order was still maintained.
They carried the wounded, gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades, and slowly left the battlefield.
On the Chu army's camp, Han Xing calmly observed the Tang army's movements.
Seeing that the Tang army suddenly stopped attacking and began to retreat in an orderly manner, and combined with the faint sound of gongs being sounded, he understood what was going on.
"It seems that General Ma Chao's side... ultimately failed to achieve complete success."
Han Xing stroked his beard and sighed softly, his tone revealing little surprise, only a hint of regret. He then gave the order:
"Order all units to strictly guard their camps and not to launch attacks without authorization. Send out scouts to follow and monitor the movements of the Tang army from a distance."
He knew that Xue Kehu's retreat meant that Li Jing had safely returned to the Tang camp.
This bloody, multi-faceted battle, which revolved around "intercepting and killing Li Jing" and "rescuing Li Jing," and involved hundreds of miles and multiple parties, can finally be temporarily concluded.
Although it was regrettable that Li Jing was not captured or killed, the strategic objectives of severely damaging the main force of the Tang army and killing and capturing a large number of its generals had already been exceeded.
The cold wind was still biting, blowing across the tattered flags and countless still-warm corpses left behind on the battlefield.
Xue Kehu took one last look at the imposing Chu army camp that had caused him heavy losses but which he had not been able to shake. He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, turned his horse around, and joined the retreating tide, heading towards his own camp.
There were wounded soldiers who needed rest, soldiers whose morale needed to be appeased, and even more difficult circumstances awaiting them after their defeat.
Xue Kehu led his heavily wounded and exhausted troops back slowly to the Tang army camp.
The camp gates slammed shut behind them, shutting them out of the battlefield outside, a battlefield strewn with corpses and howling in the cold wind.
Once they entered the relatively safe camp, many soldiers could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground or sat on the supply wagons, panting heavily with vacant eyes.
The groans of wounded soldiers echoed throughout the camp, as medics and auxiliary soldiers bustled about, the air thick with the stench of blood and the aroma of wound medicine.
Xue Kehu had no time to comfort his subordinates or care about the burning pain from his own wounds. He hurriedly handed over the aftermath to his deputy and then strode anxiously toward the central command tent.
His mind was filled with thoughts of Marshal Li Jing and how to deal with this terrible situation.
Outside the command tent, the atmosphere was solemn and the guards were tight.
The guards all stood solemnly with their halberds in hand.
Just as Xue Kehu was about to step forward to announce his request for an audience, a composed figure emerged from beside the tent and blocked his way—it was Guo Ziyi.
"General Xue, you've worked hard."
Guo Ziyi's voice was soothing, but also carried a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
His armor was also covered in dust from the battle.
"General Guo!"
Xue Kehu quickly clasped his hands in greeting and asked anxiously, "This humble general has just returned to camp. How is Commander Li's injury? May this humble general go in to visit him?"
Guo Ziyi gently raised his hand, stopping him from rushing in, and whispered:
"General Xue, please calm down. Commander Li has just returned to camp and is being carefully examined by the physician in his tent."
"He has been traveling all night and has experienced danger. He is exhausted, both physically and mentally. He needs to rest and should not be disturbed."
Upon hearing this, Xue Kehu paused, his anxiety deepening: "Then... how is Commander Li's injury? Is it serious?"
He knew that Li Jing was old and, having experienced such a crushing defeat and fleeing, would probably find it difficult to bear.
Looking into Xue Kehu's eager and sincere eyes, Guo Ziyi sighed inwardly.
Although this fierce general was rough and unruly, his loyalty and concern for Li Jing were beyond question.
He shook his head slightly, trying to comfort him in a calm tone:
"General Xue, rest assured. The physician just gave a preliminary examination and found that Commander Li has mostly superficial wounds, with a few deeper arrow wounds and knife wounds, but fortunately none of them have damaged his bones or internal organs."
"He is mainly exhausted, and has also been exposed to a cold. He needs to recuperate for some time, but his life should be fine."
Hearing that Li Jing was alright, Xue Kehu finally relaxed a little and let out a long sigh of relief.
"That's good, that's good, it's truly a blessing from heaven."
If Li Jing were to suffer another mishap, it would undoubtedly be adding insult to injury for the Tang army.
However, Guo Ziyi's next words made Xue Kehu's heart jump again, which he had just put down.
Guo Ziyi's expression turned unusually solemn. He glanced around to make sure no one else was watching before lowering his voice and speaking in a heavy tone:
"General Xue, although Marshal Li is unharmed, our army has suffered heavy losses this time, far exceeding expectations."
"Not only was the main force of Zhennanguan almost completely wiped out, but generals such as Wang Zhongsi, Gao Xianzhi, and Liu Hongji also died in battle. Just last night, during the rescue mission, General Qin Hong led his troops to cover the rear to protect Commander Li, and he died fighting to the death."
Xue Kehu was shocked. Although he was mentally prepared, hearing the news of Qin Hong's death still stung him.
Although Qin Hong was not a close friend of his, they were both fierce generals in the army, and a sense of shared sorrow arose between them.
Guo Ziyi's voice was even lower, carrying a suppressed sorrow:
"As for General Yuchi Bo, in order to delay Ma Chao and buy time for Commander Li to escape, he led his troops in a bloody battle to cover the rear, but was eventually exhausted and captured, and has now fallen into the hands of the Chu army."
"What? General Yuchi has been arrested?"
Xue Kehu's eyes widened in disbelief!
The death of Qin Hong in battle was already a devastating blow, but the capture of Yuchi Bo was an even greater shock!
Yuchi Bo!
That was a fierce general in the army who was as famous as Xue Kehu, and even better in some aspects!
Strong-willed and unyielding!
He was actually... captured?
This was an utter disgrace and a heart-wrenching pain for Yuchi Bo himself, for the morale of the entire Tang army, and especially for his colleagues who admired his bravery!
A surge of adrenaline rushed to Xue Kehu's head. His beard bristled, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he took a sudden step forward, his voice trembling with excitement:
"General Guo! How can we sit idly by while General Yuchi falls into enemy hands?"