Chapter 3538 Unfinished Work
Tumidu was indeed an outstanding leader. Under his encouragement, the coalition forces composed of soldiers from all ethnic groups under his command were highly morale and murderous. Hengdao immediately vowed to completely cut off the defeated troops of Dashi.
However, morale is important, but the most important thing in a war is the balance of power between the enemy and ourselves. Whether it is maximizing morale or cleverly planning an ambush, all strategies are aimed at suppressing combat power at a certain place or moment, so as to win victory. .
At present, the morale of the coalition forces of all ethnic groups is indeed high, but what is helpless is that there are too many enemies. Moreover, although the Dashi army has collapsed, the defeated soldiers who are bent on survival saw an army with complicated uniforms and different appearances blocking their way. Their way of survival, and they were not from the Tang Dynasty, suddenly burst out with a strong desire to survive. They organized themselves and launched a fierce offensive against the coalition forces of all ethnic groups in the dangerous pass.
Even though the allied forces of all ethnic groups were "one man in charge", resulting in heavy casualties among the defeated troops, their strong desire to survive still drove these defeated troops to launch wave after wave of attacks, like a continuous and powerful tide!
The combat power and determination shown by the defeated soldiers greatly surprised Tumidu. He thought that there was only a numerical difference between the two sides, but he did not expect that these defeated soldiers actually burst out with such strong combat power when their way of survival was cut off.
Rabbits bite when they are anxious...
Tu Midu regretted it so much that he personally wielded his sword and fought side by side with the soldiers under his command. He held on to the dangerous pass and refused to retreat even a step. He was covered in blood from the killing. However, when faced with the large army of soldiers coming from behind like a tide, he couldn't help but feel his scalp numb. He could hope that the soldiers and horses arranged by him in the distance would reinforce him in time, or that the Tang army's cavalry could catch up quickly.
However, he also knew that the latter would probably take some time, because he had already arranged to defend the dangerous pass in advance, so the Tang Army's cavalry would have to pursue and collect the prisoners all the way, and the marching speed would be affected. By the time they arrived, he would have died of exhaustion... …
This dangerous pass is only a few feet wide, with towering mountains on both sides, and the road is even more rugged and winding. Tumidu led his men to guard this place. The terrain does have a posture of "one man can guard the pass and no one can defeat it", but it is a pity that although Although they had all the advantages, there were too many defeated troops, and they rushed up in a steady stream, trying to escape.
No matter how brave the Uighur people are, they will be tired when facing tens of thousands of dolphins and dogs slaughtered with one knife, let alone facing tens of thousands of crazy troops.
Their physical strength quickly declined, and it was difficult to maintain the integrity of the array. In an instant, they were rushed into the pass by broken troops, and the two sides fought in a melee.
Tumidu wielded his scimitar and charged left and right, killing countless people. He felt that his face was already covered with hot blood, and everything he looked at seemed to be red. He also became ruthless and led his soldiers to gather together in one place, blocking the pass and fighting to the death.
However, when they gathered together, they gave the defeated soldiers a chance to escape. Countless defeated soldiers poured into the pass like a tide and escaped through the gaps on both sides.
By the time another part of the allied forces of various ethnic groups arrived after receiving the order, the defeated troops had completely occupied the pass. They could only form a formation in front of the pass and launch an attack on the defeated troops who were still charging towards the pass. However, there was no way to stop the defeated troops in such an open wilderness. Countless defeated troops scattered and rushed towards the pass from all directions.
Tumido and his soldiers faced the stormy waves like rocks in the tide. Fortunately, the defeated troops could take advantage of the opportunity to escape, and they were not in the mood to fight. They were no longer as ferocious as when they fought to seize the road. Tumido led his troops in the pass. The arrows were slashing and killing like crazy, but they were just running away like crazy.
By the time Xue Wanche led the cavalry in pursuit, the defeated soldiers had already fled from the pass. When they saw Tumidu leading more than a hundred surviving soldiers standing in the pass covered in blood, supporting each other, although they felt that It was very heroic, but he still yelled angrily: "The commander-in-chief has issued the military order, why did you divide your troops and cause the enemy to break and flee? Wait for the commander-in-chief to implement your military law!"
After saying that, he ignored the bloody but dejected coalition forces of all ethnic groups, led his cavalry across the pass, and chased after the enemy's defeated troops.
Tumidu stood in the pass, feeling the biting cold wind howling and raging. He sighed, looked at the densely packed corpses in the pass, and said to the surviving soldiers and other ordinary soldiers who finally rushed forward: "Collect the corpses of the clansmen. , and then retreated to rest outside Gongyue City, and I went to the commander to receive my punishment.”
The soldiers of all races looked at each other, feeling a little depressed, but had nothing to say.
Although this battle was extremely tragic, more than a thousand soldiers led by Tumido were killed and wounded, and in the end only a hundred or so were left. Ninety percent of them were killed but they still fought to the death. It was not heroic, but in fact they did not complete the tasks assigned by the Tang army. The order was given and the defeated troops were allowed to escape.
Everyone knows that the Tang army has strict military laws, and Khan will most likely face extremely severe punishment...
But who can blame it? The Tang army had clearly been warned not to underestimate the enemy and must defend the pass to block the route of the defeated troops' escape. However, Tumidu chose to be smart and led only a small number of soldiers to set up an ambush to intercept them, causing the defeated troops to flee.
It can be imagined that from here to Suiye City, the Tang Army's cavalry had to chase and kill them for thousands of miles. It was difficult to annihilate all the enemies even at a huge cost. It was originally a complete victory, but because his side failed to block the pass in accordance with military orders, the success fell short. There is no escape from this guilt.
They could only dismount silently and start looking for the corpses of their clansmen among the corpses scattered inside and outside the pass. Then they gathered together in one place and moved stones from the foot of the mountain to build a huge grave.
……
Within the enemy camp, the aftermath was carried out in an orderly manner.
The cannibals of this era were religious and murderous, but they were seriously lacking in discipline. Once defeated, they could rarely fight to the death. From their perspective, it didn't matter where they surrendered, as long as they could survive. It doesn’t matter whether they will be driven by the Tang army to work as cattle or horses. Anyway, in Dashi, the vast majority of them are slaves, doing jobs inferior to cattle and sheep...
So when the defeat was irreversible, especially when the generals could not find Ye Zide to listen to the "Holy Instructions", countless defeated soldiers took the initiative to put down their weapons and squatted down in the open areas of the camp, waiting. The Tang army came to capture him, but there was no pointless resistance.
Even so, Fang Jun was very nervous because there were so many prisoners...
The Anxi Army and the Youtun Guards together only have 60,000 to 70,000 troops. Even including those coalition forces from all ethnic groups who have been coerced and have been careful, the number does not reach 100,000. However, within the current camp, The number of prisoners reached 40,000 to 50,000.
You can't have the soldiers and horses under your command do nothing but guard the prisoners, right?
Although so many prisoners are submissive at the moment, once they are stimulated, they will definitely form a huge threat. Even if they are unarmed, the consequences of rioting will be extremely serious.
So he set aside several places around the camp and near Gongyue City to keep the prisoners separately, and then asked the army to prepare enough food. It didn't matter what kind of food it was, but it was very important that these prisoners have a full meal. important.
When people are full, they will always be weak-willed, lazy and sluggish. On the contrary, hunger can stimulate people's emotions and make them easily excited...
What's more, whether it's the Tang Army or the Dashi Army, for the soldiers at the bottom, isn't it just a mouthful of food that licks blood with the blade of a knife and fights fiercely on the battlefield?
As long as you can eat enough, nothing is a problem.
It was not until noon that the urgent matters were arranged one by one. Fang Jun was in high spirits and not tired at all. The generals under his command were all in a hurry, but they could not hide their excitement.
I originally thought that the current situation was a confrontation between the two armies, but I don't know when it would end. After all, there were countless fierce battles between the two armies. Not to mention the waste of money and food, I don't know how many Han family members will be buried in the ice and snow of the Western Regions.
As a result, a sudden surprise attack killed more than 100,000 Dashi troops and fled in panic. The battle was decided in one battle!
It’s simply a monumental achievement!
Not surprisingly, the Anxi Army and the Youtun Guards had made numerous meritorious service and received numerous honors, and the rewards of money and silk were even more generous. Not only were they filled with glory, but they also made a lot of money. Why do we become soldiers and fight? The myth is to protect the family and the country and guard the borders. To be honest, it is simpler. Officers want to have wives and children, and soldiers want to be promoted and get rich!
Such meritorious deeds naturally made the whole army energetic and morale soared!
Fang Jun was also very satisfied. He defeated the army of Dashi and allowed Tumidu to intercept the defeated army. He only needed to kill or capture most of them. Even if some fish slipped through the net, it would not be a problem. There will be no more Dashi troops in the Western Regions. (End of chapter)