Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 810 - 669: No Retreat

Chapter 810: Chapter 669: No Retreat

Mongwu Khan Totaabuqa received the battle report from Qingshui River at almost the same time as Li Xuan.

His face instantly turned purple with rage, his eyes filled with unwillingness, as his breath became oppressively somber and deep.

"Damn Burigude!"

After about twenty breaths of silence, Totaabuqa let out a roar like that of a lion.

He was like a human tornado, knocking over all the desks and mats inside the tent, shattering dozens of gold and silver vessels and porcelain before his emotions gradually calmed down.

Then Totaabuqa gritted his teeth and said, "Order all the Wanhu to immediately begin preparations for the retreat! Also, scatter all our messengers to call back the sons who are looting outside! The faster, the better.

Furthermore, instruct my cousin Zhuoligetu Taiji to quickly lead four Wanhu to reinforce Zhangjiakou. I don’t expect him to retake Fenghuang Mountain, but the route for our retreat from Zhangjiakou must be unobstructed!"

At this moment, Totaabuqa, although infuriated by the defeat at Qingshui River and reluctant to withdraw from Xuanfu just yet, didn’t harbor any worries about the retreat itself.

Although his cousin Burigude had lost him forty thousand men and the situation of several million livestock that followed the army was worrying, Totaabuqa’s cavalry still amounted to three hundred eighty thousand, holding a numerical advantage on the battlefield of Xuanfu.

They also had a large supply of dried meat, ensuring they had food and water for ten days, and if the situation became dire, they could slaughter horses for food.

In such circumstances, although they couldn’t engage in a decisive battle with the Jin Army and it was inappropriate to linger within Xuanfu territory, a safe withdrawal was definitely not a problem.

It was only after less than half a shichen later that Totaabuqa heard thunderous military drums and the Jin Army’s cheers like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing, coming from the camp opposite his position.

Totaabuqa immediately lifted the flap of the tent and looked out, his expression one of astonishment.

He then saw the rows of Jin soldiers orderly marching out of their campsite under the sunlight.

They walked in step with the rhythmic drum beats, forming neat lines, each and every soldier brimming with energy, and with high morale, they methodically arranged themselves into tight and disciplined formations on the plain.

At that time, countless cavalry were racing among these Jin formations, loudly proclaiming, "By the order of County Prince Fenyang, I hereby announce to all the armies! Our army has won a great victory at Qingshui River, slaughtering forty thousand enemy cavalry. General Fang Ying of Xuanfu has beheaded the Mongol Taiji Burigude in battle! The four guards of Wanquan have also retaken the Fortress of Fenghuang Mountain. The enemy’s supply lines are cut, their retreat path is blocked!"

What was annoying was that, not only were they shouting in Chinese, but some of them even rode up to a distance less than five li away from the Mongwu lines, loudly declaring the same in the Mongwu language.

This caused all the soldiers from the various Datan tribes and the three guards of Duoyan to become agitated, some turned pale, their eyes conveying unease.

These Mongwu soldiers had already been unsettled by the sudden retreat orders, and the shouts of the Jin people filled them with shock and even quiet terror.

What made everyone feel even worse was that Totaabuqa’s military orders were coming down from above.

All had to abandon the luggage, blankets, dried meat, and looted ironware, as well as various spoils of war they were organizing, and mount their horses once more to form up in front of the camp, preparing to face the Jin Army.

If what followed was a straightforward fight, that would have been one thing, but they then saw that after the Jin Army finished forming up and advanced several li, they stopped moving forward.

The Jin soldiers just paused, seven li away from them.

Most of them sat down on the ground, conserving energy and resting their spirits, while only a small number dug simple anti-cavalry pits in front of the army formation.

Initially, Totaabuqa thought the Jin Army emerging and forming ranks meant they were preparing to attack.

But until the sun began to set, Totaabuqa saw no movement from the Jin Army.

"What does the Jin Army intend to do?" Totaabuqa furrowed his brow, asking his close ministers, "They have formed their ranks here, but dare not attack us. What are they doing standing there?"

After exchanging glances, none of the Mongwu ministers present opened their mouths to speak.

The intent of the Jin Army was clear—they wanted to maintain contact and entangle their large army, preventing an easy retreat from the strategic town of Xuanfu.

Now that the Jin Army had the upper hand, why would they need to assault their position, which had the advantage of the terrain?

Totaabuqa was well aware of the Jin Army’s strategy as well. He took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the restlessness in his chest, "The Jin people have a saying, ’If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.’ I propose the entire army charges out and attacks the Jin Army. What do you all think?"

Yet no sooner had he spoken than everyone objected.

"Khan, you must not! The Jin Army is well arranged and its soldiers have been resting. They have high morale. If we attack forcefully, how many lives will it cost us?"

"Khan, there’s an old saying on the grasslands, ’Do not attack an army that does not want to fight.’ Please think thrice, Khan."

’Do not attack an army that does not want to fight’ hails from the times of the Tang Dynasty, meaning that Han infantry formations should not be attacked recklessly.

During the Western Han Dynasty, the great general Li Ling, with only five thousand infantry, fought against many tens of thousands of Hunnic cavalry for more than ten days, beheading over ten thousand before being defeated because of lack of provisions.

Even after the rise of the Liao and Jin Dynasties followed by the Mongwu, they all suffered greatly at the hands of Han infantry formations.

These Han infantry formations just need to hold their ground, and the grassland cavalry must suffer tremendous casualties to break through them.

Totaabuqa knew this as well and did not insist. Slightly impatiently, he waved his whip, "If they don’t dare to come over, we needn’t bother with them. We continue to withdraw! Where is Delebek Taiji? You will lead fifty thousand cavalry to cover our rear."

Delebek Taiji was the head of the three great divisions of Duoyan, and the title ’Taiji’ was a self-conferred term of honor among the three great divisions of Duoyan.

Tuotuobuhua’s intention was to use the troops of the Yan Tribe to cover the withdrawal of his Datan part.

However, what made all the Mongwu people extremely anguished was that, just as they were returning to camp to reorganize, the entire Jin Army advanced again—they covered a distance of three miles this time, and then once more arrayed themselves like a mountain, immovable.

After much hesitation, Tuotuobuhua still decided to ignore the Jin Army and continue the withdrawal.

But right after that, his tens of thousands of cavalry nearly lost control.

The first to retreat was the Yan Tribe, with the warriors of each tribe leaving their stationed hilltops one after another, each speeding northward.

Then, once again, the tens of thousands of Jin soldiers let out a sky-shaking cheer.

Tuotuobuhua’s face turned ashen at this instant, and his heart turned cold as ice.

He realized he had made a grave mistake—his prestige among the Mongwu tribes and his control over the various tribes were far less than that of the Khan of Vala, Yexian.

Under such a state, if they were victorious, they were fierce like wolves and tigers; if defeated, they scattered like loose sand!

At the same time, another piece of bad news reached Tuotuobuhua—the Eastern Hill Fort of Zhangjiakou had fallen a moment ago.

The Jin Army, amassing in Zhangjiakou and with the help of the Yunzhong warship’s strong assault, had effortlessly captured the Eastern Hill Fort, aided by the huge cannonballs fired from the south.

For Tuotuobuhua, this was a bolt from the blue. Eastern Hill Fort was a crucial defensive fort of Zhangjiakou, standing alongside the Fortress of Fenghuang Mountain on either side of the Qingshui River.

The fall of this fort meant that the passage to Zhangjiakou was essentially severed.

But at this moment, Tuotuobuhua could do nothing; he could only continue to lead his tens of thousands of Qiexue royal troops in a sprint towards Zhangjiakou.

Although the retreat through there had been cut off, they still held both Tai Mountain Fort and Qili Mountain Fort in their hands.

Tuotuobuhua had prepared to reorganize his troops at Zhangjiakou and then launch a strong attack on Eastern Hill Fort.

In this battle, even at the cost of tens of thousands of lives, he had to ensure that the main forces of his Datan part retreated into the grasslands.

However, just as Tuotuobuhua’s Qiexue army advanced to within thirty miles of Zhangjiakou, his father-in-law "Wanhu Wulianghai" Shabudan galloped over and tightly grasped his reins.

"We can’t go any further, Great Khan! If we keep fleeing like this, all the Datan soldiers will end up buried here today. I know the Great Khan wants to attack Eastern Hill Fort, but the Jin People will never give us a chance to reorganize for the attack. Before that happens, these more than three hundred thousand Mongwu warriors will be slaughtered by the Jin Army. You can look behind us—"

Stunned, Tuotuobuhua looked back and then saw behind him a chaotic expanse of Mongwu soldiers across the hills and fields.

Thirteen miles behind them was the approaching Jin army, its formations as vast as the sky.

After a march of fifty miles, they had not been shaken off by much and were still biting closely at their heels. And even at high speeds, their formations remained tight and as imposing as mountains!

Meanwhile, thirty thousand Jin cavalry roamed at large, calmly hunting down the lagging Mongwu knights.

Just by quickly gauging the distances, Tuotuobuhua knew that Shabudan’s advice was right.

Under these circumstances, even if they reached Zhangjiakou, they would have no time to attack the fort and instead would face being attacked from both the front and rear by the Jin Army.

Tuotuobuhua’s expression instantly fluctuated, and after about three breaths’ time, he finally spoke, "Issue the order, intercept all tribal troops and form up into battle array on the spot! Those who dare flee shall be executed where they stand."

Tuotuobuhua suddenly exhaled a long breath, "Release my ’Wangzhang Jinjian,’ and inform the heads of the tribes. Today, we will either crush these Jin soldiers and retreat from the Great Wall comfortably, or we will be defeated at the hands of the Jin and buried here in battle! Besides this, there is no hope for luck!"

At the same time, thirteen miles away, General Zhenshuo Zhu Guoneng gazed at the Mongwu’s grand army from in front of the whole army’s formation.

This moment, rather than being alarmed, he was delighted, "Tuotuobuhua’s Qiexue army has stopped; it seems they are organizing their troops here to fight to the death with our army."

"He has nowhere left to retreat!" Li Xuan said, smiling confidently and at ease. Then he spurred his horse to gallop in front of the formation, carefully observing the state of his subordinate soldiers.

Along the way, all the Jin generals guessed his intentions, and they laughed heartily, responding with howls as sorrowful as the cries of wolves and ghosts.

"Your Highness County Prince, there’s no need to look! How far have we come? Not even fifty miles, my subordinates have marched over a hundred miles without needing a rest in the past!"

"Your Highness, the morale of my Baiyang Fortress Qiuhu Office is steady! Just give the order!"

"Your Highness County Prince, my troops are full of energy! Even fighting for a whole day and night wouldn’t be a problem."

"Your Highness County Prince, the Liang Family Fort Qiuhu Office requests to be the vanguard!"

Li Xuan didn’t respond, he carefully observed for a while on horseback and then rejoined the Central Army.

"Pass my command, the entire army, press forward without delay! The cavalry ahead should seize advantageous terrain, and prepare for a charge! Inform the generals, the moment to avenge Tumu Fort’s past shame is tonight!"

In front of him, the Mongwu People were continuously scattering their formations, unsettling their military hearts, disuniting in will, plagued with exhaustion.

Under such circumstances, Li Xuan would never give the opponent the chance to reorganize their formations.

As his mounted messengers spurred their horses in all directions, delivering the military order, the entire Jin Army erupted once again in cheers and roars. Their morale soared like a rainbow, and a tremendous surge of blood and war smoke shot straight into the void!