Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 621 - 575: Who Will Cover the Rear?

Chapter 621: Chapter 575: Who Will Cover the Rear?

On the clear morning of the next day, Bai Dushu watched the retreating backs of the Tujue army and heard the cheers of the surrounding soldiers, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth before he wearily collapsed to the ground.

Immediately, some soldiers came over to pour water for Bai Dushu, and there was even someone who took out their treasured dried beef to share.

"General Bai, you worked hard!"

"General Bai, please eat some more!"

"General Bai, are you betrothed yet? My little daughter is only this year..."

Just then, Hu Jing’an walked over and glared at the soldiers who had just been cozying up to Bai Dushu, frightening them into running away.

"The Military Envoy has summoned you," he said.

Bai Dushu nodded and then was helped up by Hu Jing’an.

By the time they arrived at the Central Army’s tent, everyone was tallying the casualties from the battle and the enemy’s casualties.

After a night of fierce fighting, the Lingwu Army suffered over fourteen hundred soldiers killed, with many more wounded, unable to return to battle for some time.

Hearing the number of casualties, many generals felt very sad.

Although everyone understood that death is inevitable in war, they still hoped that their side would have fewer losses and the enemy more.

"The Tujue left behind a good four thousand corpses!"

When Changsun Bubai said this, the expressions on many generals’ faces eased somewhat.

Fourteen hundred for over four thousand, a three-to-one ratio, was already quite impressive.

"However, that doesn’t include the big pit that Bai Dushu had dug. There should be over two thousand more in there, right?"

At this moment, Changsun Wugen stood up and said, "Military Envoy, among the four thousand or so Tujue corpses on the battlefield, I’m afraid a thousand were killed by the catapults. In actuality, our forces eliminated only three thousand. And in the deep pits, it is estimated that more than three thousand Tujue perished, including an elite squad completely composed of those in the Spiritual Platform Realm, as well as Wugu Li Khan’s most elite force of a thousand cavalry!"

At this point, Changsun Wuji walked in from outside.

"I have urgent news for you, Father," he began. "Last night, I contacted Town Martial Office and ambushed a cavalry of five thousand Tujue that was rushing over from the east. We annihilated them, sparing only a few for interrogation, and then we learned..."

Changsun Wuji paused, glancing at the other generals in the Central Army tent.

"Spit it out! Let it out already!"

Changsun Bubai roared angrily.

Taking a deep breath, Changsun Wuji continued, "After receiving the intelligence we sent, the Shuofang Army did not march north to hold their defenses; instead, they chose to retreat."

"What!?"

At these words, all the generals in the camp were shocked.

Although everyone knew Mei Fei was incompetent and often unreliable, they could not imagine him deserting before the battle.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Bubai coughed violently twice in anger.

"Cough cough... Gentlemen, after all, Mei Fei is the Grand Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Longyun Path. Basically, when there’s a battle, he is essentially the Grand Commander-in-Chief, with all the troops of Longyun Path under his command."

"Now, on one hand, Mei Fei hasn’t given us any orders, and on the other, he’s not cooperating with our operations, which clearly indicates he has his own plans. Even if we reported this to Kaihuang, Kaihuang wouldn’t do anything to him."

Upon hearing that this bastard wouldn’t even be punished, everyone became even angrier.

Changsun Bubai glanced at Changsun Wuji and asked, "Since Mei Fei has led the Shuofang Army in retreat, have the surrounding civilians also evacuated?"

Upon hearing this question, Changsun Wuji sighed softly and said in a low voice, "No. The civilians had no idea that the Tujue people suddenly attacked, so how could they possibly retreat in good order? When Mei Fei and his men retreated, they didn’t inform anyone. So, we too only found out about this through the martial artists on Longyun Path now."

After coughing violently twice, Changsun Bubai sighed deeply.

"Given that, we can be certain that with the current strength of our Lingwu Army, it’s impossible to hold the Great Wall on Longyun Path. Therefore, we can only retreat."

"However, we can retreat quickly, but what about the civilians? So, Changsun Wuji, get in touch with the Town Martial Office and ask for their help. Have all the martial artists throughout Longyun Path assist in getting the message to all the villages and small towns in the north of Longyun Path, to retreat south! Take the most valuable possessions, it’s crucial to save their lives. Head south first! Cough cough cough..."

While coughing, Changsun Bubai suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

This panic spread through the entire encampment.

Changsun Wuji also realized that the situation was dire, and immediately had the Deputy General take Changsun Bubai away.

Changsun Wuji then approached the desk that belonged to Changsun Bubai and sat down slowly.

"Logically, this position should belong to Zhang San, as, after all, my grandfather has coughed up blood, and in the army, the one with the highest rank and the most capability is Zhang San. Unfortunately, Brother San is not here, so I’ll take over all military affairs."

Many of the officers present were dissatisfied upon hearing Changsun Wuji say this.

After all, Changsun Wuji generally acted like a playboy every day, and now that he had stepped forward at this time, everyone was bound to be discontent.

Changsun Wuji knew that he had hidden his abilities for too long. Only Zhang San had detected some of it, which was why Zhang San had deliberately gotten him to interact with the Town Martial Office.

Now it seemed that he had no choice but to show some of his skills.

"Gentlemen, at least my taking this position is justifiable, and it is only temporary, so there’s no need for you to worry. Right now, the most important thing is that our Lingwu Army also needs to retreat south. But at the same time, we must try our best to ensure that the civilians also evacuate. The nearest city from here is Li City. So, we’ll head to Li City first."

"Li Xuanmin, you should know how to recruit soldiers from your time at Jin River Path, correct?"

Li Xuanmin stood up and nodded.

"I’m giving you five hundred troops and some military funds. You go to Li City first, inform the city’s garrison of the situation of our Lingwu Army, and then recruit locally! After all, our forces suffered losses in this battle and need to be replenished. On the way, you can also spread the word that anyone who wants to join our Lingwu Army should head to Li City. This will make it easier for us to recruit soldiers quickly!"

"Understood!"

"Changsun Wudiao, you’ve been to Jin River Path before and you know Old General Yuchi. Take your personal guards and go to Jin River Path. Contact Old General Yuchi and see how things are there. If possible, ask Jin River Path to send troops to support us. Remember to prioritize supporting our Lingwu Army, not because we’re trying to exclude the Shuofang Army at this time. But because the Shuofang Army has retreated without fighting, we are worried there might be Tujue spies among them, so we can’t let the Shuofang Army know that there are reinforcements from Jin River Path!"

Everyone understood that what Changsun Wuji said was one thing, but the reality was that he was simply finding an excuse to get support from Jin River Path for the Lingwu Army.

"Finally, there’s one more most important thing. In yesterday’s battle, Wugu Li’s forces must have suffered losses of up to ten thousand men, many of whom were elite troops!"

"Today, after he returns, he will definitely reorganize his troops and come back at us. But the army needs to retreat, so who will stay behind to cover our retreat?"