Li Zhi, don't be a coward

Chapter 592
Li Qinzai led the soldiers on horseback and galloped in a random direction. Even he himself had no fixed destination, in order to prevent the enemy scouts from discovering their whereabouts.

After running for sixty miles, Li Qinzai ordered the soldiers to dismount and rest after confirming that the Tubo pursuers had all retreated.

"Immediately count the battle damage, treat the injured robe, and feed the horses with fodder!" Li Qinzai ordered loudly.

The soldiers carried out his orders methodically.

Not long after, Sun Congdong and Song Jintu came over with lists.

"Uncle Li, 320 and five gunmen were killed in battle, and 960 were seriously injured, not counting minor injuries. The cavalry killed 42 people, and [-] were seriously injured, not counting minor injuries. A total of [-] horses were damaged. More than three hundred halberds and sixty horizontal knives..."

Sun Congdong reported in a low voice, his expression full of mourning.

This was the heaviest casualty suffered by Li Qinzai's troops since entering Tuyuhun. A total of more than [-] troops lost one-third of their troops in one encounter.

Li Qinzai had no expression on his face, and said coldly: "Send 100 people to bandage the seriously injured and escort them to Liangzhou City. The rest of the soldiers camped where they were, and ate and rested."

"Send scouts in the direction of Shanzhou City to inquire about the movement of the Tubo army and the current situation of Shanzhou City, and put out a guard post five miles away."

A series of orders were issued, and the uninjured soldiers all took action one after another.

Not long after, scouts came to report that the Tubo army had shrunk their camp and withdrew the soldiers and horses surrounding Shanzhou City.

The city gate to the east of Shanzhou has been opened, and countless people are evacuating the city with their families.

Li Qinzai breathed a sigh of relief. Today he took the initiative to fight Tubo head-on, in order to break the siege of Shanzhou. If he hadn't cared about the people in the city, with Li Qinzai's personality, he would have chosen to go head-to-head with the Tubo army. His tactics have always been flexible. Today, for the people in the city That's why I made this bad move.

"Song Jintu, send [-] cavalry to attack and harass around Shanzhou City. If you encounter an enemy, avoid it. Don't engage in battle. Contain the Tubo army and allow time for the people to evacuate." Li Qinzai ordered again.

Song Jintu accepted the order with his fists folded, and immediately left the team after gathering a thousand soldiers and horses.

The army finally calmed down, and the soldiers gathered in groups of three or four, silently eating dry food.

The seriously injured soldiers fell to the ground, groaning, and the only two doctors in the army were in a hurry, trying their best to treat those who could be saved, but shook their heads sadly, and tied a white cloth strip on his arm, Indicates serious injuries.

The atmosphere of the crowd was very depressed, someone suddenly burst into a cry, and the cry immediately infected a group of soldiers, and more and more people cried loudly.

A stern look flashed in Sun Congdong's eyes, he jumped up and rushed towards the loudest crying people, kicking them all over the place.

"Hold it back for me! After eating the military rations, you should know what will happen! There is no one who will not die in a battle. Today is him, and tomorrow is me. If the husband dies, he will die. Why not be afraid!"

Sun Congdong was about to continue yelling, but his shoulders were firmly held down, and when he turned his head, it was Li Qinzai.

Li Qinzai shook his head with a sullen face, and then bowed to the soldiers.

The soldiers were at a loss and stood up one after another.

Li Qinzai sighed: "Today's casualties are not small, and the robes have lost more than a thousand. Since Li became an envoy, he has led brothers in more than ten battles, and today is the most useless. But the robes should know why we fought today. To be so useless?"

"Because we fought head-on with an enemy that was several times our own, we lost more than a thousand, and the Tubo army lost more than six thousand today, which is also several times ours. Let me ask you again, are we useless today?"

In the crowd, a young man of seventeen or eighteen said softly, "You're not useless."

Immediately afterwards, countless soldiers said in unison: "It's worth it!"

Li Qinzai nodded and said in a deep voice: "There is one more thing. Because of our sacrifice, the siege of Shanzhou City has been lifted, and the Tubo army dare not besiege the city again, because they know that our powerful army is not far away and is watching. So they shrunk their camps."

"So in the First World War, the east gate of Shanzhou City was opened wide. At this moment, countless people are fleeing the city with their families and going east..."

"We saved the whole city in this battle. Do you know how many people we saved?"

Li Qinzai's voice suddenly rose: "Shanzhou people, the total number of registered residents is more than 2! You saved more than [-] lives today, and the price is more than [-] sacrifices of Brother Paozhe."

"Don't talk about serving the country and being loyal to the king. Just one sentence, in the eyes of more than 2 people in Shanzhou, you are the Bodhisattvas who survived. You have accumulated thousands of merits today. You are living for the people. Liming, after this battle, Shanzhou City should set up a monument and engrave your names on the monument for future generations to look up and worship!"

Li Qinzai's words revived the sluggish morale of the army. Everyone raised their faces and looked at him with flushed faces, their eyes full of enthusiasm.

Li Qinzai suddenly said hoarsely: "Now, let me ask you again, is our sacrifice worth it?"

"It's worth it!" All the soldiers shouted together.

"If it is for the sake of the people, I am willing to die!"

"The villain is also willing to die, not for anything else, but to accumulate some merits and seek a blessing for the mother-in-law and the child!"

"I would also like to go to death, without seeking any rewards. My name is Zeng Donglai, and I want to engrave my name on the stone tablet!"

Li Qinzai nodded, finally showing a smile on his face.

Sun Congdong next to him gave him an admiring look.

Just a few words can instantly boost the morale of the sluggish army. Sun Congdong thought he could not do such an ability.

"Have a full meal and rest right away. Perhaps tomorrow, we will still die, but remember what you said today, and I am willing to die with you!"

Li Qinzai waved his hand vigorously, turned around and sat down, took out a piece of hard jerky from his arms, and bit it down hard.

While eating dry food, Li Qinzai talked to Sun Congdong in a low voice.

"Starting tomorrow, avoid direct confrontation with the Tubo army. The people of Shanzhou City have already escaped from the city. We can retreat while fighting. Counting the time, Pei Xingjian's troops may soon arrive at Qinghai Lake tomorrow. Let's meet him as much as possible... "

"It's still the original strategy, to drive the Tubo army from the north of Tuyuhun to the south, and create conditions for the arrival of Su Dingfang's army."

Li Qinzai gritted his teeth and said: "It would be best if Lu Dongzan could be killed in the chaos. If Lu Dongzan died, there would be chaos in Tubo, and Zanpu and the landlords would definitely fight for power. For Tang Dynasty , glad to hear and see."

Sun Congdong said in a low voice: "After the seriously injured are settled, we can leave the camp to the north tonight..."

Li Qinzai shook his head: "No, we can't leave tonight. The people in Shanzhou are evacuating. We want to contain the Tubo army here. If we leave, the Tubo army may continue to besiege the city, and many people cannot escape."

(End of this chapter)