Xiaosheng is not a nerd

Chapter 1755 The entire army was wiped out
He asked softly, "Does Jiedushi Xie know about this?"

Lu Tao shook his head: "The military situation is urgent, he is far away in Lingnan, I haven't had time to inform him yet."

Su Changning said lightly, "Should we inform Xie Fu? After all, this is all the wealth that Xie Fu has worked so hard for."

Lu Tao laughed: "Master Su, you underestimate Master Xie's vision. If he is a man who values ​​his own army, he would not let the two troops return to the fields. He is raising troops for the country and worrying about the people. He has also ordered that in case of emergency, the two troops will be at my disposal."

As he spoke, he took out something, which was the flagpole of the Huainan Jiedushi. With this flagpole, one could represent the Jiedushi and could deploy troops, appoint officers, reward and kill people.

After all, only when you trust someone will you hand over the banner and the letter to someone else. Su Changning said loudly: "Thank you, sir, for your righteousness. I am in awe and respect you."

Lu Tao smiled and said, "Let's repay him with a victory. What is my purpose of coming here this time?"

Su Changning said loudly: "Master Lu, just speak frankly."

"After all, we are sending troops. If we don't have a legitimate reason, it will be tantamount to rebellion. Lord Su, please give us an imperial decree."

"Okay, I will go and discuss with Lord Xiao now, and allow Lord Lu to send troops to Hedong in the name of the emperor."

In early winter, Lu Tao was appointed General of Cavalry and led 60,000 troops from the southern part of the Huai River to march into the Hedong area from the north.

At the same time, the Minister of War Cui Sanfei was appointed as the General of Assisting the Nation, and led half of the elite 30,000 troops from the capital to march into Hedong from the west.

The military strength of the capital has become very weak. This battle can only be won and cannot be lost. If we lose the battle, the important areas of the capital will be in danger.

Two armies attacked from the west and north. One was the Huainan Army, which had good horses and heavy armor and was better equipped than the previous ones. The other was an elite army that originally guarded the capital and was also well-equipped.

The two armies won successive victories and advanced simultaneously from two directions, recaptured most of the city gates in Hedong Road in just one month.

After occupying the entire Hedong Road, the main force of this Northern Di army moved westward and stationed at Fengyiyuan, east of Guannei Road and at the junction of Hedong Road.

To the west of Fengyiyuan is Tongguan, which is currently still in the hands of the Shuofang Army.

To the south of Tongguan is the Yellow River, and to the east is Jingou.

After the Han Dynasty, there was a saying that those who guard the pass but not the forbidden ditch are not really guarding. Those who guard the forbidden ditch but not the twelve linked cities are not really guarding well.

Therefore, the Shuofang Army set up twelve connected cities in the deep trench of Jingou.

Because Tongguan was easy to defend but difficult to attack, the Northern Di army stationed at Fengyiyuan to the east of Tongguan, besieging it without attacking.

Its purpose was also to block the Shuofang Army's retreat route to the east, while cutting off the Shuofang Army's logistical supplies and turning the coalition forces inside the pass into a trapped army.

However, as the armies of the southern Huaibei region and the capital region recovered most of the lost territory in Hedong Road and the two armies converged at Fengyiyuan, the situation of the Northern Di army became dire.

Fengyiyuan is surrounded by mountains in the north, the Yellow River in the south, Tongguan in the west, and the coalition forces of the southern Huaihe River and the capital in the east.

This is a battle that cannot be avoided. The main forces of the enemy and our side are confronting each other at Fengyiyuan, and the war is about to break out.

Fengyiyuan is a type of loess plateau landform in the northwest. It has a flat and open top and is surrounded by steep slopes. This landform is also called a loess platform.

The Huainan army had a cavalry of 8,000 people. The war horses they rode were all good horses from Wenren Ranch and were equipped with horse armor. The armor worn by the soldiers was mostly the top-level armor, Ming Guang Armor and Chi Lian Armor.

Because the soldiers wore golden armor, this cavalry was named the Golden Armor Cavalry.

The heavy cavalry looked like a golden dragon circling the earth when charging into battle, so the unit was named Golden Dragon, and there were 6,000 of them.

The light cavalry were equipped with swords on their waists and carried armor-piercing bows. When cooperating with the heavy cavalry in combat, they were flexible and adaptable. When retracted, they were like arrows, and when unfolded, they were like phoenix wings. Hence, they were named Silver Phoenix.

The main force of Jinlong is the Changzhou Zhechoufu Army, and then elites are selected from each Zhechoufu to expand the number of troops.

The Changzhou Zhechoufu Army originally belonged to the Leopard Cavalry Guard, and most of them were cavalrymen. After the military competition and being equipped with top-level equipment, these soldiers had long since transformed into dragons.

As for the main force of Yinfeng, it is Suzhou Zhechofu. The Suzhou Zhechofu army is affiliated to Sheshengwei, and most of its personnel are archers. The Suzhou Zhechofu army is also a well-trained elite who have experienced military competitions.

The reason why most of the lost territory in Hedong was recovered in just one month was that the golden cavalry was invincible and conquered every battle, which played a big role and made the northern Di soldiers terrified.

The Golden Armored Cavalry never lost a battle and was crowned the best cavalry in the world in just one month.

Zhang Shiyi, commander of the Golden Armor Cavalry, was full of confidence in the decisive battle with the main force of the Northern Di army at Fengyiyuan.

Until they encountered another cavalry at Fengyiyuan, they realized that the Beidi ace cavalry had not been defeated in twenty years and no cavalry could match it head-on.

Ten years ago, it was this ace cavalry that severely damaged the Hexi Army's fine horses and heavy armor, causing the Hexi Army, which was once feared in the Western Regions, to never recover and become a mere reputation.

Looking at the dark mass in front of him, with murderous aura shaking the mountains, Zhang Shiyi's confidence was finally shaken. He did not expect that among the main force of the Northern Di army there were the Northern Di's ace cavalry.

On such an open battlefield, the ability of cavalry to charge into battle determines the outcome of the entire battle.

Looking at the Beidi Ace Cavalry, whose number was twice that of the Golden Armored Cavalry, Zhang Shiyi felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. He had to withstand the charge of the Beidi Ace Cavalry in order to win this main battle.

The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, the vast yellow earth was shaking, the sound of the charge was deafening, and the Northern Di ace cavalry came like a dark cloud, coating the yellow earth black wherever they passed.

The Golden Dragon Tribe rushed out like a golden dragon, and the Silver Phoenix followed closely behind it like a phoenix spreading its wings. Before the two sides came into contact with each other, armor-piercing arrows had already rained down on the dark clouds.

As they are the ace cavalry of Beidi, they are naturally wearing heavy armor. They are not afraid of swords and spears, let alone bows and arrows. They do not dodge the rain of arrows and ignore them.

However, the arrowheads used by the Silver Phoenix Tribe are armor-piercing arrows made by the Su family of Jiancheng. Whether they can penetrate armor will be revealed soon.

Many cavalrymen in the front row of the Beidi ace cavalry were shot by arrows and fell off their horses. It is obvious that the armor-piercing arrows can penetrate armor, but they can only penetrate the thin armor part, and it is still difficult to penetrate the chest armor part. Perhaps the armor worn by this ace cavalry is also top-level armor.

The Silver Phoenix Unit was able to inflict casualties on the ace cavalry, but the casualties were not great. Although many enemies were hit by arrows, they did not lose their combat effectiveness.

The two sides engaged in close combat and reached a stalemate, with the golden light and the dark clouds clearly distinguished. This also proved that there was finally a cavalry in the world that could compete head-on with the Beidi ace cavalry.

As the two sides penetrated each other, it was like the golden river water and the black river water becoming turbid together, with gold in the black and black in the gold.

The main infantry forces of both sides also engaged in full-scale fighting.

This is a head-on decisive battle, there is no skill involved, only strength.

The blood dyed the yellow soil of Fengyiyuan red.

One life for another, any victory for either side can only be a pyrrhic victory.

As the golden armored cavalrymen died together with the enemy one by one, the situation of victory and defeat slowly tilted towards Beidi. The golden armored cavalrymen were no less inferior to Beidi's ace cavalrymen, and even had an advantage in armor, but Beidi's ace cavalrymen were twice as numerous as the golden armored knights.

One golden-armored cavalryman had to fight against two Northern Di ace cavalrymen. Even if they exchanged one for one, or even one for two, they would not be able to win.

The outcome of the battle was already decided, Cui Sanfei made a prompt decision, it was useless to fight again, if the golden armored cavalry were all killed, there would be no army that could resist the ace cavalry of the Northern Di in the future. He let Lu Tao lead the Huainan area to retreat, and he led the remnants of the capital to cover the retreat.

Zhang Shiyi was so bloodthirsty that he heard the retreat order and had to lead his troops out of the encirclement.

Under the cover of Cui Sanfei's remnants, the Huainan area was able to withdraw part of its troops.

The capital's troops led by Cui Sanfei were almost completely wiped out, and the rest were captured.

Although this Beidi army, which was equipped with Beidi's ace cavalry, won the victory, it also paid a heavy price.

Strictly speaking, they only repelled the armies of the southern Huaihe River and the capital, and defended Fengyiyuan.

For the powerful Northern Di army that swept across the Western Regions without any rivals, this was not a victory but a humiliation.

The retreating Huainan soldiers were scattered and defeated.

Heavy snow fell from the sky, and the yellow land was slowly covered by white snow, turning into a vast expanse of white.

Lu Tao felt extremely sad as he looked at the less than 200 soldiers around him. He had squandered the elite army that Xie Fu had worked so hard to build, but still could not win this decisive battle. How could he go back with dignity?

After a cold night with snowflakes falling, the next day some soldiers found their commander Lu Tao had committed suicide in the snow.

The southern part of the Huai River was scattered and no longer a military force. The scattered soldiers had no choice but to march southeast, looking for a large force to join them.

Due to the freezing cold weather and the shortage of supplies, many soldiers froze to death on the road due to their serious injuries.

When we entered the Guanzhong Plain, we thought we could find food, but after months of fighting, the Guanzhong Plain was already devastated and desolate.
As dusk approached, the sky gradually darkened and it would soon be night. However, after a hungry snowy night, how many people would freeze to death.

Seeing their comrades’ injuries worsening and unable to receive treatment, everyone’s heart sank to the bottom.

They might not be able to find the main force, they might not be able to return to Jiangnan, and each of them would freeze to death on this icy and snowy road.

If I had known that this would be such a cowardly way to die, I would rather have died on the battlefield.

Thinking of this, I feel sad. This is the fate of being a soldier. Fight for the country and die for the family. When the blood of a soldier fills their body, death is their way home, either on the battlefield or on the road...

Someone sang a folk song from his hometown:
Where is the bright moon? The bright moon is in my hometown. On a snowy night, the dew is thick, shining on the river bank and the bridge, bringing warmth to thousands of homes.

I heard from my mother that the man's song still has a red glow in the snow...

Listening to this song full of joy, many men shed tears.

At this extremely sad moment, someone pointed to the distance and said excitedly: "Look!"

When everyone looked, they saw a wisp of smoke rising from the devastated land. That smoke was like the smoke of hope, igniting the fire of life in the hearts of the soldiers whose hearts were as dead as ashes.

They were ecstatic and extremely excited. They followed the smoke from the cooking stove and finally arrived at the house before nightfall. They excitedly pried open the door.

The person who opened the door was an old woman with a hunched back. Looking at the soldier in front of her with snow-white hair and in a disheveled state, the old woman was obviously frightened and began to tremble all over.

A leading soldier said weakly, "Auntie, is there anything to eat?"

The old woman trembled and said, "No, no, there is nothing to eat. I will just boil some hot water to keep warm."

The soldiers looked disappointed. These places had been devastated by war and were so desolate that any food they had had was looted by the Northern Di army.

Just then, the sound of a child crying was heard in the house, and the old woman was so scared that she hurried back into the house.

The old woman coaxed the child while looking anxiously at the dense crowds of people outside in the red light of the fire.

Suddenly, the aroma of food wafted over, and a soldier immediately said excitedly: "There's food!"

The old woman obviously heard what the soldiers said and became extremely nervous, but these soldiers did not enter the house to search as they did before. Instead, they stood outside the door and did not even dare to step over the threshold.

These soldiers are from the Huainan Army, coming from the well-ruled and orderly Jiangnan area. They were soldiers led by Xie Fu and Lu Tao. As the saying goes, a general is like his soldiers.

They are not bandits in soldier's garb.

The old woman asked weakly, "Where are you soldiers from?"

A soldier whispered, "We are the army fighting against the Northern Di." He then laughed at himself and said, "Look at us, we just lost a battle." However, he was afraid of losing face for the Huainan Army, so he refused to reveal his own number.

The old woman had seen many defeated soldiers these days, but she had never seen this kind of soldiers. She reiterated, "Of course I know you lost the battle. I am asking where your army came from?"

The soldiers all looked embarrassed and no one was willing to speak.

The old woman felt that his expression was like that of a shy child, so she couldn't help but whisper, "I still have some food, but you have to tell me where your army is from first."

The leading soldier had no choice but to bite the bullet and stammered, "We are the soldiers of Master Xie of the Huainan Army."

The old woman cried out, and said excitedly, "Is it Mr. Xie Fu, the governor of Huainan Road?"

The soldiers nodded awkwardly: "Yes."

"Children, come inside!"

As the old woman spoke, she hurriedly carried her child on her back, stood up, walked to the stove and opened the lid.

The soldiers were flattered and came into the house. Because there were so many people, the house was filled up in an instant. The captain arranged for some people to leave and take the wounded into the house to avoid the cold. The scene suddenly became noisy but orderly.

The old woman took the food out of the stove, but it was just a few pieces of sweet potatoes, which were not enough for so many soldiers. The captain gave these pieces of sweet potatoes to the wounded soldiers to fill their stomachs and replenish their strength to resist the pain.

The old woman saw this loving scene and became more convinced of their true identities.

It turned out that three years ago, Xie Fu implemented a policy in Jiangnan East Road and Huainan Road to allow soldiers to return to the fields, reclaim wasteland and make it privately owned, and exempt them from taxes for three years.

Some farmers who were oppressed by heavy taxes and became impoverished and could no longer survive went to the south of the Yangtze River as refugees. Seeing a large number of refugees pouring into the south of the Yangtze River, Lu Tao took the measure of re-registering anyone who was willing to reclaim wasteland and undertake military service.

There is no such good thing in the world. Those who went out at the beginning just wanted to give it a try. If they don’t find a way to survive, they will not be able to survive.

It was not until someone brought the news back to Guanzhong that the poor people in the Guanzhong area knew that such a good thing really existed in the world.

The old woman's two sons went to the south of the Yangtze River to settle down and serve as soldiers. Although they were soldiers, they did not have to go to the battlefield. They only had to reclaim wasteland and farm every day.

The Daguan Kingdom has been levying heavy taxes for years, and the people in other places are poor and hard-working, unlike the wealthy and comfortable places in the south of the Yangtze River. Not every official cares about the people like Lu Tao.