It Starts With A Mountain

Chapter 858

The war lasted for three days. After the allied army of the princes was defeated by the Rong tribe, the remnants of the army were defeated and fled. The Rong cavalry pursued everywhere, chasing and killing the allied forces of the princes, and robbing the allied forces of their provisions.

In this land, for a while, the wind was turbulent, and the blood flowed into rivers. During this round of chasing and killing, the allied forces of the princes did not organize any resistance, and even fled when they saw Wang Rong.

Through this battle, the Rong clan once again determined who is the first horse to fight on land.

At dawn, Qi Jiguang gathered the remnants of the defeated soldiers and temporarily camped under a hillside.

When they left Fengcheng, they brought out a total of 13,000 men and horses. Up to now, there are only more than 3,000 people who can gather together.

If it is defeated, this battle can be described as a complete defeat. As the commander of the army, Qi Jiguang wiping his neck and killing himself would not be too much.

Most of the soldiers were wounded, and the atmosphere of depression spread in the barracks. The prestige that Qi Jiguang had built up after training for many days is now being put to the test.

Soldiers like this, Qi Jiguang is not exhausted. But he still kept his spirits up, bandaging wounds for the wounded soldiers, and distributing the few remaining dry rations.

Xu Wentian brought a piece of dry biscuit to Li Xingzai and said, "Your Majesty, eat something first, it's important to take care of your health."

"I can still hold it, so I will give it to the wounded soldiers first."

Li Xingzai sat on a rock and looked northwest. Even in this situation, Li Xingzai must be given priority. Compared with ordinary soldiers, Li Xingzai is indeed not too hungry now.

"Your Majesty, you should eat something first, you must not fall down."

"Distribute the food to the soldiers." Li Xingzai raised his head: "Don't worry, I can't fall down."

Qi Jiguang came to Li Xingzai and said, "Your Majesty, there are still 3,000 soldiers. This war crime is all mine. But when we return to the East China Sea, we can still make a comeback."

Li Xingzai shook his head: "I won't go back to the East China Sea for now."

Qi Jiguang and Xu Wentian were both dumbfounded. Qi Jiguang said, "Now that we have no strength to compete with the Rong clan, what else can we do when we stay?"

"The battle in the north is set, and the Rong tribe will be able to take Chang'an soon. At present, the only way is to return to the East China Sea, rectify the army, pull up the troops, and fight against the Rong tribe in the future."

"But why does the king stay?" Qi Jiguang asked in confusion.

"It's not that there is nothing to do to stay." Li Xingzai stood up and said, "The coalition was defeated by the Rong tribe. After this battle, there were many unowned troops in the north. These people are precious resources. I stay here. Here, it is to recruit them under his command to prepare for the future civil war."

Li Xingzai stood on the stone, much higher than Qi Jiguang and Xu Wentian. At this moment, a red sun just jumped from the east, and the first rays of light in the morning fell on Li Xingzai. Qi Jiguang and Xu Wentian suddenly lost their minds, as if they saw a five-clawed golden dragon rising into the air.

After this defeat, even Qi Jiguang was a little disheartened. But Li Xingzai was not low, not lost, and still maintained his fighting spirit. Think about how to get the most out of failure.

At first, Xu Wentian was worried that Li Xingzai would fall. It has to be said that his worry is unnecessary.

Of course Li Xingzai will not fall, because he has experienced too much and has fallen too many times. What is rare is that no matter how many times he is knocked down, he can get back on his feet.

One day, he will stand tall forever, and no one can knock him down again.

Qi Jiguang knelt down on his knees, clasped his fists with both hands and said, "Subordinates obey."

He turned his head and looked northwest. Encountering such an enemy who has been defeated and fought repeatedly, even the Rong clan king should feel a headache.

...

After defeating the coalition, the Rong cavalry attacked everywhere, robbing resources on the one hand, and beating down the underdogs on the other, chasing and killing those remnants of the defeated generals who escaped and did not know their parents.

After three or five days, the Rong cavalry gave up their pursuit and began to gather in one direction.

Their destination is - Chang'an.

On the journey close to Chang'an, the first wave of enemies encountered was the 10,000 imperial army led by Ma Mengqi.

The two sides started a confrontation in the wilderness, and Ma Mengqi beat the 30,000 cavalry of the Rong tribe with 10,000 imperial troops.

This is a bloody battle and a doomed defeat.

But in order to buy time for Chang'an City's defense, under the leadership of Ma Mengqi, this team showed unprecedented courage. Facing the Rong clan, they launched round after round of charges.

The result is doomed, the process is tragic. The last 10,000 horses killed only seven or eight hundred people. Ma Mengqi fell into a coma on the spot, and his men snatched him from the dead. The surviving men and horses broke out from the encirclement of the Rong clan with the confused Ma Mengqi.

I didn't know how far I ran out in one breath, and seeing that the Rong tribe didn't chase after them, everyone was relieved. Then the feeling of exhaustion surged, and a dozen people fell off their horses on the spot.

Ma Mengqi looked back, and the soldiers under his command all looked at him, and everyone was covered in blood. There are many of them, and Ma Mengqi doesn't even know their names. Many more died on the battlefield, and Ma Mengqi also did not know their names.

"General, let's go a hundred miles west from here, and then turn to the north. We can avoid the army of the Rong tribe and get close to Chang'an City. However, now that Chang'an has been surrounded by the Rong tribe, it will be difficult for us to think about returning to the city." Subordinate reports.

"We..." Ma Mengqi opened his mouth, only to realize that his voice had become hoarse: "I won't go back to Chang'an."

The subordinates looked at each other in dismay, completely puzzled why Ma Mengqi said that. Going to Chang'an now is equivalent to dying, but if you dare to say that if you don't go back to Chang'an, it is equivalent to treason.

Ma Mengqi didn't want to betray Li Letian, but when he collided with the Rong family, he was determined to die.

He didn't have the will to die, and he didn't dare to charge against the iron hoofs of the Rong tribe several times.

But he failed to die on the battlefield, so Ma Mengqi came back to life.

After escaping this way, his head gradually became sober, and he also remembered what Li Letian said to himself when he left Chang'an City.

After thinking about these words, I gradually realized something. Afraid that Li Letian at that time, he expected that this attack would be defeated without a doubt. And Chang'an City could not last long under the attack of the Rong tribe.

He thought about coexisting with Chang'an City and preserving the dignity of the Li family. Let Ma Mengqi live and use his skills to do something for the empire.

It takes courage to die generously. It takes more courage to live with shame.

Ma Mengqi jumped off his horse, faced the direction of Chang'an City, and kowtowed three times solemnly.

He raised his head, his eyes were full of tears, but his face was as hard as cast iron.

"We won't go back to Chang'an." Ma Mengqi said loudly: "Chang'an can't be kept anymore, let's choose another portal, recharge our strength, and escape today's defeat to the Rong clan."

The remaining soldiers and defeated generals behind him all got off their horses, and following Ma Mengqi's example, they kowtowed three times to Chang'an City.