The atmosphere of the troops heading south was very relaxed, especially when they saw that the camp of the Qiyan Tribe south of Yating was indeed empty. Everyone cheered because the "dark cloud of death" that had been hanging over their heads for half a month had finally dissipated. Therefore, some people were so excited that tears streamed down their cheeks, while others couldn't help but hum. It was very lively.
Tuli rode in front of everyone. Seeing this scene, he didn't speak harshly because he knew that his subordinates had been suppressed for too long.
"Reporting!"
Right at this moment, a sergeant riding a fast horse rushed out from the right rear of the troops. He arrived in front of Tuli, dismounted from his horse, cupped his fists and reported, "Reporting to Khan, the troops of Qiyan Tribe have encountered Ashina She 'er's wolf cavalry near Mount Wude. Both sides are currently engaged in battle. It is difficult to determine the outcome of the battle!"
This sergeant was a scout that Tuli had sent out earlier. Although he knew that the Qiyan Tribe's troops had retreated, Tuli didn't let down his guard. After all, not only were their troops brave and good at fighting, but they also had some old, weak, and injured soldiers. Their marching speed wouldn't be too fast. If they were to unfortunately run into Xieli's troops on their way south, then they really wouldn't be able to escape!
Therefore, when they were retreating south, Tuli sent out a group of scouts to scout for information and investigate the enemy's situation!
"The Qiyan Tribe encountered Ashina Sheercun's Wolf Cavalry? And it's near Mount Udeti? "
Tuli's expression abruptly changed when he heard this. Their current location was only a dozen or so li away from Mount Wudhu. For the extremely mobile wolf cavalry, this distance was actually nothing. If the other party knew their exact location, it would definitely be very easy for them to catch up to them. Therefore, Tuli was subconsciously worried when he heard this news.
"Khan, don't worry!"
At this time, Ni Shituo rolled his eyes and said to Tuli, "As far as I know, Ashina Sheercun only has about ten thousand wolf riders under his command, while the Qilian Tribe has about eighty thousand soldiers. Although the wolf riders' combat strength is unparalleled in the world, the Qilian Tribe's strength cannot be underestimated either. It is almost impossible for Ashina Sheercun's ten thousand wolf riders to easily defeat the Qilian Tribe's eighty thousand soldiers, let alone catch up to us!"
After listening to Ni Shituo's analysis, Tuli felt a little relieved. But soon after, he said with some worry, "But in this way, the Qiyan Tribe is bound to suffer heavy losses. I'm afraid the Tiele Ten Tribes' plan to unite against the Meng Chu will come to an end."
Although Qiyan Tribe used to be a tribe under Xieli, Tuli still admired Qiyan Heli quite a bit. So much so that before he had a falling out with Xieli, Tuli and Qiyan Heli had a very good personal relationship. Because their personalities and political views were similar, they could be considered half bosom friends. Now that the Qiyan Tribe's eighty thousand warriors were up against Ashina She 'er's ten thousand elite wolf riders, it was very likely that the Qiyan Tribe's vitality would be greatly damaged. Tuli couldn't help but sigh with regret.
If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't even protect himself now, he might still send some troops to help the Qiyan Tribe. But … Tuli turned around and looked at the exhausted officers and soldiers behind him. He couldn't help but shake his head. In the current situation, he obviously didn't have the spare energy to care about the Qiyan Tribe.
"Little Khan, you worry too much!"
At this time, Tang Jian, who was standing beside Tuli, opened his mouth and said, "Since the Tiele Ten Tribes have decided to unite against Xieli, now that the Qiyan Tribe has encountered Xieli's wolf riders, the other Tiele Ten Tribes naturally won't sit idly by. As long as the Qiyan Tribe's generals aren't stupid, they will certainly send someone to send a message to the other Tiele Tribes' armies that had previously surrounded us. When the time comes, these ten thousand wolf riders will most likely become the Tiele Tribes' first sacrifice to Xieli!
Our top priority now is to go south as soon as possible and escape from the control of Xieli's army. Because even if the Tiele Ten Tribes can annihilate Ashina Sher 'er's ten thousand wolf riders, the news of the Tiele Ten Tribes' betrayal and letting us go will quickly reach Xieli's ears. We must take advantage of this time to escape as far as possible! "
"What Duke Ju said makes sense!"
Tuli nodded his head upon hearing that. Then, he instructed Ni Shituo, "General Ni Shituo, pass down the order. The entire army must speed up. Before nightfall, we must leave the grassland!"
Ni Shituo's brows slightly creased. He thought for a moment and said, "Khan, if we march at a normal speed, it won't be a problem to leave the grassland before nightfall. But we have a large number of people accompanying us. Moreover, there are many old, weak, and injured soldiers in the troop. This will certainly affect the marching speed.
Therefore, this subordinate suggests that we divide the troops into two groups. One group will escort Khan to leave the grassland at the fastest speed possible, while the other group will escort the old, weak, and injured soldiers and chase after us with all our might.
This place is no more than a hundred li away from Xiakou Mountain. Once we pass Xiakou Mountain, we will arrive at the Great Tang's territory. Even if Xieli's troops have more guts, they won't dare to pursue us any further. Our two groups will converge there! "
Hearing that, Tuli was slightly moved. But after thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "No! When this Khan was trapped in a tight encirclement, all the officers and soldiers did not leave and did not abandon me. They fought alongside this Khan, bathed in blood. Now that there is hope to escape from the grassland, how can this Khan abandon my own people? "
Tuli was a person who cherished old friendships and attached great importance to relationships. Otherwise, he would not have gathered around him a group of troops who were loyal and devoted to him and would never abandon him. Even under the desperate situation of being heavily encircled by Xieli's 300,000 strong army, not a single tribe or even a single troop betrayed him. This point had a lot to do with the way Tuli usually treated people and handled affairs.
Of course, a large part of the reason was that most of the tribes loyal to Tuli were the old subordinates of the previous generation Turkic Khan, Shibi Khan. As Shibi Khan's son, Tuli himself had quite a bit of Shibi Khan's style. Therefore, he was able to gather a group of loyal and devoted subordinates around him.
Although Ni Shituo's proposal was very tempting to Tuli, he knew that if he really took his people and left just like that, the remaining old, weak, and injured soldiers would certainly have some ideas. His subordinates would also have some criticism toward him. He must refuse, at least on the surface.
Sure enough, as soon as Tuli's voice fell, the eyes of the officers and soldiers behind him, especially those who were 'wounded' and lying on the handcarts, instantly turned red. One after another, they opened their mouths and said,
"Khan, please leave first. We will meet up with you later!"
"Khan, please leave first. We are willing to cover the rear for Khan!"
"Khan, please leave first. Don't worry about us! We'll definitely meet up with you! "
The subordinates behind Tuli were all moved by Tuli's words. Regardless of whether Tuli's words were sincere or not, it was rare and commendable for Tuli to say such words at such a crucial time!
"Khan, actually, General Ni Shituo's words are not without reason!"
Right at this moment, Tang Jian opened his mouth because he knew that if he didn't speak, it would be difficult for Tuli to 'step down'. With a serious expression, he said, "Moreover, if we split up and hurry on our way, it doesn't mean that we will abandon the old, weak, and injured soldiers in the tribe. With so many of us traveling together, we will be too big of a target. If we split up into several groups, we will have a higher chance of successfully escaping the prairie.
In addition, if Khan leads a group of elites to escape the prairie as quickly as possible, we can also ask for help from the Great Tang's border army. Then, we can lead the border army to the periphery of the prairie to meet up with the remaining tribes. In this way, isn't it killing two birds with one stone? Right now, time is of the essence. Khan, please make a decision as soon as possible! "
Actually, it wasn't important to Tang Jian whether or not he could bring all of Tuli's tribes out of the prairie. This was because he had already achieved his goal of sneaking into the prairie. The prairie was in chaos. The Tiele Ten Tribes had begun to unite with other tribes to resist Xieli. Tuli was also about to be rescued by him and brought back to the Great Tang. As for whether or not the old, weak, and injured soldiers in Tuli's tribe could escape the prairie, it was no longer important!
Right now, what was more important to him was to bring Tuli back to the Great Tang!
"Khan, Duke Ju is right. If we split up, it will be more advantageous for us to break out. Right now, time is of the essence. Please make a decision as soon as possible!"
Ni Shituo glanced at Tang Jian gratefully and hurriedly echoed.
Speaking of which, ever since he met Tang Jian, this was the first time he found Tang Jian pleasing to the eye.
"Khan, please leave first. We will catch up with you later!"
"This subordinate is willing to stay behind to escort the old, weak, and injured soldiers of the tribe. Khan, please feel free to leave first!"
Several of the generals behind Tuli began to persuade him.
"Very well. Since that's the case, General Ni Shituo, select a group of light cavalry and follow this khan to Xiakou Mountain. Then, ask the Great Tang border army to come and receive our troops!"
Tuli had a 'helpless' look on his face. After pondering for a moment, he could only nod and agree. Then, he said to the generals behind him, "You must escort the remaining troops out of the prairie safely. After this khan sees the Great Tang border army, he will come with them to receive you!"
"This subordinate obeys! Khan, please be careful on the way! "
The generals naturally cupped their fists and accepted the order.
Not long after, this massive group quickly split into two groups. One group of ten thousand light cavalry abandoned all of their heavy equipment and rations, breaking away from the main group. They began to gallop as fast as they could across the vast and boundless plains, heading for the border of the grasslands to the south.
As for the original main group, the remaining people were divided into ten small groups under the arrangement of several generals. These ten small groups were divided into ten different routes. Although the direction of their advance was roughly south, they did not take the same route. The ten groups quickly separated and gradually lost sight of each other.
In this way, even if Xieli's men caught up with one of their groups, the remaining nine groups would have a great chance of survival. This was to share the risk!
… … …
At the foot of Udegui Mountain.
Ashina She 'er's ten thousand Wolf Cavalry and the eighty thousand troops of the Qiyan tribe were fighting in a chaotic battle. Both sides fought with their lives on the line whenever they saw each other. In just a short while, both sides had already lost a lot of men.
Of course, compared to the Wolf Cavalry, the Qiyan tribe had more casualties. Just the first few charges of the Wolf Cavalry had already caused the Qiyan tribe to have several thousand casualties. Both sides fought fiercely until now. The casualties of the Qiyan tribe had already increased to more than twenty thousand people. On the other hand, Ashina She 'er's side had at most two thousand casualties!
It was almost a one to ten casualty ratio. The terrifying battle strength of the Wolf Cavalry could be seen at a glance!
On the Qiyan tribe's side, there were even signs of defeat. When some of the soldiers encountered the Wolf Cavalry, they had already lost their will to fight. They only cared about running for their lives and did not even think about taking up their weapons to resist.
Seeing this scene, Ashina She 'er's mouth could not help but curl into a cold smile. He thought to himself that although the Qiyan tribe had many men, they were just a bunch of mobs. The difference between them and his Wolf Cavalry was too great!
Qiyan Ge was secretly anxious at this moment. Because he knew that once his men showed signs of defeat, the casualty ratio of both sides would very likely not be one to ten, but one to twenty, or even one to thirty. This was the reason why a defeated army was like a landslide.
"All soldiers listen to my order. Only advance, no retreat. Follow me and kill our way out! Our reinforcements will be here soon! "
Qiyan Ge knew that he could not continue like this. He had to raise the morale of his men. Otherwise, the 80,000 soldiers of the Qiyan tribe would very likely all die here. Thus, he leaped up and chopped down a Wolf Cavalry general. Then, he flipped himself back onto his horse and shouted to the surrounding Qiyan soldiers.
Sure enough, when they heard Qiyan Ge say that reinforcements would be here soon, the morale of the Qiyan soldiers instantly rose. Furthermore, when they saw the valiant Qiyan Ge taking the lead and chopping down several Wolf Cavalry, the soldiers all roared and once again charged towards the Wolf Cavalry.
"Reinforcements ~?"
Ashina She Er frowned when he heard this. This place was still tens of miles away from the headquarters of the Qiyan Tribe. Not to mention whether the Qiyan Tribe knew about this, even if they did, the reinforcements they sent would not be able to arrive so quickly. Did Qiyan Ge Er say this to boost the morale of the troops, or did they really have reinforcements?
Just when Ashina She 'er was bewildered, on the grassland to the east of Wude Mountain, an army of tens of thousands suddenly appeared. It was a black mass that covered the sky and covered the earth.
"Tuo Che, there is a large group of cavalry five li to the east. They are coming towards us!"
A Wolf Cavalry rider quickly arrived in front of Ashina She 'er and hurriedly reported.
Ashina She 'er Chu also noticed the movement in the east. When he heard what was said, he quickly turned his head to look. He saw a black mass of cavalry about four to five li to the east, rushing towards them. Ashina She' er Chu was shocked at first, then he became furious, "This is the Huihe tribe's troops stationed in the east of Tuli's remaining troops. Damn it! Now it seems that the ten Tiele tribes have decided to secretly rebel. We must send this news back to the palace as soon as possible. Retreat immediately! "
Almost in an instant, Ashina She 'er guessed the general situation and made a decision. In this situation, the ten thousand Wolf Cavalry under his command were obviously not enough. If they continued to fight with the Qiyan tribe, once they were surrounded by Tiele tribe, his men would probably all die here!
"Brothers, the Wolf Cavalry has retreated. Our reinforcements are here. Don't let them go. Let's kill them and avenge our dead brothers! "
Seeing that Ashina She 'er's Wolf Cavalry was retreating and that reinforcements were coming from the east, Qiyan Ge decided to beat them while they were down. The main reason was that he knew that in the future, the Qiyan tribe would have to face Xieli's Wolf Cavalry. If he could take the opportunity to kill a few more Wolf Cavalry today, it would not be a loss.
…
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