In front of Mingwei and Wuan, the two cities were filled with soldiers. Cries of killing filled the air, flames soared and black smoke filled the air! Boulders and aragonite stones filled the air and arrows flew back and forth. The Turks attacking the pass not only used boulders and arrows, but also dried cow and horse dung mixed with poisons such as croton and arsenic. After igniting them, they threw them onto the city walls, causing the poisonous smoke to suffocate the eyes and noses of the soldiers.
The Tang army guarding the city poured rolling logs, stones, golden liquid and boiling water down as if they were free. The huge ballistae and catapults also continued to throw heavy objects out of the city. Every time a huge stone fell on the ground, a few unlucky Turks would be smashed into meat paste.
War was always cruel, and besieging a city was even more so. The defending side had the geographical advantage over the attacking side. Thus, with the ten thousand reinforcements brought by Lou Shide, the garrison of White Pavilion had a total of twenty-five thousand men. Mingwei and Wuan were impregnable. The casualties of the Turks were several times that of them, but the army of a hundred thousand could not advance a single step.
The commander of the Turks who was besieging the city commanded his soldiers to charge with all their might. He knew that now was not the time to break the city. Everything they were doing now was to whittle down the defending forces, using the lives of their own men and the lives of the enemy to whittle them down.
There had originally been twenty-five thousand soldiers in the city, but excluding those who had died or were too injured to fight, there were less than twenty thousand who could still fight. Meanwhile, the Turks had suffered five times as many casualties. As the commander-in-chief of the Turks, he did not care about these casualties, but as the chiefs of the various tribes, they would feel the pain of every casualty.
But they had no way out and could only continue to attack. They could only continue to whittle down the Tang army until the remaining Tang soldiers could no longer defend their castles. They could only charge into the city to steal money, food, cattle, sheep and women … the sacrifice was worth it, and the survivors would enjoy a feast!
Suddenly, the bleak sound of a horn came from the rear of the Turkic army in front of Wuan Pass. The Turkic general overseeing the battle heard this horn and couldn't help but frown. The horn continued to sound, and it truly was the order to retreat. Although he was confused, he still immediately ordered the troops to retreat. The Turkic soldiers left behind a pile of mutilated corpses and retreated like the receding tide.
The defenders on the walls were perplexed, unable to understand why the Turks had so hastily retreated, but the fact that the enemy had stopped attacking was a blessing in disguise, and they couldn't help but sigh in relief. Ye Yunbao, who had been observing the commotion from the top of the boulder mountain, let out a long sigh of relief and looked back at Lou Shide.
Lou Shide, who was wearing a scarlet cloak, smiled and said, "They've been tricked! Go and prepare! "
"Here!"
Ye Yunbao happily agreed. Turning his head to the retreating Turkic camp, he helped Lou Shide up and began to descend the stone steps …
The commotion at the Ashid camp in front of the Wuan Garrison attracted the attention of the Munn Kingdom's Protector General. The Munn Kingdom and Musi hurriedly ordered for the troops to retreat and led hundreds of cavalrymen to the Ashid camp in front of the Wuan Garrison.
"Halt! Who dares to trespass on an important military camp? "
A Turkic officer stepped forward and raised his hand, blocking their path. Behind him, a row of pikemen pointed their spears at the Turks, aiming their sharp tips at them. Behind the fence, rows of archers had already nocked their arrows and were ready for battle.
Mu En was furious. He lashed out with his whip and roared angrily, "Bastard! You dare to block my horse! "
With a slap of the whip, a bloody mark appeared on the officer's face. A stream of blood flowed down his cheek like a snake, but he didn't even bother to wipe it off. He stood tall and said in a loud voice, "Zhu Tu has ordered that no one is allowed to take half a step into my camp. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without question!"
With that, he fiercely chopped down with his palm, and rows of spearheads and arrows flew toward Mu En's group, assuming an attacking posture.
Mu En was enraged. He placed his hand on the cold scabbard and coldly said, "Do you want to die?"
"Who dares to act so arrogantly in front of my camp?"
An icy voice rang out. Zhu Tu, escorted by more than a hundred valiant knights, rushed to the front of the tent, accompanied by Xiao Mumu and Lu Bugu.
When Mu En saw him, he furrowed his brows and angrily said, "Zhu Tu! The battle is in full swing, why are you retreating? "
When Mu Si saw that Xiao Mumu had shot his throat, he immediately tightened his grip on the hilt of his saber and gnashed his teeth. His fierce expression was like that of a wolf choosing its prey. When Xiao Mumu saw Mu Si, who had captured his tribe and allowed his men to humiliate his beloved concubine, he also tightly grasped the hilt of his saber. His face was distorted as if he was about to charge forward and risk his life.
Zhu Tu, who was riding on his horse, leaned back slightly and said indifferently, "Why are you retreating? Retreating … Retreating is bullshit! I want to immediately withdraw my troops! "
Mu En was originally a little annoyed and came over to question him, but when he heard Zhu Tu's words, he couldn't help but be shocked and involuntarily cried out, "Retreat? You want to retreat? Who allowed you to retreat? As long as we fight for a few more days, the garrison in the city will be insufficient, and we will definitely be able to take down this pass. You actually want to retreat without authorization? "
Zhu Tu held his belly and laughed, "Hahaha! Take down this pass? I'm afraid you want to take down our Ashide Tribe's grassland and horse farm? "
Mu En's expression changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Zhu Tu, what do you mean by this?"
Zhu Tu sneered, "Mu En, don't resort to insinuations in front of an honest person. Do you still need me to explain it clearly? Let's go! "
Zhu Tu turned his horse and left. Mu En became anxious and urged his horse to chase after him, but a dozen sharp spears suddenly stopped him. Zhu Tu reined his horse back and sneered, "The Tang army is right in front of the pass. If you are not afraid of being taken advantage of by outsiders, I will fight with you!"
Mu En almost fainted from anger. He roared, "Zhu Tu, you bastard, can't you speak more clearly?"
Zhu Tu coldly glared at him, stretched out his hand, and heavily patted Lu Bugu's shoulder twice. In a loud voice, he said, "I'll let you know that Lu Bugu and I have sworn a blood oath last night and become brothers!"
Mu En's mind was muddled, and he roared, "You f * cking recognized him as your godfather, what does it have to do with me! Let me ask you, why are you retreating! "
Zhu Tu let out a long sigh and said to Lu Bugu, "Lu Bugu, if this person doesn't want his face, what can we do with him?"
Lu Bugu replied, "Then just treat him as a fart and let him go!"
"Hahahaha …"
The two laughed wantonly and left in an arrogant manner.
Mu En and Mu Si stood outside the Ashid tribe's camp, looking at each other, unable to understand what was going on.
The Ashid tribe's vanguard was still on high alert toward the Wuan garrison, but the rear had already begun to dismantle their tents and pack up, preparing to return home.
… …
At the Commander's Residence, a banquet was held.
At the table were Lou Shide, Ye Yunbao, Shen Mu, Yang Fan, and a beautiful girl — Tin Aino.
Ye Yunbao was dressed in full military attire, appearing somewhat out of tune with the mood of the banquet.
Shen Mu said with a smile, "Lu Bugu is from the Khitan tribe, and his pasture is close to Liaodong, adjacent to the Ashid tribe's pasture. After defecting to the Turks, the Ashid tribe gave him a piece of pasture, connecting it with his original territory. His interests are now one with the Ashid tribe, sharing glory and suffering.
Right now, even if Moche offers even better conditions, Lu Bugu isn't likely to stand on his side. Moreover, Zhu Tu has always treated Lu Bugu well, and Lu Bugu has no ambitions. He is a simple, loyal, and hot-blooded man. Betrayal in the face of danger is not something he can do! Thus, I am certain that he will confess everything to Zhu Tu! "
Lou Shide stroked his beard and smiled. "There's also one more thing. Today's fighting and killing on the steppe will lead to an alliance tomorrow to sue for peace. Lu Bugu's tribe is a large one with an outstanding prestige among the Khitan tribes. If Moche really does seize the position of Khagan and suppress the Ashid tribe, then Lu Bugu will only be able to appease and recruit him as much as possible, not force him to defect to our court through war.
Lu Bugu is no fool, so he must have thought of this as well. He knows that even if he expresses his loyalty to the Ashid tribe, it will not cut off his path of retreat. Thus, his choice to pledge loyalty to the neighboring Ashid tribe is a natural choice! "
Ye Yunbao heartily laughed and raised his cup. "The retreat of the Turks this time was entirely due to Shen Sanlang and Beta Persei. This Ye offers you a cup!"
Shen Mu raised his cup and said with a smile: "Miss Anu has put in a lot of effort. As a woman, she is personally involved in danger. We should give her a toast first. How can General Ye forget about our heroine? You should first punish yourself with a cup and then offer a cup to Lady A Nu as an apology! "
Tin Aino had been listening to their conversation with a smile, but when she heard them bring the topic back to her, she hurriedly waved her hand and said in a ladylike manner, "This little girl doesn't have a great capacity for alcohol and can't drink this much. I'll just watch you drink!"
Ye Yunbao smiled. "That's right, that's right. It was my negligence. However, the retreat of the Turks is imminent, and I still have to personally lead the troops to pursue them. I really don't dare to drink too much. Right now, I can only offer you a cup of wine. This Ye will offer this cup of wine to the three of you. I'll lead the troops to kill the enemy now! Please! "
"Please!"
Shen Mu, Yang Fan, and Tin Aino all raised their cups and offered him a cup of wine. Ye Yunbao downed the cup in one gulp and wiped his mouth. He cupped his fists at Lou Shide and said, "Chief Steward, this general will be leaving now!"
Lou Shide smiled. "A desperate enemy should not be pursued far away. Sha Chi is loyal and must be anxiously waiting on the mountain outside the Juyan Sea. Leave this fat piece of meat for him to eat!"
Ye Yunbao loudly replied, "This general obeys!"
With a clatter of armor, Ye Yunbao strode out of the residence and snatched the reins from his bodyguard. He leaped onto the horse and galloped in the direction of the city gates. Below the city gates, the stones at the top of the gates had already been removed. The four thousand cavalrymen lined up from the north gate to the south gate, leaving only a narrow gap in the middle.
Outside the city, Mu En and Mu Si were infuriated by Zhu Tu's inexplicable retreat, but there was nothing they could do. They could only hurriedly pack up and follow behind Zhu Tu's army in a panic.
Ye Yunbao led a dozen or so riders through the four thousand elite cavalrymen. When they arrived at the foot of the city, they pulled on the reins, and the horses' front hooves soared into the air. They stood on their hind legs and let out a long neigh.
Ye Yunbao unsheathed his sword and sternly shouted, "Open the gates! Chase after them! "
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
