While the fifty thousand Turkic cavalry were still a day away from reaching the Songmo Commandery, Maqiao had already arrived in Youzhou with several dozen elite soldiers.
When Lou Shide received the news from Maqiao, he immediately sent a letter to Wu Youyi, who still held nearly half of the army and refused to hand over his authority, as well as to Shazha Zhongyi, who was fighting on the southern front, and Li Duozuo, who was on the eastern front. The armies began to move at the same time and set up ambushes on all sides.
As soon as the armies were mobilized, Fei Mo rushed to Sun Wanrong's encampment at Green Dragon Bay.
When Sun Wanrong heard that the new city had been attacked, that his parents and family had fallen into enemy hands, that his brother-in-law Yiyuanyu was missing, and that all the resources and weapons he had seized over the last few months had fallen into the hands of the Turks, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He was already old and spent his days on the run. His body and mind were exhausted, and when he heard this news, he felt a sweetness in his throat and vomited a mouthful of blood. By the time he woke up, the situation was already hopeless. While he had been unconscious, the news had already spread throughout the army.
Those Khitan warriors who had followed Fei Mo out of the encirclement had no idea how much of a blow this matter had dealt to the morale of the army. Just like when they had fought with other tribes over water and pastures, they quickly and directly told their tribesmen what had happened.
They even added oil to the fire, making the situation of their tribesmen even more miserable and the Turks even more savage. Their goal was actually very simple: to incite the hatred of their tribesmen so that they could fight their way back to Yingzhou and save their loved ones.
But they were no longer nomadic herdsmen, but an army on an expedition. They were not surrounded by herds of cattle and sheep that could be taken care of by just two people, but by the Great Zhou army that was like tigers and wolves waiting for them. This news had ruined them.
Just as Yang Fan had said, "We can afford to lose, but once you lose, there will be no room for redemption!"
This so-called army had no strict discipline, no military accomplishments nurtured by their long years in the army. In a favorable battle, they were like wolves and tigers, all of them vying to be the first, but once they encountered a major setback, they immediately became a pile of loose sand. Even if every one of them was very brave, they could not display the fighting power that an army should have.
When Sun Wanrong woke up and found out that the entire army had heard the bad news, he knew that the situation was hopeless.
Even though Sun Wanrong knew that he would be intercepted by the army of the imperial court on his way back, he could not make any other decision. Many of the generals beat their chests and stomped their feet, roaring furiously as they expressed their desire to kill their way back to Ying Province.
Sun Wanrong could not reverse the situation on his own, so he was forced to make a decision that he knew was wrong, "Choose the shortest path, travel day and night, and kill our way back to Ying Province!"
Li Duozuo had already set up an ambush in front of them. First, he ambushed them on the path that they had to pass through, then he retreated to the defensive line that he had set up earlier. Both sides fought for a day and a night, and Shazha Zhongyi led his army to surround them from behind.
Fortunately, most of Sun Wanrong's cavalry was strong, so he didn't wait for the loyal Shazha to form an encirclement, he jumped out of the heavy encirclement and advanced westward. In the end, he ran into Fatty Lou's army in Yutian. After one battle, he suffered heavy casualties. Sun Wanrong only led about twenty thousand cavalry to bypass Yuyang and run northeast.
At this time, he was no longer thinking about returning to rescue his tribesmen, but how to preserve his remaining armed forces. In the end, he bypassed Yuyang and had just crossed the Great Wall when he was hit by another blow: the Xi people had ambushed him.
When the Xi King learned that the Turks had allied with the Great Zhou Dynasty and raided Sun Wanrong's old nest, he immediately withdrew his troops in shock. He summoned a group of strategists for an emergency discussion and decided to surrender to the imperial court. In order to atone for his previous crimes, he had to render meritorious service. As a result, he once again sent out his troops. However, the Xi soldiers who had originally cooperated with Sun Wanrong had now become his enemy.
Sun Wanrong had never imagined that the Xi King would be a fence-sitter. After a fierce battle, his troops were all scattered. Sun Wanrong led his troops and fled west, attempting to pass through the vast plains of Xi and return to the Khitans' territory. Who would have thought that he would run into the Chief of the Divine Army, Yang Xuanji?
Yang Xuanji had accompanied Wu Youyi to the north, but as soon as Wu Youyi arrived in Hebei, he ran into the city to hide and refused to come out again. Several of his generals were also restrained by him, not allowing them to act blindly without thinking. Yang Xuanji had no choice but to stay in Danzhou to "rest and build up his strength."
This time, with Lou Shide's military letter stating that the Khitans' old nest had been raided, the morale of the army was in chaos. Previously, there was also Wu Zetian's imperial edict reprimanding them. Combining the two, Wu Youyi made up his mind to send several of his generals to participate in the encirclement and suppression. Yang Xuanji was one of the troops.
Sun Wanrong was blocked head-on and fled east. In the end, he ran into another group of troops under Wu Youyi's command. The general of the troops was the Chief of the Vanguard, Zhang Jiujie. At this time, the Khitan troops were completely terrified and had no desire to continue fighting. After the two sides fought for a while, Sun Wanrong led his troops and fled again.
In the vast wilderness, there seemed to be troops lying in ambush everywhere. In his panic, Sun Wanrong didn't know which way to go, so he took whatever path he could find. As a result, the further he went, the further away he was from Yingzhou. At dusk, Sun Wanrong led the remnants of his troops to set up camp under a pine forest. After taking stock of his troops, several of his generals had been separated. The bravest general under him, Luo Wuzhen, had killed his way somewhere in the chaos. At this time, there were less than three thousand people left by his side, and almost all of them were injured. Seeing this scene, Sun Wanrong couldn't help but cry.
When the moon rose above the willow tree, Fei Mo, who had gone out to gather information, returned. He found several families of mountain people in a nearby col and found out that they had escaped to Lu County (modern Tongzhou), only a step away from Youzhou.
After listening to Fei Mo's report, Sun Wanrong couldn't help but fall silent. Now that the night is dark, he may still be able to hide for a while. Tomorrow morning, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven if he still wants to escape. As expected, the Great Zhou army has already sealed all the routes to the north.
In the forest, a bonfire burned bleakly, the red light of the fire could not conceal Sun Wanrong's pale face. Sparks danced in the air, when they brushed against one's face, they would turn into white ash. Sun Wanrong sat there without moving, his hair soon covered with a layer of burnt ash, as if it was covered with a layer of frost.
Fei Mo looked at the silent Sun Wanrong and said uneasily, "Grand Marshal, what should we do now? Our brothers are at a loss, we still need Grand Marshal to make a decision before we can decide what to do!"
Sun Wanrong silently shook his head and sadly said, "Today I want to surrender to Tang, but more than two hundred thousand Tang soldiers have died in my hands. If I surrender to Tang, I will die without a doubt. If I go to the Turks, they are in a dilemma. They can tolerate others, but they definitely can't tolerate me. If I want to go to Xinluo, Li Duozuo's troops have already blocked the route to the east. There is no way I can survive this trip. If I want to return to Ying Zhou, the new city has already been plundered. In order to protect themselves, the other six tribes will definitely not tolerate me. Where else can I go? Where else can I go! "
Sun Wanrong used all his strength to break a withered branch in his hand into two with a "kacha" sound.
Fei Mo opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Fei Mo silently sat down beside him and turned back to look at the exhausted soldiers resting against the trees in the forest. She sighed deeply.
Sun Wanrong raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky.
The frosty moonlight reflected on his beard, which was trembling slightly in the wind.
After being in a daze for a while, Sun Wanrong finally said, "The eight Khitan tribes all have different intentions. If not for that, whether it's the Tang or the Turks, how can they defeat me so easily! If the six Khitan tribes that stayed in Ying Zhou could protect our tribesmen on the basis that we are of the same tribe, how could we have suffered such a crushing defeat? "
He shook his head with a bitter smile and turned to Fei Mo. He solemnly said, "Fei Mo, remember, if the eight Khitan tribes cannot be unified, no matter how hard it is, we cannot raise our flags and rebel. That will only bring us a disaster. If we Khitan want to stand up, the eight tribes must unite and clench our fists! "
"Yes! I will remember Grand Marshal's words! "
Fei Mo finished speaking and then said embarrassedly, "But … Grand Marshal should be instructing Luo Wuzhen, He Axiao, and the others. I … I am not qualified to listen to Grand Marshal's teachings."
"Don't belittle yourself. No one is born a hero!"
Sun Wanrong patted his shoulder. "He Axiao, Luo Wuzhen, and the others have been scattered. I don't even know if they can survive. I can only tell you these words now!"
He slowly stood up and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he shouted, "Men!"
Although they had been fighting and running for a whole day, the clansmen were all exhausted. Sun Wanrong shouted in a deep voice, and a few leaders and bodyguards beside him quickly appeared in front of him.
Sun Wanrong stared at Fei Mo and suddenly drew his saber. He placed it on Fei Mo's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Kneel!"
"Grand Marshal …"
Although Fei Mo was confused, he still obediently knelt in front of Sun Wanrong.
Sun Wanrong said solemnly, "You are the chief of the Diela tribe. Although Diela is a small tribe of my tribe, the warriors of your tribe have always been good at fighting and brave. It is a famous warrior tribe of my tribe. Now, I hand over my tribe and the Khagan's to you. You will protect and lead them! "
Fei Mo opened his mouth in shock and only reacted after a long while. He said in panic, "No, no, Grand Marshal, I can't. I … I don't have the ability to manage such a big tribe."
Sun Wanrong smiled bitterly and said, "How big can it be? Our tribe doesn't have many people left. If the three tribes don't unite at this time, we will be annexed by other tribes sooner or later. "
He roused his spirits and said, "Listen, I will now merge my tribe and Li Jinzhong's tribe into your Diela tribe. You must let this new tribe settle down and prosper. You must continue to grow stronger until you have the strength to unify the eight Khitan tribes! "
Fei Mo was at a loss and said slowly, "I … how can I do that? I can't … "
Sun Wanrong said resolutely, "If you can't do it, there is still your son! If your son can't do it, there is still your grandson! Take my order as your ancestor's teachings and pass it down to your descendants. One day, your family will have a descendant who is both wise and brave, and can complete my mission today! "
Fei Mo said in a daze, "Grand Marshal, we … are now surrounded and it is hard to say whether we will survive or not. As for the future … let's talk about it after we break out of the encirclement."
The corner of Sun Wanrong's mouth revealed a trace of a sly smile. "I will settle the matter at hand. This is also the last thing I will do for you as your chief! I will use my death to exchange for your lives! Remember, I will be killed by you. Only by doing so will you be pardoned by the Imperial Court and be granted land so that our people can live in peace! "
The chiefs were all shocked and raised their heads to look at him. "Grand Marshal!" A few of them reacted quickly and were about to pounce on him.
"You must do as I say. Don't let my death be in vain!"
Sun Wanrong's voice was sonorous and resounding, like the sound of metal and stone. As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't wait for anyone to react. The long saber in his hand suddenly turned and slashed across his own throat!
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