The Nanzhao army ignored the strength of the Nanzhao army and insisted on launching an all-out attack. Under such circumstances, if they did not teach them a lesson, how could they intimidate the Nanzhao soldiers and prevent them from challenging the Tang Army so easily in the future?
Ang Lee looked expressionlessly at the approaching Nanzhao soldiers and waved his hand lightly. "Use the crossbows to inflict heavy damage to the Nanzhao Army."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoosh! Five hundred soldiers abruptly raised the crossbows they had prepared and aimed at the charging Nanzhao soldiers. They kept pulling the triggers.
Five thousand eight-inch crossbow bolts were fired in a very short period of time. The dense rain of arrows caused unimaginable damage to the attacking Nanzhao soldiers.
Although the Nanzhao soldiers had many shield soldiers who could block the arrows, the firing rate of the crossbows was too fast. Some of the five thousand crossbow bolts could not be blocked by the shields, and these soldiers who were not blocked obviously caused great damage to the Nanzhao soldiers.
Although the Nanzhao Army had experienced the war to unify the Six Zhao and the war with the powerful Tibetan army, they had never experienced such a dense rain of arrows in such a short period of time. The actual damage done to the Nanzhao Army by this round of five thousand arrows was secondary, but the blow to their confidence was the most serious.
After this round of arrow rain, hundreds of Nanzhao soldiers lost their lives. Many Nanzhao soldiers were injured and fell to the ground, wailing in pain.
Just as the Nanzhao Army was suffering a mental breakdown, the army reloaded the crossbows and launched a second round of crossbows, followed by a third and a fourth.
Twenty thousand eight-inch crossbow bolts were fired wildly at the Nanzhao Army, causing incalculable damage to the attacking troops of Nanzhao. At least a thousand Nanzhao soldiers lost their lives because of this first round of attack.
The number of Nanzhao soldiers who were injured was as many as three to five thousand, and this happened in a very short period of time. This was only the first round of attack.
"Retreat, retreat immediately."
Seeing the heavy losses of his soldiers, the commander of Nanzhao, Gelofeng, could not bear it anymore and was forced to give the order to retreat.
The attacking Nanzhao soldiers left the corpses of more than a thousand of their comrades and retreated quickly before the fifth round of arrow rain from the Tang Army. They broke away from the Tang Army defending the city.
Seeing the Nanzhao Army being forced to retreat, Ang Lee and his soldiers all laughed.
"General, the Nanzhao Army must have been beaten senseless. They left more than a thousand corpses and fled in panic, haha."
"General, Nanzhao has suffered such great losses. It is likely that they do not dare to continue attacking the city."
"If the generals of Nanzhao are still not convinced, we will not lose lose two thousand soldiers. We still have a lot of our trump cards, haha."
After all, they had won another battle, and the soldiers were in high spirits. They all hoped that the Nanzhao Army would attack again. This way, they would feel even better.
Ang Lee was naturally in a better mood. In this trip to Cuandi, not only did they not waste any effort to seize the important cities in Cuandi, such as Nanning Province and Kun Province, but at the same time, they also taught the Nanzhao Army a good lesson and let the Nanzhao soldiers understand the power of the Tang Army.
"Gelofeng will definitely not be convinced. However, the Nanzhao Army is not a match for our army. I am not sure whether Gelofeng will attack again. However, the 400 elites of our army will definitely seize the opportunity to teach the Nanzhao soldiers a good lesson. I am not afraid that Gelofeng will not be convinced."
Li An's face was filled with confidence.
The Nanzhao Army retreated three miles and stopped. Commander-in-chief Gelofeng looked at the generals under his command with a black face, and his eyes were full of helplessness and resentment.
He had planned to wipe out all the Tang Army that seized Kun Province in one go so that there would be no evidence. Unexpectedly, not only did his wish not come true, but his soldiers also suffered huge losses. This was something that Gelofeng had never expected.
In Geluofeng's view, the Tang army in Kunzhou only had three thousand soldiers, and this force had only been trained for a few months. It could not be considered an elite force. Geluofeng was flabbergasted that this newly formed army could have such a frightening fighting power.
Of course, these days, Gelofeng had put all his energy into studying the Cuandi soldiers and horses. He paid no attention to the things in Luzhou, nor did he know how the army was trained or what advanced weapons they had. Therefore, he naturally could not correctly judge the combat effectiveness of the army.
Like Gelofeng, Duan Jianwei and the Nanzhao generals all underestimated the strength of the Tang Army. They all thought that the Tang Army was not a big force and was not a threat at all. However, they did not expect that they would suffer a fierce blow as soon as they came into contact with the Tang Army, and thus suffered huge losses.
At this moment, no one dared to underestimate the combat effectiveness of the Tang Army anymore. The price they had to pay to change this opinion was the lives of thousands of Nanzhao soldiers, which was more or less not worth the loss.
"Your Highness, our army has lost 1,256 people and more than 3,000 people are injured. The losses are extremely heavy."
"Your Highness, the combat effectiveness of the Tang Army is far greater than that of our army. I'm afraid that we can't take back Kun Province."
"Your Highness, we must not continue to attack Kun Province. Otherwise, our losses will be even heavier."
"Your Highness, we can only accept defeat. There's no other way."
The Nanzhao generals were scared silly by the strength of the Tang Army and had completely lost the courage to continue fighting against the Tang Army.
Gelofeng was, of course, very dissatisfied with the performance of the generals under his command. However, things had already come to this, and his troops had suffered heavy losses. Under such circumstances, if he launched another siege, the losses would certainly be greater. Obviously, Gelofeng was unwilling to let his troops suffer heavy losses again. Giving up the attack on Kun Province City was undoubtedly the best and most helpless way.
"I really didn't expect that after just a few months of training, the Tang Army recruits could erupt with such powerful combat effectiveness. We have underestimated the Tang Army."
Gelofeng sighed with emotion from the bottom of his heart.
"Your Highness, the weapons of the Tang Army are very powerful. If our army also has the same weapons, the Tang Army may not be a match for our army outside the city."
Duan Jianwei suddenly said.
Hearing this, Gelofeng felt that it was reasonable. The last trace of confidence in his heart finally burst again, and he nodded to Duan Jianwei with great approval.
He believed that the reason for their failure was not that the Tang Army soldiers were well trained, but that the Tang Army had advanced weapons that they did not have.
Of course, the advanced weapons of the Tang Army would not be given to them. Advanced weapons were also a very important element of the strength of an army. It was an indisputable fact that the Tang Army was more powerful than them.
"Your Highness, the defensive weapons of the Tang Army are too powerful. It's difficult for our army to attack. Why don't we retreat, set up camp, and think of another way?"
Gelofeng nodded and said, "Retreat five miles and set up camp.
”
Under the leadership of Gelofeng, more than 10,000 Nanzhao soldiers continuously retreated five miles and set up camp in an open area.
After the camp was set up, the sun gradually set. Just as the Nanzhao Army was preparing to cook, eight small units of the Tang Army began to harass Nanzhao's camp one after another and shot and wounded many Nanzhao soldiers.
"Your Highness, small units of the Tang Army have launched a sneak attack from all directions. We don't know the exact number."
A scout told Gelofeng about the sneak attack of the small units of the Tang Army.
Gelofeng was furious. He stood up abruptly and ordered, "Pass down my order. Send 3,000 troops to annihilate all these harassing Tang Army soldiers."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Obviously, Gelofeng wanted to annihilate this small unit of the Tang Army to avenge the heavy losses of his army.
"Your Highness, the Tang Army sent a small unit to harass us. It's most likely a tactic to exhaust the enemy and make it difficult for our army to rest, thus weakening our strength."
Duan Jianwei analyzed.
Gelofeng didn't care about this. He said loudly, "The Tang Army has caused our army to suffer heavy losses. These small units must all be annihilated. None of them can be left alive. This will also let the Tang Army see how powerful our army is."
After a pause, Gelofeng continued, "Sir, do you think our army can annihilate these small units of the Tang Army?"
"It's just a few small units. Your Highness, with 3,000 troops, how can we not win?"
Duan Jianwei didn't doubt the ability of the Nanzhao Army at all. He felt that the small units sent by the Nanzhao Army were undoubtedly courting death. The Tang Army was very good at jungle warfare. They could definitely annihilate these small units of the Nanzhao Army.
Of course, this was just Duan Jianwei's personal guess. He thought that the Tang Army's defensive strength was strong only because of their advanced weapons, and the small units outside the city might not be very powerful. In addition, the Nanzhao Army was good at jungle warfare. Therefore, he thought that the Nanzhao Army could definitely annihilate the small units of the Tang Army.
However, Duan Jianwei's guess was obviously wrong, and very wrong. The 3,000 Nanzhao soldiers split up and killed the small units of the Tang Army harassing them. However, they were surprised to find that they couldn't outrun the Tang Army at all. Moreover, the soldiers were constantly injured by the arrows fired by the Tang Army.
The most terrible thing was that the small units of the Tang Army cooperated with each other and launched small ambushes from time to time, which caught the soldiers off guard and caused them to suffer heavy losses.
The Tang Army soldiers came and went freely in the jungle like loaches. They constantly shot and injured the Nanzhao soldiers who were chasing them, causing the Nanzhao soldiers to suffer more and more losses.
An hour later, a large number of injured Nanzhao soldiers were either carried back by their comrades or supported by each other. Because of the severe pain, they howled in pain in the camp.
In the headquarters tent, Gelofeng was dejectedly discussing the current situation in Cuandi with Duan Jianwei. When he heard the miserable cries outside getting louder and louder, he felt extremely upset. He stood up and strode out of the tent.
Looking at the camp full of injured soldiers, Gelofeng felt even more depressed and involuntarily clenched his fists.
"In just an hour, there are actually more than 300 injured soldiers. We still underestimated the strength of the Tang Army."
Duan Jianwei looked at the 300 injured soldiers lying in the camp and more injured soldiers walking into the camp. His heart became heavier and heavier.
Gelofeng looked at the injured captain and asked, "What's the situation in the front? Why are there so many injured soldiers?"
The captain gritted his teeth and endured the pain. He replied, "Your Highness, the Tang Army comes and goes like a shadow. Our army has suffered heavy casualties."
Hearing this, Gelofeng and Duan Jianwei looked at each other in surprise.
"How many soldiers does the Tang Army have? How can they cause so many casualties to our army?"
"Only a few hundred people. However, they come and go like a shadow. Their archery skills are very good. Although many of our soldiers are injured, few of them are killed. So far, only one person was shot in the thigh and died. The rest are injured. Moreover, most of them were shot in the hands and feet."
The captain replied truthfully.
Geluofeng and Duan Jianwei took a careful look and realized that this really was the case. Of the many injured soldiers, the majority had been shot in the arms and calves. Very few had been shot in the thigh.
It was obvious that the Tang army had done this on purpose because the torso was the easiest place to be hit by arrows. Now, the torso of so many soldiers did not suffer any damage, but their arms and legs were injured. This was enough to explain the problem.
Gelofeng looked at Duan Jianwei next to him in confusion and asked softly, "Mr. Duan, what do you think is going on? Why did the Tang Army shoot the hands and feet of our soldiers but leave them alive?"
Obviously, the First Prince of Nanzhao was completely confused. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Duan Jianwei was a few years older than Gelofeng, so he naturally had more experience. He had already understood that the Tang Army deliberately showed mercy and showed their strength to make them bow their heads and admit defeat and give up the land. This also showed that the Tang Dynasty still needed Nanzhao and did not want to fight with Nanzhao too fiercely. It was easier for them to reconcile with Nanzhao by showing some mercy.
"Your Highness, I need to go to Kunzhou City."
Duan Jianwei heaved a sigh and said seriously.
Gelofeng frowned. "Kunzhou City is under the control of the Tang Army. What are you going to do, Mr. Duan?"
Duan Jianwei pointed to a large number of wounded soldiers in the camp and said helplessly, "Your Highness, as you can see, our army is far inferior to the Tang Army in both defending the city and fighting in the jungle. If we continue to be hostile, our losses will be greater and greater. Although I am very unwilling, I can only accept this fact. The Tang Army attacked but didn't kill us. They showed mercy to us and asked us to give up the land. I think it's time to admit defeat."
When he said these words, Duan Jianwei was obviously very reluctant. However, his strength was not as good as the Tang Army. What could he do if he did not admit defeat? At this moment, he only hated himself for thinking that he was smart enough to open up new territory for Nanzhao. In the end, not only did he fail to realize this wish, but he also caused Nanzhao to suffer heavy losses.
Duan Jianwei, who was in a low mood, even had the impulse to commit suicide to apologize. However, in order to get through the current predicament, he had to live first.
Gelofeng had also fully realized the strength of his troops. They could not defeat the Tang Army at all. This cruel reality made him extremely painful and helpless.
Perhaps Duan Jianwei was right. When it was time to admit defeat, he should do so. He must not be stubborn. Otherwise, he would be asking for trouble.
After thinking about it again and again, Gelofeng nodded gently. "Okay, Mr. Duan Jianwei, don't worry."
Duan Jianwei saluted gently, turned around, and left. With five or six guards, he rode to Kunzhou City, which was five or six miles away, and asked to see Ang Lee, the commander-in-chief of the Tang Army.
"General, Duan Jianwei asks to see you outside the city."
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