Wang Ben's battle to break out of the encirclement was a tempering of blood and fire. Faced with the enemy's encirclement, the Qin soldiers, who numbered less than 40,000, could only desperately break out of the encirclement.
At noon, the army finally broke out of the encirclement.
After breaking out of the encirclement, Wang Ben looked at the sparse soldiers around him, and a trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes. There were less than 20,000 soldiers left from the 70,000 soldiers who set off for the war.
"Boys, let's go home!"
The enemy was still in pursuit, and Wang Ben had no time to sigh.
For the next two days, one was chasing while the other was fleeing. They kept moving towards the Tangfan Ancient Road. On the 23rd of October, at two in the afternoon, Wang Ben and his troops finally arrived at Khantan Pasha Castle.
"Open the door! Open the door! We are the Great Xia army!"
The Qin soldiers shouted for a long time, but the door of the castle didn't budge. They looked up and saw the Mongolian soldiers standing on the walls of the castle. They didn't reply and just looked at Wang Ben and his troops playfully.
Wang Ben was smart, and his heart sank. He had a bad premonition. "I am Wang Ben from Great Xia. Why are you still not opening the door? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the Empire?"
"…"
What responded to Wang Ben was dead silence.
Wang Ben's eyes narrowed. The situation was very clear. In just a short period of ten days, the Mongolian Empire must have changed and refused to let them in.
"Young Marshal!" The deputy walked over uneasily. "The enemy is catching up."
Wang Ben took one last look at the castle and turned around. "Shall we go?"
"Which way?"
"Keep going east and meet up with the main force of the right wing." Wang Ben made up his mind.
"This …"
The deputy looked worried and wanted to say something but stopped.
This place was thousands of miles away from the front line, and the road was full of enemy territory. There were blockades in front and pursuers behind. With only 20,000 soldiers and no food supply, it was extremely difficult to break out of the encirclement.
"We have no other choice!"
Wang Ben was very rational. When there was no other choice, the only choice was the best choice.
Khantan Pasha Castle was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Furthermore, the enemy behind could catch up at any time, and they didn't have enough time.
Even if they forcibly attacked Khantan Pasha Castle, with the attitude of the Mongolian soldiers, they wouldn't be able to pass through Ogedei Khaganate.
"Go!"
The 20,000 strong army turned around and retreated towards the east.
When the guards of Khantan Pasha Castle saw this, they couldn't help but burst into unbridled laughter. The laughter was so ear-piercing that Wang Ben wanted nothing more than to turn around and teach these bastards a lesson.
But Wang Ben didn't. He just headed east with a gloomy expression.
…
Tubo, Amdo City.
Receiving the message from his son Wang Ben, Wang Jian's face turned ashen.
"You bastards, if anything happens to my son, I will not spare you." Wang Jian lost his composure, wanting nothing more than to lead his troops to save him.
Fortunately, Wang Jian's years of experience in the military had allowed him to maintain a shred of rationality.
Wang Jian knew very well that with just the right wing army alone, they may not be able to save Wang Ben and his men. Not only that, they would be charged with the crime of disobeying military orders, dragging all the Qin soldiers into the abyss.
Without any hesitation, Wang Jian immediately contacted Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing.
Li Jing was also very surprised when he received the report. "There's actually such a thing? Is the Mongolian Empire crazy?"
Wang Jian replied: "Grand Marshal, this general requests for permission to lead my troops westward to reinforce Wang Ben's troops."
Without hesitation, Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing said: "Don't worry, General. Wang Ben's troops are going to carry out the empire's mission. The empire will not abandon them. Not only your right wing army, the left wing army will also advance westward. "
"Thank you, Grand Marshal!" Wang Jian's eyes flashed with gratitude.
If the left and right wing attack together, the chances of success will be much higher. Wang Jian didn't expect Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing to be so straightforward. Finally, he has a trace of recognition towards the empire.
Not only that, Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing continued: "I will report this matter to His Majesty immediately. How dare the Ogedei Khaganate commit such a treacherous act, they are simply seeking death."
As one of the three heavyweights of the empire, Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing's words were filled with confidence.
"Thank you, Grand Marshal!"
Wang Jian cupped his fists again. With the empire's help, justice will be served to Wang Ben and his men.
With the order from the Supreme Commander, Wang Jian no longer delayed. He personally led the right wing army and advanced westward. Saving people is like putting out a fire. There is no room for delay.
"Ben 'er, you must hold on." Wang Jian was burning with anxiety as he prayed silently in his heart.
At the same time, the commander of the left wing army, Tian Dan, also received the order from the Supreme Commander to lead his troops westward and attack the hinterland of Tubo together with the right wing army.
However, different from the order Wang Jian received, Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing also requested Tian Dan to annihilate the enemy's forces as much as possible while advancing westward to create the conditions for the center army to take down Luoge City.
Naturally, Tian Dan understood.
Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing was indeed a top-notch Divine General. Although it happened abruptly, he immediately caught a glimpse of an opportunity in the midst of danger and firmly grasped it, preparing to deal a fatal blow to the enemy.
Strictly speaking, Wang Ben's troops had already completed the mission given by the Supreme Commander. Not only did they disrupt the enemy's supply lines, but they also crippled the new 500,000 troops sent by the Ashoka Dynasty.
As such, the situation of the war was favorable to Great Xia.
The left and right wing armies were advancing westward to reinforce Wang Ben's troops and also to sweep through the hinterland of Tubo, officially cutting off the external support of Luoge City.
As such, Luoge City was like a turtle in a jar.
Under the explicit order of the Supreme Commander, the Center Army and the Center Protectorate Army immediately intensified their attacks on Luoge City.
If nothing unexpected happened, the outcome of the war with Tubo would be revealed very soon.
… …
October 24th, the capital.
Early in the morning, Ouyang Shuo received an urgent report from Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing. His face instantly darkened, and he found it hard to believe. Because just yesterday, Hara and Lin had reported that a diplomatic mission would soon be dispatched to the capital to discuss the matter of surrender.
He never thought that such an embarrassing thing would happen in the blink of an eye.
"Come!"
"Here!"
"Summon Zhang Yi!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Soon, Zhang Yi, who had just arrived at the yamen, hurried to the imperial study. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Ouyang Shuo told him about the incident at Khantan Pasha Castle and asked, "My beloved subject, what do you think of this matter?"
Zhang Yi was also shocked. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your humble subject heard that Genghis Khan Temujin intended to pass the throne to his fourth son, Tolui. Will this cause Ogedei to hold a grudge against him, which is why the garrison at Khantan Pasha Castle refused to let him pass?"
Ouyang Shuo sighed. "The Mongolians are really arrogant and unruly."
Zhang Yi's heart trembled. He did not know how this matter would affect the surrender of the Mongolian Empire. He also did not know if His Majesty would change his strategy towards the Mongolian Empire because of this matter.
"Ask the Mongolian side what is going on and give the imperial court an explanation as soon as possible," Ouyang Shuo ordered.
"Yes!"
Zhang Yi did not dare to delay and immediately turned around to carry out the order. He had a feeling that the Mongolian army was about to rise.
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.
