Zuo Wuji discovered that the enemy garrison also numbered in the tens of thousands, so he dared not attack rashly. Instead, he harassed the enemy from all sides, pursuing fleeing soldiers and scouts.
Xiao Che and Xiao Chang fled back to their headquarters, their faces dejected.
The defeat was like a mountain collapsing. In the end, they couldn't even protect Xiao Chan's corpse and had to throw it into the river, as it was too late to escape otherwise…
"Jian Bei and Alexander haven't returned?" Xiao Che urgently asked his subordinates.
Just then, an urgent report came from outside: "The enemy is outside our camp, with the heads of Marshal Jian Bei and Marshal Alexander impaled on their spears, parading their victory!"
Upon hearing this, including Dugu Qun, everyone from Jiaozhou was shocked and uneasy.
Alexander and Jian Bei were dead??
But they soon understood.
At that time, Jian Bei and Alexander were still fighting a desperate battle, hoping to allow the army to retreat calmly, while Xiao Che and Xiao Chang escorted Xiao Chan's corpse and fled in advance, thus escaping death.
After Zuo Wuji's relentless pursuit, less than three thousand Tianri cavalry remained here…
"There are still thirty thousand defending troops and a large amount of war matériel here. This place must not be lost!" Xiao Chang sighed.
Xiao Che could only weep without tears.
Liang Xiao would not let this place go and would definitely lead a large army to pursue.
But they had too much war matériel here and definitely wouldn't be able to transport it away in time.
However, if they didn't run, they would have nowhere to be buried when Liang Xiao's troops caught up!
"Why don't we burn these war matériels and retreat to Yuzhang?" Xiao Che suggested.
Dugu Qun, who was beside him, exclaimed: "This is half of Jiaozhou's war matériel!"
"If the enemy intercepts it, the consequences would be unimaginable!" Xiao Che said unhappily.
"If we burn the war matériels, the enemy will have no temptation of war matériel, and wouldn't they pursue us without restraint?" Dugu Qun said anxiously.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Xiao Chang asked unhappily.
"There are still at least ten thousand enemy cavalry outside. Our army cannot annihilate them, but they can be like a persistent gangrene, haunting us and delaying the arrival of the Luzhou infantry. The only way forward is to scatter and abandon the war matériels, drive the livestock away separately, and set a fire at the same time, forcing the Great Gan soldiers to face a dilemma. Do they pursue us, or save the war matériels!" Dugu Qun proposed.
"Makes sense! Our army cannot blindly burn it!" everyone agreed.
This place could no longer be held. They had to evacuate urgently before the main force from Luzhou arrived.
So the entire army began to prepare. Everyone carried dry rations, abandoned all unnecessary war matériels, and moved out collectively.
At the same time, large numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens were brought out of the camp, and fires were set within the camp.
The Jiaozhou troops immediately retreated southward to Yuzhang.
Zuo Wuji quickly discovered the enemy's intentions, both angry and anxious.
"Damn it, they're using every dirty trick!"
With ten thousand cavalry, it was impossible to annihilate the enemy completely, let alone capture the rebel leaders.
Helplessly, Zuo Wuji had to send out three thousand men to put out the fires and seven thousand to follow him to block the enemy, while also sending a swift rider to inform Zhuo Ying.
However, the Jiaozhou troops remaining here all carried bows and arrows, making it difficult for Zuo Wuji to approach.
Zhuo Ying's troops were still on their way. Upon receiving the news, they urgently used carrier pigeons to send a message back to Luzhou.
Liang Xiao, who was pacifying the military and civilians in Luzhou, couldn't help but sigh when he heard about the situation at the front line.
The carrier pigeons bred in Luzhou could not reach the front line. They could only send fast horses to notify the front line tens of miles away, which took several hours for a round trip.
When Zhuo Ying received Liang Xiao's order, he had just led the infantry to the scene. He immediately dispatched twenty thousand men to deal with the war matériel and gather the livestock, while he led his troops to support Zuo Wuji in the south.
After a period of pursuit, Zuo Wuji also worried about being surrounded and annihilated by enemy reinforcements if he advanced alone. He chose to rest in place and await Zhuo Ying's support.
In this pursuit, over a thousand Jiaozhou troops were shot and killed by the Great Gan cavalry with their bows, causing panic among the ranks.
When Zhuo Ying arrived with his personal guards, Zuo Wuji immediately informed him of the situation.
"The enemy has merged with another unit. It is not advisable for our army to advance further!"
Zhuo Ying weighed the situation and decided to return with Zuo Wuji to protect the captured war matériel, to avoid losing what they had gained.
"Reporting to Marshal! Our army has captured two million shi of grain, a total of 150,000 livestock, and countless weapons!"
Liang Xiao and his generals were discussing plans in the camp when they received the urgent report from the front line. Everyone suddenly stood up, astonished and delighted.
"Two million shi of grain? And this is after it was burned by the enemy?"
"How did these rebel troops manage to gather so much grain?" Liu Feng exclaimed in surprise and then anger.
"Our soldiers have inspected it. Some of it is old grain, possibly stored for several years!" the messenger replied.
The generals exchanged glances and couldn't help but gasp, their indignation rising.
"This indicates that the enemy had intended to invade Jiangnan several years ago! If Luzhou had fallen back then, I fear…"
At the end, everyone looked at Liang Xiao with gratitude and bowed deeply to express their appreciation.
It was Liang Xiao, Zhuo Zifang, Li Xiuyun, and Gongsun Dingjun who had defended Luzhou city back then!
And the unfathomably mysterious General Tian.
If they hadn't held on, Jiangnan would have been in grave danger!
Liang Xiao immediately issued an order: "The rebel troops must have lost their will to fight. Order all regions to prepare for a counter-offensive, but be mindful of the enemy's feigned retreats and counter-attacks."
On this day, the Great Gan kingdom sounded the horn for a counter-offensive. All parts of Jiangnan were ready to cooperate with the Luzhou counter-offensive at any time.
A few days later, in Wuron Province on the other side, Han Zhongyun and Liu Nanfeng jointly set a trap to lure Su Wencheng into it, causing Su Wencheng to suffer heavy losses. He was then struck head-on by Gongsun Ye and Shi Liuyun and was forced to flee south.
"Hold on a little longer, and we'll be back with the main force!"
Su Wencheng roared angrily in his carriage, rallying his soldiers.
But the pursuing Great Gan soldiers grew more numerous. In addition to the Jiangnan cavalry, there were also Jiangnan infantry. The soldiers of Great Liang were all panicked and only focused on fleeing.
More and more Great Liang soldiers were caught up by the Jiangnan soldiers. Hearing the slogan "Surrender and live," they laid down their weapons and surrendered on their knees.
Su Wencheng no longer cared about how many were lost in the rear and urged the carriage to speed up.
Just as the Great Liang army was fleeing in panic, a force of ten thousand cavalry suddenly emerged from the southeast. They were all exceptionally imposing and ferocious, their horses and men clad in cotton armor. The general leading them was Yue Yun.
"Could this be the White Robe Army?"
The Great Liang army, unfamiliar with the Central Plains cavalry, was terrified.
The Central Plains cavalry dispatched by Liang Xiao, after a long march, finally blocked the retreat path of the Great Liang army.
A general from the Huichun Sect led his troops to drive back Yue Yun. As soon as they clashed, Yue Yun killed the enemy general and his horse in one round.
Although the Central Plains cavalry was exhausted from their long march, the Great Liang army was even more weary. Faced with their aggressive advance, their morale further disintegrated. The soldiers had no will to fight and only wanted to escape.
Su Wencheng had to dispatch a suicide squad to drive back Yue Yun's troops, but faced with the more mobile cavalry, they could only ensure a path for retreat.
This force shattered the Great Liang army's final psychological defense, and the Jiangnan soldiers in the rear were in hot pursuit.
More and more Great Liang soldiers accepted the slogan "Surrender and live," disarmed, and surrendered by the roadside.