Chapter 64: Battle Results and Spoils
Outside the Re Mountain City.
General Zhang Shou Wang’s Eastern Route Army had already arrived at the city’s southern gate, setting up camp ten miles away.
In the main tent, Zhang Shou Wang and several generals sat with grave expressions, while Generals Zhou Lan and others looked equally worried.
Ever since they shifted their focus to Re Mountain City, their supply routes had been constantly harassed by Hu Qi horsemen.
By now, multiple logistics teams had suffered heavy casualties, with all their grain and fodder being either plundered or burned.
“General, we can’t wait any longer! If we don’t address this, our soldiers will go hungry and our morale will plummet!” General Liu Nanbo’s face was red with anxiety.
He had lost almost two entire logistics teams, with all their supplies lost. Without replenishments, his soldiers would starve within ten days at most.
Moreover, the lack of supplies would also affect their fighting spirit. How could they fight on an empty stomach?
“Yes, General, we must prioritize securing our supply routes. If we can’t ensure their safety, we’ll be walking into a death trap!” General Wang Bin agreed.
Without a steady supply of grain, they couldn’t continue fighting, and taking Re Mountain City wouldn’t be a quick task either.
Although Re Mountain City was small, it was a stronghold that would require at least a month to breach, even with their full strength.
Standing behind Zhang Shou Wang, Zhou Lan’s eyes were filled with concern. She naturally knew that Yang Zheng Shan was transporting grain and was worried about Yang Zheng Shan’s safety, as well as the grain he was transporting.
If Yang Zheng Shan also lost his supplies, their Left Vanguard would face even greater difficulties. As cavalry, they required twice or thrice the amount of fodder as other camps.
Zhang Shou Wang understood the importance of supply routes, but he hadn’t anticipated the cunning of the Eastern Sea Hu tribe, who not only refused to engage in open battle but also continued to harass their rear.
The vast wilderness and numerous hills made it easy for small-scale forces to hide and strike. Finding and eliminating all these Hu Qi horsemen would be no easy feat.
As Zhang Shou Wang pondered this, he suddenly recalled the previous Hu Qi incursion.
It was the same tactic – small-scale raids without direct confrontation.
This battle strategy seemed to be orchestrated by a single individual.
They seemed to be dancing to the enemy’s tune.
Zhang Shou Wang’s eyes flickered with concern, but he still gave the order: “Zhou Lan, Tang Fei Hu!”
“Yes, sir!”
“You two will lead the Left and Right Vanguard to protect our supply routes and eliminate the Hu Qi horsemen!” Zhang Shou Wang commanded.
“Yes, sir!”
Zhou Lan and Tang Fei Hu exchanged a glance, bowed, and accepted their orders.
…
By the Song Yuan River.
The battle had lasted for two hours, and all the Hu Qi horsemen were slaughtered, not a single one escaping.
Yang Zheng Shan, riding his Red Cloud horse, had single-handedly killed dozens of Hu Qi horsemen, despite being tired.
He dismounted, took a few sips of the Spirit Spring water, and fed some to Red Cloud.
This finally alleviated their fatigue.
As they walked back to the battlefield, the soldiers were already clearing the area, making sure to finish off any wounded enemies to prevent them from feigning death.
“Dad, are you okay?”
Yang Ming Zhi rushed over, concern etched on his face, and searched Yang Zheng Shan’s body for any signs of injury.
“I’m fine. How about you? Where are you hurt?” Yang Zheng Shan asked.
Yang Ming Zhi revealed a bloody wound on his chest and said, “It’s shallow, and I’ll recover in a few days. I’m just a bit exhausted.”
Yang Zheng Shan examined the wound, nodded slightly, and said, “Rest for now, and let Ming Wu handle the rest.”
After that, Yang Zheng Shan helped gather the spoils of war.
This battle had taken a heavy toll on them, with most of the casualties being civilian porters – over a hundred had died, and eighty more were severely injured, while hundreds had minor wounds.
In contrast, the soldiers of the Mountain Fortress had only lost one soldier, with two severely injured, and Zhao De Sheng’s two teams had lost only three soldiers.
The reason for the disparity in casualties was the presence or absence of armor.
When the Hu Qi horsemen rained arrows, civilian porters who were hit would either die or be severely injured, while armored soldiers would only suffer minor wounds at most.
The civilian porters’ casualties mainly came from the initial arrow volleys, while the soldiers’ casualties were largely from the subsequent melee.
This highlighted the importance of armor.
After tallying the casualties, Yang Zheng Shan hurriedly mixed the Spirit Spring water with the just-boiled river water, letting all the wounded soldiers drink some.
While the Spirit Spring water couldn’t change fate, it was currently the best medicine available. As long as the injuries weren’t too severe, drinking the diluted Spirit Spring water would alleviate the symptoms.
“Sir, the cleanup is complete!” Yang Ming Wu reported to Yang Zheng Shan.
“Report,” Yang Zheng Shan replied, squatting by the riverbank, removing his armor, and washing the bloodstains off his body.
“We’ve beheaded two hundred and eighty-three enemies, captured one hundred and ninety-six warhorses, killed one hundred and forty-two horses, obtained one hundred and forty-two broken armor sets, two hundred and forty-eight longbows, two hundred and eighty-three long knives, and approximately fifty-eight taels of silver,” Yang Ming Wu reported.
“Fifty-eight taels of silver? That’s paltry,” Yang Zheng Shan said, disappointed.
“Uh, they didn’t carry much silver on them,” Yang Ming Wu explained helplessly.
Yang Zheng Shan thought for a moment, understanding the situation.
When they killed those Hu Qi horsemen in Yang Family Village, they had carried a lot of silver.
These Hu Qi horsemen, however, had come to fight, so they wouldn’t have carried much silver.
The silver might not be much, but they had gained a lot of warhorses.
One hundred and ninety-six warhorses would fetch at least three to five thousand taels of silver if sold.
However, these warhorses seemed to be beyond his control. As spoils of war, they belonged to the Left Vanguard, and how to handle them required Zhou Lan’s approval.
Yang Zheng Shan looked up at the sky, which was already late afternoon, with less than an hour till dusk.
“Let’s move north for ten miles and then rest.”
The current surroundings reeked of blood, and there were many corpses. It would be better to find a clean place to rest for the night.
Everyone quickly gathered their belongings and hurried north.
Fortunately, they had captured many warhorses, which could carry their wounded soldiers. Otherwise, they would have had to abandon some of the severely injured.
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