Of course, it wasn't over yet, because up to this point, looking at the devastated battlefield, Qin Ze guessed that perhaps only tens of thousands of Goths had been killed.
Is this a high number of kills? It's far too few.
Compared to the hundreds of thousands killed in the Battle of Yanluo Mountain last year, what are these few people? This battle will never end until they are all annihilated.
But the battles to come will rely more on the armies on the left and right flanks. Qin Ze looked up at the sky, where the pale white sky was gradually being tinged with red. In an instant, the new red sun emerged, and as soon as it appeared, the colorful clouds quickly seized the entire sky.
The cold, dry night vanished without a trace, and the rising sun burst forth with vibrant, cheerful orange rays that bathed everything in its light. The two Yan armies that had formed an encirclement from the north and south were now riding the sun's rays.
Although night had fallen, the chill lingered. Galloping warhorses exhaled puffs of white breath, their iron hooves trampling over the frost-covered dry grass, their rolling wheels grinding across the ground. Amidst the flying grass clippings and sand, this long battle line was beginning to shrink.
Inside this encirclement lies the Golgar army, which, after a fierce battle that lasted half the night, gained nothing and suffered heavy losses. Now, they are fleeing in panic.
However, no matter how well prepared or how concentrated the troops were, the more difficult it is to turn around and retreat now. The usual linear formations are rigid and clumsy, making it difficult to maneuver, and even the retreat itself is slow and awkward.
The 46th Division, which was at the forefront, had been completely wiped out. After Klein's death, the 53rd Division's command system was in chaos, and its strength had been reduced to less than one-tenth. The surviving soldiers were exhausted and panting heavily, all thinking about getting away from the battlefield as soon as possible, because even now, there were still shells falling on their heads.
The range of the Yan army's artillery was too far; they would need to run at least two to three kilometers to escape the range of the shells.
Their hasty retreat has indeed left them looking like a defeated and homeless army, which makes Lieutenant General Hopkins, who is in the midst of it, both angry and anxious, but even more so, he feels a strong sense of resentment.
Lieutenant General Hopkins, who had commanded troops in numerous battles over the years, couldn't even remember how many battles he had fought. Yet, in this current battle, he hadn't even set foot on the enemy's position before he was forced to lead his troops in a disheveled retreat. And retreat meant that the deaths of the soldiers who had already sacrificed their lives were almost entirely meaningless.
Because the Yan army's position was not breached, they naturally did not suffer many casualties. In addition, the crisis at the Macedonian military factory had not been resolved. Their humiliating retreat was a complete defeat.
Not long ago, he had personally issued the order to continue fighting, but now he was going against the grain, which made Hopkins feel particularly distressed. However, the order came from the rear troops, so he had no choice but to obey.
"Alas!" Hopkins sighed heavily as he rode his warhorse.
He looked ahead and saw the retreating army in complete chaos. Some artillerymen had even forgotten to take their cannons with them. Everyone was running away in a panic, but Hopkins could no longer criticize them for what they saw.
During those few hours of fighting, the enemy's artillery shells were incredibly powerful. The repeated explosions not only claimed many lives but also instilled a deep sense of fear in those who survived. Even I, upon learning of the entire army's retreat, couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
In such a battle, the disparity in strength is simply too great to overcome with sheer numbers. Preserving combat power and retreating is indeed the optimal solution at present.
Thinking of this, Hopkins turned his head to look behind him. As his gaze gradually rose above the infantrymen's heads, the Yan Army's position came into view. Unlike the blurriness of the night, the Yan Army's position was now very clear. They had not come out of their positions and were still firing at long range, which made Hopkins breathe a sigh of relief.
Although they were still within the range of the artillery fire, at least the enemy did not pursue their victory, which was... not a bad thing.
Thinking this to himself, Hopkins turned around and shouted:
"Quickly! Retreat to our base!"
——
"Bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
A series of sporadic but gradually increasing gunfire rang out from both sides, approaching from a distance. Lieutenant General Harbor, who was at the forefront of the retreat, immediately turned pale.
The winter morning was still cold, and icy sweat slowly slid down his forehead and nose. Lieutenant General Harbor looked around and saw the last thing he wanted to see.
The Yan army, which had somehow managed to flank them from both sides, was now engaged in combat with their own forces. The increasingly dense gunfire was coming from the left and right flanks. Perhaps because they were still some distance away, the gunfire was not yet very loud, but hearing the gunfire meant that the enemy was well prepared and was now attacking!
Their intention was to prevent our side from evacuating!
Despite recognizing the immediate danger, Lieutenant General Harbor couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"That enemy position that was impossible to breach was just a decoy?"
As he murmured, hurried shouts came from afar, growing louder as they approached.
"Sir! The enemy has surrounded us! They have a large force and are launching an attack!"
As more and more urgent shouts echoed in his ears, Haber felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave; his face was stiff and frozen.
He suddenly realized that during last night's fierce battle, the Yan Army had unknowingly deployed more troops outside the battlefield, and now they were encircling and annihilating them!
This actually coincided with my initial thoughts!
But the ones launching the encirclement and suppression now are the enemy!
"Bang bang bang bang bang!"
The gunfire was growing increasingly intense. The Goertek army was flanked by cavalry on both flanks, and they were engaging the Yan army in battle. Their opponents were also composed of cavalry.
However, despite being cavalry, they were worlds apart.
The Yan army cavalry were armed with rifled muskets. Both sides were on the move, but the accuracy of the bullets fired by the Yan army far exceeded that of the flintlock muskets fired by the Golt cavalry. In just a few moments, the Golt cavalry had already suffered heavy casualties.
Soon, urgent battle reports reached Lieutenant General Harbor, who was in the center of the army. Harbor knew they had fallen into a trap, and he had no choice but to give the order:
"Don't linger in battle, retreat as soon as possible!!"
Although such an order was given, since enemy troops had already appeared, they had probably already organized their lines from a more distant location. Habo could only hope that the Yan army hadn't moved that fast and hadn't completely outflanked the rear.
It was nearly eight o'clock, and the sky was already bright with snow, but Lieutenant General Habo felt his hands, which were holding the reins, were so cold that they were aching.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
