Because of the collapse of morale, and because Shentangbao was not originally owned by the Dingbian rebels and the Xia army.
At this moment, the resistance in the city is much, much weaker than when they first stormed in.
The morale of the Lanyue Army (the original Huai De Army, which was abolished by the emperor, and whose name in the new military system means "reaching for the bright moon in the heavens") was unstoppable. After entering the city, they began to sweep across the land.
One group of people quickly assembled at the city gate, repaired the gate, and reinstalled the defensive equipment on the city wall.
The logistics troops transported military rations into the city and began to stockpile them in an orderly manner.
In other areas, the remaining resistance was still being searched for and killed. Thanks to the cooperation of the soldiers and civilians in the city, the subsequent battles went much more smoothly than before.
Wu Lin had one question: since they had already captured Shentang Fort, why did Wu Jie order the withdrawal of Shentang Fort, leaving only 10,000 Lanyue Army soldiers and the original soldiers and civilians to guard it?
Shentangbao was a fortress in the north of the Song Dynasty. Further north was the Hengshan region, which was the most important strategic location in the competition between the Song and Xia dynasties. Shentangbao was the transit point for all the grain and fodder transported to Hengshan, and it was also an important gateway in the north.
As long as the Song Dynasty does not firmly establish a powerful army in the Hengshan region to form an unbreakable defensive line, the strategic importance of Shentangbao cannot be ignored.
After finally capturing Shentang Fort, the vanguard of the Lanyue Army suffered heavy casualties, and more than 10,000 soldiers and civilians enslaved within the city were killed for resisting.
But now Wu Jie is withdrawing from Shentang Fort, at least his main force is not inside Shentang Fort.
After personally inspecting the grain and fodder storage, Wu Lin hurriedly went to see Wu Jie.
"General Wu, there is something I do not understand!"
Wu Jie was looking at a topographical map of the area around Shentangbao. A "川" character appeared on his brow again, and his two eyebrows looked like straight spears.
Without even looking up, he said, "You tell me!"
"Why should we evacuate the Fortress that our soldiers fought and lost with their lives?"
Wu Jie still didn't look up: "Why stay behind?"
Wu Lin was slightly taken aback, then said, "Once Ren Duo Bao Zhong arrives, our army will be inside the city, in a commanding position!"
"The Emperor has ordered me to annihilate the right flank of the Xia army within a month. Why annihilate them? To kill them so that they have no chance of resistance. You and I are both soldiers. When will we have no chance of resistance?"
Wu Lin said, "Naturally, we should kill them all. If any escape, they can be rebuilt."
"In that case, how long do you think it will take us to completely annihilate the Xia army?"
Wu Lin was speechless for a moment.
Wu Jie said sternly, "As the military commander, you lack courage!"
"Commander Wu is right to teach me a lesson!" Wu Lin honestly accepted the instruction. Compared to his brother, he could only be considered a capable general. He was good at leading soldiers into battle, but he was far from being able to see the big picture and analyze the battle situation in depth.
"You've heard about the Emperor's style of doing things. My orders are not only to annihilate Ren Duo Baozhong, but also to demonstrate the might of the Song Dynasty!"
"We only have one month left. As the vanguard of the Emperor, the Lan Yue Army must not only destroy Richard's right flank but also establish military prestige for the entire army. How should we fight?" Wu Jie paused for a moment. "What use is guarding Shentang Fort? Can it defeat Ren Duo Baozhong? The soldiers' morale is high right now! If we retreat into the city, they will inevitably become dependent on us. The soldiers will be saddened by the loss of their comrades today, and this will affect the morale of the army. What will we do then? Even if Ren Duo Baozhong fails to capture Shentang Fort and marches south to Huanzhou City to join Richard, how can we live up to the Emperor's trust?"
Wu Jie's words left Wu Lin speechless.
"The Hegemon-King was able to burn his boats and break the cauldrons! Today, I, Wu Jie, am also able to fight with my back to the river!"
"As the commander of the military capital, you should set an example!"
Wu Lin said, "This subordinate obeys!"
After the supplies were settled, the logistics unit quickly began distributing rations to the soldiers.
Before the dead bodies on the streets could even be dealt with, the main force of the Lan Yue Army had already begun to withdraw from the city.
They quickly set up camp outside the city. The camp was simple, and they lit fires and began to eat to fill their stomachs.
The previous battle was fierce enough, with the Lan Yue Army losing nearly 10,000 men, but it truly boosted morale and demonstrated military might!
In particular, the artillery bombardment of the city gates made the Lanyue Army witness the power of the Song Dynasty's weapons!
The military medics in the logistics department stayed in the city to bandage the wounded.
As a fortress in the north, Shentangbao must be well defended, and Richard's connection with the north must be severed.
Wu Jie knew that this time the emperor intended to ensure that Richard and the 300,000 Xia troops would not return, otherwise the emperor would not have personally led the expedition!
The winter wind felt like countless sharp knives cutting across one's face.
The gray, desolate sky stretched into the distance, and the rugged, sharply defined earth ahead was stained red with blood, the sounds of battle still echoing.
The pressure on the left and right wings of Lanyue was too great. Each of them only had 10,000 men, but they had to resist the 50,000 Xia troops sent by Renduo Baozhong from both sides!
Their mission was to hold off Rendo Baozhong, giving Wu Jie's main force enough time to capture Shentangbao.
The fighting between the left and right wings was beyond brutal; Zhang Zhengze, the commander of the left-wing army, and his troops were fighting with the determination to die.
The entire army had only one will: hold off the Xia army! Then march to the Martyrs' Shrine!
When Xia Jun's most fearsome Iron Falcons flanked him from both sides, Zhang Zhengze knew that his time was running out.
He saw a blood mist rising from there, and Iron Falcon Heavy Cavalry, clad in black armor, galloping through the blood mist.
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