Chapter 482 Missed
Somov resolutely plunged into the turbulent waters of the Chirchik River, accompanied by Yakup and dozens of his confidants.
His general's uniform was so conspicuous that the Xia army blocking his way from the north became excited at the sight of him, like hooligans seeing a girl. They ignored the others who were trying to break through and focused on surrounding him. Somov, despite his great knightly skills, was helpless.
Somov failed to break through several times, and the gunfire behind him grew louder and closer. He decisively turned west and plunged into the river.
Although there were also Xia cavalry patrolling and blocking the river from the other side, more and more Russians and Hu people had begun to swim across the river. The cavalry on the other side were spreading out to drive and pursue them, and they could still find areas where the enemy's forces were weak. Moreover, Somov had determined that they did not have those iron pipes that could emit white smoke.
The river wasn't very wide, and Somov's warhorse was also very swift; it would only take a short while to swim across. Somov gripped his sword tightly and raised the shield on his back to block the arrows. He felt that once he reached the shore, breaking out on his own strength wouldn't be a problem, but his entire army had been wiped out.
Just as Somov crossed the middle of the river, Yakup, who had been following closely behind him, suddenly collapsed into the water. Somov watched as Yakup's headless body was swept away by the current, and a chill ran through him. He turned to look at the battlefield behind him.
"Where is that despicable murderer?"
White smoke billowed everywhere on the battlefield, and stray warhorses ran wildly. Somov searched diligently for the kind of weapon that could continuously spew fire and was staffed by six or seven men; he had just witnessed the power of the Gatling gun.
Somov didn't see Gatling, but only a flash of light in the distance. Years of fighting had conditioned his reflexes, and he suddenly jumped off his horse.
A whooshing sound brushed past Somov's legs, and then he felt a chill down his groin, as if something was missing from his body.
"Did I miss again?"
Qin Mo put down the rifle in his hand and looked at General Somov, who looked like he had given up on life and was being held prisoner by the Xia army. He was somewhat annoyed that he hadn't controlled his aim properly.
Somov's capture shattered the Russians' will to resist, and large numbers of Russians began to surrender. Meanwhile, the Hu people, who had been following the trend, turned against the Russians and attacked those who resisted, venting all their anger on their former allies.
"Nephew, you deserve the greatest credit for this great victory!"
"Uncle, isn't it too early to talk about a great victory now?"
When Qin Ce saw Qin Mo, he put his arm around Qin Mo's shoulder and promised him the first merit. However, Qin Mo pointed to the defeated soldiers who were breaking through to the other side of the Qierchik River like ducks going into the river and said it was too early.
"It's inevitable that a few will slip through the net, but they won't amount to much! Let the Imperial Guards hunt them down! Hahahaha!"
Qin Ce was very happy at this moment. His cultivation level was not low, but his political skills were average. He had always been a good-natured person in the imperial family who had no desires. But even a good-natured person has face. The Prince of Chang Le had already won the southern army. If his side fought too badly, what would others think?
The Northern Route Army is a chaotic private army of nobles, and it is indeed not as obedient or easy to command as the Southern Route Army. But if you say that, wouldn't it make you, Prince Anyang, look like you are incompetent in your rule?
The southern army's attack on Lanshi City was a crucial route on the Silk Road and a place the Russians had to defend. The Xia army had a numerical advantage, and as long as they fought steadily, they could easily achieve good results.
But the Northern Route Army is different. The enemy has no place to defend, and the Great Xia Army will find it difficult to find a suitable opportunity for a decisive battle while fighting in a foreign land. If the stalemate continues for a long time, the loss of hundreds of thousands of troops will worry the court to death. You can imagine how much pressure the Prince of Anyang will be under then.
"Nephew! You've really done your old man a great favor this time. Before I left, that old bastard Qin Jian told me to seize the opportunity to crush the main force of the enemy cavalry and wipe out the entire northern part of the Western Regions."
"Damn it, he just wants to see us two make a fool of ourselves. This time, let him see that even without Qin Jian in charge, we can still make the Russians bow down and submit."
At this point, Qin Ce said with a mischievous grin, "Speaking of which, nephew, how did you hit so accurately? You just managed to castrate that Duke Somov, but the rest of him was completely unharmed. It was truly brilliant."
"...What does Uncle plan to do with him? Give him a quick death or make the Russians pay a ransom?"
“Give him a quick death? There’s no such thing as a free lunch. As for the ransom… do we need money? He’s our proof of military merit. I’ll just hand him over to that old man Qin Jian.”
Qin Mo silently mourned for Somov for three seconds. For a man to lose one of the greatest pleasures in life is almost like losing half his life.
Two days later, the Xia army entered the Kangju capital city of Beitian without encountering any further resistance. The Hu people once again swore allegiance to Xia, revealing their true nature as opportunists.
The fine wine of the Western Regions soothed the anger in the hearts of the Xia army, the charming dancers of the Western Regions comforted the soldiers who were far from home, and the Hu people of Kangju made the Xia army taste the sweetness of victory by making themselves suffer.
Qin Mo rarely gave his subordinates a break, and after instructing them on various precautions, he let them relax. Meanwhile, he himself was looking at the letters that had just been sent from the interior of the Great Xia to the Western Regions, occasionally replying with a sentence or two.
"This intelligence agency in the capital reports all sorts of rumors to me. Don't they know how far it is from the capital to the Western Regions?"
"Your Highness, should we send someone to reprimand them?"
"...Never mind, they're just doing their job. Let's just treat it as gossip for fun!"
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