Chapter 426 Banquet
Qin Zhaoqiong, sitting on his horse, nodded in return to every soldier who saluted him, with a heavy weight on his face.
The one thousand elite imperial guards brought from Fengjing were almost all killed or wounded.
There were only about thirty or forty people behind him who could ride horses, and the rest needed someone to support them or ride on the same horse.
For the newly established Fengling Camp, this battle... was too cruel.
However, judging from the overall battle situation, Da Gan undoubtedly won a great victory.
The 5,000-strong Shen Ce Xuan Jia Army, a terrifying war beast, brazenly crashed into the Shuo Feng Army formation from the flank.
The thick defenses that had nearly completely engulfed the Fengling Camp were easily ripped apart by sheer force. The heavily armored cavalry charged from the left wing, piercing through the center and into the right wing before reining in their horses and circling to charge once more.
The huge Shuofeng army formation was crushed back and forth, and it was broken through four times!
In the end, the enemy was completely defeated and suffered a crushing defeat.
At the same time as the Xuanjia Army launched the charge, the main gate of Zhenbei Pass burst open.
The cavalry defending the city, which had been gathering strength for a long time, rushed out, followed closely by the infantry, and surrounded the Shufeng vanguard army that was originally trapped in the city wall.
The situation of the street fighting was reversed in an instant, and it turned into a hunt and liquidation of the invaders by the Da Gan army.
This battle, just as General Yuan Zhen of Zhenbei had expected, would decide the outcome in one fell swoop!
The Shuofeng vanguard army was almost completely wiped out in Wengcheng, its left wing was crippled, and its center and right wing were completely routed, with heavy casualties. It had no strength to fight again in a short period of time.
Qin Zhaoqiong returned to Zhenbei Pass in silence.
The lights were bright in the central army tent.
All senior generals were present, led by Yuan Zhen.
Seeing Qin Zhaoqiong enter, all the generals clasped their fists and knelt on one knee, "General!"
Yuan Zhen is the northern border general promoted by Your Majesty after Cao Cheng'an, and can be regarded as a new star of the imperial party.
Although there are factions in the army, thanks to Qin Minghuang's years of management, the people's hearts are united and relatively pure.
Moreover, soldiers value military merit and bravery the most. His Highness personally braved the arrows and stones and led the troops, almost killing all the 2,000 light cavalry of the Fengling Camp. Such heroism and achievements have won the respect of all the soldiers in the north.
"Generals, please stand up." Qin Zhaoqiong's voice was obviously tired and hoarse.
"General Yuan, although we have won this battle, a powerful enemy is not far away.
There may be a powerful second-level realm expert lurking in the dark, and we still don't know the real reason why Shufeng suddenly attacked this time.
The defense of the North is still under your full authority, and I will not interfere."
"I obey your command!" Yuan Zhen responded in a deep voice.
Each unit rescued the wounded, strengthened patrols of the fortress walls, counted the damage, registered the names of the fallen, extinguished remaining fires, comforted the people, and reorganized the military...
Each and every one of them was an important matter that had to be dealt with immediately after the war, and Qin Zhaoqiong indeed lacked experience in this regard.
The Fengling Camp has no patrol missions, and it is unlikely that they will be deployed for combat for a long time in the future.
Because of today's battle, almost all the combat power has been destroyed, and the only thing left is to replenish troops and strengthen training.
Qin Zhaoqiong returned to Fengling Camp with the remaining troops, followed by the three thousand Xuanwu Army soldiers that Yuan Zhen had just allocated to her.
After all, the mysterious second-grade enemy has not yet appeared, and only by being surrounded by a large army can one ensure safety.
Before reaching the camp gate, they saw that the two thousand female soldiers who had never fought in the battle were already looking forward to it and standing densely outside the gate.
When they saw the wounded remnants of His Highness's army, numbering less than a hundred people, suppressed sobs suddenly rang out among the crowd, but were quickly suppressed, leaving only the low and heartbreaking sobs floating in the cold wind.
Qin Zhaoqiong's eyes swept across those young and frightened faces, and he pursed his bloodless lips.
His fingers gripped the reins so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.
Beneath the glory of victory lies a cold and cruel sacrifice, so heavy that it makes it almost impossible to breathe.
…
Zhuque South Road, Baiyue Protectorate.
It is the White Dew season, and the autumn chill has gradually arrived in the north, while southern Xinjiang is still hot and humid, and the air is thicker than in the north.
In the study of the Protectorate Office, the windows were wide open.
There wasn't much cool breeze coming in, and I could only hear the incessant buzzing of unknown insects outside.
The second prince, Qin Jingheng, stood alone in front of a huge map of southern Xinjiang, his fingertips unconsciously running across the veins of the mountains, rivers and streams on the map.
His brows were furrowed, and he was lost in thought.
The unrest in southern Xinjiang did not happen overnight.
As the gateway to the southern end of the Dagan territory, Baiyue Protectorate faces the vast and dangerous primitive jungle.
It is the habitat of countless fierce tribes, with complex terrain and rampant miasma.
The powerful heavy cavalry, the most important national weapon that Dagan relied on, could not be used at all in such a place.
For hundreds of years, the imperial court has always harbored the ambition to unify southern Xinjiang.
I don't know how many expeditions, big or small, they have been launched, but they often ended in failure with heavy losses.
Those indigenous barbarians occupy absolute geographical advantages, are familiar with the dense forest, are elusive, and have endless new tricks.
Various vicious traps and strange toxins that are hard to guard against make it difficult for the Dagan army to advance an inch.
The most fatal thing is that even if you manage to capture some territory, it is difficult to hold on to it.
Supply lines are long and fragile and can be cut at any time.
In contrast, the barbarian tribes often came out of the mountains to plunder border counties and prefectures, coming and going like the wind.
After robbing food, property and people, they quickly fled into the vast forest and disappeared without a trace.
His actions were like a thorn in the flesh. Although not fatal, they caused the military and civilians in southern Xinjiang to suffer from restlessness for many years.
The Queen Mother sent him here this time because she discovered that the tribes in southern Xinjiang had been making frequent movements recently.
Small-scale conflicts have increased suddenly compared with previous years, as if some unprecedented major action is brewing.
Qin Jingheng's eyes repeatedly scanned the areas on the map that represented steep mountains and primitive jungles, and his brows furrowed more and more.
There is no abnormality in the climate in the south this year, and neither floods nor droughts have affected this area.
So, what exactly is driving these tribes, big and small, to such agitation? What exactly do they want to do?
After arriving here for more than half a month, apart from getting to know military generals and local civil officials of all ranks, I have gained nothing about the source of the turbulent undercurrents in southern Xinjiang.
This won't do!
Just when Qin Jingheng was feeling upset, there was a light knocking sound outside the study.
"Enter."
Xu Shenzhi, his first aide, walked in slowly.
Xu Shenzhi was about forty years old, with a thin face, a long beard and a calm look in his eyes.
"Your Highness, dinner is ready, and the guests for today's banquet are all waiting in the hall."
Qin Jingheng came back to his senses and couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
Banquets were held every day, and apart from military generals, there were also civil officials in the government office, as well as some so-called local celebrities and wealthy businessmen.
What good does it do to get things done by drinking and flirting with each other? It's just a waste of time.
"Let's cancel all these banquets in the future." Qin Jingheng said with impatience.
"The top priority should be focusing on military affairs and border defense, not these meaningless social engagements."
Xu Shenzhi was not surprised when he heard this, but just nodded slightly:
“Your Highness is absolutely right.
But tonight is the last banquet, and the guests are already here, so you might as well meet them.
Maybe there will be some unexpected gains.”
Qin Jingheng glanced at him and suppressed his unhappiness.
Whatever, it's the last time after all.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
