Mongol withdrawal
Chapter 53: Mongol Retreat
Chu Huaibei stood on the battlefield and looked around. There was the scorching sun, broken arrows, severed limbs, corpses, scorched earth, wailing, and a blood-stained earth. The moat was filled with corpses, and the river water was as red as blood. There were corpses from both the Mongolian Army and the Zhenbei Army.
War is so cruel that ordinary people cannot imagine it.
Sweat rolled down his forehead and soaked into his eyes. The salt in the sweat made his eyes hurt. He came to his senses and found that there were several people around him, Qin Feng, Xue Zhan, Jin Jiu, Eleven, Jin Hongye and Twelve.
Jin Hongye's expression was a little dull, perhaps because he had just experienced a fierce battle and was still in shock.
Chu Huaibei instructed Qin Feng and Xue Zhan to prioritize recovering the bodies from the moat. In the summer heat, prolonged exposure to water could easily lead to premature death. They also ordered a headcount, including the number of Mongolian soldiers killed, the number of Zhenbei soldiers killed, and the number of seriously injured. The two men received orders to enter the city and arrange for personnel to handle the relevant matters.
During the four months in the mountains, they only made five kerosene chariots, five heavy crossbows, ten Zhuge magic crossbows, fifty kerosene tanks, one hundred crossbow arrows, and five thousand short arrows, which were delivered to the military camp in multiple batches. It was not until mid-July that Chu Huaibei had the three defensive weapons moved to the city wall and installed. He also sent people to patrol day and night, and no information was allowed to be leaked to the outside world.
Although the supplies were not enough this time, they obviously dealt a heavy blow to the Mongolian army, especially the heavy crossbows. The fearless Mongolian soldiers would subconsciously dodge when they saw them. They knew that they could still survive if they were doused with kerosene or shot by short arrows, but if they were hit by a crossbow, they would not even have a chance of survival. Even if they did not die on the spot, they would be hacked to death by the surging Zhenbei Army, and they would not be able to escape.
He wrote five military orders and sent them to the other five states by scouts, reminding them to guard the country strictly and not to slack off day or night. The Mongolian army had retreated temporarily, but they didn't know when they would attack again.
Judging from the ferocity of this Mongolian attack, Chu Huaibei guessed that the damage caused to Mongolia by last year's blizzard was even greater than she had expected. Summer is originally a good time for cattle and sheep to breed. There is abundant grass on the grassland, and any grazing place can feed a lot of cattle and sheep.
Now Mongolia chose this time to attack, obviously aiming at the wheat that had just been harvested in the north, so that Mongolia would give up its cattle and sheep and instead plunder the wheat that they did not often eat. This shows that the blizzard caused the death of a large number of cattle and sheep, and the bodies of the frozen cattle and sheep had been eaten recently. The number of newborn cattle and sheep was scarce and not enough for them to survive.
When facing a survival crisis, any ethnic group's external cohesion cannot be underestimated. Although for some reason the Third Prince didn't send reinforcements this time, it's hard to say what he'll do next time.
Chu Huaibei and Na Hai fought for a whole day and night, both of them were injured, but they were all superficial. After this incident was settled, she would definitely ask Shan Zhong to make her an iron-clad spear, so that the bald man Na Hai would not try to break her spear with his meteor hammer every time.
Of course, pure iron is more convenient to use, but her weight plus the weight of the iron spear is too much for Shuangshuang to bear, which affects long-distance raids. Even for short distances, it will double the consumption of her physical strength, which is not advisable. She still loves her Shuangshuang very much.
Honestly, she still envied Na Hai's warhorse. Every time they met, she noticed he was riding a new steed, plump and exceptionally handsome. Na Hai's physique, combined with his weaponry, made his warhorse a disposable consumable, something only the Mongol army could satisfy.
Seeing that the prince was finally no longer busy, Jin Jiu hurried forward, opened the sheepskin bag he was carrying, took out the necessary medicines and began to treat the various skin injuries on the prince's body.
The wound on Chu Huaibei's arm was doused with alcohol, which instantly brought her back to her senses. She looked at Jin Jiu's slightly rough technique and lowered her eyes. Tsk, it really hurts... But as the King of Zhenbei, how could he frown for such a small matter? He definitely couldn't... Did the good guy learn this from her? He opened the wound and doused it again. Chu Huaibei's eyes twitched...
Seeing that Jin Jiu took the initiative to bandage the prince, Eleven did not go over. He glanced at the prince and saw that she remained calm in the face of Jin Jiu's treatment. He felt sincere admiration in his heart. The title of King Zhenbei, the God of War in the North, was indeed not for nothing. This iron physique was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Hey, his master has not been in good health since childhood. I don’t know if the master can still uphold the authority of a husband in front of the King of Zhenbei. It’s mysterious. It’s really hard to say... Eleven’s thoughts have diverged to all corners of the world.
Elsewhere, Jin Hongye was pinned to a chair by Twelve, bandaging his wounds. He had charged in with such ferocity, his adrenaline surging as he killed the enemy, that he paid no heed to the blades that slashed at him, feeling no pain. Now that he had calmed down, he realized he was aching all over. He had intended to go to the military doctor's tent to get bandaged, but Twelve, who was following behind him, stopped him and brought him back to his tent. He pinned him to a chair and began removing his armor.
Jin Hongye knew that this man had come with the other two to find the prince, but he didn't know why he had been following him. He noticed on the battlefield that this man had been clearing the enemy troops behind him with a protective attitude.
So he pressed him against a chair and took off his armor. He didn't resist, but cooperated obediently, raising his hands when asked. After taking off his armor, except for his handsome face and chest and back, there were no wounds, but there were no less than ten wounds of varying sizes on his limbs.
Twelve opened the sheepskin bag and prepared to treat the wound on his thigh first. That wound was the deepest, turned outward, and blood was still gushing out.
Uncork the alcohol bottle, gently pry open the wound and pour alcohol into it.
"Ahhh!!!! What kind of medicine is this? It hurts so much!!!"
"Oh, this is alcohol for disinfection. I forgot to remind you that it might hurt a little. General Jin, please bear with it."
Twelve spoke calmly, but what he said made Jin Hongye's head throb with anger. "You thick-browed, big-eyed fellow, if it weren't for you protecting me, believe it or not, I would have taken a punch as big as a sandbag!"
The twelve men did not stop, continuing to rinse and apply medicine. By the time they had bandaged all the wounds, Jin Hongye had already crushed the armrests of the chair and the corner of the table next to it.
His handsome face was grimacing, and he must be in great pain. Twelve patted Jin Hongye's thigh and said, "This is the best medicine in the palace. It heals injuries very quickly. It's the same medicine that the prince uses, so it's rare to have it."
"Thank you, brother!" Jin Hongye squeezed out a few words from between his teeth.
Twelve found it amusing and replied with a smile, "Well, General Jin, you're welcome."
After treating his wounds, Chu Huaibei summoned the best scouts from the two camps and ordered them to go to the grasslands to investigate the movements of the Mongolian army. It would be best if they could find out why Mongolia did not send reinforcements in the end.
For a whole day and night, the Mongolian army remained motionless, and not even scouts came to investigate nearby.
The two scouts returned three days later, exhausted. Upon entering the tent, they saluted and began to report their findings. Chu Huaibei gestured to Lu Shun to serve each of them a large bowl of sugar and salt water to replenish their energy.
The two scouts drank the sweet and salty water for the first time. The strange taste made them pause for two seconds. Then they thought that this was specially brought by the prince at the command of the personal guards, so it must be a good thing...
Chu Huaibei felt sorry for the two of them who had to run for three days in the scorching heat. Even if they had enough dry food and water, the heavy sweating would still rapidly consume their physical strength. Sugar and salt water are currently the simplest and most effective things to replenish the body's water and energy.
After they finished a large bowl of water and gathered their thoughts, they each began to report the situation. First, the Mongolian army was stationed two hundred miles from Youzhou. Second, based on the number of people making pots and lighting fires, it was estimated that there were at least 50,000 troops. Third, there was a military doctor constantly coming in and out of the main tent, and the royal court also sent a small team to send several people in. Judging by their attire, they were probably the royal physicians. Fourth, the third prince had an argument with someone in the main tent, and Na Hai was guarding the tent door at the time.
After listening to the information they brought back, Chu Huaibei signaled them to go back and have a good rest. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then turned to Xue Zhan and Qin Feng and asked, "Who do you think is in the main account who can interfere with the Third Prince's decision?"
Now the Mongolian Khan has more than ten sons, and the third prince is the one they are most familiar with. He has a lot of say in the Mongolian royal court, and the Khan also values him. It was the third prince's troops that fought the most with the Zhenbei Army.
Occasionally, the eldest prince would lead troops, but he did not have a powerful general like Na Hai under his command, and he did not gain any benefit in the several times he came. The more troops he lost, the more detrimental it was to his position in Mongolia. Therefore, the eldest prince rarely appeared. It was said that he had been helping the Khan handle the relationship between the monarch and his subjects in the royal court, and he was a man who was good at networking.
There was also an Eighth Prince who appeared once, following behind the Third Prince. That battle was the one that caused the old King of Zhenbei to be seriously injured and die a few years ago. The Third Prince did not gain any advantage and was seriously injured. He was protected by the Eighth Prince and escaped from the siege.
As for the remaining few, only people have heard of them but never seen them. It is rumored that the Khan has a tenth son, whose mother is deeply loved by the Khan. Originally, this Khatun was the wife of her brother. After her brother died, the Khan immediately took her into his own palace and doted on her.
The timing of the tenth son's birth was somewhat puzzling, as he was born eight months after his mother entered the palace. Although the Khan insisted that he was his own bloodline, many within the royal court had doubts. However, the Khan doted on this tenth son, practically giving him whatever he asked for.
Xue Zhan thought of the high-ranking general who had appeared in Chuzhou this time, and said, "I think it might be the Tenth Prince. During the Mongol raid on Chuzhou, I fought with the general leading the army when I arrived. His skills were far inferior to Na Hai's. During the fight, I stabbed him in the thigh with a triangular bayonet. He didn't think twice before retreating back to the grasslands with his men. Obviously, he is of high rank. The scouts just now said that the military doctor was frequently coming in and out of the main tent, and the royal court also sent an imperial physician. I think it is very likely that he was treating the general whose thigh I stabbed. What kind of general could live in the main tent and even stop the Third Prince's army? He must be an important person to the Khan."
Chu Huaibei didn't expect that Xue Zhan would have such a coincidence. After listening to Xue Zhan's analysis, it was indeed possible. Being stabbed by a triangular bayonet, in such hot weather, without alcohol or other disinfectants, the wound that was pierced into pieces of flesh could easily become inflamed and infected. The person might have been delirious with fever now.
Combined with the time when Xue Zhan retreated, it is no wonder that Na Hai was unable to wait for reinforcements. When this man just returned, all the military doctors were probably dispatched to stop his bleeding. When the Third Prince saw the amount of bleeding he was bleeding, he must have frowned. Since no more troops were sent out afterwards, it means that the Khan had ordered the Third Prince to protect the injured.
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