Chapter 23: Battle Again
Since Yang Xuangan's rebellion against the Sui Dynasty, in field battles, it has always been the rebel army chasing after the defeated Sui army to cut off their backsides. Today, it's finally the Sui army's turn to chase after the defeated rebel army and cut off their backsides.
The sky was no longer a single black cloud, the rain-washed blue sky and everything that had been washed clean, like a new, cool, beautiful world born from darkness. The first pursuit battle of the National Army's founding took place in such an environment. Similarly, after being shocked by their own army's brilliant performance in the torrential rain, the joy of victory and confidence in their strength filled every soldier of the National Army, making them forget the hardships and fatigue of the fierce battle in the rain. Their footsteps were exceptionally light, even though they wore heavy armor and trudged through muddy terrain, the National Army's troops still charged forward like a raging storm.
In the pursuit battle, there was no longer a fierce fight, only a ruthless hunt. The sight of the self-army troops, who had an absolute advantage in military strength, being killed by the Bao Guo army and lying dead all over the field, made the rebel soldiers see the white-robed Bao Guo army officers as if they were ghostly beings. In front of these ghostly beings, the rebel soldiers did not even have the courage to turn around and fight back with their knives. They simply fled north in a panic, crying and shouting, like ducks being hunted by the Bao Guo army. The sight of them throwing down their weapons and kneeling on the ground, screaming for surrender, was all too common.
Liu Changgong's rear troops of the Sui army also ran extremely fast, witnessing the miraculous achievements of the Baoguo army. Originally, Liu Changgong's troops were so frightened by the sight of the rebel army that they trembled with fear even when hiding behind the city walls. But now, it was as if they had found their backbone and were fueled by hundreds of stimulants, instantly falling into a frenzied state. Taking advantage of their physical superiority, they shouted loudly and charged forward faster and more fiercely than the Baoguo army. They quickly closed the distance with the Baoguo army, and because the latter did not have time to take in the surrendered rebels, many rebel soldiers who had knelt down to surrender became their captives instead.
With one breath, they chased out for over ten miles. The rebel army in front had only a hundred or so people left. The others were either captured or killed by the Baoguo Army's swords and guns. The rest escaped to other places. At the moment of their impending victory, Chen Yingliang suddenly slowed down his pace and ordered the entire Baoguo Army to stop advancing and take a break. This order was met with confusion among the Baoguo Army officers who were in high spirits, and they rushed to Chen Yingliang's side to ask for an explanation. "Director Chen, why are we stopping? We can wipe out the remaining enemies soon, why do we need to stop and rest?"
"Remember, this is the first time, I forgive you!" Chen Yingliang panted heavily and shouted: "From now on, there will only be one head on the battlefield, that's me. When I tell you to advance, you'll advance; when I tell you to stop, you'll stop. You can't ask why, otherwise, it's military law!"
The Baoguo army officers, who were used to following orders, closed their mouths, but they still couldn't understand why Chen Yingliang suddenly stopped pursuing. At this time, Liu Changgong's rear team had also rushed to the nearby area. Liu Changgong, who was running in the front, rode his horse to Chen Yingliang and asked loudly: "Chen Zhisuo, why didn't you continue the pursuit?"
"The soldiers are all exhausted, let them rest for a while." Chen Yingliang explained and said: "General Liu, there are only about 100 enemies left in front, your troops are the elite, please take care of it?"
"No problem!" Liu Changgong burst out laughing and agreed in one breath, "Chen Jishi, then I won't be polite, after we defeat the enemy army ahead, when we return to the city, I'll treat you to a drink! Brothers, pursue! Keep pursuing for me!"
Shouting loudly, Liu Changgong urged his horse and led the army to pursue forward again. Chen Yingliang hesitated for a moment, then shouted: "General Liu, be careful of the enemy's responding troops and horses! If it doesn't work out, come back, we'll respond to you here!"
Liu Changgong responded loudly, indicating that he understood, and led the excited rear team to pass by the Baoguo Army, galloping forward in pursuit. It wasn't until the Sui army's rear team had all passed by the Baoguo Army that Chen Yingliang said to the surrounding Baoguo Army officers: "Today I'll make an exception and explain the reason to you. The Eastern Capital is only 20 li from Jinying City, we've already chased out 12 li, leaving less than 8 li to Jinying City. If we continue to pursue forward, we will definitely encounter the rebel's responding troops."
"How many rebel troops are currently in Jinyong City, we don't know. The response team sent by Yang's rebel army is small and can be dealt with, but what if there are more troops? Our physical strength has also declined, how can we possibly fight against five or six times, or even ten times the number of enemies? Don't count on the rear army behind our backs, they will only fight when the wind is at their back, and as soon as things go slightly awry, they will flee faster than rabbits! Fighting requires not only bravery but also brains, got it?"
"Understood!" The Baoguo army officers and men who had suddenly realized the truth responded in unison, only then did they understand the reason why Chen Yingliang ordered to stop the pursuit.
Chen Yingliang ordered to stop the pursuit for another reason, and immediately pointed to a small forest by the road, saying: "Go into the forest to rest and hide our tracks. If our rear army is really defeated by the enemy, when they escape here, we will suddenly come out and ambush the rebels!"
After hearing Chen Yingliang's order, the Baoguo army quickly entered the forest to hide, while rushing to rest and recover their strength, they also counted the number of people and bandaged their wounds, patiently waiting for news from Liu Changgong's rear team. During this period, several rebel soldiers also sneaked in from the south, passing through the Baoguo army's ambush site back to Jinying City, Chen Yingliang ordered not to pay attention to them, refusing to lose a watermelon for the sake of sesame seeds.
As Chen Yingliang analyzed, after more than half a time, the rear team of the Sui army led by Liu Changgong indeed escaped again under the pursuit of the rebel army. General Liu ran to the front as usual, running and looking around, shouting desperately in his mouth, "Brother Chen, where are you? Where is it? Didn't you say you would pick me up? Why can't I see you? Chen Yingliang, damn your mother, come out quickly!"
Three thousand Sui soldiers also escaped as fast as rabbits, and many infantrymen who fled for their lives were even faster than Liu Changgong's cavalry. Upon closer inspection of the rebel army pursuing Liu Changgong's troops, the Baoguo Army was almost out of breath. The three thousand Sui soldiers being chased by only a thousand or so rebel soldiers. Seeing this, Guo Feng spat out a mouthful of phlegm and cursed: "That damned Hu Benlang is an idiot! Chen Jishi, let's go!"
"Not yet, wait until they have all passed through the forest, then we'll launch a surprise attack on the enemy from behind." Chen Yingliang shook his head and explained, "Doing it this way is to avoid those useless rear troops seeing us appear and rushing towards us, which would only disrupt our own formation. Remember one thing, on the battlefield what's most terrifying isn't the enemy, but our own defeated soldiers! Since ancient times, more soldiers have been trampled or killed by their retreating comrades than have been killed or slaughtered by the enemy on the battlefield! So when you're commanding troops in battle in the future, be extremely careful of your own defeated soldiers."
"Are we going to fight alone?" Chen Zhihong laughed foolishly and said, "Don't tease us, Chen Ji Shi. Both I and Old Guo are temporarily holding the position of school lieutenant, what chance do we have to lead troops into battle alone?"
"That's not necessarily true." Chen Yingliang smiled and said, "I don't dare to guarantee you a position now, but as long as you follow me and learn well, once Yang Inverse is pacified, I can at least guarantee that I will teach you how to lead troops in battle alone."
"Chen's room, we are willing to follow you forever." Guo Feng said hastily, Chen Zhihong and some other Baoguo Army officers beside him also echoed, Chen Yingliang smiled and did not comment.
At this time, Liu Changgong's troops and the rebel army pursuing them had already crossed the small forest where the Baoguo Army was hiding. Seeing that the opportunity to strike had matured, Chen Yingliang gave a decisive order, and the 400 Baoguo Army immediately rushed out of the forest. Chen Yingliang once again led by example, charging towards the rear of the rebel army. The rebel army, who were fleeing in pursuit of Liu Changgong, was caught off guard and suddenly fell into chaos, shouting loudly, "There's an ambush! We've been ambushed!"
"Kill——!" Chen Yingliang shouted, charging to the front. This time, he finally got the chance to engage in close combat with the enemy, using the knife technique left by his deceased brother, Chen Yingliang. He slashed diagonally at a rebel soldier who had just turned around and was caught off guard. The rebel soldier dodged in time, causing Chen Yingliang's horizontal slash to mostly miss, only grazing the soldier's arm and leaving a bloody gash. Chen Yingliang, still having not killed an enemy, became enraged and took a step forward to continue his pursuit. Just then, Chen Zhihong suddenly appeared from the side, his long spear flashing in the light, striking true with a single thrust that pierced the rebel soldier's heart. "Feng Jie! Wait for me!"
"Damn it!" Chen Yingliang cursed, and was about to go find other enemies when the many soldiers of the Baoguo Army had already passed him by, rushing forward to catch the rebel soldiers in front of Chen Yingliang. They intentionally or unintentionally surrounded Chen Yingliang, not giving him any chance to get close to the enemy - after all, it wasn't for nothing that Chen Yingliang had personally tucked in their blankets, massaged their legs and bandaged their wounds.
"Kill!" This time, without Chen Yingliang's encouragement, the Baoguo army officers and men, who had already established absolute confidence in actual combat, went crazy again. One by one, they were like tigers descending from the mountain, dragons emerging from the sea, hacking and stabbing anyone not wearing a white robe. With sufficient strength, it was hard to tell that they had just fought a big battle. Hands rose and fell, blood and flesh flew everywhere, each pair of eyes turned red, each roar thundered, ferocious and frenzied like evil spirits, unstoppable, sweeping everything before them.
The rebel army that was chasing Liu Changgong was already caught off guard and killed, and then they encountered such a fierce and powerful impact. The entire army was in chaos, and the rebel general Zhao Huaiyi tried his best to restrain the troops, asking them to stabilize their formation. However, the rebel army was still a group of mobs at its core, and it could only barely defeat Liu Changgong's army when they had the upper hand. But when they encountered the Baoguo army, which had high morale and fighting spirit, they were completely exposed and defeated in an instant, and their formation was completely broken.
Chen Yingliang's morale boost effect only worked on the Baoguo Army, who saw the Baoguo Army suddenly emerge from the forest and saw the rebel army being disrupted by the Baoguo Army. The troops under Hu Ben General Liu Changgong immediately found their backbone again, and their morale and confidence greatly increased. They turned around and started killing again, sandwiching the rebel army with the Baoguo Army in front and behind. Of course, killing the enemy still relied mainly on shouting, with extremely loud and intense battle cries coming from their mouths, but there were only a few who truly dared to fight to the death.
Although Liu Changgong's troops had limited effect, it was enough for the Baoguo Army. Taking advantage of Liu Changgong's slight restraint and dispersal of the rebel army, Chen Yingliang pointed his sword and led the Baoguo Army to charge straight at Zhao Huaiyi's flag direction. The rebel soldiers did not dare to resist, and Yang Xuangan, who had been dismissed from his post as the magistrate of Quzhou before he rebelled, was shocked and fled in a hurry. Chen Yingliang led the Baoguo Army to pursue and kill with all their might. The rebel army, which had lost its commander, completely collapsed and not only failed to resist the Baoguo Army but also could not withstand Liu Changgong's troops. They were defeated by the joint forces of the Baoguo Army and Liu Changgong's troops, throwing away their weapons and fleeing in all directions.
The brutal pursuit and killing of the Baoguo Army forced Zhao Huaiyi to abandon his personal soldiers and flee alone on horseback. The Baoguo Army, which was entirely infantry, could not catch up with him, so they took out their anger on the personal soldiers that Zhao Huaiyi had abandoned. With swords and axes, they hacked several of the slower-moving soldiers into minced meat, forcing the remaining soldiers to kneel down and surrender, throwing away their weapons and kowtowing repeatedly while wailing and crying out for mercy. Chen Yingliang, of course, could not kill those who surrendered and ruin his reputation, so he immediately ordered that they be accepted as prisoners.
A dozen or so of Zhao Huiyi's personal soldiers became the first batch of prisoners of the Baoguo Army, but the Baoguo Army soldiers couldn't find any ropes to bind them. Chen Yingliang was about to order his soldiers to untie their belts to bind them when a group of Sui army soldiers who weren't wearing white robes rushed up and tied up the surrendered rebel soldiers with ropes. At this time, Chen Yingliang also discovered that Liu Changgong's 3,000-strong rear army had followed closely behind the Baoguo Army without pursuing the enemy to the north - Liu Changgong's troops were not foolish either, having been tricked once before and wouldn't fall for it again.
Liu Changgong rode up on his horse and said with a somewhat awkward expression: "Chen Jishi, so you were hiding in the woods. I almost thought you had left. Thank you for your help today. If it weren't for Chen Jishi, this general would have probably lost the battle and lost face."
"General, please don't say that." Chen Yingliang hastily shook his head and smiled: "The little man is just following orders, General Liu commanded the little man to lead the army to ambush in the forest, you didn't hesitate to take risks and personally lure Yang's rebel army into the ambush circle, the little man then took advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack, our army was able to win again - after returning to Dongdu City, the little man will certainly report this matter truthfully to Fan Liugong and Huangfu General."
Chen Yingliang intentionally emphasized the two words "as is", making Liu Changgong's eyes light up as he hurriedly dismounted his horse and bowed to Chen Yingliang, saying with a smile: "Chen Zhisuo, then I really owe you one, no need to thank me, in the future if there's an opportunity, old Liu will definitely repay you."
"General Liu is polite." Chen Yingliang hastily returned the courtesy, exchanged a smile with Liu Changgong, and then asked: "General Liu, what's next? Are we going to pursue and kill or retreat back to the city?"
Looking at the sun that had gradually set, Liu Changgong waved his hand and said: "The sky is about to darken, let's return to the city. Today we won two battles in a row. At this time, withdrawing our troops will not give others anything to say."
"Yes." Chen Yingliang cupped his hands in response and took the initiative to say: "Please, General Liu, take the lead with the prisoners first, and I will bring up the rear with my troops." Liu Changgong was overjoyed when he heard this, and hastily agreed, his good impression of Chen Yingliang increasing even more.
On the battlefield, the Bao Guo Army and Liu Changgong's troops performed vastly differently. When withdrawing from the city, Liu Changgong's troops marched at the front with captives and spoils of war, in a disorganized manner as if on an excursion. In contrast, the Bao Guo Army marched in formation, heads held high and chests out, with Chen Yingliang carrying a wounded soldier to the rear of the formation. The army sang military songs loudly and repeatedly, singing "Jing Zhong Bao Guo" (Loyal Devotion to the Country) again and again, forming a stark contrast with Liu Changgong's troops once more.
Upon hearing the echoing song, the Sui army soldiers in front naturally turned their heads, and their gazes towards the Reporting National Army were filled with admiration and reverence. Many Sui army soldiers quietly inquired about how to join the Reporting National Army. Liu Changgong himself was both envious and jealous, and after venting his frustration on a few lagging soldiers, he galloped back to the rear of the troops, riding alongside Chen Yingliang, and said in a consulting tone: "Brother Chen, let's discuss something. Can you work harder and train a few more battalions for me? Your training methods are truly exceptional! In just thirteen days, you've trained such elite soldiers - it's simply unheard of!"
"Of course." Chen Yingliang smiled and replied: "However, this matter must first be approved by Fan Liuzhu. Without his consent, I dare not promise anything."
"This is no problem, I'll go back and tell Fan Zhongyan about this matter." Liu Changgong said with a smile.
"When it comes to training soldiers, I have a favor to ask of General Liu." Chen Yingliang suddenly remembered another matter and pointed to Guo Feng, Chen Zhihong, and several other traveling generals beside him: "General Liu, they were originally all deputy commanders of the Right Wuwei Army, and their positions as instructors and traveling generals are temporary. I don't know if General Liu can help me with a favor and make their positions official, allowing them to formally take office as instructors and traveling generals?"
Guo Feng, Chen Zhihong and the four traveling generals all perked up their ears as they walked alongside Chen Yingliang, but Liu Changgong didn't even bat an eyelid. With a swift pat on his chest, he said: "No big deal, if they can fight like this, I'd be begging for more! As the Chief Tiger General of the Right Wuwei, I can handle this small matter. Their positions are guaranteed by me, and I'll take care of it as soon as we return to the city! If I don't deliver within a day, Chen brother, you can slap me on the ears! And after they win a few more battles, I'll immediately promote them another level - two deputy generals will become assistant generals, and four traveling generals will become deputy generals."
"Guo Feng, Chen Zhihong, did you hear that?" Chen Yingliang smiled and said: "General Liu has already agreed to help you solve the problem of your positions, don't you quickly thank him?"
"Thank you, General Liu." Guo Feng and Chen Zhihong bowed together to thank Liu Changgong, but their tearful eyes were looking at Chen Yingliang.
"Foolish kid, you're a bit too tender." Liu Changgong sneered in his heart, "You've won two games in a row today and played so beautifully. If their temporary titles can't be converted to official titles, then Huangfu Wu Yi isn't sick to the point of being unable to get out of bed, he's sick to the point of going blind!"
"You think I don't know you're just doing a favor for your own good?" Chen Yingliang caught sight of Liu Changgong's cold smile at the corner of his mouth, and guessed what he was thinking. He also sneered in his heart, "If I didn't recommend you to them in front of everyone, after we return to the city and they get promoted, would they be grateful to me?"
Singing loudly, the triumphant return to Anxi Gate was welcomed by the garrison with a ceremony. Chen Yingliang's distant uncle Pei Hongce, who had recently recognized him as his nephew, personally came out to welcome his great-nephew's victorious army. Chen Yingliang hastily went forward to pay his respects and thank him. Pei Hongce lifted Chen Yingliang up with both hands and said with a smile: "Noble nephew, do you know what your uncle regrets most now?"
"Little nephew doesn't know." Chen Yingliang shook his head and rarely spoke a word of truth.
"My greatest regret now is that I didn't have a daughter in the past." Pei Hongce smiled and said, "Otherwise, Uncle would be taking you as his son-in-law now."
"I don't dare, nor do I have such good fortune." Chen Yingliang hastily showed humility, while at the same time he couldn't help but think of someone - the green-shirted girl Yang Yuer, whom he had only met once. As he recalled Yang Yuer's gentle and lovely face, Chen Yingliang silently sighed to himself, "The distance between us should have finally narrowed by a step today, although it's just a small step, but for me, it's the most difficult first step."
"What's wrong, Xianzhong?" Pei Hongce's voice brought Chen Yingliang back to reality. Then Pei Hongce pulled Chen Yingliang again and said: "Xianzhong, come with me into the imperial city. You probably don't know that you caught a big fish today - Yu Shijie's son, Xuan Yilang Yu Rou, had his leg broken during the battle with your troops today and was lucky not to die in the chaos. Our troops found him while cleaning up the battlefield and took him prisoner into the imperial city. The King of Yue and Commander Fan are interrogating him right now. Commander Fan has instructed me that as soon as you return, I should bring you immediately into the imperial city to pay respects to the King of Yue."
