Chapter 66: Brilliant Spoils of War

  The defeated army collapsed like a mountain, and at this moment, Zong Bao's ambition was fulfilled. Everything had vanished into thin air. At this moment, he was extremely cold in his hands and feet, and he no longer had any strength left.

  "General, hurry up!"

  The guards hastily set up the listless and demoralized Zong Bao, who had lost all will to fight, and fled directly. The entire Zong Bao army was defeated in one battle!

  At this time, the two generals Guan Hai and Wu Qing, who were leading the army, looked at the enemy troops fleeing all over the mountains and fields, and burst out laughing. Guan Hai said: "Haha, now it's our turn to counterattack, kill!"

  At that moment, the entire army received military orders. The long gun soldiers who emphasized formation, except for a part of them leaving to guard against changes, immediately went after the enemy in units of five under the leadership of their respective unit leaders.

  The shield-bearing soldiers stayed in their original position, protecting the safety of the central army commander.

  "Surrender and you will not be killed, kneel down and you will be spared!"

  One by one, the Wu generals took turns drinking, and the concept they accepted was that when the enemy army had not dispersed, they would fight to the death, and once the enemy army dispersed, they would enter a pursuit phase, at which point they would prioritize capturing prisoners, of course, if anyone dared to resist, they would be killed without hesitation!

  "Ah!"

  Some of the deserters only wanted to escape, but they were suddenly beheaded by a sergeant, blood splattered all over the ground. At this time, the surrounding captives finally understood and clanged down with their weapons, one by one, hugging their heads and kneeling on the ground.

  These people are naturally avoided by everyone, while those who dare to be deceitful and cunning will be executed immediately!

  The entire battlefield was quickly adjusted, countless fleeing soldiers knelt on the ground and became prisoners of the great army!

  The enemy army was defeated, and it didn't take long. However, rounding up the prisoners of war took a lot of time, and adding to that, they also had to pursue the enemy army. The whole afternoon was spent on this.

  Zong Bao, fleeing in disarray, did not dare to return to the large camp nearby, even under the protection of his personal soldiers. This battle had completely shattered his courage, and the intense contrast made him lose all confidence, leaving him with no choice but to flee in a panic. He was now like a stray dog without a home, devoid of any strength to resist.

  "General, you can't escape!"

  The vanguard had already broken through the main camp, handing over the enemy's main camp to the soldiers who came later. At this time, they were in small groups, frantically pursuing Zong Bao. The annihilation of the 10,000-strong army was no longer suspenseful, and now it was time to reap the rewards.

  Zong Bao is undoubtedly a big fish, as the first general under Kong Rong's command, his head is extremely valuable, of course, capturing him alive would be even better.

  The cavalrymen naturally did not give up and pursued Zong Bao with a swift horse whip.

  "Spare those who surrender!"

  The cavalrymen watched as Zong Bao and his guards escaped on horseback, but they were not in a hurry. Although their warhorses were not as fast as those of Zong Bao's group, their endurance was unmatched by the latter, and it was only a matter of time before they would be caught up with.

  "Run!"

  Relying on the faster speed of his own war horse, Zong Bao gritted his teeth and persisted, but the pursuing soldiers were too numerous, surrounding him from all sides, completely encircling him. With the current situation, he sadly discovered that he had no chance of escape at all.

  "Ah!"

  In a desperate cry, his warhorse suddenly collapsed to the ground, exhausted. As he watched the pursuing soldiers closing in, Zhong Bao's eyes were filled with regret.

  "I regret underestimating the enemy army! These bandits actually have such great strength!"

  Zong Bao shouted loudly, unwilling to be tied up.

  …………

  In this battle, Guan Hai and Wu Qing led a large army of 8,000 men, annihilating Zong Bao's 10,000-strong cavalry in one battle, beheading over 1,000 soldiers, capturing more than 8,000, with countless people missing. The enemy's grain and fodder were seized, and General Zong Bao was captured, making it a great victory.

  Of course, our side also had more than a hundred casualties, with more than sixty wounded and more than thirty deaths. It can be said that it was a truly great victory.

  Thanks to the immortal official system, these injured soldiers quickly received treatment with medicinal herbs and clear water talismans, and it can be said that unlike other vassal forces, these soldiers were able to recover quickly.

  Soldiers who have been to the battlefield, especially those who have been wounded, can be cured, which is a great wealth in itself. In the era of cold weapons, wounded soldiers are not all brave and courageous, but they are also almost there, they are willing to sacrifice their lives. With this foundation, it can be said that the cultivation of Zhang Xu's military soul and other aspects has great benefits!

  Faith, faith is not lacking, what his army lacks is the core backbone, and real war experience, and blood test. Now Zhang Xu's eight thousand soldiers can be said to have truly become a great army, with these eight thousand soldiers as the foundation, plus the remaining troops who have also experienced war, the great army has truly been trained!

  "Haha, this battle was truly exhilarating!"

  Guan Hai laughed loudly and said, "This Zong Bao was a useless person when he besieged Beihai before. He was almost killed by him with one sword, but fortunately survived. Now he has been captured again, and his opponent's army of 10,000 people has been completely destroyed. Most importantly, according to Zhang Huan's policy of prioritizing prisoners, this is more than 8,000 prisoners! This is a truly great achievement!"

  It was a great joy to let him win, not only did he achieve a great victory, but also made him proud for once. When he led the army to besiege Beihai, it was an advantage in numbers, but in fact, the overall situation was that the Beihai fish-scale armor troops were like beating dogs, and they fought extremely hard.

  Now, with an army of 80,000, one battle is enough to annihilate the enemy, this is a great victory!

  This victory, this direct crushing of the opponent is really too exhilarating, and most importantly, this battle has proven the strength of Zhang Xu's forces. From now on, any vassal will have to acknowledge Zhang Xu, and from then on, he will no longer be a bandit, nor will anyone dare to despise him so lightly!

  The late Han and Three Kingdoms era was an age that required great righteousness, but it was also an age that recognized real power. If Yuan Shao had not been defeated at the Battle of Boma, his identity as a fourth-generation noble would have been useless, and if Cao Cao had not demonstrated his strength, then Xu State Governor Tao Qian would not have tried so hard to curry favor with him.

  Identity is crucial, and strength is even more important. Although Zhang Xu's identity may not be accepted by the world, his strength can intimidate the vassals in a short period of time, which is already enough for him to slowly build Donglai County into a place like Chang County or Qinglin Town!