Chapter 810: After the Battle
Chapter 810: After the Battle
September 25, 2017
In truth, Huangfu Song was well aware that from the very start, he didn't hold much hope of defeating Lu Hai Kong.
Although Huangfu Song's army was known as the First Army of the Great Han, the Northern Army, in reality, this Northern Army fell far short of Lu Hai Kong's Bathing Blood Legion in terms of both personnel quality and equipment.
The Great Han at this time was not as powerful as it once was; it was on the brink of collapse. Despite the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the court still didn't allocate much funding for the military.
Moreover, although the entire Great Han Empire was rife with unrest, there were powerful local lords in every region who could handle many rebellions without alarming the central government.
For instance, the Qianghu Rebellion in Liangzhou, the Wuxian Rebellion in Youzhou, and the Five-Grain Daoist Rebellion in Shuozhou—these rebellions all caught the attention of the central government, but the local lords managed to resolve them on their own.
Additionally, the current emperor, Emperor Ling of Han, was an extreme case. This guy only showed some urgency during the Yellow Turban Rebellion; for the rest, he completely ignored the issues.
As such, the funding for the Northern Army was naturally limited and couldn't compare to Lu Hai Kong, who invested half of Bingzhou's income into his military forces. The number of crossbow arrows fired by Lu Hai Kong's army in a single battle could support the Northern Army's rations for several months.
The soldiers' quality was inferior, their equipment was inferior, and their military leaders were no match for Lu Hai Kong's forces. For Huangfu Song to think he could defeat the Bathing Blood Legion with just 50,000 infantry and his own prowess was simply wishful thinking!" Huangfu Song was indeed extraordinary. After the initial clash, he managed to engage the main force of the Bathing Blood Legion, employing a strategy of attacking from multiple directions to divert attention. However, to his regret, Lu Hai Kong didn't sustain any significant injuries throughout the battle, and the hundred cavalrymen by his side were elite Bathing Blood Knights.
Thus, the opportunity Huangfu Song had created was ultimately slapped away by Lu Hai Kong with a single move.
As Huangfu Song watched his 5,000 cavalrymen crumble under Lu Hai Kong's battle prowess, he knew this battle was beyond redemption.
Under the walls of Luoyang, with the entire court and even Emperor Ling of Han watching, Huangfu Song had no choice but to continue fighting; he didn't have the authority to retreat.
Even in this situation, he could only grit his teeth and keep fighting against Lu Hai Kong.
And so, the scene above Luoyang became both tragic and absurd. The 50,000-strong Northern Army was being pummeled by Lu Hai Kong's 3,000-plus Bathing Blood Legion.
Especially after Lu Hai Kong's two legions joined forces, their offensive became even more ferocious, driving the Northern Army back repeatedly.
In this situation, the Northern Army held on for over an hour before collapsing entirely. The soldiers began to retreat.
In reality, Huangfu Song had played a clever move. He had the means and ability to stabilize the situation and prevent a complete collapse, but he knew that even if he did, it would only result in more casualties. So, after a symbolic resistance to show the court that Huangfu Song fights to the end, I order the retreat."
On Lu Hai Kong's side, after defeating the Northern Army, he immediately called off the attack and feigned a worsening injury. Then, he left the rest to Zhao Er, returning to his carriage.
In truth, after Lu Hai Kong's departure, there wasn't much for Zhao Er to do either.
The Northern Army had been defeated, and he didn't need to clean up the battlefield much, only tending to the wounded and sending them to Chen Ping for treatment.
Speaking of casualties, Lu Hai Kong's side didn't suffer many losses. On one hand, Lu Hai Kong's army had superior equipment, and on the other, Zhao Er initially employed a kite strategy, which was later countered, but not for long. Huangfu Song's primary goal was to delay, so the casualties were indeed minimal.
Only a hundred people were lost in the battle, and with 3,000 against 60,000, this was already considered a commendable outcome.
However, the number of injured was significant. Fortunately, many members of the Black Wind Legion's Fire Brigade were skilled in post-battle first aid, and Chen Ping was also there to help. After learning the Green Wood Transformation Technique, Chen Ping's medical skills had greatly improved, and he could manage the situation. There was no need to worry about unnecessary losses due to untreated injuries.
In contrast, the Northern Army's situation was far worse than the Bathing Blood Legion's. Aside from battle damage, the Northern Army suffered from various factors: the crossbow arrows in the early stages, the Bathing Blood Legion's sudden charge in the middle, and the final collapse.
Worst of all, after the battle, they didn't have medical personnel to treat their wounds. The court didn't dispatch physicians to help, and even the gates of Luoyang remained closed, leaving the defeated Northern Army to lick their wounds outside the city.
In this situation, Zhao Er, having dealt with the matter at hand, rode his warhorse straight over.
Looking at the lone warrior riding towards them, the soldiers below the city walls stood up in awe, their complex expressions aimed at Zhao Er.
However, Zhao Er showed no fear and stopped a few meters away from the Northern Army.
"There's no need for alarm. We've had no ill intentions towards you from the start. We came for the sake of cleansing the court, and fighting you wasn't our initial intention."
It's just that some words, if we don't fight, they won't give me a chance to speak, so we have no choice but to fight. We excel in warfare, and we know that war is always cruel, but we respect warriors more than anyone. We never intended for our swords to fall upon you, and for this, we are sorry, but we have no choice!"
Here's a simple way to treat sword wounds. I hope it will be useful to you!"
After speaking, Zhao Er placed a hastily written document on the ground and then turned to leave amidst the complex gazes of the Northern Army soldiers and the ministers atop Luoyang City.
When Zhao Er spoke, he carried a small prop with him. His words, though not as loud as Dian Wei's voice that could echo throughout Luoyang City, were still audible to the Northern Army soldiers below the city walls and those on the walls.
Hence, their expressions became so complex, especially those of the Northern Army soldiers.
Many of the Northern Army soldiers had participated in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and these soldiers had a special bond with Lu Hai Kong. For a time, even as recent as a while ago, Lu Hai Kong was their hero.
On one hand, Lu Hai Kong's humble origins, and on the other, many of these soldiers had fought in the Guangping Battle, where Lu Hai Kong had pulled them out of despair.
Therefore, the Northern Army soldiers' emotions towards Lu Hai Kong were the most complex. On one hand, they felt sympathy, even indignation, for Lu Hai Kong's plight, and on the other, due to their own identities, they had no choice but to fight Lu Hai Kong.
In the 16th year of Emperor Ling's reign, the 9th month, the 1st day, the 1st version!
After the initial defeat, many soldiers indeed harbored resentment towards Lu Hai Kong. Their comrades-in-arms had perished in this battle, and their honor was trampled upon by Lu Hai Kong.
But when Zhao Er approached them and spoke those words, many Northern Army soldiers were stunned.
Ah, who is to blame in this situation? Lu Hai Kong? Or them? It's neither; it's Emperor Ling, that inept ruler, and He Jin, that powerful relative.
A nameless emotion brewed among the soldiers, and Huangfu Song keenly sensed it.
He was well aware that if this emotion spread, it would have detrimental effects. So, at this moment, he stood up to dispel this undesired emotion.
However, just as Huangfu Song got up, He Jin's command resounded from atop Luoyang City.
"Attack! Unleash all our weaponry and strike down Lu Hai Kong's cronies below the city walls!"
With He Jin's furious order, Luoyang's city defense systems activated.
In an instant, from the trebuchet to the crossbows and various other defense mechanisms, everything was unleashed, targeting Zhao Er who was about to leave and bombarding him.
Seeing this, Huangfu Song's face paled. He didn't mind whether Zhao Er lived or died, but the problem was that the Northern Army was still below the city walls. With the city defense system activated, it was inevitable that they would be affected.
But by the time he realized this, it was already too late. Luoyang's city defense system had been activated, and Huangfu Song could only quickly organize the Northern Army to huddle along the city walls to minimize the impact.
Despite Huangfu Song's timely command, the Northern Army still suffered some casualties and injuries. A trebuchet malfunctioned, directly crushing and killing hundreds of unlucky Northern Army soldiers.
In contrast, Zhao Er, as the city defense system activated, casually and effortlessly left the range of the attacking defense system.
This city defense system wasn't designed to target individuals, and forcing it to target a single person was quite impressive, let alone Zhao Er's terrifying strength that allowed him to effortlessly dodge the attacks.
He Jin's actions not only failed to capture Zhao Er, but instead, he inadvertently helped Lu Hai Kong, easing the Northern Army's task.
What's called a pig-like teammate? He Jin is a living example...
(End of Chapter)
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