Chapter Twenty-Five: An Even More Bitter Battle Has Yet to Come

  Chui Kyeong-yoo, who led the large army himself, was filled with a sense of determination.

  The Lingbao War won a complete victory, his glory was boundless. Not only did he receive praise from An Qingxu in person, but also An Lushan in Luoyang sent an order to commend him after receiving the military report, and he was promoted several ranks of official title. With great ambition, he thought that if he could take advantage of the defeat of the imperial army and the destruction of the Tongguan garrison, he would be further commended by An Lushan, and might even be enfeoffed as a king.

  After a brief halt, after cleaning up the battlefield, they immediately set off towards Tongguan.

  According to his exploration, the government army that escaped back to Tongguan had at most only 5,000 to 8,000 people. Adding the troops left behind in Tongguan, there were already 10,000 people, which was the limit. Although they had been attacking Tongguan City for several months without success, and even the front outpost of Tongguan City, Hantongguan, had not been taken, this did not prevent Cui Jianyu from easily occupying Tongguan and then receiving a reward from An Lushan, after which he led his troops to advance on Chang'an, with the dream of being the first to occupy the imperial capital.

  He knew that the government army had completely collapsed, and even if Geshu Han could escape back to Tongguan, he would become a frightened bird. With only the remnants of Tongguan City's defeated soldiers, how could they possibly hold on to Tongguan?

  According to the intelligence gathered by the vanguard, after the Tang army retreated back to Tongguan City, they immediately closed all four gates of Tongguan and didn't even care about the soldiers who were still fleeing back. They even abandoned the vanguard that was defending Han Tongguan City. This further filled Cui Qianyou with confidence in his victory, and he even believed that as long as his army arrived at Tongguan City and began to attack, the defenders on the city wall would immediately flee, and there was even a possibility that they would open the gates and surrender.

  As he rode his horse, lost in thought, he suddenly heard shouting and screaming from ahead, and was startled awake, a sense of foreboding rising up in his heart.

  "What's going on?" Choi Gun-woo reined in his horse and asked loudly to the guard beside him.

  "Deputy General, I don't know, send someone to investigate immediately!" The head of the guards reported with a quivering voice.

  But just as the head of the Imperial Guard sent someone to scout ahead, increasingly loud wails, human shouts and horse whinnies, as well as battle cries, came from the front. "Not good, we've been ambushed!" This was the first thought that occurred to Cui Jianyu.

  But it is also unbelievable that at this time the government army could still have the strength to send troops to set up ambushes along the way. Does Song Shuhuan still have such arrangements?

  However, the battle-hardened general immediately gave orders to all soldiers to prepare for battle. As various generals under his command led their troops in dispersing formations and preparing for combat, vanguards had already rushed back to report on the situation.

  "Report to Vice Commander, our vanguard has been ambushed by the Tang army and suffered heavy casualties. The Tang army is now pursuing us!"

  "What? The Tang army is really ambushing here and dare to counterattack!" Cui Qianyou was shocked, his eyes wide with astonishment, as if he had heard a very funny joke that he couldn't believe at all.

  Then the personal soldiers he sent to investigate also returned to report, saying that more than 400 people were killed or injured in the vanguard army, and the soldiers were fleeing in a hurry. The front row was already in great chaos, and the Tang army's ambush had chased and killed many soldiers, and more soldiers were beheaded by the Tang army under their horses. The middle-ranking general who commanded the advance scouts was shot dead, and the advance scouts were in a state of confusion without anyone to command them. However, the chaotic formation also stopped the pursuit of the Tang army, which had charged for a while but could not break through the formation.

  After listening to the soldier's report, Cui Gan-yu furrowed his brow. Although he didn't believe that the Tang army still had the strength to set up an ambush along the way, things really happened, and many of the vanguard horses were killed or injured, the formation was chaotic, and it was impossible to advance. He immediately ordered a halt to the entire army's advance, defending in place, and preparing for a larger-scale raid or attack by the government troops.

  "Whose troops are these?" Cui Qianyou asked in a low voice to the soldier who had returned to report after giving the order.

  "Return to Vice General! The Tang army is flying the 'Yang' banner, and they are fighting bravely, not at all like the defeated Tang army from Lingbao!"

  "The 'Yang' banner is fighting very bravely, advancing and retreating in an orderly manner!" Cui Qianyou's eyebrows furrowed even tighter, who could be commanding the troops?

  In the Tang Dynasty, there was only one famous person with the surname Yang, namely Yang Guozhong. However, it is impossible for Yang Guozhong to come to Tongguan to lead the army. Moreover, according to previous investigations, none of the generals in Tongguan had the surname Yang. Who could this be? Faced with such a sudden situation and encountering an inexplicable puzzle, Cui Ganji dared not continue advancing recklessly. He ordered the army to rest on the spot and immediately sent someone to report the situation to An Qingxu at the rear.

  An Qingxu was the commander-in-chief who led the attack on Tongguan, while Cui Qianyou was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief due to his contributions. When such a major event occurred, Cui Qianyou naturally had to report it.

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  "Report to General Yang: General Li's surprise attack was successful, killing about 500 rebel cavalrymen. Our side only lost two riders. General Li is now leading his troops to retreat to the next ambush point. The rebels have temporarily stopped advancing."

  A soldier hastily handed Yang Hui the latest military report.

  "I know!" Yang Hui responded faintly, then waved his hand to order the reporting soldier to retreat, continuing to look up at the southeast of Tongguan, which was the direction where the ambush had just occurred.

  Li Chengguang and Gao Shi, who had completed their task, also went up to the city gate tower and stood beside Yang Hui. They came to report their latest deployment to Yang Hui, and just as they finished reporting and were about to ask for further instructions, a military officer rushed in to report that Li Fude's ambush had been successful, and after two rounds of charging, he had retreated safely, and the rebel army had temporarily stopped advancing.

  This news made Li Chengguang and Gao Shi extremely surprised, but they didn't see any change in Yang Hui's expression, and couldn't help but be astonished.

  Finally, Li Chengguang carefully asked: "Yang Bingmashi, why didn't you show any excitement when you heard this news? Was it because General Li didn't fully complete the task you arranged?"

  "I'm glad, of course!" Yang Hui did not turn his head, but with his eyes still fixed on the front, he said in a calm tone as before: "General Li's command in this battle is good. Not only did he severely attack the rebel army's vanguard, causing panic among the rebels, but also ensured the safe withdrawal of our personnel. However, the results of 500 riders cannot ultimately affect the outcome of the war unless the proportion is increased several times! But this is a good start, General Li has made great contributions, and I will report this to the imperial court and request rewards! Only, the big battle has just begun, and the most testing time for Tongguan City has not yet arrived. The imperial court's follow-up reinforcements cannot arrive immediately, and even if we continue to win again, we cannot be complacent! Unless we let the rebels suffer a great defeat under Tongguan City, causing them to retreat with heavy losses, that is when we can celebrate!"

  When Yang Jiong said this, Li Chengguang and Gao Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the newly appointed military commander was thinking about the long-term situation and did not take this small victory as a big deal. Such a broad-mindedness is indeed not like that of an young man!

  Yang Kai glanced back at Li Chengguang and Gao Shi, who had different expressions, and continued: "The rebels will eventually understand that our ambushes are only intended to delay time. When they realize it, it will be the time for a major attack on the city. Judging from the current situation, the Han Tongguan City is bound to be unable to hold out, and all departments will retreat back to Tongguan City. Whether we can safely escort the various departments outside the city and withstand the rebel army's attack depends on Generals Li and Gao!"

  "I will definitely not betray the mission, I will not disappoint General Yang's expectations, I will fight bravely to kill the enemy, defend Tongguan City, and welcome back Generals Li and Pang!"

  Li Chengguang and Gao Shi said the same thing one after another, expressing their determination and confidence to Yang Hui.

  Yes, they have a certain degree of admiration for Yang Kai, and all this is directly related to Yang Kai's performance before and after arriving at Tongguan. If others could lead three thousand horses and men, spend an afternoon and more than half the night, rush over two hundred miles, arrive at Tongguan, and kill Huo Bairen who wanted to hold Song Shuhan hostage in the first place, then make arrangements on horseback, prepare for battle, comfort the generals, and not pursue anyone's responsibility. After contacting the rebels, they also won the first victory, they would all be admired!

  If Yang Guifei were not the son of Yang Guozhong, he would have gained more recognition and affirmation, as well as admiration.

  Yang Hui naturally also knew this, but it was an unavoidable fact. If he wasn't Yang Guozhong's son, then he wouldn't have been able to lead the army to Tongguan, and there wouldn't have been any subsequent performances. Everything seemed to have a bit of a "fish and bear's paw" flavor, unable to be had at the same time.

  Seeing Yang Jie still standing calmly on the city tower, observing the movement in the east, Gao Shi couldn't help but ask again: "Yang Bingmashi, if our army ambushes several times and succeeds, and the rebel army's advance is slowed down, do we need to send troops to assist General Pang of Lao Tongguan City, trying to stop the rebel army outside Lao Tongguan City?" He didn't agree with Yang Jie's previous statement that Tongguan City was definitely undefendable, hoping that Yang Jie could dispatch more troops to defend Tongguan City, just like in the past few months, and block the rebels at a distance from Tongguan City!

  Yang Kai turned his head, and rarely showed a smile to Gao Shi, saying: "General Gao, if the troops who are attacking Tongguan City now go to support Han Tongguan City, it is possible to hold on there, but the risk will be infinitely great, and there will be no way to retreat! If we can't hold on for a moment, the government army will quickly collapse, and there will be no chance to retreat to Tongguan City where we are now. This is also the reason why Gesu Yuan Shuai's troops were defeated and retreated to Tongguan City, directly abandoning Han Tongguan City. According to the terrain of Tongguan City where we are now, as long as the danger of the gorge reappears, all soldiers will work together to defend Tongguan City! Therefore, it is not possible to send troops to support General Pang, just need to bring him and General Li back to the city!"

  Originally, Tongguan City fell quickly after Lingbao's defeat in the war, which was related to Huo Bao and Ren Gui holding Song Shuhan hostage and surrendering. If it weren't for this episode, Tongguan might not have fallen into the hands of the rebels, or at least wouldn't have fallen so quickly.

  Now that Huo Bao has been killed, Geshu Han is still directing the battle on top of Tongguan City. With this new character leading a new force to rescue Tongguan in time, how can history repeat itself? Moreover, Chen Xuanli is also leading his army to rush to Tongguan!

  "It will be clear later!" Gao Shi was slightly stunned, but still felt something stuck in his heart, not very comfortable, just couldn't think of how to say it.

  Yang Hui didn't ask any more questions, and continued to stare silently ahead. At this time, he muttered to himself, "If only I had a high-powered military binoculars, it would be great to observe the enemy from a distance!" What a pity, this time through the traversal, only his soul came, and nothing useful was brought!

  At this time, the sun had already jumped out of the horizon, and when the dawn began to splash the world, the heat also came with it. Li Chengguang wanted to invite Yang Hui to sit in the city building and have some breakfast, but was rejected by Yang Hui.

  He still stood like this and had his breakfast brought here, eating while standing.

  The supplies in Tongguan City are not lacking at all, with grain piled up like mountains, enough to supply food for tens of thousands of soldiers for half a year. Geshu Han and Yang Hui have just given orders that the supply of meals for the defending soldiers must be guaranteed, so that they can eat their fill and defend the city, and not fight the rebels on an empty stomach. With a guarantee of food, the soldiers' physical strength can be maintained, and with physical strength, they can defeat the enemy!

  At the same time as Yang Guozhong received the news, the defenders of each city gate, including Geshu Han, also received the news that Li Fuguo had successfully ambushed and retreated safely after two rounds of fierce fighting. This small-scale victory boosted the morale of the Tang army generals who had just returned from a crushing defeat to some extent, especially for main generals such as Geshu Han and Wang Sili, who had originally lost more than half of their confidence and slowly regained it!

  But everyone knows that the fiercest battle is yet to come!