The opportunity to reverse the situation was achieved through a charge by Guanqiu Jian.
The Chili tribe no longer had the motivation to hold on, and they fled the camp one after another, trying to follow the same path as the Yuzhugan tribe had just disbanded, and escape under Kebinen's banner.
Ke Bineng had no choice but to order his cavalry to make way for the defeated soldiers to pass.
After Tian Yu led his troops to occupy the camp in the south of the city, he had no time to make up for the loss or count the damage. He immediately came out of the camp to form a battle line and prepare for another possible wave of attacks.
At this time, the Xianbei people in the north of the city had just arrived near the battlefield upon orders and came behind Kebinen's tribe.
But it's too late.
At this moment, the battlefield began to fall into an eerie silence.
Tian Yu's troops, who had suffered nearly 200 casualties, were lining up outside the camp south of Mayi City.
The Yuzhugan tribe was the most mobilized and suffered the greatest losses. It first fought with the Suli tribe, then was pursued by the Wuhuan Yicong, and finally was caught in a crush and trampled by Guanqiu Jian's surprise attack, with nearly 1,500 casualties.
The Chili tribe that escaped from the camp suffered as many as six or seven hundred casualties.
In contrast, on the Wei side, except for the Suli tribe with only more than 2,000 people left, Liu Ye's Yanmen infantry had not yet engaged in the battle, and more than 200 Wuhuan volunteers suffered casualties.
In terms of proportion, Guanqiu Jian's troops suffered the most, losing 20% of their forces. In the first charge, they lost 15 cavalrymen, and in the second charge, another five cavalrymen died.
After a long standoff on the battlefield, Ke Bineng slowly asked the guards who had returned to his side: "Is Yu Zhugan dead? How did he die?"
The guard dismounted and kowtowed, then replied, "Your Majesty, I was first hit in the back by a Wei knight's lance, and then another knight's short spear pierced my neck, and that's how I died."
After he finished speaking, seeing that Kebineng did not respond, the guards asked tentatively: "My king, since there is no battle yet, should we take back Yu Zhuqian's body?"
Ke Bineng looked at the guard coldly: "So many Xianbei men have died, how can I bring back only his body? Let him stay here to feed the wolves and eagles!"
Ke Bineng looked up at the sky and sighed, "It's a pity for my daughter. I have to choose a husband for her when I go back."
"Let's go back to Pingcheng." Kebineng shook his head and said with a gloomy expression.
An elderly Xianbei nobleman asked Kebi Neng, "My king, are you leaving now?"
Ke Bineng frowned: "What else? Are you going to charge the Han army? There are about 5,000 Han people and 3,000 Wuhuan dogs on the opposite side. How many more people are you going to die?"
After another long sigh, Ke Bineng said softly: "It seems that the Wolf God will not protect me today. The eagle on the grassland will also encounter heavy rain and wet its feathers. Let's go back to Pingcheng! We will come again next time!"
The old Xianbei nobleman looked helplessly at the Wei army formation opposite and then at the Mayi city, and returned with his king's queen.
Although Kebi Neng's Xianbei army lost this battle, Kebi Neng still had the upper hand in terms of both manpower and strength.
But Kebi Neng was unwilling to fight again. He just wanted to gather all the Xianbei tribes, and did not want to completely break up with Wei, and he did not want to lose another 3,000 or 5,000 people.
If that were the case, even if he is now the king and the leader of the Western Xianbei, he probably won't be that anymore after he returns.
This is the rule on the grassland, and no leader is an exception.
Seeing that Kebineng's troops were about to leave, Tian Yu led his troops to form a square formation and slowly moved closer to Wuhuan Yicong.
Liu Ye's Yanmen infantry and Wuhuan volunteers were confused about the situation for a moment and remained in their battle formation without moving.
It was not until more than half an hour later, when Kebineng's troops were completely out of Tian Yu's sight, that the Wei army, which had been fighting under the city of Mayi for half a morning, suddenly shouted excitedly.
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
The sound echoed across the wilderness.
The armies of various tribes had not yet dispersed. Only Guanqiu Jian, leading his own cavalry, slowly walked back along the same route they had taken when they charged, under the watchful eyes of all the Han, Wuhuan, and Xianbei people south of the Sanggan River.
Of the one hundred cavalrymen that Guanqiu Jian brought from Luoyang, twenty were killed or wounded.
Of the fifteen riders lost in the first charge, only one survived; he was pinned under his horse and only had a broken right leg.
Of the five riders killed in the second charge, three were still alive. One was almost dead, one had an arm and two legs broken, and only one was extremely lucky to be intact.
Guanqiu Jian walked up to the bewildered cavalryman and said calmly, "Han Lou is from Hongnong. He has been in the Yue Cavalry Camp for three years and is twenty-two years old. Am I right?"
Han Lou was originally following the rear half of the team, but he fell off his horse in a daze during the charge. He hid for a long time with his head in his hands, and miraculously, he was not stepped on. When he raised his head again, the battlefield had fallen into silence.
He lay there for a long time until cheers were heard from the field. He then stood up dazedly and waved to his captain.
Han Lou said hesitantly: "Captain, I'm really not a coward! After falling off the horse, I didn't know what to do, so I just waited there. I'm really not afraid of fighting!"
Guanqiu Jian's eyes were slightly red. Not counting the last time in Wancheng, this was the first time that Guanqiu Jian personally led the troops and charged into battle. If there were no heroes in the camp who were willing to charge behind him, how could he have won this victory?
"You are all great!" Guanqiu Jian hit Han Lou's chest hard: "Han Lou, you are also great! This captain will personally report to the general to commend you for your achievements!"
"Yes!" Han Lou knelt on one knee and responded with a fist clasped.
……
In the afternoon, Tian Yu's troops, Liu Ye's troops, Guan Qiu Jian's troops, and Wuhuan Yicong all returned to Mayi City. Only He Xin led 500 people to clean up the battlefield outside the city.
Oh, and there was the Suli tribe that still stayed on the south bank of the Sanggan River. Tian Yu had already sent people to call them, but the Suli were still hesitant, not knowing whether to cross the river back to Mayi or go south to Budugen.
Inside Mayi City.
Tian Yu stood in the hall and bowed to Liu Ye and Guanqiu Jian.
Liu Ye stroked his beard and smiled without saying anything. Guanqiu Jian quickly stood up and stepped forward to support Tian Yu, saying: "Mr. Tian, you are too kind to me! Mr. Tian is a pillar of the country, how can I accept your courtesy?"
Liu Ye also said slowly: "Captain Tian, I and the soldiers of Yanmen County have only fired a few arrows and have not even engaged in a battle. How can I accept your courtesy?"
Tian Yu sighed and said, "If it weren't for the fact that Liu Dafu led his army from Yanmen Pass to rush to the rescue and force the Yuzhugan army to retreat, and if it weren't for the fact that Guanqiu Xiaowei personally led a hundred cavalrymen to charge into the battle and kill the enemy chieftain, how could we have won this victory?"
"I will certainly submit a memorial to Your Majesty, clearly listing the merits of Doctor Liu and Captain Guanqiu!"
Liu Ye stood up at this time, walked in front of Tian Yu, and said with a smile: "Captain Tian is also an important official. He commanded the battle today with moderation and is indeed a pillar of the country."
After that, Liu Ye pointed at Guanqiu Jian who had taken off his armor and said, "If we talk about today's achievements, Zhonggong first broke through the enemy's formation and then killed the enemy chief, which is really the first achievement!"
"What do you think, Captain Tian?"
Tian Yu nodded heavily and said, "Captain Guanqiu's bravery today has frightened the enemy! He is truly the first meritorious service!"
Guanqiu Jian, who was standing nearby, also realized what was going on.
Emperor Wu had been raising troops for nearly forty years. People like Liu Ye and Tian Yu, who had seen decades of military experience, had long understood one truth.
If you lose the war, the first thing to do is to share the blame.
If we win, the first thing to do is to claim the first credit.
Today's great achievement can be attributed to Tian Yu's good command, to Liu Ye's quick response, or to Guanqiu Jian's bravery.
From Tian Yu's perspective, he only had 2,000 Wei troops guarding Mayi. The support of 3,000 Yanmen County soldiers was actually the reassurance that made Tian Yu dare to fight.
Tian Yu was bound to accept this favor and give it to Liu Ye and Guanqiu Jian. Liu Ye generously let Guanqiu Jian take all the credit.
Guanqiu Jian bowed and said, "Mr. Liu, Mr. Tian, I..."
"Zhong Gong, I will also call you Zhong Gong along with Doctor Liu." Tian Yu smiled and patted Guanqiu Jian's arm: "The first credit belongs to you, don't refuse it anymore!"
Guanqiu Jian wanted to refuse, but when the words came to his lips, he thought of his comrades who followed him from Luoyang but died in the Yueqi Camp under Mayi City. If he accepted the offer, their pensions would surely be more generous.
Guanqiu Jian no longer refused, but bowed with a smile.
Tian Yu looked at Cao Shuang standing next to him and said with a smile, "By the way, I have to tell the general that Zhao Bo can lead a hundred people and become a dubo!"
Cao Shuang bowed and smiled shyly.
The first achievement was already made, Liu Ye asked calmly: "How is Captain Tian going to fight next?"
Tian Yu's face was calm at the moment, but his words were as sharp as a blade: "I have always been the one who killed the Xianbei. How could the Xianbei kill me? I will submit a petition to Luoyang, take Budugen, Xieguini, and the Wuhuan Yicong, and lead the army to Pingcheng to punish Kebineng!"
Liu Ye nodded: "What about Feng Po? Will Captain Tian lead the Yanmen soldiers to the north to Pingcheng? He will also be credited this time!"
Tian Yu replied, "I will not report the merits. The soldiers from Yanmen will return to Mayi first, and I and Wuhuan Yicong will return to Daijun first! From here, we will submit a memorial to Luoyang. Even if we send a letter quickly, it will take at least more than 20 days to go back and forth. We will head north after we have rested."
Liu Ye nodded and said, "The incident here is over. Let's go back to Guangwu tomorrow morning! After returning to Guangwu, we will follow the post road to Dai County and will not go with Captain Tian."
"However, Captain Tian, why don't you write the memorial to commend your achievements and request instructions tonight? When we return to Guangwu, we will send the memorial to Luoyang along with the tribute."
"Tribute? What tribute?" Tian Yu asked puzzledly.
Liu Ye turned around and sat back at the table. Guanqiu Jian smiled and said, "Zhao Bo knew that when he came to Guangwu to look for us, we were hunting foxes in the mountains near Guangwu."
"Mr. Tian may not know that this kind of fox only appears in late summer and early autumn. Its fur is as red as fire and is the most beautiful..." (End of this chapter)
