Chapter 15: Looking at each other (please read more!)

It was noon, and the dazzling sunlight made it difficult to keep one's eyes open.

Li Zijing exhaled and took off his helmet tremblingly. He found that the shiny helmet he had worn during the expedition last night was now covered with scars, like ravines on the flat land.

As soon as the tense expression relaxed, a feeling of pain surged into my heart.

I don't know when there were a few more small wounds all over my body, and the blood had coagulated into scabs. The most serious thing was that they had loosened over time and were sore all over after a fierce fight.

Li Zijing looked at Geng Zhongming, who was being led away by the soldiers, as if he had defeated a rooster. He immediately turned around, gritted his teeth and moved his body.

The fierce sound of fighting and the rumbling drums and drums still lingered in his ears. Li Zijing raised his palms to block the sun and looked around the tragic battlefield.

From Jindou Pass to the ravine in the distance, numerous corpses of Dashun and Qing troops were dumped on the ground. Under the scorched earth and ashes, flags, swords and guns were thrown all the way, and no one even cared about shields, carriages and baggage.

Several vultures were hovering over several corpses that had not been completely buried by sand and gravel. Several arrowheads were still firmly inserted into the corpses, but the broken spear was still held in the hands of the corpses.

The sharp cry of the vulture resounded in the air, and its sharp eyes were fixed on the ant-like Dashun soldiers on the plain.

Looking at the unknown corpses on the roadside, Li Zijing felt a sense of sadness in his heart.

Most of these people are only in their twenties and thirties, with their prime years and flaming youth, dragged to the front line by the tide of troubled times, embarking on a road of no return.

Li Zijing put the blood-stained Yanling sword back into its sheath, unable to get on his horse again, and just followed the team with the reins in hand.

Several shield carts passing along the way were burned black, and the ground was covered with the mutilated bones of both sides.

Among the marks left by some running footsteps, there were a few pieces of meat floating on the blood, which reflected Li Zijing's increasingly determined eyes.

Li Zicheng stood on the top of the slope where Duduo once stood, looking to the west.

The current location is indeed an excellent observation location. To the west, you can see the Qing army camp in the distance, and to the east, you can also clearly see the Dashun soldiers in action on Guancheng.

But Li Zicheng didn't know that Duduo also had a magical thing called a telescope in his hand.

Li Zicheng didn't know why he wanted to fight this battle. If he had been attacked on the flank according to his past habits, he would have retreated directly.

As long as the capital is not severely damaged, failure is acceptable no matter how many times.

Perhaps his love for his only younger brother, or his guilt for the people in Mizhi's hometown, made him order this battle by mistake.

Recalling the thrilling direction of this battle, Li Zicheng slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Duduo's fighting spirit was not high, and he immediately withdrew to the camp as soon as he saw that the front line was broken, otherwise there would be even more corpses on the ground.

Li Zicheng rejected Liu Zongmin's pursuit proposal and ordered the battlefield to be cleaned as soon as possible and the injured soldiers to be withdrawn to the pass for treatment and recuperation.

Then, he jumped down the hill, got on his horse and galloped back to Tongguan.

In previous battles, a large proportion of the casualties of the Dashun Army did not die directly in the battle.

There were many wounded on the battlefield, and there were priorities. The Dashun Army developed too fast. After the founding of Xiangyang, although the military system of the fifth field battalion and the city defense army was established, there was no separate organic military medical team.

Compared with the Jiannu slaves who had been fighting against the Ming Dynasty for decades, the foundation of the Dashun Army was still very weak, and its medical conditions were far inferior, so that it was always unable to treat all the wounded in time.

Although the Dashun Army does not have an established military medical team, there are also many doctors or pharmacy apprentices before joining the army.

Now these people are gathered together and protected by old soldiers as they run around the battlefield to treat the wounded.

Perhaps in the near future, these weaknesses will be corrected one by one, but this will take time.

The Jiannu army attacked from two directions and pursued thousands of miles from Shanhaiguan. The Dashun army was forced to scatter its main force and had no time to develop slowly.

At the top of Tongguan City, Dashun's flag was still fluttering in the wind, but the peace and tranquility of the past was gone, replaced by devastation.

The corpses piled up outside the city were ignited by the Dashun soldiers who stayed behind, and gradually ignited into a huge fire with black smoke billowing into the sky.

The sun slowly sets in the clouds, and the golden afterglow shines on the earth. The flags, swords and guns still left on the battlefield are still glowing with blood.

The mountains and fields are vast, and a blood-like sunset glow gathers on the peaks on both sides of Guancheng.

The blood seeped into the arrow jackets worn by Dashun soldiers, and the color gradually became blurry.

Looking around, the soldiers of Dashun Army retreated into the pass, sitting or standing, gathering in groups of three or two, and they were all covered with scars.

But compared to before, he was a little more lively and no longer seemed lifeless.

This victory may be called a tragic victory, but it was indeed a hearty victory, which completely dispelled the fear of Jiannu in the hearts of Dashun soldiers.

Tongguan General Military Mansion.

The Ming Dynasty's General Military Mansion, which used to be stationed in Tongguan, has now been transformed into a venue for Li Zicheng and the Dashun civil and military officials to discuss military affairs.

In the courtyard outside the General Military Mansion, two banyan trees rise from the ground, vigorous and tall.

In the lobby, there are many collected seats on the left and right, and some documents and newspapers with unclear handwriting are scattered on the ground.

From time to time, soldiers hurried past the door, and there were bursts of footsteps.

"Sit down."

After inspecting the city gates, Li Zicheng had no time to rest and immediately rushed back to the lobby, covered in the dust of a servant.

More than a dozen old soldiers wearing cotton armor followed him into the lobby, and then lined up on both sides and stood with swords in their hands to protect his safety.

Li Zijing stood in front of a chair on the right, and after hearing this, he also sat down with the generals.

Before Li Zicheng could speak, Liu Zongmin stood up.

"Why don't you give chase?"

"The Qing Dog was repulsed by the cavalry formation. It's a good time to take advantage of the victory and pursue it!"

At this moment, Liu Zongmin's beard and face were stained with blood, and his green arrow jacket was almost torn to pieces, revealing the black cotton armor underneath.

Although they are all cotton armor, the one worn by Liu Zongmin is very finely made, with a sandwich inside and densely packed small iron pieces embedded in it, making it extremely tough.

Compared with ordinary soldiers' cotton armor, the suit he wears is equivalent to an extra piece of chain armor for defense.

If you wear a set of chain mail underneath the cotton armor, it will be difficult to pierce it directly with a spear.

"You still have the nerve to say it?"

Li Zicheng looked at him, sighing.

"Qing Gou retreated in an orderly manner this time. He must have set up an ambush on the way and attacked rashly. If he is ambushed and Qing Gou kills him, will you retreat?"

Liu Zongmin's eyes widened and he shouted.

"What an ambush? Where can there be so many ambushes!"

"If you win, you won't take advantage of the victory to pursue it. How can you wait until tomorrow to storm the camp?"

"There's really an ambush, I'll give you my life!"

Li Zicheng's face grew colder and he stared at Liu Zongmin. The latter looked at Liu Zongmin without any sign of weakness. In the end, Li Zicheng looked away first.

Subduing the anger in his heart, Li Zicheng glanced at Li Zijing on his left.

"My brother initially said that clear dogs would set up ambushes. Did you listen?"

"How many times do you have to suffer the same loss to gain a better memory?"

When Liu Zongmin heard this, he also looked in front of him.

Li Zijing sat on the opposite side of Liu Zongmin and looked at each other for a moment. Feeling Liu Zongmin's angry eyes, he suddenly felt timid and guilty for no reason in his heart, and subconsciously wanted to avoid his sharpness.

But it suddenly occurred to him that the ambush soldiers themselves were right, they brought the correct firearms, the battle was won, and Geng Zhongming was captured alive.

Shouldn't he be the one panicking?

So, Li Zijing took a deep breath and looked up.

The eyes collided, fighting in the electric light and stone fire.

A majestic man, like a furious lion.

A man who is firm and confident, has a sharp gaze, and is as stable as an old tree with its roots.

Liu Zongmin squinted his eyes and noticed that Li Zijing was calm and composed, his eyes were completely different from yesterday, and he had experienced some kind of qualitative change overnight.

The fighting between the two people's eyes in that instant was like a thousand arrows being fired, almost overturning the entire lobby.

The lobby is very quiet and the atmosphere is subtle.

Liu Fangliang suddenly came out of the queue, breaking this strange tranquility.

"Your Majesty, I was the one who proposed this camp robbery. It was because of my failure to listen to King Xiaochuang's advice during last night's battle that our brothers were trapped in a tight siege."

"My boss has suffered heavy damage. Now the pursuit is all caused by me. Please punish me!"

Li Zicheng stood up, looked around everyone, and finally focused on Liu Fangliang.

"My capital, Dashun, has suffered a lot of losses, with more than two thousand casualties, but I think Duduo may not be feeling well either!"

"This battle is mainly about my Dashun's majesty!"

"You are not at fault, and I will still give you credit!"

Liu Fangliang raised his head, his face full of shock.

"His Majesty."

Li Zicheng naturally noticed the tense situation between the two of them just now, and was very surprised that the third brother was not defeated.

There are very few people in the Dashun army who can do this, that is, remain calm and calm in the face of Liu Zongmin's glare.

It seems that I paid too little attention to this younger brother in the past, and the relationship between brothers has become so divided.

"The biggest hero in this battle is my third brother."

Li Zicheng looked to one side with a smile and waved.

"Respect yourself, come forward."

I went out for an impromptu trip yesterday and didn't get home until after midnight. I'm really sorry!
Chapter completed!