The chief general of Sijie's army was A Cai, the son of the chief Danting. He led 30,000 troops to be organized into the Third Turkic Army. They did not participate in the battle at Zihekou before, but they did not expect that the first battle in Shanyang County was the responsibility of Sijie. This really made A Cai dissatisfied. More than 10,000 people were killed in the attack on Zihe Pass, and the main people were Tiele. Now, the attack on Shanyang County is still handed over to Tiele people, which is clearly the stepping stone for them.

However, although A Cai was dissatisfied, he still ordered the army to attack the city. However, the casualties of their tribe were really heavy. The huge rock thrown by the catapult made his soldiers vaguely and terrible.

But the most lethal force is the overwhelming shooting of crossbows. Whether it is a powerful crossbow that is hundreds of steps away or a military crossbow that is one hundred and fifty steps away, the arrows shot at his soldiers like a storm, causing him to fall down one by one. After running hundreds of steps, nearly 20% of them were killed and injured, and at least more than 6,000 people died.

"Young Chief!"

A thousand-man commander rushed over and shouted: "We can't stand it anymore, the casualties are too heavy!"

"Get back immediately!"

"No!"

Deputy General Qiao Boci hurriedly stopped him, "Without Khan's order, we cannot retreat. Have you forgotten the young chief?"

Of course, A Cai knew that they could not issue an order to withdraw troops without authorization, and they had to go through the consent of Khan. This was the strict order of Khan in the king's tent yesterday. Any army retreat must be approved by him to implement it. This was to prevent the tribes from retreating without authorization only considering the interests of their headquarters. During a war, it would lead to the defeat of the entire army.

He was so angry that he thrust his war horse hard and ran backwards. He heard him shouting from afar: "Hold on for a moment, I'll go find Khan!"

At this time, Chuluo Khan was also watching the battle from behind. He stared at the battlefield under the city. Although he knew the power of the catapult, he did not expect that it would be sharp and sharp, and the terrifying fire. The thick city-slamming wood did not play any role and was burned by the fire.

At this time, a guard reported: "Khan, General Acai asked for a meeting urgently!"

"not see!"

Chuluo Khan flatly refused Acai's request for a visit. He knew why Acai wanted to see him and wanted to retreat as soon as the war began. Which family's siege was this?

"I want to see Khan!"

Asai rushed away the Turkic guard who intercepted him, rushed to Chuluo Khan, and said sternly: "Khan, Sijie's army suffered heavy casualties, I ask to withdraw immediately!"

Chuluo Khan said coldly: "The siege ladder has not yet been put on the city wall. Is this the so-called warriors who think of the siege?"

A Cai's passion surged over his head and replied fiercely, "If Sijieren is not a warrior, what about the Turks who don't even dare to go to the battlefield?"

Chuluo Khan was furious, "You dare to be rude to me!"

Asa shouted: "You are the Turkic Khan, who dares to be rude to you, but Sijie's fate is decided by Sijie's own self!"

He turned his horse's head and ran towards the battlefield. Chuluo Khan's face turned pale with anger. He looked at A Cai's back and gritted his teeth and said, "Little lamb, one day he will have to slaughter you!"

Soon after, soldiers came to report, "Report to Khan, Sijie's army retreated!"

Chuluo Khan was so angry that his chest was about to explode. At this time, Kang Shuoli whispered: "Khan should make up for one order! Otherwise, it will shake the morale of the army."

Chuluo Khan had no choice but to order, "Transfer my order, stop the attack temporarily, and the army surrounded Shanyang City."

Although Sijie's army was spared when his young chief Acai took the initiative to retreat without authorization, nearly 7,000 soldiers died or injured, of which more than 5,000 were killed and killed, causing the worst casualties to the Sijie tribe in fifty years.

In the afternoon, the Turkic army set up a camp ten miles away from Shanyang County. Sijie's army was stationed in the northwest corner. Several bonfires were lit in the barracks, which were cremating the dead soldiers and burning them together with their belongings. Several shamans held a staff in their hands, jumping by the fire wearing masks, muttering words, and surrounded by the relatives of the dead soldiers, everyone was sad.

Many of the army were father and son, brothers or relatives, and many people knelt down and covered their faces and cried bitterly. Ascai looked at the fire silently in the distance. After a while, he sighed softly. The aggrievance and sadness in his heart would make him unable to sleep all night tonight.

"Young Chief, go back and rest!" A gentle voice came from behind. This was the deputy general Qiao Boci who was persuading him.

Qiao Boci is about thirty years old and is the most trusted captain Danting, chieftain Sijie. Because he is steady and considers problems carefully, Danting lets him serve as his son's deputy general. Ate is too young and energetic, which is really uneasy.

A Cai nodded silently, turned around and walked back to the big tent. Qiao Bo hesitated for a moment, and followed him into the big tent.

"General, have a bowl of bar with me!" Asa was upset and wanted to find someone to talk to.

Qiao Boci sat down opposite him and poured a bowl of horse milk wine for each of them. Asa picked up the bowl and drank it all, and said hatefully: "Even though we knew that the Sui army's weapons were sharp, we ordered us to attack the city without any precautions. It was clearly intended that we test the defense of the Sui army. In his eyes, what is the difference between our thoughts and the cattle group that wades the thorns formation?"

Qiao Boci filled him with the wine bowl again and said slowly: "I can fully understand the mood of the young chief. To be honest, I also think that Chuluo Khan never cared about the life and death of Tieler people. However, the rule of the grassland is to prey on the weak. The Turks are the lords of the grassland. If we cannot replace it, we can only obey orders. This is what your father is doing now. He is unwilling to send troops, but there is no way. We are too close to the Turks. If we don't send troops, our ranch will be taken away by him."

A Cai was silent for a moment and said, "But they were also Tiele people, Bayegu, Pugu and Uighurs were only willing to send 5,000 troops. Wouldn't the lord of the grassland have no way to deal with them?"

Qiao Boci shook his head, "The three of them came too late. If they were to pursue them, the Nanzheng would have to be cancelled."

"What the general means is that they will be pursued in the future?"

"This is for sure. If Khan doesn't pursue it, he will not be able to control this grassland."

"What about us?"

Ascai asked, "Will he pursue it?"

"We are different from Bayegu and others. We sent 30,000 troops, which is the greatest sincerity. It is just that the Khan may be a little dissatisfied with the young chief's attitude, but he cannot think about it, otherwise the Turks would not tolerate him."

Acai nodded, Qiao Boci smiled again, "But the young chief still wants to give him face as much as possible. Although he is not easy to move the young chief, he will definitely make things difficult for us to form an army and will send us to the most dangerous battlefield. Chuluo Khan is famous for his narrow mind on the grassland."

"I understand. As long as he doesn't make things difficult for us anymore, I won't be bored."

After saying that, A Cai drank the bowl of wine in her hand in one go.

In the Turkic king's tent, Chuluo Khan was drinking alone. This southern expedition really made him angry. There were dangerous passes along the way, but the Sui army was full of preparations. Every attack caused him to suffer heavy casualties. Just now, he received a quick report from his brother Bulishe, and the battle on the Eastern Front also encountered a bad situation. The Sui army was prepared for a long time and actually built a five-meter-high pass in the Beihu Valley, making it difficult for them to attack.

This report really made Chu Luo Khan deeply depressed. Both the east and west lines were not smooth. Of course, today, Sijiezhu will openly contradict him and embarrass him. This also made Chu Luo Khan still feel angry, but for the sake of the overall situation, he had to endure this anger in his heart.

At this time, a guard reported at the door of the tent, "Khan, General Kang Shuoli asked for a visit!"

"Let him in!"

After a moment, Kang Shouli walked in quickly and knelt down on one knee to salute, "See Khan!"

"What's the matter?"

“There is a suggestion for the humble job.”

Chuluo Khan thought that it was Kang Shuoli's suggestion that he had seized Zihe Pass, so he nodded, "Sit down and talk!"

Kang Shuoli sat cross-legged and said calmly: "Shanyang County is difficult to attack, but now it is raised and reinforced, and the Sui army is fully prepared. Even if the siege of the city will not have any results. I suggest that Khan turn to attack Loufan Pass."

"Is it easy to attack if Lou Fanguan?"

"Reporting to Khan, Loufan Pass is mainly used to defend the south. The terrain is high in the north and low in the south. It is very difficult to attack from the south, but the attack from the north is very flat. Although the Sui army also raised and strengthened Loufan Pass, it is still easier than attacking Shanyang City."

In fact, Chu Luo Khan also wanted to attack Loufan Pass. If he broke through Loufan Pass, the cavalry could sweep Bingzhou. But if he didn't remove Shanyang County, what should he do if his logistics supplies were to be replenished? He pondered for a moment without saying a word.

Kang Shuoli understood Chu Luo Khan's concerns and smiled and said, "We still have 200,000 troops now. Khan can divide his troops into two groups, one by one, and continue to besiege Shanyang County, and the other side goes south to attack Loufan Pass and sweep Bingzhou. Beizhi thinks that 100,000 iron cavalry is enough."

Kang Shuoli's suggestion made Chu Luo Khan feel excited. This is indeed a very good plan. The biggest advantage of the cavalry is that the speed of the march is that it is fast. Once the Sui army wants to attack the northern army, the army heading south can come back immediately, and the opportunity to fight the Sui army will come.

Thinking of this, Chuluo Khan nodded slowly and said, "This suggestion is worth a try. Whether you want to go south or not, it is helpful to capture Loufan Pass first to boost morale. I will give you 50,000 troops, and be sure to capture Loufan Pass!" (To be continued.)

...
Chapter completed!