The low sound of the horns and the powerful drums suddenly resounded throughout the battlefield, the Linghe River, and the Lingtai Mountain.

The iron cone formation on the battlefield quickly rushed to the front of the infantry phalanx. At this moment, with a loud bang, the iron cone formation suddenly split into two.

Lu Huanyang, on the left wing of the formation, led the soldiers to fight against the desperate enemy and killed them. They quickly moved north of the battlefield, intending to block the enemy's escaped army and drove the enemy to Linghe.

Sho Yingtong, on the right wing of the formation, fisted with a group of murderous soldiers, kept shouting and roaring, and followed the enemy soldiers who fled wildly, and continued to kill all the way.

Li Hong led the soldiers of Black Panther Yicong to turn around and kill to the west of the battlefield, chasing the enemy who fled west.

Li Wenhou led his personal guards to fight at all. Before the Fengyun Iron Cavalry and the infantry surrounded them, they escaped from the battlefield first. The Qiang and Hu cavalry ran faster than the rabbits, and disappeared without a trace in a blink of an eye.

The enemy soldiers who lost their command were in chaos. They rushed on the battlefield and were in chaos. They were chased by the Iron Cavalry soldiers and ran away with their heads in their arms.

Under the command of Xian Yufu, the infantry phalanx quickly broke into the center of the battlefield. They not only firmly defended the east side of the battlefield, but also successfully cut off the enemy's route of escape south.

When the rising sun was fully raised, the enemy finally couldn't resist it and began to surrender in large numbers.

The battlefield gradually became silent.

＝＝＝

noon.

Li Hong set up a camp on the bank of Ling River, five miles away from the battlefield.

Although Li Hong was not seriously injured, he was very tired after fighting in the middle of the night and fell asleep in a drowsy manner on the river bank. Not long after, he heard someone talking in a daze and hurriedly opened his eyes. He saw Shi Sangyang, the chief of the Taiwei Mansion, and his marching Sima Zuoyan, standing not far away, talking and laughing.

Seeing that he woke up, Sang Yang happily congratulated him.

Li Hong waved his hand, asked the two of them to sit down, and asked with a smile, "Did you just arrived?"

"We set off from Lingtai Mountain in the morning. On the way, we captured some prisoners, which delayed a lot of time, so it was a little late." Zuo Yan replied, "Sir, Sima She Yingtong from another department sent someone to report. They chased south for more than fifty miles, but did not catch Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou. Now they are escorting the prisoners back."

Li Hong nodded and asked Sang Yang, "Sir Sang, according to the direction of the enemy's escape, will they pass by Duyang?"

Sang Yang shook his head and said, "They bypassed Duyang and crossed Qishan. Although they walked a little more, they could also return to Liangzhou. But now they fled in panic and had no food. If they were hungry, they might also kill back to Duyang."

Zuo Yan smiled and said, "A few days ago, when they evacuated from Duyang City, they had already looted Duyang. Now, can they find food when they are killed back?"

Sang Yang smiled slightly and said, "This place is located at the junction of Youfufeng County and Anding County, Liangzhou. It is a small county town of Duyang in a radius of hundreds of miles. If you want to find food, you have to go there to find a way."

At this time, Zhao Yun hurried over and shouted: "Sir, good news, good news, Beigong Boyu was caught."

Li Hong was overjoyed and stood up and asked, "How did you catch it?"

Zhao Yun smiled and said, "The Duwei sent someone to send news that it was discovered by several Qiang and Hu soldiers while cleaning the battlefield. Beigong Boyu was seriously injured and was lying on the battlefield and was unconscious."

Sang Yang clapped his hands happily and cheered loudly.

"How are our losses? Did Lord Xianyu count it?" Li Hong asked hurriedly.

"Yes, sir." Zhao Yun's face turned dark and he whispered: "The cavalry lost more than 1,400 people, the infantry lost more than 12,300 people, and more than 5,400 people were slightly injured. Now only about 30,000 people can continue to fight."

Li Hongru was hit hard and his face changed drastically. He stared at the river in a daze, feeling sad for a moment that he couldn't speak.

He felt very uncomfortable. He said he wanted to take them back and take them back to Jizhou, but in the first battle more than 10,000 people were buried in foreign lands, which he felt unacceptable. Although he knew that there were sacrifices in the war, he just couldn't accept it and became increasingly unacceptable. In the past, few soldiers were led, but after one battle, he could only kill thousands of people at most. But now he brought 50,000 soldiers, and more than 10,000 people died in one battle. He felt like he had cut his own flesh and the pain was unbearable.

Li Hong sat on the grass in dismay, looking blankly at the blue sky, speechless for a long time.

Sang Yang and Zuo Yan looked at Li Hong in surprise when they saw Li Hong's sad look. They both felt that Li Hong's relationship was too young. But thinking that he was young and had not been in the army for a long time, it was normal that he could not accept such a large number of casualties as the army. Everyone has a growth process, and veterans also came step by step from new recruits. Even if Li Hong became the chief general, he needed a process of adapting to the increasingly heavier blood on the battlefield. No one is born to be ruthless. No one is born to be ruthless. No one will cry because of the touch and pain.

After a while, Li Hong gradually recovered from his great sorrow.

He looked at Zhao Yun who was squatting beside him and asked in a low voice: "Where is the enemy? How many enemies have escaped?"

"The rebels were killed more than 27,000 people, injured more than 4,700 people, captured more than 15,400 people, and we probably escaped the rest, about 5,000 people." Zhao Yun said disappointedly, "There are Marquis Li Wenhou. Many captured enemy soldiers said that they saw Marquis Li Wenhou fleeing south."

Li Hong shook his head and said dissatisfiedly: "We were raiding at night, and more than 13,000 soldiers were killed..."

"Our losses are mainly infantry." Sang Yang sat next to him and comforted him quietly, "It is already amazing that Li Zhonglang can fight with the enemy's cavalry with a dense infantry phalanx. In the past ten years, on the battlefield of Xiliang, he has been able to wipe out more than 40,000 enemies at one time, which is the Linghe Battle commanded by Li Zhonglang."

Zuo Yan sighed softly and said nothing. He witnessed the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of thousands in the Yellow Turban Army. He was already numb to the blood and cruelty on the battlefield. On the battlefield, human life is like an ant. What can a little bit of pity and grief change?

"Although these Qiang people have not received any formal training, they are naturally violent and aggressive, and their combat capabilities are quite strong. We were able to achieve such results because of sneak attacks, which caught them off guard. If we fought face to face with them during the day, 50,000 to 50,000, there was no chance of winning at all." Sang Yang continued, "Although our losses were a little bigger, we wiped out more than 40,000 rebels in Xiliang, captured Beigong Boyu, and completed the plan of the Taiwei Lord. The entire battle situation in Xiliang is about to undergo earth-shaking changes due to the destruction of Beigong Boyu, and the days of the rebels' defeat are just around the corner."

Li Hong forced a smile and said, "Mr. Changshi has this confidence?"

Sang Yang was very excited, and he smiled and said, "With a brave and warlike army as Li Zhonglang and Fengyun Iron Cavalry, how can the Xiliang rebels be the opponent?"

Li Hong pointed to the battlefield in the distance and said, "If the rebels in Xiliang are so difficult to fight, no matter how many troops I have, I will not be able to withstand such losses. If we continue to fight like this, our troops in Youzhou, Jizhou will be finished immediately. After the troops are finished, how can we talk about pacifying Xiliang? The lord looks up to us."

Then Li Hong turned to Zhao Yun and said, "Zilong, inform the Evergrande and assemble the cavalry immediately. Send someone to tell Lord Xian Yufu and ask him to order Lord Yan to assemble the troops immediately. At the same time, order Lord Hengda, Lord Yan, Lord Gao and Lord Fang to come to the Central Army camp immediately."

＝＝＝

Hengji was the first to arrive in Li Hong's tent.

Li Hong pointed to Duyang City on the map and said to Hengji: "You can arrive in Duyang immediately."

"I'm not sure if Li Wenhou brought the defeated army to Duyang City again, but we know that the rebels had no food and had no food at all. It was difficult for them to maintain except killing war horses. So each of you brought two war horses, set off immediately, chased after them, marched for more than 200 miles at the fastest speed to reach Duyang."

"The enemy is anxious because you are chased by you, hungry and tired. In desperation, you may enter Duyang City again and temporarily avoid your pursuit. If they enter the city, you will surround the city and wait for the main force to arrive."

Heng Ji looked at the map carefully and asked, "Sir, are you sure they are escaping towards Duyang?"

Li Hong pointed to Sang Yang and smiled and said, "The Chief of the Taiwei Mansion is very familiar with the terrain. Lord Sang is very sure that if the rebels flee south, they can only pass through Duyang, cross Qishan to reach the vicinity of the Weishui River, and then flee west to Liangzhou. Duyang is a must-pass place for the rebels."

"Sir, what if the enemy does not enter the city and flee directly to Qishan?" Hengji continued.

"You give up." Li Hong said, "Give up. The army will return to Fufeng County tomorrow. You are waiting for us to go back together in Duyang."

Sang Yang asked in surprise: "Li Zhonglang, why withdraw it? If you destroy Beigong Boyu, Anding County will have no enemies. You can recover several counties in Anding County very smoothly, and the soldiers can also make military achievements. Why don't you do such a good thing? Do you want to give up all the military achievements of regaining Anding County to others?"

Li Hong smiled bitterly and said, "In the battle of Linghe, we suffered huge losses. Now, 50,000 people were killed and injured, and only 30,000 people were able to fight. Everyone was exhausted and needed rest urgently. In addition, the food we brought was not enough, so we only brought 15 days of food and grass. If I don't withdraw, who will give us food and drink?"

Li Hong glanced at Sang Yang and said, "Mr. Sang County is vast and sparsely populated. It is just a small county with a population of tens of thousands. An army of three thousand can be stationed in Anding, and it can solve all the problems. When we enter tens of thousands of people, the problem of food and grass is too difficult to solve, so there is really no need to cause this problem. We appreciate the kindness of the Lord."

Sang Yang shook his head, smiled in disbelief, and said, "Li Zhonglang is so generous."

Li Hong smiled indifferently and said, "I don't know if you are willing to walk with Evergrande? They are not familiar with the terrain and Duyang, so I don't know if you can..."

"Yes, yes." Sang Yang said, "I will accompany the people of Hengda in person. If I can catch Li Wenhou in Duyang, the credit will be much greater than the recovery of Anding County."

Everyone in the tent laughed.

Li Hong, Zuo Yan and others sent the mulberry sheep out of the tent.

Zuo Yan looked at Sang Yang's back and asked with a smile: "Sir, please send Lord Sang away at this time..."

"Beigong Boyu was in Anping with a 50,000 troops in Anping. The two counties in the north must have a lot of money in hand. Otherwise, how could he maintain the expenditure of the troops? I want to keep the money and reward the soldiers. If the Taiwei asked in the future, I would just turn it over. Anyway, Lord Sang is not here, and they have no evidence, so what can he do to me?"

Zuo Yan smiled and said, "If Lord Sang stays here, he will definitely know?"

Li Hong glanced at him and smiled and said, "We are not familiar with him, so it's better to avoid getting into trouble."

Yan Liang, Gao Lan and Fang Biao came over on horseback.

Li Hong went up to him in the distance and saw that Gao Lan had bandaged several parts of his body. He asked with heartache: "Are you seriously injured?"

Gao Lan nodded with a grin and said, "I have been resting for several months and was injured in the first battle. I am too lucky. How about the adult's injury?"

Li Hong patted his legs and said helplessly: "It hurts very much."

Yan Liang smiled and said, "Next time we will propose to the assassination of the treacherous Lord Wei that one should add one to the military discipline, and the leader must stay away from the battlefield command, otherwise his salary will be deducted for one year."

Li Hong waved his hand and smiled, "What's the benefit of this to you? Aren't you the leader now?"

Fang Biao smiled and said, "Master Yan probably felt refreshed and forgot."

Yan Liang said: "How can I, the chief general, compete with the adults, who are the commander of the army..."

"Okay, okay..." Li Hong said, "Stop talking nonsense. You set off immediately and arrive at Duyang." He then said his thoughts, and then said, "If Li Wenhou occupied Duyang and was surrounded by Hengji, he would definitely break through. So you should be faster and arrive at Duyang as soon as possible to support."

The three of them said goodbye in a hurry.

＝＝＝

Li Wenhou led the troops to run for seventy or eighty miles in one breath before stopping.

The soldiers fought with the Han army on the battlefield for midnight, and then were chased by the iron cavalry for a long time. They were tired and hungry, and almost lay on their horses.

Li Wenhou ordered the soldiers to kill horses and fill their hunger. There was no food, so they could only kill the horses and eat them, and then fill their stomachs first. The scattered soldiers who fled along the way gathered under his battle flag. It took not long, and there were four or five thousand people.

Seeing Nie Xiao, Li Wenhou was so angry that he wanted to stomp him with one blow. But now Nie Xiao has more than 2,000 people in his hand, and he didn't dare to kill him casually, so he had to scold him. The two sat together in dejectedly discussing how to escape back to Liangzhou.

There is only one way now, which is to cross Qishan from Duyang to Weishui, and then cross Weishui to escape to Hanyang County. Cross Qishan is difficult to walk, and it takes a long time and there is no food, so the soldiers are very likely to scatter. Just when the two of them were frowning and wandering, Hengji led the Fengyun Iron Cavalry to chase him.

Li Wenhou and Nie Xiao hurriedly led the troops to continue to flee.

The next morning, the rebels fled to Duyang. The soldiers fled for more than 200 miles in a row, exhausted and were already very good to be able to continue riding on the horse. Many wounded people could not support them and simply gave up on the escape halfway, leaving life and death to the death. At this time, the rebels could not even enter Duyang City. If they fled, they would immediately have the fate of annihilation of the entire army.

Hengji then commanded his troops to surround Duyang City.

On the morning of the third day, Yan Liang and his infantry rushed to Duyang.

After a day off in Duyang, Li Wenhou and his soldiers were preparing to break through, but when they saw the Han army's infantry arrived, they couldn't help but think of the unbreakable square formation on the Linghe battlefield, and their hearts were extremely desperate.

On the fifth day, Li Hong led a large army to Duyang.

Sang Yang and Zuo Yan took Li Hong's report to Yong County immediately.

After the troops of the quelling rebels followed the rebels into Hanyang County, Liangzhou, the Grand Marshal Zhang Wen moved the camp to Yong County, where he commanded the entire Xiliang battlefield.

＝＝＝
To be continued...