FWF Chapter 2500 Abaoji's defeat and escape, Yelü Changwu's execution (Part 1)
Chapter 2500 Abaoji's defeat and escape, Yelü Changwu's execution (Part 1)
Chapter 2500 Abaoji's defeat and escape, Yelü Changwu's execution (Part 1)
"Your Majesty, the brothers can't hold on any longer!"
"Han Xin is about to attack, Your Majesty, please retreat immediately."
"If we don't leave now, it might be too late." Covered in blood, Yelü Laogu, the commander of the Pishi Army, disregarded the distinction between ruler and subject and strode into Yelü Abaoji's tent, shouting anxiously as he entered.
Yelü Abaoji's face was grim. The moment the Pishi army was defeated by the Black Cavalry, he knew that something was wrong. He had tried his best to mobilize troops to plug the gap, but Han Xin still managed to break through the main force of the central army.
However, if he retreats, the momentum of defeat will be unstoppable, and there will truly be no chance of winning this battle.
However, if he does not retreat, it will not be long before Han Xin rushes directly to his tent, at which point his life will be in direct danger.
For a moment, Yelü Abaoji was caught in a dilemma.
Rationally speaking, Yelü Abaoji knew that preserving his life was the best outcome at this time; if Han Xin were to charge over, the outcome would be no different.
But this battle concerns the life and death of the Dongyi. If he retreats, it means that the Dongyi's fate may become uncontrollable. How could Yelü Abaoji be willing to accept this?
The outcome of this battle will likely determine whether the Dongyi people can continue to exist.
If the Eastern Yi people come to an end under Yelü Abaoji's rule, Yelü Abaoji will be forever nailed to the pillar of historical shame.
"Your Majesty, hesitation will only lead to chaos!" the strategist Gu Yiduo reminded him from the side.
Just as Yelü Laogu said, the main force of the central army had begun to collapse, and Han Xin was about to charge in with his black cavalry. If he did not leave soon, Yelü Abaoji would really be in mortal danger.
If Yelü Abaoji dies in this battle, the outcome will be the worst possible result.
"Order all units to begin withdrawing from the battlefield and break out separately!"
"Generals Mingwei Mingshan, Xiao Tianzuo, Xiao Tianyou, Yelü Yuwen, and Pajid will lead the army to cover the rear!" Yelü Abaoji ordered through gritted teeth.
Even if he were to leave, he would still need to arrange matters in the army before leaving. Now, this battle seems to have spiraled out of control, and the only option left is to cut his losses as soon as possible.
However, with both sides locked in fierce combat, withdrawing from the battlefield was not so easy, and cutting off their tails to survive had almost become an inevitable choice.
When he gave the order, especially when he mentioned the last name, Yelü Abaoji felt his heart bleeding.
Sending Pakid to cover the rear was tantamount to throwing out the Azure Wolf Cavalry, one of the three wolf riders. This was absolutely a matter of fundamental damage to the Eastern Yi.
If the Canglang Guards perish here, even if the Dongyi people manage to survive this calamity, they may not be able to recover for the next few years.
The cost of building a heavy cavalry force is terrifying, especially after losing Beiping Road, a major source of iron ore. Once the Canglang Guard is lost, rebuilding it becomes even more difficult.
However, Yelü Abaoji had no choice but to make this decision. The Canglang Guard had been on the battlefield for some time now, and it was uncertain how much stamina the heavy cavalry would have left.
Once they were to withdraw from the battlefield, whether they could escape the pursuit of the Black Riders was a major problem. If they were to exhaust themselves during the retreat, they would face a massacre.
Rather than doing that, Yelü Abaoji would rather let them maintain their fighting strength while they still can, or rather, utilize the powerful strength of this heavy cavalry to delay as many Han troops as possible, so that more of his own troops can have the opportunity to withdraw from the battlefield.
In addition, during Yelü Abaoji's retreat, in order to ensure his safe withdrawal from the battlefield and return to the capital Shangjingfu, at the suggestion of Guyidocha, they had Yelü Nugua and others impersonate Yelü Abaoji and carry Yelü Abaoji's banner to confuse the Han army.
Yelü Abaoji's orders were quickly relayed to the ears of the various Dongyi generals who were fighting fiercely on the battlefield, thanks to the efforts of numerous messengers.
All the Dongyi generals' expressions changed, especially those who were specifically named to cover the retreat of the entire army. They certainly knew what this order meant. Covering the rear under the fierce pursuit of the Han army meant almost certain death.
However, having given the order, they had no choice but to shout and rally their remaining troops, attempting to build a few dikes to slow the tide of collapse.
Meanwhile, Han Xin, who had finally led the Black Cavalry to Yelü Abaoji's central command tent, found himself having come up empty-handed.
"General, I will lead the Black Cavalry to pursue Yelü Abaoji and make sure he doesn't escape." Taishi Ci, one of the two Black Cavalry commanders present, immediately asked for instructions.
"Yelü Abaoji is not important. General Taishi, you lead your troops to bypass the main enemy's rear guard and strike directly at their vanguard to slow their retreat."
"The remaining Black Riders, together with the main force of the central army, will do everything in their power to defeat the enemy covering their rear. We don't need to annihilate them all, but we do need to break through and scatter them!"
"Order the troops of Huli Guang and Gao Xianzhi on the left and right flanks to intensify their offensive and make sure to hold back the enemy forces on both flanks, preventing them from easily escaping to reinforce or retreating at their leisure," Han Xin quickly ordered after a brief assessment of the situation.
On this battlefield, their available troops are, after all, only half the number of their opponents'.
However, Yelü Abaoji's retreat route had several possibilities. If they pursued him relentlessly, not to mention whether they could catch up, just to chase him would inevitably consume a large amount of troops.
If this happens, it will directly affect their chances of winning this battle and prevent them from eliminating the Dongyi's fighting force as much as possible.
Faced with the choice between pursuing Yelü Abaoji alone and eliminating as much of the Eastern Yi's fighting force as possible, Han Xin decisively chose the latter.
This place has gathered almost all the troops that Yelü Abaoji can mobilize. If these troops can be captured, this battle can almost be brought to a close.
Without so many troops here, even if Yelü Abaoji escaped, he would only live a few more days.
After all, even if Yelü Abaoji escaped the battlefield, where could he go? Without these troops, he couldn't defend Shangjing Prefecture.
"Your subordinate obeys!" Taishi Ci, Fang Tianci, Huang Tianhua, and many other generals responded in unison.