OBS Chapter 2024 Accumulating Strength
Chapter 2024 Accumulating Strength
Tuowu Jin's eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. He brandished his scimitar and roared repeatedly, even personally cutting down two fleeing soldiers who tried to escape from him.
However, the defeat was swift and devastating!
Faced with an absolute disparity in strength and a sudden flanking attack, individual bravery and command appear so pale and powerless.
The White Horse Cavalry's charge showed no signs of slowing down. Instead, after disrupting the enemy's formation, they began to divide and encircle the enemy, expanding their gains.
The gleaming saber rose and fell, drawing streaks of blood.
"Chief! We can't hold on any longer! Retreat!"
A captain of the guards, covered in blood, rushed up to Tuojin and cried out.
"Our men have suffered too many casualties! If we don't leave now, we'll all be trapped here!"
Tuwu Jin looked around and saw his valiant Blood Wolf warriors, like lambs to the slaughter, utterly powerless against the white-armored Chu cavalry.
The infantry, who were originally responsible for attacking the city, were also affected by the sudden collapse of the flank, and their formation was thrown into chaos, causing them to retreat in disarray.
The entire siege operation has completely failed.
A chilling sense of despair, mixed with immense shame, instantly overwhelmed Tuwu Jin.
He never imagined that his confident army would suffer such a swift and devastating defeat!
From the appearance of the White Horse Cavalry to the collapse of his right flank and the fall of the entire army into chaos, the whole process took less than half an hour!
"what--!"
Tuwujin let out a painful roar like a wounded beast, filled with resentment and anger.
But he was, after all, a leader, and he knew that if he persisted, he would only bury the last elite of the Blood Wolf tribe here.
"Retreat! The entire army retreats! Return to camp!"
He practically gritted his teeth as he forced out the command that he found utterly humiliating.
As the retreat horns sounded mournfully, the remaining Scorpion Clan cavalry and siege infantry, like a receding tide, abandoned a large number of corpses and wounded, and fled in disarray toward the Tang army camp.
Zhao Yu led the White Horse Cavalry in pursuit for a while, killing many of the fleeing soldiers.
Only when they were close to the range of the Tang army's crossbows did they calmly withdraw their troops as ordered by Chu Ning, returning to the pass with the glory of victory and their spoils.
The wilderness was left with only a scene of devastation and an overwhelming stench of blood.
Tuwu Jin stood in the retreating ranks, glanced back at the white figures and the majestic Zhennan Pass, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Today's defeat was like a resounding slap in the face, and it also struck the hearts of the entire Tang-Scorpion coalition.
The setting sun, like blood, reflected the chaotic scene in front of the Tang army camp gate.
The routed soldiers, having lost their armor and weapons, returned one after another, dejected and crestfallen. Many of them bore wounds, their faces etched with shock and the shame of being defeated generals.
The air was thick with the low pressure of defeat, a stark contrast to the faint cheers of the Chu army echoing from the Zhennanguan fortress not far away.
Tuwu Jin stood beside his warhorse, but even that magnificent steed of the grasslands seemed somewhat listless at that moment.
Looking at the miserable scene before him and listening to the suppressed groans of the warriors in his tribe, he felt a burning pain on his face, more painful than if he had been whipped dozens of times.
His usually proud head was now so heavy that he could barely lift it.
His bold words at the start of the campaign still echoed in his ears, but reality dealt him such a cruel blow.
"leader……"
A guard cautiously approached and whispered, "General Li has sent word that he requests... requests that you come to the central command tent for a meeting."
Suddenly, Jin's body trembled slightly. He knew that what was coming would eventually come.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his surging blood and sense of humiliation, straightened his damaged armor, and waved to his guards:
"understood."
He walked with heavy steps toward the central command tent.
Along the way, he could feel the gazes cast by the Tang soldiers around him, gazes that contained sympathy, helplessness, and perhaps a hint of barely perceptible contempt.
This made him even more embarrassed.
As the tent flap was lifted, a warm feeling mixed with a solemn atmosphere rushed out.
The tent was brightly lit. Li Jing sat in the main seat, with Wang Zhongsi, Liu Hongji, and other Tang generals lined up on either side. All eyes were on Tuwu Jin, who had just entered the tent.
Tuwu Jin felt those gazes as if they were pricking him with needles. He walked to the center of the tent and, for the first time, lowered his proud head, a symbol of the dignity of a steppe warrior, when facing these Tang generals.
He clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and his voice was unusually hoarse and low due to shame and repression:
"General Li, fellow generals, today... today I was reckless and should not have insisted on ordering the attack on the city!"
"The loss of our troops and the dampening of our morale are entirely the fault of our Tuwujin! I request that Commander Li punish him according to military law!"
He remained bowed, awaiting the expected reprimand, or even harsher punishment.
After all, it was he who insisted on going into battle, yet he suffered such a crushing defeat, losing thousands of soldiers, most of whom were elite members of his Blood Wolf tribe.
However, the expected wrath of thunder did not come.
Li Jing, seated at the head of the table, calmly looked at Tu Wujin below, who was apologizing. His face showed little reproach; instead, he gently shook his head and spoke in a steady voice:
“Leader Tuwu Jin, there’s no need to blame yourself too much. Please rise.”
Tuwu Jin straightened up, somewhat taken aback.
Li Jing continued, "The leader has never faced the Chu army's White Horse Cavalry head-on before, so it is normal that he does not know how strong their armor is, how sharp their weapons are, or how fierce their charge is."
"It's inevitable to suffer some setbacks in the first encounter, General. I don't blame you."
These words were not mere empty politeness.
Li Jing knew that pursuing accountability at this moment would only exacerbate internal conflicts and further alienate the already defeated coalition forces.
The most important thing right now is to appease the weakened Scorpion Clan and maintain the stability of the alliance.
He then shifted his tone, giving the defeat a new meaning: "Moreover, although the leader's attack on the city today did not achieve complete success, it was not entirely useless."
"Your fierce offensive under the eastern city successfully attracted the attention of the main force of the Chu army, giving our army valuable time and space to quietly adjust the camp's defenses and redeploy troops right under their noses."
"From a strategic perspective, this move concealed our army's true intentions. The merits and demerits cancel each other out, and the leader need not hold a grudge."
Li Jing's gaze swept over the generals in the tent, his tone becoming firm and full of expectation: "Right now, temporary gains or losses are not important to the overall situation."
"Our army's most urgent task is to hold our positions firmly and accumulate strength."
"We only need to wait a few more days for General Gao Xianzhi's troops and the reinforcements led by General Guo Ziyi to arrive and join forces with our main force!"
"At that time, our army will be greatly replenished, and we will be able to engage in the final decisive battle with the Chu army!"