Chapter 219
After Ma Teng withdrew to the camp, he immediately called everyone together and began to count the remaining people. He looked at the soldiers in front of him with a heavy heart, his heart full of worry and uneasiness.
Pang De stood aside and reported to Ma Teng with a serious expression: "My lord, after statistics, we only have 12,000 people left. In today's battle, our army suffered heavy casualties, with a total of 8,000 soldiers killed or injured."
Hearing this number, Ma Teng's face became even gloomier, and a trace of grief and anger flashed in his eyes.
Ma Chao sat next to him with a pale face. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his expression full of unwillingness and anger.
Today's battle was a huge blow to him. He never thought that he would be knocked off his horse by the enemy. At this moment, he felt extremely humiliated and self-blame.
Ma Teng sighed deeply. He knew that the situation of this war had become very serious.
One battle almost made him lose half of his troops, and the next battle would be even more difficult.
At this time, military advisor Pang Rou stepped forward and whispered: "My lord, given the current situation, we might as well consider withdrawing. Continuing to waste time here will only consume food and grass in vain, which will not be of much benefit to us."
Pang Rou's suggestion resonated with others, and everyone agreed.
However, Ma Teng shook his head firmly, and said with a firm look: "No, we can't retreat. Even if we have to pay a price, we must fight to the death with Han Sui!" His voice was resolute and firm, which moved people.
Ma Teng knew that this war was not just a military conflict, but also about his honor and dignity, as well as his loyalty to the Han Dynasty.
He couldn't give up easily and had to stick to the end. Although they suffered heavy losses, he believed that as long as they persisted, they would be able to find a turning point.
So, Ma Teng decided to adjust his strategy, strengthen defense, and look for opportunities to counterattack. He firmly believed that as long as they united, they would be able to overcome difficulties and achieve the final victory.
Ma Chao also secretly made up his mind to regain his dignity and prove his strength in future battles.
Han Sui also suffered more than 8,000 casualties in this battle, and the casualties on both sides were almost the same.
Yan Xing said solemnly: "Father-in-law, although we won today's battle, the casualties on both sides are almost the same, so it is more like a draw."
Han Sui nodded slightly to show his agreement. He looked at Yan Xing and asked: "Then do you have any good ideas?"
Yan Xing thought for a moment and said: "This Ma Teng is worthy of being the descendant of General Fu Bo. If there is a second battle, I suggest that we directly send out the entire army to surround and kill them and destroy them in one battle!"
Yan Xing's proposal is very reasonable, and the eight generals under Han Sui echoed and agreed with this proposal.
After all, they did not participate in today's battle, so they are looking forward to participating in the next second battle.
Han Sui frowned and said hesitantly: "Isn't this too risky? What if we fail?"
Han Sui felt that the troops under Ma Teng's command were indeed powerful. Although they were a little short of people, if they broke out in a desperate situation, it would be a big trouble, and they might be able to turn defeat into victory.
After all, there have been many battles since ancient times where the few defeated the many and turned defeat into victory, so Han Sui had to be on guard.
Yan Xing answered firmly: "Father-in-law, we can't give Ma Teng another chance. His morale is high now. If we don't take decisive action, he may turn defeat into victory. Moreover, our military strength is obviously superior. As long as the tactics are appropriate, we will definitely win."
Han Sui pondered for a moment and finally decided to adopt Yan Xing's opinion.
He took a deep breath and said: "Okay, then act according to your plan. But we must ensure that it is foolproof and there can be no more mistakes."
Afterwards, Han Sui began to deploy specific combat plans and issued orders to his generals. Everyone knew the importance of this battle and said that they would go all out.
On the other side, Yue Fei had already led his army into Liangzhou. He knew the difficulty of this mission and had to win as soon as possible.
So, he decisively issued an order: let Yang Zaixing, Gao Chong, and Yue Yun each lead 10,000 Yue Family Army to attack the city in three directions.
And he himself led the remaining 30,000 Yue Family Army and 3,000 Beiwei Army and headed straight for Liangzhou City.
Although Yue Fei knew clearly that it was not easy to attack Liangzhou City with 30,000 troops, as long as he could hold on until Yang Zaixing, Gao Chong, Yue Yun and others returned from the siege and joined the main force, there was still hope of victory in this battle.
At this time, Xi Zhicai came quickly with an important intelligence in his hand: "Governor,We just received news that Ma Teng and Han Sui had experienced a fierce battle yesterday. Both sides suffered a large number of casualties, with each losing more than 8,000 people. "
After hearing this, Yue Fei was secretly delighted. This was undoubtedly a great opportunity.
He immediately said: "If we can join forces with Ma Teng to attack the city, the possibility of conquering Liangzhou City will be greatly increased!"
Xi Zhicai also nodded in agreement.
After a little thought, Yue Fei decided to send Zhang Jiefu to Ma Teng to discuss cooperation matters in person: "Jiefu, this task is handed over to you. You must convince Ma Teng to cooperate with us!"
Zhang Xian was his right-hand man, and Xi Zhicai was also an important official in the court. After weighing the pros and cons, Yue Fei could only arrange for his staff member Zhang Jiefu to take action.
It just so happened that Zhang Jiefu's eloquence was also very good, and he was also full of strategy, so it was most appropriate for him to do this.
"Yes, Governor! "After receiving the order, Zhang Jiefu led ten Beiwei soldiers on the journey without hesitation.
Xi Zhicai smiled and said: "Don't worry, Governor, there are also bad people in Ma Teng's army, and they will naturally protect his safety!"
Xi Zhicai could see that Yue Fei was still a little worried, so he had to tell this matter to comfort Yue Fei.
"That's great!" Yue Fei was no longer worried. With ten Beiwei soldiers and bad people, Zhang Jiefu's safety could be guaranteed.