The soldiers, reminded by Liang Xiao, suddenly recalled that capturing the Zuo Xian King and You Xian King would fetch at least ten thousand gold!
The Da Qian cavalry, who had barely maintained some rationality, instantly went berserk, their steeds charging towards the enemy.
"Where are the Zuo Xian King and You Xian King of the barbarians??"
The roars from the Da Qian cavalry in the rear struck terror into the hearts of the two barbarian kings, who fled for their lives!
Both the Da Qian Iron Guard and the Qingtian Guard were equipped with hundreds of elite cavalry for pursuing enemy forces, their strength no less than that of the White Robe soldiers. Nan Jiyun and Nie Yuan also mounted their horses, leading these cavalry to rejoin the main army and chase down the barbarian iron cavalry.
Under the command of Yue Qingtian and other leaders, the Da Qian Iron Guard and the Qingtian Guard were so engaged in the fight that they were unaware that Nan Jiyun and Nie Yuan had already ridden off with the cavalry in pursuit.
Liang Xiao stood calmly on the high platform in the center of the war chariot, observing the battle ahead, nodding with satisfaction.
The casualties were within acceptable limits: three to five hundred archers had died from arrows, along with over two thousand Da Qian Iron Guards, Qingtian Guards, and other heavy armored shield soldiers.
The Da Qian cavalry had likely suffered around two thousand casualties as well.
The enemy had lost at least 120,000, and the Da Qian army was still relentlessly pursuing them!
Including the 50,000 beheaded earlier, such battle losses, after capturing cities and fortresses, were already comparable to the great victory in Yan Prefecture, thanks to continuous upgrades in military equipment.
At this time, Lü Yi was also on a war chariot in the southeast left army. Upon understanding the battle damage, he roared to the sky, "Pursue! Sir, slaughter the barbarian scoundrels fiercely, and there will be generous rewards!!"
Lü Yi's heart was a tempest of emotions.
In the past, he had fled north in disarray; now, he was like a tiger whose might encompassed thousands of miles. The difference was immeasurable!
"Drive the chariots, and break through Helan Mountain Pass!!"
The soldiers on the war chariots shouted with excitement and exultation!
"Our ambition is to feast on the flesh of the barbarians with hunger, and in jest, to drink the blood of the Xiongnu with thirst." They had finally achieved what generations had dreamed of – recapturing Helan Mountain and slaughtering the barbarians!
The Da Qian army advanced like a hot knife through butter, while the barbarian army was routed like a collapsing mountain, fleeing west in disarray, abandoning even their provisions.
Some even shed their armor and fled unencumbered, seeking only to escape this eternal nightmare of a battlefield.
The slower barbarian soldiers were all killed by Da Qian archers and melee troops, with only a few being captured alive.
"Vice Marshal, some granaries have been set ablaze by the enemy!!"
Upon receiving the news, Liang Xiao decisively ordered, "Infantry, put out the fires; cavalry, follow me in pursuit! Archers and spearmen, catch up from behind!"
The barbarians had stockpiled a year's worth of grain in the Helan Mountain area. A large portion of this should have been in the Helan Mountain stronghold, as transporting it from the Qilian Mountains would have required considerable manpower.
The Da Qian logistics troops and the divine arm crossbow units remained behind. After resupplying the longbowmen with arrows, the longbowmen and spearmen followed closely.
The Da Qian cavalry and war chariots swept through, with even Lü Yi personally leading the pursuit.
The war chariots of the two marshals led the chariot column, clearing obstacles and advancing with overwhelming momentum.
They moved as fast as lightning, truly breaking through Helan Mountain!
Because the barbarians had occupied this area for ten years, the roads between Helan Mountain and Qilian Mountain were quite flat, allowing the Da Qian cavalry to pursue with even greater fervor.
The barbarians, having lost their armor and helmets, could only shoot arrows back in their panic, but their aim was lost, rendering their attacks on the heavily armored Da Qian cavalry extremely limited.
Even though the Da Qian cavalry wore cotton armor and carried two days' worth of rations, their speed was still not inferior to the weary and demoralized barbarian cavalry, who were being relentlessly pursued.
"Marshal! The enemy seems to be retreating towards Qilian Mountain!"
Upon receiving the urgent report, Lü Yi declared, "Following the Vice Marshal's strategy, after recapturing Helan Mountain, we will seize Qilian Mountain and Yanzhi Mountain, occupy the Hexi Corridor, and eliminate any future trouble!!"
As the military order spread, the war chariot soldiers, who had begun to feel complacent, immediately perked up, their eyes gleaming!
Recapturing Helan Mountain was already a world-shattering achievement, and they would undoubtedly bring honor to their ancestors, enough to boast about for a lifetime!
If they could also capture these areas...
By holding these three mountains and fully controlling the Hexi Corridor and the fertile grasslands below, Da Qian would have more grazing land and could increase its horse breeding efforts, paving the way for more cavalry in the future!!
"Don't let the enemy escape!!" All the soldiers went wild, rallying their spirits to continue the pursuit.
Recapturing Helan Mountain was far from enough for them!
"I remember the Vice Marshal saying we would also water our horses in the vast sea and fulfill General Tian's vision!"
"Ah, right! General Tian didn't manifest his divine power this time. It seems General Tian knew that our army could easily capture Helan Mountain without him personally intervening!!"
Lü Yi listened to the discussions of the surrounding officers and soldiers, smiling broadly.
Liang Xiao's approach was correct, and his advice to Liang Xiao was also correct.
The soldiers could not be allowed to become overly reliant on General Tian. If they, along with soldiers from other regions, found that General Tian had not manifested his divine power for a long time, it would be a grave issue.
On the other side, Liang Xiao also overheard similar discussions among the soldiers. Far from feeling disappointed, he was quite pleased.
The soul of a nation's army could not rely solely on individual heroes while neglecting the role of the collective, nor could it place its hope in deities.
Man will conquer nature; this was the spiritual inheritance of this land and this people!
At this moment, the Da Qian soldiers regained their confidence, and the Da Qian military spirit would be immortal!
Nan Jiyun and Nie Yuan had been itching to fight. After rejoining the White Robe soldiers, they charged ahead, using shields to block the enemy's panicked arrows and thrusting their spears to claim enemy lives.
The fleeing barbarian generals, in their panic, were no match for the fierce duo and were all impaled and killed from their horses!
In contrast, the White Robe soldiers, having expended significant energy in their earlier fierce assault, slightly slowed their advance, but still did not forget to pursue.
The sixty thousand Da Qian cavalry, almost all wearing cotton armor, routed the barbarian iron cavalry, who dared not engage them.
A thousand armies retreated from the White Robes, but this time, the glory was not solely the White Robe soldiers' but that of the entire Da Qian cavalry displaying their might!
The barbarians were pursued by the Da Qian cavalry all the way to the northwestern region, where a tributary of the Tian River, their water source, was located. Ten thousand logistics soldiers were resting there.
"The Da Qian soldiers are coming! Flee!"
The barbarian cavalry only roared a warning to the logistics soldiers before abandoning them entirely and fleeing for their lives.
The ten thousand logistics soldiers had no idea what was happening before the Da Qian iron cavalry thundered down from behind, slaughtering them like a swarm of locusts.
The surviving hundred or so logistics soldiers became prisoners, guarded by a contingent of Da Qian cavalry left behind to rest.
The tributary of the Tian River, which had once flowed gently.
On this day, the Da Qian cavalry pursued the barbarians here. The barbarian iron cavalry left countless corpses behind, their blood even flowing from the ground into this tributary.
The Tian River ran red, its flow stopped!
The barbarians' courage had long since fled; they had no will to fight back.
The vanguard, fleeing the fastest, was constantly being cut down by the Da Qian iron cavalry, while the middle and rear guards suffered the same fate.
Liang Xiao and Lü Yi rode up from the rear, finally meeting, exchanging smiles of deep satisfaction, but still reminded the soldiers.
"Dispose of the bodies promptly and burn them all!"
Unattended bodies could easily lead to an epidemic.
Some war chariot soldiers, tired from blocking the barbarians earlier, remained behind to assist the garrison cavalry in guarding prisoners and clearing the battlefield, awaiting the arrival of the longbowmen and spearmen from the rear.
Up ahead, Generals Lü Changhe, Nan Jiyun, Nie Yuan, and Zhuo Ying valiantly led the charge. Every Da Qian soldier transformed into a ferocious tiger, madly pursuing the You Xian King and Zuo Xian King, capturing flags and slaying enemies along the way.
"Capture Qilian Mountain!!"