Helian Heng, who had been in despair, seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw.
"Quick! Combine forces with the reinforcements!"
The scouts sent by the allied forces of the Sun Moon Army and the Spring Returns Cult were also shocked to hear of Helian Heng's defeat and saw the army in disarray. They quickly hurried back to report.
Prince Jinpao and Zen Master Longyue, who were on their way, heard the news and were shocked and angered.
"Didn't Helian Heng deploy a hundred and ten thousand troops? How was he defeated?!" Prince Jinpao finally roared in anger.
"It is said that the Marquis of An State of Great Gan personally led the troops, appearing like divine soldiers from heaven, and Helian's army was routed by Liang Xiao in a single battle!"
The scout's explanation sent shivers down the spines of both commanders.
Xiao Feng, the young master in brocade robes behind them, almost fell off his horse!
"So Liang Xiao never went to Liaodong at all, but quietly came to Xichuan??"
Everyone finally understood why their spies could not get close to Liang Xiao and Lü Changhe's troops.
"So, he and Lü Changhe used the daily count of cooking stoves to deceive everyone?"
Zen Master Longyue's face was extremely grim.
He, who was full of stratagems, was actually deceived by such a simple trick!
"It can only be said that Liang Xiao has extremely strong control over his troops, able to enforce strict discipline, otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to conceal it from the outside world..." Prince Jinpao sighed for a moment, looked northeast, and said helplessly, "The only way now is to first support Helian Heng, at least so that he doesn't die at Liang Xiao's hands and his army is incorporated into the Great Gan Kingdom!"
"Your Highness! Our army has also been on forced march, and we haven't rested today..." a masked commander in brocade robes reminded him with a pained expression.
Prince Jinpao immediately lost his temper and whipped his horse, cursing, "This Helian Heng is truly useless, only capable of causing trouble!!"
Everyone also felt deep anger.
They all knew that Helian Heng was usually formidable, but his utter defeat at the hands of Liang Xiao had truly disappointed them.
And in order to claim merit, they had chosen to march at a forced pace every day to catch up with Helian Heng's army, exhausting themselves. Now, it was difficult for them to coordinate with Helian Heng's counterattack, and they could only try to save Helian Heng's remnants.
"Support Helian Heng immediately!"
Before the two commanders could give the order, the rear of Helian Heng's army, consisting of fleeing soldiers, appeared ahead, crashing into their own troops, causing a commotion and countless casualties from trampling.
The Spring Returns Cult and the Sun Moon Army, before they could even engage in battle, had already suffered dozens of deaths and over a hundred injuries and collisions from Helian Heng's fleeing remnants!
"Damn it!!" Even Zen Master Longyue could not help but curse loudly, "Restrain the fleeing soldiers ahead. Anyone who dares to charge into our army again will be executed on the spot!"
Zen Master Longyue's military order, after the Spring Returns Cult killed several hundred people, finally took effect.
Helian Heng's fleeing remnants finally calmed down and dared not run wild.
The Great Gan soldiers continued to pursue relentlessly. Nan Jiyun's tens of thousands of cavalry alone, pursuing and killing enemy soldiers who resisted stubbornly and refused to surrender along the way, had already beheaded over four thousand!
Those who surrendered in front and behind had already exceeded thirty thousand...
But these surrendered soldiers restricted Liang Xiao's troops from expanding their gains and slowed down the pace of the Great Gan soldiers surrounding and pursuing Helian Heng.
Coupled with the rugged terrain, which made travel difficult, and the fact that the Great Gan Town Guards and Qingtian Guards were also tired from running, Liang Xiao could only slow down his pursuit.
Nan Jiyun's troops reached the enemy's front and discovered the Sun Moon Army and the Spring Returns Cult, forcing them to retreat to their main camp and report the situation to Liang Xiao.
"The Spring Returns Cult and the Sun Moon Army have also shown themselves?" Liang Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and immediately ordered, "Rest in place, escort the prisoners back to the military camp first!"
It was absolutely impossible to retreat now. Once they retreated, it would be incredibly difficult to pursue Helian Heng again.
If Helian Heng's troops managed to escape back to Jiange, the difficulty of attacking Jiange would increase severalfold.
Jiange was a rare and perilous pass in the world, impregnable with only one defender.
The Great Gan Town Guards had finally proven themselves through their battle achievements, and everyone was satisfied, disarming and resting.
During normal marches, dedicated vehicles would accompany the soldiers to transport their armor, which they would put on when needed. Each piece of armor and weapon was affixed with a simple number corresponding to the soldier's identification.
It was unrealistic for the two great armies to wear infantry armor and plate armor, carry heavy shields and weapons, and march long distances.
"Marshal! We still feel unfulfilled..." the generals sighed one after another.
Liang Xiao also sighed, "There are still many people in Helian Heng's army who were forced to enlist. These people can be recruited and even persuaded to defect. We cannot simply kill them all and treat them as barbarians."
Everyone agreed, and then felt relieved, with no one objecting.
In this battle just now, if the opponent had been barbarians, even if they hadn't been completely annihilated, they would have suffered losses of at least eighty to a hundred thousand!
But in this battle, including the surrendered soldiers, Helian Heng only lost about fifty thousand, with at least sixty thousand troops remaining.
However, they were still happy in their hearts, as this at least showed that Liang Xiao was not a cruel and bloodthirsty commander, at least not towards the soldiers and civilians of Great Gan.
These surrendered soldiers, if handled properly, could either return to their ordinary lives or become members of the Great Gan army. Recruiting them was indeed the best strategy, and it could also appease the people of Xichuan, helping to induce Helian Heng's remnants to surrender and divide the enemy forces.
After Helian Heng joined forces with Prince Jinpao and Zen Master Longyue, he was still shaken and muttering, "How did Liang Xiao end up here? Liang Xiao is actually here..."
The two commanders gave Helian Heng a glare. Prince Jinpao sneered, "Lord Helian, aren't you too hasty? If you had waited for us to deploy our troops together, you wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat!"
Helian Heng shook his head repeatedly and said angrily, "On that kind of battlefield, Liang Xiao's troops couldn't be defeated by sheer numbers!"
Zen Master Longyue said in a deep voice, "But the defeat in the first battle is a fact, Lord Helian. What do you suggest we do next?"
Helian Heng sighed, "Naturally, we should retreat to Jiange..."
"We still have sixty thousand troops, and you have sixty thousand as well. Are we just going to retreat like this?" Prince Jinpao was so angry he almost flew off his horse to kick him.
It was precisely because Helian Heng was eager to capture Hanzhong that they feared Helian Heng would annex Hanzhong, become increasingly powerful, and eventually dominate alone. Thus, they had rushed to Hanzhong themselves.
In the end, they gained nothing, and their own troops suffered over a thousand casualties from Helian Heng's army crashing into them...
"We can't fight, we absolutely cannot fight!" Helian Heng just smiled bitterly and shook his head, his face filled with despair.
"What were Liang Xiao's casualties like?" Zen Master Longyue asked urgently.
"Perhaps only a few hundred or a thousand," Helian Heng gritted his teeth and said.
Zen Master Longyue and Prince Jinpao exchanged glances, and their anger subsided.
They knew very well that Helian Heng was by no means incompetent. Deploying a hundred and ten thousand troops and suffering such a severe defeat in a head-on confrontation showed that the armies were fundamentally incomparable, and their reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities were vastly different.
"My Lord! The enemy has not retreated, but is camped twenty li away!"
Just then, several messengers from afar hurried to report, startling the three commanders and their subordinate soldiers to rise to their feet.
"Liang Xiao is not planning to withdraw?"
Zen Master Longyue sighed, "Liang Xiao's army is exhausted, and our army is not much better. We cannot retreat rashly at this time. We should prepare for battle in place and guard against a surprise attack from Liang Xiao..."
The exhausted allied forces could no longer march today and could only camp and rest in place.
Liang Xiao did not rush to raid the camp, and at the same time, he was guarding against the enemy raiding his camp.
This was because the Great Gan soldiers had fought all day, and most of them had fought in armor. The heavy burden had taken a great toll, and they were also tired from the pursuit.
That night, both sides slept with their weapons at hand.
But for the rebel army, which had just suffered a crushing defeat, the long night was endless. With the Marquis of An State of Great Gan personally leading the army and casting a menacing gaze from twenty li away, the psychological torment on the soldiers was unprecedented.
More and more soldiers began to experience a drastic change in their mentality.
In the middle of the night, the military camps closest to the northeast erupted with sounds of shrill howling, followed by the entire Helian Heng camp echoing with various cries, roars, and bellows...
The riot seemed to be contagious, and eventually, even the soldiers of the Spring Returns Cult and the Sun Moon Army were affected, responding with various irrational and incoherent shrieks.
"What is all this noise?!" Helian Heng urgently exited his tent to inquire about the situation.
"My Lord! The entire camp has suddenly broken into a camp riot!!"