Chapter 326 A Sudden Reversal

With his spirit broken, General Ma Zhiyuan's defeat became a logical conclusion. The inner turmoil of these past few days had left him calculating the gains and losses, especially since he had essentially taken the fall for Zhu Song.

Therefore, he knew that even if he were captured, the Powerful Families would likely not mistreat his family. With this thought in mind, the plan he had initially made to commit suicide for his country in the event of defeat was never carried out.

At this moment, the Huai River was surging with turbulent waves. Looking at the rushing water and the few small fishing boats available, Zhu Song knew this was a dead end.

Even with just these few small fishing boats, the crowd began to fight violently. They vented all the energy they hadn't spent on the battlefield onto their companions, and for a time, the riverside was in chaos.

More than an hour later, the few small fishing boats, packed to the brim, left the shore, but these "lucky ones" soon became the unfortunate ones.

Amidst the surging waves, these small fishing boats were hardly reliable to begin with, and with the Huai River flooding, they all capsized and sank before they had even made it halfway.

Well, even the last bit of hope was gone.

With no way to heaven and no door to earth, Zhu Song, this scion of the Powerful Families, finally turned red-eyed. He climbed onto a mound and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Soldiers! Ahead is a dead end, and behind us are pursuing troops. We have nowhere left to run. What do we do? We have no choice but to fight to the death!"

His personal attendants quickly understood Zhu Song's meaning and immediately chimed in: "That's right! Only by defeating the pursuing troops will we have a path to survival; otherwise, we will either be killed or captured and turned into slaves."

"Yes! Kill them all! Only by killing them all will we have a way to live! Kill!"

The words were simple, but they struck straight to everyone's heart. Zhu Song quickly sensed the change as the previously low morale began to boil over.

No one wanted to die, and no one wanted to be a slave, wearing chains and shackles for the rest of their lives. Thinking of their parents, wives, and children back home, an unprecedented strength erupted from within these soldiers.

Gao Hu had originally thought this journey would just be about killing deserters and capturing prisoners. No one expected to suddenly encounter an attack, and such a powerful one at that.

It is frightening enough when one person fights for their life, let alone when over thirty thousand people simultaneously erupt with a desperate desire to survive. That momentum could be described as overwhelming.

The Northern Liang Army had been exhausted from the long pursuit, and their formation had long since scattered. They simply could not withstand such a frenzied army.

The situation was completely reversed. The Northern Liang Army went from being the pursuers to being the routed ones, suppressed and beaten. This change left even the battle-hardened Gao Hu stunned.

Watching his soldiers abandoning their armor and weapons, fleeing as if their lives depended on it, Gao Hu, despite having the courage of ten thousand men, could only sigh in helplessness. He gritted his teeth and ordered: "Retreat! Order the entire army to retreat! Fall back thirty miles to regroup the formation."

The combat power that erupted in such a desperate situation did not have much staying power; once it slackened, it could never be raised again.

However, just at this moment, an army suddenly charged out from the flank. Zhu Song looked up and saw that the banner was none other than that of Jiang Huaizhen.

It turned out that Jiang Huaizhen had been extremely anxious about the war situation in Huaibei, so he had requisitioned all the large boats and boatmen near the Huai River to forcefully cross the river against the turbulent current.

Over the course of a few days, he had managed to ferry over five thousand troops. They were all hand-picked by Jiang Huaizhen and were all strong and robust, making them quite an elite force.

As the saying goes, it is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. He had arrived at the perfect moment, striking Gao Hu a heavy blow at the crucial time, which completely ruined Gao Hu's plan to retreat and regroup.

This counter-offensive lasted for a day and a night before both sides ceased hostilities. The Northern Liang Army suffered heavy losses and had to retreat more than fifty miles before they could stabilize their position.

Upon returning to the main camp and taking stock, Gao Hu nearly coughed up blood. Over ten thousand soldiers had been killed or wounded, and the losses of weaponry and supplies were countless. Most importantly, the Qian Army had gained significant momentum.

What made Gao Hu even more desperate was that as the weather cleared, the floodwaters of the Huai River gradually subsided, and the reinforcements, grain, and supplies stranded on the south bank began to cross the river and head north in a continuous stream.

With over fifty thousand troops back in hand, and under the command of the famous general Jiang Huaizhen, the Qian Army regained its footing and began to advance slowly.

Meanwhile, Meng Zhenshan, who was trapped in Pengcheng, had originally been thinking of a desperate breakout, but after receiving a joint letter from Zhu Song and Jiang Huaizhen, he immediately retreated into the shell of Pengcheng, becoming like a stone in a latrine—both smelly and hard.

Now Gao Hu had fallen into a disadvantageous position. The Northern Liang Army, which had nearly one hundred thousand troops, now had only about seventy thousand left, and fewer than three thousand of their five thousand Cavalry remained.

The Qian Army also had seventy thousand men, and having captured a large amount of the Northern Liang Army's supplies and won a great victory, their morale could be said to be at its peak.

Just at this moment, a thunderous piece of news arrived, leaving Gao Hu stunned: Northern Yan had taken advantage of the situation to occupy Si State and Hai State and was now stirring, looking to ambush Xu Prefecture and cut off Gao Hu's retreat.

There was no point in fighting anymore; if they continued, they risked total annihilation. Gao Hu was decisive and immediately ordered the entire army to set out overnight—retreat!

Even in retreat, the Northern Liang Army withdrew in an orderly fashion. A cautious and famous general like Jiang Huaizhen would naturally not risk a pursuit, and so a grand and fierce battle came to such a sudden end.

Both Northern Liang and the Great Qian Imperial Court had paid a huge price for this war. Northern Liang had lost Zhao Prefecture, suffered over thirty thousand casualties, exhausted countless supplies, and only occupied most of Xu Prefecture.

As for the Great Qian Imperial Court, of the three prefectures of Huaibei, only Pengcheng remained as a stronghold. Their casualties were nearly fifty thousand, and other losses were so great that they would make anyone who heard of them sad and anyone who saw them weep.

Northern Yan, on the other hand, had quietly occupied three prefectures, becoming the sole winner of this great war.

However, was that really the case?

In places like Dengzhou, Cao Xing, taking advantage of the lack of hurricanes, led warships to sweep through these areas and captured two county cities.

Not only did he empty the local treasuries, but he also used coercion and inducements to relocate over twenty thousand commoners from the State of Lu.

For these commoners, they were landless tenant farmers in the State of Lu, but by following him, they would not only have land but also free draft oxen, houses, iron farm tools, and even a year's worth of rations and two pairs of chickens.

One cannot blame these people for being fickle; it was simply that Cao Xing offered too much. And so, while Lu Heng was enjoying the joy of victory, Gao Yuan had quietly made a small fortune.

In the Capital City, the rewards for this great war were soon issued.

General Ma Zhiyuan was not to blame for his defeat and capture. Through Zhu Song's persistent insistence, the Great Qian Imperial Court exchanged one thousand prisoners to get the general back, and he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery and appointed as the Military Governor of Raozhou.

Meng Zhenshan held onto Pengcheng, preserving the bridgehead for the Qian Army to return to Huaibei, and was enfeoffed as the Count of Shouzhang and appointed as the Military Governor of Shouzhou.

Jiang Huaizhen provided effective relief and was enfeoffed as the Count of Pengcheng and appointed as the Military Governor of Xu Prefecture, leading troops to garrison Pengcheng.

Zhu Song counterattacked the enemy in a desperate situation, turning a crushing defeat into a draw, and for his great contributions, he was enfeoffed as the County Duke of Xuancheng, appointed as the Military Governor of Xuanzhou and General of the Flying Cavalry, with overall command of all military affairs in the west and north.

Promotion and ennoblement—on paper, it should have been glorious, but Zhu Song, General Ma Zhiyuan, and the others could not bring themselves to be happy.

Because they knew very well that by losing the three prefectures of Huaibei, they had not only lost important sources of grain, provisions, and manpower, but more importantly, the depletion of national strength could no longer be remedied.

Now, with two powerful enemies in the north pressing aggressively and Gao Yuan eyeing them covetously from the south, it was hard to say how much longer this half of the Great Qian Imperial Court's empire could hold out.

Perhaps it could not even be called half an empire anymore!