Chapter 364: Huang Taiji, in a dilemma, chooses to take the initiative
"Khan, what's wrong with you?"
In the central army of the Later Jin Tartars, Oboi flashed to the side of Huang Taiji and asked the pale-faced Huang Taiji with great concern.
After his own Khan broke through to the sixth level, he had become the most powerful person among all the major human forces.
However, after Huang Taiji, riding on the clan's spiritual bird, the Saker Falcon, left the army for a quarter of an hour and returned, not only was the level 5 Saker Falcon missing, but he himself seemed to be seriously injured.
This unexpected situation left Oboi completely confused.
Huang Taiji is the first level six master to appear among the major human forces in the past thousand years!
He left the army for a while with a sky overlord, Saker Falcon, and returned after that, but he looked so embarrassed.
Logically speaking, this situation should not happen.
"Hey!"
Hearing the question from his trusted general Aobai, Huang Taiji's face turned green and red for a while, and then he said, "I accidentally discovered that Li Dingguo was nearby, so I took the divine bird with me and wanted to decapitate him."
"But I didn't expect that Li Dingguo had already broken through to the sixth level, and his trump card was very strong, which restrained me firmly."
"I was defeated in the battle with Li Dingguo, and even our clan's sacred bird, the Saker Falcon, was captured by the early level six golden eagle."
The innate divine artifacts were of too great a significance, so Huang Taiji was not prepared to tell anyone that Li Dingguo possessed two top-level innate divine artifacts.
Today, the Houjin clan has the black dragon clan's spiritual beast, and its foundation is stronger than ever before.
Although he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Li Dingguo this time, Huang Taiji was confident enough that he would bring nine level six dragons next time to kill Li Dingguo in one fell swoop and take all his fortune for himself.
It seems that the Fuxing Army now only has two level six junior masters, Li Dingguo and the big golden eagle. It is impossible for them to defeat the nine level six black dragons that can fly in the sky and hide on the ground and are omnipotent.
If Li Dingguo could be successfully killed, the gains would be much greater than defeating the Ming Dynasty and establishing the rule over the nine provinces of China.
In the ancient mythological period, rare treasures such as innate divine artifacts were peerless treasures that top powerful masters could only encounter but could not obtain.
There have always been myths and legends passed down about how an entire clan was massacred for the sake of an innate divine artifact.
Even those incredibly powerful masters are vying for innate divine weapons, let alone Huang Taiji, a mere Qi Refining Realm master?
To be honest, compared with the value of an innate divine artifact, a mortal dynasty is nothing and cannot be compared at all.
Huang Taiji was not going to tell anyone the news that Li Dingguo possessed two top-level innate artifacts.
Having suffered a great loss at the hands of Li Dingguo this time, he vowed to take revenge quickly and complete his plan of killing Li Dingguo and seizing his treasure.
"Aobai, the soldiers have already evacuated thirty miles, far away from the artillery attack range of the Fuxing Army's treasure ships. Have they formed a battle formation?"
Huang Taiji asked Oboi.
Our large fleet was completely destroyed and all logistical supplies were lost.
The most urgent task is to launch a counterattack against the Fusion Army, or at least capture one of the enemy's towns to solve the problem of food for the soldiers first.
As for whether or not to return to the outside of the Great Wall immediately, bypass the territory of the Fuxing Army, and plunder the territory of the Ming Dynasty?
Doing so may resolve the current difficulties faced by the Later Jin soldiers, but it will undoubtedly make Huang Taiji and the Later Jin soldiers lose face.
Neither Huang Taiji nor the 800,000 elite soldiers could accept this result.
They would rather die in battle than accept such advice.
If Huang Taiji made this choice now, the huge prestige he had accumulated with great difficulty would suffer a devastating blow.
The Later Jin soldiers, who originally had high morale, would inevitably become completely disappointed with Huang Taiji, leading to serious internal strife within the Later Jin clan.
Now we still have nearly 800,000 warriors and soldiers, all of whom are elite soldiers who have been on the battlefield for a long time. We are not afraid of the Fusion Army in a head-on battle.
"Sweat!"
Before Aobai could answer, Turge came over and reported with a horrified look on his face, "The four spiritual birds that we brought with us, the Saker Falcons, are all gone!"
"Some soldiers saw from afar a large golden eagle in the sky. It appeared for a while and then left. At the same time, our spiritual birds, the Saker Falcons, also disappeared."
"Great Khan, without those four Saker Falcons, helping us observe the enemy situation near our army from high in the sky, it will be very disadvantageous to us!"
Turgut was one of the most outstanding geniuses of the Later Jin clan.
Before the army set out on this expedition, he broke through his mid-level fifth-level bottleneck and became one of the dozen or so great masters of the fifth-level late stage of martial arts in the Later Jin clan.
He had outstanding leadership skills and, like Oboi, was one of the military generals most valued by Huang Taiji.
Now Turge's face no longer had the calm and composed look it had before, instead it was filled with panic.
It is conceivable how much impact the disappearance of the four Saker Falcons would have on the soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty.
Now we are in the midst of a great war between the enemy and us. Whether or not we have a level 5 spirit bird responsible for patrolling the border is crucial to the subsequent battle situation.
The enemy has nearly ten level five spirit birds, but our side does not even have one, which will put the Later Jin soldiers in an absolutely passive position, with very serious consequences.
The destruction of their large fleet was not a fatal blow to the 800,000 elite soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty.
After all, we have so many elite soldiers here, even if the enemy wins first, it will not be a disaster.
The 800,000 soldiers of the Later Jin clan are now in the territory of the Ming Dynasty. If they need anything, they can just rob it.
In the prosperous Ming Dynasty, soldiers could solve the problem of replenishing food and supplies by simply looting a county town.
Just like the time when the army entered the pass five years ago, the lightly armed Later Jin warriors, without any logistical supplies, crossed the border carelessly and rushed into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, easily looting huge amounts of money and supplies.
These supplies were not only enough for the daily consumption of the army, but also filled hundreds of thousands of large horse-drawn carriages, which were driven by the young and strong Han people who were captured, and then they marched out of the border and returned home in a swagger.
What made Turg anxious was not the food crisis he was facing, but the fact that his four clan guardian birds had disappeared when he was facing a powerful enemy. This was a very bad sign.
The enemy they faced this time, the Fuxing Army, was much more difficult and powerful than all the opponents the Later Jin soldiers had encountered before.
After the first encounter between the two sides today, the Western Army of the Later Jin suffered heavy losses.
Not only were all their food and logistical supplies gone, but even the Three Flags Firearms Battalion of the Han Army, which had been formed with great difficulty, was wiped out in one battle.
"what?"
"The other three Saker Falcons are missing too?"
"Has anyone seen the big golden eagle?"
With Huang Taiji's intelligence, he guessed the real situation after a little thought, and angrily cursed, "It must be Li Dingguo's doing!"
"I didn't expect him to be so fast!"
"After he won for a while, he took the opportunity to capture our three Saker Falcons!"
"Damn Li Dingguo! He is too ruthless!"
Less than an incense stick of time had passed since Huang Taiji escaped from Li Dingguo and returned to the army when the enemy seized the opportunity and captured and took away his remaining three Saker Falcons.
The loss of four Saker Falcons was more serious than the enemy's annihilation of an army of 100,000, causing the 800,000-strong army of the Later Jin Tartars to lose their sharpest eyes and ears.
The following battle with the Renaissance Army would undoubtedly become very passive, as they would have to worry at every moment about being ambushed by the Renaissance Army or even running headfirst into an encirclement set by the enemy.
Even if Huang Taiji immediately ordered a withdrawal or a detour away from the territory of the Fuxing Army, it would still be full of dangers.
In this vast world, there are mountains, rivers, and so many large ones that they can be seen almost everywhere.
As long as the Fusion Army fighting at home is not stupid, they will definitely set up various traps wherever the enemy's 800,000 troops pass, waiting for the enemy to fall into the trap.
If they are not careful, the Later Jin soldiers will fall into an extremely unfavorable and dangerous situation.
"Khan, what should we do now?"
Turge was more anxious than ever before, and hurriedly asked Huang Taiji, "Our 800,000 soldiers have already formed a military killing formation according to the original organization of each flag."
"Should we launch a counterattack against the large fleet of the Fuxing Army on the river in the distance and destroy some of their treasure ships first?"
"With the combat effectiveness of our army forming a military killing array, the enemy's large fleets may not be our opponents."
"If we're a little luckier, it's not impossible to completely annihilate them here."
Although the large fleet of the Fuxing Army had many spirit bird cannons and spirit crossbow carts, it could not pose a fatal threat to the military killing array formed by tens of thousands of troops led by their own level 5 masters. Turge's suggestion was very much in line with Huang Taiji's wishes.
He originally thought so too.
In order not to affect his own prestige and the morale of his soldiers, the only option was to win back the game as soon as possible.
At the same time, it can also solve the imminent problem of food supply.
Warriors can go without food or water for several days, but it will affect their physical and mental state, making them lose the ability to fight at high intensity.
Once his own soldiers were exhausted, Li Dingguo led the Fuxing Army to launch a general attack, and the result was self-evident.
It is basically impossible for such a large number of Later Jin soldiers to rely on hunting to solve the problem of food and drink for the soldiers.
The Fuxing Army is lurking around you and may launch an attack at any time. How can they watch you hunt leisurely?
If the 800,000 Later Jin soldiers dare to do this, they will inevitably encounter various ambushes and attacks, and you will not be able to rest for a moment.
Whether Huang Taiji chose to gather the army together to hunt or divide the troops, he would be caught in a dilemma, and the enemy would seize the opportunity to launch various raids.
"Whoosh!"
Before Huang Taiji opened his mouth to agree to Turg's suggestion, he saw Gushan Ezhen Sunahai of the Bordered Yellow Banner leaping and flying towards him from a distance.
"Sweat!"
"All the treasure ships of the Restoration Army gathered together and quickly left towards the depths of the river."
"They must have seen our army forming a killing array of 10,000 people, and they knew they were no match for us, so they evacuated the battlefield here in advance."
"Humph! This is a good thing for them. They ran fast, otherwise I would have to teach them a lesson!"
Sunahai had not yet realized the brilliance of the enemy's move, and was excitedly reporting military intelligence to Huang Taiji.
"Damn it!"
"This Li Dingguo really doesn't give us any chance at all!"
When Huang Taiji heard this, his face changed and he felt so depressed that he couldn't help but curse.
As long as he was not stupid, he could guess that this section of the Yellow River, which was thousands of miles long, must have been completely blocked by the large number of treasure ships of the Fuxing Army.
Once the enemy seizes the opportunity, they may launch a full-scale attack at any time.
"Great Khan, what should we do now?"
Turge did not expect that his proposal had not yet been implemented, but the target had already left, and he asked Huang Taiji very unwillingly.
"Let's march straight to the Gray Valley Fort!"
"I just don't believe that Li Dingguo would dare to flee without a fight and allow our army to march straight into their jurisdiction!"
Huang Taiji thought about it for a moment and made a decision.
Since the other party doesn't want to start a head-on battle with us for the time being, force them to start a war!
This time, he personally led 800,000 elite cavalrymen, whose ability in frontal combat was far superior to that of the Fusion Army.
Even if Li Dingguo personally led his troops to fight, he would definitely not be able to defeat his own side.
This is what the magical book Romance of the Three Kingdoms says: use force to suppress the enemy and crush the enemy with an upright army.
In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy or trick is useless.
"Yes!"……
All the Later Jin soldiers present at the scene took the order in awe, then left one by one, returned to the locations of the soldiers of each flag, and began to issue orders.
About a quarter of an hour later, a cavalry brigade of 10,000 people composed of Tartar soldiers, led by a Qi Refining Realm general, formed a military formation and galloped along the Yellow River towards the Huigou Fortress a thousand miles away in the west.
After his own large fleet was completely destroyed, Fan Yubin, who had been silent all this time, had already reunited with Fan Wencheng who came with the army, and personally led the way for the 800,000 Later Jin Tatars.
"Fan Wencheng, in your opinion, can the Great Khan's Western Army defeat Li Dingguo and his Fuxing Army and kill Li Dingguo as he wishes?"
He was originally full of confidence, but ever since the large fleet he led was annihilated, he has been feeling a little nervous.
In order to wait for that one day, Fan Yubin endured two years of misery and suffered from the torment of hatred.
Who would have thought that this battle, which seemed to be a sure win, would suffer a disastrous defeat just after the start of contact with the Restoration Army.
This was a severe blow to Fan Yubin's confidence, and he was extremely confused: Even the million-strong army led by Huang Taiji himself could not defeat that damn Li Dingguo?
"Master, don't worry."
"Although Li Dingguo won a battle earlier, his overall strength is still not as good as ours."
Having served under Huang Taiji for so many years, Fan Wencheng was very clear about how terrifying the combat effectiveness of the main force of the Later Jin clan was.
Even though their logistics battalion and the Han Army's Three Flags Firearms Battalion had been destroyed by Li Dingguo's naval officers and soldiers, the combat effectiveness of the remaining 800,000 Later Jin soldiers was still far greater than that of this Restoration Army.
Huang Taiji's previous words revealed that Li Dingguo had broken through to the sixth level of cultivation, and after defeating Huang Taiji, who was also a sixth-level strongman, Fan Wencheng's heart was still full of confidence.
"What kind of amazing adventure did that damn Li Dingguo have?"
Fan Wencheng said jealously, "A mere 14-year-old boy not only created such a huge top-level force, but his own cultivation also broke through to the sixth level in such a short period of time."
"His situation is totally out of character. He must be hiding a huge secret!"
Fan Wencheng had been working hard for Huang Taiji in recent years and was highly valued by Huang Taiji, who often gave him various natural treasures to provide for his cultivation.
Fan Wencheng is also a rare genius in the Fan family. Now he has broken through to the initial level of level five and has very good combat capability.
"secret?"
Fan Yubin and Fan Wencheng, each riding a top-grade dragon-scale horse, led the way in front of the Houjin soldiers. Hearing this, they sneered and said, "Don't think about it. Li Dingguo must be carrying a shocking secret."
Fan Yubin, who possessed an innate divine weapon, could of course guess the general situation of Li Dingguo. "Unfortunately, the two of us are not strong enough, and the Fan family is now seriously damaged. We cannot kill Li Dingguo personally."
"Once we can seize Li Dingguo's wealth, it will be enough to make up for the huge loss of our Fan family."
He knew clearly that the Fan family's mortal enemy had an extremely powerful innate weapon, but he could only watch and could not do anything to the other party. Not only was Fan Yubin very depressed, but even Fan Wencheng was the same.
Li Dingguo's dominance was already established and it was difficult to deal with him, let alone kill him personally.
Fan Yubin came to serve in Huang Taiji's army in person this time, perhaps with the intention of taking advantage of a bargain.
He himself is a man of great luck. If his luck turns out well, after Huang Taiji leads his army to kill Li Dingguo, he might be lucky enough to pick up a treasure.
Even if it is an acquired artifact, it is still far more valuable than the entire Fan family's assets combined. Moreover, the innate artifact on Li Dingguo's body must be a very powerful innate artifact.
"Hey!"
"never mind."
Fan Yubin was so depressed that he couldn't help but sigh and said to Fan Wencheng beside him, "I hope we can successfully capture the Huigou Fortress next, let the Khan win the game, and then take advantage of the situation to chase and get rid of Li Dingguo and the Fuxing Army."
“The situation is a bit strange right now.”
He told Fan Wencheng about his discovery, "We have traveled at least 500 miles along the way, and there are many excellent terrains suitable for ambushes, but we didn't find any soldiers of the Renaissance Army to intercept and stop us."
"Does Li Dingguo have such confidence that he can lead his troops to defend the Huigou Fortress?"
"This is already the territory of the Restoration Army. It is impossible for them to let us march straight in. They must be thinking of fighting a decisive battle with our 800,000 elite troops at the border fortress of Huigou Fort."
"He thought that after destroying our 100,000 logistics battalion and 100,000 firearms battalion soldiers, defeating the Khan himself, and even capturing four Saker Falcons, he could win a head-on battle with us?"
This is something Fan Yubin couldn't understand.
The combat effectiveness of the Later Jin army led by Huang Taiji was so strong when they formed a battle formation that it was no exaggeration to say that they were invincible.
Even the nine level six black dragons that had recently formed an alliance with the Later Jin clan could not defeat the 800,000 Later Jin soldiers who had formed a large military killing formation in a head-on battle.
This Tatar army, composed entirely of cavalry, galloped at full speed, and the remaining 500 miles were crossed in less than two hours.
The huge Huigou Fortress ahead is already in sight, and a shocking battle is inevitably about to begin.
(End of this chapter)
