"Our troops have arrived across from the Pujin Bridge and are waiting for us to take action."

"General Li, the rebels are fierce. Their reinforcements will surely arrive before dawn. You lead 10,000 soldiers to attack the Pujin Ferry from the south, and I will lead the remaining soldiers to attack the north and east, waiting for an opportunity to seize the Pujin Bridge."

After hearing the bugle call of the Yan army, Geshu Han issued a military order to General Li Chengguang.

He planned to divide his troops into two groups.

"As ordered!"

Li Chengguang accepted the order.

"During the defeat at Tongguan, tens of thousands of soldiers died in battle, tens of thousands fled, and we were unable to return home. Today is our chance to avenge our previous defeat. Tell the soldiers that every time they kill a rebel, they will be rewarded with a piece of silk, and will also be recognized by the King of Qin for promotion. I hope the soldiers will fight hard and quickly defeat the rebels at Pujin Ferry."

Geshu Han then spoke to all the generals under his command and carried out the final mobilization.

To defend Tongguan, we must defend Fenglingdu and Pujindu.

When Geshu Han was fighting the "Battle of Tongguan", he deployed heavy troops at these two ferry crossings, like fortresses.

Times are different now.

The Yan army failed to wipe out the remnants of the Tang army in Hedong, especially the failure to capture Puzhou City, which was very close to the Pujin Bridge, which meant they were doomed to be at risk of losing the Pujin Bridge.

"I'm willing to fight to the death!"

All the generals shouted in unison and clenched their teeth.

Under the command of Geshu Han, they quickly dispersed.

Although Geshu Han was old and sick and could not ride a horse and wield a spear as well as he did in his prime, his ability as a commander was still there.

He let his sons Geshu Huang and Geshu Yao lead a team each to attack the north and east respectively according to the plan.

He ordered his servant Zuo Che to lead 300 of the most elite armored infantrymen to find a gap and raid the Puzhen Bridge.

As long as the Pujin Bridge is occupied, reinforcements will continue to flow into Hedong.

"Kill..."

Along with the roaring Yellow River, shouts of killing rose into the night sky.

The Tang army had the advantage in numbers and attacked in the form of an encirclement to facilitate fighting among the various armies.

"The enemy is likely to cooperate with the outside forces and send 500 soldiers to guard the Pujin Bridge. The rest of the soldiers will fight around the Pujin Ferry, focusing on defense."

"I have already requested assistance from Tongguan. Pujindu is only fifty miles away from Tongguan. The reinforcements will surely arrive before dawn. My men, use the Tang dog's head to exchange for military merit and become the kings, princes, generals and ministers of Dayan, today!"

An Shenwei knew that Geshu Han would not use his defeated troops to attack the Puzhen Ferry for no reason.

There is no strategic location to defend here. Even if Puzhou Ferry is temporarily captured, it can be easily taken back when reinforcements from Fengling Ferry and Tongguan arrive.

The only explanation is that Geshu Han and the Tang army in Guanzhong joined forces to seize the Puzhou ferry.

Once the Tang army captured Puzhou Ferry and swept across Hedong, Fengling Ferry would also be lost, and Tongguan would have no flank.

As one of An Lushan's favorite adopted sons, An Shenwei was dedicated to helping his "father" to achieve great things and would never allow the Great Yan that he had worked so hard to establish to suffer any damage.

The Yan army formed four formations.

Except for the soldiers guarding the Pujin Bridge, the rest were deployed in the north, south and east, waiting for reinforcements.

The Yan army pointed their spears outward, equipped with powerful crossbows, bows and arrows.

Soon, the northernmost Tang army was only a hundred steps away from the Yan army, and the sound of armor colliding was heartbreaking.

The night is dark and windy.

Just as the Yan army was preparing to go all out to fight the Tang army, the other side of the Yellow River was like a sea of ​​fire that illuminated half the sky.

Looking closely, there are densely packed torches, like stars, stretching for dozens of miles.

The neighing of war horses also sounded at the same time.

These torches were like dragons, connecting the waves of the Yellow River, and were rapidly approaching the Pujin Bridge and Pujin Ferry.

The Yan army soldiers, who were already under a certain amount of pressure, were frightened when they saw the intertwined fire network.

"Don't panic, hold on to the Pujin Bridge. Even if the Tang army has 100,000 cavalrymen, they won't be able to pass through!"

Sensing the emotions of the soldiers, An Shenwei, who was commanding the front army, shouted.

Having said that, the Yan army was caught in a rush and was unable to deploy defenses in many places.

The Tang army mustered up their courage and charged towards the enemy from dozens of steps away.

The front row is heavily armored infantry, holding large shields and forming an attack formation.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

The Yan army loaded their crossbows with arrows and fired at the same time.

"Clang!"

The crossbow arrows were basically blocked by the shields in front of the Tang army.

Most of the Tang troops that charged into the battle line were border troops from Shuofang and Hedong. During the Battle of Tongguan, a part of the border troops went south in time to participate in the Battle of Tongguan.

The brave and battle-hardened border troops were defeated by the Yan army and were eager for revenge.

The arrival of General Tian Ce's army made them vow to show their bleedin' strength.

The Tang army approached quickly under the attack of arrows and crossbow bolts.

Seeing that they could not destroy the Tang army, the Yan army raised their large shields and spears to form an iron wall.

"kill!"

A Tang army soldier charged directly at the enemy formation with a spear in hand.

But his lance hit the opponent's iron armor, and he had to pull it back.

His body was also hit by the spears of the Yan army, and he had to take a step back.

They were all looking for each other's flaws, picking at the enemy's armor, trying to break a gap.

Veterans who have been through many battles attack the enemy's weak points, such as the face and neck.

For a while, the sound of metal and iron was heard everywhere.

When they collide, someone always falls to the ground covered in blood.

The Tang army won because of its unexpected attack, large numbers, and reinforcements from General Tian Ce.

Li Xuan, the General of Tiance, was also the commander-in-chief of the Hedong and Longyou armies. Everyone knew how brave and heroic the General was.

This is the source of the Tang army’s confidence.

Even though they were not at an advantage in the battle against the Yan army, they still continued to advance.

Death did not frighten the Tang army in the rear.

Under this momentum, the Yan army gradually revealed its flaws, many shield walls were knocked down, and the soldiers fell in a pool of blood.

In some places, the Tang army stepped on the corpses of the Yan army and moved forward more than ten steps. An Shenwei kept dispatching reserve troops to resist.

After two quarters of an hour of fighting, the Tang general Li Chengguang led 10,000 Tang troops to the south of the Yan army, near the Puzhou ferry.

Although the Tang army led by Li Chengguang consisted of only county soldiers and local militiamen, they did not have many sets of armor.

But Li Chengguang's main purpose was to contain the enemy and it was not necessary to break the Yan army's formation.

Now, as long as a gap is broken, the Yan army will be defeated.

"The soldiers in the north and west are the best, guard the north and west!"

After fighting for a while, An Shenwei saw from the information he received from the messenger that Geshu Yao in the north and Geshu Huang in the west were the elite.

Although the Yan army was quite powerful, it had no advantage against the Helong army, which was also a border army and had a larger number of troops.

In addition, the Yan army was afraid of the torches on the other side of the river, and they were already the guilty party. As a result, they soon fell into a disadvantage.

An Shenwei repeatedly deployed special forces but failed to stop the decline.

An Shenwei saw it and was worried.

Seeing that there are no more special forces to be deployed, we can’t transfer the soldiers guarding the Pujin Bridge, right?
What An Shenwei didn't see was that the Tang army came with hundreds of sheepskin rafts.

These sheepskin rafts were requisitioned from herdsmen on the west bank of the Yellow River.

"The battle is intense, prepare to cross the river!"

At the order given by Feng Changqing on the other side of the river, they were to cross the river.

There is no wind tonight, and the water at Puzhou Ferry is not fast, so we can cross it on sheepskin rafts.

Each sheepskin raft can carry five soldiers, including a helmsman, two crossbowmen, a shield soldier, and a spearman.

If there are enemies blocking your way on the shore, shoot them with the crossbow first. When you get close to the shore, the crossbowman and the helmsman will also join the battle with spears.

"Crash..."

One sheepskin raft after another was launched into the water, and the boatsmen rowed hard against the current towards the other side.

At the same time, dozens of crossbowmen, led by Lai Chen, stepped onto the iron bridge and stepped on the wooden boards on the iron locks.

Lai Chen was an expert in using the crossbow in the army, and he specialized in feinting attacks.

The entire Pujin Bridge is about 120 meters long.

The divine arm crossbow can penetrate iron armor from a distance of forty feet.

"Ready your crossbow!"

When the generals of the Yan army saw the Tang army going up the Pujin Bridge, they thought that the Tang army was going to attack the bridge by force, and their hearts tightened.

The crossbowmen raised their crossbows, stood at the bridgehead, and dealt a heavy blow to the Tang army in the first round.

They knew that the Tang army must be wearing iron armor, so they chose to shoot within twenty feet.

At this distance, a crossbow can penetrate armor.

But they didn't expect that the Tang army stopped forty steps away and stood in the middle of Pujin Bridge.

"shooting!"

At Lai Zhen's command, the powerful crossbows were fired like thunder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Above the surging river, crossbow arrows cut through the darkness and shot towards the bridgehead.

"Puff...Puff..."

Just as the Yan army's crossbowmen were wondering, crossbow arrows hit their armor and pierced into their flesh.

Their eyes widened, and the crossbows pierced their flesh, causing serious injuries if not death. Their shrill screams made the Yan army defenders at Pujin Bridge shudder.

"Not good, Tang Gou's crossbow can hit the target from a hundred steps away."

"Crossbowmen retreat quickly, shield spearmen take over."

The generals of the Yan army gave orders in panic.

It doesn’t make sense!

The only thing that could penetrate armor from a hundred steps away was a crossbow, but the Tang army was obviously using individual crossbows, which was unheard of.

He immediately reported the news to An Shenwei, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

The unknown always makes people fearful. The Yan army was afraid, so the crossbowmen dispersed and the spearmen took over.

The shield in front of the bridge was not an ordinary round shield, but a large shield. Lai Zhen knew that even if he got twenty steps closer, he would not be able to break the shield, so he ordered the crossbowmen to shoot randomly on the spot to put pressure on the rebels.

Their main attackers were the soldiers who crossed the river.

The Tang army on the sheepskin rafts did not hold torches, and when they began to cross the river, the Yan army discovered that the river on the opposite bank was full of sheepskin rafts.

They hurriedly reported the news to An Shenwei.

"We can't let the Tang army land, otherwise we will be attacked from both sides."

"Send a thousand soldiers to the riverside and drive the Tang dogs into the Yellow River to feed the fish."

An Shenwei gave orders to his deputy general Rong Xianqin.

"General, we have no special forces left. What can we do?"

Rong Xianqin looked embarrassed.

The Tang army came prepared, and they were already at their limit in the hasty battle.

Under the rapid offensive of the Tang army from all directions, all the soldiers that could be mobilized were transferred to the front line to fight hard with the Tang army.

"Draw 300 men from each of the east, north, and south. This is a military order. Tell the soldiers to hold on. Our reinforcements will be here soon!"

An Shenwei said sternly.

The sheepskin rafts used by the Tang army to cross the river could directly reach their interior, and they would be attacked from both sides and would undoubtedly be defeated.

He also knew that he was short-handed, but he had no choice but to weaken the defensive capabilities of the front line.

Neither Cui Qianyou nor he had expected that the old dog Geshu Han would recover so quickly, and the remnants of his defeated army were as energetic as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"As ordered!"

Rong Xianqin had no choice but to order the withdrawal of soldiers from the defense line.

This put more pressure on the Yan army, and they kept retreating in the face of the Tang army's attack.

The soldiers who were drawn up had no time to organize themselves into formations and quickly reached the shore.

Rong Xianqin thought that as long as he took the right position, he could easily prevent the Tang army from landing.

The Tang army often advanced with more than a dozen sheepskin rafts at a time.

When the nearest Tang army was only thirty steps away from the shore, they saw dozens of rebels coming to "greet" them.

The crossbowman had been waiting for a long time with his arrow drawn.

"Pfft, pfft!"

When the Yan army reached the shore, they had barely gained a firm foothold when they were hit by a volley of crossbows.

The distance between them was only more than twenty steps, and the Tang army's crossbowmen were carefully selected, so more than a dozen Yan soldiers died on the spot.

The crossbowman drew the crossbow arrow from behind his back and drew the string with his foot.

Realizing that something was wrong, the Yan army fled immediately, but some of them were shot in the back and fell to the ground.

Not only here, such scenes are constantly happening on the banks of the Yellow River.

In their haste, the Yan army did not expect that the Tang army on the sheepskin rafts were mainly crossbowmen. In an instant, more than 200 corpses fell along the banks of the Yellow River, and blood flowed into the Yellow River. The other Yan soldiers were frightened and dared not approach.

Even if we use large shields and powerful crossbows to defend ourselves now, it is too late.

Besides, they simply don’t have enough large shields and powerful crossbows now.

The first sheepskin raft approached the shore, and when it could no longer move forward, the Tang army waded through the water to reach the shore.

They held their shields in front of them and did not advance rashly.

After gathering a hundred people, they will attack the enemy camp.

The Tang army's forced crossing of the Puzhou Ferry meant that the Puzhou Bridge, also known as the "Puguan", became a mere decoration.

This was possible thanks to Geshu Han's control of most of the Yan army's troops.

"Pujin will be lost, Tongguan will be endangered, and I am the sinner."

"puff……"

Seeing more and more Tang troops coming ashore, An Shenwei knew that the situation was hopeless. He became so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

In this situation, everyone knows that it is impossible to hold on.

"General, it's not your fault. You should keep your useful body and continue to serve the country."

Rong Xianqin was anxious and wanted An Shenwei to retreat.

"Where can we escape? Let's fight to the death!"

An Shenwei shook his head. He was surrounded by people in three layers.

The Yellow River was occupied by the Tang army again, and he had no way to escape.

In this situation, the only thing to do is to sacrifice yourself to your adoptive father and be kind to his family.

After saying that, An Shenwei took out his spear and led his personal guards to meet the Tang army on the banks of the Yellow River.

Rong Xianqin didn't want to die like An Shenwei, so he went south on the pretext of commanding the south.

"kill!"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Geshu Han's servant Zuoche attacked the Yan army's guards with a spear.

He led the armored soldiers and charged towards Pujin Bridge.

When the Yan army soldiers heard about the war behind them, they lost their will to fight.

After being breached once, it was difficult to organize an effective defense and the troops collapsed in all directions.

Under the threat of the Shenbi crossbow, the Yan army on the Pujin Bridge could only defend themselves.

But they could not withstand the defeat on the front line and are now trembling.

The left chariot led the armored troops to charge forward, their long spears like dragons, thrusting and stabbing repeatedly, killing several Yan soldiers. Then the armored troops of the Tang army shouted and rushed forward, and the Yan army kept falling down, without any power to resist.

This is what the soldiers guarding the bridge are like. They are most afraid of the enemy attacking them.

"Order the cavalry to the bridge!"

After Lai Chen led the crossbowmen across the Pujin Bridge, he gave instructions to his personal guards.

Once the Tang cavalry crossed the Yellow River, the Yan army no longer had any chance of escape.

On the bank of the Yellow River, An Shenwei led his personal guards in a desperate fight.

His personal guards consisted of dozens of Hu people, all of whom were brave enough to fight to the death.

He also forcibly gathered hundreds of Yan soldiers and charged with him.

When the Tang army's powerful crossbows were temporarily out of stock, they rushed to the front of the Tang army crossing the river.

An Shenwei was worthy of being An Lushan's adopted son. Even though he was so angry that he vomited blood and was seriously injured, he was still extremely brave.

The Tang army that kept attacking was killed by him one after another.

He was a peerless wielder of spear, sweeping through thousands of troops and having no rivals.

Even if all his personal guards were held back, dozens of Tang soldiers would find it difficult to advance.

The Tang army's soldiers from the Western Regions were also very fierce. An Shenwei came with his personal guards, and it was obvious at first glance that he was the rebel leader.

Killing a general was a very high honor in the Tang army. Under Li Xuan's rule, killing a general could at least earn one the Warrior Medal.

Even an ordinary soldier can become a Lang Jiang.

Even if dozens of people worked together to kill the general, each of them would be rewarded with more than ten pieces of silk.

An Shenwei's personal guards were separated first, and then more than a dozen Tang army soldiers attacked An Shenwei from the front, back, left and right.

Although the spears were repeatedly deflected and the Tang soldiers kept falling, the number of soldiers was constantly increasing.

"Click..."

A soldier desperately picked off An Shenwei's helmet. "Die, Tang dog!"

An Shenwei turned around and killed the soldier.

He had disheveled hair, a beard, and wide-open green eyes.

The look in his eyes seemed to be choosing someone to devour, and was extremely fierce.

But the Tang army soldiers were not to be outdone. Led by the team leader, they pressed forward step by step, treating him as a lamb to be slaughtered. They thrust their spears at his neck and face.

Having lost his helmet and neck guard, An Shenwei picked up his spear to defend himself and no longer had a chance to attack.

He kept spinning and swinging his spear, and several spears were broken. Even some soldiers whose spears did not break felt their hands hurt from the shaking.

"Oh!"

A Tang soldier's eyes turned and he swept An Shenwei's calf with his spear.

"what……"

An Shenwei felt pain, his legs went limp, and his body leaned down, so that his gun swinging speed slowed down and he lost the defense in front of him.

"Pfft!"

The deputy captain seized the opportunity and stabbed the spear in An Shenwei's eyes.

Most of the gun blade was penetrated, blood gushed out, and An Shenwei died of pain instantly.

After An Shenwei's death, the remaining guards were beheaded one after another.

The Tang army no longer needed to ride on bamboo rafts, and cavalry crossed the Puzhen Bridge continuously.

The Yan army's resistance was constantly broken through.

Rong Xianqin was afraid of death, so he led a part of the Yan army in the south and surrendered to the Tang army.

Those who resisted stubbornly were all killed.

But the Yan army had committed many crimes and knew that they were rebels. They were afraid of being caught and executed, so they fled desperately.

At this time, the so-called elite has become insignificant.

Even the local militia could easily chase and kill the fleeing Yan army.

At 7:07 am, the sound of weapons stopped and the Tang army completely occupied the Puzhen Bridge and Puzhen Ferry.

After Cheshensai arrived in Hedong, he ordered the cavalry to form a battle line and not to disperse.

"I have to see General Che again."

Geshu Han bowed to the god of chariots, Sai.

As a fierce general who had always followed Li Xuan, his status was self-evident after Li Xuan became King of Qin.

This was a famous general that Li Xuan had personally trained from scratch and was well versed in military strategy.

Che Shensai’s current official position is the deputy ambassador of Anxi Jiedushi, which is actually no different from the Anxi Jiedushi.

"General Geshu, take care of yourself. The King of Qin will definitely use you again."

Che Shensai also knew about Geshu Han's situation.

The defeat at Tongguan was a shame that Geshu Han could never wash away in his life.

But it accomplished the great cause of King Qin.

If there had not been the defeat at Tongguan, Li Longji would never have escaped from Chang'an.

In that case, General Li has no choice but to attack Chang'an!

This has a completely different meaning from the Mawei Incident.

He could understand Geshu Han's feelings.

"I dare not see the King of Qin with my broken body. If I can put down the rebellion, I will retire and recuperate."

Geshu Han replied with a sigh.

He was suffering from the pain of a stroke and could have it happen again at any time. He had given up on making progress.

He only hoped that his sons Geshu Yao and Geshu Huang would be rich and powerful in the future.

"The rebels at Pujin Ferry have asked for help from Fengling Ferry and Tongguan. The rebels at Tongguan will not arrive for a while, but the 3,000 rebels at Fengling Ferry can go north at any time. I want to use my cavalry to annihilate the reinforcements at Fengling Ferry and occupy Fengling Ferry."

"General Geshu will stay behind to cover the main force crossing the Pujin Bridge and clean up the battlefield."

After a brief greeting with Geshu Han, Che Shen Sai said goodbye to him temporarily.

"With the bravery of Che Shen Sai, success will come immediately!"

Geshu Han bowed.

At this moment, it is time for the cavalry to come into play.

The Tang army hoped that the main force of the rebels in Tongguan could cross the Yellow River to the north.

But Cui Qianyou is not a fool. Once he loses the Puzhou Ferry and Fengling Ferry, he will definitely not consider a decisive battle with the Tang army in Hedong.

In a short period of time, the Anxi Jinglüe Army had two thousand iron cavalry, three thousand light cavalry, and three hundred armored cavalry fully equipped to cross the Yellow River.

The god of chariots sent out scouts first.

Then he ordered the deputy envoy of the Jinglüe Army Che Guangqian to lead the light cavalry, the deputy envoy of the Jinglüe Army Hun Yu to lead the armored cavalry, and he himself led the iron cavalry, heading towards Fenglingdu.

Feng Changqing predicted that Cui Qianyou would send more troops from Tongguan for support, so he ordered Lai Chen, Ma Lin, Wei Boyu, Hao Tingyu and others to quickly organize the second wave of cavalry.

After the second wave of 20,000 cavalry is organized, they will quickly move south.

Next came the third wave of cavalry.

After receiving An Shenwei's request for help, Cui Qianyou of Tongguan made a prompt decision and ordered the 3,000 defenders of Fenglingdu to go to support.

At the same time, he ordered An Shouzhong and Tian Qianzhen to lead 10,000 men each to cross the Yellow River to support the Puzhou ferry.

Tongguan cannot lose its flank, otherwise the Tang army can cross the Yellow River, block everything in Tongguan and catch the turtle in the jar.

Cui Qianyou regretted not occupying Hedong at that time, otherwise he would not have been so passive.

If we defeat the Tang army this time, we will definitely occupy Puzhou City and other places.

The Yan army commander guarding Fenglingdu was An Lushan's adopted son An Xiongjun. After receiving the military order from Cui Qianyou, he woke up the soldiers, and after reorganizing the troops for half an hour, he immediately went north to provide support.

At this time, the Yan army did not lose its fighting spirit because of An Shouzhong's defeat.

They portrayed the defeat as a conspiracy of the Tang army, and in a head-on confrontation, the Tang army was vulnerable.

Many soldiers of the Yan army in Fenglingdu believed that this support was a reward for their efforts.

The noise of their rapid march was soon noticed by Tang army scouts.

An Xiongjun didn't think too much about it, he just wanted to support An Shenwei.

He never expected that An Shenwei had already suffered defeat under the fierce attack from all sides of the Tang army.

"Rumble..."

The Yan army marched north for twenty miles. As the soldiers were breathing heavily, they heard the sound of horse hooves from the north.

"Cavalry? Does An Shenwei have so many cavalry?"

An Xiongjun was stunned.

"General, the people guarding the ferry are like us, so there won't be many cavalry. This may be the Tang army."

The deputy general was horrified.

"Quick! Arrange the military formation for defense!"

An Xiongjun's face turned pale.

He thought that these were the cavalry of Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi heading south from Taiyuan, but he did not expect that the Tang army would cross the Puzhen Bridge so quickly.

An Shenwei's bravery was ranked among the top five in the Yan army, and he was well-known for being able to defeat ten thousand enemies.

When the Fenglingdu defenders learned that it was a surprise attack by Tang cavalry, they were already tired and their hearts sank to the bottom.

We agreed to stop the Tang army from crossing the Yellow River, why are we fighting against the cavalry?
The infantry was suddenly attacked by cavalry during the march and there was almost no chance of turning defeat into victory.

For example, the Battle of Tuhuzhenshui led by An Lushan was when the army was on the march, and the Xi and Khitan ambushed them at Tuhuzhenshui, and tens of thousands of troops collapsed in an instant.

Before the three thousand soldiers had even formed their battle formation, Hun Yu led the armored cavalry and charged forward.

The armored cavalry, like a torrent of steel, stunned the Yan army.

They collided and became confused, turning against each other.

Hun Yu spotted the flaw and rushed in with three hundred armored cavalrymen like sharp knives.

Dozens of Yan soldiers were knocked down on the spot, and most of them were trampled to death by the iron hooves.

Hun Yu led the way, rushing in with a spear in hand, and one Yan soldier after another was impaled on the spear blade.

The rest of the armored cavalry aimed at the Yan army soldiers and charged, killing and wounding many.

The Yan army, which had not yet been organized, was broken through.

In the rear, the god of chariots, Sai, personally led the cavalry to provide support, and the column galloped in all directions.

After being ambushed, the Yan army, which had lost its spirit, dared not confront the iron cavalry and fled in all directions.

An Xiongjun was riding a horse. The moment he saw the Tang army's armored cavalry, he knew they had no chance of winning. He ordered the retreat horn to be blown and then fled for his life.

Che Guangqian led the light cavalry and came from the side in a roundabout way. They held swords in their hands and came and went like the Yama King who was taking souls and claiming lives, as fast as the wind.

Many Yan soldiers ran desperately, but they were still beheaded.

The collapsed Yan army crawled on the ground and surrendered.

An Xiongjun escaped early and saved his life, but the Fenglingdu defenders were completely wiped out.

Fenglingdu and Tongguan are across the river from each other.

After losing Fenglingdu, Tongguan was exposed to the sight of the Tang army.

Of course, it is still difficult to directly attack the "steep mountains" of Tongguan from Fenglingdu.

But Guanzhong still belongs to the Tang Dynasty!

By taking over Fenglingdu in this way, the defenders of Tongguan have been tied down.

If the rebels in Tongguan did not retreat, they would be wiped out by the Tang army sooner or later.

As long as the Tang army got the chance, they would cross the river and block the road to Tongguan. Not a single grain of food would enter Tongguan, and the tens of thousands of troops would be depleted sooner or later.

"An Xiongjun, didn't you lead the Fenglingdu garrison to support Pujindu? Why did you come back?"

An Shouzhong frowned when he saw An Xiongjun riding a horse hurriedly to Fenglingdu.

The Yan army in Tongguan was crossing Fenglingdu by boat.

Thousands of Yan troops and thousands of war horses have now crossed the river.

"Go back quickly! There are thousands of Tang cavalry ahead, and the Fenglingdu defenders are gone. They also have armored cavalry, and the iron cavalry is countless, and they are heading straight for Fenglingdu."

An Xiongjun answered An Shouzhong breathlessly.

"what?"

"Where are the Tang troops?"

An Shouzhong was shocked. Could it be that the Puzhou Ferry was lost so quickly?
"Order! Stop crossing the river! Soldiers who have crossed the river return immediately!"

An Shouzhong reacted quickly. Before An Xiongjun could answer the question, he immediately ordered the army to return to the other side of the river.

He was well versed in military affairs. When he was halfway across the river, he was attacked by armored cavalry and there was no chance of his survival.

"Woooo..."

When the horn sounded, the Yan army's ships immediately rowed back.

The Yan army that had already crossed the river rushed to board the empty boats.

The Yan army that did not get on the boat urged the boat to return quickly.

"I don't know where the Tang Army's cavalry is located. After I received the order to support them, I rode non-stop. I had only traveled less than 20 miles when I heard the sound of horse hooves."

An Xiongjun replied to An Shouzhong, implying that the annihilation of Fenglingdu’s defenders was not his responsibility.

If the infantry who were marching quickly to support were attacked by armored cavalry, even if Han Xin and Li Jing were reborn, they would be helpless.

“The situation is not good!”

An Shouzhong was worried.

After Cui Qianyou received An Shouzhong's words on the other side of the river, he also had a bad feeling in his heart.

He was standing on the high slope on the other side of the Yellow River, looking at Fengling Ferry.

Hongnong, Lingbao, Xiashi, Mianchi, Xin'an, there is more than one ferry crossing along the Yellow River.

Since ancient times, people have not regarded the Yellow River as a natural barrier.

If Li Xuan's army occupied the entire Hedong, they would not only have to be wary of these ferry crossings, but they would also have to be wary of An Lushan in the direction of Luoyang.

"Boom!"

A quarter of an hour later, just as two rounds of rebels returned to the other side of the river, smoke was seen in the distance.

It's dawn!

"The Tang army's cavalry is coming, General, get on board!"

An Shouzhong's deputy general immediately asked An Shouzhong to board the ship and leave.

Having lost the initiative and having no chance of winning, one can only sacrifice the rook to save the king.

An Shouzhong must not be allowed to fail, as he is the most brave and warlike of An Lushan's many adopted sons.

An Shouzhong was also very careful about his life. He and An Xiongjun rushed towards a small boat under the cover of their personal guards.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Yan army who had not crossed the river were in chaos, like headless flies.

A few short-sighted Yan soldiers actually wanted to occupy An Shouzhong and An Xiongjun's "lifeboat".

"presumptuous!"

"Pfft! Pfft..."

As An Shouzhong frowned, his personal guards drew their swords and jumped onto the boat, and with a few strokes they chopped them down to the riverside.

An Shouzhong and An Xiongjun successfully boarded the ship and left under the escort of their personal guards.

It was hard for the three thousand soldiers who had not yet crossed the river.

The small boat could accommodate at most ten people, and could accommodate thirty or forty people.

Before the boat even started moving, a group of people fell directly into the river and became drowned rats.

The Tang cavalry could be seen in the field of vision, and the Yan army was fighting with swords for a ship.

The Yan soldiers who could swim dropped their weapons, took off their armor, and plunged into the Yellow River, trying to swim to the other side.

Some Yan soldiers saw that it was impossible to board the ship, so they mounted their horses and fled eastward along the river bank in search of a chance of survival.

In a blink of an eye, Che Shensai and his son Che Guangqian arrived with their cavalry. Faced with the Yan army that had thrown away their armor and weapons, the Tang warriors charged in on their horses like picking up money from a sack.

Che Guangqian also divided a team of light cavalry to pursue the fleeing Yan cavalry.

Tens of thousands of Yan troops on the other side of the river watched the Tang army slaughtering people indiscriminately. They clenched their fists with flames burning in their eyes.

Things have changed. During the Battle of Tongguan, it was them who were slaughtered at will, and now it is the Tang army.

These Tang soldiers wielded their swords skillfully and killed the enemies with one strike. It was obvious that they were veterans of many battles.

Until the end, those Yan soldiers who clearly could not swim jumped into the Yellow River, praying for fate's favor.

When the shouting and killing stopped, the Yan army either knelt down to surrender, jumped into the Yellow River to feed the fish, or became corpses lying on the river bank.

"General, these are the iron cavalry from the Western Regions!"

A Yan army general who escaped reported to Cui Qianyou.

"I see!"

Cui Qianyou said with a frown.

In this battle, they lost tens of thousands of soldiers, and it was still unclear why.

"I really regret not taking over Hedong!"

Cui Qianyou pounded his chest.

"General, don't blame yourself. It seems that Li Xuan wants to use Hedong as a breakthrough point. Even if you occupy Hedong, he will attack Hedong from other directions. If our army does not have the confidence to fight to the death with the Tang army, we will suffer greater losses by then."

Zhang Tongru, who was stationed in Tongguan, comforted Cui Qianyou.

Zhang Tongru understood that the time to make a decision had come.

The Yan army must launch another major battle like the Battle of Tongguan to defeat the Tang army.

Otherwise, you will be led by the nose.

There is no room for them to escape.

"I will ask your majesty to fight the Tang army in Hedong and Shanjun. I will surely be able to recreate the victory of Tongguan."

Cui Qianyou knew how to do it.

In the Battle of Tongguan, Geshu Han's army was led by him, so he won the victory easily.

Tongguan is now at risk of being cut off. If they hesitate and do not wait for the reaction of the Uighurs and Tubo, they will fail in Tongguan.

After losing Hedong, retreating to Shan County is more reliable than Tongguan.

Cui Qianyou was also worried that the Tang army would attack the west side of Tongguan. After they sent a large number of troops to guard the ferry, it would be difficult for them to defend Tongguan.

The terrain of Shan County gave Cui Qianyou great confidence.

Lingbao's great victory made Cui Qianyou think that he could be compared with the famous generals of ancient times.

"We need more reinforcements. Your Majesty, please transfer the troops from Luoyang to Tongguan."

Zhang Tongru knew that his opponent was extraordinary, so he must have as many soldiers as possible.

He would write to Yan Zhuang, asking Yan Zhuang to persuade An Lushan to support him.

"Leave it to Minister Zhang."

Cui Qianyou also wanted to have more troops to ensure victory.

That afternoon, tens of thousands of cavalry appeared in front of Fengling Ferry, looking very aggressive.

Che Shensai ordered the army to set up camp at Fenglingdu.

Cui Qianyou had no choice but to send 20,000 troops to block the Fengling Ferry line.

In addition, the troops in Tongguan had to be deployed at several other ferry crossings to prevent the Tang army from secretly attacking Chencang.

If the ancient road leading to Luoyang was cut off by the Tang army at this time, the 60,000 troops in Tongguan would be in danger of death.

(End of this chapter)