Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 251 The Real Heavenly Soldiers

"Grandpa, how long will it take to get there? My butt is about to crack from riding a horse."

"Just walk for another half a day and you'll be safe after you pass this boundary."

"That's what you said ten days ago..."

"Shut up!"

"My dear, we have been heading south. Are we going in the wrong direction? I see many people going to Liaodong..."

"Shut up! What do you know? Don't you know that the Liaodong army is made up of mountain bandits and red-turbaned thieves? It's better to run into the Tiele people than to run into them. The Tiele people only want money, while the Liaodong people want lives!"

The squire shouted loudly, and his wife and youngest son who followed him dared not say a word.

In Youzhou, this large family followed the flow of people, drove carriages and horses, and headed south to the Central Plains to seek refuge.

Compared with the majority of ordinary people who can only take bus No. 11 to go north, the refugees heading south can all take private cars. Their economic conditions are obviously not on the same level.

They were all local gentry in Hebei. Each of them was a large family with dozens or hundreds of people, and they were all influential aristocratic families in the local area.

The rule of the aristocratic class over the countryside is based on this type of people.

There was chaos in Hebei, and although most people flocked to the northeast, the number of people fleeing southward was small but by no means zero.

Some were old farmers who turned a deaf ear to the world outside and only thought about farming. They were fooled by the local gentry and were taken away.

Others were members of the aristocratic and gentry class.

They were naturally afraid of the Red Scarf Bandits who seemed to be somewhat extreme, and felt that if they, the little fat sheep, ran over to them, they would be walking into the tiger's mouth.

In order to prevent their property and people from being "confiscated", these families packed their bags and drove their carriages and horses at night, heading south in the opposite direction.

There are empty and abandoned villages along the way, and the further south you go, the fewer people there are.

"Father."

The eldest son of the family who rode first rode alongside him, his face full of hesitation and suspicion:

"Everyone else is fleeing northeast along the way, and only a few families like us are heading south. Is this... a problem?"

When he found that most people were heading in the opposite direction to the northeast, he couldn't help but wonder if he was the one going in the opposite direction.

"Idiot! Those fools are acting stupidly and offering themselves to the red-turbaned bandits to eat. Are you following their lead and acting stupidly?"

The squire cursed loudly:

"The people of Liaodong are barbaric and do not obey the king's teachings. They can do nothing but kill people and seize land. Do you want to wipe out our entire family?

"This road heading south is so empty, why don't you take it? Why do you have to go to the Northeast and squeeze in with people?"

After a lot of scolding, my eldest son became autistic and could only comfort himself in his heart:

It doesn't matter where you escape to, it's not just the freezing cold Liaodong.

As long as we get away from the Hebei region where internal strife and external wars continue, where wouldn’t be a safe place? !
There was just one small problem: no matter how hard the family traveled, they could not find a so-called "safe" place.

As we went in the opposite direction, the eldest son discovered a phenomenon that went against common sense:
The further south you go and the farther away from Liaodong, the more rampant the Tiele people become.

It seems that the barbarians’ monster spawning cage is not in Mobei, but in Hebei.

He shook his head, as if trying to shake this strange thought out of his mind.

For some reason, I had more and more strange thoughts and even tinnitus.

The sound of horse hooves coming closer and closer...

The eldest son subconsciously looked back and could not help but shouting loudly, pointing behind him:
"Father, what is that?"

Several families followed his finger and looked in the direction of the sound.

All I saw was billowing smoke and the sound of horses' hooves, and a group of people were chasing after us.

"Tie Le people!"

The women in the crowd cried out in grief.

"Run!"

The family drove their horses frantically to escape.

The good news is that since not many people go south, the road is open.

The bad news is that the same is true for the Tiele people.

This group of refugees, carrying large and small bags and wishing they could even take their land with them, could not outrun the Tiele nomads who had grown up on horseback.

"Don't come over here!"

The woman holding the baby fell at the end of the team, watching helplessly as the Tiele people got closer and closer.

The Tiele people also discovered these fat sheep and were rushing towards them at an accelerated speed.

Compared with the penniless poor peasants, these gentry families could squeeze out much more money, and they did not have armed servants to resist like the big aristocratic families.

It is simply the best target for looting.

The two teams were one ahead and one behind, and catching up was just a simple matter of arithmetic.

The woman could even hear the mumbling of a foreign language behind her.

Although she didn't understand what the other party was saying, she guessed that the content was not very friendly.

"My dear!" the woman cried out in despair.

However, the squire was so busy running in front that he wondered if he didn't hear his wife's cry for help.

Just as he abandoned his wife and children and rushed forward, another team blocked the road.

This group of people was fully armed and in neat formation. The horses they rode were all dark red in color, like a raging fire, and their mighty armor sparkled in the sun.

"This is... the Heavenly Soldiers of the Tang Dynasty?!"

The squire was delighted and whipped his horse wildly, running towards the Tang army as if his life depended on it.

After fleeing for so long, watching others fleeing in the opposite direction, he began to doubt whether he had taken the wrong path.

Finally, I met my own people!

Landlords help landlords, as long as the Tang Dynasty’s heavenly soldiers take action, everything will be fine!
"Military officer! Help!"

He rode at full speed, rushed to the front of the Tang army, and began to wail.

When the Tang soldiers saw Han women and children running towards them and Tiele cavalry in the distance, they immediately understood what was happening and subconsciously tightened their reins and lances in their hands, ready to lend a helping hand.

However, the enthusiasm of the grassroots soldiers was poured cold water by the leading captain:
"Anyone who leaves the formation without orders will be punished by military law!"

The soldiers' faces twitched noticeably, and they did not quite agree with this rigid order.

However, they obviously had no intention of challenging military law for the sake of strangers.

They could only follow orders, ignore the gentry who were being chased by the barbarians, and continue marching northward in strict formation.

"Hey! You guys... Hey, don't go!"

The squire looked foolishly at his "own people" who took a detour, feeling like a rabbit being chased by a dog on the side of the road, not worthy of the attention of the military commanders.

"Grandma!"

"Good man!"

"Father, help me!"

In the back, the screams of family members could be heard one after another, and the Tiele people were only a stone's throw away from them.

The squire was confused for a moment and didn't know what to do.

The captain who gave the order turned his head away and did not look at the tragic scene.

He also knew that this was wrong, but since his superiors had given the order, what could he do? He was just a small lieutenant.

This army came from the Central Plains and was the army under the command of Wei King Li Tai.

The main force came from Weizhou Military Governor's Office, and was mixed with some soldiers from other military governor's offices who were dispersed and re-incorporated.

At the order of the King of Wei, the troops left their garrison and headed north from the Central Plains to Hebei.

Since crossing the Yellow River, nine out of ten houses have been empty, and people are fleeing north with their families.

It was as if I had returned to the chaotic times of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sixteen Kingdoms.

The soldiers witnessed with their own eyes the Tiele people running rampant on the land of the Tang Dynasty, but they could do nothing.

Because these evil Tiele people were actually allies of their own King Wei!
The King of Wei repeatedly ordered his soldiers to serve Uncle Tiele well and not to provoke them and cause surprise to their friendly countries!
The soldiers of the Weizhou Military Governor's Office were once tough guys who followed His Majesty in his battles, punching Turkic nursing homes and kicking Tibetan kindergartens.

I didn't expect that in just a few years, I would be ridiculed by the slaves of slaves!
Whenever they thought of this, the soldiers became angry.

There was no way out. The military command, logistics, military pay, and even the distribution of family farmland were all in the hands of the King of Wei.

Unlike the end of the Tang Dynasty, the army has not yet formed the foundation and atmosphere for the lower ranks to overthrow the higher ranks, and can only obey the orders of their superiors.

The Tiele people had already caught up with them and had discovered the Tang army.

In the past, when these nomads saw the reflection of Tang army armor from afar, they would have scattered like birds and beasts, or kneeled down and begged not to be killed.

However, the looting in Hebei during this period has made them bolder.

No matter how excessive their actions were or how bad their deeds were, the Tang army had no way to deal with them and could only watch from the sidelines, as if they were air.

Because now the Tang army needs them!

Xiao Yehu, who led the Tiele tribe, even spoke broken Chinese and greeted the passing Tang army:
"You guys came just in time!"

The mockery overflowed.

Barbarians... The soldiers clenched their spears again, and flames seemed to appear in their eyes.

This rage frightened the Tiele people, and the fear engraved in their genes was aroused again. Xiao Yehu lost his balance and almost fell off his horse.

"Don't move rashly!"

The leading captain reiterated the team's discipline.

The restlessness of the Tang army was gradually suppressed, and they became as silent as a mountain.

Coward... Xiao Yehu cursed in his heart, then smiled smugly and spoke in his extremely poor Chinese:

"Stand guard for us!"

The plundered gentry cried out in despair:
"General! Please be kind and lend a helping hand!"

"We are all Tang people, how can we just stand by and watch someone die without helping him?"

"The rice you eat is provided by us!"

The captain pretended not to hear and continued to command his troops:

"Keep moving forward!"

Screams continued to be heard, but no miracle happened. The Tiele people easily caught up with the fleeing people.

After this period of practice, they are now more adept at looting.

They cut off the head and tail, drove the refugees into a group like a flock of sheep, pulled them all off their horses, killed the leading man first, and then began to snatch the luggage and parcels.

If he hesitated for a moment, his hands would be chopped off.

The scene was soon filled with a pungent smell of blood.

"Take off your clothes!"

Xiao Yehu shouted orders.

To prevent anyone from hiding valuables in their clothes, everyone, regardless of gender, age or status, had to take off their clothes for inspection.

Everyone surrounded in the circle looked at each other, and saw despair in each other's eyes.

It’s freezing cold now. Without clothes, you will really freeze to death!
The women's faces turned pale, as if it was the end of the world.

There is no need to think about what they would suffer if they took off their clothes, surrounded by beasts.

Suffering physical defilement is only the least of it.

"quick!"

The Tiele people shouted angrily in the Hu language and cut the throat of an old squire.

Faced with such a disaster, these masters and ladies who usually lived a life of luxury were so numb that they could only start to undress tremblingly.

If you are slow, these Tiele beasts will really chop you!

"What are you looking at! Keep going!"

The captain gave stern orders, trying his best to maintain order.

Humph, the Tang people are nothing but so... Xiao Yehu snorted contemptuously and looked at the women in the team with greedy eyes.

Han people have delicate skin and tender meat. I wonder how it tastes...

Just as he was wondering whether to grill it with charcoal or boil it, a burst of powerful music sounded behind him.

It seemed like a very old song, and Tang Jun felt dazed after hearing it.

"King Qin breaks the formation?"

Even the captain who had been pretending to be dead couldn't help but mutter in his heart.

It was extremely strange to suddenly hear the elegant music from the temple in this desolate wilderness where foreign races were rampant and the population was dwindling.

The Tang army was confused, and the Tiele people were even more confused.

I just think that you Han people are really good at having fun. Even when you’re robbing, there are people playing music to liven up the fun.

"Who?"

Xiao Yehu, who was very good at dealing with people, was very annoyed that his train of thought was interrupted, and he looked impatiently in the direction of the voice.

Suddenly, a strange cavalry team appeared among the empty village houses.

This team also wore standard Tang armor, but these armors were shinier and thicker than those of the Tang army in the Central Plains, and the quality was visibly higher.

These knights are tall and strong, their ranks are well-organized, and they are very majestic.

However, the war horses they rode were of varying heights, some short, some fat, some thin, and their coat colors were also rather mixed.

The most obvious feature of this strange army is their helmets.

To be precise, these people did not wear helmets. Instead, they wore scarlet futons that stretched out in a long line, like fire, leaping up and down as the horses moved forward.

So many cavalrymen were so close, yet no one noticed...

Xiao Yehu felt that this matter was not simple.

The Tang army on the other side saw the red headscarf and immediately became alert.

"Red Scarf Thief!"

The gentry who were being forced to take off their clothes by the Tiele people could not help but scream miserably.

There are barbarians in front and bandits behind.

The two most brutal groups of people bullied him alone. How could this be considered bad luck?

When the military music stopped, a rider jumped out from the Red Scarf Army.

He is a middle-aged general.

He glanced around and said in a low and majestic voice:
"I am Su Dingfang. If you surrender, you will not be killed."

The troops under his command were now completely exposed to the Tiele people.

The number of people was not large. Both the Xueyantuo army and the Tang army under Li Tai's control outnumbered the other side.

"Oh, you're so boastful, but you're actually a thief?"

Xiao Yehu suddenly felt contempt in his heart.

He is not even afraid of the genuine Tang army, so how could he be afraid of a few bandits?

What's more, we have the reinforcements from King Wei as our backing!

"Get on your horse and kill them all. Don't dirty your armor, it's a good thing!"

Xiao Yehu licked his lips greedily, imagining how heroic he would look in the armor, and couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

At the command, the Tiele people immediately formed an attack line and rushed towards the Red Turban Army.

The enemy's army formation was very thin and looked vulnerable.

"Kill!" the Tiele people roared fiercely.

…………

"Wuwuwu... Uncle Han, we were wrong. We are just herdsmen. That guy forced us to do all the bad things..."

The surviving Tiele cavalry were beaten to their knees, shedding tears of regret, and tremblingly blamed all the blame on Xiaoyehu, who was split in half.

They couldn't even withstand a counterattack from the Red Turban Army. Their center was defeated and their wings were outflanked. Naturally, their formation collapsed and they were chopped off like melons and vegetables.

After less than a quarter of an hour of "re-education", the survivor's eyes became clear and he even spoke Chinese fluently.

Su Dingfang had a look of disdain on his face, as if he was doing a midnight ward check, and waved his hand at the barbarian kneeling on the ground:
"Go to the prisoner-of-war camp. Our army has a policy of not mistreating prisoners."

After arranging the Tiele cavalry with a cold face, Lao Su's mouth twitched slightly, and he could hardly control the urge to jump up and shout "Great!"

It’s so cool! It’s so cool!

After working as a senior police officer for more than ten years, he returned to the battlefield for the first time and achieved such a resounding victory!
This must be thanked to His Highness Li Ming for laying the foundation for him.

The soldiers in Liaodong are simply excellent!
Individual combat capability is secondary. The ability to understand and obey orders is more than one level higher than that of contemporary armies.

Commanding them was actually smoother than when he had commanded His Majesty's elite troops to attack the Eastern Turkic camp!

Commanding a large-scale encirclement of a large number of people is as smooth as hugging a tree with both hands!
With such a powerful army at his command, how did His Highness Li Ming resist using it first, keeping it under wraps and hiding it in Liaodong in a low profile?
If it were him, he would have already fled Yanshan and rebelled!

As expected of a man who does great things, he is really patient...

Old Su calmed his excited heart and turned his attention to the other two groups of people present.

The rescued country gentleman was kneeling on the ground in a daze, looking at them with a mixture of awe, gratitude and uneasiness.

Behind the gentry was the Weizhou army under Li Tai.

When the Tiele people were beaten, the Tang army did not take action.

He neither helped his Han compatriots fight against the barbarian invaders, nor did he help the Xueyantuo allies fight against the Red Turban bandits.

Just stand aside and watch silently.

From the commanding captain to the privates, the soldiers pursed their lips with complicated expressions.

Although they didn't say it, Su Dingfang knew that they were impressed.

It is hard not to be impressed by Li Ming and his forces when you are their opponent.

Lao Su himself is an example.

He sighed slightly, and shouted to the other party in the same calm and unquestionable tone as before:

"Join us and fight the barbarians."

(End of this chapter)