We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Li Che originally thought that when Yelu Dahe saw the front army was defeated and retreating, he would hastily order the entire rear army to advance.

At that time, Yue Yun and Chen Pingzhi could withdraw from the battlefield, go back to the rear and wait for orders, while he would lead the infantry forward.

At this time, the morale of the Fengtian Army was high, while the morale of the Khitan Army was low and the formation was chaotic. It was not impossible for them to win the victory in one go.

Unfortunately, this old fox Yelu Daha remained calm in the face of such danger.

The rear army did not move, and only sent out light cavalry to support the fleeing soldiers, which meant that they were doomed to be unable to catch up.

After all, most of the Fengtian Army were infantry, and the two sides were several miles apart, so they would become an exhausted army after catching up.

Moreover, the Dongfeng Battalion's artillery had fired several rounds, and the gun barrels were now red enough to be burned, so they could not be used for the time being.

If the Fengtian Army insisted on pursuing them, they would reveal their flaws and would have underestimated the heroes of the world.

Li Che thought for a moment and said:

"Send the message: Have the light cavalry pursue the fleeing troops as far as possible, trying to capture as many as possible, but don't pursue them too far. The infantry will cover the Shenji Brigade and the crossbowmen and advance 500 steps. They don't need to kill or injure the enemy, just provide enough deterrence."

Wang Sanchun was stunned when he heard this, and asked in confusion: "The enemy army has been completely defeated. Why didn't Your Highness take advantage of the victory and pursue them?"

Li Che looked at him helplessly, hating his lack of fighting spirit: "You, I asked you to read more about military strategy, why don't you follow the right path?"

"In a close encounter between thousands of soldiers, the key is courage. When two sides meet on a narrow road, the brave prevails, so they must fight to the end. But this is a battle between hundreds of thousands of troops. The competition is about who can hold their composure and who can hold their ground."

Seeing that Wang Sanchun was still confused, Li Che couldn't help but remind him, "The other side still has 100,000 people, and most of them are cavalry. Even if I really let you chase them out, if they want to run, can you catch up?"

Wang Sanchun scratched his head and said, "Of course I can't catch up. How can two legs outrun four legs?"

"Yes, and you have to know that sometimes the key to victory or defeat is not on the battlefield. Even though we didn't completely wipe out the Khitan army in this battle, Yelu Dahe will have a harder time than if his entire army was wiped out!"

"Your Highness is right."

Huo Duanxiao, who walked down from the reviewing platform, happened to hear Li Che's words and agreed.

Li Che looked at him with a smile and said seriously: "This king is watching the battle here, but Zhengze is commanding the entire army. It's really hard work."

"The battle lasted less than an hour, so how could it be considered hard?" Huo Duanxiao bowed. "Your Highness, on the other hand, held the line firmly, annihilating a hundred thousand enemies with ease. He possesses the demeanor of Your Majesty in his youth."

Seeing the two men flattering each other, Wang Sanchun couldn't help but ask, "Why is Yelu Dahe so upset that his entire army was annihilated?"

"Let me explain," Li Lin suddenly said, "Because the Khitan military system is a union of all tribes, the reason Yelu Dahe was able to maintain his position as the Great Khan was because of his unwavering record in battle when he was young."

"This crushing defeat has wiped out the prestige he's built up over decades. The Khitan army will undoubtedly be demoralized, and the leaders may no longer obey him. Not to mention the Khitans are also facing an epidemic and a food shortage. They can't afford to fight anymore, and they can't retreat. Sooner or later, their rations will run out."

Wang Sanchun looked at Li Lin as if he had seen a ghost.

I thought that the King of Yan was a real man who was good at yelling and cursing, just like me.

I didn't expect that he, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, is also proficient in military strategies?

Li Lin saw Wang Sanchun's eyes and immediately understood what he meant. He said angrily, "What do you mean by that look? I am still a frontier prince after all. I have been studying military tactics since I was a child, so I understand this stuff!"

Li Che was too lazy to pay attention to these two funny guys and just chatted with Huo Duanxiao.

"Since ancient times, the nomadic peoples of the north have been more powerful than the agricultural dynasties of the Central Plains, and the conflict between the two sides has been difficult to resolve. When the north is strong and the south is weak, they will inevitably march south to plunder. However, when the south is strong and the north is weak, they are a minority and can only maintain stability in one area."

"I never thought that one day we would be able to defeat them so easily in the northern land."

Huo Duanxiao's eyes moved slightly, and he looked at Li Che with eyes full of respect: "Your Highness's martial arts far surpass those of famous generals in previous generations. There is no one before you, and there may not be anyone like you in the future."

Li Che understood what Huo Duanxiao meant.

Are the Khitans weak?

Bao is not weak!

This group of people who eat meat and grew up on horseback are naturally brave. Both their physical fitness and fighting spirit are stronger than those in the Central Plains.

The battle between the two sides is not a fight between weaklings, but a top-level collision of the world's top combat forces.

Unfortunately, even though all the Khitan people are soldiers and have strong strength as a foundation, they cannot withstand the attack from themselves!

A Khitan warrior, who ate meat every day since he was a child, rode a horse and practiced archery every day, and honed his skills by fighting with wild beasts.

How much resources will be consumed over the years?

On the battlefield, the Shenji Brigade can kill such a warrior with just one lead bullet!

One artillery shell from the Dongfeng Brigade can kill dozens of people!

How much does a bullet cost? How much does a shell cost?

If we look at it from a utilitarian perspective, the price paid by both parties is not equal at all.

Artillery, a weapon that transcends time, is actually a cheat, a simple numerical monster.

No matter how brave you are or how great Baturu is in the Qing Dynasty, one shot from you will reduce you to human tissue and Khitan fragments.

You say it's unfair?

Bear with it!

This is the power of technology. Using tools is the first and biggest golden finger of mankind.

Li Che did not respond to Huo Duanxiao's words, but asked:

"Zhengze, if you were Yelu Dahe, what would you do next?"

Huo Duanxiao pondered for a moment and slowly spoke, "I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. It's hard to say, but we should first stabilize the internal situation and then seek external help."

"You mean the Shiwei people?" Li Che frowned slightly. "That's true. With the Khitan's defeat, the Shiwei people should be getting restless."

Huo Duanxiao replied, "That's fine. The Shiwei are weaker than the Khitan. Our army's morale is high. As long as we can keep up with the food and grass supply, we will be invincible."

Li Che nodded slightly. "I've already sent Yang Xuan and Jie An to lead the army to intercept Yelu Dahe's food supply and disrupt his rear. I've also sent Yan San out to gather information on the Shiwei people. Zhengze, do you think my arrangements are inappropriate?"

"Your Highness acted appropriately."

"Wait a bit." Li Che's mouth curled up slightly. "Yelü Dahe... is just a grasshopper in autumn. He won't be able to jump for many more days."

In ancient wars, the troops would march and transport food and fodder in the early stages, then set up camp and confront each other. This process would normally take several months, and a year or two was also normal.

But from the decisive battle between the two armies to the decision of the outcome, it only took one day, or even several hours.

The Fengtian Army won the decisive battle in one battle, defeating 100,000 Khitan troops on this plain. Although Yelu Dahe tried his best to provide support and recover the losses, only two or three out of ten troops returned alive.

The key point is that as the victorious party, the Fengtian Army naturally obtained the qualification to clean up the battlefield.

Except for those who died in battle and those who escaped, the remaining Khitan wounded and defeated soldiers were all captured on the spot.

According to rough statistics, the Fengtian Army suffered nearly 5,000 casualties in this battle, most of which were losses incurred when the two sides engaged in close combat.

On the Khitan side, there were as many as 30,000 corpses left on the battlefield!