The First Family of the Red Mansion

Chapter 25 The Khan's Nighttime Escape!

"Xie Wenyu, Putila!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

That's right, Liu Hu didn't take Putila with him when he went to Yangguan. He knew that Putila would definitely stay in the Western Regions after the war.

Since that's the case, it's better to let him stay here and accumulate more military merits with Zhao Zhong.

"You two, lead your men and head north immediately."

"Once Gushi Khan is found, immediately send someone to report back."

"You don't need to confront them head-on. Just keep track of their movements and stall them as much as possible."

"This subordinate obeys!"

Faced with the sudden attack by the Yumen garrison, the Duerbote troops, already panicked due to the lack of food supplies, had no will to fight.

"Haha, finally I got to eat some meat."

"By the way, have they caught their leader? Bring him up here quickly so I can see him."

"Now, even if we failed to capture Gushi Khan, we can at least give an explanation."

Zhao Zhong's merits are not far from being a marquis. If he can capture the leader of the Duerbote tribe this time, he will definitely be a marquis. No wonder he is so excited.

However, after hearing his order, the generals who arrived exchanged awkward glances, and none of them moved.

"What? Who killed him?"

Seeing the silence below, Zhao Zhong waved his hand nonchalantly: "Even if you've already killed me, that was your luck. Don't be shy, show everyone your head."

However, all was silent below.

"Even now, don't tell me you let him get away?"

Even if his own subordinates kill the leader of the Durbet tribe, he can still share in the war merits, and being ennobled is a sure thing.

But judging from their current state, could it be that the marquisate they were about to obtain has really slipped away?

"Commander, according to a Oirat man, the leader of the Durbet tribe had already fled with some of his men before the battle began."

Finally, one of the generals couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to speak up.

"Damn, they got away pretty fast."

Zhao Zhong wanted to curse when he heard this, but he didn't know who to curse. The other party had already run away, and he couldn't take his anger out on his soldiers.

When Liu Hu and his men arrived at Yangguan, it was already dark. Zhao Changjiu, who had been in charge of guarding Yangguan, rushed over to greet them.

"General!"

"How's the recovery going?"

As soon as they met, Liu Hu asked.

"It's much better now!" Zhao Changjiu replied immediately.

"That's good. Tell me, what's the situation here now?"

"Yes!" Zhao Changjiu immediately straightened up: "The Oirat people have only sent people to keep an eye on us, but they haven't launched an attack on our side yet."

"Therefore, our defending troops suffered no losses."

"What about the Oirat people outside the city? Have they made any unusual moves lately?"

After Zhao Changjiu finished his report, Liu Hu immediately asked.

"No, they're just watching us!"

"That's good. We'll rest tonight, and I'll personally lead a team to take a look tomorrow."

Five thousand elite Oirat troops—Liu Hu would have been a little worried in the past.

But now he has no fewer elite troops under his command than the Oirat, and he also has 10,000 newly recruited soldiers. Even if their combat strength is poor, they can still bolster the army's morale.

After learning about the situation, Liu Hu took a rest.

However, before dawn, Zhao Changjiu hurriedly came to his door.

"What's going on? The enemy is attacking the city!"

Liu Hu quickly dressed and asked Zhao Changjiu, who was in a hurry.

"No, but scouts outside the city reported that last night at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), a group of about two thousand soldiers joined up with the Oirat people outside the city. They are currently cooking and it looks like they are going to attack us."

At this time, Liu Hu was unaware that the Oirat army outside Yumen Pass had either fled or been wiped out, and that he would eliminate them later.

After listening to Zhao Changjiu's report, he also assumed that the Oirat people outside the city were preparing to attack.

"It seems that the arrival of the Marquis of Zhongyong has made them completely abandon the grain supplies in Yumen Pass."

Liu Hu immediately ordered the cooks to prepare food in preparation for the Oirat attack.

However, before dawn, the Oirat people couldn't wait to launch an attack.

"General, something's not right. There seem to be over four thousand Oirat people outside, but we've only got less than three hundred attacking the city so far."

After seeing the Oirat soldiers in action, not only Liu Hu but also Zhao Changjiu noticed something was wrong.

"Adding the two thousand men from last night, that means the Oirat people have at least seven thousand troops, but they only sent about three hundred to attack the city, which is indeed a bit strange."

Looking at the dense array of torches in the distance, Liu Hu was momentarily filled with confusion.

The three hundred or so men were driven back before they even reached the city walls. Moreover, the Oirat people did not linger in the battle, leaving behind a hundred or so corpses, and hurriedly retreated before even hearing the gong.

Seeing this, Liu Hu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Oh no, the Oirat people are trying to escape. Those people outside the city are just a diversionary force."

"Zhao Changjiu, immediately muster the troops and follow me out of the pass to pursue the enemy."

At Liu Hu's command, the more than 10,000 garrison troops immediately sprang into action.

As Liu Hu had guessed correctly, the Oirat army outside the city numbered only a thousand, and those torches were all used to mislead the Yangguan garrison.

"Pursue them immediately! We absolutely cannot let those Oirat people escape."

Liu Hu had a premonition that the two thousand Oirat soldiers from last night were definitely not simple. They were able to set up a feint to buy time for his escape. There must be a big fish in that group of Oirat soldiers.

To prevent the Oirat people from repeating their old tricks, Liu Hu even sent out all his scouts.

"General, we've found them! Five thousand Oirat soldiers have been discovered forty miles to the south."

As dawn approached, the scouts finally brought back news.

"Keep searching; this group of Oirat people might also be a diversionary tactic."

"Don't forget, there are still a thousand Oirat people whose whereabouts are unknown."

Even after discovering the main force of the Oirat forces, Liu Hu remained vigilant.

Regardless of the truth, Liu Hu decided to deal with the Oirat army first.

By noon, Liu Hu had finally caught up with the group of Oirat people.

"General, the soldiers ahead are from the Khoshut tribe, but the one leading them is the leader of the Durbet tribe."

Faced with the encirclement of over ten thousand Zhou troops, the Oirat people probably knew they couldn't escape, so they simply formed ranks on the spot and prepared to meet the Zhou army's attack.

"I never imagined I wouldn't be able to escape alive in the end!"

The leader of the Duerbote tribe looked at the Zhou army surrounding him and couldn't help but sigh to the heavens.

After learning that the Khoshut and Torgut tribes had fled with all their provisions, he knew that his army was doomed.

But he was still unwilling to be abandoned like this, so he led his personal guards to catch up with Gushi Khan and demand an explanation.

Unexpectedly, the soldiers in charge of guarding the south reported that a group of Khoshut soldiers had secretly gone south.

He only needed a moment's thought to guess that this was probably Gushi Khan's old fox's scheme to secretly advance his own territory.

In the open, he sent his main army and entourage north in a grand manner, while he secretly led a small detachment of soldiers south.

Having guessed Gushi Khan's intentions, the leader of the Durbet tribe was not about to let this opportunity slip by.

They were ready to give up entirely, but unexpectedly, a glimmer of hope appeared.

If Gushi Khan dares not take me with him, then none of us should try to escape.

When the Durbet tribe leader caught up with him, Gushi Khan really wanted to kill him to silence him.

But seeing the commander of the Duerbote tribe leading a thousand-household officer, he had no choice but to compromise.

However, upon arriving at Yangguan, he immediately suggested that the two of them split up and escape, with each one able to flee as much as possible. He even kindly gave him five thousand soldiers.

Although he felt that Gushi Khan was using him as bait, he had no choice but to agree in the face of the six thousand Khoshut soldiers around him.

Next, he and his commander fled south, swept along by the four thousand Khoshut tribesmen.

"In the end, you've become a pawn, Gushi Khan. I'll be waiting for you in the Eternal Heaven!"

The leader of the Duerbote tribe roared in frustration and led his commander of a thousand men to break away from the army formation, launching a solo charge against the Zhou army.

He was unwilling to be used by Gushi Khan like this, and even if he were to die, he wanted to choose his own way of dying.

"kill!"

The actions of the Durbet tribe created a huge opening in the Oirat army's formation. At Liu Hu's command, the Zhou army from all sides immediately attacked.

The Oirat army, thrown into chaos, was no match for the Zhou army. After being routed by the Zhou elite troops, they were quickly slaughtered one by one by the newly allied forces surrounding them, like rabbits being chased.

Looking at the last leader of the Duerbote tribe to be brought in, Liu Hu clasped his hands and said, "Chief, how have you been?"

"It's you!"

Upon seeing Liu Hu's appearance, the leader of the Duerbote tribe was initially startled, but then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Was it the general who led his troops to cut off our supplies and then held off our two-day assault at Yumen Pass?"

"It is indeed I!"

Liu Hu nodded in agreement.

"To die at the hands of a warrior like you is not a disgrace."

"Before you die, General, could you tell me how you crossed the desert back then?"

The leader of the Duerbote tribe finally asked a question, still unwilling to give up.

Even for the Oirat people, crossing the desert without supplies was a near-certain death.

If Liu Hu hadn't suddenly appeared behind them and cut off their supply lines, the Oirat people would never have suffered such a crushing defeat.

Liu Hu calmly shook his head. Without his cheat-like abilities, he wouldn't have been able to lead his army across the desert.

But he didn't intend to tell anyone about the existence of the cheat system before he died.

"Understood!"

Not getting the answer he wanted, the leader of the Duerbote tribe did not press the matter, but instead nodded calmly.

No, you'll understand once you understand something.

"General, when Gushi Khan parted ways with us today, he headed towards the Qilian Mountains. If you hurry, you should still be able to catch up with him."

"Is Gushi Khan here too?"

Upon hearing his words, Liu Hu was stunned. He never expected that Gushi Khan would break away from the main force and dare to come here with only a small group of people.

"The general doesn't know?"

The leader of the Durbet tribe was somewhat annoyed. "If you didn't know that Gushi Khan was here, why were you chasing after him so closely?"

"I really don't know. I just feel that if a commander of a thousand men could set up such a diversion just to buy time for his own escape, there must be a big fish in there."

Liu Hu shook his head and said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Liu Hu asked, puzzled.

"Of course I'm not reconciled. I've already become a prisoner, and I'll be beheaded and displayed to the public in the future. How can Gushi Khan possibly escape this fate?"

"He has repeatedly used others as pawns; he is utterly unworthy to be the Khan of the Oirat."

Although Gushi Khan also had the Golden Bloodline, he was not a descendant of Genghis Khan, but only a descendant of his younger brother.

The Oirat people initially accepted this collateral branch of the Golden Bloodline because they lacked their own. Furthermore, they submitted to this branch after Esen's defeat.

Unexpectedly, he was now being used by this outsider and used as a pawn to help him escape. How could the leader of the Durbet tribe not hate Gushi Khan?

Although they hadn't yet captured Gushi Khan, they already knew which way he had fled, so scouts naturally gave chase.

At this moment, Liu Hu didn't mind chatting with the leader of the Durbut tribe for a while longer.

After all, we caught such a big fish, we should at least consider the other party's feelings.

As the leader of the Duerbote tribe recounted the story, Liu Hu understood the situation at Yumen Pass.

"It's like planting flowers with care but they don't bloom, while planting willows without intention and they thrive."

The Earl of Zhongyong had been determined to earn himself a marquisate, but in the end, he ended up with nothing.

I only came to Yangguan to take a break and recuperate, but I never expected that the big fish would take the bait.

It's just fate playing tricks on us!

"General, our scouts have spotted traces of Gushi Khan; they have indeed fled towards the Qilian Mountains."

"Assemble your troops immediately and make sure to capture Gushi Khan."

Since Gushi Khan had already come to visit, Liu Hu couldn't just leave without inviting him over for a chat; that would make him seem impolite.

Although Liu Hu led the main force to pursue towards the Qilian Mountains, he did not allow scouts in other directions to give up the search.

When dealing with Gushi Khan, that old fox, one can never be too careful.

Liu Hu and his men had not found Gushi Khan's thousand men by nightfall.

Just as Liu Hu was feeling confused, a scout who was investigating from the rear suddenly came to report.

"General, a troop of soldiers has bypassed our search and is heading towards Yangguan."

"Damn it, we've fallen for that old fox Gushi Khan's trick of luring us away from our mountain."

To prevent the main force of the Oirat people from attacking Yangguan, Liu Hu left behind more than 3,000 guards before leaving, and also arranged scouts to guard the north.

However, of the three thousand garrison troops, only five hundred were elite Zhou soldiers; the rest were all newly surrendered Western Region people.

If he was prepared, Liu Hu wouldn't be too worried, but he was afraid of a surprise attack by the Oirat people.

If Gushi Khan were to launch a surprise attack and breach Yangguan Pass at this moment, he could escape and flee south back to his homeland of Tibet.

However, he wasn't sure if he could withstand the sneak attack from the old fox Gushi Khan with his five hundred elite troops and more than two thousand newly recruited soldiers.

When Liu Hu led the first thousand or so men back to Yangguan, it was already too late.

At this time, Yangguan was just an empty city, and the garrison and supplies inside had disappeared.

The provisions for over ten thousand troops for two days were enough for Gushi Khan to escape back to his own territory.

Fortunately, Liu Hu had left the wounded at Yumen Pass, and no major battle had taken place before Yang Pass, otherwise the losses would have been even greater.

"Chase!"

Liu Hu knew he couldn't let Gushi Khan escape. If he couldn't recover the grain that Gushi Khan had seized, his army of over ten thousand men would starve tonight.

"But General, our army only has a little over a thousand men, and we just had a bloody battle during the day. Even if we catch up with Gushi Khan, it will only increase our casualties!"

"So noisy!"

Liu Hu gave the man a cold look and cursed impatiently.

This person was not one of Liu Hu's old subordinates who had crossed the desert with him before, so naturally he would not obey Liu Hu's orders.

But Liu Hu had no time to waste and directly ordered Zhao Changjiu, who was standing to the side, "From now on, those soldiers under his command are under your command."

He then said to the man who had questioned him earlier, "As for you, if you're unwilling to join us in the pursuit, then go to Yumen Pass and explain to the commander yourself."

"drive!"