The drums continued to beat.
Inside and outside the Great Xia Gate, the bodies of men and horses lay intertwined, creating a scene of bloody carnage.
Even seasoned warriors couldn't help but feel nauseated.
They had never seen such a gruesome pile of flesh and blood.
It was truly horrifying.
The Kingdom's army had already charged out of the Great Xia Gate, cutting down anyone in their path.
They spared no one, not even their own fleeing soldiers.
Both the Western Army and their own retreating troops avoided the area, scattering in all directions.
Until He Lun arrived with a mere hundred or so remnants of his forces...
"General He, hurry into the city and report to the Commander," Shao Xun ordered his soldiers to make way, allowing He Lun's troops to pass.
He Lun thanked him in a low voice, not daring to meet Shao Xun's gaze, and slipped into the city with his tail between his legs.
In the distance, the sound of hooves could still be heard.
It was the Western Army's cavalry, unwilling to accept defeat.
They lingered on the outskirts, wanting to charge but not daring to do so.
The recent crushing defeat had cost them over six hundred cavalrymen.
Their bodies stretched from the Imperial Street all the way to the city gates.
Even their commander, Zhi Fu, had been wounded.
The casualties were devastating.
After watching from afar for a while and seeing no opportunity, they reluctantly withdrew.
With no chance of seizing the gate, they would wait for their main forces to arrive and then make further plans.
Shao Xun remained standing outside the gate.
Over two thousand soldiers, clad in armor and armed to the teeth, stood in solemn silence.
A resounding victory like this easily boosted morale.
This sudden surge of morale might wane soon, but for now, they were filled with fighting spirit, fierce and unyielding.
All the battlefield messengers had been dispatched, carefully galloping around to gather scattered groups of retreating soldiers, directing them to enter the city through the Guangmo and Great Xia Gates—Mi Huang had already taken four thousand elite troops to secure the city defenses, and it was he who ordered the Guangmo Gate to be opened.
In this battle, a total of thirteen thousand infantry and cavalry had been deployed.
Only about three thousand returned.
The losses were heavy.
The remaining ten thousand weren't all dead.
Some might still be hiding in various places, but their numbers wouldn't be large—perhaps two thousand at most.
However, they were unlikely to return unless someone specifically went out to search for and gather them.
It wasn't until the sun began to set and the area outside the city was completely empty that Shao Xun led his troops back into the city.
The Great Xia Gate slammed shut, and the drawbridge slowly rose.
The battlefield fell silent once more, leaving only the dying groans of the wounded and the cawing of crows circling overhead.
On the way back, Chen Yougen reported in a low voice: three student soldiers had died.
Shao Xun simply nodded, saying nothing.
Life and death are fated, and wealth is determined by heaven.
In war, death is inevitable.
"Lord Shao, you truly turned the tide," Mi Huang and Wang Bing hurried over, their faces relaxed.
When Shangguan Si's entire army collapsed, Mi Huang had genuinely feared that the enemy would seize the opportunity to storm the gates and invade Luoyang.
At that moment, he even considered abandoning any rescue efforts and simply fortifying the Jinyong City.
Fortunately, he didn't falter at the critical moment and decided to "struggle" to the end, doing everything possible to defend Luoyang.
The outcome, of course, was favorable.
Zhang Fang had been too hasty, sending cavalry to seize the gates, only to be thoroughly taught a lesson by the Kingdom's army in the narrow streets and gate passages.
The situation had turned from peril to safety.
The entire day had been full of unexpected twists, enough to make one's heart race.
"Commander Shao," another man approached, bowing in greeting.
"General... Chen?" Shao Xun glanced at him.
The man's face was smeared with blood, his hair disheveled.
It was General Chen Zhen of the Left Guard, barely recognizable.
"Commander Shao, you've accomplished a great feat today," Chen Zhen offered a lukewarm compliment before pulling a general from behind him and introducing him to Shao Xun.
"This is my former subordinate, Chen Yong."
"Commander Shao," Chen Yong bowed respectfully.
Shao Xun returned the greeting and asked, "General Chen, what do you mean by this?"
Chen Zhen sighed.
"After today's defeat, I've only managed to bring back a few hundred soldiers—around four or five hundred. Chen Yong, gather the men and introduce them to Commander Shao. From now on, they will be under his command."
"Yes," Chen Yong replied.
Seeing that Shao Xun was about to speak, Chen Zhen cut him off.
"Commander Shao, these are the veterans of Luoyang's central army. Some are from the Left Guard, some from the Right Guard, and others from the Cavalry. Their skills are naturally excellent. Their morale is a bit low now, but with proper training, they will become strong soldiers again. As for me... I'm disheartened. I have no other thoughts at the moment. I only hope that you will treat these men well."
With that, he staggered away without waiting for Shao Xun's response.
Shao Xun remained silent for a moment before instructing Chen Yougen to take the training unit and gather the four hundred or so men under Chen Yong.
Mi Huang leaned in and whispered, "Chen Zhen heard about you shooting Shangguan Pu with an arrow."
Shao Xun suddenly understood.
He had thought that Chen Zhen, having suffered consecutive defeats, was simply disheartened.
But now it seemed there was more to it.
Perhaps Chen Zhen feared that Shao Xun would target him, so he handed over his troops to avoid trouble.
After all, he didn't have many men left, and it was better to curry favor.
The people in Luoyang were all shrewd, huh.
"What about Man Fen?" Shao Xun asked.
"Dead," Mi Huang sighed.
"Killed in battle by the Western Army."
"Didn't Man Fen have over two thousand men in the city?" Shao Xun asked.
"Earlier, I sent someone to his camp. Deputy Generals Hou Hu and Fan Cheng expressed their willingness to follow orders," Mi Huang said.
"Who are these two?"
"They're both veterans of Luoyang's central army, over fifty years old, retired at home. The Grand Commandant recruited them before the northern campaign, and they brought out dozens of old soldiers to train new recruits."
Man Fen and Miao Yuan had a combined force of five thousand soldiers, all newly recruited three months ago.
At the time, many veterans from the central army had been brought in to help with training.
"Find a way to gather them," Shao Xun said in a low voice.
"There can't be a second military force in Luoyang. The Commander wouldn't want a repeat of Miao Yuan letting people into the city without authorization, would he?"
Mi Huang hesitated but eventually nodded.
Miao Yuan's unilateral decision to allow the Crown Prince and Shangguan Si into the city had caused a huge uproar, nearly leading to Luoyang's downfall.
Mi Huang was also afraid.
So, although he felt that annexing allied forces wasn't ideal, he ultimately agreed.
"Shangguan Si might have escaped," Mi Huang said.
"Someone saw him fleeing south with his entourage. The Western troops couldn't catch up. Miao Yuan returned and hid in the military camp."
"Leave him be for now," Shao Xun said.
"The priority is to repel Zhang Fang and protect Luoyang. Have all the retreating soldiers who entered the city been gathered?"
"Aside from Chen Zhen and Miao Yuan's personal entourage, the remaining two thousand three hundred have all been gathered."
Shao Xun calculated for a moment.
"I'll take three hundred. The rest—General Wang, would you like to lead troops?"
Wang Bing was startled, his expression shifting uncertainly, as if suspecting that Shao Xun was testing him.
"General Wang, don't overthink it," Shao Xun said with a smile.
"I already have plenty of soldiers under my command, more than I can handle. I know you still have many old acquaintances and fellow townsmen in the upper army. I'll speak to General He about it. He'll release whoever you want. These two thousand retreating soldiers will be under your command. How about it?"
Wang Bing was tempted.
He had been sidelined by Shao Xun for a long time and had originally planned to seek a position in the imperial guards to avoid this troublesome figure.
But now, even the imperial guards were gone, and all his plans had come to nothing.
Hearing that he could regain command of troops, he couldn't help but feel tempted.
After a moment of hesitation, he bowed and said, "Commander, if you ever need anything in the future, just say the word."
"You'll have the opportunity," Shao Xun said, helping him up.
"Your unit will still be called the Lower Army. How about that?"
"That's fine," Wang Bing said.
"But what about the original Lower Army?"
"Of course, they'll be called the Central Army," Shao Xun declared without hesitation.
Mi Huang was surprised but said nothing.
Only a major state could have Upper, Middle, and Lower Armies, with the Middle Army consisting of two thousand soldiers and the Upper and Lower Armies each having fifteen hundred, totaling five thousand.
The Kingdom of Donghai wasn't a major state, so by regulation, it couldn't have a Middle Army.
But then again, these were extraordinary times.
It was all a mess.
They could sort it out after repelling the enemy.
Wang Bing soon took his leave, overjoyed to inspect his new subordinates.
Mi Huang stood for a moment before finally asking, "Young Lord, are you planning to appoint yourself as the General of the Central Army?"
"It's all for the Grand Commandant's cause. We have to adapt to the situation," Shao Xun sighed.
"When the Grand Commandant returns to Luoyang, he can decide everything. If he strips me of my positions, I will comply without a word."
Mi Huang had nothing more to say.
After Wang Bing left, Shao Xun would directly control around four thousand troops, including three thousand combat soldiers and one thousand support troops.
If you added the four hundred men under Chen Yong and the three hundred retreating soldiers gathered today, the total would be over four thousand seven hundred.
Of course, he believed Shao Xun's ambitions didn't stop there.
Hou Hu and Fan Cheng still had over two thousand new recruits, and Shao Xun hadn't assigned them yet...
In fact, Shao Xun had already planned out these troops: most would serve as support soldiers, with four to five hundred selected to merge with the original Lower Army's Wang Que'er, Jin San, and Lu Heigou's units to form a new battalion.
Shao Xun had considered this.
Since they were all recruited soldiers, was it still necessary to have squad leaders?
During the Tang Dynasty, when the militia system collapsed, Emperor Xuanzong initiated a large-scale recruitment era.
The professionalism and skill level of soldiers increased significantly, reaching maturity in the mid-to-late Tang period.
At that time, many regional armies abolished the position of squad leader because the organizational structure of the army had improved, making it unnecessary to have this level of officer.
The Kingdom of Donghai's army was now effectively a recruited force.
Although they were still relatively inexperienced due to their short time in service, their training intensity and frequency were higher than that of regular militia, so their organizational structure was naturally more advanced.
So, was it worth seriously considering abolishing the position of squad leader?
Shao Xun wasn't entirely sure, but he decided to observe for a while.
In the Wang, Jin, and Lu units, all student officers would be promoted one rank: squad leaders would become platoon leaders, platoon leaders would become company commanders, and company commanders would become battalion commanders.
The vacant squad leader positions would be filled by the new recruits electing one of their own.
The newly formed battalion would be commanded by Shao Xun himself, with Jin San and Lu Heigou serving as battalion commanders.
Chen Yougen's unit currently had one hundred men and would soon be expanded to two hundred, forming a battalion.
Chen would be the battalion commander, and Wang Que'er would be transferred to serve as a battalion commander.
These two units, totaling nearly eight hundred men, were somewhat detached from the Kingdom's army system.
Shao Xun had deliberately done this to avoid unnecessary complications when "dividing assets" in the future.
He preferred to have fewer troops under his command but ensure they were "pure."
Some troops could be commanded by both him and the Grand Commandant.
Others could only be commanded by him.
The latter was clearly more important.
(End of Chapter)