Looking around, his heart sank!
"This..."
The once fairly wide road is now unrecognizable, covered with stones of all sizes, blocking the way for the transport convoy.
The warhorses might be able to get through, but the carriages could no longer move.
Normally, the road could be cleared quickly to keep it open, but with pursuers behind, there's no time for that. After all, the enemy isn't stupid and won't give them the chance.
etc!
At that moment, he thought of a problem, a very serious problem.
This scene seems somewhat familiar.
The familiar traffic jam!
A familiar enemy!
He couldn't help but glance back at the enemies behind him, then at the mountain, and muttered to himself, "It can't be such a coincidence, can it? Could this be Lin Yi's doing again? That would be too much of a bullying!"
I just told myself I wouldn't fall in the same place twice, and you're already contradicting me?
"Kill!"
As expected, the pursuers behind them were instantly energized by the explosion, shouting slogans and charging straight at them.
The shouts of battle echoed for miles around, frightening away all the birds and beasts in the vicinity.
Damn it!
Tuoba Yu's face turned green. It really was Lin Yi. It was the same old trick. What did this guy take me for?
Everyone else panicked too; even a fool would know that Lin Yi was behind this.
" Lin Yi!"
The one who was most angry was Tuoba Qingsong; his face turned black.
If Lin Yi were in front of him, he would definitely tear Lin Yi to pieces. This guy ruined his big plan. The credit that was supposed to be his was gone!
Lin Yi clearly sees him as a pushover, which is why he doesn't take him seriously.
He looked at Tuoba Yu and said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: the rear guard becomes the front guard, find cover and engage in battle!"
Since you, Lin Yi, are acting like a monster and trying to cause trouble for me, then I, too, will act like a monster! So what if it's war? I've been on the battlefield since I was seven, and I've never backed down.
Forehead!
Tuoba Yu's lips twitched. In this chaotic situation, to still engage in battle was somewhat suicidal.
He glanced back; Lin Yi's men had already seized the opportunity to attack. If he didn't leave soon, a real battle would ensue.
"Your Highness, it's not advisable to fight any further. Our warhorses are not in good condition!" At this moment, Zhou Lingwu walked over and said with a gloomy expression.
The huge explosion had caused his warhorse to rear up, nearly trampling him to death.
If we continue fighting under these circumstances, it will be difficult to gain the upper hand.
"You!"
Seeing Zhou Lingwu walking towards him, Tuoba Qingsong's face turned green. You, a former cavalry general, have actually lost your horse? This is simply shameful.
No wonder Father dislikes you; you're just too unreliable.
"It's not my fault. These warhorses have never seen anything like this before. I was almost scared to death," he muttered.
To maintain their fighting ability, warhorses are usually castrated to eliminate some of their wildness. They are also trained to be fearless in battle and intimidated by the sound of war drums.
But here's the problem: this kind of explosion has never happened before; we've never practiced it.
The explosion just now terrified many warhorses, causing some to buck and run wildly as if they had gone mad, completely disrupting their previous formation.
How are we supposed to fight this battle?!
Just then, the guard that Tuoba Yu had sent out returned, his eyes still showing a hint of panic.
"Report!"
"General, something terrible has happened!"
"We've spotted nearly ten thousand enemies heading towards the wasteland from the mountain. They look like the same Iron Lump troops we encountered earlier!" the guard exclaimed in horror.
Iron Lump Army?
Upon hearing these five words, the battlefield was momentarily stunned, while those who had previously participated in the battle of Dayu County couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
"This is bad! Lin Yi is trying to cut off our retreat. Isn't this guy incredibly audacious?" Yelü Dashan's face turned ashen. The enemy had sent his elite troops to sneak over from the mountain, clearly intending to encircle them.
Based on their strength, if they were to block our path from behind, even tens of thousands of our men probably wouldn't be able to break through in a short time.
Thinking back to how invulnerable the enemy had been, he felt a chill run down his spine; this was definitely not what he wanted to see.
"A lump of iron?"
Seeing the fear in everyone's eyes, Tuoba Qingsong couldn't help but frown. What did they mean by an "iron lump army"? Were they all made of iron?
Tuoba Yu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The so-called Iron Lump Unit is actually Lin Yi's heavy infantry. They are covered in armor from head to toe, and even their faces are covered with masks. They are an extremely terrifying force."
"Originally there were only a little over three thousand people, but Lin Yi expanded to ten thousand so quickly. If they cut off our retreat, I'm afraid..."
He didn't say what happened next, but everyone can imagine how it ended. I couldn't help but shudder; it was truly terrifying.
Heavy infantry!
Even Tuoba Qingsong couldn't help but shudder. If ten thousand infantrymen were blocking the way, it would be an Iron City, and breaking through it would be no easy feat.
However, he was really unwilling to retreat just like that.
Just then, a commotion broke out behind them, and countless soldiers rushed forward, disregarding any formation.
"Run! The enemy is closing in from behind!"
"Those guys are insane! If we don't leave, we're all going to die!"
"Run!!"
Taking advantage of the previous opportunity, Gongsun Zan had already defeated the enemies behind him and was heading straight for them.
Tuoba Yu's pupils contracted, stunned by the fighting prowess of the White Horse Volunteers.
Faced with the White Horse Volunteers, the cannon fodder they had placed at the back were not even able to resist and were slaughtered in large numbers. Now they were so frightened that they were running away with their heads in their hands.
He didn't even bother discussing whether to retaliate; he said in a deep voice, "The rear has been routed. We must leave quickly, or we won't be able to get away!"
He knew perfectly well that those covering the rear were prisoners, whose fighting ability was utterly terrible, and there was absolutely no way they could stop Gongsun Zan.
"How can these people be so weak? They're completely defenseless!" Tuoba Qingsong said to his cousin with some dissatisfaction.
Tuoba Yu smiled wryly and explained, "Your Highness, these are men I captured in Ningchuan Commandery. They haven't received any training whatsoever; it's a miracle they can even ride a horse!"
These are all new recruits; what can we expect from them? Right now, they're just cannon fodder.
Forehead!
Upon hearing this explanation, Tuoba Qingsong's face stiffened. So that's how it is. No wonder their combat strength is so poor.
So, what was originally a 50/50 chance has now turned into a situation where he has less than 70,000 men available to fight. Thinking of the enemy's ferocious army of 100,000, he instantly made a decision that went against the ancestral teachings of the Northern Barbarians warrior race!
"Withdraw!"
A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. It's better to back down now than to die in battle; at least there's still a chance for revenge.
When you die, you lose everything.