Chapter 654: Tragic Casualties at Luoxia Slope, Mourning the Dead
Kashin was testing the other party's sincerity, so he took the time to rest and almost fell asleep, showing his full trust in them. As a result, the bakery he hijacked was barely enough for them to stay.
At this tense and dangerous moment, the soldiers are on duty. They chat while performing their tasks, feeling lucky that they have survived this cruel war. They have even written suicide notes just in case.
However, just now, they received a notice from Lord Cashen. This notice gave them a glimmer of hope and comfort, because it clearly stated that they would not be allowed to fight against their former brother troops against their conscience. Instead, they were asked to remain neutral and wait for the end of the war.
This decision is undoubtedly very humane. Putting aside the hostile stance, the chivalric code is a universally recognized value concept. Sir Cashen's move not only did not embarrass the warriors, but protected their honor, which is undoubtedly the greatest respect for them.
Therefore, Sir Cashen left a very good impression on these warriors. They were full of respect and gratitude for him.
At the same time, they also realized that even their Great Knight Denton could only be defeated in one round by Sir Cashen.
This also reflects the reality that strength is respected in the army, which makes the knights admire Sir Cashen's strength.
Let's talk about the situation on Tan Aili's side. They went through several fierce battles, but they successfully repelled the enemy. After losing the advantage of charging on horseback, the enemy would definitely not be a match for the mountain division once they climbed up Luoxia Slope.
The enemy commander was filled with frustration. He did not dare to wait for the enemy to starve to death, as he knew the big country would send troops to help. So he launched a night attack in the middle of the night, but ended up suffering a miserable defeat.
Three powerful attacks were all repelled, and a head count revealed a loss of 50,000 men, so the allied commanders were devastated.
The fate of their country depends entirely on this battle. The enemy's defense is like an iron wall. The soldiers fight to the death and will not dodge even if the threat is great without orders. They are unimaginably strong.
The advantage was in the commanding position. The enemy's fire attack failed completely, so after repelling the enemy, Tan Aili stopped the army from chasing and killing them and let them retreat.
She didn't want to force the enemy to fight to the death, which would cause her own army to suffer more casualties. She wanted to conserve her strength and continue to consume the enemy. After all, she had the advantage of the terrain and had nothing to fear.
Therefore, people like Tan Aili are very scary to the enemy. They are like a piece of stubborn rock and there is nothing they can do to them.
Tan Aili washed her face and checked the casualty list, sighing, General Lu Cun and Tarku were killed, six deputy generals and thirty-one lieutenant generals were killed.
The battle was extremely fierce. Both sides sent out their most elite troops, and the commanders on the front line were generals who had experienced many battles.
However, since the enemy's charge was actually a legion composed of generals, ordinary knights were simply unable to withstand their fierce attack.
In this war without any skills, the two sides directly launched a brutal contest of strength. In the end, both sides suffered huge losses, especially the number of high-end combat forces killed was even more heartbreaking.
After reading the list of casualties, she made a heavy-hearted decision. She ordered the dead soldiers from both sides to be buried together and named the place "General Slope" to commemorate the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country.
Not only that, she also issued an unprecedented order: all ordinary knights were posthumously awarded the title of general and given pensions equivalent to the rank of general. This move was undoubtedly the highest praise for these brave soldiers and also greatly boosted their morale.
In this desperate situation, Tan Aili knew the importance of morale. She didn't know that 20,000 heavy cavalry were on their way, and the only thing she could do at this time was to inspire the fighting spirit of the whole army in order to gain a glimmer of hope in the next battle.
The art of deploying troops is not a fixed dogma, but needs to be applied flexibly according to actual conditions.
Tan Aili's move was extremely brilliant. By posthumously conferring the title of general on ordinary soldiers and issuing high pensions, she successfully boosted the morale of the entire army, causing every soldier to fight bravely and double their combat effectiveness.
Tan Aili witnessed the scene of burying soldiers from both sides. She was moved by the scene, tears welled up in her eyes, and she tapped the rhythm with her fingers, improvising a song to commemorate the soldiers and comfort the souls of the dead.
Mourning the Warrior's Dead
On the slope of sunset, the setting sun weeps blood, and the evening clouds are sad. The warrior's body has fallen, and his soul is drifting to the eternal dreamland.
The kindhearted men of the past, now their armors are broken and bloodstained. They once rushed to death fearlessly, for glory and for the soil of their hometown.
Now they lie quietly, In this war-torn place, The wild grass is their quilt, The stars are their candlelight.
The wind is sobbing, like weeping and complaining, telling of their heroic past. The flames of the fading lives once illuminated the dark battlefield.
Their names are engraved in time, Although their bodies are gone, their heroic spirits live on. May the light shine upon them as they return home.
May there be no more wars in the world, and only the melodious songs of peace. May the warriors rest in peace in the embrace of the earth, and be forever revered by future generations...
……
The song was melodious and sad. The nearby soldiers stopped and listened with tears in their eyes, unable to let it go for a long time.
Tan Aili sang the sad song over and over again, her voice echoing in the mountains, as if she was mourning her lost comrades. Some soldiers gradually learned the tune and sang along, the singing spread among the crowd like ripples, and more and more people joined the chorus.
The song was full of sorrow and power, it penetrated the darkness and filled the entire valley. The surviving soldiers listened to the song, and the sorrow in their hearts was transformed into endless courage and fighting spirit.
They were filled with strength, determined to avenge their dead comrades and fight for their country.
Inspired by the songs, the soldiers continued to bury the bodies of their companions. This work was extremely difficult because there were so many bodies, but they did it silently without any complaints.
It was not until late at night that all the bodies were finally buried and they said their final farewell to their comrades.
However, the battle was not over, and those who survived had to continue to hold their ground. They knew that the enemy could attack at any time, and they had to respond without flinching. Although exhausted, their will was as firm as steel.
Tan Aili was somewhat surprised that the enemy did not organize a fierce attack. After observation, she found that the enemy's heavy cavalry gave up charging and switched to climbing the mountain to fight, and was no match for the mountain division.
The previous three attacks not only failed to achieve any results, but also dealt a serious blow to their morale.
The two sides faced each other tacitly, and neither of them launched an attack easily. Tan Aili was not in a hurry to counterattack, she was waiting for the best opportunity.
She wanted to wait until the last meal came, when the soldiers had no way to retreat and had to fight a desperate battle, and then lead them to charge and fight a tough battle.
This strategy is similar to the strategy of burning one's boats and burying one's boats, both of which stimulate people's maximum potential in desperate situations. Only at the critical moment of life and death will people fight desperately for a glimmer of hope. Tan Aili believes that her soldiers will be able to show amazing courage and fighting power in this decisive battle.
Low-level commanders simply cannot use this kind of understanding of people's hearts to control the battlefield. Only top-notch commanders can be invincible and control the timing with kindness.
By the way, while waiting for reinforcements to arrive, the Mountain Division cannot suffer large-scale casualties again.