Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 797
On the last day of April, the spring is bright and the flowers are in full bloom.Li Tangbin brought a group of generals to the White Grassland.

White Grassland is a place with stories.

In the 12th year of Yuanhe, Pei Du was appointed as the envoy of the Huaixi army to comfort and dispose, and he was stationed in the Baiprairie southeast of Xiangcheng.The Huaixi people invited them with seven hundred brave riders, but the generals attacked them.Pei Du continued eastward to Yancheng, and took it as a reason to conquer Huaixi.

Shao Chengjie followed behind Li Tangbin, listening carefully to what the general beside him said.

"What do the thieves intend to do by building a pontoon bridge?"

"Is it necessary to retreat? From a common sense, it is unlikely to counterattack."

"Will you see that you can't go, so you just fight to the death?"

"A fight to the death? It's not impossible. Ma Sui and Ma Taiwei were able to fight with their backs when they conquered Weibo and Chengde, but could Pang Shigu do it?"

"Don't underestimate them. Pang Shigu has been a general for many years, and there are still ways to inspire the morale of the army. Liang Bing is also quite capable of fighting. It is not uncommon to fight across the river."

"Pang Shigu's ability, I don't think so much. How can Ding Hui, Shi Shucong, and Zhu Zhenqiang compare with Ma Taiwei?"

"Why do you care so much about the past than the present?"

"I'm like this, what do you think? Do you want to take a gamble?"

"How to bet?"

"You take out a concubine who has never given birth, and I will take one too, whoever wins, how about it?"

"Okay, let's gamble!"

"Shut up!" Li Tangbin reprimanded, stopping a group of noisy roughs.

Shao Chengjie smiled.

In fact, he really likes staying with the warriors, everyone speaks very directly, without so many twists and turns.Even though you are the eldest son, they are a little more careful when they speak, but when they get emotional, they still dare to say anything.

Of course, warriors also like Shizi very much.There is no other reason. They often hunt together and roast their prey. Doesn't this feeling come out?Moreover, the prince is very generous, Hu Shangkang Fojin gifted him a beauty from the Western Regions, and he gave it to Yang Can, the Tianzhu army tourer, and won the favor of everyone.

The most important thing is that the son has always insisted on practicing martial arts, which is the most fundamental reason for winning the favor of the martial arts.If he wears a Confucian uniform all day long, it will not be pleasing to the eye. Can such a person take over the throne of King Xia amidst a pack of wolves?No one can guarantee.

"Thieves and soldiers build bridges, and I also build bridges." Li Tangbin said: "Fu Cunju!"

"The last general is here!" Fu Cunshen, the envoy of the German army, stepped forward and saluted.

"You send people to choose a place downstream to build a pontoon bridge, and give you three days, is that enough?"

"Enough! The last general takes orders." Fu Cunshen said loudly.

Three days is actually a bit tight.You have to find a good place first, then cut wood to build a ship, or transport the previously built ship there, and then fix the ship, which is very labor-intensive.And this is still under the condition that no one is harassing. If someone is shooting arrows on the other side, it will be even more troublesome. It may take how long it will take.

"Yang Yi!" Li Tangbin shouted again.

"The last general is here!" Yang Yi, the envoy of the Jinglue Army You Yi, responded.

"You lead your troops to the north, to the camp of the National Defense Army. I will send someone to tell him to build a pontoon bridge. Once the bridge is built, you will cooperate with the attack."

"Obey!" Yang Yi replied.

The national defense army is in Yingqiao Town, under the command of Yuhou Fengzang, the capital of Mabu in Hezhong.There were 1 people at the time of the expedition, and there are still more than [-] people, basically infantry.

After giving the order, Li Tangbin continued to look at the other side.

Liang Jun was in full swing, his morale seemed to be very high, and his fighting spirit was also very strong. The intention of crossing the river to counterattack was very obvious.But Li Tangbin just didn't believe it, he just wanted to cross the river to try it out.It's okay to fail, but it's just a matter of dying, don't feel bad, he has soldiers in his hands.And once it is confirmed that Liang Ren is playing tricks, it will be interesting, and he will not let this opportunity pass.

Shao Chengjie listened silently, savoring the meaning of it.

According to my father's analysis method, it is known that the Liang thieves are low in morale, besieged on all sides, and their retreat is worrying, so it can be inferred that they must either retreat quickly or wait for help.

So which one is this?Maybe send someone to test it out.He could think of this level, but according to his original intention, he probably sent some local peasants across the river to try.But Li Tangbin ordered the main force of the German army to cross the river, which can already be regarded as a strong soldier, why?
He thought about it and realized something.This is experience, you should learn more.However, it was still not as enjoyable as going to battle in person.If possible, he would like to lead [-] Xiaoqi across the river in person to investigate.Whenever there is a chance, kill him and turn the world upside down.

"Please come back to Linru again, my son, to escort the food, arrows, and wound medicine." Li Tangbin turned his head again, squeezed a smile, and said gently.

"I would like to follow the orders of the commander of the capital." Shao Chengjie saluted.I feel a little regretful in my heart, I didn't have the chance to lead my troops to rush to kill.Could it be that Li Tangbin guessed something?
The rest of the generals also smiled at Shao Chengjie.

Although the prince was wearing armor and a sword, his status was that of a civil servant in the camp, and he was assisting the envoy Feng Wei in transporting supplies, so his rank was really not high.But after all, where is the status, please be polite at this time, if you inherit the Xia King's throne in the future, it will not look good on the face.

There was a cloud in the sky.Li Tangbin and Shao Chengjie looked up almost at the same time, they had to hurry up.If you wait until the rainy season comes, it will be a lot of trouble.

******
It was late at night, and there was silence in the camp.

With the help of his own soldiers, Pang Shigu put on his armor, took a last look at the big tent, and sighed silently.

"Let's go!" He waved his hand and said.

This is already the second major retreat since the fight with Xia Bandit.The last time was in Heyang, with the assistance of the navy, it was very easy to go.And they were not defeated at the time, and even maintained their offensive.Xia Bandit was suppressed in several cities and camps, and was at a disadvantage.Such a retreat is naturally much easier.

So the North Road was outflanked by thieves, so Zhang Shensi ran away first, resulting in the loss of some troops.However, under the support of the follow-up soldiers and horses, the main force retreated through Qinshui safely, and even fought back once. Overall, Xia Bandit did not take too much advantage.

But this time it was really dangerous.

The morale of the chasing soldiers is high, there are many people, and they will not let them go easily.

Let's see if it's good or not!

Most of the supplies cannot be taken away, especially food.The food stocks of each camp are basically more than three months, and they are consumed and replenished, and prepared in strict accordance with the regulations.

The retreating army only brought more than a month's worth of food and grass, and the rest stayed in the camp until the last group of people left before setting fire to them and burning them all.

Yes, there are still hundreds of people left behind in the camp, all of whom are carefully selected warriors.

The Kuangwei army has been in the army for many years, and there are always some warriors among the 1 people who are willing to die, so they are allowed to stay until the end before withdrawing.

It's not about sending them to their deaths.In fact, Pang Shigu ordered that all the grain carts, draft carts, and mules that could not be taken away be unhitched and left in the camp for these warriors to ride when they escaped.

The battalion also needs to create the illusion that someone is staying behind, and try to buy as much retreat time as possible, even if it is only an hour.

The three armies of Youguo, Kuangwei, and Changjian marched hand in hand and headed for Xuzhou.

Among them, the Youguo Army is more troublesome.How they withdrew, Pang Shigu had a headache thinking about it, the distance was a bit far.

After the Kuangwei and Changjian armies arrive in Xuzhou, should they wait for the Youguo army?How long to wait?These are all problems.

The most frustrating thing is that after the retreat was exposed, Xia Bandit frantically sent cavalry troops across the river. It is very likely that Ding Hui could not be contacted, and the news was interrupted.

If the Youguo Army went east to Chenzhou, they would have to travel hundreds of miles, and the hope of surviving was even slimmer.According to the latest news, Thief Shao's banner appeared near Chenzhou, and he would never let go of the Youguo Army marching eastward alone.

As for the Jianrui army, they have not received the order to retreat and are still stationed in the camp.

Honestly, a little sorry for them.But the Youguo Army may not be able to leave, so how can they care about the strong army from other departments?What's more, the current situation outside is so dark that it is difficult to get accurate information, and some of them are contradictory.

Let's go to Xuzhou first.There are many new recruits in the Zhongwu Army, and he has not paid much attention to the combat effectiveness, so he dare not go out of the city to invite attacks.There is no need for them to attack the city. After the Long Sword Army, with 2 people in hand, it will be much safer.

At that time, the strong army can retreat.The Tutuan villagers scattered in many camps on the east bank of the Yingshui River can also evacuate.Their retreat would definitely be a disaster, but there was nothing they could do. Pang Shigu was not arrogant enough to withdraw all of them under such a bad situation.Some people are destined not to go back.

"Has the Long Sword Army set off yet?" Before leaving, Pang Shigu subconsciously asked.

"According to the plan, they left shortly after nightfall." Duke Yuhou Kang Yanxiao replied.

The Long Sword Army is to the south, about a day's journey away from them.The Jian Rui Army is in the north, and it is almost a day's journey.

The Long Sword Army is a direct descendant, and it is several hours ahead of Kuangwei Army, but it is expected to arrive in Xuzhou later than them.This time, the Kuangwei army was the vanguard, and Pang Shigu personally sat in the town, so there must be no problems.

"That's good." Pang Shigu nodded, and suddenly asked: "Is there any Xia thief in Xuzhou?"

Kang Yanxiao was speechless.

How to answer this question?The Zhongwu army turned against the water, most of the Wuwei army on Yangdi's side can go south, and there is a great possibility of Xia's bandits in Xuzhou.At that time, there will be interception before and chase after. One bad thing is that the whole army will be wiped out.

Kang Yanxiao thought differently, he came to command Xia Jun, so he must do the same.

"I can't find any news now." Kang Yanxiao said: "All generals, you must be prepared to fight."

Pang Shigu nodded.

This retreat was extremely dangerous.But if you don't leave, you're dead, you can only give it a try and see how your luck goes.

There was a sound of fighting in the camp, and the soldiers who stayed behind were still strictly implementing the camp rules.

The horse was silenced, and the sergeants also looked solemn and kept their mouths tightly shut.Everyone acted lightly to avoid making too much noise.

Yingshui rushes and flows.The spring floods, the river is fast, and the mud and sand are all down, making it extremely turbid.This was probably the only good news, and it made it more difficult for the Xia people to cross the river.

"Let's go." Pang Shigu took one last look at the other side.

The lights in Xia Jun's camp were uncertain, and there was no movement.After this withdrawal, if a large amount of vitality can be preserved, there will be a chance of a comeback in the future.Maybe, there is still a chance to face Yingshui again, and she will be ashamed.

(End of this chapter)