Great Han Empire

Chapter 124
Li Hong was furious.

He repeatedly asked Zheng Xin to pay close attention to Chu Feiyan's movements on the west bank of Jumashui, but in the end, someone sneaked up to him, and he didn't find it until he got under his nose.

He opened his mouth to scold, but seeing Zheng Xin's annoyed look, he couldn't.

He slammed the round shield in his hand to the ground, and then he was out of breath, and kicked the round shield into the air with a kick.

"Order the troops to evacuate in the direction of the Jiuli River immediately, and evacuate at full speed."

"Take all the wounded soldiers and leave none behind."

The rapid sound of horns soared into the sky in an instant.

The cavalry soldiers who were gathering everywhere suddenly speeded up, and everyone seemed to be being chased by a wasp. They were all on fire, and they rode their horses and ran towards the small woods on both sides.

"Zi Shan, Zi Shan..."

Yan Liang ran over quickly.

"You and Hu Ding, Qi Shen immediately took the Black Panther Yi Cong and rushed to the direction of Jiuliting to slow down the enemy's speed."

"My lord, then you..." Yan Liang hesitated for a moment, thinking that I am your bodyguard, at this moment you told me to run around, right?

Of course Li Hong understood what he meant, and immediately cursed bitterly: "When did you fight by my side? I snatched your knife back for you. Go away, be careful yourself."

Yan Liang happily agreed, turned around and ran away.

The Black Panthers had been assembled a long time ago and were preparing to leave for a rest.After receiving the order, Hu Ding, Qi Shen and Yan Liang immediately took more than 300 brothers and ran towards Jiuliting in the dark.

Li Hong silently watched the black panther Yicong disappear into the distant woods.

"Minister, there's nothing to be angry about. Our main goal has been achieved, so there's nothing wrong with withdrawing." Seeing that his mood had calmed down a bit, Xian Yufu walked up to him and said.

"It's a fluke." Li Hong turned his head and said with emotion: "If I lead the troops to kill the Yellow Turban Army's car formation, it will be very difficult to withdraw in a short time. Once Chu Feiyan is blocked, the loss will definitely be heavy."

Then he smiled and said, "Is it luck for you, or luck for keeping your word?"

Standing behind Xian Yufu, Zheng Xin felt relieved when he saw Li Hong's mood stabilized.He stayed with Li Hong for a long time, knowing that his temper would be very violent, but the rain would pass immediately, as if nothing had happened.

"What luck do I have?" Zheng Xin asked strangely.

"I told you to do this repeatedly, but you still haven't done it well. You are an old scout, you should know the importance of this matter. Since we can sneak away to attack the left school, of course Chu Feiyan can also sneak away to Jiulihe Come to attack us. This mistake is too terrible, but one must. You didn’t notice that Chu Feiyan’s troops sneaked across the river. It is your responsibility."

"Fortunately, we are not entangled with the enemy, and we can advance and retreat freely. Although Jiuliting is only five miles away from us, we still have enough time to retreat. If we are fighting fiercely with the enemy, and you send the news now, how can we Don't be flanked by the enemy back and forth, and flee in defeat."

"Because of the mistakes of your scouts, the troops were surrounded by the enemy and were defeated. If I don't kill you, who will I kill?"

Seeing Li Hong's serious expression, Zheng Xin trembled in his heart.Brothers belong to brothers, if a battle is lost and many soldiers die, it seems that Li Hong will kill himself mercilessly.Military law is ruthless.

"My people, Chu Feiyan is quite good at using troops. This year, under his command, the Yellow Turban Army attacked the city and pulled out the village. They were invincible and invincible. They swept across Changshan. He is a very powerful leader of the Yellow Turban Army. Zheng Junhou's men are all in normal He might have deceived him if he tried to spy." Xian Yufu immediately excused Zheng Xin.

Li Hongwang looked at Zheng Xin, this brother who lived and died with him for more than a year, has gone through great battles, and is much more mature than when he was in Lulongsai last year.Li Hong thought of the scene where the two jumped into the Rushui River and fled together, and then he thought of Xiao Dao, Wu Ba and other comrades who died by the river.

Li Hong felt a pain in his heart, and forced a few smiles to Zheng Dao: "Go and check. Be careful next time. You are lucky today."

Zheng Xin hurriedly agreed, jumped on his horse, and galloped away.

Li Hong helped Xianyu Fu get on the horse.Seeing that he had no intention of getting on the horse, Xian Yufu hurriedly asked, "Zi Min, when are you leaving?"

Li Hong waved at him, and said with a smile: "Brother Yuxing, you go first, I'll wait for Zishan, Hu Ding and the others to come back, let's go together."

Xian Yufu glanced at him, said nothing, and rode away.

Li Hong looked at the attendants, messengers, and horn soldiers standing on the side, and suddenly clapped his hands together and shouted: "Let's scare Zhang Niujiao, what do you think?"

Everyone looked at him strangely, not knowing what he meant.

"Blow the horn, blow the charge horn. Zhang Niujiao must be nervous when he hears it."

A dozen people were amused by his expression, and their nervousness was immediately swept away.

The soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army waited for a long time, but they didn't see the enemy rushing down the hill, and they were very surprised.But the strength of the enemy cavalry was too frightening, so not only did everyone not slack off, but they became more vigilant.

The sky quietly turned dark while waiting, and the enemies on the opposite hill were slowly swallowed by the night.Another dark night.

Zhang Niujiao and Zuo Yan stood on the embankment, motionless, listening carefully to the movement in the distant darkness.

Suddenly, the horn sounded again.

The heart of the Yellow Turban soldier was beating wildly.Zhang Niujiao and Zuo Yan also became nervous immediately.Immediately, the two exchanged suspicious glances with each other.At this time, it was not the charge signal that sounded on the hill, but the intensive and rapid alarm signal.Then there was the huge noise of people shouting and neighing, and the sound of hooves of war horses gradually receding.

Did the leopard suddenly withdraw?
Zuo Yan showed joy, and shouted: "Chu Shuai's troops have arrived?"

Zhang Niujiao shook his head: "No. He should show up in the middle of the night."

Zuo Yan was a little discouraged immediately, and muttered: "Could it be Zhang Baiqi who called?"

"If their pace is slower, it is possible for Leopard to send another force to stop them." Zhang Niujiao said in a deep voice.

But none of them knew what happened. At this time, Zhang Niujiao didn't dare to take the initiative.So, just wait.

It was getting darker and darker.At the beginning, I could still see a few dozen steps away, but later I could only see a dozen steps away.

Zuo Yan paced back and forth on the embankment, feeling very anxious.Zhang Niujiao remained motionless, like a mountain.

Suddenly there was a huge charging horn on the hill, one after another, mixed with the sound of messy horseshoes.

Zuo Yan shuddered and shouted loudly: "Commander, the enemy really attacked this time."

Zhang Niujiao shook his hand at him, and said solemnly: "No. It seems that the leopard army has regrouped on the mountain."

"Didn't our reinforcements come?" Zuo Yan asked disappointedly.

long wait.Time goes by very, very slowly.

The Yellow Turban Army's position was silent, and the battlefield was deathly silent.Occasionally a few horses neighed a few times in the dark.

The fear brought by the night and the Leopard Army is deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Yellow Turban soldier.They opened their eyes wide, trying to look into the depths of the night.Even in traffic, they don't have the slightest sense of security.

Suddenly, there was an earth-shattering sound of war drums in the dark night.

The sound of war drums was thick and fierce, pounding heavily in the darkness, spreading throughout the wilderness and night sky.

The nerves of the soldiers who were so nervous that they almost collapsed were suddenly stimulated, and they felt as if they had been hit hard, and they almost suffocated.

Zhang Niujiao frowned, his face extremely ugly.Zuo Yan panted heavily, trying his best to calm the tension in his heart.

"Master..."

Finally, there was a loud cry in the night sky.It was a huge sound that could only be made by more than a dozen people shouting at the same time.

"Chu Shuai is here..."

Zhang Niujiao's face was ashen, and he lowered his head in frustration.

Zuo Yan closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously. He felt weak all over and could hardly stand up.He hurriedly grabbed the wheel behind him, braced his body, and sighed.

The soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army were stunned at first, and then they made a loud noise like blowing up a battalion. The huge roar almost tore the night into pieces.The soldiers kept shouting, roaring, and jumping, letting the tears pour out.Many soldiers knelt on the ground weakly, weeping bitterly.The tremendous pressure almost destroyed their will.

Zhang Niujiao was much thinner, his face was scorched, his eyes were sunken, he looked very haggard, and he looked exhausted.

Chu Feiyan felt sour in her heart, her eyes turned red, and tears almost rolled out.

He fell to his knees.

Zhang Niujiao walked over slowly, patted his drooping head, and showed a rare smile on his face.

"You came early."

Chu Feiyan didn't make a sound, and kowtowed three times to Zhang Niujiao respectfully.

Zhang Niujiao didn't stop him.After he finished saluting, Zhang Niujiao helped him up and continued:

"You came early."

Chu Feiyan smiled wryly, and said, "Marshal, I met Zhang Shuai."

Zhang Niujiao raised his eyebrows, sneered, and asked lightly, "What about others? What about his troops?"

Chu Feiyan took a step back, bowed and said, "Calm down your anger, Commander. I'll let him rush back to Dingxing Ferry, and help Sun Shuai take care of the supplies."

Zhang Niujiao's face darkened, and he looked at Zuo Yan beside him in great pain.Everything was as they expected, and Zhang Baiqi's entire army was wiped out.Chu Feiyan didn't mention Zhang Baiqi's troops, but said that he sent Zhang Baiqi to the ferry, obviously because he was afraid that he would kill Zhang Baiqi in a fit of anger.Zhang Baiqi lost his entire army of 2 people and escaped alone. He was beheaded according to military law.

Zuo Yan looked gloomy, and asked feebly: "Where was Zhang Shuai ambushed?"

"It's at the entrance of Jiuli Pavilion, about ten miles away. The remains of the soldiers who died on the battlefield have not been buried yet." Chu Feiyan said in a low voice, "Zhang Shuai was worried about the safety of the commander, and urged the soldiers to run for forty miles in a row. As a result, the soldiers were exhausted. Ambushed by the Leopard Army, the entire army was wiped out."

Zhang Niujiao snorted coldly, and said angrily, "So you also had my safety in mind, and ran all the way."

Chu Feiyan looked at the same bull's horn, but did not dare to make a sound, and lowered her head.

"Am I just so incompetent? Can I not stay until midnight? The annihilation of Zhang Baiqi's entire army does not affect our strategy. Why are you rushing here in such a hurry that you fell short?"

"Look at the battlefield. Tens of thousands of people died in vain. Why did you do that?"

Zhang Niujiao waved his hands excitedly, furious.Zuo Yan hurried forward to hold Zhang Niujiao, and whispered a few words of persuasion.

Zuo Yan already knew Zhang Niujiao's strategy in the afternoon.Although he disagreed with Zhang Niujiao's dangerous tactics, he still admired Zhang Niujiao's use of troops.

Zhang Niujiao wanted to destroy Li Hong, so he set a trap by himself, deliberately dividing the army into two groups to retreat, and tricked Li Hong into attacking.Secretly, he secretly recruited Chu Feiyan's troops to secretly rush to ambush on the retreat route, which is near the Jiuli River.This is the middle of the retreat route, and both front and back can be considered.

Li Hong attacked any one, as long as he was entangled for two or three hours, the other two groups could arrive in time, and the cavalry surrounding him could be encircled and wiped out.They also considered that Zhang Baiqi might not be able to withstand the blow of the cavalry and was quickly defeated.So they still have a hand.

When Li Hong turned to attack Zhang Niujiao with all his strength and didn't guard his back at all, Chu Feiyan led his army to arrive quietly in the middle of the night.At this time, no matter whether the two sides were fighting or Li Hong's cavalry surrounded Zhang Niujiao, Li Hong would receive a fatal blow.Even if Li Hong survived, his cavalry would be depleted.

This was originally a flawless trick, but because Chu Feiyan rushed here in disregard of the order, worrying about the safety of the commander in chief, his appearance was exposed, and Li Hong was scared away when the night was approaching.Fall short.

Zhang Niujiao's heart ached.Zhang Baiqi's 2 people and his own 6000 people died in vain because of Chu Feiyan's early action.If Chu Feiyan was not brought up by him alone, he really doubted whether Chu Feiyan did it on purpose.

His troops, Chu Feiyan's troops, and Yang Feng's troops are the main force of the Yellow Turban Army, and his troops have the largest number, about 12.Now his army has 3 troops in addition to Wang Dang, who guards Changshan Kingdom, and only 1 of his grandsons, and more than 1 of his own, and the rest are all buried in Zhuojun.His army is now only more than 5 people, and its strength has been greatly reduced.In the Yellow Turban Army, the weight of his words is greatly reduced now.Without strength, who will listen to you.

He brought 15 people to attack Youzhou, and now there are only about 3 people left, and the remaining nearly 12 people were all killed in battle.3 people from the Zuo school department, 3 people from the Huanglong department, and more than 6 people from his own subordinates all died in battle. It was a disastrous defeat, basically the entire army was wiped out.Now I still have more than 2 people in my hands, and Fang Biao's 1 people from Huanglong's old army. This is all the Northern Expeditionary Army has.

If Li Hong's Leopard Army can be wiped out before withdrawing, it can be regarded as revenge, save a little face for himself, and basically destroy Youzhou's army, which will be a huge benefit for attacking Youzhou next year .

However, everything came to naught.His strategy failed completely. Not only did he fail to wipe out the Leopard Army, but he suffered even greater losses. Not only was the army wiped out, his face was lost, and his position as the leader of the Yellow Turban Army was also reduced with the failure of the Northern Expedition. at stake.Now even if the other leaders of the Yellow Turban Army don't mention this matter, he still feels ashamed to continue to sit in this seat.

Chu Feiyan fell to her knees again.

Zhang Niujiao calmed down slowly.

On hills, in river valleys, and on embankments, soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army lit hundreds of bonfires, one for lighting and the other for warmth.After the initial joy, the soldiers began to clean the battlefield and bury the remains of their comrades.

"Swallow, tell me why?" Zhang Niujiao asked softly.

Chu Feiyan felt heavy and had nothing to say.What can he say?He also thought of this possibility on the way.Li Hong ran away, the soldiers died in vain, the commander-in-chief was in trouble, and the Yellow Turban Army would also be in trouble because of the commander-in-chief's problems.But he had a very stubborn idea in his heart, he wanted to rescue the commander.

Li Hong's power is beyond anyone's prediction. All those who despised him are now dead and defeated.The reason why the commander-in-chief's strategy was risky was because he speculated about Li Hong with his own ideas, that is to say, he still believed that Li Hong was not a strong enough opponent in his heart.Underestimating the opponent often leads to a miserable death, so Chu Feiyan is very worried.

What if Li Hong killed the commander-in-chief?How will I face the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army, and how will I face Zhang Niujiao's spirit in the sky.At that time, even if the raid was successful, what was the point of killing Li Hong?The Yellow Turban Army will immediately fall apart, just like Zhang Jiao died suddenly last year, history will repeat itself again, and fate will play tricks on the Yellow Turban Army once again.

So after listening to Zhang Baiqi's words, he immediately led the troops to Jiulihe without saying a word.Even if he died, he had to rescue Zhang Niujiao, because in his heart, Zhang Niujiao was his second father.

Things in the world are so unexpected.No matter how much you think and how much you do, it is often just a matter of one sentence in the end.

"Why?" Zhang Niujiao saw that he had been kneeling there without saying a word, like an idiot, and finally couldn't help it, and yelled loudly.

"Tens of thousands of brothers are dead, don't you even have a word?"

Chu Feiyan couldn't bear it anymore, tears welled up in her eyes.

He raised his head, exhausted all his strength, and shouted loudly: "Father..."

"Father..., I just want to save you, I just want to save you. I don't want you to die, I don't want you to die..."

Zhang Niujiao's eyes widened for a moment.

He looked at Chu Feiyan in surprise, tears welled up immediately.

Li Hong stood in the dark, looking at the fire on the Jiuli River, thinking silently.

Yan Liang walked over lightly holding Li Hong's cowhide tape.

"My lord, it's cold at night, let's rest earlier."

Li Hong wrapped the cowhide tightly, and said with a smile, "Thank you. Zishan, you can go to sleep."

"Your Excellency still not asleep?"

Li Hong looked at the flames in the distance, and suddenly asked, "Zishan, what do you think Zhang Niujiao is doing now?"

"Sleep." Yan Liang blurted out, "He's been tired all day, so of course he's going to sleep."

"He must not be sleeping now." A voice in the darkness said with a smile.

Xianyusuke and Tianzhong walked over.

"I heard that my lord was beaten by the Yellow Turban Army and fled with a knife, but is it true?" Tian Zhong joked with a smile.

Li Hongda laughed.Yan Liang was a little embarrassed and stepped aside.

"Subject, is it important to you whether Zhang Niujiao sleeps or not?" Xian Yufu asked casually.

"He fell asleep, which means that he has figured it out, and went back to Zhongshan directly. If he didn't sleep, it means that he still has thoughts about Zhuojun. But Zhang Niujiao is really powerful, and he is willing to use the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers to beat my Fengyun Iron Cavalry. Originally, he was sure to win the game, if Chu Feiyan rushed to Jiulihe now, we would be dead. But why is the timing of Chu Feiyan's appearance so inappropriate?"

Li Hong frowned, shook his head and asked very puzzled.

"If he still has ideas about Zhuojun, wouldn't we be in trouble?" Tian Zhong said, "Now that we have so few troops, how can we attack the city?"

Li Hong laughed leisurely.

"I don't need to attack the city, I have a way to drive them out of Youzhou."

(End of this chapter)