Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 373
Thanks to the blessing of Surabaya with a large amount of water, Feng Zhongjun, who had fled east and north like a bereaved dog for many days, could finally stop and rest at ease on the north bank of Surabaya. The second is that they are also exhausted due to continuous rapid marches, and have no strength to initiate a crossing operation. No matter how regrettable and unwilling they are, they can only watch Feng Zhongjun sleep in the open on the north bank, and there is no way to take Feng Zhongjun for the time being.

The soldiers were really exhausted. Even though Feng Zhongjun was known for his tenacity in the Western Chu Army, after the rest order was issued, countless soldiers of Feng Zhongjun immediately fell asleep with their weapons in their hands. The chewed dry food, the uncorked water hyacinth by his side that he hadn't had time to take a sip of, and the snorers were just sleeping soundly, including many generals.

Feng Zhong himself was so tired that he was shaking when he walked, and his whole body was aching as if his bones had fallen apart. However, even so, Feng Zhong still gritted his teeth and decided that he would lead the army to guard the ferry first, and went to visit another The situation of the family members of the Fanhan army, and then sat on the high ground of the bivouac camp. While rubbing the sore muscles, he tried to open his eyes wide, carefully guarding against the sudden crossing of the Western Chu army on the south bank. The key issue……

"Is what old man Ding Gu said just now true or false? Do we still have any hope of rushing past Xiaoqiu and retreating west?"

Prior to this, Feng Zhong certainly sent scouts westward to investigate the situation, but Feng Zhongjun's scouts and horses were also exhausted, and it was unrealistic to expect the exhausted scouts to send accurate information quickly. In mobile warfare, the enemy's situation may change at any time. Even if the scouts can confirm that there is no enemy in Xiaoqiu, no one can guarantee that the situation will not be like Zou County. During Feng Zhong's army marching westward, the Western Chu army suddenly rushed to Xiaoqiu to set up defenses .

In addition, Feng Zhong, who had fought with Xiang Liang in the northwest of Xue County, had to worry about another important issue, that is, even if Feng Zhongjun was lucky enough to cross Xiaqiu and go west?Can they successfully cross the two big rivers of Jishui and Wenshui and cross the complex terrain in the north of Juyeze under the blocking and chasing of the Western Chu army?
After all, Feng Zhong has only been around Juyeze once, and he knows very little about the complicated roads and terrain around Juyeze. With a little bad luck, it is not impossible to accidentally walk into a dead end that cannot be turned back.

"It would be great if Peng Yue was still around. He's a local snake who got his start in Juye Ze."

After secretly sighing, Feng Zhong could only take out the map he brought from Pengcheng to study whether he could find other safer ways to break out of the siege. The terrain of the road ahead is complex, even if you rush over by chance, it is still under the control of the Western Chu Army, and you still cannot escape the danger of being blocked and chased by the Western Chu Army.

It is easy to continue marching north along the Chi Road, and there is no garrison in the city controlled by the Western Chu Army to stop him, but he has to pass through Boyang City, the capital of the Jibei Army, and it is impossible for King Tian of Jibei, who surrendered to Xiang Yu, to let him go. It is also a dead end to walk along the Chi Road.

The Yimeng Mountains in the east are definitely not blocked by enemies, but the terrain there is more complicated than that around Juyeze. There are deep mountains and old forests everywhere, and there is no way to guarantee food and grass. Not to mention, Feng Zhong is even more clueless about the terrain and roads there. Knowing that the possibility of going into a dead end is only greater than going west, so unless it is absolutely necessary, Feng Zhong would never dare to take the family members of the Han army to take risks there.

After researching and researching, there is still a glimmer of hope in the west. When Feng Zhong gradually inclined to continue to venture west, the voice of Li Shiqi, an important official of the Han army, suddenly came from beside him, asking: "Feng Zhong General, are you still thinking about our next step?"

Feng Zhong nodded and admitted that he first invited Li Shiqi to sit down on the ground, and then told Li Shiqi about Ding Gu's voluntary disclosure to him, as well as his own plans, not only to relieve the pressure in his heart, but also to ask Li Shiqi its opinion.However, Li Shiqi frowned after hearing Feng Zhong's plan to continue his adventure to the west, and said, "General Feng, is it too risky? Let's not say that what Ding Gupifu said may not be true, even if he is just threatening You, Xiaoqiu actually has no enemies, we passed Xiaoqiu smoothly, and it is very difficult to hope to cross Jishui and Wenshui under the pursuit of the Western Chu bandits?"

"Especially Jishui." Li Shiqi added: "The river there is wide and full of water, and there are no fixed bridges. You can only cross the river by boat or pontoon bridge. As long as there is a little delay, not only may you be killed by the Western Chu bandits If we catch up, the Western Chu bandits from Zhang County, Xuchang, and Fan Yang will immediately send troops to stop us, and as long as they block the ferry, our entire army will be wiped out immediately."

"I know that too." Feng Zhong replied very helplessly: "But we have no choice but this road."

"Not necessarily." Li Shiqi's answer surprised Feng Zhong, and then Li Shiqi surprised Feng Zhong even more: "The old man feels that the only way out is to continue going north."

"Mr. Li, are you joking?" Feng Zhong said in great surprise: "Don't you know that the Jibei Wangtian in the north is all Xiang Yu's people, and Boyang is also his capital, so there must be heavy guards stationed there." , we continue to go north, what is it if we don’t throw ourselves into a trap?”

"General Feng misunderstood, the old man didn't ask you to go to Boyang along Chidao, but suggested you take this road."

Li Shiqi shook his head, then drew a route on the map with his fingers and said: "From Lu County, go directly north to Gangting on the Wenshui River, cross Wenshui at Gangting, then go north to Suiji, and then go north to Lu County. Cross Jishui in Lu County, and then find a way to go west and return to Dongjun."

Feng Zhongyi opened his mouth wide, and said in surprise: "Take the small road to the north to Lu County to cross Jishui? What if the Jibei bandit army sends troops to intercept it?"

"Does Tian Dupifu have any extra troops to intercept us?" Li Shiqi asked back, "Has General Feng forgotten? Xiang Yu had already asked Tian Dupifu to send [-] troops to assist Zhou Yinpifu to reinforce Zhao's bandit army. Pifu's territory is only one county in the north of Jibei. He dispatched [-] troops to reinforce Zhao. How many troops can he have left? Even if there are some troops left, they must be stationed in Boyang to defend the capital and prevent local rebellions. How many troops can he have stationed in such a remote city, and how can he pose a threat to us?"

"Take a step back." Li Shiqi went on to say, "Even if that man in Tiandu is really loyal to Xiang Yu and dispatches his army stationed in the capital to pursue us, he must first find out our movements before sending troops, and wait for him to confirm. If we send troops to pursue our movements, we will have gone far, and when will he have the time to pursue and intercept us?"

Feng Zhong patted his forehead, and only then remembered that before he led the army anyway, Xiang Yu had indeed forced Tian Du to send [-] troops to reinforce Zhao Guo. There are too many troops stationed to guard, as long as he avoids Boyang City, the capital of the Jibei Army, the possibility of being blocked by a large group of Jibei Army is indeed very small, and even if Tian has some actions, when he receives the news and reacts , I have already thrown the Jibei Army away.

Discovering this way of life, Feng Zhong was of course determined, and quickly discussed with Li Shiqi carefully how to go north to break through, and soon decided to send an army first, rushing to Gangting first to collect ships and build a pontoon bridge, and at the same time Leaving an army to guard the Luxian Ferry to prevent Ding Gu from crossing the river too quickly to buy time for the main force to cross the river.As for the difficulty of walking on the small road, Feng Zhong and Li Shiqi certainly didn't think about it - anyway, there is no way to go west. Since it is going to take the small road, it must go in the safest direction.

After the second watch of the night, the westward scouts came back to report, proving that Ding Gu's words during the day were not false threats. In the evening, a Western Chu army indeed rushed to Xiaoqiu to cross the river, blocking Feng Zhongjun's westward path. Fortunately, the Western Chu army was also obviously very tired. They rested on the spot while crossing the river. They did not take the initiative to come east to attack Feng Zhongjun.

After confirming this point, while worried about the situation of Peng Yuejun, Feng Zhong dared not neglect even more. At the fourth watch, Wei Bugeng, the old man of the Young Marshal Army, led the army to lead the army, and rushed to Gangting with light clothes to open the way. The former army marched northward at full speed towards Gangting, leaving only Xu Ci in the rear with [-] troops to slow down the pursuit speed of the Western Chu army as much as possible.

The real test has only just begun. Even though they abandoned all unnecessary supplies and marched lightly, and the soldiers rested for more than ten hours to recover their physical strength, after leaving the Chidao and taking the path, Feng Zhongjun's difficulty was more than doubled. On many road sections where the road surface was seriously damaged, the family members of the Han army could only get out of the car and walk to reduce the burden on the horses.Fortunately, whether it is the family members of the Han army or the soldiers of Feng Zhongjun, they all know what will happen to them if they fall into the hands of the Western Chu army, so no matter how hard it is, Feng Zhongjun's team rarely complains, and most of them work hard. Gritting his teeth, he headed north, not daring to waste any time.

During this period, luck once again sided with Feng Zhongjun, because it was determined that Feng Zhongjun was in a desperate situation, and he failed to find out that Feng Zhongjun's brigade had secretly withdrawn at the first time. On the north bank, Ding Gu's troops of the Western Chu Army, who were also exhausted, did not rush to pursue the crossing. Instead, they chose to continue to rest and wait patiently for the rear troops of Feng Zhongjun, who was guarding the ferry, to retreat and leave on their own.

In the end, it was the Zhou Lan Division of the Western Chu Army who was crossing the river in Xiaoqiu who was the first to discover something was wrong—why did Feng Zhongjun's brigade leave the Lu County Ferry, but didn't come west?After discovering this situation through scouts, Zhou Lan didn't dare to be negligent, and hurriedly led the army to kill eastward. At this moment, the time is already around the afternoon of the day!Zhou Lan, who had confirmed the retreat direction of the Han army, complained loudly, and had to lead his army northward to pursue. Ding Gu also yelled and hurried across the river to pursue, and Zhou Lan's army chased Xiang Gangting one after the other.

It was too late. In the early morning of the next day, when Zhou Lan led the army to chase Gangting, Feng Zhongjun's main brigade had already crossed Wenshui, and then under the cover of the main force's bow and arrow, the rear brigade led by Xu Ci also quickly withdrew. Needless to say, the long-awaited Feng Zhongjun immediately cut off the pontoon bridge, once again temporarily cutting off the pursuit path of the Western Chu Army, and once again won the precious time to rest across the river. Like Ding Gu, he beat his chest and stamped his feet on the south bank of Wenshui, but he was also helpless.

Then, when Ding Gu also led the army to catch up with Gangting, Zhou Lan and Ding Gu started a dog-eat-dog immediately. Ding Gu accused Zhou Lan of not being able to pursue and let Feng Zhongjun slip away successfully. Zhou Lan angrily scolded Ding Gu for his negligence Careless, they failed to find out that Feng Zhongjun was fleeing in the unobstructed north direction as soon as possible, and threatened to report the situation to Xiang Yu, so that Xiang Yu could clean up Ding Gu.

In comparison, of course Ding Gu was more at fault, so after calming down a bit, Ding Gu could only change his mind and admit defeat, saying: "Brother Zhou, stop arguing, this matter is indeed my fault, I was too careless I thought Feng Zhong would only walk along Chidao or flee to the west, but I didn't expect him to go straight north to Gangting. It was my fault. But the most important thing for us right now is how to catch up with Feng Zhong as soon as possible , and bring back the family members of the traitors, otherwise if Feng Zhong is really allowed to run away with the family members of the traitors, the king will pursue it, and you and I will not be able to get rid of it."

Seeing that Ding Gu had conceded defeat, Zhou Lan finally suppressed her anger a little, and asked instead: "Then tell me, how should we chase?"

"Jibei is empty, and it is definitely unrealistic to expect the Jinbei army to stop Feng Zhong's rebels head-on." Ding Gu analyzed with a tactical mind: "If we just chase blindly, it will be difficult to directly catch up with Feng Zhong's rebels. A little bit of luck It’s not good, it’s possible that Feng Zhongpifu could find a loophole in our defense line and escape to Puyang to meet up with the main forces of the Han thieves, so the best way, we should divide our troops into two groups, one is responsible for the pursuit, and the other is the most effective way to go to the Han thieves Intercept where it is possible to break through."

"Where are the Han thieves most likely to intercept?" Zhou Lan asked.

"It is absolutely impossible to go west or north." Ding Gu continued to analyze: "So the most likely direction for Feng Zhongpifu to break through should be to go directly westward to Xuchang and cross Jishui, or to take advantage of the empty hinterland of the Jibei Army. If there is an opportunity, go directly north to Lu County and cross Jishui to the north, then turn around and head west, fleeing in the direction of Liping and Dong'e."

Recalling the map of this area, Zhou Lan nodded, and asked again: "Where is the most likely place for the traitor to escape?"

"It should be Liping and Dong'a." Ding Gu replied: "Ji River is wide and deep, and there are many cities in Xuchang. We can easily gather an army to stop the Han bandits from crossing the river. The cunning of the common people means that the possibility of crossing the river from there is very small. And as long as we quickly send out fast horses to contact Xu Chang, we will soon be able to gather an army to prevent the Han bandits from crossing the river. On the contrary, if the Han bandits choose the north of Lu County Crossing Jishui is undoubtedly much more certain, so I think we should focus on preventing the Han bandits from breaking through on Dong'e, because even if the Han bandits crossed Jishui in Lu County, they must pass through Dong'e to escape east. .”

Zhou Lan nodded slowly, and after thinking for a while, said: "I am in charge of going to Dong'e to stop the Han thieves, and by the way organize the army to stop the Han thieves in Xuchang. Someone to contact him and tell him to send troops to help hunt down the traitors.”

"Brother Zhou is very calculating." Ding Gu said with a dry smile: "From here to Dong'e, along the way is our city land, food and grass supply is easy, chasing into Jibei County will not only be led by the nose by the Han bandits, but food and grass supply is even more difficult , there is a danger of starvation at any time, Brother Zhou will choose."

"Then are you willing?" Zhou Lan asked with a cold snort.

"Yes, yes." Ding Gu, who was wronged before, quickly agreed with a smile on his face, and then said viciously in his mind: "Zhuzi, I will open a dyeing workshop if I give you some color, and see how I will deal with you in the future!"

After discussing it, in order to save time, Zhou Lan immediately led his army westward, rushing from the south bank of Wenshui to the direction of Taoting and Wuyan, and saw this situation on the north bank of Wenshui, Li Shi His face suddenly became gloomy, and he couldn't help but said to Feng Zhong next to him: "The Western Chu bandits march westward, whether they go to Taoting to cross the river to pursue them, or go to Xuchang to intercept us from crossing the river, we don't have to be afraid. I'm afraid that the Western Chu bandits who divide their troops westward will rush to Dong'e first and completely cut off our westward road, then we will be in big trouble."

(End of this chapter)