Jiuxi

Chapter 757 755 [End of the Road]

The distance from Taikang City to the southwest corner of Nanjing Road is about 320 miles, and then you have to detour for more than 100 miles before turning south to Feiniao Pass.

In other words, even if there was no obstruction from the Qi army, it would take at least half a month for Wu Yanshu to send troops to rescue Feiniao Pass.

And Lu Chen obviously wouldn't let him rescue him so easily.

The Zhenbei Army, Feiyun Army, and Panlong Army under his command moved quickly westward and arrived at the designated location before the Jing Army. It was obvious that they wanted to make the Jing Army pay a sufficient price before they could continue to advance westward.

The Dingbei Army led by Li Chengen was more like a calm hunter, galloping in the northern part of Jingzhou, and their prying eyes made the Jing Army feel uneasy.

At this time, Wu Yanshu had no other choice but he couldn't just stand by and watch him die.

After all, Nan Yong is the Queen's brother. Although the Emperor may not take him seriously, how can Wu Yanshu, as a minister, sit idly by? Not to mention that Nan Yong has 50,000 troops under his command. If the whole army is wiped out, it will be a heavy loss for Dajing.

Wu Yanshu tried his best to mobilize 30,000 elite soldiers, led by General Guiyou, to advance westward quickly, and at the same time made complex adjustments to the armies under his command. The core idea was to resolve the threat of the Qi army as much as possible while ensuring that the battle was not disrupted, so that the reinforcements led by Guiyou could arrive near Feiniao Pass one day earlier.

For this reason, Wu Yanshu had to give up most of the cities he occupied in the west and try to shrink the Jing army's front line to avoid direct conflict with the Qi army at this time.

In short, because Nan Yong's troops were in a desperate situation, Jing's army had to give up the results they had achieved on the western front.

Even so, Wu Yanshu did not dare to guarantee that Guyu would be able to rescue the Nanyong tribe in time as they were surrounded.

“We can only do our best.”

In just a few days, Wu Yanshu seemed to have aged ten years.

In fact, until now, Jing Jun has not fallen into an absolute disadvantage.

Even though Lu Chen took the lead, Wu Yanshu's response was calm and rational, but his trusted general Agu could see that the commander had obviously lost his spirit.

This is the most fatal problem.

As if sensing the gaze of his confidant, Wu Yanshu laughed at himself and said, "The most frustrating thing is that Lu Chen didn't even give me the chance to fight head-on."

Agu personally witnessed the entire battle and agreed with this statement.

At first, Wu Yanshu defeated the Qi army in Kaocheng and inflicted heavy damage to the Jingzhou army in one battle. According to normal logic, Lu Chen, the only one who could save the Jingzhou army, should have led his troops to the scene. However, the other party did not do so. He personally led his troops to approach Yaoshan Pass, as if he wanted to compete with Wu Yanshu to see who was faster.

The key is that he can really break through Yaoshan Pass, which forces Emperor Jing to continue to transfer troops to the south, while Wuyan Shu firmly stays in the Jingzhou front line and only symbolically transfers a troop back, unknowingly exposing Emperor Jing and his true intentions.

In the battle southeast of Taikang that day, Wu Yanshu and the generals of Jingjun originally thought that this would be just the beginning, and the two most powerful armies in the world were about to have a spark-flying collision.

But that was the beginning and the end.

All Lu Chen did was just to mobilize and contain the main force of Jing Army, but the decisive battle would take place in Shazhou.

When thinking of this, Agu was so angry that his teeth itched. He said coldly: "It is really frustrating to meet such a sinister and cunning person."

Wu Yanshu said calmly: "In fact, he might have another reason for doing this."

Agu repeated in confusion: "Another reason?"

"I heard that the new ruler of Southern Qi is quite suspicious of Lu Chen. If our army fails, do you think the Emperor of Qi will sit back and let Lu Chen continue to control the military power of the three states?"

Wu Yanshu felt mixed emotions. Although he could see through this, he had no means of countermeasure. He could not take the initiative to sacrifice the elite troops of the Jing Army for an illusory future. On the contrary, he had to try his best to rescue the Nanyong troops who were in desperate situation.

A Gu said with a complicated expression: "This man is so scheming, and he has a lot of troops protecting him on the battlefield. Why don't we think of other ways to get rid of him?"

“This is not something we should worry about.”

Wu Yanshu sighed lightly, and then said earnestly: "This time I let Guiyou lead the troops westward, not because I don't trust you, but because I have more important things for you to do."

A Gu said seriously, "Please stay and give orders."

Wu Yanshu said slowly: "You are to return to Tongbai City with my orders now. Continue to strengthen the defense line with Tongbai as the core on the original basis. Make sure that there are sufficient food and weapons, and there must not be any mistakes."

"The last general takes orders."

Agu agreed first, then asked cautiously: "Stay, are you ready to withdraw your troops?"

The importance of the Tongbai Defense Line is self-evident, especially after the loss of Yaoshan Pass. It is the only remaining barrier for Nanjing City. As long as there is no problem with this defense line, Nanjing City will at least not be attacked from both sides by the Qi army.

However, this meant that Jing Jun's strategic plan had completely failed. Not only did they fail to capture Jingzhou, but they also lost Taikang City.

Wu Yanshu raised his hand and pinched his brows, and said bluntly: "Whether Guiyou can rescue Nan Yong's troops or not, the morale of our army has fallen to the bottom. Although I personally want to compete with Lu Chen on the front battlefield, the objective conditions do not allow it now. I can't let the army fall into danger because of my own selfish desires. Facing such a difficult enemy like Lu Chen, since we can't win for the time being, we can only avoid his edge."

A Gu sighed inwardly, stood up and said, "I understand. Victory and defeat are common in the military, so please stay and be at ease."

Wu Yanshu nodded slightly.

After Agu left, the general's tent became extremely quiet.

Wu Yanshu sat alone for a while, took out a blank memorial from the desk, then ground ink and picked up a writing brush.

He wrote down every detail of the recent war without any falsification in his writing. When he came to the decision to withdraw his troops, he suddenly stopped.

At this moment, a deep gloom appeared in Wu Yanshu's eyes. Although he appeared relatively calm in front of his confidants, the humiliation that Lu Chen brought to him was difficult to describe in words. It was as if a blunt knife was repeatedly scratching his heart.

After a moment's silence, Wu Yanshu continued to write the next paragraph.

"Your Majesty, I am no match for Lu Chen. Looking at all the generals in the court, only the Prince of Changshan can control him. If the Prince is the commander, I am willing to lead the troops and kill the enemy in battle to atone for my sins. As long as the Qi army can be wiped out, I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life."

Looking at the ink on the paper, Wu Yanshu slowly exhaled, his face solemn.

……

Shazhou, Feiniao Pass.

Nan Yong was sitting in the hall in a dejected manner, with a faint smell of alcohol on his body.

The food and grass stored in the pass can last at least three months. The Dai army in the north has not attacked the pass, but the situation of Jing army is becoming more and more difficult.

Through the intelligence sent back by scouts on the front line these days, Nan Yong has already clearly identified the enemy he is facing.

To the east was the Huaizhou wing army of Qi with more than 40,000 men. Logically, this should be the easiest enemy to deal with, but the Jing army was suppressed all the time. Especially the old general named Kang Yanxiao, who seemed to be eager to die on the battlefield as soon as possible. He led his Taixing army as the vanguard, advancing bravely all the way, constantly forcing the Jing army's defense line to retreat.

To the south are the 30,000-strong border troops of Chengzhou of Qi State. Their fighting power is not as good as that of the border troops north of the Yangtze River, but they are also able to advance step by step in an orderly manner.

What gave Nan Yong and Jing Jun the most headaches were naturally the Shazhou local soldiers.

Although the enemy's troops were not large, with only about 10,000 troops in the vanguard and troops from other villages that arrived later, there were only 20,000 troops in total. However, they inflicted great casualties on Jing's army.

These local soldiers were extremely ferocious, and this was their home. They were very familiar with the terrain and were particularly good at night raids, making Jing's army miserable.

After more than half a month, the Jing army's range of activities was compressed to a narrow area thirty miles south of Feiniao Pass and more than forty miles east of it.

Feiniao Pass is indeed the most important pass in the world. Even a strong army like the Jing Army took nearly a year to make sufficient preparations. Then the most elite warriors used their flesh and blood to pave a road for it and also caught the people of Shazhou by surprise. It was because of all these reasons that the pass was finally broken.

The problem is that this pass has been facing north for hundreds of years, and it is extremely difficult to break through the pass from the north, but the terrain on the south is relatively flat, and it can even be said that there is no strategic location to defend.

Nan Yong racked his brains but was still helpless in the face of the current situation.

He once thought of gathering the entire army and heading east, charging into the territory of Jingzhou of Qi State regardless of the consequences, but he soon gave up this plan. He still had a glimmer of hope if he held out at Feiniao Pass and waited for help, but if he rashly broke into the enemy's sphere of influence, wouldn't he be eaten alive by Lu Chen?

He also sent people to the north of Feiniao Pass to inquire. If the Dai army's defense was not tight, he wanted to lead his army directly through the opponent's obstacles.

However, there is only one road for the army to move within at least forty miles to the north of Feiniao Pass. Although the Dai army is not strong enough, it can at least defend this throat.

Whether advancing eastward or retreating northward, it seemed to be a dead end.

Powerful enemies were approaching from three sides, and as time went by, the morale of Jing's army became lower and lower.

The more Nan Yong thought about it, the more irritated he became. He clenched the cup tightly and was about to lose his temper when he saw several people quickly walking in. The appearance of one of them instantly cheered him up.

"You're finally back!"

Nan Yong stood up suddenly and asked hurriedly, "Did Wu Yanshu mobilize reinforcements?"

"Yes, sir!"

That man was Nan Yong's trusted confidant who had been sent to seek help from Wu Yanshu. He had traveled over a thousand miles and was almost skinny. Looking at Nan Yong's expectant eyes, he told Wu Yanshu's arrangement with some difficulty, and then said dejectedly: "My Lord, the main force of our army was held up by Lu Chen of Southern Qi. Wu Yanshu stayed behind and did not delay, but...but the Qi army is eyeing the western route covetously. I'm afraid it will take some time for the reinforcements to arrive."

Nan Yong's face was expressionless, and despair welled up in his eyes.

He turned around and sat down. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Call all the generals to discuss this matter!"

About an incense stick later, more than ten generals came to the lobby. When they learned about the situation on the battlefield in the distance, they all looked bitter.

The enemy's net is getting tighter and tighter, and there is no telling when reinforcements will arrive.

Nan Yong took a deep breath, his eyes became fierce and fierce, and he said in a deep voice: "The only plan now is to break out to the north!"

The generals remained silent. Perhaps this was the only way.

Nan Yong looked at one person and said without question, "Du Hu."

"The general is here!"

"I will give you 10,000 elite soldiers. You will be guarding the last line of defense ten miles south of Feiniao Pass. You must hold on for at least ten days!"

Du Hu immediately understood the hidden meaning of this order. He was responsible for blocking the 70,000 to 80,000 powerful enemies in the south and buying enough time for the main force to retreat.

The mission was so difficult that it almost meant death, but at this moment Du Hu had no room to refuse and could only grit his teeth and say, "I will obey your orders!"

Nan Yong said to another person, "Ah Xian."

"The general is here!"

"Three days from now, I will open Feiniao Pass in the morning. You will be the vanguard general and charge straight into the Dai army's defense line. You can only move forward and are not allowed to retreat. Anyone who disobeys my order will be executed immediately!"

"The last general takes command!"

Ah Xian had a solemn expression, and he also had the determination to die.

Nan Yong slowly stood up and said to the generals: "Everyone, the situation is so difficult, we can't just sit there and wait for death. If we want to survive, we have to fight hard!"

"Follow the order!"

The generals puffed out their chests and responded in unison.

However, there was not a trace of enthusiasm in this hall, only endless despair and sadness.

(End of this chapter)