Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 182 Strange

"Brother, you even dare to contradict General Wei. You are a bit too aggressive." After leaving the central army tent, Liu Daogui reunited with Liu Yu, Liu Huaisu and Liu Huaishen.

"Marching and fighting is no joke, General Wei... It's hard to explain. We can't just follow him to our deaths, right? Besides, I was promoted by General Sun and Commander Liu. I don't have to worry about his attitude. At worst, I can just be dismissed. Can he really chop me off?"

Liu Yu has always been quite courageous.

However, although his actions seemed reckless, they were actually quite fruitful. They maintained the reputation of the veteran generals of the Northern Palace and helped Liu Laozhi withstand the pressure from Xie Yan.

It is not difficult to imagine that he will be reused after this battle.

Liu Huaisu said, "Agui is not employed in the Northern Palace and does not know the rules of the Northern Palace. Only those who are outstanding can stand out. With General Sun and Commander Liu here, there will be no problem."

Liu Yu said, "Tomorrow, General Sun and I will be the vanguard. You will be sent to the rear with the Central Army under General Wei. Take good care of yourself."

Whatever you fear will come true. You will be transferred to Xie Yan's command.

"Am I considered a member of the Northern Palace Army? Or am I a member of the Pengcheng Liu family..." Liu Daogui looked depressed.

The Zhenglu Army was like a child raised by a stepmother, unloved by their father and mother. They were despised wherever they went. They were ready to show their prowess in this battle, but unexpectedly, they were kicked directly to Xie Yan...

Liu Daogui knew that it was because of the Huan family, but he felt somewhat depressed.

"General Wei used to be the General of Conquering the Enemy. If Huan Hong doesn't come, it's only natural for you to be transferred under his command." Liu Huaisu said with a smile.

Liu Yu said: "Don't worry, the Tianshi Dao has many people and is powerful. There are plenty of opportunities for us brothers to make meritorious deeds."

The next day, at dawn, amid the sound of heavy war drums, the armies of Liu Laozhi, Sun Wuzhong, and Liu Gui marched south one after another.

Liu Daogui stayed at the end, following under the flag with the word "Xie".

Looking around, he found that Gao Heng's troops were also there, and there was a "Zhuge" recognition flag, which should be Zhuge Kan's troops. Xie Yan had nearly 13,000 troops under his command.

After waiting for most of the day, no troops were dispatched.

Liu Daogui thought Xie Yan had gotten drunk the previous night and was still hungover. Suddenly, at dusk, a military order came down: "General Wei has ordered us to hide during the day and move out at night, passing through Tianmu Mountain and heading straight for Kuaiji!"

Everyone around looked at each other in bewilderment.

Almost all the soldiers were stunned.

The area between Jingkou and Kuaiji is blocked by Tianmu Mountain and Taihu Lake. There are swamps and rivers crisscrossing the area, as well as large areas of forests. Many places are still uninhabited.

Taking the southeast coastline may seem like a longer journey, but it is actually flat and there are towns everywhere along the way, so supplies can be obtained at any time, so the speed is actually faster.

The core ruling areas of the Jin Dynasty were on both sides of the Yangtze River and in the coastal areas.

Many inland mountains are sparsely populated.

Liu Daogui felt his scalp tingling because of Xie Yan's sudden whim.

Walking through the jungle and mountain paths in this season is no different from committing suicide, and they have to hide during the day and move at night. I am afraid that by the time they cross Tianmu Mountain and reach Kuaiji, no one knows how many of the ten thousand troops will be left.

Many times, marching is more tiring than fighting, with mountain roads, waterways, wild beasts, insects and snakes...

If it was eight buildings, Liu Daogui would still have some confidence, as they have been surviving in the wild for many years and have strong survival abilities.

But the soldiers under his command are from the conquered...

"This is a military order. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!" the military officer shouted loudly.

Then a group of soldiers surrounded them.

Liu Daogui wiped the cold sweat from his face and knew that nothing good would happen if he was assigned to work under Xie Yan.

The soldiers around him cursed in low voices.

"The Art of War says: In every battle, the right tactics are used to unite forces and the unconventional tactics to achieve victory. Therefore, those who excel at the unconventional tactics are as boundless as the heavens and earth, and as inexhaustible as the rivers and seas. Commander Liu is the right tactics, and our army is the unconventional tactics. General Wei's tactics are truly like the rebirth of Sun Wu!"

Gao Heng actually started to flatter him.

The troops of the expeditionary force did not move, but Gao Heng's troops moved first.

Liu Daogui could only follow behind, no longer harboring any illusions about this bandit suppression campaign. Sun En had three hundred thousand men at his disposal, while Xie Yan's troops combined only numbered a little over ten thousand.

Judging from his appearance, he seemed to want to replicate the miracle of the Battle of Feishui.

But the Battle of Feishui was won due to many objective reasons and coincidences...

Fortunately, Xie Yan also put some thought into it and requisitioned hundreds of civilian ships. He sailed south along Lishui River, landed in Liyang, walked into Guangde County of Xuancheng County, and went south along Tianmu Mountain.

In just three days, more than a hundred soldiers under Liu Daogui's command fell behind.

The other troops fell behind even more, especially Gao Heng's troops, who fell behind. Gao Heng was old and could not withstand the hard work, so he stayed in Guangde. Xie Yan was still strong enough and was carried by his personal guards all the way behind.

We went through swamps and woodlands all the way and were exhausted.

Finally, we arrived at Anji, east of Wuxing County today.

But there were several thousand bandit troops led by Qiu Wang in the city.

"Where is Zhang Ya? You lead 800 soldiers to capture this city in one hour!" Xie Yan was lying on a bamboo sedan chair with a big, red bump on his forehead. It seemed like he was bitten by some insect, which was quite funny.

"Leader!"

A general came out with high spirits and led 800 soldiers to attack the city.

The city walls were not high and had collapsed a lot due to years of disrepair.

But no matter how dilapidated or old it was, it was still a city. Qiu Wang was originally a powerful man in Wuxing County. This small city was full of local people. When they saw the Northern Palace Army, they were inspired to fight to the death. Men, women, young and old all went into battle.

A large amount of rocks were prepared in the city and rained down.

Even the soldiers couldn't bear it.

Moreover, they had been traveling for several days and were sleepy, tired and hungry, so they were exhausted.

In less than half an hour, Zhang Ya's eight hundred soldiers were unable to break in and returned with their wounded soldiers in disgrace...

Xie Yan was so angry that his face was shaking. If he couldn't even take this small town, let alone Shanyin City.

His idea of ​​a surprise attack was a good one, but totally unrealistic.

Xie Yan glanced at the generals, and they all lowered their heads. Liu Daogui also hid behind them, just thinking that he was accompanying him on a trip to enjoy the mountains and rivers.

"Back when Deng Ai conquered Shu, he crossed mountains and ridges, and traveled over 700 miles through desolate territory. This place is only 300 miles away from Kuaiji. Why should I care about my life for the sake of the imperial court?"

Xie Yan spoke with great righteousness, but still no one took the initiative to stand up.

Liu Daogui laughed in his heart. When Deng Ai attacked Shu, he took the lead and rolled down the cliff. All the way here, he was sitting on a bamboo sedan chair with his feet not touching the ground. Of course it was easy for him to say it.

During the journey, more than a dozen soldiers died of illness, and over two hundred were bitten by poisonous insects...

There is no benefit at all, but people rush forward and risk their lives. Others are not fools.

The scene was extremely awkward for a while.

Xie Yan had no choice but to soften his tone and said, "We can't sleep in the wilderness tonight, right?"

Still no one replied.

Just when he was about to see how Xie Yan would end up, he was unexpectedly pushed hard on the back by someone. Liu Daogui staggered and stood up.

The other officers quietly moved back, allowing Liu Daogui to stand out more...

Xie Yan's eyes lit up, "Sure enough, there are still loyal and righteous people. If you can capture the city, you will be credited as the first meritorious person!"

Liu Daogui looked back and saw all sorts of gloating looks. He had no idea who had done this.

The matter is done, and he has to take action. A higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking official. Xie Yan has the power to hold the imperial seal, and anyone below the rank of 2,000 stones can be executed.

"I obey your command!" Liu Daogui bowed.

(End of this chapter)