Bang, the tea cup fell to the ground and shattered.
Even though Fang La had gone through all kinds of storms and was mentally prepared for it, after learning that Wulong Ridge was easily breached by the Song army, he still panicked and dropped the celadon he was used to with shaking hands. The teacup and the person stood there blankly, unable to come back to their senses for a long time.
Wulong Ridge, the pass that he expected to be able to withstand a million-strong army attack and sustain his foundation for at least a few more years, was actually breached by the Song army in less than ten days? This was something he couldn't believe no matter what, even if it was his most trusted Fang Fei who came to report this matter. At this time, the only thing he could do was to murmur and keep shouting: "How is this possible, how is this possible..."
Fang Fei was also full of panic, but he still suppressed his emotions and said urgently: "Your Majesty, we must make plans as soon as possible. The army in front and the soldiers in Muzhou City are all in chaos. Once the Song army is killed, Once it arrives, it will be difficult to hold it. We must leave this place and escape to the rear... "
"Escape? Where else can we escape?" After asking softly, Fang La's emotions finally exploded: "If Suzhou falls, we still have Huzhou, and without Huzhou, we still have Hangzhou... Even if Hangzhou is lost, you He also told me that there is still Wulong Ridge that can block the Song army's offensive! But now, it is gone. Even the last barrier has been breached by the Song army. Muzhou is in danger, and without all this, I can still escape. Where? Wulong Ridge, isn't Wulong Ridge called a natural danger by you? How could it fall in such a short period of time? What on earth is going on?"
Fang Fei's body also shook suddenly, and then he said bitterly: "According to the reports from the soldiers who escaped, the Song army used magic this time... They were able to fly against the wind and cross hundreds of feet of crows from the sky. Longling Mountain, killed behind our army. During this period, the soldiers guarding the pass had completely collapsed. In addition, the main force of the Song Army took advantage of the situation to launch a fierce attack, so the pass city was suddenly breached and the entire army collapsed... "
"How is this possible! Why did the Song Army suddenly know the magic? If they really knew the magic, it would have taken so much time to defeat the cities one after another? This must be someone who was afraid of death and betrayed me, and cooperated with the Song Army inside and outside. Destroyed my Wulong Ridge, right? Yes, it was Fang Baiwen. He was greedy for life and afraid of death, so he switched the switch and surrendered early in the morning, and then used such nonsense to deceive me, right? There is no magic, where can this world come from? Demonic magic?" For some unknown reason, Fang La suddenly loudly denied Fang Fei's explanation. He almost twisted his face, grabbed the other person's arm and asked pleadingly.
Fang Fei was silent for a while. In fact, when he received the bad news, he couldn't believe such a ridiculous statement. Perhaps the foolish men and women among the people would easily believe in those stories about gods and ghosts, but he never believed in such things, nor did he think that he could fly in the wind by relying on some magic method, or break through dangerous obstacles like Wulong Ridge. .
But the facts were in front of him, and it was difficult for him to explain. The only thing he could say was this: "Your Majesty, a century-old brother has died on Wulong Ridge. He was loyal to Wu and your Majesty... And now he is no longer While we're investigating this, we'd better leave Muzhou quickly and go to Qingxi and Bangyuan Cave... There are many steep mountains and ridges there, and the terrain is the most complex.
However, as long as we hide there, we are not afraid that the Song Army can easily find us. As long as we can survive, we have a chance to come back! "
"Giggle..." A weird laughter came from Fang La's mouth, and his face was full of despair: "Return to Qingxi and go to Bangyuan Cave? Do you think we will have a chance to turn around..." He said As he said that, he stared at the other person, half-crying and half-laughing: "It's impossible. We are already dead. If that's the case, why go to our hometown again and harm all the folks in our hometown?"
He, Fang La, was from Bangyuan Cave in Qingxi County, Muzhou, where his family background came from when he first started fighting. Just like the desperate overlord of Western Chu on the edge of Wujiang River who refused to return to Jiangdong alone, Fang La really had no shame in going back to meet the folks there.
When Fang Fei heard this, he became even more anxious. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "Your Majesty, although we are defeated, we are not at the end of the road yet, and you can't just give up. Otherwise, those who have fought for us have Didn't the soldiers who went through life and death without any regrets lose their lives in vain? Ten Buddhas, ten thousand springs, a hundred years... None of them want your Majesty to accept your fate. Even at this time, we and my ministers still hope that your Majesty can save your life, for We, the State of Wu, have left hope... The unjust rulers and ministers of the Song State have caused the people of the world to suffer. We, the State of Wu, are the ones who save the people and the times. No matter how difficult it is, we must grit our teeth and persevere. Although Sun Tu We have the upper hand for the moment, but as long as we can't be killed, I believe there is a chance for a comeback. Your Majesty... "
After just saying these words, his forehead was cracked and his face was covered with blood, but he did not stop kowtowing. He was still kowtowing crazily: "Your Majesty, we were able to start from a farm a few years ago. As long as we are given a chance, we will succeed." I believe we can rise again in the future, but your Majesty, please think twice..."
These words of persuasion were like cuckoos crying for blood, and every word was like a hammer, constantly bombarding Fang La's heart, which had long been numb with despair, and the expression on his face finally changed slightly. He thought about everything in the past, from his ancestors' family business being almost destroyed by corrupt officials, to taking action in anger, to gaining the support of many brothers, slowly opening up a business and building cities...
All this seemed like yesterday to Fang La. Thinking of those brothers and ministers who had worked so hard for the Kingdom of Wu, and of the virtuous ministers like Fang Fei who worked conscientiously and rushed to the front, he was not only filled with emotion, but also dissatisfied. He was dissatisfied as to why the country he had worked so hard to build would collapse in such a short period of time. He was dissatisfied that Sun Tu could sweep across the Yangtze River with only tens of thousands of soldiers and drive himself to such a desperate situation. He was even more dissatisfied that he was about to fall. In the hands of such a court hawk, he was eventually killed...
The fire finally ignited in his eyes that were originally dispirited and lifeless. He couldn't let down Fang Fei and the others for their hard work, and he couldn't let down the hard work of those brothers who died in the front. Fang La's fists suddenly clenched. After taking a deep breath, he finally became firm-eyed: "Gather everyone together, we will exit Muzhou, return to Qingxi, and return to the mountains we are most familiar with." Go inside so that the army can never find us again. When we have the opportunity in the future, we will come back."
"I obey the decree!" After hearing these words, Fang Feicai finally relaxed his nerves. After kowtowing again, he felt his head was dizzy and he was about to fall to the ground. The constant kowtowing and begging in his excitement had already caused him serious injuries. Coupled with the tremendous pressure these days, he finally couldn't bear it anymore.
Fortunately, he was supported by Fang La: "From today on, you and I should still treat each other as brothers. Emperors and prime ministers have become a thing of the past. When we go back, we will still be us..."
Although he no longer claimed to be a king, he no longer had the fear and frustration before, and turned back into the great hero who could quickly raise tens of thousands of rebel troops in the south of the Yangtze River and annex half of the south of the Yangtze River in a few years.
"Okay, fourth brother, let's get ready to leave now. Before the Song army arrives, we must leave this place of trouble." With the help of the other party, Fang Fei stood up with difficulty. After wiping the blood on his cheeks, he cheered up again. spirit, and ran out in a hurry.
In just half a day, the entire Muzhou fell into unprecedented panic. Countless people and soldiers began to run around to deliver the news, and some began to pack their luggage. Here, Fang La indeed has a strong appeal. With just one sentence, there are a lot of people who respond.
Although many people are still full of incomprehension about this, they feel that Muzhou City can actually be defended and can at least hold off the Song army for a period of time. However, Fang La's determination this time was extremely fast and he did not discuss it with them at all. It means that they must leave with the army by force. Because he knew very well that once the Song army, which had already captured so many cities and even Wulong Ridge, came to Muzhou, the defenders here would collapse overnight and would be unable to leave even if they wanted to. Lost.
So on this day in late March, Fang La gave up his last city and retreated to Qingxi with his army and a considerable number of people to avoid the mountains where the terrain was more complex and unfavorable for the Song army to attack. among. In fact, even he himself had never thought that the people here would be so closely entangled in life and death, that they would even give up all their property and flee to the mountains with him.
Of course he would not know that this was not because he was really good and won the hearts of the people, but because compared to him, the officials of the Song Dynasty were even less popular and made the people worry that they would be held accountable afterwards. So in their opinion, there is still a chance of survival if they follow Fang Layuan, but if they stay in Muzhou City, it is really a dead end.
Only a few old, weak, sick and disabled people couldn't walk too far and didn't want to become a burden to others, so they stayed behind anxiously, waiting for the Song army to kill them, and then take it out on themselves.
On March 23, the fifth year of Xuanhe in the Song Dynasty, shortly after the Song army broke through Wulong Ridge, Wulong Ridge, the last city in the Wu Kingdom, collapsed without attack. The leader of the bandits, Fang La, fled into Qingxi again with the remaining party members. Entering the deep mountains, all the state capitals and cities have been recaptured by the Song army.
After another three days, Sun Tu finally led his army to Muzhou City. After seeing such an empty city standing there without any defensive power and no possibility of another offensive and defensive battle as he imagined, Sun Tu couldn't help but feel anxious. He let out a long sigh of relief.
He knew that the chaos in Jiangnan was about to be put down, and now there was only the last bit left to clean up.