***
"Report! Zhang Dingguo is blocked in front of the fourth line of defense. More than half of the enemy troops have been killed or wounded. Our army has also suffered 2,000 casualties. General Liu requests reinforcements."
"Sir, Zhang Wenxiu suddenly turned eastward to Huanglong Town, avoiding General Su Jin's interception. He is less than 40 miles away from Liuyang. General Su Jin is now infiltrating Shouguan Mountain to intercept him again. To be on the safe side, General Su Jin requests that you quickly deploy defenses on the northern line."
"Report! Zhang Xianzhong's army is less than ten miles away."
"Report! Zhang Dingguo has withdrawn his troops. General Liu, please advise whether we can take this opportunity to withdraw our troops to the north bank of Liuyang."
"Report, General Huo Sheng is fighting Wu Xueli in Liling. General Meng Ke has led his troops to reinforce Liling and is temporarily unable to go north. General Zhu Yijin asked if we should temporarily leave the food and supplies in Zhuzhou so that we can withdraw troops to reinforce Liuyang."
"Sir, General Ling Zhan and Zhang Kewang's army encountered each other at Zhoujiaping, eighty miles away, and the two armies are fighting fiercely."
"Report! Sir, General Ma Yongzhen has surrounded Hengyang. The enemy's morale is low and the city will be captured soon."
"Sir, General Ningyuan has sent 3,000 troops from Changsha to help us. They will arrive in Liuyang in two hours."
The scout camp at Huanglian Mountain sent back all kinds of intelligence, some good, some bad, all very exciting. The Qin army was fighting fiercely with the Dashi army and the Zuo army.
Although Ma Yongzhen's troops were of little help, if they could open up a strategic passage from Hengyang to Zhuzhou, it would at least leave Qin Mu a way out.
Even if Qin Mu was defeated in several battlefields such as Liuyang and Zhoujiaping, he could still abandon Changsha and flee south, but the prerequisite was that Meng Ke could keep Liling and the Zhuzhou line was not occupied by Wu Xueli.
Therefore, every battlefield is interconnected, and a failure in one place is likely to cause a chain reaction, leading to the loss of all. What Qin Mu can control now is only the battlefield in Liuyang, and he can only trust his generals for the rest.
Zhuge Min, He Liang, Yang Shen and others, including Lady Hong, all looked at Qin Mu with solemn expressions, because every decision he made now would affect the outcome of the entire Huguang battle.
Qin Mu pressed the hilt of the Juque sword and said calmly, "Zhang Xianzhong was willing to give up his hard-earned property, so he made a good move. If he was willing to give up his possessions, I can also give up everything. Don't worry too much, just prepare for the battle."
After Qin Mu finished speaking, he turned to the messenger and gave an order: "Pass my order. Tell Liu Meng to set fire to the mountain immediately, and then the entire army will withdraw to the north bank."
"Tell Su Jin what I said immediately. I have limited manpower and will not set up defenses on the northern front. I leave my life in his hands. Let him handle it himself."
"Tell Zhu Yijin that he doesn't need to go north, just do what he should do."
“… ... ... ... .”
Commands came out of Qin Mu's mouth one after another and spread to all directions at the fastest speed.
Thick smoke soon billowed from the south bank of the Liuyang River, and a blazing fire shot up into the sky from Tianma Mountain. Heat waves were rolling.
Tianma Mountain is located on the south bank of Liuyang River. It is undulating and lies across the road to the north. The mountain is covered with lush trees and grass. In this late autumn season, once a fire starts, it is out of control, not to mention that the Qin army is setting fires everywhere. For a time, the raging flames raged over a radius of more than ten miles, like waves. Looking around, it seemed as if the whole earth was burning. Standing on the north bank of Liuyang River, you can still feel the heat.
Qin Mu wanted to burn the south bank into a scorched earth, leaving not a single blade of grass or tree, and not even firewood for cooking. Let's see what you, Zhang Xianzhong, will use to build a bridge to cross the river. Moreover, before the raging forest fire is extinguished, Zhang Xianzhong's army will not even have a chance to force the Liuyang River. Thinking of crossing the river - dream on.
Li Dingguo's 5,000 elite troops suffered heavy losses, and more than half of them had been lost by the time they reached the fourth line of defense. They could no longer advance an inch, and Zhang Xianzhong's army had arrived at this time. Just as he was about to replace some fresh troops to continue the attack, a raging mountain fire started and spread rapidly. Within ten miles, the entire area became a sea of fire. The wind fueled the fire, and the fire fueled the wind, and the fire burned more and more vigorously.
The northwest wind blew the thick smoke southward, making Zhang Xianzhong's army of more than 100,000 people's eyes red and swollen like rabbits, and they even had difficulty breathing.
"Retreat, retreat quickly!" Apart from temporarily retreating, what else could the hundreds of thousands of troops in the downwind area do? Forget putting out such a fierce wildfire. Not being suffocated to death by the billowing smoke was already a blessing.
Zhang Xianzhong was forced to retreat twenty miles and felt suffocated. After finally enduring a day and a night, the forest fire gradually died out, leaving only wisps of smoke. Looking around, almost everything within a radius of twenty miles was burnt. The thick ashes on the ground were blown up by the wind into a dark sky.
Zhang Xianzhong's food and grass were almost gone, and he could not wait any longer. The 130,000-man army walked through the ashes and the curling smoke and arrived at the Liuyang River. They saw that the floating bridge leading to the north bank was still there, but the north bank was quiet and there was no one in sight.
Only a large flag with the word "Qin" in red on a black background stood at the bridgehead on the north bank, looming in the remaining smoke and fluttering in the wind.
Where did all the people go? Qin Mu didn't even take down the floating bridge and just led his troops away? This is impossible. But where are the people? Why can't we see a single trace of them
More than 100,000 Dashi troops stopped on the south bank and looked at each other in bewilderment. A strange feeling arose in everyone's heart.
Look at the black flag with the Chinese character Qin on it, it is so dark, so cold, so solemn, so mysterious, and full of symbols of strength and power that no one among the more than 100,000 people dared to step onto the floating bridge across the river.
"Quickly send someone to the bridge to check." Zhang Xianzhong gave the order loudly, and dozens of Dashi troops followed suit and had to bite the bullet and walk towards the pontoon bridge.
However, at this moment, a small boat was seen floating downstream on the river upstream. At the stern sat a man wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat. His face could not be seen clearly. He was paddling with one hand and holding a fishing rod with the other, like a fisherman fishing in the river.
At the bow stood a slender woman in a red dress, red pants and red cape. In the breeze, she looked like a burning flame floating on the river.
At this time, the fisherman urged: "Madam, the guests are here, sing quickly."
"If you take advantage of me again, I will throw you into the river to feed the fish."
"Okay, okay, I won't take advantage of you. Sing, sing. We agreed that if you sing a song for the guests, I will give you a telescope. Don't go back on your word when the time comes. It would be very rude of you to neglect the guests."
The woman in red hesitated for a moment, glared at the fisherman, and then she opened her mouth to sing. A clear and mellow voice floated over the water:
How many bends does the Liuyang River have
It is dozens of miles by water to the Xiangjiang River.
What county is there by the river
Who is this person
Leading the people to liberation,
Ah, yaya, yaya.
The Liuyang River has made nine bends.
It is fifty miles by water to the Xiangjiang River.
There is a Xiangtan County by the river.
A county magistrate named Qin appeared.
Lead the people to liberation.
Ah, yaya, yaya.
The Liuyang River has made nine bends.
It is fifty miles by water to the Xiangjiang River.
The river keeps flowing.
The kindness of Magistrate Qin is no match for his kindness.
Ah, yaya, yaya.
County Magistrate Qin is like the sun, guiding the people in the direction of progress.
We will always follow County Magistrate Qin.
Happy days last forever,
Ah, yaya, yaya.
The clear and mellow singing voice was carried by the wind, and the mountains and water echoed, which was extremely beautiful. Many of the Dashi Army on the south bank knew Hong Niangzi, but no one expected her to appear here and sing gracefully on the Liuyang River. Even Zhang Xianzhong was a little stunned. This song was so beautiful. Hong Niangzi's singing was so beautiful... ... ... .
At this time, the fisherman at the stern of the boat clapped his hands and praised, "Not bad, not bad, your voice is as clear as jade and as sweet as poetry. Mm, it's not inferior to Liu Ziling at all. It's just the same, just the same!"
Hong Niangzi was ashamed and angry. She stopped singing and scolded: "You are really shameless. Just listen to the lyrics and you will know that you have tampered with them. Are you from Xiangtan County? You think that County Magistrate Qin is like the sun guiding the people's direction of progress, but I think your face looks like a monkey's butt..."
The fisherman said with a smile, "You don't understand this. My ancestors are from Xiangtan. I won't tell anyone. Keep going. Look, the friends on the shore are all stunned by your singing. I can guarantee that from now on, my lady, you will become their only idol."
"No need to sing, they are going up the bridge."
Sure enough, no matter how clear and beautiful Hong Niangzi's singing was, it was not as tempting as the hope of life. Zhang Xianzhong came to his senses and gave another order. The Dashi Army continued to move towards the floating bridge, one step, two steps, three steps... (To be continued...)
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