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Su Jin led 35,000 cavalrymen and rushed towards Shangqiu City like a gust of wind. The scene of thousands of horses galloping made the mountains and rivers dazzled, and smoke rose to the sky... ...
The Central Plains is a flat and desolate land, which is conducive to the galloping of cavalry. More than 30,000 cavalrymen were divided into several groups and roared past at a speed of sixty to seventy miles per hour.
The distance is eighty miles, and it will take less than an hour to arrive.
But the enemy is not dead, and the situation may change drastically at any time. It is unknown whether Duoduo will suddenly withdraw from Shangqiu after knowing that the Qin army is heading towards Shangqiu.
It is even possible that Duoduo dug up the Yellow River embankment somewhere else. If so, the distance is so close that the 100,000 main forces in the east will surely be wiped out.
Su Jin, Hu Shouliang, Guo Yunlong, and Niu Wanchuan each led a group of people and rushed to Shangqiu desperately. The sooner they arrived in Shangqiu, the safer they would be and the fewer variables there would be.
The neighing war horses, the thundering hooves, and the fluttering flags were flying across the land, like black clouds, pressing towards Shangqiu City.
The Qing army's scouts quickly reported the information back to Duoduo in Shangqiu. Duoduo was not surprised because Meng Ke's army was originally heading for Shangqiu City. It was normal for the cavalry to suddenly break away from the infantry and arrive in Shangqiu first.
What he found abnormal was that Bach and his men were digging the dike, but there had been no movement so far, which made him feel something was wrong.
"Come here, send someone to Sanshu Bay immediately to see what that son of a bitch Bach is doing... Wait, Murray, take another 300 men with you. If Bach is in trouble, you will be responsible for continuing to dig the embankment."
"twitter!"
"Your Highness, wait a minute!" Ye Chenlue shouted hurriedly, "Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. Three hundred men may not be enough. I'd better bring more men and go to handle this matter myself."
When Duoduo heard this, he felt that Ye Chenlue's words made sense. Now they all hoped to dig the dike and flood Meng Ke's army to turn the tide of the war. Ye Chenlue was mature and prudent, and had always been loyal to the Qing Dynasty, so it would be safer to let him do it.
"Okay, I order you to take a thousand men and go do this immediately. Go!"
"Yes!" Ye Chenlue walked out of the house quickly, leading a thousand men and horses to rush out of Shangqiu City in the early morning sun.
Duoduo shouted again, "Tell that coward Tan Tai to withdraw immediately. Don't let my army of 10,000 be eaten by fish. Go and tell him to withdraw."
The original plan was to dig up the Yellow River embankment between the second half of last night and the early morning. Tan Tai led the remaining 8,000 troops to retreat to the vicinity of Shangqiu to escape the impending flood.
However, his camp was attacked by Qi Yan's thirty men, and he lost nearly two thousand men. He was worried that Duoduo would skin him alive, so he kept looking for excuses not to enter the city.
Duoduo felt that now was the time to employ people, so he decided not to pursue the matter for the time being and wait until autumn to settle the score.
Tan Tai heaved a sigh of relief, finally able to return to the city;
Ning Wanwo has been bedridden these days, and Duoduo kicked and beat me like crazy that day, causing him to suffer internal injuries and cough up blood from time to time.
Physical pain is secondary, there is no greater sorrow than the death of one's heart, and he is disheartened. These days, he has hardly paid attention to the outside world. Duoduo believes that it was he and Fan Wencheng who instigated the Qing Dynasty to fall into today's predicament, and he also ignored him.
Today, Ning Wanwo's injury has improved a little. Thinking of his family in Yanjing, he sighed again. When the servant brought the medicine in, he couldn't help asking, "Asan, what's the situation outside?"
"My Lord, I also heard the military officers in the yamen talking about it. They said that the Qin general Meng Ke's army is about to reach Shangqiu. Last night, the prince sent people to dig the dike, but there has been no movement so far. The prince sent General Ye with a thousand men. Now, Lord Tan Tai's troops are withdrawing to the city to avoid being washed away by the flood..."
"Wait... ahem... you said the prince sent people to dig the embankment last night, but there's still no movement?"
"My Lord, I heard the military officers in the government office talking about this."
"How many troops did Ye Chenlue bring with him now? How long have they been gone?"
"I only vaguely heard that it was one thousand. I can't say exactly how many there are. The military officer in the yamen didn't mention the exact number."
"Not good..." Ning Wanwo was startled and sat up. My throat felt sweet and a mouthful of black blood flowed out from the corner of my mouth. "Ahem...quickly give me the medicine."
Ning Wanwo grabbed the medicine and drank it in big gulps. "Master, it's hot..." the servant exclaimed. As expected, as soon as the medicine entered his mouth, Ning Wanwo was burned and spit out the medicine. The medicine bowl fell to the ground with a clang, and the medicine splashed everywhere, filling the room with the smell of medicine.
Ning Wanwo did not care about anything else. "Help me up quickly, quickly... cough cough..." The servant was about to kneel down to apologize, but after hearing this, he hurried over to help him. Ning Wanwo put on his shoes, without even bothering to put on his coat, and rushed to the lobby of the government office.
The Qin cavalry was approaching, and it was unknown whether Ye Chenlue, who was sent out, had arrived at Sanshu Bay. Duoduo was so anxious that he paced back and forth in the lobby, feeling extremely irritated. From time to time, he ordered his personal soldiers outside the door to look at the top of the city to see if the flood was coming. Every time he got the report that there was no flood, Duoduo could not help but curse.
When Ning Wan and I hurried to the government hall with the help of the servant, Duoduo had just sent another soldier to the city wall. Before Ning Wan entered the gate, he shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, withdraw the troops quickly, evacuate Shangqiu... ... cough cough... cough cough cough... It will be too late if you delay any longer, Your Majesty..."
Duoduo was feeling irritated when he suddenly heard ghostly howling outside the hall. He was immediately furious and shouted at the door, "You old dog, why don't you die? Get out of here! Otherwise, I will be affected by your bad luck."
"Your Highness!" Ning Wanwo knelt outside the door and advised sadly, "It doesn't take too long to dig the embankment. Bach has been gone all night and there is still no movement. Something must have happened."
"Are you the only smart person in this world? Do you think I'm a fool? I don't need an old dog like you to remind me of these things. Get lost!"
"Since the prince knows that Bach is in trouble, he should have thought that the Qin army must have guessed the prince's plan to dig the dike, and they will definitely fight to control the Yellow River dike... cough cough cough..."
Ning Wan said this and coughed up a mouthful of black blood. He didn't even bother to wipe his mouth and continued to cry out: "Your Highness, now that Meng Ke's 100,000 troops dare to approach Shangqiu, it also strongly proves that he must have controlled the Yellow River embankment from Shangqiu to Yucheng. Otherwise, he would never be so stupid as to bring 100,000 troops to die. Your Highness, retreat quickly, this is the last chance. If you don't leave now, we will be wiped out..."
"You know nothing. I have already sent other troops to dig the dike. There is no need for you to come here and mourn. Get lost! If you dare to disrupt the morale of my army again, I will chop off your head with a single blow!"
Duoduo was furious. How could an army of tens of thousands of people retreat just like that? Now tens of thousands of Qin cavalry were getting closer and closer to Shangqiu City. Shouting like "Ning Wan I'm here" would only cause chaos in the army. Duoduo's eyes were spitting fire, and the veins in his right hand that was pressing on the hilt of the sword were throbbing. The sword could be unsheathed at any time.
Ning Wanwo closed his eyes and said calmly, "Since the third year of Tiancong, Emperor Taizong has been bestowing great favors on all. I was promoted from a humble servant to the Academy of Literature. Emperor Taizong has been so kind to me that I will repay him with my life. Now the Qing Dynasty is in danger and relies entirely on the tens of thousands of elite troops under your command. How can you bury them in Shangqiu
Today, even if the prince kills me, I have to say it. Your Majesty, please withdraw your troops quickly. Withdraw as many troops as possible now. It is better than being trapped and dying in Shangqiu City. Not only will your army be annihilated, but the Qing Dynasty will also be destroyed! Your Majesty, please withdraw your troops quickly... ..”
When Ning Wan said this, he spat out another mouthful of black blood and then passed out.
Watching Ning Wanwo collapse to the ground, Duoduo's face turned blue and black, changing constantly. Ning Wanwo's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, making him sober as if he had a last burst of light.
Yes, as soon as Bach left without any news, the Qin army suddenly accelerated its march towards Shangqiu City. Perhaps it was because Meng Ke had guessed his plan to dig the dike and unknowingly controlled the Yellow River dike from Shangqiu to Yucheng.
To withdraw or not to withdraw
Duoduo was in a state of confusion. Tens of thousands of Qin cavalry were about to arrive. If he withdrew hastily now, the soldiers would surely become even more panicked. Once the Qin army arrived, the whole army might be wiped out.
Or we can wait a little longer until Ye Chen reports back with some results.
Duoduo hesitated. It was dangerous to withdraw the troops just like that, but he was unwilling to do so. After all, it was not difficult to dig the levee. Ye Chenlue should be able to dig the levee successfully with a thousand men.
But what if Ye Chenlue also fails
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ps: I wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
.(To be continued..)
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