As the sky dimmed, the fights and fierce battles under Jiaozhou Daluo City were again drawn to rest. Only the camp full of wounds and corpses were left, gradually drowning in the gloomy sky.
"It's lost, it's really lost this time, it's already irreparable..."
Zeng Dagon, who was sitting undressed in a large cart and resting, looked at Daluo City, where the door was closed and the city was sparsely lit and plunged into darkness, and at the dense campfires that started to light up at the other end of the camp, he couldn't help but stop. Secretly read incomparably bitterly.
Although it was dark before the thieves left the battle, his subordinates had gathered more than 3,000 people, accounting for about a small half of the warriors; and there were camps and some equipment and materials left by the grass thieves as evidence; There is a double advantage in the face of those enemies. But the huge psychological blow and demoralization that was abandoned by the city was even more serious than the threat of the first thief army who was facing off and the threat of returning to most of the thief army at some time.
What's more, after they were ruthlessly cut off outside the city, they had to face new predicaments and problems. At the beginning, I only had a full meal and had an early meal. The result of not carrying any rations and planning to make a decisive victory in a hungry manner caused the threat of being hungry.
Although some usable parts can be extracted from the materials that the grass thieves are too late to burn, but for the exhausted and hungry soldiers around him, it is inevitable. Instead, he can only hold up all the containers that can be found, use temporarily chopped fences and wooden utensils as firewood, and cook large and small pots of extremely thin porridge.
Although the Zhuluan River of Qingbohao ** is within a short distance, no one is willing to venture across or bypass most of the camp to fetch water; rather, they would rather go directly to scoop the muddy water in the ditches around them. Huang is not clear to drink; because this battle process of winning first and then losing almost exhausted the last bit of energy that most people can explode and squeeze out.
In fact, once the entire army's offensive stopped, even the desire to continue to pretend to surround and blockade the grass thief remnants on the two soil platforms did not think that and then completely faded away; it was just a short time in the foreign aid of the thief army. Under the assault, they spontaneously contracted and retreated, making it easy to merge into one place; watching them again, they repaired the broken soil barrier.
And Zeng Gun didn’t even have the energy to pursue and reprimand them; then he fell into the long confrontation and stalemate after the night fell; but the night was also not stable for long, and the grass thieves shouted loudly and harassed them all night. Stop, but it was actually in the second half of the night, touching in the dark to do that night attack.
This time they actually bypassed the camp directly opposite, and launched a sneak attack from the direction of the city wall, which was slightly negligent on the back of their hands. As a result, Zeng Dagon promised his future and killed the chickens and cursed monkeys. I was shocked by the heightened tension and exhaustion.
In the darkness of the appointment, he clamored and killed at a loss in the middle of the night, even if Zeng Dang’s voice was dumb no matter how much he called and screamed, he couldn’t. The soldiers who were in the white and frightened were also exhausted, and they slowly calmed down naturally.
By the time it dawned again, there were already less than a thousand people left in his temporary stronghold; among them, there were only more than 30 athletes from the Shu army who came with him to trek over the high mountains and ridges; those selected locally. There are only more than one hundred soldiers who are deadly loyal to the government.
Because most of the others fell in the process of leading the attack, or died and wounded in vain in the chaos and cannibalism of the night. This result also made Zeng Dagon a little bit eager to cry without tears, and suddenly began to doubt his life and the results of all these efforts.
"Am I really doing something wrong... But what kind of face is there now to see the envoy and the uncle..."
He whispered to himself like this, and suddenly pulled out the sword presented by the Cui envoy, and dragged it across his neck.
Suddenly, the blood vessels splashed, but Zeng Yi, one of his pro-army and home generals, firmly grasped the blade with his hands and failed to cut his neck. Then he screamed out of shock. :
"Envoy..."
"All protect..."
"Never..."
"What do you stop me doing..."
Zeng Dagon, who had attempted suicide, shouted with grief and shame.
"This is the end of the matter, do you still want to humiliate me in the thieves..."
"Just take my first level to change my career and get free..."
"The Lord..."
Seeing the bloody old man with his hands full of cut, Zeng Yi drank it loudly.
"Why do you have to be so self-defeating... Isn't it a common practice for a military strategist to win or lose."
"In the early years, a certain entourage was the leader of the army. Although he repeatedly failed, he did not know how many times he fought again and again... Only then has the current situation and achievements..."
"Why did you become gentle and awe-inspiring when you arrived in Annan's land, and even a mere defeat is so impressive..."
"After you committed suicide before the battle, where did you plan to put my son who was always with you... Is it possible that you have to go with you..."
"Speaking well, and scolding well"
After hearing this frank and deep-hearted statement, Zeng Dagon's gray face turned into flushing excitement and shame.
"It was me who pretended to be a child, and almost failed your wishes and entrustment..."
After all, he is the "Zeng Rengui" who has been fighting for a long time and relying on his own liver to fight from a small school to a general. After suffering a serious setback, he was able to quickly regain his strength or reinstate. The fighting spirit was ignited.
At least the old part of Zeng Yi’s words are offensive, but the basic truth is not wrong. He still has more than a thousand people who are still willing to follow him at this last moment; compared to those half-hearted or double-hearted existences in the city, or It is also Gao, Li and others who were once placed high hopes; this is a force that can be trusted and trusted.
Even if something happens in Daluo City and shuts itself out, there is still plenty to do in the vast area of the thirteen states of Annan. I have always limited my vision to Jiaozhou Daluo City before, which is obviously too narrow;
Now, he can completely use the only remaining men and horses as the foundation and shield, and before most of the thieves are returned, he can quickly get out of this dangerous place that is seriously unfavorable to himself.
Then he headed south to a relatively rich state and county far from Jiaozhou in order to gain a foothold. At the beginning, he could not only take a dozen of the soldiers into the army and fight for the title of the leader of the first army; but also with the help of hundreds of healthy soldiers recruited from the Shu land, he could easily seize the power of Jiaozhou; are there these soldiers now? , Can't deal with the local forces in a mere distant state.
Then slowly collect money from the local area to train soldiers to gather their strength, and seek opportunities and prospects from the beginning; even consider borrowing troops from Linyi country in the name of the imperial court or invoking them as help; at least these foreign grass thieves can stay forever Or stay here forever.
It would be nice if they left. With only the rich local soldiers, he was completely confident enough to deal with them without losing the wind; since he could plan and defeat them once or twice, he would naturally come again for the third time. .
If these grass thieves want to stay for a long time, they will inevitably have new suspicions and frictions with the local Tu people; and this is also where he has the opportunity to rise again and seek a way out of the upper class.
After thinking about this, he suddenly felt brightened in his heart, and even the gains, losses and pains after the defeat became a lot easier; even took the initiative to come to the rest of the soldiers to comfort them, and eat with them the simple Here comes the water-like porridge.
"Eat as much as possible so that you can act in the next step..."
"Don't worry about the wounded soldiers and those who don't want to leave, I will stay and let them return to the city..."
Zeng Dagon snorted and drank the weird thin porridge, while arranging to the only remaining subordinates.
. . . . . .
At the other end of the camp, several leaders, including Qu Chengyu, Xu Yijiang, and Zhao Yingong, also squatted on the edge of the soil platform, and gobbled up the crushed compressed dry food and pickles, drinking a thick tea soup to digest; while accepting the subordinates Report.
"There seems to be an abnormal movement on the side occupied by the officers and soldiers, and the noise has subsided a lot?"
Xu Yi will suddenly give a judgment.
"It looks like it's going to escape..."
"Then what should I do if I wait and change..."
Qu Chengyu couldn't help but worry a little
"If that Zeng thief is gone, there will be endless disasters."
"It's okay..."
Zhao Yinjudo, whose cheek was injured and his voice changed a little.
"With their spare power, they can't escape very far... In this plain land, do their two legs still want to pass four legs quickly..."
However, the development of the situation after a while was somewhat beyond their expectations.
"What a dog thief, it's actually a tactic to attack the west..."
Zhao Yingong, who led the team to catch up, looked at the old, weak and sick Dao who fell to the ground one after another in front of him.
"The officers and soldiers' team is still in the battalion, so quickly turn around and respond with me..."
After a while, he also had to replace the horseshoe on the river bank, and watched the figures sitting on the floating tools going downstream. Because these officers and soldiers who stayed in place had already tied the platoons and rafts in advance, and then, riding on the attention of the rebel cavalry, they were able to lift and rush to the riverside to cross the water.
In the meantime, it was only a mile away, and even the remaining volunteer soldiers could not react. They were abandoned by most of the officers and soldiers who had been thrown away with heavy clothes, armor, and light clothing, and were easily waded to catch up with the raft. But Zhao Yingong's people had no other way other than chasing their backs and shooting bows and arrows. (End of this chapter)