Great Han Empire

Chapter 197
Qu Yi immediately lowered his face, and said unhappily: "Since Master Sun understands this way, I have nothing to say." He immediately stood up, faced Zhou Shen, bowed and saluted, "Master General, Master Sun is very kind to us in Xiliang. The general has always been deeply wary. No matter what we say, he suspects that we have connections with the rebels. If this continues, the battle will be lost. Since Mr. Sun doesn't believe us, why are we still sitting here? The officer said goodbye. "

Qu Yi shook his hand and left.

Zhou Shen remained expressionless, as if he didn't see it, and let him go.He pointed at Sun Jian and said, "Master Sun, you can talk about it later."

Sun Jian said loudly indignantly: "General, Captain Xu's opinion is based on the fact that the rebel army still has food and grass. If the rebel army really has no food and grass and has to stop and stay in Yuzhong City, then we will arrange it like this. The formation of soldiers is clearly to let the enemy break through and escape."

Xu Rong smiled helplessly, and explained patiently: "The rebel army's big retreat obviously has a purpose. If they intend to plot against us, we have to guard against it. In today's situation where the lone army is deep, we It’s better to be on the safe side, to make sure that you are safe first is the best policy.”

Sun Jian shook his head and retorted: "The 5 rebels of Beigong Boyu have been wiped out by Li Zhonglang near Lingtai Mountain in Anding County. Now the Xiliang rebels only have 7 people left by Bianzhang. Join our elite division of 5000 people. Apart from retreating all the way across the Yellow River and fleeing into the Qiang land to preserve his strength, what else can he do? Is there any way for him to defeat us?"

Hua Xiong hurriedly said: "Master Sun, Lao Bian and Han Sui are both learned people, good at using soldiers, and they are also good at fighting. They should not be underestimated."

Sun Jian wanted to speak, but was stopped by Zhou Shen.

"Siege the city." Zhou Shen said very resolutely, "Siege the city, gather all the troops to besiege the city."

Sun Jian hurriedly called out: "My lord..."

Zhou Shen waved his hand to stop Sun Jian from speaking.

"Yuzhong City is now short of food, this is a fact. If the rebels have food, why did Bian Zhang send people to Jincheng to urge food? If this is false news, why did Bian Zhang give us this false news? What is the purpose? Drag us to Yuzhong City?" Zhou Shen laughed, "Even if there is no news, we will surround Yuzhong City. So I think this news must be accurate."

"Now we just need to surround Yuzhong City, resolutely surround it, prevent the rebels from breaking through, starve all the rebels to death in the city, and the matter of suppressing the rebellion in Xiliang will be over."

Sun Jian thought about it, although this method seemed simple, it was practical, so he didn't say anything else.

Xu Rong was worried and wanted to say something, but seeing Zhou Shen's expressionless face and firm attitude, he swallowed the words back.

Sun Jian asked: "General, do you want to order Li Zhonglang to join us quickly?"

Zhou Shen shook his head and said, "He has done a great job in annihilating Beigong Boyu. We should be responsible for eliminating Bian Zhang. Don't rush, let him lead the troops slowly."

===

The sky in Xijiang is blue and blue, and the beauty is intoxicating.The sun in Xiliang is scorching hot, making people dizzy and groggy.The mountains and rivers in Xiliang are so beautiful and pleasant, it makes people linger and forget to return.

Li Hong led his troops to Yicheng.

Fu Xie rushed to Li Hong's camp with a group of attendants.Everyone greeted each other and immediately turned to the topic.

"My lord, where are the troops of General Dong and Captain Huangfu?" Li Hong unfolded the map and asked with a smile.

"In Wudu Road." Fu Xie said, "a few days ago, Captain Huangfu sent a letter saying that June Jinglei led the troops from Longxi County to Wudu County, and seemed to be returning to Daxue Mountain. General Dong and Huangfu School The lieutenant has already led the army to catch up."

"Do you have any news from General Zhou?"

"General Zhou surrounded Yuzhong City. They wrote that the rebels were short of food and were going to trap the enemy in Yuzhong City." Fu Xie said worriedly, "It seems that Lao Bian is going to die. It's about to end."

Li Hong smiled and said, "It's a good thing. Why, do you want to fight more battles?"

Fu Xie shook his head and said, "Lao Bian and Han Sui retreated thousands of miles without fighting. There must be a reason. I'm worried that General Zhou's army will go deep alone, and he will fall into the trap. It's better for Li Zhonglang to rush there as soon as possible."

Li Hong pointed to the map and said: "From Yicheng to the west, it is two hundred miles to Pingxiang City, and then from Pingxiang City to the west, it is more than 400 miles to Yuzhong City. We still have to walk more than 600 miles to reach Yuzhong City. Listen Several people who led the way said that if we marched at the fastest speed, it would take us at least ten days to reach Yuzhong City. Now that we have a lot of food and supplies, the speed must be slower, and it may be two days later.”

Fu Xie sighed and said, "I hope they will be more careful and not be fooled by the old side."

Li Hong comforted: "General Zhou has several Xiliang generals under his command. They are very familiar with Lao Bian and Han Sui. They know how powerful they are, so they should be careful."

"General Zhou and Lord Taiwei Sun Jian, who joined the army, don't trust Xiliang generals, and don't listen to their suggestions at all." Fu Xie smiled wryly, "Who knows what these Xiliang generals think?"

"No matter what they think, we must first trust them." Li Hong smiled. "They grew up in Xiliang and are familiar with everything here. Of course, we must rely on them to suppress the rebellion in Xiliang. We can't rely on them because of the past and the rebels. The leaders are friends, so we have no reason to suspect them."

Fu Xie nodded, and said: "Xu Rong, Qu Yi and Hua Xiong are all strong generals of Xiliang, and they have been loyally guarding the territory of the Han Kingdom. It's unbelievable. But it's hard to say whether their subordinates, who are mixed with fish and dragons, have anything to do with the rebels."

"What about Ma Teng?" Li Hong asked.

Fu Xie was noncommittal and did not answer.

Zhao Yun raised the curtain and strode in.

"My lord, hurry up and read."

"Where did it come from?" Li Hong asked.

"It was sent from General Zhou's camp in Yuzhong City." Zhao Yun replied, "It seems that the matter is urgent, and the messenger alone rode four war horses."

Li Hong and Fu Xie were taken aback, and quickly opened the bamboo slips.

"The rebel army occupied the Kuiyuan Gorge and cut off the food road." Li Hong smiled wryly, "This is troublesome."

Fu Xie looked solemn and was speechless for a long time.

Bian Zhang and Han Sui made their move after all.

===

The red sunset hangs alone in the western sky. It is big and round, so red that it shocks people and makes people fascinated.

Zhou Shen withdrew his gaze, and slowly turned his head to look at Sun Jian who was standing behind him, his mood was dull.

Twenty thousand rebels quietly occupied both ends of Kuiyuan Gorge, not only cutting off the Han army's food road, but also cutting off the Han army's retreat.Now it is not the Han army who is besieging the rebels in Yuzhong City, but the rebels are besieging Zhou Shen's Han army under Yuzhong City.Bian Zhang made a random move, which immediately turned the clouds upside down, and immediately pushed the triumphant Han army to a desperate situation.

"General, with our strength, it's not a problem to kill Kuiyuan Gorge. You don't need to worry about it." Sun Jian stepped forward and comforted him in a low voice, "Let's leave our luggage and travel lightly, and we will be able to return to Pingding in three or four days. Xiangcheng, the loss should not be too big."

"Advance to the west twice, and repel Bian Zhang twice." Zhou Shen smiled wryly, "This time the opportunity is so good, but I was fooled. I really can't be reconciled."

"Bian Zhang and Han Sui had a premeditated plan and deliberately tricked us into being fooled. It is impossible to guard against. So far, the troops have not suffered any losses. It is a fluke." Sun Jian twisted his short beard and said in frustration: "A few days ago, We were dazzled by the victory we were about to achieve, and underestimated the cunning of the rebels, so that we made a mistake in our judgment. I remember that only Captain Xu was more sober at the time. He pointed out that the crisis of the army was in Kuiyuan Gorge, but we didn't listen to it at the time. His advice was ignored."

Sun Jian glanced at Zhou Shen, and said in a low voice, "It seems that among the three of them, Captain Xu can be trusted."

Zhou Shen glanced at him and asked, "Does Wentai mean to put his troops in the front? Or in the back?"

"It's more appropriate to put it in the front." Sun Jian replied, "The general will lead 1 people to the middle, and I will take 1 people to postpone. Let Huaxiong's 5000 people follow Xu Rong, and Qu Yi's 1 people will walk behind me. Front."

Zhou Shen frowned, thought for a while, and said, "How about we ask Captain Xu for his opinion? This withdrawal is related to everyone's life and death, so we have to be extra cautious."

Sun Jian suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.I made a mistake in judging the military situation last time and didn't give an accurate opinion. General Zhou Shen didn't seem to trust him much.

Sun Jian immediately replied: "It's better to inform this kind of confidential matter at night. Although Captain Xu can be trusted, what about his subordinates? If the matter of our nighttime withdrawal is leaked, the rebels will be killed in Kuiyuan Gorge." Arrange heavy troops and surround us in the canyon, then we will have no way out."

Zhou Shen looked up at the blood-red sun, contemplating deeply.At such a critical time, in such an unfamiliar environment, the soldiers of the army should work together and work together. If they don't trust the Xiliang generals, they may really die without a place to die.In order to destroy himself, Bian Zhang has planned for a long time.Since he was able to ambush the troops outside the city in advance and cut off his escape route, of course he also thought of a way to eat himself.If he had set up a heavy army in Kuiyuan Gorge, wouldn't he have thrown himself into a trap and killed himself.

"Go ask Captain Xu." Zhou Shen yelled at the attendant standing in the distance with a cold face.

The corner of Sun Jian's eyebrows twitched, and a trace of resentment flashed across his eyes.

===

As night fell, Xu Rong rushed from the South Gate Camp to the Chinese Army Camp.He hurried into the big tent, bent down to salute Zhou Shen.

"Master Xu, the army's supplies are about to run out, we plan to retreat tonight." Zhou Shen waved his hand to signal for Xu Rong to excuse himself, and said expressionlessly, "Do you have any suggestions?"

Xu Rong sat aside and asked slowly: "General, how many days can the army's food and grass last?"

Zhou Shen turned his eyes to Sun Jian.

"Three days." Sun Jian said, "It's four hundred miles to Pingxiang City. Let's throw away all the luggage and let the soldiers go forward lightly, day and night. It should be no problem to walk four hundred miles in three days."

Xu Rong then wanted to ask something, but he hesitated for a while and didn't make a sound.

Zhou Shen saw it, and immediately asked: "What does Captain Xu want to say? At this critical moment, we should trust each other, and if we have anything to say, we should speak up without hesitation."

Xu Rong blushed, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Can I ask about the withdrawal route?"

"Of course." Zhou Shen said, "Wentai, tell us about our troop withdrawal plan in detail, and let Mr. Xu understand the specific situation."

Sun Jian spread out the map and explained the withdrawal plan in detail.

"Master Xu, what do you think of my method?" Sun Jian asked confidently, "Do you have anything to add?"

Zhou Shen looked indifferent, but looked at Xu Rong expectantly.

Xu Rong smiled lightly and said, "If we go to Kuiyuan Gorge, we will die."

Zhou Shen and Sun Jian were moved at the same time.

Zhou Shen looked shocked, and the wrinkles on his forehead were almost squeezed together; Sun Jian was angry and startled, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes widened.

"Tell me." Zhou Shen pointed to Xu Rong and said, "Tell me what's going on."

"I have been friends with Lao Bian and Mr. Wen Yue for several years. I admire their talents very much. To be honest, Lao Bian's talent and personality are second to none in Xiliang, even the famous Mr. Wen Yue. Be willing to bow down. Why did Lao Bian get the support of the rebels? Why did Beigong Boyu put a knife around his neck to force him to rebel?" Xu Rong smiled wryly, "Master Taiwei and you both despise Lao Bian and Wen Yue Sir, so that..."

Xu Rong felt that what he said later was hard to hear, so he swallowed it back. He pointed to the Kuiyuan Gorge on the map and said, "Kuiyuan Gorge is our only escape route. I know that if we want to break through, we will definitely be densely covered in the forest of the canyon." The things that ignite and burn, set up heavy troops at the exit of the canyon. As long as we rush into the canyon, the rebels guarding the entrance of the canyon will immediately ignite the woods. After the fire burns, the rebels in the city will immediately come out. We are in It is difficult to break out of the fire in a short period of time, and it is also difficult to kill the exit of the canyon. When the enemy troops in the city are killed, we will be the turtles in the urn, and the Kuiyuan Canyon will be our burial place."

Zhou Shen and Sun Jian's expressions were very ugly.

"I can't kill them." Xu Rong glanced at them, shook his head, and said word by word, "I can't kill them."

Zhou Shen looked at Xu Rong.Xu Rong sat beside the map very calmly, unhurried and calm, as if he didn't care about the crisis in front of him.Is there a way for him to get out of trouble?
"Does Master Xu have any suggestions?" Zhou Shen asked.

"Kuiyuan Gorge has been under our strict monitoring. It stands to reason that the rebels have no way to escape our monitoring and occupy the valley without anyone noticing." Xu Rong said, "But why did the troops from the old side suddenly come out? , occupied Kuiyuan Gorge?"

===

(End of this chapter)