Regardless of the mud on the ground, after the order to rest was given, many soldiers almost fell to the ground and fell asleep.

Running on the run for days was a fatal blow to these soldiers mentally and physically.

A war that was lost inexplicably.

Anger at betrayal, chagrin at failure, and fear of death all converged on these soldiers.

All morale has collapsed.

Nowadays, these people just run mechanically. No one thinks about where they are going and what to do next.

At this time, if the leader suddenly turns around and runs in the direction of the pursuers, most of the people may follow him in a daze.

But Zhang Cheng had to think about what to do next?

The allied forces of the Liao Army and the Hedong soldiers and horses were chasing them closely. If it were just the Hedong soldiers, Zhang Cheng might have turned back to fight his opponents.

But with elite soldiers from the Liao Kingdom mixed in, the situation was completely different.

After a great battle, the Shaanxi Forbidden Army was already filled with fear towards the Liao Army.

This is the first time the Shaanxi Forbidden Army has faced off against the Liao Army.

A devastating defeat even left a shadow in their hearts.

The enemy wants to sweep across the entire Shaanxi Road.

Zhang Cheng is now certain of this.

The spies of the Imperial City Department finally sent him news, but this news obviously came too late.

Moreover, this is almost public news.

The Emperor of Liao made Liu Quanyi the King of Jin and Gao Yao the King of Qin.

The title of King of Qin has fully demonstrated the opponent's strategic intention. Gao Yao definitely wants to capture the entire territory of Shaanxi. But relying on his own strength will definitely not work, so the people from Liao will be so enthusiastic to help.

Once the Liao people realize this strategic intention, they can ensure their safety in the northwest direction.

Who did the Liao people guard against?

There is no doubt that it is Xiao Ding from the northwest.

Li Chun on Qin Feng Road was not enough to make the Liao people spend so much effort.

This discovery made Zhang Cheng extremely uncomfortable.

But it has to be taken seriously.

Both sides are his enemies.

If he had the confidence to compete with any of them before, but now, he is already extremely weak.

It is said that Luo Song also surrendered to the Liao Kingdom, but Zhang Cheng didn't believe it.

The most likely possibility is that Luo Song is supported by Liu Quanyi, a high official.

Wang Jun, the governor of Hedong Road, was also missing. The most likely reason was that he was killed by Liu Quanyi and the others.

Wang Jun does not have Luo Song's status and influence.

After running away and gathering the defeated troops, Zhang Cheng now gathered around 3,000 more men.

But this combat capability, apart from hundreds of his own soldiers, there is no need to talk about other things.

The Shaanxi Forbidden Army needs time to rest and recover.

But it was obvious that the enemy also understood the key to this matter. They didn't give him any free time at all and just chased him and beat him.

Wherever Zhang Cheng ran, they chased him.

As a result, some counties along the way have directly sent people to beg Zhang Cheng not to run in their direction.

This made Zhang Cheng dumbfounded.

If I don’t come, won’t the enemy come?

But when I think about it deeply, I feel extremely shocked and angry.

If he doesn't go, Gao Yao will go.

But Gao Yao didn't want to smash the entire Shaanxi Road to pieces. A dilapidated Shaanxi Road obviously didn't suit Gao Yao's wishes.

And these counties may have noticed this and were preparing to surrender to the new master.

However, they still only have a little sense of morality in their hearts. If Zhang Cheng goes, they can't turn them away, but if they accept Zhang Cheng, they will be destroyed as soon as the enemy arrives.

Therefore, with the high-sounding reason of asking for life for the people, they asked Zhang Cheng not to lead the Liao army to their territory, causing the people's lives to suffer.

There are good reasons.

In this way, they will not have any psychological burden when they surrender to Gao Yao.

After all, everything is for the common people!

Regarding this, Zhang Cheng just wanted to curse:

shameless.

"Lieutenant, what should we do next?" Gan Quan came over with a skin bag, handed it to Zhang Cheng, and took a sip. Zhang Cheng was surprised to find that it was actually wine.

After taking a sip of wine, my body felt hot.

"The next step is to retreat to Yongji first!" Zhang Cheng pointed to the remnant soldiers everywhere and said: "We must first distance ourselves from the enemy, then find a space to rest, and then integrate into the new troops, so that we can have a

The power of war.”

"Lieutenant, we can't just go like this. Those places along the way don't want us to stay, so they must at least provide money, food and some young people." Gan Quan gritted his teeth and said: "Otherwise we will be empty-handed and short of manpower, and the road will only be harder in the future.

Take the narrower one.”

"Of course, that's what I'm thinking! Gan Quan, you can do this next thing! You don't have to be merciful, even if you are more ruthless, if we don't take it anyway, it won't be an advantage to Gao Yao in the end, and it will eventually become the reason for the Liao people to attack Tokyo.

assets.”

"Understood!"

"First rest for a while in Yongji, and then retreat to Tongguan and take advantage of the danger. As long as Tongguan can be defended, Jingzhao Mansion will be fine. If Jingzhao Mansion is not lost, the Shaanxi Road will still be there, even in name.

Up."

"But we have no power to fight back!"

"Take your time. The betrayal on Hedong Road was unexpected. This defeat is inevitable." Zhang Cheng said.

"But I'm worried about the Western Army!" Gan Quan pursed his lips and said, "If the Western Army is dispatched at this time, we're afraid we won't even be able to defend Jingzhao Mansion."

Zhang Cheng suddenly fell silent, yes, there is also the Western Army.

Now less than half of Shaanxi Road is in the hands of the Western Army!

In the past, Luo Song was still there, and with Luo Song as his guarantee, Xiao Ding promised not to take another step forward.

But now Luo Song has fallen into the tiger's mouth, the Liao army has attacked, and the entire Shaanxi Road is crumbling. How can Xiao Ding not bite such a big piece of fat?

He tilted his neck and took a big sip of the drink. Zhang Cheng's heart was filled with bitterness.

After a stick of incense, the officers whipped their whips all over the ground, forcing the soldiers to get up. They had been lying in the mud for a long time, but they were prone to getting sick. Once they got sick, under such conditions, they basically had a narrow escape from death.

.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard in my ears, and several scouts were galloping over.

"The Liao cavalry has arrived five miles away!" The scouts were already shouting loudly while the men were still on their horses.

With a bang, the remaining defeated generals who were sitting on the ground eating hard pancakes suddenly stood up. Ignoring the officers' shouts, they spread their legs and ran forward, unable to restrain themselves at all.

"Get ready to fight!" Zhang Cheng looked at all this helplessly. He got on his horse, picked up his spear, and headed upstream with his bodyguards.

He must cut off the rear of these defeated troops and protect their retreat.

Although the troops were defeated, Zhang Cheng believed that they could regain their combat capabilities as long as they were given time.

This failure was not a crime of war.

No wonder he Zhang Cheng,

Of course, no wonder these soldiers.

What Zhang Cheng didn't know was that at this moment, countless Western soldiers were pouring out from their garrison. Their purpose was to seize the Shaanxi Road before the coalition forces of the Liao people and Gaoyao.

In Shentangbao, Li Yi, Tuoba Fenwu, Zhang Yunsheng, He Zheng, Cao Can, Zhou Huan, Nanrenbao and other senior generals of the Western Army gathered together, and even Xin Jian, the commander of Tie Yaozi, arrived here.

You should know that Xin Jian was originally stationed in the Xuanleiguan area to monitor the Liao army in the direction of Shangjing Road to prevent the Liao army from attacking again.

Now, it is confirmed that Xiao Siwen and the Liao army are just deceiving people. The real goal of the Liao people is actually the Song Dynasty. At present, the Liao army's fight for Shaanxi has become the most important task of the Western Army.

"Everyone, the next period of time can be said to be the time to decide the final development direction of our Western Army!" Zhang Yuan stood in front of the map and looked at the group of generals with high-spirited expressions below.

Each of these guys knows that as long as there is a war, they can make achievements and be promoted and make a fortune, but how many of them really know the meaning of the next battle?

Zhang Yuan drew a circle with his hand on the huge hanging map and looked at everyone with a smile: "Shaanxi Road, we could win it before, but for various reasons, we had to give up, but now, the opportunity has come

.”
To be continued...