Chapter 76: Flee without a fight, turn to Longchuan
Nima Chan was dizzy, his virtual fire was rising, his brain was in a mess, and he had no idea what was going on.
The barbers who retreated first, led by Che Liliang and others, frequently fled into the mountains and forests, scattering like birds and beasts, unwilling to work for the captives any more.
Nima Chan caught up a little bit, and after questioning, he learned that it was someone holding Shuo Tuo's token who gave the order. However, even after chasing him so far, Shuo Tuo's figure was not seen, and the shaven man didn't see Lord Beile either.
.
Too weird, too unbelievable?
Nima Chan thought about various possibilities, but none of them were tenable.
Could it be that—Shoto Baylor’s betrayal of the traitor has been revealed!?
Nima Chan suddenly had this weird idea, and it seemed that this was the only way to explain it. Although it was weird, it was not completely unfounded.
When Lao Nu was still alive, Daishan requested Shuo Tuo to be executed several times, as many as five or six times. Although after investigation, Lao Nu believed that Shuo Tuo ran away from home because he was dissatisfied with Dai Shan's mistreatment.
But there is indeed a reason, and it is not just a wild guess by Nima Chan. Moreover, if we follow this assumption, all the weird things can be explained.
Confusion, speculation, confusion, anger, frustration...all kinds of emotions entangled Nima Chan, making him not know what to do, so he could only continue to retreat and passively wait for the truth of the matter.
We have no choice but to retreat. If we go back, with the current state of the troops, there is no hope of breaking through Longgu Mountain City.
"Sir—" the sentinel galloped back and reported nervously: "There are enemies in Baima Mountain City, under the banner of Dongjiang Army, and our army's way forward is blocked."
Nima Chan was surprised, he didn't expect this to happen.
The troops had already lost between five and six hundred under the Longgu Mountain City, and were drugged to a state of sluggishness. All the siege equipment was abandoned during the retreat. The enemy blocked the city, so how should they attack and kill them?
Looking at Jianlu who was getting closer and closer, Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and said with some surprise: "It only took a day or two to reach this point?"
I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. I was messed up by the false orders. I retreated in a hurry and threw away all my luggage. It was not much different from running away.
Not only that, the effect of the poison not only did not lessen, but actually worsened. Some people who had not yet had an attack at that time also developed symptoms while running.
Nausea and vomiting, headache, dizziness, fatigue and drunkenness are still mild. During the retreat, there were severe attacks, including fainting, convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and urinary incontinence.
In such a state, it is no wonder that Nima Chan immediately felt a sense of despair when he saw the serious formations waiting on the Baima Mountain City.
It should be impossible to break through the enemy's walled city. Going back to attack Longgu Mountain City would be the same nonsense. Let's find another way now!
Fortunately, there is no baggage, and it’s just a mountain road, so it’s a little slower, and we’ll go back to Yongcheon or Uiju first.
After calling several men who had shaved their heads, Nima Chan made some inquiries and immediately led his troops to retreat, preparing to bypass Baima Mountain Castle through the path and march towards Uiju instead of returning to Yongcheon.
The road is a bit far and mostly mountain trails, but it should be safe.
Nima Chan's decision was decisive, and it was beyond the expectations of Mao Wenlong and the generals of the Dongjiang Army who were chasing him from Longgu Mountain City.
There was no way, Guo Dajing's poison and all the chaos made Jianlu change his behavior and thoughts. He no longer relied on his bravery, but was eager to get out of the battle.
"Just left like that?" Mao Chenglu scratched his head and looked at Jianlu with confusion as he turned his horse's head and left in the dust.
They were all ready for a bloody battle, but Jianlu, who was usually fierce and arrogant, turned around and ran away without even farting?
Mao Wenlong frowned and thought, feeling very strange. But he still made a decision and ordered Mao Yongshi to lead two thousand soldiers to follow along the road.
"Don't chase too hastily." Mao Wenlong also warned Mao Wenshi, "If the Jianlu turn around to fight, it would be better if they can fight and retreat at the same time. If they are tightly entangled, send a signal and I will personally lead my troops to support them."
After a pause, he added: "I think the troops from Longgu Mountain City are also coming. As long as Jianlu is held back, we will definitely win by attacking from the front and back."
"Commander, don't worry, the general will understand." Mao Yongshi bowed and saluted, led his troops out of the city to form an formation, and chased Jianlu along the road.
By a strange combination of circumstances, Guo Dajing's actions not only trapped Jianlu, but also failed the Dongjiang Army's siege plan. No one expected that Jianlu would flee, and no one expected such a result.
It is up to man to plan things, but it is up to God to make things happen. This sentence is indeed true. No matter how good the plan is, accidents may happen.
Near noon, the two troops met and were very surprised. After checking the traces, they found two escaped men with shaved heads in the forest, and then they realized that the Jianlu had withdrawn from the road.
"That's not right. This road leads to Yiju. Only the local Koreans know about it. It's still a hundred miles away." Cui Xiaoda was puzzled, "Why didn't Jianlu return to Yongchuan?"
Mao Yongshi shrugged his shoulders and said with some helplessness: "Our army was well prepared, but Jianlu didn't even test it, so he turned around and ran away."
"Could it be that because Shuo Tuo was killed, the Jianlu army was in disarray and had no intention of fighting?" Li Weiluan speculated.
Shang Kexi scratched his head and said, "What should we do now? The cooked duck flew away."
It was impossible to chase him. Even on a small road, there was still a big difference between having a horse and not having a horse. There was no way he could catch up with Jianlu on his own two legs.
"Our army can attack Longchuan." Guo Dajing suddenly came over and put forward his own suggestion, "There must not be many enemies left behind, and it is impossible to get the news quickly."
Looking at the glances from the generals, Guo Dajing blinked and expressed his very tempting guess, "Yue Tuo's body may still be in Longchuan."
A corpse, but it belongs to Hou Jinbeile. If it can be obtained, it will be a hundred times better than the hype in the battle report.
Think about it, the heads of the two Baylors are the gains of the Dongjiang Army. The satellite was released so much that it was about to rush out of the earth?
"You go report to the commander, and I will lead the army back to Baima Mountain City immediately." Mao Yongshi immediately called the messenger and gave some urgent instructions.
Monk Li Weiluan was pleased. Qiu Zhentai briefly discussed it and decided to lead his troops to join the attack on Longchuan City.
Cui Xiaoyi and others thought that there was no need for them to participate in the battle, so they led their troops back to Longgu Mountain City and continued to strengthen the defense to prevent the Jianlu from retaliating again.
Nima Chan must have been negligent, or was mentally ill after being poisoned, and did not expect that the Dongjiang Army would dare to attack Longchuan.
Of course, he did not have detailed information, and he did not know that the Dongjiang Army was dispatched in large numbers, with as many as six or seven thousand soldiers.
As the troops were rushing towards Baima Mountain City, the messenger sent by Mao Wenlong reported back, asking them to speed up their march. After meeting at Baima Mountain City, they turned to Longchuan.
"The commander-in-chief has agreed." Mao Yongshi said with a smile: "And he is still very impatient."
The generals understood and smiled. Yue Tuo's body might be in Longchuan. Who wouldn't be anxious about such a temptation?
"Guo Baihu, you are going to be promoted again!" Mao Yongshi turned to Guo Dajing and said, "How about it, have you decided which island you want?"
Regarding the beheading of Shuo Tuo, Mao Yongshi was shocked again. He looked at Guo Dajing as if he were an alien. Well, this was Guo Dajing's understanding.
Guo Dajing smiled, shook his head and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. Besides, this is something that Marshal Mao needs to consider, and you can't just give it to someone who wants it."
A big hand reached out from behind and patted Guo Dajing's shoulder. When he turned around to look, he was smiling happily.
"How about coming to Guanglu Island?" Shang Kexi raised his eyebrows and said, "The island has fertile soil and beautiful scenery. After coming here, I will listen to your orders."
Guanglu Island is really good. It is the island closest to Dalian among the Changshan Islands. It has about five to six thousand acres of cultivated land. If all of it is planted with potatoes...
Moreover, I can watch you, a big traitor, and kill you if you want to join the rebels.
Guo Dajing was indeed very moved. During this time, he was also considering the trade-offs. Guanglu Island was also one of his main choices. Of course, he also had concerns. If the island had an owner, he would not want it, but grab it.
It is very necessary to have a good relationship with the generals of the Dongjiang Army. After all, even if Guo Dajing has an island and thousands of soldiers, he cannot fundamentally change the situation in Liaodong.
Of course, Guo Dajing was just trying his best and was not a good old man without principles. Things depended on man-made things and God's will. If he really couldn't do it, he had nothing to do.
Cough, cough!
Two deliberate dry coughs interrupted Guo Dajing's hesitation. When he turned around to look, it was Li Weiluan. Obviously, he didn't quite agree with Shang Kexi's poaching.
Guo Dajing immediately woke up. It was too early to say anything now. The Dongjiang Army was not his, and Mao Wenlong had to decide in the end. Whatever he agreed to now was not very appropriate.
"Thank you, General Shang." Guo Dajing thanked Shang Kexi and said with a smile: "The deployment of the garrison in Dongjiang Town is all based on the consideration of Commander Mao. We will just follow the order."
Shang Kexi saw Guo Dajing's excited expression, so he was not in a hurry, smiled and nodded, and did not mention this topic again.
If you can dig out Guo Dajing, you will have the opportunity to gain merit in the future. Don't expect to have another great achievement in killing Jianlu Baylor. If you kill more people, that is also a good military achievement.
The army's march speed accelerated again. When they arrived at Baima Mountain City, Mao Wenlong had already led his troops to Longchuan, leaving behind messengers and laying out the siege plan of each department.
Mao Wenlong led his troops to first cut off Longchuan's retreat road to Yizhou, while Mao Yongshi's troops blocked Longchuan's access to Tieshan and Xuanchuan. Li Weiluan, Shang Kexi and other troops surrounded Longchuan on the east and west sides.
Obviously, if Yue Tuo's body is in Longchuan, it can only be obtained by besieging and annihilating it. After receiving the order, all the ministries immediately divided their routes and rushed towards Longchuan.
As night fell, the cold moon rose into the sky, watching indifferently as thousands of men and horses surrounded Longchuan City from all sides.
In the woods outside the city, the generals met with their coach Mao Wenlong and gave a detailed report on the battle situation in Longgu Mountain City.
"Shuo Tuo's head!" Mao Wenlong nodded vigorously and sighed in his heart. His eyes found Guo Dajing among the generals. He smiled and stretched out his hand to beckon, "Dajing, come closer."
Guo Dajing walked up to him and bowed to salute him. His face was calm and there was no trace of pride or arrogance as he had made great achievements by killing the enemy chieftain.
"Kill Yue Tuo first, and then kill Shuo Tuo. How do you think I should reward you?" Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and said with a half-smile: "I regret it now. Baihu gave it too early, so now I have some reward."
Unrewardable suffering!"
Guo Dajing's expression remained unchanged and he said: "The commander-in-chief is over-concerned. In the eyes of the general, whether it is Baile or a small soldier, they are all heads and only worth a little money."
Mao Wenlong laughed heartily and said, "In that case, I am asking for trouble." After saying that, he waved to his soldiers to get a hundred taels of silver and presented it to Guo Dajing with his own hands.
"Thank you, Marshal, for the reward." Guo Dajing took it with both hands and bowed to express his thanks.
Mao Wenlong waved his hand and said: "Although this is a reward, it is not a reward. I will report to the court to ask for your credit. In addition, I still owe you an island. How about it, have you decided which one you want?"
Guo Dajing thought for a while and said: "It all depends on the commander-in-chief's arrangement. There is no rush, it will not be too late to make a decision after the war."
"That's fine." Mao Wenlong pondered for a moment and said: "No matter who the generals are currently stationed on the island, as long as you ask, I will make appropriate arrangements. You don't have to worry."
"The last general has no experience in commanding troops, so he may need an experienced general to provide guidance." Guo Dajing said tactfully, saying that he did not exclude the former general, but he wanted to ask for more advice.
"Okay, I can arrange whoever you want to get along with." Mao Wenlong agreed happily. He really didn't feel confident about Guo Dajing, a newly promoted general, leading troops to fight.
"Thank you, Marshal." Guo Dajing thanked him again and then left.
Mao Wenlong raised his hand to stop him and asked: "You are very familiar with Longchuan City. Do you have any suggestions for attacking the city?"
Guo Dajing thought about it on the way. If he climbed the city in ambush as he did last time, he would obviously treat the enemy as a fool. If he used explosives to attack the city, he would be very confident in blowing up the city gate directly.
Of course, you can't use your own space to cheat. In full view of everyone, you can only blast with black powder.
"The general thought that gunpowder could be used to blow open the city gates." Guo Dajing said: "The east and north city gates are broken and can be used as the main direction of attack. Using siege vehicles to transport gunpowder to the city gate holes for blasting may be effective."
Mao Wenlong nodded. Regardless of whether it was successful or not, it was still better than building a simple weapon to siege the city. This time, the troops were sent out without any siege equipment. They could only use and make them.
"Leave it to you." Mao Wenlong pointed at Guo Dajing and said: "There are some craftsmen in the army, all of which are dispatched under your command."
"General, I will obey the order!" Guo Dajing was not humble and bowed down to receive the order.
There are plenty of trees and dozens of craftsmen, so it is not difficult to build a simple siege vehicle. The gunpowder loading has a technical content, and the best thing is the coffin, which is thick and heavy, and the big iron nails can seal it tightly.
But coffins are hard to find, and there are graves in the wilderness. As time goes by, coffins tend to decay, and digging through the frozen soil to dig out human bones is not that particular.