Chapter 8: The troops retreated to the mountains and forests
As soon as Chen Qi and his imperial troops rushed out of the city, they heard shouts and fires igniting everywhere in the city, but they could no longer care about that at the moment and hurriedly rushed towards the Wen River outside the west gate.
The general of the Qi army besieging the city at the west gate was Ma Liang. Following Zilong's instructions, he blocked the Chen army for a while and then let Chen Qi's forbidden troops pass through the defense line. Then he commanded nearly 10,000 heavy armored cavalry and spearmen to set up the formation.
Encircle the Chen army behind; send several light cavalry to follow the Chen army from the left and right sides, and use bows and crossbows to cover up and kill them from a distance.
At this time, the Wen River in the west of the city was not in dry season, but the water in the river had receded. The river bed was exposed in some places, and several unbroken streams were slowly twisting and flowing. Chen Jun, who arrived in a hurry, rushed to the river and scrambled to grab it.
They squeezed towards the stone bridge over the river. The stone bridge was too narrow to allow too many soldiers to pass. Some bold Chen Jun saw that the water in the river was less than their knees, so they rushed down the river one after another. When they saw someone going into the river, a large number of soldiers behind them also
They followed each other and tried their best to escape to the other side. Chen Qi looked at the wide but shallow Wen River and was surprised. When he first came to Xiangcheng to patrol here, the river was still very fast. Why did the water become so gentle now?
Chen Qi felt uneasy. He raised his head and looked up the river. He only saw the dark Chen Jun under the light of the torch. The night outside the light was pitch black. He wondered whether the Qi army would be cut off and flooded, but he saw that the bridge was not in use.
If you intend to use water, you should not leave a stone bridge to cross the river.
What's more, at this time, there was not much to worry about. The Qi army's pursuers were coming from behind from the left and right wings. Most of the Chen army's soldiers had already poured into the river like water, and some had already rushed to the other side. Chen Qi had to mix in.
He rushed to the other side among the soldiers. As soon as he crossed the river, Chen Qi found a place with higher ground, took his horse, and looked back at the team that was still crossing the river. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly, and he heard a kind of sound in his ears.
The dull sound was heard over the sound of people shouting and neighing. The dull buzz came from the upper reaches of the Wen River, from far to near. Then the water flow in the river also changed. The small stream that was originally gentle first turned into a rapid.
, then expanded and spread across the river bed, slowly getting higher at first. In the blink of an eye, a wave of water was seen rushing upstream. The river suddenly overflowed the river, and the rapid river roared. Chen Qi's heart
I know that this must be the Qi army blocking the river upstream, and only waiting for their own troops to cross the river before letting go of the river. Looking at less than half of the troops crossing the river, half of them are either on the other side or in the river.
, Chen Qi felt dizzy. Gongsun Xiao and Lu Kuan were beside him. They noticed something strange and hurriedly helped him. Gongsun Xiao comforted him: "Commander, now is not the time to hesitate. Hurry up and take the troops to Pingguan."
, join the eldest prince!" Chen Qi had no choice but to cheer up and order the troops who had crossed the river to retreat towards Pingguan.
Not long after, the river roared and overflowed. In addition to the soldiers crowded on the bridge, the soldiers and horses still in the water were all washed down by the river water, floating and drifting away with the current. Thousands of people and horses who had no time to cross the river were able to squeeze onto the bridge.
Those who were far away from the bridge had to turn around and fight with the Qi army that was chasing them.
Chen Qi crouched on his horse and ran for a while. When he was drowsy, he felt that he had entered the mountains and forests. He hurriedly asked Li Wenming next to him, "General Li, where are we?" Li Wenming quickly replied: "Come back to the commander-in-chief.
We have arrived at Niutoushan." Just as he was saying this, he suddenly heard shouts of killing in front of him, countless torches were lit, and a Qi army appeared on the opposite side.
There was a commotion among Chen's army, but they were all veterans who had been fighting for many years. Then they launched their formation under the leadership of the generals. Chen Qi and several generals urged their horses to the front. Opposite them was a young Qi army general, illuminated by the fire.
Next, he rode majestically on his horse.
Just as Chen Qi was about to step forward, Lu Kuan had already charged forward with his sword in hand.
The Qi army on the opposite side didn't seem to want to fight. The general fought with Lu Kuan for several rounds before he rode back to his own army. Lu Kuan was about to pursue him, but the Qi army's crossbowmen fired arrows at random. Lu Kuan hurriedly
Returning to his own army, Chen Qi was secretly impatient. Seeing the intention of the Qi army on the opposite side, he just wanted to stop himself. He wanted to wait for the large group of people from behind to arrive, and then surround and annihilate him. But there was a mountain forest in front of him. If he rushed through rashly, he was afraid that the other party would have something else to do.
Ambush. Seeing that the Qi army was only holding its position and had no intention of charging and killing, Chen Qi did not dare to delay and quickly ordered Lu Kuan, Zhang Yong, and Li Wenming to lead their troops in formation to charge over, and first capture Shiniu Mountain before making any calculations. The Qi army
Seeing Chen Jun rushing towards them, they first fired with bows and arrows, fought for a while and then dispersed and retreated. Chen Jun immediately occupied the mountain.
The surrounding fields were dark, and the leaves rustled in the mountain wind. At this time, Chen Qi was really on guard against all the vegetation and trees. Chen Qi stood on the top of the mountain and looked around, only to see the Qi army's camp in front of him illuminated by fire.
, it seemed that the Qi army had already set up a defense line in front, and in all directions, torches were winding like dragons, shining like stars, and gradually gathered together. He knew that he was surrounded again.
Wait until it gets light.
Chen Qi counted the troops and found that the 20,000 imperial troops who had accompanied him on the expedition now had only more than 6,000 left, huddled on the Niutou Mountain. The Qi army that had been pursuing them since last night had joined forces with the intercepting Qi army, and the Niutou Mountain was
Surrounded.
The Qi army invaded Xiang City without much difficulty. When the city was in chaos, Chen Jun immediately gave up resistance and fled towards the west gate. However, there was a big river blocking the front, and the city behind had fallen into the hands of the Qi army and the Xiang people.
On both sides were the Qi troops who had been waiting for a long time. The Chen troops who escaped from the city surrendered after a brief resistance. King Wuyou sent people to take care of the tens of thousands of Chen troops who had surrendered, and he and King Xiang stayed overnight to appease the people in the city. Zilong
Then he led his army across the Wen River to pursue the fleeing Chen army.
Before attacking the city, Zilong had arranged for a Xiang army to go to the upper reaches of the Wen River to cut off the flow of water. He dug a dam just as Chen Jun crossed the river. When Chen Jun crossed the river, the water rushed down, cutting off Chen Jun's escape.
Chen Jun's troops were routed along the route they had to take to escape, and they were ordered to intercept Chen Jun's troops at Niutou Mountain. The Qi troops who were chasing after him then surrounded Chen Jun on three sides and surrounded Chen Jun on the mountain.
The autumn wind in the early morning has become cool.
Zilong rode his horse to the front of the mountain, and the soldiers of the Qi army called for formation.
Chen Qi also rode down the mountain. His breakthrough last night was blocked, and he had no idea about the enemy situation, so he had to go up the mountain to take shelter. Now seeing the Qi army around him, Chen Qi knew that he could only hope for a miracle if he wanted to break out of the siege and join the eldest prince. He
Seeing the generals of the Qi army calling for formation in front of the formation, they also hurriedly mounted their horses and came to the formation.
Zilong carefully looked at the Chen Jun coach in front of him. Chen Qi was already over sixty years old. Although his clothes were in a mess after days of fierce fighting and a night of breakout, his energy was not diminished at all. He had long admired the reputation of the old general Chen Qi.
Those who heard it admired him very much, and Zilong saluted him on his horse.
"Old General, now that Xiangcheng has been recaptured by me, you are also surrounded by our army. If you want to break out of the encirclement, it will be impossible. I specially left Niutou Mountain for the old general. If you want to defend the mountain,
, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, I will set fire to the mountains, and then you will all be buried in the fire. I respect you as an old general, and I advise you to think about the subordinates behind you, and surrender." Zilong finished speaking loudly,
Looked at Chen Qi quietly.
Chen Qi sat on the horse and looked at the general of the Qi army in front of him. He was a young hero with a silver armor and a spear. He secretly admired that talented people have emerged from generation to generation, and a new generation has replaced the old. He is really getting old.
Chen Qi smiled and said, "That's General Zilong right in front of me. It's true that a hero comes from a young age. I admire the general's strategy. I, Chen Qi, was defeated this time. I also heard what the general said, but I need to go back and talk to my men."
Let's discuss it with the soldiers. General, can you wait for me for a moment?" Chen Qi knew that what Zilong said was the truth, so he broke out: he had thousands of men, and he was exhausted, and tens of thousands of Qi troops were waiting in formation. It was undoubtedly a dead end; if he defended, Qi
If the army really wants to set fire to the mountains, then thousands of soldiers under his command will be turned into roast ducks. Chen Qi is not afraid of death. It is the most glorious destination for a general to die on the battlefield. But the thousands of soldiers behind him are young,
Moreover, he was an elite member of the Chen State, so he couldn't bear to sacrifice himself in vain.
When Chen Qi returned to the mountain, Gongsun Xiao and several generals also hurriedly gathered around them. They followed Chen Qi and heard clearly the conversation between Zilong and Chen Qi in front of the battle line. Although everyone had their own ideas, they had been there for many years.
They all looked at the old marshal. Chen Qi smiled bitterly and looked at everyone. "The only way to break through is to be surrounded and annihilated by the Qi army. We can't defend this mountain. I will fight with the Qi army for a day."
, it depends on God’s will. If the eldest prince can arrive with his army in one day, we will work together inside and outside to fight back to Pingguan; if the eldest prince cannot come, you should surrender with these soldiers first, leaving these men behind, and they can return in the future.
Chen Guo." Chen Qi knew that the decision of whether to fight or surrender was related to the lives of thousands of people. As a coach, he had to make his own decisions.
Everyone remained silent. When two armies fought, victory or defeat was common. Being injured and captured was also a necessary process for a general.
Chen Qi ordered everyone to set up defenses and appease the morale of the troops, telling the soldiers that the prince would be coming to rescue them soon. Then he came to the foot of the mountain again and told Zilong that he needed to discuss it carefully with the generals, hoping to be given one day's grace.
By tomorrow morning it will be determined whether it will be war or surrender.
Zilong was confident and readily agreed. This surprised Chen Qi. Chen Qi couldn't help but worry: Looking at the Qi army's formation, it was clear that he was trying to use himself as a bait to attract reinforcements and gather them to annihilate them. Chen Qi felt frightened and worried.
: If you warn the eldest prince Chen Cheng, and retreat to Pingguan without coming to rescue, then you have no reason to break out; if the eldest prince leads an army to rescue him, and falls into the trap of the Qi army, you will be guilty of a great crime. Then I thought again, if the reinforcements arrive within a few days
Arrive, charge from the outside, and lead the troops to join forces from the mountains. Maybe there is always a chance of survival. It is better than sitting back and waiting for death. All you need to do is remind the eldest prince not to take risks himself. This time the defeat is a foregone conclusion, so we can only gamble again. Let's see.