Strangely, after the war reached a stalemate, the two armies did not continue to fight to the death, but retreated to two places and faced each other to the death.
In the huge coalition camp, Xu Mu frowned and took his guards to check on the wounded soldiers. After several days of fighting, not only Donglai but also Xishu had lost many people.
Of course, if we take it seriously, Zuo Shiren's side must have suffered the most casualties.
Following the passage where the wounded were densely packed, Xu Mu walked forward and soon entered Donglai's main tent.
This time, seeing that Zuo Shiren was unable to be killed, the elderly Yuan Song was so angry that he vomited blood and fell from his horse. At first glance, the situation seemed a little bad.
"King of Shu." In the military tent, Shen Tuguan saw Xu Mu and raised his hand steadily.
"General Shentu, how is Prince Yuan?"
Shen Tuguan's face became a little gloomy, "The military doctors have changed several times... My lord is getting old after all, and he has suffered this shock. I'm afraid the worst is worse. I have asked the young master Yuan Chong to rush to the front line quickly.
.”
Xu Mu's heart sank.
Although Yuan Song's death will not have much impact on the alliance, after all, the father and son of the Yuan family, as well as Shen Tu Guan, now understand that only by working together with Xishu can Donglai be saved. But if Dongling knows
, just to boost morale.
Seeing Yuan Song sleeping, for fear of disturbing the peace and quiet, Xu Mu and Shen Tuguan carefully walked together outside the military tent with thin steps.
"The King of Shu should know that there are at least 50,000 troops in Dongling's camp now. Moreover, Lingsu is extremely cunning, and many Dongling generals are also following him to death."
"This battle will be difficult to fight."
Not only was it due to the enemy troops, but the terrain in the nearby area was also not conducive to the Tibetan army. As long as there was any abnormal movement of the troops between the two sides, they would be exposed.
And the most critical point is that this Dongling army is now backed by the river. It is estimated that Dongling's naval army will cross the river very soon to meet Zuo Shiren.
The situation is a little bad.
There is no problem with the tactics of encirclement and annihilation. In fact, up to now, they have achieved quite a victory, forcing Dongling to withdraw from Kezhou and regaining the strategic position.
It's a pity that even now, Zuo Shiren still hasn't been killed.
Now on the front line, the combined strength of Donglai and Xishu is less than 40,000. No wonder Shentu Guan said that the next battle will be difficult to fight.
"There is nothing wrong with the King of Shu's strategy. Zuo Shiren will abandon Kezhou at this time and retreat to Dongling. But whether it is Xishu or Donglai, they want to take advantage of the opportunity... to wipe it out in one fell swoop.
If you kill Zuo Shiren and let the tiger return to the mountain, there will be endless troubles."
"The navy from Dongling should be here soon."
With Lingsu's reinforcements here, there was no way to intercept the information. Soon, the Dongling Navy would cross the river to join the battle. Of course, Xu Mu had thought about whether to transfer Dou Tong's Navy over, but he found that
, in this case, it will be easy to drag the entire Xishu into the quagmire.
Therefore, he did not intend to touch Dou Tong's people.
However, Dou Tong's navy did not move. But he believed that his little military advisor was extremely good at sizing up situations and would be able to make the clearest judgment in such situations.
"King of Shu, General Shentu, my lord is awake!"
Just as Xu Mu was thinking, suddenly, a personal guard hurriedly walked out of the tent.
Just when they heard it, Xu Mu and Shen Tuguan looked at each other, and they immediately turned around and walked back into the tent.
At this time, Yuan Song had woken up, his eyes were cloudy and his face was pale. With the support of two attendants, Yuan Song finally leaned on the bed.
"Lord." Shen Tuguan looked excited.
But Xu Mu could tell that Yuan Song looked like he was dead. He knew his destiny and suffered such a blow again at his age...it was very likely that he would not be able to survive.
"Guan'er...has my son Yuan Chong arrived?"
"My lord, the young master is already on the way."
Yuan Song coughed a few more times before turning his face and looking at Xu Mu seriously.
"Prince Yuan, there is no need to be polite, it is important to protect yourself." Xu Mu hurriedly stepped forward.
"King of Shu, if it hadn't been for King of Shu's help over and over again, my three states in Donglai would have been swallowed up by Zuo Shiren long ago."
After besieging Cangzhou, Zuo Shiren wanted to attack Yuan Song in the name of the Alliance. But later, he was persuaded by Xu Mu.
This time, Xu Mu also led troops into Kezhou to help Donglai resist Zuo Shiren because of his dying lips and teeth.
"The King of Shu knows that when Zuo Shiren returns to Dongling, he will definitely become a shrinking turtle."
Xu Mu didn't know it. But the war was already going against the odds. With the support of their troops, Zuo Shiren and Ling Su had gradually stabilized the situation.
"I fell down from my horse. I originally thought I was going to leave. But I never thought I could wake up. Doesn't this mean that the King of Hell asked me to return to the sun, which meant that he gave me the last chance to finish speaking.
.”
Yuan Song is like a candle in the wind.
"Shentu Guan, you will organize the army later."
"Lord, do you want to attack the enemy camp..."
On the bed, Yuan Song closed his eyes in pain, "No, the whole army will retreat, and then we will capture Kezhou together with the King of Shu as quickly as possible."
Shen Tuguan was stunned and nodded silently.
"Of course I'm not convinced, but no matter what, I can't risk the fate of the entire Dongling. By forcing Zuo Shiren to withdraw from Kezhou, we have completed our strategy."
"in addition--"
Yuan Song continued to cough a few more times, his eyes shining brightly, "It was the King of Shu who helped me resolve the crisis in Donglai this time. Therefore, I plan to kill the four nearby areas including Chen Shuiguan.
All the big towns were given to the King of Shu."
Xu Mu listened and suddenly understood.
Yuan Song knew that he was going to die, so he planned to tie Donglai and Xishu together tightly. If the Shu army settled in Kezhou, at least in the short term, there would be no conflict of interest with Donglai. Instead, the two armies were forced to
Under pressure, we will continue to cooperate.
After all, there is Changshiro in the north and Zuo Shiren in the south. To be honest, Donglai sandwiched in the middle cannot win either one. But with Xishu by his side, the situation is different.
Xu Mu had to admire that Yuan Song, who was about to die, had such foresight.
"Thank you so much, Prince Yuan." Without hesitation, Xu Mu nodded and accepted. It would have been the same if it had been Jia Zhou and Dongfang Jing.
Although it is considered an enclave, no matter what, as long as Zuo Shiren's momentum can be curbed, it will have great strategic significance.
And there is another point, although it is a good idea. But what if the entire Cangzhou is captured? Then, the west of Kezhou and the entire Cangzhou on the other side can be truly connected together. By then, the strategic significance will be great. It can serve as a bridgehead.