The three hundred and sixtieth eight chapters cast a history
Several long strings of fires burned on the Baima Canal, and boats and wooden planks used to build pontoons ignited raging fires on the water.
When a group of Youzhou Army cavalry rushed to the west bank, the fire had already taken shape. As the sun set in the west, the dazzling fire seemed brighter than the setting sun, illuminating all the surrounding shadows.
In the light of the fire, you can still hear the sound of "cracking". After the wood has been burned, it will make explosive sounds from time to time as it breaks.
Therefore, although the two armies were only separated by a canal, they could not fight and could only watch each other. People just looked at each other.
The officers and soldiers of the Youzhou Army discovered that the enemy had not burned all the pontoon bridges, but had dismantled some boats and materials in advance. Some officers and soldiers on the other side were still carrying boats and were leaving from the river.
Seeing this, the general of the Youzhou Army estimated that the enemy wanted to cross the river somewhere else, most likely to cross the Hutuo River.
Baima Canal is a canal connecting Hutuo River in the north and Zhangshui in the south. The three rivers are like the word "work". After the enemy destroyed the pontoon bridge on the east bank of Baima Canal, it seems that they want to send people to the north bank of Hutuo River.
Looking for opportunities, that's why we need to collect materials here.
Seeing the flag, the general on the east bank of Baima Canal should be Deng Ai. Deng Ai was in Nanpi before, so it may be him. This man does not look like a good person. He really wants to get things done!
The general of the Youzhou Army saw the situation clearly and ordered the cavalry to turn around. At the same time, he sent someone back first to report the detailed situation to Guanqiu Jian...
At this time, Guanqiu Jian's army was still nearly a hundred miles southwest of Baima Canal, not far from the north bank of Zhangshui River. According to the retreat speed at this time, it would take nearly two days for the army to reach Baima Canal.
Whenever night fell in the past two days, Guanqiu Jian felt very depressed, because at night, many soldiers would try to escape. Strict military laws could not stop this phenomenon. Not only ordinary soldiers fled, but also
Among middle- and high-level generals, there are occasionally people who quietly escape to the enemy and surrender!
Firelights were lit everywhere in the camp. From a distance, there seemed to be more lights than Ji County City at night. They were placed on the plain like stars in the sky.
"Stop!" A shout came from afar. Guanqiu Jian heard the sound and knew that someone else was discovered when they tried to escape. And how many of those who were not discovered successfully escaped?
The voice of Wang Qi, the governor of Xuantu County, said: "It was all expected in advance."
After giving up the battle, Wang Qi seldom said any words of frustration. Guan Qiu Jian glanced at him and responded casually: "Yes, it was all expected."
Wang Qi added: "In difficult times, heroes show their true colors. The general's arrangements for retreating troops have been very good."
Guanqiu Jian said nothing more. After all, he had a lot of experience in battle formations. As long as the army was not broken up, he would not make any obvious mistakes about how to retreat.
He used his most trusted men as rearguards, and tried his best to keep the troops from being scattered. He often went to the army in person to boost morale. He even personally supervised the battle yesterday and tried a small-scale ambush... Pretending to retreat and setting up an ambush to lure the enemy, this kind of battlefield
The tactics are similar to waiting for an opportunity to counterattack when retreating. In fact, the combat deployment methods are similar, but the situations and goals of the two are different.
It's just that Qin Liang made few mistakes in the use of troops on the opposite side and did not give Guanqiu Jian any chance.
Even if the enemy won the battle, they would not dare to take it lightly when pursuing them. When there are more people marching, many simple things, even eating, drinking and eating, will become very important. If the pursuing troops do not pay attention to maintaining their combat strength and formation, they will be very vulnerable.
May be bitten by the retreating army!
Moreover, during the march, it is impossible for large-scale gatherings to occur like during the decisive battle. Gathering the main force on a battlefield is a very complicated matter, and it is not easy to do without the cooperation of the other party.
However, retreating during the civil war is indeed more despairing, with no hope of reversal in sight.
If it were on other battlefields, in a situation like this, it would be impossible for the morale of the army to drop so quickly. Guanqiu Jian might even make good use of the terrain, city and other conditions to restore morale by constantly looking for opportunities to counterattack along the way, and it is not impossible to turn defeat into victory. .After all, he still has tens of thousands of fully armed troops!
However, the civil war was different. Everyone was more impetuous and eager.
Not to mention the officers and men in the army, even Guanqiu Jian himself could hardly hold on at this time.
When I think of the dim future after defeat, and the uncertain and hopeless future, that feeling is simply suffocating!
Occasionally, Guan Qiujian remembered a fellow villager in his hometown in Hedong County, surnamed Li. It happened a long time ago. At that time, Guan Qiujian was only a teenager in his hometown. He heard that that fellow villager had encountered some kind of blow. It was probably him. His wife took away the money he had saved for many years and ran away with a trafficker. It was too long to remember things like that. Anyway, Guan Qiu Jian remembered the appearance of that fellow countryman at that time. He was drinking all day long and he was very depressed. , others dare not entrust him with anything important.
At the beginning, Guan Qiu Jian once said in front of his mother that that man was a loser, a literate man who was already waiting for death at a young age. Now that Guan Qiu Jian thought about it, his opinion changed a little.
People are really more fragile than they think, especially when there is no hope.
Guanqiu Jian is still insisting now. Perhaps as Wang Qi, the governor of Xuantu County, said, they still have a little chance, that is, they have to wait for the general situation to change.
The chance is very small, but it cannot be none at all! Is this the reason why Guan Qiujian is still insisting? Just like the dark night, no matter how weak the starlight and firelight are, as long as there is a little light, the situation is completely different, otherwise it will really be It's so dark that you can't see your fingers.
Guanqiu Jian didn't sleep well all night and woke up at dawn the next day.
But after I woke up, I heard the sound of horse hooves outside the tent. It turned out that I was awakened by someone else.
Then there were voices outside the tent, and the general of the soldiers lifted up the tung oil cloth and leaned in. When he saw Guanqiu Jian sitting on the mat, he bowed and said: "General, there is urgent news. Come from the direction of Baimaqu."
Guanqiu Jian knelt down and sat up, saying, "Call in."
The person who came did not bring any written information, but he was a general whom Guan Qiu Jian knew. The general told a shocking news: Deng Ai's army had captured the Baima Canal floating bridge! Moreover, Kou Loudun's men also met Deng Ai at that time, and Kou Loudun did not go. Attacking Deng Ai, he did not even stay to help defend, waiting for reinforcements.
The most important retreat, Jinkou, was given to Deng Ai!
At this moment, Wang Qi and others heard the sound and rushed to the Chinese military tent. Several people talked and asked the general who reported the news to recount the situation again.
Wang Qi's voice said: "Didn't Lieutenant Gongshou of Lelang keep an eye on Deng Ai? The success of Hejian County is also in our hands. How could Deng Ai have walked more than two hundred miles without noticing?"
The general said: "We don't know the situation either."
Wang Qi found the map, looked at it and said: "Deng Ai is in Nanpi. To get to Baima Canal, he has to cross several rivers! This Gong Shou is simply stupid. He is worse than his brother Gong Zun who died on the battlefield. Not even a little bit. And that Kou Lou Dun, what a dog says! He clearly saw the enemy attacking, will he die if he waits for a long time?"
There was a general next to him, who was the one who quarreled with Kou Loudun on the battlefield. At this time, he said coldly: "I told you earlier, the Karasuma people are completely unreliable."
Guanqiu Jian knelt down on the mat, buried his head, and didn't say a word for a long time.
Perhaps because he had been thinking a lot these days, or because he was too depressed, he would suddenly think of all kinds of old things. Guan Qiujian thought of a place in Liaodong. The swamp is just west of the Liaohe River.
When Sima Yi led his troops to defeat Gongsun Yuan, Guanqiu Jian was also in the army. At that time, Gongsun Yuan wanted to rely on the huge swamp to block Sima Yi's surprise attack. The road was indeed terrible, but Guanqiu Jian did not go there personally. I have fallen into a swamp before, but I can imagine the feeling after stepping in, especially when help is not available.
The person will slowly fall down, and it will be useless no matter how hard he struggles. The harder he struggles, the faster he may sink! At first, he was just panicking, but he didn't want to give up. When the mud got closer and closer to his mouth and nose, and the whole person was wrapped in mud, That kind of despair and powerlessness is simply unbearable.
However, he sank very slowly, and he would not die immediately, but he knew that he would definitely die, and there was nothing he could do about it!
"General!" Wang Qi's decisive call awakened Guan Qiu Jian from his thoughts. Guan Qiu Jian raised his head and looked at Wang Qi.
Wang Qi said in a deep voice: "The pursuers are following closely. There is a waterway in front of them. We are looking for a temporary boat. We cannot allow tens of thousands of troops to cross the river in time. Besides, Deng Ai's army may go to the north bank of Hutuo River to intercept them."
Guan Qiu Jian said "hmm" thoughtfully. Guan Qiu Jian understood what Wang Qi said the moment he received the report, and there was no need to comment further.
Wang Qi added: "The general should take his personal entourage and try to cross the Hutuo River as soon as possible, and then find a way to send a messenger to tell Gongshou north of Nanpi to withdraw north. There are thousands of Youzhou soldiers and horses there. If you keep the green hills, you won’t have to worry about running out of firewood..."
Guan Qiu Jian did not respond to Wang Qi's suggestion and let him talk. At this time, Guan Qiu Jian suddenly sighed and said, "Due to various reasons, our country, the Wei Dynasty, is about to overthrow."
The generals immediately froze on the spot and looked at Guanqiu Jian solemnly.
Guanqiu Jian sighed, looked back and said: "This is how history is made, and how the general trend is gradually formed. When we do things bit by bit, every little thing affects the big things. King Qin failed in big things. After that, it will be difficult to have any power to stop those ambitious officials. Everything is a foregone conclusion! The ancestral temple will be overthrown, and the country will cease to exist..."
When everyone heard this, their faces showed sadness.
Guanqiu Jian couldn't afford to do anything too grand, so he was just talking about his feelings. His grief and sadness at the moment were mainly because he felt his own fate and the irreversible desperate situation.
At this moment, he had an unspoken thought in his mind: defeat would be really terrible.