As summer enters, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, but there is also more rain.
Li Zhen led the army to chase Shi Dakai's army, and encountered a heavy downpour. Big raindrops fell on the ground, splashing water all over the ground, making the road extremely muddy.
At this moment, the army wanted to rush on its way and was already facing certain difficulties.
Every soldier has a look of exhaustion on his face.
Zeng Guoquan, wearing a raincoat, rode to Zeng Guofan's side and whispered: "Brother, it's raining heavily now and the road is very difficult to walk. Go and persuade the prince to wait until the rain stops before leaving."
Just as Zeng Guofan was about to speak, Li Zhen's order came from ahead, telling the soldiers to stop and rest.
However, the soldiers only have half an hour to rest.
At the same time, Li Zhen also ordered Zeng Guofan, Zeng Guoquan, Zhang Zhidong and others to go to the meeting.
Li Zhen was wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat. He glanced at Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong, Zeng Guoquan and others who had gathered, and said in a deep voice: "Today, the heavy rain is pouring, and the continuous rainwater will surely cause the river to flood." The surge has soared, so I think Shi Dakai’s chances of crossing the river have been drastically reduced, and even if he wanted to forcefully cross the river, it would be very difficult.”
Li Zhen's eyes flashed with light, and he said slightly excitedly: "Shi Dakai's army is blocked. This is our best chance to pursue Shi Dakai. Commander Zeng, please immediately pass on the order and ask all the brothers to hold on until we can capture it." Once we get to Shi Dakai, we must let our brothers have a good rest, and give every soldier in the army an extra month of military pay."
"yes."
When Zeng Guofan heard Li Zhen's words, he understood the reason and immediately nodded in agreement.
Zhang Zhidong looked excited, thinking that the rain came just in time. Shi Dakai's army was blocked by the surging river, giving the army on the other side of the river enough time to assemble. In addition, it also gave Li Zhen's army enough time to catch up. time.
…
Ahead, Shi Dakai and his soldiers arrived at the riverside.
Under the influence of rain, the river surged, washing away the bridges on the river banks and blocking the way across the river.
When Shi Dakai saw this situation, his expression suddenly darkened.
This situation simply made matters worse and caused great difficulties for him. Zhang Suimou stood beside him, staring at the surging river water on the river bank without blinking, and said: "Your Majesty, Li Zhen is biting like a dog. We can't get rid of our butts. If we stop, we will be overtaken. We have no time to stay. No matter how fierce the river is, we must cross the river. I think what we need to do now is to make more rafts and canoes, and then Forced to cross the river."
Shi Dakai said: "What you say makes sense, you should immediately tell the soldiers to do it."
Shi Dakai had no choice, only this choice.
In the evening, the sky darkened, and the river was pitch black. However, the heavy rain had not stopped yet, and it was still like water pouring down, making the river water more and more fierce.
Chen Yucheng, wearing a bamboo hat, quickly came to Shi Dakai and said: "Your Majesty, I just got the news that Li Zhen has sent some soldiers to cross the river in the heavy rain. I guess it was Li Zhen who asked the defenders in front to stop us on the other side of the river. , Time waits for no one, we cannot cross the river tonight, and we must force it tomorrow. As time goes by, not only does Li Zhen catch up, but there are also troops gathering on the other side."
Shi Dakai looked up at the sky, looking at the pitch-black night and the heavy rain falling, and sighed: "God, you are not even cooperating at this time."
He waved his hand and said, "You go and make arrangements. Leave the army affairs to you and Zhang Suimou. I'll be quiet for a while."
Chen Yucheng turned around and left, leaving Shi Dakai alone to meditate.
At this time, Shi Dakai felt quite uncomfortable.
Could it be that Li Zhen was the nemesis of the Taiping Army?
At first, Li Zhen led the army to easily wipe out Hong Xiuquan, leaving only one of his troops. Now, he is also facing Li Zhen's army. The two armies did not even fight head-on. He had no choice but to flee. Now The misfortune of God made matters worse. Shi Dakai walked to the riverside, looked at the surging river water with the faint light, and stood quietly.
Late at night, Shi Dakai had not left yet.
"Your Majesty, I asked the soldiers to build a temporary resting place for you. You can go and have a rest first."
Zhang Suimou walked over with a serious expression.
Shi Dakai said: "No, I don't feel sleepy."
After a pause, Shi Dakai asked: "How are the preparations for the raft going?"
Zhang Suimou barely showed a hint of joy on his face and said: "With the efforts of the brothers, more than 300 rafts have been made. By tomorrow morning, all the rafts that will carry the brothers across the river will definitely be made."
Shi Dakai said: "Hurry up and do it, time waits for no one."
Zhang Suimou nodded and respectfully stepped back.
Time passed, and after dawn, the rain had not stopped. It was still raining heavily. The heavy rain all day and night had caused the water in the upper reaches to surge. Shi Dakai looked at the surge in the river and gave an expressionless order: "Send eight hundred soldiers to cross the river. "
Zhang Suimou ordered his soldiers to prepare, and the first batch of soldiers advanced on rafts.
After the raft was launched into the water, the soldiers sitting on the raft were all frightened, because under the impact of the surging river water, the stability of the raft was very poor and unsafe.
"Wow,."
A wave hit and the soldiers on the raft immediately lost their balance.
In an instant, the entire raft lost its balance.
Next, all the soldiers on the raft fell into the river. Only screams were heard. The soldiers who fell into the river were washed away without a trace. Soldiers one after another continued to fall into the water, and each raft after another When they fell into the river, soldiers were being washed away one by one, screaming. In less than ten minutes, all the 800 soldiers who entered the water in the first wave were washed away without a trace.
Seeing this, Shi Dakai gasped.
Crossing the river is not easy.
Chen Yucheng stood aside blankly, looking at all the soldiers who were washed away, and he couldn't help but shudder, and his whole body became cold.
Zhang Suimou said: "Your Majesty, what should we do?"
At this moment, Zhang Suimou also lost his mind and didn't know what to do. Eight hundred soldiers died, which was a loss of about one-seventh of the total force. It was already a very heavy loss. If the next soldiers followed suit, If it is washed away, the losses will be even greater. The army cannot afford such losses.
"Report,."
A slightly desolate voice came, and a soldier came running through the mud.
Shi Dakai asked: "What's the matter?"
The soldier said worriedly: "Reporting to the prince, Li Zhen's army is less than forty miles away from us. Moreover, Li Zhen's army is still advancing in the rain. In less than a day, Li Zhen's army will catch up with us. ."
Shi Dakai said: "I know, let's go down."
There was a deep helplessness and helplessness in his voice.
Zhang Suimou looked at the soldiers and ordered: "Try again. I don't believe that so many of us can't cross the river. As long as the first group of people cross the river and then straighten the ropes on both sides of the river, we will have a chance to cross the river."
Immediately, Zhang Suimou ordered the soldiers to continue the forced crossing.