Chapter 35: Chase
The retreat cannot be hidden from anyone.
What Meng Chao did can be described in two idioms: deceiving oneself and deceiving others.
At the beginning, the Handan soldiers who were left as scapegoats did not realize it. Under the supervision of their officers, they fought hard to attack Piyong, leaving at least a hundred corpses behind.
But the defenders were condescending, and the governor Yang Bao, who was fighting fiercely at the top of the city, was the first to discover the enemy's movements. He hesitated for a while, but finally decided to report it.
After hearing the news, Mi Huang and Shao Xun immediately went to the top of the city to watch.
"We are indeed retreating." Shao Xun understood after just one glance, and then he was thoughtful.
After only two days of siege, they retreated in such a hurry that they couldn't even wait until night. There must be a reason for this.
It’s actually easy to guess.
One is the subjective factor, that is, Meng Chao doesn’t want to fight, he doesn’t want to use up his strength, it’s not worth it. But it's only been less than two days. Isn't it too hasty?
The other is objective factors. The situation on other battlefields changed significantly against them, necessitating a retreat. In fact, the situation is very critical, and if you leave a little late, you may suffer disaster.
This is a bit of a miserable defeat!
"Supervisor, it is almost certain that there is a result at Jianchun Gate. Wang's division is victorious and the rebel army is defeated miserably. Meng Chao is afraid and has to withdraw." Shao Xun said immediately: "Please mobilize troops to pursue us."
Mi Huang hesitated for a moment.
Is pursuit necessary? What if the enemy cheats? To repel the enemy and defend Piyong, even if it is futile, it is definitely without fault. Isn't it good to just be safe and sound like this?
But he did not hesitate for too long and quickly agreed: "You make the decision, I believe in you."
There are two reasons for agreeing so simply.
The first is that Shao Xun had previously promised to make the decision in military matters, but it was not his style to break his promise and make himself rich.
The second is deep-seated ambition. He was born in the Mi family of the East China Sea. This family made its fortune for the first time in the late Han Dynasty, but it was not really a wealthy family at that time. It was relatively wealthy after all. It was a local tycoon and wealthy businessman, and its political status was not high.
Later, the Mi family divided their families once. Some of the clansmen followed Liu Bei to Shu, and some stayed in Xuzhou, and they are the ancestors of Mi Huang.
The current Donghai Mi family has managed to establish a family status through generations of management, but it is not even comparable to the first-class wealthy families such as the Langya Wang family and the Wenxi Pei family, and there is a big gap between it and the Yingchuan Yu family.
Deep down in his heart, he actually felt a little inferior. At the same time, he was holding his breath and wanted to show people like Director Wang that I, Mi Huang, could also make meritorious deeds.
Good old people are also stubborn and have pursuits, and they can be willing to spare themselves at critical moments!
"Then please ask the governor to sit in Piyong and plunder the formation for me." Shao Xun nodded, then turned to look at Yang Bao and said: "Uncle Yang, immediately pick up more than ten sergeants with loud voices to come up. Shouting..."
Yang Bao's heart suddenly jumped when he saw him, and he smiled subconsciously and said, "I'll go find someone right now."
After a while, more than a dozen people followed. The ladder climbed to the top of the wall. Under the guidance of Shao Xun, he braved the enemy's arrows and shouted loudly: "Meng Chao has run away! Meng Chao has run away!"
As soon as the shout came out, Kaiyangmen Street was filled with chaos. Uproar.
Those Handan soldiers had been unable to attack for a long time. When they heard the defenders shouting, they subconsciously stopped and looked at each other.
Shao Xun laughed.
What is true cannot be false, and what is false cannot be true. It is not difficult to prove that Meng Chao ran away from Mingtang. The Handan soldiers will soon know the fact that they have been scapegoated.
Shao Xun quickly descended from the city, called Chen Yougen, Li Chong, Huang Biao, Wu Qian, Yu Liang, Xu Lang and others, and said: "Gather all those who can move, and go out to chase them."
Everyone was stunned, but without any hesitation, they immediately called for help.
After a while, about three hundred people gathered.
Shao Xun thought for a while and asked Wu Qian to select fifty older teenagers to go into battle armed with weapons. After the battle reached this point, it was time to train them.
Shao Xun made a lot of noise when ordering troops, and the people who were placed inside Piyong came one after another and watched silently.
Yu Liang's father, Yu Chen, who always lives in seclusion, also brought his family out of the Xuantang and quietly looked at the soldiers who were about to go into battle.
Yu Wenjun stood behind his mother, Mrs. Guanqiu. His bright eyes searched and searched, and finally locked on one person.
"But follow me!" This man had his forehead tied up in red again, stuck his heavy sword behind his back, and held a bow in his hand, looking down on the world.
Wang Queer, who has almost become his personal soldier, even brought two horses over with a serious expression.
Yu Wenjun squeezed the silk handkerchief in his hand.
The war was gloomy for her, and the news of victory brought by that person was one of the few colors in the gloomy days.
It is like a ray of sunshine, piercing all the darkness.
Don’t let him die.
"But let me do it! But let me do it!" Chen Yougen and others shouted in unison.
Yu Liang couldn't help shouting. The atmosphere has arrived. At this time, there is no longer any distinction between aristocratic families, powerful men, military households, and ordinary people. Everyone is a warrior fighting the enemy side by side, and they are all brothers who live and die together - at least at this moment.
Xu Lang muttered a few times. When he saw that no one was paying attention to him, he stopped being coy and shouted louder and louder.
The barrier behind the gate was quickly removed, and the wooden door, which had long been damaged and had many scorch marks, was opened from the inside.
Chen Yougen jumped out at the front.
******
The Handan soldiers really collapsed. To describe them as self-defeating without a fight would be an understatement. After learning that they had been scapegoated, they were shocked, followed by despair and even anger.
Some people fled directly along Kaiyangmen Street, while others rushed into the Mingtang, cursing endlessly.
Piyong's defenders followed closely, shouting to kill, and their morale was overwhelming.
At this moment, no matter how cowardly the pursuer becomes, he becomes a warrior.
At this moment, no matter how brave the Hebei people are, they become cowards.
The situation was one-sided from the beginning.
Shao Xun rode his horse into the Mingtang, fired his bow from left to right, and shot several people in succession, and soon caught up with the Hebei deserters who were crowded at the west gate.
The door is not big, and those who escaped were scrambling and huddled together.
The Hebei cavalry all abandoned their horses and armor, slashed left and right with their swords, and rushed out of the door amidst the screams of their comrades.
Shao Xun dismounted from his horse, drew out his heavy sword, and rushed over like a god descending from the earth.
Behind him, a large group of warriors followed closely, their faces full of ferociousness, and the sound of killing was loud.
Hebei soldiers squeezed harder and had no intention of resisting.
"Go forward in a row, go forward in a row, have you forgotten?" Li Chong shouted as he looked at his own soldiers whose formations were somewhat disjointed.
The queue was quickly formed, and sharp spears were thrust through in a row.
Muffled groans and screams continued to sound.
An enemy soldier cried bitterly and was soon nailed to the wall with a spear.
An enemy soldier knelt down and begged for mercy. He was beheaded on the spot and his blood flowed all over the ground.
Some enemy soldiers pushed forward desperately, and their backs were quickly stabbed with spears. They were unable to fall down after squeezing.
More people dispersed, trying to escape with their lives.
Shao Xun’s heavy sword flew up and down, leaving broken limbs and broken arms everywhere.
Chen Yougen put on a large shield to protect Shao Xun in front of him. He would strike with his ring-shou sword from time to time, and he would surely gain something.
To be honest, he has not encountered such a happy fight in a long time, and the enemy did not resist much.
Now he feels more and more how important it is to follow the right person, and it can even change his destiny.
Then - kill!
Kill, kill, kill, whoever goes against the governor, I will kill him to the ground.
Kill until others are afraid, kill until you are afraid, and see if you can make a name for yourself.
The young Wang Queer is holding a spear and standing on the right side of Shao Xun.
He is not as brave as Chen Yougen, fearless of life and death, and he does not have much foundation. He was only seriously exposed to strict and scientific military training after Shao Xun became the team leader.
He didn't understand any big principles, but he knew that his uncle was kind to him, so he was very obedient and 100% grateful. He studied his essays very carefully, and he studied the art of spear assassination hard during training.
Yes, he spends most of his energy on the spear. Hundreds of days and nights, just a dozen monotonous movements were practiced. At this moment on the battlefield, the results of years of training are revealed:
The gun is like a dragon, simple, fast and efficient. This is the style of "Shao Jiaban" - don't waste your energy, physical strength on the battlefield is very precious.
Wang Queer mercilessly assassinated every enemy who tried to get close to Du Bo, whether he was intentional or forced.
As more people were assassinated, he even had some insights in his heart, vaguely feeling that he could judge the enemy's direction of action and possible next move in advance.
This is a mysterious and mysterious feeling. Through the enemy's pace and expression, supplemented by the general trend on the battlefield, you can strike in advance and kill with one blow.
He tried it several times and succeeded, and he simply fell in love with this feeling.
Dubo kills people with a unique sense of rhythm and beauty. Many times it is as if the enemy is sending his neck to his knife. Wang Queer did not understand it before, but now he has unveiled a layer of veil.
Shao Xun relied on experience, but Wang Queer relied on talent. They both came to the same end by different paths, and they are both the same killing machines.
The enemy soldiers at the west gate of Mingtang were quickly eliminated.
Shao Xun walked through the bloody hell full of broken limbs and broken arms, and came to Pingchangmen Street.
The backs of the enemy troops escaping in panic can be seen in the distance, with Meng Chao's general's flag faintly mixed in among them.
"Gather the horses and bring them to me!" he ordered.
(End of this chapter)