Chapter 313 Pursuit
When Zhang Dan was kidnapped by Ji Sun in full view of the public, he was taken to the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Formation.
The generals of the Taishan Army's East Route Army who stayed in the formation were in a state of uproar.
At this critical moment, the five generals, Sima Guo Liang of the front army, Sima Wei Zhou of the left army, Sima Xie Bi of the right army, Sima Wangzhang of the center army, and Sima Luo Gang of the rear army, quickly gathered together to discuss.
The East Route Army of the Taishan Army is basically the frame of the former Youxiao Weibu, and the backbone of the Youxiaweibu is almost the old Taishan brothers, such as Guo Liang, Wei Zhou, Xie Bi, Wang Zhang, etc., who were all founding members of the Taishan Army. An important general who has been there ever since.
Therefore, although Zhang Dan was kidnapped suddenly, everyone was still able to remain calm.
At this time, the five generals gathered together to discuss a countermeasure first.
Guo Liang was rigorous and wise and took the lead in saying:
"The most urgent task is to send someone to negotiate with Qingzhou Huangjin first. See if there is any way to get the captain back."
Wang Zhang frowned and said in confusion:
"I'm afraid it's not easy. Didn't you notice? The sacrificial sun opposite came over just as we were leading the troops to the east. The captain went to greet them. Although we don't know what the two said, they probably just talked about it. The other side directly kidnapped the captain in order to coerce our army to continue heading west. "
Xie Bi held a short stick, squatted on the ground, and began to draw pictures on the frozen soil.
Everyone else knew about his scheming ability, and when they saw this, they knew that Xie Bi had something to say.
So the other four people squatted around him.
Sure enough, after Xie Bi drew the picture with a short stick, he began to explain:
"Look at the current situation. We are now southeast of Jize. Five miles in front is the Han army's barrier, and more than three miles behind is our barrier. If we continue westward with the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, with the distance of 50,000 people, It will definitely not be able to catch up with the Han army's barrier. And repairing it on the spot will not work."
"Let's not mention that the giant trees nearby have been cut down. Let's just say that we are in the open plains of Hebei. There are no mountains to block the wind. We can't survive the cold wind that night. At that time, the only burning direction was the Qingzhou Yellow Turban, and our side The barriers have no effect. In other words, our barriers are still there and that is our last resort.”
Xie Bi wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Sima Wei Zhou of the Chinese Army.
Wei Zhou was the earliest high-ranking military official in the army. He was firmly promoted during several major expansions, not only because of his ability, but also because of his loyalty.
So when Xie Bi said these words, Wei Zhou immediately understood what he meant.
He said unceremoniously:
"Xie Bi, what do you want to do? I have nothing to say if you want to abandon the Qingzhou Yellow Turban, but the captain is still in their camp? Do you want to abandon him too?"
Xie Bi was not upset when he was called by his first name. He just said calmly:
"The school captain will not be in danger at all in the Qingzhou Yellow Turban. Because Ji Sun and the others will not and dare not harm the school captain's life. But if they are threatened by the Qingzhou Yellow Turban, they will lead three thousand soldiers to the death place. Here is Can’t you tell which one is more important? ”
Before Wei Zhou could refute, Pan Zhang, the general who had been silent on the outside, suddenly said:
"I think you can't tell the difference. You said there is no safety if the captain is not safe? As the leader of the army, without him, these three thousand troops will have no soul. Therefore, the captain is more important than the three armies. You know What do I mean?”
In fact, what Pan Zhang said was very rude.
No matter what Xie Bi was, he far surpassed Pan Zhang in terms of rank and seniority. But Pan Zhang is the commander of the school's military guards. Since ancient times, whoever is closer to the center of power will naturally have invisible power blessings.
So when Pan Zhang said these words, the other generals were silent. Although a few frowned, they also scolded Pan Zhang.
Ultimately, this is too sensitive a statement.
Who is Zhang Dan? He is the first in-law general of the Chongtian General. In their hearts, they agreed with Xie Bi that Zhang Dan would be fine even if he was kidnapped. But they dare not say it.
Because, if something really happened to Zhang Dan, none of them would be able to escape responsibility for abandoning him. On the other hand, if Zhang Dan is okay, he will come back. Knowing that these generals abandoned him, would Zhang Dan have no idea?
Therefore, the generals were unwilling at this time, and now the situation could only be controlled by the sacrifice to the sun.
That sacrificial grandson is really despicable. He thought he was a rare hero, but he resorted to this method.
Shameful!
At this time, Xie Bi also understood the situation. He sighed, threw the wooden stick on the ground, and said angrily:
"I think you are all confused. These three thousand soldiers are the elite trained by the general, and they are the foundation of the cause. Are you and I just wasting their time here? Today, these soldiers can't move. Let me tell you the truth, they are the captain. If you die, you will die, but we must bring these three thousand children back to the general, otherwise you and I will kill ourselves.”
After saying that, Xie Bi stamped his foot and said angrily:
"Hot girl, when did the army become like you? If everyone is afraid, then Nai Gong will be responsible. If the captain is killed and the general wants to behead him, then he will behead me? Is that okay?"
Xie Bi was gentle and polite, and when he said these words, it was obvious that he was already angry inside.
Pan Zhang wanted to say more, but was stopped by Huo Tan.
Huo Tan shook his head and signaled Pan Zhang to stop talking.
Because by now, Xie Bi has already pointed out the most important part of this matter. That is, this army does not belong to Zhang Dan, but to General Chongtian. For Zhang Dan, you risk three thousand soldiers, even if you are a relative of the general.
After Xie Bi picked out these words, the others also breathed a sigh of relief and lost the pressure on their shoulders. Then they all gathered around Xie Bi and said, how can everyone let you carry it? Everyone withdraws. If something goes wrong, let's take it together.
During this process, Sima Luogang of the rear army did not say a word, but he was represented by the veteran generals throughout the process.
In this way, Yi Xie Bi finalized the withdrawal plan, and soon the three thousand Taishan troops formed a square formation and continued to advance towards the eastern barrier.
And these directly made Ji Sun, who was already in the formation, dumbfounded.
He originally wanted to wait for the Taishan military election to negotiate, so that he could use Zhang Dan as a blackmail to coerce them into leaving together.
But who knew that they would dare to give up on Zhang Dan? What kind of subordinate is this?
On the side, seeing his subordinates continuing to go east, Zhang Dan was not angry at being abandoned at all, but laughed.
He pointed at the sacrifice to his grandson and laughed:
"Big Beard, now you understand what the Taishan Army is. Do you think you can coerce the Taishan Army by coercing me? Let me tell you the truth. In an ordinary army, the general is everything. Without the general, the army has no brains. But in our Taishan Army, from general to general, everyone knows their mission and where they are going, and they all think about it.”
Jisun just listened to Zhang Dan laughing, and then laughed too. He turned to Zhang Dan and said:
"It is indeed the Taishan Army. A Chong is really a good soldier. With such a powerful soldier, the Huangtian Empire can really be built in his hands."
Zhang Dan was a little surprised when he saw Ji Sun's smile and asked:
"Big Beard, what do you mean?"
Ji Sun smiled:
"It doesn't mean anything. Let's say goodbye here later. I wanted to work hard for Taiping Dao again, just once, but in the end it was in vain and it hurt the friendship between you and me. Haha"
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At this point, Ji Sunxiao burst into tears.
Zhang Dan looked sad and advised:
"Big Beard, stop being a jerk and come back to the army with me."
Sacrificing his grandson wiped some tears and sighed:
"Where can we retreat? The walls behind us have been burned. If we go back, our 40,000 brothers will also die. Instead of freezing to death like wild beasts in the severe cold, why not fight with the Han army?"
Zhang Dan was choked by these words. He knew that Ji Sun was telling the truth.
Ji Sun waved his hand and said to Zhang Dan:
"Let's divide it here. Not much else to say. If there is still time later, at this time every year from now on, we will hold a sacrifice for the 40,000 Qingzhou children to see if we can bring back the souls of everyone. After all, They are all from Qingzhou, so I’m afraid it’s really cold here in Hebei.”
After telling a very cold joke, Ji Sun remounted his horse and ordered the entire army to continue heading west.
After a full meal, Qingzhou Huangjin was stamping his feet to keep warm.
After the military orders came, they continued to march toward the west in silence under the guidance of the military flag.
These low-level Yellow Turban soldiers may lack passion and ideals, but they may also be the simplest and cutest people.
Because something happened, they really came. Countless people walked past Zhang Dan amid the carriages and horses. They looked at the man curiously, but no one came up to speak. They just followed closely behind Pao Ze.
As for Zhang Dan, he silently looked at the sacrifice of his grandson under the yellow flag. He was riding a red horse, so tragic and heroic.
Zhang Dan burst into tears and twitched:
"Really, why are you so stupid?"
Zhang Dan, not wanting to see this scene anymore, got on the horse left for him by offering sacrifices to his grandson, and ran back to the east to catch up with the Taishan army that was already on its way.
At this point, the 40,000 Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou parted ways with the Taishan Army.
……
Not far from Qingzhou Yellow Turban, the Han army was also marching.
Lu Zhi was admiring Ju Shou on the bullock cart. He praised:
"Your strategy is to divert the tiger away from the mountain and go up to the house to take out the ladder. It really works well."
Then Lu Zhi said again:
"It's no matter how cold it is. It doesn't take a single soldier from me to defeat tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans on the other side. So, when it comes to killing people, you still have to look at God."
Jushou bowed down humbly, not daring to be as conceited as before.
After all, people will grow up after learning a lesson.
Soldiers and horses were rustling outside the car. Lu Zhi happily asked Xian Yuyin, the general outside the car, saying:
"How did those moth thieves react when they found out that the rear barrier was burned?"
Xian Yuyin is a native of Yuyang, Youzhou, and he is also a hero. He has made many military exploits in the border areas. From a border warrior, he has accumulated many achievements and now is a general worth six hundred shi. He can be said to be a leader in the army and a warrior in Youzhou. A rising star.
At this time, he rode his horse and followed Lu Zhi outside the car. When Lu Zhi asked, he quickly lowered his body and replied:
"Back to the commander, the Na'e thieves saw that their retreat was blocked, so they continued to chase us."
Lu Zhi laughed loudly after hearing this and said contemptuously:
“I don’t know whether to live or die.”
He thought of something again and asked:
"Does the Taishan Army's soldiers and horses have a way?"
Xian Yuyin continued:
"No, they parted ways there."
After hearing this, Lu Zhi was half relieved and half regretful:
"These Taishan thieves are indeed cunning, but let them run away."
Even so, if those Taishan troops really came, Lu Zhi might have to worry again.
Lu Zhi gave another instruction to Xian Yuyin and said:
"The soldiers are running back and forth, and they haven't eaten yet, so they are already exhausted. You have to inform the people left behind in the camp to prepare hot water and hot food. The team will use these when they arrive at the camp."
Xian Yuyin wrote these down and finally asked hesitantly:
"Commander, it's freezing here. It's hard to collect firewood. I'm afraid it won't be easy to get hot water."
Lu Zhi scolded:
"I don't care what they do, I just want the results. The soldiers are weathered outside, and they are comfortable in the camp. If they can't even get a meal of hot water, what use are they?"
After receiving this scolding, Xian Yuyin did not dare to say any more and immediately sent an order to the front camp.
Over there, he was called down by Lu Zhi.
"Don't leave yet. Let the Youzhou cavalry on the outside be on alert to prevent the Qingzhou thieves from jumping over the wall. After all, the distance between our two armies is quite far at this time. If the cavalry from the opposite side is used directly, they will bite directly Our infantry may have really caught up with them.”
So Lu Zhi finally gave his instructions:
"Therefore, we must block the cavalry on the opposite side. This will give our army space to retreat calmly."
Xian Yuyin wrote down all these and went to arrange them.
When the people left here, Lu Zhi lowered the curtain and said to Jushou:
"I really envy you young people for your endless vitality. This big man will rely on you from now on."
Jushou complimented:
"Commander, you are in your prime, and you can still shine for the great man for twenty years. We all still need you to protect us, Marshal."
This made Lu Zhi laugh.
Then Jushou asked seriously:
"Commander, do you want to go back to the camp directly without striking a blow at the Qingzhou Yellow Turban?"
Lu Zhi nodded and said:
"That's right, I have no intention of fighting those moth thieves at all. Why bother with the knife in your hand when you can kill them with heaven and earth?"
Jushou was young after all, he asked doubtfully:
"If we don't kill, how will the merits of the officers and men in this army be calculated, and how will your reputation be shown, Commander-in-Chief?"
In the final analysis, Jushou still believed that annihilating the Yellow Turban Army personally would be the real victory.
But he didn't know what veterans like Lu Zhi thought.
Lu Zhidao:
"Do you know why those who are good at fighting have no great military exploits?"
Then, without waiting for Jushou to reply, Lu Zhi said directly:
"When I reach this position, personal honor and disgrace no longer matter, but the importance of the country is what I have to consider. The tens of thousands of Han troops in my hands are already the last elite of the imperial court. If I turn around and go back to attack the moth thieves, I will win the battle. , but it will also damage my military strength. But now, winning without fighting is the real victory."
Jushou is thoughtful.
Just as the two were talking, a continuous sound of horns and fighting sounds came from not far behind.
There was obviously a fight there.
Soon, Xian Yuyin brought information:
"Commander, the Yellow Turban bandits have indeed sent all their cavalry to intercept our army. Fortunately, Youzhou's sudden cavalry is at the rear and has now blocked the opponent."
Lu Zhi nodded, opened the curtain and shouted to the team:
"The whole army speeds up."
Then, he ordered Xian Yuyin:
"Ask Yue Cavalry and Tun Cavalry to go to the rear to support you, and be sure to annihilate this cavalry force on the opposite side."
"Here!"
(End of chapter)