Chapter 319 Nanyang

Chapter 319 Nanyang

Chapter 319 Nanyang
While the main force led by Shao Xun was engaged in a series of pursuit battles with Hou Tuo in the Wanye Corridor, Chen Yougen's troops, which served as a surprise force, were not doing so well.

I'm sorry, but they are really lost...

Chen Yougen was so angry that he beat up the guide. If it weren't for the fact that this man was a member of the Le clan and he still needed him to lead the way, he would have killed him with a knife.

On the ninth day of October, they finally passed through the dangerous mountain road and arrived at the first crow on the Sancrow Valley Road: Zhiheng Mountain.

This mountain is also known as Baichong Mountain and is located ten miles north of Zhi County.

Seeing that there was still enough food and fodder, they did not alarm anyone and continued to travel through the desolate mountains and fields.

That night, we passed Xi'e County, where Zhang Heng's former residence was located.

On the 11th, they galloped fifty miles in half a day, connected with the people from the Nanyang Le family, and then headed straight for Wancheng in the late night of the same day.

There were a few enemy soldiers left in Wancheng, as well as a large number of women and children. The defense was not strong, but it was not defeated at the first blow.

In the second half of the night, the outside world was pitch black, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you - you couldn't see your hand in front of you in the physical sense. The cloudy night was really too dark.

Because of the news of defeat from the front, people in Wancheng were in panic.

Especially those families of the rebels who had just moved into the city were at a loss as to what to do.

Some people even cried, secretly lamenting that maybe they shouldn't have rebelled. Just go back to Guanzhong, even if they will probably starve to death, there is still hope.

But what about now? More than 10,000 troops were defeated, and they fled all the way from Fangcheng Mountain to Duyang and Bowang, and they could not stand at all.

Yes, it just doesn't hold water.

Some people, after suffering a defeat, were able to slowly gather their defeated troops, reorganize their forces, and turn defeat into victory.

Even if we cannot turn defeat into victory, at least we can dig deep trenches and build high fortifications to continue to hold out against the enemy.

But if you are being chased all the way, and every time you reach a place and just want to take a breath, the pursuers come to kill you, then you will not be able to stand firm.

The consequences of being unable to stand firm are terrible, because you have no idea where to escape to.

The more likely possibility is that they would continue to "lose weight" on the way of escape, with fewer and fewer defeated soldiers, and in the end even if they wanted to turn around and fight, they would not be able to do so.

There were more than 2,000 families of the rebels living in Wancheng. Everyone was well-informed about the news, and after communicating with each other, they only felt more and more desperate.

But now that things have come to this, there is nothing we can do.

If all else fails, the whole army, young and old, will flee south together. Going to Xiangyang and joining General Wang is better than staying in Wancheng and being slaughtered.

While they were anxiously waiting for their fathers, brothers and husbands to return so that they could retreat together, the people of Nanyang Le had armed their soldiers and servants, gathered a hundred people, sneaked to the west gate at night, suddenly launched an attack, and seized the city gate.

When the "creaking" sound was heard, soldiers from the Changjian and Yicong armies swarmed into the city.

After a not-so-fierce battle, the entire city was basically under control by dawn, and no one was allowed to escape.

The entire Wancheng was like a giant beast, turning over and continuing to sleep. But while sleeping, it still squinted one eye and stared at the northeast direction.

******
When the western sky was filled with rosy clouds, Hou Tuo fled in a panic to the foot of Wancheng.

Before entering the city, he was still thinking carefully.

There were no more than a thousand soldiers left in the city, and the defeated soldiers he brought back were only a little over a thousand. Such a force was not enough to defend a famous city like Wancheng.

Fortunately, there are still more than 2,000 refugees from Guanxi in the city. If all the men over 50 and under 15 are recruited, and some of the able-bodied men from Wancheng are forcibly conscripted into the army, the military strength can be increased to about 5,000.

Only at this time is it possible to defend the city.

After defeating the government troops, we still have to gather the people scattered in various counties. We also have to find a way to gather some of the defeated soldiers and restore our strength as much as possible.

This time, he suffered a huge loss.

They headed north to Fangcheng Mountain with full confidence, but the camp could not even hold out for half a day before it was defeated by the government troops who charged and attacked fiercely without caring about casualties.

The sight of tens of thousands of troops fully armed and equipped before the war being reduced to ashes in an instant is heartbreaking.

Ugh!
The city gate had been opened and the gatekeepers were looking at them eagerly.

When Hou Tuo saw this, he almost covered his face with his sleeves. He was too embarrassed to face anyone!
More than a hundred riders rushed to the front and had already entered the dark city gate.

Hou Tuo rode his horse forward, slightly increasing the speed.

All he wanted now was a hot meal and a good night's sleep.

I've been running for my life all the way, I'm exhausted and I really can't take it anymore.

"Shhh..." The painful neighing of a horse suddenly sounded, followed by the sound of dense crossbow arrows breaking through the air and the screams of people dying.

Hou Tuo was shocked. Someone was rebelling and surrendering to the government troops?
Just as he was about to turn his horse around and retreat from the city, more than a hundred government troops came running towards him from both sides.

They rushed out of the city gate, equipped with excellent armor and various weapons.

After just one encounter, Hou Tuo felt dizzy and the horse under him fell to the ground with a bang.

He fell heavily to the ground and was about to get up, but he saw seven or eight long swords pressed against his neck, chest and abdomen. He was so frightened that he dared not move.

"Tie him up." Chang Can, deputy commander of the Changjian Army, shouted.

Several soldiers rushed forward and tied Hou Tuo tightly with leather ropes. The sound of killing continued not far away.

The palace soldiers first fired their crossbows and then moved forward for close combat.

They were full of energy and high morale, but the defeated soldiers were like frightened birds and exhausted.

The battle lasted only about an incense stick's time and was soon over.

The streets were flooded with blood and the stench was overwhelming.

Hou Tuo stared blankly at the slaughtered soldiers, and couldn't help but feel sad and cry bitterly.

"You think I want to rebel?" He cried out, tears streaming down his face, "This world really doesn't allow people to survive."

A soldier came forward, stuffed a piece of rag into his mouth, kicked him twice, and said, "Stop howling. It's not too late to cry before you die."

Hou Tuo staggered after being kicked, but he didn't react at all, as if he had lost all hope and didn't want to struggle anymore.

Chen Yougen was squatting on the rooftop on the right side of the street, holding a bow in his hand. Seeing Hou Tuo's miserable appearance and hearing his words, he shook his head and said to himself, "If it were in the past, I might have fought with you and turned the world upside down. But now - alas, you can't accomplish anything like this."

It had no roots whatsoever and relied only on a few thousand refugees from Guanxi. It also carried out widespread burning, killing and looting in the counties of Nanyang, and its relations with the local people were extremely strained. Its defeat was inevitable.

At the same time, Chen Yougen also felt a little creepy.

If Le is willing to help Marquis Chen, Wancheng can change its owner.

If the Le family and the Marquis of Chen fell out, wouldn't Nanyang change its flag in an instant?
Wancheng is a strong town and one of the eight major military governorates of the country. How could such a hidden danger exist?

He couldn't figure out how to deal with the matter for a moment. Perhaps he could only wait for the prince to come south to discuss it.

******
On October 15th, Le Kai hurried to Wancheng from his hometown in Yuyang.

When entering the city, they happened to see a large group of Silver Spear Army arriving.

"Lord Le." Wang Que'er bowed from a distance.

"General Wang." Le Kai returned the greeting.

Lekai still likes this person quite a bit.

Compared with Jin Zheng, another deputy governor of the Silver Spear Army, Wang Que'er is more gentle and polite and easier to approach.

Hearing that this man had not yet married, Le Kai secretly thought that perhaps he could choose a talented and beautiful girl from a distant branch of the Le clan and marry her to him to consolidate the relationship.

Of course, this matter may arouse Shao Xun's suspicion.

But it seems unreasonable if he cannot make his own decisions on the important life events of his generals.

There is still a chance.

"Lord Le, has the army set out yet?" Wang Que'er walked a few steps closer and asked.

"They set out yesterday, uniting several large clans in Yuyang and Nieyang, with a total of more than 2,000 infantry and cavalry." Le Kai said, "The Yu clan also responded, but the troops and horses have not yet gathered."

There are probably several aristocratic families in the northern part of Jingzhou.

One of them is the Le family, which originated in Yuyang County of Nanyang State and whose influence spread to four counties: Yuyang, Nieyang, Jiyang and Wan.

The second is the Zong family, whose native place is Ye County, Nanyang State, and who are quite influential in Ye and Duyang areas.

The third is the Yu family, which has been separated from the Yingchuan Yu family for many years and is the most prestigious family in Xinye County.

There is also a Fan family in the west, which mainly operates in Shunyang.

In Wancheng, there is also a Liu family, which is said to be the descendants of the Changsha Dingwang, the son of Emperor Jing of Han. Liu Qiao, the former governor of Yuzhou, was born in this family and called himself "Anzhong Liu".

The aristocratic families in Jingzhou were mainly concentrated in the north, or more precisely, in Nanyang and its surrounding counties and towns.

The current situation is very clear. If the various families have ideas, they can gather the small families that are dependent on them and start to make efforts in order to occupy a good position in the political reshuffle in Nanyang after the war.

The Le and Yu families of Nanyang took the lead in taking action. If the Fan, Liu, and Zong families do not want to fall behind, they should take action in the next few days.

When the aristocratic families are organized and no longer a loose group, their overall strength is still quite considerable.

To be optimistic, it would be easy to gather 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers. I don't know how they were frightened to the point of bleeding by the bandits led by Wang Ru, Hou Tuo and Yan Yi.

"Lord Le needs to send someone to urge them." When Wang Que'er heard that the troops of the Le and Yu families had gathered, she nodded and reminded them, "Lord Le will arrive in Nanyang soon, and will attack Wang Ru and Yan Yi later. The tribes of Nanyang should be more active to avoid misunderstandings."

When Lekai heard this, he sighed inwardly.

People from all walks of life came and went, and everyone wanted to ask them for money, which was really annoying. Fortunately, it was Shao Xun who came, and the Le family had invested a lot there, so it was not in vain.

Moreover, this time they fought decisively, defeated Hou Tuo in one battle, and captured and killed many people. If they could attack Wang Ru and Yan Yi again, it would be worthwhile for the Le family to invest more money.

As the current head of the Le Group, Le Kai has carefully calculated the pros and cons.

There are too many noble families in Nanyang, and the competition is very fierce. If you want to stand out and leave other families far behind, you have to rely on this opportunity to reconstruct the order.

Considering the extremely weak foundation of Chen Hou in Nanyang, the Le family has already taken the lead and should seize the opportunity to further consolidate this advantage.

(End of this chapter)