Chapter 735 Escape

Chapter 735 Escape

Chapter 735 Escape

The fighting under the city of Chenguan suddenly stopped, and both sides understood each other tacitly.

A moment later, dozens of riders came forward and each shot several letters into the room.

Soon a letter was delivered to Liu Xian.

He unfolded it with a complicated look, and it turned out to be a letter of surrender written in Shao Xun's tone.

He said: "The country has its own laws and regulations. Liu Cong has gone against human ethics and changed the order of nature. He incited the people of one area and coerced the troops of the three armies. He invaded and plundered prefectures and counties, burned down the neighborhoods, abused the prefects, and injured officials and civilians. This is unacceptable to heaven and earth, and is condemned by both humans and gods..."

"The Xiongnu soldiers and civilians are also our children. We have issued military orders before. Wherever the camps go, they are not allowed to kill or seize property; they are not allowed to arrest and take prisoners at will; they are not allowed to open graves to vent old grudges. There is a long-standing law to punish those who disobey orders, and there is also a precedent to pardon those who obey orders. How can the crime of one man be left to the people of one area..."

"Since the army was launched, fighting has been frequent and supplies have been in short supply. In the counties and towns, farming has been abandoned; in the prefectures and counties, the people have been tortured. As a parent, I feel deeply sympathetic and sad. I can't help but sigh after reading the news of victory... The Xiongnu soldiers are either forced to do so by force or by punishment, or they are greedy for money and try their best to obey. Now the army is approaching, attacking from both inside and outside, and they are lost again. How many of them have given up..."

After reading it, Liu Xian stroked his forehead and sighed.

The officers looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

There was no need to hide the letter of surrender, and it was impossible to hide it, so Liu Xian openly invited everyone to read it together - if they could read.

The content of the book was very realistic, saying that their surrender could be accepted and that bygones be bygones.

There are also "three rules": no burning, killing, or looting; no arresting innocent people for credit; and no opening coffins and mutilating corpses.

The crime committed by Liu Cong alone will not implicate others.

The policy is very clear. So, will it be reduced or not?
Liu Xian placed the letter of surrender on the table and glanced at his generals with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Why didn't anyone come forward to propose surrender?

So you're forcing me to bring it up first, right?

After waiting for a while, Liu Xian suddenly burst into tears: "The late emperor was very kind to me. I am guilty of fighting until today."

The crying was so mournful that anyone who heard it shed tears.

Seeing that no one was talking, Liu Xian cried even more sadly, tears streaming down her face. For a moment, she seemed to be unable to breathe and almost fainted.

"There were still 6,000 soldiers at Chenguan Pass, but they were all killed in one day. In the dark earth, the late emperor blamed me, what should I say? Alas, how sad it is!

"Everyone has parents, wives and children waiting for them at the door, but I can't take them back. Alas, I am so ashamed!"

"Famous cities and towns have been lost one after another. I have received the grace of the country and enjoyed a noble title for generations, but I am helpless. Alas, I am ashamed!"

No one spoke.

The personal soldiers and generals were peeking outside with serious expressions.

Finally, an honest man couldn't stand it anymore and stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Pei family thieves are causing chaos and blocking the Hankou. I don't think Zhao Lu and Shi Sheng can defeat them. Now I heard that Wangwu has also changed. All the food and military supplies are stored there and fell into the hands of Shi Fuhou. I don't think we need to fight this battle. When we got down from the city just now, someone was already hiding the bodies. I dare not imagine what will happen if we continue fighting."

After the first person spoke up, a second person soon followed: "The worst strategy is to cut off the food supply. Chenguan is attacked from all sides. Without food and weapons, we can't hold out any longer."

"Mr. Shao-Liang said that he would not implicate others. This seems to be somewhat credible." Someone else said.

"It's not that we don't want to die, but there's really no point in defending Chen Pass. Shao's troops can just cross the river from Shancheng and go north over Zhongtiao Mountain. Whether Chen Pass is defended or not actually has no impact on the overall situation."

"Pretend to surrender first, and then run away when you get a chance."

"Yes, first preserve your useful body, so that you can serve the emperor and the prince in the future."

After hearing what everyone said, Liu Xian stopped crying a little.

After a long while, he sighed and said, "If it weren't for the need to protect the six thousand soldiers, I would have ridden out of the city alone and died in the midst of thousands of troops."

"No, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, please do not give up on yourself."

"Don't throw away your useful body."

"There is still a chance. Shao the thief cannot be so proud forever. We should serve him first and wait for the right time."

Everyone talked at once and tried to persuade them.

Liu Xian wiped his tears and said sadly, "Then surrender first."

******
The situation in the battle of Shaanxi City changed dramatically.

Ever since the army began attacking the city on the first day of November, Wang Mi had been thinking about escaping.

But he also had a sense of luck in his heart - as a warlord, who would abandon his territory and run away unless it was absolutely necessary?
In addition, the terrain of Shan County is very rugged.

It is bordered by the Yellow River to the north, mountains to the south, and hills to the east. It can be said to be "precipitous on three sides". Only one side can be attacked, and that has to be attacked uphill. It is really difficult to fight, otherwise he would not have set up his seat of government here.

Furthermore, the families of the officers have all been sent to the west, and now they may be not far from Tongguan. The officers defending the city will have no worries, so it seems they can give it a try?
Driven by a mentality of hoping for luck, Wang Mi hesitated, especially after he repelled the first attack of the Jin army and even thwarted their plan to seize Dayangjin. He was even more reluctant to leave - in fact, the battle at the ferry was mainly fought by the Qiang people who had recently crossed the river.

But Wang Mi hesitated, but Shi Hu did not!

On the fifth day of November, he looked at Shaanxi City on the south bank of the Yellow River for the last time.

The city is right on the bank of the Yellow River, hanging more than a hundred feet above the water. It looks very solid, but he knows that there is no unbreakable city in the world. It all depends on what price the attacker is willing to pay.

If Wang Mi doesn't leave, he will die!

"Abandon all the baggage!" Shi Hu issued this order that night.

Everyone was well prepared and brought out horses and even donkeys and mules.

The animals pulling the carts were unharnessed and used to carry luggage.

The army consisted of more than 5,000 people. Except for a few who carried heavy items such as armor, most of them only carried light weapons and ten days of dry food - some of which they carried with them and some of which were carried by mules and horses.

After everything was ready, in the second half of the night, the army quietly left the city and headed northwest.

There are two roads in Yuezhongtiao Mountain, one main and one auxiliary. The main road runs from Dayang to the northeast (i.e. Dianzhen Road), which is open to vehicles and horses.

Going northwest from Dayang, you can reach Baijingling in Zhongtiao Mountain, which is called the auxiliary line.

The mountains along this road are towering, and there are steep cliffs on both sides. There is no room for tracks, so cars cannot pass through, only horses and people can pass.

After passing Baijingling, you can reach the salt lake directly.

This was the route Shi Hu chose.

The next morning, the army arrived at Baijingling. After two days, the entire army passed through Zhongtiao Mountain and arrived at Yanchi in the early morning of the eighth day.

At this time, a column of smoke rose into the sky from the direction of Dayang Ferry. Shi Hu was still kind. He arranged for more than ten people to stay at the back. After the army had been marching for two days, he set fire to the baggage and military camp and reported the news to Wang Mi.

The salt pond is like an abyss embedded in the surface of the earth. If you look closely, it is quite beautiful.

But Shi Hu had no intention of appreciating it. Under his leadership, the 5,000-strong army turned west and headed straight for Puyang.

The generals and officers had no objection. At this time, who the hell would go to rescue the emperor?

Besides, how can we fight if we abandon even our baggage?

Without baggage, they couldn't set up camp at night and had to lie on the ground in the open air.

Without baggage, the equipment could not be repaired, and after a battle, no one knew how much equipment was damaged.

Without their baggage, they couldn't even get hot soup or meals.

Beat the hell!
But the officers wanted to run away, but the sergeants might not.

Along the way, people kept deserting and running back home.

When Shi Hu finally led his troops to Puzhen Guandong City, there were only 3,400 soldiers left, a full 2,000 less.

However, this is already a very good ending.

******
The raging fire in Dayangjin shocked everyone.

When Wang Mi learned the news, he hurriedly climbed to the top of the north city wall and overlooked Dayang.

The Zhongtiao Mountains run across the east and west like a giant lying dragon, covering the Hedong hinterland to the north.

How many secrets have been blocked by Zhongtiao Mountain?

Shi Hu was stationed in Dayang and was well-informed. He must have received some important news.

Could it be——

Wang Mi didn't dare to think about it.

When people are defeated repeatedly, it is easy for them to have wild thoughts. If Wang Mi continues to think about it, he is afraid that he will think about the death of the emperor and the occupation of Pingyang by Shao Xun.

The scariest thing is to scare yourself.

But what can we say? The reality is here. The Shi Hu has run away. Doesn't that prove the point?
He looked again at the Qiang people guarding the Dayangjin ferry. There was also commotion in their camp.

For some reason, Wang Mi suddenly felt a sense of pleasure from playing a prank - Are you stupid? Come cross the river and die with me.

He looked to the west again, and saw continuous mountains and plateaus, but it was not very clear.

Hearing that Pu Hong was stationed in Hongnong, he hesitated to advance.

Haha, you are a very cunning thief, but if you are not quick, the people of Jin might tear a big piece of you off.

"Mingsir." Zhang Song and others went up to the top of the city wall and saluted together.

After he finished the ceremony, he was looked at with complicated and incomprehensible eyes.

Wang Mi understood the meaning in their eyes and sighed.

“Now that things have come to this, I can’t be too selfish and drag thousands of soldiers to be buried with me,” said Wang Mi.

"What do you mean, sir..." Zhang Song's mind moved and he asked in a trembling voice.

"This city - cannot be defended." Wang Mi said: "Give the boys a good meal. Break out tonight and move towards Dayangjin to join the Qiang commanders."

Everyone turned pale when they heard this.

Breaking out is not an easy task, let alone breaking out at night.

The old battle was almost over, and the remaining people were good at defending the city, but they were not good at fighting in the field. Among the thousands of soldiers, how many could escape in the end?

But this is the only way.

If you don't want to be trapped to death in Shaanxi City, you have no choice but to leave and fight. There is really no other way.

"Hurry up and prepare." Wang Mi said, "I have received news that the crown prince has led his army to Fengyi and can cross the river and march east at any time. As long as we can get to Pujin Pass, there is still a chance to save everything."

"Yes, sir." The generals and officers responded one after another.

On the night of November 8th, the defenders of Shaanxi City rushed out in full force and broke out in the direction of Dayang.

The imperial troops besieging the city fought desperately and captured a lot.

The battle lasted until dawn, and Wang Mi's personal general Wang Gen was killed and his chief secretary Zhang Song was captured.

Wang Mi led two thousand remaining soldiers and fled into Dayangjin.

The soldiers besieging the city took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. In the afternoon, Wang Mi and his men were badly defeated and scrambled to cross the river, with countless casualties.

Upon hearing the news, Pu Hong burned, killed, looted and set fire to Hongnong, then returned west with women and valuables.

(I will try to update three times today. Please vote quickly if you have tickets. Thank you.)
(End of this chapter)