Mu Sheng's 7,000 men marched back along Lingxi River. On the way, Mu Sheng, as the commander-in-chief of the army, kept tense for fear of a sneak attack by the enemy. The army stopped and marched for seven days without incident. He finally felt relieved.
The next day, after the entire army finally arrived at their destination and set up camp in the upper reaches of Lingxi River, Mu Sheng sent out scouts to inquire about the battle situation on the front line.
Only then did Mu Sheng have time to review the battle at Lingxi seven days ago. He made a careful calculation and found that his team of more than 7,000 people had lost more than 400 brothers and injured more than 300 in the first battle. The enemy The losses should have been more serious, with at least two to three thousand casualties. The lethality of these thousand heavy armored infantry and the Jin army's crossbows was really abnormal! The battle damage ratio actually reached the level of one to five in the cold weapon era.
In this era, for those barbarians, the level of force of the Jin army was quite exaggerated. In the final analysis, there was a generation gap in weapons and equipment, and the level of training and command could not be compared with that of the Central Plains. This led to the consequences of the two sides on the battlefield. Such a huge casualty ratio.
After Mu Sheng's troops were stationed upstream and waited for three days, the scouts finally rushed to deliver the message of the main force on the front line.
Mu Sheng immediately took the frontline battle report and read it. After reading the battle report, his mood immediately sank. Deng Qi ordered him to pack up quickly and return to Lingnan. He ignored the large army. The main force of the Jin army and the Shanpu and Xi tribesmen The coalition forces were at a disadvantage in the war and were at a disadvantage. The large forces had changed their marching route and retreated to Lingnan along the line of Dalong Mountain in Shark County.
Mu Sheng put away the military report and immediately summoned Yan Kun and Feng Wei to give the military report to the two of them to read.
Marching Sima Feng Wei's expression changed slightly after reading the military report. After analyzing the marching map for a long time, he said: "Captain Qi, we have to leave quickly. If the army withdraws from the front line of Dalong Mountain, then our troops will already be An army is alone, with no reinforcements in front and no support behind, just in case..."
Mu Sheng also had a cold sweat on his forehead when he heard that. Of course he understood what Feng Wei didn't say next. If his troops were trapped in the siege of the barbarian coalition, it would really make the sky and the earth useless. It would definitely be the end of the entire army being annihilated. .
That's how it is when marching and fighting. You have to consider the worst outcome every time in order to remain invincible.
Military Marquis Yan Kun said: "Captain Qi, I don't think so. Now the allied forces of Shan Puppet and Xi Clan will definitely have to join forces to deal with the main force of the general. With the general's commanding ability, he has hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command." Horses are not that easy to deal with. As long as we run fast enough, the Southern Barbarian coalition should not be able to divide its forces to deal with our small force."
Feng Wei also agreed upon hearing this: "What Yan Junhou said is reasonable. I hope I'm overthinking it. Our small number of troops really can't play a big role in the battle situation. The Southern Barbarian coalition should not go to war for us."
Mu Sheng was more inclined to Yan Kun's analysis, but he still said: "Well! The battle is dangerous, so we still have to be extremely careful. Without further ado, we will immediately break camp and march back to Lingnan."
After receiving the order, Yan Kun and Feng Wei immediately took their orders and prepared to return to the army.
Along the way, Mu Sheng's troops marched for three days, rested for half a day, and then began to march until there were five days left. Mu Sheng looked at the march map and saw that victory was in sight and he was about to go home.
Mu Sheng's heart moved. It seemed that he was overthinking. Yan Kun was right. His few troops would not affect the situation of the war, and it was indeed not worth sending people to deal with them.
Mu Sheng immediately ordered the soldiers to slow down their march. The rapid march through mountains and rivers was even a bit unbearable for him as a monk, let alone the soldiers.
He turned around and looked at the soldiers behind him, who all looked exhausted, and ordered them to bury the pots and make rice to rest on the spot. He would start marching tomorrow. In this state, he was really going to encounter the enemy, let alone fend off the enemy. As soon as the enemy appeared, he would They collapsed on the spot.
The most dangerous time for the army in this era is indeed when it is marching. Due to the extremely bad traffic conditions in this era, when the army is marching, it is always lined up in a long snake formation. If the army is suddenly attacked, it cannot take care of both the beginning and the end. , it is difficult to organize manpower to form a formation to defend against the enemy in a short period of time.
After resting for a night, the soldiers were obviously in much better condition. They set up camp and the troops walked for three days without incident. Mu Sheng let go of his five senses to feel the surrounding environment and did not feel that anyone was following his troops. , sent out scouts to investigate and found nothing unusual.
Mu Sheng's anxious heart was finally relieved. It was only one day's journey to Mushi City where he set out. Once there, relying on the tall city, his troops would be completely safe.
At this moment, in the dense forest on the hill in the distance, a Nanman warrior holding a spear and wearing a mask was hiding in the dense forest and silently observing the movements of the Jin army's reserve team.
Her entire figure was integrated with the nature of the world and breathless, standing in place like a statue.
At this moment, a small snake crawled under her feet and slowly crossed her feet. The little snake seemed to be unaware of this big living person standing on the same spot. After seeing the Jin army gradually retreating, she thought that the enemy should not notice it. She, she finally moved, spread out her body skills, flew into the forest and disappeared...
At this moment, the whole army looked relaxed, and it was finally coming to an end. No one expected that the Xi tribe would send so many people to cut off the Jin army's food route. They killed thousands of enemies this time, which was considered a great achievement, although they did not go to the front. battlefield, but repelling the attack of tens of thousands of enemy troops on the second-line battlefield can be considered a great achievement that can be boasted about.
Thinking of this, Mu Sheng couldn't help humming a tune. He didn't know how the emperor would reward him for his meritorious service.
The army marched to the afternoon, and everyone finally saw the outline of Mushi City when they set off a few miles away. Seeing this, everyone finally let go of their hanging hearts, and finally retreated to Lingnan territory without any danger.
While everyone was immersed in the fantasy of going home, a group of birds flew up in the woods ahead. They seemed to be frightened. When several scouts were about to approach the woods to investigate, several sharp arrows were shot out from the woods at almost the same time, shooting the scouts off their horses. Next, the scout fell to the ground motionless, seemingly dead.
Mu Sheng's heart sank when he saw this situation, not good! When there was a situation, he looked cold and handsome and immediately ordered: "The entire army will be on the alert."
They were almost at the door of their home, and the enemy had ambushed them. Seeing that the city of Mash was not far away, although the soldiers in the army were a little panicked at this moment, they still showed good military literacy and quickly formed a military formation to deal with the enemy's situation.
Mu Sheng looked around and quickly checked the surrounding environment. Seeing a small hill near the left front, he immediately ordered the entire army to move slowly there, forming an array behind the mountain to reduce the possibility of being attacked by the enemy from all sides. If the situation allowed, You can still survive for a while by forming a formation on the top of the mountain to protect yourself. It is also very difficult for the enemy to attack the mountain from the bottom up.
Just when the Jin army was ready to face the enemy, the enemy army finally emerged from the forest like a colony of ants.
To the northwest and southeast, the Southern Barbarian troops formed a neat square formation, shouting slogans, and marched slowly from the ambush site.
Mu Sheng saw the southern barbarian army all over the mountains and plains slowly approaching them. His heart gradually sank. He roughly estimated that the enemy army had at least 20,000 troops.
Mu Sheng immediately ordered the scouts: "Immediately break out of the encirclement and go to Mushi City to ask for help..."
In response, the scouts mounted their fast horses and went to the nearby city of Ji to ask for help.
It was indeed beyond everyone's expectation that the Nanman enemy troops were operating so blatantly within the Lingnan border. The city of Ji was only a few miles away, visible to the naked eye. As long as a big battle broke out here, it would definitely alarm the defenders in the city.
At this time, something even more desperate for the soldiers occurred. A large group of enemy troops also appeared in the southwest. The enemy troops pressed slowly and neatly towards the Jin army's formation. Now the enemy had as many as 40,000 troops.
At this time, Army Marquis Yan Kun turned pale and ran to Mu Sheng's side and said, "Captain, it's not advisable to stay here for a long time. Should our army retreat north to break out of the encirclement?"
Mu Sheng shook his head with a wry smile and said: "I'm afraid the enemy army has already planned it. We are already trapped in a tight siege. There should be a large group of enemy troops from the north outflanking us. Looking at the posture, the southern barbarians have been planning for a long time and want to eat me at the door with all their strength. This team."
Before he finished speaking, a large army slowly came out of the north and gradually moved closer to the Jin Army, a small force of several thousand people.
Yan Kun looked at the army of mountain puppets all over the mountains and plains, plus the army that appeared in the north, the total number was 60,000 to 70,000 men.
Yan Kun looked gloomy and said: "Captain... shouldn't be right? This is almost the entire main force of the Nanman Mountain puppets. Doesn't it make sense? Is it necessary to mobilize such a large number of troops just to eat our few people? Is it possible that Old General Lu did that? Has Bian been defeated?"
Mu Sheng carefully observed the enemy's situation, sighed, and said, "I don't know whether the general is defeated or not, but I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to escape today."
Feng Wei said solemnly: "Captain Qi, I don't think they will attack today. From the looks of it, they must have been marching in a hurry to set up an ambush in front of us. We have tried to break out a few times, and we should have a chance to escape." "
After hearing this, Mu Sheng thought it was reasonable, and immediately ordered the entire army to move to the southeast, preparing to make a desperate attempt to break out. The drums and trumpets sounded in the army, and the entire army rushed to the southeast.
The enemy troops in the southeast were obviously aware of the Jin army's intentions. The sword and shield soldiers in the front row raised their wooden shields to resist the enemy.
After half a stick of incense, the Jin army and the enemy charged together. Mu Sheng took the lead and drew his sword and rushed towards the enemy formation. At this moment, the whole army understood that it was time to fight to the death. If they could not rush out, only the whole army was waiting for them. The end of the army was annihilated.
For a time, the two armies could not stop shouting for kill. In an hour of bloody battle, the Jin soldiers cut down enemy soldiers one after another. It seemed that there were endless enemies and they could not be killed all.
Seeing this situation, Mu Sheng recalled the scene when he and Lao Chen and the others fought against the Holy Tree and killed the lizard monster. It was so despairing and endless. Their number was too small.
In order to boost morale, Mu Sheng personally led his soldiers to charge into the formation. After another half an hour, Mu Sheng was covered in blood and his sword hand was trembling. He looked back and glanced at his own soldiers, all of whom looked exhausted. They were just trying their best to hold on. The Southern Barbarian army was large in number, and the enemy general clearly knew how to use troops. The enemy army divided the army into five groups and took turns to fight against the Jin army. The Jin army was small and could only go all out. The Southern Barbarians, on the other hand, fought more and more vigorously. He felt that the fighting will of this group of Shannan barbarians was not inferior to that of the Jin army, and that they were much more difficult to deal with than the former Southern barbarians.
Mu Sheng glanced at the endless enemies, waved his hand helplessly and ordered: "Retreat, form a formation to protect yourself."
He knew that if the fight continued like this, even if he succeeded in breaking through, he would not be able to run a few steps. It was estimated that his troops would be completely wiped out before they even reached the gate of Mushi City.
After the Nanman Mountain Puppet Army saw the Jin army retreating, the Mountain Puppet Army had no intention of catching up and fighting. Seeing this, Mu Sheng knew that the Mountain Puppet Army was at the end of its efforts, but there were too many of them, and it was difficult for him to break through with his own strength. .
The Jin army was desperately trying to break out of the encirclement, and the Shan Puppet was desperately trying to intercept the Jin army regardless of the cost. Both sides were determined to fight to the death, and now they were at a standstill. The enemy was outnumbered, and Mu Sheng had no choice but to withdraw his troops and return to the camp to wait. rescue.
In the evening, Mu Sheng saw that the enemy army still did not come to attack the formation. He knew in his heart that the enemy army was also recovering its strength. He saw that the soldiers' physical strength was almost restored.
Mu Sheng ordered: "All generals must obey the order and go to the mountains to form strongholds to protect themselves."
The Jin army immediately took action. Under the cover of night, the soldiers first transported the wounded to the top of the mountain, and then slowly transported the food trucks up the mountain. They surrounded their camp with the carts, and a temporary camp was formed.
Mu Sheng observed the situation around the hill and found that he was lucky. There was a small stream flowing under the hill.
Mu Sheng hurriedly ordered his soldiers to go to the foot of the mountain and take turns to fetch water, and fill up all the drinking utensils they brought with them in case the enemy army ran out of water tomorrow, and be prepared to hold on for a long time. Fortunately, they were escorting the army to transport heavy supplies of food and various utensils. It was still very complete, with many empty wooden barrels. The soldiers filled them with water. It was already midnight when all the arrangements were made.
Mu Sheng was a little worried and walked around a few more times to check the camp before going to have a rest. Tomorrow might be another fierce battle, so resting well and conserving your strength was the key.
