"Where did the pursuers come from?!"
"Where did the pursuers come from? Of course they are the Jiangdong thieves in Shouchun City."
That general said matter-of-factly.
After hearing this, Liu Tun shook his head and said.
"For these thieves from the east of the Yangtze River, the general's reputation is not something they dare to offend easily. Now they are sending a large number of rangers to show their flags on the other side in order to increase their momentum. If they learn that the general is leading These Jiangdong powerful men must be too happy to hear the news of our army’s retreat, because they have preserved their own strength without having to fight our army, so how could they think of pursuing our army?!”
After listening to Liu Tun's words, everyone, including Wang Mi, nodded frequently. Liu Tun was originally a minister of the Jin Dynasty. He had already dismissed the powerful people in Jiangdong area, and he could be said to be an authoritative person who "knows Wu".
I only heard Liu Tun continue to speak.
"If the general is still worried about being followed and pursued by Jiangdong soldiers and horses, he can first order the sick and weak soldiers to return from the northwest road with their luggage, and then the general can personally lead the army towards Shouchun City. Those Jiangdong soldiers and horses can Upon seeing this, they will definitely gather in Shouchun City to defend themselves. When the sick and weak soldiers carrying the baggage have gone far, the general will then lead the army to retreat slowly. The Jiangdong soldiers and horses in Shouchun City will definitely not dare to pursue!"
After hearing Liu Tun's words, Wang Mi immediately felt a surge of appreciation in his heart.
Wang Mi shook up his clothes and stroked his beard, and said loudly.
"The words of long history are indeed a great kindness!"
Then, Wang Mi stood up and said loudly to the generals in the tent.
"Generals, listen to the order! All armies immediately gear up and select the sick and weak soldiers to prepare for the retreat first!"
At this time, Wang Mi understood that the soldiers in his hands were all from the north and were not used to the rainy weather in Huainan. If they delayed any longer, they might all get sick and die.
Therefore, Wang Mi decided to withdraw his troops and take advantage of southern Yuzhou, and then think carefully about his future plans.
The next day, Wang Mi arranged for his younger brother Wang Zhang to be the commander-in-chief and led the sick and weak soldiers of each army, carrying their baggage, to retreat northwest to Yuzhou.
Then, Wang Mi sent another general to lead 2,000 soldiers and horses to the east across the Song River, as the front army, to act as if they were about to attack Shouchun City in a large scale.
Wang Mi himself led the main force to fall far behind, preparing to wait until Wang Zhang led the retreating troops and horses to go far before slowly advancing eastward.
What Ling Wang Mi never expected was that just when he was about to lead the main force of the army to cross the Songhe River eastward, the two thousand soldiers and horses he had just sent out retreated like lost dogs.
Wang Mi was shocked, thinking that the troops from Jiangdong in Shouchun City were attacking, and immediately ordered the entire army to prepare for battle.
"How is this going!?"
Wang Mi shouted and asked a defeated soldier who was returning.
The defeated soldier gasped for air and said in shock.
"General, we marched to a river not far ahead, which was full of grain-carrying ships belonging to Jiangdong thieves. Those Jiangdong thieves who were unloading grain saw us suddenly appear, and they all dropped the grain and ran away..."
When Wang Mi heard this, he already roughly understood what was going to happen next, and he said fiercely.
"Then you all rushed up to grab the food, right?"
The young officer who fled back immediately lowered his head and said dejectedly.
"Yes, General, not long after the brothers dispersed, Jiangdong soldiers and horses came to kill us. We were all defeated before we had time."
After hearing these words, Wang Mi became less angry.
"General, now that these Jiangdong thieves in Shouchun City have taken the initiative to pursue them, we can rely on this Song River to defend them. If they dare to attack, General can attack them while they are halfway across the river. Maybe Shouchun City can also A fight to the death.”
Chief Shi Liu Tun immediately advised him from the side.
Liu Tun's words were exactly in line with what Wang Mi was thinking. He nodded and said.
"Yes, what Chang Shi said is very consistent with my opinion!"
As more and more defeated troops fled back, Wang Mi's military formation was also completed.
After the general who led the army also fled back in embarrassment, Wang Mi immediately ordered that the unlucky general be beheaded in public to punish him for defeating the army.
As soon as the general's head was hung on the gun barrel for public display, a large group of pursuers and flags appeared on the other side of the Song River.
"General, the flag of the Jiangdong thieves!" A general pointed to the opposite side and said loudly.
"Promise General Ji! It seems that this is the flag of Jiangdong Ji Zhan!" Wang Mi looked at the flag on the other side, with some expectation in his heart. If Ji Zhan, a famous Jiangdong scholar, takes advantage of the situation, he can defeat them. .
However, with more and more Jiangdong soldiers and horses on the opposite side, the situation did not develop as Wang Mi wanted.
In this way, the two armies faced each other across the Song River and watched for a long time. Neither side had any intention of taking the initiative to attack.
"General, look, the Jiangdong bandits' troops seem to be retreating!"
After most of a day, Chang Shi Liu Tun pointed to the other side of the river and said.
Wang Mi had also seen the soldiers and horses retreating from Jiangdong, and the big general flag with the word "Ji" slowly retreated towards the east.
"General, the thieves are too timid to retreat. Why not send troops to pursue them immediately? As long as we can catch up, we can definitely kill them without leaving a single piece of armor behind!"
After seeing the Jiangdong soldiers and horses retreating on the other side, one of the generals immediately became more courageous and shouted that he would send troops to pursue them.
Several other generals also clamored to send troops to pursue him.
"General, these Jiangdong thieves have just killed hundreds of our soldiers. We cannot let them escape so easily."
"Yes, General, these Jiangdong thieves are all raccoon slaves. As long as we catch up, we will definitely kill them without leaving a trace!"
Later, everyone felt that these Jiangdong soldiers and horses were very easy to deal with.
Since Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty sent an army to destroy Sun Wu, the scholars and people in the north, after decades of education in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, felt that the people in the Wuyue land east of the Yangtze River were all raccoon slaves and savages.
It is for this reason that these generals of Wang Mi now dare to look down upon these Jiangdong soldiers and horses.
However, after carefully observing the Jiangdong Jin troops on the other side, Wang Mi knew that these Jiangdong Jin troops should not be underestimated.
Wang Mi angrily scolded the generals who were shouting.
"Stop making any noise!"
"Haven't you seen that although these Jiangdong thieves are retreating, they don't care at all. The flags and queues are returning alternately, always preparing to form an array to attack."
"Moreover, Ji Zhan's general's flag has always maintained its position in the middle of the army without wavering. If we pursue it, we will definitely not be able to win quickly. If it takes too long and Jiangdong soldiers and horses in Shouchun City come to help, our army will It’s going to be dangerous.”
After hearing Wang Mi's scolding, everyone looked ashamed and bowed their heads in silence.
Wang Mi became increasingly dissatisfied with the vulgar behavior of these generals.
"Shou Chun is finally unattainable!"
Finally, Wang Mi sighed softly.
A few days later.
Yuzhou, Liang State, Xiang County.
The tens of thousands of troops led by Wang Mi finally returned from the north of Huainan and arrived at Xiang County.
Although Xiang County is not big, the houses in the city are relatively intact, which can be used by Wang Mi as a temporary garrison.
At this time, it is already warm spring, and it is not as rainy as in Huainan here in Yuzhou. It should be the season when farmers are busy farming, but in the large farmland outside Xiang County, there are no farmers farming at all.
Liu Tun, who was following Wang Mi, silently watched the scene along the way, but felt unbearable in his heart.
"Tens of thousands of people are now garrisoned in Xiang County. Although there is a lot of looted food in the city, there will always be a time when food and drink are exhausted. At that time, even if you want to loot again, you don't know where to go. .”
Liu Tun thought in his mind that except for some hard-core Wubao who were loyal to the Jin Dynasty, there was nothing to plunder in the Sizhou area. As for the Yuzhou and Yanzhou areas, the Qingzhou puppet Han army had already been there. Be prepared, I'm afraid it will become increasingly difficult to deal with.
At this time, Liu Tun had already seen the gate tower of Xiangcheng, and Wang Mi, who was walking in front, was about to enter the city gate.
Liu Tun thought that after returning this time, he must find a way to persuade Wang Mi to find another good way out. Otherwise, if he continues to wander like a bandit, the final outcome will definitely be extremely miserable.
After entering the city, Wang Zhang, who had already heard the news and was waiting, did not come to greet him.
"Where are Wang Zhang's people?" Wang Mi asked as he sent a servant to a Wang Zhang.
"General, an important guest has come to the mansion, and Master Sanlang is receiving him at the mansion!"
"Guest, what kind of guest?" Wang Mi was confused for a while. The refugee soldiers he led attacked everywhere, killing people and setting fires wherever they went. How could any guests come?
"I haven't seen you, but I heard someone say that he seems to be a guest from Qingzhou." The servant said.
"Qingzhou, who is coming from Qingzhou?" Wang Mi was even more confused.
At this time, Liu Tun next to him also heard the conversation between the two. His heart immediately moved and he couldn't help but guess.
"Could it be that the Qingzhou Puppet Han sent people here? What are they here for? They must be sending people to recruit Wang Mi to surrender."
The more Liu Tun thought about it, the more likely he felt that this was possible.
"Now that Liu Ling and Shi Le have been destroyed, Liu Yu has occupied Jizhou, and the Huns will soon occupy Bingzhou and Sizhou. A confrontation situation between the two 'Han Kingdoms' in the east and west will soon take shape. Now Wang Mi has tens of thousands of troops. It is also in the heart of Yuzhou, and everyone knows its importance. If we can surrender to Liu Yu, the Qingzhou Han Kingdom will be able to overwhelm the Xiongnu and Hu Han."
If he could follow Wang Mi and join the Han Kingdom in Qingzhou, Liu Tun would be very willing. In that case, he might have the opportunity to return to his hometown in Donglai.
The children of his clan are all at home in Donglai County. There has been no news for several years now, and he doesn't know what the situation is like at home.
Different from Liu Tun's joyful mood, after Wang Mi learned that it was someone from Qingzhou, he also guessed that it was the envoy sent by Liu Yu, but his mood turned into embarrassment and anger.
"Liu Yu, you dare to send people to surrender to me. You are simply insulting me!"
Wang Mi thought angrily, and then quickly returned to his mansion in Xiangcheng.
As soon as he entered the mansion, Wang Mi went straight to the main hall. When the servants along the way saw Wang Mi's angry and livid face, they all knelt down in fear and did not dare to say anything.
As soon as Wang Mi walked outside the door, he heard the sound of his younger brother Wang Zhang talking and laughing loudly from inside.
"Wang Zhang, where are the thieves sent by Liu Yu!!"
Wang Mi said and rushed in loudly.
As soon as he entered the door, Wang Mi saw Wang Zhang sitting in the upper seat, and a man in gorgeous clothes was accompanying him.
After seeing Wang Mi come in, Wang Zhang stood up immediately, and the man also stood up quickly and saluted Wang Mi respectfully.
"Nephew Wang Li, meet your uncle!"
When Wang Mi heard this, he was stunned for a moment and then said.
"Wang Li? Is it really you?"
The man also raised his head, just enough for Wang Mi to see his face clearly.
This Wang Li is the son of Wang Mi's eldest brother. When Wang Mi, Wang Zhang and others led their troops to flee to the Central Plains, Wang Li stayed at his home in Donglai County. In recent years, there has been no news, and even Wang Mi didn't know whether he was alive or dead.
However, when Wang Mi saw his nephew, he first thought of his purpose.
Wang Mi restrained his joy and said solemnly.
"Li'er, why are you here?"
Before Wang Li opened his mouth to answer, Wang Zhang next to him said.
"Brother, Wang Li came here to give you a big gift. I pressed him again and again, but he refused to tell me and would not tell me until you came back."
Wang Mi didn't speak, just looked at Wang Li.
"Uncle, my nephew's coming here is indeed a big gift for my uncle."
"What kind of gift?" Wang Mi narrowed his eyes and asked calmly.
"Uncle, my nephew brought a letter written by the emperor, uh, Liu Yu. I hope that my uncle can serve the interests of the common people and the children and grandchildren of the clan, abandon the dark side and join the bright side, and return to the rank of Han minister! As long as the uncle can change the flag, Liu Yu is willing to do so. My uncle is the Duke of Donglai County and the shepherd of Yuzhou. He is the commander-in-chief of Hu Zhu’s army! He also has money, grain, cloth, and other assets worth millions each, which he uses to build a government office!"
After Wang Mi heard this, he raised his head and laughed.
"Hahaha, I thought you had made some progress, but it turns out you were just a lackey for Liu Yu!"
"Bah, what about the Duke of Donglai and the Mu of Yuzhou? I am now the Duke and General conferred by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. Why do you need Liu Yu, a rogue gambler on the streets of Yinxian County, to confer me the title!"
Wang Mi's expression changed at every turn, immediately startling his nephew Wang Li next to him.
However, his brother Wang Zhang next to him stepped forward and grabbed Wang Mi, who was getting more and more angry as he spoke.
"Brother, don't get angry. After all, Wang Li is the younger generation of his family. There is no need to be like this!"
"Furthermore, now that we are short of food, grass and baggage, we might as well just promise Liu Yu on the surface first, and then it won't be too late to cheat him out of the food, grass and baggage he promised, and then fall out with him."
