After listening to the report from his subordinates, Xie Cang's heart sank to the bottom of his heart. It was difficult for him to accept this fact.
After saying hello, he led the Splitting Mountain Army into the second county city. The city was in a mess and empty.
Only a few people were left in the city. Through inquiries, they learned that the pirates who were stationed in the second county had disappeared without a trace overnight two or three days ago when night fell.
This news made Xie Cang feel quite uneasy. He was very worried about Su Qi'an's safety, fearing that these pirates would discover Su Qi'an's intentions.
But then I thought about it, these pirates shouldn't be that smart. Only Xie Cang in Yuezhou knew about Su Qi'an's tactical arrangements and his whereabouts, and no one else knew about it.
Even if these pirates were extremely smart, they would not be able to see through Su Qi'an's plan, but for the sake of caution, Xie Cang immediately sent a letter to inform them of what happened in the second county.
It was about a quarter of an hour before Xie Cang was about to take over the second county and start his next plan.
In the distance, there was the sound of horse hooves, and a large number of soldiers galloped over, stirring up dust all over the sky.
Xie Cang looked up and saw that this group of people were Su Kang's men. The soldiers dispersed and a carriage came slowly.
Su Kang got off the carriage and sat in a wheelchair. When he saw Xie Cang appear, his face was surprised and a little surprised, and he smiled.
"Haha, they are indeed the famous Split Mountain Army in Nanzhou. Their marching speed is so fast that it puts me to shame."
"Presumably the pirates in the second county have been wiped out by Xiehou. I wonder if Xiehou has captured any prisoners."
Xie Cang had a sullen face and whispered, "I'm sorry, Your Highness the King of Yue. When I arrived at the second county town, there was no trace of pirates. It was an empty city."
"Empty city?" Su Kang frowned slightly, seeming to realize something.
Xie Cang did not hesitate and told everything that happened here. After hearing the explanation, Su Kang's eyes flashed and he said softly, "It seems that these pirates are unusual. I didn't expect that they also have back-ups."
"I think we won't know what these pirates are planning until we go to the first county."
"Is there a reply from Xiang Yan?" Su Kang thought of something, turned his head and asked Liu Chuang.
"Back to Your Highness, Mr. Xiang said everything is normal and they are on their way to the fourth county."
"The fourth county? Why is the march so slow? Send a message to Xiang Yan and ask them to go to the third county as quickly as possible, and inform them of what is happening here so that they can be vigilant."
After arranging the order, Su Kang turned around, looked at Xie Cang seriously, and asked softly, "Xie Hou, I want to ask you a question here, where are Su Hou and others, and what are their plans?"
Su Kang's question was not unexpected by Xie Cang. As the commander-in-chief of Yuezhou, Su Qi'an was not allowed to be known to outsiders, but as a high-ranking official in Yuezhou, he should be aware of his whereabouts.
But as the final battle in Yuezhou began, it was originally thought that Su Qi'an would go with Xie Cang's Mountain Splitting Army, but at worst he would stay in Shuixiang City and take command.
But until now, the personnel in their headquarters had no idea about Su Qi'an's whereabouts, which was indeed a bit unreasonable.
Xie Cang was silent for a while, then cupped his hands to Su Kang and said, "Sorry, Your Highness, King of Yue, I really can't tell anyone about Brother Su's whereabouts. All this is for the victory of the Yuezhou War."
"Brother Su has already explained that once the war in Yuezhou is over, we will naturally inform everyone one by one. No contact or notification is the greatest guarantee for Brother Su's safety. I hope His Highness the King of Yue can forgive me."
Hearing what Xie Cang said, Su Kang was very curious, but he couldn't say anything. He nodded and said, "Okay, in this case, I won't say anything more."
"Xie Hou, since the second county town is empty, we will leave some of our troops to maintain public security, and the rest will immediately go to the first county town. Without further delay, we will set off immediately."
Xie Cang nodded, said hello, left two thousand Yuezhou soldiers, and the rest of the army set off immediately.
At this time, Xiang Yan, who was advancing at a constant speed, was staggering towards the fourth county city.
Not long after, a messenger from the front came on horseback, facing the horse
Xiang Yan in the car saluted and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, there is a letter from His Highness the King of Yue, informing us that they have arrived at the second county city. They did not encounter pirates. It is an empty city. Let us be careful to avoid being attacked. .”
"And ordered us to speed up and head to the third county seat as quickly as possible."
The messenger's words made Xiang Yan open his eyes. He didn't say anything, but his expression was displeased.
He didn't think anything of Su Kang's reminder. What displeased him was the second half of the command.
They are obviously going to the fourth county, so now let them speed up, bypass the fourth county, and go to the third county.
All of a sudden, time is running out, and he is the commander of the division of troops on this road. When will it be Su Kang's turn to dictate here.
This made Xiang Yan quite dissatisfied. He was silent for a while and said to the messenger outside the carriage.
"Give me the order to speed up the army and head to the fourth county."
"The fourth county? My lord, where is His Royal Highness the King of Yue..." The messenger was startled. He thought he had heard wrong and asked tentatively.
It was this test that made Xiang Yan's eyes turn cold, he snorted coldly, and scolded, "Why do you want me to say it a second time?"
The messenger's back felt cold, he reacted quickly, said yes again and again, then turned his horse's head and galloped away.
Xiang Yan looked far away, watching the troops in action. Although the King of Yue's order made him unhappy, out of caution, Xiang Yan planned to speed up the advance. As long as they entered the fourth county, Xiang Yan would be confident even if they encountered an ambush. .
As for Su Kangti's third or fourth county, it's not Su Kang's turn to point fingers.
Xiang Yan is not unaware that the third county seat, close to the first county seat, is the front line of the war.
Once a conflict breaks out, the third county will definitely be affected. For its own safety and to consume Su Kang's troops, it is safe to go to the fourth county and sit firmly on Diaoyutai.
According to the changes in the war, you can gain victory by advancing, and you can escape from the edge of war and protect yourself by retreating.
This is the purpose of Xiang Yan's march this time, to minimize casualties and achieve maximum results.
Just as Xiang Yan's army accelerated towards the fourth county, suddenly, the vanguard army in front was ambushed by pirates.
When the news came, Xiang Yan did not panic and ordered the pirates who appeared to be eliminated.
The number of pirates who appeared was not many. Just like last time, there were only a thousand pirates, and this time they were blocking their march.
For their own safety, the best strategy was to eat the pirates who appeared in one go and approach the fourth county city at a constant speed.
The vanguard troops who received the order could not conceal their excitement. They could finally fight.
Just when the two sides' swordsmen met and the battle was fierce, suddenly, countless Henan arrows were shot out from both sides of the army.
Moreover, in the woods on both sides, the sound of killing was loud, and immediately after, countless pirates rushed out with big swords in their hands and fearless of death.
The advancing Yuezhou soldiers were no strangers either. The two sides fought quickly, and the sudden battle made Xiang Yan, who was in charge of the central army, look ugly.
A bad premonition suddenly rose in his heart, and he felt that these pirates were targeting him.
And looking at the number of pirates, there are only a few thousand, but a rough estimate is at least tens of thousands.
Less than ten miles away from the Fourth County, they were ambushed and attacked by the main force of pirates.
At this moment, Xiang Yan couldn't care less about the fierce battle with the pirates, and quickly ordered the front and rear troops to quickly move closer to the central army, not to get entangled with the pirates, and to run as fast as possible to the fourth county.
At the same time, he sent a letter to Su Kang and others, asking for urgent help.
Who would have known that this group of pirates, instead of attacking Su Kang's detachment, would be waiting for them on the road to the fourth county.
If this fight continues, in such an unobstructed and defenseless area, even if they can break through the encirclement, they may suffer heavy casualties.
Therefore, the best policy is not to get entangled and to break through quickly.
Xiang Yan was ambushed by the main force of pirates on his side. He was trying his best to resist the entanglement and stormed towards the fourth county city.
When surrounded.
Xie Cang, who met up with Su Kang, hurriedly and slowly arrived at the first county seat.
The situation of the first county city is exactly the same as that of the second county city. There is no trace of pirates in the city, and it is an empty city.
Seeing this scene, both Xie Cang and Su Kang had ugly expressions on their faces, both of them hiding their own thoughts.
Just as their troops were taking over the first county, Su Kang and Xie Cang received news from Xiang Yan and Su Qi'an.
The good news is that Su Qian's side was not attacked by pirates and the plan continued. This made Xie Cang finally feel relieved.
If Su Qi'an's plan was discovered, the war in Yuezhou would be in vain. Fortunately, Su Qi'an's side was not affected, which made Xie Cang relax.
Xie Cang's gloomy face finally relaxed, but Su Kang's gloomy face did not ease at all when he saw Xiang Yan's request for help.
He didn't say anything and gave Xiang Yan's letter for help to Xie Cang. Xie Cang glanced up and down.
With a calm expression on his face, he said softly, "I didn't expect this group of pirates to be so smart. They abandoned the two counties they were defending, united their forces, and attacked the weakest route with all their strength."
"Once Xiang Yan's route is breached, Yuezhou City will be in danger. These pirates are really good at it."
"Yes, even I didn't expect that these pirates would be so bold. Xiehou, without further ado, let's set off as soon as possible."
Xie Cang also knew the urgency of the situation, nodded and said, "Well, I hope Xiang Yan can hold on until we arrive."
Xie Cang and Su Kang did not stay long in the first county. They quickly gathered their troops and headed straight for the fourth county with 25,000 men.
Xiang Yan, who was surrounded by pirates at this time, could be said to be in a hurry and his face was ashen.
Although they broke through all the way, this group of pirates were like crazy dogs, refusing to retreat. It seemed that they wanted to keep all of Xiang Yan's 20,000-strong army.
