The cold moon is like a hook and pale as snow.
Ning Jun, who had been running around for three days, finally stopped. When he was about to reach the border and was about to go home, he stopped.
After three consecutive days of running and several life-and-death battles, my spirit continued to be tense without even a moment of rest.
Under such a high-intensity load, even an Iron Man would not be able to bear it.
Everyone has reached their physical and mental limits and can no longer be squeezed.
After realizing this, Bai Yi'an did not force him. After the army entered Yongxing County, he ordered:
The army rested for the night, and all the food was taken out, allowing the soldiers to have a good meal, sleep peacefully, restore their mental and physical strength, and wait for the last battle of the day to return home.
So tonight, after setting up camp and having a hearty dinner, the Ning Army soldiers quickly fell asleep and enjoyed the rare peace.
Only those who were assigned the night duty had to endure their sleepiness and exhaustion, and guarded the Chu army outside the camp for possible sneak attacks.
Now the Chu army has been following and pursuing them nearby, and from time to time they will launch a small-scale attack. It is really annoying and must be more prepared.
Therefore, even though they were very tired, the officers and soldiers on duty knew the importance, and the superior officer also promised compensation, so they kept their spirits up and did not complain.
However, it was not just the soldiers on duty who stayed awake tonight. In the core of the camp, the interim commander of the Ning Army, Bai Yi'an, the Marquis of Wu'an, was still lighting fires and holding candles, staying up late at night.
"Ahem..."
Bai Yi'an coughed a few times, and the burning pain in his lungs eased a little. He covered his mouth with his hand, then looked at the person in front of him, and said secretly: "Has it been confirmed that Ruichang City has been occupied by the Chu people?"
Opposite is a young general who looks somewhat similar to Bai Yi'an. This man is Bai Jingluo, the son of Bai Yi'an's eldest brother.
Hearing the inquiry at this time, Bai Jingluo nodded and said: "Second uncle, my nephew personally investigated and saw with his own eyes that the Chu army flag had been hung up on Ruichang City, and the city was full of Chu soldiers.
After that, I led some people to find some county soldiers who had escaped from the city. After questioning them in detail, I found out that the Chu army suddenly attacked at dusk yesterday and captured the city, just one day earlier than us. "
"One day..."
When Bai Yi'an heard this, he smiled bitterly and said: "The Chu people are really pressing forward step by step. They have planned everything and won't give us any way to survive."
In the past few days, during his escape, Bai Yi'an had been recalling in his mind, reviewing the past, and thinking about why Ning Guo was like this and why Ning Jun was in this situation.
After some review, he suddenly realized that all of this had actually been foreshadowed a long time ago.
At the beginning, the Chu army chose a completely different strategy from the Ning army. They ignored Jiangxia and focused on the north and south, and dispersed the main force to other remote battlefields. However, Ning Jun failed to seize this critical opportunity, concentrate his strength, and defeat the main force of Chu Army in Jiangxia in one fell swoop.
The victory or defeat on the battlefield has actually been foreshadowed.
Ning Jun's subsequent wrong decisions were just accelerating forward step by step based on this wrong future, and finally reached the current situation.
It was precisely because of this that Bai Yi'an knew better than anyone else how dangerous the situation of Ning Jun, whom he commanded, was now.
A life of narrow escape, always think of the best.
Ten deaths and no life is normal.
The city of Ruichang in front of us was occupied by the Chu army, and the army's return to the country was once again interrupted, which illustrates this point.
The promises he made in front of the soldiers of the three armies to "live" and "go home" were really just promises.
"Second uncle, now the Chu army has occupied the city of Ruichang. According to the information I have learned, there are no less than 50,000 Chu troops in the city, and their strength is comparable to our army.
Now that the road back home is cut off, what should we do? "
Bai Jingluo was worried, and finally couldn't help but test out: "How about we take a detour? The road to Ruichang in the north is impassable, but there are still many roads to the south, and the Chu people can't take them all. Make more detours There is always a way out."
In the past few days, Bai Jingluo has been following the orders of his second uncle, leading the elite scouts in the army to spy nearby and collect information for the army.
Therefore, besides Bai Yi'an, he is the one who knows the most about the surrounding situation.
Therefore, Bai Jingluo knew that if the army continued to move towards Ruichang City, it would definitely be a dead end and there would be no escape.
Only by escaping in other directions can there be a chance of survival.
"Can't leave."
Bai Yi'an heard his nephew's suggestion and shook his head: "The Chu army has worked hard to push us to this point, and now it is about to close the net, how can it watch us escape from the trap.
There was not only the Chu army in Ruichang nearby.
These days, the Chu army has been chasing us, although they are only watching from a distance of ten miles away, and they have not made any big moves.
However, this Chu army was the combined force of the Chu armies from Jiangxia City and Luokoudu. King Lu Yuan of Chu had already pursued them, and the pursuers in the rear included two innate troops and eighty or ninety thousand troops.
With this group of people here, it would be absolutely impossible for us to turn around and escape southward.
The Chu people will never let us go.
At this time, continue to follow their wishes and move towards Ruichang City, and still get some breathing time.
Change the route and flee south. Maybe just after revealing this intention, Lu Yuan will lead his troops to kill him. "
Bai Yi'an's tone was bitter, and he no longer had any hope of escaping.
"Then what should we do? Are we just like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, waiting to die step by step?" Bai Jingluo's heart was full of despair.
"of course not."
Bai Yi'an put away his grief, his expression became resolute, and he looked at Bai Jingluo with sharp eyes: "The Chu people want me to be like a wild animal, falling into the trap they have set, waiting for them to hunt.
But although the beast is stupid, it still has the courage to fight to the death.
The counterattack and struggle before death can also bring a heavy price to the hunter.
I have decided to continue leading the army to Ruichang tomorrow, and then fight to the death with the Chu army there.
Aren’t the people from Chu trying to stop me from returning to my country?
The general had shown him the anger that could be aroused by destroying a man's hope of returning home and blocking an army's way home.
My entire army of 50,000 soldiers is here. I want to see how much the Chu people are prepared to pay if they want to eat it. "
By the end of Bai Yi'an's words, his tone was dull and without any emotion.
Soldiers are fierce.
There are always deaths in war, whether you die or I die.
Now that Ning Guo is defeated, their Ning army will die as a price.
But how to die, and whether the death is valuable, is the art of war.
Since it is destined that the only 50,000 troops left from Ning Guo's Eastern Expedition cannot be brought back, the only thing left to consider is how to maximize the value of these 50,000 troops who have been trapped in despair.
Bai Yi'an has already made up his mind about this.
"Second uncle!"
Bai Jingluo heard Bai Yi'an's intention to seek death, and immediately said anxiously: "Fifty thousand soldiers are too many to evacuate, but we have martial arts, the sky is high, but there are dozens or hundreds of people who want to leave. Why is it difficult?
Now our army is defeated and the country is in danger, only in a matter of seconds.
At this critical moment, we must be more useful to protect our country and our country in the future, resist the Chu people, and protect our country! "
Bai Jingluo begged.
He lost his father when he was young, and it was Bai Yi'an who raised him with his own hands and treated him like a son.
Therefore, Bai Jingluo also treated his second uncle as his own biological father, respecting and filial piety.
At this time, when I saw that my second uncle, who was like his father, wanted to seek death, he naturally felt extremely sad.
"Jing Luo..."
After listening to his nephew's words, Bai Yi'an spoke more seriously and said seriously: "Listen, our Bai family has inherited the position of Marquis of Wu'an for generations. Our ancestors have produced many famous generals. We have always been known as the half-preneur of Jiangdong and the clan that protects the country. .
Now I am leading the troops to fight against the Chu thieves. Not only am I defeated, I cannot even withdraw safely to the country.
The previous promises made to the soldiers also turned out to be false.
It is the common law of heaven and earth to kill a defeated army and kill a general, and lose a commander and a commander.
I have already betrayed the country and the soldiers, how can I betray my family and myself again?
As a general, I have no face and can only survive in this world.
Let me, let Marquis Wu'an of the Bai family, pay the final tribute to this country's defeat.
Let those Chu people know that I, a man from Jiangdong, am also a brave enough to fight, and I am not someone to be bullied. "
Bai Yi'an is not afraid of death.
Everyone is mortal and no one can escape it.
But death can be as light as a feather, or as heavy as a mountain.
He died for the country, for the soldiers of the three armies, for his family, and for himself. It can be said that he died a worthy death.
Death like this is as vigorous as Mount Tai. Even if you lose your life on the battlefield, you will not regret it.
If it spreads, it will be respected by others.
But as a commander, he is afraid of the enemy like a tiger, abandons the army before the battle, and runs for his life alone.
Even if he survived in this way, in Bai Yi'an's view, it was no different from death, or even worse than death.
Because by doing this, he not only gave up his own reputation, but also the name of Marquis Wu'an, a family legend for generations, and also abandoned the last trace of dignity of Ningguo.
He doesn't want to do this.
I would rather die to preserve these.
Moreover, Ning Guo was defeated so miserably now.
The Chu army entered Yuzhang. Although there was no definite news about the battle situation in Lingnan, it was thought that they were defeated.
Since there is a problem in Yuzhang, the retreat has also been lost. The two groups of 100,000 Ning troops in Hengyang and Luyang are expected to end up not much better than his side.
As for Changsha's 100,000 soldiers and horses, they are even more incomparable.
Almost in an instant, the five armies and horses of Ning Guo's eastward and southward expeditions had been wiped out and defeated miserably.
As for Yang Jing in the north of the Yangtze River, there are a large number of naval forces taking care of them, and they may be able to evacuate smoothly and escape back to the country.
However, during this Eastern Expedition, Ning Guo had basically exhausted all its national strength. All six armies were defeated, and a large number of them were completely wiped out.
The number of lost troops may have been half a million.
With so many elite soldiers and horses lost, how could Ning Guo be defended with only 200,000 people in the country, and at most 100,000 remaining soldiers who had escaped?
Yes, Ningguo has indeed recruited many new soldiers now.
But these new soldiers have only been in the camp for less than a month, and they are no different from civilians.
If you don't have a year or two to train, what's the use?
Under this situation, Bai Yi'an had to consider the future of Ning Guo and the future of their Linhai family.
After thinking about it, the last solution he came up with was to make a temporary counterattack when he was defeated, to kill as many Chu soldiers and horses as possible and damage its strength.
After such heavy casualties, the Chu army also experienced successive battles. The divisions and veterans were exhausted, and it was not that easy to attack Ning State.
In the end, they may be tired from the long battle and postpone the attack on Ningguo.
In this way, we should be able to gain a year and a half of breathing time.
After a year and a half, the junior high school recruits new recruits and should be able to regain a lot of strength.
When the time comes to deal with the Chu State, they won't have the slightest ability to fight back.
As for whether this restored strength can stop the Chu army.
Can Ning Guo maintain its status under Chu's offensive and avoid being destroyed?
These are not things Bai Yi'an should think about.
By then, he had already died, and his bones might have rotted and turned into white bones.
He has done everything he can, and the future of Ningguo and the Linhai Family can only rely on the efforts of future generations.
Bai Yi'an is not a god, he can't calculate everything, and he can't do everything.
Being able to do this now is his limit.
Can't ask for more.
"But...but..."
After hearing Bai Yi'an's thoughts, Bai Jingluo opened his mouth, and finally closed his eyes in pain.
He knew that his second uncle had made up his mind to die for his country, and he could not persuade him no matter what.
Moreover, as a descendant of the Bai family, Bai Jingluo has also been proud of the title of Marquis of Wu'an since childhood, so it is understandable for Bai Yi'an's belief in maintaining the name of Marquis of Wu'an and maintaining his own dignity.
It was precisely because they had the same ideas and thoughts that he couldn't say anything to persuade him at this time.
Because asking a person with faith and honor to give up his lifelong persistence is more uncomfortable than killing the other person.
On the other hand, Bai Yi'an, seeing his nephew who he treated like his own son, took two steps forward, with a smile on his face, patted Bai Jingluo's shoulders with both hands, and comforted him: "Someone needs to be responsible for this war.
Ningguo is in danger, and someone needs to stand up and die.
Your second uncle, I have no way of turning back.
Ning Guo is kind to me, and I, Bai Yi'an, have become a congenital person. It is all thanks to your majesty's training that I am what I am today.
The kindness of knowledge and encounter cannot be ignored.
My grandfather, your great-grandfather, the previous Marquis of Wu'an, Bai Mengyang, was rich and well-off, and was greatly favored by the Xiao family.
Therefore, my grandfather spent his whole life fighting for the Great Vietnam and fighting in the North. He eliminated troubles at home and resisted powerful enemies abroad. Until his death, he was a minister of Vietnam and never betrayed his master.
Today I sacrifice my life to serve the country and repay His Majesty's kindness. I am following the example of my ancestors and have no regrets in my heart. "
Having said this, Bai Yi settled down for a moment, then stared at Bai Jingluo, and said in a softer but more serious tone: "I received the kindness of the Shen family to become an innate, so I have to die in return.
But you, Jing Luo, are different.
What you are today is all due to the strength of my Bai family. It is the family that recommended you to your current position, and it has nothing to do with Ning Guo.
You don’t have to imitate me and die to the Shen family who has no kindness towards you.
After my death, the friendship between the Bai family and the Shen family has been severed. Although they both belong to the sixth surname and the seventh clan, their friendship is still deep, but there is no longer any sense of who owes the other.
Therefore, from now on, you and the Bai family don't have to stick to Ningguo or the Shen family.
But you can start from your own interests, the interests of the Bai family, and the interests of the six surnames and seven clans, and choose your future path and the people you want to be loyal to.
Although I want to turn the tide, Ningguo's situation has reached this point.
No one can say whether we can survive the crisis safely in the future and whether the country can be preserved.
If there is disharmony in the real situation, when the mountains and rivers are broken, and the family and country are in danger, you will have to take responsibility, lead the Bai family, and lead the six surnames and seven clans to get out of the difficulties together and preserve the incense of the ancestral temple.
At that time, you, who are not burdened by any past favors, will have to stand up and take charge of the overall situation for these responsibilities.
Remember, living is the most important thing.
As long as the family can be preserved, even if it means enduring the humiliation, it's not a bad idea.
We only have a feud with the state of Chu, not a selfless one.
He died on the battlefield and died fighting for hegemony. It was only because of his low ability that he could not blame anyone.
One day, when you have to face the west and surrender, you must not harbor resentment, forget your righteousness because of petty sentiments, or ruin the future of the whole family for your own selfishness.
We need to be like me, like our ancestors, and finish things once and for all to repay the righteousness of the king and the kindness of the country.
Understand? "
Bai Yi'an's words were like knives, piercing Bai Jingluo's heart fiercely.
At the end, it was like thunder, shaking him to the point of confusion.
Just listening to his second uncle's words, feeling the other party's ardent hope, and the heavy responsibility for the Bai family, Bai Jingluo could not refuse at all, but just said blankly: "Listen, I understand."
When Bai Yi'an heard this, a trace of relief appeared on his face, but he quickly put away his smile and his expression became dull and serious again: "Now that it's clear, let's retreat over there. Remember, I will gather my subordinates later and go to Wuning. The army probed the enemy's situation.
This is a military order. "
Bai Yi'an emphasized one last time.
Wuning, just south of Yongxing, is also on the border of Ning State. It is also one of the several places in the south that may have a way out as Bai Jingluo just said.
At this time, Bai Yi'an had decided that the army's route would remain unchanged and continue to Ruichang, but he still asked Bai Jingluo to explore in this direction. It is self-evident for his purpose.
Bai Jingluo also knew this, but after the heart-to-heart talk between uncle and nephew just now, he already understood his important responsibility.
So I didn’t have any childlike tantrums or say “I won’t leave” or anything like that.
He just nodded heavily, knelt down, kowtowed three times to Bai Yi'an, then stood up, took the token, and replied: "I will obey the order."
After that, he turned and left.
Similar scenes were being staged in the tents in various core areas within the Ningjun camp.
When Bai Yi'an summoned Bai Jingluo, at the same time, many Ningguo senior officials who were deeply favored by the Shen family called their own children to give instructions.
The Ningguo spies led by Bai Jingluo were all elite and highly skilled in martial arts.
How could someone with great martial arts skills have no background?
When he first formed his scout team, he had carefully considered and carefully selected them.
The reason is that if we are really in a desperate situation like now, we can still have one more way out and preserve some incense.
At this time it is just a matter of execution.
After sending Bai Jingluo away, Bai Yian was silent in the tent for a long time, and then he didn't stay here for long. Instead, he went out and headed directly towards the gorgeous tent in the center.
"His Majesty."
After the report, Bai Yi'an met Shen Qiu.
"Have you made arrangements for your escape?"
Shen Qiu seemed to have known for a long time that Bai Yi'an would come, so he asked calmly after he came in.
"It has been arranged that Jing Luo and some other Linhai disciples will evacuate from the south to Wuning."
Bai Yi'an replied calmly, then saluted Shen Qiu and said: "Tomorrow I will lead the army to Ruichang and fight to the death with the Chu army. Your Majesty has a body of thousands of gold and has a heavy burden on the Ning Kingdom. You must not stay here to risk it."
I have already arranged for the top soldiers in the army, and I would also like to ask Your Majesty to take advantage of the Chu army's encirclement tonight to head from the Fushui River to the mouth of the Yangtze River.
At the intersection of the two rivers, the navy has arranged ships to pick up the ships, which are enough to take hundreds of people away, allowing His Majesty to retreat safely. "
There is a Fushui River in Yongxing. Along the Fushui River to the north, it can directly enter the Yangtze River.
At the intersection of the two rivers, there is a small ferry where people can board a boat and leave.
However, this ferry is too small and can only accommodate a hundred people at a time.
For safety reasons, Shen Qiu could only take away two to three hundred people at most, and it would be difficult to take away the entire army, otherwise this would definitely be a good retreat.
"I know, let's go now."
Shen Qiu nodded, without acting like a child. He was already ready. He immediately stood up, took the guards who had gathered outside the camp, and was about to leave.
But when he reached the entrance of the tent, he paused, looked back at his minister, and sighed: "Marquis Wu'an, take care of me!"
After saying that, he seemed to find the words boring, shook his head, and left with a wry smile.
In the dark night, the moonlight is like water.
In the Ning Army camp, while all the soldiers were sleeping, two teams, one from the south and one from the north, with more than a hundred people each, passed through the already opened camp gate without disturbing anyone.
Quietly, he left the camp.
Bai Yi'an stood on the sentry tower, watching this scene silently with his confidants who were transferred to watch the night, with calm eyes.
