Shortly after Wei Ran withdrew from Daliang, he was discovered by the patrolling Zhao army.
It has to be said that Bai Qi's purpose of delaying Zhao Jun was indeed successful.
At that time, Zhao Jun was busy with disaster relief and had no time to pay attention to Wei Ran. Moreover, although Wei Ran was defeated, he still had tens of thousands of Qin troops under his command. It was not easy for Zhao Jun to keep them.
Only Yan Ju led thousands of Zhao Feiqi to follow behind and harass them.
When the Qin army left, Zhao Feiqi chased after him.
When the Qin army stopped, Zhao Feiqi stopped.
Zhao Feiqi was so fast that Qin Jun couldn't get rid of him even if he wanted to.
There's no point in ambush, Zhao Feiqi is invincible in Pingyuan, he can still run away if he can't defeat him.
Wei Ran was disgusted by Zhao Feiqi.
As far as Yangcheng, Zhao Feiqi killed nearly 10,000 Qin troops.
A few months ago, more than 200,000 Qin soldiers came out of the pass, attacked the city, killed the enemy generals, and surrounded the capital. No one in the world could hold it against them.
A few months later, only less than 50,000 of the more than 200,000 Qin troops were left. They were in an extremely embarrassed state and were as frightened as a bereaved dog.
At this time, Yangcheng still belonged to South Korea, and there were no defenders in the city, not even many strong men.
However, Bai Qi did not attack Yangcheng, but chose to station outside the city. Even if he defeated it, it would be impossible to hold it, so he had to send it out. Why waste time and soldiers' lives attacking the city.
After finding a place to camp outside the city that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, Bai Qi sent people to investigate the movements of the Three Jin armies while waiting for Wei Ran.
Until I saw Wei Ran's army...
"Ranghou, what are you..." Bai Qi saw Wei Ran's embarrassed appearance and the obviously wrong number of Qin troops, and his heart skipped a beat. He had only been away from the army for a few days, so he wouldn't be defeated again, right?
"I lost to Lord Xinling, and he helped the Wei Kingdom fight a military spirit army." Wei Ran shook his head helplessly and briefly recounted the matter.
"..." Bai Qi suddenly felt a little desperate. He was defeated here and there, and he was defeated again there and here.
How can I win?
"Tell me what happened during this period." Wei Ran said to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi sighed, starting from when he left the army and led a small group of Qin troops to Xingyang, until he discovered that Hulao Pass had been captured by the Zhao army.
"Did the king reply?" Wei Ran asked.
"No." Bai Qi shook his head. It had been almost ten days since the letter was sent. Logically speaking, such an urgent letter should have been delivered to the King of Qin long ago and answered.
But Bai Qi never received a reply.
"That means that the king actually wants to continue fighting, but he is hesitating in his heart and waiting for news from Yan and Qi." Wei Ran knew Qin Wangji very well and quickly guessed what Qin Wangji was thinking.
"If we continue to fight, the best result for our Qin army is that both sides will lose. Zhao's Le Yi, Tian Dan, and Wei Wuji are all famous generals in the world. If one person is alone, the general will still have some confidence, but if three people join forces, it will be more With Lian Po at his side and our Qin army in a weak position, no matter how confident the general is, he does not dare to say that he can win this battle."
Bai Qi looked at the hills ahead with deep eyes.
He himself is an extremely confident, even arrogant person. All his past achievements have also given him the capital to be conceited, but he will not be arrogant.
He didn't dare to say that any one of Le Yi, Tian Dan, Lian Po, and Wei Wuji could definitely win, let alone the four of them joining forces.
Bai Qi doesn't like to bet on the one-ten-thousandth chance of winning. He likes to kill the enemy with one strike. If he is not sure of killing with one strike, he would rather not start this war.
Qin has lost most of this war so far. The most important thing to do at this time is to stop the losses in time instead of fighting for the trivial possibility.
In Bai Qi's view, Qin Wangji was already a bit old and confused.
"The king has his own considerations, we just wait for the order." Wei Ran sighed. He knew Qin Wangji's worries, worried about his lifespan, worried that the prince would not be Zhao's opponent, and even worried that the prince would not be able to suppress Bai Bai. rise.
If Bai Qi is obedient, Qin Wangji may find an opportunity to demote him.
Demoted, wait until the crown prince ascends the throne, and then re-enabled.
But Bai Qi was not very obedient. If Qin Wangji found out that he was not going to die soon, he would probably not keep Bai Qi.
"Your Majesty has become more and more indecisive in recent years." Bai Qi did not hide his dissatisfaction with Qin Wangji at all.
"Be careful." Wei Ran glared at Bai Qi, and then said, "Where should we retreat to?"
"The general's plan is to retreat to Rang County." Bai Qi said.
Rangxian County is southwest of Wancheng and is also the border between Qin and South Korea. It was once the fiefdom of Wei Ran. After King Ji of Qin deposed the four nobles, Rangxian County was taken back by the State of Qin. Wei Ran's fiefdom was only Taoyi. When Taoyi After being defeated by Zhao Guo, Wei Ran lost all his fiefdom.
Hulao Pass has been lost and the gate of Luoyang is wide open. Even if the Qin army withdraws to Yique or Luoyang, it cannot hold it for long.
To the south of Rang County is Nanjun, to the west is Wuguan, and to the northeast is Tuoshui. The Qin army can deploy defenses along the Tuoshui, advance to attack, and retreat to defend.
If the Three Jins choose to pursue the Qin army, they can lengthen the supply lines of the Three Jins, reduce the Three Jins' advantages, and expand Qin's advantages.
If the Three Jin Dynasties choose not to pursue the Qin army, but to recover the Three Rivers, then attack Hangu Pass, and go straight to Guanzhong, Bai Qi can use Nanjun as his base, send troops from Rang County, and go north to attack the rear of the Three Jin army, so that the Three Jin army cannot Dare to act rashly.
In fact, the location of Rang County is a bit remote, and the city is not strong enough. Bai Qi’s ideal place is Wancheng, which is close enough to Sanchuan and South Korea, and the city wall is tall, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but Wancheng was ceded by Qin a few years ago. To South Korea.
Bai Qi could only settle for the next best thing.
"Then evacuate to Rangxian." Wei Ran believed in Bai Qi's judgment very much. If he said to evacuate to Rangxian, then evacuate to Rangxian. He would never make a mistake.
"How much food and fodder is left for the army?" Bai Qi asked.
"If we live frugally, it won't be a problem to insist on reaching Rang County, and we can get food and grass from South Korea along the way." Wei Ran said.
"That's good, let's take a day off and leave tomorrow." Bai Qi looked at Wei Ran.
"Okay." Wei Ran nodded.
The next day, under the fearful eyes of the people of Yangcheng, Bai Qi led the Qin army southward and left Yangcheng.
The whole Yangcheng instantly fell into a carnival, and the people sang and shouted.
During this period, they had been on tenterhooks, fearing that the killing star would come and kill them all. Now that the Qin army had left, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
From Yangcheng to Rangxian, it has always been South Korea's territory, but at this time the main force of the South Korean army is either at Hulao Pass or in Xingyang. The territory is no different from being undefended.
The Qin army walked openly and openly on the newly paved official road in South Korea, and no one dared to stop it. Occasionally, some civilians passed by, and when they saw the Qin army killing them, they turned around and fled in all directions.
After some fled into the city, they immediately went to the Yamen to report to the officials, hoping that the officials could send troops to drive out the Qin troops.
After the officials from various places learned about the number of Qin's troops, they didn't dare to let go of anything, and immediately ordered the city gates to be closed tightly.
As long as the Qin army does not enter the city, they can do whatever they like, including murder and arson.
Their wish soon came true.
Bai Qi stood on the chariot and looked calmly at the surrounding fields. This place also belonged to the Qin State a few years ago and was forced to cede it to South Korea in the Weinan Peace Treaty.
There are golden ears of millet and rice in the farmland, making a rustling sound in the breeze, and the air is filled with a faint fragrance, which is the smell of a good harvest.
Some farmers are busy in the fields, their faces full of joy. The autumn harvest will be in about half a month. Looking at the situation this year, as long as it doesn't rain before the autumn harvest, it will be another good year.
These few years have been harvest years, which is very rare, so everyone is very grateful to God, and some places even spontaneously organize sacrifices to God.
Looking at the farmland in front of him, Qin Jun's face showed long-lost warmth and nostalgia. The people living on this land have a sense of harvest. Even if they know that the food is not theirs, or even their enemies, as long as they see it Some people have had a good harvest, and when they see the golden crops and the warehouses full of grain, they will still feel happy from the bottom of their hearts.
Even the frustration of defeat dissipated a lot.
Smelling the faint fragrance of grain, Qin Jun's thoughts drifted further and further, and he couldn't help but think about whether there would be a good harvest at home this year.
When I left, the spring plowing had not yet been planted, but in the blink of an eye, the autumn harvest was already here.
Are your parents in good health? Are your younger siblings naughty? How are your wife and children doing? Have you ever been bullied?
It's been a long time since I received a letter from my family. I wonder if the general will let us write a letter and send it home after he arrives in Rang County.
Bai Qi, like all the Qin soldiers, was looking at the endless crops, but his face was cold, holding the hilt of the sword in his hand, and his knife-like face exuded endless chill.
No one knew what he was thinking.
"Here comes someone." After a while, Bai Qi suddenly said.
"General." A guard sped up. He ran from behind to Bai Qi's side, cupped his fists and said.
"Send the order and set fire to all these crops." Bai Qi glanced at them with cold eyes and said sternly.
The purpose of war is to weaken the enemy, and burning the enemy's food and grass is also a way to weaken the enemy.
When the two armies are fighting, there is no mercy, only victory and defeat.
The soldiers can miss their hometown, but Bai Qi can't. He is the commander-in-chief of the first army. He must do everything possible to weaken the power of the Three Jins, strengthen the Qin army, and tip the scale of victory little by little to the Qin army.
Besides, compared with his past methods, burning food and grass was not considered cruel at all.
If Zhao Feiqi hadn't been following behind, he would have sent out all the Qin army's cavalry to burn Korean crops as much as possible. The more they burned, the better.
"No." The guard didn't hesitate and immediately led hundreds of cavalry to disperse in all directions.
At this time, the leaves of the crops have already withered and turned yellow, and they will be harvested soon, which is the time when they are flammable.
Soon, fires all over the sky ignited from the farmland on both sides. Fire snakes flew and crackled, and quickly swept around. Wherever they passed, there was only a piece of burnt yellow soil and black ashes.
The fiery wind burned Qin Jun's face, and the faint fragrance disappeared, replaced by the smell of burning. The scene of the harvest has also disappeared, replaced by farmland without a single crop.
Qin Jun stared blankly at the flames on both sides. A few years ago, this land belonged to the Qin State, and the people living on it were still their compatriots. In the blink of an eye, the former compatriots became enemies.
Even the crops they had worked so hard to grow were burned by the Qin army.
Some Qin soldiers living in Nanjun or other places couldn't help but wonder if one day, these places no longer belong to the Qin State, whether the Qin Army would use the same method to deal with them.
The farmers in the fields looked desperately at the sudden fire in the fields and the Qin army who kept setting fires. Several people could not control the anger in their hearts and wanted to rush forward to fight the Qin army, but were cut down to the ground by the Qin army.
The remaining people were held tightly by their companions.
"We are no match for the Qin army. If they want to burn crops, let them burn it. If we offend them, none of us will survive."
Hearing the faint scoldings of the Koreans in the distance, Bai Qi didn't take it seriously and continued, "In the future, during the march, all the crops along the way will be burned. Don't leave a grain of food for South Korea. We are going to let the three Jin armies All food and grass must be transported from the rear."
Bai Qi looked at the spacious and flat official roads under his feet. After leading troops in battles for so many years, he knew how beneficial these roads, which were flatter than the Qin official roads, would be for transporting troops and food.
If it weren't for lack of time, Bai Qi would even want to destroy all these official channels.
"This bridge has also been demolished. Move quickly and demolish the bridge piers as well. Don't leave anything useful to South Korea." After crossing a bridge, Bai Qi ordered again.
The official road is so long that it is useless to destroy a section of it, and it is unrealistic to destroy it all. Qin does not have that much time, and Zhao Jun may catch up at any time.
But it was within the power of the Qin army to destroy the bridge casually.
No matter which bridge it is
, it will not take a while for South Korea to rebuild, and detours will also increase time, which is extremely valuable for the Qin army.
"The Qin army even burned the crops that the people had worked so hard to plant. They are so stupid. General, should we... put out the fire?" Li Qian pointed at the blazing flames in the distance and said through gritted teeth.
He is also a farmer and knows the importance of these crops to the people.
It is no exaggeration to say that these crops are the life of the people.
The Qin army burning these crops when they were about to harvest was no different from killing these Koreans.
"What can we do to save us? Besides, the Qin army is burning all the way. How can we save it?" Yan Ju looked at Qin Jun's back with fear in his eyes.
He led Zhao Feiqi in pursuit all the way to Yangcheng. After seeing the Qin army leaving, he quickly followed him, preparing to look for opportunities to shoot the Qin army who fell behind as before.
But Bai Qi put himself and his guards at the end, letting the other Qin troops go ahead.
Yan Ju followed him for two hours but didn't dare to make a move.
"Let's pass by and kill those Qin troops who set fire. If the Qin army comes to chase us, we will run away. They can't catch up with us. And there are only so many people left in the Qin army. No matter how powerful Bai Qi's troops are, they won't be able to catch up with us." They may have surrounded us," Li Qian said.
"That's it." Yan Juyi gritted his teeth, pointed his scimitar forward, and shouted, "Brothers, charge."
