The refreshing summer breeze blew past the Chengling Pass Village at night. The entire city gate was immersed in a depressing atmosphere. As I walked by, all I saw were numb faces, lifeless.
Feeling that the morale in the camp was low, Zhou Xingfeng wanted to encourage him, but he could not think of any effective way. Even in the wounded soldiers camp, personally bandaging a few wounded soldiers can only have a superficial effect.
The camp not only lacked food and equipment, but also lacked medical treatment. Many seriously injured soldiers died of pain. After Zhou Xingfeng left the wounded barracks, several more bodies were pulled out and buried.
The dark camp wall, leaning against the hills, still enjoyed the coolness of the river breeze, but Zhou Xingfeng could only feel the dull and defeated mood in the camp, and the mournful moans of the wounded soldiers coming from behind made him even more upset.
"Wang Duan!" Zhou Xingfeng called.
"Here!" Wang Duan, the tooth general accompanying the patrol, immediately came forward to listen to the order.
Without much thought, Zhou Xingfeng showed a heart-stopping ruthlessness as he described it, and whispered: "There is a shortage of medicine in the army. Those seriously injured soldiers cannot be cured, and they will suffer a lot while they are alive." , I really can’t bear it, please help them get rid of it for me!”
Wang Duan was slightly startled. He raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Xingfeng. He only saw an indifferent expression on his face. He cupped his fists and said, "Follow the order!"
"Remember, come concealed, move quickly and make little noise!" Zhou Xingfeng warned.
"yes!"
Wang Duan turned around to make arrangements, but Zhou Xingfeng took a deep breath, his expression even more stern. How many herbs and rations could be saved by dealing with a group of seriously injured soldiers?
"Command the generals of each battalion to discuss the army in the pass in half an hour!" Zhou Xingfeng summoned the messenger, gave instructions, and then left quickly.
In the handsome tent, two plates of food were already laid out. They were also fish and mandarin fish. After all, they were on the edge of the rivers and lakes, a land of plenty. However, compared with those in the Han camp, Zhou Xingfeng tasted less and less the more he ate.
In front of him is the Chinese Army Record Office, which is immersed in reporting the situation in the army. There is anxiety in the deep voice: "Today's battle, there were thousands of casualties. The North Wall was seriously damaged, and the South Wall was also in trouble. On the Chengling side, the strength of each battalion , there are less than 6,000, and less than 30% of those who can fight are even less than 30%. The defenders of Baling only have a thousand left. There are many complaints in the army, morale is low, and the military rations cannot last long..."
"How much rations are left?" Zhou Xingfeng raised his eyes and asked coldly.
The reporter paused and replied: "Chengling, Junshan and Baling, combined, are less than a thousand stones!"
"Where's the new food in Changsha?"
"Commander Jie, Secretary Li reported that there is no food to be transferred to Changsha. In order to support the frontline operations, Hunan's treasury has been exhausted and the people's strength has been exhausted. Recently, civil unrest has arisen in various places, and it is impossible to suppress it. Heng, Chen, Gui, and Dao The state no longer obeys the orders of the military government. Changsha is also in turmoil. My wife and Secretary Li are now trapped in Changsha."
After listening to his report, Zhou Xingfeng was not hysterical. Instead, he acted very calmly, but his silence was a bit scary. Zhou Xingfeng was well aware of how bad the situation at the rear was.
After a while, he asked again: "Is there any progress over there at Junshan?"
The reporter's office replied: "The Han army has strong defenses and is difficult to conquer. Today, General Zhang was counterattacked by Zhang Xun and lost thousands of troops. General Zhang reported that it was difficult to break through the Junshan line and requested to withdraw. Today, the navy suffered another loss. Many warships and soldiers were lost, and the Han navy's offensive was so fierce that it was difficult to secure the river mouth and blocked the Han army outside Dongting. Once the navy was completely broken through, the Junshan camps would be left alone... "
"There is no good news!" Zhou Xingfeng took a deep breath, and a deep smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Zhang Chongfu, I know he has tried his best, no wonder him!" Rarely, Zhou Xingfeng's attitude was not so harsh for his subordinates' combat disadvantage: "If there is any other bad news, let's tell it as well!"
"Wuling, there has been no news for two days. I suspect it has been lost!" the reporter reported cautiously.
"As expected!" Zhou Xingfeng said without much emotion.
Looking at his appearance, the reporter couldn't help but hesitate on his face. Realizing this, Zhou Xingfeng said calmly: "Do you have anything to say?"
"Jie Shuai, subordinate..." The reporter was obviously worried.
"Say it! I forgive you!" Zhou Xingfeng said.
"Commander, the overall situation has collapsed. The current situation is like this. Our army has reached the most dangerous situation. The Han army is powerful. If we continue to resist, we may die..."
"You want to persuade me to surrender?" Zhou Xingfeng asked coldly.
The reporter was startled by his glare and his body trembled. Thinking of Zhou Xingfeng's temper, he secretly cursed himself for talking too much. However, Zhou Xingfeng really didn't mean to blame him, and waved his hand: "Stay back!"
"yes!"
When he was the only one left in the tent, Zhou Xingfeng murmured: "Surrender? It's too late..."
After pondering for a while, Zhou Xingfeng showed a hint of paranoia on his face, his eyes turned red, and he muttered bitterly: "It's a pity that God doesn't protect me, Zhou!"
"The Gao family is nothing but a waste, surrendering without a fight! These Jingnan troops are working so hard to defeat our Hunan army. If we can all fight against the Han army, how can the overall situation of Jinghu collapse to this point?"
"Li Jing is short-sighted. I can let go of past conflicts, but he has both ends. He is as afraid of Han as a tiger. If Jinghu is destroyed, how can he protect the Southern Tang Dynasty?"
"Fu Yantong, these barbarians cannot be relied upon after all..."
"..."
He complained in vain, and finally turned into a long sigh.
In fact, Zhou Xingfeng had already understood that he was at the end of his rope and his downfall was inevitable. It is no longer possible to maintain a stalemate in the front, and the rear has become a trend of erosion.
He could still support Yuezhou, but when problems arose on the West Road, he knew that his persistence in Yuezhou would be meaningless.
After the defeat of Liyang, Yang Shifan's entire army was wiped out, and the news came that Murong Yanzhao was leading his army south, Zhou Xingfeng also considered withdrawing his army and returning to Tanzhou. But after thinking about it, I gave up. Not only would it not be able to survive, it might even collapse and lead to military disaster directly to Changsha.
Of course, the fact that the Chu army was still able to hold on in Yuezhou was also the result of Zhou Xingfeng's strict blockade of information from all parties. Otherwise, it would have collapsed long ago.
After a while, footsteps of varying severity were heard, and the generals from all the camps came in one after another, and all saluted Zhou Xingfeng. Looking up and looking around, everyone had solemn expressions. From their faces, it seemed that words such as "despair" and "failure" could be seen.
In front of this general, Zhou Xingfeng resumed his usual resolute and majestic manner. He lowered the corner of his mouth and said coldly: "Just now, someone told me that our army is in a critical situation and suggested surrender to me. I see that you are all demoralized. , do you also have this ambition?"
After saying this, everyone present looked at each other with strange expressions, as if they were curious about who was so bold.
For a moment, no one dared to answer, and Zhou Xingfeng said again: "All of you here are brothers who have joined the army with me and have fought for many years. We have always regarded you as brothers and sisters. I will speak frankly about some things. There are some things about Zhou's head. If you have such a heart, you can cut it off and give it to the Han army, and you can also make a rich and prosperous future. I blame him too!"
"Commander Jie, don't say that again!" After Zhou Xingfeng finished speaking, General Wang Duan immediately stood up and said loudly and seriously: "The last general will follow Commander Jie to the death. How can I, a man from Huxiang, be afraid of the Han army?"
"Follow Jie Shuai to the death!" Someone took the lead, and the rest followed suit.
It's just that this slogan seems to be strong on the outside but capable on the inside, and some people may not really mean what they say. The Chu army was disorganized and was in a very dangerous situation. If Zhou Xingfeng hadn't organized a supervising battalion with loyal tooth soldiers, it would have been in chaos.
Zhou Xingfeng didn't seem to take it seriously, and said directly: "Considering the current war situation, our army can no longer maintain its current situation. Chengling Pass has been severely damaged, and Junshan will be difficult to break through. If we continue to disperse our forces, it will only give the Han army more opportunities." Take advantage of this opportunity!
In my opinion, abandon the stronghold, shrink the troops, retreat to Baling, and rely on Baling City to fight the Han army to the death! "
"May I ask Commander Ji, when will he take action?" a Chu general asked.
"Tonight!" Zhou Xingfeng said immediately: "I have ordered Baling to prepare. The generals will return to camp and secretly prepare to withdraw. The entire army will withdraw in the middle of the night!"
"yes!"
"I know that many people think that we will lose this battle!" Before the accounts were dismissed, Zhou Xingfeng stood up and said loudly as always: "But I never think so. We still have elite soldiers and strong generals. There is still a strong city to rely on, and the Xuzhou barbarians have agreed to send troops to help. The victory or defeat of this battle is still unknown!
Back then, Li Congke was trapped in Fengxiang, but he was able to turn defeat into victory, and even invaded the Central Plains to seize the throne. Today the Han army is working hard on an expedition, and our brothers are united as one, so we may not have no chance of winning..."
Not to mention whether it is appropriate to compare Li Congke's situation, but for Zhou Xingfeng, it is enough if it is effective, and it is enough to be able to fool these rough guys.
Judging from the results, several people were actually bewitched by him. No matter what he was like in private or what his character flaws were, Zhou Xingfeng was always strong, fearless and confident in front of others, especially in front of this general. This was probably a reflection of his leadership.
Following Zhou Xingfeng's order, Chu camp secretly mobilized, and in the middle of the night, arrangements were made for the end of the war, and they retreated to Baling. At the same time, Zhang Chongfu, who was in front of Junshan Village, received the order and decisively withdrew his troops. With the support of the Navy, he withdrew to Baling.
The Chu army's unusual movements quickly attracted the attention of the Han army, and a chaotic battle broke out at night, which also kicked off Zhou Xingfeng's defeat.
