Riding a fast horse, the scouts on horseback ran across the official road of Muyun Prefecture in surprise. They did not get off their horses anxiously until they reached Yuncheng.
The anxious look made Zhang Shun, who was standing at the top of the city supervising the construction work, frown for no reason.
"General Zhang! General Tong, General Tong died in battle!" The scout knelt down, his voice had a nasal sound, he was probably extremely nervous.
Zhang Shun closed his eyes and held onto the city wall with both hands, finally stabilizing himself.
"Elaborate."
"The commoner thieves in Shuzhou led 40,000 naval troops, defeated General Tong's plan of fire boats, and used the shield boat as the lead, and then broke General Tong's surrounding fire... In the broadside battle, we, Cangzhou, were defeated! "
"Why didn't he go ashore? Why didn't he come back?"
The scout couldn't answer, so he just lowered his head and cried.
Next to Zhang Shun, Wei Diao, who was also wearing a battle armor, had no expression on his face. Holding a sword with one arm, he looked far away, as if he wanted to see through the fog in front of Cloud City.
"Notify the nearby area, shrink your troops and rush to Yuncheng, and hold on to Cage City!"
Zhang Shun forced himself to calm down. In the current situation, the commoner thief has become a threat and is about to land and invade Muyun State.
"General Zhang, if you don't go to the city to clear the country, the nearby streams and rivers have been poisoned, and the trees have been burned. We cannot let the Shu people use local materials to set up camp." Wei Diao stood aside, his tone cold.
Zhang Shun frowned, "Master Wei, please calm down like me -"
Before Zhang Shun finished speaking, suddenly, several more mounted scouts stepped out of the smoke outside the city and hurried over.
"Report to General Zhang, report to Cangzhou Army. Your father... General Zhang Qi of Zhuliang died in battle on the Cangzhou River! Our 40,000-strong naval force in Cangzhou was defeated by Zuo Shiren of Lingzhou!"
Zhang Shun, who was standing on the top of the city, was still thinking about the calm Zhang Shun. Suddenly his face turned red, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his whole body became staggering.
The river was full of floating corpses.
Zuo Shiren sat slumped on the boat, unable to hold it in and almost cursed his mother, but in the end, he still cared about his reputation for benevolence, justice and elegance, and stabbed the sword he pulled out hard on the deck of the boat.
He understood. This round was not based on his plot. The commoner King of Shu had already taken the initiative and tricked him in advance.
"King, what are you doing now?"
Zuo Shiren gritted his teeth and raised his head. The 50,000 navy troops he brought over had more than 10,000 casualties in this round of fighting, which was considered a heavy loss.
"Where are the Shu people?"
"I heard that another Cangzhou naval force that had defeated the interceptor was about to land and penetrate into the hinterland of Muyun State."
"Xu Buyi... is getting more and more interesting. I want to use his hand to take down Cangzhou. It would be better for him to just push my hand into the quagmire first."
Zuo Shiren straightened his hair and crown and stood still with difficulty.
"Send the order and ask our Lingzhou navy to retreat fifty miles and wait and see what happens in Cangzhou."
Turning around, he saw the river full of red. The face of this world-famous mausoleum prince paused for a moment, filled with heartbreaking sadness.
"Such killings will fill the river with corpses. I, Zuo Shiren, am in vain for my reputation as a benevolent person in the world!"
The faces of many generals and counselors who followed him were moved.
…
The warship waiting to take the wounded back to Shu gradually disappeared. Xu Mucai withdrew his gaze, put on his battle armor, stepped on the wooden bridge that led up to the boat, and got off the boat steadily.
In front of him, there were only more than 30,000 Shu soldiers left, who had quickly gathered and formed marching formations.
Dongfang Jing sat on the unicycle and frowned.
"My lord, the sentinel sent news that Zhang Shun has abandoned many remote cities, reduced his 20,000 troops, and defended Yuncheng with all his strength. In addition, there are probably many remnants of the Cangzhou Navy who escaped ashore earlier. Entering Yuncheng. Wei Diao also regained control of the Xiaer army of more than 10,000 people and rushed to Yuncheng to defend together."
"Wei Diao?"
"He is indeed the traitor who killed his master for glory. It's a pity that Xiao Xiaoyao followed to stop Liang Ren. Otherwise, it would be so satisfying to capture Yuncheng."
"Yuncheng City has high walls and thick walls. It is considered the old capital of the Ji Dynasty. It will probably be renovated." Xu Mu raised his head and looked at the official road extending in front of him. He must have known that there was a war and there were many people fleeing. With a panicked look on his face, he kept running towards the ferry.
But on the other side of the ferry, Xu Mu had arranged for people to guard the river bank. Population is so important in troubled times. If one day, Muyun Prefecture is captured and all the people are gone, it will be difficult to build a dead prefecture without smoke and fire.
Of course, Xu Mu had no intention of intercepting the refugees. It would be safer to stay away from the Yuncheng area.
Looking back, Xu Mu's voice was deep.
"Bolie, you and I missed the plan."
Dongfang Jing sighed and nodded, "If Xiaoyao is here, maybe there is a possibility of instigating a rebellion against this Xiaer army. There can only be one helmsman in the thirty states in the world, and Wei Diao is not worthy."
Even now, it is unrealistic to transfer Li Xiaoyao. Unless Chao Yi's troops can defeat Liangzhou's reinforcements.
Moreover, inciting rebellion against the Xiaer Army is just a concept, and the success rate is not necessarily high. If he was really a good guy, he wouldn't have followed Wei Diao to Cangzhou.
"My lord, I would like to take a place near the river, an abandoned outlying city, waiting for the rear army's grain ships."
"I think so too."
After an endless fight, the Shu soldiers following him really needed to take a good rest.
In fact, the Shu army invaded Muyun Prefecture not only from one route, but also from another route. Xiaoman King Meng Huo, with five thousand people, was crossing the mountains and preparing to go down from the mountains.
However, Xu Mu also believed it. Zhang Shun is not a fool and will plan countermeasures early.
The army went straight and met a small city less than twenty miles away from the river bank.
Dou Tong, who was in the lead, was about to advance into the city, but Xu Mu, who was behind, ordered him to stop his march.
"Come here, send three hundred thick-armored soldiers to detect the trap."
Sure enough, after several rounds of rolling logs, in the blink of an eye, the ambush bed of ground spears immediately activated the mechanism and kicked up dust all over the sky.
"There is also a horse trap!"
The ground cracked, and the three hundred Shuzhou thick armors who were exploring the trap quickly retreated.
In a water battle on the river, it is natural that you cannot bring horses. But a horse trap like this, with sharp blades underneath, is even more terrifying for infantry.
"The leader of the four eagles in Cangzhou, Zhang Shun, is a man of some ability after all. When the Lord lands, he will find a city to camp and wait for the grain ships to load up." Dongfang Jing frowned, "I estimate that the people along the river bank will Several towns will be like this.”
"Nothing, just break the trap." Xu Mu said calmly.
In about an hour, only three hundred thick armors were waiting to completely clear the ambush trap. More than 30,000 Shuzhou troops entered Muyunzhou before cautiously entering the city.
There were still people in the city. When they walked into the city gate, even though they were still far away, Xu Mu still heard the sound of doors being closed.
"This king's military order is not to disturb the people. Thousands of people are stationed at each of the four city gates to guard the posts. The rest of the people are waiting for defense and rest!"
The current situation of the war has gradually become clearer.
In Shuzhou, there is still the most important move. Chao Yi's side, including Xia'er Army and Langying, totaling 20,000 people, are resisting enemy reinforcements from the direction of Liangzhou.
