"With a weak force, you hurriedly engaged the enemy at night. You were not afraid of the harsh environment and melee combat, and finally won a complete victory. You also discovered the traces of the enemy's general. You have merit and no fault."
The whole battalion regretted letting Azig and Bohetuo go, but in the eyes of the higher-ups, they made no mistakes.
After all, Azig is old and experienced on the battlefield, and it is only human nature to find weaknesses in the defense line and break out.
The entire battalion totaled only four to five hundred men, and it was at night, so the advantages of the weapons could not be used. They fought hand-to-hand with five or six times the number of enemies, and killed 1,600 to 700 people.
This record, even among field troops, is outstanding.
It wouldn't make sense to give the entire battalion a demerit just because Azig and Bohetuo broke through.
In fact, in the eyes of senior officials, there was no expectation that Azig would be trapped in the mountains in one fell swoop.
Speaking of which, the three security divisions were like horns, echoing each other and seemingly foolproof. But after all, there are only three security divisions, and the strength and combat effectiveness are there.
If they attack each other, they still have the confidence to compete with the Qing army. However, with this kind of spread on all sides, it is really difficult to strictly defend the vast mountainous area and prevent the Qing army from escaping.
If the Qing army hadn't run out of food and lost its vigor, Hei Yunlong and others would never dare to arrange their troops like this.
The battle in the mountains lasted for more than ten days, and the results were quite brilliant. In total, more than 30,000 Qing troops were eliminated and captured.
In other words, the number of Qing troops still remaining is less than five thousand.
Even if these people are really let go, they can't change the overall situation.
And according to the report, the number of troops led by Azig was less than a thousand.
From here we go north to Luliang, which is still a thousand miles away.
No one believed that Azige could emerge from the Luliang Mountains unharmed.
Maybe this vast mountain will become Azig’s burial place.
Although Azig was not captured and a great contribution was missed, no one can ignore the achievements of the three security divisions.
What follows is a long search and encirclement campaign, trying to get as many Qing troops to stay.
Azig was relieved to escape, but the environment he faced was still very harsh.
The mountains in Shanxi seem endless. After climbing one mountain top, there are countless more mountains ahead.
Although the dense mountains and dense forests can hide the body, the poor environment prevents the Qing army from finding any supplies.
They discovered several villages, but when they rushed over excitedly, they discovered that these villages had been deserted for an unknown period of time.
The hungry Qing army could only look for prey and wild vegetables in the wild to satisfy their hunger.
However, the weather is getting colder day by day, and the trees and weeds are gradually turning yellow. Even if they want to satisfy their hunger with wild vegetables and leaves, it is impossible.
As they fled all the way, more and more Qing soldiers fell dead.
This powerful army that originally swept the world has lost its energy and spirit, stumbling between heaven and earth like a zombie.
The cold night in the mountains was even more unbearable. Azige tossed and turned and didn't know when he fell asleep.
When I woke up, it was already bright.
What he saw was the solemn look on Bo and Tuo's face.
"What happened?"
"Some people ran away."
Bohetuo's eyes were dark, as if he had said something trivial.
But when the Qing army was strong, desertion was definitely a big deal. There will inevitably be endless manhunts, and if caught, they will be punished and the whole army will be warned.
But now that I heard that someone had deserted, even Azig didn't want to pursue the case.
It has become like this. Even if we stay, we will either die of exhaustion or starve to death. Either they were hunted down by the National Defense Forces and killed under gunfire.
It is normal for some people to choose to run away.
Even in this vast mountain, where could a foreigner go?
Perhaps it would be better to fall into the hands of the National Defense Forces and become a prisoner. If he is discovered by the villagers, he will definitely die.
The Qing army burned, killed, and looted in Shanxi, and committed many crimes. The people here already hated them.
When encountering the rampaging army, the common people were helpless and could only obey and behave like sheep. But if they encounter a lone Qing army, the people will definitely retaliate.
"You must leave quickly, otherwise something unexpected may happen."
Bohetuo thought carefully and had a vague premonition of something.
Those who escaped were likely to fall into the hands of the Wehrmacht, exposing their location.
"Yes, you have to leave as soon as possible."
Seeing that Azig agreed with his idea, Bo and Tuo were ready to wake up the soldiers and go on their way.
As a result, Azig grabbed his arm with a very confused expression.
"Don't wake them up."
Bo and Tuo took a deep breath and couldn't believe their ears.
"Your Majesty..."
Azig showed a cold side.
"As of now, only one person can escape. The more people there are, the easier it is to be discovered."
Bo and Tuo understood, but it was a little hard to accept.
After all, abandoning the army and escaping on your own was something I had never dared to imagine before.
Fortunately, Azig made the decision, otherwise he would never dare to do this.
In the tranquility of the early morning, the Qing army, who were still sleeping and did not wake up, had no idea that their coach had quietly left the team and escaped alone.
Azig and Bohetuo took off all the conspicuous signs and went into the wilderness with only their sabers.
After finding a place where no one was around, the two of them helped each other and shaved off the pig tails on the back of their heads.
Because the two helped each other, they didn't leave any traces like Ye Chen did.
Without the encumbrance of a large army, the two of them speeded up their pace and just hurried on.
This journey lasted for about ten days.
If you are hungry, eat whatever you can find. If you are thirsty, drink from the stream.
After trudging continuously, both of them became disgraced. But I also know that if I go far away, the possibility of being discovered by the National Defense Forces is getting lower and lower.
It's just that the long-term lack of food has made the two people's bodies weaker and weaker, and they have to spend a lot of time resting every day.
That night, the two of them found a ruined temple, and each leaned on a corner and fell asleep.
But when he woke up, he found that he couldn't move at all.
Looking at his body, he was all tied up, and the location he was in was no longer a ruined temple, but a mountain village.
Dozens of fierce bandits surrounded them, looking at them curiously.
Seeing the two of them waking up, a bandit asked: "Where did they come from? What do you want to do in the mountain?"
Bo and Tuo were about to speak, but Azig got there first.
"What kind of hero does a secret attack mean? If you dare, let grandpa go and let you have a taste of the power of Shaolin Kung Fu."
