Chapter 1023: Success in the East and Success in the West (Part 16)

Banqiaogou, Bian Rang looked stern. He was considering giving up here. The Han army had already conquered the commanding heights on both sides of Banqiaogou. There, they set up crossbows and simple catapults made of local materials, putting the entire Banqiaogou fortress under attack. Losing Banqiaogou was not the end of the world. Behind him, there were Ma Xieyan and Xiping. The steepness of those places was no less than that of Banqiaogou. Although the Han army was able to take Banqiaogou, they also paid a huge price, and this kind of attack could never last. If they continued to attack at this rate of casualties, even if the Han army eventually defeated him, they would not have many people left. This kind of casualties Death, no general would tolerate it. Because this would be a war without a winner.

Looking at the flags of the Han army flying in the distance, Bian Rang made up his mind that there was no need for him to fight to the death with his opponent here. After retreating to Ma Xieyan, the Han army would have to repeat the process of attacking Banqiaogou again. He did not believe that the Han army was willing to exchange huge casualties for victory, because this has never been the style of the Han army.

"Retreat!" He turned and walked down the fortress.

When Bian Rang made up his mind, in the Han army camp not far from Banqiaogou, Huang Zhan's eyes were red because of the huge casualties. A division of 5,000 people suffered more than 2,000 casualties here. , more than a thousand of them died on the spot, and thousands more would not be able to fight again in a short time.

Heart was bleeding, Huang Zhan hated the Chu army on the opposite side. "I will kill them all!" He looked at his officers and said fiercely: "Organize the next attack immediately. We will not withdraw our troops until we take Banqiaogou today."

"Yes, sir!" All the officers in the big tent shouted loudly with red eyes. The two disabled regiments were reorganized on the spot and joined other combat units. Huang Zhan led all the personnel of the division headquarters to the front line of the team, preparing to attack. Even the cooks abandoned their big pots and shoulder poles, put on armor, and picked up weapons , joined the attacking team.

However, Huang Zhan's heavy punch hit nothing. The Chu army in Banqiaogou had already left, leaving only an empty fortress.

"Chase, chase!" Huang Zhan was furious. But before his troops set off, the order of the army commander Zheng Xiaoyang had arrived in Banqiaogou. Huang Zhan's division stayed there to rest, and the next round of attack would be handed over to Gu Chao's division. Huang Zhan was very puzzled when he received the order. When Peng Chao's division arrived to replace him, the opportunity was gone. He was afraid that Bian Rang had already run to Ma Xieyan.

Although he was puzzled, the military order could not be disobeyed. Huang Zhan, who was full of anger, could only stop moving forward.

On the winding mountain road, the Chu army retreating from Banqiao Rock staggered along. The Han army suffered heavy casualties, but the price paid by the Chu army was not small either. The number of people who lost their combat effectiveness was definitely not less than that of the Han army. The gap between the two sides in weapons and equipment was too large, and the combat effectiveness of the Han army was also higher than that of the Chu army. Bian Rang had to admit that if the two sides were in a decisive battle under equal conditions, his troops would not be able to withstand the attack of the Han army. Fortunately, he had the natural advantages that he could rely on, and he was very good at this kind of mountain warfare.

This realization made Bian Rang very worried about the large-scale confrontation with the Han army in the future. According to General Qu Wan, Next, the Chu army will gather a large force in Linyi to seek a decisive battle with the Han army. Now, Meng Chong, who is opposite him, has about 50,000 soldiers under his command. If these 50,000 soldiers are of this combat effectiveness, I am afraid that the tens of thousands of Chu troops assembled at that time will not be the opponent of the Han army in a head-on battle.

I must consume more of the opponent's troops in this mountainous area, even if my own troops are completely lost. Bian Rang sat on a bluestone slab by the stream, watching the troops winding forward, thinking secretly in his heart. When he entered the Zhangjiadian area, he had 25,000 soldiers. After several months of fighting with the Han army, he lost thousands of people. Now There are still nearly 20,000 people. With sufficient food and weapons, and such a rugged terrain, there is still much to be done in the war.

Bian Rang scooped up a handful of cool stream water and poured it on his face. He stood up and tightened the silk belt of his armor. He thought to himself that he was really a miserable guy. He kept taking the blame in his hometown. Now he is a general, but he still can't get rid of this fate. However, this time, he is willing to take the blame.

"General Bian!" There was a loud shout from the front. Bian Rang's heart jumped, and a very bad feeling rose from the bottom of his heart, because he saw that the person running towards him was actually a general of Ma Xieyan. Something must have happened. What a big deal.

The man's face was covered in sweat. When he ran to Bian Rang, his legs softened and he sat down in the stream, splashing a lot of water all over Bian Rang. Before he could get up, he had already said something that shocked Bian Rang.

"The Gaotang soldiers of Qi State pretended to be a grain transport team and raided the Bingdongwan camp. Now the Bingdongwan camp has been occupied by the Gaotang soldiers. The general Tang Wan was killed in the battle. After taking Bingdongwan, the Gaotang soldiers did not stop at all and attacked in two directions. When the Chu army was caught off guard, Xiping and Songziping were lost respectively. Now the only two fortresses left in the hands of the Chu army are Niukou and Maxiyan."

Bian Rang's face was twisted and his hands were trembling. Bingdong Bay was his Chinese army camp. There were a full 5,000 guard troops there, and they were just gone? Xiping and Songziping were also lost. , which means that the Chu army has only two isolated fortresses left. How can it withstand the opponent's attack?

The question is, why did Qi choose to turn against the Han army at this time? Although the overall situation in the world is very unfavorable to the Han army, the Han army still has a huge advantage on the battlefield of Qi. Even if they kill donkeys and cross rivers, they will not It seems too premature.

"General Bian, you, you..." The general who finally got up from the stream looked at Bian Rang and shouted, "You, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing the other person pointing at him, Bian Rang wiped his face with his hand, and what he saw was blood on his hand. Only then did he realize that there was a sweet taste in his mouth, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit him, and his body moved towards He leaned back and pushed the golden mountain over the jade pillar, and Bian soil suddenly fell into the stream.

One day later, Hutou and Hengdao strode forward with smiles on their faces. In front of them, Zheng Xiaoyang, Huang Zhan, Ding Wei, and Peng Chao also came forward with joy.

"Brother, long time no see!" Several people hugged each other tightly and beat each other hard on each other's broad backs. Their joy was beyond words. The Chu army was already tightly surrounded by them in Xiping, and Songziping was not alone. Blocking Hutou's fierce attack and the fall of Bingdong Bay were a huge blow to the Chu army. Bian Rang's sudden illness left the Chu army leaderless, and the remaining more than 10,000 Chu troops all withdrew to the Xiping Fortress.

Xiping Fortress is not big. Three thousand people are stationed there, which is enough. But now that ten thousand people have been squeezed in, it can be said that people are crowded and bumped into each other. Sometimes, having more people is not a good thing. More importantly, since From now on, they have no logistical supplies. Relying solely on the food and grass stored in Xiping Fortress, even if the Han army does not attack, they will not be able to hold on for many days.

Bian Rang was carried up the wall of Xiping Fortress by his subordinates. Not far away from the fortress, he saw that the Han army and Qi's Gaotang army joined forces, and saw their generals hugging each other warmly. In that moment, he He wanted to understand a lot of things, and he also knew something about the Gaotang soldiers. Now he understood that this soldier who started as a pirate had its own problems. If the Gaotang soldiers were really captured by the Han army, Needless to say, the one unit under our control was already finished in Linzi.

Bian Rang let out a long sigh. The Han State was far-sighted and had already begun planning how to occupy Qi many years ago. In comparison, the Chu State was far behind, and the two sides were not at the same level at all.

He raised his hand and wanted to say something, but it kept shaking. Halfway through, he dropped it weakly. The doctor accompanying the army told him with despair that he died because of being too excited. He suffered a stroke and could never return to his previous health. He might have to spend the rest of his life on a hospital bed.

This result made Bian Rang feel deep despair. At this moment, with his mouth crooked and his eyes squinting, he looked at the generals gathered around him and said to them word by word with difficulty: "There is no need to fight to the death, Chu State Although my sons are brave, they will not make unnecessary sacrifices. We surrender to the Han army. The only condition is to ensure the safety of everyone here."

The Chu army in Xiping Fortress laid down their weapons and surrendered to the Han army. This result was far beyond Zheng Xiaoyang's expectation. He originally thought that Bianyang would resist to the end, but he didn't understand until he saw Bianyang's current situation. , this general of Chu State failed to withstand the huge blow and suffered a stroke and collapsed.

Tens of thousands of Chu troops were taken into custody, their weapons confiscated, and became prisoners of the Han army. They were escorted all the way to Linzi. On the way, Bianliang suffered a stroke and passed away, leaving this world with deep regret.

Linzi, Bai Yucheng looked at Tian Yuanyuan opposite, smiled and said: "Now it's Tian Jingwen's turn. Mr. Tian, ​​please write an order in hand. Zhangjiadian has been lost. The Han army has crossed Zhangjiadian and is heading towards Linzi." Advance and ask Tian Jingwen to immediately lead a Qi army back to Linzi to assist in the defense and be responsible for directing the defense of Linzi. All affairs in Pinglu will be given full responsibility to Zou Zhang."

"You, you want..." Tian Yuanyuan said with a trembling voice.

"Just as you thought!" Bai Yucheng smiled and said: "We will ambush Tian Jingwen halfway up the road. Wei Zhiwen, who I stayed in Gaotang, has already arrived at the ambush area. Of course, he is not the only one, because the big man A unit of the newly formed First Army of the Kingdom has already entered Gaotang and joined forces with Wei Zhiwen." (To be continued)