Chapter 1137: Carrying on the Past and Opening up the Future (Twenty-Seven)
After passing through Tucheng, Mao Afu's troops advanced vigorously, defeating two groups of Chu troops that came to intercept them along the way. Without the support of their positions, the Chu army was completely at a disadvantage compared with the Han army in the field battle.
"Captain, they are not regular troops of the Chu army, but a local guard." Jie Rong, who replaced Fu Jiang as the commander of the first battalion, came over with a prisoner in custody. This was a field battle they had just concluded. A Chu army general captured among them.
"Local Guards?" Mao Afu was startled, "No wonder today's battle is much easier than the previous few days. No, the Chu Army's local guards in Pengcheng are stationed in Sixi. How could they appear in front of us? "
Jie Rong nodded and said, "I feel strange too."
Mao Afu got off his horse and walked to the prisoner. He stretched out the whip in his hand, put it on the prisoner's chin, and raised his head. "Are you the general of the Pengcheng Guards?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The captured officer turned pale, looked at Mao Afu, and nodded repeatedly.
"You are stationed in Sixi?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you come here?"
"We changed our defenses half a month ago." The officer swallowed hard, "Shangfeng sent an order for us to leave Sixi in batches."
Mao Afu's expression changed, and his heart skipped a beat, "Since it's a normal defense change, why do we have to do it in stages?"
"I don't know. I'm just a little general. We will do whatever the superiors say." The officer's voice trembled: "And when we left, we all put on the uniforms of the regular army. Every time we left a sentry , It took more than half a month for the whole army to reach Pengcheng."
"You mean, all the 5,000 guards from Sixi have arrived in Pengcheng?" Mao Afu's voice changed a little, and he looked at Jie Rong beside him, and they both saw fear in the other's eyes.
"Yes, yes. Five thousand guardsmen have arrived in Pengcheng, but we all put on the uniforms of the regular army. Everyone thought we had been upgraded, and they were very happy. The regular army's pay is much higher than that of the guardsmen. , and no more hard work,” the officer replied.
Mao Afu didn't care about the officer's salary: "These have nothing to do with you now. Are you deploying the Chu army in Pengcheng?"
"No, the army that went to replace us is not from Pengcheng. I know many of the officers in Pengcheng, but I don't know the ones who went to relieve us this time.
"The officer said.
Mao Afu took a deep breath, as a mid-level officer. He still had the vigilance he should have. From the mouth of the captured officer, he discovered that something must have gone wrong in this war. The other party had begun to make plans a long time ago. Sixi was not a guard with low combat effectiveness, but They are the regular army of Chu State. What the other party's purpose is has already been revealed, and now He Dong's group is heading towards Sixi. I'm afraid I still don't know anything. Their enemies have changed.
"How many Chu troops went to Sixi to change defenses?" Mao Afu asked a key question.
"I don't know. When my sentry left, the original military camp was almost full, at least no less than 5,000 people. Their equipment is really good."
Mao Afu stopped talking to him and said, "Jie Rong. You immediately send someone to escort this guy to Mr. Dong. Also, send a fast horse to Sixi to warn He Dong to be careful."
Jie Rong also knows that the stakes are high. He held the officer's neck with one hand and dragged him to the side. As he walked, he shouted loudly: "Gouzi, Gouzi, where did you die? Get over here."
Second Battalion Commander Qiu He walked to Mao Afu worriedly: "Captain, why do I feel something is wrong? What should we do now? Should we keep moving forward?"
Mao Afu took a deep breath: "Now it seems that the situation has changed. If what this officer said is true, then there are not only tens of thousands of Chu regular troops in Pengcheng, but also thousands of guards. We There are less than two thousand soldiers in the regiment, and the difference in strength is too great. But Qiu He, why do you think Bi Xuan did this? As long as he sent half of his Pengcheng army to meet us, we would not be our opponents, but why did he Groups of generals are sent out to fight us, and he is not a pig."
"If something goes wrong, there must be a monster!" Qiu He said solemnly: "Captain, don't you think the opponent has the intention to lure us deeper?"
"We are just one regiment, with a size of two thousand people. Does he need to do this? To lure the enemy deeper..." Mao Afu suddenly stopped and looked at Qiu He: "The enemy's target is not us, but our entire division. If everything this officer said is true, then the number of enemies gathered in Pengcheng now is definitely more than the number we obtained before the war. There must be enemy troops we don't know about that have arrived in Pengcheng. These bastards in the Supervisory Yuan are eating shit. ”
Mao Afu jumped up and said, "Jie Rong, Jie Rong, have the people you sent left?"
"Not yet!" Jie Rong's reply came from the distance.
"Report to the division commander and ask him to hold off on advancing until we find out the situation. The number of enemies in Pengcheng has increased sharply. I suspect that the other party has plans to lure the enemy deeper and try to annihilate us. By the way, go there in person and send a few soldiers to tell them. Not sure."
"Yes, Captain."
Mao Afu noticed the strangeness of the war, but it was a little too late in time. Bi Xuan was heartbroken about the loss of his elite troops and sent a guard at the last moment, but it was extremely stuck in time. , although Mao Afu obtained this important information in time, it was too late for Xie Dong of the Third Division and the First Regiment. When the messenger sent by Mao Afu to warn him was still running on the road, he was already in a great crisis.
The Zuo Family Ancestral Hall is a long-abandoned house with many parts in disrepair. The large house is covered in weeds, the walls are damaged everywhere, and there are many skylights on the roof. This is Ho Tung’s house now. Temporary command post. At this moment, He Dong, who was sweating profusely, was spreading the map on a tattered table with only three legs, trying his best to find a way to break out of the encirclement on the map.
Encountering the enemy in the morning, he encountered more than 5,000 enemies. When he was fighting fiercely with the enemy in front, enemy traces were suddenly discovered on both sides, numbering no less than 3,000. This shocked He Dong. He still dared to fight, so he immediately commanded his troops to leave the battlefield and retreat while fighting. However, he was attacked on several sides. By the time he retreated to Zuo's ancestral hall, the way back had been cut off.
"Commander, the third battalion and the first company that attacked Jiuwanxi failed and failed to capture it. Now Jiuwanxi has been controlled by the enemy." Feng Zhi, the chief of staff of the regiment, ran in from outside and picked up the charcoal on the table. The pen drew a cross in the direction of Jiuwan River.
He Dong looked at the several black crosses on the map, his expression extremely ugly.
"This is a trap. Our opponents are not local guards, they are all regular troops of the Chu State. Did Bi Xuan secretly transfer all Pengcheng's troops to this place?" He Dong shouted, slapping the table.
"If this is the case, then at least in the direction of Pengcheng, the enemy Mao Afu faces is empty. If he advances quickly, he can directly threaten Pengcheng, which can reduce our pressure. Bi Xuan cannot see Pengcheng. I'm afraid..." Feng Zhi didn't say the following words. If this were not the case and the enemy they faced was not Pengcheng's defenders, then the so-called Battle of Pengcheng was the Chu people who laid a huge blow to the Han army. The person trying to fit into the sleeve was definitely not one of their regiments, but the entire Third Division.
"Commander, the enemy has left us only one road, and that is the road to Majiapu."
"Majiapu is absolute." He Dong looked at Feng Zhi, "It is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Once we retreat there, the enemy will seal our door. We have no way to go to heaven and no way to enter the earth. The Chu army surrounds three and releases one. I’m afraid they just want to drive us somewhere.”
"But where can we go now?" Feng Zhi's face was also extremely ugly. "The troops sent out to open up the road failed without exception. The opponent has already strangled our roads in other directions. Commander, the Ma family The fort is a dead end, but it is also conducive to our defense. It can at least ensure the temporary safety of the team. We can hold on there and wait for reinforcements. "
"That's what I'm worried about, Chief of Staff Feng. The Chu army is using a typical encirclement method to call for reinforcements. Wherever they drive us, they will just sit back and wait for our reinforcements."
"For us, this is the only way to survive. Commander, even if we stay here, as long as the opponent surrounds us, they can still wait for our reinforcements. We retreat to Majiapu and defend our position. Before that, we will send out manpower to try to sneak out of the battlefield and warn Commander Dong. No matter what, we will first let Commander Dong know the details of the battlefield, and secondly, tell him not to send any reinforcements," Feng Zhidao said. Even if we want to come, we must gather a large number of troops that can defeat the enemy's troops. "
He Dong lowered his head and pondered for a while, "I'm right, we can maintain our strength to the maximum extent wherever we retreat. Feng Zhi, you go do this immediately, select those experienced veterans to do this, and send a few more Let’s go separately.”
"Yes!" Feng Zhi turned around and ran out.
Pengcheng, Qu Wan stood up, looked up to the sky and laughed: "Okay, very good, our bait has been cast, let's wait quietly for the big fish to take the bait, Bi Xuan, now you can send out the elite The troops are going to deal with the enemy coming from the front, and kill him cleanly."
"No need, they are already less than half a day's journey from Pengcheng. The marching speed of this army is really amazing. After annihilating our last strike force, this army suddenly accelerated its speed."
"Fortunately, you are the last guard sent out. This Han army must have seen the clues. Fortunately, the Sixi side has completed its mission. General Bi, I don't hope that this will happen next time. This Han army must have seen the clues. The Han army has only seen part of our intention now. They don't know that we also have the power to annihilate them head-on in Pengcheng. They speed up in order to attack Pengcheng to reduce the pressure on Sixi, but they are destined to be disappointed. "(To be continued)