Chapter 1149: Carrying on the Past and Opening up the Future (Thirty-Nine)

"Sir, are you sick?" He Dong and Song Tao jumped up. Mao Afu, who was still lying on the bed and could not move, his eyes widened. The eyes of the three of them revealed disbelief and satisfaction. I couldn't believe it. When Dong Zhuang set out from here a few hours ago, he was as strong as a cow, but he fell ill in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the eyes of several people, Cui Chengxiu also felt that this lie was a bit outrageous, but what could he do? He could say that it was because the army commander was worried that Dong Zhuang would react violently after learning the truth about solving this matter. On the contrary, it will ruin the important affairs of the imperial court. This is not a good idea, so it will rub a pinch of salt on the wounds of the Third Division.

After coughing softly, Cui Chengxiu said without looking at the faces of the three of them, "Since Commander Dong suddenly fell ill, Commander Zhang ordered me to take charge of the Third Division for a period of time until Commander Dong recovers." "

After an awkward silence, Song Tao stood up and snapped to attention, "Song Tao, commander of the third regiment of the third division, obeys the order."

Cui Chengxiu nodded. Song Tao graduated from Jishi City Military University and had an innate sense of closeness to him. The same was true for Mao Afu, even though he was lying in bed now.

Sure enough, after Song Tao finished speaking, Mao Afu, who was lying on the bed, hesitated for a moment, but still whispered: "Mao Afu, commander of the second regiment of the third division, obeys the order."

Both regiment leaders expressed their opinions, and He Dong, the leader of the first regiment, could only nod.

"In view of the fact that the Third Division has suffered heavy losses and many wounded in the battle, in order to strengthen the defense in the direction of Jiangjiaji, the First Division will dispatch a fully-manned regiment to garrison at Jiangjiaji, while the Third Division will dispatch a regiment of Hejiaji. East to the station of the First Division." Cui Chengxiu issued his first mission after acting as commander of the Third Division.

After hearing the first order from the acting division commander, the three regiment commanders naturally smelled different meanings in it. Because the Ho Tung Regiment first encountered the main force of the enemy in the Battle of Sixi, the losses were indeed very heavy. The Ho Tung Regiment From a military point of view, there is no problem if a full-strength regiment is sent to Chiang Kai-shek. However, if Ho Tung's regiment is transferred away, there will be a problem. It seems that the superiors are worried about the Third Division?

At this time, not only He Dong, but also Song Tao and Mao Afu who were lying on the bed looked ugly.

He Dong swallowed, scratched his neck, and asked directly: "Mr. Cui, has something happened to Mr. Dong? Are the higher-ups going to hold him responsible for this defeat? Is Mr. Dong being detained?"

"What nonsense!" Cui Chengxiu's face darkened, "I said before that Mr. Dong is ill and is being treated by doctors at the military headquarters. Don't think that Mr. Dong won't get sick because he is strong and strong. People eat whole grains. For those of you who are not sick, during this period of time, you teachers have suffered from internal and external troubles, and your bodies have already been overwhelmed. It just happened to happen today. What are you thinking about?"

"Mr. Cui, if you really want to be held accountable, the responsibility this time lies mainly with me!" Mao Afu, who was lying on the bed, sounded weak but determined.

"And I, if I hadn't repeatedly asked the division commander for reinforcements, the division commander wouldn't have led the troops to Sixi in a hurry, and there wouldn't have been the incident that dragged the entire army into trouble. Commander Cui, I am willing Take all responsibility!" Ho Tung Ye shouted loudly.

"What the hell!" Cui Chengxiu was angry, and Huo Di stood up, "I told you, Mr. Dong is ill, and no one is holding him responsible. What responsibility do you want to take? This time the New First Army suffered heavy losses and is facing You two little regiment commanders are willing to take the responsibility for the danger of the entire army being destroyed. Can you bear it? How broad do you think your shoulders are?"

He Dong lowered his head and Mao Afu closed his eyes.

"Song Tao!" Cui Chengxiu shouted.

"exist!"

"Although I act as the commander of the Third Division, my First Division is stationed far away from here. Apart from major military affairs, daily affairs will be handled by you. You will also be responsible for the arrangements for the regiment I transferred. Listen. Do you understand?" Cui Chengxiu said loudly.

"yes!"

"He Dong, let your first regiment be ready. When the first division troops with whom you are changing defense arrive, you must report to me at the first division station as quickly as possible!"

"Yes!" He Dong replied in a low voice.

Cui Chengxiu snorted, turned around and walked out, walked to the door, and suddenly turned back. Looking at the three people, he said: "As a soldier, you need to remember that the most important thing is to obey, not to ask why!"

The reason why he ordered Song Tao to handle daily matters without intervening himself was because Cui Chengxiu did not want to intensify the resentment of the Third Division. Song Tao's Third Regiment is now the most complete and strongest regiment of the Third Division. More importantly, Song Tao has another He is a graduate of Jishi City Military University, so he is trustworthy.

The reason why Ho Tung was transferred was because Ho Tung was promoted by Dong Zhuang. His background and temperament were similar to Dong Zhuang's. He was very fiery. He put him in his hometown, even if Ho Tung wanted to do something. Nothing can succeed. Of course, this is also Cui Chengxiu's protection for He Dong. Once there is no chewing point, He Dong is likely to cause trouble. In the third division, except Dong Zhuang, He Dong, the commander of the first regiment and the first regiment, The prestige is extremely high.

Cui Chengxiu was not worried about the remaining troops of the Third Division rebelling, but he was worried that if it was true as the commander said, something big would happen if the Third Division rebelled.

And during the two days when Cui Chengxiu was painstakingly dealing with the situation abandoned by the army commander, Wu Qi, who had finished negotiating with Huang Xie, the chief minister of the Chu State, rushed to Sixi like a spark of fire.

"You are not asking us to surrender? But we are allowed to withdraw from Pengcheng with all weapons?" Zhang Hongyu was surprised and delighted when he heard the news. This result made him unable to believe his ears.

"Yes, but we can no longer garrison troops in Sanchuan. The entire army must retreat to Suiyang. From Sanchuan to Tucheng, over a hundred miles of land, neither side is allowed to garrison troops!" Wu Qi said.

Zhang Hongyu took a deep breath: "It doesn't matter if there are no troops stationed in a land of a hundred miles. When we attack Chu on a large scale, the distance of hundreds of miles will be achieved in one go. But is this all for Wu Yizheng? The other party How is it possible to make such a big concession?"

"Of course not." Wu Qi stared into Zhang Hongyu's eyes and pondered for a moment, "The Qilu Army must withdraw to Linyi, and thousands of square kilometers of land are gone. These must be returned to the Chu State."

"The Qilu Army retreated to Linyi!" Zhang Hongyu was stunned for a moment. This meant that the results of their battle with the Qilu Army for more than half a year last year were in vain, and they were back on the same starting line as before the war with the Chu State.

"This is the price we have to pay, and this price is paid because the king has shown that he wants to fight a battle for national destiny with the Chu State at all costs. In order to bring you back intact, the young guard The two cavalry armies of the legion were mobilized, and other troops also began to cooperate and made a series of tactical actions, which scared the Chu people. The price cannot be said to be small." Looking at Zhang Hongyu who lowered his head, , Wu Qi patted the other party's shoulder, "The king said that talents are the most important. No matter what the cost, we must bring back the surviving soldiers of the New First Army. But I didn't expect the Chu people to be so unintimidated. Originally, my bottom line was that it would be fine as long as he released you people, but I never thought that he would let you go back with all your equipment."

Zhang Hongyu stood up and bowed deeply to Wu Qi: "The New First Army thanks Wu Yizheng. If it weren't for your hard work, the New First Army would not have ended this war with dignity, nor would it have retreated with dignity. Going back, if the New First Army is really disarmed and goes back empty-handed, it will be a shame that the New First Army can never wash away. No matter what achievements he can make in the future, among the military ranks of the Han Dynasty, he I will never be able to raise my head again. I thank you on behalf of the New First Army."

"Thank you. I was entrusted by the king to negotiate, so naturally I have to strive for greater rights and interests. To be honest, I am quite surprised to have such an effect." Wu Qi said.

Zhang Hongyu nodded: "This shows that the Chu people are far from ready to start a full-scale conflict with us. Wu Yizheng, since we can evacuate tomorrow, I want to make arrangements overnight. Wu Yizheng has come all the way and has a hard time, so he should go and take a rest first." !I’ll have someone come to invite you early tomorrow morning.”

"It's okay, it was a bumpy road, but it almost broke my bones. I didn't notice this in China before, but when I arrived in Chu State and saw its roads, I realized how good it is in China. This Chu country is still the richest country in this continent. It doesn't even have a decent road." Wu Qi stroked his waist, stood up, walked a few steps towards the entrance of the tent, and then turned around: "Commander Zhang, this is After you go back, you are likely to be held accountable. In any case, the New Army suffered a huge defeat this time, and it was the largest defeat in history. Tens of thousands of people were surrounded and the entire country was surrounded. There is such an uproar over this! There are endless calls from within the imperial court to punish you, and the king is also in a very difficult position."

Zhang Hongyu smiled: "Thank you Wu Yizheng for the reminder. In fact, I know very well that this battle is my problem. It was my underestimation of the enemy that led to this defeat. Of course I have to take responsibility. Don't worry."

"Well, it's not a bad thing to take a short break!" Wu Qidian nodded, turned around and walked out. Before leaving for Chu State, several people in the council had a preliminary opinion on how to deal with the affairs. Zhang Hongyu must be able to take responsibility. Ye Zhong of the Ministry of War must also bear some responsibilities. Although the king finally approved this operation, after the incident, he must find a way to clear the king of responsibility. An invincible king has no influence on the Han Dynasty. The morale of the country's military and civilians is very important.

That night, Wu Qi slept soundly. The sound of horse hooves, footsteps, and bugles were heard all the time in the Chinese army camp, but this was his own army's own military camp. Compared with the luxurious post house of the Chu people, He sleeps more soundly. (To be continued)