Fu Shanhe

Chapter 180: The Hard-to-Catch Prisoner

"Chief, the clan ahead has begun to set up camp!"

Upon receiving this news, the He clan leader frowned.

Those guys made the decision directly without even discussing it with him about setting up camp.

If you have any opinions, you can only keep them to yourself. When they come, the He family will be the vanguard.

Now when they retreat, they directly become the rear army.

If you want to continue on your journey, you must cross the camps of other tribes.

"Let's set up camp!"

After taking a look at the sky, the He clan leader spoke slowly.

At this point in time, if you want to hurry, you can still walk a few more miles.

However, Guangxi is a mountainous region, and there are not many places that can accommodate tens of thousands of troops to camp.

If we leave in anger at this time, it will definitely attract the attention of other clans.

I have to run away at night, so it’s better to stay still than to move.

Compared to the front army, which receives much attention, the rear army has a much lower presence and it is easier to evacuate secretly.

As the order was given, the soldiers began to look for dead branches nearby to serve as firewood.

The weather in February is still not very hot at night.

For the soldiers, the camp can be simple, but it cannot be without fire.

While everyone was busy, the soldiers in charge of reconnaissance in the distance were running back for their lives.

"Patriarch, something terrible has happened...

The government troops...the government troops are catching up soon!"

Looking at the panting spy, the He clan leader realized that the situation was not good.

As he expected, he brought back shocking news.

The soldiers were busy setting up the camp, and the government troops attacked at this time, undoubtedly hitting their weak spot.

Later, the camp was built and they could defend it.

If a war breaks out at this time, they won't be able to gain any advantage and can only compete with the enemy in strength.

"Pass the order down and recall the soldiers who are out immediately!"

The He clan leader hurriedly gave the order.

I can’t take care of so much anymore, I have to move quickly now.

Otherwise, given the location of the He clan, it would be the first target of attack by the government troops.

It was impossible for him to exchange the lives of his tribal soldiers for the safe evacuation of other chieftains.

Similar scenes were constantly played out in various chieftain camps.

After realizing that the government troops were coming to kill them, they all hurriedly recalled their soldiers and fled, while tacitly choosing to keep it a secret from others.

After all, you may not be able to outrun the enemy when escaping, but you must outrun your teammates.

……

"Commander Li, the rebel camp is abnormal!"

Putting down the telescope in his hand, Jing Yifeng said with a frown.

Under normal circumstances, after discovering the traces of government troops, the first reaction should be to prepare to defend against the enemy.

If you have a camp to rely on, it would be a waste if you don’t use it.

Anyway, it's impossible to carry many artillery pieces during such a forced march, so there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of the terrain.

But the enemy camp in front of them was in chaos, with countless soldiers running for their lives.

It feels like luring the enemy.

“General Jing is right, the enemy is indeed abnormal.

Pass the order down, the entire army should advance steadily and not chase too fast.

When encountering special terrain, conduct reconnaissance before advancing, and beware of the enemy setting up an ambush ahead. "

Li Mu gave the order decisively.

On the battlefield, all kinds of emergencies may occur.

He sent people to scout the terrain in this area and determined that it was not suitable for an ambush.

But there are exceptions to everything.

It is not impossible that the rebels will do the opposite.

If you have won all the previous big battles and suddenly capsize in a ditch, it would be a joke.

We would rather be slower and achieve smaller results, but we must prioritize the safety of the army.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Along with the sound of muskets, the voice of surrender also resounded through the sky.

Faced with life and death, countless chieftain soldiers who had fallen behind laid down their weapons and surrendered.

The chaotic surrendered soldiers blocked the army's way and slowed down the army's marching speed in an extremely unconventional way.

The unexpected scene left Li Mu stunned.

This kind of operation is rare in human history.

It is certain that the enemy is not trying to lure the enemy, but is really a loser.

The real way to lure the enemy is to lead them to the preset ambush site, even at the risk of your life.

Instead of just laying down your weapons and surrendering, you should block the enemy's way.

“Take the prisoners!
We’ll catch as many as we can.”

Li Mu pretended to be calm and said.

Fortunately, the military supervisor was unwell and fell behind the team.

Otherwise, if he saw this scene, he would think that war was just a child's play.

The rebels on the opposite side clearly have no desire to fight.

The enemy collapsed on their own without even using the head of the traitor Kong Siliu.

It’s understandable if you think about it.

While they were busy setting up the camp, they suddenly discovered that the local chieftain's soldiers nearby were all fleeing in a hurry.

Not only was their chieftain slow to react, he also wanted to evacuate with all his belongings, which made them fall behind the team.

The government troops suddenly attacked and made them the human shields of their allies.

No matter who it happens to, their mentality will collapse.

What’s more, a month ago, they were still farmers with hoes and had not even completed basic military training.

The pursuit and escape battle continued, and as the winner, Li Mu did not feel happy.

As the sky gradually darkens, the sun's afterglow is just like a routine, bidding farewell to the world once a day.

"Pass the order down, the army stops chasing!

Each unit will simply clean up the rebel camp, deal with it for one night, and pursue the enemy tomorrow."

Li Mu gave the order again.

Chasing the enemy at night is too risky. The rebels are just running around without any order at all.

If we chase after the enemy army, the whole team might get scattered after a night of pursuit.

……

Late at night, Li Mu was very surprised when he saw the summarized battle report in the tent.

After chasing the enemy for more than an hour, they only killed more than 200 rebel soldiers and captured more than 1,800 prisoners.

This result is not as good as the previous small battle.

But there was no way, the rebel soldiers were just running around in disorder.

Crisis is the time when people's potential can be best unleashed.

The fleeing rebel soldiers were not much slower than the government troops who had come from afar.

"Commander Li, General Jing, have you finished the battle report?"

Jabo asked with a concerned look on his face.

Ever since he learned that the army had defeated the rebels, his health suddenly improved, and even the pain in his buttocks no longer hurt.

But when Li Mu and Jing Yifeng heard this, they thought it was irrelevant. As soldiers, they were too embarrassed to mention today's victory.

"Master Jia, it's too late today.

After defeating the rebels, our army did not have time to pursue them before it was dark.

It was pitch black outside, so it was hard to count the results.

Based on experience, we estimated that we killed at least 8,000 rebels during the daytime battle and captured 2,000 prisoners."

Li Mu said calmly.

Killing more than 200 rebels is not a record that can be boasted about at all.

In the eyes of those who know the military, after understanding the actual situation at the scene, everyone will think it is normal.

But if you tell this to a civilian official who knows nothing about military affairs, his first reaction is that it is impossible.

The rebel forces on the Nanning front were said to number 140,000. How could they be defeated with only a few hundred casualties?

Such battle reports were totally inconsistent with their understanding.

Not wanting to waste time explaining, he simply fabricated a battle report that matched the military supervisor's understanding.

Based on his understanding of Jia Bo, he would not go out to verify at this time.

If there were not enough heads, they would be taken away by the enemy or eaten by wild beasts. Anyway, I would have the merit of defeating the rebels, so I would not be afraid of anyone finding fault with it.

“Congratulations to the two generals for making another contribution to Dayu.

This was the greatest victory the court had achieved since the outbreak of the war to quell the rebellion.

I will report the truth to the elder and ask for credit for the two generals!"

Jabo said with a smile.

What a beautiful win.

Since the Battle of Guangxi, they have defeated 340,000 rebels.

With this record as a foundation, the rebels in Siming Prefecture will definitely flee without a fight.

After this battle, the gates of Nanning Prefecture and Xunzhou Prefecture were completely opened, and they were no longer able to stop the government troops from regaining lost territory.

The situation in Guangxi was revitalized, and the situation in Guangdong also changed accordingly.

The nearby areas such as Leizhou Prefecture, Gaozhou Prefecture, Guanghaiwei, etc. were also exposed to the army's attack.

Delivering such good news was also a great achievement for him as the military supervisor.

"Mr. Jia, you are too kind. These are what we should do.

The victory was entirely due to the great fortune of Your Majesty, the planning of the elders, the coordination of Lord Jia, and the dedication of the soldiers. "

Li Mu said in cooperation.

Adding a few more people will not affect the military achievements.

Naturally, you should bring everything you can.

Apart from the emperor's good fortune, which is indeed a bit far-fetched, everyone else can be related.

Lord Xu's strategic planning was indeed not that good, but he provided money and food for the army.

Without financial support, Li Mu would not have the courage to launch a battle.

Otherwise, if he captures a prisoner, he could bankrupt him.

Jia Bo, the military supervisor, also performed well.

He did not cause any trouble to the army and helped to collect food every now and then. He was already a qualified military supervisor.

“Master Jia, we won the Guangxi battle, but trouble has also come.

It is estimated that by the time the war is over, there will be hundreds of thousands of prisoners alone, as well as a huge number of refugees.

Adding the families of the traitors, the number of additional people who need to eat is probably hundreds of thousands.

The food that was transported here earlier couldn't last long.

If we don’t have enough food and grass to replenish, we may be forced to give up the lost territory we have recovered and retreat back to Lianzhou to defend it.”

Jing Yifeng took the opportunity to ask for money and food.

The two of them have developed a tacit understanding in this regard, and as long as there is a chance to ask for money and food, they will immediately seize the opportunity.

Judging from past experience, the effect is very good.

The imperial court would allocate some money and grain more or less.

Now that we have won the Guangxi Campaign, we have more reason to demand money and food.

"Don't worry, Generals. I will take care of the money and food issues, and I will not make it difficult for you.

You can go and recover the lost territory without any worries. A new batch of money and grain will be delivered soon!"

Jia Bo immediately assured.

As a close confidant of Lord Xu, he knew very well what his boss wanted most.

Whoever can quell the rebellion will be the right-hand man in Lord Xu's mind.

Even if they are not from your own faction, you must give them your full support.

Otherwise, if the war situation continues to deteriorate, his position as governor of five provinces will be unstable.

At this sensitive moment of power reshuffle in the court, being tarnished with the stigma of military defeat could directly mean the end of one's political career.

Emperor Yongning was so anxious to take power that he was almost going crazy.

If he had the chance to remove an assistant minister, he would definitely not show mercy.

……

In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight shines on the earth.

The soldiers had their meal early and set out on their journey again.

From now on, everyone's task is to capture prisoners.

Compared with yesterday, the chieftain's soldiers, who had fled all night, expanded their range of activities again.

In the darkness, many soldiers lost their way and had to rely on instinct to escape.

Now they may not even know where they have fled to.

From the initial gathering of chieftain clans, they changed to fleeing together in villages, and many of them evolved into independent traders.

The scattered escape caused a great deal of numbness for the capture of prisoners.

The world is full of defeated soldiers. Capturing these intelligent guys is much more troublesome than catching wild boars.

"Put down your weapons and those who surrender will not be killed!"

Infantry Captain Yun Yufeng shouted immediately.

It was not easy to advance for more than ten miles before we found the scattered fleeing soldiers.

"General, please spare our lives. We surrender!"

Seeing the enemy surrender, Yun Yufeng was not happy at all, as he encountered new troubles.

Taking these prisoners with us on the journey would slow down the army's advance.

Leaving people to guard these defeated soldiers would dilute the military strength at hand.

Leaving the enemy alone would be even worse.

If Li Mu had not been strict in military discipline and had not forbade his subordinates to massacre prisoners, he would have ordered the dozen or so defeated soldiers in front of him to be killed and the problem would have been solved once and for all.

"Tie them to the tree nearby and bring them with you when you come back."

After a little thought, Yun Yufeng gave the order decisively.

There is no need to worry about anyone stealing the credit. At this time, everyone is heading for the main force of the rebels.

Just a dozen prisoners are nothing.

Even these prisoners of war still have to hope that they will return by this route.

If you miss it, you will have to stay here and feed the snakes, insects and ants.

"General, take us with you!
There are ferocious beasts in this forest, we stay here..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, Yun Yufeng whipped him.

"Stop talking bullshit to me!
The army's passage made such a loud noise that even the most ferocious insects would retreat.

He won't be back for a while.

You want to follow the army, slow down my march, and create opportunities for your people to escape? That's wishful thinking!"

……

(End of this chapter)