Fu Shanhe

Chapter 377 The End of the Hero
"Rumble..."

The sound of gunfire extinguished hope, and the carefully planned smuggling plan was eventually leaked.

The Yu army's navy rushed to the scene after hearing the news, and after defeating the rebel army's navy, they cut the Wu army that was crossing the river in half.

"Your Majesty, let's go!"

Yu Ruiyu pulled Fu Haoxuan and persuaded him.

No one wants to lose soldiers and generals.

However, the fact that Wu's army was divided into two became an established fact.

The navy is a technical branch of the military, and their hastily assembled team is no match for the Yu army's navy.

"No!"

"I have to wait for the follow-up troops to arrive!"

"The enemy troops just came over, and the Yangtze River is so vast that they don't have the ability to block every crossing.

......"

Fu Haoxuan said excitedly.

In order to successfully cross the river, the Wu army paid a heavy price.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were thrown out as bait just to keep the 20,000 elite troops in hand.

I never expected that after paying such a huge price, something would still go wrong when crossing the river.

The number of troops that successfully crossed the river was less than 10,000.

With such a small force, it would be difficult to even preserve themselves, let alone march north to the Central Plains.

"Your Majesty, it's too late!

The government troops have discovered us and the pursuers will be here soon.

If you don’t leave quickly, you won’t be able to leave!”

Yan Ruiyu urged hurriedly.

No one would feel comfortable when a separatist regime turns into a bandit group.

But no matter how painful it is, life must go on.

At this point in the war, the Wu army was in danger.

If we don't seize the time and break through the encirclement and blockade of Yu's army, our destruction will be a matter of time.

"Don't worry, I have already ordered the abandonment of Nanchang, Jiujiang, Anqing and other places. It won't be long before they rush over to lead their troops.

The troops from other regions were still some distance away, but Anqing was within reach.

Calculating the time, Fang Mochuan's troops should be coming over to join us!"

Fu Haoxuan said while trying to remain calm.

He would not feel sorry no matter how much the ordinary army suffered.

From the time they started their uprising in Guangxi to now, they have already accumulated a lot of experience in building a team.

As long as the core backbone is there, it is never difficult to restore the military strength.

But now it’s different. The team he worked so hard to build has lost most of its money.

Without these assets, it would be difficult to gain a foothold even if we could enter the Central Plains.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we can't count on reinforcements.

Yu Jun knew where we were crossing the river, so it was impossible for them to be unprepared.

Attacking them when they are halfway across the river is only the first wave of the enemy's offensive. There will be even bigger troubles waiting for us next.

It is possible that General Fang’s troops suffered a devastating disaster as soon as they left Anqing City.

Just like we evacuated Nanjing before!"

Hu Yuzhe said nervously.

When a regime reaches its end, betrayal is always inevitable.

The Wu army's patchwork separatist regime had even lower centripetal force among officials.

As soon as the large army left Nanjing City, it encountered a series of encirclement and blockades.

After all the trouble along the way, the morale of Wu's army was low, and they had no choice but to cut off their losses.

I thought I could save the State of Wu, but in the end it was precisely defeated by the enemy. There must have been a traitor behind the scenes who leaked the news.

Knowing that there was a problem in the team, Hu Yuzhe, as a demoted official, could only urge the emperor to run away.

At this point in time, once loyalty is screened, he himself becomes the biggest suspect.

In troubled times, many things do not require evidence.

The possibility of suspicion was enough to make Fu Haoxuan want to kill.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be an ambush, it could also be a direct betrayal.

From the moment we evacuated Nanjing, the number of troops choosing to surrender to Yu’s army increased dramatically.

Many scattered troops would choose to surrender to the enemy as long as they were at a disadvantage on the battlefield. "

Right Prime Minister Yang Jingren directly broke the window paper and extinguished Fu Haoxuan's last fantasy.

In troubled times, the thing that can least stand the test is loyalty.

"withdraw!"

As soon as Fu Haoxuan's order was issued, a team carrying the Wu army flag appeared in the distance, with a word "Fang" embroidered on the flag.

There was no time to celebrate, as this sudden reinforcement directly attacked the Wu army.

"Damn Fang Mochuan, I trusted him so much, but he actually betrayed me!
Pass the order down, the entire army immediately breaks out to the north, and do not engage with the enemy."

Fu Haoxuan said through gritted teeth.

Traitors are more hateful than enemies. If the occasion is right, he will definitely clear out the house first.

Everyone found Mo Chuan's betrayal incredible.

But the fact is, if they were not acquaintances, the Wu army soldiers would not let them get close at all.

……

The two Wu armies engaged in a fierce battle on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

Seeing his subordinates turning their knives on their former colleagues in order to show their loyalty, Fang Mochuan felt heartbroken.

Unfortunately, he couldn't control all this.

As a head coach, he is unwilling to stab his old club in the back for fame and fortune, but his subordinates do not have this kind of pressure.

From the moment he accepted the amnesty, he lost control of the team.

After accepting the imperial court's amnesty, everyone suddenly became generals of the Yu army, and it was reasonable for them to encircle and suppress the rebels.

If you don't accept this pledge of allegiance, you will never be considered one of us.

If they cannot become one of our own, their official positions will not be secure.

If we don't hold people accountable now, we will be held accountable after the war.

For their own interests, the younger brothers chose to stab their former master in the back, leaving Fang Mochuan alone and sad.

"General, it's not too late to bring your soldiers into battle now!"

The middle-aged lawyer at the side spoke up to remind him.

They worked together for a while, and he also used the Anqing garrison to exchange for a promotion.

I still have some feelings for this former boss.

The persuasion at this time is completely sincere.

Loyal and righteous people are certainly admired.

But if you are in the enemy camp, it is better to die.

If Fang Mochuan does not cut ties with the rebels politically in a timely manner, he will inevitably be convicted for some reason at some point in the future.

"No need!"

“When I’m in my position, no matter what I do, I’m bound to be suspected.

Rather than waiting for the imperial court to settle the score later, it is better to take the initiative and leave first to avoid dirtying Duke Cheng's hands.

Mr. Wang, I know your background is not simple and you have many connections in the court.

The wealth in these boxes is what I have accumulated over half my life, and now I am giving it to you.

Whether you use it for yourself or use it to bribe your superiors, I only ask that after my death the court will not settle accounts with my family and old subordinates."

After saying this, Fang Mochuan began to sob and foam came out of the corners of his mouth.

Seeing this scene, Master Wang was horrified.

He thought of all kinds of possibilities, but he never expected that Fang Mochuan would be so stubborn.

"Quick, call the doctor!"

In a panic, Master Wang shouted hurriedly to his guards.

"Don't worry, I've sent them all out!" "They want to live comfortably in the rest of their lives, and they need to prove their loyalty to the court.

They have followed me through battles for so many years without achieving anything remarkable. I cannot let them down at the last moment.

Don't worry, Mr. Wang. I have made all the arrangements in advance.

Before I went to the battle, I gave them a treasure bag which contained a handwritten letter from me, in which I explained my final arrangements.

Here is also a handwritten letter of mine. If anyone causes trouble, you can take it out and use it to calm the troops.

Maybe I'm overthinking it, maybe all of this won't be useful anymore!"

After using up his last bit of strength to say his last words, Fang Mochuan closed his eyes, a smile of relief appearing on the corners of his mouth.

At the end of his life, he finally saw through human nature.

If the Wu Kingdom was at its peak, there would definitely be many loyal and righteous people among its subordinates.

But now they are at the end of their rope, and even Emperor Fu Haoxuan may die at any time.

When disaster strikes, we all fly away.

In order to obtain the imperial court's amnesty, the people below could betray Fu Haoxuan and could also abandon him as their chief general.

When it comes to interests, only a very small number of people really care about his life or death.

Maybe many people will even secretly feel lucky.

After the death of this leader, the surrendered soldiers became independent and could never be reunited.

Now that the danger to the court no longer exists, there won’t be so much suspicion and everyone can sleep peacefully.

……

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

After a rain of arrows, the team following Fu Haoxuan was reduced by more than ten people.

Looking at the Yu cavalry who were ready for battle, the Wu army leaders all showed expressions of despair.

They had just been stabbed in the back by their own people, and their morale was at its lowest, when they were targeted by the enemy cavalry.

"Form a formation and fight the enemy!"

Fu Haoxuan ordered coldly.

At the critical moment of life and death, he had no extra thoughts and only wanted to fight the enemy to his death.

Kill one and you earn one, kill two and you earn one.

"Whoever captures the false emperor alive will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver and promoted three levels!"

Shi Jinglin gave the order with excitement.

He did not catch up with the great achievement of retaking Nanjing.

I thought he could only play a supporting role in this rebellion war.

He never expected that at the last moment, Fu Haoxuan actually led a group of defeated soldiers and crashed into his defense zone.

If you don't take what heaven gives you, you will suffer the consequences; if you don't act when the time comes, you will suffer the consequences.

There is absolutely no reason to miss out on this great opportunity that comes right to your doorstep.

If Fu Haoxuan could escape in such a situation, he would have no need to be the commander-in-chief.

Under the temptation of the high reward, the officers and soldiers of Liaodong Town became excited.

In their eyes, the rebels before them had all become a stepping stone for them to get promoted and make money.

In addition to the high reward for the false emperor, the court also offered different levels of rewards to other high-ranking rebels.

You can catch anyone at random and cross the class line.

At the critical moment of life and death, Wu Jun demonstrated his elite qualities and formed a square formation at the fastest speed.

Faced with the spear formation, the Liaodong cavalry showed no fear and directly took out their muskets and fired a volley.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Times have changed. The military formations that were previously used to deal with cavalry have become outdated as weapons have been replaced.

The Wu soldiers, lacking shields to protect them, could only use their flesh and blood to block the bullets.

In an instant, the Wu army soldiers in the front row were killed or wounded.

The originally unbreakable formation soon showed flaws.

Sensing the opportunity, the Liaodong cavalry immediately launched an attack without any hesitation.

A gap was torn open, and the army formation, which had placed high hopes, was quickly shattered by the cavalry's charge.

With the quality of these elite troops of the Wu army, they could have launched a counterattack, but they lost too many weapons and equipment during their escape.

The blunt weapons used to penetrate armor and the sabers used to deal with cavalry have all disappeared.

Even so, the Wu army soldiers still fought back hard.

Except for a few heavy cavalry, the Liaodong Iron Cavalry is mostly light cavalry, and its defensive capabilities are not that strong.

Infantry is certainly at a disadvantage when fighting cavalry, but as long as they are willing to fight with their lives, they will always gain something.

Groups of Wu soldiers picked up their spears and stabbed at an enemy cavalryman. At this moment, life and death were no longer a concern.

In an instant, one person was pierced by the enemy's spear, and several people were carried away by their horses.

After paying a heavy price, one of the comrades finally stabbed his spear into the enemy's armor and successfully knocked the enemy off his horse.

Without any hesitation, the nearby Wu army soldiers immediately picked up their weapons and attacked the fallen enemy soldiers.

As the most elite troops of the Wu State, they enjoyed the best treatment and had the highest sense of identification with the Wu State.

When the country is destroyed and the family is ruined, it doesn’t matter whether you live or die. The key is to kill the enemy.

This ferocity really shocked the Liaodong generals who were watching the battle.

"The enemy is fighting desperately. Order all units to keep their distance and use muskets and bows and arrows to resolve the battle!"

Shi Jinglin gave the order decisively.

Deep down, he couldn't help but bleed.

In the brief confrontation just now, hundreds of cavalrymen fell. These were the foundation of their Shi family's existence in Dayu.

The enemy wanted to fight to the death, but he was reluctant to sacrifice his precious Liaodong cavalry to exchange their lives with those of the rebels.

"Fifth brother, these rebels are more difficult than expected.

The nobles were able to force them to this point, it seems we have underestimated their strength."

Shi Jingzhong said in a low voice.

Before this battle, his inherent cognition had always been that the Tatar cavalry had the best combat effectiveness in the world, their Liaodong Army was second best, and all other troops were incompetent.

Even the famous six towns in Guangdong and Guangxi were only at the same level as other border troops in his eyes, and there was still a long way to go before them.

Through the comparison with the confrontation with the rebels, his cognition was severely impacted.

This defeated army should have collapsed at the first blow, but the enemy actually inflicted considerable casualties on the Liaodong Cavalry.

If they had encountered this army in its heyday, the price they would have paid would have been even greater.

"Um!

A military family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, even if it has declined, the strength in its hands should not be underestimated.

With the help of this rebellion suppression war, the noble faction cultivated many talented generals and was able to achieve rebirth from the ashes.

But there is no need to worry too much, the civil service group will not allow them to continue to grow.

A new round of struggle between civil and military officials will break out in the court in the near future.

All we need to do is sit back and watch the tigers fight, and take advantage of the opportunity to reap the benefits.

I think those noble sons would look down on our bitter cold land of Liaodong."

Although he said it lightly, Shi Jinglin still showed a hint of fear between his brows.

Compared with the noble faction, the Liaodong faction's foundation is still too shallow.

In the court, one can only rely on civil servants.

Although he seems to have a great reputation in the army, his actual influence is limited to the Liaodong region.

The sons of nobles who had made contributions could serve as officials in various provinces of Dayu, but the sons of Liaodong were confined to Liaodong.

On the one hand, it was the deliberate suppression of the imperial court, and on the other hand, the Liaodong generals did not give them the opportunity to be transferred elsewhere in order to protect their own status.

As the sun sets, the bloody battle gradually comes to an end.

The number of Wu army soldiers who were able to stand up was getting smaller and smaller, and in the end only a dozen people following Fu Haoxuan were left.

The reason they survived to the end was not because they were brave or lucky, but simply because the government troops wanted to capture them alive.

For the Dayu court, capturing Fu Haoxuan alive has extraordinary political significance.

"Fu Ni, surrender quickly!"

"God is merciful. As long as you are willing to surrender, I will not mind speaking well of you in front of His Majesty!"

After taking a quick look at the battlefield, Shi Jinglin began to persuade the enemy to surrender.

(End of this chapter)