Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 639 Morale Declines, General Faces Embarrassment

Guo Anguo and Pucha Shijie were both veterans who had been in the army since their youth, and they had their reasons for insisting that Pucha Ping hold on for at least an hour.

Xuzhou has a complex terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. This meant that Wu Jie's army had to go through a lot of trouble to withdraw from Pengcheng and reach the Central Plains.

Besides the hills and mountains, there were also some small rivers and lakes blocking the way for the Wu Jie Army. These terrain features were not insurmountable barriers for a large army, but they were enough to delay the Wu Jie Army for a while.

The key issue is that Wu Jiejun lacks time.

The rebel army in Xuzhou is not to be feared, but isn't the main force of the Han army terrifying?

If the Xuzhou rebels attack before these difficulties and obstacles are overcome, then the Wujie Army will have no choice but to engage in a direct confrontation.

Even if we could easily defeat the rebel army in Xuzhou, where would we make up for the half-day lost?
Then, what will bite us again will not be a rabble, but the main force of the Han army.

Therefore, when he saw Pu Chaping fleeing in a sorry state to his front, Pu Chashijie looked up at the position of the moon overhead, and immediately put his hand on the hilt of his knife, and was immediately overcome with the urge to kill.

Seeing the disheveled state of his nephew and son, he still sighed and asked, "A-Ping, what are my military orders?"

Pu Chaping trembled violently and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "I will hold out on the Su Causeway for one hour!"

Pucha Shijie sighed again: "Why don't you obey military orders!"

Pu Chaping's voice trembled: "This humble general simply cannot hold on any longer. I wanted to lead the armored cavalry to defend by offense, but unexpectedly..."

Pucha Shijie coldly replied, "I didn't expect that when the armored cavalry charged, the bandits were still there, but we had already scattered, was that it?"

"Fool!"

Pucha Shijie was about to continue cursing when he saw Guo Anguo riding over. He forcibly suppressed his anger and said, "Fifty lashes, remember this for now. Now get back to your troops and discipline them!"

Watching Pu Chaping leave in a sorry state, Guo Anguo said, "Asa, the bandits of Xuzhou will not give up easily. We should divide our forces."

Pucha Shijie nodded slowly.

If Pu Chaping had simply suppressed the arrogance of the Xuzhou rebels, that would have been fine. But now, the Xuzhou rebels were riding high. After securing the Su Causeway, how could they not do more?

Putting aside other matters, the fact that those bigwigs who run businesses on the river and have connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds could send out a few boats to sabotage the pontoon bridges back and forth through the dense network of waterways around Xuzhou would be enough to give Wu Jie's army a hard time.

Therefore, it was necessary to leave troops to cover the rear, and even fight a battle with the rebel army in Xuzhou.

But the danger did not come from the rebel army in Xuzhou. Scouts had just reported that the Han army was heading north from Pizhou and was less than a day's journey from Pengcheng.

The rearguard troops even had to fight a fierce battle with Zhang Baiyu, a general of the Han army.

However, after nodding, Pucha Shijie pondered for a moment and then shook his head, saying, "General Guo, the country is in such a state of decline. Since the failure of the southern expedition against Lianghuai, the country has lost its army and territory, and suffered heavy losses. Now, the Shenwei Army and the Wu'an Army have been wiped out and fled, and the morale of the Wujie Army is not very good either."

As he spoke, Pucha Shijie pointed in the direction Pucha Ping had left: "Take A-Ping for example. Although he's not as good as my son Wudie, he's still a fierce general. In the past, he wouldn't even flinch if I told him to die somewhere, but now, he's learned to disregard military orders. Really..."

Guo Anguo originally wanted to say a few words in agreement, but when he heard Pucha Shijie talk about his son who died in Chaoxian County, he didn't know what to say and could only remain silent.

After a moment, illuminated by the torches raised by the surrounding soldiers, Guo Anguo finally spoke: "In Asa's opinion, what should our army do?"

Pu Chashijie said solemnly, "General Guo, our army cannot afford another major defeat. Otherwise, the morale of the Wujie Army will be completely destroyed. It is not appropriate for either of us to be the rearguard or the vanguard, because Liu's troops are attacking from both the north and south. It is not guaranteed that the rearguard will fight the enemy, nor that the vanguard will be safe. If we split our troops into two groups, and one group is lost, the other group will not be able to survive, or even reach Shouzhou. Their morale will collapse, and the entire army will scatter."

Guo Anguo remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "So, the whole army is going to be together?"

Pucha Shijie: "That's right. Even if we have to fight, we can do our best and not be defeated one by one."

After a pause, as if making a difficult decision, Pucha Shijie said through gritted teeth, "Furthermore, if the entire army retreats together, we can't march at such a leisurely pace like we are now."

"Our horses and livestock are in good condition. Each man carries three days' worth of rations. Apart from weapons and armor, everything else has been discarded. The army is heading straight for Shouzhou!"

Guo Anguo was shocked to hear this: "If we march like this, at most only two-thirds of the troops will be able to reach Shouzhou safely. There will also be losses of warhorses and livestock, as well as the loss of grain and goods. The losses will be even greater than if we had fought a proper battle."

Even during World War II, armored forces would break down many tanks during a forced march of 100 kilometers, let alone medieval cavalry units.

Even the strongest mules and horses are still made of flesh and blood and cannot withstand such torment.

The army will march for a long time, and the mules and horses will surely die of exhaustion along the way. After such a battle, the Wujie Army's proud armored cavalry will likely only have one warhorse left per person, completely losing their tactical mobility.

Pucha Shijie's eyes were sharp: "But after all, we haven't actually fought a battle, have we? Even if we suffer heavy losses, we can use a forced march as a cover, and those who fall behind can find a way to return to the army. After we reach Shouzhou, we can recruit more soldiers. But if two thousand people die in battle, the entire army will completely collapse."

"General Guo, I made this plan with a heart full of pain and confusion. If you disagree, then just pretend I never said it, okay?"

When Pucha Shijie handed the choice to Guo Anguo, Guo Anguo immediately felt immense pressure.

He reined in his horse and stood still, slowly watching the Wu Jie Army marching in formation. He pondered his resources, but no matter how he considered it, he still hesitated.

Just as Guo Anguo was hesitating, a flash of fire appeared in the corner of his eye and quickly magnified.

Guo Anguo and Pu Chashijie looked up at the same time and saw flames rising from a high place several miles away.

Guo Anguo was stunned for a moment before he suddenly realized that the place was the original Ximatai camp of the Jin army.

Although the Xuzhou rebels found nothing, they still set fire to their camp to demonstrate their irreconcilable opposition to the Jin invaders.

"Sigh..." Guo Anguo sighed deeply: "The people of Xuzhou no longer belong to the Great Jin. Asa, do you think that even if we go to Shouzhou, we will be driven out by the whole state as we are today?"

Pucha Shijie remained silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "Of course not. The temperament of the Han people in the Central Plains is either extremely weak and docile or extremely cruel and fierce; there is no middle ground at all."

“Shouzhou is hundreds of miles away from Liu Dalang. As long as we get to Shouzhou, we can implement benevolent policies, encourage agriculture and sericulture, clear up wrongful convictions, and make the people live in peace and happiness. We will not be afraid that the Han people will join forces to fight us.”

Guo Anguo was somewhat surprised to hear this, not expecting that a martial artist like Pucha Shijie could say such a thing.

But then he thought about it again. Before taking over as the deputy commander of the Wujie Army, Pucha Shijie was the military governor of Anguo Army. He was quite capable in governing local affairs in Xingzhou. For a moment, he could only nod repeatedly.

"In that case, let's march forward with the whole army! Just as Asa said, let's abandon all the miscellaneous things, including the conscripted soldiers, laborers, blacksmiths, and camp prostitutes. Each soldier should carry three days' worth of rations, march at full speed for eight hundred li, and leave this godforsaken place of Xuzhou immediately!"

After issuing the military order, Guo Anguo turned his horse around and left.

Pucha Shijie stared blankly in the direction of the Ximatai camp, watching the flames gradually merge with the sea of ​​torches of the Xuzhou rebels. Overwhelmed with mixed feelings, he was lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)