I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 480 One Tension, One Relaxation

Chapter 480 A Balance of Tension and Relaxation

When Yuan Tan led his remaining troops to the other side, Zang Ba's heart was in his throat.

The camp set up here is indeed a fake camp.

Despite its grand scale, the camp was actually built on only one side, intended to intimidate Yuan Tan.

"Yuan Tan really got incredibly lucky!"

Zang Ba cursed and swore.

The number of troops pursuing Yuan Tan was naturally more than just this.

But there wasn't a single boat downstream of the glue!
Zang Ba asked the local people and learned that Yuan Tan had ordered all the boats on the river to be burned half a month earlier.

"Yuan Tan must be thinking that if he defeats His Majesty, he will prevent His Majesty from crossing the river and be trapped to death in Jiaodong!"

And it turns out.

This command is useful, but its usefulness is limited.

Its sole purpose was to prevent Zang Ba's pursuing troops from crossing the river in time and to block Yuan Tan's retreat before he could reach him.

Therefore, upon learning that Yuan Tan's soldiers had approached Jiaoshui, Zang Ba made a decisive decision, leading only a hundred men to cross the river first, and hastily built a fake camp in order to intimidate Yuan Tan and buy time for Liu Miao's subsequent pursuit!
Zang Ba was somewhat uneasy, but when he heard that Yuan Tan had actually sent an envoy to negotiate at this point, he finally felt at ease.

Sending an envoy must mean that Yuan Tan has lost the confidence to cross the river!
Zang Ba ordered his soldiers to hold gongs and drums and shout loudly in the camp, creating a bustling scene, before going to meet Yuan Tan's envoy outside the camp gate.

Unexpectedly, the other party's single sentence startled Zang Ba so much that he almost drew his sword and killed him!

"General Zang! Yuan Tan already knows this is a fake camp! He's now planning to force his way across the river!"

Zang Ba had his hand on the hilt of his sword, but then he realized something was wrong and quickly demanded, "Who are you?"

"He's just a Han Chinese commoner!"

Yuan's messenger spoke anxiously with Zang Ba: "Yuan Tan is currently building boats! He will probably cross the river by tonight at the latest! What will you do then, General?"

How to do?
Let's just leave it at that!

Yuan Tan's defeated soldiers numbered at least two thousand, while I only had a little over a hundred men. How could I possibly hold them off?

Zang Ba suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Could it be that I could let such a big fish go?

However, compared to Yuan Tan, Zang Ba still had some distrust of the Yuan army envoy before him.

Seeing Zang Ba's concerns, the other party directly took out two eggs from his pocket.

"The general was also in His Majesty's camp at the time! Doesn't the general recognize this?"

"..."

Zang Ba then remembered the other person's appearance and confirmed that he was the Yuan army envoy who had been given thirty eggs by Liu Miao.

"You actually still kept it, hmm..."

Zang Ba came from a bandit background, but he still believed in loyalty and brotherhood.

"Yuan Tan, he actually lost his life because of a few eggs."

After a moment of sighing, Zang Ba nodded to the other party: "Do you have any good ideas?"

“Now, Yuan Tan’s troops are all just trying to survive. As the saying goes, a desperate army is bound to win. If you have fewer men, you should not attack him at this time.”

"General, you should retreat slightly and set up an ambush in the Pingshou area. Then, when the army's morale is low, you can launch an attack. This way, you will surely achieve a great victory!"

Zang Ba was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"Of course!"

After negotiating with the other side again, the Yuan army envoy returned to the opposite bank and met with Yuan Tan.

"how?"

"Your Highness! It's done!"

Even the starving and thirsty Yuan Tan was surprised: "It's done?"

"It's done!"

Yuan's envoy was eloquent and quickly relayed his conversation with Zang Ba to Yuan Tan.

Zang Ba believed that he was not a direct subordinate of Liu Miao and had fought against General Lü Bu, so he feared that one day Liu Miao would settle accounts with him.

"If we release His Highness now, it will give him a way out in the north!"

Yuan Tan's eyes gradually lit up with surprise.

He never expected that he would have such a talented person under his command!
"What's your name?"

"A humble name from the countryside is not worth mentioning." Upon hearing that the other party was not from a noble family, Yuan Tan's eagerness diminished considerably.

This change, when observed by the other party, further dispelled their last trace of hesitation.

"Your Highness, you can simply cross the river openly, and Zang Ba guarantees that he will not come to attack."

Yuan Tan was initially somewhat cautious.

He ordered his soldiers to cross the river and carefully deployed them on the riverbank to guard against Zang Ba.

However, seeing that Zang Ba did not attack, Yuan Tan dared to order the entire army to cross the river.

It was thought that Zang Ba intended to launch a surprise attack while the boat was crossing the river, but Zang Ba remained completely still throughout, not even bothering to show his face, allowing Yuan Tan to cross the river safely.

"Long live!"

"Your Highness! We have crossed the river!"

Seeing that they had safely crossed the glue, the soldiers of Yuan's army shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and their morale even recovered a little!
Yuan Tan also smiled.

However, he also knew that his current excitement was just an illusion.

These Yuan troops ultimately could not completely escape the shadow of defeat. They had to keep moving forward until they reached Hebei, a place where Liu Miao could not catch up, before they could finally relax.

Therefore, Yuan Tan only rested briefly before urging his soldiers to continue their journey.

We walked for a while longer.

The excitement and tension of successfully crossing the river gradually faded, leaving only the harsh reality.

This is not a victorious army.

in contrast.

This was a defeated army, lacking food and clothing, and chilled by the cold winds of Qingzhou.

The cold and hunger regained their dominance, making it even more unbearable than before crossing the river.

Exhausted, most soldiers staggered forward, their steps uneven.

Yuan Tan did consider seeking supplies.

However, the cities and towns along the way had already been looted by the Wuhuan people who had retreated earlier.

The prolonged war caused the once bustling market to gradually fall into ruin, with no more people or merchants coming to barter.

This Yuan army was like a lone traveler abandoned on an icy plain. They could clearly hear the breathing and voices of people around them, yet the emptiness in their hearts was like a never-ending hole, making them feel abandoned in this desolate world…

"Hey."

A sudden, abrupt, and abrupt cry, like the sound of a retreat signal, dealt a heavy blow to all of Yuan's troops.

It was only at this moment that many of Yuan's troops realized they had suffered a major defeat, and that they should perhaps weep for their comrades whom they would never see again.

Countless sobs, like calls to summon souls, echoed intermittently in the sky above.

Zhu Mingcheng, the night is over, time cannot be delayed.

The path is covered with orchids, and the road gradually becomes winding.

The Yangtze River flows deep and clear, with maple trees above it.

My gaze stretches a thousand miles, yet my heart aches with sorrow for spring.

O soul, return! Alas, Jiangnan!

Once they were sure they were safe, the courage to fight to the death vanished.

Yuan Tan couldn't help but sigh, yet he didn't know why he was sighing.

Perhaps it's because too much has already been lost in this battle, leaving no time to think about it in detail.

"The only thing I'm glad I did is escape with my life and bring back these Guanzhong warriors."

Not far away.

Upon hearing Yuan Jun's mournful cries, Zang Ba and his hundred-odd soldiers donned their armor and charged into battle!