After the Qing army retreated, the Ming army gathered wood to light a bonfire, gathered together and dried the wet clothes. Deng Ming now regrets putting the burden wrapped in a down jacket in the camp, and it is estimated that it has been burned to ashes along with the camp. Fortunately, compared to North China, where Deng Ming went to school, the winter in Chóngqìng is much warmer, without the cold wind like a bone scraper, and there is no goose feather snow flying in the sky.

The only thing that could comfort him was that Deng Ming hung the beads around his neck and carried them with him—it was the only thing he had left, and he didn't even have a copper coin. Deng Ming didn't know how much this string of beads could be worth in ancient times, whether it was Zhao Tianba or Zhou Kaihuang, they never mentioned that they had seen Deng Ming's "treasures". Deng Ming just wanted to be able to exchange this string of beads for a mouthful of dry food and save his life in times of crisis.

Zhou Kaihuang and some other officers gathered the stragglers and counted more than 1,200 soldiers. There are no high-ranking generals, and the highest is a middle-level officer like President Qian, because Zhou Kaihuang is a close confidant of Yuan Zongdi, so he has faintly become the leader of all the officers. Some people think that Deng Ming seems to be the master of Yuan Zongdi's new recruitment, and they also want him to participate in the decision-making level, but Deng Ming knows that he knows nothing about marching and fighting, and resolutely refuses to cause chaos for everyone, and wants to be an idler with only ears and no mouth.

As a result of the discussions, everyone was short of food and clothing, and if they wanted to survive, they had to return to their base areas as much as possible, so they had to act immediately. The mountain road in front is rugged and sparsely populated, and everyone agrees to walk along the Yangtze River, the shore is relatively flat and easy to walk, and it is not easy to get lost. It is estimated that Wen Anzhi's main force will march along the Yangtze River towards Chóngqìng, and those people are the same remnants of the camp as Yuan Zongdi and Zhou Kaihuang.

After the discussion, the officers waited for Zhou Kaihuang to give the order to set off, but the latter pondered for a while, and then asked what everyone meant: "I don't know what happened to Xinjin Hou?" ”

When Tan Yi rushed to the city of Chóngqìng, he told Yuan Zongdi and Tan Wen that Tan Hong, the Marquis of Xinjin, had also set off, and it was earlier than the main force led by Wen Anzhi, and it would be faster to reach Chóngqìng. But the relationship between Tan Hong and Yuan Zongdi was very estranged, Zhou Kaihuang and the officers couldn't believe Tan Hong, if Tan Hong and Tan Yi rebelled against the Ming court, then Deng Ming's army was still in danger. Considering that Tan Yi and Tan Hong always acted together before and reported each other, it was even more suspicious.

"If the Marquis of Xinjin also rebels," said another officer, "then it is likely that he will camp along the river, right?" If the overseer hadn't rushed over, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to rush through it alone. ”

After several battles and retreats, some of the weapons of the Ming army were damaged, some were lost, and many fell into the river, and now there are only two or three out of ten soldiers with weapons, and more than 1,000 people are close to their bare hands. If such a soldier goes to fight with Tan Hong's thousands of main forces, no matter how you look at it, there will be no chance of victory.

"Let's not leave in a hurry," Zhou Kaihuang proposed: "Let's cut down some trees first, so that the brothers have at least a stick in their hands." ”

"If the Marquis of Xinjin also throws himself into the Tartars, and the Overseer fails to defeat him, then we will be dead." Some officers disagreed, even if they held sticks in their hands, the force of this Ming army was very weak in front of Tan Hong, and they should not expect to be able to fight head-on: "If the Marquis of Xinjin is still a member of the imperial court, then we had better hurry up, and the pursuers of Chóngqìng may come at any time." ”

"Let's find a stick," Zhao Tianba, who had been listening from the side, saw that Zhou Kaihuang was a little hesitant, and suddenly spoke out in agreement with his proposal: "The Marquis of Xinjin may have surrendered to the enemy, but he may also have been defeated by the Governor." If we have a stick in our hands, we can beat the mourning dog, if we don't, we can only be bitten by the dog; chóngqìng's tartar may send a small number of people to pick up the cheap, or it may send the main force to chase it, we have a stick and we can also beat a dozen to pick up the cheap, if the main force comes, won't you throw down the stick and run? Besides, we have a crutch, so it is easier to walk on mountain roads. ”

The army had just suffered a defeat, the people were panicked, and the officers could not effectively control the army. Zhao Tianba expressed his opinion, he felt that the current army was not in good spirits, and if he set off on the road immediately, he was afraid that most of them would be scattered without encountering the enemy, and once they encountered danger, they would have no ability to resist. Moreover, the soldiers were already exhausted and had not eaten, and if there had been no more chance to rest, then many would have fallen that night.

Although Zhao Tianba was not a member of Yuan Zong's first department, his words sounded reasonable and influential, and the officers unanimously agreed to rectify it first. On that day, the army did not continue to advance, but carried out simple arming, and Zhou Kaihuang also assigned people to collect wild vegetables and fruits, fish, hunt, in his words, to eat something first, whether it was fighting or escaping, it was more powerful. In addition to rudimentary weapons, the Ming army also made several flags, and in the event of an emergency, these officers could also have basic communication and command capabilities.

After some rectification, the Ming army, which was originally scattered, has the appearance of an army again, and Zhou Kaihuang and other officers also have more confidence in their hearts, even if they encounter the enemy, they will not be helpless and slaughtered. Seeing that it was too late, the Ming army did not intend to brave the cold wind to rush to the night road, so they ordered the whole army to rest and raise enough strength to march during the day, and at the same time sent guards to march around the day.

Early the next morning, 1,200 Ming soldiers set out in formation. After a night's rest, the morale of the army was restored, and the soldiers were led by officers and marched in an orderly formation on the south bank of the Yangtze River. Deng Ming, Zhao Tianba, and Zhou Kaihuang walked together, to be precise, Zhao Tianba always protected him from Deng Ming's left and right, and Deng Ming didn't know other officers, so he followed Zhou Kaihuang's team to act together.

"I thought about it again last night," Zhou Kaihuang said to Zhao Tianba on the way, "Even if the Marquis of Xinjin rebelled and didn't go to Chóngqìng with Tan Yi, then he would definitely put the main force on the north bank to block the army of the Governor from advancing towards Chóngqìng." ”

"Without the army rations and water division, can the overseer continue to attack Chóngqìng?" Zhao Tianba asked rhetorically.

"Can't!" Zhou Kaihuang immediately shook his head: "But if the Marquis of Xinjin defects to the enemy, he must always try to make meritorious contributions, right?" He wanted to say that he blocked the army of overseers for Chóngqìng, right? And he will feel that maybe the superintendent got the news and turned around and stopped attacking Chóngqìng and withdrew his troops, so wouldn't he just pick up a great achievement in vain! ”

Zhou Kaihuang's analysis made Zhao Tianba nod slowly: "Yes, if the Marquis of Xinjin is not in the same stream as Tan Yi, it is naturally the best, that is, he has defected to the enemy, and we may not be able to fight a bloody way out of the same mind." ”

The main force of Wen'an starting from Fengjie must march along the north bank, if Tan Hong rebels, in order to make meritorious service, he must defend the north bank with heavy troops, so that the Ming army on the south bank will have a chance to escape. Now the state of the Ming army has recovered a lot, and it can already fight. The two young officers discussed for a while, and they both felt that the pressure in their hearts had been reduced a lot, and Deng Ming saw that the faces of the two showed confidence again.

……

The more you worry about something, the more it will happen.

Tan Hong did not stay on the north bank to intercept Wen Anzhi as Zhou Kaihuang hoped. He did camp on the north bank, but he also set up a camp on the south bank, and he himself and part of his army were stationed in the large camp on the south bank.

Tan Hong met with the envoy sent by the Chóngqìng side to report the victory last night, and after learning that he and Tan Yi's yīn plot was progressing smoothly, Tan Hong did not hesitate to immediately order the whole army to shave their heads, throw away the banner of the Ming army, raise the green flag of the Qing army, and turn into the Han army of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Since Wen Anzhi's main force was marching along the north bank, Tan Hong, who was eager to show his loyalty to Li Guoying, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, could not help but set up defenses on the north bank. But Tan Hong knew very well in his heart that what prevented Wen'an's army from continuing to advance was the fact that the Ming army had lost food and grass and the destruction of the sailors. Without military rations and water divisions, what could the Ming army do if they walked to the Jialing River and looked at the Chóngqìng city on the other side?

"Now the thief is already annoyed and angry, and the Hou Ye has a deep understanding of the art of war." Standing beside Tan Hong was his master Qin Xiucai, who praised Tan Hong for his wise deployment of the main force on the south bank, for fear that his master would make meritorious service and go to the other side to find Wen Anzhi to fight.

"Hehe, now is the time for the Guanwen thief to defeat himself, how can I not know?" Tan Hong smiled and twisted his beard. If his master doesn't persuade him, he will never take the initiative to find trouble with Wen Anzhi. Joke, Wen Anzhi has a large group of generals who broke into the camp, leading the most effective Ming army in Sichuan and Hubei. Especially when they learned that they and Tan Yi had betrayed, they would not show mercy to their subordinates, Tan Hong seemed to be able to see the angry faces of the enemy generals, and he Tan Hong did not have the habit of sending them to the door to find a fight.

"The son of a daughter, don't sit in the hall." Tan Hong thought in his heart, he estimated that Wen Anzhi could only return to Fengjie after learning of the defeat of the water master. But if the other party has to find a place to go again, it will be very unsafe for Tan Hong to stay on the north shore. Moreover, Tan Hong felt that he had the strength in his hands to reap enough benefits on the side of the Qing court, and if he really fought hard with the main force of the Ming army and lost the sharp soldiers and horses, it would be too cost-effective. The people he deployed on the north bank were all old and weak soldiers in the hands of Tan Hong, and he was not too distressed even if he lost them. camped on the north bank and posed as a block for the Ming army, just to give Li Guoying a good impression, not to really fight for the old bottom.

In addition, yesterday Chóngqìng came to tell Tan Hong that many Ming troops had broken and fled to the south bank. Tan Wen and Yuan Zongdi brought to Chóngqìng were all strong generals in their hands, and Tan Hong estimated that after he surrendered, Li Guoying would still be stationed in the Wanxian area in the future to defend Chóngqìng against threats from the east. Now is a good time to "take advantage of people's illness and take people's lives", annihilate these routs, Tan Hong will be able to relieve a lot of pressure in the future, and he will also be able to show credit for himself.

This morning's events also confirmed Tan Hong's judgment, there has not been a shadow of the main force of the Ming army on the north bank, and the camp on the south bank has blocked more than 100 routs in only half a day, most of these Ming troops are bare-handed, and there is no organization at all, some people are so frightened that they were caught without even noticing Tan Hong changing the flag. Even if they were aware of Tan Hong's rebellion, they could not escape Tan Hong's net: there were 2,000 men and horses in the camp by the river, including Tan Hong's personal guards, and all the sentry posts were waiting with their eyes wide open to capture the Ming soldiers and ask for rewards for meritorious service. From the camp to the mountain, Tan Hong also deployed a blockade line, and the Ming soldiers who wanted to break through the pass or sneak through the mountain path were all hunted down and killed by Tan Hong's men.

"We're just sitting here, waiting for the thieves to fall into their traps." Although he had just surrendered, Tan Hong had already consciously prided himself as an officer and soldier of the Qing court, and he was convinced that hundreds of Ming soldiers would come one after another, adding luster to the crown of his head.

……

"Along the riverbank in front are Tan Hong's joint camp, and the battalion is not a red flag but a green flag."

"This thief, he really rebelled!" After hearing the scout's report, Zhou Kaihuang roared fiercely.

Although he was in danger, Zhou Kaihuang did not dare to rush away, he constantly sent scouts to explore the road in front, and guarded in the rear. After rectification, the Ming army was restored to order, and the rules and regulations of marching and reconnaissance were also restored. After the reconnaissance team walking in front found Tan Hong's camp by the river, they reported back to the rear brigade while observing. They reported seeing many corpses in front of the camp, apparently soldiers of the Ming army who had just been killed. More than 1,000 Ming troops are currently lurking in the woods three miles away from Tan Hong's camp.

As more reports came back, the worries on Zhou Kaihuang and Zhao Tianba's faces became heavier and heavier. The sharp-eyed scout saw that there was Tan Hong's banner in the camp, and he personally sat on the south bank. And on the mountain road south of the camp, some newly built lookout platforms were also found, and it seemed that Tan Hong had established a blockade.

"How many people are in the camp?" Zhou Kaihuang sent several teams of scouts in a row, repeatedly observing whether there were any loopholes for the Ming army to break through, but the scouts reported that they did not find obvious weaknesses, and as time went by, Zhou Kaihuang couldn't help but rise to the idea of fighting to the death.

But the scout's report was like a basin of cold water poured down from the head: "There are at least one or two thousand men in the camp, the camp is heavily guarded, bows, arrows, wood and stones are prepared, and there is a newly dug trench in front of the camp, and the patrol team is constantly patrolling the camp, so we can't get close to see it." ”

There are only more than 400 people in the more than 1,200 Ming troops who still have knives and guns, and the rest are improvised sticks.

"The national bus has to protect Mr. Deng thoroughly." Zhou Kaihuang looked at Zhao Tianba, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that there was little hope for the main force to break through. As an officer of the Dachang Army, he was unwilling to leave his brothers and escape alone, but Zhao Tianba was a messenger sent by the imperial court and the King of Jin, and Deng Ming was a very important clan to Yuan Zongdi, so he still hoped that these two people could get out of danger: "Brother Zhao can bring the angel all the way from Yunnan to Fengjie, so it shouldn't be difficult to bring Mr. Deng back, right?" ”

Zhao Tianba sighed slightly, he could indeed bring the five eunuch envoys of the Yongli Imperial Court from Kunming, but the situation was not the same as today. First, not all along the way are in the enemy territory, and the second is when the enemy territory is passed, the other party does not know that there is such an important person in the enemy's territory. Today, although the distance is close, the enemy army is dense, and the enemy is very high. However, although Zhao Tianba knew the difficulties, he still had to try, and finally nodded at Zhou Kaihuang and said, "Brother Zhou, don't worry, I will definitely protect Mr. Deng." ”

After speaking, Zhao Tianba was about to pull Deng Ming to drill into the mountains and forests, but unexpectedly, Deng Ming, who had always been unconditionally obedient, categorically refused.

Although I don't know why these two people attach so much importance to their own safety, Deng Ming is also unwilling to leave thousands of friends in distress to escape alone; Although he is not a person of this era, Deng Ming also feels that it is not very likely that Zhao Tianba will sneak over: "There is a blockade line on this mountain, Brother Zhao and I are alone, and I don't know how many secret posts the enemy has, where they are hidden, how can they be smuggled?" Besides, everyone is in danger now, one more person is one more strength, although I am not good at martial arts, but I also have a body of strength, I would rather stay and fight with everyone to fight a way out, rather than drill into the woods and be caught and killed by the enemy like a dog. ”

Zhao Tianba looked at Deng Ming from the side and said silently, "Don't I know what you said?" But not to mention the addition of you and me, even with one or two thousand soldiers, how can we rush through such an impregnable wall? ”

Deng Ming's words made Zhou Kaihuang ponder for a moment, and when he raised his head again, he still discussed with Zhao Tianba: "I took my brothers to storm Tan Hong's camp, maybe I can distract Tan Hong's secret post hiding on the mountain." Even if you can't, there are thousands of soldiers in the battalion, and they can't care about sending troops to hunt down the two of you for a while, as long as you hurry up and break through, you can return to Fengjie safely. ”

Deng Ming looked at Zhou Kaihuang in surprise, he completely understood that this meant to use thousands of soldiers to attract Tan Hong's attention and create conditions for his escape, and without waiting for Zhao Tianba to answer, he jumped up and objected: "Absolutely not!" If the Tan thieves are heavily guarded now, we will wait for two more days, and there will always be a time for them to relax. ”

This time, it was Zhou Kaihuang's turn to look at him silently, his heart was full of bitterness, and he pondered: "It is so close to Tan Thief's camp, how can these thousands of brothers hide for a long time?" And in order to hide, it is not possible to light a fire for warmth, and as long as it lasts overnight, I don't know how many people will fall. It's better to launch a fierce attack while everyone still has the strength to fight, and maybe a few lucky people can escape this fate. Anyway, you are the one who has repeatedly explained to the national government, and you want us to protect it, and it is just a matter of talking about personnel to fight for more opportunities for you to escape. ”

Thinking of this, Zhou Kaihuang was about to announce the order and let the soldiers prepare to break through.

"Not good! Something big is wrong. At this time, a scout in charge of the guard hurriedly ran in and reported to Zhou Kaihuang: "There is a group of pursuers behind us, we have found their scouts, they should have seen us too!" ”

"What?" Zhou Kaihuang's heart was completely cold this time, now there is no way forward, there are chasing soldiers behind, is it possible that even such a way to survive in death as a raid has been blocked?