Outside the city of Ankang County, a miserable white mottled color,

After a stumbling chase in the different shades of snow, the panting Wang Hongfan still caught up with the fish that slipped through the net, and smashed a card on the shoulder blade with a flying hand, and suddenly lost his balance and tripped to the ground.

Then he was caught up by several other sergeants, who dragged their feet and pressed their hands, and beat them a few times without moving, before they were tied up with ropes. Then they dragged it down the snow to the bottom of the city, stuffed it into a basket and hung it up.

"I asked. I really caught one and there is another one.。。 But it is the Ya of the Sima family in the southwest of Bizhou. ”

Subsequently, Wang Hongfan, who was a little nervous and a little apprehensive, came to report in front of Lu Shuai and Zhang Dong.

"According to his confession, this time I came to attack the territory of Jinzhou, in addition to our Yangzhou unity, there are also people from Bizhou, (South) Tongzhou and Jizhou, Zhenshu and other people...

"We're here to be the way of others, so we take turns to fight and fight dead and alive; It's only in recent days that there have been a lot of frostbite and frostbite due to lack of food and grass, and there have been several troubles and the intention of retreating... ”

"It's just that the boss doesn't blame me for making a few noises, we've been here for a long time, when will we see the reinforcements from the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion? Otherwise, let's take advantage of these opponents and not return them first, and quickly retreat to Fangzhou. ”

"This... Wait a minute. ”

Zhang Dong hesitated, and only after a few thoughts did he become firm again.

"The soldiers of our Taiping Army categorically did not give up their robes easily; What's more, the sergeants and people of this city have the same hatred to cooperate with our army, how can they easily be thrown to those thieves to poison them? ”

"Zhangtou, that's not what I said."

Wang Hongfan was a little anxious and said.

"In all fairness, these city soldiers and citizens are not dependent on our generation to survive, and they have to work together for a while. If they have a little opportunity and leisure, I'm afraid it's not the mind of this time and that time. ”

"Besides, only by preserving our useful bodies at the moment can we have a chance to avenge those brothers who really can't go. Maybe there's still a chance to attract reinforcements to come back and save them. ”

"Needless to say, we are the Taiping Army who advocate and survive for the people, not those officials and soldiers who treat the people as disdainful. There are corresponding principles and principles. ”

Zhang Dong became more and more determined.

"As long as they have not failed us, we will not abandon them easily. What's more, I also have confidence in the robes of the Taiping Army, as long as I know the predicament here, I will definitely find a way to come to the rescue. ”

"I know that you are new to the country, and you still don't understand the consistent insistence of the Taiping Army;."

Then he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Wang Hongfan, who was full of helplessness and uncertainty.

"But you also have to think about it, this outside is already a cold winter wild with frost and snow, even if you let yourself get out, how far can you hold out in the unsheltered wind and snow. If the enemy sets up an ambush, or a mid-road interception, I'm afraid it will inevitably doom. ”

"Maybe it's the boss who thinks about it more thoroughly. I'll give up my life to accompany you for a while. ”

Hearing this, Wang Hongfan also had mixed feelings and said a little angrily.

Before he could finish his words, he heard someone shouting again on the wooden lookout post in Chengtou. Then Zhang Dong, who rushed to the wall, in the field where the snowflakes rose again, those retreating rebels came back in groups.

And Wang Hongfan pursed his lips even more, secretly feeling a little lucky and fluke; Fortunately, he listened to the advice and did not decisively decide to escape from the city by himself, otherwise he would have crashed into the formation of these rebels.

It's just that after getting a little closer, both Zhang Dong and Wang Hongfan found that something was wrong; The rebel flags that went and returned were a little messy and crooked, and the direction of running was not directly facing the location of Ankang City.

Then Zhang Dong couldn't help but let the left and right hold his breath, and he listened carefully in the wind for a while, before revealing a certain joy.

"I'm afraid it's time to break the siege."

As if to confirm his words, the shrill flutes and whistles that resounded all over the mountains, like the morning dawn that woke up and pierced the field, closely chased after many figures who fled in confusion and fled through the white open field, and approached one after another.

Then there were many sparkling horsemen faintly emerging from the wind and snow, and under the lead of the spearhead holding the Flying Fish/Kunpeng Green Flag, they were like a trickle of mountains and streams converging into a river, constantly approaching and gathering together.

The horsemen trotted their mounts like a wall, and then slowed down and dismounted in several rows, hiding the hordes of mounts behind them. Hold a quick-fire repeater with a small ratchet and wind it into the screaming dents of the array facing the rebels.

Then, there were several rows of sideways squatting down, holding a small group card in one hand, and waving a thick iron pipe with the other, and suddenly knocked on the edge of the group card, and suddenly there was a ping pong explosion sound and a stream of fireworks.

I saw that the rebels who rushed in front of them reflexively were like jawy rice crops that had been cut down, and they were planted head-on; Then they waved the iron pipe that was still burning and smoking in their hands, and smashed it against the rebels who had scattered in formation under the dead, wounded and frightened.

All of a sudden, the rebel fronts, who were the first to come forward to engage in battle, were actually beaten by them and fled on the spot and scattered in all directions.

"Steady, must be steady, don't stand out in front."

"With fire as the smallest battle group, cover each other and advance."

"The quick-fire crossbow and the three-eyed gun are all used up before you are allowed to engage the enemy,"

The team deputy/flag leader Lu Drift, who was in the assault queue, was also shouting loudly.

- I'm the dividing line -

Shannan West Road is also in the misty and rainy territory of Yuzhou, seven or eight miles away from the state city of Ba County, in a temporary hidden camp covered by grass and trees under the mountain wall by the riverside.

"These days, it's really embarrassing to die."

The advance team Zheng Wang Qiu complained in a low voice while drinking the thick bean soup cooked with canned minced bacon.

"Obviously, the stockade of the official army is there, but I have never been able to transport the firearms to fight, so I can only get close to the back and throw it, which is really a loss. When the rain is dense, there is even more hopelessness. ”

"It's really that Gao Renhou of the Xichuan Army has some means, and he can control the situation in a short time."

Zhao Gongfan, the infantry captain on the side, also nodded in agreement.

"These stockades and fences are all standing on the mountain, and there are many piles of wood and stone that echo each other. If our people want to grab it, they have to attack it from the back everywhere. However, if the official army wants to take it back, they will use condescending arrows, wood and stone cover, and go down the mountain road with their own. It's much more time-saving and worry-free than ours. ”

"There is no way, only by waiting for the material and military materials and personnel in the lower reaches of the Xiajiang Road to be replenished, and the supplies will be transported up from the waterway one after another, so that we can make more plans."

Another liaison / mapping sergeant representing the navy, Wang Guoer said.

"Although the five prefectures of Xiajiang Province have not yet been completely pacified, the places along the river have been cleared out, and the garrison and construction of the key nodes are already being carried out, so that there can also be an additional line of carriage and horse transportation on land to supplement it."

"The key is to mobilize Ding Zhuang and the products of the Xiajiang states, and only then can we have more enterprising strength to run a stable rear. I'm afraid I can't count on it. ”

This period of stalemate and standoff has not always been good news. First of all, Qu Congxing's attempt to convene and mobilize the old ministry in Yuzhou suffered serious setbacks and defeats there.

Because compared with the foolish people in the local government, the new Xichuan army can not only fight well, but also win people's hearts; I don't know what means and conditions were used, most of the local villages were pulled over; However, the foreign Taiping armed forces showed a distancing and non-cooperative attitude.

In several of them, the old subordinates who claimed to have followed the subservient line were even trying to ambush and capture him, the former leader, and dedicate it to the officers and soldiers as credit. If it weren't for the fact that the Taiping sergeants were alert and powerful enough.

Then the tentative offensive on the waterways continued to be blocked.

In addition to the chain of obstacles between the water villages on the Hengduan River, the officers and troops even took down wooden stakes and cables in the near-shore tidal flats near the prefecture city of Ba County; As a result, a vehicle and ship that wanted to dock at night to carry out armed reconnaissance were caught in the collision and stumbled.

Then the officers and troops who were lying in ambush on the shore rose up and broke the water wheel on one side with many rockets and flying stones, and if it had not happened to meet the continuous rising tide, it would have almost been able to retreat.

Therefore, in order to ensure the safety and deterrence of waterway transportation, naval warships have stopped conducting tentative attacks and harassment on the upstream gorge and water village for some time now.

In the northwest of Ba County, Gao Renhou, who was described as a solid and reliable Meizhou defense envoy, frowned deeply after receiving a news.

"What?. The grain ships and rewards that came down the Fujiang River were intercepted at the mouth of Hechuan?。。 Who is doing it? ”

"It is rumored to be the banner of the Dongchuan Army."

The messenger hurriedly answered.

- I'm the dividing line -

The small court in Chengdu Jinguan City, the gorgeous Yun'an Hall has just been completed by more than 100 courtiers in the sound of Zhongding Shao music;

General Zuo Shenwu, who was in charge of the guard in front of the court, and Zhou Bao, the envoy of the left and right guards; and General Zuo Jinwu, the book of the Ministry of Rites of the school, and Liu Jurong, the anti-ban envoy of the doors in front of the palace; These two brothers and sisters who lost their town because of the Taiping Army also sat together for a short time in the side hall.

"Did you hear that, Dongchuan Yang Shili refused the summons of Xingzai again on the grounds that he was very bad at walking.

Liu Jurong got straight to the point.

(End of chapter)