"You can't break through upstream!" Stepanov said.

Bektov added: "You can't go directly to the mountains and valleys to the north!" ”

Fleeing for his life was important, Zinoviev didn't care about the aristocrats, and humbly asked the two Cossack leaders: "Then which way to go?" ”

"To the east!"

Stepanov and Bektov said the answer in unison.

And to the east is the direction in which the Datong army came.

On the east and west sides of Yaksa, the riverside is full of reed-covered tidal flats. Since it was not yet autumn, it was difficult to burn out a fire, which was very conducive to the sneaking of the defenders in the city.

On its eastern side, the terrain is particularly complex.

The Heilongjiang River encounters a sharp bend here, and the speed of the water flow is greatly slowed, and large sandbanks and tidal flats are alluvial. There is also a small river in the northeast, which forms large and small ponds and rivers between the tidal flats and sandbanks, and in some places even marshy areas.

If the water rises and then recedes, there will be no shortage of food at all, and a large number of fish will be stranded in the tidal flats, and there will be a scene of "beating the roe deer and scooping the fish" in the second half of the sentence.

The Datong army only had more than 1,000 men, and it was impossible to besiege the castle to death.

After nightfall, it is necessary to return to the camp to guard against a sneak attack by the enemy, so that a huge gap can be opened to break through.

Midnight.

The west gate of the castle opened, and a group of Daur slaves, all gagged, were expelled by the Cossacks.

The slaves were surprised and delighted, and rushed to the west in the dark. After running for a mile and getting into the reeds, someone tore the rags from his mouth and shouted excitedly: "The Rakshasa ghost has run away, the Rakshasa ghost has run away!" ”

In fact, as soon as there was movement in the castle, the sentries hiding in the reeds of the tidal flats had already rowed to Jiangxinzhou to report the news.

At this time, he heard the shouts of Daur's slaves, and Wang Fuchen smiled and said, "The sound is striking the east and the west, and you really want to flee to the east." ”

With Khabarov as a guide and adviser in the Datong Army, how could it not guess the enemy's thoughts?

They were all Cossack leaders, and even the route for the breakout was exactly the same.

But on the east side of the castle, Cossacks and Siberian hunters, five or six men, carrying a small boat, went straight to the thick reeds. When they came across a pond or river, they put the boat down, rowed for a distance, and then went ashore to continue carrying the boat.

"The Khitans didn't chase after them?" Zinoviev looked back from time to time.

Stepanov said: "When you get here, you are not afraid of pursuers. There is a lake in front of you, and after crossing the lake, you will find the river a little further north. ”

It's okay to say that it's a lake, it's okay to say a pond, anyway, the area is not big or small, and it is all formed by the siltation of Heilongjiang sediment. From Yaksa downstream, to the southward flow of the Heilongjiang River, there are dozens of similar ponds.

With such a complex terrain and reeds everywhere, it was impossible for the Datong army to send troops to pursue it. The first is that it is difficult to find enemies, the second is that it is easy to be cold-shot, and the third is that it is possible to stray into the swamp zone.

You don't have to chase after you, just block the key exits!

It is impossible for these rakshasas to hide in the reeds all the time. Either choose to continue east, recklessly go to the lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River, and grab where it counts, there is almost no possibility of returning to Nebuchu. Either they will swing out of the reeds to the north, where there are two river valleys, and go into the ravine to see the opportunity, or perhaps go upstream and return to Nebuchu.

Leaving the reeds, the Cossacks ran north with their boats, but they still did not hear the movement of the pursuers.

Finally, they saw a small river flowing out of the mountains to the north, and then making a sharp turn to flow parallel to the Heilongjiang River.

They didn't bring any of the slightly larger boats, and the small boats they carried with them could only carry more than ten people each. In addition, all the redundant parts are removed, and the speed of running is fast when you lift them, and you can quickly row them away if you throw them into the river.

This was the core method of the Cossacks, relying on such convenient ships, which raged from the Don Valley all the way to the Heilongjiang River.

Along the creek all the way north, when we were about to enter the valley, it was almost dawn.

Bektov looked at the entrance of the river valley of the Black Hole Cave, frowned and said, "Something is wrong, why didn't the Khitans chase after it?" Even if you don't chase after you, there should be a little movement. ”

Stepanov asked: "You mean that there is an enemy in the valley ahead?" ”

"Quite possibly." Bektov nodded.

Zinoviev was a little unconvinced: "Do the Khitans know divination?" How is it possible to set up an ambush in front of us. ”

"I have been exploring in Siberia for almost ten years, and I have an intuition about danger, there must be an ambush in the valley ahead!" ”

Stepanov said: "Immediately go ashore and go west along the foot of the mountain, where there is another river valley. ”

"Then go ashore." Zinoviev actually agreed, and the noble lord seemed to be starting to get smarter.

In the valley, there is really an ambush!

There are 200 Datong troops and more than 300 indigenous soldiers. Khabarov, the Cossack leader, was too familiar with the Yaksa area, and he knew Cossack tactics well, and he counted his former colleagues to death.

In the lower reaches of the river, there are also some Datong troops, who are rowing over.

As long as the Rakshasa ghost dares to enter the river valley, he will be attacked from front to back, and if he wants to escape, he can only fly up the mountain.

A Datong army came from Heilongjiang and has been on the road since entering Xiaohe. After dawn, they finally joined up with the friendly forces in the river valley.

"The enemy didn't come?"

"Nope."

"Out of the valley, to the west, immediately pursue!"

Yaksa is a strategic location with extensive access, but the terrain here became a dead place when Anton's navy blocked the estuaries of the river. What tidal flats, swamps, ponds, and reeds don't care, and the only ones that can really run are those roads.

The northern foothills are full of forests.

Hundreds of rakshasas marched in the woods at the foot of the mountain with small boats. After tossing for most of the night, I was already tired enough, so I stopped to rest and eat.

Swallowing a few mouthfuls of dry food, Stepanov said: "In that valley to the west, I'm afraid there are also enemies, and we can't go any further." ”

"Where do we go then?" Zinoviev asked.

Bektov pointed to the north: "Go up the mountain." ”

"After going up the mountain, find a place in the north to go down the mountain, cross the valley to the west, and continue the march up the mountain, find a river back to the Amur (Heilongjiang), and then row back to Nebuchu," Stepanov said. ”

Zinoviev had never fought such a battle, and felt that the Cossack leaders had gone crazy.

However, a similar situation was often encountered by the Cossacks.

Before Khabarov, there were Cossacks rowing to the Heilongjiang River to plunder. At that time, the army was close to 200 people, and they were also blocked from the back road, fleeing all the way over the mountains and mountains, and eating people to continue their lives when the food was finished. Not only eat the local natives, but even eat the corpses of their companions. In the end, 50 people managed to escape back, and even took precious furs with them, which immediately detonated the Cossacks' ambitions for Heilongjiang.

What a bunch of deadly madmen!

By noon, Wang Fuchen had already occupied the castle.

A few miles north of the castle, five miles in a hot air balloon, if the Cossacks dared to show their heads, they would be spotted immediately.

"What? In the river valleys in the northeast and northwest, no rakshasa ghosts have been found? Wang Fuchen was a little surprised.

Khabarov sighed: "Alas, they went up the mountain. ”

Wang Fuchen asked, "Where do you think the enemy will go?" ”

Khabarov drew a simple map from memory: "The valley in the northeast can only go west." In other directions, no matter how you go over the mountains and mountains, it is a dead place. The valley in the northwest is very long, and it will branch into two. The westernmost valley forks, and further north, where there are large areas of mountainous flatland. If the Cossack robbers wanted to flee back, they should go to the flat land, and they could also supply food by the way. ”

That so-called flat land, a few hundred years later, would form a city, that is, Skovorodino in Russia.

Nowadays, although there are no cities, large tribes have developed. Two years ago, it was sacked by Khabarov, and there should still be some natives at this time, and the Rakshasa ghosts can kill people and steal food when they get there.

Zhang Tingxun squatted in the ravine for a day and a night, and was bitten by mosquitoes and covered with bags.

In the afternoon, he suddenly received an order to continue north along the river valley. Moreover, there were friendly troops coming to reinforce them, and a full 500 Datong troops marched to the north.

And in the mountains and forests, it was extremely difficult to climb the mountains, and the Cossacks had not yet thrown away their boats.

On a slightly gentle hillside, several people climbed with boats. When encountering steep terrain, the people climbed up first and dragged the boat up with ropes.

After walking for five days, he ran out of food he had brought with him.

The Siberian hunters, who used their bows and arrows to get wild goods along the way, were obviously not enough to feed themselves.

"Ahh

Someone fell down the hill and tumbled all the way down.

Bektov went over to check and said: "His leg has broken and he can't walk." ”

"I can still walk!" The Cossack, who broke his leg, shouted in horror.

A man next to him drew a short knife and stabbed it in the chest.

The hapless bastard's clothes were stripped and his weapons were taken away. A couple of Cossacks, very neatly disemboweled, while others turned a blind eye to this.

When the Cossacks left, there was only a pile of bones, water and blood on the ground.

Well, the head didn't eat either.

After a day's march, they discovered the indigenous villages, raided and captured more than 30 people, all of whom were killed and fed for meat.

After a few more days, more than 800 Cossacks and Siberian hunters came out of the mountains, and only about 700 remained.

Even if the Datong army doesn't come to intercept it, when these guys return to Nebuchu, it is estimated that only half of them will be left.

Zinoviev was already in a trance, and he was born in an aristocracy, and he never thought that he would eat people. But my stomach was so hungry that I stuffed it into my mouth when I had something to eat, and when my stomach was full, I began to be afraid, and I could dream of ghosts asking for my life at night.

Crazy, these Cossacks are all crazy!

He didn't want to do anything more in Heilongjiang, so he just wanted to return to Nebuchu as soon as possible, and then go to Moscow on the pretext of recuperation.

In this place, whoever loves comes, Zinoviev vows never to set foot on the land of Siberia again.

"Lord Steward, cross the valley ahead, and continue north to the gentle slopes of the mountains. Turning over a low hill, one can see a large flat area, where the village must have food. Stepanov said.

Zinoviev nodded hurriedly: "Before returning to Nebuchu, everything will be arranged by you." ”

What a governor, what a nobleman, identity has been left behind, and Zinoviev was afraid when he saw the Cossacks.

But when he got to the valley, he was finally able to slow down.

Because there were some Cossacks who actually carried fishing nets with them, they were able to get some fish to satisfy their hunger, and the nobles could not eat human flesh for the time being.

Two days later, hundreds of Rakshasa ghosts had lurked on the outskirts of the village.

Zhang Tingxun was in the village, and he was almost impatient.

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