Gao Yingxiang dragged the white horse up a high slope and looked at the generals who were marching on the plank road.

I don't know why this road, the more he walks, the more frightened he becomes, and the more he goes down, the more uneasy he feels.

Gao Yingxiang's expression was dark, he raised his eyes to look ahead, the meridian road was winding and undulating, they had been traveling for five days, and they had walked almost half of the way.

At the end of the distance, the soldiers marching on the meridian road turned into the two mountains one after another, and disappeared into Gao Yingxiang's field of vision.

Suddenly, Gao Yingxiang had an illusion that the end of the road was like the mouth of a beast, and all those who walked forward would be devoured by it......

……

"Something is wrong......"

On the Wangbao on the Meridian Pass, Sun Chuanting looked at the Meridian Road hidden between the mountains with a gloomy face.

It was already the ninth day of July, and if it had been a hasty journey from Meridian Town, the vanguard of the Liukou would have led the army to the Meridian Pass.

But now the meridian road is still quiet and uninhabited.

In order to prevent the grass from startling the snake, Sun Chuanting withdrew all the scouts who had been arranged on the meridian road from the plank road.

After learning about Gao Yingxiang's purpose and plan, Sun Chuanting thought about a lot of things.

It's not enough to just stop Gao Yingxiang's attack, Sun Chuanting wants more, he wants to kill Gao Yingxiang and wipe out all the elite rogues led by Gao Yingxiang......

Now that Gao Yingxiang is leading most of the elite of the rogues to concentrate in the meridian road, if they can be annihilated, the rebellion in the country will be quelled, and the rest of the rogues will bow their heads and bow their eyebrows.

Now among the rogues, only Gao Yingxiang can provoke the girder and command the seventy-two battalions.

As long as Gao Yingxiang was killed, the rest of the battalion leaders and bandit chiefs did not have enough ability and prestige to subdue the entire seventy-two battalions.

As long as Gao Yingxiang is killed, the Liukou in the Guannai will become a plate of loose sand.

The dragons have no leader, and it is difficult to become a big weapon.

The gangsters in the pass are just a group of rabble, and they can be determined.

"Military Gate."

Li Yuchun, the staff general standing on Sun Chuanting's side, thought for a moment, stepped forward half a step, and said in a low voice.

"The thieves are delayed, maybe there is a change, a few of my men are not collected at night, they are quite alert, and they can go and investigate."

Sun Chuanting's gaze deepened, and he did not immediately respond to Li Yuchun's proposal.

However, what Li Yuchun said is indeed correct, according to the calculation of time, the thieves should have arrived a long time ago, but now there is no soldier or horse on the road.

In this, there must have been changes.

But what exactly went wrong?

Sun Chuanting felt that his mind was a mess, and the information he could have was too little.

Outside the meridian road, he didn't know what was going on in the plank road, let alone what Gao Yingxiang was thinking in his heart.

A few days earlier, he had indeed received the news that a large stream of rogues was marching within the Meridian Road.

Could it be that at the last moment, Gao Yingxiang sensed the danger and chose to return to Hanzhong Fuzhong?

Sun Chuanting's expression was slightly gloomy, this possibility is not impossible.

Perhaps it was the first soldiers he sent to spy on intelligence that made him feel in danger......

Or maybe something else happened that made Gao Yingxiang change his mind......

"Boom ————"

A muffled sound from the sky interrupted Sun Chuanting's thoughts.

Sun Chuanting frowned slightly, and subconsciously looked up at the mountains in the distance.

……

"Boom ————"

Gao Yingxiang looked up at the sky in the distance, and his expression became more and more gloomy.

In the distance, a large number of dark clouds are slowly converging.

The sky is gradually becoming dark, the sun's rays are becoming darker, and the endless clouds are eroding the golden crow hanging high in the sky little by little.

"Breaking the King......

Liu Zhe's shout interrupted Gao Yingxiang's thoughts.

Gao Yingxiang followed the prestige to Liu Zhe, and he saw Liu Zhe's gloomy face.

"Look at the ...... of the river"

Gao Yingxiang was slightly stunned, and subconsciously turned his head to look at the river next to the plank road.

I don't know when the gurgling and flowing Meridian River below the plank road became muddy.

The river is muddy, the sky is cloudy, and the signs of thunderstorms.

It would have been fine if it had been somewhere else, but now marching through the boardwalk, rainy days are a huge threat.

"Traveling in the rain, first, the roads are muddy and difficult to walk, and second, the soldiers are afraid that they will get cold and sick."

Liu Zhe's expression was grim and he said in a low voice.

"I have asked all the soldiers in the army to keep a set of dry clothes and hide them under the saddle or under the belly of the horse."

"The logistics mule team has prepared some ginger and arranged for people to cook it in rations...... Just ......"

Liu Zhe's words were not finished, but there was no need to finish them.

The biggest problem of marching on rainy days is that it will cause many soldiers to fall ill and lose their combat strength, and in serious cases, they will even die because of it.

Although there are some military doctors in the army who specialize in treating wounded soldiers, there are limited medicinal materials, limited resources, and little time for treatment.

Gao Yingxiang looked sideways at the soldiers who were marching the plank road, and his expression became more and more gloomy.

Liu Zhe dragged the war horse forward a little, worried Zhong Zhong said.

"If it rains all the time, even if it is cloudy, according to the best estimates, we will not be able to reach Heishuiyu, the exit of Fu Luo Road, on the 13th, about three days later than we expected."

"Twelfth ......"

Gao Yingxiang stared at the soldiers who were leading the war horses on the narrow plank road in front of him, and his eyes became more and more gloomy.

On the plank road ahead, many of the plank roads are badly damaged.

"Save ————"

An exclamation suddenly sounded, and Gao Yingxiang watched as a soldier lost his balance under his feet, and his body fell on the broken plank road guardrail.

The guardrail on the plank road has long been rotten because of disrepair, where can it withstand the weight of more than 100 catties of an adult man.

The guardrail broke in an instant, and the soldier fell towards the cliff while still holding the reins in his hand, and it was for this reason that the horse he was pulling lost its balance because of this sudden change.

A man and a horse fell into the abyss in this way.

Everything happened between lightning and fire, and the surrounding people had no time to rescue, and they had no way to rescue.

Gao Yingxiang's heart sank again, he had seen such a scene countless times during this period of time.

This is not the Meridian Road, but the Fu Luo Road, a plank road that has not been used for many years and has been abandoned for a long time.

Fu Luo Road was the most prosperous and used most frequently in the late Tang Dynasty.

In the Tang Dynasty, officials went to their posts and reported on their work, and envoys sent envoys, mostly from this road.

However, due to political and social reasons at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Fu Luo Road fell into disrepair for a long time, and gradually fell into disrepair by the time of the Five Dynasties.

Although it was built for a time in the post-Tang Mingzong period, it was still not completed due to the huge project and arduous task.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Fu Luo Road once again regained some traffic capacity, but later due to the continuous widening of roads such as Meridian Road.

Fu Luo Road gradually began to fall into disuse, and was often blocked.

In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, although Fu Luo Road was also repaired and used, it was still unable to restore its former glory, and it fell into abandonment over time.

However, although it is abandoned, it is still usable, and most of the roads are still smooth, but they are much more difficult to navigate than the more convenient roads such as the Meridian Road.

During the Qing Dynasty, the peasant rebel army led by Lan Dashun entered southern Shaanxi from Yunnan, and then went north along Luogu from Yangxian County in southern Shaanxi, exited Heishuiyu, and captured the county seat of Xu, which confirmed that this ancient road was still unobstructed and could be traveled.

Gao Yingxiang naturally didn't know about the affairs of the Qing Dynasty, he didn't have the ability to predict the prophet, and the reason why he came to Fu Luo Road was because he had already sent detectives to investigate the situation of Fu Luo Road.

Originally, this was only an alternative plan, but the deeper he went into the Meridian Dao, the more uneasy Gao Yingxiang became, and in the end he chose to let everyone turn into the Fu Luo Dao.

"July 13th ......"

Gao Yingxiang sighed in his heart, and one problem after another followed, constantly disrupting his original plan, like a burden on his shoulders.

Looking at the dark sky in the distance, Gao Yingxiang felt that his breathing was even starting to become difficult.

Compared with the surprise attack on Xi'an from the Meridian Dao, it is safer to attack Xi'an from the Fu Luo Road.

First, it is because the Meridian Road has always been used, and Fu Luo Road has been in disrepair for many years, which is even more unexpected.

The second is that if the Ming army is really prepared, the exit of the Meridian Road will have steep mountains and narrow roads, and once the road is intercepted, it will be difficult to take care of the end and end, and there will be no resistance at all.

And Heishuiyu, the exit of Fu Luo Road, is relatively more suitable for the deployment of large armies, even if there is an enemy ambush, there is no way to do it.

But the downside is that it takes more time and takes more risks, and along the way, the non-combat attrition has reached hundreds, and the morale of the army has become more and more depressed.

The mountain wind is howling and cold like water, and the trees and pine waves are swaying with the mountain wind.

The strong wind rose suddenly, and the wind howled through the plank road, and the countless flags on the plank road were already blown up by the strong wind in an instant.

For a while, the sound of hunting echoed across the entire mountain road plank road.

"Collect the flag!" "Collect the flag!"

Among the marching troops on the plank road, the commander of the army is in charge of issuing military orders.

In such a windy weather, resisting the banner will greatly consume the physical strength of the soldiers.

Gao Yingxiang held the felt hat in his hand and got down from the war horse to the ground.

The sudden mountain wind made Gao Yingxiang's mood sink half a cut again.

The mountain wind is cold and the air is hot, and this kind of weather is the most sturdy.

Before the heavy summer rains, the temperature dropped a little, but it was extremely muggy.

The sweat on the body sticks to the clothes, and it is extremely uncomfortable whether you move or not.

As the clouds slowly pressed in, the sky became darker and darker.

"Signal the whole army, speed up the march, and the vanguard horse team chooses the nearest camp site to survive this heavy rain first."

Gao Yingxiang gritted his teeth and issued a military order.

It was definitely a heavy rain, and a downpour, and every mile of the march of the army on such a rainy day would have to pay a huge price.

And he can't afford that......

I just hope that this rain will last for a shorter time......

……

"I can't go any further, give the order to the whole army, and camp on the spot."

Chen Wang reined in the war horse, stared at the dark sky above his head, and said in a deep voice.

"The general has an order, set up camp on the spot."

"The general has an order, set up camp on the spot."

The herald cavalry, carrying the order flag, drove the healthy horses under the seat to gallop towards the front and rear ends of the queue, conveying Chen Wang's military orders.

Chen Wang fell from the war horse, and the surrounding guards had already found the high ground and began to set up tents.

The terrain here is quite open, and it can be used as a temporary camp.

Chen Wang looked up at the sky, and the sky was already as gloomy as ink, almost as night.

The entire sky above the plank road was tightly covered by large clouds, and even the original dazzling sun was already obscured at this time.

From the appearance of cloudy clouds to the shading of the sun, which made the sky gloomy, it only took half an hour.

Rao is Chen Wang was prepared in his heart, but he couldn't help but be shocked when he saw such weather.

"Boom ————"

The thunder exploded suddenly, passing through the mountains on the horizon, through the plank road and river, rolling all the way.

The insects and beasts in the mountains were running in the rain, trying to avoid the invasion of the heavy rain, and the lightning and thunder made the insects and beasts in the Qinling Mountains become manic.

The howling mountain wind blew through the mountains, the trees were blown by the strong mountain wind, countless leaves rattled in the strong wind, and even the trunks of many small trees could not stop shaking with the mountain wind.

The mountain wind on the mountain road was much smaller than that on the mountainside, but it still made Chen Wang feel a lot of strength.

"Da Da Da-"

A rapid sound of horses' hooves came quickly from the front, Chen Wang raised his eyes to look ahead, and just saw Chen Gong who was riding a war horse coming quickly.

Before he got close, the war horse was still moving, and Chen Gong had already fallen from the war horse.

His figure followed the war horse for seven or eight steps, and finally stopped with the men and horses.

"Ten miles ahead, I found the thief tribe!"

Chen Gong half-knelt on the ground, his face panting with joy, his voice trembling a little because of excitement.

A great bolt of lightning struck, illuminating the dim earth as bright as day.

Chen Wang's eyes were scorching, bright as a torch, and he clenched his fists.

After the lightning flashed, a huge muffled thunder rolled in from the sky again.

"Boom ————"

The lightning and thunder made the insects and beasts in the mountains also become frenzied, and the birds flew in the forest, and the beasts ran in the mountains, each of them began to look for shelter from the rain.

Zhou Yumao stood beside Chen Wang, his breathing was already rapid.

When he received a message from Chen Wang, asking him to lead the elite cavalry of the army to rush to Meridian Town, he was still wondering why

He did a lot of calculations, but he wanted to break his head, but he didn't expect that it was to pursue Gao Yingxiang.

They followed the footprints left by the marching army, first from the Meridian Road, and then into the Fu Luo Road.

If it weren't for the fact that a large number of marching footprints could not be faked, Zhou Yumao would never have believed that Gao Yingxiang would be emboldened to such an extent.

Chen Wang's face was calm, but his heart was actually not as calm as his face.

However, Chen Wang is very clear that now is not the time to celebrate.

Once the intruders find out that someone is following behind, they will inevitably react.

Now there are only 1,800 cavalry under his command, and there are tens of thousands of people in the breaking army, and the strength of the two sides is very different.

Those who travel a hundred miles are half ninety, and the more they come to this time, the more calm they must be.

The list goes on and on.

Several bolts of lightning swept through the mountains again, illuminating a large area, and then a huge roar rang out.

In the next moment, the rain poured down from the sky as if the sky had collapsed.

The rain was heavier than anyone had expected......

……

Heishuiyu is the exit of Fu Luo Road, not the exit of Meridian Road

"Suiko Jiluo, Volume 4":

"King Gao Yingxiang has been trapped in the stone spring of Hanzhong, and the meridian of Chen Cang will peep into Xi'an, and the court will fight in Heishuiyu on July 20."

"Sun Chuanting's Epitaph":

"The public standard battalion has just become an army, and Yingxiang has taken Heishuiyu from Hanzhong and invaded Xi'an."

"History of the Peasant War in the Late Ming Dynasty":

On July 15, Gao Yingxiang led the troops from Heishuiyu in Xugu (now Zhouzhi) County out of Tunxianyou Temple.