The cold moon is like a hook, and it is pale as snow.

The Ning army, which had been running for three days in a row, finally stopped, and stopped when it was about to arrive at the border and go home.

After running for three days in a row, several life-and-death battles, his spirit continued to be tense, and there was no quarter of an hour's rest during the period.

Under this kind of high-intensity load, even an iron man will not be able to stand it.

All of them have reached the limit of their bodies and spirits, and they can no longer be squeezed.

After perceiving this, Bai Yi'an did not force it, and after the army entered the territory of Yongxing County, he ordered:

The army rested for the night, and all the food was taken out, so that the soldiers could have a full meal, sleep peacefully, recover their mental strength, and wait for the last battle of the day to return home.

So tonight, after setting up camp and having a hearty dinner, the soldiers of the Ning army quickly fell asleep and enjoyed a rare peace.

Only those who were assigned to be on duty at night had to be drowsy and exhausted, guarding the perimeter of the camp that the Chu army might get a sneak attack.

Now that the Chu army has been following and pursuing nearby, it will launch a small-scale attack from time to time, which is really annoying and must be more guarded.

Even though he was already very tired, the soldiers on duty knew that it was important, and Shangguan also promised compensation, so he beat his spirit and did not complain.

However, it was not only those soldiers on duty who didn't sleep tonight, in the core of the camp, at this time, the interim commander of the Ning army, Wu'an Hou Bai Yi'an, was still lighting a fire and holding candles, and he didn't sleep late at night.

"Ahem......"

Bai Yi'an coughed lightly, the hot pain in his lungs eased a little, covered his mouth with his hand, and then looked at the person in front of him, and said with a dark gaze: "It has been confirmed, is Ruichang City occupied by the Chu people?" ”

On the opposite side was a young general who looked somewhat similar to Bai Yi'an, who was Bai Jingluo, the son of Bai Yi'an's eldest brother.

Hearing the inquiry at this time, Bai Jingluo nodded and said: "Second uncle, my nephew personally investigated, and saw with my own eyes that the banner of the Chu army had been hung on Ruichang City, and the city was full of Chu soldiers.

After that, I led people to find some county soldiers who escaped from the city, and inquired in detail, only to learn that the Chu army suddenly came yesterday and seized the city at dusk, just one day earlier than us. ”

"One Day ......"

When Bai Yi'an heard this, he smiled bitterly: "The Chu people are really pressing step by step, everything is calculated, and they don't give us a way to live." ”

In the past few days, on the way to escape, Bai Yi'an has been reminiscing in his heart, reviewing the past, thinking about why Ning Guo is here and why Ning Jun has fallen into this situation.

And after some review, he suddenly realized that all this had actually been foreshadowed a long time ago.

At the beginning, the Chu army chose a completely different strategy from the Ning army, focusing on the north and the south over Jiangxia, and dispersed the main force to other partial battlefields. However, the Ning army failed to seize this key opportunity, concentrated its strength, and broke the main force of the Chu army in Jiangxia in one fell swoop.

The victory or defeat on the battlefield has actually been foreshadowed.

Later, Ning Jun's repeated wrong decisions were just accelerating step by step on this wrong future, and finally reached the current point.

It is precisely by understanding these that Bai Yi'an knows better than anyone how dangerous the situation of the Ning army he is in is now.

A sentence of nine deaths and a lifetime is to think for the better.

Ten deaths and no life are normal.

In front of him, Ruichang City was occupied by the Chu army, and the way back to the country was cut off again, which illustrates this point.

In front of the officers and men of the three armed services, the promises he made such as "staying alive" and "going home" were really just promises.

"Second uncle, now that the Chu army occupies Ruichang City, according to the news I have discovered, the Chu army in the city is no less than 50,000 people, and the strength is comparable to our army.

Now that the road back to China is broken, what should we do? ”

Bai Jingluo was worried, and finally couldn't help but tentatively say, "Why don't we take a detour?" The road of Ruichang in the north is impassable, but to the south, there are still many roads, and it is impossible for the Chu people to occupy them all. A few more rounds, there will always be a way out. ”

In the past few days, Bai Jingluo has been following the orders of his second uncle, leading the elite scouts in the army, spying nearby, and collecting news for the army.

So he is the one who knows the most about the surrounding situation except Bai Yi'an.

Therefore, Bai Jingluo knew that if the army continued to walk towards Ruichang City, it would definitely be a dead end, and there would be no escape.

Only by fleeing in other directions can there be a glimmer of life.

"I can't go."

Bai Yi'an shook his head when he heard his nephew's proposal: "The Chu army has tried his best to force us to this point, and now that the net is about to be closed, how can he watch us escape from the trap."

In the vicinity, it was not only the Chu army of Ruichang.

These days, the Chu army, which has been chasing after us, has only been staring at it from a distance of ten miles, and there is no big move.

However, the Chu army of this department is the confluence of the Chu army of Jiangxia City and Luokoudu, and Lu Yuan, the king of Chu, has already caught up, and there are two congenitals chasing soldiers on the back road, 80,000 or 90,000 horses.

With this group here, we want to turn around and flee south, but it is absolutely impossible.

The Chu people will never let us go.

At this time, continue to follow their intentions and move in the direction of Ruichang City, and you can still get some respite.

Diverted to flee south, maybe he showed this intention, and Lu Yuan led his troops to kill him. ”

Bai Yi'an's tone was bitter, and he had no expectations for escape.

"So what are we going to do? Is it like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, waiting for death step by step? Bai Jingluo's heart was full of despair.

"Of course not."

Bai Yi'an put away his grief, his expression became resolute and firm, and he looked at Bai Jingluo with a sharp look in his eyes: "The Chu people want me to be like a wild animal, fall into the trap they have set up, and wait for them to hunt."

But although the beast is stupid, it also has the courage to fight to the death.

The struggle to fight back before dying can also bring a terrible price to the hunter.

I have already decided to continue to lead the army to Ruichang tomorrow, and then fight the Chu army to the death there.

Isn't he Chu people going to cut me off my way back to the country?

Ben would have known him how much anger it would provoke to cut off the hope of a man and block the way of an army home.

The 50,000 soldiers of our whole army are here, and the general wants to see how much the Chu people are ready to pay if they want to eat it. ”

In the end, Bai Yi'an said in a calm tone, without a trace of emotion.

Soldiers, fierce also.

War is always inevitable to die, nothing more than you die, or I die.

Now that the Ning Kingdom has been defeated, as a price, their Ning army will die.

But how to die, whether it can be worthwhile, is the art of war.

Since it is destined that there is no way to bring back the only 50,000 troops left by the Ningguo Eastern Expeditionary Army, what is left to consider is how to make these 50,000 troops who have fallen into the Jedi give full play to their highest value.

Bai Yi'an has already made a decision about this.

"Second uncle!"

Bai Jingluo heard Bai Yi'an's intention to seek death, and immediately said urgently: "There are too many 50,000 soldiers to withdraw, but we have martial arts in our bodies, and the sky is high and the earth is wide, but dozens or hundreds of people want to leave, why is it difficult?"

Now our army has been defeated and the country is in danger, only in an instant.

At this critical moment, we must stay useful to defend our family and the country in the coming day, resist the Chu people, and protect our rivers and mountains! ”

Bai Jingluo begged bitterly.

He lost his father when he was a child, and Bai Yi'an raised him with his own hands and treated him as a parent.

Therefore, Bai Jingluo also regards his second uncle as his biological father, respecting and filial piety.

At this time, seeing the second uncle like his father, he wanted to seek death, and naturally he couldn't bear the grief in his heart.

"Jingluo ......"

Listening to his nephew's words, Bai Yi'an's tone became heavier, and he said seriously: "Listen, my Bai family has inherited the position of Marquis of Wu'an for generations, and my ancestors have not known how many famous generals have been produced, and they have always been known as the Banbi of Jiangdong and the family that protects the country.

Now I am leading my troops to fight against the Chu thieves, not to mention defeated, and I can't even withdraw to the country safely.

The promises made to the soldiers were also in vain.

Defeated soldiers kill generals, lose teachers and kill commanders, this is the common sense of heaven and earth.

I have already lost the country and the soldiers, how can I bear the family and myself again?

As a general, I have no face and live in the world.

Let me, let the Bai family's Wu'an Hou, give the final tribute to this national defeat.

Let those Chu people know that my Jiangdong boy also has bloody people who dare to fight, and he is not allowed to be bullied. ”

Bai Yi'an is not afraid of death.

There is no escape from death.

But death is as light as a feather, and some as heavy as Mount Tai.

He died for the country, for the soldiers of the three armies, for his family, and for himself.

Dying like this is like Mount Tai, vigorous, even if you die on the battlefield, you will not regret it.

Spread it out, and it will be respected by others.

But as the commander, he is afraid of the enemy like a tiger, abandons the army in battle, and flees for his life alone.

Even if he survived like this, in Bai Yi'an's view, it was no different from death, or even worse than death.

Because in doing so, he gave up not only his own reputation, but also the name of the legendary Wu'an Hou of the family for generations, and the last trace of dignity of Ning Guo.

He was reluctant to do so.

I'd rather use my own death to preserve these.

Moreover, now Ning Guo has lost too badly.

The Chu army entered Yuzhang, and although there was no definite news about the battle situation in Lingnan, it was already defeated.

Since Yuzhang has a problem, then the same back road has been lost, and the two 100,000 Ning troops in Hengyang and Luyang are estimated to end up not much better than his side.

As for the 100,000 soldiers and horses in Changsha, they are even more invincible.

Almost in an instant, the soldiers and horses of the five routes of Ningguo's eastern and southern expeditions have been completely lost and dispersed.

On the side of Yangjing, Jiangbei, there are a large number of sailors to take care of, and they can probably evacuate smoothly and escape back to China.

But in this Eastern Expedition, Ning has basically exhausted its national strength, and the six armies have been defeated, and a large number of them have been wiped out.

The loss of troops may have been 500,000.

Having lost so many elite soldiers and horses, how can they defend Ningguo with only 200,000 people in the country, and at most 100,000 remnants of soldiers who have fled back?

Yes, now in Ningguo, there are indeed a lot of recruits.

But these recruits have only been in the camp for less than a month, and they are no different from the people.

If you don't have a year or two to train, what can you do?

In this case, Bai Yi'an had to consider the future way out of Ning Guo and the future way out of their Linhai family.

After thinking about it, the last way he thought of was only to make a temporary counterattack when he was defeated, killing and injuring the soldiers and horses of the Chu State as much as possible, and damaging its strength.

After such heavy casualties, the Chu army also experienced a series of battles, and the division veterans were tired, and it was not so easy to attack Ningguo.

In the end, perhaps after a long period of exhaustion, the attack on Ning Guo will be suspended.

In this way, you should be able to buy a year and a half of respite.

In the past year and a half, the country has recruited new recruits, and it should be able to recover a lot of strength.

At that time, to deal with the Chu State, it will not be without the slightest power to fight back.

As for the strength of this recovery, whether it can stop the Chu army.

Can the Ning State maintain the national honor under the offensive of the Chu State and not be destroyed.

These are not things that Bai Yi'an should think about.

By then, he was already dead, and his bones were likely to rot and turn into white bones.

I have done everything I can, the future of Ningguo and the future of the Linhai family can only rely on the efforts of future generations.

Bai Yi'an is not a god, and it is impossible to calculate everything, nor can he do everything.

Now it is his limit to be able to do this.

Can't ask for more.

"But...... But ......"

After listening to Bai Yi'an's thoughts, Bai Jingluo opened his mouth, and finally closed his eyes painfully.

He knew that the second uncle had already made up his mind to martyrdom, and he couldn't persuade him no matter what.

And as a descendant of the Bai family, Bai Jingluo has also been proud of the name of Wu'anhou since he was a child, so he can understand Bai Yi'an's belief that he wants to maintain the name of Wu'anhou and maintain his own dignity.

It is precisely because of the same ideas and ideas that he can't say words of persuasion at this time.

Because it is more uncomfortable to let a person with faith and honor give up his life's persistence than killing the other party.

However, Bai Yi'an, seeing that his nephew treated him like a parent, took two steps forward, showed a smile on his face, patted Bai Jingluo's shoulder with both hands, and said comfortingly: "Someone needs to be responsible for this war."

Ningguo is in danger, and someone needs to stand up and die.

Your second uncle, I have no turning back.

Ning Guo is kind to me, and I Bai Yi'an can become a congenital, thanks to His Majesty's cultivation, I can have today.

The grace of knowing the encounter cannot be repaid.

My grandfather, your great-grandfather, the last Marquis of Wu'an, Bai Mengyang, was deeply favored by the Xiao family.

Therefore, my grandfather was all fighting for the north of Great Vietnam, except for the chaos at home, and resisting strong enemies outside, until his death, he was all a Vietnamese minister, and there was no betrayal of the master.

Today, I have killed myself to serve the country and repay His Majesty's grace, which is to follow the ancestors, and I am worthy of my heart. ”

Speaking of this, Bai Yi paused, then stared at Bai Jingluo, his tone softened, but said with more weight: "I received the grace of the Shen clan to become a congenital, so I have to repay with death."

But Jingluo, you're different.

You have today, it all depends on the power of my Bai clan, it is the family that recommended you to your current status, and it has nothing to do with Ning Guo.

You don't have to learn from me and die to the Shen family, who has no kindness to you.

After my death, the friendship between the Bai family and the Shen family has been broken, although they are both six surnames and seven clans, and the friendship is still deep, but there is no longer any saying that who owes whom.

Therefore, from now on, you and the Bai family do not have to stick to the Ning country, and you do not have to stick to the Shen family.

And you can start from your own interests, from the interests of the Bai family, from the interests of the six surnames and seven clans, choose your own future path, and choose the people you want to be loyal to.

Although I want to turn the tide, the realm of Ningguo has come to this.

It is difficult to say whether they will be able to survive in the future and whether they will be able to preserve the society.

If there is disharmony in the real thing, when the mountains and rivers are broken and the family and country are in danger, you must take responsibility, take the Bai family, take the six surnames and seven clans, get out of the difficulties together, and protect the incense of the temple.

At that time, you, who do not have any past kindness burden, will stand up and take charge of the overall situation for the sake of these responsibilities.

Remember, being alive is the most important thing.

As long as the family can be preserved, even if it is humiliated, it is not impossible.

We and the state of Chu only have the enmity of the country, but the enmity of selflessness.

Died on the battlefield and died for hegemony, only blamed for his low ability, and he couldn't blame anyone.

There is really a day when you have to face the west and surrender, you must not hold grudges, you must not forget the righteousness because of petty feelings, and ruin the future of the whole clan for your own selfishness.

I need to be like me, like my ancestors, to end things one by one, in order to repay the righteousness of the king and repay the kindness of the country.

Got it? ”

Bai Yi'an's words were like knives, and they stabbed Bai Jingluo's heart fiercely.

In the end, it was like thunder, shaking him into a trance.

Just listening to his second uncle's words, feeling the other party's ardent hope, and the heavy responsibility for the Bai family, Bai Jingluo couldn't say anything about refusal, but was stunned and said: "Listen, understand." ”

When Bai Yi'an heard this, there was a hint of relief on his face, but he quickly put away his smile, and his expression became calm and serious again: "Now that it's clear, let's step back over there." Remember, I will gather my subordinates later, go to the direction of Wuning, and be probed by the army.

This is a military order. ”

Bai Yi'an finally emphasized.

Wuning, just south of Yongxing, is also the border of Ningguo, which is one of the several places in the south that may have a way out.

At this time, Bai Yi'an had decided that the route of the army would remain unchanged and continue to go to Ruichang, but he also asked Bai Jingluo to explore in this direction, and it was self-evident what his intention was.

Bai Jingluo also knew this, but after a heart-to-heart exchange between his uncle and nephew just now, he already knew his heavy responsibility.

So I didn't make any children's tempers and say things like "don't go".

just nodded heavily, then knelt down, kowtowed three times to Bai Yi'an, then got up to take the token, and replied: "The last general listens to the order." ”

With that, he turned and left.

And a similar scene, in the camp of the Ning army, is constantly being staged in the camp tents in various core areas at this time.

When Bai Yi'an summoned Bai Jingluo, at the same time, there were also many high-ranking officials of the Ning Kingdom who were deeply favored by the Shen family, and called their children to advise.

The Ning State scouts led by Bai Jingluo are all elite and strong in martial arts.

But if you can be strong in martial arts, how can you not have a background?

When he formed his scout team, it was carefully thought out and carefully selected.

In order to be like now, if you are really in a desperate situation, you can have one more way to retreat and save some incense.

At this point, it's just a matter of execution.

Sending Bai Jingluo away, Bai Yi'an was silent in the tent for a long time, and then did not stay here for a long time, but went out and went directly to a gorgeous tent in the center.

"Your Majesty."

After the briefing, Bai Yi'an saw Shenqiu.

"You've already arranged a back road?"

Shen Qiu seemed to have known for a long time that Bai Yi'an would come, and after the person came in, he asked in a hurry.

"It has been arranged that Jing Luo and some other Linhai disciples will be evacuated from the direction of Wuning in the south."

Bai Yi'an replied calmly, then saluted to Shenqiu, and said, "Tomorrow, the minister will lead the army to Ruichang and fight to the death with the Chu army." Your Majesty's body is full of gold, shouldering the burden of Ningguo, and you must not stay here to go to danger.

The minister has already arranged for the masters in the army, and he also asks His Majesty to take advantage of the fact that the siege of the Chu army has not yet taken shape tonight, and go to the mouth of the Yangtze River from the Fushui River.

At the intersection of the two rivers, the sailor had already arranged for the boat to respond, which was enough to take hundreds of people away and allow His Majesty to retreat safely. ”

There is a rich water in Yongxing, which can go straight into the Yangtze River to the north along the rich water.

At the intersection of the two rivers, there is a small ferry for people to get on the boat and leave.

It's just that the scale of this ferry is too small, and it can take up to 100 people at one time.

For the sake of safety, Shenqiu can only take two or three hundred people at most, and it is difficult to take the entire army away, otherwise this is definitely a good way out.

"I know, let's go."

Shen Qiu nodded, he didn't act like a child, he was already ready, he got up immediately, took the guards that had been assembled outside the camp, and was about to leave.

It's just that when he arrived at the door of the tent, he paused, looked back at his courtier, and sighed: "Marquis Wu'an, cherish!" ”

After that, he seemed to think that this was boring, shook his head, and left with a wry smile.

It was dark and late at night, and the moonlight was like water.

In the Ning military camp, when all the soldiers were sleeping, two teams, one south and one north, with more than 100 people each, passed through the camp gate that had already been opened without alarming anyone.

Quietly, he left the camp.

Bai Yi'an stood on the sentry tower, and the henchmen who were assigned to watch the night silently watched this scene with calm eyes.