The dark clouds in the sky slowly gathered, bit by bit, in the distance. Search: \(¨Completed¨Book¨God¨Site¨) for free access to quality literature.

The journey from Hangzhou to Huzhou was one of constant escape.

Looking back from later days, Hangzhou fell on the fourth day of the month, and the people fled the city in bewildered panic. The most direct choice for many was to go to Jiaxing, but the armies of Fang La were actively intercepting and pursuing, leaving many behind. It wasn't until the sixth or seventh day that these scattered groups of refugees regrouped on the road, regaining a semblance of order.

By this time, the Fang La rebels gathering from the west of Hangzhou were reaching saturation and beginning to expand in all directions. The regrouped refugees painfully chose their destinations, gathering and dispersing across the land around Hangzhou, where the mountains were not deep but the waterways crisscrossed. Some were caught and slaughtered by the rebels, and batches of captives were robbed, seized, and sent back to Hangzhou.

For months, the momentum of Fang La's rebellion was at its peak. Fang Baihua resisted Kang Fangting's Wu Zou Battalion in the northwest, while Chen Shisheng's Wuwei Army in the south was caught in a pincer attack by Deng Yuanjue and Si Xingfang. Fang La and Fang Qifo took Hangzhou with a large force, and thereafter, uprisings echoed everywhere. On the roads around Hangzhou, when the bewildered refugees finally realized it, they discovered that starting from Hangzhou, almost every direction was a minefield of danger.

Apart from those who broke into small groups and hid in the mountains and villages, hoping to survive by sheer luck, there were few examples of large groups safely escaping the Hangzhou area at this time. Most of these displaced people driven out of Hangzhou ultimately became sacrifices or early subjects of the "Yongle Dynasty" established by Fang La. The influence of the Wu Dynasty was temporarily suppressed to its lowest point in this region of Jiangnan. Of course, there were also small bright spots to be found.

The entire event occurred in a corner where Hangzhou and Huzhou meet. The largest fleeing group, consisting of wealthy merchants and gentry from Hangzhou, traveled through winding paths to this place. The entire preparation took place in less than two days, from the early morning of the tenth day to the morning of the eleventh.

Strategically speaking, it was difficult to accomplish overly complex maneuvers in a day and a half. At that time, there were five rebel armies approaching from behind, led by Yao Yi, Lu Qiao, Xue Dounan, Mi Quan, and Shen Zhucheng, five generals from Fang La's army. The few Black Feather Guards and the partial Tyrant Saber Battalion led by Liu Dabiao were not even included in the count. The combined strength of these five armies was over six thousand, and their morale was high. On the other hand, the fleeing group had three thousand remnants of soldiers, plus about a thousand guards and bodyguards from wealthy merchants and gentry. However, these thousand or so men were not accustomed to battlefield fighting, and their combat power was unreliable.

In retrospect, these armies only performed a simple intersection and psychological warfare in an area of less than forty li, and then began to checkmate each other. The matter was simple, but the result was somewhat unexpected. Of course, at the beginning, it was not only Fang La's army that found it unexpected; even the fleeing group itself reacted after experiencing an extremely stunned emotion.

Gathering clouds, unbearably hot weather, and winding riverbanks caused the fleeing column to extend far into the distance. This group of nearly ten thousand people was moving forward, and at the end of the column, a commotion and infighting were brewing, with whispers among the crowd. In the front and middle sections, soldiers or advisors on horseback were running back and forth, most of them with paper and pens, dispersing into each small team of the remnant army, recording what needed to be recorded.

Making such statistics during the escape seemed a bit rushed, but the meaning passed down from above since morning was simple. Chen Xingdu, the leader at this time, had carefully discussed with the gentry led by Tang Xiuxuan that as long as the team reached Huzhou, every soldier would be a meritorious escort. For future rewards, everyone's name and origin would be recorded so that no one, officer or soldier, would be left out. Moreover, if these people had family members who died or were lost in Hangzhou, each would receive additional compensation, which was the reward they deserved for escorting these "big shots."

After the fall of Hangzhou, the Wu Virtue Battalion's army found it difficult to maintain organization. Although there were over three thousand soldiers in this team, each person belonged to a very disorganized unit, and most had lost their desire to fight. Chen Xingdu was able to become the military leader of this team because he had the most people under his command, over seven hundred. Although the others also followed orders, it was quite troublesome to operate.

The Wu Virtue Battalion was said to be elite, but in reality, it did not have much combat experience. After this great defeat, if they were told to rebuild the organization, many would likely be afraid. However, after this order was issued, these people began to automatically gather together for ease of recording, temporarily electing officers according to the original army camp distribution. Although it looked like they were occupying their own territories, it finally established a closer organization. During this time, Chen Xingdu naturally also installed confidants to develop his power, allowing orders to be delivered more quickly.

While the number of troops was being counted, rumors began to circulate among the soldiers or civilians. Naturally, there was negative news, including the pursuers approaching from behind and the blocked road ahead, which had been secretly spread and made known to everyone. Then, there were other pieces of news that spread through whispers.

"Mr. Tang and the others have a plan..."

"I heard that someone from the Tang family has connections with the rebel bandits of Qingfeng Stronghold. Now that we have more than three thousand Wu Virtue Battalions passing by, Qingfeng Stronghold will open the road..."

"No, I heard that a man named Ning Liheng came up with a plan, calculating everything, and General Chen and the others treated it like a treasure. My cousin is over at the camp, and he saw it last night..."

"Who is Ning Liheng?"

"Hey, don't you know? This person seems to be a scholar, but he has the title of 'Ten Steps One Calculation', and he is also highly skilled in martial arts. When Fang La and his gang were causing trouble in Hangzhou, he helped to devise strategies. Later, Shi Bao, Fang Qifo, and others personally went to kill him, but he outsmarted them, killing several people and leaving triumphantly, making Shi Bao and Fang Qifo look embarrassed. Alas, it's a pity that the city fell too early. If we could have held on for a few more days, I heard that Fang Qifo would have been killed by him..."

"...I heard that he also has a title in the pugilistic world, not 'Ten Steps One Calculation', but 'Blood Hand Human Slaughter'. This time, he will definitely be able to get us through..."

Various messy rumors were spread wildly. Ning Yi's actions in Taiping Lane and his nickname were also spread.

Of course, this did not alleviate the anxiety that had already arisen in most people's hearts. With enemies in front and behind, few could believe in an inexperienced young man with no reputation. Even if they portrayed him as the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang, it might not give people much confidence.

However, at this time, there was not much choice for the soldiers, wealthy merchants, gentry, landlords, and officials in the fleeing team. Once Fang La's army caught up, they would certainly have no chance of survival and would only face death. At this time, they could only believe in what they could believe in at the moment. But the poor people, or those without much wealth, were different. They were originally following the crowd, thinking that the team was safe and following along. Now, suddenly hearing the current news, they immediately became uneasy. The team's order was weak, and there were originally various contradictions, but they were initially suppressed by everyone's concerted efforts. However, after these desperate news came, the contradictions immediately intensified.

For these civilians, even if they were caught, they could still choose to surrender or break into small groups and shrink into the mountain gullies and villages. As long as Fang La's army did not kill everyone around Hangzhou, there would naturally be a chance to hide. By the afternoon of the tenth day, with the team's high-level deliberate indulgence, the fleeing team crossed the river branch near a place called Shiqiaobin, and then split into two groups of seven thousand and nearly three thousand due to a small-scale fight as a fuse.

The three thousand people began to turn northeast, trying to bypass Qingfeng Stronghold and Xiaoluo Town towards Jiaxing. Most of these people were composed of civilians, as well as some wealthy merchants and officials who had cleverly mixed in. In the eyes of these people, the rebel army chasing from behind mainly sought wealth. If they used the seven thousand people as bait, they could gain a glimmer of life. Some felt that the road ahead was dangerous and simply began to leave the team and disperse into the surrounding areas as civilians.

At this time, some difficult decisions began to arise among the pursuers behind. As they approached the largest fleeing team, some mixed information began to suddenly appear before them.

From the mouths of the isolated refugees, they could easily inquire about various information: the scale of the team, the infighting that began to appear in the team, the rumors spread in the team, what "Ten Steps One Calculation" and "Blood Hand Human Slaughter" made Shi Bao, Fang Qifo, and Liu Dabiao look embarrassed, and then the rumors that some people began to leave the team alone, or that a certain wealthy merchant and a certain official knew the urgency of the situation and began to escape into the mountains away from the team.

A team of ten thousand refugees left relatively clear clues, but at this time, a series of things that interfered with judgment appeared, scattered along the escape route, extending in different directions. The scouts of the five armies were rushing forward and also collided with the scouts of the Wu Virtue Battalion in different directions. Yao Yi and the others went north, which was not considered united to begin with. There would naturally be some quarrels in the distribution of prey and spoils. Finally, in order to temporarily maintain peace, the five teams chose to advance forward in different directions and were separated by a distance. Because the chosen direction was the same, Yao Yi and Lu Qiao even quarreled again. Of course, at this time, everyone was not worried about fighting. Even if they caught up, the three thousand remnants of the army could not make any waves in the encirclement of seven thousand people.

That evening, the main force of the fleeing team of more than seven thousand people returned from the Shiqiaobin area where they had originally crossed the river, and almost brushed shoulders with Yao Yi's team chasing from the north. The team traveled south several miles at night, and camped by the treacherous river bend. The river channel was like a hook here. Their southward return originally had various traces all the way. At this time, there were river channels blocking the east and south sides. The river bend was like a pocket that contained people. If Yao Yi and others turned back to the south, it would almost be a dead end. But at the moment, Yao Yi and others were also eager to chase north, and did not come to investigate again for a while.

That night, the five teams went north along different paths. Among them, Xue Dounan and Mi Quan's thousands of people even passed by the opposite bank of the river bend where everyone was camping. They also temporarily camped in different areas more than ten miles away from here. That night, the camp by the river was so quiet that it was almost suffocating. Everyone who knew the seriousness of the situation almost consciously held their breath at the critical moment of life and death, and did not dare to speak loudly for a while. But the bayonet charge that the army of Yao Yi brushed shoulders with at night spread among the crowd. It was originally just a small trick, but everyone also needed some confidence as support.

Thus, on the second day, dark clouds gathered in the sky. The Wu Virtue Battalion released several of the most elite scouts, paying attention to the movements of the armies to the north. Yao Yi's army began to pull up camp. Xue Dounan and Mi Quan's army began to pull up camp. Shen Zhucheng's army began to pull up camp. Lu Qiao's team lagged behind, following Yao Yi's route towards Shiqiao Ferry, and then, on the eve of crossing the river at noon... stopped.

He began to turn back.

******************

At noon, on a mountain to the north, a man named An Xifu was riding a horse, leading the Black Feather Guards to the north.

His mission was different from Yao Yi and the others, and also different from Liu Dabiao, who came to find people as he pleased. Disturbing Huzhou to prevent it from rescuing Jiaxing seemed simple. Yao Yi and the others also treated it as a way to relax and make money, but he had to be responsible for the overall situation.

Chasing and killing the fleeing people was harvesting spoils and could be taken lightly, but Huzhou still had its own army after all. Therefore, he led the Black Feather Guards to quickly travel north, already surpassing the progress of the others. Since people like Qingfeng Stronghold and Xiaoluo Town suddenly rebelled, and since there was no prior contact with Fang La's side, An Xifu had to go there to give them a name and let them truly contribute in the battle.

At this time, they had approached Xiaoluo Town in front. A scout who stayed behind to observe the movements of Yao Yi and others also returned on horseback, and routinely told him the progress of the five people every day. Looking at the information brought back by the scout, the man in black casually clicked on the map, frowned, and put the map aside. He felt that these people were too lazy, too slow, too slow to fight, and even too slow to grab money. They were hopeless. As for the fleeing team, it was also a bit strange, but the thought just flashed through his mind and he didn't think about it seriously.

But after a quarter of an hour, the group gradually descended the mountain, and something gradually knocked in his mind. He was stunned several times, and then picked up the map to look at it. After a while, he really frowned: "Impossible..."

He waved his hand to stop the team, and then called the scout to report the information he had heard since yesterday. In the process, he remembered the encounters of Shi Bao and others in Hangzhou, and remembered the purpose of the Liu family's woman coming this time. Although he couldn't be sure yet, when he looked back, some ominous feeling seemed to be pressing down from the gray sky to the south.

"Ning Liheng..." he thought for a while, "I hope... it's not like this..."

******************

The sky was dark, and Chen Xingdu was sitting in a tent, deducing the plan brought by Ning Yi with two confidants. When the news from the scout came, his face was already white.

"How... how could this be... it shouldn't be..."

He subconsciously looked at Ning Yi's plan, which was somewhat complicated but very convincing. The current step was only a beginning. Speaking of which, the current army still had thousands of people. It was not impossible to break through Qingfeng Stronghold and Xiaoluo Town and go north to Huzhou, but the pursuers behind were already close. As long as the battle was delayed a little, they would be surrounded by nearly ten thousand people, and with the soldiers having no will to fight, it was impossible for the battle to go smoothly.

Intensifying the conflict, using the three thousand people as bait, and quickly turning back, hiding in a desperate place that they were unlikely to search. As long as they found a little gap, they could change course again and get more room to maneuver. Ning Yi gave many analyses on the feasibility of this point, the mentality of those leaders among the pursuers, how to use gold and silver and psychological tactics to slightly widen the distance between them. Honestly, many contingency plans were arranged, and almost every situation was anticipated. When Ning Yi arranged for some soldiers to deliberately create suspicion and make the pursuers have some suspicion, and then disperse, Chen Xingdu had a lot of confidence in Ning Yi. What's more, there was Qian Haiping next to him. When it came to Ning Yi's planning to deal with Shi Bao and others, it was similar to what was happening now and was very effective.

In the team, the organization of soldiers was counted again, and the method was given by Ning Yi. Then, the rumors and divisions in the team almost confirmed a part of the plan. They did hide here for one night, but they did not expect that at this most critical moment, the other party still discovered them and began to turn back.

In this plan, it was determined in various ways that the other party would be confused, and the feasibility was determined with complicated words. After that, the various plans were also extremely attractive, but it was not clear what to do at this time. Someone seemed to have raised this opinion at the beginning, but Ning Yi was sick at that time and only said: "You look at the development and then decide whether to do this, okay?"

Everyone had never seen such a detailed and convincing plan before. Even Tang Xiuxuan said: "We have to take a risk." He temporarily overwhelmed the doubters with his strong self-confidence and complex arrangements in other aspects, but at this time, it was like being hit on the head with a stick. The matter was ruined on the second day in an almost fatal place.

After being stunned for a long time, Chen Xingdu grabbed the plan and walked out. The weather was hot and gloomy, and the others were not yet aware of the news and were just waiting quietly. He went all the way to the tent of the Su family. At this time, Ning Yi had just woken up from his sleep. Since the evening of the ninth day, the fever on his head had become more and more serious. At this time, he had to be helped by Su Tan'er to sit up from the bed. The high fever also temporarily affected his thinking. When Chen Xingdu came in, he was a little confused, and then shook his head. Chen Xingdu looked at him for a while, suppressing his trembling tone: "Something happened..."

Ning Yi rubbed his head: "Yao Yi... No, Lu Qiao... it should be Lu Qiao..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Tan'er, who was sitting next to him tidying his clothes, spoke: "General Chen, where is Lu Qiao?"

Chen Xingdu was slightly stunned, looked at the couple, then threw down the plan, grabbed a map, and drew a point: "He is at Shiqiao Ferry and has started to turn back! He has discovered us!"

Ning Yi thought for a while: "What about the others?"

Chen Xingdu brushed four points. The five points on the map were like a fan, surrounding this place. Some were far and some were near. Ning Yi looked at the map for a long time, then closed his eyes: "Then what are you waiting for?"

"You..."

"Lu Qiao's army only has more than a thousand people, and we have four thousand. They are now scattered and separated by the river. Then they will gradually discover us, General Chen. Now is the best time to defeat them one by one. That's all I can do. What are you waiting for?" In front of Chen Xingdu, the scholar stood up with some difficulty, looked at him, and his voice was not loud. "They are fighting each other and are far apart. The rescue is too late. After these people are defeated, the siege of Huzhou will be lifted. General Chen, you will definitely have a share of the future promotion and knighthood. You know that."

Chen Xingdu hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and said: "You are making fun of me... You know that, a defeated army collapses like a mountain, these people can't fight anymore... Even if it's just over a thousand people..."

"But now we are not fighting for others. From yesterday, we have told them the seriousness of the matter. In a slightly empty place, they can take off their military uniforms and hide in the mountains, but now there is no possibility. We have no way out. Break the cauldrons and sink the boats. Now we are desperate soldiers. If we don't move forward, we will die."

"If... if we can't win, do you know..."

"You also believe that plan!?" Ning Yi raised his tone slightly, gritted his teeth and pointed to the plan that Chen Xingdu threw on the ground, "That's all a lie, it ends here! I'm not a god, how can I calculate so much! General Chen, I can only control this day. They have been pursuers and are too careless. They are temporarily dazed and can't react at once. If this counterattack fails, they will calm down, and we will have no chance."

"Roads can be pointed out by others, but fate must be earned by yourself! In this situation, there is no good way to survive by playing tricks." He looked at Chen Xingdu: "My wife is pregnant, and if four thousand can't win against one thousand, we will all die here, that's it..." (To be continued.) Please vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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