Chapter 852: Another Setback (11200 Supplement)

The fifth year of Taiping.

The seventh month.

Song Gongbao captured eight strongholds in a row, but suffered over ten thousand casualties himself, and the main army came to a standstill.

By this time, the fifty-thousand-strong army he led had already suffered over twenty percent losses; even with Song Gongbao himself issuing orders, he could not make the soldiers obey, and there was even a risk of mutiny.

Just then, bad news arrived as well.

The two flanking divisions dispatched by the Imperial Court to take a detour and raid Jiangzhou City were ambushed by Tang Xun's troops and were completely routed!

Meanwhile, Privy Commissioner Gao Qiu, eager for victory, had already arrived outside Lishui County with over a hundred thousand troops, personally overseeing the battle.

Although Song Gongbao's troops did not want to fight, with over a hundred thousand troops supervising from behind, they had no choice but to attack the stronghold with all their might.

But without Dragon Qi, the foundation for the deception was gone.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

"Indeed, there is no room for regret now."

This man was truly born with Divine Power and had the stars enter his fate; he was a brave general capable of facing ten thousand men!

Song Gongbao felt as if he had been struck by lightning; he seemed to age ten years in an instant. He remained silent for a long time before smiling bitterly: "I don't know why, but after waking up this time, I have become much clearer-headed... The Imperial Court cannot be relied upon. Why was I so foolish back then, single-mindedly seeking amnesty! If not for the amnesty... if I had just waited another year or two, the south would have fallen into chaos, the Jin people would have marched south... I could have taken advantage of the situation to carve out a territory as a feudal lord. Even in the future... it would not have been without hope. Why did I have to seek amnesty? Amnesty!"

"Brother, Military Advisor... let me go!"

After all, how could the Chongming Taoism have any magic capable of bewitching a flood dragon?

Boom!

The Supreme Divine Thunder exploded in succession, blowing half of the stronghold gate directly away!

A small mushroom cloud appeared, showering down a large amount of dust and wood chips, mixed with severed limbs and broken remains.

"With over a hundred thousand Imperial Guard troops behind us, standing ready, a counterattack would be too foolish. The only plan now is to take this stronghold as quickly as possible to have something to report..."

Wu Xing's eyes turned red, and he almost shed tears: "Brother is not dreaming. Brother Li Xuanfeng died in battle today, but we did take the stronghold... and now the rebels are no longer guarding the mountain stronghold, but have retreated one after another to Lishui County!"

Within the main army of the Xiaohuang Mountain Stronghold, a certain Daoist accompanying the supervising eunuch watched this scene, suddenly calculating rapidly with his fingers and screaming: "Not good... this man has finally broken free from the shackles of the Dragon Qi!"

"Why is it like this?"

There was a rich scent of medicine inside the tent, and Wu Xing was nervously tending to him nearby. Seeing him wake up, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, he led the most elite brothers of the Xiaohuang Mountain Stronghold, hacking through thorns and thistles all the way, and killed his way to the foot of the stronghold again!

"Brother Li... is he really gone?"

Inside the military tent, by the time Song Gongbao regained consciousness again, it was already night.

"Brother..."

"Brother, I will remember." Wu Xing wiped his tears repeatedly.

"Help me up!"

Song Gongbao smiled miserably: "Perhaps my heart has gone cold, perhaps I have seen through it all... I still have thirty thousand strings of cash in Jiao on me, all savings from the brothers robbing the rich to help the poor. I originally wanted to use it to bribe Privy Commissioner Gao, but having thought about it, it is better not to throw meat buns at a dog... You keep it well, and in the future, take good care of the brothers' descendants. Although Brother Li did not marry, I remember he had two concubines, a son and a daughter..."

"This... Dragon Qi is also a way of gathering wings and crowds... This man's flood dragon Qi is actually supported by a group of brothers and confidants, and even the main army..."

At this moment, a messenger entered from outside: "Reporting to the General, the Privy Commissioner has sent someone with a message, ordering you to go to the main camp!"

Seeing this scene, Li Xuanfeng immediately shouted: "I will take men to charge again, we must take this stronghold!"

Wu Xing thought it over and over, but there was no other way out. His chest felt like it was being Rend, and he vomited blood again.

Li Xuanfeng used his board axe to block his head and face; seeing this scene, his eyes turned blood-red.

"I... I seem to have had a dream, dreaming that Brother Li had also left me..."

A rough voice said loudly: "This is all because of the illustrious reputation of Privy Commissioner Gao. As soon as he brought the main army, the Liang soldiers shrank back and dared not fight, throwing away their helmets and armor, and took the initiative to flee back to the county seat..."

"Cloud Ladder!"

The voice of the supervising eunuch nearby was sharp, like a woman's scream.

"Brother, it is too late to regret now." Wu Xing was silent for a moment and told the truth.

Li Xuanfeng was so angry he smashed his board axe.

But as soon as he approached the commander's tent, the sound of singing and dancing drifted out.

Song Gongbao muttered.

Song Gongbao climbed off the bed and had his personal guards help him put on his armor, then took Wu Xing to the Privy Commissioner's main camp.

Seeing the heavy casualties of his own brothers on the battlefield ahead, Wu Xing could not help but cough repeatedly, his mouth dripping with blood: "If we keep fighting, the brothers will all die!"

It was entirely guided by the Dragon Qi itself!

"This thieving bird, Brother, I'll go cut him down!"

But the Liang Army was indeed famously fearless of death. Seeing the enemy charging up, they actually brought the Supreme Divine Thunder directly to blast them!

A Flower Steel Axe in his hand was danced like a whirlwind, impenetrable, repeatedly blocking arrows.

After an explosion, a section of the top of the stronghold was blown off, and the corpses of the Song Army that had finally climbed up were scattered everywhere.

"Brother Li!"

He suddenly let go of his board axe, caught two thrown explosive packs with his backhand, and then charged forward like a whirlwind, like a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep, rushing into the Liang Army, into the place where the gunpowder packs were piled!

Boom!

"Supreme Divine Thunder!"

"Good brother!" Song Gongbao gripped Li Xuanfeng's hand tightly, then watched as Li Xuanfeng charged onto the battlefield.

The ninth stronghold attacked this time was positioned in a truly tricky spot; both sides were dead ends, and only a small path in front could be accessed, which meant that the number of people who could attack at the same time was extremely limited, and the Song Army suffered heavy casualties.

In the rear, seeing this scene, Song Gongbao felt as if his heart was being pricked by needles; everything went black before his eyes, and he was in such pain he almost fainted, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Speaking of this, he was somewhat puzzled. Upon later inspection, he found that the enemy had cleaned the battlefield very thoroughly, leaving behind not only their own corpses but not even the enemy's corpses!

This made Wu Xing suspect that Lishui County was short of food and prepared to hold out with dried meat as military rations, but such a small matter could be left unsaid for now.

"Brother... we cannot keep fighting... cough, cough..."

The camp of the tens of thousands of Imperial Guard stretched for several miles, brightly lit with Lamp light even at night.

Li Xuanfeng let out a great shout, and Cloud Ladders and grappling hooks were firmly latched onto the stockade.

"It hurts me so!"

He took the lead, climbing up along the Cloud Ladder; wherever his board-axes passed, the Liang Army collapsed in succession, carving out a clear space.

The Daoist said with difficulty: "After successive great battles, the army's core has suffered heavy losses... especially that Li Xuanfeng just now, the Heavenly Killing Star descended to earth, he was the strongest pillar, and now he has collapsed... Song Gongbao's Dragon Qi is broken, so naturally he will no longer be influenced by it!"

Song Gongbao felt a sweetness in his throat and almost spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, but he forcibly suppressed it at this moment and entered the commander's tent.

Song Gongbao's tiger eyes filled with tears: "How could I not know? But Privy Councilor Gao is right behind us supervising the battle; before the fight, he told me that if we do not take this stockade, everyone will be dealt with according to military law!"

Inside the great tent, several dancing girls with half-exposed shoulders and draped in thin gauze were singing and dancing lightly, with two rows of officers and soldiers sitting to the side.

Privy Councilor Gao sat at the head of the table, stroking his beard, looking pleased with himself.

(End of this chapter)