Chapter 379: The End of the Road for an Overlord

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The sound of artillery fire extinguished hope; the painstakingly planned smuggling was ultimately leaked.

The Great Dayu navy, which arrived upon hearing the news, defeated the insurgent navy and cut the Wu army, which was crossing the river, in half.

"Your Majesty, let's go quickly!"

Xie Qiu Ruiyu pulled Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan and urged.

Losing troops and generals, no one wanted that.

But the Wu army being divided in two had become an established fact.

The navy was a technical branch; the team they had cobbled together was no match for the Great Dayu navy at all.

"No!"

"I want to wait for the follow-up troops to come over!"

"The enemy army just killed their way over; the Yangtze River is so vast, they don't have the ability to blockade every ferry.

..."

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said with an excited face.

To successfully cross the river, the Wu army had paid a great price.

They had thrown out hundreds of thousands of troops to act as bait, just to preserve the 20,000 elite troops in their hands.

Never did they expect that after paying such a great price, there would still be problems when crossing the river.

The troops that successfully crossed the river were less than 10,000.

With such a small force, let alone the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, even preserving themselves was difficult.

"Your Majesty, it's too late!

The imperial army has discovered our location, and the pursuing troops will be here soon.

If we don't leave quickly, we won't be able to leave!"

Xie Qiu Ruiyu urged hurriedly.

Turning from a separatist regime into wandering bandits, no one felt comfortable in their hearts.

But no matter how uncomfortable, life still had to go on.

The war had been going on until now, and the Wu army was already in a precarious situation.

If they didn't seize the time to break through the encirclement and interception of the Great Dayu army, annihilation was only a matter of time.

"Don't worry, I have already ordered the abandonment of Nanchang, Jiujiang, Anqing, and other places; it won't be long before they come to join forces.

The troops in other regions still have some distance, but Anqing is close at hand.

Calculating the time, Fang Tai Mochuan's troops should also be coming to join forces!"

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said with feigned composure.

He wouldn't feel heartache for the loss of ordinary troops.

From the uprising in Among Guangxi until now, they had long accumulated a set of experience in pulling teams.

As long as the core backbone was there, wanting to restore the number of troops was never a difficult thing.

But now it was different; the foundation he had painstakingly managed had also been lost by more than half.

Without this foundation, even if they killed their way into the Central Plains, it would be difficult to stand firm.

"Your Majesty, reinforcements are probably not to be counted on.

The Great Dayu army knows our river-crossing location; it is impossible for them not to be prepared.

Attacking halfway across the river is just the enemy's first wave of offensive; there are bigger troubles waiting for us next.

It's possible that General Fang's troops suffered a disaster just after leaving Anqing City.

Just like our previous withdrawal from Nanjing!"

Hu Hu Yuzhe said uneasily.

When a regime reaches its end, there is always no lack of betrayal.

The centripetal force of the officials in a separatist regime cobbled together like the Wu army was even lower.

Just after the main force left Nanjing City, they encountered a series of encirclements and interceptions.

After being tossed around all the way, the Wu army's morale was depressed, and they were forced to cut their own flesh in pain.

They thought they could save the Wu state, but they were precisely harvested by the enemy army; there must be a traitor behind the scenes leaking the news.

Knowing that there was a problem with someone in the team, as a surrendered official, Hu Hu Yuzhe could only urge the Emperor to run for his life.

At a time like this, once a loyalty screening was conducted, he himself was the biggest suspect.

In chaotic times, many things did not need evidence.

The mere existence of suspicion was enough to make Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan move to kill.

"It's not necessarily an ambush; it could also be a direct betrayal.

From the moment we withdrew from Nanjing, the number of troops choosing to surrender to the Great Dayu army increased sharply.

Many troops scattered outside, as long as they were at a disadvantage on the battlefield, would choose to surrender to the enemy army."

Right Prime Minister Yang Yang Jingren directly poked the window paper, and also extinguished Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's last fantasy.

In chaotic times, the thing that cannot withstand the test most is loyalty.

"Retreat!"

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan's order had just been issued when a team flying the Wu army flag appeared in the distance, with a "Fang" character embroidered on the commander's flag.

Before they could celebrate, this sudden reinforcement directly launched an attack on the Wu army.

"Damn Fang Tai Mochuan, I trusted him so much, and he actually betrayed me!

Pass the order down: the entire army is to break through to the north immediately and not entangle with the enemy."

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan said through gritted teeth.

Traitors are more hateful than enemies; if the occasion were not wrong, he would definitely have cleaned up the house first.

Everyone felt it was unbelievable that Fang Tai Mochuan had betrayed them.

But the facts were before their eyes; if they hadn't met an acquaintance, the Wu army soldiers would never have let them get close.

Two Wu armies launched a fierce battle on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

Watching his subordinates turn their blades against their former comrades in order to offer a "letter of surrender," Fang Tai Mochuan's heart was aching.

It was a pity that all this was not something he could control.

He, the Regional Commander, was not willing to stab his old master in the back for the sake of wealth, but the subordinates below did not have this pressure.

From the moment he accepted the amnesty, he lost control of the team.

Having accepted the court's amnesty, everyone transformed into generals of the Great Dayu army, and it was reasonable for the superiors to let them encircle and suppress the rebel army.

Without offering this letter of surrender, they would never be regarded as their own people.

If they couldn't become their own people, their official hats would not be stable.

Not pursuing accountability now, they would be liquidated after the war.

For their own interests, the subordinates chose to stab their old master in the back, leaving Fang Tai Mochuan to grieve alone.

"General, it's still not too late to take the personal guards into battle!"

The middle-aged secretary at his side reminded.

They had worked together for a while, and he had also used the Anqing garrison to exchange for a step up in promotion.

For this former master, he still had some feelings left.

This persuasion at this moment was completely sincere.

Righteous people are certainly admired.

But if they are in the hostile camp, it is better for them to die.

Without timely political cutting with the rebel army, at some point in the future, Fang Tai Mochuan would inevitably be convicted for some reason.

"No need!"

"At my position, no matter what I do, I will inevitably be suspected.

Rather than waiting for the court to settle the score later, it is better to take the first step myself, so as not to dirty the Duke of Chengguo's hands.

Mr. Wang, I know your background is not simple, and you have quite a few connections in the court.

The wealth in these boxes is the accumulation of half my life; now it is all handed over to you.

Whether you use it yourself or use it to bribe superiors, I only ask that after I die, the court will no longer liquidate my family and old subordinates."

After speaking, Fang Tai Mochuan sobbed, and white foam began to come out of the corners of his mouth.

Seeing this, Mr. Wang was shocked.

He had thought of all possibilities, but never expected Fang Tai Mochuan to be so unyielding.

"Quick, invite a physician!"

In a panic, Mr. Wang hurriedly shouted to the personal guards.

"No need to waste effort; I have already sent everyone away!"

"They want to live comfortably in the second half of their lives and need to prove their loyalty to the court.

Having fought south and north with me for so many years, they haven't made a name for themselves; at the last moment, I can't drag them down again.

Mr. Wang, rest assured, I have arranged everything in advance.

Before the expedition, I gave them a brocade bag, which contains my handwritten letter, and the funeral arrangements are all explained on it.

Here is another handwritten letter of mine; if anyone makes trouble, you take it out to pacify the army's heart.

Perhaps I thought too much; maybe these won't be used at all!"

Using his last bit of strength to finish his last words, Fang Tai Mochuan closed his eyes, and a trace of relief appeared at the corners of his mouth.

At the moment of death, he finally saw through human nature.

If it were during the heyday of the Wu state, there would certainly be no lack of loyal and righteous people among the subordinates.

But now it was the end of the road, and even the Emperor Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan could die at any time.

When disaster strikes, everyone flies apart.

For the sake of the court's amnesty, since the people below could betray Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan, they could also abandon him, the main general.

In the face of interests, the only people who truly cared about his life and death were a very small number of people.

It's possible that many people would even secretly rejoice.

With him, the leader, dead, the surrendered soldiers below would each go their own way and could never be gathered together again.

The danger to the court would cease to exist, and there would not be so much suspicion, and everyone could sleep peacefully.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

After a rain of arrows, the team following Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan was reduced by more than ten people.

Looking at the Great Dayu cavalry waiting in full battle array, the Wu army high-level officials all showed expressions of despair.

Just after being stabbed in the back by their own people, morale was at its lowest, and they were targeted by the enemy's cavalry.

"Form a formation and fight the enemy to the death!"

Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan ordered coldly.

At the critical moment of life and death, he had no extra thoughts, only thinking about fighting the enemy to the death.

Killing one counts as one, killing a pair earns one.

"Whoever captures the fake Emperor alive will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver and promoted three levels!"

Shi Shi Jinglin ordered with excitement.

He had missed the great achievement of recovering Nanjing.

He thought that in this war to suppress the rebellion, he could only play soy sauce and that would be it.

Never did he expect that at the last moment, Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan would lead a group of remnants and crash into his defense zone.

Heaven gives but one does not take, one suffers the blame; time passes but one does not act, one suffers the disaster.

A great achievement delivered to the door, there was absolutely no reason to miss it.

If Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan could still run away on such an occasion, he wouldn't need to be the general.

Under the temptation of high rewards, the officers and soldiers of the Liaodong Town were all excited.

The rebel army in front of them had all turned into ladders for promotion and wealth in their eyes.

Besides the high reward for the fake Emperor, the court had also given rewards of different grades for other rebel high-level officials.

Capturing any one of them could allow one to cross the class barrier.

At the critical moment of life and death, the Wu army showed the quality of an elite, forming a square formation at the fastest speed.

Facing the spear formation, the Liaodong cavalry had no fear at all, directly taking out firearms for a volley.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The era was different; the military formations used to deal with cavalry in the past, with the replacement of weapons, could no longer keep up with the times.

The Wu army soldiers who lacked shield protection could only use their flesh and blood to block the bullets fired.

In an instant, the front row of Wu army soldiers died and were injured in large numbers.

The square formation that was originally unbreakable soon showed flaws.

Sensing the opportunity, without any hesitation, the Liaodong iron cavalry immediately launched an attack.

A gap was torn open, and the square formation they had pinned their hopes on was soon smashed to pieces by the cavalry.

With the quality of these elite Wu army soldiers, they could have launched a counterattack, but on the way of fleeing, they had lost too many weapons and equipment.

The blunt weapons specifically used to break armor and the horse-chopping knives used to deal with cavalry were all missing.

Even so, the Wu army soldiers were still fighting back desperately.

Except for a few heavy cavalry, the Liaodong iron cavalry was mostly light cavalry, and their protective ability was not that strong.

Infantry fighting cavalry is certainly at a disadvantage, but as long as one is willing to use their life to fight, one can always gain something.

Groups of three or five Wu army soldiers picked up spears and stabbed at an enemy cavalryman; at this moment, life and death had been cast aside.

In an instant, one person was pierced by the enemy's spear head, and several people were carried away by the warhorse.

After paying a painful price, finally, a comrade's spear was inserted into the other party's armor, successfully stabbing the enemy off the warhorse.

Without any hesitation, the nearby Wu army soldiers immediately picked up weapons and launched an attack on the landed enemy soldiers.

As the most elite troops of the Wu state, they enjoyed the best treatment, and their sense of identification with the Wu state was also the highest.

When the country is broken and the family is destroyed, whether one dies or not is no longer important; the key is to kill the enemy.

This kind of ruthlessness truly shocked the Liaodong generals watching the battle.

"The enemy is fighting like a trapped beast; pass the order to all departments to open the distance and try to use firearms and bows to end the battle!"

Shi Shi Jinglin decisively issued the order.

Deep down, he couldn't help but bleed.

In the short confrontation just now, hundreds of cavalrymen fell; these were the foundation of their Shi family in the Great Great Dayu.

The enemy wanted to fight for their lives, but he couldn't bear to take the precious Liaodong iron cavalry and trade lives with these rebel troops.

"Fifth Brother, these rebel troops are harder to deal with than expected.

The nobility faction was able to push them to this point; it seems our underestimation of their strength was not small."

Shi Shi Jingzhong said in a low voice.

Before this battle, his inherent cognition had always been that Tatar cavalry combat effectiveness was number one in the world, their Liaodong army was number two, and other troops were all trash.

Even the famous six towns of the two Guangs, in his eyes, were just at the same level as other border troops, and there was still a considerable distance from them.

Through the comparison of the confrontation with the rebel army, his cognition received a violent impact.

A team of remnants, which should have collapsed at the first touch, actually brought considerable casualties to the Liaodong iron cavalry.

If they had encountered this team in their heyday, the price they would have needed to pay would have been even greater.

"Hmm!

A noble family passed down for hundreds of years, even if it is declining, the strength in their hands still cannot be underestimated.

By taking advantage of this war to suppress the rebellion, the nobility faction has cultivated quite a few military talents, which can be considered as completing a rebirth from the ashes.

However, there is no need to worry too much; the civil official group will not let them continue to grow.

A new round of struggle between civil and military officials will break out in the court in the near future.

We just need to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and take the opportunity to fish for benefits.

I think those noble descendants don't look down on our cold land of Liaodong."

Speaking easily, Shi Shi Jinglin still revealed a trace of dread between his brows.

Compared to the nobility faction, the foundation of the Liaodong faction was still too shallow.

In the court, they could only rely on civil officials.

In the army, they seemed to have a great reputation, but their substantive influence was limited to the Liaodong region.

Noble descendants made achievements and could go to various provinces of the Great Great Dayu to be officials, but Liaodong descendants were imprisoned in Liaodong.

On one hand, it was the court's deliberate suppression, and on the other hand, it was also the Liaodong generals protecting their own status and not giving them the opportunity to be transferred out.

Sunset, the bloody battle gradually entered the end.

The number of Wu army soldiers who could stand up was getting smaller and smaller, and finally only the ten or so people following Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan remained.

Living to the end, it was not how brave they were, nor was it that they had great luck, purely because the imperial army wanted to capture them alive.

For the Great Great Dayu court, capturing Fu Pingnan Fu Haoxuan alive had extraordinary political significance.

"Rebel Fu, hurry up and surrender!"

"Heaven has the virtue of loving life; as long as you are willing to surrender, I don't mind saying a few good words for you in front of the Emperor!"

Scanning the battlefield, Shi Shi Jinglin opened his mouth to persuade surrender.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 380 =====