"Children Lu Yi, you are bullying me too much!"

On the night when the fire broke out in Xiaoting, when the frontline sentries and messengers successively reported back the news that the thirty camps of the Shu army on the left bank of Xiaoting had been lost one after another, Liu Bei became furious and cursed Lu You.

After scolding, Liu Bei calmed down and decisively issued the order to retreat.

He ordered more than 8,000 soldiers in the army to abandon their barracks, throw away all baggage and unnecessary supplies, and each took only five days of dry food and weapons, fled into the mountains of the northwest, followed the mountain trails, and quickly retreated towards Zigui.

.

Liu Bei's goal is very clear. He must enter Zigui City first before Lu Yi attacks Zigui.

Zigui is the throat of the river, located at the mouth of the Xiling Gorge. The Xiling Gorge has a narrow channel, many bends, numerous reefs, and fast currents. A large number of water defenses have been built on both sides of the Zigui River to defend against invading enemies from the east of the Yangtze River.

To put it simply, Zigui is like a big net, and the Wu army's warships can attack in the formation of gourd babies to save grandpa.

Therefore, even if the navy was as powerful as Soochow, if they wanted to capture Zigui by water, they would have to pay an immeasurable price.

Obviously, if the Wu army wants to capture Zigui as soon as possible, they will inevitably adopt a land and water attack.

Without the naval advantage, Wu Jun's attack speed will be greatly reduced, giving Liu Bei precious time to retreat into the city calmly.

Only after entering Zigui can Liu Bei feel a little more relaxed and consider whether to return to Shu by water or by land next.

But if Zigui falls, he will have no choice but to hide among the mountains on the south coast, and sooner or later he will become Lu Yi's plaything, the turtle in the urn.

Therefore, Liu Bei suppressed his unwillingness and anger and once again embarked on the road of defeat and escape.

He hasn't tasted this kind of taste for many years since Red Cliff.

Suddenly, the past that had been buried in my heart for many years came to mind again.

He met Lu Bu in Xuzhou and Cao Cao in Dangyang. He was severely wounded and pretended to die in Jinan, abandoning his wife in Xiapi.

One by one, I can remember them vividly.

……

At the beginning of the withdrawal, the army was quite cautious, marching no more than a hundred miles a day, and the road was unimpeded. Not a single soldier of the Wu army was seen. Liu Bei made up his mind and boasted that he had made a wise decision. The Wu army had not found any trace of him yet. As long as he accelerated his march tomorrow, he would be safe.

Foolproof.

At night, the army rested in Zhuoxiang. Liu Bei lit the candlelight, held chopsticks and ate some porridge, and studied the battle plan with several close generals.

During the discussion, Liu Bei suddenly laughed, stroked his beard and nodded.

Cheng Ji rarely saw his master look like this, so he hurriedly asked: "Why is your majesty laughing?"

Liu Bei put away his smile and said: "I don't laugh at others, I only laugh at him. After all, Lu Weixian is young and lacks practical experience. Look, gentlemen, although Zhuoxiang is a small county in the mountains, it is a dangerous place. If I come to use troops,

, if you lay an ambush here in advance, you will surely gain something."

Before he finished speaking, drums sounded loudly everywhere, and the shouts of killing came from far to near. After a while, the sentry rushed to report that Wu Jun Zhu Ran and Han Dang's troops, one from the south and one from the east, were coming to kill the general.

Liu Bei was so frightened that the chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground. He hurriedly got up and put on his armor, and hurriedly commanded the battle.

Fortunately, the soldiers around Liu Bei are all elite soldiers who have been with him for many years, are battle-hardened and loyal.

After a fierce and bloody battle all night long, Liu Bei's army finally repulsed the Wu soldiers and retreated northward in a hurry under the cover of night.

By the time dawn comes to sort out the defeated army and count the losses, there are nearly a thousand casualties. There is no news about the more than 2,000 people in charge of the rear. They are probably still holding on, but it is almost certain that they will be completely wiped out within a day or two.

Nearly half of them were lost in this battle!

Liu Bei had no time to grieve, let alone rest, so he hastily packed up the remaining soldiers and continued north to Zigui.

However, Liu Bei fell into deep thinking.

Liu Bei did not think it was unexpected when he encountered pursuing soldiers during the retreat.

But when he met the two fierce generals Zhu Ran and Han Dang, he was far beyond his expectation.

Zhu Ran is the most distinguished general in the entire Jingzhou defense zone in Soochow, second only to Lu Yi and Zhuge Jin, and his troops are the most elite in Jingzhou in Soochow.

Han Dang is a Jiangdong general who has served the third generation of Lord Wu and has become famous all over the world for his bravery many years ago. This qualification is not comparable to that of Xu Sheng or Pan Zhang of the younger generation.

It was too extravagant for Lu Yi to send these two heavyweight generals to block the Shu army's retreat in a remote place like Zhuoxiang.

Unless, his prey is worthy of his bet.

Liu Bei couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Only then did he realize that Lu Yi had accurately calculated his retreat route.

Lu Yi, this poisonous snake, has been dormant for so long and finally spit out his letter.

He not only wants to win this battle, his real goal is Liu Bei himself.

At this thought, Liu Bei could no longer remain calm. He immediately issued a military order: "The whole army will speed up and advance without rest in the middle. They must arrive at Zigui as quickly as possible."

……

Liu Beijun traveled day and night, and finally arrived at Zigui City early the next morning.

The sun rose in the east, the sky was bright, and the thin morning fog gradually dispersed. Liu Bei breathed a long sigh of relief.

General Liao Hua joined hands with his subordinate generals and the captain went out of the city to greet him.

Liu Bei looked solemn as he rode slowly in front of the army and entered the city. Even though it was safe for the time being, he did not dare to relax at all.

He immediately held a meeting to study the next step.

Liao Hua reported: "The warships of the Wu army have gathered in the east of Xiling Gorge. The army will also gather in the south of the city in a day or two. People in the city are already panicked, and the morale of the military is unstable."

Soochow's actions were swifter than expected, and the situation was much more serious than imagined.

Liu Bei said: "I'm afraid Zigui can't be defended anymore, so we have to retreat quickly."

Liao Hua said: "Your Majesty, Zigui must be defended."

"How can Wu's army defend when they attack by land and water?"

Liao Hua said: "Fight to the last soldier, and try to delay the Wu army as much time as possible."

Liu Bei understood that what Liao Hua said was right. Zigui can be lost, but not too quickly. Once Zigui is lost, the entire Three Gorges will be lost, and the Soochow navy will advance straight in. Whether he travels by land or water, he will be in extreme danger.

He seemed to hear Lu Xun, the poisonous snake, hissing in his ears again.

Liao Hualang said: "Please don't hesitate, your majesty. It is not a pity that Liao died. My only wish is that your majesty can escape unharmed. When you regain your strength in the future, you can attack Soochow and avenge our brothers."<

/p>

Liu Bei hesitated again and again, but finally made up his mind and said slowly: "I will only take three hundred people with me to retreat along the northern path of the mountain. The remaining soldiers will be left to you."

After finishing speaking, Liu Bei held Liao Hua's hand, his eyes filled with tears, and warned: "Yuan Jian, when you really can't hold on, you must not act on your own initiative and use your arms as a chariot. You will lose your life in vain. You should look for opportunities to retreat into the mountains."

, and then make long-term plans. Remember, surviving is my last hope for you."

Liao Hua accepted the order and thanked him.

Suddenly, Cheng Ji also stood up and said: "Your Majesty, since you are taking the land route, then I will take the water route."

"Ji Ran, why is this?"

"I am willing to carry the emperor's flag and fly the water route, and use my body as a bait to confuse the Wu army!"

Liu Bei remained silent. This was not a smart strategy.

"Your Majesty, Ji only hates that he is not as talented as Ji Chang (Ma Liang), Xiaozhi (Fazheng) and others. He cannot share your Majesty's worries. After this defeat, Ji knows that his sin is unforgivable. Please allow your Majesty to allow me to serve as a great man for you.

Ji Xing, let’s do our last meager effort!”

Liu Bei said: "I'm sure, but you must remember that if you encounter pursuing soldiers, you must not fight them. Change to a small boat and look for opportunities to go ashore on the mountain, or you may be able to escape with your life."
Chapter completed!