Stop him!
Warning!
The other guards reacted and shouted loudly.
The quiet camp immediately erupted into commotion, and the patrolling soldiers rushed toward the direction of the warning.
Zhang Liao knew the camp layout, troop distribution, and patrol routes like the back of his hand. He quickly fled out of the camp through the gaps in the camp's defenses!
Not all the soldiers knew what was going on, so when Zhang Liao encountered some soldiers along the way, he would pretend to tell them that the bandits had run in that direction and let them chase after them.
In this way, he escaped the camp in a very short time and ran towards a forest on the west side.
All the warhorses of the Shannan Army grazed and rested in this forest.
During the day, feed them concentrated feed, and at night when camping, let the warhorses eat hay. This will save on the amount of concentrated feed used to the greatest extent.
Zhang Liao's greatest strength was in using cavalry. Even though Xu Rong didn't let him lead troops, he knew exactly where the Shannan Army would let their warhorses graze and rest.
There were naturally soldiers of the Shannan Army guarding the woods, but the few soldiers they encountered were swept down by Zhang Liao's spear in a single encounter!
He quickly selected an exceptionally strong warhorse from the forest.
He picked up the saddle that was placed to the side, quickly put it on the warhorse, and then mounted the horse.
The process of saddle-loading inevitably took some time. By the time Zhang Liao rode out of the jungle, hundreds of people had already formed a defensive line on the official road to intercept him!
Zhang Liao's speed in breaking out of the camp far exceeded Xu Rong's expectations, but Xu Rong's reaction was just as swift!
If he were to charge headlong into the enemy lines now, Zhang Liao was fairly confident he could break through. However, he did not want to get his hands dirty with the blood of the Shannan Army, thus leaving himself vulnerable.
Without hesitation, Zhang Liao decisively turned his horse around and charged back into the forest.
Riding a horse through the woods, it was difficult to pick up speed. But under the cover of night, the forest could buy Zhang Liao more time.
He was a superb horseman, controlling his horse with only his legs, constantly turning and changing direction in the forest. He wielded his spear, breaking the reins that bound the warhorses to the trees, and then slapping the horses' rumps with the spear shaft, startling them.
As the warhorses were startled and ran wildly through the woods, the pursuers who rushed into the forest were thus hindered.
"Keep an eye on the horse! Keep an eye on the horse!"
The officer in charge of watching the horses shouted anxiously through the woods.
If even a few of these warhorses go missing, the officer in charge will lose his head!
Under the cover of night, the woods were filled with a cacophony of noise.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Zhang Liao broke through the encirclement, detoured, and returned to the official road.
First Rank expert's eyesight far surpasses that of ordinary people; even with just a sliver of light in the darkness, they can clearly discern the path and ride swiftly!
"General, he's escaped. Should we give chase?"
A general asked Xu Rong a question.
Xu Rong stared in the direction Zhang Liao had left, his face grim.
"Order the entire army: all cavalry to prepare immediately and depart tonight! The rest of you shall depart early tomorrow morning and head towards Rong Province City."
"Yes!"
Even though Zhang Liao escaped, he didn't have much food on him, let alone any high-quality feed.
In this situation, they would inevitably be outmatched by the well-prepared cavalry of the Shannan Army.
Xu Rong waited a day after separating from the Yi Province Militia before changing direction to take advantage of the time difference.
Moreover, he deliberately slowed down his pace during today's march.
Therefore, whether Zhang Liao went to inform Wu Shuangren or rushed to Rong Province City to report the news, he would be one step behind them.
"That bastard Zhang Liao, I wonder how much he's taken from Wu Shuangren behind the scenes!"
A general standing nearby cursed angrily.
Upon hearing this, Xu Rong's expression turned somewhat strange.
After witnessing Zhang Liao's breakout and escape tonight, he finally understood why his own military governor appreciated this man.
It's First Rank to have the skills of a first-rank expert; the Shannan Army doesn't lack another First Rank expert.
What's truly remarkable is the opponent's military talent!
If it were a First Rank expert in this situation, even with the skills of Wu Shuangren or Lu Yulin, it would be difficult for them to escape tonight.
Zhang Liao broke through the encirclement unscathed!
"What a pity."
Xu Rong shook his head and sighed.
The sky was bright.
On the official road, more than a thousand cavalrymen bearing the banners of the Shannan Army were jogging slowly.
Xu Rong led his cavalry through the night, stopping frequently along the way. Even at this moment, riding slowly on horseback, their speed was much faster than that of foot soldiers.
At this rate, Xu Rong should be able to lead these cavalrymen to the outskirts of Rong Province City before noon today.
After the thousand or so cavalrymen had passed for a while, Zhang Liao emerged from the bushes beside the official road.
Just as Xu Rong had predicted, Zhang Liao's hasty departure was no match for the well-prepared cavalry force.
Zhang Liao hadn't brought any fine feed, so his warhorse couldn't travel for long and was currently grazing in the forest to recover its strength.
Actually, he had originally planned to sneak away last night to pack a large bag of concentrated feed before leaving, but when he saw Xu Rong's personal guards blocking his way after leaving the camp, he knew that Xu Rong was already prepared.
The place where the feed was kept was bound to be heavily guarded, so I had no chance and decided to give up and leave the camp directly.
Now that Xu Rong has led more than a thousand cavalrymen ahead of them, it's too late to go to Rong Province City to report the news.
Next, after Zhang Liao and his warhorses had recovered some strength, they rode slowly and cautiously to the fork in the road.
Xu Rong did not set up an ambush at the crossroads, which shows that he is very confident in taking Rong Province City!
Without hesitation, Zhang Liao turned his horse around and galloped towards Ya Province.
182 A battle of wits and courage, bloodshed on the city walls.
The forests on both sides of the official road were quiet, and the afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, scattering shards of gold on the dirt road.
Xu Rong rode on his horse at a slow pace, with over a thousand cavalrymen behind him arranged in three rows. Their hooves pounded the hard, dry road, raising clouds of dust.
His mind wasn't on the journey, but rather on contemplating his next move.
Although Zhang Liao's unexpected departure is unlikely to shake the overall situation, it will certainly bring some changes.
A general never fears uncertainty, because the battlefield is ever-changing, and no one dares to claim they can control everything.
An excellent general should be adept at welcoming, resolving, and even utilizing changes!
At this time, Xu Rong's cavalry from Shannan was less than ten miles away from Rong Province City. Given the speed of cavalry, they would arrive in no time.
Call out!
Suddenly, a firecracker shot into the sky from the woods on the right side where the cavalry were passing, and exploded in mid-air!
Xu Rong suddenly reined in his horse and looked up.
Before the smoke from the firecrackers had even dissipated, another one rose into the sky several miles ahead!
Further ahead, Xu Rong could no longer see him, but could vaguely hear the sounds coming from him.
From the air, one can see firecrackers rising one after another, linked together like a straight line of fire pointing towards Rong Province City!
On horseback, Xu Rong's face darkened.
The people Wu Shuangren left in charge of things in the city were more cautious than he had expected!
Now that Rong Province City has received a warning, if the city gates are closed in advance, his plan to launch a cavalry raid will fail.
"All troops, accelerate!"
Xu Rong gave the order in a deep voice, showing that he had not given up.
The cavalrymen spurred their horses on, and the sound of their hooves grew louder.
Ahead of them, on the north city wall of Rong Province City, a Militia Private saw the firecrackers rising into the sky and immediately turned and ran down the city wall.
Inside the government office in Rong Province City, Guo Jiwang was chatting with the few remaining officials in the city.
When Mount Liang captured Rong Province City, they hung the body of the Rong Province on the city wall, and many officials inside Rong Province City were killed.
The surviving officials were not of high rank.
Now that Rong Province City has been recovered, these remaining officials will become the nominal heads of Rong Province City until new appointments are made by the imperial court.
Guo Jiwang aware of Wu Shuangren's ambitions, so he naturally wanted to pave the way for Wu Shuangren in advance.
"Mr. Guo!"
A Militia Private suddenly rushed into the government office gate, shouting anxiously, interrupting the conversation.
Guo Jiwang expressionless, smiled, and nodded to the officials present. "I have some matters to attend to."
He got up and left, and a group of officials stood up to see him off.
Although they had only spent a day or two together, these officials had already developed a good impression of Mr. Guo.
"What's up?"
Guo Jiwang walked out of the main hall and asked the Militia Private who had come to report.
The other party immediately replied, "A messenger came from the north gate, saying they saw warning firecrackers going up into the sky!"
"Oh?"
Guo Jiwang narrowed his eyes.
Logically, the Mount Liang people had already been defeated and fled for their lives. Wu Shuangren was also leading the Yi Province Militia and the Shannan Army together, so Rong Province City, located in the rear, should have been safe.
But Guo Jiwang did not let his guard down.
In his view, it was still wartime, and anything could happen.
Therefore, he arranged for sentries to be hidden north of Rong Province City, and his orders were that if any large force of people not from Yi Province Militia were spotted approaching Rong Province City, firecrackers should be thrown out as a warning.
It was originally just a precaution, but unexpectedly, a large force suddenly headed towards Rong Province City.
Whose people could they be working for?
Guo Jiwang immediately ordered, "Close all city gates as quickly as possible, sound the alarm bells, and put all Militia Private on combat readiness!"
Soon, the bells rang out throughout Rong Province City, ringing nine times in succession.
A moment later, the winches of the four city gates turned, the drawbridges slowly closed, and were pulled up by iron chains, suspended in mid-air.
On the city wall, the Militia Private of Yi Province Militia were in position, and logs and stones were being moved over.
When Xu Rong arrived outside Rong Province City with more than a thousand cavalrymen, he found the city completely closed off.
At this moment, Guo Jiwang was standing on the north city wall with his men and saw the flag of the Shannan Army in the distance.
He frowned, his expression not looking good.
While he was undoubtedly a man of exceptional wisdom and resourcefulness, he was not a prophet capable of foreseeing the future and could not have predicted that the fleeing Mount Liang forces would split up along the way.
Based on the intelligence obtained from Guan Sheng, Mount Liang's Grand Marshal Lu Yulin should also support Song Hai's offer of amnesty. With this person in charge, the fleeing group is unlikely to split.
Therefore, when Guo Jiwang saw Xu Rong suddenly return with more than a thousand Shannan Army, his first reaction was that something had happened to Wu Shuangren's men!
"The Shannan Army has decided to attack the Yi Province Militia, and Wu Shuangren has encountered a large force of the Shannan Army?"
Such a thought flashed through Guo Jiwang's mind.
If the Shannan Army really intends to take action, and the elite troops of the Yi Province Militia led by Wu Shuangren have already met with misfortune, then our defense of Rong Province City is practically a death sentence!
Guo Jiwang gripped the wine gourd at his waist tightly with one hand, but remained outwardly calm.
Outside the city, Xu Rong glanced up at the densely packed figures on the north city wall, and without hesitation, immediately turned his horse around and led his cavalry to the west of Rong Province City.
The horses' hooves trampled across the wasteland outside the city, kicking up dust that resembled a yellow dragon.