Chapter 593: Continuous Raids
The sudden appearance of the troops threw the front army into chaos. Shen Tumou quickly ordered the front army to retreat and dispatched the elite troops of the central army to attack. However, at this moment, the rear army also suddenly became chaotic. Moreover, this time, a force of 7,000 to 8,000 people suddenly appeared, causing chaos in the entire rear army.
Shentu Mou deployed his troops and the two sides fought for nearly an hour. The Southern Xinjiang soldiers suffered casualties of three to four thousand, and the Daqian soldiers also suffered casualties of nearly two thousand. The encounter was not declared over until the Daqian soldiers retreated.
Shen Tumou's expression darkened as he ordered his troops to rest on the spot. The two armies had combined to number over ten thousand, meaning the enemy's main force's retreat was likely a false alarm. So, where could the enemy's troops be? He subconsciously looked ahead. Although he hadn't marched quickly over the past two days, he had covered fifty or sixty miles. A few dozen more miles would bring him to Jiading. However, he felt as if the road ahead was a giant mouth, ready to swallow his troops whole.
After cleaning up the battlefield, the army continued to move forward . Shentu Mou sent out at least a thousand scouts to explore the area within dozens of miles around the army. Moreover, the army's marching speed slowed down again. When it advanced too fast and night fell, the army set up camp again to rest.
Similarly, Shentu Mou once again ordered to send more patrol soldiers in the dark night to prevent the enemy from sneaking into the camp.
Although the order had been issued and the generals had carried it out, everyone still harbored resentment. After all, since the White Horse Town march south, almost none of the elders' predictions had come to fruition, and their own side had suffered casualties of several thousand men and horses. If it weren't for Shen Tumou's already considerable prestige within the clan, some generals would have already begun to question him.
Several troops patrolled for most of the night, but the entire camp was completely quiet and there was no enemy attack at all.
"In my opinion, our superiors are just torturing us brothers . We guarded the place all night yesterday, and no enemy came from here. We've been tormented all night again today. If this goes on, we brothers won't be able to bear it anymore." A patrolling captain said with some dissatisfaction.
"Brother, go and have a rest first. There's nothing much to do. We brothers are here to watch over you. If anything happens, we can call you over." Someone behind him said.
After a brief hesitation, feeling tired, the lieutenant said, "You guys continue patrolling here. I'll go get some food from the tent. We've been busy all night and our stomachs are empty. Let me get some food and we'll eat together."
Afterwards, the lieutenant left on his own. Seeing this, the other troops immediately turned around and found a corner to rest.
This situation is not an isolated case. After all, the troops have been constantly attacked during the past two days of marching, and it is difficult for anyone to persist.
This went on until the beginning of the Yin hour, when people are most sound asleep. Suddenly, several arrows flew in from nowhere, hitting the soldiers watching from the top of the arrow tower and sending them plummeting.
The sudden change immediately threw the quiet camp into chaos.
"There is an enemy night attack!" A terrified and sharp voice pierced the sky. At the same time, a black mass of soldiers and horses approached the camp rapidly. When they were about two hundred steps away, rockets took off into the sky and covered the camp directly.
The patrolling soldiers in the military camp were already in a state of confusion due to this incident, and now with fires everywhere, they were naturally even more terrified.
Meanwhile, the enemy troops outside the camp risked casualties to fight their way into the camp, killing anyone they saw and setting fires everywhere. The generals in the camp also gathered their troops and rushed towards the direction of the chaos.
However, this group of soldiers also did not want to fight, they just rushed in for a while, then retreated and disappeared into the dark night. Therefore, by the time the generals and their troops arrived, only corpses and mess were left on the ground.
"Clean up the camp and repair it immediately!" The leading general gave the order with a cold face. Fortunately, it would be dawn soon, and the enemy would not attack the camp a second time.
After everyone reported back to Shentu, they all went to rest. After all, no one would feel comfortable being woken up in the middle of the night.
However, less than half an hour later, another attack on the camp took place! The soldiers in the main camp hastily responded to the attack, and the fierce battle resulted in the loss of over a thousand soldiers . Only when daybreak did the situation subside again...
Baima Town is about a hundred miles to the south. It is the remnant of Qingshen Mountain and a must-pass place from Longzhou to Jiading Prefecture. After passing this mountain pass, the territory of Jiading Prefecture is to the south.
In a valley, in the wilderness, there were actually a series of tents.
In a tent in the middle, Jia Cong sat upright, several white chess pieces tumbling in his hands. Opposite him sat Meng Hua.
These roughnecks in the army might be somewhat skilled at drawing swords and slashing, but few of them were any good at chess. Meng Hua, influenced by Meng Zong since childhood, was still nothing more than a lousy chess player. Compared to Jiang Zining and the others, he might be slightly better, but compared to Jia Cong, to say he was worlds apart was a compliment.
After rubbing his hair vigorously , Meng Hua threw the chess piece in his hand onto the chessboard and said, "General, I lose!"
With Jia Cong's current mental power and photographic memory, even if he wasn't proficient in chess, he would certainly be a formidable opponent. Perhaps only someone like the retired emperor could even play a few games against him. Playing against Meng Hua was, in one word, a complete 'bullshit'.
"Another round? I'll give you ten points?"
Meng Hua said with a bitter face, "General, you should let me lead the raid. I'm really not good at this chess game! Besides, not only have all the other brothers gone, but even Hou Jing's little bastards have gone too. Why are you detaining me here?"
"Hahaha!" Jia Cong laughed loudly. "The previous ones were just minor skirmishes. I'll leave this final battle to you!"
Taking advantage of Jia Cong's unpreparedness, Meng Hua quickly cleared the chessboard and directly took out a geological survey map to cover it.
"Marshal, are you saying that we should kill the enemy here?"
Jia Cong smiled and nodded. "Although the distance for the Southern Xinjiang troops to march south to Jiading is only a hundred miles, we have set up ambushes on all sides. The disturbance and casualties they inflict along the way are secondary. The most important thing is that we can definitely cause them to panic and become disorganized. When they arrive here and are about to enter Jiading Prefecture, they will be at their most relaxed."
"When the time comes, I will send out my troops and conquer the enemy with one battle!"
"General, we have a deal! When the enemy troops arrive, I will serve as the vanguard!" Meng Hua said impatiently, "But, are their troops strong enough to reach this place?"
Jia Cong made a quick calculation and said, "The enemy troops will definitely arrive in the afternoon of the day after tomorrow!"
