Chapter 341 335. Defeat and Evacuation
How could Meng Huo not know that he had already lost? But how could he accept that? Although the means by which Meng Huo became the king of the 72 caves in Nanzhong were not so glorious, he at least won the recognition of most people. He also experienced several battles against those who opposed him in Nanzhong. The result naturally needs no further explanation. The fact that he is still the king of Nanzhong can explain everything.

Now, the troops that he was proud of, the brave warriors with amazing martial arts, and the marshals with outstanding military strategies were all overwhelmed by the Han army in front of them in every way.

The Jinhuan Sanjie, who once dominated the 72 caves of Nanzhong, was beheaded by a young general in a few rounds. The Nanzhong King Mulu, who was very skilled in using wild beasts, was easily defeated by the Han army. The tigers, leopards, jackals and wolves were like seeing their natural enemies.

At this point in the battle, Meng Huo began to doubt himself. These Han troops were just a drop in the ocean compared to the entire Han Dynasty. Just this drop in the ocean was enough to make him doubt his life. Why should he challenge the Han Dynasty?

"My king, please make a decision quickly!"

Seeing Meng Huo stunned, staring at the chaotic battlefield in front of him, wondering what he was thinking, King Duosi beside him hurriedly urged Meng Huo a few times, so that his vision returned to the present and his consciousness returned from his wandering trance.

"Withdraw. Let Dong Tuna and A Hui Nan take turns to provide cover and withdraw to the west of Laoshui."

Meng Huo gritted his teeth and made this decision. Laoshui is now the Babian River. After crossing this river, it is really Meng Huo's hinterland. If Meng Huo is defeated again, I am afraid he will really have no choice but to surrender, because that is the core area of ​​Nanzhong.

Meng Huo didn't need to guess what would happen if the Han army rushed into the core area of ​​Nanzhong. Naturally, the Han army would be unstoppable, defeating one of his seventy-two caves after another, and then forcing him to surrender.

But now the defeat was overwhelming, and Meng Huo was powerless. He could only defend the river and use the geographical advantage to block the Han army. Then he could take the opportunity to think of other ways.

"Woo——"

A huge horn sounded, signaling the Southern Central Army to retreat. Dong Tuna and A Huinan, who were struggling to resist on the front line, heard this sound as if it were music from heaven.

The Han army was so powerful, with brave generals like clouds and elite soldiers like rain. The white-robed Han army was like a sharp sword, cutting gaps in their own positions. Then the orange- and white-robed Han army rushed in like locusts that smelled blood and started fighting with their own men.

The Han army was not only not inferior in numbers, but also had a terrifying fighting power. Six or seven Han soldiers could easily kill more than ten soldiers of the Southern Central Army, and such Han troops were so densely packed on the battlefield that there was no end in sight.

Dong Tuna and A Huinan both knew that if they continued fighting like this they would most likely be defeated, and they probably wouldn't be able to escape. Just as they were still thinking about what to do, Meng Huo promptly issued the order to retreat, which made them both feel relieved.

"Marshal Dongdana, the king orders you and Marshal Ahien to take your men and take turns to cover the retreat and retreat back to the west of Laoshui."

At this moment, the messenger sent by Meng Huo arrived as expected and conveyed Meng Huo's order to Dongdana.

Although he was the most dangerous rear guard, Dong Tuna was still relieved. He and Ah Huinan would take turns to cover him, so there was still room for him to fight. Even if he lost, it shouldn't be a disastrous defeat. As long as he retreated to the west of Laoshui, he could rest easy for the time being.

Dong Tuna had no choice but to cheer up and command his soldiers who had somewhat lost their will to fight to maintain the front line and try their best to "retreat" rather than "rout".

"General, the barbarian army seems to have retreated."

Bao Feng had sharp ears and sharp eyes, and he could see from afar the smoke and dust raised by Meng Huo's retreating army.

"If Meng Huo is sensible, he should retreat. They probably intend to defend the river to the death, using the miasma in the south and the river's characteristics of being easy to defend but difficult to attack to stop our army." The Han soldiers on the battlefield were still chasing and fighting fiercely, but Feng Xi and Bao Feng, who were in the back of the middle, had already started chatting as if they were just passing by.

"Grand Commander, I heard that the deeper you go into the South, the more miasma there is, and there are all kinds of poisonous insects, which is very inconvenient for ordinary soldiers."

After all, Bao Feng was born in a wealthy family and was well-informed. Moreover, although Bao Feng was a rough but meticulous person, he paid unexpectedly close attention to many small details.

"Haha, don't worry. Since I dare to bring you all here, I am naturally prepared for all kinds of situations."

Feng Xi smiled and didn't take it seriously. If there was any surprise, perhaps the only one was the change in the geographical environment.

In the original timeline, the expedition to Nanzhong was mainly about Zhuge Liang facing the rebellious three counties of Yizhou with the support of Meng Huo, which led to the saying "crossing the Lu River in May and going deep into the barren land".

Feng Xi's future memory of this period was limited to some names and details, such as the weapons and troops of the Southern Central Army, tactics and methods of warfare. Apart from the Lushui River, he did not pay much attention to the specific geographical location.

It was not until Feng Xi started to seriously learn about Nanzhong that he discovered how outrageous Luo Guanzhong was.

For example, Yang Feng’s Yinzhi Cave is located in the southern part of Yongchang County, in the "Sanjiang Plain" where rivers meet in the middle area between Laoshui River and Lancang River. But how did he get praised in Luo Guanzhong's novel?

At the junction of the Lushui, Xichengshui and Gannanshui rivers, the plains to the north for 300 miles are rich in all things; to the west for 200 miles, there are salt wells; and to the south for 300 miles, there are mountains producing silver mines.

If nothing else, the area alone is outrageous. The Yinzhi Cave alone covers nearly 800 li from north to south, which is equivalent to several counties.

Moreover, there are many fictitious elements in the geographical issues. After looking around, I found that none of the place names in Lushui are real.

As far as Feng Xi knew, most people in Nanzhong lived in the southern part of Yongchang County. Yang Feng's cave occupied a fertile plain with many water networks, so it was indeed rich in resources. The name of Yinzhi Cave also came from a small silver mine in Wuliang Mountain to the north of his cave.

The basic situation is similar, except that the area is not that exaggerated and the population is only less than 100,000, basically maintaining the level of a medium-sized county.

Now that Meng Huo has retreated to the west of Laoshui, Feng Xi believes that this is a sign that Meng Huo is having a hard time. Come to think of it, it is difficult for the South Central Army to defeat the Han Army on the front battlefield.

The newly formed Han Army's Southern Central Army in the original timeline were all badly beaten up, and now facing these "old Han troops", the result naturally cannot be better than that in the original timeline.

Feng Xi and Bao Feng watched the soldiers in front of them advancing step by step under the leadership of the officers. The soldiers of the South Central Army only hated that they were upright animals and could not use all four limbs to run wildly.

"Hmm? Bao Feng, go and take a look over there."

Feng Xi saw out of the corner of his eye a seemingly unusual gathering on the battlefield, and pointed his finger, asking Bao Feng beside him to deal with it.

(End of this chapter)