Chapter 1007: Success or failure!

On August 1, on a hillside 90 miles southeast of Jingchu
Although more than 10,000 Fengwu Army soldiers were extremely tired, they still struggled to advance towards the southeast...
At the same time, Ma Zhongjun, the general of the First Division, who was riding on a tall horse, was frowning as he looked at the map in his hand, while Hu Zhiwu, the lieutenant general and guide of the First Division, introduced him:
"Sir, Dahuang Mountain is only thirty miles ahead. Let's get there tonight. As long as it doesn't rain heavily, we can reach the city of Hanyang before dark tomorrow!"

Ma Zhongjun nodded slightly when he heard this. As a northerner, he was not familiar with the terrain of Jingchu, so now he could only listen to the guide!
When the message for help from Hanyang ten days ago arrived in Kangyin, Ma Zhongjun was also shocked, and even suspected that the message was forged by the Zhennan Army!

After all, judging from a series of news before the war, the strategic focus of the Zhennan Army was in Kangyin, and most of the elite main forces of the Zhennan Army were also gathered in Kangyin.

The Zhennan Army was on the defensive on the Jingchu front, so Ma Zhongjun's First Division was in Kangyin, and there were only two options in the plan!

The first option is to go north to Anqing to support the Fourth Army, and the second option is to force a crossing of the Nanjiang River and head straight for Shouchun!
Ma Zhongjun never thought that the Zhennan Army would exert its strength in Jingchu, and so quickly annihilate the main force of tens of thousands of the Fifth Army and kill them at the city of Hanyang...
Although he was skeptical about the news, Ma Zhongjun also knew the seriousness of the matter. If Hanyang was lost, it would be extremely difficult for the Fengwu Army to take back this strategic town!

At this moment, the importance of Hanyang is no longer just a city or a place, it represents confidence and will!

Once Hanyang falls, it will greatly boost the morale of the southern princes, making them, who are hesitant, determined to resist the Fengwu Army!
Therefore, Hanyang must not be lost!

The First Division under Ma's command is the Fengwu Army closest to Hanyang, so it is only natural that it has the responsibility to provide assistance!
So on the one hand, Ma Zhongjun sent people to confirm the authenticity of the news, and on the other hand, he began to gather troops in Kangyin, preparing to rush to Hanyang!
Kangyin and Hanyang are 700 miles apart, and part of the distance is mountainous, making the road very difficult to travel on. A march of tens of thousands of people requires preparation, and Ma Zhongjun also has to make arrangements for those who stay behind in Kangyin!

Thinking that the Zhennan Army might have already attacked Hanyang, Ma Zhongjun could not care about anything else. Without waiting for the people he sent out to come back and send a message, he only prepared for one day, and then led 15,000 people from the three battalions of the First Division to attack Hanyang.
Up to now, they have been marching for seven days since coming from Kangyin, covering at least sixty to seventy miles every day, but they are still quite a distance away from Kangyin!

On the way to rescue, Ma Zhongjun also confirmed the defeat of the Fifth Army. The news of the Hanyang crisis was true. Xu Zhaojie personally led tens of thousands of Zhennan troops to surround Hanyang. This made Ma Zhongjun very anxious. He wished he could grow wings and fly to Hanyang...

Just as Ma Zhongjun and Hu Zhiwu were deciding on the route, Ma Zhongjun's subordinate leader Ye Kaishanyue also came to Ma Zhongjun and asked:

"Sir, it is already noon and the sun is at its hottest. The mountain road ahead is rugged. Can you let the brothers rest for a while and continue forward after they have enough food and drink?"

Hearing this, Ma Zhongjun looked up at the sun in the sky, only to see that the scorching sun was mercilessly burning the earth. Although the soldiers of the First Division were still struggling to move forward, they were all sweating profusely and looked tired. Many of them were relying on willpower to persevere!

Seeing this, although Ma Zhongjun wanted to rush to Hanyang as soon as possible, he also felt compassion in his heart. After thinking for a while, he began to speak:
"We'll have half an hour to rest! Let's have a meal and rest. We must reach Dahuangshan tonight!"

"Tell the soldiers that there is plenty of game in Dahuang Mountain. When we get there, we can hunt some game and eat some meat!"

Ye Kaishan was overjoyed when he heard the news, and immediately bowed to Ma Zhongjun and said:
"Thank you for your consideration! Once the soldiers have eaten and drunk their fill, they will definitely speed up their advance!"

Ma Zhongjun nodded slightly when he heard this. He also understood that the soldiers under his command had worked hard, but the military situation was urgent and Hanyang must not be lost!
As Ma Zhongjun’s order was issued, the First Division’s advance stopped, and the soldiers found some shady places to sit down...

Because Ma Zhongjun only gave half an hour of rest time, the cooks did not have time to light a fire and prepare some hot meals for the soldiers.

The soldiers could only make do with the dry rations and dried meat and some water and then take a rest. After all, they still had dozens of miles to go!

At this time, ordinary soldiers could stop and rest, but Ma Zhongjun, as the general of the First Division, was not idle and kept looking around at the surrounding terrain.

Although Ma Zhongjun is not very old and is only in his early thirties this year, he joined the army in his teens and can be considered a veteran who has fought on the battlefield for more than ten years and has very rich experience!

Therefore, although he thought that the Zhennan Army would most likely attack Hanyang and would not have the energy to take care of himself, he probably did not expect that his troops would progress so quickly.

However, looking at the terrain in front of him, Ma Zhongjun had a bad feeling in his heart. He felt that the terrain in front of him was very suitable for an ambush.

Therefore, after Ma Zhongjun pondered for a while, he couldn't help but ask Hu Zhiwu who was in the river:
“Will the rest of the journey be like this?”

Hu Zhiwu, who had walked this road before, swallowed the water in his mouth, thought quickly, nodded and said:

“It may be a little easier to walk, but generally it’s about the same…”

Ma Zhongjun frowned slightly after hearing this answer, and then asked Hu Zhiwu, the commander of the scouts:
"How is the situation of the scouts?" Hu Zhiwen also understood what Ma Zhongjun was planning after hearing this. He hesitated for a moment and said:
"General, to be honest, scouts are all very tired. Many brothers work around the clock without even having time to rest!"

Ma Zhongjun felt helpless when he heard this. He knew that although Hu Zhiwu's words were harsh, they were the truth. Most of the First Division was advancing hard and the entire army was very tired. And the scouts walking in the front of the team were even more exhausted!
After a pause, Ma Zhongjun ordered:
"I know you guys are tired, but the terrain here is perfect for an ambush. Let's hold on a little longer. I'll give credit to whoever makes this trip!"

The Fengwu Army attached great importance to military merit, so military merit was more attractive to the soldiers in the Fengwu Army than money. So when Hu Zhiwu heard that there was a reward for military merit, he said without further ado:

"Sir, I will tell you right away!"

After saying that, Hu Zhiwu left in a hurry. Soon, more than a dozen scouts jumped on their horses from the resting team and cleared the way for the army forward!
Ma Zhongjun felt relieved when he saw the scout’s leaving. Although from a rational point of view, he felt that the Zhennan Army should not ambush him here...
But on the one hand, the terrain here is very suitable for ambushes, and secondly, the soldiers under his command are generally physically exhausted due to continuous marching!
According to the art of war, his First Division is now a completely exhausted army. If someone ambushes them at this time, the situation will be extremely dangerous!

So, with the idea of ​​being cautious, Ma Zhongjun wanted to be safe, even if it meant wasting a little time!
The half-hour rest time passed quickly, but seeing that the scouts sent out to explore the way had not returned yet, Ma Zhongjun, with a frown on his face, never gave the order to continue on the journey.

Another stick of incense passed, and Hu Zhiwu, Ye Kaishan and other subordinates reminded Ma Zhongjun that they should start their journey now. If they didn't hurry, it would be difficult to reach Dahuangshan before dark tonight!
But at this moment, a staggering figure appeared in Ma Zhongjun's sight!
When he saw this person appear, Ma Zhongjun's expression was suddenly shocked. He remembered that this person was the scout he had just sent out!
As soon as Ma Zhongjun waved his hand, someone came forward to meet the scout, and soon the scout was helped to Ma Zhongjun!
At this time Ma Zhongjun could clearly see that the scout was wounded several times, his body was covered in blood, and he was even hit by an arrow in the shoulder, but fortunately he was protected by the cotton armor of the Fengwu Army, so his vital parts were not injured.

Seeing Ma Zhongjun at this time, the scout was also very excited and preached intermittently:

"General... there is an ambush ahead... they have prepared fuel for a fire attack..."

Ma Zhongjun was shocked when he heard this. In fact, when he saw the scout's look, he knew that his uneasiness was confirmed. The bastards of the Zhennan Army were really waiting for him in front!

However, he didn't expect that these bastards of the Zhennan Army were so cruel. They wanted to burn down his entire camp. Did they want to wipe out his First Division?
Ma Zhongjun took a deep breath and instructed his subordinates beside him:

"This brother is a great contributor to our First Division. Hurry and take him to the military doctor and have him save him! I'll reward him with 100 taels of silver if you save him!"

"Yes!"

After arranging this scout brother, before Ma Zhongjun could order them to form a battle array to meet the enemy, they heard deafening shouts and screams in front of them. It was obvious that the Zhennan Army also knew that their whereabouts had been exposed, so when they saw that the ambush could not work, they simply gave up the ambush and started a strong attack directly!
At this moment, Xu Zhaojie was furious, cursing non-stop:

"This bunch of idiots who are always causing trouble but can't do anything good!"

"You are dumber than pigs! Even pigs know to hide, but you were discovered by the Fengwu Army's scouts, and you even let them run away. You bastards are worse than pigs!"

Ma Zhongjun began planning today's ambush after realizing that it was impossible to capture Hanyang by force!

The importance of Hanyang is self-evident and everyone knows it, so it is obvious that the Kangyin First Division will take action after receiving the news...
Xu Zhaojie believed that they would rush to support their colleagues as quickly as possible, defend Hanyang, a city of great strategic value, and safeguard the Fengwu Army's determination and will to seize it!

Xu Zhaojie believed that this was something he could take advantage of, although he had already achieved considerable success, almost completely annihilating the Fifth Army and capturing Tanzhou!

But Xu Zhaojie knew very well that as long as Hanyang was not captured, the damage to the Fengwu Army would be only superficial and would not cause any real harm to the Fengwu Army!
This also made Xu Zhaojie a little discouraged. He was unwilling to just achieve such a result!
After all, compared with the Fengwu Army, his Zhennan Army is much weaker in strength. If he does not take the initiative to expand his advantage now, then when the Fengwu Army has recovered, then what awaits the Zhennan Army is definitely destruction. There will be no other result!

Driven by this idea, Xu Zhaojie put the idea on the First Division!

After the Battle of Huainan, the 1st Division, as the ace force of the Fengwu Army, entered Kangyin, which made them a sword hanging over the heads of the Zhennan Army!
It took up a lot of the Zhennan Army’s energy, as they had to guard against the First Division crossing the Nanjiang River at any time and attacking Shouchun, the political center of the Zhennan Army...
If we say that Xu Zhaojie's previous expedition to Jiangnan failed, the main reason was due to insufficient troops. Relying solely on 30,000 people was not enough to defeat the Jiangnan army with nearly 100,000 people!
So the reason why Xu Zhaojie only led 30,000 people to attack Jiangnan was not because the Zhennan Army only had 30,000 people, but because the existence of the First Division tied down the Zhennan Army's strength!

Therefore, Xu Zhaojie hated the First Division to the core. In addition, the First Division was known as the ace of aces in the Fengwu Army, the most loyal among the loyal, and its equipment and treatment were the best in the Fengwu Army. So Xu Zhaojie dreamed of annihilating the First Division even at night!
He knew that the First Division was Ye Mingsheng's favorite. Even if he couldn't completely annihilate the First Division, as long as he could severely damage it, it would be enough to make Ye Mingsheng heartbroken!

The First Division served as the vanguard of the Fengwu Army's external expansion several times, made great contributions to the Fengwu Army, and was regarded as a glorious banner of the Fengwu Army by people inside and outside the Fengwu Army!
Therefore, if we can severely damage or even completely annihilate the First Division, we will be able to deal a severe blow to the arrogance of the Fengwu Army and boost our military morale!

In terms of strategic value, annihilating the First Division is not much different from capturing Hanyang, so Xu Zhaojie carefully planned this ambush, vowing to cut down the glorious flag of the Fengwu Army!

However, what Xu Zhaojie did not expect was that at the last moment, the Sichuan Army was discovered by the Fengwu Army on the hill where they were ambushing. This undoubtedly made him want to cry but had no tears and lamented that God was unfair...
(End of this chapter)