Chapter 516: Dead End

If Han Xin is an assassin, then Bai Qi is a brilliant swordsman.

Seeing that the Taiping army was attacked from behind by the Baotao army, they were in chaos. Naturally, Bai Qi would not be indifferent. He immediately ordered the third, fourth and fifth divisions of the Longxiang Army to go out of the city to join the battle.

In this way, the Taiping Army faced front and rear attacks.

The three generals Yang Xiuqing, Lin Fengxiang and Chen Yucheng wanted to form a large army to defend against the enemy, but unfortunately it happened so suddenly that their efforts had little effect. Although the soldiers of the Taiping Army are no longer soft persimmons after a year of tempering, they have not yet reached the state of fearlessness in the face of danger.

In the face of the general trend, they can't make a difference at all.

The timing Han Xin chose was too fatal. It was the time when the Taiping Army was most exhausted and at the same time most relaxed. The soldiers were already thinking about having a full meal at night after retreating.

Where did they expect that at this moment, they would suddenly face a life-and-death test. Fate is so cruel, often when you are caught off guard, it will give you a fatal blow.

The large-scale defeat of the Taiping Army is just around the corner.

The sunset glow in the sky became more and more gorgeous, and half of the sky was red.

The fighting in the wilderness did not stop at all as night approached. Every man on the battlefield is facing a test of life and death.

Tens of thousands of soldiers of the Taiping Army are doing their last dying struggle. Shocking killing cries echoed in the open wilderness, and could not dissipate for a long time. They echoed on the mottled city wall.

On the battlefield, soldiers fell every moment, in a pool of blood, and under the sunset.

The orange sunset glow dyed the most brilliant colors for this moment.

That is the color of life.

At the last moment when the soldiers fell, what appeared in their eyes was such a unique sunset glow.

Gorgeous, but also with a touch of warmth.

The crimson scorching sun hanging in mid-air finally couldn't stand it anymore and slowly fell into the sky. Night finally fell, and a few stars rose in the sky in a rare way.

The fight in the wilderness is finally coming to an end.

The sound of killing shouts became weaker and weaker. Outside the wilderness, there is already a sea of ​​blood.

The war horses are neighing, and the smoke of gunpowder is filling the air.

The more than 100,000 Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Southern Route Army was finally defeated by the two armies of Shanhai City.

Soldiers, either fight or flee.

Seeing that victory was hopeless, some soldiers simply chose to surrender. Most of the soldiers of the Taiping Army were from refugees. They were inspired by the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan and joined the army for the purpose of surviving.

Therefore, they cherish their lives more than anyone else.

Rows of soldiers surrendered wave after wave.

The soldiers put down their weapons and stood alone on the bloody battlefield, indescribably helpless and hesitant.

Even the sound of weapons falling to the ground is so harsh.

This is a kingdom, the sound of mourning from prosperity to decline.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, at its most glorious moment, was about to fall to the bottom because of this defeat. The 200,000 ambitious army, after the First World War, not one out of ten.

Just when the battle situation was most unfavorable, Yang Xiuqing and other generals finally gave up the last struggle, led the elite troops, and prepared to break through.

It's a pity that neither Bai Qi nor Han Xin is going to let the tiger go back to the mountain.

The most elite cavalry units of the two armies were immediately sent out to encircle and suppress the fleeing enemy troops. It was also seeing the menacing encirclement and suppression army, coupled with the escape of the main general, that the soldiers of the Taiping Army surrendered in despair.

In the vast darkness, they would definitely not be able to outrun the chasing cavalry.

Instead of this, it is better to choose to live.

After all, there is no one who does not truly cherish life.

It wasn't until late at night that this huge pursuit came to an end.

Facing the pursuit of the two major armies, the three generals in the Taiping Army also faced different fates.

Lin Fengxiang led his troops in an attempt to break out from the southwest, but was encircled and suppressed by Schaub's division. His troops suffered heavy losses, and in the end Lin Fengxiang died bravely in battle, and the rest of his troops had no choice but to surrender.

Chen Yucheng led his troops to break through from the northwest, but was pursued by Sun Chuanlin's regiment. Chen Yucheng, a famous general of a generation, was shot off his horse by Sun Chuanlin, a master archer, and was helplessly captured.

Seeing that the main general was captured, his troops could only choose to surrender in the end.

The only one who escaped was Yang Xiuqing.

The person in charge of chasing Yang Xiuqing is none other than Mu Guiying, a female general of the first generation. Under Bai Qi's instruction, Yang Xiuqing was "lucky" to escape in the chaos. In order to cover Yang Xiuqing, his troops suffered heavy losses.

In the end, there were only more than 3,000 people who escaped with Yang Xiuqing.

According to post-war statistics, in this life-and-death battle that took place in the evening, apart from the more than 3,000 Taiping soldiers who followed Yang Xiuqing, plus a few lucky people who escaped into the mountains and forests at night, the rest of the Taiping soldiers either died in battle or surrendered.

The Southern Route Army of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom disappeared in smoke.

With the annihilation of the Southern Route Army, a major pillar of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also collapsed. How far can the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom go with a broken leg?

Everything is still unknown.

The most critical battle in the Southwest region came to an end.

***********

In the vast night, Yang Xiuqing led more than 3,000 remnants and fled in a panic. After running for more than forty miles, the pursuers were no longer in sight, so the group stopped to rest with some peace of mind.

The soldiers silently took out dry food and cooking utensils, and started to make a fire. The other soldiers instinctively either collected firewood or fetched water with a kettle.

There are also some soldiers, dragging their tired bodies, standing guard around them.

The entire team was eerily silent.

Under the starlight, there are numb and frightened faces. As for their chief general, Yang Xiuqing, her complexion has never been better, her collapse is tight, and she may burst at any time.

After simply eating something, seeing that the night was getting dark, the team simply repaired on the spot.

Wait until tomorrow and start again.

After personally inspecting the patrolling troops, Yang Xiuqing dragged her tired body, ready to walk into the temporary camp to rest. It's a pity that the scenes that happened during the day kept reverberating in his mind, and he couldn't fall asleep at all.

"Huh!" Yang Xiuqing woke up yesterday.

Outside the camp, it was pitch black, only a little bit of starlight was constantly twinkling.

Putting on a coat, Yang Xiuqing walked out of the camp, looked up at the sky, and was full of thoughts. In the dark, it seems that the starry sky above his head is giving him inspiration, making his thinking more and more clear.

A gust of night wind blew by, bringing chills, and Yang Xiuqing unconsciously pulled the cloak on her body.

At this moment, Yang Xiuqing thought a lot.

There is Hong Xiuquan, the king of heaven, and the fate of the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

This big defeat made Yang Xiuqing clearly realize that the Kingdom of Heaven looks mighty, but it is actually like a castle formed by the sand on the beach. When a big wave hits, it will be smashed to pieces.

Thinking of this, Yang Xiuqing felt even more painful. It was him who single-handedly brought the kingdom of heaven to a dead end. In the dark night, Yang Xiuqing's body was not tall and straight, and she looked unusually lonely and helpless.

"What is the general thinking?"

Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind Yang Xiuqing.

"Who?"

After all, Yang Xiuqing has been in the army all year round, so he still has the vigilance he should have. With a "swipe", the long sword at his waist has been unsheathed, and the cold light is shining.

Turning his head, he saw that the person who came was an ordinary sergeant, but he looked a little unfamiliar.

"Who are you under, why don't you stay in the camp?"

Yang Xiuqing's words were already full of anger, he couldn't tolerate his subordinates' lack of rules the most.

"General!"

At this moment, the sound of Yang Xiuqing drawing his sword alarmed the patrolling soldiers, who were rushing over here.

"Does the general know that the time of death is approaching?"

That ordinary sergeant didn't show any panic on his face, but what he said made Yang Xiuqing's heart skip a beat, and a gleam of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"It will be fine, you continue to patrol."

Yang Xiuqing frowned, first dismissed the patrolling soldiers, then turned to look at the strange sergeant, and said in a deep voice, "Follow me." Then she got up and walked towards the tent.

The sergeant followed silently.

Inside the camp, Yang Xiuqing turned around suddenly, her eyes suddenly became extremely sharp, murderous, she stared at the sergeant, and said word by word: "Say, who are you?"

"It doesn't really matter who I am. The important thing is that I can help you fight the general."

"Hmph, shameless!"

"So, the general actually knows the situation he is about to face, right?"

"..."

Yang Xiuqing was speechless. He is not a fool, so how could he not know how difficult his next situation will be. Thinking of Tianwang's cold eyes, Yang Xiuqing shuddered.

"Based on the Heavenly King's suspicion of the General, the General was defeated this time, and the soldiers were lost. With the nature of the Heavenly King, does the General still take chances and think that he can escape the catastrophe?"

Ordinary sergeant, his words were not polite at all, and exposed Yang Xiuqing's predicament nakedly.

Yang Xiuqing's face became darker and darker when she heard the words, she pursed her lips tightly, and remained silent.

At this moment, the sergeant suddenly changed the subject and said: "The general is puzzled, why is the king of heaven so afraid of you?"

"you know?"

When Yang Xiuqing heard this, her eyes suddenly opened wide, and even her tone of voice trembled a little.

This question was the biggest knot in Yang Xiuqing's heart. He only promised that after entering the wilderness, he would be loyal to both the king of heaven and the kingdom of heaven.

Unexpectedly, he was suspicious of the lord for no reason.

This feeling is really uncomfortable. Yang Xiuqing was originally a sensitive person, and every time he met with the king of heaven, he always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him from behind.

This feeling is really creepy.

However, on this night, a strange sergeant uttered the biggest mystery in Yang Xiuqing's heart, how not to shock him.

There was a smell of conspiracy in the whole air.

"I know a thing or two." The sergeant nodded and said, "If the general can be trusted, I am willing to tell you one by one."

"You speak!"

Yang Xiuqing is also an unusual person, she calmed down and waited intently.