Chapter 565: Sudden Change in the Battle Situation
The two of them went there very smoothly. After all, Jia Cong was now the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and all the troops of this generation were under Jia Cong's control. With Jia Cong's military orders, these troops dared not disobey.
Because the Zunyi Army still had the task of guarding against the various tribes in southern Guizhou, and the Wuning Army was adjacent to the Luo family's ghost country, these two armies did not move lightly, and Xie Jing and the other two led the Nanping Army and Guang'an Army in the Chongqing area back.
The two had already passed the message to Jia Cong, so Jia Cong asked them to lead their troops directly to Danleng area to meet him.
However, as soon as the troops led by the two entered Shaoxi Prefecture, they encountered an enemy ambush. After a fierce battle, thousands of their soldiers were killed or wounded, and they were forced to the area of Longtai Town, Gongjing Town, and the banks of Shuangxi River in the south of Weiyuan.
Shaoxi Prefecture is located to the east of Jiading Prefecture and west of Fushun Prefecture, and is separated from Meizhou by Longzhou to the northwest.
Almost at the same time, the scouts under Guan Jin and the other man discovered that troops from Southern Xinjiang had appeared in the area of Baima Town at the junction of Longzhou and Jiading Prefecture.
Longzhou lies east of Meizhou . Passing through Longzhou to the north, one can reach Chengdu Prefecture. If the southern border tribes were to bypass Longzhou and attack Chengdu Prefecture, Jia Cong's army would be cut off from the city. Therefore, the two men dared not neglect their duties. Guan Jin left a small force to continue defending the Jiajiang area, while he led 15,000 troops directly to attack Baima Town.
If the news was wrong, the worst that could happen would be a wasted trip. But if there really were troops from southern Xinjiang who wanted to go north, he would intercept and stop them in the Baima Town area.
However, they hadn't anticipated that this was part of the Southern Xinjiang tribes' plan. As soon as Meng Hua's troops entered Baima Town, they were surrounded by tens of thousands of soldiers.
Baima Town is just a small town, and the city walls are not very tall. In addition, the troops in Southern Xinjiang are two or three times as many as theirs, so they are afraid that they will be in danger at any moment.
Jia Cong barely suppressed his panic, thought for a moment, and then issued an order, "Call the generals to discuss the matter!"
Soon, all the generals gathered together.
"Marshal, what happened?" Shi Nai asked first.
Jia Cong reported the general's report to everyone, and after reading it, everyone's expression changed drastically.
After a moment of silence, Shi Nai stood up and said, "General, please mobilize some of my troops and I will go to the rescue."
At once, all the other generals stood up.
Jia Cong ignored everyone's requests and closed his eyes to think. In his mind, he was considering in detail the terrain of these locations and the possible situations that might arise with the troops in southern Xinjiang.
He had to admit that because the battle had gone so smoothly before, he had become much more careless, and all the generals under his command had also become much more careless.
Their current opponents are not the White Lotus rebels in Jiangnan, but the barbarians who have occupied southern Xinjiang for hundreds of years.
Whether in terms of heritage, military strength, or power, the Southern Xinjiang tribes were no match for the White Lotus. In terms of familiarity with Shu, they were far inferior to the other tribes, not to mention the White Dragon Prince plotting in secret, so anything could happen without surprise.
After a long period of contemplation, Jia Cong finally opened his eyes. Shi Nai asked anxiously, "General, do you have a plan to send troops?"
After having the survey map brought over, Jia Cong pondered for a while before speaking, "At present, the troops of Xishan and Yechuan are still stationed in the Diaomen Village area. However, with the changes in Jiading Prefecture, the arrival of this army is almost inevitable."
"Now that Sun Ze has occupied Hongya, he has cut off the passage between the two sides. However, Sun Ze has few soldiers."
"My original plan was to march into Jiading Prefecture and then deploy troops there to garrison there. However, it's clear that we don't have that much manpower now. I'm dispatching a 5,000-man force to aid Sun Ze. Before the decisive battle with the Southern Frontier forces is concluded, the troops from the Western Mountains and Wild Rivers must not advance past Hongya."
"It's not easy to hold off 50,000 enemies with less than 10,000 men. It's even a fight that's certain to end in death! Moreover, we have to hold out for at least a month."
"General, I will go there!" Ma Shang from the Duke of Zhiguo's Mansion stood up and spoke.
"As long as I am still alive, Hongya will definitely be defended!"
"If I die, please take care of my family. At least my sons now have proper jobs under your guidance. I will have no regrets even if I die! Marshal, I request your orders!"
Jia Cong stepped forward and said, "I agree!"
"Thank you, Marshal!"
"Select your troops immediately. Move out tomorrow and I will personally escort you out."
Ma Shang nodded, then turned and walked away.
After Ma Shang left, Jia Cong continued, "The troops in Shaoxi Prefecture and Longzhou are now surrounded. We all need to go to rescue them. However, we don't have many soldiers at the moment, so we need to leave enough to reinforce the border crossings and guard the Jiading Prefecture area."
"Bai Ma Town is closer to us, but Meng Hua relies on the Simeng River for defense and should be able to hold out for a while longer. However, the terrain around Longtai Town is flat. Although there are two streams on the side, there is no strategic location to defend."
"Therefore, I intend to go to Longtai Town first to relieve the siege, and then return to Baima Town."
"General, I am willing to go!" Shi Nai and others all stood up and said.
Jia Cong waved his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "Shi Nai, I will allocate 20,000 troops to you and send them to Guanjin to join forces. After arriving, pretend to attack Jiajiang and Emei with the main force. I need you to tie down the troops in the Jiading area and prevent them from joining forces in Baima Town."
"I obey your orders!"
"Hou Jing, Ma Chuang, and Xie Yun, the three of you will lead 5,000 cavalrymen to Baima Town. We don't need you to fight to the death, but you can't let them stop. You can use the cavalry's mobility to harass the tribesmen in Baima Town and relieve the pressure on Meng Hua. Remember not to fight to the death and get trapped by the enemy."
"I obey your orders!"
"The rest of the generals and soldiers will follow me into Shaoxi Mansion!"
Everyone obeyed the order and went to prepare.
The next morning, Jia Cong arrived at the parade ground, and the 5,000 soldiers led by Ma Shang were already lined up in neat rows.
Stepping onto the platform, Ma Shang led the other generals to pay their respects, "Greetings, Marshal!"
Jia Cong's gaze shifted from Ma Shang to each soldier. His calm gaze concealed a hint of regret. This time, the task of this army was the most difficult. With less than 10,000 people resisting 50,000 troops, and relying only on the small Hongya, who knew how many people would die in the battle.
They are all sons of Daqian, and they all have wives, children and elderly mothers, but at this moment, they are going to die for Daqian.
It is said that a kind person cannot command an army. This is not the first time that Jia Cong has served on the battlefield, and he has seen life and death many times. However, every time this moment comes, he still feels a little reluctant.
However, there were too many things that even as a commander, he was unable to change. War was always cruel, and life and death seemed insignificant at this time.
