Chapter 346 No Way to Escape
The nearest reinforcement to them was Guan Yu, who was confronting Ma Chao, Yan Yan and others at Lianshui. Although he might not be able to play an effective role in this joint force, at least they would have more manpower support after retreating to the north.
Liu Bei's management in the northern part of Xuzhou for several years was by no means in vain. Chen Gui also believed that although there were special cases such as Lu Su and Zang Ba, it was impossible that all their people in the north would betray them.
What's more, when such a change occurred in Xuzhou, if Yuan Shao was unable to react at the beginning and was unable to provide timely support, then he should have reacted by now.
They have a chance!
The only thing to do now is to escape from these heavy shackles.
But Liu Bei interrupted Chen Gui at this time: "No! I can't just leave like this. Yide and Tanzhi are still in danger and we don't know whether they are alive or dead. Maybe they can be rescued. I gave the final order to besiege Zhou Gongjin. These soldiers trapped in the battle are in such a situation because of me. If I run away now, how can I be worthy of my status as the Lord of the Mansion."
The scene where he was too late to stop Zhang Fei from falling off his horse and the scene where he was too late to provide flank support to the opponent were completely different things.
Besides, if he withdrew immediately, he might not be able to escape the attacks from Jiang Qin and Wen Pin.
It is better to give it a try and see if you can launch a Jedi counterattack and risk your life!
He replied firmly and quickly: "I, Liu Bei, am not a powerless person, nor can I just sit in the hall. I was able to kill the Yellow Turban bandits in the past, and I can also fight on the battlefield today. At this moment, Zhou Yu is meeting with reinforcements in the front and back. Everyone thinks that I, Liu Bei, am trying to escape. If I attack from the flank of the central army and look for an opportunity to break the deadlock, perhaps I can give them a way to escape."
Having said this, he immediately jumped off the chariot and mounted his horse, taking the long sword handed over by his subordinates. "Please go ahead, Mr. Han Yu. The war is urgent and we should not stay for long. Tan Zhi, Lu Zijing and others want to cross the river. There must be a ferry at Huaiyin Ferry. Please go there quickly."
The next moment, Chen Gui saw Liu Bei whipping his horse and leading his elite soldiers who had not participated in the previous battle to break the formation. They suddenly turned around and rushed towards the center of Zhou Yu's team, which had relaxed a little after the two sides joined forces.
Liu Bei was able to gather such a group of knights-errant in the past, and he also made a name for himself in the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the expedition against Dong Zhuo. He was indeed not an ordinary scholar-official. His current decisiveness made his actions have an amazing appeal.
If we say that he never blamed the defeat on his subordinates, which made people feel that they had not made a mistake in following this governor, then his attack at the first place made the blood of these subordinates who were unwilling to defect get boiled.
Zhang Fei had already fallen off his horse and fell among these soldiers. He snatched away two swords with his brute strength and fought his way out despite being wounded several times.
At this moment, he keenly heard the commotion coming from the north, mixed with the soldiers' shouts of "General Zhang". He was immediately cheered up and headed towards the direction of the sound together with his soldiers who were also trapped in the formation.
Because of his injuries, he was not fit to mount a horse, so he simply threw away the knife in his hand, picked up a shield thrown aside, and rushed forward, pushing away the long weapons in front of him.
Liu Bei did not abandon him, but chose to risk his life to save him. This gave Zhang Fei the motivation to fight hard again even when he was clearly at the end of his strength, and actually helped him fight his way out.
Even Han Dang, who had just arrived here, couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for him.
Among these soldiers who were seeking promotion and an end to the war, there were some who valued their lives. Seeing Zhang Fei blocking and stabbing left and right without caring about his own injuries, and his angry look showing a frightening fighting spirit, they couldn't help but shrink back.
And the wise man he served also resolutely came for him at the risk of his life. Who can say that this scene is not moving?
Unfortunately, being moved is being moved, but the stance is the stance.
If this battle cannot cause fundamental damage to Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and others, how can it be worthy of all their planning and efforts.
Zhou Yu and Han Dang had cooperated for several years. Although they had never acted as superiors and subordinates to each other, at this meeting, no one mentioned the situation in Yangzhou, nor was there any celebration or reminiscing about meeting again. Only Han Dang quickly handed over the troops under his command to Zhou Yu.
"Let Liu Bei into the battle and reinforce the periphery!" Zhou Yu gave the order immediately.
Since he wanted to be a hero and was trapped together with his subordinates, he might as well leave his life here!
The intensity of the pursuit inside seems to remain unchanged, while the external siege is becoming more and more solid.
Following Zhou Yu's command, a new batch of shield soldiers formed a barrier surrounding the center.
So when Liu Bei and Zhang Fei finally joined together, they discovered that joining forces did not mean they had achieved their goal. On the contrary, this was the beginning of their troubles.
These newly formed barriers were almost all soldiers who had just arrived from the south. Although they had experienced a quick charge, they had consumed far less physical strength than the soldiers who had experienced a fierce battle.
Zhang Fei looked around and made a decision in his mind.
"To the north! We must fight our way out no matter what!"
To the north is Zhou Yu's baggage rear army, which is much inferior to the front central army in combat ability. Even if we don't know how Zang Ba's team will perform, it should be weaker than the reinforcements led by the three generals at the moment.
What's more, the only way to cross the river is to go north, which is the last chance to survive!
Liu Bei thought so too.
The next moment after he met Zhang Fei, he conveyed the order to break out to the north.
But could it be that the changes in Zhou Yu's military formations really went unnoticed?
Qiao Ting followed Jia Xu and Li Ru to learn the ability to find information in the details. Although the range of the military formation was too large and the numerous armored soldiers blocked her sight, making it difficult for her to see the specific situation on the other side, she realized that this kind of battle -
It seems like someone is being trapped!
"Quick, tell Lieutenant General Chen that there is no need to fight Guan Ping anymore. Return to intercept him, or we will miss the big fish."
Her previous suggestion to assist the rear army in intercepting Guan Ping had been approved by Chen Wu. Now she said to order Chen Wu to return to the army. Although Chen Wu's subordinates were confused, they still delivered the news to Chen Wu first.
Chen Wu looked back and quickly ordered people to board the nest car and look towards the south. Sure enough, he saw signs of the army encircling him.
If there was any other place on their side that could become the direction for the enemy to escape, it would only be the rear army.
After such a fierce battle, they didn't even have many arrows left!
He was indeed coveting the achievement of defeating Guan Ping, but with Lu Su and Zang Ba here, Guan Ping would not be able to escape, so he might as well tighten the net to catch the big fish.
He quickly dispatched his soldiers to return. Zang Ba did not suspect anything and thought that the other party was a kind-hearted person who was willing to give up the credit.
He chopped down the enemy in front of him with his sword and rode his horse to Guan Ping.
With this swift momentum, he knocked the long sword in Guan Ping's hand away with one strike and knocked the man off his horse with a clean move.
Guan Ping was not like Zhang Fei, and the ones who surrounded him were not Zhou Yu's already exhausted soldiers. Before he could even put up any effective resistance, he was pinned to the ground and tied up.
Zang Ba raised his chin and asked Lu Su who was walking in the distance: "Mr. Zijing, how much military merit do you think this person can earn?"
Lu Su replied: "I don't know how much military merit I can get, but it's better to capture him alive than to kill him."
"That's good," Zang Ba laughed loudly, "Let's see if I can get more credit."
As soon as he said this, he suddenly realized that Chen Wu's return was probably not to give the credit to him, but that the other party wanted to get something bigger!
"What a mistake! This cunning Yangzhou guy really knows how to do business!"
Zang Ba quickly left Guan Ping to the care of Lu Su and chased in the direction Chen Wu left.
But at this moment, Chen Wu had already met Liu Bei and others who had just broken out of the siege.
For Liu Bei and his men, Zhou Yu's blockade was no different from running into an iron wall.
When they tried their best to break a gap by using survival as the motivation to keep moving forward, the people around them had already fallen one by one, and even Liu Bei himself was seriously injured.
When Liu Bei saw Chen Wu leading his troops rushing towards him, even though he felt that he had a calm mind, he also felt a blackout in front of his eyes.
He looked around but failed to detect any movement from Guan Ping, which made him realize that he could not rescue a second person. The only thing he could do was to fight his way out with these remaining remnants!
Fortunately, he was sure that through their diversion of attention, the part of the army that had previously protected Chen Gui's departure should have left the battlefield.
But before Liu Bei could swing his sword forward again, he suddenly saw Zhang Fei had taken the lead and led a group of people to rush in the direction of Chen Wu.
All he left was a sentence, "Brother, go first!"
Ever since Liu Bei took up a clear official position after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zhang Fei seldom addressed him "big brother" in formal occasions. Instead, he addressed him by his official title or later as Lord of the Prefecture. Only at this moment, this title popped out of his mouth again, but it did not make Liu Bei feel the joy expressed in this intimate title, only a deep sorrow.
When Zhang Fei rushed towards Chen Wu, it was clear that he was not going to continue to work together to break out as before, but to use an attitude of being ready to die in order to fight for a way to survive.
But Liu Bei no longer had the chance to hesitate!
The reaction of Zhou Yu's troops and the speed of the rear army's defense and reinforcements far exceeded his expectations, making his escape, which might have been possible, suddenly much more difficult.
If he hesitated here for a moment longer, the pursuers behind would catch up with him, and the gap he had finally managed to break out would be surrounded again, making the decision Zhang Fei made at this moment meaningless.
He gritted his teeth and made a decision that made him extremely sad and angry. "Let's go!"
As Zhang Fei led the remaining troops to block the gap and meet Chen Wu's returning troops, Liu Bei led the remaining dozens of cavalry to quickly break out of the encirclement.
The pursuers behind were either blocked by their own people further behind, or dragged here by Zhang Fei and other brave men who had risked their lives to cover their retreat, and Liu Bei and his men actually disappeared from their sight.
But at the moment when Liu Bei's figure disappeared, Zhang Fei really had no strength to fight anymore. He was chopped to the ground by the soldiers surrounding him, and then he completely lost consciousness.
When Zhou Yu arrived, he saw Zhang Fei's body, which was protected in a cordoned off area by Chen Wu.
"I will give you credit for your contribution first. I will immediately chase Liu Xuande!"
For Liu Bei, killing Zhang Fei was no different from cutting off one of his arms; as for Lu Su and Zang Ba, it meant that an invisible crack had appeared in the northern part of Xuzhou.
But Liu Bei and Chen Gui both escaped from the siege. Even though most of their soldiers who went south this time were wiped out in this siege, they still had the capital to make a comeback after returning to Donghai County.
You must know that Liu Bei was welcomed into Xuzhou by Chen Deng, and the existence of Chen Gui and Chen Deng represented the power of the aristocratic families in Xuzhou.
If Liu Bei cannot be captured or killed, this war will not end yet!
But in fact, Liu Bei's escape was not as simple as Zhou Yu imagined.
He told Chen Gui that his decision to order him to go to Huaiyin Ferry to find a boat was not wrong, and he successfully sent the elder to the other side of the Huai River. But when Liu Bei rushed to the riverside, he saw a raging flame on the remaining ferry.
Liu Bei did not know that the fire was set by Qiao Lan who was in Huaiyin City. He just felt that this was probably not an act of Chen Gui giving up on him because he did not choose to evacuate with him. But the fact was that the boat was gone, and he could no longer cross the river and meet up with Guan Yu at this moment.
The only thing he could do at this moment was to choose another path!
There were three battles in the Huaihe River area, and the central route was facing such a disastrous defeat. He had to choose to join the left or right route. This general direction could not be changed, so he should give up crossing the river in Huaiyin and go east or west for a while before crossing the river!
If he chooses to go east, with the assistance of the counselor Chen Deng and the military general Chen Dao by his side, his safety can be guaranteed, and he does not have to make plans alone. Perhaps he will have a chance to send a signal for help to Yuzhou and Yanzhou as soon as possible after the reunion and get support from Cao Cao.
The defection of Pei State in Yuzhou at best meant that they wanted to return to the jurisdiction of Yuzhou. It did not mean that he and Cao Cao had torn their faces and stood on different sides.
But would Qiao Yan also know about this meeting and request for help?
Just because this is also the most advantageous path for Liu Bei!
Thinking of this, Liu Bei did not dare to gamble on such a possibility.
He might as well continue according to the previously planned route and go to Haixi area to meet Guan Yu, but he would need to go further east before crossing the river.
After meeting Guan Yu, he could continue heading north to request support from Qingzhou.
His choice of east-west direction was actually not wrong.
It is inevitable that some of his captured subordinates would surrender to the enemy and tell Liu Bei about Chen Gui's suggestions. Even Zhou Yu thought that Liu Bei would have to take another route to meet Guan Yu.
But little did they know that after he made a feint to the west for a while, he went south and made a big circle, avoiding the pursuers who were being searched along the river by Zhou Yu and others, and went east again.
The night also became his best cover at this time.
And judging from the war situation in the west, his decision was even more correct.
It would be impossible for Zhang Ren and Zhang Yang to break through Chen Deng's defense relying solely on their abilities, especially when the enemy had both the local forces of Xia Pi and the Bai Li soldiers under Chen Dao. However, the sudden attack from Pang Tong and Sun Guan turned Chen Deng's battle, which had originally found an opportunity to break the deadlock, into one where he was trapped in the tower.
If Liu Bei really came here, he would definitely fall into a trap.
On the contrary, his choice at this moment actually gave him a glimmer of hope.
There are quite a few ferry crossings across the Huai River from Yandu to Haixi. After taking a short rest, Liu Bei and his companions seized one of the ferry crossings and headed north by boat.
If Chen Gui and the soldiers who retreated first could meet up with Guan Yu first, and he could catch up with them later, he wouldn't have ended up with his plan failing and his entire army being wiped out!
The moment Guan Yu's military camp appeared before him, Liu Bei's physical strength was truly exhausted.
It was already noon of the second day.
Even horses can't bear it, let alone humans.
Guan Yu was still considering whether it was possible to make another attempt to attack Haixi on the other side of Lianshui, but he never expected to suddenly receive news of Liu Bei's arrival. What he didn't expect was to see Liu Bei sitting on the ground in such an embarrassed posture.
He distributed the food and water to the remnants who had fled here with him, and then he took a portion and tried his best to swallow it to drive away the fatigue in his body.
When he took off his helmet, both Liu Bei himself and Guan Yu who had hurriedly arrived saw clearly that there was a deep mark on the helmet, which seemed to have been caused by an arrow shot at close range.
Without the protection of this helmet, Liu Bei's head would probably have been pierced through.
The two then looked at each other, and saw a hint of lingering fear in each other's eyes.
Guan Yu quickly walked to Liu Bei and asked, "Brother, why are you here?"
Upon hearing this name, Liu Bei's heart ached. "Yunchang, our plan to besiege Zhou Yu in Huaiyin failed. We were attacked from both the north and south. I don't know if Yide died to help me break out, and I don't know what happened to Tanzhi. I'm so sorry for them!"
The life and death of Zhang Fei and Guan Ping are uncertain!
Guan Yu's face changed.
Either of these two pieces of news would be a huge blow to Guan Yu.
One is a brother he has been with for more than ten years, and the other is his biological son. He definitely does not want to see either of them die on the battlefield.
But at this moment, he had no time to stab Liu Bei again, or waste time while the two of them hugged each other and cried.
If such a battle situation really occurred in central Xuzhou, even Liu Bei would have been so exhausted and managed to escape by chance. They probably wouldn't be able to stay near Haixi!
He quickly comforted Liu Bei and said, "This is not the time to talk about this. If they are lucky, they may just be captured. We will have a chance to redeem them. The most important thing now is to return north as soon as possible and not stay here."
"Fortunately, the two generals from Haixi did not dispatch troops to attack like the ones from the central route, so Big Brother still has a chance to reach the military camp safely."
Liu Bei held Guan Yu's hand tightly and said, "Yes, we will return as soon as possible."
But before he stood up, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Wait, Mr. Han Yu didn't come to you?"
It is simply unreasonable that Chen Gui has not arrived yet!
Liu Bei first went west, then south, and then east, taking who knows how many detours. He started later than Chen Gui, so he should not have arrived later than Chen Gui.
Thinking about it this way, Guan Yu’s previous reaction did not seem like the reaction he would have if he had met Chen Gui before.
Guan Yu was at a loss: "Shouldn't Mr. Han Yu be with my brother?"
Liu Bei replied: "He crossed the river before me. According to the plan, he should come to find you..."
Chen Gui should have arrived earlier than Liu Bei, and he did not change his plan after crossing the river.
He knew Chen Deng's abilities very well, so he did not plan to go to Xia Pi, but decided to find Guan Yu.
But his physical strength was much worse than Liu Bei's. When he arrived at the city of Huaipu, he saw the "Pass" flag still raised on the top of the city wall. He went up to the gate of the city and planned to go in and rest for a while. Then he was caught by Zang Ba's subordinates who were guarding the city inside the gate.
Guan Yu was not aware of this episode. All he knew was that at the moment Liu Bei was defeated, Chen Gui, the representative of Xuzhou scholars, had disappeared!
"I think you can't just go north. If Chen Hanyu has decided to lead the northern part of Xuzhou to surrender to the enemy at this moment, we will be thrown into the hands of the enemy if we return to Xuzhou."
Guan Yu said firmly, "Brother, Yide and his men have saved your life. You cannot take any more risks! Why don't we go north to Xu County and find a ship to sail out to the bay of Donglai County in Qingzhou to find the young master of the Yuan family who is in charge of Qingzhou and borrow his troops to return to Xuzhou!"
Liu Bei didn't like to think the worst of people, but Guan Yu felt that at this point in time, it was hard to predict who would betray and who would remain loyal. Instead of trying this possibility, it would be better to choose a safer approach.
Once he has the borrowed troops from Qingzhou, given Liu Bei's popularity in Xuzhou, won't he be able to regain his foothold?
After a struggle in his heart, Liu Bei replied: "Just do as Yunchang said."
First go to Xun County, then go to Donglai!
However, when they broke camp and headed north, they were immediately attacked by Ma Chao and Yan Yan. If Guan Yu had not shot and killed Ma Chao's mount first and blocked Ma Chao's Xiliang cavalry for a while, it would have been a very difficult task for them to escape.
But even so, by the time they arrived at Mao County, there were only more than a thousand people left behind them.
The desolation in Liu Bei's heart could no longer be described.
The blow of separation and death he suffered overnight almost destroyed most of his foundation in Xuzhou. He even needed to leave Xuzhou temporarily to plan for the future.
However, he didn't even have time to feel sad about the passing of autumn and spring, and he had to find a boat to cross the river as soon as possible.
It was obviously unrealistic to take more than a thousand people across the sea by boat. Liu Bei left seven or eight hundred of them in Peng County to guard the city, and led the rest of the people on a ship departing from the local port.
Thinking that there was no such relentless pursuit at sea as there would be on land, and even though the waves under his feet were swaying the boat, Liu Bei couldn't help but feel a little relieved at this moment.
But before the boat had sailed for long, he suddenly realized that something was wrong with the surroundings.
No one knew where the ships came from, but they silently blocked the way of the ship he was on as it was heading north. At first glance, they were all merchant ships of the Mi clan of the East China Sea.
He realized belatedly that the Yuzhoushan Island, which was across a strait from Mao County, was the fishing port once occupied by the Mi family of the East China Sea.
After the Mi clan from the East China Sea turned south to Yandu, this group of people did not migrate, and now they became the ones blocking his way.
The fishing boats and merchant ships might not seem like a big deal if they appeared alone, but now that they appeared in such dense groups, they became an insurmountable barrier on the sea.
What was even more troublesome was that before he could find an opportunity to break through the siege and leave or return to the shore, another boat came from his south.
This time, they were not large fishing boats or merchant ships, but real warships!
When Liu Bei heard the exclamations of his subordinates, he quickly turned around and saw a figure standing at the bow of the leading warship with his hands behind his back. Under the cloak blown open by the sea breeze was the gold seal and purple ribbon clearly illuminated by the sunlight.
Before anyone could see her face clearly from a distance, the voice had already reached nearby.
"Envoy Liu, I haven't seen you for a few years. Are you well?"
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