Once this happens, Li Cheng can imagine the future situation without the need for those people with big and small eyes to plan. Once Zhangqiu falls, Jinan will be surrounded on three sides, and the Song army will inevitably surround it without attacking, trying to lure the Jin people. But judging from the performance of the Jin people today, it is impossible for them to cross the Yellow River and Jishui River continuously under such a disadvantage, and send their precious main force into this pocket to be swallowed by the Song army... They have long known that Jingdong is isolated in Henan, and sooner or later it will be in the pocket of the Song Dynasty when its military strength has recovered.
In other words, Jinan is also a dead end. After this battle, the Pseudo-Qi has no way to retreat.
But Jinan is a dead end, so what about other places? If you don't go to Jinan, and directly cross the river to the north to join the Jin people, without soldiers and horses, why should you be given the title of a hereditary commander?
Would I have to take up a sinecure like a county magistrate by then?
But what's the point of such a result other than just keeping alive?
After this battle, I actually have no way out.
Just as Commander Li was in a trance, there was a sudden cry of surprise from all around. He raised his head and looked around quickly. Then, following the instructions of the soldiers beside him, he immediately saw a scene that made him feel fear and panic... It turned out that in the river ahead, several corpses floated down from upstream, and judging from their attire, they were all his own men.
It goes without saying that this was the fate of the few resisters and those who hastily crossed the river when the Song army from upstream chased them to the riverside.
Reason told Li Cheng, a veteran of many battles, that this meant nothing.
However, just as he was about to speak to appease the crowd, he saw another corpse floating down the river, so he quickly shut up and prepared to wait for the corpse to pass before speaking again. However, the corpse kept spinning with the current, and it was spinning and floating in front of Li Cheng... The commander saw clearly that the man was only eighteen or nineteen years old, his beard was not tied up, his body was stiff, but his eyes were wide open, and no matter how he moved, he always stared at him.
Seeing this, for some reason, General Li, who had traveled all over the country and never thought he would be frightened by a corpse, suddenly felt sick to his stomach and vomited directly into the river.
This was a cowardly behavior that he had never shown before. After Li Cheng stopped vomiting, he became alert and quickly mustered up his strength. He forced himself, who had already taken off his armor, not to hesitate and to float forward to cross the river.
However, as his feet stepped into the deep water and his neck sank into the water, blood stains appeared again in the clear river water. Li Cheng was actually frightened and dared not move forward.
Amidst the cold and dizziness, he felt a complex emotion of fatigue, nausea, and fear.
"My Lord!"
People around him obviously noticed his discomfort.
"Take a break first." Li Cheng raised his hand to signal, trying to suppress his discomfort. He turned around and headed east, while defending himself. "I drank too much just now, and I feel a little uncomfortable in my stomach... The water is too cold."
The subordinates around him were naturally speechless.
A moment later, Li Cheng, breathing evenly, tried to wade again, but for some reason, this time, when he reached the chest-deep water, he felt that strong discomfort again.
Then, give up again.
At this time, Li Cheng had already begun to panic... This reminded him of his previous experience on the battlefield, when he had tried several times to keep his flag but failed to gain a foothold.
Now that we have been defeated, we can’t even cross a river?
The accompanying soldiers also saw the problem, and they began to try to find boats, driftwood and other things, but found nothing. As a last resort, they found two wooden sticks, and someone took off his clothes and wrapped them on them, trying to make a simple stretcher to carry their own governor across the river.
In any case, it is best to cross the river before dark.
But Li Cheng refused his subordinates' kindness. He felt that being carried across the river was almost as ridiculous as the corpse. Moreover, he knew in his heart that if this river could be carried across, what about a river as wide as the Ji River? What about a river as wide as the Yellow River? This river must be crossed by walking, otherwise it would be difficult to cross the Heshuo River and the Huanghuai River as in the past. So he hesitated for a long time until dusk, when he was forced by the situation and made a third attempt. But this time, the water was even colder. He only walked to the waist-deep water and retreated in embarrassment, and even fell in the water.
After getting ashore, Li Cheng, the double-sword man who had been determined to make a career since the Jin army came south, began to completely collapse. He even rejected the suggestion of not crossing the river for the time being and going downstream.
There were wise men among the soldiers. They had realized that this was not a question of whether the soldiers were cold-blooded or not, but that their own commander had suffered such a defeat and knew that he had nowhere to go and had no more energy.
It's just that the form of the attack is a little strange and the time is a little later.
When they were defeated and retreated, many men committed suicide on the battlefield.
As the sky gradually darkened and the sunlight faded, more than half of the dozen soldiers who accompanied him secretly left. Among the remaining few, there was a general who had received great kindness from Li Cheng. He simply committed suicide to show his sincerity. This move slightly brought Li Cheng back from his depression.
Then, these people began to try to cross the river again with the last glimmer of light... but it was still difficult. When the water reached his chest, Li Cheng was unable to hold on again, and the few remaining confidants tried to control his hands and feet, but they found that this great commander was indeed a great warrior in the world, and the power he exerted in the water was still not something that others could easily shake.
At this point, these people finally became discouraged and gave up on the great commander-in-chief. Then they all crossed the river and dispersed, leaving Li Cheng alone in the water, unable to move forward or backward.
The situation was at a stalemate for a while, but what broke the stalemate was the sound of a Song army knight's horse hooves.
"Don't be scared, man!" The Song general with a ladle tied to his waist reined in his horse and appeared on the shore behind him. He said something appropriate. "I am not a person who kills indiscriminately. Although you are strong, your face is gray. I am afraid you are sick. It is impossible for you to be a powerful person at this time... Tell me, have you seen your general Li Cheng?"
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