It wouldn't be easy for the new Chu army to leave, let alone the Black Tiger Stronghold, which had some resources.
Under Zhang Hu's strong pressure, the more than 10,000 men of Black Tiger Stronghold reluctantly set off to retreat south. Unlike the New Chu Army, which had been disciplined by Ruobao and acted swiftly and decisively, the men of Black Tiger Stronghold had differing opinions on this retreat and were quite resentful.
Many people even bluntly stated that they wanted to annihilate the invading Yan army, which gave Zhang Hu a real headache and made him understand why Fan Ziruo wanted to establish a new Chu army with a strict system.
Although a portion of the Black Tiger Stronghold consisted of former Chu army members who had broken away from the Qi army, the majority of the stronghold members were still considered outlaws. This group of people lacked any sense of uniformity in weaponry, let alone armor. Some used knives, some swords, and some clubs—whatever was most convenient. They all possessed some skill, but there was absolutely no coordination between them.
Zhang Hu didn't need to think twice; if this group were to be charged by the Yan army's heavily armored cavalry, they would be wiped out wave after wave.
Zhang Hu and He Yunxiao rode at the head of the procession.
Every now and then a sentry would come over and report, "Boss, we haven't found the new Chu family army ahead. But there are signs of marching."
"How far have you searched?" Zhang Hu asked.
"Fifty li."
Zhang Hu remained expressionless, but a chill ran through him. The New Chu Army's marching speed far exceeded his expectations.
The State of Qi lacked a mechanized army; their marches relied entirely on the soldiers' physical strength. To some extent, the faster a unit could march, the more effective it was in combat. This is because marching speed reflects not only the individual skill of the soldiers but also the cohesion and execution of the army.
"Zhou Ping, tell all the leaders to hurry up," Zhang Hu said.
After receiving the order, Zhou Ping returned shortly afterward.
"Big brother..."
"What's wrong?"
“I told the leaders to speed things up, but they said they couldn’t.”
Zhang Hu was taken aback. "Why? The Yan army is about to attack. Don't they know that?"
Zhou Ping smiled wryly and said, "That's what I said too. Who would have thought that they would talk to themselves and say something like 'Our unit has its own military intelligence here'."
He Yunxiao tried hard to suppress his laughter.
Seeing this, Zhang Hu opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
"Lord He!" Ruobao's scout arrived with the brocade pouch in hand.
"Lord He, this is the brocade pouch that Ms. Fan gave you. She instructed you to open it in the order of red, green, and blue whenever you encounter difficulties."
He Yunxiao accepted the brocade pouch with a strange expression, as if he were Zhao Yun.
"Did she say what kind of situation would be considered difficult?" He Yunxiao asked the scout.
"Your Excellency, Mr. Fan did not say."
He Yunxiao waved his hand, indicating that the scout was alright.
The Black Tiger Stronghold's marching speed is currently slow, and it's unclear whether this constitutes a difficulty.
Before He Yunxiao could react, another scout came to report that this time they weren't looking for him, but for Zhang Hu.
"Chief! Something terrible has happened! The Yan army is less than thirty li away from us!"
"What!? Did you see their formation clearly?" Zhang Hu's expression changed.
"They were holding up black flags with the character 'Yan' on a black background, a huge, dark mass. As soon as I saw them, I rushed over to report!"
He Yunxiao encountered the Yan army once. The so-called "dark mass" probably refers to the Yan army's heavy armored cavalry, who were covered in thick black armor.
As the vanguard general of the Chu family army, Zhang Hu had fought against the Yan army many times, so he could naturally determine the Yan army's origin.
His face was grim as he said, "Understood. Zhou Ping, go and inform all the leaders again that the Yan army has arrived, and if they don't run, they will surely die!"
Zhou Ping: "Okay!"
Previously, the Black Tiger Stronghold's march was slow, and He Yunxiao thought that this might not necessarily be considered "difficult." But now that the Yan army was pursuing them from behind, this definitely counted as "difficult." It wasn't just "difficult," it was "life-threatening"!
Without saying a word, He Yunxiao quickly opened the first red brocade pouch of Ruobao.
Inside the brocade pouch was a note that read: "Those who gather in droves will die; those who scatter will live. The forest is not conducive to the cavalry's advance; the slower-moving groups can disperse into the forest and regroup at a later opportunity."
Time is life, so He Yunxiao handed the note to Zhang Hu without saying a word.
There were some things that the younger brothers couldn't say, so He Yunxiao said directly, "Uncle Zhang, let the brothers who are not obedient go. Black Tiger Stronghold is heading south, away from its original territory, and there won't be any supplies for a while. We can't support too many people."
Zhang Huyi said through gritted teeth, "Zhang Xiong! You stay here and lead the brothers to speed things up! I need to go check the back of the column myself. If anything unexpected happens, listen to He Yunxiao!"
"Big brother, I want to go with you!"
"Military orders are absolute and cannot be taken lightly. You go with He Yunxiao."
Given Zhang Xiong's size, it would be too much of a burden for the horse to ride a horse. He usually ran or rode in a chariot drawn by multiple horses.
Zhang Xiong turned his head to look at Zhang Hu's departing figure, then glanced at He Yunxiao on horseback.
"What kind of kung fu do you practice?" Zhang Xiong asked.
He Yunxiao scratched his head. "It's just ordinary internal martial arts."
"Then why are you stronger than me?"
Weren't you injured?
Zhang Xiong was speechless. He had indeed been injured by Han Yue, but even so, He Yunxiao shouldn't have been able to withstand it.
"Let's have a strength contest again after I recover from my injuries," Zhang Xiong said again.
Even Brother Chu can't compare... You think you can show off with me? Young man, don't you know who I am? Do you think I'd give you the chance to show off?
He Yunxiao decisively gave Zhang Xiong no chance to show off, saying, "I'm not competing anymore. You're better, I admit defeat."
Zhang Xiong: ...
After shaking off some of the disobedient minor leaders, the Black Tiger Stronghold's marching speed noticeably increased. However, two legs can't outrun four, and the distance between Black Tiger Stronghold and the Yan army continued to shrink.
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