On a hilltop sixty miles east of the capital, Lan Qiao, Feng Yeling, Yun He, Ling Yufei, Tang Li, Hua Feng and others stood side by side, looking through the hazy drizzle to the vastness of the mountain below.

River surface.

Countless giant ships plied between the north and south banks, ferrying New Army soldiers who looked like a swarm of ants from the north of the Yangtze River to the south of the Yangtze River.

Ling Yufei said in a deep voice: "Based on a rough estimate, the number of troops is around 100,000. I didn't expect Xu Huizu to expand his army so quickly."

Yun He, who was standing on the right side of Feng Yeling, shook his head and said: "It should be added to the 60,000 city guards from the capital. Xu Huizu's own new army is about 40,000. The two armies combined total 100,000."

Ling Yufei pointed at the troops gathered after disembarking from the ship in the distance, his face even darker than the sky at the moment: "Look at the direction they are moving, it seems they are not going to garrison the capital at all. How come they are still coming east and south?"

Lan Qiao sighed: "Xu Huizu's 100,000 troops came back to support him. If he only defended the city, wouldn't he be disgraced and openly admit that he had fallen into the trap?"

Feng Yeling's expression changed: "What do you mean, husband, if Xu Huizu doesn't defend the city, he is coming for us?"

Lan Qiao nodded: "If I were Xu Huizu, the best way to save the face of this battle would be to find our surprise attack team that is causing trouble in the rear, completely annihilate our army, and then capture some of our leaders alive.

, escorted to the capital, handed over to the emperor for disposal, and finally executed in public."

Ling Yufei smiled bitterly and said: "Now the three directions of east, west and north are blocked by Xu Huizu with heavy troops. We want to return to Huaibei to join the army. It is simply a fool's dream."

Everyone knew that what he said was true, and everyone felt heavy-hearted and felt that the road ahead was gloomy and difficult.

Only Lan Qiao's eyes flashed, looking at the mountains in the rain in the distance, wondering what he was thinking.

"If we form a formation in the mountains over there, how long can we sustain it with the 30,000 people we have?"

Everyone understood what he meant. Since this place was right on the edge of the capital, the enemy not only had access to waterways, he could easily mobilize a large number of troops, and he could also borrow war horses, food and grass from larger nearby prefectures and counties.

Xu Huizu had used these tactics as early as last year's Battle of Jiangbei.

Therefore, no matter which direction their surprise attack team fled, it would be easy for the enemy to intercept them on the way. Not to mention returning to Huaibei to join Zhu Di, it would also be difficult for them to cross the Yangtze River, which has flowed for thousands of years at the foot of the mountain.

In other words, Xu Huizu's army was like an iron wall that blocked their chance of escaping north. And in Jiangnan, a land firmly controlled by the imperial court, it was even more difficult for them to move. No matter which prefecture or county they fled to, they would inevitably end up with each other.

The local soldiers and horses fought.

As long as they were slowed down a little, Xu Huizu's army would arrive in an instant and crush them to pieces.

However, if you risk a battle on the spot and rely on some favorable terrain to hold on, although you will not be able to escape the fate of being annihilated in the end, you will die vigorously and you will not have to run around like a bereaved dog.

Of course, if they are lucky enough and can hold on long enough, once Zhu Di breaks through Sheng Yong's defense line from the front and reaches the coast of the Yangtze River, they still have a glimmer of hope and can hold on until the clouds clear and the moon shines.

Tieniu from the Huairou camp said dejectedly: "Our arrows are only enough for us to resist for two or three days, and our food and grass are...sigh."

His meaning was obvious. If they formed a camp and defended it, they could barely hold it for a few days. But if they wanted to hold out until Zhu Di's army moved south, their arrows, food and fodder would have been exhausted by then, and they would not have the capital to resist.

As the commander-in-chief, Lan Qiao knew that everyone had followed him to where he was today. He looked at Tieniu and said warmly: "Do you miss your little lady?"

Jueming was quite dissatisfied with Tieniu's words, and snorted: "If you don't have arrows, then you can cut wood and make arrows. If you lack food, then go hunting and fishing. If that doesn't work, you can peel off tree bark and dig for vegetable roots."

It should be possible to build a stronghold with tree trunks and set up many traps for ten and a half days."

Yun He sighed: "Actually, what I'm most worried about is morale. Since I know that I will die in the end, how many people can I guarantee that they won't have other ideas?"

Lan Qiao shook his head, suddenly raised his head and said with a smile: "What if we are not destined to die, but have great hope of survival?"

Everyone was stunned and didn't understand why he said this.

Ling Yufei said in surprise: "Continuing what you just said, if you want to find a place to hold on for more than twenty days or even longer, waiting for King Yan to rescue you, then the terrain of this place must be extremely special, and it will be difficult for the enemy to do so.

If we break in, we won't worry about being trapped."

"It's such a treasure." Lan Qiao said with more confidence, holding Feng Yeling's hand, staring at the mountainous area in the distance with burning eyes, "This time, I will take you home alive and live in peace with you."

Looking forward to getting together with your sweethearts."

Yunhe asked curiously: "Could it be that Huaiyuan has a special understanding of the terrain in the Jiangnan area? Is there really such a good place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack?"

Lan Qiao said confidently: "In the lofty mountains hundreds of miles south of the capital, due to a landslide in the early years of Hongwu, the rocks slid and blocked the river channel, making it difficult for the river to flow out. An extremely open lake was formed in the mountains. The locals called it Wan

Stone Lake.”

"More than ten years ago, when I was traveling around the world, I went there once. There was a green forest cottage, and the location was very unique. It took several years and many twists and turns for the officers and soldiers to finally destroy the cottage."

Only now did Tieniu, Yunhe and others realize that Lan Qiao was not talking nonsense. They all had hope and asked questions one after another. Only Jueming rolled his eyes, as if he didn't care about everything.

Lan Qiao continued to explain: "The village is built along the lake. It is adjacent to Wanshi Lake in the south and is protected by two extremely steep rocky mountains on the left and right. Langshan in the east and Xuanshan in the west. The two mountains

A lake surrounds a hollow hinterland, with only a narrow mountain pass to the north between the two mountains."

"Because the connection between the two mountains looks like an upside-down crescent moon on the horizon, this place is also called Crescent Moon Bay. The mountain pass between Langshan and Xuanshan Mountains is the only way in and out of Crescent Moon Bay. We only need deep trenches and high barriers.

Defend this mountain pass, it will not be easy for Xu Huizu to attack."

"There are rocky mountains on both sides of the east and west. Not only are the cliffs steep, but there are also very few vegetation, making it difficult to attack with fire. Wanshi Lake has ensured water sources and food such as fish and shrimp for us. The area close to Crescent Moon Bay is densely covered with reefs, and the lake water is clear and shallow.

, so that the enemy cannot attack on a large scale by boat."

"Such a treasured place made in heaven, let alone twenty or thirty days, even if it lasts for two more months, I am confident." Lan Qiao concluded.
Chapter completed!