Nan Yanxi frowned slightly and paced back and forth beside the sand table.
Seeing this, Xiao Li said to Nan Yanxi with some worry: "Husband, if he escapes into the Qinglian Mountains, there will be trouble."
"The Qinglian Mountains are too big. After Xiang Yang leads the remaining troops to enter, Lizhou, Jingzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Tanzhou, including the two new cities in the Qinglian Mountains, may be affected."
"There are not many defenders in our states right now. If we are not prepared, we may be in danger."
"Hmm... not bad..." Nan Yanxi sighed solemnly and said slowly: "Actually, it's not a big problem."
"Xiang Yang only has 30,000 to 40,000 remaining defeated troops. It is estimated that even food and grass will be a problem. They should not flee to other states."
"The most likely ones at present are the newly established cities of Qinglian County and Hulan County. Since they are newly built, the defenses of these two cities are not perfect."
"The most important thing is that there are not many defenders there... only 20,000 people, and they are not combat troops."
"Then what should we do, husband?" The three girls suddenly became worried: "If this is the case, then Senior Nangong and Miss Hua will be in danger."
After looking at the sand table and thinking for a moment, Nan Yanxi immediately made the decision: "The original plan on the western front remains unchanged. On the southern front, let Su Rile continue to pursue them and stick to them."
"Send out 10,000 troops. I will lead them and immediately go into the mountains for support. Notify surrounding states and counties to take precautions and be vigilant!"
"This time, Xiang Yang must be completely eliminated within the 800-mile Qinglian Mountains!"
"yes!"
That night, Nan Yanxi gathered 10,000 lightly-armed elites and set off towards the Qinglian Mountains.
Fortunately, the military camp where they were located happened to be adjacent to the Qinglian Mountain Range, so the 10,000 troops led by Nan Yanxi easily entered the mountain range.
At the same time, communication scout horses were sent out to inform Nangong Wenjian and his wife, who were still living a small life in the Qinglian Mountains, to be more vigilant.
...
The defeated generals who led the remnants of the army dived into the dense Qinglian Mountains like headless flies, and then managed to escape the pursuit of the Ming army's cavalry.
Before they had time to take a breath, the infantry of the Ming army chased them in an organized manner, intent on encircling them.
Reluctantly, Xiang Yang had no choice but to lead the remaining soldiers deeper into the mountain and march with difficulty through the impenetrable mountains and forests, even the direction was somewhat unclear.
Nan Yanxi and others have been developing the Qinglian Mountains for a year, but how can this vast 800-mile virgin forest be so easy to develop?
It took a whole year and countless manpower, but less than one-fifth was developed.
Most other places are still dense virgin forests, the kind of primitive forests that can be lost even if you hold a map for hundreds of thousands of years.
Xiang Yang and others entered rashly, unable to keep up with the medical logistics and food supplies, and they did not even have maps or guides.
After only entering the mountains for three days, the troops lost more than a thousand people because of these things, and the number of stragglers and missing people was incalculable.
With the support of the soldiers, Xiang Yang walked with difficulty, one foot deep and one foot shallow, half-leg high in the rotting leaves.
I gradually began to have doubts about my previous decision. Could it be that I had really ignored it wrong?
Just when he was doubting, the scout scouting the way in front suddenly ran back.
He excitedly rushed to Xiang Yang, bowed his head, and said excitedly: "Young Master... congratulations, Young Master... there is something going on ahead... ahead!"
"Huh?" Hearing this, Xiang Yang and the generals around him looked at each other and couldn't help but ask: "Why are you panicking! What's going on?"
"The road ahead...is a flat road!" The scout was trembling with excitement.
Because the front is flat, it means Xiang Yang's guess is correct, and it means everyone can escape!
After hearing what he said, everyone suddenly became ecstatic.
Xiang Yang, in particular, was extremely excited and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
It was as if he had put his wealth, life and financial resources on the line and made a huge gamble, and now, he made the right bet!
"Quick... take me to see it quickly!"
Xiang Yang asked the scout extremely excitedly: "Where is it? Where is it?"
"Yes! Young Master!" The scout hurriedly agreed, got up and led Xiang Yang and the generals towards the front.
After walking about two miles, there were dozens of scouts lurking ahead.
Seeing Xiang Yang coming, they all saluted, but none of them said anything and kept absolutely quiet.
The scout who reported the news stepped forward to lead the way, quietly leading Xiang Yang behind a dense bush, and stretched out his hand to signal him to come forward.
Seeing this, Xiang Yang carefully took two steps forward and gently peeled off the branches in front, giving a panoramic view of the situation ahead.
I saw that behind the dense bushes, there was a not too high downhill slope, which seemed to be more than ten feet tall.
Below is a flat path. Although it is not wide, it can walk two carriages side by side without any problem, and it is very flat.
At this time, because it was approaching dusk, there were no pedestrians on the road, but judging from the flatness, there must be people walking and driving over it.
Xiang Yang looked at the scene below excitedly, lowered his voice and whispered: "Everyone...it seems that my guess is correct."
"That cunning Nan Yanxi must have dug through the Qinglian Mountains!"
"We have walked for so many days and now we realize that it is probably because the Qinglian Mountain Range is too vast and they haven't finished developing it for a while!"
"Yes, the young master is indeed wise!" A lieutenant next to him said in a low voice, complimenting him.
"Then... now that we have discovered it, what should we do next? The pursuers behind us are getting closer and closer!"
Hearing this, Xiang Yang sneered: "Don't worry, they won't be able to catch up in two or three days!"
After pondering for a moment, he gave another order: "Send out manpower and gather as many troops as possible. Let's make a decision later!"
"Yes, young master!" the scouts agreed, and just as they were about to take action, the deputy general beside them suddenly shouted in a low voice: "Be careful! Someone is coming!"
Everyone suddenly became excited and hid themselves.
Looking through the layers of leaves, I saw a group of patrolling cavalry walking slowly from the end of the mountain road.
Judging from the armor, it is undoubtedly the dress of the Ming army.
At this time, there were not many soldiers around Xiangxiang, so everyone lay on the slope and did not dare to move.
It wasn't until the group of cavalry slowly walked by that Xiang Yang slowly raised his head.
At first, he breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly he became confused: "That's not right... Why are there patrols in this deep mountain and old forest?"
"Even if Nan Yanxi builds a road in this mountain range, he won't have to send troops to guard it, right?"
"Could it be that...this kid has hidden a lot of troops in the Qinglian Mountains, which is 800 miles away and is uninhabited?"
"Young Master! It's very possible!" After hearing Xiang Yang's mutterings, a leader of the soldiers beside him suddenly opened his mouth and agreed.