When Liu Xiu heard that his second brother's family had also been killed, he vomited blood again. Liu Boji cried until she almost fainted. She asked Liu Yan with tears streaming down her face: "Brother, why did we lose? Why did we lose so miserably?"
Liu Yan couldn't answer, and most of the people in Zhu Tiandu's department couldn't answer this question. They also had the same question in their hearts, yes, why did our side lose? And why did it lose so miserably?
Liu Xiu can answer this question.
The ambush of our capital army this time must have been at least 100,000. However, when did so many capital troops leave the capital, when did they enter Nanyang, and when did they set up an ambush in Xiao Chang'an? I didn't know anything about it, and I didn't hear anything about it.
The 100,000-strong capital army seemed to have wings on its back, gathered in Little Chang'an and descended from the sky.
As the art of war goes, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. The problem now is that Zhu Tiandu Department neither knows itself nor knows its enemy.
Ever since Zhu Tiandu's troops rebelled against Mang, they have won successive battles and were unstoppable. They first captured Caiyang and then Xinye. No matter whether they were big or small battles, they were fought smoothly, and they didn't know what defeat was.
Under such circumstances, the general mentality of underestimating the enemy naturally developed in the Zhutian Army. This was because they did not know themselves.
On the other hand, the Zhu Tiandu Department did not have a complete intelligence system at all. It was completely blind to the movements of the Xinmang court and the Nanyang County government and knew nothing.
Zhu Tiandu's side was completely unaware of the sudden movement of the 100,000-strong army of the Xinmang imperial court. Such a big event was simply unbelievable.
Knowing neither oneself nor the enemy, this was the main reason for the defeat of the Zhu Tiandu tribe.
As for why it failed so miserably, the main reason lies in the lack of cohesion and centripetal force.
Suddenly encountering an unexpected incident, the soldiers of Zhu Tiandu Department fought independently and did not stick together at all. The first thing people thought of was self-protection. They all thought of taking their families to escape from the tiger's mouth first, and they never thought of using their own strength. Gather together and fight against the ambush. The Zhutian Army totals nearly 30,000 people. If they can really stick together, even if they are defeated by 100,000 capital troops, the casualties will not be as heavy as they are now, and the defeat will be so miserable.
It can be said that the Battle of Little Chang'an Ju brought out various problems of the Zhu Tiandu Department. It was a complete defeat, their vitality was severely damaged, and almost the entire army was wiped out. It is not difficult to understand.
This battle was a huge blow to Liu Xiu. Within one day, he lost his second sister, second brother, and two close relatives. But at the same time, this battle also left a deep impression on Liu Xiu. , gave him a vivid and brutal military teaching lesson.
The remnants of the Zhutian Army who were defeated and retreated to Jiyang felt like they were mourning for their heirs, and their morale had dropped to the extreme.
Inside Jiyang City, the barracks and the commander's tent.
Liu Yanzai, Liu Ji, Liu Jia, Deng Fengzai, Deng Yu, Ma Wu, Yao Qi, Feng Yi and others were also there. Even Liu Xiu, who was covered in wounds and in grief, was sitting in the tent.
After experiencing the disastrous defeat of Xiao Chang'an Ju, where should we go? This is the question they are facing directly now.
There was no sound in the huge handsome tent, you could hear a pin drop, and everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.
It was Liu Xiu's cough that broke the silence. He took out his handkerchief and covered his mouth.
Xu Xiling hurriedly took out the medicine bottle, poured out a pill, and handed it to Liu Xiu. This was the tonic that Xi Cheying left for her before leaving. It was very effective in treating internal injuries.
Liu Xiu took the elixir without looking at it, put it into his mouth and swallowed it. Then he folded the handkerchief and put it into his sleeve. Others may not have noticed, but Xu Xiling, who was right next to him, could see clearly. The handkerchief was covered in blood.
Xu Xiling lowered her head, biting her lips tightly. Water droplets dripped from her face, making her clothes wet.
At this moment, someone outside the camp said: "General!"
"Come in!" Following Liu Yan's words, a soldier came in from outside. He stepped in and saluted Liu Yan, and whispered: "General, Liu... Liu Yong died of serious injuries. He died... died."
After hearing this, everyone present raised their heads and stared blankly at the soldier who reported the news. After a while, no one knew who choked up first. Soon, the sounds of crying were heard in the camp.
Liu Yong was not a very good person. He was usually arrogant and lax in his discipline of his children. His adopted son Liu Jin was always causing trouble. Among the Liu family members, Liu Yong's reputation was also very average.
It's just that too many people died today. There were dozens of Liu clan members alone. Those who could escape had experienced nine deaths. Liu Yong's serious injuries and death made everyone present unable to bear any more grief. , cried out one after another. Even Liu Xiu, who was at odds with Liu Yong, had red eyes and tears streaming down his face.
Liu Yan took a deep breath, waved to the soldiers who reported the news, and said in a hoarse voice: "I understand, go down."
The soldiers bowed and bowed, then quietly left the camp.
Liu Yan looked around at everyone present, clenching his fists tightly and digging his nails into the flesh of his palms.
Others can cry, but he cannot cry. No matter how sad and painful he is, he has to grit his teeth and hold on.
He is the coach of the entire army, and his every move directly affects everyone in the army. Even if the sky falls, he has to stand there and hold it back. This is the responsibility of a coach.
He cheered up and asked: "A hundred thousand troops from the capital have entered Nanyang and are now eyeing our troops. How do you think our troops will respond next?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from outside again: "Report! General!"
"Come in!"
A soldier hurried in from outside, stepped in and saluted Liu Yan, and said: "General, Magistrate Yan wants to see you!"
Everyone present was stunned at first, but soon everyone's eyes lit up. Yan Guang! Yan Guang is here! Liu Yan also had a look of surprise on his face and said hurriedly: "Please come quickly!"
At this time, Liu Yan had completely forgotten that he almost killed Yan Guang in Xinye.
After a while, following a series of footsteps, Yan Guang hurriedly walked into the camp.
He first bowed his hands to Liu Yan and saluted, and said: "General!" Then, he turned to look at Liu Xiu, and when he saw Liu Xiu's appearance clearly, he couldn't help but frown secretly.
At this time, Liu Xiu was too haggard, his face was no longer pale, but blue, his lips were gray, his hair was messy, and there were mud and blood stains on his face.
If he met her while walking on the street, he might not be able to recognize Liu Xiu.
After being stunned for a moment, he saluted Liu Xiushen and said, "My lord, Ziling is late!"
Liu Xiu was not a crybaby, but when he saw Yan Guang, he couldn't stop crying.
Yan Guang and Liu Xiu have known each other for such a long time, and they have never seen him shed tears once. Even when he was bullied by the nobles when he was in Imperial College, Liu Xiu just laughed it off.
Seeing him like this, Yan Guang was heartbroken and blamed himself endlessly.
He looked at Liu Yan and asked bluntly: "General, how many troops do we still have in our army?"
Liu Yan lowered his eyes and said in a low voice: "Three thousand."
Three thousand... Yan Guang was silent for a moment and then asked: "Where does the general plan to go?"
Liu Yan was silent. Yan Guang didn't speak any more, quietly waiting for Liu Yan's answer. I don't know how long it took, but Liu Yan raised his head, looked at Yan Guang, and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Yan?"
Yan Guang and Liu Yan looked at each other for a moment and said seriously: "First, quickly recover all our troops stationed in various counties..."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Ji stood up and said urgently: "How can that be done? Withdrawing the troops from the counties is equivalent to giving up the counties. We defeated these towns one by one!"
"General Ji thinks that with the current strength of both our enemies and ours, we can still defend these towns? If we don't withdraw the garrison from each county, we will only be defeated one by one by the officers and soldiers!"
"But……"
Liu Ji was unconvinced and wanted to argue. Liu Yan waved his hand to him to signal him not to say anything. He asked: "Mr. Yan, what's the second one?"
Yan Guang said categorically: "Send people immediately to Pinglin and Xinshi to form an alliance with the Green Forest Army!"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of everyone present changed. In the Zhutian Capital Department, forming an alliance with the Green Forest Army has become a taboo topic.
The last time Yan Guang said this in front of Liu Yan, he was almost killed by Liu Yan. Now that he has proposed an alliance with the Green Forest Army again, many people are secretly sweating for Yan Guang.
Liu Yan looked at Yan Guang intently, clenching and unclenching his fists, clenching them again, and unclenching them again several times.
I don't know how long it took, but Liu Yan asked quietly: "Mr. Yan, except for forming an alliance with the Green Forest Army, do we have no other choice?"
Yan Guang said: "General, forming an alliance with the Green Forest Army is the only way out for our army at present."
Liu Yan slowly closed his eyes and murmured: "It's too late."
Before experiencing today's defeat, Zhu Tiandu's tribe still had the capital to negotiate an alliance with the Green Forest Army. After all, they had nearly 30,000 people, and there were many fierce generals in the army. They were fully capable of being on an equal footing with the Green Forest Army.
But now, with only 3,000 people left, how can they still be qualified to negotiate an alliance with the Green Forest Army? If they go to negotiate with the Green Forest Army now, they can only talk about defecting or being merged by the Green Forest Army.
That's why Liu Yan said the word "too late" out of emotion.
Yan Guang said: "General, we have to do this no matter how late it is! If we want to compete with the Mang Army and continue to survive, forming an alliance with the Green Forest Army is our only way out and the last way out!"
Liu Yan couldn't help but look up to the sky and let out a long sigh. After a long silence, he slowly opened his mouth and asked, "Who would like to go to Pinglin and Xinshi?"
Hearing this, everyone present looked at each other in shock. It seems that the general has given in now and is really going to join the Green Forest Army.
The scene was silent. After a while, Liu Jia stood up, raised his hands and said: "General, I would like to go to Pinglin and Xinshi to discuss the alliance between the two armies with the Green Forest Army!"
Seeing Liu Jia's eyes red and asking for help, Liu Yan felt sad and said in a trembling voice: "Filial grandson..."
In today's battle, Liu Jia's situation was even worse than that of Deng Chen. Not only was his wife killed, but his children were also killed. Deng Chen at least survived two sons, while Liu Jia's entire family was finally He was really the only one left alive.
