Yang Feng had just taken a few steps when he felt dizzy. He had no choice but to take the stick handed to him by his personal guard and staggered towards Zhang Yan's tent.
As soon as she entered the tent, Zhang Yan stood up to greet her, "Captain, you have worked hard today. If it weren't for your help, the camp would have been attacked by the Jizhou army long ago."
Yang Feng had heard on the way that the Jizhou army had occupied the key point of the mountain, and asked, "Does the Zhonglang General want me to take back the mountain overnight?"
Zhang Yan heard this and shook his head, saying, "Even if we take it back tonight, we won't be able to hold it tomorrow."
"I came here to discuss with the captain. The Black Mountain Army is no longer able to withstand the offensive of the Jizhou Army. I want to retreat to the heart of Black Mountain early tomorrow morning, then abandon Black Mountain and look for a way out."
Yang Feng felt bitter after hearing this. She felt bad to give up the place she had run for more than ten years. However, she also understood that her personal guards had been exhausted, and the Black Mountain Army had suffered heavy casualties. If she stayed here, she would just be waiting to die.
She said slowly: "Even if we flee to Montenegro, where can we go?"
Zhang Yan said, "I am a General of the Central Army appointed by the Han court. Now the emperor is eager for all forces to surrender. I decided to take the remaining troops to Huaicheng, meet the emperor, and submit to the Han court in the name of the Black Mountain Army."
Yang Feng heard this and showed a trace of disgust on his face. "Back then, we surrendered to the Han court as a temporary solution. Now that the Han court is declining, do we really need to follow them to our deaths?"
"The Heaven has long been dead, and the immoral Han Dynasty has no need to exist anymore!"
Zhang Yan thought that this woman was really stubborn. If she didn't surrender to the emperor, would she stay here and wait for death?
What Zhang Yan couldn't say openly was that although he appeared to be submitting to the Emperor, he was actually secretly submitting to Cao Cao!
Cao Cao promised Zhang Yan very generous conditions, and what Zhang Yan had to do was to gain the emperor's trust, take the remaining Black Mountain Army to garrison Huaicheng, and help Cao Cao secretly deal with Lu Bu and other forces!
But Zhang Yan did not say these words to Yang Feng, because Zhang Yan did not want to share the benefits equally with Yang Feng. After all, the other party had a very high status in Taiping Dao. What if he was overwhelmed by Yang Feng in the future?
Moreover, the intention of Zhong Yao sent by Cao Cao was very clear, which was to give up Yang Feng!
In fact, Zhang Yan didn't know Yang Feng's attitude towards Cao Cao at this time. If he knew, he might have taken a different approach.
On that day, Yang Chou was ordered by Cao Cao to establish contact with Heishan. One line was Yang Feng and the other was Zhang Yan.
It has to be said that Yang Chou did a very good job. Not only did he connect the Black Mountain Army and Cao Cao, he also convinced Yang Feng that Cao Cao was the most suitable successor to the Taiping Dao.
But this matter did not reach Cao Cao's ears in time, as Yang Chou was shot to death by Yuan Xi.
As a result, the relationship established through Yang Chou was broken. Neither Cao Cao nor Zhang Yan knew that Yang Feng was actually somewhat biased towards Cao Cao.
What Zhang Yan would never let Yang Feng and Cao Cao know is that he actually accepted benefits from Yuan Xi!
The other party has only one request, and that is Yang Feng!
Zhang Yan would naturally not refuse such a good thing that could kill two birds with one stone. With this in mind, he said, "If the captain does not want to go to Anyi, we can discuss it in the long run."
"But there aren't that many options left."
"Are we going to join the Southern Xiongnu?"
"Excuse me for being blunt, but this is not a good way to retreat. The Hetao Plain is defenseless, and the elevation difference on both sides of the Yellow River is huge. It is not easy to cross the Yellow River and enter Bingzhou. If we are caught up by the Jizhou army, we will not be able to escape."
Yang Feng was silent for a moment, then said, "How about going to Liangzhou?"
"I heard that the army of Li Jue and Guo Si has been defeated, Li Jue has been killed, and Duan Wei is pursuing Guo Si. Now the power of Liang Province is empty, and only Ma Teng and Han Sui of Xiliang still have strength."
"If the Black Mountain Army can pass through the passages between Bingzhou and Sili, they can at least gain a foothold in the eastern part of Liangzhou."
"Besides, the Yang family and the Fufeng Ma family are related by marriage. I don't think Ma Teng will make things difficult for the Black Mountain Army."
Zhang Yan was a little moved when she heard this, and said, "That's a good idea."
"Since the captain has an idea, let's break out together tomorrow, go west through the Black Mountain, enter Bingzhou, and if there is no enemy blocking us, we will go to Liangzhou."
After hearing this, Yang Feng felt relieved and bowed, "General Zhonglang is wise."
Zhang Yan said, "In that case, Captain, please go back and recuperate, and then we can break out tomorrow."
Yang Feng also felt exhausted, so he nodded in agreement, left the tent with the help of his stick, and went back to rest.
Not long after Yang Feng left, Zhong Yao came out from behind the tent and said with a gloomy face, "Is the Zhonglang Jiang really going to Liangzhou?"
"Ma Teng and Han Sui are both ferocious and fierce men. General, do you really think you can stand firm with these two hungry wolves surrounding you?"
Zhang Yan smiled bitterly and said, "I just want to calm her down first. Captain Yang has always been very opinionated. She is very opposed to going to Anyi. If I tell her clearly, she will definitely oppose it. I am afraid it will ruin the envoy's plan."
Zhong Yao listened and nodded with satisfaction. "It's good that the general understands the situation. Yang Feng is stubborn and has been spreading rumors to confuse the people in the Taiping Dao, affecting the general's affairs. There is no need to keep her."
"Let him cover us tomorrow, kill with a borrowed knife, and put an end to it all."
Zhang Yan felt guilty after hearing this, but he knew that the Black Mountain Army was doomed and he had no other choice. He sighed and said dejectedly, "I'll leave it to the Minister to arrange."
Yang Feng returned to the tent and sat cross-legged for a long time to calm her turbulent blood. Her new and old injuries had already made her lose her previous courage. She didn't even hear Zhong Yao's breathing while he was hiding behind the tent, otherwise she would have been more or less alert.
She thought it over again and again, and felt that although they might be pursued when they retreated tomorrow, the Black Mountains were all dense forests, and it should not be difficult for most people to escape. Only then did she feel relieved and fell into a deep sleep.
At three o'clock in the morning, with a bright moon in the sky, on the dangerous slope north of the Black Mountain Army camp, teams of soldiers were crawling up the steep slope with sticks in their mouths and ropes in their hands.
Lu Lingqi followed Yuan Xi and fell several times. If it weren't for the rope, she would have rolled down the hillside.
She had not received the cross-country training like the soldiers under Yuan Xi, so she was not used to this kind of nighttime mountain climbing. She almost fell on her head at the beginning, but she was very intelligent and was able to keep up with Yuan Xi's pace gradually.
She murmured in her heart that her husband really did not play by the rules. He clearly said during the day that the general attack would be launched tomorrow, but secretly gave orders to march to the northern rear of the Black Mountain Army in the dark, and as soon as the day broke, the entire army would rush out to cut off the Black Mountain Army's retreat!
Guo Jia and Ju Su had predicted that the Black Mountain Army might escape, but if the other side left an army to guard the pass tomorrow, Yuan Shang would break in from the front and Yuan Xi would not be able to gain any benefit from the back.
If this is the case, it would be better to cross the mountain at night and cut off part of the enemy's escape route. In this way, whether the enemy general is captured or surrendered, Yuan Shang will have nothing to say. Afterwards, Yuan Xi can use the Black Mountain surrendered army to negotiate with the Han court.
The first few soldiers were all the most elite guards under Yuan Xi. These people were agile, with a bundle of ropes hanging on their backs. They used their hands and feet to grab the weeds and tree roots on the hillside, and climbed up carefully by crouching down.
Every ten feet or so, they stopped, pulled out an iron spike from their waist and inserted it into the soil, then picked up a wooden hammer wrapped in layers of linen and hammered on the bottom of the iron spike until it was deeply driven into the soil. Finally, they looped the rope through the ring at the bottom of the iron spike, and a rope bridge was completed for the people behind to hold on to.
Lu Lingqi held a walnut in her mouth and thought that Yuan Xi was indeed lustful and had many creative ideas during marches and battles. But what she didn't understand was why other soldiers held wooden sticks in their mouths while she held a walnut in her mouth?
When she asked Yuan Xi, he was hesitant and just said that men and women were different.
Lu Lingqi was furious. Seeing the guilty look on the other party's face, she knew there must be something fishy going on!
Don't let me catch you, or you'll be in trouble!
Suddenly, Yang Feng was awakened by a rapid shout. She turned over and sat up, and found that it was still dark outside. She had not taken off her armor to rest, so she hurriedly got up and walked out of the tent. Seeing soldiers running around in panic, she grabbed a passing soldier and said, "What happened?"
When the soldier saw that it was Yang Feng, he quickly replied, "The enemy is coming!"
"Many enemies appeared on the mountain road behind us. Our people just saw them!"
"Our retreat has been cut off!"
After hearing this, Yang Feng's face darkened. She found a high place and looked back. She saw that there seemed to be a lot of people deploying defenses on the hill behind the north. Judging from their uniforms and flags, they were the Youzhou Army!
She thought to herself that the Youzhou army was really lingering, how did they get around?
The position occupied by the enemy is very cunning, stuck in the center of the rear side of the Black Mountain camp. There are still about 20,000 people in the Black Mountain camp. If they attack with all their strength, the Youzhou army will definitely not be able to resist. But the key is that in front of the camp, there is the Jizhou army!
As a result, the Montenegrin Army was caught in a dilemma, and they were afraid that their camp would be blown up!
Moreover, Zhang Yan and most of the leaders were in the camp in front, so they would definitely respond immediately. Sure enough, someone came soon and asked Yang Feng to go over.
When Yang Feng arrived, all the leaders in Zhang Yan's tent had already arrived, including Lei Gong, Guo Daxian, Luo Shi and others, all of them had solemn expressions.
Zhang Yan saw Yang Feng coming in and said, "Commander Yang is here. We must break out immediately and retreat to the west!"
"The Jizhou Army seems to have not taken action yet. If they take the opportunity to storm our front gate, most of us will be unable to leave!"
Everyone had no objection at the moment. Zhang Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "How about Commander Yang take Guo Daxian and Luo Shi to cover the rear?"
"We'll meet at the Black Mountain Pass then!"
Yang Feng listened and nodded, "Yes."
Hearing this arrangement, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, because among all the Black Mountain generals, Zhang Yan and Yang Feng were the best in martial arts.
Zhang Yan is good at horse fighting, and Yang Feng is good at foot fighting. Now the mountain roads are steep and the cavalry cannot be fully deployed, so Zhang Yan's arrangement is reasonable.
But everyone didn't know that Yang Feng's strength had actually been greatly damaged a long time ago. Zhang Yan, the only one who knew about the situation, had a look of guilt in his eyes.
Faced with the choice between preserving the Black Mountain Army and Yang Feng, he chose the former.
After everyone had dispersed, Zhong Yao ran in in a panic, "General, shall we go?"
"That fierce tiger from the Yuan family has always been at odds with me. If he sees me, I'm afraid he will take revenge on me. I'm afraid my life will be in danger!"
"General, you must take me out!"
Zhang Yan showed a trace of disgust on his face and said, "Don't worry, Minister Zhong. Black Mountain is so big that we will be able to retreat safely."
In the Jizhou military camp, Yuan Shang looked grim, as if he had eaten shit. He said to the generals he had urgently summoned, "That insidious and cunning Yuan Xi actually took the initiative!"
"He's occupying the Black Mountain Army's retreat route. Isn't this just eating alone?"
"The whole army is charging now. We can't leave him any credit!"
After hearing this, all the generals responded with orders, and the soldiers rushed down the mountain like a tide.
The final battle of Montenegro has thus begun.