Everyone was taken aback at first, but quickly realized that they were using these women to obstruct the Jin men and buy time for their escape. Thinking that they might be able to escape alive, they could not help but reveal a look of joy.
If these were ordinary Han women, Guo Jing would never have given such an order. Perhaps, with his benevolent nature, he might even bring these women back to the south. However, these Han women were the wives and daughters of the Jin soldiers and it was inconvenient to bring them along. If they were to stay, they would not have to worry about being defiled by the ferocious Jin soldiers behind them. After all, they were the wives and daughters of their comrades.
Just as Song Qingshu was hesitating on how to save Guo Jing, a whistle was suddenly heard from the military camp. Noticing the unusual movements in the Song camp, the high-ranking officers of the Jin Kingdom gathered urgently. Fu San Zhongyi looked towards the direction of the valley and his expression changed, "Oh no, they're trying to escape through the night!" Having said that, he did not have time to explain to Tang Kuo. He hastily mobilized his troops and chased after them.
Song QingShu and Taj-tish looked at each other, then hastily mounted their horses and followed. When they arrived at the Song army camp, they discovered that it was bustling with noise. They hastily summoned San Zhongyi and inquired about it.
"Don't mention it, they're the wives and daughters of the Xuzhou soldiers." Fu San Zhongyi snorted resentfully, "They were previously kidnapped by the Song people and now they're deliberately abandoning them here to delay us."
As he spoke, he suddenly laughed coldly, "I've heard rumors in the Jianghu. What chivalrous men? Bah!"
Song Qingshu furrowed his brows. He could understand Fu San Zhongyi's anger. After all, anyone would be enraged to learn that the wives and daughters of their comrades were being defiled by the enemy. However, the only thing that he could not understand was that Guo Jing was obviously not that kind of person. Yet, the women before him were the truth.
Fu San Zhongyi explained for a while before hurriedly leaving to deal with the messy matters. After all, these women were the family members of the soldiers. If they were not properly arranged, it would disappoint them.
"They're really going to fight to the death." Taj-tish approached Song Qingshu and whispered.
"Yes, I can only hope that they can take advantage of this time to escape." Song QingShu smiled wryly. Guo Jing's move was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it could indeed delay the pursuers, but on the other hand, it had also completely aroused the hatred of the Jin soldiers. If it was said that before, it was just these high-ranking officials who wanted to kill Guo Jing as soon as possible. Now, it was all the Jin soldiers who wanted his life.
Fu San Zhongyi finally sorted out the messy scene. He specially left a troop to protect and settle the women before, then hurriedly led the troops to continue their pursuit towards the south.
After all, they were now in the territory of the Jin Kingdom. Although the Loyal Army was not as agile as Guo Jing's troops, Guo Jing could mobilize the forces along the way to continuously block the enemy. Therefore, although Guo Jing bought some time with the help of the women, he still could not shake off the pursuers.
However, he was not too worried, because, as, they had it, by. by Ling, by by, by Ling Zhongyi and Jin were by Chen. The soldiers under him were also excited. After all, they had been fooling the Jin along the way and had enjoyed the wives and daughters of the Jin soldiers. It was enough for them, who had been oppressed by the Jin for a long time, to hold their heads high.
When they could vaguely see the walls of Ling Fu Chen, they were about to cheer when Guo Jing's expression suddenly changed. He noticed that there was no signal flag erected at the top of the wall. He hurriedly raised his hand to stop the troops.
"What's wrong, Commander Guo?" A soldier asked in confusion. After all, they were about to return home, and everyone was burning with anxiety.
"Something's wrong …" Guo Jing told everyone his discovery. The soldiers also realized the danger.
"It can't be. Martial Sage Chen Xiaoqing led the army here to cover the retreat. It's only been a few days. How could it fall so quickly?" a deputy general said in disbelief.
"That's hard to say. Didn't the army of a hundred thousand at Su Zhou City be destroyed in an instant?" Another deputy general snorted coldly. He was obviously very angry at Li Ruyi's defeat, not to mention that he had directly put them in danger.
"This is different." Guo Jing shook his head and said, "General Li was on the offensive. Although I don't want to admit it, the imperial court has never been good at attacking. General Chen was on the defensive at Ling Fu Chen, and the imperial court is best at defense. The Jin army could not have broken through so quickly, unless …"
"Unless what?" the soldier beside him asked anxiously.
Guo Jing thought of Song Qingshu's warning and could not help but have a guess. Unless Chen Xiaoqing did not stay behind to cover the retreat as agreed, but retreated early.
"Wait here for a moment. Do not dismount from your horses. Be on standby. I'll go and see what's going on." Guo Jing did not tell them his guess. He was worried that these people would break down if they knew that they had been abandoned.
Although he did not say anything, a shadow still shrouded the hearts of the group. They all looked at his figure with solemn expressions.
Guo Jing rode his horse to the bottom of the city gate. He circulated his internal Qi and asked, "Is General Chen here?"
The soldier on the wall popped his head out and asked, "Is that Commander Guo down there?"
Guo Jing was shocked and asked in a low voice, "Where is General Chen Xiaoqing?"
"The general is resting in the city," the soldier answered casually. "I'll ask them to open the gate and let the general in."
Looking at the slowly opening gate, Guo Jing did not go in. Instead, he stopped his horse and pondered. Suddenly, he asked, "Where is General Wu who is guarding the gate? Why don't I see him?"
The soldier was startled and answered subconsciously, "General Wu is patrolling nearby. I'll call him over immediately."
Unexpectedly, Guo Jing's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly rode back and gestured to his subordinates to escape as soon as possible.
Although Guo Jing was known for his slow-wittedness, he was not stupid. Otherwise, he would not have been able to practice such profound martial arts. Especially on the battlefield, he had extraordinary intuition. He had keenly sensed that something was wrong and purposely spoke to test the waters.
It was indeed possible that Chen Xiaoqing was resting in the city, but the city gate was of utmost importance. He would definitely send his most trusted generals to guard it, and he had met all of Chen Xiaoqing's trusted generals before. There was no General Wu. Not to mention that there was no General Wu by Chen Xiaoqing's side, there was no General Wu in this military operation!
Because of Wu Xi's unusual attitude in Sichuan, in order to avoid affecting the Jianghuai side, no General Wu was brought with him!
He had purposely tested the other side. If the other side was really the Song army, they would naturally give the correct answer. However, the other side followed his words and said that there was no General Wu!
This proved that the people in the city were not the Song army but the Jin people in disguise. Naturally, they did not know that there was no General Wu in the Northern Expedition Army. Looking at their posture, they most likely wanted to trick Guo Jing into the city and catch him.
Along the way, the people had already regarded Guo Jing as a god. Although they were puzzled by his warning, they still subconsciously began to retreat. When Guo Jing caught up, the soldiers were about to ask what was going on when the gate of Lingbi City opened and a group of people and horses rushed out. It was the cavalry of the Jin Kingdom. In this case, there was no need to explain anything!
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