Traveling through time and space and becoming a deposed prince, he just wants to survive!

Chapter 464 Breakout to the South

Wang Biqing and Ren Chaohui had originally followed the established plan and had no intention of blocking Xiahou Geri's 30,000 troops in the valley.

After all, they knew very well that the enemy's strength should not be underestimated, and the subsequent situation of the enemy was unclear.

At this time, the valley was filled with smoke, mortars continued to bombard the panicked crowd, flames flashed, and the explosions made people's eardrums hurt.

Xiahou Geri escaped from the valley in a panic with injuries. He was covered in blood and his face was full of fear and exhaustion.

He was still frightened and felt a dampness in his lower body. He was so scared that he became incontinent.

At this moment, he looked at the remaining four thousand people around him, his heart filled with sadness and regret.

Hu Shanzhong heard the roar of the exploding shells from afar. The sound was like thunder in his ears, making his heart tighten.

He hurriedly led his team to the scene at a rapid speed, and what he saw was Xiahou Ge Ri in a miserable state.

Hu Shanzhong's face was filled with confusion and shock, and he couldn't help but ask, "How could this happen?"

Xiahou Ge Ri felt his face burning, and he was too ashamed to look up at Hu Shanzhong.

He stammered, "Don't mention it anymore. Let's retreat. The enemy numbers at least 60,000. We can't stay here for long."

When he thought of the tragic scene in the valley just now, which was like hell on earth, with corpses everywhere and screams everywhere, his heart was filled with fear.

"We can't retreat. Think about it, they dared to set an ambush here. Don't they have ambushes behind us? We are alone and deep in the enemy territory."

Hu Shanzhong's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Xiahou Geri's heart hard and making him feel a chill down his spine.

He thought of the 30,000 people he had brought with him, and now he had lost more than 20,000 in a blink of an eye. He was heartbroken, but afraid of losing face in front of everyone, so he could only hold back his tears.

"Let's change our route. Let's head west. There will definitely be no enemy ambushes there."

Hu Shanzhong suggested after thinking for a moment.

At this time, Xiahou Geri had already run out of ideas. Hu Shanzhong's suggestion was like a life-saving straw to him. He had no conditions to refute it and could only nod silently.

So, regardless of the rugged road, everyone headed west in fear.

On the other side, Wang Biqing and Ren Chaohui won a great victory. The battlefield was in a mess, with enemy corpses and discarded weapons everywhere.

They captured seven or eight thousand prisoners and annihilated more than ten thousand enemy troops, and many enemies were wounded and groaning in pain.

But at this moment, they had no time to take care of the injured and could only let them fend for themselves.

"Report, there are 40,000 reinforcements behind us, but they changed their route and headed west into the mountains." A soldier hurried over to report.

"West?" Ren Chaohui was a little confused by Hu Shanzhong's unexpected behavior. He looked at Wang Biqing blankly, his eyes full of doubts.

"Well, they're probably scared. They don't know how many of us there are. The fact that they're heading west is a good thing for us. We can unite our forces and pry open their South Gate."

Wang Biqing said with a smile, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

Ren Chaohui knew that this was a joke told by Wang Biqing, but he found it very funny and couldn't help laughing along.

Afterwards, they arranged for the captives to stay and clean up the battlefield and bury the dead soldiers. They also left a group of armed men to guard the captives, while the rest prepared to attack Zhang's army at the South Gate.

Meanwhile, in Shizhou City, Zhang Xuegeng saw that Hu Shanzhong and his team had not returned for the entire night. Although he knew where they were, he felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.

I always feel a chill on my back, and my heart is in turmoil, as if something bad is about to happen.

At this moment, Gulizar gave orders and launched an attack on Shizhou City again from four directions.

Qiao Mang waited anxiously in the city, but never received any reinforcements from the neighboring state or county, and he couldn't help feeling frustrated.

He knew very well that the Hun army was coming in full force today and that breaking the city seemed inevitable.

He called over his closest men and said solemnly, "It seems the Xiongnu army will definitely break into the city today. You and I are as close as brothers, but how can the people in the city be so innocent?"

He recalled that in previous wars, the Huns would burn, kill, and loot after breaking into a city, and countless civilians had died tragically. He felt very sorry for them.

When everyone heard this, they all lowered their heads and cried, their hearts filled with helplessness and grief.

"I have gathered you all today. I have made up my mind to open the South Gate and allow the people in the city to escape south."

Qiao Mang's tone was firm. This was not a discussion, but a decision that had already been made.

"We are ready to die and obey the orders of our superiors."

Inside the government hall, everyone spoke in unison, their voices filled with tragedy and determination.

"Okay, Deputy General Han Ziqing will be in charge of the South Gate. Once the gate is opened, charge out first. Once the formation is broken, the civilians will be protected by the rebels and flee outside."

Qiao Mang looked at Han Ziqing, his eyes full of trust and expectation.

When Han Ziqing heard Qiao Mang's order, the seven-foot-tall man stepped out of the line with an upright posture and said loudly:

"I will never let down the governor, nor the people in the city." His voice was firm and powerful, as if he was swearing his determination to everyone.

"Okay! The rest of the generals, guard the city gates strictly and don't let the Xiongnu army break through and enter the city."

Qiao Mang slammed the table, stood up and shouted, his eyes revealing a determination.

Everyone clasped their fists again, said goodbye to Qiao Mang, and returned to their own camps, preparing for the upcoming brutal battle.

The reason why Qiao Mang chose the South Gate to release the people was because he felt that Zhang Xuegeng was once from the Central Plains and might not kill the people. Secondly, the road from the South Gate faces south and the terrain is relatively open, so it is relatively convenient for the people to run.

However, he did not know that if Ren Chaohui and others had not defeated Hu Shanzhong's army, there would have been 150,000 people at the South Gate, and even now there would still be more than 60,000. How could it be easy to get out of here?

After the siege began, Zhang Xuegeng stood in front of the army and grimly ordered his deputy general, Mahamu: "Continue with the artillery bombardment. Wait until the defenders at the south gate retreat, then launch the main force to attack."

He looked at the south gate of Shizhou City, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.

Han Ziqing originally planned to open the city gate and fight his way out, but as soon as the gate was opened, dense artillery fire poured down like raindrops, forcing them back into the city in an instant.

The shells exploded in front of the city gate, flames shot into the sky, bricks and stones flew everywhere, and many soldiers fell in a pool of blood before they could rush out.

At the critical moment of breaking out from the South Gate, Lang Zhaoxiang, under the order of Qiao Mang, mixed in the crowd and prepared to leave the city with the people.

If there are any unexplainable things in the future, as a witness, I may be able to leave a glimmer of hope for Shizhou City.

"It seems that it is difficult to leave the city at this time."

In the crowd, Lang Zhaoxiang looked at the tragic scene in front of the city gate and said to Han Ziqing with concern.

"Counselor Lang, rest assured. Once I've fought my way through, you can follow the troops out of the city."

Han Ziqing whispered to Lang Zhaoxiang, his eyes revealing firm belief.

"It's not that I'm in a hurry to leave the city, but if we force our way in, it's bound to result in casualties. If that's the case, it's better to wait for their main force to arrive. When we engage in a chaotic battle, the artillery fire will be useless."

Looking at the dilapidated city wall, Lang Zhaoxiang no longer had much hope of leaving the city, but he hoped that the defenders could kill more enemies to give the people more chances to escape.

Moreover, there are still tens of thousands of volunteers. Even if the enemy comes, these people can help resist for a while.

If they all left, these defenders would really be fighting alone.

Just as Lang Zhaoxiang was thinking, the artillery fire from the South Gate gradually weakened, and the sky seemed to be covered with dark clouds, giving people a feeling of oppression and suffocation.

Zhang Xuegeng's team, consisting of 20,000 people, was slowly approaching Shicheng in batches. Their steps were in unison and their momentum was fierce, like a black torrent that was about to swallow up Shizhou City.