There are no famous mountains or rivers near Xuzhou.

They are all small hills.

The mountains are surrounded by plains.

When the first brigade of the first division approached, Kong Youde saw it.

"How many troops does Zuo Menggen have?"

No one could answer his question.

Everyone was stunned.

Anyway, what they have felt these past few days is that there are new troops everywhere, and they are beaten wherever they go.

And the most terrifying thing about the new army is that they all have strong combat capabilities.

There is no army they can defeat.

The Dongjiang rebels near Zhaishan lost their food and grass and were unable to eat a bite of food all day long. Half of them were still injured, and the wailing sounds further affected their morale.

Seeing more than 5,000 new troops approaching, many people were fighting in despair.

The new army was in no hurry, just like a cat playing with a mouse.

"Stop, let's all eat something first. We can only fight when we are full."

The commander of the first brigade was Bao Guolun, a descendant of the Bao family, one of the nine famous families in Linqing.

Reading is good, but I prefer martial arts.

When the rear camp was established, he came to join the army and was a veritable old man.

He participated in the Battle of Qingshui Pass, the annihilation of the White Lotus Sect, and many other battles. Now he was promoted due to his meritorious service and became the brigade commander of the First Brigade. With the rank of colonel, he was about to reach the general star.

Bao Guolun was very steady and knew that the enemy in front of him could not escape.

Although the division commander Qiao Shuangcheng wanted to use Kong Youde in exchange for military exploits, he didn't have that much thought.

Fight the battle how you want it to be fought, just think about yourself.

The first brigade stopped and began to eat to replenish their strength.

Now Kong Youde on the mountain was helpless.

He also thought that he might be able to find an opportunity by having a good fight while this new army just arrived.

As a result, the new army began to rest and recuperate, and they must wait until they recover before fighting again.

What else to fight?

Looking at the cramped hill below his feet, Kong Youde gritted his teeth.

"withdraw."

"Brigadier, Kong Youde wants to run away!"

Bao Guolun smiled, he had the pearl of wisdom in his hand.

"Tell the first group to go over from the west; tell the second group to go over from the east. The rest are going forward."

The formation of the first brigade had been deployed long ago. With a military order, the regiments began to take action.

Because both wings had long been occupied by the First Brigade, Kong Youde's escape plan completely failed.

At the foot of the mountain to the west of Yuezhuang Village, Kong Youde was severely beaten by the first regiment. He left more than 300 people behind and had to run eastward.

In later generations, there were large areas of fertile farmland, and there were villages and towns near the shore of Weishan Lake. But at this time, it was all swamps and ditches, with reeds covering the sky.

It was also the first time for Kong Youde to come here. The terrain was unfamiliar, the west was blocked, and there were new army flags on Zhaishan, so he had no choice but to lead his people to the east.

So I got stuck in the swamp.

"What the hell is this place?"

Kong Youde finally pulled out his boots from the mud and reluctantly found a hard place to sit down. He looked around, but he couldn't see very far.

He was in trouble, and so was Bao Guolun.

The endless reed swamps are really great for hiding people.

Although Kong Youde didn't have a boat, as long as he hid in the reeds and didn't come out, even if all the five thousand people from the first brigade went in, they might not be able to find him.

"Damn, I thought of everything, but I didn't think of this."

While Bao Guolun regretted it, he kept this lesson firmly in mind. He believed that he would never make this mistake in the future no matter what.

Chief of Staff Luo Bing suggested: "How about... setting a fire?"

Political commissar Song Jixuan quickly stopped him.

"No. The wind is northwest today. Once a fire is set, the smoke will drift to the south and it will affect the operations of our brothers."

Bao Guolun also disagreed with setting fire.

"It's all water down here. If there's no oil, you can't burn anything if you set it on fire."

Luo Bing was not discouraged.

"Then he's sleepy. I don't believe that Kong Youde can last long."

This is also the only way at present.

Bao Guolun changed the arrangement.

Let the first regiment and the second regiment set up defenses along the periphery of the reed marsh, and at the same time establish observation posts at high altitudes.

The purpose of the observation post is two-fold.

One is to guard against Kong Youde's breakout direction, and the other is to immediately call for artillery fire if there is any movement in the reed marsh.

For a time, the battlefield was temporarily quiet. Except for the sound of artillery from time to time, many people were doing nothing.

Bao Guolun and others could not see inside the reed swamp. In fact, Kong Youde was in a desperate situation.

There were no living creatures in the reed swamp except the defeated generals like them. If there was any movement, it must be them moving.

Therefore, the artillery fire guidance of the New Army sentries was fast and accurate.

And every time the shelling continued, many rebels were killed.

Once, Kong Youde was almost hit by a bomb.

Even so, the shock wave of the explosion knocked him over and made him fall into the water.

If his own soldiers had not rescued him in time, he would have drowned.

"Mom, let's go, go quickly, I won't believe it, I can't find the way out."

He also understood that the new army would not enter the reed swamp to find him.

This is his chance.

Kong Youde and his men walked in the reed swamps one foot deep and one foot shallow, and occasionally encountered artillery fire from the New Army. Whether they were killed or wounded by bombings, they ignored them and allowed the injured to fend for themselves.

Suddenly, the reeds were filled with miserable howls. Many people were hiding in the muddy water, desperately waiting for death to come.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Although he was more tired from the trek, Kong Youde's mood was getting better and better.

because……

it's dark.

Watching the sunset gradually sinking below the horizon, his vision gradually dimmed, Kong Youde's hair stood up in excitement.

He knew that success or failure depended on whether he could break through the encirclement.

The only trouble is that I can't see the direction clearly in the dark, so I rely on my senses to move.

Outside the reed marsh, a large fire was lit every ten meters. The blazing bonfire made it seem like daylight within a few dozen meters, and soldiers of the New Army could be seen standing guard nearby.

Kong Youde counted and found that there were still three or four people left around him. They would definitely not be able to get through if they charged hard.

"Let's go and take a look at the front."

Du Si Chen Mo was walking in front to clear the way, but as he was walking, he fell into the ditch with a thud.

The people next to him hurriedly pulled him away, but as soon as they grabbed Chen Mo's hand, they suddenly realized that more than half of his body was submerged in the muddy water.

"Oops, I'm stuck, help!"

Kong Youde's scalp was numb, so how could he dare to go over and pull him away?

"It can't be saved, let's go!"

There were loud voices in the distance and footsteps approaching quickly.

Apparently the commotion here attracted the new army to search for him.

Kong Youde didn't care about the life and death of others, so he just ran away.

I don’t know how long I ran, but I heard bursts of cheers from behind. Apparently, many people were captured by the new army.
To be continued...