News of the Huai'an Incident reached Yangzhou two days later. When Yue Zhongqi, who was stalemate with the Ming army, learned about the lost military newspaper in Huai'an, even though he was in a crisis on the battlefield, he couldn't help but stand up.

"What did you say? Huai'an was lost?"

Yue Zhongqi widened her eyes and asked anxiously what was going on. The person who reported the news knelt in front of her and told the story of the loss of Huai'an. Yue Zhongqi listened quietly, but his expression became increasingly ugly. When he finished listening, he said nothing, but just waved his hand and asked someone to retreat.

He never expected that such a thing would happen to Huai'an, and it was caused by the joint rebellion between Heshou and Wendong. Losing Huai'an was a huge blow to the Qing army in terms of political significance and the entire Jiangbei battle situation. You should know that Huai'an's geographical location is extremely important. It not only occupies the Jiangbei hub, but also the rear of Yue Zhongqi's main force.

Based on his original tactics, if Yangzhou cannot defend, the next step would be to retreat to the Huai'an line, continue to deal with the Ming army with Huai'an as the center, and at the same time, he could also get the support of the Shandong Qing army. Now, this tactic has become a bubble. More importantly, the loss of Huai'an caused the main force of the Qing army in Jiangbei to lose its retreat. What's more fatal is that his army hoarded a large amount of food and grass in Huai'an, which also changed hands with the loss of Huai'an.

Yue Zhongqi knew that what was facing him was a great crisis. If he took a wrong step, it would be the result of life and death.

As an excellent general, Yue Zhongqi still maintains a clear mind in this situation and must make a choice immediately.

A moment later, Yue Zhongqi sent an order to advance the tent to discuss matters. The generals from all walks of life rushed to the camp. At this time, many people were not aware of the news of Huai'an's loss. When they entered the tent, they saw Yue Zhongqi sitting in the middle as usual, everyone was included in the ranks according to their positions as usual.

"Everyone!" Seeing that everyone was here, Yue Zhongqi spoke, "Just just received the military report. Two days ago, the Ming army sneaked into Huai'an. The governor of the grain transportation, He Shou, the governor of Huai'an, Wen Dong, surrendered to the enemy. Our Huai'an garrison Du Yuan and his subordinates fought to the death for a day and the whole army was broken..."

As soon as Yue Zhongqi finished speaking, a noise suddenly sounded in the tent. This news shocked everyone like a shocking stone. Huaian was actually lost? How is this possible? And the governor of the Qing Dynasty's canal transportation and the prefect of Huaian actually took the initiative to surrender to the Ming army? This... isn't this fake?

However, the person who announced the news was their chief general Yue Zhongqi, and it was unbelievable. In addition to being shocked, some people couldn't help but scold He Shou and Wen Dong, denounced these two bastards who betrayed the Qing Dynasty. With the strength and defensive forces of Huai'an City, how could they fall into the hands of the Ming army if they hadn't surrendered to the enemy?

In addition, there were people who were eager to propose to return to the army immediately to retake Huaian. Everyone knew the importance of Huaian. At this time, they must take Huaian back as soon as possible to ensure the retreat, otherwise the army would be in danger.

"Master, give me 10,000 troops. In the end, I will take back Huai'an!" The deputy general was the first to stand up and said with anger.

Immediately afterwards, several gangsters and even guerrilla generals stood up. Everyone's purpose was to ask Yue Zhongqi to order to fight back to Huaian, not only to take back Huaian City, but also to cut two bastards, Heshou and Wendong.

Yue Zhongqi didn't say anything, just looked at these subordinates quietly. After a little calm, he said, "Tell me to order me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone straightened their chests and waited for Yue Zhongqi to call the general, and then led their troops back to Huai'an.

But no one expected that Yue Zhongqi's order next surprised everyone, because he did not order back to fight Huai'an, but instead assembled troops to attack the Ming army in the south.

When this order was issued, everyone showed an incredible expression. Aren’t we going to ensure a way out at this time? Is Huai'an not more important than the Ming army in the south? How could Yue Zhongqi, such a famous general, issue such an order?

"Silly!" Yue Zhongqi scolded, "The loss of Huai'an is clearly the backup plan of the Ming army. Now Huai'an is in the hands of the Ming army. If our army turns around to attack Huai'an, with thousands of Ming troops defending Huai'an, how can we take it down in a short time? And the Ming army in the south will sit still and see our army indifferent? It will definitely take advantage of the situation to attack our troops. At that time, attack from north to south. What way will our army have to survive?"

"But if the general does not take it back to Huai'an, the situation will be critical!" The deputy general couldn't help but persuade.

"It is precisely this that I have to take the initiative!" Yue Zhongqi explained that his tactic was very simple, that is, to first attack the Ming army in the south, giving the other party the illusion of a decisive battle, and then wait until the other party adjusts its troops to deploy and then quickly leave to get in contact with the Ming army.

In other words, Yue Zhongqi's attack is fake, the return army is real, and even a tail-breaking survival is broken to preserve the safety of the main force.

The Ming army probably knew that Huai'an was lost for a long time. Returning to Huai'an at this time was just a dead end. Zhu Yigui's cunning and military ability would not be unprepared. Yue Zhongqi did this to give the Ming army an illusion, and the other hand, it was only two days after Huai'an was lost, and there was still a time difference at this time, which made the Ming army mistakenly think that he did not know the changes in Huai'an.

After hearing his explanation, everyone understood, but when they asked if they wanted to quickly take back Huaian after returning to the army, Yue Zhongqi shook her head.

"No! Go west and go to Chuzhou!" Yue Zhongqi said so, everyone silently and their expressions became dim.

Yue Zhongqi returned to the army and did not go to Huai'an, but went to Chuzhou instead. This showed that everyone knew what it meant. This meant that Yue Zhongqi felt that Jiangbei was not doing anything, and was ready to take the initiative to give up Jiangbei and turn to Huizhou, and then enter the Central Plains and join forces with the Qing army in the Central Plains.

When they thought that they had been working hard in Jiangbei for so long, they had fought countless battles with the Ming army, and even had the upper hand for a while. But now the Huai'an incident has caused the entire Jiangbei battlefield to be voluntarily abandoned. As generals, the people present felt uncomfortable.

"Master General, although Huai'an is gone, Yangzhou is still there. Our army, Jiangdu, and other prefectures and counties are still in my hands. Will you give up like this..." Someone couldn't help but persuade.

"Without Huai'an, it's hard to make a sound, and the overall situation is irreversible. Instead of staying in the city, it's better to find another way." Yue Zhongqi knew in her heart, and he had spent so much effort in Jiangbei, but now he has to take the initiative to throw Jiangbei away and go another way. This decision is not easy.

But Yue Zhongqi knew better that if she didn't leave at this time, she might not be able to leave next. There was only a line of vitality. As he said, although she could hold on to the Kucheng for a few days, she would still not be able to escape the end of being annihilated.

"But the Grand Marshal, what should I do with Prince Cheng of Shandong?" The deputy general understood Yue Zhongqi's helplessness. In this case, he knew that although Yue Zhongqi's decision was heartbreaking, it was the best way out. However, Jiangbei and Shandong have always been on the front line, and Prince Cheng is still in Shandong. If the Jiangbei army evacuated on its own initiative, it would be like throwing Prince Cheng directly to the Ming army. This is not a trivial matter.
Chapter completed!