Deng Ming and Zhao Tianba, who were waiting outside Tan Hong Camp, were always concentrating on observing the movements on the camp. After shooting pearls onto the wall, they vaguely heard noisy talk from the opposite side.

"Your Highness, what should we do if the man surnamed Tan really gave us a boat but could only carry twenty people?" Zhao Tianba asked Deng Ming quietly.

The word "Your Highness" of Zhao Tianba surprised Deng Ming. In front of everyone, Zhao Tianba and Zhou Kaihuang called him this way, which was understood by Deng Ming as acting in order to avoid internal strife and stabilize the morale of the army. But now the twenty soldiers following behind him are very far apart. Why does Zhao Tianba still call him this way?

Didn't see that Zhao Tianba was really immersed in the show and was too dedicated. Deng Ming replied with a smile: "Then we have to rely on this ship to transport the two thousand troops across the river."

If a boat can carry twenty people, it will take more than a hundred round trips. If you walk around the Yangtze River for a quarter of an hour... Deng Ming was too lazy to calculate how long it would take.

Li Xinghan, stationed in Wanxian, was probably the person who knew Tan Hong the most in the Ming army. He repeatedly told everyone that Tan Hong was a petty and greedy person. When things happened, they were always picky and hindered. They were not a person who had credibility and kept their promises. When they sent troops in previous years, Tan Hong repeatedly violated his guarantees to Wen Anzhi and other friendly generals and blatantly preserved his strength. This time he rebelled with Tan Yi and surrendered to the enemy, and he still looked like he was both rats. Zhou Kaihuang also had a low evaluation of Tan Hong. Yuan Zongdi and Tan Wen's officers all concluded that Tan Hong would not let him live just because of Deng Ming's treasure.

Deng Ming looked at the camp opposite him nervously, but he couldn't show it yet. He should try his best to be calm.

...

"I understand the meaning of the prince, but now all the boats in my prince's hands are sent out and they will not return to the camp until midnight. It is cold outside, so the prince may as well go to the camp to rest for a night. I will definitely send the prince away safely tomorrow morning..." Tan Hong changed his face and shouted at Deng Ming under the camp wall with a smile.

Before Tan Hong could continue, Deng Ming interrupted his words: "I appreciate the kindness of the Marquis, but since the Marquis does not have a ship now, I will send someone to pick it up tomorrow morning." Deng Ming pointed to Zhao Tianba beside him: "The Marquis will give the ship to my chief clerk tomorrow."

After saying that, Deng Ming turned around and left quickly, while Zhao Tianba was alert toward Tan Hong's base, slowly took a few steps before turning around and following, and kept looking back at the movements of the camp.

"He is suspicious! He is suspicious!" Seeing this, Qin Xiucai was disappointed and anxious, and stamped his feet and shouted: "Hurry up and send troops to chase him, otherwise the cooked duck will fly."

Even if thousands of heads of ordinary Ming soldiers were killed, the merits obtained were far from being compared with the merits of capturing a prince of the Ming Dynasty. These exiled princes still had great appeal among the gentry and the people, so the Qing Dynasty attached the most importance to them, and capturing the royal family was also the greatest merit. If the prince of Han slipped away from his eyes, it would be a huge merit for Tan Hong. He would never accept such a result.

Prince Han may also turn around and find another way out. After all, unlike ordinary soldiers, Prince Han will have guards around him and may also carry some dry food. If Prince Han is captured by other Qing troops, Tan Hong will be even more unforgivable - he racked his brains to guard the river bank, and the pie fell from the sky was not picked up, but it made others free.

"The whole army pursues, don't let him run away!" Tan Hong shouted. There are more than 2,000 soldiers in his camp, and it is more than enough to guard the river bank in this camp. It is not difficult to send more than 500 people from the camp to establish a blockade line to prevent a small number of defeated soldiers from sneaking over, but it is not enough to search mountains and catch people on the rugged river bank.

Tan Hong estimated that there were four or five hundred Ming troops who escaped from the Battle of Chongqing. In fact, of course, it was low. Because Tan Hong knew the conflict between the Battle of Chuangzhan and Tan Wen's troops, he certainly did not expect that the navy of the Battle of Chuangzhan would help Tan Wen's troops cross the river. In addition, after the envoy from Chongqing reported the rough passage of the Battle of Chongqing, Tan Hong took it for granted that Tan Wen's troops had been destroyed. Yuan Zongdi's water camp was pursued by Tan Yi and Wang Mingde's boats, and it was estimated that only a few soldiers could escape from the river. Even if a small number of soldiers abandoned the boat, the number of landing was limited. Tan Hong did not expect that the President of the Water Camp had fought to the death to win a glimmer of hope for his comrades.

Since Tan Hong was given such an estimate, he refused to let the prince of the Han Dynasty go away. Compared with this important figure, the achievements of the defeated troops of the Fourth and Five Hundred Ming Army were not worth mentioning at all.

Tan Hong hoped to bite the trace of Prince Han tightly and prevent the other party from escaping from his own vision. The only suitable path on the riverside is a narrow path on the shore. In addition, it is all steep slopes and vegetation of the mountain, and the cliffs are close to the riverside. If the other party is anxious to chase, he will jump to the side and escape into the mountain covered with plants. Without enough manpower, he will not be able to search the mountain and find his trace.

After looking at the sunset, Tan Hong added another order: "Bring a torch and a cotton coat." If the search for the mountains is delayed until sunset, the cotton coat and torch are guaranteed to continue.

Before Deng Ming could leave, Tan Hong's camp opened the door, and the first ones to chase out were several cavalrymen, who were all trusted servants of Tan Hong, and rushed to Deng Ming and his party with the huge expectations given by the head of the family. It would be best if they could hold Prince Han, if they could not, they would be responsible for monitoring Deng Ming's whereabouts and guided the pursuits behind him. If Deng Ming escaped into the mountains, they would need to report to Tan Hong the specific location of Deng Ming's entry into the mountains - such a vast mountain, there were less than two thousand troops to use at hand. If they searched the mountains aimlessly, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

When the cavalry left the camp, Deng Ming and his party had just walked a mile away from Tan Hong's camp. Although the road on the shore was very difficult, the cavalry was still much faster than the walking group of Deng Ming and his group of people, and they quickly approached behind. Faced with the pursuers who were close at hand, the group in front seemed very calm and still retreated at normal walking speed without running. Zhao Tianba, who was staying in the last battle, was silently estimating the distance of the pursuers. When the cavalry in the front had approached to only thirty steps away from Deng Ming's team, Zhao Tianba suddenly stopped and quickly bent his bow and arrow to aim at the clearly visible enemy.

With an arrow shot out, Zhao Tianba did not attack the enemy soldiers. His target was the mount of the pursuer in the front. The arrow hit the horse's face, and the severe pain made the war horse go crazy immediately. It couldn't help but push the knight on its back down, and jumped wildly, blocking the narrow road with a groan. When the violent horse finally fell into the river on the shore, Deng Ming and his group had already walked far away. Looking at the companion whose leg bone was broken by his mount and fell in the grass, the cavalry looked at each other, and no one could find any good way to pursue.

If it is on flat ground or even slightly wider valleys, the cavalry can surround and detour to the front of the fleeing enemy, delay their speed and block their way. But the situation is completely different at this time. If it is surrounded by mountains full of vegetation, the cavalry's speed is not as fast as walking, and a zone on the shore that can barely be called a road is too narrow (this road is formed by the rise and fall of the river, which cannot grow in large quantities in the nearest river surface). The cavalry rushing in the front is the best target, and once the mount is caught, it will immediately become an effective obstacle to block the pursuers, and the cavalry behind has no room for detour.

Since they could not catch up, they had to follow them far away. The cavalry had no choice but to be as arrogant as before. When they chased Deng Ming and his party again, the vanguard did not come forward tightly, but was fifty steps away and followed him at the same speed as Deng Ming and his party.

When he received a report on the poor progress of the cavalry, Tan Hong had already led 1,600 soldiers out of the camp. He also ordered his subordinates on the blockade to keep their eyes open tonight and not allow one person to pass. Tan Hong had expected the unfavorable progress of the cavalry. He was determined to win and brought the large army out to prepare for searching the mountains.

After hearing the cavalry reported the opponent's actions, Tan Hong felt a little worried. Now he felt that he was racing against the sun. Once the sun sets, the possibility of Prince Han's escape will undoubtedly increase a lot.

"If Prince Han is as timid as a mouse, he will quickly escape into the mountains as soon as he sees the pursuers, it will be much more convenient." Tan Hong thought to himself: "But they are still walking in a hurry and are not willing to waste their energy at all."

If Deng Ming had already entered the mountain, then Tan Hong's subordinates could quickly chase him to the place where he entered the mountain. Because it was much faster to move by the river than in the mountain, Tan Hong's vanguard would be able to run two more miles soon, catch Deng Ming's front, and then the entire army entered the mountain together in a nearby area, searching in a net manner, and they would definitely be able to capture Deng Ming.

If Deng Ming and the others ran away at a loss, their physical strength would soon be exhausted. After being caught by Tan Hong's infantry, they would not be able to escape far even if they entered the mountain. But like now, when the pursuers approached, their physical strength would still be very strong, and the sky was almost dark, and there was still a great chance of escape.

"The guard officer of Prince Han is very capable and calm, and his archery skills are even better." Tan Hong didn't think that a young clan would be so calm, so he attributed all the credit to Zhao Tianba. He even had a love for talent in his heart: "If he was willing to surrender, I don't have to hand him over, so he could let him do a small school in my camp first."

In Tan Hong's view, the most urgent task is to force Prince Han into the mountains, hide in the mountains, and fleeing consumes a lot of energy and slow movements. Tan Hong has ordered soldiers to carry cotton coats and rosin. As long as Prince Han enters the mountains, even at night, as long as some soldiers are sent to track and search, some soldiers will move along the coast and launch a net, they will definitely not let these people escape.

What Tan Hong is most worried about now is that before the sun sets, a group of people left behind to fight to the death. He used the narrow terrain to delay for a while, and took the opportunity to rush into the mountains. If he didn't know the exact location of his entry into the mountains, it would be much more difficult to find at night. Therefore, Tan Hong ordered the front army to speed up the pursuit and catch up with Han and his party as soon as possible.

"Catch the Prince of Han alive, and add wine and meat to the whole army! Those who catch the Prince of Han will be rewarded with 500 taels of silver!" Amid the excitement of the messenger's hoarseness, Tan Hong's army was greatly motivated, and the soldiers who had experience in tracking were all ready to win the prize of 500 taels of silver. Several hunters were eager to try, feeling that it was no problem to follow the traces of several living people with their ability to track their prey.

...

Seeing an infantryman appearing behind him, Deng Ming, Zhao Tianba and others immediately accelerated their speed. If Zhao Tianba shoots down a cavalry, the injured horse can block the pursuers for a long time, but shooting down an infantryman will have no effect at all. If there is no time to stop and shoot arrows to form a deterrent to the pursuers, then you can only speed up and keep the distance as far as possible.

"Luckily, the road by the river is so narrow, otherwise we would have been caught up long ago." Looking at the pursuers behind him, Zhao Tianba said to Deng Ming with glory. At this time, they were still walking rather than running, but the pursuers behind him were not fast enough to pull the distance closer.

Deng Ming didn't understand this and was full of curiosity. Zhao Tianba briefly explained as he walked: "If it was on the flat ground, the enemy soldiers chased from behind, and they were physically strong and fast, they would approach us quickly, forcing us to run too; but now there is only one road, and the one in front blocks the one behind, even if there is physically good behind, they would be blocked and unable to catch up. Your Highness, please see, their cavalry are now blocked by their own people. Such people are cramming people, which consumes the most physical strength. However, as we are now, they still can't catch up within three or four miles."

When Zhao Tianba calmly promoted military knowledge to Deng Ming, Tan Hong became more and more anxious. The sun was moving westward every minute, and the front troops had not yet been able to catch up with Prince Han. One thousand and six hundred soldiers chased for several miles with full arms. The troops pulled into a long snake formation on this road, and squeezed the road full. Tan Hong, who was anxious in his heart, kept asking about the situation on the front line. His cavalry could not pass through the shore full of infantry, so they drove their mounts into the water, stepping on the river near the shore and conveying the news. Without running back and forth in the water, the mounts of these knights were exhausted.

Looking at the sun that was about to go down the mountain in about half an hour, Tan Hong left the infantry column beside him, led the guards to drive into the shallow water on the shore like the messenger just now, surpassing the column walking on the shore road, and rushed to the front of the column in three steps and observed the movements ahead with his own eyes.

"Road forward lightly!" Seeing that the vanguard was only a little more than a mile away from Prince Han, Tan Hong immediately issued such an order. The soldiers in front chased him with armor and armor for nearly ten miles. Tan Hong saw them panting and walking deep and shallowly on the muddy road. Obviously, their physical strength was almost exhausted, and the prince Han and his group in front seemed to have enough strength. It seemed that Prince Han himself seemed the most tired, and was dragged forward by several guards around him. Tan Hong decided to push these people into the mountains immediately, so that no mistakes could be made for the credit that was already close: "Pursuing Prince Han into the mountains, each of your team would be rewarded with two taels of silver."

With a heavy reward of two taels of silver, these soldiers no longer care about danger. When they heard the order, they took off their heavy armor and helmets and shouted and rushed to catch up. Anyway, the distance was not far, and the task of bombing the enemy into the mountains was relatively simple and there was no need to save physical strength. The soldiers who claimed to be good at running rushed into the vegetation area and surpassed their companions in the front row. In order to win the reward of silver, some soldiers even stepped forward on the cold river water. As for whether these soldiers would be killed by the bows and arrows of Prince Han's guards after taking off their armor, Tan Hong didn't care at all.

Under the rapid pursuit, Deng Ming and Zhao Tianba did not care about saving their physical strength and ran at full speed in front. Deng Ming and the more than 20 people had abandoned the armor that had been worn in front of Tan Hong's camp before, and now they even left all the weapons in their hands. In order to reduce the weight, Zhao Tianba threw the bow and arrow to the ground without hesitation.

"Where are the cavalry? Chase! Chase!" Seeing that Prince Han's guard threw away all the weapons, Tan Hong shouted anxiously, but the ones in front were all his subordinates. The cavalry behind him had no road to pass even if they wanted to pounce on them. They could only watch the other party escape as if they were flying and disappeared behind a protruding rock.

The rock that Tan Hong saw was the place where Zhou Kaihuang and Li Xinghan met and almost broke out in a fire. Based on the experience just now, Zhou Kaihuang and Li Xinghan both confirmed that it would be difficult for them to coordinate the entire army to fight an offensive battle with the terrain in front of them. Even with a good banner and a considerable number of cavalry, it would be difficult to control an army that extended several miles along the riverside, not to mention that they have no conditions at hand now.

After the pursuers running in the front passed by the rock blocking their sight, they appeared in front of them a semicircular river bay with a diameter of 20 meters. In the left hand, in the direction where Deng Ming and others escaped, dozens of Ming soldiers holding spears were blocked at the widest part of the road. The leader was holding a long sword, wearing military boots on one foot, and straw sandals wrapped in bark on the other foot.

Opposite the river bay, more than a dozen Ming army archers stood in a row along the shore. The "Criminal Han" who was being pursued just now was pressing his hands on his knees, bent down and gasping violently, looking at the pursuers aimed by the archers. Deng Ming regretted that he had not exercised enough before. He didn't carry any equipment, but he was far less physically than other soldiers. He was the most embarrassed one among the group. He ran down all the way, and felt his heart beating almost popping out of his throat. This behavior was taken for granted. If Tan Hong had just seen the spoiled clan's son stepping like flying, he might have become suspicious.

"Shoot the arrow!" At this moment, the leader of the Ming army, who tied straw sandals with one foot and military boots with one foot, shouted loudly.

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Author's note: There is another update in the afternoon.

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Chapter completed!