Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Sure enough, not long after, the shieldmen in the front row fell to the ground one after another, like ears of rice blown down by the wind. Without the protection of their shields, the soldiers in the rear were completely exposed to the dense rain of arrows from the Southern Border Army and became living targets.

All that was heard was the sound of "Shua, shua, shua, shua..." The sound of bowstrings continued to ring out, and sharp arrows cut through the sky, whistling in with the sharp sound of the wind. The soldiers of the imperial court had nowhere to hide, and they fell to the ground screaming. In an instant, the battlefield was splattered with blood, and there was wailing everywhere, just like hell on earth.

However, facing such a tragic situation, Zhang Han did not sit still and wait for death. He knew that continuing to attack would only cause more soldiers to die in vain, so he immediately issued an order to retreat. The imperial army retreated quickly like a tide and fled back to the Black Dragon's Mouth in a miserable state. Zhang Han was not a stupid person. He was unwilling to watch his soldiers become the targets of the Southern Border Army's wanton slaughter.

On the other side, seeing Zhang Han's soldiers retreating like a tide again, Han Xin breathed a sigh of relief and admired Gao Yao even more.

This ingenious way of using thick smoke to attack the enemy was exactly the strategy that Gao Yao, who was very resourceful, had come up with. He also informed General Han Xin of this method in detail in advance. The use of thick smoke to launch an offensive is not without conditions and restrictions. One of the key factors is the wind direction. It is ideal only when the wind is calm and there is no wind, because if it is in a tailwind or headwind state, it is very likely to cause a more serious cavity effect. In this case, it is not only difficult to cause effective damage to the enemy, but it may even accidentally injure one's own soldiers, resulting in a loss-making result.

Fortunately, after the violent storm yesterday, the sky cleared up and there were no clouds in the sky, which was a rare windless moment. This was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise for the Southern Border Army, as if the heavens were silently helping them.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Han Xin decisively ordered: "Hurry up and prepare food and fodder, and send it to the enemy immediately. The quantity does not need to be too much, just enough to supply rations for 5,000 people."

As soon as the words fell, there was a loud response: "Yes!" Immediately afterwards, many soldiers of the Southern Border Army quickly took action, carrying sacks full of food, and hurried towards the direction of the imperial army with neat and powerful steps.

At the same time, Zhang Han, who was in the imperial army camp, was busy counting the losses suffered in this battle. At this moment, there was another thorny problem in front of him that needed to be solved urgently - should he slaughter horses to obtain meat to temporarily alleviate the urgent need for food in the army? After all, the current food shortage dilemma was imminent. If a countermeasure could not be found in time, the entire army would probably be in dire straits.

Kill! It means a desperate battle, a desperate fight, with no way out. The current serious problem is that due to the unique terrain restrictions of Heilongkou, the number of war horses carried by the troops entering this place is extremely limited. Even if all the war horses that can be found are slaughtered, the total number is only a few thousand. This number of war horses is simply a drop in the bucket for hundreds of thousands of soldiers. At most, it is enough to sustain one day's consumption, and this is already the limit of what can be supported.

In the past two days of the breakout, the number of casualties has reached nearly 8,000. If the situation continues to drag on, Zhang Han is not sure that he will be able to break out successfully.

At this moment, there was a burst of hurried horse hoofbeats and shouts from outside: "Report - Han Xin has sent more people, and he has brought food and fodder!"

Zhang Han, who was pacing anxiously in the tent, was shocked when he heard this. He stopped abruptly, looked surprised, and asked anxiously: "What did you say? Bringing food and grass? How much did you bring?"

The messenger who came to deliver the message quickly replied: "From a distance, it seems that they only brought enough food and fodder for 5,000 people!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Han's expression suddenly changed drastically. He frowned tightly and thought to himself: "Han Xin's plan is really insidious! This is obviously a naked conspiracy. He did not send these food and grass out of kindness, but did it on purpose to cause chaos in our army's morale." Thinking of this, Zhang Han felt a chill rising from his spine and a layer of fine beads of sweat seeped out of his forehead.

If the food and grass are not collected, it is very likely to cause a mutiny among the soldiers! Even if the food and grass are finally received, new problems will follow: How to distribute these limited food and grass to many soldiers? What will the soldiers who are not allocated enough food and grass feel? After all, in such a difficult time, every grain of food is extremely precious. Therefore, these seemingly life-saving food and grass may actually become the fuse that triggers internal conflicts and destroys the morale of the army. It is simply a blatant bad thing!

At the same time, the purpose of providing this batch of food and grass was obviously not simple. The real intention behind it was to put great pressure on Zhang Han's side and force his soldiers to surrender. Because Zhang Han knew very well that in the predicament of food shortage, no matter how strict and efficient the army's training was on weekdays, it would become meaningless at this moment. As the saying goes, "before the troops move, the food and grass must go first." From ancient times to the present, sufficient logistical support has always been one of the key factors in winning or losing a war.

"Anything else?" Zhang Han's face was exhausted, and his voice was filled with helplessness and powerlessness. He sighed heavily, and as if still holding on to a glimmer of hope, he asked another question. The deputy general beside him quickly replied, "There is another letter, which is said to be written by Gao Yao himself and specially presented to you, General."

"Gao Yao!" When Zhang Han heard this name, his heart was shocked again. He really didn't expect that Gao Yao had already anticipated this step and even had it written down.

Then, Zhang Han took the letter without hesitation, then slowly unfolded it and began to read it carefully. As he read the contents of the letter word by word, his face became more and more solemn, and a layer of fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead. The intention of the letter was obvious - Gao Yao wanted to recruit him to surrender!

However, what really frightened Zhang Han was not Gao Yao's intention to recruit him, but Gao Yao's understanding of his personal situation. It can be said that Gao Yao knew everything about him. This not only included detailed information about Zhang Han's children, wives and concubines, but also extremely private things such as where they currently lived. Gao Yao actually knew it clearly!