Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 1320
Right now, Shi Xuan really has a painful feeling of going to heaven and earth, with no place to hide. Ever since he was chased by the Jin army in Guangzong City and fought a fierce battle, the Jin army cavalry has been haunting around his team all the time. , like a shadow, like a gangrene attached to the bone, no matter how frequently he resorted to it and changed his marching route, he couldn't get rid of it at all.

Although in the subsequent process, the Jin army only followed closely behind his troops and did not continue to launch a frontal charge, the sense of humiliation caused to Shi Xuan's heart was even greater than that of the previous time when he was turned against the wind. that big defeat.

You must know that it is already in the territory of Jie country, and it is the absolute core area. As the prince and commander of Jie country, Shi Xuan not only cannot escape the pursuers, but also flees like a bereaved dog after being chased.

This scene will naturally fall into the eyes of many scholars and people in Hebei, and the image that Shi Xuan created in the past years as a sole responsibility and a deterrent to the enemy country, will naturally be trampled and smashed in this way of fleeing!

From then on, he was no longer the pillar of the country who commanded the army and fought against the powerful enemies of the southerners, but just a useless clown running around desperately!

It's not that Shi Xuan never thought of simply standing firm and fighting to the death with the pursuers. No matter what the result is, at worst, he will still be heroic.And the enemy army is so deep into the heart of the Jie country, it can be seen that the number will definitely not be too many, if he really wants to fight with his life, he may not have a chance of winning.

But this idea is difficult to realize. One is that the few thousand fleeing soldiers left under his command have already undergone several major blood changes, and the main body is no longer the troops he led when he evacuated from the southern Hebei battlefield. , Instead, the troops requisitioned from various places will be the main force.

And these soldiers from counties and counties are not directly under Shi Xuan's troops. What they saw after the encounter was the image of Shi Xuan being chased and killed by the enemy all the way. They have little respect for this Duke Pingyuan, and even less for his military orders. Obediently follow.

The reason why they still follow behind Shi Xuan is mainly because the pursuers bite too tightly. If they disperse, they will be in danger of being destroyed, and even if they split up and flee, they have no suitable place to go.Therefore, except for some who happened to be passing through the countryside and could return home quickly to hide, others still had to follow Shi Xuan and escape for their lives.

Another point is that the Jin army did not launch a decisive battle to eliminate the Jie army as soon as possible. They were like old hunters playing with their prey, but they just drove the Jie army away, so that they could only fly all the way and have no time to stop and rest. .Even if Shi Xuan wanted to go all out, he couldn't stop the extremely mobile Fenwu army from Jin.

Faced with such a situation, Shi Xuan had no choice but to continue running away, and even the escape route was beyond his choice.After leaving Guangzong, he had even fewer options to choose from. The current morale of the army could not sustain him to flee to Xindu, and Xiangguo, the capital of the country, became his only choice.

Shi Xuan also understood in his heart that the Crown Prince Shi Sui hated him very much. Now that he is returning home in desperation, with the enemy army chasing after him, his life is already hanging by a thread. It is simply a dream to count on the Crown Prince to rescue him. I died outside!Therefore, even if he fled to Xiangguo, it would be difficult for Shi Xuan to turn the crisis into safety. Instead, he needed to beware of Xiangguo's Shi Sui's attacking him.

But the reason why he wanted to flee to Xiangguo was not because he was in a panic, and he had his own reasons.

"My lord hated the crown prince not for a while. It was only because Xiangguo lacked people to take care of him that he had to be patient. The dog thief relied on this to get the full reserve. Now my family's Li Zi is trapped in Henan, and I am humiliated by the defeated army. Dog thief I must be happy that no one can shake my position. But even though my fate is uncertain, how can I tolerate the dog thieves in peace!"

Shi Sui hated Shi Xuan deeply, and why did Shi Xuan wish he could kill him and then hurry up, even if his life was hanging by a thread, it didn't prevent him from making a fool of him: "Xiang's national defense is empty, and I'm raising people to go deeper, The mediocre man must be suspicious and treat me like an enemy. The Jin army entered the depths lightly, and the mediocre man may not believe it. He stayed behind to guard the country, but let the enemy's horses and horses stride near the border, which is also extremely humiliating to the country!"

When facing his confidant, Shi Xuan made no secret of his thoughts of misfortune.Although the light cavalry of the Jin army may not be able to shake the big city of Xiangguo, the crown prince Shi Sui, who was in charge of the country, was rushed directly outside the city of Xiangguo by the enemy. No matter what, the guilt cannot be washed away.

And there is another point, that is, the Jin army may not be aware of the real situation of Xiangguo. As the capital of Jieguo, Shi Xuan fled all the way here, and the Jin army will inevitably be wary and dare not get too close.After that, Shi Xuan didn't even need to enter Xiangguo in person, he walked around the city to escape the pursuit of the Jin army, and then continued northward to Xindu, and when he arrived in front of the Lord, he had more excuses.

As a result, no matter whether it was the prince Shi Sui who stayed behind in Xiangguo, or he and Shi Tao who led the troops to the south, they all had faults of varying severity.No matter how angry the lord is, he should still care about the bond of flesh and blood. Even if he won't be easily spared, there is a great possibility that he will be spared and allowed to take his crimes and make meritorious deeds.

Afterwards, as Shi Xuan expected, as he got closer to Xiangguo, the Jin army was no longer around his troops as frequently as before. Shi Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief when he found the Jin Army's scouts.

But at the moment, he still dare not relax completely, because there are various signs from Xiangguo, and Shi Sui has not made any amazing countermeasures.As Shi Xuan took the initiative to send people to Xiangguo for emergency, and then on the way, he found that there were obvious signs of strong walls and clearing the surrounding areas of Xiangguo.

It can be seen that Shi Sui is deeply afraid of him. After learning that he is leading an army to bully Xiangguo, he began to mobilize the surrounding forces of Xiangguo, intending to forcibly keep him out of the city.

If they travel another day quickly, the team is not far from Xiangguo. In the evening, when you look from the heights, at the end of the plain, you can already see the outline of Xiangguo.And as they approached the city of Xiangguo, the atmosphere of panic among the troops gradually weakened. After all, in the eyes of these Jie troops, no matter how arrogant the Jin army was, it was impossible for the Jin army to have the courage to act recklessly near the capital.

And as the city of Xiangguo gradually approached, Shi Xuan's heartstrings gradually tightened again. He had not returned to Xiangguo for a long time, and he was somewhat unfamiliar with the changes in Xiangguo in recent years.

In order to prevent Shi Xie from suddenly mobilizing and swallowing up the remnants of his brigade, he slowed down the marching speed of the troops and sent envoys to Xiangguo frequently. Passing wrong information.

As for the current city of Xiangguo, it also looks like an enemy.Some wandering refugees in the countryside have all been driven into the city to assist in defense. Now the streets and alleys of the outer city are filled with ragged and panicked people everywhere.

Shi Sui, the prince of the Supervisory Kingdom, apart from his great reputation, actually has very poor manpower and material resources he can control.Even the current city of Xiangguo, he can't completely control it.For example, the commanding power of the internal guards where the Jiande Palace and other palaces are located was also taken away from Shi Xi when Shi Hu returned to the capital before, and handed over to his trusted leading general Wang Lang and others.

Originally, the remaining troops in Xiangguo City were quite impressive, after all, it is still the capital of Jieguo now.Tens of thousands of imperial guards are in charge of guarding the palace, and there are elite troops such as Long Xiang and Long Teng under the Taiwei's mansion. people around.

But right now, the army of Taiwei's Mansion has already been transferred away, following Shi Tao, the Taiwei, to go south to prepare for the battle.The imperial guards were not under Shi Xi's control, and more than 2 Hu Bu Yicong were transferred to Xindu by Shi Hu, and after preparing to follow him southward, Shi Xi's East Palace warriors had also been ordered to disband by Shi Hu.

Shi Sui was used to obeying his father's orders, and although he dismissed his Eastern Palace warriors on the surface, he still kept this private armed force in private, and raised it in the other industry around Xiangguo City.

However, because Shi Hu also deprived him of the right to use money and food, he built a Shanyutai with his own strength and stole his mother's private property, let alone being able to support this private army, so he could only rely on extortion inside and outside Xiangguo City. Only the rich and powerful can get a little wealth to maintain.Because in the past period of time, more than half of his Donggong warriors have also been separated.

Now that Shi Xuan has returned to the country in a threatening manner, the only power Shi Sui can mobilize is the remaining Donggong warriors who have less than 3000 people.Although the so-called enemy invasion seemed to him just an excuse for Shi Xuan, it also provided him with certain convenience.

In the next two days, Shi Sui forced nearly [-] Hu soldiers from the surrounding areas of Xiangguo to rebel, and ordered people to forcibly open the arsenals of the Taiwei Mansion, Cheqi Mansion, etc., and took out the old equipment stored in them. The army is armed.

Although the city of Xiangguo was dilapidated, the original frame was still there after all. The tens of thousands of soldiers that Shi Sui urgently recruited seemed to be quite a lot, but they were scattered throughout the city of Xiangguo, and they were still stretched everywhere.He originally planned to confiscate the family members of the rich and powerful families in the city, but those people are not fools, how could they be willing to interfere in such a murderous event of brother-in-law, and they all stayed behind closed doors.

There were always more difficulties than solutions, and without enough troops, Shi Sui's ideas went to the criminals in various prisons.Originally, he hesitated a bit, worried that those criminals who committed serious crimes would not be controlled, but as Shi Xuan got closer to Xiangguo, he could only open the prison and release these criminals.

This move is tantamount to a disaster. The Jie country is a place where the laws and regulations have been loosened. There are many strong and fierce people who escaped from punishment, but these people are still imprisoned for their crimes.Once these people were released, they would first show off their viciousness and burn, kill and loot in the city.

Shi Sui is not a kind person who sympathizes with the sufferings of the people, and he hopes to use the hands of these thugs to teach those powerful families who stand by and watch in the city.

When Shi Xuan sent another messenger, saying that he was about to enter the city, Shi Sui couldn't hold back and wanted to lead his men to fight out, but he was persuaded by his confidant Li Yan: "Prince Pingyuan's coming is very strange. Although the enemy's situation he reported cannot be trusted, but at the moment the Lord is eager to do things in the south, and Duke Pingyuan has made great use of him, abandoning the south and ignoring it, there is always a mystery, we should inquire a little before making a plan..."

Shi Sui also felt jealous from the bottom of his heart for this brother who had been out of the town all the time, and because it was rare to follow advice, he decided to send his confidant Li Yan to investigate temporarily.But no matter whether the enemy's situation is convincing or not, he has already decided in his heart that he will take this opportunity to completely eliminate the threat of Shi Xuan once and for all.

(End of this chapter)