Shuhan

In just one day and one night, a strong camp was built.

The towering wall is two to three feet high, and there are turrets at the four corners of the camp, so you can overlook the enemy's situation at any time.

In front of the camp gate, there was even more resistance to the horse. If the Wei army dared to attack the camp, they would never come back.

"What a fortified stronghold."

Even Zhang Fei was very surprised when he saw how quickly a city was built.

"Yang Ben, it seems that those of you who came from the martial arts hall are really capable."

Yang Ben, who is now a general, scratched his head and said with a smile: "Building a city is the specialty of Jiangwu Hall. If you lose even this skill, His Highness will be punished again if he sees it. .”

Zhang Fei nodded and said: "When the envoys enter the city to persuade them to surrender, if Zhang He doesn't know what to do, he will attack the city today!"

When the army marched towards Chang'an, a series of siege equipment had already been built.

Now there are many siege equipment in the camp.

The categories are even more diverse.

There is a nest car.

The so-called nest car has 8 wheels and can be pushed. The small wooden house can be raised and lowered and can accommodate one or two people. It has viewing holes on all sides and is covered with rawhide to block the enemy's arrows.

Looking out onto the tower.

The so-called watchtower is climbed up through the pedals of the vertical pole. A watchtower is installed on the top of the pole, and a rotating shaft is installed downstairs, so that it can be rotated in all directions for observation.

There is a lead car.

The city wall is strong and difficult to attack, so naturally we have to find another way. If the front is not working, we can go below.

The lead truck is a vehicle specially used for digging tunnels.

It is divided into three parts: the screen at the front of the car is used to protect the front car and the shed behind it. When the tunnel is almost dug, the siege troops will gather in the car. After the tunnel is dug, the screen will be quickly removed. Push it aside, and the troops can file out and attack.

There are trains.

Trains are mainly used to burn the enemy's city gates and towers. There are two wheels, placed on the stove to burn a large cauldron or wok, and store fat and oil inside. When using it, boil the oil in the pot, push it to the enemy's city gate, continue to burn it, add firewood, and burn the city gate. If the enemy puts out the fire with water, the fire will become more powerful.

There is Linchong chariot (Linchong Lugong chariot).

The Linchong chariot is a giant siege chariot. It is several feet high and dozens of feet long. The interior of the vehicle is divided into five levels. There are ladders on each level for getting up and down. The vehicle can carry hundreds of warriors and is equipped with crossbows. Weapons such as poisonous arrows, spears, halberds, knives, and spears, and instruments for destroying city wall facilities. During the attack, everyone pushed the cart to the foot of the city, so that the roof of the cart could be flush with the city wall. The soldiers rushed to the city through the overpass to fight with the enemy. The carts used tools such as ramming wood to destroy the city wall.

There are trebuchets, ladders, chariots, and tools for crossing the sea.
Not to mention, there are more than two hundred kilograms of gunpowder waiting for Chang'an.

With such sufficient preparations, no matter how strong the giant city of Chang'an was, the Han army was confident of capturing it.

now.

Inside Chang'an City.

Zhang He was actually not in a good mood, and his life was actually not easy either.

The side effects of Chang'an guard Xia Houmao's escape before the battle were far greater than Zhang He thought.

Although people with lofty ideals all know that Xia Houmao is not as capable as Zhang He, it is much better to leave Chang'an to Zhang He than to leave Chang'an to Xia Houmao.

But
In this world, stupid people still account for the majority, but truly smart people are in the minority.

After learning that the Wei Chang'an garrison fled Chang'an, the powerful families in the city, and even ordinary people, clamored to flee Chang'an.

For those who wanted to escape, Zhang He naturally did not let any of them out.

If they were let go, all the people in Chang'an would have fled. When the soldiers guarding the city saw the people fleeing, would they also become a rout?

Furthermore, defending the city requires the use of civilians. These common people can help make some defensive equipment at critical moments.

Things that don't require technical skills, such as boiling golden juice, can be left to these people.

of course
Preventing these people from leaving Chang'an will naturally cause the city of Chang'an to be in a state of chaos and disharmony among the people.

Therefore, yesterday, Zhang He led five thousand troops out of the city to harass the Han army, preparing for a great victory to stabilize the people of Chang'an.

结果
The attack on the Han army failed, but they were beaten to pieces by the Han army. Of the 5,000 people who went out, only 2,000 came back, less than half.

The original intention of using a big victory to stabilize the people of Chang'an not only failed to achieve the effect, but had the opposite effect.

As a result, there are often noisy and troublemakers in Chang'an City, which makes Zhang He extremely annoyed.

If this continues, there will be no need to defend Chang'an.

"General, please see the envoy from Han outside the city."

Han envoy?
Zhang He frowned and said: "The envoy from the Han Kingdom coming here at this moment must be to persuade him to surrender. He killed him and hung his body on the gate of Xi'an."

The sergeant who came to report looked hesitant and said quickly: "The envoy is Du Fang, who was born in the Du family in Jingzhao. Don't you want to meet him, general?"

Jingzhao Du family?

So brave!

Zhang He suddenly couldn't sit still and his face became ugly.

"Jingzhao Du family actually dares to treason!"

Zhang He was extremely angry at first, but soon, this anger disappeared completely.

The gentry are basically just outsiders, and they will help anyone who forces them to do so.

The Du family in Jingzhao was not highly used in the Wei State, so it seemed not difficult to understand that he would change his family at this time.

"The villain heard the news that Jingzhao Du family and Jingzhao Wei family have both surrendered to the Han Dynasty. Many generals and staff in Chang'an City are from these two families, or are related to these two families. If It is really inappropriate to kill Du Fang rashly."

Since Cao Pi promulgated the nine-level Zhongzheng system, the power of nobles in various places has rapidly expanded.

The same is true for Jingzhao Du Clan and Jingzhao Webster.

At that time, Zhong Yao worked concurrently as the Dazhongzheng of Yongzhou, and many descendants of Du family and Wei family became officials.

After all, in Guanzhong, according to the requirements of the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System, those who can meet the requirements based on their family background, talents and virtues will be the best from these two families.

It is precisely because of this that the two families of Jingzhao, Du Family and Wei Family took advantage of the situation and rose up. Middle and lower-level officials were almost everywhere in Jingzhao Yin. It was only because of time constraints that their power did not spread to the upper levels.

In a country that relies on the gentry to govern local areas, the local gentry surrendered to the enemy first. Zhang He felt like he wanted to cry without tears.

My maid!
Is this Chang'an City a place guarded by people?

Only then did he discover why Xia Houmao ran away so simply.

At first I thought he was as timid as a mouse, but now it seems that he sees much further than Zhang He.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhang He said to the subordinate officer who was delivering the order: "It would be a good idea to summon this person to come and see him."

As for what Zhang He was thinking, he himself didn't even know. A moment later, Du Fang, wearing the robe of a Han envoy, slowly walked into the main hall.

"The envoy pays homage to the general."

Zhang He was wearing armor, and his frown never relaxed for a moment.

"What are you doing here?"

Du Fang laughed and said immediately: "General, destiny lies with the Han Dynasty, and the general trend lies with the Han Dynasty. You are a minister of the Han Dynasty. Now is a good time to bring order to the chaos. The general must seize the opportunity. If the general is willing to surrender, your majesty is willing to grant you a title." I am a general of hussars, a county marquis for ten thousand years, and I live in a city with ten thousand households. How about surrendering the army in Guanzhong and letting the general take charge?"

I have to say that the conditions in Han are indeed attractive.

He is now a township marquis. Even though he is just one word different from a county marquis, there is still a huge difference between the fiefdom of a township and the fiefdom of a county.

Not to mention the thousands of households in the city.

Moreover, after surrendering, he still has the army in hand, so he will not be alone.

This condition is not bad at all!
Seeing that Zhang He was still silent, Du Fang continued: "Now in the Han Dynasty, no one can have ten thousand households. General Kuang is brave and can still make achievements. It is not known whether he can go further."

"Hey~"

Zhang He sighed heavily and said: "Your terms are indeed very tempting. However, I, Zhang He, am not the one who betrays my master. Forgive me, I cannot do this kind of surrender!"

"The general was originally a general of the Yuan family, but now he is a general of the Cao family. Why can't he be a general of the Han family?"

Du Fang scolded angrily.

"enough!"

Zhang He had black lines all over his head and angrily said: "Do you think I want to surrender? Do you think I am unwilling to start from the beginning to the end? Back then, Yuan Benchu ​​was hesitant and Guo Tu's words seriously hurt me. I had no choice, so I was forced to surrender."

During the Battle of Guandu, Zhang He said to Yuan Shao: "Although you have won successive victories, you do not need to fight Cao Cao. You only need to secretly send light cavalry to cut off his southern military route and deprive him of his supplies, and the enemy army will collapse without a fight."

Yuan Shao did not adopt it.

Later, Yuan Shao sent Chunyu Qiong to supervise grain and grass in Wuchao.

Cao Cao personally led his elite troops to attack Wuchao.

Zhang He stepped forward again and offered advice: "Gong Cao's soldiers are brave and skillful in fighting. They will definitely defeat Chunyu Qiong and others. Once Chunyu Qiong fails, the general's great cause will be over. You should lead troops to rescue as soon as possible."

But the counselor Guo Tu said: "What Zhang He said is not a good idea. It is better for our army to attack Cao Cao's camp. Cao Cao will definitely come back to save Chunyu Qiong. In this way, Chunyu Qiong will be in danger without saving him."

As a result, Zhang He and Gao Lan led heavy troops to attack Cao's camp but were unable to defeat it. Wuchao was burned down by Cao's army. Guo Tu also framed him in front of Yuan Shao, saying: "Zhang He was happy about our army's defeat and made rude remarks."

He had no choice but to surrender to Cao Cao.

However, what Zhang He thought was, after all, just his words.

Du Fang sneered and said: "If you are a loyal general, you will not violate your loyalty even if you die. Guan Yunchang, the great general of the Han Dynasty, was highly used by Cao Cao back then. After learning that His Majesty was alive, I still gave up all my glory and wealth. Kill six generals in five passes, without fear of death or life, with complete loyalty. The general is afraid of death, so he can surrender to Cao Wei. Now Chang'an is surrounded by our Han army. The people in the city are in turmoil and the military's morale is uncertain. Isn't it like the battle of Guandu?"

Du Fang pressed forward step by step, his eyes sharp.

"Back then, the general abandoned Yuan and returned to Cao, so that he could be a general today. Similarly, if the general abandoned Cao and returned to Han today, he would have a glorious future as a general."

"Whoo~"

Zhang He took a long breath and said: "I intend to surrender, but I also ask Emperor Han to give me five days to think about it."

"Is it possible that at this time, the general is still thinking of a delaying strategy?"

Zhang He snorted coldly and waved his hands heavily.

"Whether you believe it or not, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty will decide for himself. You can just go back and report it."

Zhang He didn't want to waste time with Du Fang.

"see a visitor out!"

After saying that, he stood up and left.

Du Fang was stunned for a moment and could only leave.

The news that Du Fang entered the city and persuaded Zhang He to surrender was immediately learned by Zhang Fei and others.

"This is a delaying tactic! If Zhang He is given five days, Chang'an will be even more difficult to attack."

Wei Yan, the governor of Hanzhong, was the first to express his dissatisfaction.

"Mr. Zhang, don't trust Zhang He gullibly."

Zhao Yun, who was on the side, also had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Five days are neither long nor short."

It seems that Zhang He is still very shrewd and holds this standard.

"You go back and report to His Majesty first. As for our side, we just don't attack Chang'an. We need to knock down Piyong, Wang Mang Jiu Temple and Sheji Altar first."

Zhang Fei grinned, looking very honest and honest.

Are you playing this trick with me?
You are still a little young.

In addition to the city, Chang'an also has many buildings outside, such as Wang Mang's Nine Temples, which is one of them.

The "Nine Temples" are composed of 12 "Hui"-shaped plane buildings with the same specifications and layout, with a total area of ​​over acres.

其中11座建筑以“4、3、4”的顺序前后呈三排设置在一个大的方形院落内部，夯土围墙边长1400米，中心建筑边长55米，院内四个角落有附属房。

In the middle of the south part of this square wall, there is another zigzag-shaped building ruins that is the same as the inner courtyard and forms a courtyard of its own. The side of the building is 100 meters long.

As for why there are twelve temples in the Nine Temples, the reason is very simple. In addition to the nine designated by Wang Mang, there are also three distant ancestors - Di Ku, Tian He, and Tian Jian. Since the number of temples should refer to a constant, the name "Nine Temples" is used. Temple" is called.

Just like there are five of the Four Heavenly Kings.

However, not long after the completion of the Nine Temples, they were destroyed by the fire that was ignited by Wang Mang's uprising army when they came to the city in the last years. The exquisite buildings in the Nine Temples had long been burned to the ground, but the walls and so on were still there. Today, Zhang He sent troops to garrison them. Next to it are Piyong, Sheji Terrace, and a pin-shaped fortress, which are used to delay the Han army.

With these things in front of us, not to mention that if we want to attack Chang'an, we won't even be able to cross the moat.

Du Fang also felt that Zhang He was a bit shameless. Your Majesty gave you the title of General of Hussars and the title of County Marquis. He didn't even deprive you of your military power. He even gave you the title of Ten Thousand Households. You, Zhang He, are still a common man. What's not to be satisfied with?
Don't know good from evil.

"When I entered the city, I contacted the disciples of the Du family and the Wei family in the city, and also informed the spies of the Army Division. I am afraid that Zhang He's intention to surrender will soon spread in Chang'an. The general will attack Jiu Temple and Piyong. , show Zhang He what the consequences will be if you resist stubbornly!"

Sun Tzu's Art of War says: Attack the heart first, attack the city first.

"The method of attacking a city is as a last resort... If one third of the soldiers are killed but the city is not taken out, this attack will be a disaster."

Facing a strong city and fortress, one-third of the army's soldiers will often be lost, and it may even remain impossible to attack for a long time. It is enough to show the difficulty of siege warfare, and such losses are also a disaster on the battlefield.

If Zhang He can be frightened by attacking the Nine Temples and Piyong Sheji Altar, he may be able to conquer Chang'an without a fight! (End of chapter)