Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 117 Leaving Tongguan in the East
  Huan Xi sat in the bumpy carriage, his hands still playing with the soft parts of Han Yan's body, but his thoughts had already flown far away.

As he conquered cities and territories in the north and occupied Guanlong as his foundation, the power of the Huan family was now greater than it had been before.

But because of this, the Jiankang court was increasingly aware of the threat posed by the Huan family, and they would do their best to hinder the Huan family.

The most critical issue is that the Sima family's compromise with the gentry also won them the support of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.

Except for Huan's trusted generals, no scholars wanted to see a change of dynasty.

This is why in the original time and space, in his later years, Huan Wen clearly controlled Jiangzhou, Xuzhou, and Yuzhou, and concurrently served as Yangzhou Mu, putting the court in his hands. However, many scholars still stood up to fight against Huan Wen and forcibly suppressed him. Drag to death.

After withdrawing his thoughts, Huan Xi realized that Han Yan had already become emotional under his kneading.

For a moment, the carriage shook even more violently.

Chang'an is more than three hundred miles away from Tongguan. Twenty thousand cavalry marched along the official road. The ears of millet were golden on both sides. From time to time, farmers busy in the fields stopped what they were doing and looked at the army heading east.

"There's going to be another war."

An old farmer said with emotion.

The person next to him was his son, who smiled and said:
  "Just fight, it won't affect us anyway."

Huan Xi did not recruit a large number of civilians for this battle. After all, it was the autumn harvest, which was related to the harvest of the year. Except for the soldiers who were not engaged in production, no one was willing to leave at this time.

In fact, Huan Xi only brought food for five days on this trip. Chang'an was three hundred miles away from Tongguan, and five days was enough for him to arrive.

In Tongguan City, 20,000 infantry and cavalry were already secretly stockpiled for fifteen days.

Huan Xi left from Tongguandong and could only carry fifteen days' worth of food. Firstly, the autumn taxes had not yet been put into the treasury, so his finances were indeed not rich.

Secondly, and most importantly, Huan Xi will adopt the strategy of taking advantage of the enemy.

This time he sends troops, it is impossible to treat the people as tenderly as he did during the Northern Expedition to Guanzhong.

Ban Gu once pointed out in "Book of Han: Chronicles of Emperor Yuan": The resettlement of the land is the nature of the people; the attachment of flesh and blood is the wish of human nature.

Huan Xi did not have much time to persuade people one by one to move to Guanzhong, so the only way he could take was to force them to move away.

As for the people complaining about this, it doesn't matter. When they return to Guanzhong and allocate acres of land and houses to them, so that these forcibly relocated people can live a better life, they will naturally be grateful to them.

This time when they went east, they had no choice but to harvest their food. Huanxi would naturally move them to Guanzhong and raise them until the next autumn harvest.

Du Yu, the guard general of Tongguan, had been notified of his trip by messenger early. He stood on the west tower and looked out. In the distance, he saw dust rising in the direction of the forbidden ditch. He knew that the army must have arrived.

Du Yu quickly walked down the tower and came out of the city to greet him.

As one of the noble families in Guanzhong, the Jingzhao Du family is now completely dependent on Huan Xi.

During their adjustment to adapt to each other, there were also some unpleasant experiences. For example, Wang Meng once rectified the official administration and attacked the nobles.

But this was a conflict between Wang Meng and the scholars. He knew clearly that the mastermind behind the scenes was Huan Xi, but he didn't dare to complain under Huan Xi's tactics of using a stick and a carrot.

After being beaten by Wang Meng, the Guanlong clan is now much more honest.

The reason is that they are not as strong as Guan Long Xungui in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and Huan Xi is deeply popular in Guanzhong, and there is really no mass base for rebellion.

When Huan Xi sent troops to the Xitao Plain, Liu Kang, a barbarian from the Western Regions, lied in Weibei and claimed to be the son of the former Zhao Emperor Liu Yao, hoping to confuse the people and take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Unexpectedly, he was turned over to the government by the local people, and was eventually taken to Chang'an and sentenced to death.

After years of turmoil, the people of Guanlong cherish their hard-won peaceful life.

In fact, there was no irreconcilable conflict of interest between Huanxi and the Guanlong gentry. After all, these policies, such as dividing the land and releasing hidden households, had been determined as early as the beginning of Huanxi's capture of Guanlong.

Huan Xi only killed Zhang Ju because he framed Wang Meng, which was not enough to affect his good relationship with the Guanlong gentry.

Du Yu rode his horse to the carriage, dismounted and bowed:

"The last general, Du Yu, pays homage to the lord."

Huan Xi opened the car curtain and greeted:

"General Du, please wake up. I haven't seen you for a long time. I wonder if the general is okay?"

Du Yu stood up and replied:

"Thank you for your thoughts, my lord. Everything will be fine in the end. It's just a pity that I haven't had the opportunity to see the crown prince so far."

Huan Xi smiled and said:

"There will be a chance. Du Zhou, the general's brother, hugged Aman with his own hands that day."

With that said, Huan Xi got out of the carriage and asked for a mount. The two of them sat on the horse and talked, with the army behind them following, and headed towards Tongguan.

Huan Xi asked:

"I wonder if the current situation in Hongnong has changed?"

Du Yu replied:
  "There has been no change. Zhang Yu is mainly on guard against Xie Shang and has not stationed too many troops in Hongnong."

This is also the helplessness of living in the land of the Fourth War. Although Zhang Yu surrendered to Fu Jian and eliminated the threat from the north, he had too many directions to defend.

Whether it is Huan Xi in Kansai, Huan Wen in Jingzhou, Xie Shang in Yuzhou in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, or the separatist warlords in the Central Plains in the east, they are all the ones Zhang Yu needs to guard against.

How could he have so many soldiers and horses?

At this stage, the focus of Zhang Yu's defense is Xie Shang, who had a conflict with him just at the beginning of the year.

Rather than just talking about Huan Xi in Chang'an and claiming to be his father.

Of course, correspondingly, although Hongnong County is not heavily guarded, it also does not leave too many people behind. There are only more than 8,000 households, most of which are distributed around Hongnong County.

Huan Xi nodded slightly after hearing Du Yu's answer.

He also asked about the inventory of grain and ordnance. Du Yu had been ordered to prepare these for Huan Xi long ago.

On the same day, the army camped on the west side of Tongguan, rested for a while, and prepared to send troops to Hongnong early tomorrow morning.

Hongnong County has jurisdiction over six counties, namely Hongnong, Yiyang, Huxian, Lianchi, Shaanxian, and Huayin, including Tongguan, which was originally within the jurisdiction of Hongnong County.

The reason for this division is that both the Western Jin and Later Zhao established their countries in Guandong, so Tongguan would not be placed under Yongzhou.

When Huan Xi seized Tongguan, he naturally brought Huayin County to the west of Tongguan under his jurisdiction.

At night, Huan Xi called Deng Xia and Yang An, and first said to Deng Xia:
  "General Deng, I promise you three thousand cavalry. Early tomorrow morning, you will lead your army to bypass Hongnong, take advantage of the defenders' lack of defense, attack Wei Pass, and clear the way for me."

Wei Pass is Hangu Pass.

Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, as the Yellow River cut inward, there have been three Hangu Passes.

They are the Qin Pass located on the Choosang Plain, which once made the troops of the Nine Kingdoms stop patrolling.

After General Yang Pu petitioned Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he funded the construction of Hanguan on his own. And the Wei Pass established by Prime Minister Cao.

As the Yellow River cut inward, the water level dropped and the river beaches were exposed, gradually allowing carriages and horses to pass. With a smooth way out to the east, naturally no one wanted to take the Hangu Road anymore, so Qinguan was abandoned.

Hangu Pass in the Han Dynasty was built purely by the Hongnong Yang family in order to have a Guanzhong native place. It is three hundred miles away from Qin Pass and Wei Pass, but it is only eighty miles away from Luoyang.

At the same time, there are other roads that can be easily bypassed. The symbolic significance of Hanguan is greater than its practical significance, and it has basically no military value.

As for Wei Pass, it was a pass established by Cao Cao on the exposed river beach five miles northeast of Hangu Pass in the Qin Dynasty.

Huan Xi had two choices at this time. One was to take the Hangu Road in Qin Dynasty, but the road was difficult to navigate due to the mountains and ridges along the way.

The second is to occupy Wei Pass, which will be much more convenient for troops and horses to move eastward, and for migrating people.

In this regard, Huan Xi did not need to hesitate too much. Wei Guan was his first choice.

Unless Deng Xia really couldn't take this pass, he would consider going eastward via the ancient Han Road in Qin Dynasty.

"The last general takes orders!"

Deng Xia said with confidence.

Huan Xi nodded, looked at Yang An, and said:

"General Yang, I will give you two thousand cavalry, and you and Ying Yuan will set out together to attack the city of Hongnong. They will gather the people in the city and seize grain for military use. They will wait in Hongnong for my eastward departure.

"Remember, you can drive the people, but you can't let the soldiers insult them."

Upon hearing this, Yang An agreed without hesitation.

After the two left, Huan Xi rested under Han Yan's attendance.

The next day, at dawn, five thousand cavalry, led by Deng Xia and Yang An, set off first after making fire and cooking.

Huan Xi gave them all the Jin cavalry, but kept the Xiongnu cavalry with him, mainly because he did not trust the Xiongnu cavalry's ability to attack fortresses.

These people can only fly kites on the battlefield, use the tactics of dismounting and shooting, and bully the infantry.

Shortly after Deng Xia and Yang An left, Huan Xi led his troops out of Tongguandong with fifteen days' worth of food.

Tongguan and Hongnong are one hundred and forty miles apart. The Jin army's cavalry, three to one, set out early in the morning and arrived outside Hongnong before the city closed at dusk.

Deng Xia had already led three thousand cavalry to bypass Hongnong and attack Wei Dai Hangu Pass.

Yang An never stopped, taking advantage of the unpreparedness of the defenders in the city, and selected twenty soldiers to disguise themselves and enter the city in disguise.

After Huan Xi captured Guanlong and Tongguan, both Yao Xiang and Zhang Yu were always on the defensive when dealing with the enemies to the east and never crossed Tongguan.

The Hongnong defenders were completely unprepared for the Jin army's eastward march. The city gate had not been closed at this time. When the twenty disguised soldiers were being interrogated, they broke out and seized control of the city gate. At the moment, they fell behind. The cavalry also led by Yang An, launched a charge towards Hongnong gate.

When the defenders at the city gate saw this scene, they did not dare to stop them and fled in panic.

The Jin army was able to occupy the city gate, and the cavalry then poured into the city, easily attacking the city and capturing the prefect of Hongnong and more than a thousand defenders in the city.

After Yang An took control of the city, he saw that it was getting late, so he had to wait until tomorrow to gather the people in the city and go out to collect food.

That night, dozens of people came to pay homage to Yang An, claiming to be Yang Zhen, the Taiwei of the Han Dynasty.

Yang An learned the news and sneered:

"He's just an imposter."

The Yang family of Hongnong was naturally a famous family in the Han and Wei dynasties. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, four generations of Yang Zhen, Yang Bing, Yang Ci and Yang Biao served as Taiwei successively and were called the Fourth Taiwei.

However, since the end of the Han Dynasty, the Yang family in Hongnong has suffered many disasters. Among Yang Zhen's descendants, first Yang Biao and Yang Xiu, father and son of Yang Bing's branch, were killed.

During the Western Jin Dynasty, three brothers, Yang Jun, Yang Jue and Yang Ji, who were relatives, took over the power, and the three tribes were annihilated.

The only remaining descendants of Yang Zhen are now Yang Liang, Yang Guang, and Yang Quanqi. Because they crossed the river too late, they were ostracized by the gentry and had to seek employment with military merit. They are currently serving under Huan Wen.

In fact, the famous Yang figures in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, including Yang Jian and Yang Su, have been verified by later generations of scholars to be fake and not descendants of Yang Zhen.

Of course, these things are not something Yang An can know.

Yang An did not meet these people privately, but only sent someone to tell them that Huan Xi would lead his army eastward, and they would come to pay them a visit then.

The next day, early in the morning, when Yang An was gathering the people in the city and leading them out of the city to harvest grain, he rode eastward. It was the envoy sent by Deng Xia to report Huan Xi's victory.

Yang An sent someone to stop him, and after questioning, he learned that after Deng Xia bypassed Hongnong City, he traveled another thirty miles and arrived at Hangu Pass of Cao Wei.

It was already dark at that time, so Deng Xia simply asked the soldiers to dismount and rest for a while. At the same time, he sent people to intercept and kill any fish that might have escaped from Hongnong City. , abandoned their horses and fought on foot, attacking the city at night.

The defenders of Hangu Pass were unprepared and were defeated by Deng Xia in one fell swoop.

When Yang An heard this, he felt relieved. There was a smooth road along the river bank, but he was unwilling to take the Qinshi Hangu Road.

After sending the messenger away, Yang An immediately ordered the people to gather crops in the fields.

On the way to Hongnong City, Huan Xi received the good news from Yang An and Deng Xia successively and was very happy, but he was not in a hurry to rush the soldiers on their way.

The distance between the left and right is only more than a hundred miles, and two days are enough for the march. He left Tongguan yesterday and will reach Hongnong before dusk today.

Of course, Huan Xi also knew that after attacking Cao Wei's Hangu Pass, as the defeated troops fled eastward, the news would inevitably leak out.

Zhang Yu knew the news and would definitely gather heavy troops in Luoyang.

For the present plan, Huan Xi was worried about how to lure Zhang Yu out of Luoyang City.

In the carriage, Huan Xi was thinking about ways to provoke the enemy, and his eyes fell on Han Yan involuntarily.

To make Zhang Yu lose his mind, he probably has to rely on the father-son relationship between himself and him.

In the original time and space, Zhang Yu was resentful because of his father-son relationship with Fu Jian. In a rage, he actually wanted to attack and kill Fu Jian.

He never considered how he would deal with the aftermath even if he killed Fu Jian. In the end, the matter was exposed and Fu Jian was executed.

Such an impulsive and irritable temperament is easy to deal with.

When Huan Xi came to Hongnong, escorted by Xiongnu cavalry and Jin infantry, the local people were still working under the driving force of the Jin army.

Huan Xi did not show up. He asked the army to camp outside the city while he drove straight into the city.

Different from the past, this time the people of Hongnong were really suffering. Huan Xi not only needed them to harvest food, but also had to be recruited as civilian husbands and obey his orders.

Of course, this kind of thing was actually normal in the past. After experiencing Shi Hu's benevolent government, the people of Guandong could bear it far better than Huan Xi thought.

　I caught a cold today, and my state was very bad at night. I am not very satisfied with it, and the update almost timed out. Don't worry, I will adjust it as soon as possible. Tomorrow it will still be 10,000 words.

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)