The last three kingdoms

Chapter 858 The Lesser of Two Evils

In Yukou Township, Qixian County, the camp of the Jin Army was stationed here.

Since conquering Yeli Mountain and entering the Jinzhong Plain, the Jin army has fought nine times with the Huns, with five wins and four losses. Although they were all small-scale encounters, in general, the battles between the two sides Has been in a state of stalemate, the Jin army has been wandering in the central capital, Jingling, and Qixian area, failing to make substantial progress.

After Liu Yuan retreated to Jinyang, he joined forces with Youxian King Liu Meng, and the strength of the Huns surged to 7 to [-], while the Jin army with only [-] horses was naturally at a disadvantage in terms of strength. disadvantage.

This also made Yang Hu see more clearly that the strength of the Jin army alone was not enough to defeat the Huns, so Yang Hu put his hopes on Liu Yin, and only the Shu army joined the siege In the battle of Jinyang, there is a chance to eliminate the Huns.

But at this time, Liu Yin did not follow the Jin army from Shangdang to the north, but turned to the west to attack the two counties of Pingyang in Hedong.

Most of these two counties are still under the control of the Huns. It is reasonable for Liu Yin to turn west and clear the remnants of the Huns in the east of the river. It is also in line with the strategic intention of the Jin army. Naturally, Yang Hu There is no objection to Liu Yin's actions.

Anyway, the two sides are now fighting a tacit battle, and each other is tacit and self-confident. On the surface, the two sides are not affiliated with each other and do not communicate with each other, but both sides spare no effort in fighting against the Huns.

However, Liu Yin quickly pointed the spearhead of the attack at Pujin Pass, which made Yang Hu feel a little embarrassed. Among the places in the east of the river, only Pujin Pass was left in the area actually controlled by the Jin army. The purpose of Liu Yin's attack on Pujin Pass is obvious, which is to open up the connection between Guanzhong and Hedong.

Yang Hu has been in the army for many years, and naturally knows how difficult it is to fight without a rear. He completely depends on the enemy, and all military supplies and food depend on taking from the enemy. The rear persisted in fighting for three years.

From this point of view, Yang Hu can of course appreciate the urgency of Liu Yin to win Pujin Pass.

After receiving Sima Jun's urgent letter for help, Yang Hu couldn't help being in a dilemma.

According to common sense, Pujin Pass is the land of the Jin State. As a general of the Jin army, it is imperative to guard the land and protect the territory.But if you go south to rescue Pujin Pass, you will inevitably go to war with Liu Yin. If the two armies of Jin and Shu fight in Hedong, no matter what the result is, who will benefit the most, it will undoubtedly be the Huns, I am afraid The more intense the fighting at Pujin Pass, the better Liu Yuan's laughter became.

Naturally, it is impossible for Yang Hu to do such a thing that would make relatives hurt and enemies happy. Now the strategic focus of the Jin army is to fight the Huns, which is overwhelming. It was destroyed in one day, which Yang Hu could not accept anyway.

Secondly, Pujin Pass was established in the first place to prevent the Shu army from crossing to the east, but now that the Shu army has controlled almost the entire Hedong County, does Pujin Pass still have value?

Regardless of the level of consideration, it is impossible for Yang Hu to easily send his troops to the south to fight for a small Pujin Pass, and if he can't bear it, he will make a big mess.Therefore, in Yang Hu's reply to Sima Jun, he immediately advised Sima Jun to give up Pujin Pass, not to conflict with Liu Yin, and to concentrate all the troops of the Jin State to deal with the Huns.

Yang Hu didn't know if Sima Jun would follow his advice. After all, Sima Jun was the governor of Hedong, and he was on the same level as his governor of Hebei. He is farther than him, but Yang Hu starts from the overall situation, and he is moved by Sima Jun with affection and reason, and clearly analyzes the pros and cons of it for him. He only hopes that Sima Jun will put the overall situation first Abandon Pujin Pass.

After dismissing Sima Jun's special envoy, Yang Hu sighed softly, because he knew very well that it would not be so easy to persuade Sima Jun.

"Captain, just received the news that Pujin Pass was received. King Ruyin rejected your suggestion and defended Pujin Pass. The Shu army sent troops to attack. After one day, Pujin Pass fell, and King Ruyin abandoned the city and fled." General Chen Yuan The information just received was placed on the desk in front of Yang Hu.

Since Sima Jun's special envoy left, Yang Hu ordered to pay close attention to the intelligence of Pujin Pass. As expected, Sima Jun rejected his plan and defended Pujin Pass. , failure is doomed.

"Understood." Yang Hu didn't read the information carefully, but nodded lightly. What Yang Hu needs to know is only the result, and the process is actually not important.

Chen Yuan looked a little worried, and said: "Commander, King Ruyin sent someone to ask for help a few days ago, but you did not send troops. Now that Pujin Pass has been lost, will King Ruyin hold a grudge and complain to His Majesty?"

Yang Hu said softly: "The one who is clean will be clear, and I have no regrets in my heart. Even if King Ruyin goes to sue, I will still stick to my opinion. I believe His Majesty will understand the pros and cons of it."

"The king of Ruyin is a vassal king, but the direct line of the royal family has an extraordinary relationship with His Majesty. The governor must be careful."

"It doesn't matter, now the battle to destroy the Hu has reached the most critical time, and there must be no extra problems. If you want to vent your anger, you can let him go. What's going on with Liu Yin?"

"After Liu Yin conquered Pujin Pass, he was transporting grain, grass, luggage and other military supplies from Hexi to Hedong on a large scale. According to the spies' report, the ships on Pubanjin Ferry came and went frequently, day and night."

Yang Hu nodded. The actions of the Shu army did not surprise him at all. The purpose of the Shu army to capture Pujin Pass was to obtain military supplies in Guanzhong. Now it is very important to transport military supplies from Hexi to Hedong on a large scale. normal is.

Once the Pujin Pass is opened, Hedong and Guanzhong will be connected together. Yang Hu also knows that this action will undoubtedly boost the strength of the Shu army, but he seems to have no choice now, because the elimination of the Huns is the current top goal of the Jin State , must rely on the strength of the Shu army to compete with the Huns.

The larger the area controlled by the Shu army, the easier it will be to form a situation that cannot be lost. After the Huns are wiped out in the future, the Jin Kingdom will inevitably face the rising Shu Kingdom. In a big battle, who wins will depend on the result of the double-language contest.

But now is not the time for Yang Hu to think about this. Compared with the two evils, whichever is lesser, this is the only thing Yang Hu can do.

(End of this chapter)