Great Han Empire

Chapter 196
In March of the third year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (AD 186).
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Beigong Boyu's 5 troops have been wiped out, and now Anding County in Liangzhou is within easy reach.Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, immediately asked Taiwei Zhang Wen to see him, and asked to send his own Wudu and his troops to recover Anding County.Zhang Wen immediately agreed.

Geng Bi has 5000 troops in his hands, but they are all on the front line now, only Ma Teng's [-] troops are still stranded in Qian (read qian) County.So Geng Bi sent Ma Teng with [-] cavalry to go north from Wudu to recover Anding County, leaving [-] cavalry as his personal guard camp.

At Bianzhang, Han Sui led his troops back all the way, abandoning all the cities they passed.

Dangkou General Zhou Shen led 2 elite soldiers from the Northern Army, 5000 soldiers from Liangzhou Commandery Xu Rong, [-] Frontier Army from Western Captain Qu Yi, and [-] soldiers from Huaxiong from Jincheng County. Ten thousand and [-] people pursued closely all the way.

Fu Xie, the prefect of Hanyang County, took 3000 troops borrowed from Jingzhao Mansion and successfully stationed in Yicheng, the seat of Hanyang County.

Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, led two thousand cavalry into Long County, the governor's office in Liangzhou.Long County is also in Hanyang County, very close to Youfufeng County, only a hundred miles away.

Zhou Shen ambushed in fear, and was cautious along the way, and the marching speed was not too fast.

After Bian Zhang led an army of [-] to retreat to Pingxiang City, he stopped suddenly.Zhou Shen hurriedly assembled his army and stationed at Pingxiang City.His troops are not as many as the rebels, and he can besiege the city, but he is not strong enough to attack the city.Zhou Shen hurriedly sent fast cavalry to Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Hong's army, and urged the two armies to rush to Pingxiang to join up and prepare to attack the rebels.

At this time, Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Hongzheng were fighting against the [-] Qiang Hu led by June Jinglei near Shehu Valley, and they couldn't get away even if they wanted to.

Zhou Shen hurriedly asked the Taiwei Zhang Wen for help, and asked the captive Zhonglang to send Li Hongshun to the west.

===

At this time, Li Hong's troops had arrived in Yong County.

Li Hong took Xian Yufu and Zuo Yan hurriedly into the government office.Sangyang greeted them and exchanged a few pleasantries.

"Master Sang, how is the battle in Hanyang?" Li Hong asked.

"Very bad. Bianzhang doesn't fight us at all. They have already retreated to Yuzhong City. It is not known whether they will retreat across the Yellow River. If they cross the Yellow River and go deep into the hinterland of Jincheng County, this battle will be very difficult to fight." Yes. Jincheng is their old nest, the terrain is complex, and the transportation of grain and grass is difficult, which is not good for us." Sangyang smiled wryly.

Li Hong said in surprise: "Back to Yuzhong, isn't that already at the edge of the Yellow River? It's more than 1000 miles away from us, right?"

"Yes." Sangyang said, "Even if you march at the fastest speed, it will take more than ten days to reach Yuzhong. The road there is very difficult."

"Is there a backup force in Pingxiang City?" Xian Yufu asked.

"No. The troops of General Dong and Captain Huangfu have already chased Jinglei in June to Longxi County. Now in Hanyang County, only Prefect Fu has [-] soldiers, and Mr. Geng has [-] cavalry."

Li Hong shook his head secretly.

"General Zhou's army is going deep alone, it's dangerous." Zuo Yan said in a low voice.

"The rebels are retreating fast, very fast. We have to catch up, otherwise what should we do? Let them return to Jincheng County swaggeringly? They don't want Hanyang County at all, and they have given up all the cities. The determination of the rebels to withdraw is so great. It was beyond our expectations." Sangyang said worriedly.

"What's your opinion on the latest situation in Xiliang?" Li Hong asked.

Sangyang glanced at him and said, "Master Taiwei thinks that Bianzhang must be hit hard to drive away June Jinglei, otherwise it may be difficult to get results in a short time."

Li Hong was silent.

The figure of Taiwei Zhang Wen appeared at the door of the study.

===

Yuzhong City is located on the bank of the Yellow River, at the easternmost end of Jincheng County, thirty miles away from Warrior City in Hanyang County.Between the two cities, the most dangerous place is a five-mile-long sunflower canyon, which is the only passage leading to Yuzhong City.

Bian Zhang's complexion was very ugly, and his whole body was thin and out of shape.Although his injury has not deteriorated, he has shown no signs of recovery.Bian Zhang lay on the sickbed all day long, suffering from pain.

Han Sui walked in slowly and waved for the two medical craftsmen to leave.

"Old side..."

Han Sui gently grabbed Bian Zhang's hand and shouted in a low voice.

Bian Zhang shook Han Sui's hand, forced a smile and said, "Wen Yue, I'm in pain, it's in pain, I really can't stand it."

Han Sui shook his head in pain, patted his arm and said, "Old Bian, hold on for a while longer. After we finish this battle, we will return to Jincheng."

Old Bian closed his eyes, groaned a few times, and asked in a low voice, "Boyu, is there any news about Boyu?"

Han Sui's eyes suddenly burst into anger, and the muscles on his face twitched nervously a few times.He suppressed his anger, let out a long breath, and said in a low voice: "There is news."

Lao Bian opened his eyes in surprise, and immediately saw the anger on Han Sui's face.He was taken aback, and hurriedly asked, "What happened to Boyu and Marquis Wen?"

Han Sui nodded, let out another long breath, and said in a low voice, "We just got the news that they were ambushed by the leopard Li Hong near Lingtai Mountain in Anding County, and the whole army was wiped out."

Old Bian was stunned. He stared blankly at the roof and didn't make a sound for a long time.

"Are they all dead?"

"No, they were all caught." Han Sui said angrily, "These two killed 5 of us at once."

Bian Zhang gave a wry smile helplessly, and said, "It's fine if you don't die, it's fine if you don't die. If Wen Yue, Bo Yu and the others can't come back, then our encirclement and annihilation plan will be cancelled."

"Yes, old Bian, I just came to discuss this matter with you." Han Sui calmed down the anger in his heart a little, and said slowly, "Zhou Shen's troops have set up camp outside the city."

"Wen Yue, what are you going to do now? Cut off his food supply?"

"Yes, I plan to cut off their food road." Han Sui thought for a while, and said, "The troops of Yang Qiu, Cheng Yi, Liang Xing, and Ma Wan are all ambushing on the Tuo Ridge outside the city. If the Han army plans to By cutting off our grain roads, we can just set up an ambush and annihilate part of the Han army. Then I will ask Yang Qiu and the others to blockade the two ends of the Kuiyuan Canyon and completely cut off the Han army’s grain and grass supplies.”

"When do you choose to occupy Kuiyuan Gorge?" Bian Zhang asked, "When Zhou Shen attacked the city?"

"The Han army has been chasing them all the way, and they have limited food and grass. According to my prediction, it will not exceed ten days. So I plan to let Zhou Shen attack for a few days first. What do you think?"

"Siege?" Bian Zhang said, "We have few troops now, and the soldiers are not as elite as Zhou Shen's troops. Once we fight, we will suffer a lot of casualties. It is best to think of a way to make the enemy think that we are short of food, so that they can To avoid losses, it is possible to siege but not attack."

Han Sui closed his eyes slightly, a smile flitting across his face.

===

Outside Yuzhong City, the camp of the Han army stretched for several miles.

In the large tent of the Chinese army, a group of generals surrounded the table, looking at the map laid out on the table, arguing fiercely.

Zhou Shen is about 50 years old, tall and thin, with a long serious face and a pair of hesitant eyes.The wrinkles on his forehead are deep, as if he has been thinking about something.He was born in a noble family, joined the army since he was a child, and served as a guard at Yanmen Pass in northern Xinjiang for many years.

He glanced at the handsome Sun Jian, and said in a calm tone, "Master Sun, if we besiege the city, there seems to be no need to cut off the enemy's food supply."

"I agree with the general's opinion." Hua Xiong said cautiously, "We have captured several rebel messengers, and we know that they are demanding food from Jincheng. This shows that there is indeed a shortage of food in the city, and the news we have received is true. .Since there is a shortage of food in the city, we can just besiege the city. The city is surrounded by us, so why go to intercept the enemy's food road?"

Hua Xiong is from Jincheng County. He is in his 20s. He has a strong build and dark skin. He has big eyes and eyebrows that are as black and thick as two sticks of charcoal.He is good at martial arts, sophisticated, shrewd and cautious, and well-known in Jincheng County.

Just as Hua Xiong finished speaking, Qu Yi continued: "Master Sun asked to bring 1 people to Tuoling to cut off the enemy's food road. I don't think it is necessary at all. Since we know that the enemy is short of food, we should concentrate our forces and attack the city with all our strength. , Consume the enemy's strength, hit the enemy's morale, and wait for the backup to come to surround and annihilate. At this time, dispersing the troops to cut off the enemy's food road will not only delay the time, but also hinder the opportunity of the battle."

Qu Yi is also a northern man in his 20s, tall and strong, imposing, with a rosy complexion and a handsome appearance.He was the minister of the former court, Ju Tan, and later changed his surname to Qu because he took refuge in Xiping, Liangzhou.He is versatile in both civil and military affairs, especially in martial arts. He is chivalrous, upright, brave and aggressive.He led his troops to fight against the Qiang and Hu in the frontier, and made many military exploits. He was a soldier in Jincheng County until he became the captain of the west. He is a brave general who is good at fighting.

"Taking a step back, even if we don't attack the city and surround Yuzhong with more than 4 people, can the grain and grass brought by the enemy still break through the encirclement and fly into Yuzhong City? Master Sun has repeatedly asked to lead 1 people alone to the camel. Ridge cut off the enemy's food road, do you not trust our troops in Xiliang, do you think we are secretly collaborating with the enemy?"

Sun Jian laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you are serious. It is obvious that Yuzhong City is short of food. But there are [-] rebels in Yuzhong City, and they can break through at any time, especially when we surround the city in groups and our troops are scattered. "

"I led troops to station in Tuoling, which could not only cut off the enemy's food road, but also cut off the enemy's escape route. Once the rebels in the city know that the food transportation route has been cut off by us, they will be panic-stricken and take the risk to break through. At this time, I was in Tuoling Stop them, delay their escape speed, and you adults can quickly lead your troops to surround the enemy in Camel Ridge. You adults should know that it is much easier to wipe out the enemy in the wild than to attack the city."

Qu Yi shook his head and said, "Master Sun, if you don't attack the city, the enemy will concentrate their main force to break through. They can't continue to hold on without food and grass. Your analysis of this matter is very correct. But have you considered it? It's so obvious. Lao Bian and Han Sui would never have thought about it? He would turn a blind eye to such an important place as Tuoling? Can you be sure that they didn't ambush troops in Tuoling in advance, waiting for you to fall into the trap? They retreated thousands of miles without losing their strength. Abandoned the entire Hanyang County, but suddenly stayed in the small city of Yuzhong, but the Yellow River, why? Is it because they have no food and grass?"

Zhou Shen, Sun Jian and others were silent.

"My lord general, my lord Sun, Captain Qu's words are very reasonable." Xu Rong said slowly, "Lao Bian and Han Sui are well-known in the western borders, and they would not lead their troops to retreat thousands of miles without any purpose. He It must be to lure the enemy to go deep and look for opportunities to defeat us."

The most impressive thing about Xu Rong is that he is big and thick. Not only does he have a simple and thick appearance, but he also has a body like a door panel. He also has a pair of fat hands. Although he is only in his 20s, he looks more like a man in his 30s.Xu Rong is bold and righteous, steady and down-to-earth, and very popular.He is a native of Xuantu County, Liaodong, Youzhou, and he was born in a small official family.He became a man because of his filial piety, and later served as a military officer in Hanyang County, Liangzhou. He made many military exploits in the frontier.

Xu Rong looked at everyone and continued: "Why did he stop suddenly in Pingxiang City? The purpose is nothing more than to wait for our teams to gather together, and then lure us into Jincheng County together and destroy them together."

"Now we are only speculating that Yuzhong City is short of food and grass, and there is no definite evidence. If we know that the rebels are short of food and grass, we can do two things. Divide up the troops to guard the rebels' food roads, or besiege the city to trap the rebels. Whether it is to divide the troops to cut off the enemy Neither the grain road nor the siege can be solved quickly. If there is no quick battle, we will have to stay here for a long time. If we wait for a long time, our food and grass supplies will need to be replenished. What will we do if they cut off our grain road? There is no other way but to retreat quickly. Our retreat for a long distance without food is an opportunity for the rebels to annihilate us."

Zhou Shen listened intently to Xu Rong's analysis, nodded approvingly, and asked, "Master Xu, what's your opinion?"

"My opinion is the same as that of the general. It is also to besiege the city, but we have to send troops to occupy both ends of the Kuiyuan Canyon to ensure that the food roads of our army are unimpeded. In this way, no matter when the follow-up reinforcements arrive, We all have sufficient supplies of food and grass, and it will be absolutely no problem for us to surround Yuzhong City."

"Don't attack the city?" Qu Yi asked loudly, "Zi Lie (Xu Rong's word), it is important to defend the Kuiyuan Gorge, but we can also properly concentrate the main force to launch an attack. Let's attack once and look at the old side Will they break through?"

Hua Xiong laughed and said, "Brother Yuntian (Qu Yi's character), the siege of the city is fake, but the meritorious service is real, right?"

Sun Jian laughed lightly.

He glanced at the three of them contemptuously, and said, "My lords, I'm afraid that siege of the city is also a lie, defending the Kuiyuan Gorge is also a lie, and besieging the city is even more a lie, and it is true to extend the enemy, right?"

Xu Rong smiled lightly and ignored him.Hua Xiong chuckled, with a very warm expression on his face.

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(End of this chapter)