Great Han Empire

Chapter 342 The Swordsman
Liu Yu led the army to attack and advance all the way, conquering Gaoyang, Beixin, and Fanyang in succession, and came to Zhuocheng in the middle of this month.

According to Shangshutai's arrangement, they must take Zhuocheng in the middle of this month, and then rush to Jicheng to join the troops of General Li Hong in the north of the town, but it is difficult for Liu Yu to do it. Army, he is powerless, he can only fight wherever he goes.Liu Yu believes that as long as Li Hong can quickly reach Jicheng and put the rebels in a situation of defending the enemy with their backs, the rebels will have to withdraw.However, the development of the battle situation was beyond Liu Yu's expectation. The rebel army was suddenly vulnerable and lost consecutive battles. Within half a month, they retreated from Hejian Kingdom to Zhuojun.Liu Yu's confidence was greatly increased. On the one hand, he urgently wrote to Jizhou Mu Yangqi to supervise the transportation of grain and grass, and on the other hand, he commanded the army to storm Zhuocheng.

At this time, Wei You, who had returned to Liu Yu's side, hurriedly dissuaded him. He said to Liu Yu that there are only 2 people in his hands at present, and he has lost two or three thousand during the fight. If the loss in Zhuojun is too large , What should we do if we attack Jicheng in the future?General Zhenbei's army will soon reach Jicheng. As long as Jicheng is attacked, the rebels will immediately abandon Zhuocheng and retreat. Therefore, it is better to postpone the attack and preserve their strength.Liu Yu followed his advice and stopped attacking.

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After Zhang Chun and Su Puyan's army was attacked by Zhao Yun near Handan City, although they were severely injured, they were not powerless to fight again. The main reason why they chose to retreat was that the food and grass supply had run out after several months of fighting in the south. In addition, Karasuma soldiers are homesick and their morale is fluctuating, so they can't do without withdrawing.After returning to Youzhou, the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army discussed together how to deal with the imperial court's counter-insurgency army that was about to go north.Zhang Chun said that Liu Yu and Yang Qi in Jizhou had suffered heavy losses, and it was difficult to gather enough troops to go north in a short period of time, so there was nothing to worry about. The only worry was Li Hong, the general of Zhenbei.Li Hong is powerful, and his subordinates are like clouds. If he comes from the direction of Shanggu, the situation will be very unfavorable for Dayan Kingdom.However, when Li Hong's army went north to Youzhou, there was a fatal point, that is, the supply of food and grass was very difficult. Li Hong had to return to the army with Liu Yu quickly to get the supplement of food and grass.So he thought that he could defeat Li Hong by firmly blocking Liu Yu from going north.

At the beginning of this month, when Liu Yu started to attack Youzhou, Murong Feng's handsome Xiong Ba came to Jicheng.

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When Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju raised their troops in Feiru in western Liaoning, in order to increase their strength and prevent the Hu people from attacking them from behind, they formed alliances with the Karasuma people and the Xianbei people successively.Youbeiping, the Karawan people in western and eastern Liaoning are headed by Qiu Liju, the king of Bailang in western Liaoning, and the Xianbei people in the central and eastern regions are headed by Murong Feng. The three parties have discussed in western Liaoning for a long time, and the final alliance condition is that the Yellow Turban Army once Occupying the three prefectures of You, Bing, and Ji to the north of the Yellow River, the Xianbei people own the northern part of Shanggu, Yuyang and Youbeiping County, that is, the north and south of Dayan Mountain belong to the Xianbei people, while the Wuwan people completely own Liaodong. and the two counties of the Liaodong State, and the northeast of Liaoxi is also owned by the Karasuma people.

Zhang Ju didn't agree at that time, he felt that the barbarian's request was too much.Zhang Chun tried his best to persuade him, saying that this was just an expedient measure. Once the Yellow Turban Army occupied the three prefectures of You, Bing, and Ji, the entire Great Han Kingdom would be in their pocket. Compared with the entire Great Han Kingdom, what is this little land?In the future, when the national power is strong, it is still possible to drive out the barbarians.Zhang Ju still refused.Zhang Ju had many disciples. Liu Shi, the prefect of Liaoxi, was his old official and he was the one who instigated the rebellion. Zhang Ju was very powerful in the Yellow Turban Army. Without his support, it would be difficult for Zhang Chun to make a difference.Zhang Chun gritted his teeth in desperation. Speaking of the incident, you will be the emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom, and I will be the prime minister. How about it?Zhang Ju couldn't stand such a temptation, so he agreed.

Murong Feng never came forward, and it was Mi Jia, Lord Xianbei from the east, and Xiong Ba, the handsome Xiong Ba under Murong Feng, who negotiated with the Yellow Turban Army on the terms of the alliance.Murong Feng disagreed with Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun's proposal to establish a country, and sent Xiong Ba to find the two several times, saying that there is no point in rushing to build a country, and it would anger the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army everywhere.The Youzhou Yellow Turban Army's southward battle requires the strong cooperation of the Taihang Mountain and Montenegro Yellow Turban Army. If the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army of the two places refuse to send troops to help because of this matter, Zhang Ju Zhang Chun's plan may fail.But the two rejected Murong Feng's dissuasion.

In Zhang Chun's view, the Yellow Turban Army was repeatedly defeated. It was because there was no strong political power and leader, and the generals of the various ministries did not communicate with each other and fought on their own. As a result, they were defeated by the Han army one by one.He wishfully believed that as long as he held high the Taiping Dao banner in Youzhou, with his prestige among the Yellow Turban Army and a stable base, the Yellow Turban Army from all over the country would surely respond and gather in droves.But he was wrong.

After years of bloody storms and countless battles and deaths, the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army have completely given up their worship and obedience to the teachings of Taiping Tao. Through their blood, tears and lives, they have seen clearly It's just an illusory dream, it's just a distant dream.Today, they are just fighting for survival, they have no tomorrow, and in their eyes, the so-called Great Yan Kingdom is not as real as a bowl of rice in their hands.Once the dream is awakened, no one will search for it again.

Because of his own ideals and ignorance, Zhang Chun reaped the consequences. He was ruthlessly abandoned by Zhang Yan, Yang Feng and other young leaders of the Yellow Turban Army. To give my life again for a dream that has been shattered.

Zhang Chun was heartbroken for the betrayal of Zhang Yan, Yang Feng and others. These people are the seeds of the Taiping Dao, the seeds of the Taiping Dao cultivated by the great virtuous and virtuous teachers, but now these seeds that the virtuous and virtuous teachers placed their infinite hopes on are not only gone. It sprouted and blossomed, but became the executioner who strangled the Taiping Dao, and the Great Yan Kingdom that he had exhausted his efforts to create for the Taiping Dao turned out to be a joke.He knelt on the ground and wept bitterly more than once. He looked up at the sky and cried out in grief: "Great virtuous teacher, open your eyes to see what your disciples are doing? Why doesn't your spirit in heaven protect your way of peace? "

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The arrival of Xiong Ba gave hope to the Yellow Turbans who were facing difficulties.The Huns have already rebelled, and it is also a big rebellion of the entire tribe. Xianbei King Kuitou and Northern Xianbei Master Tuobafeng have begun to attack Yanmen Pass, and Bingzhou is at stake.

"As long as your lord persists in Youzhou for a few months, the situation will definitely reverse." Xiong Ba said to Zhang Chun, "Once Bingzhou is lost, the capital city of the Han Kingdom will face threats from the Huns and Xianbei. In order to protect Luoyang, the emperor of the Han Kingdom will definitely order the leopards to come back for help. Once the leopards leave, Youzhou will be safe."

Zhang Chun smiled and nodded repeatedly.Zhang Ju also asked happily: "Does Master Murong Feng have any countermeasures?"

"Retreat step by step." Xiong Ba smiled, "Our commander said that if we want to preserve the strength of the Yan army, we should not fight leopards, let alone covet the benefits of the city, we must keep retreating until the army retreats to the west of Liaoning. It is difficult to supply the army with food and grass. The Han army has no food and grass, so it has to stop. Once the leopard is gone, our 10,000+ army can make a comeback, and Youzhou still belongs to His Majesty."

"After the leopard returned to Bingzhou, our king and the Huns had already returned to the prairie. What was left to the leopard was nothing but ruins. It took a few years for the leopard to quell the rebellion of the Huns and stabilize the border counties in northern Xinjiang. Time cannot restore vitality. However, Your Majesty and the Prime Minister can use these few years to consolidate Youzhou on the one hand, and contact the Yellow Turban Army in various places on the one hand. When the time is right, they will go south to attack Jizhou again and drink horses from the Yellow River to capture Luoyang. , It is also possible to overthrow the Han Kingdom.”

After Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun discussed carefully, they agreed to Murong Feng's suggestion.They immediately ordered the general Zhao Cheng who was stationed in Zhuojun to lead his troops to retreat, and at the same time organized manpower to transport a large amount of looted property to Feiru in western Liaoning. But at this moment, they received news that Zhenbei General Li Hongbing had left Juyongguan.The leopard's exit time was five days earlier than their prediction, which caught them off guard.

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After Li Hong left the pass, he led the army to Changping City quickly.

Li Hong ordered the Xianyuyin department to attack the west gate, the Huaxiong department to attack the east gate, and the Wenchou department to attack the south gate.Because the north city gate was facing the river, Li Hong sent Chang Gong to lead a group of troops to feign an attack.

"Zilong, you lead Liu Ming and Yan Wuwei's cavalry to attack Lucheng immediately and cut off the retreat of the rebels." Li Hong pointed to Lucheng on the map and said, "After occupying Lucheng, immediately burn the Baoqiu River and The pontoon bridge on the Gushui River."

Zhao Yun looked at the map and asked, "My lord, are we still participating in the Battle of Jicheng?"

"When the rebel army is defeated and fleeing, it will be enough for you to kill. What's the rush?" Li Hong smiled, "Each person has two horses, and brings more food, grass and weapons. After ten days, no matter whether there is news of our victory in Jicheng, you will We must lead our troops south to attack Yongnu City."

"After you occupy Lucheng and cut off the rebel army's retreat, there are still two directions for the rebel army to retreat. One is to go north to Yuyang, and the other is to go south to Yongnu. From Yongnu, you can quickly rush to the west of Liaoning, so the rebels The army will definitely retreat from the direction of Yongnu." Li Hong warned, "Don't fight to the death, just slow down their retreat speed."

Zhao Yun, Yan Wuwei and Liu Ming took orders to go.

"Ziyu, take Nie Xiao, Jiang Wu, and Liu Bao's three iron cavalry and rush south to the vicinity of Jicheng overnight. Kill whatever you see, scare them first, and disturb the morale of the rebel army."

Yan Rou worriedly said: "My lord, will this be counterproductive? There are many rebels. If they stick to the city, we will be in trouble. It will not take a day or two to take down Jicheng."

Li Hong shook his head and said: "Defending the city is a dead end for the rebels. Only by withdrawing to the west of Liaoning can they persevere. Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun will not be so stupid. They will definitely save their strength and retreat as soon as possible."

"The tighter we push, the faster they will withdraw. No matter how much we pay, we must defeat the rebels in the shortest time." Li Hong nodded and said: "The longer we stay in Youzhou, the more difficult Bingzhou will be." The more dangerous it is, we'd better go back as soon as possible."

Yan Rou bowed to accept the order.

Li Hong looked up at the sky, and shouted loudly to the messenger: "Tell Mr. Xianyu, let him urge all the ministries to attack with all their strength, and take Changping City before dark."

===

Wen Chou looked anxiously at the distant battlefield, his handsome face was flushed, and he kept cursing.At this moment, Xian Yufu came over with a group of personal guards.Wen Chou rushed to meet him, and said happily, "It's just right that your lord is here. Your lord is here to command, and I will personally lead people to attack the city."

Xian Yufu scolded with a smile: "I haven't fought for a few months, and my hands are itchy? No way." Then he looked at the battlefield where the roar of killing was loud, and asked, "Zijun, did you attract the rebels to the left city wall?"

"Yes, I asked Wu Xiong to attack the left city wall continuously to attract the rebel forces." Wen Chou replied, "Now the rebels have suffered a lot, and their forces are basically concentrated on the left side of the city wall. Zhang Zhen and two centurions are about to Start attacking the right side of the wall."

Xian Yufu nodded appreciatively, "In order to prevent the army from going south, the rebels deployed heavy troops in Changping City. It is really difficult for us to take this city before dark. Zijun, look..." He turned his head and prepared to talk to Wen Chou spoke, but found that Wen Chou was no longer by his side, and was running towards the city wall with a few soldiers.

"Zijun, if you dare to attack the city, I will kill you."

Wen Chou turned his head and waved at him, shouting loudly: "My lord, wait a moment and watch me take down Changping City."

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The dense long arrows suddenly shot towards the right side of the city wall with a terrifying howl.

Zhang Zhen roared, took the lead, and galloped forward with the siege soldiers.The soldiers crossed the moat along the ladder bridge and quickly set up the ladder.

"Brothers, go up..." Zhang Zhen raised his shield high, brandished his saber, and was the first to rush up the ladder.The arrows and stones on the city wall immediately poured down like rain. Zhang Zhen was unafraid and climbed to the top of the city wall with all his strength. At this time, several spears stabbed at the same time.Zhang Zhen roared repeatedly, and the sword flew, cutting off four spears at once, but three more spears pierced his shield.Zhang Zhen couldn't stand on his feet, and fell on his back.

At this moment, a big hand suddenly grabbed Zhang Zhen's ankle in the air, and abruptly lifted him upside down in the air.Zhang Zhen saw it carefully and was startled.Wen Chou held the shield in his left hand, biting the knife in his mouth, and was holding himself in his right hand.Wen Chou winked at Zhang Zhen, who was still in shock. Zhang Zhen understood, opened his mouth and yelled violently. At the same time, Wen Chou threw Zhang Zhen to the top of the city wall with all his strength.

Zhang Zhen soared into the sky, like an eagle spreading its wings, and flew down the city wall.The rebels guarding the city were stunned, watching Zhang Zhen leap up, with a shield in his left hand and a knife in his right, roaring towards him.The two rebel soldiers were caught off guard and were cut down one by one by Zhang Zhen in a pool of blood.Wen Chou rushed up, knocked out a guarding soldier out of the city wall with a casual shield, and then beheaded another man with a single blow.

"Kill..." Wen Chou and Zhang Zhen, one on the left and the other on the right, are like two hungry tigers descending the mountain. Stumped limbs flew up and down, screams one after another.The soldiers of the Han army followed closely behind, leaping up the city wall one after another, galloping left and right, fighting bloody battles, the battle was unprecedentedly fierce.

The defense on the right wall of the southern city was smashed to pieces in a blink of an eye. The rebels were killed and wounded, and no one survived.

"Brothers, kill, kill..." Wen Chou ran towards the left city wall, raising his sword and shouting wildly. Nearly a hundred soldiers were full of fighting spirit and roared like thunder.Zhang Zhen rushed down the city wall with dozens of people, slashed all the way, and quickly opened the city gate.

The high suspension bridge crashed down, making a loud noise, and the soldiers gathered outside the city gate cheered in unison and rushed in.

The Nancheng Gate fell, and the defense of Changping City collapsed immediately.The rebel army was in chaos, scattered and fled in all directions, and as many as [-] people surrendered.

The next morning, Zuo Ying, the prefect of Shanggu County, led the national soldiers of [-] counties to station in Changping City.After a day's rest, the Northern Expeditionary Army continued to march south.

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The iron cavalry of the Han army suddenly rushed to Jicheng, which shocked the rebels. No one thought that the iron cavalry had arrived at the city just after the Han army entered the pass.

Karasuma Tieqi originally wanted to leave in two days, but now he can't leave.A considerable part of the property looted by the Karasuma people remained in Jicheng before they could be transported away. In order to transport all the property away, all ethnic groups in Karasuma immediately assembled [-] cavalry to go out of the city to stop the Han army.Yan Rou didn't fight them. He led the army around Jicheng. When they encountered the retreating convoy of the rebels, they rushed to kill them. If there is any enemy, they will swarm up and kill them all.Qiao Wang Su Puyan, who was in charge of leading the army to stop the attack, was so angry that his lungs exploded.

The next day, news of the fall of Changping City reached Jicheng.It took only half a day for the Han army to break through Changping City. The news made the rebels terrified, everyone was in danger, and their morale was completely lost.There are all kinds of rumors in the city. Some say that Leopard has brought an army of 20, and some say that Leopard has brought an army of [-]. In short, no one wants to stay in Jicheng. Everyone wants to leave here and go back to western Liaoning.

Changping is only more than 100 miles away from Jicheng, and the army of leopards is about to arrive.

Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun quickened their pace of retreat, and the carts transporting treasures and silks kept going out of the city to the east day and night. The chaos was extreme.

But at this time, a more terrifying news came. Lucheng fell, and the pontoon bridges on Baoqiu River and Gushui River were burned by the Han army, and the road to retreat from Lucheng was blocked.

Zhang Ju was furious and blamed Zhang Chun for his poor command.Lucheng is related to the life and death of the army, how can we not send heavy troops to defend?Zhang Chun also regretted it.He focused all his attention on the direction of Juyongguan and Zhuocheng, and really ignored the defense of his rear.He only arranged for 1000 people to garrison in Lucheng, which was a small loss.

Zhang Ju asked General Xian Yuchen to lead his troops back to Lucheng immediately.Zhang Chun stopped it.He said it will take time to retake Lucheng, but there is no time now.There are three roads to evacuate to the west of Liaoning. Although the nearest road is blocked, the roads to Yuyang and Yongnu are still open.It is too far to go back to the west of Liaoning by detouring Yuyang, so we have to withdraw from the direction of Yongnu.Zhang Chun immediately ordered Xian Yuchen to take [-] troops and [-] Karasuma cavalry to garrison Yongnu immediately to ensure the safe retreat of the troops and belongings.

Zhang Chun sent people to Zhuocheng again, ordering General Zhao Cheng to guard Zhuocheng and not to retreat without orders. At the same time, he ordered Liu Shi to gather a large army and prepare to go out of the city to stop the Han army.

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(End of this chapter)