Great Han Empire

Chapter 357 The Swordsman
In mid-June, Longshan Camp.

÷
After Pingnan Zhonglang received Zhang Yan's imperial edict, he was very surprised. He told Xu Rong the emperor's order as quickly as possible.Without saying a word, Xu Rong picked up a pen and wrote a word on the back of Zhang Yan's letter: "War." Then he asked Kuai Ma to take the letter back.

Zhang Yan and the officers and generals of the Zhenbei General's Mansion looked at each other, everyone was overwhelmed by the word "war".This is a flagrant disobedience to the imperial decree.Now that the Han Dynasty is in danger of foreign and internal troubles, what it needs most is a stable northern Xinjiang.Although part of the border counties in Northern Xinjiang has been lost, they can still be regained as soon as the Great Han Kingdom regains its vitality. However, Xu Rong is determined to fight now, and the consequences will be unpredictable.

"Once this battle is defeated and Bingzhou falls, other battlefields in northern Xinjiang will be affected, and the entire northern border may also be lost." Li Wei said frightenedly, "losing northern border and losing everyone's head is a trivial matter, but it is a major event to bring disaster to the country and the people. .”

Yang Feng sneered and said, "Lord Li, how do you know that we will definitely lose this battle? Is it because our Yellow Turban Army is vulnerable?"

Li Wei waved his hands again and again, and said with a wry smile: "Master Yang, that's not what I meant. I have seen the bravery of the soldiers of the Yellow Turbans many times in Western Xinjiang. Whether it is the Yicheng battle or the Boluogu battle, the Yellow Turban army None of the soldiers could embarrass our country of Han, they are all heroes of our country."

Although Li Wei didn't admit it, anyone could see his worry from his expression.Yang Feng snorted coldly with disdain, looked at the generals sitting around, and asked loudly: "Fight or not, let's talk."

The generals of the Yellow Turban Army looked dignified and no one answered.In their eyes, the imperial decree of the emperor is worthless. They are worried about losing the battle, especially some of the generals of the Yellow Turban Army who participated in the Yingtao War. They still remember the power of the iron cavalry and have lingering fears.If this battle is defeated, Taiyuan and Shangdang will not be able to survive, and the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army and tens of thousands of people will flee to Taihang Mountain, and another tragic day will come.Some people are not only worried about losing the battle, but also worry about what will happen to them in the future if the army is gone after the defeat.Fleeing around like a refugee, at the mercy of others?The soldiers were so enthusiastic about fighting because they wanted to keep their land, their families, and the little hope in their hearts, but the officers, especially some senior officers, their thinking was not so simple, they thought more more of their own lives and future.

Wang Dang jumped up and shouted angrily: "Why don't you speak? The Yellow Turban Army can fight bloody battles with the imperial army, why can't they fight the barbarians? The dog officials of the imperial court won't let us live, Do the barbarians want us to live? Where is your blood, your conscience, and your courage?" The more he spoke, the more angry he became, and he suddenly drew out his sword, stomped on the case in front of him, and roared loudly, "Whoever doesn't fight, I will kill him."

The atmosphere in the big tent suddenly became tense.Xiao Lan looked at the murderous Wang Dang, screamed in fright, and threw herself into Li Wei's arms.

"Fight, or not to fight..." Wang Dang stared at a pair of blood-red eyes, raised his knife and roared.

The generals of the Yellow Turban Army looked at Wang Dang, some shook their heads, some snickered, and some looked contemptuous, but everyone stood up one after another and walked to Wang Dang's side. At this time, if they didn't fight, they would be scolded by Wang Dang up.

"Okay, this is the Yellow Turban Army. We have been fighting for four or five years. When did we ever back down? We defeated the Xianbei people, which can be regarded as repaying the people who have followed us for several years." Yang Feng stood up, waved and said, "Today There is no difference between the Yellow Turban Army and the Yellow Turban Army in the past. We used to fight for the people of the world, and we still fight for the people of the world today. We used to die for the people of the world, and we still die for the people of the world today.”

He turned to face Zhang Yan, cupped his hands and said, "My lord, please give me an order."

Zhang Yan stood up silently, and handed the seal and ribbon of General Zhenbei to Zuo Yan, "From now on, I will no longer represent General Zhenbei's military, and I will hand over General Zhenbei's mansion to Lord Changshi."

Li Wei opened his mouth to speak, but Zhang Yan raised his hand to stop him, "Lord Sima, don't try to persuade me anymore. Master Xu has made up his mind, how can I back down? This battle is what I, Zhang Yan, decided to fight. The decision to fight was made by all the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army, and it has nothing to do with General Zhenbei or the General Zhenbei's mansion. In the future, His Majesty will blame you, and I, Zhang Yan, will bear it alone."

Facing the generals, he said firmly: "Even if the Yellow Turban Army is finished, we will drive out the Xianbei people. If anyone retreats in this battle, I, Zhang Yan, will never be relentless and will definitely kill them."

"Order the army to set off tonight, and all the ministries rushed to Yuanping City, vowing to fight to the death."

===

In mid-June, Yanmen Pass.

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The Xianbei people found out through various channels that the Yellow Turban Army had gathered in the Longshan Camp, which made them feel the crisis, and then stepped up their attack.If the Han Chinese court tamed the Yellow Turbans and drove them up to the Yanmen Pass, they would not be able to pass through the pass even with an army of [-].After all, siege of a city is different from a decisive battle on the plains. The more people defending the city, the harder it is to fight.Although Murong Feng repeatedly sent people to contact him, saying that the Yellow Turban Army in Bingzhou has Zhang Chun's internal support, as long as the Yellow Turban Army reaches Yanmen Pass, the pass can be crossed overnight, but Tuoba Feng believes that Han people are Han people, who knows if these people will change their minds, Or rely on yourself.Under the command of Kuitou, Tuobafeng and Luozhi Dianluoluo, the Xianbei army launched a fierce attack.By mid-June, it was finally in sight.The Han suffered heavy casualties, and their defenses became weaker and weaker, and they could no longer hold on.

Kuitou summons Tuoba Feng and Luozhi Yanluoluo to discuss their actions after entering the customs.According to the information collected from various sources, there are no reinforcements in Bingzhou now, except for the vulnerable Yellow Turban Army.

In their eyes, the Yellow Turban Army is a group of refugees, without any fighting power.I think Huang Fusong, the general of the Han people, used less than 10,000 ordinary Han troops to defeat Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, and the hundreds of thousands of Jizhou Yellow Turbans led by him, and killed 20+ of them in one battle.The leopard was even more powerful. He only used 10,000 cavalry to defeat Zhang Niujiao's army of more than [-] at the foot of Yingtao City. Zhang Yan, the leader of the Yellow Turban in Bingzhou, is a survivor of that battle.With such an army, it is no wonder that the court of the Han Dynasty called them thieves, thieves like ants, when fighting, they rely on the number of people to rush upwards. How could these people be the opponents of the Xianbei cavalry?The Xianbei iron cavalry swept across the desert and killed the Huns who had dominated the prairie for hundreds of years without a trace. Even if they fought against the mighty Han Dynasty, they won more than lost and lost less. Tens of thousands of Xianbei iron cavalry killed [-]+ Yellow Turbans. It is not easy to capture little things.The Xianbei people didn't take the Yellow Turban Army seriously from the beginning to the end.

"After these two and a half months of siege, we lost a total of more than 3000 people, including more than 1000 Xianbei people and more than 1 Han slaves." Tuoba said with a dark smile, " At present, according to our estimates, there are at most 2000 Han soldiers left at Yanmen Pass, especially Gouzhu Pass, with a maximum of more than 200. Tomorrow, we will gather all our forces and attack in an all-round way. The main attack direction will be Gouzhu Pass. Once Gouzhu Pass is captured, Yanmen Pass will basically be ours.”

"We saw Xu Rong's battle flag a few days ago and thought he had brought the Yellow Turban Army. Now it seems that he did not bring the Yellow Turban Army, but the last remaining troops from the Zhenbei General's Mansion. Yes. Xu Rong is the left-behind general acting as the agent of Zhenbei General. He personally rushed to Yanmen Pass, which shows that the Han people have no backup. Although he still has thousands of cavalry, they are all Xianbei people. He dare not use them at all. We can only send them far away to the east of the river."

"The question now is, after we take down Yanmen Pass, should we go south to attack Jinyang in batches, or go south to attack Jinyang together." Tuobahui pointed to Jinyang City on the map and said, "After leaving Yanmen Pass, go south along Chi Road. , through Loufan, Beishan, Wushan to Yuanping City, the whole journey is about [-] miles. The terrain of this [-] miles is relatively complicated, surrounded by mountains, and accidents are prone to occur. When you arrive at Yuanping City, it is still [-] miles away from Jinyang. The closer you are to Jinyang, the flatter the terrain, and the iron cavalry can descend without hindrance."

Tuobahui turned his head to look at Kuitou, Tuobafeng and Luozhi Dianluoluo, then at the generals, and said with a bitter smile: "We were defeated in the western border, and the loss was due to the terrain. The terrain of Liupan Mountain is dangerous. At that time, we thought that we could support each other by dividing our troops to the south. As a result, the distance between the various armies was too large due to the different speeds. Instead, the Han army laid an ambush and broke them one by one. However, if we went south together at that time, there would be some One problem is that the road is narrow and everyone is crowded together, if they are surrounded by the Han army with superior forces, the casualties will be even more severe."

Luozhi Yanluoluo sneered and said, "At that time, the leopard's troops were not dominant." He glanced at the stern-looking Tuobafeng, and mocked, "The defeat in Xijiang was all due to improper use of troops. You have so many battlefields. Veteran, you actually made such a fatal mistake, why?"

Luo Luoluo is in his fifties, tall and strong, with a long beard, a broad forehead, and a pair of shining eyes. He looks extremely scheming.

Tuoba Feng snorted coldly and ignored him.

The leader hurriedly said: "We won't talk about Xijiang today. This time, as long as Taiyuan and Shangdang are captured, we can make up for all the losses in Xijiang overnight. Let's all work together to win the battle ahead." Hao Shuai, you continue to talk."

"We have to guard against the gathering of the Yellow Turban Army in Jinyang. Although the military strength of the Yellow Turban Army is not worth mentioning, if they set up an ambush between Beishan and Wushan, we will be in trouble. Fighting in the mountains, the Yellow Turban Army still occupies a certain area. Advantages, especially when they have a large number of people, it takes a lot of effort to fight. In order to prevent such accidents, I plan to form a team of 100 cavalry, and each team will go south in steps at intervals of ten miles. In this way, our southward army Not only can we support each other but also preserve the overall strength of the army. In addition, the distance between the front and back of the army is more than [-] miles. That is to say, when our front army arrived at Yuanping City, our rear army was still at Yanmen Pass. Even if the army wants to lay an ambush, they can't find a place to start, and, once the Han army attacks us, they will be surrounded by us immediately, and they can't escape even if they want to escape."

Xie Guini smiled and said: "Shuai Hao, you are too careful. In my opinion, the Yellow Turban Army will not go to the Yanmen Pass area to lay an ambush. They can completely rely on the advantage of their numbers and rely on the tall and strong Jinyang City to defend the city. Defending the city is much safer than laying an ambush."

Tuoba Hui shook his head and said: "Yesterday, we received news from Jizhou that the Yellow River in the Great Han Kingdom burst its embankment, flooding thousands of miles, and as many as seven counties were affected. Millions of people were displaced and homeless. Return. At this time, the top priority of the Great Han Kingdom is to provide disaster relief with all its strength, not to fight with us in northern Xinjiang. There will be a shortage of food and pay for the Han troops in various places in northern Xinjiang, and the Han troops will retreat immediately. Therefore, the Yellow Turban Army will not stick to it Those in Jinyang, firstly, they can’t beat us, and secondly, they have no reinforcements and food. In this case, they will only flee to the Taihang Mountains to avoid disaster. If they want to defend the city, they will have already reached the Yanmen Pass. Guard the Yanmen Pass You can keep Taiyuan and Shangdang, but you can keep everything in Jinyang, not even their lives."

Hearing that the Yellow River broke its embankment in the Great Han Dynasty, cheers erupted in the big tent, and everyone looked excited, as if they had smashed the Yanmen Pass.

"It's no wonder that the king is in such a hurry to take down Yanmen Pass. It turns out that the Great Han Kingdom has suffered a disaster. God really helped Xianbei."

"This time, we can not only avenge the defeat in Xijiang, but also occupy Taiyuan and Shangdang. Bingzhou is ours, and we will get rich."

Kuitou was elated.After defeating Yanmen Pass and occupying the entire Bingzhou, he has become a myth on the grassland ever since.The Xianbei Kingdom has suddenly become so powerful in his own hands, such unrivaled feats must be unprecedented, and no one else can compare.He stood up, raised his hand and shouted: "Tomorrow, take down Yanmen Pass."

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Xu Rong ordered to retreat.

Guo Yun didn't leave, he said he had no face to go back, he wanted to die at Yanmen Pass, so as not to humiliate his ancestors.Xu Rong heard the report from the guard and went up the tower.

In the house, Guo Yun was lying on a stretcher, and Ding Yuan was squatting beside Guo Yun, talking non-stop.Guo Yun had tears in his eyes, holding the long sword in his arms, with a resolute expression.Xu Rong waved his hand to make the soldiers in the room avoid him.

"My lord Xu, His Majesty ordered you to recruit the Yellow Turban Army to defend the Yanmen Pass. Why do you insist on resisting the order? Could it be that Zhang Yan and his Yellow Turban Army have fled to Taihang Mountain?" Seeing Xu Rong, Guo Yun couldn't help shouting Asked, "You ordered the abandonment of Yanmen Pass to be punished by the nine clans. Why did you do this? If Yanmen Pass can't be guarded, can Jinyang be able to hold it?"

"We don't guard Jinyang." Xu Rong said calmly.

Guo Yun and Ding Yuan were shocked, they stared at Xu Rong, and shouted in unison: "You want to run away?"

Ding Yuan was furious, he drew his long sword suddenly, pointed at Xu Rong and shouted loudly: "Xu Rong, you give up the retreat immediately, otherwise, I will kill you."

Xu Rong took a step back, and said calmly: "Zhang Zhonglang has assembled an army of 20, and is preparing to fight the Xianbei people in Yuanping."

Guo Yun and Ding Yuan were shocked again, they looked at Xu Rong in disbelief, and didn't speak for a while.Ding Yuan slowly lowered his long sword and asked, "Master Xu, why did you tell us now?"

Xu Rong was silent.

Guo Yun suddenly pointed at Xu Rong, and opened his mouth to roar, "Master Xu, you have 20 troops, why don't you come to guard Yanmen Pass? Why? The soldiers at Yanmen Pass are all dead, and you still don't send reinforcements." ,why?"

Ding Yuan put his sword back into its sheath, and said angrily: "Master Xu, you have gone too far. Master Guo and I will write a letter to impeach you, to impeach you." Ruo Zhenbao's cavalry was almost finished, Ding Yuan couldn't help but raised his hand and shouted, "I want to impeach you."

Xu Rong remained expressionless and silent.

Guo Yun and Ding Yuan vented a bit, and gradually calmed down.Guo Yun raised the long sword in his hand and pointed at Xu Rong, tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart, and asked, "Master Xu, why do you give up what is easy and ask for difficulty? Why don't you guard the Yanmen Pass and want to fight the Xianbei people in Yuanping? The 20 Yellow Turban Army also It may not be able to stop the iron hooves of the Xianbei people, once the battle is defeated, the situation in northern Xinjiang will be unimaginable, and we will not be able to escape the guilt even if we die."

Xu Rong said lightly: "Defending Yanmen Pass will not help improve the crisis in northern Xinjiang, only defeating the Xianbei people."

Guo Yun and Ding Yuan looked at each other and had an epiphany.

"Master Xu, your heart is really cruel. In order to lure the Xianbei people into the pass, you watched thousands of Han soldiers fall in a pool of blood and did nothing. Your heart is really too cruel." Ding Yuan's anger still persisted, Staring at Xu Rong, he gritted his teeth and said, "You trust the Yellow Turban Army so much? Are you so sure you can defeat the Xianbei people?"

Xu Rong didn't answer. He looked at Guo Yun and asked in a low voice, "My lord, can I go?"

===

The Xianbei occupied Yanmen Pass.

The dead bodies of Han soldiers are everywhere in the pass. On the road behind the pass, the fire is burning and the smoke is billowing.

"The Han people were so frightened that they ran faster than rabbits, and they didn't even bury the bodies of the fallen soldiers." Luo Zhilian Luoluo shook his head and said, "Despicable and shameless Han people."

"This fire is not small." Tuoba Feng smiled with his hands behind his back, "The Han people piled up trees on the road, thinking that this fire can prevent us from going south quickly, it's just a joke."

"Order the Hannu to clear Chidao immediately."

"Order the ministries to rest on the spot and set off tomorrow morning."

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(End of this chapter)