Great Han Empire

Chapter 806 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
In the middle of March, Henan Yin, Aocang City.

The clouds in the sky are very thick, and the deep sky seems to be covered with a milky white cloak. The dazzling sunlight penetrates the clouds and unreservedly bestows its own powerful power on this passionate land.

The wind on the earth is very strong. Inspired by the war drums and guided by the battle flag, the brave warriors held up their sharp weapons and stepped on the bones and blood of their robes. The sound went straight into the sky, shaking the world.

On the tower of Aocang City, the huge yellow "Yuan" banner danced wildly in the wind. It was like a ferocious beast trapped in a cage, baring its teeth and claws, roaring and roaring. Its fierce and deep roar made the whole city tremble. .

A strong smell of blood permeated the sky above Aocang City. Accompanied by the earth-shattering sound of war drums, shouts, and the howl of arrows tearing the air, Aocang City gradually fell into the abyss of death.

The defenders of the city did not give up. Facing the Northern Border Army, which was several times larger than their own, they still fought bloody battles.The black city wall under their feet is like a wounded giant lying on the ground. The scarred giant howled and struggled, pouring out all the weapons, long arrows, hammers, rolling stones, knives, and shields, trying his best to preserve the precarious life. .

The siege army was like a tidal wave, setting off one after another of turbulent waves. The big waves slammed into the city wall fiercely, stirring up blood and flowers all over the sky, and the huge roar was deafening.

Ao Cangcheng was crumbling, it gritted its teeth, and let the blood flow all over its body.

The soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army besieged the city on all sides and attacked frantically.

=

Xue Lan commanded the troops to attack Beicheng, but after a day of fierce fighting, the results were minimal.Xue Lan was furious, and yelled at several captains and military commanders, "Siege the city overnight, attack the city overnight..."

As night fell quietly, piles of flames rose into the sky, illuminating the entire city.

Wang Dang came to the battlefield in person.After listening to Xue Lan's deployment, he shook his hand, "There are only more than 1000 defenders in Aocang City. If it weren't for the strong city and the help of the people in the city, it would be difficult for them to defend until now. It is right to continue to fight, but we cannot Hit like this."

"Our casualties are not large." Xue Lan thought that Wang Dang was about to order the army to withdraw, and hurriedly persuaded, "My lord, Yan Liang and Zhang He will arrive tomorrow. Once the follow-up army arrives, Aocang City will be ready soon. Today's battle is useless. The defenders of Aocang City have lost a lot, as long as we attack harder, we can definitely win the city tonight."

Wang Dang smiled and glanced at him, "I said, we can take Aocang City within two days, there is no need to be so anxious. When we get to Xingyang, we still have more difficult battles to fight."

"We fought hard all day, how can we give the credit to others?" Xue Lan's face darkened, quite dissatisfied, "Give me another two hours, and I will lead someone to kill it myself."

Wang Dang waved the horsewhip in his hand, shook his head, "Okay, since you must fight, then go for it."

"Order all the ministries to quietly rush to the North City to assemble in the dark, and attack with all their strength, and must take Aocang City in the early morning." Wang Dang turned to look at Xue Lan, and said with a smile, "In the daytime, our four sects attack together, which greatly The enemy was consumed and paralyzed. At night, we will change the method of siege, let some troops feint in the east, south, and west cities, and the [-] main force will take the opportunity to attack the north gate, trying to catch the enemy by surprise, and go down with one blow."

"My lord, let my men and horses attack first." Xue Lan said excitedly, pointing at the big flag on the tower, "Watch me cut down that big banner within an hour."

=

In the middle of March, Henan Yin, Chenggao City.

Zhang Xiu led his army across the Yellow River, and joined forces with Xu Huang at the city of Chenggao.

Chenggao City is only fifteen miles away from Hulao Pass.Hulao Pass is the only pass to the east of Luoyang. Once Hulao is lost, Luoyang has no danger to defend. Therefore, if the captain of Hulao has no order from Luoyang, he will never dare to leave Hulao. Count on reinforcements from Luoyang and Xingyang.

"The army of Wang Dang and Zhang He is attacking Aocang, and they are about to come to Xingyang. The defenders of Xingyang cannot protect themselves and cannot come to support." Zhang Xiu pointed to the mountains in the west and smiled slightly, "Luoyang is far away from Chenggao City. For more than 200 miles, Yuan Shao was beyond his reach, and it was too late. Even if he sent reinforcements, he could only reach Hujian to guard the pass."

"Lord Li Feng has led an army of three thousand to Huxiaoling, five miles west of the city, to stop the enemy's reinforcements." Xu Huang rode lightly on his horse, and walked side by side with Zhang Xiu, with a leisurely smile on his face, "We There is enough time to attack Cheng Gao."

"My lords, please stop. This place is about [-] steps away from the city, and we can't go any further." Xu Huang's cavalry team led their horses suddenly and raised their hands to stop them.

Xu Huang and Zhang Xiu looked at each other with a smile, and each stopped their horses.

Zhang Xiu raised his eyes and looked at the city tower with drums and flags flying in the distance, and said nonchalantly, waving his whip, "Go another fifty steps and see if there are ballistas on the tower."

The cavalry of the personal guards who followed Zhang Xiu was taken aback, hurriedly kicked the horse's belly, and urged the horse to rush to the front, "Please stop immediately, my lords, and don't go any further." After speaking, he rushed to Xu Huang and The guards behind Zhang Xiu waved repeatedly, signaling them to ride their horses and surround the two adults.

"Forget it, don't embarrass them." Xu Huang smiled and shook his hand, "Since Yuan Shao has assembled a large army in the Zhongmou and Chenliu areas, and is preparing to enter the Central Plains, the defensive forces in Henan are naturally insufficient. Under the circumstances, Yuan Shao could only move the focus of defense northward to the south bank of the Yellow River, stationing heavy troops on the front lines of Chenggao and Aocang, so that they could cooperate with Hanoi Guotu to defend the three cities of Heyang, Wenxian and Pinggao from the flanks, and at the same time guard against us. He suddenly crossed the south and went down to attack Henan, so..." He pointed to the big city in front of him, and said lightly, "This city is not only equipped with heavy troops, but also has crossbows. You should not try it, lest you die before you go out and leave endless regrets .”

Zhang Xiu laughed, "If I was shot to death under the city by a few stray arrows, it would be a joke in Hebei."

"General Hutou ordered us to take Chenggao within two days, and then threaten Hulao with one force, and join him in Xingyang with one force." Song Xian urged him to come forward and asked in a low voice, "Master Xu, what are you doing now? See how this battle is fought?"

"The maximum number of defenders in the city is no more than 2000. Although there are ballistas and strong bows, they are too far behind our troops, so there is nothing to worry about. As long as the attack is proper, it can be taken within two days." Xu Huang was confident, his tone was very relaxed, and then He frowned, looked up at the northern sky, with a worried expression on his face, "I am not worried about the battlefield in Henan now, but in Hanoi. Wen Chou and Master Zhang Liao in Hanoi stayed in Pinggao with only 1 horses, while Guo Tu There are [-] troops. If Luoyang does not come to support Henan, but to support Hanoi, gather a large army to quickly capture Pinggao and Huaicheng, and cut off our retreat, things will be serious."

"The intention of the imperial court ordering us to attack Henan is very vague, and there is no explanation yet." Zhang Xiu nodded in sympathy when he heard Xu Huang's worry, "Could it be that the general has another purpose?"

Xu Huang's expression was dignified, his eyes were fixed on the enemy army waiting on the tower in front of him, and he remained silent.

Zhang Xiu felt tightness in his chest for no reason, and couldn't help opening his mouth wide and taking a long breath.Since I was 16 years old, I have followed my uncle to fight in the western and northern borders. For more than 20 years, I have experienced countless wars.Except for the Kansai War four years ago, this was the second time I felt scared.Now I am the same as I was four years ago. Although I have a large army in my hand, I feel that I am in a deep crisis. I don't know where to go, and I have a sense of loss of direction.Why do you want to fight this battle that may wipe out the entire army?How will the future situation develop after this war?Will the tens of thousands of Northern Xinjiang soldiers return to Hebei?

Xu Huang turned his horse's head abruptly, and yelled, "Go... prepare to attack the city..."

Zhang Xiu shook his head, put aside all his thoughts, followed Xu Huang, and raised his whip high, "Order all the ministries to immediately attack the city... to attack the city..."

In an instant, the drums of war were thundering, the wind was surging, and the war was about to break out.

=
In mid-March, Kansai, Shancheng.

Chunyu Qiong rushed up the tower in a hurry.

At the Maojin Ferry on the opposite bank, nearly a hundred warships of the Northern Xinjiang Army were approaching the shore.On the surface of the Yellow River, more than a dozen large-scale ships that can carry more than a thousand people are slowly heading for the ferry.

Standing on the tower, Chunyu Qiong could clearly see groups of heavily armed soldiers standing on the Louchuan A squad.

"Brother Zhongjian, the northern border army is about to attack." Hongnong prefect Wang Xiu said very nervously with a pale face.

"Warships of the Northern Frontier Army appeared in the direction of Fenglingdu, Taolin Fortress, and Hongnong City." Chunyuqiong looked at the rough river with both eyes, and asked thoughtfully, "Tell me, the Nine-headed Bird this time Where is the main direction of attack?"

"Maybe it's Fenglingdu, maybe it's Hongnong City, maybe it's Shancheng City." Wang Xiu smiled wryly, "The current situation is complicated and confusing. The Northern Frontier Army will attack Hanoi for a while, Henan for a while, and now Kansai again. Who knows? What is their goal? Is it Guanxi or Guanzhong? Or..." He looked at Chunyuqiong and asked in disbelief, "Are they going to attack Luoyang?"

"The barbarians in northern Xinjiang are rebelling, and Hebei is too busy to take care of itself. How can the northern Xinjiang army have the ability to attack Luoyang?" Chunyuqiong showed a hint of sarcasm, "I think Nine-headed Bird is bluffing again this time, and it is fine and happy. Leave him alone."

"Leave him alone?" Wang Xiu shook his hand in surprise, "Brother Zhongjian, although the northern border army in Hedong has been bluffing in the past two years, the scale has never been so large. I think we should be careful and ask Luoyang for help as soon as possible." .”

Chunyuqiong didn't take it seriously, "It's up to you. Even if you say that Shancheng has been lost, Jushou won't give you a single soldier. You saw what happened to Guo Tu. What's the result? Hanoi was almost lost. But did Jushou give him reinforcements?"

Wang Xiu sighed and cursed a few words in a low voice, "You defend the city, I'll go ask for reinforcements. If he doesn't give it, I'll go to Brother Benchu ​​and sue him."

=

In the middle of March, Handan, the general went to the gate.

Qu Yi, Yushi, and Zhao Yun, commanders of the Northern Army, and Zhang Yan and Lu Bu, commanders of the Southern Army, arrived at Xingyuan.

Chang Shi Jiaxu detailed the specific deployment of the Central Plains War.

In order to conceal the true intention of attacking the Central Plains, as early as last year, the imperial court deliberately took advantage of the opportunity of the Liaodong rebellion to spread the news that the Hu people in northern Xinjiang had invaded the frontier fortress. The peasants went north to Youzhou and dug channels together with Juma River and Gushui River to create the illusion that the army was going north to attack the Hu people, so as to deceive and paralyze the rebellion, and prepare for the army to attack the Central Plains.

Judging from the current situation, this strategy in Hebei has achieved the desired effect.Now the armies of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce are fighting Yuan Shu in the Jianghuai area, and the Central Plains is empty of troops.Yuan Shao believed that the opportunity to attack the Central Plains was ripe, so he cut off contact with Yuan Shu and forced Cao Cao to send the emperor they established to Xuchang on this condition.Shortly thereafter, Yuan Shao took advantage of the opportunity that we gathered a large number of troops in Hanoi to threaten Luoyang, and quickly mobilized troops from Henan and Yuzhou to enter the Central Plains, stationed troops in Baima and Puyang, and waited for the best time to capture the Central Plains.

Now everything is ready, and the attack can be launched only after the army secretly going south has arrived at the designated location.

=

In the early stage of the Central Plains War, there were seven battlefields in total.

The first is the Central Plains battlefield.The main forces crossing the south and attacking the Central Plains were the [-] cavalry troops of the northern and southern armies and the [-] cavalry troops outside the Great Wall, a total of [-] troops.The goal of this [-] army is to occupy more than half of Yanzhou within half a month. The forward army will come to Dingtao and Changyi, squeeze the rebel army to Chenliu County in the southwest of Yanzhou, and force Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Liu Biao, etc. People had to gather a large army to fight against us in Zhongmou and Chenliu to form a decisive battle situation.

The second battlefield is in Xuzhou.Gao Shun has been ordered to enter Qingzhou. He will join Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Guan Hai and others from Qingzhou to enter Xuzhou from Beihai.

The third battlefield is in Henan.The [-] troops of Yan Liang, Wang Dang, Zhang Yun, Xu Huang, and Zhang Xiu have already crossed the south of the river. Their purpose is not to attack the city, but to threaten Luoyang, transfer Yuan Shao's troops away from the Central Plains, and send Yuan Shao's tens of thousands of main troops to the south. Drag it to the battlefield in Henan, so as to help the army advance smoothly into the Central Plains.

The fourth battlefield is in the Baima and Puyang areas of Chenliu County, Yanzhou.Even if Yuan Shao returned to the army to rescue Henan, he would still leave a certain number of troops stationed in the Baima and Puyang areas in order to wait for an opportunity to capture Dingtao and Changyi in the Central Plains, and seize the opportunity for him to capture the Central Plains.The purpose of Gao Lan and Lei Zhong's [-] troops crossing the south from Liyang and Changshoujin was to hold back these rebels and buy time for the army to quickly seize Dingtao and Changyi.

The fifth battlefield is in Hanoi.The armies of Wen Chou and Zhang Liao must block Guo Tu's counterattack at all costs, relying on the danger of the Jishui River to defend Pinggao City, so as to ensure that the army on the Henan battlefield can be supplemented with food, grass and supplies, and can withdraw safely to the north bank of the Yellow River at any time .

The sixth battlefield is in Kansai.Whether it is the Hanoi battlefield or the Henan battlefield, we have no advantage in military strength. In order to ensure the safety of the northern border troops in Henan and Hanoi, Yang Feng, Hua Xiong, Sun Qin and others in Hedong must lead their troops to attack Kansai, threatening Luoyang, in order to drag down the army stationed in Luoyang, forcing them to be unable to support Hanoi and Henan battlefields.

The seventh battlefield is in Youzhou.Last year, although we forced Kobe Bear to donate [-] households, he still poses a threat to northern Xinjiang. If another disaster of war is planned, the desert is bound to be at stake, which will bring us a fatal blow, so Xianyufu, Xianyuyin, Li Su and others will join forces with the Xianbei people and Karasuma people to coerce Kirby before the rainy season comes. Xiong, temporarily drive him to the Great Xianbei Mountains.

=

According to the planned attack strategy, the armies going south to the Central Plains will arrive at the designated assembly location in late March, and cross the river in early April to launch the attack.

Jia Xu pointed to Cangting and Chiping, "After the southward fleet entered the Yellow River, they rushed to the area of ​​Cangting and Chiping immediately, and built ten boat bridges on the river between the two places."

"A [-] cavalry army crossed the river at the same time, and then divided into two groups."

"General Quyi, General Yushi, General Zhao Yun, General Jiang Wu, and Liu Ming, the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu led an army of [-] to the right, crossing the river from the Cangting area, and then passing by Dong'e, Fan County, Juan (juan) City, Cheng All the way to the southwest, he went straight to Dingtao City."

"General Zhang Yan, General Lu Bu, General Yan Rou, General Wei Jun, and the Xiongnu Commander Liu Bao led an army of [-] troops to the left, crossed the river from Chiping, and then entered Dongping and Rencheng from Linyi. Ben Changyi City."

"Lord Wu Xiong and Lord Wu Dun of Qingzhou led an army of [-] to attack Jibei Kingdom and Taishan County to ensure the safety of the army's food roads."

After Jia Xu carefully explained some details, he solemnly ordered: "Cao Cao and Liu Bei's army is now in Huaishui, about a thousand miles away from Dingtao and Changyi. From the beginning of our attack to the time they received the news, and then they traveled day and night. It will take no more than 20 days to rush back to the Central Plains, so our attack will only take half a month, and the journey will be about [-] miles. , the time to attack the city is only six days, even if there is a slight delay, it cannot exceed eight days. After this time, it will be difficult for us to capture most of Yanzhou smoothly before Cao Cao and Liu Bei's army returns .”

"If the left and right armies want to reach Dingtao and Changyi within half a month, they must abandon some small cities and focus on capturing the big cities. Surround the cities controlled by the rebels, and wait for the army to defeat Cao Cao and Liu Bei's army in Dingtao and Changyi, and then turn around to appease and kill them."

=

Tian Chou hurried into the tent, walked up to Li Hong and whispered a word.

Li Hong's face changed suddenly, and under the suspicious eyes of the generals, he hurried out with Tian Chou.

=

(End of this chapter)