Great Han Empire

Chapter 820 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
The big banner on the west city gate crashed down.

Zhang Zan's heart trembled violently with the bang of the big banner smashing on the tower and the shouts of the enemy soldiers soaring into the sky. Anger and shame rushed straight to his head, as if they wanted to tear his body apart.

Raising the bloody saber high, Zhang Zan turned his head and yelled like a bloodthirsty beast, "Brothers, go up, take back the west city, take back the west city..."

More than 300 fierce soldiers fought bravely along the stone steps covered with corpses. Blood dripped down the mossy stone walls like a spring, and their lives died quietly in the bloody wind.

=

On the pontoon bridge of Jishui River, Wen Chou led [-] soldiers and ran as fast as he could.

The sound of war drums from the city was majestic and solemn, as if groups of warriors were marching towards death.

"Quick, quick..." Wen Chou was the first to rush up the suspension bridge, shouting and shouting out of breath, "Kill to the west city, kill to the west city..."

The soldiers rushed into the east city gate and marched along the long street towards the west city gate.The sound of orderly footsteps and the clash of armor were intertwined, and the momentum was like a rainbow.

Long arrows were like locusts, and the dense bows and crossbows on the city tower fired wildly at the reinforcements in northern Xinjiang.

"Raise the shield..." Wen Chou raised the round shield high above the top, his eyes widened with anger, "Rush through the array of arrows... and kill it..."

"Kill..." Eight hundred soldiers shouted in unison, and eight hundred shields were raised at the same time. The resentment and hatred in the hearts of the soldiers in Northern Xinjiang were instantly ignited, and the roar passed over the city like thunder, "Kill..."

=

Wen Chou took the lead, rushing into the enemy group like a tiger, his sword flying up and down, bringing up patches of blood, invincible to those who stand in his way.

Eight hundred soldiers followed closely behind, fighting fiercely.

On the long street, the sea of ​​people was like a tide, and the sound of killing was like thunder. The soldiers of both sides fought bloody battles and vowed not to retreat.For a moment, blood was everywhere, and broken limbs and arms were flying all over the sky amidst the dense arrows.The west city gate opened its mouth wide in the turbulent waves of blood, wantonly devouring fragile lives.

Zhang Zan and nearly a hundred soldiers were drawn into the battle formation of the Northern Frontier Army, and following the turbulent waves, they launched tenacious impacts on the city wall again and again.

=

The sound of war drums outside the city was suddenly loud, and teams of powerful enemy soldiers raised their weapons high, and rushed up to the west city wall amidst the deafening sound of killing.

The attack momentum of the Northern Xinjiang Army was quickly contained.

The enemy army rushing down from the west city wall was like a huge wave falling from the sky, crushing and tearing up the unbreakable battle formation of the northern border army bit by bit. to fall, to disappear.

=

Wen Chou suffered heavy injuries, drenched in blood, and retreated from the battle in embarrassment under the desperate protection of several personal guards.

"My lord, take a break, I'll go to the front." Enduring the pain all over his body, Zhang Zan reluctantly stood up with his sword in his hand.

Wen Chou shook his head, wiped the blood off his face, and asked hoarsely, "Did you see Hao Meng?"

Zhang Zan's face was sad, "The soldiers defending the west city have all died in battle."

Wen Chou spat a mouthful of blood on the ground, and cursed angrily, "Send the order, burn the city, and prepare to retreat."

Zhang Zan froze for a moment, "Burning the city? Now?"

"Burn it now, and burn everything that can be lit." Wen Chou pointed in the direction of the East City Gate and said, "I will burn everything except the East City Gate."

"My lord, there are still people in the city..."

"I call you Burning City." Wen Chou raised his brows upright, his blood-stained face looked extremely hideous, "Light me a fire immediately."

Zhang Zan swallowed hard, looked up at the fierce battle a hundred paces away, and shook his head in pain.

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On the tower of Nancheng, a beam of flames suddenly rose into the sky, and the black smoke column went straight into the sky.

Then, Beicheng was also caught in a raging fire.

The enemy army saw the intention of the northern border army, and the drums of the attack suddenly became fierce. Thousands of soldiers shouted all the way, roaring towards the west gate.

Houses in the city were also set ablaze.The fire took advantage of the wind, and the whole city was instantly plunged into a sea of ​​flames. Black smoke covered the blue sky, and miserable and helpless cries resounded through the sky.

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The golden gong sounded, and the siege soldiers withdrew from the burning city like a tide.

The people in the city were crying for their parents and calling for their mothers, wolves ran and fled towards the east gate, trampling each other and killing countless people.

The Northern Xinjiang soldiers guarding the direction of the East City Gate could not control the situation, and were crowded without a trace by the rolling crowd in a blink of an eye.

The fleeing people wailed all the way and rushed to the pontoon bridge on the Jishui River.

The soldiers guarding the bridge wanted to maintain order so that the fleeing people could reach the other side quickly, but the people who were terrified were frightened by the fire in the city and the army outside the city. In order to survive, they forgot everything and rushed to the other side. On the pontoon.

The soldiers guarding the bridge were caught off guard and pushed into the water by the crazy crowd.The pontoon bridge was overwhelmed and wobbly and might fall apart at any time.

The long arrow roared in an instant.Without hesitation, the soldiers of Northern Xinjiang launched a bloody massacre at the civilians rushing up the pontoon bridge.

At this time, the northern border army in the city was also blocked at the city gate, unable to leave the city.The fire was getting closer and closer, and the scorching flames made the soldiers sweat profusely.

"Kill..." A Northern Border Army Marquis swung his saber, raised his hand and chopped off a head.

The blood and fire aroused the beastliness in the hearts of the soldiers. Facing the unarmed and innocent people, they raised their weapons and killed them recklessly.

Wen Chou stood under the gate of the city where the corpses were scattered, and took a last look at Li Cheng, which was burning in the fire, and waved lightly, "Burn this place too."

At dusk, all the surviving soldiers and civilians crossed the pontoon bridge and rushed to the north bank of Jishui River.The soldiers then set fire to the pontoon bridge.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the team dragged their tired bodies and slowly retreated towards Pinggao City.

=

On April, Henan Yin, Xingyang City.

Yan Liang sat behind the desk, holding Wen Chou's letter asking for help and bowed his head in thought.

Zhou Shan took the candlestick to the side of the case and looked at the map carefully.

"Yuan Jun's attack in the direction of Guancheng has stopped." Zhou Shan said, "Master Wei Xu wrote that Han Heng and Ma Yan's army has about 1 people. Since they did not have the superior force to conquer Guancheng, they tried several times. Afterwards, the attack has been given up, and instead the troops are settling down the city."

"Guancheng's problem is not serious." Yan Liang put Wen Chou's letter aside, sat up and leaned on the map, "How about the direction of Chenggao?"

"Same as a few days ago, there is no progress." Zhou Shan said, "Yuan Xi brought 1 people to attack Chenggao. He was full of momentum, but the thunder was heavy and the rain was little. So far, he has only launched three attacks. One is The attack on Huxiaoling brought Li Feng back to the city, and the other two attacks on Cheng Gao, but Xu Huang's [-] troops were stationed in Cheng Gao, so Yuan Xi couldn't beat them. In addition, Zhang Yun wrote today that Yuan Shao's army was still the same. There is no sign of an attack on Ao Cang."

Yan Liang frowned, "According to the time calculation, Yuan Shao has already received the news that the general is crossing the south of the river. At this moment, in order to prevent us from capturing the Central Plains, he should launch a fierce attack on us, so as to drive us out of Henan, so as to send troops to support Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan in Yanzhou. , blocking us on the front line of Dingtao and Changyi." Yan Liang looked at Zhou Shan, "Why is he standing still? What is he thinking?"

Zhou Shan shook his head suspiciously, "It's hard for me to understand. Although Luoyang increased troops to Hanoi, and Zhu Ling's attack was extremely sharp, it would be very difficult for him to conquer Pinggao in a short period of time and encircle us in Xingyang. Xingyang is currently There are also Xu Yan and Hou Cheng's 5000 troops, we can ask them to support Pinggao at any time, Pinggao City can be said to be as solid as gold."

Yan Liang pondered for a while, and said in a low voice: "Do you think Yuan Shao will use the confrontation of troops as a bait to secretly deploy troops to support Yanzhou?"

"This kind of possibility is very big." Zhou Shan nodded, pointing to the map and said, "After the general went south, our intention to attack Henan has been exposed. Without absolute certainty, he may not be willing to take the risk of losing troops and generals to encircle and suppress. Once the encirclement fails, Dingtao and Changyi will be lost, and Luoyang will be in danger. After all, Yuan Shao’s troops are limited, and he cannot control Cao Cao And Liu Bei, if you are a little careless, you will lose everything. Relatively speaking, while maintaining your own strength, helping Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan to block the footsteps of the generals from capturing Dingtao and Changyi, and waiting for Cao Cao and Liu Bei's return. The best policy."

Yan Liang stared at the map for a long time, "If Ping Gao is in danger, we will definitely withdraw from Henan, and Yuan Shao will not be harmed. At the same time, Cao Cao and Liu Bei's army are fighting to the death on the front line of Dingtao and Changyi. Their losses Quite amazing. After we withdrew from Henan, Yuan Shao would immediately lead his army to support Cao Cao. At this time, if we failed for a long time or had to withdraw from the Central Plains due to other reasons, Yuan Shao would be able to take advantage of the momentum and occupy the Central Plains.” Yan Liang Tap Ao Cang on the map vigorously, "Yuan Shao can always have the advantage in the future war only if he maintains his own strength. If it were me, I would stand still at this moment, consume each other with the opponent, and wait and see the development of the situation in the Central Plains."

Zhou Shan looked solemn, looked at Aocang City on the map, and said in a low voice: "It seems that we have to take the initiative."

"Hit him." Yan Liang said in a cold voice, "Immediately report to Zhang Yun, Wang Dang, and Zhang Xiu, and immediately attack Yuan Shao, head-to-head with him, and fight to the death."

"The book tells Wen Chou and Zhang Liao that reinforcements will arrive soon, and let them defend Pinggao at all costs."

"At all costs?" Zhou Shan said in surprise, "If you don't give reinforcements, it's fine to lie to them. Why do you want them to defend Pinggao at all costs? If there are too many casualties, Pinggao City will be in danger."

"The loss of defending the city is great, and the loss of attacking the city is even greater." Yan Liang sneered, "When Zhu Ling can't move, I will kill him."

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On April, Yanzhou East County, Xiancheng.

Xiancheng is located on the north bank of Huzi River, a hundred miles southeast of Puyang.

After Gao Gan received Yuan Shao's order, he left some troops to garrison Baima and Puyang. He quietly left Baima with an army of [-] and hurried to Juan (juan) city to support Xiahouyuan.

Originally, the shortest route to Juancheng was to cross the Huzi River from Puyang, but since Gao Lan's army was under Puyang City, Gao Gan had to detour to Xiancheng to cross the river.However, when he rushed to Xiancheng, he found that the city had been occupied by the northern border army at some point.

Gao Gan immediately decided to travel more than 100 miles southeast along the south bank of the Huzi River, and rushed to Chuiting to cross the river.

At this moment, Xia Zhao, who was stationed in Baima City, sent an urgent report. Lei Zhong, the general of the Northern Army, suddenly attacked Pingyang Pavilion and burned the food and grass accumulated in Pingyang Pavilion.

Gao Gan was shocked and angry, helpless.

When Yuan Shao led his army to attack Jizhou, the camp was set up in Baima, and the food and supplies were stored in Pingyang Pavilion, [-] miles away from Baima.How did Lei Zhong of the Northern Frontier Army know that Pingyang Pavilion had food, grass and supplies?
The food and supplies were burned, and the defenders of Baima and Puyang were in danger of running out of food. Gao Lan and Lei Chong were bound to take advantage of the opportunity to go to Juancheng to support Xiahouyuan to attack these two cities.Once Baima and Puyang are lost, not only will Yuan Shao's army be exposed to the attack of the Northern Army, but even Chenliu and Dingtao, the important towns in Yanzhou, will be directly threatened by the Northern Army.

After careful consideration, the high officials resolutely decided not to rescue Xia Houyuan, and withdrew their troops back to guard the city of Chu.Jiacheng is located between Puyang and Baima, and can be supported from both sides.

Gao Gan wrote a letter to Yuan Shao and led his troops to retreat.

==
In April, ten miles away from the city of Ji, Xiaoliang Pavilion.

As soon as the sky showed a hint of fish belly, the soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army who were covered with morning mist quietly rushed to the hillside near the Xiaoliang Pavilion, and quickly entered the ambush position.

Gao Lan, Lei Zhong, and Xiao En stood on the hillside with nervous expressions.

Many scouts came back one after another from the direction of Puyang and Jicheng.The scouts stared at Puyang and Bingcheng all night, but found nothing unusual in the city, and several teams of cavalry patrolling outside the city at night also returned to the city early, and did not find the whereabouts of the Northern Xinjiang Army.The scouts' return made the three of them relax.

"This place is too close to Puyang and Jicheng. If we are a little negligent, we will be surrounded." Xiao En wiped the sweat from his forehead and said worriedly, "Now let's see if Gao Gan arrives at Xiaoliang on time. Ting. If he delays time, we will be exposed nine times out of ten."

"The scouts have been staring at him, so we can't miss anything." Gao Lan looked up at the sky, "He'll be here in another hour."

"Gao Gan is so anxious that he has to rush back to Puyang overnight." Lei Zhong laughed, "However, if he wasn't in such a hurry, we still wouldn't have the chance to kill him."

"You burned his supplies, can he not be in a hurry?" Xiao En stretched out his hand and patted him on the shoulder, "The high-ranking officials are too careless. After Yuan Shao left Baima, he should transport the supplies back to Baima, so that you There is no chance."

"I have few troops. After crossing the river, I dare not stay under Baima City. I wandered around with the army and beat him to a few small ambushes." Lei Zhong smiled triumphantly, "The high-ranking officials are very strict with me. At this time For him, it is safer to put the food and supplies in Pingyang Pavilion."

"If you weren't lucky, you wouldn't be able to burn Gaogan's grain and grass." Gao Lan waved his hand, motioning for the two to follow him to the hidden place behind the slope, "It depends on your luck this time. Good luck, We will be able to defeat the high officials and occupy Puyang."

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Go to the hospital tomorrow morning, go to work in the afternoon, and stop for a day.Continue the day after tomorrow.sorry sorry.

(End of this chapter)