Chapter 145 Entering Tongguan

Chapter 145 Entering Tongguan

Chapter 145 Entering Tongguan

The Xianbei cavalry was led by Qi Hong and Liu Kun.

After crossing half of the Luoshui River Valley, they turned north, slowly passed through the mountain road, and then ran all the way. It took more than half a month to reach Hongnong, almost arriving at the same time as the northern route.

In the mountainous area of ​​western Henan, cavalry raid is a bummer!
It was particularly funny when they lined up and walked carefully on the mountain road. There were at least a hundred horses that fell into the valley, if not two hundred. The Xianbei people had already suffered a loss before the battle even started.

They did not stay in Hongnong for too long and even refused the invitation to a banquet from Governor Mi Huang.

Qi Hong was the chief clerk in Wang Jun's government office. He was not of the same kind as the generals in Luoyang. He was just a "guest general" who came to help and had no intention of giving face to Mi Huang at all.

Liu Kun was the Sima of the Fanyang King's court.

He actually wanted to meet a palace general named Shao Xun, because this man's reputation in the Fanyang King's court was "well-known" - and it was not a good reputation.

The Xuchang Armory Case was the biggest loss that King Fanyang had suffered in all these years.

If Liu Qiao and his son had captured Xuchang and looted its armor and weapons, it would have been fine, but the Xuchang armory was robbed by "friendly forces". How could one not be angry!

King Fanyang smashed the vase in private and asked if there was any way to kill this man.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone understood that they could not touch Shao Xun openly, so they could only think of dirty means such as assassination.

Liu Kun really didn't want to get involved in this matter. He was only interested in Shao Xun's long-distance raid and the killing of Liu You in battle.

In the Central Plains, there were not many people who were so adept at using cavalry, and it was shocking that this person was only eighteen years old at the time.

Rumor has it that Shao Xun was taught various skills by a god.

Many people believed this. Liu Kun knew a man who specialized in writing records of strange things. He even recorded this rumor and wrote a thousand-word annotation, citing classics and making it sound serious.

Some people also say that Shao Xun is a man from heaven who came down to earth, traveled through the mortal world for a lifetime, and then returned to heaven.

Liu Kun was skeptical about this, but at the same time he became more and more curious. He wanted to meet him to see if the rumors were true.

For Liu Kun, who has always been fond of military affairs, it would be a pity if he missed the opportunity to make friends with such a young general who shone brightly on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, he is not the commander.

The 5,000 Xianbei cavalry only listened to Qi Hong, and would not even heed the military orders of the governor Mi Huang. So, after a little replenishment, he could only regretfully give up the opportunity to meet Shao Xun and continue marching, heading straight for Huxian and Tongguan.

Sima Yong deployed troops here: Peng Sui, the governor of Hongnong, and Diao Mo, the governor of Beidi, combined their forces of more than 20,000 to resist the eastern troops.

Yes, Sima Yong also had a prefect of Hongnong under his command, because Huxian, Tongguan and Huayin were geographically part of Hongnong County and had been controlled by Guanzhong troops for many years.

But the defenders' morale was low and they lacked the will to fight.

There is no doubt that this is the aftermath of killing Zhang Fang.

Sima Yue came too fast, not giving Sima Yong time to regroup. Five thousand Xianbei cavalrymen marched day and night, and did not want to stop at Hongnong County City, and rushed straight over.

What's outrageous is that Sima Yong also added some information to the defenders: after Sima Yue refused to negotiate peace, he regretted it and took his anger out on Bi Yuan and Zhi Fu. However, Bi Yuan was from the "Hejian elite family", so even if he was the one who came up with the idea of ​​killing Zhang Fang, he could not be convicted. So he could only execute Zhi Fu, who had no connection with him, to vent his hatred.

As a result, the already low morale of the Western Army was further exacerbated.

Tongguan is in danger.

******
On the first day of June, the main army left Hongnong in batches.

Mi Huang and Shao Xun rode side by side.

"After Sikong was defeated in Xiao County, Chen Min used the excuse of recruiting soldiers and returned to establish his own regime in Jiangdong, causing chaos that has not been quelled to this day," said Mi Huang.

The mountains and plateaus on both sides of the post road were lush and green, with flowers blooming everywhere, just like Sima Yue's situation of flowers blooming everywhere and oil boiling in the fire. But there were also hidden worries in the great prosperity, that is, the rebellion of Liu Borgen in Qingzhou and Chen Min in Yangzhou.

The Tianshidao rebellion started by Liu Borgen was suppressed by the Xianbei cavalry sent by Wang Jun.

Chen Min's rebellion became more and more serious.

Speaking of which, this is still Sima Yue's fault.

When Zhang Chang's general Shi Bing fled to Yangzhou, he caused a huge riot, which was finally suppressed by Chen Min's troops.

When Feng Yun of Xuzhou rebelled, Chen Minfu led his troops to suppress the rebellion and was promoted to the position of Guangling governor for his meritorious service.

Sima Yue set out from Xuzhou and summoned Chen Min to his side, appointing him as the vanguard commander.

After Xiaoxian was defeated by Liu Qiao, Chen Min saw through Sima Yue's nature as a fool, and went back under the pretext of helping him recruit soldiers, and never returned.

Then came the separatist rebellion.

In fact, the big families in the south of the Yangtze River don’t mind the appearance of another Sun Ce.

Unfortunately, the Jin Dynasty still has some prestige and its strength has not weakened to the extreme. Chen Min's family background is ordinary, and there are not many scholars willing to cooperate with him. Sun Ce can no longer do it.

But it is impossible to conquer the rebellion without fighting, and now only Liu Hong, a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty and the governor of Jingzhou, can lead the army.

"There's so much trouble going on everywhere." Mi Huang sighed.

To be honest, he also had some complaints about the parent company Ma Yue.

Chen Min's rebellion could have been avoided. If Liu Qiao and his son were defeated in Xiao County, could Chen Min return to Jiangdong? No!
Moreover, with this great victory, Chen Min's ambitions will be suppressed.

Unfortunately, they suffered a crushing defeat in the first battle. Not only did Chen Min run back to rebel, but the Xianbei cavalry they invited also plundered Yuzhou and committed countless atrocities.

Mi Huang even suspected that Liu Borgen of Qingzhou was causing rebellion, which was also related to Sikong's successive military failures.

To put it bluntly, his prestige is too low and he can hardly control the situation.

"What is your plan, Governor? The military morale in Xizhou is unstable, so it will not be difficult to defeat them. After winning, have you ever thought about serving as an official in Guanzhong?" Shao Xun asked.

He observed Mi Huang's expression and found that he was a little disappointed.

Of course, this degree will not shake Mi Huang's loyalty to Sima Yue.

No matter how disappointed he is, he will try his best. However, a thousand-mile dam is breached by an ant hole, and many things start with a little disappointment. Just wait slowly.

"There is absolutely no possibility of Guanzhong." Mi Huang shook his head and said, "After what happened with Chen Min, Guanzhong will most likely be given to a certain prince. Even if someone is left to guard it, it will be for a short period of time. After the situation is settled, it will be handed over to the prince to guard it. If this battle can really be won, I will most likely serve as an official in the court. The Sikong is short of people in the court, and we can't rely on Wang Yifu for everything." Serving as an official in the court? It's not as pleasant as ruling a separate area! But being promoted to the court is a normal promotion, and Mi Huang himself is not opposed to it, so there is nothing he can do.

"Don't just ask me, what about you?" Mi Huang glanced at Shao Xun and said.

"How can we talk about these things when we haven't accomplished anything yet?" Shao Xun said with a smile.

Mi Huang also smiled: "Looking at how Qi Hong, Liu Kun and the others are riding so fast, it will be difficult for you to make some achievements."

"There is always a chance." Shao Xun said, "The Xianbei are heading for Chang'an. As long as the Western Army does not provoke them, there will probably be no problem."

"Oh." Mi Huang sighed.

The soldiers we invited were all unruly and difficult to control. We couldn't command them at all. What could we do?

The deployment of the Western Army is now clear.

There are three lines of defense in total.

The first one was located in Hongnong, and was mainly composed of more than 20,000 soldiers led by Peng Sui and Diao Mo.

The second line of defense was in Huayin, and most of its soldiers were former generals from Hebei, such as Qian Xiu, Shi Chao, etc. There were not many soldiers, only about 10,000.

The third line of defense was in the Bashui area, led by Generals Ma Zhan and Guo Chuan, with unknown military strength.

The two of them had a drink and chatted last night.

Shao Xun believed that if the first line of defense was breached, there would be no hope.

After passing Tongguan, the road was flat and there was no longer any geographical advantage. Considering the low morale of the Western troops and their absolute disadvantage in terms of manpower, this battle was indeed hopeless.

"How are the forts in your family?" Mi Huang asked again.

As he said this, his eyes fell on the thousand soldiers behind Shao Xun.

Four hundred of them walked, leading their horses.

The horses were loaded with armor and crossbows, and the heavy swords and ring-handled knives were slung over their backs.

Judging from their appearance, they seemed fierce and difficult to control, and they looked down on everyone. They just followed Shao Xun closely, following him step by step.

If someone else were to come, it would be difficult for him to command these arrogant and powerful soldiers.

There were another 600 soldiers, who seemed to be the Silver Spear Army that appeared briefly in the Luoyang defense battle. The leader was named Jin San, whom Mi Huang had even seen before.

These six hundred people lined up in an orderly queue, walking seriously and swinging their arms and feet. Their style was completely different from that of the four hundred people in front.

Among the six hundred people, there are a mix of old and new soldiers, about one third are veterans and two thirds are new soldiers.

The veteran was relatively calmer and composed, and did not look around.

New recruits like to look around secretly with their peripheral vision, appearing very curious, until the officer with the recognition flag on his back hits them with his scabbard.

The equipment of these people was placed on the baggage vehicle at the back.

Mi Huang noticed that everyone was carrying a set of iron armor, a long spear, a ring-handled sword, a bow, and a number of other miscellaneous weapons.

Who would believe that these people are Zhuangke's troops?

Thinking of the Xuchang Arsenal Case, Mi Huang didn't know what to say.

"Yunzhongwu is already complete, and Jinmenwu will be basically completed before winter. Tanshanwu will have to wait until next year because we are really short of money and food." Shao Xun replied.

Mi Huang nodded, and after a moment he said, "After defeating Sima Yong, tell me where you want to go. I will send you there, just don't make too much noise."

"Thank you." Shao Xun bowed on horseback to express his gratitude.

Mi Huang, the good old man, should have already sensed the undercurrent beneath the calm lake.

He must be feeling very confused in his heart.

"Commander-in-chief," Shao Xun said again, "The Pei family has built a new fort in the east of Shan County. Have you never thought about it?"

Mi Huang was a little confused when he heard this.

He really didn't think about what to do in the future.

There are some things that I really don't want to think about too deeply. In his mind, Sikong defeated the King of Hejian, swept through Guanzhong, and then suppressed the rebellion of Chen Min in Yangzhou, and it seemed that everything was generally peaceful.

From then on, Sikong was in charge of the government. They got promoted, got rich, and left their names in history. Isn't that good?

But if you think about it carefully, this beautiful wish is more like a castle in the air and is unrealistic.

We are not newcomers anymore and we are long past the age of daydreaming. Why should we deceive ourselves?

Shao Xun's question made Mi Huang's heart slightly more active.

The Pei family has already built a fortress in Hongnong, what are you still hesitating about?

On the fourth day of June, the army arrived at Taolinsai, near the former site of Qin's Hangu Pass.

At this time, news came from the front that Peng Sui and Diao Mo led their troops to Hu County.

As more and more soldiers were fleeing, he had no choice but to lead the entire army into battle, but was defeated by the Xianbei cavalry in one battle and the entire army was wiped out.

Qi Hong and others took advantage of the situation to occupy Hu County, enter Tongguan, and then rush to Huayin, with a smooth journey.

After hearing this, Mi Huang ordered the march to be accelerated.

Five days later, Shao Xun, as the vanguard of the central army, led his troops into Tongguan and officially set foot on the land of Guanzhong.

That night, he met a messenger from Yiyang. After a conversation, he was immediately furious: "Fuck you, which Xianbei trampled on my crops?" He immediately began to think about how to find an opportunity to trick them.

(End of this chapter)