I will be the master of Xuande

Chapter 673
  "Whoosh whoosh!"

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Under the outer city wall of Chang'an and in the fortifications below, countless Hebei strong crossbow troops are hidden.
  At the moment when Hu Zhen's soldiers and horses arrived at Chang'an City, before they could launch an attack, they suddenly saw a huge fire on top of the city of Chang'an. Then, they saw the city above and below the city, and the fortifications on the city walls. Among them, countless Hebei sergeants appeared!

These sergeants were all equipped with repeating crossbows. They were ready to fire at the enemy troops coming to Chang'an with their repeating crossbows.

Even if the weather is dark at the moment, it does not prevent these crossbowmen from shooting. They are all elites who have undergone years of training. Many of them are good at hunting for sounds and shooting.

In addition, the repeating crossbows in their hands are all elite repeating crossbows made by Hebei over the years, and can shoot up to five consecutive shots.

Xiliang's siege army had almost no power to parry when faced with these powerful crossbows.

What's even more terrifying is that countless trebuchets have already been built on the city wall.

The power of the trebuchets fixed on the city wall was astonishing, and the overwhelming stones were thrown into the Xiliang army's formation as if they were covering the sky.

The soldiers operating the trebuchet didn't even look at where the Xiliang army was, and just threw the stones in the distance without thinking.

The Xiliang Army has a large number of people, and even this mindless stone-throwing method will cause huge damage to them!
  The rocks that blocked the sky and countless crossbow arrows caused huge damage to the enemy's army.

Hu Zhen really didn't expect that Liu Jian's defenses in Chang'an could be so tight. According to his assumption, after Liu Jian became prime minister, he should be complacent and arrogant. Why did he become more cautious? What's up?

So this is because his vision is narrow. He only thinks about these things with the thoughts of Xiliang people, but completely forgets that Liu Jian is not an ordinary person. It is simply a mistake to think about Liu Jian with the thoughts of Xiliang people. An unrealistic thing.

Seeing that his own army could not attack Chang'an at all, Hu Zhen became anxious. This matter was completely beyond his imagination.

He loudly ordered the death squads to move forward!

Although the sergeants of the Xiliang Army are extremely brave, they are not made of iron after all.

Facing the enemy's abundant crossbow arrows and flying boulders that were enough to smash people into pieces, these soldiers charged again and again, but the final result each time was nothing more than a hasty retreat.

Seeing that the Xiliang army's charges were ineffective, Hu Zhen was so anxious that he personally went to the front line to take command and killed two Sima from other troops who were responsible for commanding the front line. This prompted the Xiliang Army to launch another fierce charge.

However, this wave of charges only hit the bottom of the moat, and was then shot back again by crossbow arrows.

He couldn't even touch the edge of the city gate, let alone penetrate directly into the city.

"Daduhu! The opponent's arrow rain is too fierce! The soldiers can't hit the city wall at all, they can't hit it, they can't hit it!"

"If you can't hit it, you have to hit me!"

Hu Zhen became angry and said: "This battle is related to our fate of life and death. If we cannot win Chang'an! We will all die without a burial place!"

"But……"

After hearing what Hu Zhen said, the captain turned around and looked helplessly at the front line...

Now there are fires everywhere under the city. With these fires, he can clearly see the powerful crossbow array on the city, as well as the trebuchets... and the condition of the fortifications under the city...

With such fortifications and arrangements, how could the flesh and blood of the Xiliang Army be able to get in?
  "Great Protector! Chang'an's formation is tight, and Chang'an City is already very strong. The height of the city wall is far beyond that of ordinary cities!"

"Now, Liu Jian is fully prepared. The soldiers are afraid of being hit by those crossbows and trebuchets. No matter how they charge, they will die! The soldiers are timid and no one dares to step forward."

"Cowards! It is said that a brave man must be rewarded with a heavy reward. Can't you use a heavy reward to motivate the soldiers of the three armies? You can't even make the soldiers brave enough to attack the city without fear of death. What's the use of raising you?"

At this moment, a scout was suddenly seen running towards Hu Zhen's location from behind.

"Protector, there are people chasing us from behind! There are quite a few of them, it seems they must be over [-]!"

Hu Zhen was shocked when he heard this.

"Whose troops are coming? Can you see clearly who those troops are?"

"Back to the Protector, I have seen it. The other party is Zhang Liao's soldiers and horses!"

"Zhang Liao's soldiers and horses?"

When Hu Zhen heard this, doubts suddenly arose in his heart.

"Why did Zhang Liao's troops appear here? Lu Bu didn't come?"

"Back to the capital, Lu Bu's troops have not come. Only Zhang Liao's troops are rushing towards us. And judging from their posture, they may not be here to support us, but they seem to be attacking our rear army!"

Hu Zhen's heart was a little ups and downs.

"Logically speaking, Zhang Liao should be controlled by Lu Bu. Even if Lu Bu knows about our actions, he will definitely not help anyone easily. After all, he and Liu Jian also have enmity..."

"Besides, Zhang Ji is going to attack Dong Min and Dong Huang's stronghold... There must be trouble there right now. Even if Zhang Liao wants to fight, he should go to Dong Min's side. Why did he come to Chang'an instead?"

"It's coming... Why didn't even Zhang Ji notify me?"

Hu Zhen was very hesitant in his heart.

However, after all, he was the chief protector of the Xiliang army. He was the most important person under Dong Zhuo in the past. In terms of military use and strategy, he was also considered the best among the Xiliang generals.

Although Hu Zhen didn't know what Zhang Liao's specific purpose was at this time, he didn't dare to be careless. He immediately handed over the matter of the front line to attack Chang'an to his lieutenants, while he led half of his troops to the rear to form a formation... If Zhang Liao was If anyone dares to act rashly, he will hit the opponent severely.

However, if Zhang Liao really came here with the intention of fighting him, then Hu Zhen would be attacked from both sides.

Because Chang'an has been unable to be attacked for a long time, if it is attacked from behind again, today's battle will be in doubt.

But now that the matter has come to this, Hu Zhen can only bite the bullet!
  He personally went to the rear and ordered the soldiers in the rear army to get into position.

Not long after, they saw a Biaojun rushing towards them.

Although it was late at night, Hu Zhen's sergeants all had torches in their hands. He ordered the soldiers to wave the torches and shouted loudly at the other party, ordering the other party to stop, but the other party had no intention of stopping.

At this moment, Hu Zhen finally understood.

"Zhang Liao is indeed our enemy! Soldiers! Get in position, let's fight Zhang Liao."

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

As Hu Zhen's order fell, his Xiliang sergeants rushed towards the opposite side one after another.

Zhang Liao, who was approaching on horseback, also ordered the attacking army to change their formation. He raised the sword in his hand without hesitation and waved to the soldiers under his hand.

"Come on, everyone, break through the enemy formation! Save the crisis in Chang'an City!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Liao's army began to rush towards Hu Zhen's army. The armies of both sides soon collided with each other, making an earth-shattering sound.

The Bingzhou Army had been prepared for a long time. They came here today to have a decisive battle with Hu Zhen. Since the other party was already prepared, Zhang Liao would naturally not show mercy.

When it comes to the ability to command troops, Zhang Liao is by no means inferior to Hu Zhen.

He seized the opportunity again this time and arranged the strategic arrangements of the army before the war. In addition, Hu Zhen's side turned around hastily to fight. Therefore, although both sides rushed forward to fight separately, Zhang Liao's The offensive speed and advantage are obviously higher than Hu Zhen.

Hu Zhen was attacked by Zhang Liao, and this situation also fell into the eyes of Qu Yi and others.

Qu Yi quickly went to inform Liu Jian about the incident.

Now Liu Jian is sitting in the city, monitoring all the information outside the city at all times.

Liu Jian was able to understand all the details of this war in a timely manner and make timely arrangements for the overall situation. However, he did not have many arrangements, and most of the matters before the battle were left to Qu Yi.

Liu Jian had confidence in his generals.

on this occasion. His generals would not let him down.

As the Prime Minister from now on, it is impossible for me to participate in every battle.

Therefore, each of these generals under his command must be able to act independently.

Only in this way can the wish for the complete prosperity of the Han Empire be realized.

When Qu Yi told Liu Jian about the attack on the Xiliang army, Liu Jian had no emotional fluctuations, as if everything was expected by him.

He was currently sitting in a mansion under the city wall, playing chess with Xun You. Jia Xu stood beside him and watched the chess. The three of them formed an unprecedented tacit understanding.

Qu Yi said: "Prime Minister, now that the Xiliang army's rear line is being attacked, the general will ask for orders to lead his troops out of the city and attack the rebels from both front and rear. We will definitely win a complete victory!"

Liu Jian was not in a hurry to answer Qu Yi. He smiled and then looked at Xun You.

Xun You stroked his hand and looked at the chessboard carefully...

"I have a solid foundation for advancing and retreating. I'm really good at chess. Good chess. Good chess..."

"Haha, Gongda Mo wants to let me go on purpose, otherwise I won't have a break with you."

Xun You said: "The Prime Minister is very skilled in chess. I will fight against the Prime Minister with all my strength, but I may not be able to win yet. How dare I think about it? The key to this chess game is stability. Only by not being impatient can you win."

Liu Jian turned to look at Qu Yi beside him and said with a smile, "Did you hear that?"

Qu Yi nodded heavily and said, "I heard it!"

"The battlefield is also like this. We have the overall situation under control for tonight's battle, so why should we be anxious?"

"It's pitch dark right now. If we leave the city, we can win, but if something goes wrong, what will happen to the defense of Chang'an City?"

Qu Yi hurriedly said: "What the Prime Minister taught me is that the general understands... Don't be in a hurry to leave the city, don't be in a hurry to defeat the enemy. The current task of the general is to defend Chang'an!"

"If Chang'an is not lost, the great general will have nothing to do with it."

Liu Jian looked at Xun You and frowned.

"Good chess!"

Then, he looked at Qu Yi again and said with a smile: "Bern understands clearly that this matter in Chang'an is not like when Qin fought against the Xiongnu in Bingzhou. It was just to establish meritorious deeds. Everything must be stable and consider the overall situation. Focus on this, so that you can become a good general, so that I can safely send you to the border to make achievements in the future, you know?"

After hearing Liu Jian's intention, Qu Yi felt grateful in his heart.

He knew that Liu Jian was telling him that he would look at problems from a higher perspective in the future, which clearly meant that he wanted to use his own rhythm.

"Don't worry, Prime Minister, I will definitely live up to the Prime Minister's generous instructions!"

"Okay, go ahead and defend the city well, don't let me down!"

"only!"

After Qu Yi left, Liu Jian made another move, and then waited quietly for Xun You to return the move.

Xun You was not in a hurry to make a move, but looked at Jia Xu, who had been standing next to him for a long time, and said curiously: "Wen He has been standing aside but hasn't said a word, why don't you give me some advice?"

Jia Xu smiled and said: "Watching chess without saying a word is the Confucian way. If you say anything, you may ruin your elegance. Both of you are masters of chess. Why bother talking so much?"

"You are modest."

Liu Jian smiled faintly, then turned to look at the sky: "It is estimated that it will be dawn in more than an hour."

Xun You said: "But it doesn't take dawn to determine the outcome of everything in Guanzhong."

Liu Jian stood up slowly, walked to the window, listened quietly to the sounds of fighting in the distance, and said slowly: "After tonight, everything will be on track, and I can Manage Guanzhong and the Central Plains well, and let all the northern states and counties of the Han Dynasty get back on track... Ten years, give me another ten years, I want our descendants to remember these ten years, ten years from now , that’s when the Han Dynasty is turned upside down and completely transformed!”

Hearing what Liu Jian said, Jia Xu and Xun You were both in awe.

……

At this moment, not only Zhang Liao, but also the follow-up troops led by Zhang Ji have arrived on the battlefield.

It was already very difficult for Hu Zhen to deal with the tail attack of Zhang Liao's troops. Now Zhang Ji also arrived with his troops, and not long after, Lu Bu and Niu Fu also arrived with their troops.

Facing multiple enemy forces, Hu Zhen was naturally defeated. His troops were torn apart by Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Zhang Ji, Niu Fu and others, and they were completely defeated for a while.

Let alone snatching Chang'an City, whether he can save his life is now a huge problem for Hu Zhen.

Under the protection of a group of men, Hu Zhen took advantage of the dark sky and fled in panic from the rebel army, but his soldiers and horses could not be saved.

His soldiers were scattered, some surrendered, and some died in battle. They were completely routed.

Hu Zhen was very unwilling. He didn't even see the Hebei Army in person. He was beaten like this before he even had a head-on battle with the opponent. He felt very aggrieved.

So he thought of going to Li Meng and Wang Fang, hoping to make peace with them, and then find a way to reverse the situation.

But before Hu Zhen arrived at Wang Fang's military formation, he received news that Xu Rong had completely defeated Wang Fang's army. Most of the Xiliang army had surrendered to Xu Rong, and Wang Fang himself was Gongsun Zan was captured alive.

When Hu Zhen heard the news, he almost fainted. It was originally a battle between the two sides, but why was Wang Fang so useless and let Xu Rong be beaten like this?

But things had already happened, and there was nothing he could do about it. Hu Zhen had no choice but to lead his troops in another direction, hoping to meet Li Meng.

But Li Meng really failed to live up to expectations. Hu Zhen soon got the news that Li Meng had been killed by Yan Liang... and the battle report about Yang Ding's defeat from Xiwu had also been transmitted. At the same time, Zhang Ji News of the rebellion arrived at the same time.

Overnight, Hu Zhen's comrades died, some were captured alive, some were betrayed, and he himself suffered a miserable defeat. It can be said that there is no way to go to heaven and no way to go to earth.

In this desperate situation, Hu Zhen could only walk west.

He ran all the way hoping to escape from Yongzhou and return to his hometown of Xiliang before Liu Jian sent out an army to kill him.

No matter what, Liu Jian couldn't reach Xiliang.

Xiliang is the territory of Ma Teng and Han Sui. Rebels and Qiang people are everywhere there. People like me should also have a foothold in Xiliang.

Now that Liangzhou is on its feet, let’s wait until later to discuss the future.

But in fact, many things are not as easy as Hu Zhen thought.

The Xiliang army suffered a lot of defeats, and most of the defeated soldiers in Liangzhou had the same idea as Hu Zhen, which was to leave Yongzhou and return to their hometown.

But Liu Jian did not give them this retreat long before this war.

Xu Huang, under Liu Jian, has already occupied the Chencang main road.

Although there is no guarantee that no one will be missed, it can certainly prevent most of the defeated soldiers of Xiliang from escaping from Guanzhong.

According to Liu Jian's thinking, these Xiliang soldiers are dangerous factors. If they are allowed to return to Liangzhou, they will become potential threats to him in the future.

In this war, Liu Jian will conquer or eliminate them all to avoid becoming his own future troubles.

(End of this chapter)