My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 666 Tieguan City

On the south side of the Khyber Pass, a tall and majestic city gate blocks the entrance of the valley.

Zhu Zhanhe led a team here and saw three big characters written on the city gate - Tieguan City.

Tieguan City was a majestic pass built by Zhu Gaoxu himself by recruiting tens of thousands of natives. As long as this city pass was not lost, outsiders would not be able to invade the Han from land.

"The general will pay homage to the prince!"

I saw a strong middle-aged general at the city gate walking forward quickly and saluting Zhu Zhanhe solemnly.

"Haha~, I haven't seen you for many years. General Zhang, you look even better than before!"

Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help laughing when he saw the general coming to greet him.

The person who came was none other than Zhang Xing. He was once a confidant of the King of Gu, but was demoted due to his involvement. Later, Zhu Zhanhe saw that he was a talent, so he recommended him to go to Jiaozhi to catch up with Zhu Gaoxu, and then they came to Tianzhu together.

With Zhang Xing's talent, he quickly made a lot of contributions and became the first military general in the Han Dynasty. Even Zhu Zhanhe's uncle Chang Wei was willing to be lower than Zhang Xing.

"Prince, you are much more mature than before. I had long known that you were coming to Tianzhu, and I have always wanted to see you. Unfortunately, I am busy with military affairs and I really can't spare the time. I hope you will forgive me!"

Zhang Xing was also very happy to see Zhu Zhanhe.

He was grateful from the bottom of his heart to Zhu Zhanhe. If he hadn't given him a hand, he might have been able to live a life of a small family in a local area instead of making great achievements like he does now. He was even made a Duke.

"General Zhang, you're welcome. You are now my father's confidant, so of course you have to put state affairs first!"

Zhu Zhanhe laughed loudly when he heard this, and he was quite emotional when he recalled some old things from back then.

"This is not the place to talk. Prince, please come into the city quickly. I have asked people to set up a reception banquet. Let's chat while eating!"

Zhang Xing immediately said again that he was very happy when he learned that Zhu Zhanhe was coming, and he came to the city gate early today to greet him.

"These behind me are the grain and grass delivered this time. General Zhang, please ask someone to hand them over!"

Zhu Zhanhe pointed at the team behind him as he walked.

He came to Tieguan City this time, firstly to transport this batch of grain and grass, and secondly to sit in Tieguan City. In the next period of time, he will be personally responsible for the dispatch of logistics materials here to avoid any problems ahead.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have already ordered my men to accept it!"

Zhang Xing patted his chest and immediately entered the city side by side with Zhu Zhanhe.

Tieguan City is a military fortress. There are almost no residents in the city. All buildings are for military service. The whole city is actually more like an oversized military camp.

Zhang Xing brought Zhu Zhanhe to his residence, and a sumptuous banquet of wine and food was prepared in the living room. The two of them did not let anyone else sit with him, and just drank and chatted face to face.

"Prince, Chang Wei often talks about you and the Crown Princess. This time he was the vanguard and was the first to reach Peshawar, which is considered to have made the first contribution. There will be a tough battle next, and he will definitely not be able to leave. "

Zhang Xing toasted Zhu Zhanhe with a glass of wine, and then introduced Chang Wei's situation. "How is the situation over in Peshawar? My father and Brother Chang only brought 2 people. I heard that Shaharul sent an army of [-] this time. Can we withstand it?"

Zhu Zhanhe also asked with concern at this time.

He just knew that a decisive battle was coming, so he felt that he couldn't stay in the rear, so he ran to Tieguan City, hoping to reduce Zhu Gaoxu's pressure on the rear.

In addition, to put it bluntly, if the battle on the front line fails, Zhu Zhanhe, who is stationed in Tieguan City, can send troops to rescue in time and withdraw the army. As long as Tieguan City is defended, the Timur Empire's army will not Want to go south.

"It's hard to say now. Although the Timurid Empire is in decline, it is still a powerful country not much weaker than the Ming Dynasty. This time, it has sent an army several times larger than ours to kill. Although Your Majesty occupies a favorable geographical position, you want to wait for work in leisure. Defeating the opponent is not an easy task!”

Zhang Xing pondered for a moment before answering truthfully.

He understood Zhu Zhanhe's character, so he didn't say anything vain and directly expressed his true thoughts.

Zhu Zhanhe nodded slightly after hearing this. This was similar to what he was thinking. This was a battle related to the fate of the Han Dynasty. If he could win, it would mean that the Han Dynasty would take a further step and extend its power to Central Asia. In the future, it would compete with the Timurid Empire. Fight for supremacy.

But if they lose, the best result is to retreat to Tieguan City. Zhu Gaoxu's expansion path will be interrupted, and he can only rely on Tieguan City to defend passively in the future.

Perhaps if the Timur Empire declines further in the future, they may have a second chance to return to Central Asia.

"Prince, His Majesty was very happy to hear the news of your coming to Tieguan City, but he also gave me an order that you are strictly prohibited from leaving Tieguan City. No matter what the fighting is like ahead, you only need to stay here. Whatever you do, just leave it to the general to do it!"

At this time, Zhang Xing said to Zhu Zhanhe seriously.

Anything can happen on the battlefield. Even a veteran general like Zhu Gaoxu, who has experienced hundreds of battles, dare not say that he can escape unscathed from the battlefield, let alone this time he is facing the [-]-strong army of the Timur Empire.

That's why Zhu Gaoxu gave the order to prohibit Zhu Zhanhe from leaving Tieguan City. To put it bluntly, if something happens to Zhu Gaoxu on the front line, at least Zhu Zhanhe will be in charge of the overall situation in the rear, and the country of the Han Dynasty will not be turbulent because of this. .

"Don't worry, I understand the importance. This time I am here to sit in Tieguan City and solve my father's worries!"

Zhu Zhanhe nodded heavily. He understood Zhu Gaoxu's painstaking efforts and knew his own responsibility.

"Actually, although there is pressure on His Majesty's side, there is still a certain chance of victory."

Zhang Xing felt that what he said before might be a bit heavy, so he took out the map of Peshawar and then explained to Zhu Zhanhe the distribution of Zhu Gaoxu's troops and his plan for this battle.

Peshawar is a fortified city built on the mountains, with the Hindu Kush Mountains behind it. The terrain can be said to be very dangerous. The reason why Zhu Gaoxu was able to conquer this place was not only by surprise, but also by sneaking into the city with Jin Yiwei and winning over many people. The nobles of the Timur Empire made these people open the city gate at the critical moment, allowing Zhu Gaoxu to capture the place at a very small cost.

Therefore, although Timur's [-]-strong army is approaching menacingly this time, Zhu Gaoxu has already set up a tight defense line around Peshawar, intending to use the dangerous location of Peshawar to consume the opponent's morale and strength in the early stage.

When the time is almost up, defeat the opponent's army in one fell swoop.

"Prince, if necessary, I will also lead an expedition to attack the Timur Empire's army from another direction. Then you will have to sit here!"

Finally, Zhang Xing solemnly said again that this combat plan was something he and Zhu Gaoxu had discussed long ago. He couldn't say it was foolproof, but at least it gave them a good chance of winning.

(End of this chapter)