Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 591: Guanjuejin

Guanjuejin.

Guanjuejin is a canyon sandwiched between the Taiyue and Luliang mountain ranges, with the Fen River running through it. It is located between the Taiyuan and Linfen basins, starting from Jiexiu in the north, passing through Lingshi in the middle, and ending at Yong'an in the south, and is about 70 kilometers long.

As a passage between the Taiyuan and Linfen basins, Guanjuejin is extremely important. In addition, Guanjuejin is an ancient road at the bottom of a mountain with a river sandwiched between two mountains. The passage is narrow and the terrain is dangerous. Therefore, it has been a military stronghold and a place of contention for military strategists since ancient times.

Some say that Guanjuejin is unknown to later generations because its name was changed to "Queshu Dao" as later generations called it. The road was rugged, steep and difficult to pass, and only birds and mice could fly over it, so it was renamed.

Now, relying on this dangerous passage, Bingzhou Mu Gao Gan resisted the invading Guanzhong troops at the southern entrance of Guanjuejin, preventing a single soldier from Guanzhong from entering the territory of Taiyuan County and invading and occupying Taiyuan County.

At night, Gao Gan stood on the top of Yong'an City and looked at the camp of the Guanzhong army outside the city. He saw bonfires like stars all over the place, which showed how large the invading Guanzhong troops were. If it were not for the geographical advantage brought by Guanjuejin, he would never have been able to stop the Guanzhong troops outside Taiyuan County.

"It is really as fast as the wind, as slow as the forest, as aggressive as fire, as still as a mountain, as unpredictable as the shadow, and as powerful as thunder." Gao Gan felt deeply about the invading Guanzhong army outside the city.

Since June, the Hebei army marched southward to attack the Central Plains, and Guanzhong has been silent. Just when Gao Gan was calculating that King Qin Liu Zhang had no intention of marching east this year.

However, at the beginning of October, tens of thousands of troops from Guanzhong rushed out from Guanzhong and invaded Taiyuan.

The troops in Guanzhong either stayed still, as calm as a tranquil lake, or moved like a spreading wildfire.

Only a few days after Gao Gan learned that a large army had been dispatched from Guanzhong, the Guanzhong army arrived outside the city of Yong'an.

Fortunately, Gao Gan reacted quickly and led his troops to Yong'an very quickly. Otherwise, Yong'an City would have been captured by the Guanzhong army, and the road to Taiyuan County would have been exposed to the Guanzhong army.

Thinking of this, Gao Gan couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead. Although it was October, the air was getting colder and the north wind was blowing. It was cold, but facing the Guanzhong army, Gao Gan only felt cold sweat.

After taking a look at the camps of the Guanzhong army, Gao Gan looked far to the southwest. The moonlight was bright tonight, as bright as day, so the area he could see was very far away, but no matter how far it was, he could not see the reinforcements.

We still need to wait for some time, it will take time for the reinforcements to arrive, the senior official consoled himself.

With the troops currently in Gao Gan's hands, they can only defend but cannot repel the current Guanzhong army. Therefore, Gao Gan sent several documents requesting rescue and mobilized people to save Yong'an City in order to repel the Guanzhong army.

The first letter asking for help was sent by Gao Gan to Gao Lan, who was confronting Cao Ren in Hanoi, calling on Gao Lan to come to the rescue of Yong'an City as soon as possible. Also rushing here with Gao Lan were the troops of Qu Bei, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu.

The second letter asking for help was sent by Gao Gan to Huhuquan, the Chanyu of Southern Xiongnu in Taiyuan County. Huhuquan had received favors from the Yuan family, and now it was time for Huhuquan to repay the favor. Not a single grain of rice or drop of water from the Yuan family was given to the Xiongnu in vain.

Gao Gan sent the third letter asking for help to Yecheng, where Yuan Shang and Shen Pei were stationed. If they received his letter asking for help, troops would be sent. Although most of the elite troops in Hebei had gone south, some elite troops were still stationed in Yecheng to rescue Gao Gan.

The fourth letter asking for help may not be called a request for help, but was just a notice. This letter was sent to Guandu. As far as Gao Gan knew at the time, his uncle Yuan Shao was in a stalemate with Cao Cao in Guandu, and victory was at hand.

Gao Gan clearly told Yuan Shao in a document that if Gao Lan, Huochuquan and the reinforcements from Yecheng arrived, he could rely on the geographical location, even if he could not defeat the Guanzhong troops, at least he could block them and let Yuan Shao not think about Bingzhou, but defeat Cao Cao as soon as possible and take over the Central Plains.

Bingzhou is important, but Central Plains is more important. In Gao Gan's opinion, once his uncle Yuan Shao takes over Central Plains, great things will be accomplished. With the manpower and material resources of Hebei and Central Plains, they will have a great advantage in confronting Guanzhong.

By then, the Yuan family will have taken over the whole world, and he, Gao Gan, will become a founding duke and share the fate of the country. Especially since he has the merit of resisting the troops of Guanzhong and defending Bingzhou, several generations of wealth and power can be foreseen.

Thinking of this, Gao Gan couldn't sleep at night, as if there was a fire burning in his chest. He worked tirelessly, stationed on the top of Yong'an City day and night, patrolling back and forth to prevent the Guanzhong army from stealing Yong'an City.

As a result, five or six days after the Guanzhong army arrived at the city of Yong'an, Yong'an City was still preserved in Gao Gan's hands. On the one hand, Gao Gan was complacent, thinking that his talents were enough to hold off the Guanzhong army that was several times larger than his own. On the other hand, Gao Gan was a little confused, as the Guanzhong army's offensive did not seem to be fierce enough, and they did not have the same indomitable momentum as before.

"What are you waiting for?" Gao Gan had a thought in his mind, and he smiled. He was waiting for reinforcements, and the reinforcements would arrive in Yong'an City in a few days. The Guanzhong army would be helpless by then, and the Guanzhong army's waiting now would only be a waste of good opportunities.

Once Gao Lan and Huochuquan's troops arrive, you will have a good time, Gao Gan complained with evil humor towards the Guanzhong army camp outside the city.

However, before the reinforcements of Gao Lan and Huochequan arrived, Gao Gan received a piece of bad news. In the Battle of Guandu, Wuchao was attacked, and the Hebei army gradually returned north. The battle to the Central Plains, which was full of ambition, ended in a failure.

"Xu You, you are a traitor." Gao Gan's eyes were bloodshot and wide open. He hated Xu You very much. Traitors should be hated by others. At this moment, Gao Gan wanted to cut Xu You into pieces.

Gao Gan put away the letter in his hand and put away his heartbroken look, revealing his usual confident expression. He did not intend to reveal the matters concerning Guandu and Wuchao so as not to affect the morale of the army.

Within a few days, the Xiongnu Chanyu Huhuquan led the Xiongnu cavalry to Yong'an City and was personally welcomed by Gao Gan.

"The Great Chanyu is diligent in state affairs. Gan should write a memorial to the Duke of Wei and ask for a reward on behalf of the Great Chanyu." As soon as they met on the first day of the new year, Gao Gan painted a big picture for Huochequan.

As a Xiongnu who had migrated south to Neijun for many years, Huchuquan no longer had the habit of being frank and honest. He hypocritically evaded the question by saying, "It is my blessing to work for Duke Wei. I cannot say whether there will be any reward or not."

"The Great Chanyu has worked hard and deserves a reward." Gao Gan saw through Huchuquan's hypocrisy and added.

Huchuquan declined for a while before, but this time he did not refuse: "In this case, thank you very much, sir."

Since Huochuquan's men were mostly Hu cavalry with few infantry, Gao Gan did not let Huochuquan enter Yong'an City. Instead, he let Huochuquan station outside the city and set up a camp outside the city to form a horn with Yong'an City.

Of course, apart from forming a pincer attack that would be beneficial for defending the city, Gao Gan also had some concerns of his own when he allowed Huochequan's Xiongnu cavalry to station outside the city.

That is a barbarian beast, and one should not trust him blindly. Gao Gan did not completely trust Huochuquan. Moreover, if Huochuquan's troops entered the city, they would inevitably clash with Yuan's troops in the city due to different customs and lifestyles, which would give the Guanzhong troops an opportunity. On the second day, Gao Gan was on the top of Yong'an City, looking contented, and treating the tens of thousands of Guanzhong troops outside the city as nothing. This time, with Huochuquan as a helper, and Gao Lan delivering the news, he would arrive here in a few days, so why should he be afraid of Liu Jiyu.

As the troops led by Huchuquan of the Southern Xiongnu arrived in Yong'an, the offensive of the troops from Guanzhong outside the city against Yong'an also stopped, and they no longer attacked Yong'an as they had done in the past few days.

'The jade disk of the past years, the eternal peace of this year.'

Seeing that the Guanzhong troops had no intention of attacking the city, Gao Gan had an idea with satisfaction. Last year, the Hebei army was blocked at the Yubi City in Hedong for several months and could not make any progress. This year, the Guanzhong troops were blocked at his Yong'an City. This was a tit-for-tat.

"Uncle, I will avenge you this year for last year's vengeance."

Gao Gan looked east towards Jizhou and spoke to himself. He couldn't help but fantasize that Guanzhong had tens of thousands of victorious soldiers attacking, but they were helpless in front of him. His merits were so great that he deserved the title of general.

Especially when the army heading south suffered a defeat at Guandu, his contribution as a senior official became even more prominent. Among all the civil and military officials in Hebei, no one had made greater contributions than him.

When Gao Gan thought of this, he had an evil idea. He called a clerk, had him explain it, and the clerk took notes. He wrote a letter and ordered the clerk to deliver it to the Guanzhong camp outside the city.

In less than two quarters of an hour, in the central army camp of the Guanzhong troops outside the city, Meng Jie began to recite the documents handed over by the senior official.

"Winter is coming, and the north wind is blowing hard. This is not good for attacking, but good for defending. The King of Qin should think about this carefully, otherwise, tens of thousands of troops here may not survive for one night."

"Besides, Hebei has a strong army and millions of soldiers. If the King of Qin invades it in vain, it will cause great disaster. In the future, millions of people from Hebei will march westward and head straight to Guanzhong, turning Guanzhong into dust."

After Liu Zhang heard Meng Jie reciting the Wan Wen Shu, he showed an angry and amused expression: "Is Gao Gan teaching me how to do things?"

Liu Zhang treated the threats or advice in the documents written by senior officials as just farts, and very smelly farts at that. It was not the senior officials' turn to comment on how he acted.

Xun You chuckled, "Recently, the Huchuquan tribe of the Southern Xiongnu arrived here and camped outside Yong'an City, forming a pincer attack on Yong'an City. That's why Gao Gan has always been confident and fearless of us, so he sent such an arrogant document."

Xi Su attended and stood straight in front of Liu Zhang. He cupped his hands and said, "Mingsir, Gao Gan is so disrespectful and looks down on us. I would like to lead my troops to attack the city and capture this lunatic alive."

"No hurry, just play with him first." Liu Zhang shook his head indifferently and rejected Xi Su's request. He ordered Xun You to write a document and give it to Gao Gan's envoy to take back.

In less than two quarters of an hour, a document was handed to the senior official, who looked up and read it through.

But Liu Zhang's document said that last year Yuan's army led an army of 100,000 to invade Hedong, but was blocked by the Yubi and could not advance an inch. This year, he led another army of 100,000 to the south of the Central Plains, but was defeated at Guandu and became a laughing stock of the world.

From these two things, we can see that there is no royal aura in Hebei. If Gao Gan, the governor of Bingzhou, had self-knowledge, he should have put on the thorns and surrendered early, so that he would not lose his title of nobility. If he waited until the city was broken and he was captured, he would be just a prisoner and be used as a sacrifice.

"Bullshit." The senior official threw the document heavily to the ground. Not satisfied, he stepped forward again, raised his ankle, and stepped heavily on the document, crushing it to pieces.

As Yuan Shao's nephew and close friend, Gao Gan's loyalty to Yuan Shao was unquestionable. At the same time, he was full of confidence in Yuan Shao, confident that Yuan Shao could seize the world and create a new era.

The Liu family has ruled the world for too long, so long that the entire Han Empire has become corrupt and dilapidated, with a smell of old age and bad luck. It is time to replace the old branches with new ones.

After Liu Zhang handed over the document, Gao Gan wrote a letter in his own handwriting, saying only a few words: "No need to say more, come to the battle quickly."

Relying on the strong city and with the troops of the Southern Xiongnu outside, Gao Gan was eager for the troops of Guanzhong to attack the city so that he could use the city to consume the manpower and material resources of Guanzhong.

However, the reality made Gao Gan's idea fail. After receiving his letter, Liu Zhang neither replied nor sent troops to attack the city. He just besieged Yong'an City silently.

The north wind was blowing hard at night and the moonlight was cold. Gao Gan looked up at the sky and couldn't help but smile. The weather was getting colder and colder, which was bad news for the troops from Guanzhong who were attacking the city.

Secondly, based on Gao Gan’s many years of experience in fighting, a heavy snow will fall tomorrow. Once the snow falls, the troops in Guanzhong will retreat without a fight, and he will win without a fight.

On the second day, just as Gao Gan had expected, tiny snowflakes began to fall.

Even the heavens are on my side, Gao Gan thought. With this heavy snow, the war will be over: "What King Qin, what invincible, after all, has never encountered an enemy as tough as me."

Just when Gao Gan was feeling complacent and forgetting himself, a piece of news came from Jiexiu behind him.

This news was brought by a group of defeated soldiers, who reported: "Sir, the troops from Guanzhong attacked from behind Jiexiu City, and we were caught off guard. Jiexiu City was captured by the troops from Guanzhong."

"Huh?" Gao Gan was shocked at first, and then he showed a confused look. He didn't understand why there were troops from Guanzhong behind Jiexiu City. He knew that while he was defending Yong'an City, he had scouts everywhere. It was impossible for troops from Guanzhong to sneak behind him under his nose.

While Gao Gan couldn't believe it, group after group of defeated soldiers fled here from Jiexiu. After this happened three or four times, Gao Gan finally became worried and sent scouts from Huochequan's tribe to find out the enemy situation.

Jiexiu and Yong'an are not far apart, only four or five miles away. Soon, Gao Gan confirmed from the scouts the news that Jiexiu City was captured by Guanzhong troops, and that the Guanzhong troops appeared behind Jiexiu City. This really made people feel unconfident, and it could be said that they were a divine army descending from the sky.

"How amazing!!!"

(End of this chapter)