I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 646: The End of Uncle's Party
At Hangu Pass, the autumn wind is bleak and a storm is about to come.

Driven by the news of the defeated soldiers, the soldiers became uneasy and their morale was low.

At this moment, the Central Army Captain Dong Huang, who was patrolling the city, saw this and immediately started cursing:

"Nonsense!"

"You guys are really just believing everything you hear!"

"There is no such thing as a demon. He is just a common man with better Kung Fu skills!"

"So what if he gets a few thousand cavalry?"

"The pass we are standing on is Hangu Pass, the most important of the eight passes in the world!"

"As long as you guys keep your spirits up, can he still break through the pass with cavalry?"

"How can you be so flustered and yelling?!"

Dong Huang stood on the city wall and shouted loudly at the panicked soldiers.

His words were not empty boasting.

In order to prevent Su Yao from pursuing him, Dong Zhuo deliberately placed his nephew in Hangu Pass and allocated him 3,000 precious Xiliang Iron Army soldiers!

With these three thousand men, plus the two thousand troops stationed in Hangu Pass, the number of defenders inside the pass reached five thousand.

Such a large number of troops filled up this majestic pass nestled between mountains and rivers, far exceeding its regular garrison strength.

With so many defenders, as long as they don't lose their composure, they will have no problem resisting enemies that are five to ten times their number.

Not to mention that in order to move the capital smoothly, Dong Zhuo had already sent a message to Guanzhong early, ordering General Duan Wei to lead an army of 10,000 to garrison in Hongnong (now Sanmenxia, ​​Henan) between Hangu Pass and Tongguan, so that he could support Hangu at any time.

It was for this reason that Dong Huang, who had little combat experience, willingly took on the task of staying behind.

He knew that as long as he did a good job of surveillance, held his ground and did not leave, and told the local guards to keep their guards in check and defend well, then dealing with the rebels in the east would not be a problem.

However, he did not expect that the power of rumors would be so strong.

He wasn't paying attention for a moment and drank a little wine, and these people on the city wall actually spread the nonsense like this.

Dong Huang showed no mercy and sent his personal soldiers to drag out the uncle's party and chop them to death, then beheaded them and displayed their heads to the public:
"The likes of the traitor Su Yao are nothing to be feared!"

"Anyone who spreads lies to confuse the people and shakes the morale of the army will be executed immediately!"

The reason why rumors are so harmful is that they can invisibly undermine morale, destroy will, and make the originally solid defense line become fragile.

Although Dong Huang had no frontline experience, he knew this very well.

Therefore, he took drastic measures without hesitation to stabilize the morale of the army.

It must be said that Dong Huang's decisiveness and determination played a role to a certain extent. The bloody killing turned the soldiers' fear of Su Yao into fear of military law.

However, once the seeds of rumors are planted, it is difficult to eradicate them completely.

Where Dong Huang couldn't see, the soldiers were still discussing privately, full of fear and anxiety about the upcoming battle.

Although for the vast majority of people here, they have never had a head-on confrontation with Su Yao's troops. They have only heard of him but have never seen him.

But all the rumors about Su Yao, whether true or exaggerated, invisibly put a lot of psychological pressure on them.

This applies to the soldiers and also to Dong Huang.

As Su Yao approached, his confidence in a successful defense gradually decreased.

Especially after seeing Su Yao's majestic and powerful army.
"Here they come, they're coming!"

"Wow, there are so many people!"

In the afternoon, the drums of war rumbled.

Along with the sound of warning drums, exclamations from the crowd on the city wall rose one after another.

Dong Huang hurriedly walked up to the wall and looked into the distance.

Dust was flying, and a huge cavalry team with a large flag with the word "Su" on it was approaching rapidly. Su Yao's army, which was far away, gave people an indescribable sense of oppression. The flags were fluttering, the sound of horses' hooves was like thunder, and the cavalry team was rolling in like an unstoppable torrent, which made people feel awe.

Dong Huang stood on the city wall, looking at the gradually approaching enemy troops, and couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

Although he knew that Hangu Pass was strategically located and easy to defend but difficult to attack, the aura exuded by the army before him still made him feel a little uneasy.

"Pass the order down, everyone be on high alert and do not slack off in the slightest!"

Dong Huang shouted loudly, trying to use his voice to cover up his inner fear, and then he immediately summoned all the guards of the city to discuss countermeasures.

"Did you see it?"

"There are rebels like us among the rebels' team!"

"About 2,000 Xiliang cavalrymen have betrayed their loyalty to the court and Lord Dong and turned against the enemy!"

"No wonder that Su guy came so quickly to kill us. That bastard Jia - he must die a horrible death."

"If I dare to catch him, I will skin him alive and tear out his tendons!"

As soon as everyone arrived, Dong Huang started cursing.

The generals under his command all lowered their heads and remained silent.

They also knew that Dong Huang's anger was justified.

The rebellion of friendly forces will obviously betray one's own intelligence and combat deployment.

Moreover, these people set a bad example - if they surrender, they can be spared from death or even be promoted to an important position, so many people will think about surrendering after encountering setbacks and challenges.

Everyone knew that the morale of the soldiers guarding the pass was already low, and if news like this came out, it would probably further instability.

But.
"Captain Dong, how should we respond now?"

The person who spoke was Zhang Jun, a cavalry commander under Dong Huang. He led the 3,000 Xiliang Iron Army soldiers allocated by Dong Zhuo and could be considered a direct descendant of the Dong family.

When he saw that Dong Huangguang asked questions but did not give orders, he knew that this captain had little experience, so he spoke and gave guidance.

When Dong Huang heard this, he immediately remembered Dong Zhuo's arrangement, which was just four words:

"Hold on!"

Dong Huang said categorically:

"That traitor Su Yao does have some skills in field battles, but as long as we guard the gates, it shouldn't be difficult to hold out against the enemy with the mighty Hangu Pass."

"I hope all the soldiers will unite as one and do a good job of defense."

"I won't get involved in the details. You and the Cavalry Commander will be in charge."

"But if any of you make a mistake, I will kill you with my sword!"

Upon hearing this, Cavalry Commander Zhang Jun was overjoyed and quickly clasped his fists to accept the order. He immediately proposed to focus the defense on the top of the city.

Su Yao's cavalry arrived first and had no siege equipment. Even if the rear army arrived, they could only make some simple ladders on the spot in a short time.

All they had to do was place more rolling logs and stones, and take this opportunity to repair more crossbows and catapults, etc., to defend the city strictly and it would not be difficult to drag out the war for more than a month and wear down the rebels.

"This is reasonable and agrees with me. I will follow Captain Zhang's plan!"

Dong Huang nodded, agreeing with Zhang Jun's proposal, and immediately gave him full authority.

He was well aware that he lacked practical experience, and at this moment he could only rely on these battle-hardened generals.

So, Zhang Jun, who got the command, was in high spirits and issued orders one after another.

However, after hearing what the cavalry captain said, Captain Guan obviously had a different opinion.

"The Cavalry Commander has made such an arrangement. Isn't he underestimating the Champion Marquis?"

"what?!"

(End of this chapter)