I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 949: Another Strange Path
"I see!"

As soon as Han Sui finished speaking, the young Qiang leader Mi Dang clapped his hands and laughed:
"General Han, you have a good idea! When Su Yao has been attacking Tianshui for a long time and his troops are tired, we can attack him together and take him down in one fell swoop!"

The leader spoke with great enthusiasm, but no one present responded, and Han Sui even rolled his eyes slightly.

They had heard that Su Yao had a group of warlocks under his command who could summon thunder to destroy the city.

Therefore, Han Sui did not think that Liang Xing could exhaust Su Yaoshi's old soldiers.

He did not go to support in order to clear the wall and buy time.

The Jincheng in the rear is the location of the decisive battle.

Han Sui glanced at the Sogdian merchant below him and signaled with his eyes.

Immediately, the leading Sogdian merchant stepped forward, saluted and said:

"Generals, we have contacted Loulan, Cheshi and other Western Regions countries to send troops for support. As long as you can hold back the Han army for two months, our Western Region coalition forces will arrive!"

Han Sui nodded and said to everyone:
"Two months is more than enough time."

"It seems that Su Yao's army has just set out. It will take more than half a month for the army to reach Tianshui even at the fastest speed. This leaves us plenty of time."

"Pass the order down. Immediately burn the granaries along the way, fill up the wells, and let the Qiang riders harass their food supply routes. I want to make every step of the Han army's journey extremely difficult!"

The third year of Kaiyuan, September in autumn.

As Han Sui's military order quickly spread throughout Liang Province, the Qiang cavalry scattered like locusts.

On the road from Tianshui to Jincheng, a large amount of grain from the granaries was transferred, and those that could not be taken away were burned on the spot. Even the wells were filled up, and the roads and bridges were naturally destroyed one by one. Even the people in the villages along the way were ordered to evacuate, leaving no people or supplies for the Han army.

Thick smoke billowed across the Hexi Corridor, villages were set on fire, people were displaced, and the land was filled with grief.

"Bastard!"

Liu Bei in Su Yao's army slammed the table and stood up:

"Han Sui, this old villain, is really cunning. He wants to cut off our army's food supply and force us to retreat!"

Cao Cao sneered: "Han Wenyue has been entrenched in Liangzhou for more than 20 years and has a deep connection with the Qiang and Hu. He will definitely spare no effort in this rebellion."

Su Yao sat there with his arms folded across his chest, not moving, and closed his eyes to observe the information on the system map: "Is there no progress in Fengxian?"

The scout replied: "General Lu has captured the area around Tianshui, but Liang Xing is defending the city and putting up a fierce resistance. We can't take it down for the time being."

There was a sudden buzz of discussion in the tent.

"It would be better if we had more gunpowder."

Guo Jia shook his head and sighed.

Indeed, the power of gunpowder has now been deeply engraved in everyone's mind.

But unfortunately, the scarcity of natural sulfur is an important constraint on its large-scale production.

In the previous war of unification, on the battlefields of Huainan and Yizhou, Su Yao mobilized a large amount of stockpiled gunpowder for the generals to use, which greatly increased the efficiency of siege, allowing for the scene of encircling the city from all sides and directly breaking through the dangerous mountains and rivers of Yizhou.

However, as a result, the court's gunpowder reserves were exhausted. After the war, the Grand Commander Huangfu Song immediately confiscated the gunpowder distributed to the various armies in preparation for future tough battles.

"Most natural sulfur comes from volcanoes, and the Western Region is its main production area."

Su Yao nodded and explained:
"This is also the reason why we must manage the Western Regions ourselves. Only by holding the Western Regions in our hands can we expand mining, ensure the supply of sulfur, and produce sufficient gunpowder for future combat use."

"But what shall we do now?"

Huang Zhong frowned and said:
"Liangzhou has a dangerous terrain and has been through many wars. The cities are all very strong. If we attack every city by force."

"Without gunpowder, can we not fight?" Cao Cao immediately took out the posture of the Minister of War, stepped forward and said:

"I suggest that we should proceed step by step. We should first send light cavalry to support Governor Lu and sweep away the surrounding Qiang cavalry to ensure the safety of our food supply. Then we can proceed step by step..."

"too slow!"

Su Yao interrupted, opened his eyes, and a cold light flashed in his eyes:
"Han Sui wants to buy time to wear us down, but I won't give him this opportunity!"

Then, Su Yao pointed his finger at the Liupan Mountains east of Jincheng on the map:

"Didn't Beidi and Anding County remain in rebellion?"

"Then I will go through Xiaoguan! I will go straight in from here, capture the thief and the leader, and not waste time with him in the south!"

"Xiao Guan?!"

All the generals in the tent were shocked when they heard this.

Cao Cao hurried forward and pressed his palm hard on the map:

"Tang Wang, think twice! Xiaoguan Road is an old road from the pre-Han Dynasty. It was built to prevent the invasion of the Xiongnu, using the steepness of Liupan Mountain and the natural barrier of the Yellow River. Since the northern land fell into the hands of the Xiongnu decades ago, this place has been in disrepair for many years and is not suitable for a large army to pass through. If we enter rashly, I'm afraid-"

"What are you afraid of?" Su Yao sneered, "Han Sui thought of cutting off my food supply, but he didn't think that I would find another way?"

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes. "Although the plan of the Tang king is risky, it is in line with the key of 'surprise attack' in military strategy. Although the Xiaoguan Ancient Road is deserted, if we march quickly with a small group of elite soldiers, we can indeed penetrate the heart of Jincheng."

Guo Jia clapped his hands and said, "Great! Han Sui's main forces are deployed on the southern Longguan Road, so the north must be empty. But..."

Guo Jia hesitated and said: "The road to Xiaoguan is dangerous and the mountains are high. If we encounter an ambush by Qiang cavalry,

"It doesn't matter."

Su Yao stood up, his scarlet cloak fluttering without wind:
"I will lead the team myself. Zilong and Gongming will accompany me. Mengde, you lead the main force to continue to advance westward along the Longguan Road, and join Fengxian to encircle Tianshui. Prepare a strong attack and wait for my news."

Su Yao looked around at the generals with an imposing manner:
"Within ten days, I will hang Han Sui's head on the gate of Jincheng!"

So, what happened next was the scene that Zhao Yun and Xu Huang were most familiar with.

The three thousand elite cavalry of the imperial guards, each man with three horses, were lightly equipped and followed a small group. They bypassed Chang'an and headed north along the Jing River. In just a few days, they arrived at Jingyang in Anding County.

To the northwest, the Liupan Mountains are visible.

When the local county magistrate learned that the King of Tang had arrived in person, he was so excited that he was at a loss.

My God, he is the most powerful person in the court, the husband of the current emperor, the general who controls all the troops in the world, and a person who also has a legendary story about coming back to life.

If you take good care of this, won't promotion and wealth be just around the corner?
Therefore, upon receiving the report, the county magistrate immediately mobilized all the officials in the city to go out and welcome Su Yao to entertain His Royal Highness the King of Tang.

Su Yao did not refuse this, it would be better to say that he took the initiative to come and knock on the door to enter the city.

Xiaoguan is almost here. Jingyang County is basically the last friendly stronghold where we can get supplies. No one knows what will happen after that.

Take advantage of this opportunity to let the army rest for a while, take enough food and fodder, and gather some information at the same time.

However, when the county magistrate, who was preparing a banquet to entertain Su Yao, learned that Su Yao was going to lead his troops through Xiaoguan to attack Jincheng, he was immediately terrified.

"General, Your Highness the King of Tang, please think twice!"

"Over there, the other side of the mountain is full of Qiang people!"

The county magistrate fell to his knees with a thud, his entire body shaking.

(End of this chapter)