The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 182: Quanzhen Sect's Efforts

On the battlefield, it is the performance that speaks.

Tongguan, which was guarded by 30,000 elite troops, was breached after just over a month. When the news reached Chang'an, the Jin State Prime Minister, Duke of Shen, Xu Ding, heard that Tongguan was breached and Yongxi was killed in battle, he had to urgently mobilize the surrounding troops to come to the rescue.

Once Tongguan was broken, the gate to Guanzhong was wide open. In addition, Guo Jing had another army attacking Puzhin Ferry and Fengling Ferry. It was like there were wolves in front and tigers behind.

Puzhou is an important town in Hedong, bordering the Yellow River to the west and the Sushui River to the east. It is the key point leading to Guanzhong from Hedong and has an extremely important strategic position. Once the Pujin Ferry is taken and Puzhou is crossed, one can enter Guanzhong. Therefore, it is one of the gateways to the east of Guanzhong.

Xu Ding was an important official of the Jin Kingdom. He was well-versed in history books and knew the importance of this place. He selected 40,000 elite soldiers to defend this place, and sent 30,000 elite soldiers to Tongguan ahead. He thought that Guo Jing would be blocked outside Tongguan.

Who would have thought that Guo Jing would spare no expense, destroy the Xixia vassal army, and attack the city one after another. The army had plenty of food and fodder, and it took only more than a month to break through the gate of Tongguan.

The danger of Guanzhong lies in the pass on the east, this narrow passage from Tongguan to Hulaoguan. If it were not for the serious soil erosion in Guanzhong in later generations, which made it barren, and the political center moved north and the economic center moved south, thus losing its status, how could Jiayuguan have become so dominant?

But in this era, Tongguan was undoubtedly the best pass in the world. Xu Ding attached great importance to it and provided sufficient money and food. However, despite its geographical advantage, Tongguan was only defended for more than a month.

In this era, the wealthy and powerful families attached great importance to news of war. Almost as soon as the war reports were delivered to Chang'an City, the local tyrants would know about it, and many people were anxious to find a way to retreat.

In this era, the significance of Tongguan to Guanzhong is like that of Hangu Pass to the Qin State during the Warring States Period. It not only has an important military strategic position, but also has equally important political significance.

For a time, undercurrents surged in various parts of Guanzhong.

……

After taking Tongguan, Guo Jing did not rush to march, but sent troops to garrison there, then sent scouts to collect intelligence, and then sent messengers to deliver it to Lu Guanying who was attacking Puzhindu.

In the tent, Lu Guanying received the letter from Guo Jing, and his frown suddenly relaxed. The Jin army guarded Pubanjin too tightly. It had the advantage of the Sushui River. In addition, the walls of Pucheng were high and heavily garrisoned, so the difficulty of conquering it was no less than that of Tongguan.

No matter how many methods he tried, the defenders refused to cross the river to fight and relied on the water to stop them.

In his opinion, if he wanted to cross here, he had to wait until the cold winter when the river froze before he could attack the city with peace of mind. During this period, he was under tremendous pressure, and it was not until Guo Jing sent him the battle report that the pressure he was under was reduced a lot.

"You are worthy of being the commander-in-chief. You broke through Tongguan so quickly. I thought the war would last until next year." Lu Guanying put down the letter in his hand, bent over the desk and wrote a letter, informing Guo Jing of the situation of the enemy forces in Pucheng.

Any city, once attacked from both sides and reduced to an isolated city, is not far from its fall.

As for Guo Jing, he was not in a hurry to attack Guanzhong. Instead, he wanted to join forces and send Lu Guanying's troops over. With an army of nearly 100,000, it would be enough to sweep across the entire Guanzhong and no one would be able to stop it. At that time, it would be easier for Quanzhen Sect to act.

……

Taiyuan, Marquis’ Mansion.

Su Ming handed a piece of paper to Huang Rong and instructed, "Huang Rong, this is a method of Yi Jin Xi Sui. When Cheng Ping and Cheng An reach the age to practice martial arts, pass this method to them. It will be enough to help them strengthen their foundation. In addition, this method is precious and should not be shown to others easily. You and Guo Jing can also practice it. It may be useful."

Huang Rong took the paper solemnly and said, "Teacher, don't worry, I will keep it well."

The method of Yi Jin Xi Sui is a secret that is not passed on in every school and sect, because this method can strengthen the foundation of a warrior. The deeper the foundation, the higher the potential.

Hua Zheng's eyes were filled with anxiety. "Teacher, can't you stay a little longer? Guo Jing will be back after conquering Guanzhong after the New Year. If you leave, how can I explain to him?"

Su Ming shook his head slightly, "No need to do that, I'm used to being idle, Guo Jing won't blame you even if he knows, Hua Zheng, Cheng Ping and Cheng An are Guo Jing's legitimate sons, you can't spoil them on weekdays, do you understand?"

Hua Zheng's expression froze, and she showed a look of shame on her face. "Teacher, I will definitely discipline them strictly in the future."

At this time, Guo Chengping stepped forward and pulled Su Ming's clothes, saying coquettishly, "Master, please don't go, stay and play with us." While speaking, he stared at the sky, as if waiting for something.

When Guo Chengan saw his brother speak, he also stepped forward and hugged his legs, "Master, we can't bear to let you go, don't leave!"

Looking at the two cute little babies, Su Ming couldn't help but smile. He stretched out his hands and touched their heads, and a wisp of pure true energy flowed into their bodies.

The two children were wearing thick fur coats and tiger-head hats on their heads, and they felt that Su Ming's hands were very warm.

When Su Ming moved his hand away, they felt a chill on their heads and were very reluctant to let him go.

Then, he stepped back and broke away, "Well, all good things must come to an end, take care!"

Hua Zheng and Huang Rong saluted at the same time, "Teacher, take care!"

Then, Su Ming stretched out his hand to his mouth and whistled. The sound traveled far away. Ten or so breaths later, a black shadow appeared in the sky, and then fell down with flapping wings. It was the eagle that followed him.

"Wow!"

The eagle cried out excitedly. Hua Zheng and Huang Rong at the door still had some shock in their eyes. The Guo Chengping brothers had their eyes wide open, full of envy.

Su Ming took a step and came to the back of the eagle as if he had teleported out of thin air. He sat down cross-legged and touched its feathers. The eagle immediately understood and flapped its wings and disappeared into the sky.

Watching Su Ming go away, Hua Zheng retracted her gaze and couldn't help but sigh, "I really don't know where the teacher found this alien species, it's so intelligent. Back then, Guo Jing and I got a pair of little white eagles and raised them. I thought they were already quite good, but they seem too small in front of this big eagle."

Huang Rong nodded gently, her eyes sparkling with wonder, "Yes, the teacher is free and easy, and can do whatever he wants. With this eagle as a means of transportation, he can go anywhere in the world. He is truly a fairy."

As she spoke, she looked at the two children in front of her and said, "Let's go, Chengping, Chengan, it's time to go back to school."

"No, auntie!"

……

After resting for three days, Guo Jing left Shi Bingzhi and his son to guard Tongguan and gave them 8,000 elite soldiers, plus the surrendered soldiers from the Jin Dynasty.

It is true that Guo Jing hated the Jin people, but he only targeted the upper-class Jin people and treated the lower-class Jin people equally. After breaking through Tongguan, they killed 4,000 people and captured 5,000 people. After removing the seriously injured, there were only 2,000 people left. The total of 10,000 was enough to guard the retreat. Afterwards, he led 20,000 troops straight to Guanzhong.

There was not much resistance along the way, and Guo Jing sent scouts out dozens of miles away. Facts proved that his caution was unnecessary. The Jin people were frightened in the battle of Tongguan, and there were not many people to resist from Tongguan to Hulaoguan. Huayin on the way was even reduced to an empty city. Before they arrived, the soldiers guarding the pass had already run away.

Guo Jing left a small group of men to guard the place, and then headed straight for Puzhin Ferry.

Pujin Ferry was only a little over a hundred miles away from Tongguan. Guo Jing swept through the towns along the way and placed the newly modified catapult on the top of the city. Rocks fell from the sky, and within half an hour, all the county towns surrendered.

He did not enter the city, but simply emptied the food and supplies inside, pulled out all the elite guards, and then continued on his way. It took him three days to walk the more than 100 miles.

At this time, Pucheng was in chaos.

The fall of Tongguan had a huge impact. Xu Ding wanted to keep the enemy out, but the most important Tongguan was lost. It was only a matter of time before they took over Guanzhong. The question before them now was whether to give up Pucheng and defend Chang'an.

The city of Chang'an was desolate. The shadow of war fell on Guanzhong. Food prices rose and the streets were deserted, making it look as if they had been looted by soldiers.

In the luxurious palace, a middle-aged woman grabbed the old man's arm and begged, "Master, let's go quickly, it will be too late if we are late."

The old man snorted coldly, unmoved, "The court has granted me great power and conferred me the title of Duke. It is so kind to me that I should be loyal to the Great Jin Kingdom. Don't talk about running away anymore."

"The lady is frightened. Take her away and take good care of her. Don't let her run around!"

The maid waiting beside her said quickly, "Yes!"

After sending his wife away, Xu Ding sat down on the chair and rubbed his forehead with his hand. In order to defend Puzhin Ferry and Tongguan, he drew out all the elite troops from various places, but Tongguan was breached. How could those county and local troops be a match for Guo Jing?
The only way now is to ask for help, transfer the elite troops from Puzhindu back, and defend Chang'an.

With 40,000 elite troops, plus Chang'an's population of nearly one million, it is enough to keep the enemy out of the city.

The Three Jins had been taken by the enemy. If Guanzhong was lost, the Jin Kingdom would only have Henan, Hebei, and some scattered territories in Shandong. Its territory was compressed, and the situation was extremely tense.

With Guanzhong in hand, they could retreat and defend themselves according to the terrain of the mountains and rivers, and advance to spy on the Sichuan and Shu areas of the Song Dynasty. Without Guanzhong, the Jin Dynasty would be close to destruction.

Then he wrote a military order, "Come, pass on my military order, transfer the troops from Pucheng, Mengzhou, and Pingyang to defend, we must defeat the enemy and defend Chang'an." For Guanzhong, he almost withdrawn all the soldiers in the surrounding areas. This was a gamble.

In Pucheng, the defending general received the news and without saying a word, he led his 40,000 troops to retreat overnight. Before leaving, he arranged for people to burn all the baggage in the treasury.

The next day, Lu Guanying tried to attack as usual, but the enemy did not respond. He sent a team of troops to cross the Sushui River. When they arrived at Pucheng, they found that the city gate was wide open and the officials surrendered directly.

Lu Guanying sent out troops to investigate and found that all the soldiers in Pucheng had left, so he ordered his men to collect boats to cross the river. Fifty thousand troops crossed the river and stationed in Pucheng. He hurriedly sent someone to deliver a letter to Guo Jing.

On the official road, Guo Jing rode on the little red horse and sighed leisurely, "We are still late."

The enemy is not stupid. Once Tongguan is lost, Pucheng will lose its function of resisting the enemy. It is better to give up directly and use the troops elsewhere.

Guo Jing came from Tongguan, intending to surround the defenders of Pucheng together with Lu Guanying. As long as they eliminated the enemy's effective forces, no matter how many passes there were, if they were unguarded, how could they stop him?

The enemy retreated, and his plan to encircle and annihilate them failed. Then, Guo Jing sent soldiers to sweep the surrounding towns while waiting for Lu Guanying.

In mid-November, the two armies of the Han army successfully joined forces, and Guo Jing's troops reached 70,000, enough to sweep across Guanzhong.

After the meeting, Guo Jing led the army towards Chang'an.

However, the weather was not good. It rained heavily all night and the roads were blocked. It took them several days to reach the city of Chang'an.

At this time, Xu Ding also completed the garrison in Chang'an City. He did not disperse his troops to guard the entire city, but blocked the city in sections and defended the key roads, hoping to rely on the city to consume Guo Jing's soldiers.

However, what he didn't expect was that the situation had already reversed.

……

A few days ago, inside the camp, "Master Qiu, don't worry about other places in Guanzhong. I only want Chang'an. As long as you can help me take Chang'an, I will reward you handsomely!"

"Take Chang'an?" Qiu Chuji widened his eyes, seeming to be in some difficulty.

Guo Jing looked at him quietly for a while, and then said, "Mt. Zhongnan is the ancestral home of Quanzhen Sect, and this place is located outside Chang'an City. For Quanzhen Sect to have come this far, there must be many believers in Chang'an City, right?"

Qiu Chuji thought for a moment and replied, "My Lord, you don't know that the person stationed in Chang'an is an important official of the Jin Kingdom. His name is Xu Ding. He is highly respected and well-versed in military affairs. It will be difficult to capture Chang'an."

Hearing this, Guo Jing's eyes became sharp. "Master Qiu, I don't want to hear this. I just want to know whether it is possible or not. To tell you the truth, I still have a large force attacking Pujindu. If the two forces join forces, can't we take Chang'an?"

"Guanzhong has been in decline for a long time. I just don't want to see heavy casualties among the people. Once the war breaks out, I don't know how many people in Chang'an will die. I want to take an intact Chang'an, not a ruined battlefield. Do you understand?" The voice was high-pitched and full of energy, and a strong pressure came over him.

Guo Jing holds both military and political power, and is also a veteran warrior who has fought on the battlefield. Being in a high position has given him an indescribable aura. At this moment, he was firing on all cylinders, and Qiu Chuji was so shocked that Wang Chuyi, who was standing by, almost lost his mind.

Qiu Chuji suppressed his shock and looked at Wang Chuyi. Seeing the helplessness in his eyes, he could only bow his head and said, "My Lord, please calm down. I, the Quanzhen Sect, will do my best to help you capture Chang'an and recover Guanzhong as soon as possible. I only hope that you can keep your promise and don't forget our agreement."

Seeing that his attitude was softening, Guo Jing gave him a reassurance, "Don't worry, after the success, I will never forget the great contribution of your Quanzhen Sect! If you don't believe me, we can slap hands and swear an oath."

"No need, the Marquis is a trustworthy person, and I will not be a villain."

……

That night, Qiu Chuji and Wang Chuyi hurried back to Zhongnan Mountain to report to Ma Yu and others. After receiving the confirmation, they discussed it and agreed to the matter.

The next day, eight hundred disciples of Quanzhen Sect went down from Zhongnan and entered Chang'an City.

(End of this chapter)