It's broken, and was picked up by a femme fatale

"The Chinese army is dishonest and shameless!"

The captured prefect Zeng was furious and cursed loudly.

"Snapped!"

The vanguard battalion commander swung his hand and gave a big blow.

"Fuck, who are you scolding?"

"puff!"

Zeng Tongguo was beaten dizzy and fell to the ground.

The battalion commander used his foot to push the officer away.

"Hey! What's your name and what position do you hold?"

Zeng Tongguo was angry and anxious, and said hoarsely:

"You let me go on purpose, and then secretly came to arrest me. What are you pretending for?"

The battalion commander found the old man's nonsense funny.
"Who let you go? It was obviously you who bumped into me..."

Zeng Tongguo shouted:

"It's your brigade commander Zhang Linghu! We had agreed that

I have already paid all the money and grain, but now you are refusing to acknowledge it. This is really too much!"

The battalion commander was stunned: "Brigade Commander Zhang let you go? What kind of official are you?"

"A real man should never change his name or surname. I am Zeng Tongguo, the prefect of Changsha!"

The battalion commander questioned the prisoners separately and found out that
The city of Changsha had been captured by the Chinese army, and they were indeed released.

The battalion commander came to Zeng Tongguo again and helped him up:
"Sorry! We are from the 3rd Mixed Brigade, and we are not in the same unit as Commander Zhang..."

Under the leadership of Xue Yao, the 3rd Mixed Brigade,
Arrived in Jiujiang three days ago to cooperate with Zhang Linghu and Huang Botuo,
He led a thousand vanguard battalions directly into northern Hunan, preparing to encircle Changsha from north to south.

I never expected that we were still more than a hundred miles away from Changsha.
He unexpectedly intercepted Zeng Tongguo, the prefect of Changsha, who was trying to save his life in Jiaocheng.

Prefect Zeng was surprised.
After carefully looking around, I found the difference.
Although the Chinese army has the same uniforms and equipment,
But the name of "China's 3rd Mixed Brigade" was indeed written on the flag.

Oh, what bad luck!

He was arrested again... But, even if he was unreasonable, it would still make trouble.

"Well, you are all Chinese soldiers, you can't just keep arresting people endlessly, right?"

The battalion commander spread his hands and said, "I can't make the decision on this.

Please wait a moment, I have asked the superior to let him deal with you."

Zeng Tongguo sighed.
A tiger in a low position is bullied by a dog, a dragon in a shallow place is bullied by shrimps...

But, there is nothing we can do about it.
In the military, a higher-ranking rank can crush a person to death. Now that things have come to this, all we can do is wait!
When Xue Yao heard that the prefect of Changsha had been captured, he rushed over from the central army.

After listening to the report from the vanguard battalion commander, I understood the general situation.

It seems that the Hunan Campaign has come to an end.
Then don't join in the fun, just sweep through northern Hunan and confront Prince De's troops across the river.

He met Zeng Tongguo and said with a smile:

"Sorry, it was just a misunderstanding!
Since Captain Zhang has made an agreement with you, we will not make things difficult for you..."

"Really?"

"Governor Zeng, our Chinese army always keeps its promises!"

"Oh, okay! Can we go now?"

Xue Yao nodded and said, "Of course!
As long as you don't attack our army and don't harm innocent people, you can go wherever you want."

Zeng Tongguo secretly called it luck,
He said eagerly, "Thank you! Let's go now!"

Zeng Tongguo immediately stood up and started to leave.

Xue Yao rolled his eyes and said, "Wait!"

Zeng Tongguo's heart was in suspense again. Was he deliberately playing tricks on me?
"You, what do you want to do?"

The next moment, Xue Yao said with a smile:

"Don't worry! I think there are too few of you.

There is chaos and turmoil right now, for your safety, we will escort you to where you want to go."

Zeng Tongguo looked like he was constipated and his face looked very ugly.

He originally wanted to flee to Wuchang and rely on Prince De.
Or go to the Imperial City,

Try to collect some money and get a position as a local official.

However, he did not dare to anger Xue Yao.

After hesitating for a while, he finally agreed reluctantly.

In this way, Zeng Tongguo was "escorted" to the Yangtze River ferry by the Third Mixed Brigade.

Before boarding the ship, Xue Yao said meaningfully:
"Emperor Linggui harmed the people of the world for his own selfish desires.

The patience of the people has its limits.
Today's Jiangxi and Hunan provinces are tomorrow's Shenling!

Since you and I have met by chance, I would like to give Governor Zeng a piece of advice! "

Zeng Tongguo asked fearfully, "General Xue, please speak!"

"Those who aid and abet the tyrant, like Prince Ning and his family, will not have a good end!"

Xue Yao arrived late, he heard what Xiahou Zun from the Security Headquarters said.

Prince Ning was beheaded by the Dragon and Tiger Saint.
His wives, concubines, children and more than one hundred people were killed by thousands of angry people.

They tore it into pieces, chopped it into paste, and shared it.

That scene was quite terrifying.

Zeng Tongguo shuddered all over, and a chill ran down his spine.

Seeing Xue Yao's burning gaze, he nodded hurriedly:
"Hey, hey! I'll remember it!"

Xue Yao waved his hand.

For example, the prefect Zeng, who had been pardoned, and more than 20 people boarded the ship in a hurry.

After a moment, the boatman used a long pole to push the ferry open and rowed shakily to the north.

With three mixed brigades gathering in Jiangxi and Hunan,
The Chinese army in Jiangnan has more than 10,000 soldiers, all equipped with the latest guns and artillery.

At the same time, the two provincial security corps,

It also has a reorganized army of more than 10,000 prisoners, all of whom are carefully selected elite officers and soldiers.

Not to mention the surrounding local armed forces,

Even the Dewang Corps stationed in Wuchang did not dare to provoke him.
A few hundred dollars a month, what's the point of playing with that?
There's nothing wrong in learning to be an ostrich and just muddle through with your eyes closed.

Therefore, in less than three days, the Chinese Army swept through northern Hunan and entered the rest and recuperation phase.

Treat the wounded, replenish ammunition, maintain local security,

The military police presided over the trials of corrupt officials, powerful bullies, and distributed land and food rations to the people.

Just like an appointment,
As soon as the fighting in the south stopped, the fighting in the north started again.

This time, the Suzaku Brigade cooperated with Guo Linsong, the third in command of northern Shanxi, to send troops to Hetao.

Guo Linsong's 10,000-plus men were divided into two groups, like tigers descending from the mountains.

When you encounter a county town, just push forward.
When encountering a larger city, they would push out two field guns and bombard the city with a "bang bang" sound.

Hetao was under the jurisdiction of King Shun of Xijing, but peace had been maintained for a long time.
The city defense soldiers in the Hetao area had never seen such a dangerous situation and were scared to death on the spot.

Either run away or surrender, all on their knees.

Within a week, Yulin, Yanchi and the area north of Lingwu fell into the hands of Guo Linsong.

Such a large area is equivalent to half of Shanxi Province.

The amount of property seized was innumerable, and the number of prisoners captured was frightening.
Guo Linsong is not picky about food.
In order to consolidate their own territory, no matter whether they were surrendered soldiers or prisoners,
They were all forcibly recruited into his ranks.

Therefore, his troops,
Like a snowball, it quickly expanded to 35,000 people.

Shun Wang Linglei guarded Xijing,

Previously, he had been paying attention to
The three leaders of southern Shanxi dispatched an additional 3,000 troops to Tongguan to defend it strictly.

Unexpectedly, Guo Linsong launched a surprise attack from the north, catching him off guard.
He judged that the northern border troops of Shanxi and the Chinese Army were beginning to attack him.

Although he had 50,000 troops, they were not concentrated.
Tongguan 13,000, Baoji 8,000,
Including a little bit here and there, there were only 20,000 troops actually in Xijing.

There are three hungry wolves in the east, watching eagerly, so the soldiers in Tongguan must not move.

Because once Tongguan is lost, the gate to Xijing will be wide open and there will be no need to fight.

Xijing is his base camp, and 20,000 troops cannot be less.

The only ones that could be mobilized were the 8,000 troops in Baoji.

However, it was rumored that Guo Guizi had swept away all the captured and surrendered soldiers, and his army now numbered more than 80,000.

Even if it's half price, it's still 40,000.

Eight thousand Baoji soldiers can only give away their heads if they go there... This is very embarrassing!
Alas, we only regret having too few soldiers when we need them!
However, we cannot just watch the Chinese army seize our territory.

His staff gave him an idea.

"Your Highness Prince Shun, we are fighting alone.

It is hard to win. For now, we have to hold on to Xijing.

Then ask for help from the Western Frontier Army and the Fuwang Corps, and attack from the center to annihilate the rebels at the gates of the city."

Prince Shun immediately wrote a letter in his own hand, asking for help from all parties.

"For the sake of our past friendship, give me a hand, brother!"

In addition, he also sent an urgent report to the court, asking Emperor Linggui to authorize him to unify the dispatch of the three armies and work together to defeat the enemy.

In the war room of Jinyang General's Mansion,

Kilton and Zhang Zongchang looked at the map of Shaanxi Province and discussed the changes in the war situation.

"Captain Ji, Lao Guo fought well.

Linglei has no better option than to hold on and wait for help."

Kilton smiled upon hearing this:

"Offense is the best defense. No matter how dangerous the pass is, it cannot be defended."

Zhang Zongchang shook his head and said:
"Tongguan is not ordinary, the terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack,

As long as the defender is not confused, it will be difficult for the attacker not to lose tens of thousands of lives! "

Kilton smiled and said:

"Would you like to make a bet? We can take Tongguan within one day with no more than a hundred casualties."

Zhang Zongchang was shocked.

Although he knew Kilton had cannons,
However, Tongguan was built on the mountain, and there are a large number of permanent fortifications on the front city defense and the hills on both sides.

The city walls were wide, tall and extremely solid, so even bombardment with cannons would have little effect.

Although he wanted to make this bet,
However, the purpose of keeping Tongguan was to surround it and attack the reinforcements.
Only by defeating the Fu Wang Corps that came to support can we ensure that Jin Province has no worries.

"Haha, let's wait a few more days and see what happens from all sides."

Two days later, Prince Fu Lingsu received an express message of 600 li.

Seeing that Xijing was in imminent danger,

Ling Suo was worried and asked his staff what to do.

The staff member asked carefully:

"His Majesty ordered Your Highness to guard the heart of the Central Plains.

It can be seen that he is very trustworthy. If he rushes to help Xijing,

If this leaves the Central Plains empty, wouldn't that be a waste of your Majesty's efforts?"

Ling Suo asked in astonishment:

"If everyone only seeks to protect themselves, Shen Ling will really be finished!"

The aide shook his head and said:
"Well, even if Zhongyuan has no worries,

But Your Highness has traveled thousands of miles, do you know how many risks there are along the way?
In his letter, Prince Shun said that the leaders in northern Shanxi were so and so.
Let me ask you a question, where is the Suzaku Brigade, one of the four trump cards of the Chinese Army?"

Ling Suo was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.

What the staff said was not without reason. Our troops had come a long way.

If the rebels cut off our food supply, it would be very dangerous...

After pondering for a moment, he asked:

"But, I can't just stand by and watch someone die, right?"

The staff pointed their swords at the mountains and rivers, and talked endlessly.

"As the old saying goes: Gods save those who help themselves.
The rebels launched a massive attack, but King Shun's 50,000-man army did not engage in battle with the rebels.
"You only care about asking for help. It's not honorable to let your friends die rather than let me die!"

"Of course, no matter what Prince Shun thinks,
We should all try our best to lend a helping hand..."

Ling Suo's mind moved, and he asked, "How can I help?"

"The Central Plains is not at peace, there are riots caused by bandits,
Your Highness stayed up all night, working tirelessly to suppress the bandits and protect the people.
However, in order to support Prince Shun in suppressing the rebels, we have resolutely decided to send 20,000 reinforcements to join the battle! "

Huh?
How come you're becoming more radical than me?

The aide understood his master's doubts and smiled slightly:

"It is difficult to unite 20,000 soldiers, so I have selected 10,000 to go ahead...

However, with 10,000 soldiers and horses mixed together, it would be difficult to reach the target quickly.

And send 3,000 cavalrymen to march as the vanguard of the whole army.

The army is on the move, fearing an attack, so I have ordered 100 scouts to work day and night to scout out the enemy's situation!"

Prince Fu Lingsu understood that, in fact, it was just a matter of sending out a hundred light cavalry to handle the task.

As for the large force behind, they just pretend to delay as much as possible.

Ling Suo sighed inwardly.
Ling Lei wanted to protect himself, so did he...

Suddenly, another urgent military report arrived.

The King of De, who guards the thoroughfare of nine provinces, has 30,000 troops under his command.

Facing the Chinese army across the river, the pressure was enormous and, as expected, they requested reinforcements.

Thus, the little bit of guilt Ling Suo had just felt disappeared completely.

The palm of the hand is made of flesh, and the back of the hand is also made of flesh.

Two plus one can only make five, neither can help the other.

I really didn't mean to make excuses.

Both sides asked for help at the same time, and I was too busy to handle it all, so I could only show my appreciation.

The Central Plains Corps stood firm as a mountain, and the Western Frontier Army was unwilling to be fools.

The main force of the Western Frontier Army was more than a thousand miles away from Xijing.
Even if the cavalry needed to march for ten days, by the time they arrived, the opportunity would have been lost.

But they are all decent people.
The general of Western Xinjiang replied with a polite letter.

The general idea is that the border troops guard the national border and have no right to move without orders from the imperial court.

However, in order to support His Royal Highness Prince Shun,
He would send 3000 young and strong men from the tribe, carrying cattle and sheep to assist in the battle.

To put it bluntly, they are just a group of laborers and shepherds.

Besides, it’s impossible to drive the cattle and sheep quickly. It will take at least 20 days.

When the imperial court received the urgent report, it was immediately plunged into a huge debate.

Some people took advantage of the situation and attacked their political opponents.

If you do it on the first day, others will do it on the fifteenth.
There was chaos and quarrels in the court every day, and no practical problems could be solved.

Thinking back to when the Jin Province changed its flag,
Even the imperial court was unable to intervene, let alone Prince Shun who was far away in Xijing?

However, the royal dignity is still important.
Finally, after three days of discussion,
The Ministry of War finally agreed to allocate a batch of weapons and equipment to Xijing.

The Ministry of Revenue shyly printed 10 million taels of "Jiaozi" to be used as military expenses...

This is speechless. Jiaozi has long been ruined by the imperial court.

The currency has seriously depreciated among the people, so it is hard to say whether these 10 million taels can be worth 100,000 taels.

The Ministry of Personnel was very generous and issued hundreds of empty titles and honorary titles.

Ling Lei can use it to exchange for money or reward meritorious soldiers, it’s up to him.

Zhang Zongchang and Prince Fu's army waited until the seas dried up and the rocks crumbled, but in the end only a hundred light cavalry arrived.

After being surrounded and beaten up, these reinforcement "scouts" immediately surrendered.

What a fart!

Who the hell is willing to be a "dead ghost"?
Even without torture, they revealed the truth.

Knowing that Prince Fu would not send troops, Zhang Zongchang said to Kilton:

"Now, Brigade Commander Ji can attack Tongguan!"

Kilton nodded and smiled, "Wait three days, let me prepare."

In order to ensure the capture of Tongguan, Zhang Zongchang ordered,
After restoring Guo Linsong's troops, he sent out 20,000 troops to infiltrate between Xijing and Tongguan.

Moreover, the three leaders of southern Shanxi advanced to the east of Tongguan in a V-shaped formation.

The Tongguan garrison commander smelled something wrong.
These bastards in northern Shanxi are definitely going to attack the pass.

While strengthening the city's defenses, he alerted Xijing and asked for help.

But at this time, Ling Lei

I was so angry at a bunch of stupid teammates that I had a heart attack and lay on the bed groaning.

Right now, he really had no choice but to leave it to fate.

"As long as the soldiers have a will of steel, the rebels will never be able to break through the natural barrier of Tongguan!"

The defender, who was forced into a desperate situation, sighed to the sky.

But his whole family was in Xijing, so he forced himself to stay strong and not dare to abandon the city and flee.

Three days passed in a flash, and Kilton and Zhang Zongchang personally arrived at the Tongguan front line.

"Captain Ji, is it time to reveal the secret method of breaking through the barrier?"

Kilton nodded, pointed at the checkpoint and asked:

"I heard that Tongguan is almost impregnable.
So, what does this 'almost' mean?"

Zhang Zongchang was a master of military tactics and knew all the famous passes and cities in Shenling by heart.

"It means 'internal strife' or 'sneak attack from behind'.
However, Guo Linsong also has to take charge of blocking Ling Lei’s reinforcements, so he may not be able to split his troops to support…”

Kilton smiled and said, "Thank you, no need to trouble General Guo... um..."

He glanced into the air and said, "General Zhang, let's begin."

Zhang Zongchang opened his eyes wide, but saw nothing before closing the wall.

"Captain Ji, what started?" (End of this chapter)