Late Tang

Before arriving in Xuanwu Town, the Hedong Army passed through Luoyang first, and went east out of Wulao Pass, the east gate of the Eastern Capital. .Wulao Pass is also known as Sishui Pass and Hulao Pass. It was renamed Wulao Pass in the name of Li Yuan’s grandfather Li Hu, the great ancestor of Tang Dynasty.This dangerous pass, which is said to be named after King Mu raised tigers here this week, is the east gate of Luoyang. Compared with Luoyang, it is as important as Tongguan to Chang'an.It is connected to Songyue Mountain in the south and the Yellow River in the north. The mountains and ridges are criss-crossed, forming a natural danger.There is a trend of "one man guards the gate, ten thousand men cannot open it", and it has become a battleground for military strategists of all dynasties.

Before leaving the customs, Yang Fuguang, the envoy of the military and horse capital of the world and the defense envoy of the eastern capital of Jidu, met Li Keyong again in secret.To the north of Wulao Pass is the Yellow River, to the west are Niukou and Luokou, and to the east is Biankou.Going out of Wulao in the east, passing through Biankou is Zhengzhou controlled by Xuanwu Town.At this time, Yang Fuguang controlled Luoyang City in Henan Province. Compared with when Li Keyong and others went south and recovered Luoyang three years ago last year, Luoyang's defense has been strengthened a lot.Yang Fuguang has [-] soldiers and horses in Luoyang.And Wulao Pass, an important pass between Luoyang and Zhengzhou, secretly added a group of elites. At this time, there were [-] soldiers and horses on the city of Wulao Pass.

Yang Fuguang had already started preparations when he arranged for Li Keyong to deal with Zhu Wen.As long as Li Keyong takes down Zhu Wen, Dongdu soldiers will immediately take over Zhengzhou.

In Wulao Pass, Li Keyong wore the crown, which was not the original Shatuo crown.The crown that has been passed down by the Shatuo tribe for hundreds of years has already fallen into Li Jing's hands. Not only the real crown fell into Li Jing's hands, but even the imitation ones also fell into Li Jing's hands.This crown was made by Li Keyong after he came to Taiyuan. The style is exactly the same as the original one, but when it is worn on the head, only Li Keyong understands the difference.

Li Keyong put on the crown and ordered An Jinquan and An Jinjun, Li Kexiu and Li Kening to ride forward together with him.Wang Xian, who used to be a young general under Huang Chao's command, surrendered to Shatuo in the Battle of Chang'an a few years ago, and was adopted by Li Keyong as his adopted son, is now named Li Cunxian. A fierce tiger of the Shatuo tribe flew on the face.

The re-reinforced Wulao Pass emerged in the slanting wind and drizzle, with mountains and rivers close to it, just like a tiger blocking the way stuck in that dangerous pass.Since the Western Zhou Dynasty set up a pass here, all feudal dynasties in history have set up a pass here and guarded it heavily.Historically, there have been two famous battles here, namely the battle of Chenggao between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu during the struggle for hegemony between Chu and Han, and the battle between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu in Xingyang and Chenggao's mouth.In the end, it was won by Liu Bang, who had a deeper understanding of Cheng Gao's important surname.Cheng Gao's gains and losses became a turning point in the Chu-Han War, and Liu Bang finally forced Xiang Yu Wujiang to commit suicide.

There was another big battle, Li Shimin fought against Hulaoguan during the founding war of the Tang Dynasty.

At that time, Li Shimin led the army to attack Wang Shichong in Luoyang. Wang Shichong asked for help from Dou Jiande, the emperor of Xia who occupied Hebei. Dou Jiande led an army of 30 all the way south and advanced to the vicinity of Hulao.This is a decisive battle, the collision of the three superpowers occupying Guanlong, Henan and Hebei.As a result, Li Shimin took only 500 people to occupy Hulao Pass first, cutting off Dou Jiande's westward route and cutting off the connection between the Henan and Hebei armies.According to the danger of Hulao, Li Shimin fought a war of attrition with Dou Jiande, and secretly sent troops to cut off the food and grass of the Hebei army. In the end, the two sides fought a decisive battle at Hulao Pass. .

During the Huangchao Rebellion, Wulao Pass really played a role in the dangerous pass of the pass, and one man was in charge of the pass, and ten thousand men could not open it.Huang Chao marched into Luoyang from the south of Luoyang, broke through the Tang army's Weishui defense line and went north, finally forcing the Tang army to voluntarily abandon Luoyang.After that, Hulao fell into the hands of Huang Chao.When Zhu Wen occupied Xuanwu, he once wanted to expand his power eastward, and later successfully captured Zhengzhou.But for Luoyang, it has always been impossible to penetrate because there is a Wulao Pass where one man guards the gate and ten thousand men cannot open it.

Today, this grand pass is once again full of troops.

Although the Central Plains is a land of plains, in fact, the vast area east of Wulaoguan, all the way to the hills of Shandong, is indeed a flat plain.However, the land of Luoyang to the west of Zhengzhou is relatively difficult to read. To put it more professionally, the Luoyang area is actually the valley of the Three Rivers.The Henan area east of Luoyang can be divided into the Hanoi area close to the Yellow River, the upper reaches of the Huai River, and the Nanyang Basin to the south of Luoyang.

The Sanchuan valley lowland where Luoyang is located is located in the northwest of Henan Province, between Zhongtiao Mountain, Xiaoshan Mountain, Xionger Mountain, Funiu Mountain and Songshan Mountain.Luoyang City, Henan Province is located in it.The Sanchuan River Valley is blocked by mountains on three sides, and only the north side is slightly open, but the Yellow River runs across the north side, which is also an open barrier.Therefore, in history, although the geographical location of Luoyang is not as dangerous as that of Guanzhong, it can also be regarded as the four fortresses of mountains and rivers.

With this unique terrain, Luoyang can not only rely on the surrounding mountains to form dangerous obstacles, but also have rivers flowing up and down as a channel to communicate with the outside world.Most of the connections around Luoyang are established according to these dangers. Tongguan blocks the west and restricts the danger of Xiaohan; The channel of the Yihe River Valley between the mountains; Mengjin blocks its north and strangles the ferry of the Yellow River; there is another Guangcheng Pass that controls the passage from the direction of the Ruhe River, and Zhiyuan Pass controls the passage from the direction of the Yinghe River.These passes are controlled by the dangers around the Sanchuan Valley.

It is precisely by taking advantage of the dangers of mountains and rivers in the Sanchuan River Valley that many passes were built around Luoyang, which are known as the guards of the eight passes.

For Zhu Wen, although his territories are all in Henan, the territories of the three towns are very separated. The states of Shanguo Town are located in the northwest of the Sanchuan River Valley, close to Tongguan and the Yellow River.However, the states of Jinshang Town are already in the Nanyang Basin, and Xuanwu Town is in the upper reaches of the Huaihe River, although they all surround Luoyang.But from the perspective of military geography, it has been divided into several major parts.As long as Zhu Wen fails to control Luoyang, his territory will become unstable.In particular, the Wulao Pass between Bianzheng and Luoyang made Xuanwu Town appear to be close to Luoyang, but if they could not take down Wulao and wanted to attack Luoyang, they had to go south to the upper reaches of the Huaihe River and enter the Nanyang Basin. Then to the south of Luoyang.Go in a huge circle.

Through the wind and rain, Li Keyong discovered that there were heavy troops gathered in Wulao Pass, not only in the pass city, but also in Luokou, Niukou, and Biankou outside the pass city.To the outside world, Yang Fuguang's reason was of course to prevent the Qin army's navy from going up the river, but in fact, Li Ke used his heart like a mirror, and Yang Fuguang was really planning to swallow Zhu Wen in one fell swoop.

"Ke Yong, you have to be careful!" Yang Fuguang reminded Li Keyong, "Zhu Wen has a thick skin, a sharp tongue, and a deep scheming mind. Don't underestimate the enemy. Take Zhu Wen as soon as possible. Ground to kill."

"I know Zhu A-san's surname, my lord, but Zhu A-san is just a villain relying on his backing to seek glory, so why not be afraid. If I say, it is enough to kill him with a sword and a gun, and he can easily take it down." Zhu Asan."

"No, this matter must be sure, and there must be no mistakes. Zhu Quanzhong has taken in many remnants of Huangchao, and now the territory is huge, and there are many soldiers and horses. If the snake is not killed, there will be endless troubles. What is even more fearful is that this wall In case Cao Cao is stunned, if he directly joins Li Jing, then the land of the Central Plains will really be uncontrollable. No matter what, this time you will feel a little bit wronged, and go to Bian in the name of Zhu Wen as planned. Liang, and when Zhu Wen is not paying attention, take his head directly. If necessary, you can also remove some of Liang Fan’s military leaders. Don’t worry, you have [-] elites from Hedong, and you will be fine, and I will follow up later I will lead the army to follow, and when the time comes to wipe out the Liang Fan, all the gains will be distributed to you according to what was agreed in advance."

If it weren't for Li Jing's pressing too fast, and Zhu Wen's power expanding too fast, plus his elder brother's covetousness towards Liang Fan, Yang Fuguang didn't want to deal with Zhu Wen with such drastic means.But there is no turning back when the bow is drawn. If things go well, it will be of great benefit to the court.

"When you arrive in Bianzhou, it is estimated that Zhu Wen will propose hospitality and banquets for the soldiers. This is an excellent opportunity, so don't hesitate. It is best to start at the banquet. During the banquet, Zhu Wen will definitely bring General Liang Fan to appear , and will not be too defensive. At that time, Zhu Wen must have been caught off guard when he made a sudden attack. Kill Zhu Wen, control the Liang Fan generals, and then announce the imperial edict to control Bianzhou City in one fell swoop, and great things will happen."

Li Keyong seemed to feel that Yang Fuguang was a little too cautious. He smiled and said, "This time I brought a full [-] soldiers and horses to the south, including [-] cavalry. Zhu Wenwen and Liang Fan are just the remnants of grassroots thieves. Why bother?" When I get to Bianzhou, I plan to wait until the Wangman Ferry on the Bianhe River, the central gateway of Zheng and Bian, and take Zhu Wen who came to greet me directly."

"Ke Yong, listen to me carefully. Killing Zhu Wen is only one of the missions. The most important thing is to get rid of Zhu Wen and control Xuanwu Town. If Wang Mandu attacks, even if Zhu Wen is killed, the army is still in Bianzhou. In addition, the Liang army in Bianzhou may cause chaos, which is inappropriate."

"Then follow your lord's wishes, do not enter Bianzhou City, and never attack Zhu Asan. Don't worry, lord, this time Li will not only cut off Zhu Asan's head, but also take Zhengzhou and Bianzhou in one fell swoop. Dedicate it to the adults."

"It's so good, very good!" Yang Fuguang nodded in satisfaction.

2 soldiers from Hedong left Wulao Pass, passed through Biankou and Guangwu Mountains, left Heyin City, and then entered Xingze in Zhengzhou, which is considered to have truly entered Zhu Wen's territory.On the south bank of the Bianhe River in Xingze, a cavalry team of one thousand is waiting for you.Li Keyong recognized the leader, General Liang, as Li Tangbin, a general under Zhu Wen who had met in the Battle of Chang'an.Now, under Zhu Wen's order, he led a thousand Qingqi to the border of Xuanwu to meet Li Keyong and his Hedong Army.

An Jinjun chuckled and said to Li Keyong: "This is Liang Fan's elite cavalry? Isn't it good? I think it is more suitable for them to ride mules. I am always worried that they will fall off when they ride war horses. A group of Shatuo people laughed at this sentence, and even Li Cunzhang said on the side: "Or, let's just charge and kill them. Kill them, and then kill them all the way to Bianzhou City, and then kill Zhu Wen How simple and straightforward to take the head of Xuanwu Town."

Li Ke reined in his horse and waited for Li Tangbin and others to meet him.He snorted, "Don't talk nonsense." But although he reprimanded his subordinates, in fact, he was not very angry with what Zuo Zuo said just now, but rather agreed with him.If it weren't for Yang Fuguang's repeated confessions not to mess around, he really didn't take Liang Fan seriously. (To be continued.)