Soldiers come to the world

Tongguan is the gateway to the east of Chang'an. It is backed by high mountains and overlooks the Yellow River. The mountains are steep and the roads are narrow. Not for defense, but for an opportunity to attack.

The death of the emperor Liu Xie caused a shock all over the world, and Liu Jing issued a call to action against the Cao bandits, formally declaring war on the Cao army. In mid-March, Zhao Yun ordered the veteran Yan Yan to guard Tongguan. He personally led an army of [-] troops out of Tongguan to the west and marched toward Luoyang. kill.

From Tongguan to the east, the first stop is Hongnong County. Hongnong County is adjacent to the Yellow River in the north and Xionger Mountain in the south.

After Liu Jing issued his call to action, Xu Huang, the general of Cao Jun, knew that the war was coming, and immediately started military deployment. He knew that it would be difficult to resist the Han army's attack from Tongguan, so he deployed very few troops in Hongnong County, only more than [-] However, Cao Jun's defense was placed in the area of ​​Hangu Pass in Xiaoshan at the junction of Hongnong County and Luoyang. Xu Huang reported at Hangu Pass that the number of troops reached more than [-].

The Han army marched eastward like a broken bamboo, and successively occupied Hu County, Hongnong County, Shan County, and Mianchi. Cao Jun fled in anticipation, and all [-] troops withdrew to Hangu Pass. In just three days, [-] Han troops occupied Hongu County without bloodshed. The entire territory of the agricultural county.

The Han army camped at a high place on the north bank of Gushui to the east of Xin'an County, tens of miles away is the Xiaoshan Mountain with its towering peaks. It has grown a foot high, and at a glance, it looks like pieces of green blankets.

Inside the tent of the Chinese army in the Han camp, more than a dozen high-ranking officials of the Han army, including General Zhao Yun, Deputy General Wu Yi, and temporary military commander Fa Zheng, stood in front of the sand table to discuss the military situation. There is no way to attack Hangu Pass by tricks, especially when the opposing general is the famous general Cao Wei. Xu Huang, they must overcome this tough battle.

Although Fazheng has been transferred to the civil service system, at the critical moment of the final conquest of the world, the Han army really needs military divisions to accompany the army to make suggestions. Not only Fazheng, Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, and Pang Tong have all been transferred to temporary military divisions. Zhuge Liang is in charge of the front line of Bingzhou, and Pang Tong plans Nanyang sent troops, while Sima Yi rushed to Shouchun. The four fronts were controlled by military divisions, and Han Wang Liu Jing was in Chang'an to direct the overall war.

Fazheng slowly said to the crowd: "Xu Huang is worthy of being a famous general with rich experience. He led an army of [-] troops. He personally led a heavy army to guard Hangu Pass, and he also ordered his deputy general Zang Ba to lead an army of [-] troops to guard Yique. This shows that he Be thoughtful."

Zhao Yun asked: "What does the military division mean, we can directly attack Luoyang instead of attacking Hangu Pass?"

Fazheng nodded, pointed to Luoshui in the south with a wooden pole and said: "If Luoyang is empty, we can march along the Luoshui and Yiyang in a detour, and send out a surprise army to enter Luoyang, but now Yique has deployed [-] troops If the number of surprise soldiers is small, it will not be effective, but if the number is too large, once our food and grass backup is cut off by the opponent, the consequences will be disastrous."

Wu Yi pondered for a moment and said, "What if we go north to the Yellow River?"

Fazheng said helplessly: "The Yellow River is no better than the Yangtze River. The current is fast, and there are many dangerous beaches and hidden reefs. Rafts are not good. Of course, it is also possible to take a thousand stone warship, but the cost of building a fleet is too high, and it can't be completed in one or two years. Zhang Tai also proposed this plan to build a Yellow River fleet, and later used the power of the whole country to fight the Hefei War, but he was unable to build another fleet, so this plan had to be temporarily stranded, but even if he went to the Yellow River, it would not be easy to attack Luoyang.”

Fazheng pointed to the Yellow River with a wooden pole, and said to everyone: "Look, everyone, Luoyang is already north of Mang Mountain, which separates the Yellow River from Luoyang. To enter Luoyang, you can only go to Mengjin in the east, bypassing Yanshi, and there are tigers here. There are three thousand Cao troops guarding Laoxiong Pass, which shows that Xu Huang has considered the possibility of us attacking Luoyang from the east, and has deployed very carefully."

At this time, Zhao Yun said in a deep voice: "Let's not think about any shortcuts anymore. The army is going to fight. If Hangu Pass cannot be bypassed, we will fight this hard battle. It is more important not to show weakness first because Hangu Pass is difficult to fight. Yes, this is the order of His Highness the King of Han, and we must take down Hangu Pass." Zhao Yun, as the chief general, made a clear statement that determined the direction of the Han army's operations, and all the generals of the Han army, including the military division law, made a unanimous decision. Attack Hangu Pass with all your strength.

Hangu Pass is located at the junction of Hongnong County and Luoyang, hidden in the mountains and canyons. It belongs to the remnants of Taihang Mountains and stretches for dozens of miles. The mountains stand tall and the terrain is steep. Hangu Pass is located on a road that must be passed in the valley road.

It is said that Lao Tzu Li Er wrote the Tao Te Ching in Hangu Pass, and then rode an ox to the west, but that was the old Hangu Pass, which was located in the Xiaoshan Mountains in Hongnong County to the west, and has long since disappeared. The Hangu Pass that the Han army wanted to attack was the new Hangu Pass built in the Western Han Dynasty, which was close to Luoyang and became the west gate of Luoyang.

Hangu Pass is about one mile long, just to cut off the valley road that the army must pass through. The city wall is tall and strong. Three archery towers were built at the top of the city, and there are heavy defensive weapons such as trebuchets. About two miles away from Hangu Pass is Gushui. , meandering through a steep valley, but the valley that can be marched is guarded by Hangu Pass, which is condescending, forming a situation where one man guards the gate and ten thousand men cannot open it.

Cao Jun dug two trenches one foot five feet deep and three feet wide three hundred paces ahead of the pass, which were full of sharp spears. These two trenches were meaningless to the soldiers of the Han army, who could easily build bridges. In the past, the heavy siege weapons of the Han army were not easy to pass.

At this time, the top of the Hangu Pass was full of Cao soldiers, and the general Xu Huang was standing under the archery tower, watching the west worriedly. He was not very sure about defending Luoyang.

Luoyang was originally a part of the defense line of Yuzhou, under the unified command of Xiahou Dun, but in the power adjustment last year, Cao Zhen replaced Xiahou Dun. Cao Cao also knew that Cao Zhen was not capable enough to take into account the two lines of Xuchang and Luoyang, so he divided the defense of Yuzhou. Make Luoyang's defense independent, and send the famous general Xu Huang to lead [-] troops to sit in Luoyang.

Xu Huang's worry was not about Luoyang. He built Luoyang's defense like an iron barrel and had enough food and grass. Even if he couldn't defend Hangu Pass, he could still hold on to Luoyang City. Xu Huang was worried about Xuchang. Cao Zhen was far inferior to Xiahou Dun The sophistication was fully exposed in the Han army's tentative attack last year.

If the entire Central Plains is a game of chess, the weakest side is in Xuchang. Xu Huang does not believe that Liu Jing, who is far-sighted, cannot see this weakness, but how will Liu Jing play chess?So far, Xu Huang's eyes are still foggy.

But Xu Huang couldn't command Xuchang, so he could only do his best to fulfill his duties and hold on to Luoyang. At this time, a team of scouts rushed from a distance and rushed to the side of Gushui. , shooting a rocket into the sky.

The rocket shot into the sky with a cloud of smoke. This is a warning. The main force of the Han army has reached ten miles away. Cao Jun on the top of the city suddenly became nervous.

On the top of the city, dozens of heavy-duty trebuchets creaked and opened, and they were ready for battle. The seven thousand defensive soldiers on the top of the city stretched their bows and set arrows, watching the front nervously. rattle.

At this moment, the sound of a low-pitched horn 'Woo—' echoed in the valley. Accompanied by the slow and rhythmic sound of war drums, the banner of the Han army finally appeared a few miles away.

The main force of the huge Han army appeared, with banners like clouds and drums beating like thunder. The dense Han army spread far west along the valley water, forming another black river with great momentum.

The Han army did not immediately engage in the siege battle, but set up a large camp two miles away. The terrain outside Hangu Pass was open and suitable for setting up a battlefield, but Xu Huang knew that his troops were insufficient, so he gave up fighting the Han army. , but guard the pass, relying on the danger of the pass to confront the Han army.

An hour later, a huge military camp appeared on the opposite side of Hangu Pass, and even Gushui became an inland river in the camp of the Han army. Large tents were connected to each other, and dense camp fences and sentry towers were placed around the periphery. Monitor every move outside the camp.

In the afternoon, Zhao Yun stood on a huge sentry tower facing Hangu Pass, staring coldly at the majestic pass city on the opposite side. If Guancheng is closed, Hanwang's Central Plains strategy cannot be realized.

Deputy General Wu Yi pointed to the two trenches in the distance and said, "Those two trenches are the first challenge we face in the siege, and we must overcome them tonight, otherwise the battering ram and the ladder will not be able to get through."

Zhao Yun would also look back at Fazheng. Fazheng looked up at the sky. The sky was gloomy and covered with dark clouds. Three wells will be drilled, and I will consider the details in detail.”

........

The night shrouded Hangu Pass inside and outside. Hundreds of torches were lit on the pass city, illuminating Hangu Pass brightly. You can clearly see hundreds of lit torches on both sides of the trench, and once the Han army approaches the trench, they will be able to spot it immediately.

This kind of dark night is a good opportunity to carry out a sneak attack. Both sides are extra vigilant. Three thousand Cao troops stay up all day and night, guarding the pass city, and the Han army also sends thousands of patrols to patrol around the camp to prevent the Cao army from sneaking into the Han camp. , especially both sides are fueled by fire oil, and they are extremely vigilant against possible fire attacks.

At this time, two Han armies, each with more than ten thousand men, approached Hangu Pass quietly under the cover of night. They were silent and carried two bags of soil on their backs. Cao Jun launched the catapult, and the Han army suffered heavy casualties.

Xu Huang had already guessed that the Han army would come to fill up the trench at night. He had already ordered the trebuchets to prepare for battle at night and launch them at any time. As long as the city head issued an alarm, the soldiers operating the trebuchets would launch boulders at any time, severely injuring the Han army. .

The two trenches are not only a psychological line of defense for the Cao army, but also have important value in actual combat. They can effectively hinder the advance of the Han army's heavy siege weapons.

Xu Huang also understood this. Not only did he cut the pickets and shoot them, but he also poured precious kerosene into the trenches. Once the Han army's siege weapons passed the trenches, Cao Jun would ignite the kerosene in the trenches with fireballs.

Although Cao Jun made a careful deployment to prevent the Han army from filling up the trenches at night, when the sky was bright the next day, Cao Jun on the top of the city unexpectedly discovered that the two trenches were filled overnight by the Han army.

Xu Huang couldn't figure it out, Cao Jun's defense was so tight and vigilant at night, how did the Han army do it?

....... (to be continued)