Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 400 Cicada, Mantis, Bird
Across the endless plain, a cavalry was charging madly.

They flew the banner of the Han army.

But whether it is the clothing, or the command flags, horns, and drums they use, they are basically the standards of Qi State.

Hulugu lowered his body, with his legs tightly clamped around the warhorse under his crotch. The cold wind was beating his body roughly, but Hulugu did not feel anything strange at all, as if he was just facing the cold wind and rushing straight towards it.

The knights followed behind him, galloping at full speed. They didn't carry much supplies, just some fast horses.

There were no extra auxiliary troops or military craftsmen behind him.

There were more than 4,000 people in their group, and they flew through the wilderness like the wind.

The knights looked extremely tired, but they did not dare to stop as Hulugu was charging ahead.

There is endless wilderness on all sides.

There was no snow, but there was no green either. Everything was gray. It seemed as if there was no human habitation for thousands of miles. Everything was dead silent.

Only the thunderous sound of horse hooves continued to echo between heaven and earth.

Huluguang looked around and shouted loudly: "Pass the order! We are less than fifty miles away from Diaoyin City!"

"Defeat Diaoyin and the whole army will be rewarded!!"

The officers passed the message on, and the sergeants shouted one after another.

They rushed all the way south.

The enemies in the south had no idea that there was an army attacking them from a deadly direction.

Yuwen Xian was stationed in Tongwan City.

Back then, Helian Bobo established the Great Xia Kingdom and built Tongwan City to garrison the four directions.

Tongwan City is built tall, located at a very high altitude, and is well connected. It is the core of the entire Xia, Yin and other states.

The sound of dense drums came from outside the city.

The car was thrown with a roar.

Stones splashed on the city wall.

The ladder truck quickly approached the city wall surrounded by sword and shield soldiers.

Yuwen Xian stood on the city wall, holding a spear, and fought hard against the enemy.

The Han army pressed forward from three sides, arrows kept flying through the air, and the sounds of fighting were heard everywhere, resounding through the sky.

Yuwen Zhi thrust out the spear in his hand, piercing another enemy, and then kicked him off the city wall.

The ladder truck burst into flames.

The soldiers fell down screaming.

The sky gradually became dark, and the attacking army stopped its actions and began to retreat slowly.

Yuwen Xian didn't even need to lower his head. Just by looking forward, he could see the piled-up earth wall in the distance. The earth wall was already higher than Tongwan City. The enemy was stationed there, overlooking the army on the city wall.

Yuwen Xian's face flushed red as he tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart.

After learning that Chang'an City was attacked, Yuchi Jiong led his troops back. Wei Xiaokuan had no food or fodder stored in the local area, and he did not have the ability or the courage to do so.

Zhou's control over the generals and the eunuchs was very strict.

Of course, it is also because the Great Zhou has special national conditions.

In order to prevent these powerful local governors from launching rebellions, when dividing their territories, important grain-producing counties were often taken away from them.

Let the government control them with food and weapons.

Once the connection with the rear is cut off, it may be okay for a short period of time, but it will be impossible to fight for a long time because of the shortage of various supplies.

Gao Changgong fought more and more fiercely at this moment, and his defense line was torn apart by the enemy many times. Although Yuwen Xian recovered many areas, he was still worried about the future.

If we cannot restore contact with the capital and logistics as soon as possible, something big will happen here.

All the food and military equipment in Danzhou have been transported to the front line, and it is unknown how long they will last.

The sky gradually darkened. Yuwen Xian held his spear, stood upright, stood on the city wall, and looked at the Han army on the opposite side.

They lit many bonfires.

Yuwen Xian knew that this was an enemy strategy. There were so many bonfires that it looked like there was a sea of ​​stars outside the city, with stars twinkling everywhere.

Several generals stood beside Yuwen Xian, looking haggard.

Both Gao Changgong and Hulu Xian were extremely difficult to deal with.

Gao Changgong's defense line was very long, but so was their defense line. Gao Changgong drilled in and out of the defense line, while Huluxian advanced step by step, and from time to time both sides would join forces to launch a strong attack.

The opponent's flexible and changeable tactics gave Yuwen Xian a headache.

Looking at the generals who were gradually gathering around him, Yuwen Xian suddenly turned around and leaned the spear in his hand on the ground, looking very heroic.

"Everyone, don't worry."

He said, "No matter how strong the enemy's offensive is at the moment, they can't take Tongwan City. As long as Tongwan City and Diaoyin City are still in our hands, it will be meaningless even if they plunder more cities."

"The Duke of Shu must be not far from Chang'an at this moment. The enemy is trapped near Chang'an and cannot escape. There are only a few thousand of them. After defeating them, the Duke of Shu will surely lead his troops back again. Gao Changgong will eventually give up what he has taken."

"The key to the northern defense line is Tongwan and Diaoyin. The rest of the cities can be abandoned!"

Yuwen Xian spoke loudly, looking extremely confident.

After listening to his words, the generals couldn't tell whether they believed or doubted him, but most of them were willing to show that they believed him.

Yuwen Xian continued to encourage them, "Soon, we will be able to start the counterattack. Gao Changgong is leading his troops deep into the enemy's territory. If we don't retreat, I'm afraid we won't be able to defend Lingzhou in the future."

After such encouragement for a long time, morale finally recovered.

Yuwen Xian continued to look at the enemy in the distance.

The city's defenses were still strong and the city gates were not closed by him, so Yuwen Xian still had the strength to attack.

Gao Changgong and Huluxian cooperated well, Gao Changgong was responsible for breaking through, and Huluxian was responsible for pushing.

At first, Yuwen Xian was really beaten around and couldn't defend against two attack modes at the same time, but now, he has mastered the skills.

The key is to shrink the defense line, not run around with Gao Changgong, keep an eye on Huluxian, and give up unimportant areas. As long as Gao Changgong dares to go too far, then attack Huluxian. Once the distance between the two is shortened, then stop and defend the city.

Stop with stillness.

Although this caused some damage to the counties and prefectures, it at least defended the front line and prevented the enemy from advancing further.

And now, Yuwen Xian has more ideas and inspirations in his mind.

What he was thinking about was what would happen in the future. If he could hold Gao Changgong and Huluxian hostage, would the Duke of Shu be able to directly take over their hometowns?

The next day, the army besieging the city began to retreat, which meant that Gao Changgong had left again, and Hulu Xian did not dare to advance.

Yuwen Xian was not in a hurry to go out to fight, but he sent many scouts to determine Gao Changgong's movements.

According to what everyone said, Gao Changgong went to Diaoyin City, the capital of Yinzhou.

Yuwen Xian didn’t care about this. Although Gao Changgong’s army was fast, without the military craftsmen and siege troops of Huluxian and others, Diaoyin would never fall!!!

Diaoyin City.

The soldiers were clearing the corpses on the road, and Gao Changgong slowly walked into the city.

This huge fortress was now in ruins from the inside out.

Corpses were everywhere on the ground, piled up into small hills, and blood was constantly flowing.

Gao Changgong led everyone all the way towards the government office.

When they arrived at the gate of the government office, several soldiers blocked their way. After reporting to them, they led them inside.

Most of the cities here were built in the style of fortresses, which do not seem suitable for ordinary people to live in. Even the government offices are built in a practical style.

The walls of the government office were very high and equipped with crossbows. There were only three gates, all of which were reinforced. The layout of the house inside was simple, and it had an armory and a granary.

Gao Changgong looked around and walked quickly towards the inner room.

When they walked into the inner room, Hulugu was sitting inside.

Hulugu remained as calm as ever, with no sign of his hot temper at all.

Gao Changgong was the first to pay his respects.

Hulugu motioned for him to sit aside.

"Has Tongwan City been taken?"

“No.” “Why haven’t you taken it yet?”

"Is it Huluxian who is holding you back?"

Gao Changgong hurriedly shook his head, "It's my incompetence that has dragged General Hulu down."

Hulugu seemed to sneer. He stood up, looked at the soldiers beside him, and clapped his hands.

A moment later, several soldiers brought a group of people to Gao Changgong. These people were all tied up, with cloth stuffed in their mouths. They were dying and looked like they had been severely beaten.

Huluguang pointed at them and said, "Take these people to Tongwan City, behead them outside the city, and spread the news of the fall of the city. I think Tongwan City can be taken down."

Gao Changgong shook his head slightly, "The one who is in charge of Tongwan City is the fake Duke of Qi of Zhou, Yuwen Xian."

"When I first met this man, I thought he was just an ordinary general, but he became more and more courageous as he fought. I think he is very smart. He can master many formations and tactics after just one experience. He is also determined. The generals and soldiers in the city are willing to fight for him. I am afraid that even if we take these people over, it will be difficult to take them down."

"Yuwen Xian?"

Huluguang asked, then tilted his head and said, "I haven't heard of it."

Hulugu's expression was always calm, but the words he spoke were full of disdain.

Gao Changgong always heard Huluxian complaining about his brother these days, and he was not surprised or angry about it.

He smiled and said, "The general traveled thousands of miles to Diaoyin and captured the city in one night, so Yuwen Xian is naturally nothing."

After learning about the Longmen strategy, Hulugu prepared to come to Lingzhou to break through the enemy's defense line together.

He first played a little game of chase with the Turkic Khan on the grassland. The two old men enjoyed playing for a long time, but neither could defeat the other.

Hulugu intended to chase the enemy to the border of the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty. Halfway through the chase, Hulugu suddenly stopped, turned his troops around, and launched an attack to the south.

He was sure that the Turkic Khan would not pursue him again.

And if the enemy wanted to attack Hengzhou, Youzhou and other places again, our army could rely on the Great Wall to resist one or two. When Hulugu was chasing the enemy, the army of two states had already been mobilized to the north to make defensive deployments.

By the time Khan returns, everything will be almost in place.

Hulugu was not afraid of the enemy blocking his retreat or chasing him.

That's better for him.

He made a long-distance raid, and when Diaoyin City had focused its defense forces entirely on the south and west, he suddenly attacked from the north.
Taking Diaoyin City is of great significance to the entire Han State.

From then on, Yinzhou fell into the hands of the Han Kingdom, and Xiazhou could not hold on at all with only Tongwan City, and even Danzhou and Suizhou behind it would be affected.

Chang'an is in danger.

Hulugu went over all the strategies in his mind, and then whispered: "No need to flatter, you still have to take Tongwan City. I will continue to go south to attack Sui, Dan and other states to see if I can kill Daxi Wu from behind."

Gao Changgong fell silent.

Gao Changgong knew that Hulugu was radical, but he didn't expect him to be so radical.
Is this a preparation to backstab Yubi City? ?

Gao Changgong also knew that these old people were always obsessed with Yubi City and wanted to take it over.

But he couldn't let Hulugu go.

After all, the purpose of this battle is to capture the Xiazhou defense line, not to take Yubi City or Chang'an.
Gao Changgong took out the document from his arms and handed it to Hulugu in front of him.

"General, I have His Majesty's decree here, ordering us to take over the Xiazhou defense line as soon as possible."

Huluguang was stunned, lowered his head to read the memorial in his hand, and asked faintly: "Are you using the King of Han to pressure me?"

"Don't dare."

"General, we have spent a lot of money, and many generals have worked together for the current goal."

"Yubi City is strategically located. Even if you attack from the rear, Nada Xiwu has a large army at his disposal, so we may not be able to take it down in a short period of time. The enemy is only leaving temporarily. If we wait until they come back to help before we have taken down many of the frontline strongholds, then won't all our plans be in vain?"

Gao Changgong explained seriously that he believed Hulugu could figure out the reason.

"As for Yubi City, we have captured Xiazhou this time, and the city defenses around Chang'an have almost collapsed. There are almost no strategic points to defend. The enemy must be terrified. Yubi City has fallen on three sides, so how difficult is it to capture it?"

"Please be patient. Defeat Yuwen Xian first, occupy Xia, Yin, Sui and other prefectures, and then it won't be too late to attack Yubi."

Hulugu did not answer, but put away the imperial edict and did not return it to Gao Changgong.

"Take me to Tongwan City."

"only."

Diaoyin City’s defensive equipment such as trenches and chevaux de frise were all placed at important mountain passes and passages in the west and south. To the north was a vast wilderness, and the nearest city was hundreds of miles away, so it was not within their consideration.

When Gao Changgong led his army through here, he could still see his own people dismantling these fortifications.

Hulugu acted really quickly.

They approached Tongwan City so quickly.

When Huluxian learned that Gao Changgong had returned, he marched again and pushed his troops to the front of Tongwan City.

Gao Changgong and Hulugu each led their troops to surround the city on three sides.

Hulugu did not go to see his brother. He pulled the prisoners of war from Diaoyin City out of the city, read out the news of the complete fall of Yinzhou in front of everyone, and then beheaded the officials of Yinzhou.

In fact, if they could come out to persuade them to surrender, the effect would be greater.

However, these captives were unwilling to do so, and could only be intimidated by killing them.

Sure enough, this trick was somewhat effective.

When Yuwen Xian saw the captives and the other Hulug flag, he began to panic.

Even he is like this, not to mention the people under his command.

Everyone was extremely panicked, and some generals even started crying.

The situation is particularly unfavorable for them.

Yuwen Xian frowned and remained silent for a long time. He knew the enemy's strategy very well, but it was useless to understand it. Could he ignore Chang'an and not go to rescue?

No matter how strong Chang'an is, if there is no reinforcement, who knows what will happen?
He suddenly looked at an officer not far away, "Release the pigeon quickly!!"

"Let Duke Zheng lead his troops northwards to meet us!"

The general was startled and stepped forward hurriedly, "General! Duke Zheng still wants to protect the jade disk?"

"At this point, why are we still defending Yubi City?!"

"If even the Xiazhou defense line is completely lost, what's the use of Yubi City? Look at the river?!"

Yuwen Xian was no longer as calm as usual, and his words became impatient.

The general did not dare to refute and left in a hurry.

Yuwen Xian held the spear in his hand and looked at everyone, "Everyone, don't worry!"

"We will not die here. Although there are many enemies, they may not be in harmony with each other. Just look at the positions of the three enemy armies and you will know that they are not united!"

"We still have a chance to defeat the enemy!"

"All troops should rest. Tomorrow, I will personally lead the army to break out. Duke Zheng will lead his troops to meet us. As long as we can join him, we still have a chance!"

Everyone said yes.

Although Tongwan City is strong, it does not have enough food and grass, and one side has been taken down. Yuwen Xian knows that he cannot defend it. So, he will counterattack and charge out while his troops are still sufficient and the enemy has not yet united.

As long as Da Xiwu can come to support earlier, they can still hold the last line of defense and ensure that Chang'an is not lost.

If this last line of defense collapses now, Chang'an will be directly exposed to the enemy, and the enemy can attack Chang'an from seven or eight different routes.

Chang'an could not be defended at all.

Yuwen Xian took a deep breath and looked up at the sky seriously.

"With the blessing of my grandfather's spirit, we can turn this crisis into safety and protect our country!!"

The next day, both sides began to act according to their respective preparations.

Yuwen Xian prepared to break out.

Hulugu and Gao Changgong prepared to break into the city.

Da Xiwu prepared to come to the rescue.

Yuchi Jiong has already retreated.

Yao Xiong, on the other hand, went around the north, preparing to join Gao Changgong and attack the enemy from both sides.

Yang Jian, on the other hand, continued to watch from behind.
(End of this chapter)