Great Han Empire

Chapter 823 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
In April, Jiyin County, Juan (juan) City.

The soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army pressed down on the border, and the momentum of the attack was extremely violent.

On the city tower, soldiers of the Yanzhou army sat crookedly among corpses and pools of blood, seizing the short time between attacks to rest.There was a suffocating panic and sadness in the bloody air.

Under the protection of several personal guards, Xia Houyuan and Wang Zhong hurried up the tower.Sima, who was in charge of guarding the north city gate, went up with several junior officers and reported the battle situation to the two adults.

In the past seven days, the army retreated from Cangting to Dong'e, then from Dong'e to Fancheng, and then retreated to Linqiu and Juancheng. They almost lost a city every other day, and their morale was extremely low.Xia Houyuan originally wanted to stay in Fancheng for a few more days, but when he saw the densely packed Northern Xinjiang cavalry army outside the city, he immediately changed his mind and led the army to continue to retreat.Facing the sharp attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army, Xia Houyuan was helpless and could only retreat again and again.

"My lord, have the reinforcements arrived?" the military Sima asked in a low voice, holding a wounded arm.

Xia Houyuan shook his head, reached out and patted the disappointed Army Sima, and comforted him: "According to the time calculation, the high-ranking army should be very close to us. Hold on for a while..."

"As long as Gao Gan's army arrives at Juancheng, we will be able to block the Northern Army to the north of the Huzi River." Wang Zhong pointed to the Northern Army below the city that was about to launch an attack, and said confidently, "We are tired, and the enemy is even more tired." Tired. They traveled [-] miles in seven days and conquered three cities. Their physical strength has reached the limit. It can be said that they are at the end of their strength."

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of drums and killing thundered under the city, and a new round of attacks by the Northern Border Army began.

The army Sima and several subordinates hurriedly left Xia Houyuan and Wang Zhong behind, and ran to their respective defensive areas, "Beating the drum, beating the drum... Hold up your shield, be careful of the arrows..."

Amidst the earth-shattering roar, the sky above Juancheng suddenly darkened, and a huge black arrow cloud rushed over with a scream that tore through the air.

"Let's go, let's go..." The guards dragged Xia Houyuan and Wang Zhong, and hurriedly retreated to the city, "Quickly retreat, quickly..."

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That afternoon, Xia Houyuan received a letter from a senior official.Gao Gan said that the Northern Army's Lei Chong had burned my food and grass, and the two cities of Baima and Puyang were in danger. I had to give up support and return to Puyang quickly. Please continue to retreat, my lord.

Xia Houyuan was very angry, thinking that Gao Gan did not have the sincerity to support, "His army has reached the south bank of the Hu (hu) Zi River, less than a hundred miles away from us, and he can cross the Hebei River in one go."

"The safety of Baima and Puyang is very important." Wang Zhong disagreed with Xia Houyuan's statement, "Baima and Puyang were lost, and Dingtao was immediately exposed to the attack of the Northern Army, and we may also be surrounded and wiped out on the Pushui line by the Northern Army. "

Wang Zhong has always insisted on withdrawing from Dingtao after making big strides, and was extremely dissatisfied with Xia Houyuan's procrastinating style.Wang Zhong once again proposed to abandon Juancheng and retreat to the Pushui River before the cavalry of the Northern Xinjiang Army blocked the Huzi River.

The Northern Xinjiang Army advanced extremely fast, and it was difficult to keep up with the food and supplies for a while, which seriously restricted the attack range of the iron cavalry.In addition, within the hundreds of miles from Fancheng to Dingtao, there are many rivers, which caused the cavalry of the Northern Xinjiang Army to dare not get too far away from the main force, lest they be attacked due to unfamiliar terrain.This is also the main reason why Xia Houyuan has been able to retreat safely.

"Every time the Northern Army attacked the city, they deliberately left a way for us to retreat." Wang Zhong said, "The Northern Army did this because they were obviously worried that they would push us into a hurry. The speed of their southward movement, but as the war continued, the supply of food, grass, and supplies gradually became normal, and the distance from Dingtao was getting closer and closer. The cavalry of the Northern Xinjiang Army will soon start to outflank us, and strive to encircle and annihilate us on the north and south banks of the Pushui River. Capture Dingtao for them to gain an absolute advantage in military strength."

Xia Houyuan rejected Wang Zhong's suggestion and ordered the army to continue to stand firm.

In Xia Houyuan's view, it will take time for Cao Cao's army to return to Dingtao and Changyi.Before Cao Cao's army came back, Cao Ren needed to do a lot of preparatory work in order to block the Northern Army in Dingtao and Changyi. He had to recruit civilians and stockpile food, grass and military equipment, and transfer property from counties and counties that had not been attacked by the Northern Army. , We should try our best to persuade the people to move south.Now Cao Cao needs time, and Cao Ren needs time even more.Premature withdrawal to the front line of Dingtao and Changyi may save the lives of thousands of soldiers, but the losses of counties and people along the way will be staggering.Weighing the pros and cons, of course, while maintaining the strength of the troops, it is the best policy to block the attack step by step and try our best to slow down the speed of the northern army going south.

However, at night, scouts brought bad news from outside the city.Xiancheng on the Huzi River was captured by the Northern Army, and traces of Northern Army cavalry were also found in the direction of Chuiting Ferry.Now Xia Houyuan was in a hurry.If Chuiting was captured first by the northern border army, the army would be completely surrounded on the north bank of the Huzi River, and they would be unable to escape even if they wanted to.

Xia Houyuan immediately ordered to withdraw his troops overnight, cross the Huzi River, and retreat to Chengyang City on the south bank of the Pushui River.

=

In the middle of the night, the Northern Army camp.

Qu Yi, Yu Shi, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, Sima Yi and others gathered around the map to discuss the matter of crossing the river to attack tomorrow.

"Tomorrow the army will be divided into two after crossing the Huzi River from the direction of Chuiting." Qu Yi pointed to the map and said, "Masters Yushi and Jiang Wu will lead the army to attack Chengyang. Master Zhao Yun and I will lead the army to attack Juyang. "

"Juyang is only 120 miles away from Dingtao. After taking Juyang, we will cross the Pushui River and attack Dingtao directly. Considering that Juyang is Dingtao's barrier, Cao Ren should have a heavy army here, and the difficulty of attacking will be greatly increased. "

"Chengyang City is located a hundred miles northeast of Juyang City, between Lei Ze and Pushui River, very close to the Chuiting Ferry, and the location is dangerous. It will cause great damage to our grain and grass transportation and the main force of the army to attack Juyang. Threat. Now Xiahouyuan's army is in Chengyang. In order to ensure the safety of food and supplies and help the main force quickly conquer Juyang, two adults, Yushi and Jiang Wu, will lead a battalion of infantry and a battalion of iron cavalry to surround Chengyang and trap Xiahouyuan. Die in Chengyang."

"After we took down Juyang, we immediately started attacking Dingtao."

"Cao Ren is alone, so he must ask for help from Xiahouyuan in Chengyang." Qu Yi pointed to Chengshi City on the map, looked at Yushi and said, "After Xiahouyuan leaves Chengyang and rushes to Dingtao, you should immediately cross the Pushui River and go straight to Dingtao. Kill the city of Chengshi eighty miles away."

"Chengshi City is located on the south bank of the Jishui River, to the east of Dingtao and Changyi, about 150 miles away from the two cities. Its existence seriously threatens the safety of our left and right armies. It must be taken as soon as possible. , and completely resolved this threat."

Yushi and Jiang Wu nodded again and again.

"Whether the food and supplies can be delivered to the front line in time will directly affect whether the army can quickly conquer Dingtao and Changyi." Qu Yi pointed at Sima Yi, "If there is no accident, the left and right armies will arrive at Dingtao, Changyi within the scheduled time. On the front line of Changyi. The [-] army consumes a huge amount of food, grass and military equipment. The transportation route of food, grass, and supplies must be shortened in order to speed up the transportation as much as possible and reduce road losses.”

"The people from all over Hebei and their supplies of grain and grass are moving southward to the Central Plains at an accelerated rate." Sima Yi said, "The 30 peasants who rushed to the bank of the Yellow River the first time have already unloaded the food and supplies on the fleet and are currently sending them to various battlefields. "

"Dong Zhao and Guo Ce are currently erecting boat bridges on the water of the Baili Yellow River along the direction from Puyang to Hemucheng. It is estimated that the boat bridges at the three ferry crossings of Changshoujin, Changganjin and Hemujin have been completed. Handan, The grain, grass, and supplies from Yecheng and Yecheng are transported across the Yellow River to Dingtao from these places, which will greatly shorten the transportation time and distance.” Sima Yi looked worried, and hit Puyang heavily on the map, “I am deeply impressed. What is disturbing is that Gao Gan's army is in Puyang, if he repeatedly attacks our grain road, things will be troublesome."

Qu Yi glanced at Puyang on the map, his eyebrows furrowed deeply, "Master Gao Lan has to hold back the high-ranking army and protect the grain road leading to Dingtao. With his current strength, it is indeed a bit stretched. If you want to take down Puyang and ensure the safety of this food road, you can only count on Master Yan Liang's army to retreat to Hanoi and then launch an attack from the direction of Liyang."

"Can you temporarily dispatch an iron cavalry to patrol along the Huzi River to protect this grain road?" Sima Yi asked.

Qu Yi thought for a while, "After taking down Juyang, I will give you a thousand cavalry."

=

When everyone was discussing the details of the attack, there was a quarrel outside the big tent, and then Wu Ye, Marquis of the Northern Army, rushed in, "My lord, Lord Yang Qi wants to see you."

Qu Yi was stunned for a moment.Yang Qi, Zhang Chao, Dong Fang, Wang Kai and other court ministers followed behind the army on the right. The most important thing is to ensure that there will not be a large number of refugees in Yanzhou because of the war, and that the spring plowing and harvest in Yanzhou will not be delayed.

These ministers followed up very quickly. They and the young subordinates were busy with government affairs all night long. How could they have time to go to the military camp to make trouble?Qu Yi was very surprised, and hurried out of the tent with all the generals to greet him.

Yang Qi is one of the most senior ministers in the court. He is now the Guanglu doctor in the court and also the governor of Yanzhou.When he saw Qu Yi, his face was full of anger, "Master Qu, now that you have become a big official, you have put on airs, and your subordinates are also more aggressive than each other, and you even want to block me."

Qu Yi couldn't hold back, first he said a few words of apology with a smile on his face, then in front of Yang Qi, he raised his foot and kicked the guard on duty to lead the team, "Are you blind? This is Chaozhong Don't you know the famous Mr. Yang?"

The team leader looked at Yang Qi blankly with wide-eyed eyes, and then said to Qu Yi very aggrieved: "My lord, this is a military camp, and here is a large tent that is under military discussion. It is to be beheaded."

Qu Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, neither beating nor scolding, he looked at Yang Qi embarrassedly and said: "My lord, this matter... this... please come to the big tent...."

"Hmph..." Yang Qi was furious, "According to the law? According to what law? According to the law of the Han Dynasty, you, Mr. Qu, are going to jail today."

"I'm going to jail?" Qu Yi was puzzled, looked at each other with Yushi, Zhao Yun and the others, and asked strangely, "My lord, what happened?"

"What happened?" Yang Qi waved his hands and shouted excitedly, "Qu Yuntian, at this time, you are still pretending to be crazy with me?"

Qu Yi was upset, his face darkened, he turned and walked into the big tent, cursing a few dirty words about the old lunatic.

Zhao Yun stretched out his hand to support Yang Qi who was trembling with anger, and while pulling him into the big tent, asked in a low voice, "My lord, what happened?"

"Are you pretending to be deaf and dumb with me too?" Yang Qi pushed Zhao Yun away forcefully, pointed to his nose and asked, "Let me ask you, how did you manage the army in Jinyang this year? The soldiers of the Northern Army gave you What has become of the teaching? You can't get rid of this matter, I will impeach you, and you..." Yang Qi pointed to Qu Yi who turned around and looked at him, and roared angrily, "I want to impeach you."

"Since the army occupied Dong'e, you have allowed the soldiers of the northern army to kill the officials of the old Yanzhou government, plundered and murdered wantonly, raped women, and burned houses. When you arrived in Fancheng, you even worsened and almost killed all the people in the city. It's gone." Yang Qi was about to burst into tears, and his voice was hoarse, "Go and see Linqiu, go and see what your men have done? Then go and see Juancheng, see the fire in the city, and see the ravaged city. people."

"Qu Yuntian, when did the northern army become more brutal than the Xiliang people? Is it because you, a Xiliang man, have barbarian blood flowing in your body?"

"Yang Wenbo..." Qu Yi's eyes widened angrily, and he roared loudly, "You can scold me, but you can't scold my ancestors?" Sword, "If you want to die, I will help you."

Yushi was shocked, and hugged Qu Yi who was in a rage, "Yuntian, are you crazy? When is this?"

Yang Qi was not afraid, and rushed forward with his neck held high, aiming at Qu Yi with a punch, "Qu Yuntian, I not only want to scold you, but I also want to beat you."

There was a sudden chaos in the big tent.

"The imperial court has always worried that the Huns will harm the Central Plains. Unexpectedly, the Huns are now staying in the barracks outside the city honestly, but our own army is doing everything in the Central Plains." Yang Qi was hugged by Wu Ye and Sima Yi , was so angry that his hands and feet danced wildly, and he cursed.

Qu Yi was held back by Yushi and Jiang Wu, unable to move, he could only roar at the top of his voice, "Yang Wenbo, I ordered this to be done, what can you do to me? I don’t have any troops to defend the city, and I don’t have time to suppress the wealthy families in the city. What will I do if I don’t kill me? Do I rely on you powerless Confucian scholars to control the counties and cities? Rely on you nonsense scholars who don’t know how to be self-righteous Guarantee that the rear of my army is as solid as gold? Yang Wenbo, if you can't stand it, go back to Jinyang, or plunge into the Huzi River and die."

Zhao Yun rushed out of the big tent and looked up towards the city. A huge flame lit up the night sky, and Juancheng was struggling painfully in the sea of ​​flames.

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(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.CMFU.COM, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)
(End of this chapter)