The interior of Wuguan is quite spacious, with tall and thick city walls in the north and south, barracks at the north gate, and caves under the cliffs for storing grain and grass.
A two-story building in the middle is the government office, with offices on the first floor and residences for the guards on the second floor. There are covered bridges leading to the towers at the north and south gates.
Wei Yan looked around and ordered: "Change the defense immediately and gather everyone to the military camp. There is still a prime minister who will convey the order."
Xia Houcun said flatteringly: "Brothers have just come to Guanzhong, so it would be too hard for them to guard the pass. How about..."
"No need to say more!" Wei Yan looked indifferent, patted his pocket and said coldly: "The Prime Minister's secret order is here, who can bear it?"
Wuguan is connected to Chang'an Station, and I don't know if there are still scouts watching secretly. The news may be leaked at any time, and these defenders must be surrendered as soon as possible.
Xia Houcun did not dare to neglect, and immediately ordered his deputy general to pass the order to remove all the garrison at Guan Guan, and everyone gathered at the school grounds.
Wei Yan each divided 500 men to guard the gate. Hu Ji led his troops to take over the arsenal, and came to the barracks with Xia Houcun. They saw all 5,000 defenders waiting in formation.
"There is no need to practice today, so why bring weapons?" Wei Yan waved his hand and said, "Put your weapons back and sit down on the ground."
Xia Houcun said loudly: "This is Fenwu General Yang Wei. The Prime Minister personally assigned him to guard the pass. Now I have the Prime Minister's order to put back his weapons and sit down on the spot. Listen carefully to me."
Cao Jun placed weapons on both sides of the school grounds. When he was busy, the defenders suddenly came to report that a batch of grain and grass had been transported from Chang'an and had arrived outside the pass.
Xiahou Cun said happily: "This must be because Governor Zhong knew that the general was coming, so he transported the grain and grass early, and then the general went to pick up the grain."
Wei Yan's eyes were slightly glaring, and the murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He finally nodded and said: "Okay, just ask the general to go out to meet you. I hope you can introduce him later."
"This is natural!" Xia Houcun nodded repeatedly and quickly rushed to the north gate with a few close associates.
Hu Ji asked in a low voice: "If Xiahou Cun comes out of confinement, the news will be leaked, why not kill him?"
Wei Yan sighed: "This man was deceived by me. He is really pitiful. I can't bear to kill him. Seeing as he doesn't have much ability, please spare his life!"
The original plan was to kill Xia Houcun when he entered the city and take advantage of the chaos to seize Wuguan. Unexpectedly, things went more smoothly than expected.
Not only was Xia Houcun very cooperative, but the defenders were also able to control it without a fight, which made Wei Yan embarrassed to take action.
Hu Ji frowned and said, "Then what to do with these defenders?"
Wei Yan said: "To persuade the defenders to surrender, those who are willing to join the army will be incorporated into the army, and those who do not want to become farmers will be sent to Nanyang for resettlement. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
Hu Ji nodded slightly, waited for Wei Yan to go out, and brought in the two thousand Red Flame troops guarding outside the camp. They were fully armed and aimed their bows and arrows at Cao Jun sitting on the ground.
Cao's army was suddenly in an uproar. Seeing Xia Houcun and Wei Yan leaving one after another, the new generals suddenly faced each other with swords and stood up one after another.
"Don't move!" Hu Ji shouted: "Everyone, we are soldiers and horses of Jingzhou. Xiahou Cun has been beheaded. Those who surrender will not be killed!"
Buzz——
There was an instant commotion in the camp. The expressions of Cao's soldiers changed drastically. They all stood up, but without weapons in their hands, they gathered together in panic.
Hu Ji said loudly: "Cao Cao disobeyed the rebels and was cruel and unkind. General Liu Qi is a benevolent master. I believe you have heard about the battle in Nanyang. If you don't kill those who surrender, sit down!"
"Those who surrender will not be killed!" All the soldiers shouted in unison, the sound was like thunder.
Swords and guns were pointed around the school grounds, cold light was shining, arrows were on the strings, and murderous intent was high. Cao Jun had no choice at all.
Seeing that most of the people were still standing in a daze, Hu Ji drew his sword and shouted! "I'll count to three, if anyone remains standing, I'll kill him without mercy!"
"One...two..."
Outside the north gate of Wuguan, Xia Houcun and his entourage greeted the grain truck. He was greeting the generals who were transporting grain. Suddenly, he heard loud shouts from inside the pass. He turned around suddenly, only to see that the door had been quietly closed.
Xia Houcun was shocked and hurried to the pass, shouting: "General Yang, what happened?"
Wei Yan laughed and said: "What a shrewd Xia Houcun. He is really blind. He is Wei Yan from Jingzhou. He came to seize the pass on the order of General Liu."
"You, are you Wei Yan?" Xia Houcun was so shocked that he took a few steps back. He pointed at the door and was speechless for a long time. He asked with a cry, "How can you have a green sword?"
"You don't have to ask anymore!" Wei Yan pressed his hand on the city wall and said loudly: "Because of your meritorious service, I can't bear to kill you and let you live. You'd better go back to the Central Plains to retire. The battlefield is not suitable for you. .”
"Wei Yan dog thief, you dare to lie to me?" Xia Houcun's face turned red and he roared: "Do you dare to go out and fight to the death?"
Wei Yan sneered and said: "Xia Houcun, a certain family's patience is limited. Leave quickly while I still have a trace of compassion. If you continue to make noise, you will rush out of the city and leave no trace behind!"
"You, you..." Xia Houcun took a few steps back. Realizing that he had no soldiers in his hands and no way to fight, he turned around and ran back, shouting as he ran: "Wei Yan, wait, I will be back."
"Come next time, don't blame Wei for being ruthless!" Wei Yan laughed at the door and gave orders to beat the drum.
The sound of thunderous drums resounded throughout the valley. Cao Jun, who was transporting grain, heard the news and did not dare to stay long. He abandoned his chariots and fled with Xia Houcun.
At this time, the garrison in the pass had not yet been completely subdued, and Wei Yan did not dare to leave the city rashly. Seeing Cao's army fleeing, he turned back to the military camp.
Hu Ji had already taken control of the situation and killed more than a dozen people who tried to instigate resistance. The rest sat on the ground obediently, waiting to be punished.
Hu Ji said worriedly: "There are more than 6,000 defenders including cooks and miscellaneous people. They were forced to surrender. We don't know their sincerity. We only have 3,000 troops. When Cao Jun hears the news, he will definitely come to seize the pass. If the defense is not enough, I am afraid that They will take the opportunity to cause trouble."
Wei Yan said: "I would like those who join the army to come with me, and the rest will be sent out of the pass tomorrow. We will collect prisoners in Nanyang and place the surrendered troops. Cao Jun must know about it and let them go back to Nanyang and stay as they please."
Hu Ji ordered more than 3,000 people on the left to follow Wei Yan out of the camp. It was already dark, torches were lit on the city gate, and the soldiers were divided into three teams.
Wei Yan said loudly: "Just now a batch of grain and grass was transported from Chang'an. The soldiers have been killed by me. Since you are sincere in surrendering, go and transport this batch of grain and grass. It will be considered a meritorious service."
Cao Jun looked around, some with happy faces, others with doubtful expressions, all looking at the slowly opening door.
When the door was opened and Cao Jun left the city one by one, Wei Yan arrived at the critical moment calmly and quietly watched the figures disappearing into the night.
Although this move will let many people go, those who come back will definitely surrender sincerely. No matter how many people are left behind, they can be used with confidence.
The moon rises from Dongshan, and half an hour later, the sound of cars rumbles ahead, and a dark group of vehicles arrives at the city gate.
Three school captains came to return their orders, and all the food and grass were taken back. Many people fled to Chang'an at night, but they could not stop them.
Wei Changchang breathed a sigh of relief and saw that there were actually two thousand people who came back. It seemed that Cao Cao was really unpopular. Especially in the Battle of Nanyang, using human flesh as food and grass completely chilled the hearts of the soldiers.
This batch of grain and grass seems to be quite large. It must have been sent by Chang'an in advance to prepare for the garrison to survive the winter, which just gave me an advantage.
Wei Yan personally went down to the city to bring the food and grass into the city. After everything was arranged properly, he sent an order to the entire army to celebrate the victory. There was cheering in Wuguan City and the banquet ended late at night.
