Wei Yan successfully took Wuguan, ordered people to report the news to Liu Qi, and brought the Qingzhi Sword back.
Wuguan was built by the Qin State to defend against Jingchu. The mountain road outside the pass was rugged and steep, with high cliffs and deep valleys, making it narrow and difficult to navigate. However, the terrain inside the pass was open and there were galloping roads in some parts. This was precisely for the convenience of sending troops and transporting grain.
During the Chu-Han conflict, the great ancestor Liu Bang took advantage of the emptiness in Guanzhong and entered Guanzhong from Wuguan. During Wang Mang's period, the rebel army conquered Wuguan and then drove directly to Chang'an.
Falling in such a dangerous position was like opening a gateway to a pass. Wei Yan expected that Cao Jun would attack with a large army and trained his troops to prepare for battle.
Cao's army came back the next day, and Wei Yan was quite surprised. Wuguan was nearly five hundred miles away from Chang'an. Although there was a galloping road, it was also built in the mountains. The road was rugged, and the reinforcements came too quickly.
The sound of drums sounded at the critical moment. Wei Yan was dressed neatly and headed straight from the covered bridge to Xiguantou. He saw a group of men outside the city looking murderous. The leader was Xia Houcun, and he couldn't help laughing.
Xiahou Cun fled to Shang County and sent an urgent report to Chang'an overnight. At the same time, he mobilized the defenders of Shang County, Shangluo and various post stations, and got a total of 5,000 troops to come back.
While Wei Yan's foothold is not stable, as long as he steps up the attack on the city, there are still 5,000 elite soldiers in the pass. If he learns the news, he can take advantage of the chaos and take advantage of the chaos to recapture Wuguan.
Seeing Wei Yan appear at the critical moment, Xiahou Cun's eyes were cracked, he raised his gun and shouted: "Wei Yan is a thief, you lied to my city, why don't you come and die soon?"
"As you wish!" Wei Yan snorted coldly, ordered Hu Ji to guard the pass, turned around and went down to the city, came out of the pass to meet the enemy.
When the door was closed, Wei Yan came out with his sword and shouted: "Cao Ren was also captured by me. I let you live, but you wanted to die. Don't blame me for being ruthless with my steel sword."
Xiahou Cun was eager to take back the pass and said angrily: "You are just using cunning tactics. Today I will show you how powerful Xiahou's children are!"
After saying this, he urged his horse to raise his gun and came forward to fight Wei Yan. At this time, he had secretly accumulated strength. He just wanted to kill Wei Yan as soon as possible so that he could take advantage of the chaos and enter the gate in one fell swoop.
when--
The two horses crossed each other, and with a loud noise, Xia Houcun's spear flew out, whirled in the air, and fell into the deep stream.
"Ah You……"
Xia Houcun was shocked. Before he could turn around, Wei Yan swung his sword with his backhand and chopped him off his horse.
"Kill!" There was a commotion among Cao's army, and before he could react, Wei Yan had already urged his horse to rush over.
At this critical moment, the sound of drums became more intense, and the order for the entire army to attack was given. Not only did a thousand elite soldiers follow Wei Yan out of the city to cover up the killing, but another two thousand troops came out of the city.
In an instant, the sound of killing outside Wuguan City was loud. Wei Yan swung his sword and beheaded several people in a row. No enemy could be found. The Chinese army collapsed. Cao's army turned around and fled, huddled together, trampling on each other, causing countless casualties.
"Those who surrender will not be killed!" Wei Yan chased and shouted while wielding his sword, putting down his weapons and kneeling on the ground to avoid death.
The pursuit continued as far as the border of Shang County. The battle ended in less than half an hour. Most of Cao's 5,000 troops were killed and wounded, and more than 2,000 were captured. Only a few hundred escaped.
The Jingzhou soldiers confiscated their weapons and retreated into Guanzhong. The prisoners who were brought back were placed as before, and several officials were selected to inquire about the deployment of the post station ahead.
…
"The wind is blowing and the Han River is cold. It's hard to see the heroes once they're gone..." Outside Xiangyang City, Liu Qi personally saw off Xia Houba and the others. He clasped his fists and said regretfully: "We say goodbye today. Each one is his own master. We can no longer have a good time over wine. !”
Xiahou Ba returned the courtesy and said: "The general is generous and brave. Unless I have no other choice, I would not want to be an enemy of the general."
Xiahou Mao also said: "Thank you for your kindness from the general. If I lead an army in the future and the two armies meet in front of the formation, I should retreat thirty miles to show my gratitude."
In the past few days, Liu Qi had entertained the three of them warmly and given them two more sets of desks. The large and small cars behind him were loaded with loads, two or three times more than when they came. In addition, Xia Houmao also wanted to make friends with Liu Qi since he had a private residence in Xiangyang. .
"Ahem...we've made the wedding ceremony as promised, farewell!"
Xiahou Ba quickly interrupted him and said goodbye to Liu Qi. This guy did not care about the importance of his words. The confrontation between the two armies is a national event, how can it be a child's play?
Zhang Fei also laughed loudly and said: "If you three brothers want to relax, you can come to Jiangnan. I, Lao Zhang, will be waiting for you at any time."
Xia Houmao nodded and said, "Definitely!"
Wouldn't he become a prisoner again?
Xiahou Ba looked embarrassed and said with a dry smile: "Take good care of my sister."
He said goodbye to Xia Hojuan again, and hurriedly urged Xia Houmao to get on his horse and set off. If the greetings continued, he might not know what he would say again.
There was a rumble of carriages, and Xia Houba and his entourage returned with a full load. Cao Tai personally escorted the carriages, while Zhang Wei was among the family generals accompanying them to look after them, focusing on a few marked carriages.
The furniture on the car was inspected in the house and then disassembled and loaded into the car. The gold was loaded into the furniture and the waterbed in batches. Sure enough, no one noticed anything unusual.
Seeing the people behind him waving from a distance, Cao Tai sneered: "We are waiting to transport three thousand taels of gold from Jingzhou. It's ridiculous that Liu Qi still kept it in the dark, but he sent it so diligently. What kind of son of gold scales? I can't stand the stupid people." !”
Zhang Wei nodded and said: "Liu Qi's gains outweigh his losses. He will definitely become the laughing stock of the world in the future. The three young masters have made great contributions and saved the Prime Minister's face. They will be rewarded heavily."
Cao Tai laughed and said: "This gold is enough to cover the losses in the Battle of Nanyang. Mr. Zhang has also contributed a lot. When he arrives in Xuchang, he will be used by the Prime Minister!"
The roads in Xiangyang were flat and wide, and Liu Qi sent people to guide them. The road was smooth and they were close to the Han River at noon.
The convoy came to rest on the shore. Zhang Wei had already asked an acquaintance to find a fleet of boats. Although most of them were fishing boats, they were enough to carry goods.
Fearing seasickness, Xiahou Ba and his entourage specially arranged a large ship. Seeing Zhang Wei's cleverness in doing things, they all praised Zhang Wei.
"I found him!" Xia Houmao looked at the two of them proudly when he boarded the boat, raising his chin slightly and curling up his lower lip.
Normally, all his peers look down on him, but without his wise visit to the brothel this time, how could he have achieved such a miraculous feat?
The servants moved the furniture to the boat, and the accompanying officials left with the convoy. They hired another carriage to transport it when they reached Jiangbei.
The beginning of winter had passed, and the river wind chilled people to the bone. Everyone took shelter in the cabins, while Zhang Wei called for the fleet to cross the river.
While they were eating and drinking, the boat suddenly began to shake violently, and shouts were heard outside. The three of them hurried out, only to see a strong wind blowing at some point, and the waves on the river rolling.
"This... what should I do?" Xiahou Ba held on to the side of the boat tightly, feeling a little dizzy.
"No, the boat capsized!" Cao Tai shouted, pointing to the undulating fishing boat on the water.
The cold wind howled, and the turbid waves came one after another. One boat had been overturned by the waves and disappeared in the river in an instant.
Xia Houmao felt a pain in his body and stumbled to the stern of the boat, shouting: "Get back, get back quickly!"
The boatman was struggling to steer the boat and shouted loudly: "The boat has reached the center of the river and cannot retreat!"
At this time, there were constant screams on the river, and two more fishing boats capsized. Tarpaulins and furniture parts were floating on the water, drifting with the current.
"Get into the water, go down and fish it out for me quickly, and bring back the furniture." Xia Houmao's eyes were red and he screamed.
Xiahou Ba and Cao Tai also rushed over, and the big boat was shaking violently. They were so panicked that they couldn't care about anything else and shouted: "Ship Master, row the boat to the shore quickly!"
The boatman said loudly: "Young masters, don't worry, my boat is famous for being fast!"
