The entrance to Wuguandao is located in the southeast of Chang'an. Although the road is flat, it is a mountain road after all, and there are also dangerous places.
The State of Chu set up seven passes and eighteen post stations in steep places on the Wuguan Road.
Prior to this, the front line of the confrontation between the Han army and the Chu army was on the Yellow River.
From west to east are Guanzhong, Luoyang, Bianliang, and Jinan. Chu State set up four general soldiers to guard the Yellow River.
Bashu and Nanyang both belong to the rear.
The Chu army's strength on Wuguan Road was not very sufficient, but it was not completely undefended either.
Han generals Liu Wu, Zhang Jin, and Feng Chong led a strong Han army of 30,000 people. After entering Wuguandao, these inns and passes either fled without fighting, or were defeated by the Han army like paper.
The Han army conquered five passes along the way and arrived near Yuanguan Pass.
"Da da da."
The Han army formed a long dragon formation and headed southeast.
Zhang Jin led the infantry of ten thousand households to clear the way in front, while Liu Wu led the infantry of ten thousand households in the middle to protect the civilians and the heavy carriages.
Feng Chong commanded Wanhu's cavalry to cut off the rear.
Although the speed of cavalry is the king of land. The vast land of the Central Plains allows cavalry to gallop freely.
But on this Wuguan Road, Feng Chong's cavalry is not as useful as the infantry.
If Feng Chong's Wanhu cavalry leads the way, they will suffer heavy losses if they encounter an ambush. Infantry can respond quickly.
Under the banner of "Han".
Zhang Jin was wearing heavy armor and was sweating profusely from the heat, but he said nothing and did not dare to take off his armor. I just kept picking up the bamboo tube to drink water to avoid heatstroke.
A guide followed him on horseback. The guide looked at the terrain on the left and right, clasped his fists at Zhang Jin and said, "General. About six miles ahead, we will reach Yuanguan Pass."
Zhang Jin perked up and ordered: "Send the order to the whole army to speed up the march. After arriving at Yuanguan, rest and recuperate on the spot."
"yes."
The soldier, who was also hot and sweating profusely, responded loudly, turned his horse's head and went down to deliver the order.
The marching speed of the Han army immediately increased by one gear.
...........
Yuanguan.
This is not a pass between two mountains, but a pass built on one side of the road and close to the mountains.
If there is an enemy attack, the enemy can pass in front of it.
But they have to be baptized by the bows and arrows fired by the defenders standing at Yuanguan Pass.
Moreover, people can survive, but the subsequent food and grass cannot survive.
This is not a pass to resist incoming enemies, but a pass to block incoming enemies.
There was some chaos in the pass.
Troops and officials who had fled from the front gathered together.
General Wang Xu of the Pass wore black clothes and held the handle of the steel knife at his waist with his left hand. He led more than ten soldiers to patrol the pass.
While Wang Xu was patrolling, he had many and complicated thoughts in his heart.
He is from Nanyang. He practiced martial arts since he was a child and later joined the army. It took him more than ten years to climb to his current position.
In terms of ability, he considers himself to be one of the more outstanding among the current Chu generals.
Now Xiong Wuwo controls military affairs, promotes many young generals, and supports the Luoyang, Chang'an and other armies. Many people have soared into the sky.
It's just that the location of Yuanguan is relatively remote and belongs to the rear.
The wind has not yet reached him.
Now the rear becomes the front.
There were two choices before him. Follow the Han army, open the door, welcome the Han army in, lead the troops south, and enter Nanyang as a vanguard.
Or refuse to defend the city and become a loyal minister of Chu.
He has the strength.
Yuanguan originally had 1,500 soldiers, all of whom were elite. The number of troops defeated from the front line was more than 3,000.
Altogether, there were five thousand soldiers.
Yuanguan City is small and the city wall is very high. There is sufficient food in the city, and weapons and arrows are barely enough. Keeping it for three to five months is not a big problem.
Thinking of this, Wang Xu's blood gradually boiled. He clenched the handle of the knife with his left hand and thought to himself: "If I surrender to the Han army, the Han army can march straight into Nanyang."
"If I become a loyal minister of Chu, I can hold back the Han army for several months."
"I never thought that I, Wang Xu, would be today, standing at the forefront of the storm, able to influence the national destiny of two powerful countries. With such an opportunity in life, what more could I ask for."
The hot blood quickly cooled down, and Wang Xu returned to the dilemma.
Should he surrender to the Han Dynasty or become a loyal minister of Chu?
After thinking for a long time, Wang Xu felt that the Han Dynasty had a greater chance of winning. Originally, Chu State had set up four major armies on the south bank of the Yellow River, and the two sides were relatively evenly matched.
Now the Han army has reached Chang'an and divided its troops to attack Nanyang along Wuguan Road.
The balance of victory and defeat has begun to tilt.
After making the decision, Wang Xu started to think again. If you just surrender like this, you will definitely get some credit, but you will definitely not be reused.
After all, they surrendered without fighting.
No performance.
It is better to refuse to defend the pass and resist the Han army for a few days, and then send people to ask for surrender. In this way, you can get more credit and be reused.
Thinking of this, Wang Xu cheered up, turned around and ordered to the soldiers behind him: "Go and invite the generals to meet at Guanling Mansion."
"Yes." The soldier responded, turned around and went down.
Wang Xu took the rest of his soldiers back to the lobby of his Guanling Mansion and sat down. And let people prepare tea according to the number of people.
Yuanguan is a small place and it is easy to gather people.
The generals soon arrived.
Including Wang Xu, there are five people in total.
After the two parties greeted each other, they took their seats. Without waiting for Wang Xu's instructions, the servant walked in with a tea cup. Wang Xu picked up the teacup and blew several times. After taking a sip of tea, he put the teacup down, raised his head and said, "Generals, the spies are here to report. The Han army is less than ten miles away from Yuanguan."
These four generals were either defeated by the Han army or fled without fighting. Their expressions changed when they heard this. One person's hand shook and he almost lost his grip on the tea cup, making a joke.
"What are General Wang's thoughts? Are you going to resist at Yuanguan? Or are you retreating toward Nanyang?"
A general calmed himself down and asked, clasping his fists.
Wang Xu held his head high and said, "Of course we will resist at Yuanguan."
"First. The Han army marched quickly and broke through five passes in a row. They were already exhausted of men and horses. They were at the end of their powerful crossbows and could not penetrate Lu Guan."
"Second. We have five thousand elite soldiers who are refusing to defend the pass. As long as we don't go out to fight with the Han army, we can sit back and relax."
"We are invincible."
"We delayed the Han army at Yuanguan. The imperial court will definitely reward you greatly. Generals, make your achievements today."
"Please generals, please work together with me to achieve great success."
After Wang Xu finished speaking impassionedly, he stood up and bowed to the four generals in a very sincere manner.
These four generals didn't have much confidence at first, but after hearing what he said, they felt that they could do it.
Having soldiers and food is still relevant.
Wealth can be found in danger, so take this gamble.
"Okay." The four of them looked at each other, stood up together, and said to Wang Xu with fists in hand.
A smile appeared on Wang Xu's face, and then he assumed the posture of a general, dispatching troops and horses to prepare to guard the pass.
