In front of Hangu Pass, the mist is tight and the war clouds are thick. Ying Kui, the old general of the Qin State who was guarding the gate, was stunned by the deafening sound. He stood at the gate and looked around. He saw the flags and weapons of the rebels were bright and bright, and the men and horses blocked all the plains and roads in front of the gate. Ying Kui couldn't help but take a breath. He didn't expect there to be so many rebels. He hurriedly sent someone to report the situation to Xianyang, and then quickly prepared defensive equipment. With his loyalty to the Ying family and his incomparable love for the country, he said to his left and right: "A few months ago, a group of thieves headed by Tingbu ignored the sacred majesty of our Great Qin Kingdom and rebelled from Xianyang. He slipped away under his nose. My four sons were all killed in that battle! I still have fresh memories of that battle. Whenever I think of it, I feel sad! Now the rebels from Shandong are here again, and Li You I have no ability to arrest, but Han Qi betrayed the country first. They are all incompetent people who live in vain and do not contribute to the country! Now that the traitors have arrived at Guanxia, how can I face the late emperor if I don't keep the thieves out of the country? All his subordinates were moved by his loyalty and said one after another: "We are willing to defend the country to the death!" At this time, Ying Kui looked up and saw the rebel soldiers coming to a relatively spacious flat land opposite Huanggou and waving flags and shouting. , shouting "Xianguan", wantonly provoking, and acting as if there is no one around. Ying Kui shouted angrily: "Traitors! What do you want to do?" The rebel soldiers loudly replied: "We have to cut off Hu Hai's donkey head, and we have to avoid Zhao Gao's pig head! The old man quickly surrenders. ! Otherwise, I will cramp your muscles, peel off your skin, and pull your hair when they come in!" Ying Kui was furious.
When Zhou Wen was in Caoyang, he moved the infantry to the front and placed the cavalry and chariots behind. This was a decision based on the narrow situation of Hangu Pass. Zhou Wen came to the pass, and after letting the soldiers scream and shock him, he led Han Qi, Kong Fan, Yuan Yi, Wang Wu and others to climb up a high slope. He saw that the city gate of Hangu Pass was built on two sides of the cliff and the valley. In the middle, the three characters "Hangu Pass" in front of the Guanlou are also coldly inlaid on the door opening of the closed door, which makes people shudder. Zhou Wen wanted to observe it closer. The generals dissuaded him: "This place is too close to the gate. General, don't take too many risks." Zhou Wen said disapprovingly: "As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, how can I make a battle plan if I don't know the adverse weather conditions and the dangerous terrain?" As he said that, he climbed up another hill. At this time it was slowly getting dark. The generals followed behind to protect him. Just as Zhou Wenxiang was watching, a loud arrow suddenly flew over and hit his helmet. The generals were shocked and protected Zhou Wen back to the camp.
Everyone came to the camp. Fortunately, their helmets were thick and they were not injured. Zhou Wen laughed and said: "Although I was shot in the helmet by the enemy, the harvest is not small!" Everyone asked what the harvest was. Zhou Wendao said: "I saw many birds circling in the gate, indicating that there were not many defenders; I also vaguely heard the sound of horse hooves galloping, indicating that the enemy was panicking and preparing for war; I could also smell a smell of sulfur along the direction of the wind, indicating that the enemy We may have to use fire tools to deal with us; we were shot at in a very short period of time, which shows that the enemy's defense is very tight." After listening to Zhou Wen's analysis, everyone felt that it was very reasonable, and asked how to solve the problem. Zhou Wendao: "Try to break through the level first to verify whether the enemy wants to use fire tools."
Early the next morning, Zhou Wen ordered 500 people to break through the barrier, and 500 sergeants carried buckets to prepare to put out the fire. After the attack started, the sergeants rushed towards Guanxia with the ladder on their shoulders. When the Qin army at the gate saw the rebels coming to break through the gate, they first threw down flammable objects such as sulfur, sulfur, and charcoal, and then set off rockets. The Chu soldiers in front were all burned to death, and the people behind were also on fire. Zhou Wen ordered the sergeant to carry water and put out the fire. The Qin army who had closed the gate saw it and fired with crossbows. The rebels pushed the arrow-blocking cart forward, and the sergeants followed behind. However, when they pushed the cart and attacked the edge of Huanggou, they could not get through. The Qin army blocked the road in front of the pass with stones and hammered logs.
In the next few days, Zhou Wen ordered his sergeants to attack more than ten times, but to no avail, so he gathered a crowd to discuss: "Hangu Pass is the only way to enter Xianyang, we must win this pass! You guys Who has a good strategy, please tell me?" General Han said: "Hangu Pass is indeed difficult to capture, but if the move is delayed for a long time, Qin will send reinforcements from elsewhere. Although their firearms are powerful now, it is better to use their tactics!" Zhou Wen He asked, "What's the best strategy?" General Han told Zhou Wen a fire attack method. After hearing this, Zhou Wen greatly praised: "This method is wonderful!" He called Deng and asked him to lead two thousand soldiers to the nearby woods to cut down trees and dry firewood, and then put them in the sun to dry as quickly as possible, and then rushed to make them. Extended ladders, folding bridges and 'cannons'.
Before the rebel army reached Hangu Pass, urgent documents from all over the place were flying to Xianyang like snowflakes, but they all disappeared. Ying Kui was very anxious, because there were less than ten thousand Qin troops guarding the gate, and now there were too many rebels to count. Thinking of this, Ying Kui sent a messenger and said: "You rush to Xianyang immediately to meet the Second Emperor. State the emergency here, and then request the imperial court to send more reinforcements, otherwise come to see us!" The messenger accepted the order and set off immediately. He rushed all the way to Xianyang and wanted to go straight to the palace. But it was blocked by the guards. He asked the guards to report immediately. The guard on duty said: "The emperor is not here." The messenger asked anxiously where the emperor was. The guards sneered and said: "Where is Your Majesty? Is this something you, a small foreign envoy, can ask?" The messenger said in shock: "I came to see you on the orders of the old Prince Yingkui of Hangu Pass. Your Majesty, if you don't report it, you will miss important events." The guard said, "Your Majesty is not in the palace, how can we report it?" The messenger asked where your Majesty was. The guard smiled and said: "There are hundreds of palaces in Xianyang, how could we know?" The messenger had no choice but to leave the palace gate with a cold face.
The messenger was walking in the market, because it was the prince who had given the order to die, and he had to see the emperor, so he inquired about the whereabouts of the second son along the way. Suddenly he was caught by an official patrolling the city and was about to take him away. But this official happened to be a former friend of the courier, and he recognized him again. The messenger was ready to inform him of the emergency at Hangu Pass. But the city inspector signaled him with his eyes not to talk nonsense. The messenger followed the city inspector to a very secluded place. The two of them saluted each other and said hello. The messenger told the inspector about the situation at Hangu Pass. The patrol officer said: "Brother, I already knew about what happened in Shandong! But if you report this to the emperor, you will be punished." The messenger asked inexplicably why. The patrol officer said: "The emperor is no longer attending court in Xianyang Palace. If the ministers want to do something, they should inform the doctor first." The messenger asked: "Why should we inform the doctor first?" The patrol officer looked around alertly. After a while, he said: "Now the court affairs, no matter how big or small, are decided by Lang Zhongling. What Lang Zhongling says is round, and what he says is flat is flat. What's more, the emperor only listens to his words!" The messenger was surprised: "Isn't this wrong for the country? What's the big deal?" The patrol officer said: "There have been a lot of messengers from the east recently, and some people have been rash and nonsense about things in Shandong. As a result, they were all arrested by Lang Zhongling. Fortunately, it was me you met today. Others have also arrested you!" The messenger said: "The messenger told the truth truthfully, why do you want to arrest people?" The patrol officer said: "The doctor suppressed all kinds of reports and did not report them, and he did not allow others to report them. Who If you don't listen to him, you will be dead!" The messenger was shocked, but why: "I am reporting military information, and I am following the order of the old prince. If the emperor is not seen, the prince will behead him!" The city official said: "I think you will die anyway, so go ahead and give it a try!" The messenger asked for advice. The patrol officer said: "You first hide near the gate of Xianyang Palace for three to five days, or half a month. If the emperor returns to the palace, you will stop the driver to make a show of trouble. But you must remember: if you want to die, report it truthfully! If you don't want to, you must report it truthfully!" Just say that a group of thieves came to Hangu Pass. Remember, they are thieves, not rebels. The only way to survive is by saying this!" After the city inspector finished speaking, he hurried away.
The messenger was very surprised and waited as the city inspector said. When he saw the tall and majestic copper giants at the palace gate, he felt an inexplicable fear in his heart. This fear is not because the rebels are about to attack, but because in Xianyang, a huge disaster is coming, but there is no one in charge. How could that aloof emperor be so confused? How did Great Qin become so ridiculous? The messenger pathetically hid in a deserted place and waited. Fortunately, he waited until the morning of the fourth day and was awakened by the sound of gongs and drums. The messenger hurriedly got up and found a gorgeous guard of honor walking over from a distance. It looked like it was the Emperor's Majesty. When they arrived at the palace gate, someone shouted: "The emperor has returned to the palace and welcomes the holy driver!" When the messenger heard that it was indeed the second emperor's chariot, he was very happy and wanted to step forward to stop the chariot. However, when he saw the soldiers around him, he hesitated. Shrank back.
It took a long time for the emperor to enter the palace before he came to the door and asked the guards to inform him. The guard also recognized him and let him in to report. But after waiting for a full hour, the people inside came out to let him see him. The messenger came to the palace under the guidance of the palace people. But what he saw was not the emperor, but the doctor's order, Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao asked him what happened. The messenger replied fearfully: "I am the messenger of Mr. Ying. Right now, Shandong..." Zhao Gao said "Huh!" and asked casually: "What's going on in Shandong now?" The messenger was frightened, so he followed the instructions of the city inspector. He ordered, "The old prince sent me to report to Your Majesty that recently a group of thieves from Sanchuan County came to Guanxia to cause trouble. They robbed the people, but the government is sending people to arrest them. Shandong... In short... Hangu Pass is very safe." , the world is very peaceful, please rest assured, Your Majesty. The old prince also said that if anything happens, he will definitely serve the country!" Zhao Gao suddenly laughed and said: "Okay! Okay! Very good! As long as the country is peaceful! I will take it right away. You go to see His Majesty." The messenger followed Zhao Gao to the palace cautiously, as if he had become a thief.
After meeting the second son, Zhao Gao told the second son that he was sent by Prince Ying. The second generation asked him casually: "Oh, you were sent by General Ying? How is the old general doing recently? He sacrificed four sons for the country last time. He is really loyal and brave. He deserves to be a loyal minister of the Qin Kingdom. He What's the matter?" The messenger repeated what he had said to Zhao Gao before. The Second Emperor was very happy after hearing this, and asked the palace servants to bring out a hundred pieces of gold, ten boxes of jewelry, and dozens of pieces of silk and satin. He said, "Take these back and tell the old general: I am very good. Please guard him carefully." I will reward him in the future!" Zhao Gao said with a smile on his face: "Why don't you thank me yet?" The messenger hurriedly crawled to thank him. After the messenger came out of the palace, he was sweating profusely. He wiped the sweat and said to himself: "If you tell lies, you will deceive the king, and you will become a rich man in an instant. If you treat the rebels as thieves today, there will be chaos in Xianyang tomorrow!" "
The messenger asked his entourage to find a large carriage on the street with the reward, and then drove away. The messenger felt very uneasy as he walked, so he found the official who was patrolling the city again and told him the story of his audience with the emperor. When the city inspector saw that he had gained a lot, he smiled and said: "Congratulations! I express my condolences to you!" When the messenger heard this, the monk who was really two feet tall was confused and asked: "Congratulations to me, how can you call it condolences? "The patrol officer said: "You told lies today, and His Majesty rewarded you. However, the rebels have already reached Hangu Pass, and they may reach Xianyang one day. At that time, the emperor will arrest you for questioning, but Isn't a disaster imminent?" The messenger was so frightened that he asked what to do. The city patrol official said: "Throw away your gains and run away!" The messenger asked his entourage to transport all the treasures back to Hangu Pass, and then he ran to Zhongnan Mountain to avoid the disaster.
At Hangu Pass, the sound of killings shook the sky, and the flames of war broke out. Ying Kui commanded the battle all day long. He hoped day and night that the imperial court would send troops for reinforcements, but in the end a large cart of treasure arrived and the messenger had disappeared without a trace. This made him feel inexplicable and heart-wrenching despair.
The rebels have been attacking Guanmen for more than ten days, but have made no progress. On this day, Zhou Wen gathered the crowd again and said: "Our people and animals have to consume a lot of food and feed all day long, and the soldiers have to fetch water for cooking. It is very inconvenient here. If Hangu Pass is not captured as soon as possible, it will be even more detrimental to our army. Now that the equipment is ready, we should launch a general attack tonight." After hearing this, all the generals were gearing up and eager to try, and they all waited for deployment. Zhou Wen then raised his tent and first said to Kong Fan: "You lead two thousand soldiers and go to the nearby area to find bricks, earth, and stones, and then wrap the stones with fine grass. If you see someone raising a fire on the hilltop to the south tonight, you will Lead the sergeants to drop them into Huanggou, build support points with stones, and make large piers for the bridge." Then he said to Kong Long: "After the piers are filled in Huanggou, you will lead the five hundred sergeants to push the folding bridge. Go to the edge of Huanggou, and then set up on the opposite side." Then he said to Wang Wu: "General Wang leads a thousand sergeants, each carrying a large shield. If you see a second torch lit on the top of the mountain tonight, you will Lead the sergeants to set up defenses with shields, transport all the attack equipment across Huanggou, and then withdraw." Then he said to Deng Zhong: "General Deng will take two thousand sergeants, each of them will tie the prepared dry firewood into a trap, and then put it inside Pour fish oil and other flammable materials on it. When you see the third torch lit on the mountain tonight, use a stone cart to drive all the firewood to the door." Deng Zhong said happily: "Yes!" Zhou Wen ordered He Zhi again Lead a thousand people to the left, Yang Sheng leads a thousand people to the right. If you see the fourth torch light up, rush over and use the extended ladder to climb the cliffs on both sides and attack the pass. The generals accepted the order and carried it out. Zhou Wen then said to General Han: "If the things ahead go well, I have to ask General Lao to personally lead 5,000 crossbowmen to shoot arrows at the gate in batches in order, and then use stone carts to hit the artillery to the bottom of the gate. Light the firewood, and when the fire gets bigger, it will burn down the door." General Han also accepted the task.
At about midnight that night, Zhou Wen ordered the rebels to beat drums and shout at the pass, pretending to attack the pass, alarming Ying Kui and the Qin army more than ten times, and causing the Qin army to be exhausted. In the second half of the night, Ying Kui and the Qin troops guarding the pass were too exhausted to move. Many sergeants lay in the pass and fell asleep. At around 12 o'clock, Zhou Wen personally led dozens of strong soldiers and climbed up a hill on the south side of Guanmen with torches. Although the inside of the pass cannot be seen from the mountain, the rebels below the pass can see him. Seeing that Guan Guan was very quiet at this time, Zhou Wen knew that all the Qin troops were asleep, so he asked the soldiers to light the first torch. The Kong brothers who were waiting at the foot of the mountain saw the torches lighted up, so they quietly led the rebels to the edge of Huanggou and threw earth and stones into it. Because the stone was wrapped in fine grass, it didn't make much noise. In a short time, a row of stone piers were filled in Huanggou to support the bridge deck. Kong Long pushed the folding bridge to the edge of Huanggou. Rolling wheels are installed at the bottom of this kind of bridge. The protruding end in front is first sent to the stone pier in Huanggou. After it is set up, the folded part is lifted up. The soldiers pull the rope and slowly lower the other end. The entire bridge was built, and it also connected the natural moat in front of Hangu Pass - Huanggou.
When the rebels lit up the second torch, Wang Wu led the rebels in groups of three. They held the ladder in their left hand and the big shield in their right hand, and ran towards the opposite side of Huanggou. Everyone walked across Huanggou as if they were walking on flat ground. Put down the ladder and leave quickly. After a while, the front of the pass was filled with equipment for solving key problems. On the opposite mountain, Zhou Wen asked the soldiers to light a third torch. When Deng Zhong saw it, he immediately used ten stone carts to deliver large bundles of dry firewood to the gate. Qin Jun heard the sound at the gate, so he got up to check, and found that it was true this time, so he quickly reported it to the old prince. When Ying Kui heard the report, he hurried to Guan Guan to check. I was shocked to find that the rebels were delivering large bundles of firewood to the gate. Knowing that they were going to attack with fire, I hurriedly ordered the sergeants to go below to carry water.
After a short time, rockets all over the sky were suddenly shot from the pass, and artillery was launched from stone carts. This kind of artillery was originally filled with flammable materials in a clay pot, and then wrapped in linen. The linen was ignited before being sent. It looked like a huge fireball in the sky and fell to the ground. The pot broke and immediately caught fire. Some of them fell on the firewood pile in front of the pass. In a short time, the front of the pass turned into a sea of fire. At this time, the Qin army brought water to put out the fire, but the rebels commanded by Han Qi fired arrows violently. The arrowheads were very dense, killing all the Qin soldiers who were putting out the fire. Those who survived were also hit by artillery and cried for their fathers and mothers. There was chaos at the time. Zhou Wen lit the fourth torch. He Zhi and Yang Sheng immediately led their troops across Huanggou, picked up the ladder from the ground and climbed up the cliff. For a moment, the entire Hangu Pass was filled with shouts of killing that were earth-shattering, causing the mountains to roar and the valleys to respond.
When Ying Kui saw that the fire was getting stronger and stronger and the Qin army was in chaos, he shouted urgently: "Don't panic! Everyone does his duty! Everyone keeps his position! Those who retreat will be killed!" Those Qin soldiers who heard the order risked their lives to attack I turned off the fire and splashed water. I was choked by the fireworks and kept coughing. I couldn't open my eyes. While Ying Kui was commanding, he was suddenly hit by an arrow, and the soldiers on his left and right hurriedly protected him and retreated. Ying Kui shouted and refused to retreat, so he was forcibly dragged off by the soldiers. The Qin army who put out the fire came up and were shot to death. They came up again and fell again. When Ying Kui came to the gate and saw that the gate was on fire, he ordered the sergeants to block the door with chariots at the top of his lungs. The Qin army pushed the chariot into the doorway. After another half an hour, someone came to report to Ying Kui: "The rebels are climbing up from both sides." Ying Kui became angry and sent people to reinforce him. He rode his horse to the middle of the pass in the pass and stood up with his sword on his horse, blocking the way.
When the reinforcements of the Qin army came to the pass, they threw stones and kept shooting arrows, and the rebels fell off the cliff one after another. After an hour, the gate was burned to ashes, and the rebels shouted and rushed towards the gate. They first used tow trucks to clear the road, and then used equipment to pull the Qin army's chariots out of the door opening to open a way forward. The Qin army's defense was also very fierce. They used large shields to block arrowheads, threw wood and stones downwards, and kept shooting arrows at each other. The rebels also suffered heavy casualties, and corpses were piled up on the road in front of the pass.
When Zhou Wen and Han Qi saw that the door was closed and burned out, they personally held up their shields and launched a charge. Ying Kui commanded the Qin army to block the attack. The passage was already crowded, and the sounds of killing and the clashing of weapons also became one. At this time, He Zhi and Yang Sheng had already attacked, and they came from inside to kill under the closed door. When Ying Kui saw that the rebels had entered the pass and were surrounded by enemies from both sides, he desperately directed the battle. After Zhou Wen and Han Qi entered the gate, they deployed their troops to cover up the attack. Ying Kui cursed the Chu thieves and fought back. At this time, He Zhi and Yang Sheng had already attacked behind him. Ying Kui drew his sword and cut off their weapons and continued fighting. However, the Chu army gathered more and more, and finally attacked Yingkui together. Although Yingkui was powerful, how could he resist such a huge offensive? After a while, he fell in the passage of Hangu Pass and died heroically for the Qin State. The rebel soldiers stepped on his body and rushed over. One poem sighed:
He is brave enough to regard death as if he is going home, but he is still brave as before.
The poor seven-foot-high body is hidden, and the spirit is hanging in front of the valley.
By the time everything calmed down, it was already daybreak. Accompanied by the generals, Zhou Wen and Han Qi boarded the tower of Hangu Pass together. Through the billowing smoke and dust, they saw the rebels dozens of miles away, still crowded towards the pass. But the troops nearby were already lined up neatly and entering the customs in order. Zhou Wen looked around and couldn't help but sigh: "The Qin people relied on the danger of Hangu Pass to occupy Guanzhong for hundreds of years, and no one has ever defeated it. I think that when the six kingdoms were uniting, they used the force ten times that of Qin. With the land as the foundation, an army ten times that of Qin came to attack. But as soon as Qin's door was opened, the coalition army collapsed without fighting and fled. When King Qin Yingzheng was in power, Qin's power became even stronger, and their No one could resist the military front, and finally conquered the entire world. In just ten years, Qin State destroyed Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, and their achievements were so brilliant. But Qin State After the unification, Ying Zheng did not know how to sympathize with the people and properly heal the wounds caused by the war. Instead, he carried out large-scale construction projects, acted wantonly, whipped the country, and enslaved the world. Only then did King Zhang Chu have no choice but to raise the rebellion. Flag! And these are all caused by the Qin State's implementation of a series of wrong policies!" After hearing this, all the generals expressed their agreement, so they stood there for a long time, unable to calm down.
