The team had just walked out of Jiayuguan forty or fifty miles when they encountered an accident, which meant that Yuezhi's team had been spying on the goings-on outside the pass.
Ying Zheng looked at Xu Wan, as if he was asking about the enemy.
Xu Wan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this area outside the pass has always been an area that has been ignored. The Yueshi have been active recently. They have intercepted several caravans and were repelled by us, but they seem to want to occupy this place. There is no intention to evacuate.”
King Xiqiang said: "I think they came well prepared this time, but I don't know how many people came this time."
Xu Wan ordered the detective horse to continue to inquire about the details, then turned to Ying Zheng and said: "Your Majesty and the King of Xiqiang will wait here for a while. The ministers have dispersed the Yueshi, and we are on our way again."
After that, Xu Wan reorganized his troops and headed northwest with the 20,000 cavalry from the front army.
Ying Zheng's 3,000 Huben army and the 10,000 guards of the Western Qiang King were left camped in place, waiting for news.
"How many defenders are there in the city?" King Xiqiang asked.
Ying Zheng said: "There should be 30,000 people left. If it is really a tough battle, there are 30,000 defenders in Suzhou, and they can arrive in one day."
King Xiqiang nodded: "It seems that I have to send someone to send a message and ask the great elder to bring the army over. If the Yueshi are ignorant, we might as well kill them directly to avoid future troubles."
"Let's take a look at the situation first." Ying Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Now the enemy is in darkness and we are in the clear. The situation is not favorable. If they come in large numbers this time, I'm afraid we will have to find helpers."
"Help?" King Xiqiang asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Ying Zheng pointed to the west and said: "If I remember correctly, there is the branch road not far ahead. The official road to the north leads directly to Yumen Pass, and the south road leads to Yang Pass."
"I heard from Xu Wan that most of the Yuezhi move on this road to the north, but the road to Yangguan in the south is much safer, and most of the merchants coming and going use this Yangguan Avenue."
"If the Yuezhi have a large number of people, then we will quickly go to Yangguan and ask King Loulan to send troops to catch him by surprise."
King Xiqiang smiled and said: "This is a good idea, but King Loulan has always been cautious and is afraid of taking risks easily."
Ying Zheng said: "If the three families can't defeat the Yueshi even if they work together, then we don't have to mess around anymore. We should quickly take off the royal robe and abdicate."
Seeing that the King of Qin was so resolute, the King of Xiqiang called his subordinates again and sent an urgent order to the chief elder of his headquarters, ordering him to quickly mobilize his troops to help. He also ordered his troops of 20,000 to go to Longxi to search for Qiang Fu.
It's no wonder that Ying Zheng cares so much. The current trouble must be solved, because if the Yuezhi stays here all the time, then when he takes the entire Jingjue clan to migrate, it will inevitably cause a big trouble.
Once the people with their families encounter the attack of a large number of cavalry, it will inevitably lead to disaster.
Meng Tian took the topographic map Xu Wan had given him yesterday, laid it out in front of the two monarchs, and analyzed it.
Several people were familiar with the terrain and directions in all directions.
About an hour later, there was a burst of dust from the northwest, and Xu Wan was seen rushing back with a group of guards.
"Your Majesty, all the scouts have brought back news."
Ying Zheng said: "What's going on ahead?"
"It doesn't seem too optimistic." Xu Wan frowned and said, "A large Yuezhi army was found in the northwest. The number is about 50,000, and it seems to be just the front army. According to calculations, there is the main force of the Chinese army behind it, and the total number of people It should be no less than 150,000."
King Xiqiang was really shocked: "One hundred and fifty thousand? Could it be that the Yueshi came out in full force this time?"
Xu Wan continued: "The detective horses in the north also brought back news that there seems to be an ambush on the top of the mountain. It seems that they should be Huns. The number is unknown."
"The Huns are also here?" Ying Zheng's heart trembled. You must know that once the Huns join the war, the situation will become more serious. Who knows what Touman is thinking.
King Xiqiang said: "I received news earlier that King Xiutu of the Xiongnu was unwilling to accept Man Shanyu's decision, so he led his headquarters to the north of Longshou Mountain. If it is really them, their number should be more than 30,000."
Ying Zheng analyzed: "In other words, King Xiutu may have colluded with the Yuezhi without telling Touman and ambushed him here?"
"It's very possible." King Xiqiang said, "They want to occupy this place and block the Silk Road. Moreover, what you inspected in Longxi is not a secret. This time they are well prepared and their target should be you."
Ying Zheng turned his attention to the map again, thinking about countermeasures.
"Your Majesty, how about we return to Jiayuguan first, and then mobilize the army to meet the enemy." Xu Wandao.
Ying Zheng shook his head slowly: "You have 50,000 men, keep some to guard Jiayuguan, and the rest will attack the Yuezhi army on the northern road to Yumen Pass. King Xiqiang and I will go to Loulan to ask them to send troops. .”
"But..." Xu Wan hesitated, "What if Loulan just sits idly by and ignores it, or colludes with the Yuezhi, that would be terrible."
Ying Zheng had not thought about this, but he still said decisively: "I believe in King Loulan, and I have a bargaining chip that he can't refuse."
King Xiqiang said very cautiously: "Even so, there is no guarantee that there will be no ambush on Yangguan Road. If we fall into a trap..."
Ying Zheng thought for a while and said: "It's better to go like this. I will lead the Tiger and Ben army in front, and you will stop behind. As long as we reach Yangguan, we will have won half the battle."
Xu Wandao: "I will send a few people to explore the road first. If there is no ambush, I will go directly to inform King Loulan first."
"Okay, let's do it like this." Ying Zheng said, "When it comes to your side, can you hold on?"
"I have sent people to mobilize the garrison in Suzhou to take over Jiayuguan." Xu Wan said, "The fifty thousand troops on my side are enough to resist for a while. As long as the king enters Yangguan, I will withdraw to Jiayuguan. "
"Then it's settled." Ying Zheng looked at Xu Wan and said, "You must not take any risks. Once there is danger, return to the pass. Don't be reluctant to fight."
"The last general takes command!"
"Remember to deliver news to everyone at any time."
After the strategic layout was completed, Ying Zheng put away the map, told Zhang Yong a few words, and then led the Tiger Army straight to the west.
King Xiqiang followed closely with his tribe.
Xu Wan then protected them on the north side and ran towards the northern official road leading to Yumen Pass at the fork in the road, where he intercepted the Yuezhi army.
In the tent of the Yueshi Central Army, a hundred miles away to the north, an old man in his sixties was holding a wine glass in his hand, as if he was thinking about something.
"Repay...!"
A detective horse rushed into the tent and reported: "Your Majesty, Xu Wan personally led an army of 20,000 to escort a caravan of several thousand people on their way to Yumen Pass, and there are also Xiqiang people following them."
It turns out that this old man with a gray beard is the king of the Yuezhi - King Kushan!
"The Xiqiang people are also here?" He squinted his eyes and said, "Have you found out clearly whether King Qin came to Jiayuguan?"
Tan Ma said: "I found out clearly that King Qin did arrive at Jiayuguan last night."
The King of Kushan was not asking anything, but was making calculations.
The Great Elder of the Yuezhi beside him said: "Your Majesty, are we really going to break up with Great Qin?"
King Kushan was still speechless, as if he had not yet made his final decision.
On the other side of the tent, a man dressed in Xiongnu costumes said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to hesitate any longer. My King Xiutu has already led his men to ambush you. This Jiayuguan Pass belongs to your Yuezhi. After this is done, the entire Jiayuguan Pass will also It belongs to the Yuezhi, and we Xiongnu will definitely not get involved."
King Guishang looked at him and said: "You Xin, you go back and tell King Xiutu that I not only want Jiayuguan, but also want you to guard Wangdong City and resist the Qin State. Moreover, when the situation here stabilizes, the Huns will send troops to help I will also knock down Yumen Pass."
This Huns named You Xin was the envoy sent by King Xiutu. He said resolutely: "This is something that has been discussed a long time ago. Your Majesty puts your heart into it, and King Xiutu will definitely do what he says. "
King Guishuang was quite cautious. He hesitated for a moment and finally said: "Okay, pass on my order. The front army will advance quickly and be sure to block the access to Yumen Pass. The Chinese army will follow the front army and support the front army." , wipe out all the enemy forces!"
The messenger followed the order and exited the tent, and You Xin finally showed a proud smile.
But King Guishuang looked at him coldly and said: "This battle is not my original plan. If I win, I will do what I just said. But if I lose, King Xiutu will not even think about returning to the grassland."
You Xin's face froze, and he said in a deep voice: "Our combined strength exceeds 200,000. If we can't even deal with the Qin army's 50,000 troops, we will really have no shame in going back. As long as we lure them out in batches Guan Lai, it will be easy to eliminate them."
"I hope so." King Guishuang said, "I hope King Xiutu won't hide behind and watch the fun. As for you, just wait until this battle is over before going back."
You Xin: "..."
After receiving the order from King Kushan, the Yuezhi's front army began to gallop forward rapidly. Nearly two hours later, a cavalry group appeared in their field of vision.
On the big flag fluttering in the wind, the word "Qin" is written clearly.
The Qin army was well prepared and had already set up its posture. When it was time to relax and wait for work, it was the time when morale was high.
However, the Yuezhi's front army was in a state of exhaustion, and the general was eager to make a contribution, so he went straight to the Qin army without letting the front army repair.
What they didn't expect was that the Qin army would just stand there and wait.
The horse traps, horse trip ropes, and hoof ropes have all been prepared.
In an instant, the Yuezhi troops who were rushing at the front were all knocked down. More than a thousand war horses howled in mourning, and countless warriors fell to death and were injured.
But the Yuezhi army was also well-trained and could be said to be carefully selected elites. After a slight panic, they changed direction, bypassed the trap, and attacked from the flanks in two groups.
The Qin army gave an order and concentrated on one side to fight, while the rear troops used bows and crossbows to deal with the incoming enemy.
The Qin army was not fully prepared for this sudden battle, and there was no danger to defend the area, so they could only confront the invading enemy head-on.
On the Yangguan Road south of the battlefield, Ying Zheng stopped his horse and looked towards the Yumen Pass Road to the north.
"They should have handed over." King Xiqiang said, "Do you think Xu Wan can stop them?"
"The defenders of Jiayuguan should be arriving soon." Ying Zheng said, "If the numbers are equal, our Qin army has no reason to lose."
I remember when I accompanied Ying Zheng to Jingjue for the first time, they were attacked and plundered by King Qiemo, but they were captured alive. The King of Xiqiang had already seen the bravery of the Qin army, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Even if we lose, Xu Wan can retreat to Jiayuguan." Ying Zheng continued, "He only needs to block Yuezhi for half a day, which is enough for us to reach Yangguan."
For Ying Zheng, this time is indeed a test.
In the past, when Qin fought with other countries, it always took the initiative after careful preparation, but this time it was passively beaten. Who said that this territory was not their own?
If he returned to Jiayuguan, there would definitely be no risk, but he still wanted to gamble.
Because if we want the whole Jingjue clan to migrate safely, we must deal with the Yuezhi!
At this time, the scouting horse in front reported that there was no ambush within fifty miles ahead.
"Let's go find King Loulan." Ying Zheng urged the horse and jumped out first.
The King of Xiqiang followed closely behind and led his people on the Yangguan Avenue.
