News of Lishi's fall reached Quyu three days later, and the Hu army on the front had just begun its second wave of offensive that day. Based on the setbacks of the past few days, the Huns finally discovered that the separate watchtower in the east of the city was the key to their attack. So they set up roadblocks in front of the fence in the north of the city, and then shifted the focus of their attack to the watchtower in Bailing.
Although the east watchtower of the city is located in a condescending position and the terrain is narrow, it is difficult for the Huns to exert their military superiority. However, it is also accompanied by the difficulty of assisting in defense. The watchtower in the east of the city is actually an isolated camp outside the city, connected to Quyu by only a trestle bridge. , the infantry at the fence could not come to help, and the crossbowmen on the trestle could only shoot a few shots from a distance. The soldiers in the watchtower fought hard with the Huns for a long time. The corpses of Han and Hu people were piled together, giving off the stench of rotten intestines and lungs.
The Han army first fired with crossbows, and then stabbed with long spears when the barbarians were close. Most of the Hu people's armors were made of leather, and a single poke would reveal a bloody hole. However, the Huns in the rear became ruthless and used the corpses of their tribesmen to jam the long spears. They pushed the corpses forward and rushed upwards. The Han army had no choice but to throw them away. It took only three hours for Shai Spear to kill him in hand-to-hand combat. Even though hundreds of corpses were left behind, it was still difficult for the Hu people to move forward.
But in the final analysis, this is just a wooden watchtower after all. A tribe was ordered to drag several stones of hay. Dozens of warriors faced the rain of arrows on the trestle and piled the hay on the left and right sides of the watchtower, intending to use the flames to directly burn this eyesore. .
In fact, the Han army had already made relevant preparations. They poured ice water up and down the watchtower every night. It was cold in spring, and several inches of ice ridges hung on the top and bottom of the watchtower, shining brightly in the daytime. The barbarians lit the flames, and the raging black smoke rose and danced like a black dragon. The ice melted and the mist melted. Snow-white water vapor entangled with the black smoke and penetrated, wrapping the entire watchtower in the vast smoke.
Chen Chong withdrew his eyes and said to the military council: "I'm afraid this building won't last three days." He paused for a moment, then said as if he was breathless: "But I didn't expect that Lishi wouldn't be able to last for one day. As long as we If we defend here for another ten days, I am afraid that the Hu army that captured Lishi will attack to the south of Quyu City. Our army will be attacked from both sides and will be completely destroyed here."
Everyone looked solemn, and the other prefectures and counties, especially the military commanders in Taiyuan, said nothing. Wang Kui was originally a branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan, and his influence in the army was not small. However, because of his insistence on going his own way, six thousand soldiers were killed. Originally, The military commanders who were still thinking about returning home all lost their arrogance at this moment, let alone rashly answer the question at the military meeting.
Han Xian looked calm and asked with a smile: "If you don't give up, I will contact Guo Shuai and let the soldiers and civilians in the city cross the river one by one to my Baibo Valley. I have been there before, and it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is far better than here, and our Baibo brothers have been hoarding food and grass for several years, but we are not in danger in a short time."
Wei Quan on the side categorically denied: "You must not do this. Lord Hanxian is certainly sincere, but I have been fighting with the Baibo army for many years. There are many casualties and there are many barriers between the soldiers. And the situation west of the river is "It's dark. We have to cross the river rashly without knowing the situation. If we encounter difficulties, can we cross the river safely and return? Your Majesty, now we can only retreat south before the enemy forces encircle us, retreat to Pingyang, and wait for reinforcements from the imperial court."
Speaking of this, Chen Chong pointed his fingers downward along the direction of the river on the map of Xihe County, and then divided Shang County and Hedong County into two. All the way up to the Hukou Mountain, there were steep mountains and steep roads, and winding roads. Caijin Ferry.
Caisangjin has been a famous ferry since the Spring and Autumn Period. It is famous for its clouds of mulberry trees and abundant water and grass. In June every year, mulberries fall with the wind, and the quietly flowing Tianjin water oozes red and purple, like a splendid interweaving. Picking mulberry powder has become a famous spot. In later generations, Li He, a poet ghost, said in a poem: "It is appropriate to drink mulberry powder in February." A man born out of grass is like a man who laughs."
Chen Chong fingered the place where the mulberry was picked, thought for a moment, and smiled at the generals: "What Mr. Wei said may not be unreasonable. Our army crossed the river in a hurry to join the Baibo army, and it was easy to cause chaos on its own, and it was in vain that the Xiongnu were advantaged. But retreating to Zhongyang, but it is not necessary. I ask the armies, should we defend Quyu Yi or Zhongyang Yi?"
All the generals were silent. Although Quyu was a small city and Zhongyang was a big city, all the generals knew that Quyu was far easier to defend than Pingyang. After all, Quyu is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Now that the Xiongnu army has entered the city, they can only attack one side in vain. The Han army is delayed by the fence and is unable to make progress. Even if the Hu army at Lishi took a detour and attacked from behind, they would only besieging both sides of Quyu. There is no danger to defend Zhongyang. When the two Hu armies join forces and surround Zhongyang on all sides, no one can ensure that the city is safe.
Zhang Yang sighed: "We all know your intention. If Lishi falls, the enemy will be able to bypass Quyu and seize the entire Xihe River. Although we can defend it for a long time, we are just a lone army and will be of no benefit to the overall situation." , On the contrary, it will ruin the situation in the whole state, I hope you will think about it carefully."
"Who said we are alone in Quyu?" Chen Chong tapped Cai Sangjin with his fingers and said with a smile: "As long as this place is still under the control of the imperial court, our army will never be alone in Quyu." The generals were confused for a moment, but Chen Chong smiled. Without answering, he turned to the generals and asked: "It's just that since Lishi has fallen and the situation in Xihe has changed, our army in the north of the city can still use the fence to delay it for a few more days. Lishi and Hu's army come from the south, and we can't let it happen." The barbarians surrounded me safely. What do you think?"
In words, the general policy of sticking to Quyu has been set in advance. The generals knew that the situation was critical at this time and must not start any more internal strife. Although Chen Chong lacked prestige in the army, he was the highest officer after all, so they stopped arguing. Zhang Liao followed Chen Chong's train of thought and replied: "To defend the city, you must defend the country. Previously, I attacked the Hulu camp. Although the Huns have been transformed into kings for a long time, the nature of the barbarians is hard to change. Although there is thought in setting up the camp and defense, there is no method. In my humble opinion. , we can follow the old plan and lead thousands of people south to the mountains and forests, attacking and harassing the Hu army on the south road along the way."
Chen Chong's face showed admiration. He straightened his body and looked at the faces of everyone around him. No matter whether they looked embarrassed or excited, he kept a subtle smile. Finally, he stretched out his left hand, which was missing a little finger, and the new flesh buds had not yet become smooth. He sighed and said: "Gentlemen, We are on the battlefield, living by the sword and dying by the sword. What do we do? It is just a sleep and a night of sweet dreams. The country has suffered such a catastrophe, the common people and the gray people cannot bear the pain of being punished, the ghosts of injustice are curling up, and the humiliation of Hu Chen is gnashing their teeth. Gentlemen, although Chen Tingjian has no talent for charging into battle, he still leads thousands of cavalry out of the city to fight in the field. I don’t know who is willing to join me in the bloodbath!"
On March 19, under the vast night, all the war horses of the Han army could not help but neigh lowly in the anxious atmosphere. The Xiongnu camp in the north of the city was still silent. Silence was the dark mood between the two armies. For the Han army, Yan is the depression of the overall situation collapsing, but for the Xiongnu, it is a completely different situation.
Huliba, the king of Xiutu, was moving forward with his stronghold, and his subordinates were busy going back and forth in the dark night. The fur of the felt tent glowed with green-white dust in the moonlight, and the loess covered with fluffy grass revealed a fishy smell during digging, gradually burying the smell of blood and rust during the day. Today, the watchtower outside the city of Quyu was finally removed during the day. He was able to set up his formation on the top of Bailing Mountain and watch the people coming and going on the wall of Quyu. He was still heartbroken by the casualties among the troops in the past few days.
Zuo Jian's general Wang Kuibu stood beside him to observe the situation. He saw brightly lit fires on the city wall, but the streets inside the city were dark. He couldn't help but wonder: "Even if we lose the stronghold outside the city, our army will need time to reorganize before we can attack again. Chen Tingjian... Why increase manpower for night defense?”
He thought about it for a moment, but had no clue, so he gave up and said: "Well, no matter what, tonight our army will rest and reorganize, but the Han people will guard it all night. Tomorrow they will be at a disadvantage. Even if they can't take the city, our troops will definitely be able to break it." Several layers of fencing.”
After hearing this, Huliba smiled and shook his head. He often touched the scabbard at his waist with his finger on the bow string. He analyzed: "Chen Tingjian is familiar with military affairs and will not make such a mistake. Kuibancan, your eyesight is not as good as mine. This city At first glance, everyone is holding fire, no less than 3,000 people, but there are five teams of about 1,000 people patrolling back and forth, which goes against common sense."
After hearing this, Kui Bucan frowned and looked at the soldiers patrolling back and forth, but then he noticed that the figures of the soldiers on guard did not move at all under the light. After a moment of thought, he realized: "Huliba, you mean these garrison soldiers Most of them are fake people."
"That's probably it." King Xiutu looked at the small city with a panoramic view below him, but he still couldn't clearly see the deployment of troops in the city, which made him a little anxious. "This is probably Chen Tingjian's method to induce us to attack tomorrow. , if we are eager to attack the city, and he shows weakness first and then retreats, and then goes out to counterattack when our army relaxes its vigilance, if we do not handle it properly, we will really have no choice but to return in defeat."
Kuibancan shuddered as he imagined the scene of the army being defeated and retreating. But then he breathed a sigh of relief and praised: "Huliba, since you can see through the Han army's tricks, then we can continue the siege. Now that Zadu has captured Lishi, the retreat of this new city will also be blocked. , the Han army’s situation is over, and it can be said that it is just around the corner for our army to capture all the states and merge with them.”
But Huliba was unmoved. On the contrary, he frowned and looked heavy. He whispered to himself: "No, there is something wrong." If you just want to confuse yourself, not only the decoration on the city, but also the lights inside the city should be bright. Yes, now there is a huge noise on the city, but the city is as silent as ice, which is too abnormal!
"There are mobilizations, there are mobilizations in the city! I'm afraid Chen Tingjian will leave the city!" A flash of light suddenly penetrated Huliba's thoughts. He suddenly realized it and ordered Kuibucan hastily: "Quickly mobilize troops and guard the south gate of this city! "
Kuibancan asked: "Which department should be transferred?" Huliba said coldly: "It can only be the Tiefu Department. Let them act quickly, before Chen Tingjian leaves the city..."
Before he finished speaking, a war horse neighed like a crack of silk, piercing the silent night. Then hundreds of horses roared, boiling throughout the south. Huliba looked to the south of the city. The torches in the city rose like a fiery snake passing by, quickly in the air. They gathered into a long dragon at the south gate.
Kui Bu Can hurriedly ordered the resting Tiefu tribe to rush towards the south gate. From a high position, the Tiefu tribe sprinted very fast, rushing down the mountain in almost a few breaths. However, when they approached the south gate, the long-awaited The bed crossbow suddenly exerted force, instantly killing dozens of cavalrymen who were chasing in the front ranks. The entire Tiefu tribe was in chaos. Kuibuchan was worthy of a veteran in the army, and he quickly reorganized his formation.
Kui Bucan looked at the city tower and saw Zhang Yang waving his sword at him under the torch, which was quite heroic.
The cavalry chase was a race against time, and in this chaotic moment, it was obviously a dream for the Tiefu tribe to pursue again at this time. The fire dragon swam into the wilderness as if it had been unchained. On the cypress ridge, Huliba could only see the smoke behind the team in the distance.
Where are they going? Everyone has this question.
