This time the Liang people moved extremely quickly. There was no sign of weakness as mentioned by Jia Xu and Duan Xuan, nor the elite troops as originally planned. On June 14, Jia Xu arrived in Wan County and met with Li Jue and Guo Si. During the meeting, Li Jue and Guo Si agreed with Jia Xu that they should march west as quickly as possible with their army. As a result, on June 17, all the Liang troops in Kanto were assembled.
There was just one problem. After half a year of expedition, the arrows Liang Ren carried were almost used up, and many of his swords were also damaged. If he wanted to use this to enter the battle, he might not be able to do it.
But Jia Xu quickly solved the problem. This time he rushed south from Hongnong, carrying more than 10,000 people, and climbed out of Xiong'er Mountain. After joining the main force of the Liang people in Deng County, he directly arrived in the north of Xiangyang City with one unit, and threatened Liu Biao in Yaowu Sheshu City. , trying to force Liu Biao to open a position and negotiate peace. Jia Xu claimed in the book that they were willing to sell Nanyang to Liu Biao, but they needed Liu Biao to support him with 150,000 arrows, more than 30,000 weapons, and 50,000 hu of grain. Otherwise, now that their escape route was cut off, they had no choice. Now that they can return home, and thousands of people are waiting to die, they will definitely make a desperate move. Even if the corpses fill the river, they will definitely make all the more than 70,000 people under their command die in Jingzhou.
Liu Biao was frightened after hearing this. In the past few months, Huang Zu was still stationed in Deng County, but the Liang people had the advantage. After several attacks and defenses, both the Deng County defenders and the reinforcements in Xianshan suffered heavy losses. After thinking about it for a day, Liu Biao was frightened. , Liu Biao finally agreed to Liang Ren's request.
Next, the Liang people retreated fifty miles and returned Shandu, Zhuyang, and Yin County to Liu Biao first to show the Liang people's sincerity, and the two sides traded supplies in Shunyang. Liu Biao provided 100,000 ordinary arrows, 10,000 armor-piercing arrows, 5,000 knives, 10,000 long poles, 40,000 hu of rice, 3,000 horses, 200 boats, and 100 craftsmen. The Liang people were very happy to see it, especially the rice from Jingzhou, which had a scent of clear water, so it was very popular among the soldiers. Even if the quantity was insufficient, they didn't care. Instead, he quickly left behind the looted goods, gathered all the pack horses together, and filled them with military baggage and grain.
At this time, Jia Xu encouraged the soldiers in the army: "Although the world is big, there are few places to stay. Looking at the universe, only Longban is our home. In the past, we followed the Grand Master out of our homes and conquered all directions. Now we are unexpectedly How absurd it is to live in a place without size! If you go to Xijing, you will be rich all over the world, but you will die at home!"
The soldiers of the Liang people had been fighting for a long time and were quite tired, but after hearing Jia Xu's words, they all cheered up and sang "Longtou Flowing Water Song" loudly. They also thought in their hearts: No matter how successful or failed the world is, I must die at home. !
On June 22, Liu Biao sent supplies, and on the 23rd, the Liang people left Shunyang and headed straight for Wuguan along Danshui. Along the way, Li Jue and Guo Si were convinced by Jia Xu and asked Ji Yu: "Wuguan Pass is difficult to attack. What should we do?"
Jia Xu obviously understood this, and he quickly replied: "It's just to make money."
At this time, Wuguan was guarded by Yang Ru, the captain of Wuguan. He was originally stationed here by Dong Zhuo, but he was not from Liang, but a Langguan recruited by Gai Xun in Jingzhao during his lifetime. After Dong Zhuo's death, he saw that the three assistants changed their colors and the city was destroyed, so he immediately expressed his submission to the court.
Although Wang Yun hated him working for Dong Zhuo, he also knew that Wuguan's position was crucial. Now that Hangu Pass is occupied by Guan Yu, the Liang people know its danger and dare not attack by force. In this way, the only way to connect Liang people with the inside and outside is Wuguan. Yang Ru surrendered, which could cut the Liang people into two parts, so that they could not communicate with each other inside and outside the pass, and the imperial court would be more confident in quelling the chaos. Therefore, although he did not say a word to Xu Rong, Niu Fu and other troops in the pass who asked for advice, he only accepted Yang Cheng , and sent 3,000 additional soldiers to it. Adding to the original 3,000 soldiers, there were 6,000 defenders in Wuguan. …
When sending reinforcements, Wang Yun also sent an envoy to promise Yang Ru that as long as he defended the Wuguan Pass, he would not only be forgiven of his sins, but also be granted the title of a thousand households in the future and become a public official. Yang Ru was overjoyed and immediately assured the envoy that no matter how Li Jue and Guo Si attacked, Wuguan could be defended for at least one year.
He was not boasting about Haikou, because Wuguan was conquered by Guan Yu the year before, Dong Zhuo was still worried, so he appointed Yang Ru as the captain of Wuguan, and spent a lot of money to order him to rebuild Wuguan. After one year of construction, Wuguan city wall was thick. Three feet, three feet high. The city gates are all made of pear wood and connected with iron pins. A moat with a depth of two feet was also dug in front of Wuguan. The specifications are directly comparable to those of Luoyang and Chang'an. In addition, Guancheng has sufficient materials, so Yang Ru's statement that it can be maintained for a year is by no means an empty lie.
Therefore, Yang Ru had no worries. While sending scouts to inquire about the news in Guandong, he indulged in sexual activities in Guancheng. The people in Shangluo were in despair, so he found five beautiful concubines from Jingzhao and had fun day and night.
At noon that day, the weather was hot, and he was still drinking. Suddenly he felt interested, so he took off his shirt, revealing his strong arms, took off his wooden clogs, went barefoot, picked up a knife, and walked to the center of the banquet. , ordered four beautiful concubines to play the piano and flute, one of the beautiful concubines slowly sang a ballad, and he himself danced in the banquet in time with the chopping knife.
The concubine sang: "Fighting and drinking for entertainment, talking about thick and thin. Driving and riding horses, playing Wan and Luo." Her singing voice was gentle, but the melody was crisp. Yang Ru was very happy to hear it, and danced until his bun fell apart. .
At this time, a man quickly walked upstairs to the door and knocked on the doorframe a few times. After the music in the room stopped, he walked to the door respectfully and asked Yang Ru for instructions: "Captain, please investigate." Several uncles from the enemy's situation came back and said they had something to report to the captain."
His interest was cut off, but Yang Ru was calm. He put on his robe again, stepped out of the room, and asked, "Is there any news about Li Jue and Guo Si?"
"yes."
Yang Ru then asked them to wait in the hall, and he put on a bright yellow rhinoceros armor and a jade sword gifted by Wang Yun to show that he was highly valued by the court. When the returning scouts saw this, they all saluted respectfully. , when he returned to the chair, the leading scout came forward to report the situation and told him two pieces of news.
First of all, the Liang people's army is marching towards Wuguan. Seeing that their vanguard has arrived in Danshui County, there are about ten thousand people, and they are all cavalry. It seems that the Liang people from Guandong have come out in full force and are desperate. It is expected that at Hai hour tonight, the troops will be able to approach Guancheng.
Yang Ru was greatly worried when he heard this. He originally thought that Li Jue and Guo Si had occupied the two counties, but now he was thinking about his life and was trying to do it. Unexpectedly, he was now desperate to save his life. Even if the Wuguan was strong, it would be difficult to withstand ten times the enemy. ! Thinking of this, Yang Ru's intention to stick to it was wavered.
At this time, the scouts told him another news. When they were spying, they encountered a group of Liang people who came to surrender. There were about thirty people. This group of Liang people said that they did not want to die with the masses and wanted to take refuge under Yang Ru. The scouts Undecided, he took them to rest before closing the door, and asked Yang Ru to make a decision.
Hearing that someone from Liang had come to surrender, Yang Ru was extremely happy. He said to his subordinates: "Li Jue and Guo Bin are determined to fight to the death. But now there is no battle yet, but there are already separated people under his subordinates. This is a sign of the unsteadiness of the people. I have been there before." What we were afraid of, now it seems that we are 80% sure of guarding the gate.”…
After saying that, he immediately led the crowd out of the city to greet the Liang people in person.
The city gate opened, and Yang Ru rode out slowly on a yellow gelding. In order to show his power, he still carried a bow on his back despite the hot weather. There was a quiver wrapped in peach bark tied to the saddle, and deer hoof leather boots were mounted on the stirrups. superior. This group of Liang people were not far from the city gate at this time, eating dry food and chatting. When they saw Yang Ru coming, they all knew that he was a big shot, so they formed a formation, saluted to Yang Ru and said, "I have seen you, sir." !”
Yang Ru saw that each of them was carrying a horse, and they all looked majestic. Even standing next to the horses, they looked very powerful. Yang Ru felt inferior and became wary. He was riding on a horse, holding a riding crop and asked: "Which one are you from?"
One of them stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "I am Yang Mi, who used to be the military commander under General Guo Lang. Now Guo Si wants to rebel, and I want to lead everyone to surrender. May I ask if you are the captain of Wuguan?"
Seeing his thorough etiquette, Yang Ru nodded secretly and asked, "I am Yang Ru! Let me ask you, do you know the reality of Li Guo in the east?"
Yang Mi replied: "Li Guo and Li Guo were frightened when they heard that Situ was in trouble anyway. They did not follow the advice of the soldiers and returned west to Longban. However, their subordinates were exhausted from fighting in Nanyang for a long time. At this time, there was another war, and they were very dissatisfied. At this time, Although we have gathered sixty thousand people, from what I can see below, there is really nothing we can do. To save our lives, I hope you will be taken in!"
Yang Ru was very happy when he heard what he wanted, but when he saw the dust of these people, he had a suspicion in his heart: Wang Situ now hates Liang people, and it is well known that if he takes them in, will he make them unhappy? A gap in your mind? Since we know that the Liang people are just superficial, there seems to be no need to take them in, and don't add obstacles to your career.
So he pretended to ask again: "Are there many people like you in the army?"
"There are many others like me, but time is tight, so I only brought here people I can trust."
Yang Ru looked like he was thinking, and after a while he said: "Now that you join our army, you can only be a uncle, which is a pity. Otherwise, you can go back to the army first, and then convince some people. Anyway, wait until you When we were in front of the city again, he suddenly rebelled, and I went out to meet him again. By then I would have defeated the rebels, and the court would definitely give me a big reward."
Yang Mi looked embarrassed and obviously reluctant, but Yang Ru didn't care about his feelings at all and shouted loudly: "If you want to gain wealth, how can you risk your life?"
Yang Mi looked around at the soldiers behind him. They looked at the open city gate, winked at him, and nodded. Only then did Yang Mi calm down. He turned back to Yang Ru and said, "Since it's your command, I won't do it." I dare not do it, but I just need a token to convince my colleagues, so I want to borrow something from your lord."
This is what it should be. Yang Ru smiled and said, "What is it?"
Yang Mi took two steps forward, and suddenly his color changed like thunder. A pair of big hands grabbed Yang Ru's right leg and pulled him off the saddle. Yang Ru was unprepared and felt that he was flying in the sky. After a brief feeling of weightlessness, he made a clang. He fell to the ground and stirred up a cloud of smoke. In the smoke, Yang Ru's body was in severe pain, but his consciousness had not yet returned. Yang Mi drew his sword like lightning and wiped his neck with the blade, causing blood to spurt out.
The surrounding attendants were stunned by this scene. Before they could escape back, the thirty or so Liang people had already mounted their horses, roared towards the city gate, and killed all the attendants. At the city gate, the chief officer was missing, and the soldiers guarding the gate were frightened out of their wits by the big horses, and they quickly fled.
This allowed the Liang people to safely control the city gate. Later, Yang Mi held Yang Ru's head and walked into the pass. He held Yang Ru's head high and loudly announced to the chaotic soldiers around him: "The grand master died unjustly. We are waiting to enter the pass to take revenge. Who will be on the same journey with me!"
Wuguan surrendered.
Li Jue and Guo Si arrived at Wuguan that night. Yang Mi led them to inspect the customs warehouse. In the customs warehouse, there were mountains of rice noodles and arrows piled up. These were the customs defense supplies that Wang Yun had transferred from Xiwu. Li Jue was greatly moved. , said to Jia Xu on the side: "Wen and wisdom are like heavenly beings."
Jia Xu was noncommittal about this. He looked at the north and twirled his beard, obviously thinking about something in his mind. He loosened his fingers, showed a determined smile, and quickly said: "Soldiers are very quick, and we will distribute the supplies. Let's continue to march towards West!"
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