While the undercurrent was still surging in the Chang'an court, the war in Youzhou continued.
In mid-November, all the water in Hebei was frozen. Yuan Shao tried several times to attack but failed, and was forced to leave Daijun by Gongsun Zan. Then Gongsun Zan left Tian Kai to lead five thousand people to guard the important area of Lingqiu. He gathered another 60,000 soldiers, then left Juyongguan, crossed Guangning, and went straight to the foot of Danhan Mountain with his feet on the Qiu River.
In the first battle of Dai County, Ke Bineng rushed into battle because Dou Bin's troops were not notified in time, resulting in an inconsistent formation and a fragile defeat. Taking into account the losses before and after, nearly 9,000 people were lost, so they had to retreat to Danhan Mountain and gather the defeated troops again. Since the Battle of Pingcheng, Xianbei has not suffered such a heavy defeat. For a time, the various tribes in Xianbei were tempted and tended to take advantage of the opportunity to become independent.
But Ke Bineng is worthy of being an outstanding figure in Xianbei. After the defeat, he did not panic. He summoned all the ministers in the royal court to talk about the cause of the defeat in public. He said that he had used inhuman people and that the defeat was not the fault of the ministries. He also naked in public and ordered his younger brother Ju Luohou to be whipped fifty times. He had previously ordered Ju Luohou to be merciless and the whip penetrated the flesh with a sound like cutting. After fifty lashes, the skin on Kebi Neng's back was torn open and dripping with blood. Even though he was as warlike as a Xianbei knight, his color did not change.
But with such severe pain, Kebineng was able to swallow it alive. When he put on his coat, although his complexion was a little pale, his speech and behavior were as normal, which frightened all the officials. After the flogging, Kebineng also discussed merits and rewards, summoned warriors from all tribes, and rewarded those with meritorious service in battle with gold, silver and meat, and the warriors from all tribes were attracted by this. A storm was resolved invisibly by Kebi Neng.
However, the royal court has not yet decided how to fight Gongsun Zan. After all, in the battle of Dai County, the scene of Bailu Qi charging forward, Baima Yi following wherever he went, and all the soldiers being invincible really made everyone feel happy. After discussing for a whole day, we came up with no idea.
Kebi could wait until this moment and then said calmly: "I have watched Gongsun Zan for a long time. When he fought against Karasuma, it was just like today. He won a big victory first. But he won but did not know how to stop. Every battle he had to fight for victory. Complete victory. Therefore, there is the embarrassment of Baitan Mountain [1], and the defeat of Fenyin [2]. Now that he has crossed three mountains and wants to fight me decisively in the royal court, won't he have to make the same mistake again?"
Speaking of this, Ke Bineng sneered, stood up and said: "Let's not mention that Su Li is still winning consecutive battles in western Liaoning. Now, how can Gongsun Zan know our mountains and rivers outside the fortress? Even if the whole country of Youzhou is attacking, and there are Why are you afraid?" At this point, Kebi Neng called out to someone: "Mona, Mona!"
A man with a crowned head with eyes like a falcon stepped forward. Everyone recognized him and knew that he was Yuwen Mona, the leader of the Yuwen Department. He followed Kebineng when he was in Baishan and was a close minister of Kebineng. He said: "Mona, I will give you six thousand knights. You can lead your army north and hide on Huangshi Cliff. When the Han people surround my court, you can go south to Shihuo Mountain and cut off their return. By then, I'm afraid he wants to It’s impossible to get a horse back to Yan!”
Kebi Neng arranged it this way because he took into account the complex terrain around the royal court. The reason why Danhan Mountain is called Danhan Mountain is because of its high and precipitous terrain. The mountain is winding and winding. It is more than 400 feet high and more than 20 miles long. When you look up, it blocks the sky and the sun, and when you look down, you tremble all over. When ordinary people climb mountains, no matter where they are, they feel that they are insignificant and nature is great, and then they sweat like rain, hence the name.
Tanshihuai built the royal court here, firstly because it was close to the Han territory, and secondly because it was easy to defend and difficult to attack. With such a terrain, if the Han army wanted to surround the Xianbei royal court, at least 50,000 troops would be needed. Gongsun Zan came all the way, and it was difficult to just surround the royal court, let alone explore the surrounding situation.
Huangshi Cliff is located sixty miles northwest of the royal court. It is a valley surrounded by two mountains. It is impossible for Gongsun Zan to know that Yu Wenmona is hiding here.
Moreover, there is only one road from Daijun to Wangting, which is from Macheng through Shihuo Mountain. The other roads are blocked by high mountains and cliffs. Unless Gongsun Zan can find another way by detouring three hundred miles. Whoever can occupy this place can determine the outcome of this battle.
As expected, Gongsun Zan chose to go north from Shihuo Mountain. When he arrived here, he saw two towering cliffs and only a sliver of sunlight above his head. He couldn't help but said coldly: "How can we not set up a fortress on such an important road? Once it is blocked by the enemy, the disaster in Baitan Mountain may happen again."
Thinking of this, he called Yan Gang and said to him: "If I leave you three thousand people to guard this place, will it be enough?" Yan Gang said with a smile: "In such a dangerous place, one can be enough to fight ten. Three thousand people are already too many, and the prince will give you A thousand of my men are enough.”
Gongsun Zan also felt that the battle at Danhan Mountain was of vital importance and there was no room for failure. He would have as many soldiers as he could have more soldiers under his command. After thinking for a moment, he agreed: "In that case, I will only keep you with a thousand people. If there are not enough, you can write to the Macheng Order and ask them to prepare some Wuwanxiang to help."
After the mountain pass was arranged, Gongsun Zan led his army across the mountain again. When passing through, because the road was really narrow, it took 60,000 soldiers four days to walk through the thirty-mile mountain road before they all walked out. The Xianbei Royal Court had already received the news and made relevant preparations.
It was already December, the sky and the earth were freezing, and the north wind was howling. Gongsun Zan originally wanted to find some Xianbei people as guides, but all the surrounding Xianbei tribes were heading north. He searched for several days to no avail, so he gave up. Only a few businessmen from Daijun who had been to the royal court were allowed to lead the way, and they went straight to the royal court.
After arriving at Danhan Mountain, all the generals in Youzhou took a deep breath when they saw how high the mountain was. They all said, "How can we attack such a dangerous city?" But Gongsun Zan didn't take it seriously. Looking at the mountain, he said: "This is where a true man has made great contributions!"
Seeing that his subordinates were fearful of war, he boosted morale and said: "Since the founding of Tanshihuai, Xianbei has traversed the north and south of the Yin Mountains, killing more than 100,000 Han people? The world is afraid of the Han people, but today they are forced by us. This shows that our Yan people are brave and brave. . Even though we are very sweaty today, how can we narrowly cross the desert? When Wei Qing fought decisively in Mobei and achieved unparalleled achievements, how can we be afraid of the battle when we encounter such a good opportunity today!"
At this point, seeing that the morale of the generals was slightly boosted, he drew his sword and faced the wind and shouted: "In this battle, I will kill all the thirty-six tribes of Xianbei, big and small! Give me back the bright and clear sky! Pass on my military orders and use my brave warriors to Soul, follow me to the court! Until the blood is shed, we will fight until we die!"
After hearing this, all the generals also shouted loudly: "Until the blood is shed, we will fight until we die!" Then they camped for sixty miles and surrounded Danhan Mountain. On Danhan Mountain, Kebi was looking at the foot of the mountain in the royal court. The crowds and flags all over the mountain could not make him a little afraid. He just smiled at Ju Luohou and said: "There are so many Han'er who have died, so after this battle, Except for Bingzhou, I own all the territory in the North."
The two armies began to fight the next day. Tens of thousands of soldiers fought back and forth in front of the camp on the mountain. The sound of gold and iron, shouts, horses, the sound of arrows piercing the air, the thunder of blazing fire, and the rumbling war drums that seemed to never stop. The sound crisscrossed over this land and did not stop for four or five days.
Such news quickly spread to Huangshi Cliff. After Yu Wenmona received the news of the war between the two armies, he calmed down and first inquired about the situation of the royal court's battle. The scout came back and said: "The Han army is still at the foot of the mountain and is attacking the courtyard gate. Our army fought bravely to kill the enemy and drove back the Han dogs several times. The Shanyu still has quite a bit of strength left!"
Yu Wenmona said: "It's still early, let's see."
Two days later, the scout looked back and said nervously: "The Han army broke through the courtyard gate and entered the second camp. It seems that the Chanyu's troops have all moved up." After Chen Chong attacked and captured Helian, , Today, the Xianbei Royal Court has five palaces from top to bottom on Danhan Mountain, and the second palace has also been captured. It is obvious that Kebineng has fallen into a disadvantage.
Yuwen Mona said: "It's almost there, but it's not the best opportunity yet."
So after waiting for another two days, the scout came back and asked him: "Sir, Shan Yu has been retreating steadily and has retreated to the fourth camp. This battle cannot be won! We must retreat as if there is no deer returning to the army." ?"
Yu Wenmona seemed not to have heard the last sentence and said happily: "That's just right. Since he goes to the Fourth Path Camp, it's an opportunity for us to study hard!"
After saying that, he immediately mounted his horse and ordered to summon his troops. The seven thousand knights had been waiting impatiently for a long time. With the military order, they gathered like the wind, with murderous intent in their eyes. They traveled a hundred miles without any obstruction and there were no Han spies. They arrived at Lucao Bay northwest of Shihuo Mountain that night.
While replenishing water, Yu Wenmo gathered all the armored knights in the army and said to them: "I didn't see a single scout along the way. It can be seen that the Han army is now relaxed, and it is a good opportunity for us to wait for a surprise attack." , but after all, this mountain is so dangerous that only warriors cannot conquer it. Are you willing to go forward for me?"
These Xianbei men all nodded in agreement. So Yu Wenmona asked them to put on their thick armor first, and then told the warriors behind them: "As long as you see the fire in front, attack."
The Han troops guarding the pass received good news from the front line every day, and they all thought that the enemy was about to be defeated. Although they were happy, they did not take much precautions. At this time, Yu Wenmona rushed forward with his Xianbei armored cavalry, which sparkled in the moonlight. The defenders were so frightened that they thought that the frontline army had been destroyed. They could not think of much resistance and were about to retreat to the south.
Fortunately, Yan Gang strictly adhered to his duties and patrolled the pass every night. At this time, he immediately killed several leading deserters, stabilized the front, and boosted the morale of the army with heavy rewards. But when the Xianbei knights rushed in, Yan Gang realized that what he had done before was useless.
These guarded passes seemed stable, but when the Xianbei armored cavalry charged, they were torn apart instantly like a dam bursting. The infantry in the front was knocked to the ground by the iron horse, and the iron horse from behind came and trampled them to death. The infantry in the rear stabbed them with long iron armor, but they did not pierce the iron armor and were stabbed to death by the Xianbei people. When these Xianbei knights entered the mountain road, no one could resist them. Such a narrow terrain seemed to be for them. No Han soldier could resist what they set up.
These Xianbei cavalry ignited the straw at the crossing, and the choking fireworks immediately shot into the sky. The Xianbei soldiers behind them immediately followed. After only an hour, Yu Wenmona easily succeeded in the Shihuo Mountain Road. Because Yan Gang was wearing a conspicuous red armor, he was surrounded and strangled by dozens of cavalry, and his head was beheaded. Along with it fell a white deer flag.
The next day, Yu Wenmona held the White Deer Flag and returned to the foot of Danhan Mountain. The Han army still had not captured the last court gate. Knowing that the way back was cut off, Gongsun Zan could only retreat to the foot of the mountain to stabilize the morale of the army before making plans. The situation was reversed again.
[1] The Encirclement of Baitan Mountain: See Chapter 18 of Volume Four, The Sound of the Trumpet Manbei, which is about Zhang Chun’s siege of Gongsun Zan.
【2】The defeat of Fenyin: See Chapter 36 of Volume 7, It’s Hard to Cross the Mountain, which is about Huangfu Song’s defeat of Gongsun Zan.
