After Zhao Yun and Wang Ling rescued Lu Long, the situation in Hebei began to change dramatically. As soon as the Xindu army pressed the border, the Wubao masters from all over the country ceased their activities. In less than ten days, there were no pedestrians on the road between Ji and Cangzhou, and there were no tigers or wolves in the wild. If the Wubao gates were not bolted and locked, it would have been like a peaceful season. The rebellion in Hebei that had been raging a month ago had only about a few thousand people left who were unwilling to surrender, but they did not dare to compete with the army, so they all went north to join Cao Zhen.
However, Cao Zhen remained motionless despite the intervention of Han troops. In turn, three thousand pairs of Han army uniforms were transferred from Juyong Gaolan's headquarters and transported to Luzhao's headquarters guarding Lulong. Then he ordered a group of cavalry to pretend to be Han cavalry, break into the Luzhao army formation, shoot arrows at the defenders on the city, inform them that the Han army had advanced to Wuyang, and falsely claimed that the main force of the Liao army would arrive in the near future. The army broke through and joined him.
Wang Ji had been besieged for many days. He didn't know the situation in Hebei, and he was already anxious. Now that he saw reinforcements coming from far away, and the troops on the road outside the city were preparing to relieve the siege and move troops, he naturally believed it. After he got the belief, he didn't care what the letter said. Without success, he led his army to break through the encirclement the next day. Luzhao's troops suffered a lot of casualties due to lax defense, but Wang Ji's troops finally left Lu Longsai behind. This important town in Youzhou fell into the hands of the Liao army, which meant that Liu Xie's plan to cut off his return had failed.
After Zhao Yun learned the news, he was quite helpless. Lu Long was lost and there was no point in holding on to Tuyin. He could only return to Quanzhou with Wang Ji and report the military situation to Liu Xie. However, within two days, Xindu sent Sima Yi to bring a letter, ordering Wang Ji to dismiss him on the spot and return to Beijing to await his fate. He also ordered Zhao Yun to annex Wang Ji's troops and use Sima Yi as his deputy general to threaten and contain the Liao army and prevent it from making rash moves.
Zhao Yun was very puzzled by this discussion. After all, the Liao army had clearly stated that it was besieging Zhuoxian, so how could it easily move? If you want to lead the crowd to contain it yourself, is it possible to attack the Liao camp by force? On the premise that the enemy is prepared, attacking a camp will cause the most heavy casualties. What's more, if the enemy is outnumbered, a slight carelessness will destroy the strong troops and lose their morale.
Seeing that Zhao Yun was confused, Sima Yi explained Liu Xie's intention to him. It turned out that from the emperor's point of view, since he could not block the return of the Liao army, he could only retreat and do the next best thing, annihilating Xiahou Yuan's troops in Jingxing first. Xia Houyuan was a veteran general of the Eastern Dynasty. As long as he could be captured and killed, it would definitely depress the Liao army's morale, boost the morale of the Han army, and sweep away the depression caused by the previous unfavorable battles. But now the Liao army's camp is getting stronger. After besieging Beifu, they still have enough power to assist Jingxing. As long as this accident can be eliminated, Xiahou Yuan will definitely die if the Eastern Dynasty army sets an ambush at Jingxing.
After learning about the arrangement of the Han army at Jingxing, Zhao Yun couldn't help stroking his beard and saying with a smile: "Since the arrangement is like this, then I have confidence in my heart." He also couldn't help but sigh: "It's pitiful that Xia Houyuan, a generation of heroes who have been in power for decades, is about to die. It’s such a sad place in a foreign country.”
Xia Houyuan's troops were in Jingxing at this time, so they were not unaware of the movements in Hebei. After he captured Guancheng, he continued to dispatch scouts to the surrounding areas to inquire for information, and he soon understood that he was in a dangerous situation of being double-teamed by the east and the west. All the generals under his command persuaded him to withdraw north as soon as possible, but Xia Houyuan insisted on holding on. He said to his tribe: "Now that I am in the strong city of Jingxing, I mobilize an army of tens of thousands of Western thieves out of only ten thousand. Isn't it like the ancestor Kunyang?" Formation? This is an extraordinary time. If you want to achieve extraordinary achievements, you must have extraordinary courage. I will fight to the death and will not retreat!"
When everyone saw the coach's strong ambition, they dared to admire him, so they discussed how to set up defenses in Guancheng. Unexpectedly, Xia Houyuan said again: "Now that the enemy is coming with heavy troops, they will underestimate us. If we don't set up defenses, why not send out troops for a surprise attack? We will surely gain something."
That night, Xia Houyuan led three thousand light cavalry westward into Taiyuan County. Even though he was in the heart of enemy territory, he was in a calm mood. The moon in the sky is like a hook with a gleaming light, casting an indifferent halo, which appears or disappears on the earth. The Liao cavalry runs in the moonlight mixed with darkness and cold light, as if they are traveling through one mottled world after another. . What Xia Houyuan was always most proud of was his marching speed. His subordinates privately said that he was "five hundred in three days and one thousand in six days." Overlord Julu's victory comes from encouragement.
At this time, he was leading an army with no one to restrain him. Xia Houyuan even let go of his temper and galloped wildly. Even in the deep mountains and dense forests, he had no scruples. The horses were like a rushing torrent. He had inquired about good news before setting off. Liu Bao's troops were stationed at Woniu Mountain at this time, no less than a hundred miles away from Jingxing. He planned to arrive overnight and launch an attack on the camp in the early morning.
When he was still a few miles away from Woniu Mountain, Xia Houyuan led the crowd over a hill and rested on the spot. He looked at the sky and found that the moon was dim and that dawn would break in about half an hour, so he took the The cronies go forward to detect the enemy's situation so that they can choose the direction of attack. Soon he saw the Han army camp, but the layout in front of him was far beyond what he saw.
In the Han camp in the distant mountains, patrol lights were everywhere, and they were like stars, which dazzled Xia Houyuan. It turned out that after Liu Xie transferred Wang Ji back to Luoyang, he issued strict military discipline to all ministries. Regardless of whether he encountered enemies or not, but if he slacked off, the generals would be held accountable for their responsibilities. Then many guards were sent as governors. All the Han army's troops knew that the emperor was fierce and murderous, and they were all afraid. Therefore, the queens strictly followed the military orders and did not dare to relax even late at night.
Xia Houyuan couldn't find a flaw in the south of Woniu Mountain, and he was anxious, so he thought of observing the Han camp from the north. As a result, while walking, I encountered a group of jackdaws in early winter. When the jackdaws saw horses galloping under the trees, they immediately flew up in groups and shouted to the sky. Their voices sounded like ghosts demanding their lives. This alarmed the Han army's secret sentry not far away, and he immediately reported to Liu Bao in the Han camp: "There seems to be something strange in the mountain depression not far away. Do you want to send troops to investigate?"
Liu Bao did not dare to delay, so he immediately ordered five thousand people to go out for reconnaissance, and happened to bump into the Liao army resting in the south. The Liao army was stunned and at a loss, and hurriedly went to find their commander Xia Houyuan. Unexpectedly, Xia Houyuan was stopped halfway by the Han army and could not join the masses at all. Then rumors spread, some said that the coach had been killed first, and others said that the coach had betrayed the court and went to Jinyang to join the enemy. So he didn't even bother to take the things he should take with him, and rushed to Jingxing.
Because they were too panicked, some took their bows and forgot their arrows, or took their arrows and forgot their bows; some rode other people's horses, and then let others ride away their own horses; what's even more ridiculous is that some people rode on horses But he forgot to take off the reins and just circled the hitching post. Everyone rushed to and fro, but because the current situation was so chaotic, they forgot the way up the mountain, so they had to run down in the dark. As a result, many people stepped on the air and fell. Some were hit on the head, and some were injured. They were trampled and bent, wailing and crying, and they were in chaos.
Xia Houyuan, who was not far away, could hear this clearly, but he had no choice but to do it. He was led by his cronies to find another way to go eastward. He was devastated for a while, but he still retained a trace of luck in his heart, hoping that he could survive before the Han army reacted. Return to Jingxing. But when he returned to Jingxing, the Han army had not arrived yet, but most of the soldiers had heard the news of the failure and had fled. Only about 400 people were left waiting for him in the city.
Xia Houyuan tried to send people to bring the deserters back, but things are often like this. Once you want to make up for it, it seems a little too late. The fleeing soldiers swooped out like moths, only to be surrounded by Han troops coming from all directions. These Han troops were like a large, careless net, but among the layers, no prey could escape. Most of them They were all hunted and killed by Wei Yan.
At this time, no matter how unwilling Xia Houyuan was, he could only find a way to go north to meet Cao Zhen. The roads leading from Jian Yu to the east and west were blocked, so Xia Houyuan could only escape through Nanxing Township in the north. In order to avoid being discovered, he deliberately walked along the mountains and picked some mountain roads that no one had traveled. Although the speed was slower, But no one noticed it. But eating and drinking was very hard. They ran out of fire scythes along the way. They couldn't boil water in the winter, nor could they roast their prey. They lived almost like drinking blood and caring for hair.
By the time we walked out of the sixty-mile mountainous area, it was already four days later. Of the more than 400 people Xia Houyuan brought with him, there were only less than 100 left. They met a rural pavilion on the way, and as if the rain came after a long drought, they immediately drew their swords and went to the pavilion to grab food. As a result, when he entered the pavilion, he ran into a group of people. It turned out that dozens of Han soldiers were resting in the pavilion. When the two armies met, they were both shocked, but they were so close and it was too late to leave, so they simply fought hand to hand in the road.
Xia Houyuan still had a horse at this time. Seeing the killing in front of him, he wanted to mount his horse and shoot arrows to protect him. He grabbed the bridle of his mount, stepped on the stirrup with his left foot, and kicked off the ground to get on the horse, but suddenly he felt dizzy above his head, and his vision suddenly went dark. Although I sat on it out of habit, I had to hold on to the saddle to catch my breath. After a while, I calmed down, and I felt that the scenery in front of me was shaking. Only then did he remember that although he was compared to Xiang Yu, he was already sixty years old after all, and he was no longer a young man in terms of physical strength.
Even so, he still rode forward, wanting to relieve the soldiers in front of him, but when the Han soldiers suddenly saw a knight running over, they thought that this was the leader of the team, and they raised their bows and shot arrows at him. Flying towards him, Xia Houyuan leaned down to dodge, and actually dodged completely. This made him feel better. Just as he was about to get up and shoot back, unexpectedly another arrow flew in front of him, hitting Xia Houyuan right between the eyebrows.
The soldiers around him were a little confused for a moment when they saw their commander in a daze on his horse, but soon, Xia Houyuan swayed on his horse and fell down suddenly. The commander was dead, and the remaining troops had no choice but to abandon their troops and surrender. Only then did the fighting Han troops realize that the old man between their eyebrows was actually Xiahou Miaocai, who had been in Hebei for more than ten years. They quickly beheaded them, cleaned them up, and sent letters to report their merits. At this point, the war in Jingxing came to an end.
