Prefect Cui Liang was killed, guard Hu Zun was captured alive, Anding County officials surrendered along with Yang Ling, and refugees from Yinpan County came forward to comfort them. The order in Linjing soon became stable. The Han soldiers in the city not only did not disturb the people, but also stayed on the streets. Set up a porridge shop to provide relief.
Zhao Yun then asked people to come out to calm the people, promising that the Han Dynasty emperor would treat the people well, and Anding County would soon be able to live a good life, and the days of being exploited by Cao Wei would never come back.
Before the Han army sent troops to Xiaoguan, Zhao Yun sent a messenger to Chang'an to report the victory, and also asked Liu Bei to send officials to the post. If Zhao Yun's people continued to pursue Cao Zhen and Zhang He, they could only temporarily use the old officials in the county to govern.
Three days after Linjing was captured, a cavalry force of less than 3,000 people appeared outside Xiaoguan in the northwest. The mountains here are not as dangerous as Yangping, Jianmen and other places, but the pass is adjacent to the Jingshui River and dependent on the long canyon. The important barrier to the north of Guanzhong is the north gate of Chang'an.
Xiao Pass, Dashan Pass, Wuguan, and Tongguan (formerly Hangu Pass) are collectively known as the Four Passes in Guanzhong. The main function of the North Xiao Pass is to prevent nomadic peoples in the northern grasslands and the Hexi Corridor.
The reason why Fazheng was willing to gamble with Pang Tong was mainly because the terrain from Xiaoguan to Fortress and Hexi in the north was relatively gentle, while the Longyou, Jincheng, and Wuwei lines chosen by Zhang Fei and Ma Chao required detouring through the high mountains and canyons of the West Qinling Mountains. Even if there is no heavy defense, it is difficult to advance. It has not been the main line of foreign invasion since ancient times. Zhang Fei tried his best to take Deng Ai not for the purpose of farming, but because Deng Ai wanted to climb Micang Mountain and Ziwu Ridge. He seemed to be very good at finding roads over mountains and ridges. .
Yang Ling arrived outside Xiaoguan in the morning. The early winter sun had not yet shone into the valley. The mountains on both sides of the valley were covered with mist, and Zhao Yun's rear army was ambushing two or three miles away.
The weather, the right location, and the right people seem to have all three.
General Chun Yuye, under Zhang He's strict order, did not dare to open the city gate without authorization. When he saw Yang Ling leading his army to the pass, he quickly sent people to invite Zhang He.
"General Chunyu, what do you mean? Do you think I, Yang Ling, am a craftsman?" Yang Ling grabbed the reins and asked.
"General Yang, don't be surprised. I dare not disobey General Zhang's orders. Please wait patiently for a while." Chunyuye explained with fists in his hands.
Yang Ling snorted: "We waited for the covering army to be cut off, but now we are treated as a spy. When we meet General Zidan, I will report the truth truthfully."
"Uh, don't be impatient. I'll go and invite him personally." Chun Yuye didn't want to listen to Yang Ling's scolding, so he quickly made an excuse to welcome Zhang He and leave the city.
A row of tent houses was set up behind the pass. Chun Yuye walked down the city wall and rode towards the main tent on horseback. Halfway through, he saw Zhang He riding a horse and moving slowly in his direction.
Chun Yuye whipped his horse and quickly stepped forward to call the general and salute with clasped fists.
"I heard that Yang Ling is coming? How many days have they been guarding Linjing?" Zhang He asked as he walked.
Chun Yuye nodded and replied: "Hu Zun killed Cui Taishou in Linjing and surrendered to Zhao Yun. General Yang and the Wei generals were unwilling to surrender, so they took advantage of the chaos in Linjing to escape from the north gate. The last general just saw about There are two thousand people, but I don’t see that General Yang’s commanding ability is good, and he can lead so many troops under such a declining situation."
Zhang He was somewhat proud after hearing this. The Hu family itself was a stable and prominent family, and Hu Zun might not be willing to leave his hometown and flee further to Wuwei. Zhang He had suggested to Cao Zhen before retreating, but Cao Zhen thought that Hu Zun's family had been taken away. Relying on him, he was sure that the other party would not betray Wei, but the reality hit him hard in the face.
"Most of the families of the Anding soldiers live in the Central Plains, so they will not surrender easily to the enemy. After all, Yang Ling has worked with Cui Liang for many years. How can he obey Hu Zun when he sees the county guard being killed? With more than two thousand additional soldiers, Xiao Guan will If you can stay longer, go and open the door to welcome them in. Yang Ling and the others must be frightened, so remember to comfort them with kind words." Zhang He stroked his beard and waved his hands gently, thinking that he was unfortunately a surrendered general and a foreign minister. If his surname was Cao or Xiahou, Yongliang can't get this bad.
"Wei." Chunyuye accepted the order with his fists clasped, and he quickly ran towards the door with his horse.
Zhang He then urged his horse forward. When he was about to reach the pass, he saw Yang Ling leading his army slowly into the city, but the Wei soldiers behind him were in good spirits and did not look like they were running for their lives.
Something is wrong, could it be a scam?
Zhang He frowned, clenched his spear, and ran straight in the direction of Yang Ling. Chun Yuye opened the door and said a few good words. Yang Ling's resentment had dissipated. When he saw Zhang He coming to greet him in person, he clasped his fists and stepped forward to say hello with a smile: "General Zhang You are so cautious, with General Chunyu checking it for you, how can any fine work get through?"
"Haha, I underestimated you before. General Yang is really talented. The men fled from Linjing to Xiaoguan for a day, but the soldiers were still full of energy. General Zidan was really good to Hu Yidao, leaving so many behind. The war horses are for you." Zhang He said while observing Yang Ling's face.
Yang Ling was very calm in front of Chun Yuye, but Zhang He was an old fox in the Wei army. He felt very guilty when the other party looked at him like this. When he saw the other party questioning him, he replied hesitantly: "Maybe it's to make the retreat easier."
"Oh? So that's it." Zhang He stroked his beard and nodded lightly, then suddenly shouted at Chunyuye: "Close the city gate quickly, Yang Ling is a traitor to Wei."
Chun Yuye:? ? ?
Yang Ling:? ? ?
"General Zhang, you!" Yang Ling was about to retort when he saw that Zhang He was not joking at all. The other party suddenly drew his gun and accelerated. He turned his horse around in panic, but he forgot that all Huang Zhong's cavalry were behind him.
Zhang He raised his spear and stabbed it directly through Yang Ling's back. He thought he had killed the traitor, and when he was about to stabilize the situation in Guanxia, he heard a frightening sound in the corridor.
"Zhang He, my son, I will take your life today."
Huang Zhong's voice was as low as a death knell. As he shouted, a horse path was opened in the corridor, and the endless pressure was released from the corridor.
Zhang He didn't care about going to Xiao Pass at this time, and immediately turned his horse's head and retreated to the rear.
"General. Wait."
Chun Yuye reacted a step too late, and Huang Zhong, who was coming on a flying horse, raised his sword and cut him in half directly under the city.
The two generals ran away and died. There was chaos inside and outside Xiaoguan. The Han cavalry rushed into the pass. Except for a small number of soldiers guarding the city gate and waiting for Zhao Yun's rear army, the remaining cavalry all followed Huang Zhong in pursuit of Zhang He.
Because Zhang He retreated too hastily, he gathered only a thousand cavalry along the way and fled north, leaving the remaining three or four thousand Wei soldiers in Xiaoguan, like fallen leaves disheveled in the cold wind.
Huang Zhong pursued him relentlessly and was determined to win, so Zhang He could only run northward in exhaustion.
Xiaoguan ran ten miles north to Gaoping (Guyuan), the last big city before the fortress. However, Zhang He was afraid of being surrounded and annihilated, so he did not dare to lead his troops into the city, so he could only rush north along the Qingshui River.
Zhang He originally thought that Huang Zhong would enter the city to rest and not go out with him unprepared. Unexpectedly, the opponent seemed to have eaten a weight, and it seemed that he would not give up until he caught up with him.
Zhang He was about to cry when he saw this, and thought to himself, "Have I dug up the graves of your ancestors?" Are you dying at such an old age?
(End of chapter)
