At the same time, at Hulao Pass, the Huns Emperor Liu Cong had also arrived here early.
After this period of small-scale fighting, the Huns had basically figured out the deployment of the Han army.
The Han army was basically divided into three groups.
Hanoi County, which is all the way on the north bank of the Yellow River, mainly concentrates its troops on the north bank of the river. Its intention must be to cross south to attack.
However, the Yellow River was guarded by passes at the most suitable places for crossing the river in Henan County. Once the Han army landed by boat, they would be immediately besieged by the Huns' cavalry.
This is more serious than attacking halfway across the river. Once the Han troops collapse, the landing Han army will most likely be driven into the river to feed the fish and turtles.
On the other side, thousands of soldiers and horses came from Yingchuan County in Yuzhou.
These soldiers and horses are the same Han cavalry who defeated Wang Zhang Shihu. After they pulled up a Yingchuan army, they have expanded to more than 10,000 people. Adding the baggage and civilian husbands and others, the number may be about 30,000. people.
However, the road from Yingchuan to Luoyang must pass through Yuanguan and Taigu Pass. Liu Cong had already divided 20,000 troops to guard these two passes.
These two passes are easy to defend but difficult to attack. It can be said that one man can guard the pass and ten thousand men cannot open it. It is absolutely impossible for a mere ten thousand Han troops to break through from the front.
As for the last line of Han troops, they are the main forces of the Han troops outside Hulao Pass at this time.
There were a large number of Han troops outside Hulao Pass, as many as 70,000 to 80,000. Adding in the naval troops that had been cruising on the Yellow River, there might really be 100,000 troops.
After dividing the troops to guard and returning to Guanzhong to defend Sima Bao, the Huns Emperor Liu Cong only had about 30,000 troops at Hulao Pass.
The difference in strength is almost three times. Once the Han army outside Hulao Pass launches a strong attack, as long as there is a slight oversight, Hulao Pass may be lost.
"Where are the fake thieves setting up camp now?"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong looked up from the Hulao Pass, but except for some occasional Han army scouts and cavalry, he saw no sign of the main force of the Han army.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the thieves retreated five miles yesterday and camped east of Anpingpi."
Liu Cong's confidant, the Hun general Jin Zhun, said.
"The heavy rains have enriched the river water. The thieves must be afraid of being attacked by our army!"
After hearing this, the Huns Emperor Liu Cong also nodded.
The three or four miles outside Hulao Pass are all flat terrain. Because it is close to a military important area, farming and tree planting are not allowed nearby, in order to prevent the enemy troops outside the pass from using nearby logging to make siege equipment.
After the Han army retreated five miles, a warning range could be created between Hulao Pass, which could prevent the Huns' cavalry from sneaking attacks at Hulao Pass.
"The thieves camped five miles apart. They must be afraid of the might of the emperor's fierce tigers. They dare not attack when they approach the city. They will be defeated before fighting!"
Just listen to Jin Zhun continue to speak.
"Such a thief is not worth worrying about. I don't even bother His Majesty to come in person!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Congyuan was based in Luoyang and coordinated the Xiongnu soldiers and horses stationed at various passes.
Among them, the most important Hulao Pass was handed over to his confidant Jin Zhun and others.
However, not long after this, the Huns Emperor Liu Cong personally led his troops from Luoyang to Hulao.
After hearing Jin Zhun's flattery, the Huns Emperor Liu Cong didn't have much happy expression.
He frowned, looked outside Hulao Pass again, and then said.
"The fake thieves are trying to confront us!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Zhun immediately followed up and said, "Your Majesty, what about the confrontation? The eight dangerous passes in Luoyang are all in the hands of our army, and the grain road from Guanzhong to Luoyang is under our protection. We don't have to worry about sneak attacks at all. Wait until the confrontation." If the stalemate lasts for a year and a half, the fake thieves will definitely hit us head-on."
Jin Zhun and other Huns generals were obviously very confident in the defense of Hulao Pass.
Before this, the Huns were the ones who had worked hard to attack the city passes. Now the situation has changed and it is their turn to defend the city.
As veterans of city siege, these Huns also have a lot of experience in how to defend.
When the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong heard this, his expression became even more anxious.
"The thieves can afford it, but I can't afford it anymore!"
After hearing the words of the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong, Jin Zhun and other Xiongnu generals were slightly stunned.
Jin Zhun immediately guessed something.
"What do you mean by your Majesty's words? Is it an urgent matter?"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong nodded, "Sima Bao's Qin Liang soldiers are fierce. They have already captured the three counties of Yongxi and may invade the three counties of Jifu at any time."
Jin Zhun and others were shocked when they heard this.
After the Huns moved into Guanzhong, the most important place they controlled was the three counties of Jifu. If this area was invaded by Sima Bao's Jin troops, they would suffer heavy losses.
"Didn't Sima Bao only have 10,000 troops? Why did he advance so quickly?" Jin Zhun asked quickly.
Moreover, Jin Zhun and others knew that Pu Hong and other Di Qiang marshals had already returned to Guanzhong to defend. Why did news of defeat come so soon?
"The Zhang family in Liangzhou made a large-scale expedition to the Xianbei tribes in Hexi as the rear army. Now the number of Jin captives who have raided the pass has reached 50,000!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong said bitterly.
Jin Zhun and others knew about these Hexi Xianbei.
Among them, the most powerful ones are led by Qifu, Bald Hair, etc. Although they do not belong to each other, they have always been very loyal to Zhang Gui and his son, the governor of Liangzhou.
What's more, this time they invaded Guanzhong, the Liangzhou Zhang family must have promised them a lot of benefits.
"Then what is your Majesty's plan?"
"Guanzhong is full of children. I'm afraid I won't be able to defeat the enemy. I must deal with the fake thieves outside Hulao Pass as soon as possible, and then return to Guanzhong to aid." Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong said.
Hearing these words, Jin Zhun and others were shocked.
"Your Majesty, think twice. There are far more enemy troops outside the pass than ours!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, we are in danger of being trapped in a tiger prison. As long as we hold on, the thieves can't do anything to us. Going out to fight is really dangerous."
These Xiongnu generals all knew the benefits of staying at the pass and advised Liu Cong not to leave the pass.
"Your Majesty, the puppet thief Sergeant Ruijian is afraid that it will be difficult to win if he goes out to attack the pass. Since you are worried about the safety of the pass, it is better for your majesty to lead the army back to Chang'an and let the general and others guard Luoyang!"
A Hun general spoke up.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the Huns Emperor Liu Cong immediately changed his expression.
"It's ridiculous. I came here just to defeat the fake thieves in Guandong and let everyone in the world know the power of my emperor. How can I retreat without a fight!"
Seeing that the Hun Emperor was angry, the general was a little scared and hurriedly said.
"Everyone knows that His Majesty is very powerful. In this case, why don't Your Majesty send the King of Zhongshan back to Guanzhong to take charge, so that he can ensure Chang's safety!"
As soon as Jin Zhun heard these words, he knew that this colleague was going to be in trouble.
Sure enough, after hearing this, the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong's face turned red with anger.
He raised the whip in his hand and slapped the general on the head and face.
"You're such a bastard, you're actually telling lies! How can it be that the emperor is out fighting while the king of the clan is in charge of the capital!"
"I'll beat you to death, you rip-off bitch!"
The Hun general was beaten in unbearable pain, but he did not dare to run away. He could only keep begging for mercy and lay on the ground wailing.
Seeing the Hun Emperor Liu Cong being so irritable, Jin Zhun immediately felt something strange.
He quietly looked at a familiar eunuch beside Liu Cong, and the eunuch also gave him a look.
Jin Zhun understood immediately.
Recently, the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong was superstitious about alchemy pills. Judging from his current appearance, he must have swallowed the pill from that great god again.
That's why he is so full of energy.
When the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong stopped, no one dared to step forward to beg for mercy.
After the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong stopped, he was already covered in hot sweat. He suddenly felt comfortable all over and his mind was very clear.
The Xiongnu general had been beaten into a pig's head. Seeing this, the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong scolded him again and ordered his men to take him down.
Only then did Liu Cong turn his head and said to Jin Zhun and other confidant generals.
"You send more rangers to explore outside the pass, and find out for me the deployment and movements of the rebel army as soon as possible."
"I want to find an opportunity to defeat the thief!"
Jin Zhun and others quickly agreed in unison.
Although they were deeply unwilling to face the bold and adventurous plan of the Hun Emperor Liu Cong, they did not dare to show the slightest opposition.
King of Zhongshan Liu Yao, Chariot and Cavalry General Hu Yanyan and others had already known about the plan of the Huns Emperor Liu Cong.
However, they all understand the importance of Guanzhong very well.
Since Liu Cong was unwilling to give up this opportunity to fight the Qingzhou Han army, they could only try their best to assist.
Almost all the Xiongnu troops at Hulao Pass were cavalry, and they quickly left the pass and spread around the Han army.
Thousands of Xiongnu cavalry did not entangle with the attacking Han cavalry, but just watched and investigated from a distance.
When the Han cavalry pursued them, they took advantage of their light armor and ran back to Hulao Pass from a distance.
When the Han cavalry retreated, the Huns cavalry, which attacked in a chariot battle posture, followed closely.
Liu Yu and others had no good way to deal with the Huns who were wandering around without attacking.
This is a pure competition of horse power. The Huns have far more horses than themselves, and it is destined to be difficult to get rid of them.
In just a few days, the Huns basically grasped the situation of the Han army outside the Pass.
"Your Majesty, the bandits have gathered hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and the camp is several miles apart. The strongholds and ditches are complete. If we attack by force, it will be even more difficult!"
Liu Yao, the king of Zhongshan, said very seriously that he was afraid that Liu Cong would act impulsively and use the Huns cavalry to attack the Han army with a fortress and a numerical advantage.
"When did I say we were going to attack by force?"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong glanced at Liu Yao and said slightly dissatisfied.
Regarding the words of Zhongshan King Liu Yao, Liu Cong certainly understood the meaning.
He was clearly the number one general of the Han Dynasty, and the number one hero who assisted the late emperor in reviving the Han Dynasty. I don't know since when, people like Liu Yao had a vague feeling that they would make mistakes easily.
"I made a mistake!" King Liu Yao of Zhongshan quickly lowered his head to apologize.
"The thief's camp is strong, so of course I know not to attack by force."
Liu Cong touched the short beard on his mouth and continued.
"However, there are so many rebels. Once they leave the camp and march, they will inevitably be in disorder. At that time, I can give me a chance to attack them!"
After occupying Guanzhong, Liu Cong greatly expanded the equipment level of the Huns' cavalry armor. Now nearly half of them have armor of different qualities. Although some cavalry can only be regarded as slightly improved, for those without camps and trenches, For infantry, it is enough to smash its array.
At least in Liu Cong's view.
"Then what strategy does Your Majesty want to use to get the rebels to leave the camp?" Hu Yanyan, the cavalry general, asked immediately.
"I see that the rebel cavalry is not as large as our army and cannot protect the surrounding area. As for the grain road at the rear, it should not be able to take care of all of it."
"So I want to plunder the traitor's food route from Xingyang first. After the food route is cut off, the morale of these one hundred thousand people will definitely become chaotic. If the traitor chief Liu Yu doesn't want to be defeated without a fight, he will definitely come out to fight!"
After hearing the plan of the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong, all the Xiongnu generals thought it was feasible.
They are the best at robbing the rear grain roads.
After all, when escorting grain, grass and baggage, although there are escorting troops, they are often burdened by the transportation queue, and it is difficult to withstand a sudden cavalry raid.
However, some people feel that this strategy is not perfect.
A Hun general thought for a moment, then plucked up the courage to say.
"Your Majesty, what should we do if the rebel army's food route is cut off and they then retreat?"
After hearing this question, the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong couldn't help but despise his stupidity.
"Although Liu Yu, the thief chieftain, is a arrogant and cunning person, he can still be regarded as a hero. It is beyond his power to march thousands of miles and retreat without fighting!"
When Liu Cong said this, he narrowed his eyes again and snorted coldly.
"However, if Liu Yu really retreats at this point, the general will be frightened. Even though there are hundreds of thousands of people, there is nothing to be afraid of. I will lead you to chase them north and win a great victory!"
"But the rebels still have hundreds of boats covering the river. What if the rebels use them to transport food or troops?"
Another Hun general raised his own question.
After hearing this question, many Huns generals also had the same doubts.
These Huns grew up in Bingzhou, and they mainly fought on horseback and on foot. The most contact with the boat and naval forces was the rafts and ferries on the Jindu River.
Regarding this issue, Liu Cong was even more dissatisfied with the stupidity of his subordinates.
"The bandits only have a few hundred boats. If they transport troops, how many times will it take to transport 100,000 people?"
"As for transporting grain and grass by boat, you can dock anywhere on this riverbank. Now that the water is rising, the swampy shoals will swallow up a lot of grain and lose it. How can it compare to land transportation?"
After listening to the well-founded analysis of the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong, all the Xiongnu generals present were secretly impressed.
Although, the emperor is the emperor.
Even though the emperor was obsessed with alchemy pills recently and often swallowed various five-stone powders, his grasp of the battle situation was still higher than that of ordinary people like them.
"Your Majesty has made a deep plan to cut off the bandits' food routes first. When they leave the camp and go to fight, it will be the time for the bandits to be crowned!" Jin Zhun immediately shouted complimentingly from the side.
The other Huns generals also immediately echoed.
"My only wish is to fight quickly!"
