Since Huan Xi walked out of Ziwu Road, Hou Zhao's rule in Guanzhong took a turn for the worse.
The oppressed people of all ethnic groups rebelled one after another, and the three auxiliary heroes attacked and killed county officials in response to the Jin army's Northern Expedition.
Liu Xiuli, the prefect of Jingzhao County who was in charge of Chang'an, was so anxious that he was at a loss what to do.
He knew that the heavy responsibility of staying behind fell on him because Shi Bao killed the whole family of Shi Guang, Sima Cao Yao and others because of their loyalty and direct advice.
Once he loses the city of Chang'an, how can he spare Shi Bao's life with his temperament.
"Master Fu! Look! The Jin army is coming!"
On the city wall, the cronies pointed to the outside of the city and shouted. Liu Xiuli looked far away and saw an army with clear banners on the horizon, approaching with sonorous and powerful steps.
Liu Xiuli's face became increasingly gloomy, sweat dripping from his forehead.
According to the intelligence, Huan Xi used state and county soldiers to create a suspicious formation at Chencang Road. There were only more than 10,000 elite soldiers who actually went north from Ziwu Road. Looking at it now, the Jin army was no less than tens of thousands of horses.
Liu Xiuli knew clearly that this was because the three auxiliary heroes came to join Huan Xi one after another and strengthened his team.
Outside Chang'an City, Huan Xi sat on horseback and praised Quan Yi, who was leading the three auxiliary heroes to join him:
"I have Lao Ziliang lobbying the heroes of Guanzhong for me."
This time when he entered the pass, Zhu Xu could not count on the 40,000 state and county soldiers. Chencang Road was not a mountain road like Ziwu Road. There were cities such as Lueyang, Liangdang, and Fengxian along the way, and Dashan Pass served as a barrier.
If Zhu Xu could seize these cities and passes with the help of state and county soldiers and join Huan Xi in Guanzhong, Huan Xi would not have to take the risk of taking the Ziwu Road.
Moreover, it was autumn harvest again, so when they were leaving, Huan Xi set a time for Zhu Xu. He only had to hold off Shi Bao for a few days before he could regroup and send the soldiers from the prefectures and counties back to their hometowns to farm and harvest grain.
This would prevent Shi Bao from learning that Zhu Xu's 40,000-strong army was a ragtag army and sending elite troops to attack.
It was precisely because he was weak after entering Guanzhong that Huan Xi sent Quan Yi as a lobbyist to win the support of Guanzhong heroes for him.
Quan Yi smiled and said:
"This is the majesty of the lord, which is enough to inspire all the heroes. Even if the subordinate officials do not take action, the three auxiliary heroes will rush to join him when they see what the people want."
The flattery made Huan Xi feel comfortable physically and mentally, but he did not take it lightly. Once Shi Bao led his army to return for reinforcements, he still failed to capture Chang'an City and would be attacked from both sides.
He ordered the civil servants to record merits for Quan Yi, then looked at Wang Meng and asked:
"Sir, have the three armies been informed of what was previously agreed upon?"
Wang Meng said seriously:
"Reporting to my lord, I have told the soldiers to memorize it by heart. My lord can give the order now."
Huan Xi nodded and said:
"In that case, please give me orders to the soldiers and shout loudly."
Following Huan Xi's order, tens of thousands of people outside the city sang the Liangzhou nursery rhyme towards the city wall:
“Welcome the New Year, welcome the New Year, the New Year is no different than usual.
"Gong Huan was very generous in his administration. He gave me seeds and divided my fields.
"The annual rent is three kilograms of millet, and I am happy to give it to the official. The rest is for my own use, and every family has a surplus.
"I advise you to work hard and cultivate more, so that you can have enough food and clothing in your field."
After singing, the soldiers of the three armies shouted in unison:
"General Huan has an order to implement the land equalization order in Guanzhong. Men who are over fifteen years old can be granted eighty acres of land, and women who are over fifteen years old can be granted forty acres of land. There are also some mulberry fields and hemp fields. One husband and one wife , paying only three shi of corn as rent and tax.
"People in Guanzhong, regardless of Hu or Han, can participate in dividing their fields. Those who come first will get the fertile fields, and those who come later will get the poor fields!"
The Jin army shouted repeatedly, and the sound was loud.
In the way of using troops, attacking the heart is the top priority, and attacking the city is the bottom priority; fighting with the heart is the top priority, and fighting with soldiers is the bottom priority.
Liu Xiuli heard the shouts outside the city clearly, and felt dizzy and almost fainted.
There were originally a large number of Jie troops in Chang'an City, but Shi Bao was deceived by Huan Xi and went to defend Chencang, so naturally he wanted to take away the Jie soldiers and horses.
Nowadays, in Chang'an City, whether it is the less than ten thousand defenders left behind or the strong men temporarily recruited by Liu Xiuli, they are mainly Han people.
They were oppressed by Jiehu, and now Huanxi was outside the city under the guise of dividing the fields to shake the morale of the army.
As mentioned before, under the rule of Jie Zhao, the Han officials in Guanzhong were so poor that they did not care about their body, hair and skin. They followed the ancient saying from their parents that they did not dare to damage it and plucked their hair to use as crown tassels.
Not to mention the lives of the common people.
Now Huan Xi is preaching monogamy, granting one hundred and twenty acres of land, and only paying three shi in tax. How can this not drive the defenders in the city crazy?
In particular, the Jin army claimed that those who arrived first would be given good farmland, and those who came later would be given poor farmland. In an instant, no matter how Liu Xiuli tried to stop him, he could not stop the defenders and people from defecting to Huan Xi.
The people in the city gathered with their friends, the elderly and the young, and gathered at the city gate. However, the more impatient defenders on the city wall did not even wait for the city gate to open, so they directly lowered their ropes and climbed out of the wall.
Just like when Shi Zun marched into Yecheng, the defenders in the city fled one after another, but Zhang Jack could not stop him.
Today's Liu Xiuli also has a personal experience of Zhang Jack's mood at that time.
Seeing all this, the confidant hurriedly advised:
"Master Fu, Chang'an can't be defended anymore. Leave quickly! If you don't leave, it will be too late!"
Liu Xiuli looked at the defenders and people below the city flocking to the Jin army like a swarm of ants. Knowing that there was nothing he could do to save the day, he said angrily:
"What are you going to do! Where can I go! Now that I have lost Chang'an, how can Shi Bao spare my life!"
With that said, Liu Xiuli called to his followers:
"Hurry up and follow me to welcome Duke Huan into the city!"
At the same time, Huan Xi also had his own difficulties. Looking at the soldiers and civilians of Chang'an rushing towards Chang'an like a tide, although the defenders had abandoned their armor and no longer posed a threat.
However, he was still worried that his military formation would be attacked, so he quickly sent Deng Xia to lead a thousand cavalry out of the formation to guide the soldiers and civilians who came to surrender to separate sides.
Deng Xia responded and led the crowd out. The soldiers and civilians of Chang'an were frightened when they saw the cavalry galloping towards them. They turned around and were about to flee, but they saw that these cavalry did not kill, but shouted loudly, telling them to go to both sides and not to attack. The formation felt at ease now, and they all followed the instructions and gathered on both sides of the formation.
When the Yongzhou heroes saw this scene, they were all dumbfounded. Du Yu murmured:
"This is what the people want."
The miraculous effect of Huan Xi's attack on the heart was not only due to Jie Zhao's brutal rule in Guanzhong, but also because he diverted the tiger away from the mountain and led the Jie army under Shi Bao to Chencang.
Without the deterrence of Jie people, who are willing to continue to defend the city for Jie and Zhao, who are Han, Qiang, Di and other soldiers and civilians who have been bullied and miserable.
It was just a hardship for the Jin army officials who registered the names of the soldiers and civilians of Chang'an. Everyone rushed to report their names, and the noise almost deafened their ears.
Outside the city of Chang'an, Liu Xiuli found a goat from nowhere, took a group of cronies with him, and led the goat to Huan Xi's horse. He bowed down and respectfully presented the governor's seal with both hands.
