Shu Xingyuan Mansion, Xixian County.
To the south is Dingjun Mountain, to the west is Jushui, the source of the Han River, facing the Sichuan-Sichuan Post Road. Now it has become a fortress to resist the Han army from invading Xingyuan Mansion. Later Shu had been at peace for a long time, and the same was true in Hanzhong. Although it had maintained a certain army for a long time, its military preparations were inevitably weakened.
Therefore, when the Battle of Qin and Feng was completely defeated and the war approached Hanzhong, this ordinary county town was obviously caught off guard, and the whole city fell into a tense and busy atmosphere.
Inside and outside the city wall, a large number of civilians were repairing the city walls, trenches, and stockade towers despite the cold wind, and were carrying out city defense construction in a hurry. At the ferry in the west of the city, several horse barriers were set up to serve as checkpoints, with a battalion of Shu troops guarding them to screen out the fleeing people.
In front of the ferry, there was a crowd of people, big and small, old and young, in a state of chaos, with constant noise, shouting and cursing. Liu Chengyou issued an order and led his troops to march southward. Although it was to achieve unification of the world, what it brought to the people in Shu was first of all war and displacement.
It was also since the confrontation between the two countries that the propaganda against the Shu people was too harsh and the Han army was too demonized. As a result, when the war came, the Han soldiers and people rushed to flee for safety. Since Li Tinggui and other Shu generals led their troops to retreat to Xi County, more than 5,000 people have fled southward.
Of course, the increase in refugees has also brought considerable defense pressure to Xi County. The city's capacity was limited and it could not accommodate many people. The old, weak, women and children were of little value, and they had to guard against the Han army's subtle tactics and sneaking in to cause trouble.
"Everyone line up for me and undergo interrogation. Anyone who dares to trespass and cause trouble will be punished as a spy of the Han army!" Seeing the chaos and commotion, and almost out of control, a military academy in charge of the ferry rushed forward angrily. He waved the whip in his hand and whipped it at the refugees crowding in front.
The stern look on his face seemed like he wanted to eat someone. After a few whips, the refugees in front became more honest. Feeling the fear in the eyes of the refugees, the military academy's expression softened a little, and he whipped him a few more times, cursing: "You are a pariah, and you don't deserve a beating!"
"Where are you all from?" the military academy asked, crouching at the waist and glaring at the men crowding in front.
Several people seemed to be relatively strong, and the weak ones could not push forward. One of them was whipped on the face, and the mark was obvious and painful, but when he heard the words, he still spoke with a local accent: "We all escaped from Xingzhou!"
After observing for a few times, he asked the soldiers to search his package. Apart from a few ordinary clothes, there was only a small amount of iron money. Seeing this, he secretly cursed the poor man, collected the money, returned the baggage, pointed to the open space next to the ferry, and ordered: "You guys, are you going to wait there?"
"May I ask the military master, when will we be allowed to cross the river?" one person asked.
What I got was still a scolding: "I asked you to wait, just wait, why are you talking nonsense, talk to someone!"
He ordered the soldiers to drive those few people to wait at the edge, where dozens of men, all young and strong, had gathered.
"Those at the back, get checked!" he yelled.
What followed was obviously a group of people, all better dressed and carrying weapons, which aroused alarm. The leader, with a smile on his face, stepped forward and handed him some silver pieces in a familiar manner, explaining that he was a Nanzheng businessman, and he was surrounded by servants who had fled home.
Money cleared the way, but the effect was different. After a little inspection, he still let it go, but withdrew all the weapons in order to strengthen armaments. I don't doubt that they are spies of the Han army. Spies are not so public.
In this way, despite the long whips and shouts and curses, many people were still let go from Jushui Ferry. An interrogation is almost exhausting, and there must be some oil and water left to use as military resources.
Escape is not an easy job.
"Jun Ye, little man..." An old man, accompanied by a child, looked lonely and groveling.
When he opened his mouth, he was whipped by the inspected Shu army, and shouted: "You are old, poor and weak. If you imitate other people's escape, you really don't know how to live or die!"
"Get out!" Pointing to the pontoon bridge behind him, the sergeant said contemptuously: "After crossing the river, you are not allowed to stay for a long time. Leave Xi County as soon as possible!"
Time passed slowly, the winter wind became stronger and cooler, and the number of refugees gathered in front of Jushui Ferry finally decreased, but the atmosphere became more and more tense, with a sense of restlessness, as if a ferocious beast was coming.
Pointing to the more than a hundred men gathered nearby, he ordered to a captain: "Take these people to the city and hand them over to the trench envoys!"
"yes!"
After giving the instructions, he looked back at the nearly a thousand refugees still gathered in front of the ferry, frowning. The military academy was getting more and more irritable and couldn't help but feel irritable. The Han army was not sure when it would come. They were sent to check and screen the refugees at the ferry. Although they could get some oil and water, it was too dangerous and of no use in the current situation. .
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" At this moment, I saw from a distance that several Shu riders were flying towards me, following the post road with their hooves and feet. They didn't slow down until they got closer.
The refugees hurriedly dodged, knocking down a large number of them, and then reined in their horses until they were in front of them. This is the postman of the Shu army. The leader took a few breaths and said loudly: "Xingzhou military situation, we cross the river to report, and quickly move the rejected horses!"
However, the military academy did not issue an order to let him go. Instead, he stepped forward and asked, "Brother, how is the situation in Xingzhou? Can you tell me?"
After looking at him, the post knight frowned and refused: "Emergency military information is not for you to inquire about!"
At this time, the morale of the Shu army had long been unstable. The wavering caused by the consecutive defeats made them less disciplined than usual. The military academy immediately said: "Just tell me whether Xingzhou is still in the hands of the defenders!"
"If you don't tell me, don't cross the river. Just stay here with us!"
Facing the vicious gaze of the military academy, Yiqi felt a little helpless. He looked around and could only lower his voice: "We were just ordered to report the news. Before we left, Shunzheng City was not broken, but what happens now, I don't know!"
After seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, he gave the order to let them go. As soon as the horse was turned away, a group of refugees from behind immediately swarmed up, hoping to break through. The guarding soldiers were also ruthless. They brandished their knives and guns and caused a lot of casualties. Dozens of lives were lost. This made people calm down again. After a while, the ferry became quieter, and after a while, a sad cry could be heard... ...
In the west city, in the garrison hall, Li Tinggui, Zhao Chongtao and Han Baozhen were discussing the army. The three of them are currently the most authoritative among the Shu army in the north. When they learned that Xingzhou had come to report, they immediately received them.
The news from Yiqi was very clear. They were ordered by the Xingzhou Defense Envoy to report that the Han army's attack on the city was becoming more urgent and the city was about to be destroyed. In order to save the lives of the soldiers and civilians in the city, they planned to surrender. Please do a good job here in Xi County. Prepare.
Upon hearing this, the three people looked at each other a few times, and their expressions became more serious. Li Tinggui shook his head slightly and said with a wry smile: "This is a defense. Before surrendering, you sent someone to remind us. It can be regarded as the last show of friendship!"
"People's hearts are so sad!" Zhao Chongtao sighed.
Li Tinggui looked at Yiqi: "You have worked hard all the way to report the military situation. Go down and have a rest and have a good meal!"
"Thank you, envoy!"
"Shunzheng City has weak troops and weak defenses. It is a city that slows down the enemy. It will fall sooner or later. It is rare that it has delayed the Han army for several days!" Han Baozhen said with a serious face.
"Shunzheng is only eighty miles away from Xi County, and the road is smooth. Now that Xingzhou is under way, the Han army will approach Guancheng by tomorrow at the latest!" Li Tinggui said sadly: "We need to be prepared!"
"Right now, although there are 20,000 troops stationed in the west city, most of them are auxiliary soldiers. The soldiers who have withdrawn from the north are in a chaotic organization and have low morale. The only ones who can fight are the 3,000 forbidden troops supported by Nanzheng..." Zhao Chongtao Analyzing with a serious expression: "Although the Han army has not mobilized many troops this time, the troops are sharp and the momentum is strong. Xiang Xun is personally commanding the troops, so it is not easy to deal with it!"
"No matter what, we will never let the Han army succeed at this level in Xixian County again!" Li Tinggui said seriously, looking at Zhao and Han.
After a pause, Li Tinggui's face became more solemn and he said: "You two, with the situation in the west county, it is still not easy to hold on! In terms of the strength of the city, it is Nanzheng. I hope you two can return. Nanzheng, reorganize the troops and prepare the city defense, I am here to delay the Han army!"
"Brother Li, what are you doing?" Han Baozhen heard something strange in Li Tinggui's tone.
With a hint of bitterness on his lips, Li Tinggui sighed: "I have been favored by two generations of emperors and promoted as a general to lead the army. However, I cannot win the battle and cannot defend. I have been defeated repeatedly. I have lost my division and humiliated the country. I have been in danger. The situation on the border is getting increasingly urgent." . At this point, I really have no face. I will not ask for forgiveness from Your Majesty when I see you again. I can only fight to the death to repay the country's favor. In Xi County, the power and the city will coexist!"
Li Tinggui said seriously, resolutely, and already had the will to die. From the look in his eyes, Zhao Chongtao and Han Baozhen felt it.
