The sun was setting in the west, and there were only a few clouds left in the distant sky. The light falling on Xiedan City seemed extremely dim. The city is quietly located on the bank of Heluo River, with its four gates tightly closed. Uighur soldiers are closely patrolling the city walls, and the atmosphere is very solemn.
The guarding generals patrolled the city with their soldiers, but their eyes were cast to the southeast from time to time. Although they could not see much more than the wilderness, rivers, the Great Wall, the desert, and the continuous Qilian Mountains, there was something obvious in their eyes. Containing worry and expectation, his mind was obviously not on the twilight scenery around the Uighur Khan Court.
Two days have passed since the Han army reached Xiedan City, and the city has maintained a high degree of tight security. However, although the city was heavily guarded at this time, there were not many soldiers and horses, and there were no Han army flags outside the city. What could be vaguely seen were traces of fierce battles.
The broken flags, damaged armor, burned vehicles, scattered corpses, and the dark-colored vegetation soaked in blood all tell the story of the fierce battles that took place on this land.
From Chai Rong onwards, the generals of the Han Dynasty finally underestimated the Ganzhou Uighurs, their determination, and their cunning. The result of contempt was naturally serious, and Guo Jin's forward suffered a big loss.
The matter had to start with the Uighurs agreeing to use the crossing. They agreed with a complex and hesitant attitude. Therefore, even if they received a reply and even if the court agreed to send 5,000 people across the border, they still felt uneasy.
For a long time, among the Ganzhou Uighurs, there were those who were close to the imperial court, and naturally there were those who were hostile. This time, it was the opposition that took the leading role. As the Han Dynasty advanced westward, there were more and more such people. After all, the Han Empire returned to Hexi, and its influence became stronger day by day, and its ambition for the land in Hexi became stronger and stronger day by day. In their view, in the end, One day, they will be annexed or expelled.
And this proposal to use the passage for an expedition aroused even more tension among them. So, a group of people jointly petitioned the Uighur Khan and told them not to let the Han army cross the border, otherwise disaster would come.
The Uighur Khan Jingqiong was struggling in his heart. He was not only afraid of offending the Han court, but also afraid of being annexed by the Han and becoming a bird imprisoned in Tokyo.
What came next was the arrival of five thousand Han troops on foot and cavalry, fully equipped and coming from the west, and the sense of urgency in their hearts was even greater. The emotion of regret also began to occupy my mind, and I felt that giving up to the Han army was a wrong decision.
Under heavy pressure, some people will be crushed, while others will risk their lives and face the difficulties. The Uighur Khan Jingqiong obviously belongs to the latter. After repeated thinking, the voice of the Qiuhan faction occupied his brain, and Uighur Khan Jingqiong finally made up his mind.
With the support of a group of civil and military officials and nobles, Jing Qiong decided to raise an army to rebel against the Han Dynasty. Rather than sit back and wait for death, gradually being crushed, forced to death, and cannibalized by the imperial court's general trend, it was better to rise up and attack.
Guo Jin's forward troops, who were the first to cross the border, became their target. The Uighurs' plan was also very clear. No matter what their intention was, they had already agreed to borrow the road. The Han army would never have thought that they would dare to attack on their own initiative.
In the conception of Uighur Khan Jingqiong and others, if Guo Jin, the elite of the Han army, could be killed in one fell swoop, the situation in Hexi would basically be revitalized. The Han army has a large territory, a large population, and a strong military. However, it has many areas to take care of. It will take a certain amount of time to assemble the army for battle.
The reason for the rapid assembly this time was also based on the garrison troops from various states. The five thousand Han army was already a powerful force. And if the imperial court loses money, the price it needs to pay to recruit, arm, and train again is not small.
For the Uighurs in Ganzhou who were determined to rebel, the benefits of eliminating Guo Jinjun were obvious. One was to boost morale, the other was to interrupt the rhythm of the Han army's westward advance, and the third was to buy them more time.
The Han army took the initiative to send 5,000 infantry and cavalry to their mouths. They were alone and out of touch with Liangzhou. As long as they were arranged properly, they had a high probability of success.
Therefore, while giving orders to let the Uighur troops along the way pass, the Uighur Khan Jingqiong quickly mobilized troops from Ganzhou. Together with the original Khan's army and the previously recruited troops, he gathered a total of 26,000 troops and waited. With the arrival of the Han army.
The spies of the Han army are also pervasive in Gansu, and their subordinates are also not short of leading parties and surrender factions. The Uighurs' changes are not without signs. Although the Uighur Khan did it secretly and quickly enough, there are still some clues. Traces are revealed.
Therefore, these signs also reached the ears of Guo Jin who was marching through spies. The spies could not see through the truth, but Guo Jin was wary of it, but did not pay too much attention to it. He only regarded it as a warning move by the Uighurs.
The order he received was to advance to Xiedan City and stand in front of the Chinese army, so he only passed this news to the Chinese army on Pegasus, and he led the army to march towards Xiedan City according to the established speed and rhythm, only to increase the speed. Be vigilant.
However, Guo Jin was careful enough this time. The march arrangements along the way were in accordance with the regulations. There was nothing wrong and there was no negligence.
However, I didn't expect it and suffered a big loss. When he led the army about ten miles closer to Xiedan City, Guo Jin already had some bad premonitions in his heart. It was an unreasonable feeling, a sense of smell that he had been fighting for many years.
When sending people to Jiedan City to report the "borrowing" matter, he also ordered the army to adjust from marching formation to combat formation. Then, when they approached Jiedan City, the unexpected battle took place. The Uighur Khan Jingqiong personally led 15,000 troops to attack in formation, and he also ambushed 5,000 cavalry at Rouge Mountain and outside the Great Wall. At the same time, he also sent a group of light cavalry to circle behind and cut off the Han army's retreat.
At the critical moment, Guo Jin couldn't think of anything else. Facing the Uighurs' active attack, he had no other plan and led his troops to resist the enemy. First of all, he sent his deputy general Chen Wantong to rush out with the two thousand accompanying cavalry and provide guerrilla support on the outside. If the cavalry was surrounded, its effectiveness would be greatly reduced. At the same time, he himself led his men to form a formation to resist.
Guo Jin has rich experience in leading battles. When faced with changes, he chose to handle things appropriately. Although the Han soldiers were small and were attacked by surprise, they also showed extremely high quality. The soldiers were under the command of officers at all levels. , also formed a military formation and tightly defended themselves.
In addition to the numerical disadvantage, it is a long-distance march and a tired division. The Uyghurs, on the other hand, wait for work in leisure, and do so several times as well as themselves. However, many past battle examples show that as long as the Han infantry successfully formed a square formation in the wilderness, it would be enough to resist several times the enemy, unless they ran out of food and troops.
This time the Uyghurs gathered their elites and used all their methods. However, their biggest failure was that they failed to defeat the Han army in one fell swoop. Instead, they gradually formed a tortoise shell-like defensive formation during the resistance. .
When the large carts were linked together, supplemented by Han soldiers, and put on a posture of deadly resistance, the Uighur Khan Jingqiong had to face a practical problem. This was obviously a hard nut that was not easy to mess with. Should he gnaw on it or not? Not chewing.
In fact, there was no choice left, and the will was very determined to eat this Han army. Then, outside Xiedan City, a bloody offensive and defensive battle began.
The Uighur attack unfolded like a wave, but the Han army's military formation was like a rooted rock, standing firm in the face of the impact. The advantage of the Han army lies in the fine formations and strong weapons. Bows, crossbows and spears caused great casualties to the Uighur army. The gap in combat effectiveness between the two sides is still very obvious.
However, the Uighurs relied on their large numbers and many fanatical Han-haters. When they attacked, they were somewhat desperate. From five for one, to four for one, and then three for one, as this continued, the Han army's numerical disadvantage was gradually amplified.
Of course, you can imagine the price the Uighurs paid if they wanted to kill the Han army. The two sides fought from noon until nightfall before they stopped fighting. The Uighurs wanted to besiege them. However, that night, with the support of the cavalry led by Chen Wantong, Guo Jin led the remaining troops to launch an attack, successfully killed the Uighurs and withdrew along the way.
Naturally, the Uighurs were unwilling to give in. Khan Jingqiong personally led the pursuit, while Guo Jin led his men, fighting and retreating all the way to Rouge Mountain. Finally, they were surrounded again thirty miles away, but this time, the Han army occupied a hilltop and formed a formation to fight with a more favorable terrain.
The Han army was exhausted, and the Uighurs had lost all fighting spirit after hard fighting, night fighting, and pursuit. The two sides spent the rest of the night in tacit understanding.
On the second day, from morning to night, it was still the same attack and defense, and the same fighting. The Han army resisted to the end, and the Uighurs had no intention of giving up...
