In the middle of the night, after everyone was tired for a day, the Jie people who had retreated took advantage of the darkness and quietly arrived. In the pitch-black valley, it was impossible to see even one's fingers. The 20,000 Jie tribe's army took advantage of the cover of night and gradually approached the city wall. The soldiers on the city wall patrolled around with the help of weak lights, but the actual situation under the city was indeed difficult to discern.
The lights undoubtedly gave the Jie clan the best target guidance. Along with the sound of wind in the valley, the whistling of arrows also followed. While thousands of arrows were shooting towards the city head, the siege ladder was already leaning against the city. On the city wall.
"Dang, Dang, Dang" the warning gong sounded loudly, "Enemy attack, enemy attack" shouted the soldiers who were the first to respond. There was a commotion at the top of the city, and many soldiers were hit by arrows unprepared.
Enemies continued to swarm the city. As the number of soldiers guarding the city decreased, the defensive pressure on the city increased. When the soldiers in the barracks heard the shouts of killing, they rushed up the city wall to stop the Jie tribesmen. The battles in the night were fierce, and sometimes it was not even clear whether it was the enemy or one of our own.
Half an hour later, more and more enemies were on the top of the city and they began to advance towards the bottom of the city. At this time, there were less than 500 defensive soldiers left. A soldier serving a school captain cursed after slaughtering a Jie tribesman: "Zhang Da, Hou Tai, you two bastards, I won't let you go even if I'm a ghost."
"No, Lieutenant Sun, there are too many enemies!" a soldier shouted.
Captain Sun sighed, "Hey, retreat, fight out through the south gate."
Suddenly, hundreds of soldiers rushed towards the south gate. After rushing out of the south gate, Captain Sun shouted: "Brothers, don't take the main road, run through the mountain road." He knew that marching on the main road would soon be blocked. The Jie people's cavalry caught up. Only by entering the mountains could they avoid the enemy's pursuit.
Soon, the Xiguan City Gate was opened from the inside out, and a large number of cavalry rushed into the gate.
Shaerzhu rushed into Xiguan City: "What's going on? We captured it so quickly?"
A soldier hurriedly ran over and said: "Report to the chief, there are not many defenders in the city, there seem to be only a thousand people, and the large troops seem to have evacuated in advance."
"It seems that these Han people have been completely frightened." Shaerzhu said proudly.
"Chief, there are some injured prisoners captured in the pass. What should we do with them?" the soldier asked.
"Kill them all and leave no one alive."
"yes"
Soon there were screams in the pass, and hundreds of injured soldiers who could not escape were all slaughtered.
Modohar came to Sharzhu and said, "Big Chief, Xiguan City has been captured. Do you want to send someone to deliver a message to the Great Khan?"
Sha'erzhu pondered for a moment and said: "No need for the time being. After we capture Yancheng, we will send a message to the Khan. Order the soldiers to rest for a day today and go straight to Yancheng tomorrow to avenge my son."
"Big Chief, we have lost a lot of soldiers this time. Do you want to wait until the Great Khan and others arrive to act together?"
"Hmph, there are only a few thousand defenders in Yancheng, what's so scary about it?" Sha Erzhu said angrily.
"That's right, Modohar, don't you dare to go? If you are afraid, then you can stay and garrison Xiguan. Our Ousa tribe will go to avenge the young leader." Ousa Chaha, the leader of the Ousa tribe said.
"You fart, our Domo tribe are all warriors who have experienced hundreds of battles. How can we be afraid? The big leader does not need you to take action personally, so we, the Domo tribe, come to attack Yancheng. I guarantee that we will capture Yancheng within one day." City." Modohar said hurriedly.
Shaerzhu looked at the two tribal leaders in front of him and was very satisfied, but this time, he wanted to personally chop off King Yan's head to wash away the shame of the Shalang tribe and avenge his son.
The sun was rising in the sky, and the city wall of Xiguan was replaced with the flag of the Sand Wolf tribe, and the city wall was completely replaced by soldiers of the Jie tribe. This scene was seen by the second wave of scouts who came to investigate. The two scouts looked at each other, neither understanding what was going on.
"How come they are all Jie people? Could it be that Xiguan was breached so quickly?" A scout asked doubtfully.
"It's impossible. There are 50,000 troops stationed in Xiguan. It's easy to defend but difficult to attack. How can it be easily broken?"
"No matter what, you go back and report to His Highness King Yan. I will stay and continue to monitor."
It turned out that most of Yancheng's scouts were active near the mountains and forests around Xishan. After the first wave of scouts went back to report the news, they received orders to investigate, but they missed the retreating Zhang Da and others, so they did not find Zhang Da and others. people's escape.
The soldier climbed down from the mountainside, took out his horse in a relatively lush forest, got on his horse, and galloped towards Yancheng.
After a night of rapid march, the 40,000-strong army led by Zhang Da marched for more than 60 miles. The soldiers had been exhausted after running all night. Zhang Da then ordered a rest and asked the cooks to bury the pot and make rice as soon as possible.
At the same time, five fast horses came out from the north gate of Yancheng and headed towards Xiguan. However, it didn't take long before they discovered a 40,000-strong army thirty miles away from Yancheng. Several scouts didn't know how such an army appeared here, and they didn't dare to rush forward rashly. After some discussion, one of them returned to Yancheng to report the news, while the other two stayed to monitor the movement of the army, while the other two took a detour and continued to attack. Heading to Xiguan.
The scouts returned to the gate of Yancheng. At this time, the gate of Yancheng was closed.
"Open the city gate quickly!" the scout shouted.
When the soldiers on the city saw that the scouts were coming back, they immediately notified the city gate defenders to open the door.
After the scout entered the city, he quickly ran up the city wall.
"Report to Captain Qin that tens of thousands of troops were found thirty miles outside the city."
When Qin Fang heard this, the tens of thousands of troops immediately tensed up and asked hurriedly: What is going on?
"We traveled thirty miles to the northwest, and saw tens of thousands of troops resting on the roadside from a distance. The exact number of people was unclear, but we could tell that they were our Daxia army."
"The army of Daxia, could it be that the imperial court sent troops to reinforce Xiguan?" Qin Fang asked doubtfully.
"Probably not. If the reinforcements from the imperial court are coming, they should pass through Yancheng, but..." The scout stopped talking, because no army had passed by Yancheng in the past few days.
Qin Fang thought to himself, "No troops passed by Yancheng, and apart from the many defenders at Xiguan, there were no other garrisons north of Yancheng. But if they were the defenders at Xiguan, why did they appear in Yancheng if they were not stationed at Xiguan?" nearby?"
"I don't know about this subordinate, but personnel have been left to continue to monitor his movements." the scout replied.
"I understand, continue to inquire!" Qin Fang waved his hand.
The scout responded and retreated down the city wall.
After the scout left, Qin Fang called his deputy Hao Tong to his side and said, "This is not right. I have to go to the palace immediately. I will leave the city gate to you."
"Captain, go quickly, I will guard this place." Hao Tong said.
Qin Fang got off the city wall, took the reins from the soldiers, got on his horse and headed towards the palace. The palace is located in the very center of Yancheng, not too far from the city gates.
In front of the palace gate, Lu Biao was walking back and forth in front of the gate. When he saw Qin Fang coming on horseback, he knew that there must be something new.
Lu Biao raised his hand and said hello: "Captain Qin"
Qin Fang jumped off the horse: "Brother Lu, where is the prince?"
"In the front hall!"
"Take me to see the prince quickly! There is a new situation."
Lu Biao didn't dare to neglect, so the two of them entered the palace together. As they walked, Lu Biao asked, "What happened?"
"Tens of thousands of troops appeared in the northwest of the city," Qin Fang said without stopping.
"Tens of thousands?" Lu Biao couldn't help but be startled, and then followed Qin Fang's footsteps.
"Yes"
The two of them entered the front hall one after another. Only a few people from the palace were in the hall, and Cao Li and others went to arrange other things.
Qin Fang briefly explained the situation, and Zhao Bin was also confused as to why tens of thousands of troops suddenly appeared.
"Your Majesty, there are no redundant troops stationed north of Yancheng. Only 50,000 troops are stationed in Xiguan. If the army sent by the imperial court to reinforce Xiguan will definitely pass through Yancheng, even if it does not pass through Yancheng and march from the west of Yancheng, The scouts in the west should have already discovered that tens of thousands of troops cannot appear quietly in the northwest. The only possibility is that the Xiguan garrison arrived here overnight."
"At this time, the Jie people are attacking Xiguan. They are not stationed in Xiguan. They come here..." At this point, Zhao Bin suddenly stood up from his chair: "Did Xiguan fall?"
Qin Fang thought for a moment and said: "This is unlikely. Fifty thousand troops are stationed in Xiguan. It is not foolproof, but it will not be a matter of a short while to break through Xiguan."
"It's not like he ran away from the battle," Wang Wu said in surprise.
Everyone looked at Wang Wu, and Wang Wu just responded to everyone's gaze blankly.
"Brother Wu, why do you say that?" Zhao Bin asked curiously.
"Your Majesty, I'm just guessing, but I remembered something else."
"What's the matter?" Zhao Bin asked.
"Zhang Da is a foreign branch of the Zhang family. His father's name is Zhang Bangyan. General Ding's death at the hands of the Huns is related to this old bastard. If this old boy had not escaped from the battle, the old general would not have been attacked by the Huns. People were killed," Wang Wu said.
"There are many doubts about what happened back then. It is better to say that it was an intentional escape than a deliberate attempt." Zhao Bin said.
"The battle reports at that time were all sent to the capital by the Zhang family, but according to the Zhang family's description, it was caused by General Ding's impulsiveness and his lone army. At that time, the old head of the Zhang family was Zhang Bangchang, the father of the current queen. He also At that time, he had great power in the court, and the emperor was forced to acquiesce to this matter due to various pressures. After that, in order to protect the Ding family, the imperial concubine was not allowed to mention this matter again." Wang Wu continued.
"Brother Wu, do you mean that Zhang Da might be imitating his father this time?" Lu Biao asked doubtfully.
"I don't know, but there must be no good people in the Zhang family," Wang Wu replied.
Xiao Chu looked at Zhao Bin with a solemn expression and said: "Your Majesty, if Brother Wu's guess is true, then Yancheng cannot stay for a long time and must be evacuated as soon as possible!"
Everyone is aware of the seriousness of the problem at this moment. If that is the case, then the Zhang family’s goal is the Yan Palace, that is, the Yan King. The emperor has granted the Yan King military power. Although the number is not large, it is definitely a dangerous start. Zhang Neither the family nor the prince will allow such a thing to develop.
Zhao Bin felt that this was impossible: "What you are saying is too mysterious. In order to deal with me, you abandoned Xiguan and exposed the entire Hebei Province to the iron hoof of the Jie tribe again? Are you crazy?"
Qin Fang thought for a moment and said: "Hebei Road is simply a worthless place in their eyes. Otherwise, after so many years of recovering Hebei Road, no big family would be willing to come to Hebei Road to operate and develop. In their eyes, Here, sooner or later, this place will be occupied by nomads."
Qin Fang's words brought Zhao Bin back to the reality of ancient times. Hebei Province has always been a place with constant wars in its past history. This land has also changed hands several times and been invaded and occupied by different nomads. Therefore, in In the eyes of those aristocratic families, no matter how well you run this place, you are just a wedding dress for others, so no one cares about this land and the people on this land.
"Your Majesty, I am humble enough to escort you out of Yancheng first. If nothing happens, we will come back." Xiao Chu asked for instructions from the side.
Zhao Bin looked at Xiao Chu deeply, then turned to the others: "What will happen to Yancheng if we leave?" Zhao Bin asked lightly.
"This..." No one said anything.
"The Sand Wolf Clan must have come to fight for the Sand Sculpture. We killed the Jie Clan cavalry and captured their young leader. Even if we let him go now, will they still not let Yancheng go?" Zhao Bin continued. asked.
"I'm afraid so." Qin Fang replied lightly.
"We are leaving. Once Yancheng is breached, what will the people of Yancheng do?"
"But Your Majesty, it is too dangerous for you to be here, and my subordinates must be responsible for your safety," Xiao Chu retorted.
"It doesn't matter. The matter hasn't been clarified yet. This is just our speculation. If we give up the lost ground that the emperor finally regained, it won't be enough for him to chop off as many heads as Zhang Da has. We'd better clarify the matter first."
While everyone was discussing, a long shout came into the hall.
"Report!" A guard led a scout and quickly ran into the front hall.
"Report to the prince, it's not good, Xiguan has been lost! The defenders of Xiguan are evacuating towards Yancheng." The scout knelt down and said hurriedly.
Everyone was shocked. Qin Fang stepped forward, grabbed the scout's collar and asked, "What's going on?"
"Yesterday during the day, the Jie people were unable to attack the city. In the middle of the night, the Jie people took advantage of the cover of night to launch a surprise attack. Guard Zhang Da left only a few people to guard the city. The remaining 40,000 troops evacuated Xiguan before the enemy attacked."
"Fuck, Zhang Da is a thief! He really dares to do this!" Zhao Bin cursed angrily.
"Your Majesty, this is not the time to be angry. My subordinates will escort you to evacuate immediately," Xiao Chu said hurriedly.
"Evacuate why! I, Zhao Bin, said when I came to Yancheng that from now on, Yancheng will be my Zhao Bin's home, and the people of Yancheng will be my Zhao Bin's people. If anyone is afraid of death, he can leave now. I will definitely Don't stop me." Zhao Bin said angrily. This was the first time Zhao Bin had lost his temper since time travel. Everyone was stunned. In their eyes, King Yan was kind, kind, smiling, and smart. But now someone has given up on Xiguan and became a deserter, putting the safety of the people of Yancheng on the chopping board and letting others slaughter him. If he doesn't agree, he can't just leave. He remembers that these people dug coal and were covered in darkness. He remembered the way the people rushed towards him, he remembered the way the people paid him New Year's greetings, and he remembered the way the people made iron and salt day and night to earn money for Yancheng, so he couldn't leave.
Qin Fang remembered what this young man looked like when he first came here, and the first line of the poem he read out, "But the flying generals in Dragon City are here, and they don't teach barbarians to cross Yan Mountain." He remembered what Zhao Bin said when Prince Heng came to Yan Prince's Mansion, " What the sword pointed at is the world of the Han family, and the people of the Jie tribe must pay with their blood." What Zhao Bin had said and what he had done for the people of Yancheng flashed in his mind. After thinking about it, Qin Fang knelt down on one knee: "The final general will follow the prince to the death"
When Xiao Chu and Lu Biao saw this, they also knelt on the ground: "I swear to follow the prince to the death!"
Zhao Bin raised his hand to signal a few people to get up, then looked at the scouts and asked: "How long will it take for the defenders of Xiguan to reach Yancheng?"
"Go back to your lord, and we will arrive at Yancheng by noon!"
"Keep inquiring!"
"Yes" the scout responded and exited the hall.
"Get ready to meet the enemy" he said as he walked out of the hall.
