Although the weather in Shuzhong was still a bit hot at the end of September, it was not difficult to march under the scorching sun. When Yang Yunfan led his troops to Jianmen Pass, it was already three days later.
Jianmen Pass has a dangerous terrain and has always been a battleground for military strategists. During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, chiseled stones here to build the Feiliang Pavilion Road, and built the Feiliang Pavilion on the two cliffs of Dajian Mountain. It became a famous military pass. After the Sui Dynasty, the route from Shaanxi and Gansu to Shu was gradually changed, and the Zhange Road from Xiaojian to Dajian Pass was gradually abandoned, and "Jiange" became another name for Jianmen Pass.
Li Bai, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote in "The Road to Shu is Difficult": The sword pavilion is towering and Cui Wei, one man can guard the gate, and ten thousand men cannot open it. Those who were guarding or robbing relatives turned into wolves and jackals. Avoid tigers in the morning and snakes at night;
After three days of trekking, Yang Yunfan led his troops to Jianmen Pass. Although Jianmen Pass cannot be seen in full when looking from the inside out, it still gives people the feeling of towering mountains and mountains.
"Is the person coming here Yang Yuhou?" Just when Yang Yunfan was sighing at the majesty of Jianmen Pass, he rode out from the pass. This man is about 20 years old, wearing armor, carrying a powerful bow, holding a rein in his hand, sitting down on a bay red horse that is still restless.
"My Excellency, Yang Yunfan, has come to Jianmen Pass to cooperate with the guarding of the pass under the military order of the inspection envoy Mr. Lu. This is a transfer order." After speaking, Yang Yunfan took out the transfer order and handed it over.
The man got off his horse, took the order, read it and handed it back to Yang Yunfan. He also raised his hand and said, "My Lord Shangguan Boyu, on my father's order, came to greet Yang Yuhou. My father has received the military letter from Chengdu Prefecture and is in the military camp. I am waiting for Marquis Yang Yu, and I ask Marquis Yu to follow me into the pass."
Everyone followed Shangguan Boyu and walked towards the pass. Entering the military camp, Yang Yunfan saw six or seven people standing on both sides of the tent. There was a middle-aged man sitting upright on the main seat. This man was about forty years old, with a thin face and a long beard under his chin. , looking sharp.
Yang Yunfan knew that this person should be Shangguan Zheng, the guard general of Jianmen Pass, so he took a step forward, bowed and performed a military salute, and said: "General Yang Yunfan, I pay my respects to Lord Shangguan. I have heard of Lord Shangguan for a long time. I can see you today. It's true." It's a blessing. The last general was ordered by Master Lu to lead a thousand troops to assist Master Shangguan in guarding Jianmen Pass. This is the transfer order from Chengdu Prefecture."
Shangguan Zheng smiled slightly when he heard the words, took the order, and after reading it, he said: "Please sit down, Marquis Yang Yu. The former Japanese general has received a military letter from the Chengdu Prefecture, saying that troops will be sent to cooperate with the general to guard Jianmen Pass. No, I think of a young hero like Yang Yuhou. Haha."
"General, I've given you a commendation. I'm a new general who is leading military affairs, but he has little talent and little knowledge. I hope the general can give me more support," Yang Yunfan said.
"How can the descendants of Yang Ye and Yang Lainggong be ordinary people? I think back when your grandfather was guarding Yanmen, I was still just like you, a Yuhou in the army. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed. Well, although the old general has passed away, his wisdom still shocks Hulu. No one in our generation can compare to him." Shangguan Zheng said with emotion.
"The general is too modest. Who doesn't know that the general is the "talent of three admonitions"? Mr. Zhao's vision is unmistakable," Yang Yunfan said. To be honest, Yang Yunfan didn't like such mutual compliments, but out of politeness, although he was repelled in his heart, he could still handle it calmly in terms of etiquette.
The Shangguan was smiling and waving his hands, and then said to a young man beside him: "Ji Yu, you first go and arrange the camp for Yang Yuhou and his men, so that the soldiers can fill their bellies. All the weapons and soldiers are registered and ordered. The Munitions Department will prepare supplies," the Shangguan was ordering calmly.
"Yes." The young man beside him replied bluntly, then nodded to Yang Yunfan with a smile, and the two walked out of the tent together.
This young man is Shangguan Jiyu, the fourth son of Shangguanzheng.
Shangguan Zheng has four sons, who are known as the "Four Shangguan Tigers" because of their talents. They are the eldest son Shangguan Boyu, the second son Shangguan Wenyu, the third son Shangguan Qiangyu, and the fourth son Shangguan Jiyu. The eldest son Shangguan Boyu is good at archery and can fire a two-stone bow; the second son Shangguan Wenyu and the third son Shangguan Qiangyu are good at marksmanship and are extremely brave in battle.
As for the youngest son Shangguan Jiyu, he is different from his three brothers. He has not loved bows, swords, and literature since he was a child. Shangguan Zheng was also very happy. It was rare for his son to be interested in literature, so he sent him to study wisely since he was a child. Thanks to the careful guidance of the great scholar, he is now quite famous. He is the most talented among the four brothers, and he is also very savvy and shrewd. Therefore, Shangguan Zheng gave him the minor position of counselor in the army after he passed the examination. He was also asked to help take care of things in the military to hone his character.
Just when Yang Yunfan led his army to Jianmen Pass, on the road to Jianmen Pass from Jiangyuan County, a team of nearly 8,000 people led by Dou Shengxing and Li Taotao was marching forward in a mighty manner. Due to the long distance and rugged road, , the team looked a bit messy from a distance, either in twos or threes, or in groups of more than a dozen people moving forward.
"Husband, do you want to urge them to march like this? How long will it take to reach Jianmen Pass?" Li Taotao looked at the team behind him and asked with a frown.
"Well, most of these people are bandits and green forest people who have just defected to the rebel army. There is no military discipline at all. The real elites of our rebel army are following the King of Shu to attack Chengdu. The more than 8,000 people assigned to us , not much combat effectiveness, and Jiangyuan County is far away from Jianmen Pass. No matter how fast it is, it will take more than ten days to travel. It is estimated that by then, Chengdu Prefecture will have been defeated by us. By then, we will take advantage of the victory to attack Jianmen Pass. It's even easier to pass." Dou Shengxing smiled and said slowly.
At the same time that Dou Shengxing and his wife led the army to Jianmen Pass, Li Shun led the army to approach Chengdu Prefecture, set up camp more than 20 miles away from the west gate of the city, and mobilized troops to surround the north and south gates. The city was besieged on three sides, leaving only the east gate for city residents to escape, in order to weaken the will of the officers and soldiers defending the city to resist to the death.
The rebels continued to send out sentries to spy on intelligence. At the same time, Zhang Yu, Chu Lihan and others also rode outside the city wall to observe the weak points of the defenders and wait for an opportunity to launch an attack.
In Chengdu Prefecture, rebel troops are pressing down on the territory, and the people in the city have long been panicked. Although Chengdu Prefecture is high and deep, the rebels have won consecutive battles recently and are very powerful. Moreover, the rebels are large in number and most of them are desperadoes. Only the defenders in the city can It is difficult for the army to hold on for too long. We can only hope that the imperial army sent by the imperial court will arrive soon. However, everyone knows that water from afar cannot quench the thirst of the people nearby. At this time, many people are planning their own retreat.
Dark clouds are pressing down on the city, threatening to destroy it. This is the time for officers and soldiers to protect their homes and country. However, the officers and soldiers who defended the city had long lost their fighting spirit. Everyone in the city did not expect that the rebels would attack Chengdu Prefecture without stopping as soon as they captured Jiangyuan County. This was clearly an overwhelming momentum, which gave the city defenders who had little defense a greater chance. pressure.
