In Chang'an, the snow has not yet melted, and the weather is dry and cold. His Majesty the Young Emperor approved a large-scale military campaign to send troops to the Western Regions as quickly as possible.

Today, with the overall strength of the Han Dynasty, it is no longer as overstretched and embarrassed as before to organize a national war. "The soldiers and horses have not moved, the grain and grass go first", all departments and departments of the imperial court immediately took action, whether it was armaments or logistics supplies, they were all prepared in accordance with the order, and then took the lead in embarking on the journey to the west.

The news of the defeat in the Western Regions has spread all over the world, but unlike before, whether it is the soldiers of the Han army or ordinary people, they no longer feel panic and anxiety, but the same hatred and anger.

The names of those who have already been known to have died are posted in the form of dew cloth in all counties and counties of the world for people to mourn and remember. Defend against strong enemies and protect my country! Such a slogan spread all over the country, and the hot-blooded men raised their arms for it, and the Han athletes who were fortunate enough to be transferred to the combat corps to participate in this war were regarded as a supreme honor.

This was the first large-scale war faced by the Han Empire after the new emperor succeeded to the throne. According to the order issued by the emperor himself, a total of more than 60,000 elite combat troops were recruited, and if the rest of the various logistics supply support troops were added, there were almost more than 100,000 people in total. It can be said that it is the largest battle organized since the war to destroy the Huns.

60,000 combat troops, in accordance with the unified deployment of the imperial court military conference, the troops were divided into three routes.

On the north road, Wei Qing, the general of the Marquis of Changping, personally commanded 30,000 cavalry with the Black Eagle Army as the main combat force, went north to Yanmen Pass, and went out of the three cities of Shuofang to aid Yu Dan Danyu on the grassland, so as to jointly resist the combined army composed of Persian and Xiongnu exiled nobles from the direction of the Tianshan Mountains in the northwest.

On the south route, some of the naval forces in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, plus the men and horses transferred this time, together formed a South China Sea warship formation of more than 10,000 people. In the past few years, more than 30 large warships have been newly built in the Jianhu Dockyard, and all of them have been expanded. As a result, the overall size of this maritime fleet has reached more than 100 warships, and all of them are equipped with various weapons for maritime operations.

The Han Dynasty was officially born from this war, a real water combat unit. And Yuan Hengbo, who was personally awarded the title of General Lou Chuan, was the original Yuan Mansion Guard Yuan Thirteen. When this young man stood in the bow of the ship in high spirits, commanding a hundred warships under his command to brave the wind and waves into the deep sea, I am afraid that even he did not realize what immortal feats this water combat force would establish, and what great significance this new channel was about to open up for the future of this great empire!

A total of 20,000 people went west out of Chang'an to Yumen Pass to support, and their combat mission was the most difficult, and it played a decisive role in the victory or defeat of the entire war. Therefore, although the emperor was very reluctant, he had to agree to Yuan Zhao's request, and the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, who had the hope of the world, personally took command and led the army to the west.

The clouds are thousands of miles, and the sky is full of sunset. The wind was cold, blowing up the snow on the roadside, and the robes were stained with frost. Warriors in iron armor lined up in neat ranks and galloped away on majestic horses. Outside the West City Gate of Chang'an, Emperor Liu Ju withdrew his gaze from afar, sighed slightly, and looked at the people around him who were about to embark on the journey again, with a complicated expression on his face.

"Actually, I don't want you to leave Chang'an at this time...... Sister A and Sister Lingzhi, they will give birth next month...... Alas! ”

As the commander of the Western Route Army, Yuan Zhao did not wear armor. A battle robe was slightly blown by the wind and floated behind him. The thousands of stitches on it were all made by the woman with her dexterous hands for him to stay up all night.

"In this battle, we can only win and not lose! Your Majesty, whether it is for the Han Dynasty or the entire Chinese nation, this is not only a severe test, but also a golden opportunity......! ”

Of course, the young emperor had already heard the most important minister of the empire and his most trusted friend explain in detail the significance of the war. Thinking of those grandiosities and vastness, he was also excited, but after all, he couldn't bear to part with this world.

"Sister, they're over there...... Brother Yuan, I won't delay you. When you return victoriously, I will prepare the wine myself, and I will still wait here! ”

The young emperor of the Han Empire and the prime minister high-fived each other, just like on weekdays. At some point, they were just friends and never called kings and ministers.

Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road. Yuan Zhao, who was in charge of the machine, stretched out his arms and hugged the two women who came to see him off, full of apologies. Perhaps, God is destined not to let him see the birth of his child with his own eyes.

"I've arranged everything, and it's going to be fine......."

The choice between the righteousness of the family and the country and the love of children pales in all words.

And the same sunset, falling in the eyes of the soldiers guarding Yumen Pass, was blood-red.

Even if no iron arrow can be shot at the head of the city of Yumen Pass, the smoke and dust that goes straight up to the sky at the end of the field of vision and the faintly audible sound of fierce fighting make people feel uneasy.

The Yumen guards and their subordinates were fully armed and on duty at the head of the city, and they did not dare to slack off day and night. Although he knew that the last fortress in front of him, Dunhuang County, had reached the most critical moment, but there was no way to rescue it.

It's not that they're timid and afraid of death, but the duty of guarding the Jade Gate Pass is too important. As the western gate of the Han Empire, Yumen Pass must not be lost!

There was an endless stream of flying horses sent to Chang'an to report emergencies and request support, but reinforcements were delayed. Although I knew that Chang'an needed a lot of preparation to send troops, it was very difficult to endure the feeling of living like a year. Time is of the essence, and there is really no delay.

Both Yumen Pass and Yangguan, which is also an important gateway to the western region, have recently been raised to the most tense state of combat readiness. The war report in the Western Regions was as urgent as a spark, and it was shocking every day.

Who would have thought that the enemy would be so powerful. After the three counties of Jiuquan, Wuwei and Zhangye under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Protectorate were lost one after another, in less than half a month, the Persian army swept almost all of the Western Regions. Those who surrender in the Western Regions will live, and those who resist will be slaughtered! Wherever the army passed, there was a great deal of mourning.

The situation is already dire. The entire Western Regions was no longer owned by the Han Dynasty, and years of hard work were almost ruined. Outside the Yumen Pass, only the lonely city of Dunhuang is still struggling to hold on, maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow, once Dunhuang is lost, the Persian army will come to the city, and really invade the territory of the Han Dynasty.

The last time I received news from Dunhuang was three days ago. Since then, the lonely city has been completely surrounded and completely lost. What made the defenders of Yumen Pass feel a little relieved was that just now, they finally received the latest movement in Chang'an, and the advance troops of the reinforcements had already set off as a whole army, rushing to the Xiongnu grassland in the north of Saibei and the Yumen and Yangguan lines here.

So who will be on this expedition? The minds of all the front-line soldiers were full of speculation. The enemy's combat effectiveness is so powerful that even the 5,000 Red Fire Army led by Li Dang himself has been completely annihilated.

In any case, this is always good news. As long as the Persian army does not attack so quickly, and when reinforcements arrive, even if they cannot win in a short time, there is still no problem in holding on to the enemy.

However, this self-soothing did not last long, and the crisis was imminent. In the distance, smoke and dust rose in the distance, and at the sound of the trumpet sirens sounding at the head of the city, all the soldiers widened their eyes as the banner of the Persian army finally began to appear in view.

The murderous enemy has finally arrived! They sent a section of the former army to bypass the besieging Dunhuang fortress, spread out their formation within this hundred miles, and rushed towards the Yumen Pass with great vigour. The people of the Western Regions who surrendered had already told them that as long as this portal was opened, the splendid world of the Han Dynasty would be unfolded in front of them. Everywhere is prosperous, at the mercy of captivity!

In the face of the overwhelming enemy army, the Yumen Pass Guard issued the most severe mobilization order, ordering all soldiers to be ready for battle and swear to live and die with Guancheng!

Fortunately, the merchants and residents inside and outside the city have already retreated to the rear with the county officials, and since it is inevitable to fight to the death after all, let's start now!

As a result, after a few years of peace, the western frontier of the Han Empire rose again, the sound of killing shook the sky, and another more fierce war was unveiled.

The fighting was fierce from the start. After truly seeing the bravery of the Persians, all the soldiers of Yumen Pass understood why they were able to travel thousands of miles to come here in such a short period of time.

There are several types of warriors that can be feared on the battlefield. But the most terrible one is not not afraid of death, but has faith.

If the ultimate mission of a warrior to grow up is only to fulfill the will of the king to whom he serves. Then, life and death are really nothing in the face of such a huge honor. And the Persian army is undoubtedly composed of such thousands of warriors.

In the past battles, the border army of the Han Dynasty had never seen such a Persian as before, knowing that climbing to the top of the city was death, but they still rushed forward one after another. The one in front had just been hit by a rolling log and stone, and his brain had cracked and fallen, and the one in the back continued to climb the city wall without even blinking...... In the first round of attacks, the Han army defending the city deeply understood their strength.

No wonder the Western Regions Protectorate lost three cities in a row and suffered heavy casualties! With such a brutal opponent, it is really not an easy task to block their full attack. If it weren't for the tall and sturdy city walls and sharp crossbow arrows, in the face of the frantic attack, several Guancheng were almost lost.

Twilight fell, and the killing did not stop. More than 100,000 Persian armies approached one after another, occupying the entire Western Regions. Tomorrow's decisive battle is about to officially begin.