Outside the Jade Gate, all the news was finally cut off. All the scouts sent out no longer have the military intelligence from the front. The garrison general and his men certainly understood what that meant.

The land outside the gate is no longer owned by the Han Dynasty! When the sky was bright again, the wind mixed with the smell of blood rushed in, the iron armor was cold, the swords and shields were frosty, and the soldiers who stuck to the city were ready to fight again.

Looking at the mountains and rivers of the homeland, although it is only a hundred miles away, it may never go back! Dunhuang City, Bowang Hou Zhang Qian stood behind the arrow battlements of the city tower, silently watched for a long time, and his heart was infinitely sad.

Since the Battle of Jiuquan, the Han army has been defeated all the way and suffered heavy losses. A few days ago, when he retreated to Zhangye County, Zhang Qian had gathered all the horses and wanted to hold on to help. However, after only holding out for a day and a night, after paying a large number of casualties, he had to abandon the fortress again and retreat to the city of Dunhuang.

Zhang Qian did not have the idea of dying to the death, however, looking around at all the soldiers who followed him, although everyone was injured, none of them were afraid to retreat. Dunhuang City, has been bloody for more than ten days, five or six out of ten dead...... He recklessly put away this thought. In such a situation, begging for death is just a cowardly escape. And how to hold on and lead everyone to reduce casualties as much as possible is the most important thing to do as a general.

The total number of Han troops who retreated to Dunhuang City was only a few thousand. And after so many days of brutal fighting, only two or three thousand people were left who could stand at the head of the city. Even these people, in addition to the courage to face death, probably mainly rely on the strength of the city walls and the sharpness of their weapons.

However, Zhang Qian is not a reckless martial artist. For several days, through observation, he had a deep anxiety in his heart. It stands to reason that with the momentum of the Persians successively conquering the three counties of Jiuquan, Wuwei and Zhangye, Dunhuang may also be difficult to hold. He and all the soldiers were ready to break the city at any time. However, apart from the fierce attacks of the first few days, the Persians gradually slowed down their siege, and most strangely, the large wooden siege engines were not used.

"General, will there be rescuers?"

Although the city is besieged on all sides, there seems to be no hope in sight. But someone still asked. No one wants to die in a foreign land like this, especially in a desperate situation, often a glimmer of hope can also become the motivation to persevere.

"With or without rescue, it's impossible for us to abandon this lonely city...... If you are destined to die here, I hope you will not insult this Han knife in your hand! ”

Zhang Qian's saber, like that of his brothers in the other armies, was stained with blood and cracked gaps. This is a mark of their bloody battle, and it is a symbol of honor.

"Something is wrong with the Persians...... If I'm not mistaken, they deliberately didn't take the city in one fell swoop. ”

Feeling the hidden murderous aura coming from the air, this military Sima who had been a marquis for his merits a long time ago finally confirmed the judgment he had been thinking about for a long time.

"But...... Why are they doing this? ”

After Li Kang's death, Zhang Qian became the supreme military commander of the Western Regions Protectorate. Although his words on the battlefield were unquestionable, someone couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Qian

There was a bitter look on his face. Although I don't want to admit it, according to the judgment made by various situations, there is no doubt that Dunhuang City has been used as a bait.

"We underestimated these barbarians too much! That's why they have suffered one defeat after another. Now it seems that the generals of the Persian army were not only good at using their troops, but also more likely to have gathered a lot of information long ago. At the very least, they have a clear understanding of the guarding forces of the Dahan border pass. The line from Yumen Pass to Yangguan is heavily guarded, and the city wall is wide, and if the Persians carry out a strong attack, they are bound to pay great casualties. That's why they kept this lonely city, wanting to lure the defenders of Yumen Pass to come to the rescue...... If you take a closer look, there are already dense ambushes within a hundred miles of this. Their purpose was to use this to kill and injure a large number of Han troops, so as to create the most favorable conditions for the rapid attack on Yumen Pass. ”

After several tug-of-wars of attack and defense, the head of Dunhuang City has long been broken, and the broken swords, the blood color that penetrates into the masonry, and the traces of those knives and axes and chisels, all silently tell the tragedy of the war. And the surviving soldiers who had personally experienced this, quietly listened to the analysis of this Western Regions Protector Sima, and finally completely understood their situation. No matter what kind of game is won or lost on the battlefield, Dunhuang City and them have become an "abandoned son" in death!

The west wind was fierce, and the broken banner was flying. Looking back at Wangjia Mountain, Jiashan is not visible! The only thing that catches your eye is the fierce alien invaders. Their scimitars and iron bows shimmered with a piercing chill, and the horses and camels scattered all over the wilderness seemed to be out of sight.

The small Dunhuang fortress, the lonely city is closed, and the news is cut off, like a lonely boat, submerged in the boundless and endless sea of sand.

"I hope there won't be a single soldier coming to help...... Guarding the Jade Gate, don't let go and ride in. Big man, enough has died! ”

Zhang Qian retracted his gaze from afar, and also cut off all hope. He muttered, and bit the bandage that bound his left arm with his teeth, tightening it tightly, and a piece of red blood had already seeped out. He didn't know how much of his blood had to flow, and if he could, he hoped to see the Persians retreat before the last drop was gone.

However, Zhang Qian's hope seems to be just a luxury in a short period of time. Although he had guessed correctly some of the Persians' attempts to fight, what he did not understand was that the reality was much worse than he had thought.

The king of Persia, who had made the entire Western world tremble at his feet, raised the whole country to march eastward, and it was the largest military operation that was carefully planned and prepared.

The barren land of the West can no longer hold the great ambition of this king. And those beautiful and rich legends from the Far East opened up his greedy desires. Especially when he saw the fine silks, jade jewels, and porcelain vessels used in the court by his men, the sparkle in his eyes could no longer be extinguished.

There is still such a prosperous and rich place in this world! Be in your own hands. Listening to the news relayed by the court attendants from the merchants, the Persian king made this important decision after he had personally tasted the fine wine of the Han Dynasty.

As for the death of Prince Antony's envoy to Chang'an, and the hatred of the crippled prince, it was insignificant in the eyes of the Persian king. However, it is a good choice to use this excuse to seek justice and annex the Han Dynasty.

Great waves

No one dared to say a word about the decision made by King Si. From preparation to dispatch, it took less than half a year. The entire Western world, large and small, subjugated to the Persian dynasty, almost all took part in this war. Under the sword of the king of Persia, no matter what the price is, you can only obey absolutely.

The Persian king personally launched this eastern crusade, with a total of nearly 400,000 troops, and a clear division of labor. Among them, the middle army with the Persian army as the main force, led by himself to supervise the battle, with the most famous marshal of the dynasty Nehgu as the vanguard, elite soldiers and strong generals, mighty.

The Northern Route Army, guided by the exiled nobles of the Xiongnu who had fled to the Persian sphere of influence a few years earlier, gathered the combined armies of several countries in the Western world, totaling more than 100,000 people. They bypassed the southern Tianshan Road, crossed the steppe, and were responsible for attacking the northern border of the Han Dynasty.

And the Persians were not to be underestimated in their water combat power. Over the years, they have successively subdued some island nations in the western seas and annexed their fleets. Those capable sailors all became slaves of the king of Persia. Sailing ships of all sizes and laden with armies, they came to the East with a fearless spirit of death and began to loot the riches of their allegiance to the great emperor.

Thousands of warriors who have devoted their lives to the defences of the king of Persia have indeed lived up to the expectations of the king of Persia. After a long journey to the eastern world, since the official start of the war, in just half a month, the Persian troops swept the entire Western Regions.

The legendary Han soldiers and horses are very powerful, but it turns out that this is nothing more than that. Although in the fierce fighting, the Persian army also paid a lot of casualties. But compared to the great results achieved, the king of Persia was satisfied.

After several days of fighting, the battle reports that came back have shown that the more than 30,000 elite troops belonging to the Protectorate of the Western Regions of the Great Han Dynasty have almost been killed and wounded. Moreover, three of the four border fortresses set up by the Han people in the Western Regions have been captured. Only the Dunhuang city closest to the Han realm is also precarious, and if it is attacked with all its might, it will inevitably be broken.

It was also at this time that the king of Persia, who had already advanced his base camp to the vicinity of Jiuquan County, received a handwritten letter from the former army marshal Nehgu, which detailed his latest battle plan. When the king of Persia saw this, he immediately agreed, and sent an order for Nehegu to let him go. As long as you can capture the Yumen Pass and open the door of the Han Dynasty, no matter what the price is, you don't have to hesitate.

As a result, nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses of the Persian forward troops, under the orders of Marshal Nehgu, began to deploy and fight in a unified manner. The lonely city of Dunhuang is temporarily surrounded but not fought. In front of the Yumen Pass, they lined up and began round after round of siege.

The situation on the jade gate closed was extremely tense. The soldiers who defended the city were almost sleepless day and night, and they were guarding the city. However, the Persian attack was not fierce, and although they had prepared many large siege engines not far away, they were only some small-scale tentative sieges, and there was no large army swarming.

Such an illusion may only be the calm before the fiercest war. Although the guardians of the Jade Gate Pass were already tired, no one dared to slack off. Who knows if the next moment will be a life-and-death confrontation! ()

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