Western capital

Looking at the high city wall and the banner of the Han army fluttering in the wind, Cheriji couldn't help but sigh in his heart, he had long known that the Han people had a very good way of defending the city, but he didn't expect it to be so powerful. During this time, Cheriji personally supervised the battle, and the Western Qiang soldiers attacked almost day and night, but the Han army still firmly guarded the city, and there were several times when the Qiang soldiers climbed to the top of the city, but they were quickly driven down by the Han army.

Originally, the Qiang people were not good at attacking cities, and few Qiang people could build the siege equipment built by the Han people, and only the ladders and siege vehicles could be imitated. But for the Han Chinese, they seem to have a way to deal with these two devices. When the ladder reached the top of the city, the Han people would immediately pour the oil down the ladder, and then ignite a fire and burn it together with the Qiang soldiers who climbed on it. It was not that Cherrigi did not send people to release arrows to cover, but the Han people had shields to defend themselves.

The city wall is nearly 20 meters high, not people can climb with bare hands, the Qiang people are used to riding horses, but they are not used to climbing the wall, there is no ladder, they are even more people gathered under the city, will let the condescending Han people kill. As for the siege cart to break open the city gate, before the siege vehicle was pushed into the city gate hole, the Han people at the head of the city smashed down the earthen pot filled with fire oil, and then threw down a torch, and the Qiang people pushing the cart had to retreat, and then they were shot by the Han people at the head of the city with arrows.

Cheriji also ordered people to dig tunnels, but the Han people buried a large urn at the root of the city wall, and there was no movement in the ground, which could not hide from their ears at all, and the five hundred Qiang elites used to assault were drowned alive by the Han people by filling the rats.

In a word, no matter what method Cherrigi came up with to attack the city, the Han people in the city could always quickly find a way to crack it, so that the Qiang people would return in vain.

As the days passed, Cherrigi became more and more anxious. He wanted to divide his troops too much, but he was afraid that once he divided his troops, he would fall for the tricks of the Han people. But if he didn't divide his troops and fought to the end with the Han people, Cherrigi was worried that he wouldn't be able to survive the Han army.

The best way to do this is to lure the Han people out of the city and fight a decisive battle in the wilderness. But the Han people who were guarding the city didn't pay attention to Cherrigie's war book at all, but just guarded the city wholeheartedly, with a posture of wanting to spend time with Cherrigi.

Cherrigi also thought about using the method of agitation to send people to scold the formation, but compared with the rich Han culture, the words that the Qiang people can use to scold people are only a few sentences over and over again, and the Qiang soldiers who are responsible for scolding the formation not only did not scold the Han army in the city, but let the Han soldiers sent by the Han army to scold back to scold the seven orifices of smoke, screaming and rushing to the city, and finally asked the Han people to shoot them one by one with bows and crossbows.

"King, you can't continue to consume the Han army, even if people can still hold on, but there is already a problem with grain and grass." Yueji found Cherrigi and persuaded him.

"What's wrong with the grain and grass?" Cherrigi hurriedly asked. If there is no food and grass, no matter how elite the army is, it will become a rabble.

"King, we don't have much food and grass left."

"Impossible, I remember that we brought a lot of grain and grass, and there were people who were responsible for transporting it from the rear, so there was not much." Cherrigi cried out in disbelief.

"King, have you forgotten that a few days ago, we encountered the Han army attacking the camp, and a lot of grain and grass were burned, and the grain and grass sent by the rear have not been delivered until today."

"Haven't delivered it yet? Who is responsible for the food and grass? ”

"E-shas."

"What about others?"

"I left the camp yesterday and went back to urge the grain and grass, my lord, you still nodded in this matter."

"Really? …… Well, indeed, I remembered. Cherrigi thought for a moment and nodded in acknowledgement.

"King, you're too tired, it's better to take a day off and let the big guy take a breather." Yueji cautiously suggested.

"No, I can't rest. Yue Ji, now we are competing with the Han army in the city, whoever can't hold on first will finish the game first. Notify to go down, and the city will be broken in the coming day, and the knife will not be sealed for three days. Cherrigi flatly refused.

The so-called three-day non-sealing of the knife refers to the slaughter of the city. The general army boosts morale, and the most used is to slaughter the city, and Cherrigi uses the slaughter of the city as a reward is not once or twice. In the past, when facing the Qiang people who opposed him, he used the method of exterminating the clan, but now he is attacking the city of the Han people, and the extermination of the clan has become a slaughter.

The massacre of a city can indeed greatly improve the morale of the army in a short period of time, but it will also increase the resistance of the defenders. No one wanted to be killed for no reason, and while Cherrigi made a promise not to seal the knife for three days, the morale of the Qiang soldiers was greatly boosted, and the common people living in the western capital were no longer silent. In the past, the Han army defended the city, just letting them stay at home honestly, and Qingzhuang was only responsible for helping the officials and soldiers transport some equipment to defend the city. But after Cherrigi said that he wanted to slaughter the city, both the Qiang and Han people in the western capital sent representatives in the hope of participating in the defense of the city.

Liu Xie knew very well the reasons why the people in the city wanted to participate in the defense of the city, and of course he was happy to see it happen, after all, with the more young and strong people of these Han Qiang, the officers and soldiers under his command could also get more time to rest. And he will not sit idly by and watch the Qiang soldiers outside the city attack the city unscrupulously.

If you Cherrigi want to boost the morale of the army by slaughtering the city, then I, Liu Xie, will find a way to hit the morale of your army. The release of the two news immediately made the Qiang soldiers under Cherrigi panic.

The Western Qiang State of Cherrigi is said to be a country, but in fact it is still similar to most Qiang tribes, all of which are composed of tribes. In addition to the tens of thousands of Qiang soldiers of the Cheriji tribe this time, the remaining Qiang soldiers were actually selected from various tribes. And the first news that Liu Xie told these Qiang soldiers was that he had sent troops to raid the old nests of those Qiang soldiers.

Those Qiang tribes who obeyed Cherrigi's call and sent troops to participate in the war, at this time the tribes were basically old and weak, women and children, and when they learned that the Han army had killed their tribes in the rear, the Qiang soldiers who were worried about the safety of their relatives were no longer in the mood to fight against the Han people, but just wanted to return to their relatives.

Deserters have appeared! Although Cherrigi strengthened his patrol and executed the captured deserters in public, the more this happened, the more serious the desertion became, and the means used by Cherrigi to deter people had lost their effectiveness by this time.

Cherrigi's tribe is very large, but sending 50,000 troops is already the limit of Cherrigi, and the remaining 100,000 people have no intention of fighting again, which is enough to make Cherrigi have one head and two heads. And when he found that he couldn't solve the problem that the Han army gave him, Prime Minister Yadan became Cherrigi's only hope. It was only the second news announced by the Han army, which dealt another heavy blow to Cherrigi.

Yadan was captured alive by the Han army!

If Yadan can contact Hexi Xianbei to send troops, then Cheriji still has a chance to win, and at worst, he can force the Han army to negotiate peace with him, but now, Yadan has been captured by the Han army, and the matter of contacting Hexi Xianbei has become a utopia.

Why is this happening? Damn Yang million!

Cherrigi didn't want to believe it, but when he saw Yadan standing at the head of the city as a human being, Cherrigi had to believe it. Just as Yadan didn't expect the Di people to dare to do it to himself, Cherrigi didn't expect that the Di people, who usually look like they were slaughtered by others, would become the key to their failure.

"Collect the troops and go back to the camp." Frustrated, Cherrigi gave an order and turned around and returned to the camp. It's just that the crackdowns on this kind of thing are also continuous, and before he can sit down in his handsome tent, Eshasai, who asked for an order to go back to supervise the transportation of grain and grass some time ago, was put in by someone.

"Oh no, the last general was attacked by the Han army, and the grain and grass that was finally collected was burned by the Han army." Ejasai cried out to Cherrigi with a sad face.

Hearing Eshasai's shout, Cheriji's face changed sharply, and he suddenly got up and pointed at Ezasai to speak, but he couldn't say a word, he felt a sweet feeling in his throat, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.

"King, King~" Yue Ji on the side couldn't help but shout urgently when he saw this.

When Cherrigi woke up, he opened his eyes and saw Yueji's face full of anxiety. Cherrigi coughed lightly and asked, "Yueji, how is the situation in the army now?" ”

"My lord, it's not good, there are many people who already know about the burning of grain and grass, and I heard Esha say that there are indeed Han troops slaughtering those small tribes in the rear." Yueji whispered.

“…… Yueji, how do you say we are doing right now? ”

"This ...... The last general doesn't know, but no matter what the king decides, the last general will follow the king. Yue Ji was stunned when he heard this, but then he said loyally to Cherrigi.

But Cherrigi was not happy because of Yueji's words, and his eyes flashed before Yueji's loyalty, and it was obvious that what he said was not what he really thought in his heart.

The Qiang people are not like the Han people, who pay attention to benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith, and the concept of respecting the strong is what the Qiang people believe in. Liu Xie's slogan of the Han and Qiang families never expected to change the concept of those adult Qiang people, keep the Han people strong, and make them dare not give birth to two hearts. What really makes Liu Xie's mind is those young Qiang people, education should start from the baby, those Qiang children speak Chinese from an early age, write Chinese characters, and accept the education of Han culture, so that when the older generation of Qiang people die of old age, those Qiang people who have accepted Han culture will become the mainstream, as long as they insist on two or three generations, the Qiang people will become a term in the book, and at that time, the people living in Liangzhou will also have a general name, Han people.

Liu Xie used this explanation to persuade the court officials to support his Han and Qiang policies, and border troubles have always been a headache for the Han court. If the method proposed by Liu Xie really works, it is a good way to benefit future generations. The foreign race is inexhaustible, and the Huns have been driven away and the Xianbei people have come, and only integration is the best way to completely solve the problem. But integration is divided into active and passive, Liu Xi does not want his own nation to be passively integrated, so he naturally wants to take the initiative to integrate others when he is strong.

Reluctant to be assimilated by the Han Chinese, Cheriji was determined to fight the Han to the end in order to maintain his pride as a Qiang person. But the repeated failures continue to hit Cherrigi's confidence. Although he still has more than 100,000 horses in his hands at the moment, these people are really loyal to him, and how many people are willing to obey his orders, Cherrigi has no bottom in his heart.

As a Qiang person, Cheriji knows the temperament of the Qiang people very well, the winner is the king and the loser Kou, he has lost again and again, and even the old nest is harassed by the Han army, how to convince the public?

It turned out that there was also a Yadan by his side who could share his worries for Cherrigi, but now that Yadan called the Han army to arrest him, Yueji, who was able to discuss things with him, seemed to have two hearts, and Cherrigi suddenly realized what it was like to be alone.

Yue Ji was originally a rough person, he always spoke straightforwardly, and never hid it, but now in the face of Cherrigi's inquiry, he has also begun to become reserved.

Cherrigi, who no longer trusts Yueji, ordered people to beat the drum and gather generals, intending to listen to the opinions of others. Judging by the current situation, Cherrigi's defeat is a foregone conclusion. The western capital could not be broken for a long time, and the old nest was harassed by the Han army, and the prime minister sent to contact the Xianbei people was arrested again, and the most critical point was that there was not much grain and grass left in the army at this time, which was only enough to last for half a month. Given these many headwinds, it seems that withdrawal has become the only option for Cherrigi.

But Cherrigi was not willing to withdraw his troops. Once the decision was made to withdraw the troops, it would mean the complete defeat of Cherrigi. The Han people are different from the past, they are no longer Qiang people who bow their heads, and they can let it go lightly if they admit their mistakes. Today's emperor of the Han family is a cautious eye, and he will repay it, Cheriji led the Xiqiang soldiers to besiege the western capital for many days, and this hatred of the emperor of the Han family will definitely come back with revenge. And as a loser, Cherrigi is also worried that even if he survives the Han Chinese, he will not survive the challenge of careerists who want to replace him.

The tiger fell into Pingyang and was bullied by dogs, and Cherrigi was unwilling to accept his fate. But if he didn't withdraw his troops, then all he needed to do was to break through the Western Capital within half a month. There is a large amount of grain and grass in the western capital, and as long as the western capital is breached, the problem of lack of food in the army can be solved. However, even if the Western Capital is breached, the rear of the Western Qiang Kingdom is estimated to be over.

Cherrigi couldn't make up his mind, so he wanted to ask the generals for their opinions. Share the blessings and difficulties, and you can't worry about the fate of Xiqiang alone.

Faced with the choice given by Cherrigi, Yueji, Midang, Dian Wu and others were silent. It's not a good choice, depending on what Cherrigi means, he wants to continue to attack the Western Capital, but this means giving up his relatives in the rear.

"King, the last general wants to save the relatives in the tribe." After waiting for a long time, someone finally spoke his mind to Cherrigi.

Cherrigi glanced at the person who spoke, nodded slightly, and then looked at the others, "Who else wants to take troops back to rescue the tribe?" ”

Look at me, people, I look at you, and no one squeaks. Cherrigi waited for a while, and when he saw that everyone did not speak, he got up and pulled out his waist knife, and Vat Tong, who had said that he wanted to lead his troops back to the tribe, couldn't help but be shocked when he saw this, and hurriedly stepped back and drew his knife in his hand, and shouted in his mouth: "Cherrigi, what are you going to do?" ”

"I don't have any people who are greedy for life or afraid of death." Cherrigi said coldly.

"The king, no, if Vatong dies, the hearts of our army will be even more chaotic." Yueji stepped forward and stopped Cherrigi to persuade. Seeing that Yue Ji took the lead, everyone also stepped forward to dissuade Cheriji, and some people even pushed Fan Tong out of the big tent.

Cherrigie's heart was about to be cold, he looked at Yue Ji and the others who dissuaded him, reluctantly put away his knife, sat back in his place and said to everyone: "You also want to withdraw your troops, don't you?" ”

"King, we are willing to obey the King's decision. It's just the king, why are you still bent on attacking the Western Capital at this time? The tribe is our roots, and without the tribe, we will eventually become horse thieves. Yue Ji asked Cheriji in confusion.

"You only know that you will withdraw the army to save the tribe, but have you ever thought that the Han people will let us go? Even if we keep the tribe temporarily, the revenge of the Han people will stop later, and the son of the Han family is not a good person, and he will not spare us easily. Cherrigi said earnestly.

It's just that Cherrigie's answer didn't go to anyone's heart, and most of them were secretly thinking in their hearts, "It was you Cherrigi who decided to attack Liangzhou, and what the Emperor of the Han family wanted to clean up the most was also you Cherrigie." But we are different, we accept the naturalization of the Han people and become obedient people under the rule of the Han government. ”

Cherrigie, who didn't know what others thought, saw that everyone was silent by what he said, and thought that his words had moved these people, so he continued: "Is it to fight or to go? Let's decide by vote. Those who are willing to withdraw their troops raise their right hands, and those who are willing to join me in attacking the Western Capital will raise their left hands. After saying this, Cherrigi raised his left hand, but to his disappointment, except for himself, who raised his left hand, even his marshal Yueji, did not raise his hand for a long time.

Yueji, who was stunned by Cherrigie, slowly raised his right hand, did not dare to look at Cherrigiji's lowered his head, and explained in a low voice: "King, it is really impossible to break through the Western Capital in half a month, and now the soldiers are worried about their relatives at home, and they have no intention of fighting the Han people. ”

“…… Well, since you all want to withdraw your troops, then let's do it. Cherrigi said to the crowd in frustration. As soon as the words fell, someone rushed into the camp tent and reported: "King, Vatong led his people to forcibly break through the camp gate and go west. ”

"Got it, let's go down." Cheriji waved his hand happily and sent the people who came to report the news.

Everyone in the tent looked at each other, and no one dared to move lightly, until Dian Wu took the lead and quietly left the camp, and the rest of the people left one after another, until only Yue Ji and Cheri were left in the tent, Yue Ji asked Cheri Ji softly: "King, the last general will go to gather people and horses, ready to withdraw the army?" ”

“…… Go, and leave the king's three thousand pro-army behind. ”

Yue Ji didn't ask what Cherrigi wanted to do when he left his pro-army, and when he saw Cherrigi speak, he hurriedly ran out of the camp. At this time, the camp of the Xiqiang army was already noisy, and everyone was packing their bags and preparing to set off to return to their respective tribes. Cherrigi couldn't help but smile wryly as he watched the figures swaying back and forth outside the tent.

Almost overnight, the Qiang army was almost gone, and when Cheriji woke up, he learned that not only had all the men and horses left last night, but Marshal Yueji, after leaving behind his own 3,000 pro-troops, also led the other horses out of the camp.