Between Jizhou and the Shangdang Mansion, there is a dangerous pass, which is the dividing line between the state and Jizhou, which is the pot pass of the Shangdang Mansion. Zhao Xun put pressure on Situ Tai in the north of Bingzhou, in order to make a breakthrough here.

The land of Jizhou, in the south is Yongzhou and Yanzhou. The part of Yongzhou is now occupied by the coalition forces, and the land of Yanzhou is Zhao Xun's secret force. Therefore, the more than 100,000 troops in Jizhou have a lot of room for mobility. Zhao Xun's operation was not just to defeat the Turkic army and drive the Turkic cavalry out of the northern part of the state. More importantly, taking advantage of the internal turmoil of the Yongjun, he seized the land of the annexation of the state, and completely isolated it from the Yongjun forces, so that Situ Lei cut off the annexation of the state and Yongzhou before he could react.

It is also because of this that Zhao Xun tried his best to preach in front of Murong Cheng that the Xiaoguo army was now attacking Yongzhou, and with the temptation of the throne, he forced Murong Cheng to intensify his offensive against the two passes.

Huguan, the eastern dangerous pass of the Shangdang Mansion, since a few years ago, when the Zhao army, which was still the Huolin army, began to attack Jizhou, the army of Bingzhou was under the instructions of Situ Lei and Murong Cheng, and strengthened the construction of the city defense many times.

Although Situ Tai transferred most of the troops of the Shangdang Mansion, he still left 6,000 elite soldiers to garrison this place to guard against the soldiers of Jizhou. Perhaps the soldiers and horses of Jizhou have not crossed the Taihang Mountains for several years, and have entered the state in the west; Perhaps it was due to the exhaustion of the Zhao army in the north; Or perhaps because of the failure to ask for help and the lack of reinforcements, Situ Tai neglected here; It is also possible that Situ Tai firmly believes in the danger of this pass. Therefore, when the soldiers and horses of the party government were transferred, they really didn't deliberately pay attention to this.

Looking at Huguan City on the opposite side, Zhao Lin, the general of the Ninth Town Town Army hidden behind the woods and rocks, couldn't help but say: "This pass is really extraordinary, especially the walled forts built on the mountains on both sides, which can completely overlook the whole city. If you attack head-on, it will not be easy. No wonder Situ Tai didn't pay much attention to this place, this place is indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack. ”

Li Huaiyuan nodded and said: "It is indeed a dangerous place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but there has never been a level that cannot be broken." Now that the attention of the state army is all focused on the north, coupled with our surprise and the strong troops in our hands, it is not difficult to obtain this pass. ”

After a pause, Li Huaiyuan continued: "As long as we attack Xiahuguan, then the entire Shangdang Mansion, as well as the southern part of Bingzhou, will be at our disposal. At that time, Situ Tai had great ability, and he couldn't return in time. In addition, we have laid out the lurking men and horses in the cities, and the local county soldiers and generals that we have bought, and the lands in the south of the state, it is very easy to take. ”

"However, this operation in the land of the annexation of the state is a big plan that the lord and the military envoys have discussed for a long time, and I can't help but be impressed."

Zhao Xiong, the general of the Tenth Town Town Army, said with a smile: "Isn't it, in order to let the Bingzhou Army move north, not only the brothers in the north stormed the southern prefectures and counties of Bingzhou, but even Murong Cheng had to strengthen the attack and contribute to our actions, so that the land of Yongzhou could not send reinforcements in time." Such a big plan, but not to be underestimated. ”

Zhao Lin nodded, his eyes shot out of longing and hope, and said: "Once the Shangdang Mansion falls, the southern provinces of Bingzhou will be the meat in our mouths, and the army will sweep through, completely cutting off the connection between the Bingzhou Army and Yongzhou. At that time, the land of annexation will be ours. I just don't know how Situ Lei and Murong Cheng will react when they hear the news. ”

Zhao Xiong said with a hint of uncertainty: "In this operation to merge the state, we are not going to kill the so-called governor of the state, Situ Lei's son Situ Tai." It should be more in our interests to let Situ Lei and Murong Cheng fight. Before we acted, the lord said that if we met Situ Tai, we would let him leave, and I guess I didn't want Situ Lei to shift his focus to us. ”

Li Huaiyuan said with some approval: "You are right, the purpose of the lord's action this time is only to merge the state, and there is no intention to put Situ Tai to death." There are two reasons, one is that although the target of this operation is to merge with the state, even Liangzhou will be added in the future. However, the Turkic tribes in the north, as well as the Uighurs and Dangxiang tribes, are our great enemies. We cannot be caught between the North and the South. ”

"The second is that Murong Cheng, the land occupied by Murong Cheng is vast, especially now it is turning over in Jiaozhou, which has greatly increased Murong Cheng's jurisdiction. And Situ Lei is tired of coping, and now the places of Yizhou and Ningzhou are all harassed by the Qi army in Jingzhou, which makes it difficult for reinforcements to deal with Situ Lei, which is even worse. The land occupied by Murong Cheng is a rich land with great potential, and now when this Situ Lei is weak, this Murong Cheng is our biggest threat, and we can't sit back and watch it continue to grow. ”

"Leaving Situ Tai behind will not only alleviate Situ Lei's hatred of us, but also cause disputes between Situ Lei's princes. Not only can Situ Lei be forced to give up counterattacking us who occupy the state, but it can also allow him to concentrate his troops and horses more to resist the Qi army. Li Huaiyuan even wanted to say that if he really took the annexation of the state and approached the land of Yongzhou without attacking it, then this Situ Lei was very likely to negotiate peace with his side. Of course, this is just the result of a discussion between the military affairs departments, and it cannot be guaranteed, so Li Huaiyuan can only keep this idea in his heart.

Li Huaiyuan knew very well that after conquering and annexing the state, the Qi army would be his biggest enemy. As for Situ Lei, he is already in the second. Of course, if Situ Lei had to fight back, it would naturally be a different matter. However, with Situ Lei's ability, he naturally knew whether he would be able to face the onslaught of two princes who were stronger than him now.

"Let's go, let's go back and wait for the arrangement of the eldest son county. As long as Changzi County is taken down by our people, this pot will be kept, and the news will not spread quickly. Then, our attack on the Shangdang Mansion will be carried out quietly and unprepared by the enemy. Now, in addition to the five or six thousand elite soldiers in this Huguan land, the rest of the prefectures and counties, there are only three or five hundred soldiers left, and they are all county soldiers, plus the young and strong people who are temporarily transferred, on average, the defenders of each county town are only about 800 to 1,000 people, just rely on them, how can they stop us? After looking at the garrison of Huguan, Li Huaiyuan said slowly. Their purpose this time is not only to capture this place, but more importantly, to conquer the Shangdang Mansion and occupy the southeasternmost area of Bingzhou with lightning speed before the assassin Shi and the lieutenant of the Shangdang Mansion react and gather troops.

Tens of thousands of troops will naturally not appear in the east of Huguan at the same time, but the vanguard is scattered in the mountains, and the middle army and the rear army are still hundreds of miles away. In addition, there was not much direct contact between the land of the annexation of the state and Jizhou, and after the Zhao army attacked the annexation of the state, the land of this pot was no longer interconnected. Of course, this is also Zhao Xun's request, he doesn't want businessmen to appear in these places and spread the movement of the army.

"General Li, the Shadow Division Flying Pigeon has passed the book, Changzi County has completed the task requirements, Changzi County has eight hundred defenders, three hundred have surrendered, and the remaining five hundred, most of them are young and strong, because they don't know the details, and they don't want to startle the snake, so they have not made in-depth contact. In addition, within the county of Changzi, we have infiltrated six or seven hundred people through the caravan of guò, and now, we can capture the county at any time and cooperate with us. In a mountain col ten miles away from Huguan, Zhao Lin reported the latest caution. From their excited expressions, it could be seen that they had been eagerly waiting for the siege. Kettle off? This dangerous place is really not taken into their hearts.

Hearing this, a smile couldn't help but appear on the corner of Li Huaiyuan's mouth, and said: "Very good, our army will act tonight, let Changzi County take the eldest son county at the time of the third watch, and must not let anyone escape." We've been here for three days, and it's time for the soldiers to move their hands and feet. ”

…………

By this time, the night had grown deeper and deeper, and only a crescent moon hung high in the sky. The 10,000 Zhao army gathered together, making the final preparations for battle, and under the light of the crescent moon, the soldiers were checking and straightening their equipment.

And among the 10,000 troops, there are a thousand people who are truly different. In the entire Zhao army, it is particularly different. These thousand soldiers were different from other town soldiers, they did not have iron armor and other good defensive armor. They were all dressed in black leather armor, holding black horizontal knives that did not reflect at all, and even felt like unrecognizable black horizontal knives, and at their waists were crossbow arrows that had been missing three times in a row. On the left hand, there is a small round black shield.

It seems that the equipment is simple, but whether it is Li Huaiyuan, Zhao Lin, Zhao Xiong, and the rest of the soldiers and generals of the Zhao army, they dare not underestimate these thousand soldiers who are dressed in black and have poor weapons and armor.

Li Huaiyuan knew very well that the crossbow of this thousand soldiers was lost, but it could be fired in a single shot or three times in a row, and it was simple to operate and extremely powerful. What's more, they also have five arrow magazines on their bodies, which can be replaced at any time if they have missing crossbows.

In addition, these 1,000 "poorly prepared" soldiers were equipped with short melee daggers, sleeved arrows, special leather armor on the outside, silk clothes to protect against arrows on the inside, and various equipment such as hooks and claws for climbing, which were very powerful. These 1,000 unique soldiers are Yu Linlang among the guards under Zhao Xun, a few, but they are all elites.

Knowing the code of action of these soldiers, Li Huaiyuan didn't give many orders, summoned a few officers of Yu Linlang, and issued his own mission goal: "Your soldiers are divided into two roads, respectively to break through the walled forts at the left and right ends of the city, these left and right walled forts together, can overlook the whole city, and the crossbow machine on it can suppress the inside and outside of the Huguan." If these two places are not taken, we will not be able to break through the Huguan Pass, and we will not be able to enter the station. After you have won the two levels, lay the signal, and we will surprise from the front, and you will be condescending to suppress the defenders of the city. We must be silent and not be spotted by the defenders above the fort, otherwise the crossbow bolts above will make it difficult for us to move an inch. ”

Several officers took the order, and the 1,000 soldiers divided into several groups, poured into the mountains on both sides, and began to intersperse with the peaks on both sides of the checkpoint. Under the gaze of everyone, under the steep peaks on the left and right, some dark shadows slowly approached.

Not long after, this part of the approaching black shadow appeared under the foot of the mountain range on the left and right of Huguan. I saw that these people were hunched over, slowly moving forward in the dark place where the lights that could be lit under the mountain peaks. If you don't pay attention to it, you won't notice that there are still gray clumps of grass moving in this meadow.

It was because they had to climb and they couldn't let the defenders above hear the movement, so these Yu Lin Lang couldn't be in the iron armor, so as not to make a noise. In fact, these Yu Lin Lang are the special forces in Zhao Xun's personal guards, and they do not aim to fight head-on on weekdays, but to carry out various special tasks. Although he has no armor, the leather armor on his body has extraordinary defensive power, which is far better than ordinary leather armor, and more importantly, these leather armors are small in weight and do not affect their movements.

Although Li Huaiyuan and the others were nervous, fortunately, the enemy troops on the mountain peak did not notice that a group of unusual things were approaching under their feet. Come to think of it, the soldiers and soldiers on this mountain ridge have been on duty here for many days, but there has been no accident, so they have relaxed a lot in some aspects, unaware that there is a deadly threat approaching. As these soldiers climbed higher and higher, Li Huaiyuan and the others all raised their hearts. Fortunately, at this time, the night wind was blowing, and the surrounding mountains were full of whistling sounds, which could just cover the sound of the soldiers who were close at hand as they marched on the grass.

"They're going up soon!" Zhao Lin, who was looking at the mountain range on the right, couldn't help but whisper.

"It's the same on the left, it seems that tonight's action will be smooth." Zhao Xiong also smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when a large number of mountains and trees were whistling under the night wind, under the walled forts of the mountains on the left and right, there were dozens of the first batch of Yulinlang who quickly turned over, approaching only more than three meters, which was convenient for the erection of crossbow machines, and was under the condescending walled forts.

After solving dozens of patrol soldiers, signals were sent on both sides of the left and right, allowing the next Yu Lin Lang to speed up the surge, and there was no need to be taboo about any patrol soldiers at all. Immediately after, on the left and right sides of the Huguan were on the mountains, and countless black shadows rushed up and surged upward.

Obviously, the disappearance of the patrol guards and some commotion below the mountain range caused the guards above the fort to finally discover the anomaly. However, at this time, more than three or four hundred people had already poured up on the mountains on both sides. On the left and right mountains, there are only more than 500 soldiers stationed in Bingzhou.

"Kill them, don't do it, take the crossbow machine position first. We must take these places, and we must not let the enemy occupy them, let alone let the enemy destroy the crossbow machine. At the walled fort, Officer Yu Linlang said coldly.

Yu Linlang pulled out his crossbow, a crossbow arrow in one hand and a black horizontal knife in the other, and rushed directly over. After a while, I heard screams from inside, and I didn't know if I didn't ask, of course, it was these Yu Lin Lang raids that began. Don't forget, it's the middle of the night, and in the walled fort, it's impossible for everyone to be on duty at night. Gradually, the shouting and killing slowly stopped, needless to say, the soldiers of the walled fort, under the crossbow arrows of Yu Linlang, were either killed or succumbed.

"Well, the two sides have been taken, and although the defenders in the city have also discovered the anomaly, it is no longer harmless. Begin, take the city. Li Huaiyuan ordered coldly.

Although because of the sound of the battle on the mountains on both sides, it has attracted the attention of the army defending the city and began to inspect back and forth on the east wall, but the threat on both sides has gone, corresponding to the Zhao army, the threat has gone eighty or nine.

Huguan, standing on the city wall, you can hear the sound of the leaves swaying in the wind. Looking at the pitch-black mountains and forests in the distance, Liu Heizi couldn't help muttering: "Damn, it's time for the changing of the guard, why don't you come over, a bunch of lazy people." ”

"Captain, listen, how can your subordinates hear the sound of killing somewhere?" At this time, the soldier standing beside him and leaning against the female wall whispered.

"Nonsense, how can you ......" As soon as he spoke, Liu Heizi, the leader of the team standing under the banner of Daxu, felt that something was wrong, and there was indeed a slight shouting of killing, and then he looked ahead, and suddenly his eyes suddenly opened, and he saw countless black shadows appearing in front of him.

Enemy troops, this is enemy troops. At this moment, he suddenly heard a "boom", Liu Heizi only felt a flash in front of his eyes, and then a feather arrow appeared between his eyebrows. Before Liu Heizi could react, shouting and dodging, the person had already fallen.

At the same moment, the soldiers on the entire Dongcheng city wall suddenly fell in rows, screaming one after another. The procession on the city wall, which was originally neatly arranged, suddenly became a chicken and egg fight, and people turned on their backs. In a short time, a terrible cry sounded from the city wall: "Enemy attack-!" ”

Suddenly, the eastern wall of Huguan was in chaos.

Outside the city, the crossbow arrows of the Zhao army began to exert their might. Without him, the five thousand crossbowmen took turns and began to shoot at the defenders above the city walls. The rest of the foot soldiers covered the trenches with wooden planks to open a smooth passage for the army to attack.

I have to say that the power of the salvo of crossbow arrows is still very great, and in addition to the current rotation shooting, it is almost a continuous blow, and for a while, the defenders at the east gate fell into a fatal blow. It's not that they can't deal with it, it's that they couldn't imagine that outside the East City, there would be so many troops attacking at night, and the crossbow machines on the mountains on the left and right sides didn't see any movement for some reason.

"The general has an order, so that our soldiers don't need to get too close for the time being, they just need to prepare to take the city, and the Yulin Lang on the mountains on the left and right sides will send a message that they have taken over the crossbow machines on the walled fort and will assist us from the flanks."

"Got it!" Among the vanguards, the officers let the non-commissioned officers who had paved the passage and approached the walls retreat. After a while, the huge repeating crossbows on the mountains on both sides began to fire at the enemy at the place of the Kanto Castle, and for a while, the crossbow arrows flew like rain, and the enemy soldiers fell to the ground one after another. Not only that, but also a strong blow to the defenders of the city who are ready to support the east city, and for a while, the crossbow with strong attack power will be killed from all over the city, ready to rush to the east city to support the soldiers defending the city. They also didn't expect that their crossbow arrows would shoot at them. And they are not prepared at all.