In Hangu Pass, the flag of the Han army that fluttered in the past was finally removed and replaced with the flaming red flame unicorn flag. Hangu Pass, a dangerous pass, was finally forced by the Zhao army, and the internal chaos broke down.

"General, the lord of Hangu Pass refuses to surrender and has been beheaded in the city. However, it was found that there were lieutenants in the pass who fled and reported the situation here to the land of Tongguan. ”

Zhao Xiong rode his horse into the customs and said in a deep voice: "Pass the order, immediately send someone to report to Luoyang." In addition, one general was left to be responsible for the aftermath, and the rest of the generals, together with the general, went straight to Chang'an. ”

Under Zhao Xiong's order, 20,000 soldiers rushed through the pass directly and headed straight towards the land of Tongguan. The soldiers of the Zhao army did not attack the city today, and the breakthrough was also with the assistance of Neiying, and the city was broken due to civil strife. Therefore, the soldiers did not show any signs of fatigue, and the westward direction of the army was just right.

Su Zilin, the guard of Hangu Pass, had just fled to Tongguan, and Feng Yujiang, the guard of Tongguan, and the cavalry under Zhao Xiong had already followed. The original defenders of Tongguan had been transferred to Hangu Pass by Lin Shucheng to assist in the defense, leaving only a few hundred soldiers. And Feng Yujiang's men and horses have just arrived in Tongguan today, and they have just accepted the affairs of Tongguan.

In Lin Shucheng's military order, after Feng Yujiang arrived at Tongguan, he took over the defense of Tongguan, and then inspected the situation in Hanguguan. If Hangu Pass is still in their hands, they will rush to the aid of Hangu Pass and hold on until the reinforcements from Hanzhong arrive. If the Hangu Pass is lost or unable to be held, it will be defended according to the Tong Pass.

It's a pity that before Feng Yujiang could arrange people to investigate the situation in Hangu Pass, Hangu Pass had been lost, and the cavalry of the Zhao army had already killed under Tongguan City, and Su Zilin rushed to the outside of Tongguan City almost in equal order.

During this period of time when the Tongguan army rushed to the aid of Hangu Pass, the Zhao army also arranged a lot of spies of the Shadow Guard and the Flying Eagle Guard to operate in Tongguan, and in addition, some big clans and merchants in Tongguan had already been forced to buy by the Zhao army. Needless to say, these merchants were even more profitable under Zhao Jun. As for those big clans, they knew better the strength of the Zhao army, especially after the Hangu Pass could not be held, they fell to the Zhao army one after another.

Therefore, when the army of Zhao Jun appeared outside Tongguan, when Feng Yujiang was not ready, the gate of Tongguan had already been opened. Five thousand Zhao troops rode into the city in an instant, and the Tongguan city wall failed to play its due role at all. And those big clans who were forced and co-opted by the Zhao army, in order to prevent the Zhao army from failing to attack the city and be liquidated by the Han army, and in order to profit after the Zhao army occupied here, they sent private soldiers to assist the Zhao army in breaking the city.

As a result, the land of Tongguan, the last line of defense in the eastern part of Chang'an, had no effect at all and was taken by the Zhao army.

The sky is getting darker, in the city of Tongguan, in the government.

The candle with the thickness of the baby's arm illuminated the hall as bright as day, and also illuminated the faces of Zhao Xiong, Zhang Yin, Le Lin, and Lin Qiu, and all of them looked extremely excited, although Zhao Xiong tried his best to remain calm, but the joy in his eyes was enough to show how happy he was at this time.

Hangu Pass was taken by himself and others, and Tongguan was also taken by himself, and the land of Chang'an in Xiyongzhou became something that would become the mouth of Zhao Jun. This is the place where Chang'an Sanfu goes, and the soldiers are all the way.

"General, since there is no enemy army to stop us from here to Chang'an, why don't we march overnight, directly attack Chang'an, and take Chang'an in one fell swoop. If Chang'an is broken, the land of Xiyongzhou will become my big Zhao's bag. Deputy General Zhang Yin said excitedly.

Zhao Xiong suppressed the excitement in his heart and said in a deep voice: "The soldiers did not stop outside Hangu Pass, and came directly at a gallop, and they were already exhausted. If you don't rest, when you get to Chang'an City, I'm afraid that not only will you not have the energy to attack the city, but you will be taken advantage of by the other party. Secondly, we galloped through Tongguan this time, and the army's grain, grass, materials and armor and equipment were lost a lot, while the baggage team was still slowly moving forward in the rear, so you can't go to attack Chang'an empty-handed. ”

"In addition, Chang'an City is a strong city, if there is no siege equipment to help, it can be said that it is too difficult to take him. Therefore, we have to wait for the arrival of the baggage team transporting siege equipment before we can move. ”

"According to our captured Tongguan guard, the enemy army in Hanzhong is also rushing to Chang'an. If we can't take Chang'an City in one fight, then we will face the situation of the enemy's internal and external attacks. ”

Speaking of this, Zhao Xiong frowned, and continued: "In addition, after the land of Tongguan, we will be in the core of Xiyongzhou. The north, west and south of Chang'an are all under the jurisdiction of the Han army, and we are alone in the depths, one is not good, and it is not impossible to change from victory to defeat. And the governor did not issue a military order to attack Chang'an in the west, if there are no reinforcements, relying on our town alone, I am afraid that it will be difficult to stay in Chang'an for a long time. ”

Zhang Yin and the other generals immediately extinguished the original excitement in their hearts, and at this moment, they also realized that things were not as easy as they expected. If you want to take the land of Chang'an, you must have the cooperation of the army of Liangzhou or Bingzhou. Otherwise, they would not be able to occupy the land of Chang'an Sanfu at all.

"It's a pity to just give up, such a good opportunity......" Zhang Yin couldn't help but sigh.

"Who said to give up...... You're doing a good job! Just then, there was a hearty laugh outside the house.

"Governor!" Zhao Xiong and the others stood up in unison. The person who spoke outside the house stepped forward, and it was none other than Situ Liang, the former military governor of Dongyongzhou.

"Dudu, aren't you from Luoyang?" Zhao Xiong said in surprise.

Situ Liang said with a smile: "Three days ago, you reported that the breakthrough was just around the corner. Where else do I live, so naturally I came directly. I knew you would be hesitant to go on the offensive or not. ”

When Zhao Xiong heard this, he immediately rejoiced: "In this way, the governor is ready to make a move on Chang'an?" ”

Situ nodded and said: "That's right, since Hangu Pass has been taken by us, and Chang'an is also in front of us, how can we give up this opportunity in front of us?" If you don't take advantage of the victory to pursue, wait until the enemy army in Hanzhong arrives in the land of Chang'an, and then advance westward in the future, it will be much more difficult. ”

"However, we only have 20,000 troops here, although the army of the Han army in Chang'an is not right, but there are Han troops in Fengyi, Gaoling, Weinan, Lantian and other places around Chang'an, and in addition, the enemy army in Hanzhong is also converging in Chang'an. With our current strength alone, I'm only afraid of ......," Zhao Xiong said suspiciously.

Situ Liang said with a smile: "Although there are Han army garrisons around Chang'an, they are not easy to mobilize. Among them, Lantian is responsible for the connection between Hanzhong, Chang'an and Jingbei, and the original army here has also been transferred to the north by the king of Hanzhong, and there is not much left. ”

"The Han army in Feng Yi, Gaoling and other places is naturally responsible for the northern army. In addition, the king has personally come to the western part of the state, responsible for the north to the south, with us round and the land of Chang'an. At that time, we will have 50,000 or 60,000 troops in our hands, even if reinforcements from Hanzhong arrive, we are not afraid. ”

"What? The king also came to fight in person? ”

"That's right, this westward march to Hangu Pass has attracted the enemy army in Jingbei and the Qi army in Yangzhou to move one after another, and the king is determined to go down to Chang'an in this battle and first determine the land of Xiyongzhou. Without Xiyongzhou, the king of Hanzhong has lost his due strength, and the alliance of princes will also be reduced by half. Without the question of the interests of the king of Hanzhong pulling the line from it and dividing the Qi army and the Shu army, the alliance of princes would be an empty word. Therefore, the king had arrived at the camp of our army in Ningzhou five days ago. ”

"Now, the king has taken the fourth town of cavalry and the eighth town of the forbidden army down from the north and attacked the north of Chang'an. What we need is to directly attack the city of Chang'an in the shortest possible time and prevent the enemy reinforcements from Hanzhong from defending the city. ”

"What about the enemy army in Jingbei? Can the Ninth Town resist the northward movement of the Jingbei army? Zhang Yin and the other generals asked suspiciously. This can't help but worry them, there are more than 50,000 troops in Jingbei, and besides, the southern princes have learned the information of Hanguguan for a long time, and they will send troops to support, if the army goes north, Dongyongzhou is bound to be very dangerous. If the land of Luoyang is recaptured by the enemy, it will be more than worth the loss to take the land of Chang'an.

Situ Liang said with a smile: "Don't worry, the army of Chunling Mansion has already moved, and in addition, the army of the two towns in Yuzhou has also begun to move closer to Dongyongzhou, and the Jingbei coalition army will not enter the territory of Dongyongzhou." As long as we break Chang'an, the southern princes will no longer have any intention of supporting. ”

Zhao Xiong stroked his palms and smiled: "This is very good, rest tonight, set off in the morning, we have to kill in Chang'an City in the shortest possible time." ”

…………

Gaoling City, an important city in the north of Chang'an, was the frontier of the northern part of Chang'an against the Zhao army. At this moment, in the Gaoling City General's Mansion, the guards of Gaoling City gathered together, their brows furrowed.

"General, Chiyang in the northwest has fallen, and now Jingyang is besieged by 20,000 troops of the Zhao army, if we don't rescue in time, this Jingyang will definitely fall. In this way, there is a big gap missing on the northern line of Chang'an, and we can't sit idly by! If Chang'an is attacked, we will not be able to escape responsibility. ”

Zhong Linyu, the defender of Gaoling City, rubbed his eyebrows and said in a deep voice: "It's not that General Ben is unwilling to rescue, you must know that there are 50,000 Zhao troops in our north. In addition to the 10,000 Zhao troops in Puzhou in the east and Wugong in the west, where are the remaining 10,000? If we send troops, if we have less and no use, if we have more, we will either be jointly attacked by the Zhao army who besieged Jingyang City in turn. Or, it will let the Zhao army raid this place. Whether it's Jingyang City or here, it can't be lost either. ”

Yes, Jingyang can't be lost, and they can't lose this Gaoling either, in addition, they are the guards of Gaoling. However, it is not possible to support it, and it is not possible to support it, which makes it difficult for these generals to make decisions.

"General, now that it is dark, why don't you send someone west to support it immediately. Come to think of it, even if Zhao Jun has any tricks, he won't expect us to act at night, which is better than us doing nothing. A general said in a deep voice.

"No, Zhao Jun is very good at probing horses, if we act at night, we will definitely be detected by it. At that point, we'll be at a disadvantage. ”

"So what do you say? Could it be that he is just waiting here, in this way, it will inevitably make Jingyang City lost. If Jingyang City is not guaranteed, the Zhao army will be able to take advantage of the situation to go south and kill directly under the city of Chang'an, and at that time, the land of Chang'an Sanfu will be ravaged by the Zhao army. When the king is angry, you and I will not be able to escape the involvement. ”

"Do you guarantee that Zhao Jun won't attack here? What if they're targeting us? If we lose here, the Zhao army will be able to directly attack the land of Tongguan and attack Hangu Pass, and the Zhao army of Dongyongzhou will be able to enter the city of Chang'an, and you and I will still be inseparable......"

"Stop arguing, wait for the return of the Tanma!" Zhong Linyu's face turned angry, and he said coldly, "What is the noise?" When is it now, still arguing? ”

Zhong Linyu's heart was extremely irritable at the moment, although Zhao Jun had attacked and harassed before, Zhao Jun did not make a big move. However, just three days ago, the Zhao army changed its old style and suddenly launched a large-scale attack on the northern defense line of Chang'an. If it weren't for the preparations, I'm afraid that not only one city would have been taken by the Zhao army, but several cities along the line would have been conquered by the Zhao army.

"Why did Zhao Jun raid and change his approach? Could it be that there is nothing wrong with Hangu Pass? Or is there a new situation in the land of Jingbei? "Zhao Jun's sudden action can't help but worry him. Although he reported the situation to Chang'an, Chang'an has not yet sent a reply. What does this mean, it shows that Chang'an can no longer care about this information. I hope there won't be too bad news, is it really difficult to hold on to Xiyongzhou?

There was no news of the horse exploration, and Zhong Linyu did not dare to easily send reinforcements to support Jingyang City, which was one hundred and fifty miles to the west. Therefore, Zhong Linyu and other generals in Gaoling City did not dare to rest all night, and they were all waiting for news.

It wasn't until the sky was twilight that the scouts sent by Zhong Linyu rushed back exhausted and reported to him that the 10,000 troops of the Zhao army had rushed to Puzhou yesterday, preparing to go to Tongguan and flank the rear of Hangu Pass.

After finding out the whereabouts of the other 20,000 troops of the Zhao army, Zhong Linyu breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately sent a deputy general to lead most of the men and horses in the city, a total of 10,000 elite Han troops, to gallop through Jingyang City to support Jingyang City.

Watching the reinforcements leave, Zhong Linyu suddenly felt a little bad, but he couldn't say that it was not good. He immediately ordered that all the young men recruited in the city be ready for battle in case of accidents. Randomly, he went to rest, after all, it was not very fortunate to suffer all night.

Located in the hilly forest thirty miles northwest of Gaoling City, there is an extra temporary camp at this moment. Zhao Xun and some privy envoys of the Privy Council were here at this moment, and a few days ago, they learned about the situation in the south from the mouth of the Shadow Guard, coupled with Situ Liang's reply, Zhao Xun decided to take advantage of the situation to attack, and first defeat the king of Hanzhong, who balanced the Shu army and the Qi army in the alliance of princes. After some deliberation between Zhao Xun and the Privy Council, he thought that he could act at this moment. Therefore, Zhao Xun and then Yang Wangqing, Liu Wenqi and others of the Privy Council, went to the state in person, and Situ Liang of Dongyongzhou dispatched at the same time to break Xiyongzhou.

"Back to the king, the Han army in Gaoling City has already left the city to support Jingyang City."

"Very well, how many men did they send?"

"About 10,000 people, but they are all soldiers!"

Zhao Xun nodded with satisfaction, it seemed that his plan had succeeded. This Gaoling City is the core city of the northern defense line of Chang'an, not only located in the core of the defense line, but more importantly, it also hoards the grain and grass materials of several surrounding cities, and is responsible for the supply of grain and grass materials for the soldiers of the Han army in the surrounding cities. Zhao Xun wanted to take this place, but also to break the fighting spirit of the Han army in the north of Xiyongzhou as soon as possible. Without food, grass, materials and armor and equipment, how could the Han army still die here.

But it is not easy to break through this city, because this is the core of the northern defense line of Chang'an, not to mention the strength of the city, and the hoarded grain and grass materials are also very sufficient. What's more, there were also a large number of bed crossbows and catapults in the city, plus 15,000 soldiers and 5,000 baggage soldiers in charge of bed crossbows and catapults, which made it difficult for the Zhao army to overcome.

Therefore, after Zhao Xun took Chiyang City, he besieged Jingyang City with a large army and forced the defenders of Gaoling City to support. You must know that Chiyang City and Jingyang City are both part of the northern direction of Chang'an, if Chiyang City was taken by the Zhao army, and the northern defense line of Chang'an was considered to have broken a gap, then, Jingyang City was taken, and the northern direction of Chang'an was missing. In addition, if Jingyang City is taken by the Zhao army, it can not only threaten Chang'an in the south, but also threaten Gaoling City from the flank, and even directly cut off the connection between Gaoling City and the south, so the defenders of Gaoling City cannot do anything to see Jingyang City being conquered by the Zhao army and ignore it.

Because among the two towns of the Zhao army, one town is a cavalry town, and the other town is also a cavalry town. Therefore, Zhao Xun had 30,000 cavalry available. Therefore, 10,000 of the 20,000 Zhao troops surrounding Jingyang City were cavalry, and the 10,000 Zhao troops who were in the land of martial arts and were discovered by the spies of Gaoling City who went east to Puzhou were all cavalry.

After the Zhao army besieging Jingyang City asked Gaoling City for help and the envoys left the city, 10,000 of the cavalry quietly left Jingyang City and went straight to Gaoling City. The 10,000 Zhao troops around Wugong County also came to the outside of Gaoling City under the starry night. As for the 10,000 soldiers under Zhao Xun's command, they cooperated with the 10,000 soldiers in Puzhou in the east at night. The 10,000 soldiers in Puzhou sent some of their soldiers to the east, and after exchanging with the 10,000 cavalry at night, they pretended to be 10,000 troops and went east. The original 10,000 cavalry quietly returned to the outside of Gaoling City. And the 10,000 Zhao soldiers found out by the spies in the east of Gaoling City were actually only thousands of Zhao soldiers.

I have to say that after the Zhao army occupied the Western Regions, Liaozhou, Xiazhou, Dingzhou and other places, the Zhao army never lacked war horses. It is precisely because of these war horses that the Zhao army has the absolute upper hand in the action and in the scout comparison. Also because of the importance of war horses, and did not want to lose the land of horses in the north in the future, Zhao Xun also asked the northern states to start building cities on a large scale in the grassland land, and in the grassland land, a network-like structure with the city as the point and the road as the line was formed to ensure the advantage that the Zhao army occupied above the garrison.

In this way, even if the Zhao State is destroyed in the future, the people of Huaxia can occupy these areas and continue to produce horses, so as not to lack war horses and be oppressed by foreigners.

Therefore, at this moment, 30,000 soldiers of the Zhao army have gathered outside Gaoling City, but the Han army in the city does not know at all.