"It's okay, it's common to not sleep for a few days and nights during the war, what is this!" Zu Kuan shook his head nonchalantly: "But Uncle Chang, we have less than 4,000 soldiers under our command now, and this Xiluo City is just a few rammed earth walls, where can we resist the army?" Wouldn't it be better for us to retreat first and join forces with Liu Cheng, and then kill them back? ”

"Brother Kuan!" Wu Sangui sighed: "It's true that it's dangerous to stay in Xiluo City, but have you thought about it, if we go to vote for Liu Cheng like this, what will Liu Cheng think of us?" Although Xiong Wencan relied on the two Eastern Captives to imprison the generals, the military spirit will inevitably be unconvinced, and the most can be done with two points of strength, as long as we hold this Xiluo City, as soon as Liu Cheng's army arrives, the situation will be very different! ”

Zu Kuan heard Wu Sangui say this, thought about it and nodded: "Uncle Chang, what you said is that wealth is in danger, I listen to you!" ”

"Brother Kuan, you watch here first, I'll go to the North Wing City to have a look!" Wu Sangui patted Zu Kuan's shoulder and was about to go down to the city. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info suddenly heard a pro-soldier with good eyesight shouting: "Oh no, the enemy soldiers seem to be repairing the fort!" ”

Wu Sangui hurriedly looked in the direction of his soldiers' fingers, and sure enough, more than 1,000 people and horses walked out of Shanhaiguan City, and were lining up next to the rocky beach about two miles away from Xiluo City, covering the people behind them to dig and pile up, as if they were building a fort. Wu Sangui secretly screamed when he saw it, with the range of firearms at that time, the only thing that needed to build a fort so far away was the red-coated cannon.

"Oh no, Xiong Wencan actually wants to use a red-clothed cannon to attack the city!" Wu Sangui paused and said, most of the red-coated cannons owned by the Guan Ning army were originally in several castles in Ningyuan at the forefront, and there were only two in Shanhaiguan, and some time ago when the Guan Ning army withdrew from Liaoxi, more than ten were transported back, all of which were placed in Shanhaiguan City, and Wu Sangui himself transported three back, but he didn't expect to use them on his head.

"What?" Zu Kuan was also startled, ran to the female wall and looked out, and scolded: "Straight lady thief, this Xiong Wencan is so ruthless, maybe there is Lao Tzu who brought it back, I knew that I would simply throw it in Ningyuan, I really lifted a stone to hit my own feet!" He turned his head to Wu Sangui and said, "Uncle, quickly withdraw the troops, where can these rammed earth walls block the red-clothed cannons!" ”

"I can't withdraw it, look over there!" Wu Sangui pointed to the west, only to see a group of cavalry crossing the rocky beach and making a detour to the flank and rear of Xiluo City, obviously to prevent himself and Zu Kuan from escaping.

"What then?" Zu Kuan hurriedly said: "Our subordinates are all veterans, and if they have an unstable foothold, they will definitely be able to fight their way!" ”

"We want to run, the soldiers don't have the heart to fight to the death, at least half of the men and horses must be lost! When it comes to Liu Cheng, he will be underestimated! Wu Sangui thought about it for a while: "It's better to wait until it's dark before leaving!" Besides, maybe Liu Cheng's army is also coming! ”

"Well, wait until after dark!" Zu Kuan nodded: "It's best to send someone to Liu Cheng for help, just say that there is a red-coated cannon here in Shanhaiguan, and ask him to speed up the march, otherwise we won't be able to hold it!" ”

At this time, Yue Tuo was leading a large army and rapidly advancing towards Shanhaiguan. In addition to the original 5,000 Jurchen soldiers with two yellow flags and 1,000 cowardly Xue soldiers led by Hazar, the army under his command also has an infantry battalion immortal squad, nearly 10,000 Han troops (the Han army that originally returned to Jin), and an artillery team, with a total strength of more than 20,000 people. This is the largest number of troops among the lieutenant generals sent by the king of Jin, and the king of Jin himself also supervises the army to camp between Changli and Tianjin, and may send troops to support at any time. In Yue Tuo's view, this battle can definitely be won, but whether he wins or not is related to his future future - if he still needs the King of Jin to personally send troops, I am afraid that in the future, he may not be able to take his turn to defend Korea in the future, and the heavy responsibility of navigating the Wa State may not be his turn.

It was precisely because of this mentality that Yue Tuo urged the three armies to speed up their march, and even if they had a meal, they only asked the three armies to stop to eat some dry food, drink water, and feed the cattle some fodder, and then continue the march. As the distance from Shanhaiguan became closer and closer, the open space between Yanshan and the sea became narrower and narrower, and he knew that the decisive battle with the two brothers was getting closer and closer, and his mood became more and more complicated.

"General, there is Wu Sangui's messenger!"

Wu Sangui was awakened from his reverie by the voice of his own soldiers, and he said in a deep voice: "Bring it here!" ”

Wu Sangui's envoy's surname is Li, he is a thousand generals, he saw that the soldiers around Yue Tuo have shaved off part of their hair, leaving only part of the top of their heads, braided into braids and coiled on the top of their heads, knowing that these are "real captives", he secretly thought in his heart: "These pigtail soldiers are here for us, but the pigtail soldiers over there are here to kill us, it is really ridiculous!" At this time, he saw Yue Tuo glancing at him majestically, and hurriedly lowered his head.

"What kind of military situation did Wu Sangui send you here?"

"Xiong Wencan has sent troops to build a fort outside the city of Xiluo, and he wants to attack the city with red-coated cannons. The city of Ciro is nothing more than a rammed earth wall, which cannot withstand artillery bombardment, so the adults are ready to withdraw their troops after dark, and send a villain to tell you! ”

"Withdraw after dark?" Yue Tuo frowned, and after thinking for a while, he said: "You go back to Xiluo City immediately, and pass on the order of General Ben, Zu Kuan and Wu Sangui must not withdraw their troops and stick to Xiluo City." General Ben will march overnight, and he will definitely be able to reach Shanhaiguan before noon tomorrow! Wipe out the thieves in one fell swoop! ”

"Yes!" When Li Qianzong heard Yue Tuo say that he could arrive at Shanhaiguan before noon tomorrow, he was surprised and delighted, and hurriedly kowtowed and stood up. Yue Tuo shouted: "Give him ten taels of silver, and then change a good horse, and let him rush back to Xiluo City as soon as possible!" ”

Ciro City.

As the sun set, Wu Sangui stood on the city wall, looking at the enemy battery opposite the rocky beach, after a day's hard work, it had begun to take shape, it seemed that the enemy was going to work overnight, so it seemed that it should be completed tomorrow morning. However, he should have already left here at that time, thinking of the expression of the enemy suddenly finding that it was already an empty city tomorrow morning, Wu Sangui's face showed a smug smile.

At this time, Wu Sangui felt a burst of hunger, so he returned to his residence to have dinner with Zu Kuan, and as soon as he picked up the chopsticks, he heard the sound of horses' hooves stopping outside the door. Several war horses were drenched in sweat, spraying their noses, raising their heads and screaming. Wu Sangui was surprised, and was looking out, when the doorman came in with Mr. Li Qian.

Seeing that the messenger came back so soon, Wu Sangui couldn't help but be surprised and delighted, and hurriedly asked, "See Liu Cheng?" ”

"Nope!" Mr. Li Qian kowtowed: "But I met Yue Tuo halfway, and Liu Cheng led him to lead a large army to support us." The villain told Xiong Wencan that he was going to bombard Xiluo City with a red-clothed cannon, and the news that the adults were ready to withdraw their troops overnight told him! ”

"Then how did Yue Tuo answer?"

"He asked the two of you to hold on to Xiluo City, and he will rush to Shanhaiguan before noon tomorrow!"

"So fast?" Wu Sangui and Zu Kuan glanced at each other, both of them were generals, and they immediately understood Yue Tuo's intention to do this - if Wu Sangui and the others gave up Xiluo City, then Xiong Wencan could place artillery on Xiluo City and become a barrier to Shanhaiguan City, then it would be very difficult to attack Shanhaiguan. And if tomorrow when the enemy army besieges the city of Xiluo, he suddenly kills, he can flank the enemy army inside and outside, and solve the problem in one battle. It's a risky move, but it's also a good move.

"Uncle Chang, this Yue Tuo is using the two of us as bait to hang Xiong Wencan, a big fish!" Zu Kuan said in a low voice.

"Hmm!" Wu Sangui nodded: "It's okay, as long as we think of a way, we won't give Xiong Wencan to eat!" ”

"How?"

"Well, the enemy army has been busy for a day, and it must be tired at night, so we will wait until the third watch to send troops to attack at night and set fire to the fort, even if we don't win, we can delay some time, anyway, we just need to wait until noon tomorrow Yue Tuo will arrive."

"That's a good idea!" Zu Kuan smiled and said: "Let me go this time, there are not many men and horses, just three hundred cavalry, carrying more fire and sulfur, they build a fort, there must be gunpowder, just a little." ”

Wu Sangui didn't speak, walked to the window and looked outside, only to see that the moon had risen, and the moonlight sprinkled in the courtyard like water, very bright, he muttered for a while: "Duoduo and Dolgon are both veterans, and they must also be prepared, so let's select four hundred foot soldiers, all carrying bows and crossbow firearms, change into white clothes, and lurk in the rocky beach first, if the night attack is smooth, it is naturally the best, if there is an enemy pursuer, the foot soldiers will suddenly use bows and crossbows and firearms to cover the cavalry back to the city!" ”

"Uncle Chang is a good plan!" Zu Kuan clapped his hands and smiled: "This is foolproof!" ”

At about the fifth hour of the second watch, Wu Sangui opened the door and sent out four hundred foot soldiers, all of whom wore a white burqa on their armor jackets, and walked down into the rocky beach, and were hazy and mixed together in the moonlight, and it was impossible to distinguish whether it was a person or a stone. Zu Kuan saw clearly in the city, and couldn't help but admire Wu Sangui more and more, and at about the third watch, he took three hundred Yiding out of the city to the enemy fort.

Zu Kuan went out of the city, did not mount his horse, but led his horse through the shadows, so as not to disturb the enemy with the sound of horses' hooves, and only then jumped on his horse when he approached the rocky beach, and led the cavalry to rush through the rocky beach and rush towards the fort. When they were about fifty or sixty paces away from the fort, they suddenly heard a bang, and a scream came from behind them. Zu Kuan was extremely brave, and he was mentally prepared to encounter an ambush by enemy soldiers, and he did not panic when he encountered a surprise attack, but shouted loudly and rushed over, and the Yiding behind him were all veterans of a hundred battles, seeing that the Lord was the first to attack, he also rushed over with a shout, crossed the obstacles, and slashed the infantry who had just fired firearms. Those foot soldiers didn't expect the raiders to be so fierce, and they were cut down a lot by rushing closely, and Zu Kuan didn't pursue, but just threw the lit fire everywhere and set it on fire.

At this time, there were two cannon shots from Shanhaiguan City, Zu Kuan knew that this was the enemy's reinforcements coming, haha laughed, and shouted loudly: "It's almost, everyone withdraw!" He took out the horn and blew it twice hard, and when his Yiding heard the order, he turned his horse's head and retreated to the rocky beach, when the enemy's cavalry also arrived, and while firing arrows, he pounced on Zu Kuan's side. Zu Kuan had already prepared, gathered his troops and retreated to the rocky beach agreed in advance.

Seeing that Zu Kuan's cavalry formation was dense, the pursuers spread their wings and tried to surround them from both sides, but they didn't want to just get off the rocky beach, and suddenly hundreds of infantry jumped from the ground, bows, crossbows, and firearms in unison. The pursuers did not find these hidden enemies in advance, and they were caught off guard against the casualties, Zu Kuan turned his horse's head and recoiled, and there was a great chaos, Zu Kuan killed more than 20 horsemen before returning to the city with the infantry.

The victory in the night was small and a skirmish at best, but it boosted morale in Ciro. Wu Sangui and Zu Kuan spread the news that Liu Cheng's army would rush to Shanhaiguan by noon tomorrow, and the morale of the soldiers became more and more vigorous. Before dawn, Wu Sangui let the soldiers of the whole army have a full meal, fed the war horses, and then heard a burst of drums and horns from the side of Shanhaiguan City, and a group of soldiers poured out of the city to move closer to the rocky beach, and the air was mixed with the sound of horns, people shouting, and horse neighing, and the battle was about to begin.

It was already close to noon, and Yue Tuo rode his horse on the hill, and looked behind him, and the procession saw that there was almost no end in sight; Sometimes it seemed to be over, but after a shallow post, the shadow of the flag and the smoke and dust of the march appeared again in the distance. He thought that he might not be able to catch up at noon, and now he could only count on Wu Sangui and Zu Kuan to be able to hold Xiluo City before he arrived, and then defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, and fight with his father in the north and south, and open up the western Liaoning corridor. Thinking of this, an irrepressible impulse rose in his chest, and he shouted to Goshha behind him: "Pass to the rear team, accelerate forward, and you must rush to Shanhaiguan before the time!" ”

The soldiers in front and behind responded in unison, and the shouts of tens of thousands of soldiers came and went, echoing between Yanshan and the sea, and the earth shook the mountains.

"Big Belle, why don't you let me lead the cavalry as a pioneer!" Curb Pilon stepped forward and said in a low voice, his eagerness was overflowing, and he was the one with the strongest desire to fight among the generals, after all, the murderers of Huang Taiji, Dolgon and Duoduo, were in Shanhaiguan.

Yue Tuo shook his head, and he still wanted to insist, when suddenly there were several cannon shots from the northeast, as if the sky was falling apart. Startled, he stopped talking. Yue Tuo and the other generals were also surprised, and they all looked to the northeast. To the northeast is the end of the Yanshan Mountains, where the Shanhaiguan Pass is located, where it is lush and smoky. The Great Wall twists and turns on the top of the mountain, sometimes revealing majestic piers, shrouded in a few white clouds, turning south at the easternmost end of the mountain, and finally disappearing.

Everyone listened for a while, but did not hear the sound of cannons from afar, only a flock of geese, startled by the sound of cannons from somewhere, lined up in a herringbone formation, flew very high, crossed the Yanshan Mountains, and slowly flew north while making a loud cry.

"This must be the thieves bombarding Ciro City with red-coated cannons!" Yue Tuo judged: "Wu Sangui and Zu Kuan don't have red-clothed cannons, it seems that the situation is already very critical!" ”