On the 30th, at noon, Sima Shu received an urgent report sent by the Guzang defenders: the Xianbei army crossed the Hexi corridor in the morning of the 20th, "the dust covered it, I don't know how many people and horses", the border town defenders "can only stick to the fortress, can not attack rashly", and the Xianbei people "abandon it and go around the city", and the border town guard will "know that the saint is driving in Liangzhou, afraid of Xianbei's different plans, and send an envoy to report".

The messenger originally arrived in Guzang, and learned that the holy driver had gone to Xiping County, so he hurried to come.

By this time, Sima Shu had already known that Bald Hair Pill was ready to kill him, or at least capture him alive. The so-called "end-of-month visit" was nothing more than a "delaying tactic" to keep Sima Shu in the border area.

What Bald Hair Pill wants, not only Sima Shu's life, but also the "Flower World" in the Central Plains, his wishful thinking is to take advantage of the Great Jin Dynasty in the border fortress to have a "beheading operation", and then march eastward to invade Liangzhou and Guanzhong.

However, the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops is extremely time-consuming, and at the same time, it naturally takes more time for the sake of secrecy. When the agents of the Military Intelligence Agency got the news, they hurriedly sent a messenger, but they set off only two or three days earlier than the Turkic army, but fortunately, the messenger was fast and grabbed more than a day's time.

At this time, the Xiping County Guard had already mobilized the entire county government soldiers, plus the urgently mobilized militia, but there were only more than 5,000 people, including Sima Shu's escort troops, just over 10,000. Sima Shu also sent the commander Wu Yong to lead more than 1,000 soldiers to guard Linqiang. Linqiang is in the west of the western capital, which is the western gateway of the western capital county, and it is an important place, so troops are sent to defend it.

On the first day of the first month, the Xianbei army arrived in Xiping County, and all parts of Xiping County fell except for Linqiang and Xidu.

In the county seat of Xidu, there are now 50,000 soldiers and civilians, and many neighboring people have also fled into the city. Sima Shu sent people to try to organize young and middle-aged men in the city to use the weapons and equipment used for training in ordinary times to assist in the defense, so that the number of defenders of the city barely reached more than 20,000.

It's just that the grain in the city is only enough to support the army for ten days, which is the result of many years of bumper harvests, otherwise it is impossible for a county town to store so much grain.

Faced with the dilemma, Sima Shu had no choice but to order strict control of grain and implement a limited supply, and in order to show fairness, even he himself was among the limits. Sima Shu knew that the army would not be able to break the siege for a while, and Sima Shu must ensure that he had food for no less than 30 days.

In the second year of junior high school, Bald Hair Maru led the army to the western capital, at this time he can be said to be complacent, as long as he can catch the Han emperor, he will avenge the death of the eldest brother tree function.

"Khan, are we attacking the city?" Bald Hair Pill's grandson, Bald Hair Pushes Pound and Fights Horse, comes to him and asks.

Looking at his beloved grandson, Bald Hair Maru laughed and said, "Don't worry! Let this single Yu go to meet the emperor of the Han people! Tui Jin, you go to the front of the battle to shout, as long as the emperor agrees to our conditions, we will retreat to the Hexi Corridor. ”

The bald man came to the city and shouted: "Listen, the people in the city, go and tell your emperor that as long as you cede the land of Yong, Liang, and Qin to me and my bald Xianbei, and send a princess and my Great Khan, we will immediately withdraw our troops back." If you dare to say half a word, my army will immediately attack the city, and after the city is broken, there will be no chickens and dogs left! ”

It's a pity that the bald Xianbei underestimated Sima Shu's determination to resist, maybe Bald Hair Wumaru thought that he could force Sima Shu to sign an alliance under the city, didn't Gaozu Liu Bang do the same at the beginning? But Bald Hair Pill didn't know that Sima Shu came from a later generation, and he knew better than anyone how important it was to build the backbone of a nation.

Faced with the coercion and temptation of bald Xianbei, Sima Shu told his people: "If you don't get along, you don't pay tribute, the king dies, and the Son of Heaven guards the country!" ”

Left and right waited and waited for Sima Shu in the city to succumb, and the bald hair Wumaru was furious and personally ordered the siege of the city!

In order to boost morale, Sima Shu in the western capital personally climbed the West Gate Tower. Looking at the black Xianbei and Qiang cavalry outside the city, he couldn't help but feel worried. 150,000 sounds like just a number, but when you look at it, you know how huge it is.

This is the first time Sima Shu has really faced a predicament, and it is completely different from what he has experienced before. And for the first time, it was so large-scale, so disparity in power, and unfortunately, he was on the weaker side.

However, at this time, he had long forgotten what fear was, and the whole city was watching him, and his every move would affect the people around him. At this moment, an arrow came straight at Sima Shu's front door, his head was deflected, and the arrow grazed his face.

Sima Shu brushed his cheeks indifferently, pulled out a horizontal knife, pointed at the Xianbei people under the city, and shouted: "The Great Jin will win!" ”

"Dajin will win! Long live Your Majesty! ”

Many old men and women also ascended the city, because everyone knew what would happen if the Xianbei people broke through the city. After the death battle of the soldiers and civilians defending the city, the Xianbei people's tentative attack was repulsed. Of course, the so-called retreat is just that the city wall was not attacked, and the Xianbei people set up a large camp around the western capital, stretching for dozens of miles.

The Xianbei people put the main force in Xiping County, leaving only more than 10,000 people entrenched in the captured cities, only less than 20,000 people attacked Linqiang, and the commander Wu Yong mobilized the strength of the entire Linqiang County, so that the defenders reached 5,000, but they could also support it.

At night, for some reason, the Xianbei people did not attack the city. In fact, on the first day of the attack, Xianbei lost nearly 10,000 people due to being too light on the enemy, which made Bald Hair Maru no longer dare to underestimate the military power of the Western Capital.

When night fell, Sima Shu had dinner with Zhang Liang, Song Pei and others. It's dinner, but it's extremely simple: a few flatbreads, a few bowls of millet porridge, a plate of miso, a few greens and a few pieces of barbecue. However, this is already the most sumptuous table in the entire Western Capital.

Sima Shu raised the teacup and said apologetically to the ministers around him: "Originally, this time should be the most celebratory time of the year, but I can only let you Aiqing eat these things here. ”

"The emperor can share weal and woe with the soldiers and the people, and the sky has eyes, and he will definitely bless the emperor to survive this catastrophe safely." Liangzhou Thorn Shi Zhang Liang said with relief.

"I have just thought about it carefully, there are many soldiers and civilians in the city, and there are many wounded, and I want to send the palace maids and chamberlains to help treat the wounded."

"Your Majesty, the soldiers and horses of King Qin of the Quartet should be coming soon, right?" Someone asked eagerly.

It took thirty days for the messenger to be sent, and it would take a few days for the nearest place to arrive. The mobilization of the army, it is not possible to do it without three or five days, Sima Shu estimated that the fastest reinforcements would take two days later, and the number was limited, compared to the hundreds of thousands of cavalry of the Xianbei people, it was really a drop in the bucket, but he felt that he should still comfort these people in front of him.

"I guess that's it. The imperial court stationed heavy troops in Chang'an and Yongzhou, which should relieve the siege of Yanmen. ”

The next day, he discussed with the ministers again, and someone brought up the old matter again, suggesting that Sima Shu lead thousands of elite cavalry to break through and leave.

Zhang Liang immediately expressed his opposition: "If you defend the city, our army has spare strength, light cavalry is the strength of the Hu people, and the emperor is the master of ten thousand vehicles, so it is not advisable to move lightly!" The emperor took advantage of the danger, once he failed, how much regret he had! If you don't base the fortified city to frustrate its sharpness, you can recruit troops from all over the world to help. The emperor can personally take care of the soldiers, and he will be honored, and everyone will work hard, so why worry! ”

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Liang suggested again: "Xianbei people are not monolithic, a few days ago, Murong Tugu Hun Mu, who had just moved to the vicinity of Qinghai Lake, was the upper state of the Heavenly Dynasty, and he sent people to ask for attachment and tribute. If you send a messenger to tell him now, it will not do any good, even if it is of no benefit. ”

Some people also suggested that Sima Shu issued a decree to reward those who had meritorious service in defending the city, as the saying goes, "Under the heavy reward, there will be brave men." ”

In fact, recently, there were indeed reinforcements that arrived near the western capital on the first day of the first month of the first month, and it was the 6,000 soldiers and horses of Ma Xian, the governor of Jincheng County. The soldiers and horses of the Jincheng Governor's Mansion came from the east and attacked the Xianbei army outside the city of Poqiang County, the Xianbei army was caught off guard, and the reinforcements took advantage of the situation to cover the killing, and the Xianbei army that invaded Poqiang County was killed by four or five thousand people, and fled to the camp in the west.

Ma Xian only had 6,000 men and horses, although most of them were cavalry of the Xiang Army who were good at field warfare, and if they attacked rashly, it would be tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg. As for the thousands of remnants of the defeated army in Poqiang County, it is okay to defend the city, and a field battle is tantamount to sending them to death. Moreover, the small Poqiang County has become an empty city at this time, and there is no need to defend it. Ma Xianyi led his troops across the Huangshui to avoid the enemy's edge, and was ready to exterminate the unsuspecting Xianbei soldiers at any time, hoping to relieve the pressure on the Western Capital by harassment.

After receiving the report of defeat, Bald Hair Maru hurriedly dispatched thousands of cavalry to deal with Ma Xian's troops, and in this way, the pressure on the Western Capital was somewhat reduced.

In the past few days, the Xianbei people have been besieging but not attacking, and the Hu cavalry is good at field warfare, attacking the city with tall and strong city walls, but some "can't do it". Although the western capital city is not tall compared to inland cities such as Chang'an, it is also taller than ordinary castles as the seat of the county seat.

However, the arrival of Ma Xian's reinforcements began to stimulate the nerves of Bald Hair Pill, and he knew that in the future, the Qinwang army of the Great Jin Dynasty would continue to open.

In the Western Capital, Sima Shu stood on the podium of the school field, facing tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the Western Capital.

"The whole city of soldiers and civilians, from the emperor's relatives and relatives, down to the peddlers and pawns, should work together to fight the thieves, and be able to preserve, all those who are in the march, regardless of the army and the people, do not worry about wealth and wealth, I will not let the master use a knife and pen to break your honor."

"Hooray! Banzai! "Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians heard the words and shouted long live.

"Those who have meritorious service in defending the city, and those who have no officials will be awarded ranks, and they will be given a hundred paragraphs; There is an official and a second gain. Sima Shu announced the award in public, and the school field cheered again.

At this moment, an alarm gong was heard from the city wall, and the enemy army was about to attack the city again. The attack of the Xianbei people lasted for three whole days, and in these three days, relying on the bloody battles of the soldiers and civilians of the whole city, the Xianbei people still did not climb the wall of the western capital after all. Xianbei lost no less than 20,000 people, while Xidu also suffered nearly 10,000 casualties.

The palace maids and eunuchs who accompanied them set up an ambulance station in the county school in the western capital, and many women and children came here every day to help. Sima Shu also took time out every day to visit the wounded, and his actions greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians in the Western Capital. (To be continued.) )