On October 11, the 23rd year of Hongwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, as Xie An expected, Tongguan fell. Floating Sky (P.)

In the face of the unbridled scheming of the eldest grandson Xiangyu, more than 60,000 rebels in Tongguan were defeated and had no temper at all, and after paying the heavy price of thousands of deaths, they were forced to abandon Tongguan and retreat in the direction of Chang'an.

As the so-called defeat is like a mountain, when the three ancient and steep passes of Han Pass, Qin Pass, and Tong Pass were successively broken through by the Zhou army, the rebel generals Kang Cheng and Qin Wei commanded more than 60,000 rebels can almost be said to have lost the last bit of fighting spirit.

On October 13, the vanguard of the 150,000 Zhou army, the more than 6,000 archers led by Xiang Qing and Luo Chao, finally caught up with the rebels in the Huayin realm after chasing them for a whole day and night.

In this battle, Xiang Qing killed Sun Si, a confidant of the rebel general Qin Wei.

On October 16, the 150,000 Western Expeditionary Army arrived in Jiacheng, surrounded by the city on three sides, and only launched a wave of offensive against the city, the insurgents in the city collapsed, most of them fled through the West City Gate, and a few surrendered to the Zhou army.

On October 18, the Zhou army attacked Xinfeng, and in less than half a day, the city of Xinfeng was broken, and nearly 10,000 rebels disarmed and knelt on the ground, choosing to surrender to the Zhou army.

On October 19, the Zhou army of the Western Expedition attacked Baling, and like the previous cities, the Baling rebels had almost no fighting spirit, as if they were watching the Zhou soldiers attack the city wall.

On October 21, the 150,000 Zhou army, with more than 20,000 rebel prisoners, finally came to the last stop of the counterinsurgency, Chang'an.

In all fairness, Chang'an is worthy of being the ancient capital of the city, covering an area that is not inferior to Jijing, its city wall is as high as more than ten zhang, hundreds of miles around, as if a vast giant beast is lying in the northwest, which makes people unconsciously feel excited.

The war against the rebels in Chang'an finally ushered in this last scene, as long as they can capture here, it means that Xie An and Li Shou's trip is complete, but unfortunately, the rebels do not seem to intend to let the Zhou army win easily.

According to the information detected by thousands of archers led by Xiang Qing and Luo Chao, when the Western Expeditionary Army was still confronting the rebels in Tongguan, the rebel thief leader Wang Bao recalled the rebel soldiers and horses stationed in the northwest cities, gathered more than ten rebel forces such as Duling, Shenling, Lantian and Lishan, and finally gathered 780,000 troops, plus the original 30,000 garrisons in Chang'an City, the strength was as high as 110,000.

And now, the more than 50,000 soldiers and horses of the rebel generals Kang Cheng and Qin Wei have returned to Chang'an, which has made the rebel army near Chang'an as many as 160,000, which is not inferior to the Zhou army in the west.

Everyone knows that in the next few days, Chang'an will start an unprecedented fierce battle since the Western Expedition, after all, the rebels can give up the Han Pass, can give up the Qin Pass, can give up the Tong Pass, can give up all the cities from Huayin Zibaling, but the rebels will never give up Chang'an, because Chang'an is their last territory, in other words, the rebels at this moment have been forced to the edge of the cliff by the Zhou army of the Western Expedition, in order to survive, in order to protect themselves, it is difficult to imagine that the 160,000 rebels will not break the kettle and fight against the water.

For this reason, the rebels in Chang'an City implemented the policy of erecting walls to clear the wilderness, cutting down the forests around the city, and moving away the people of nearby villages, so that when the 150,000 Zhou troops of the Western Expedition arrived in Chang'an, the surrounding area can almost be said to be a barren land.

Of course, Xie An didn't think that it would be difficult to get the eldest grandson Xiangyu in this way, in his opinion, this woman could almost be said to be omnipotent, but he ignored one point.

The eldest grandson Xiangyu is a pampered woman since childhood, look at the luxury in her boudoir, you can know how Yin Gong spoiled her, in the final analysis, in addition to her intelligence, she is just a weak woman who can't pick up her shoulders and hands, how can she withstand this months-long car and horse fatigue?

Sure enough, as soon as the northwest wind in Chang'an blew, the woman fell ill.

Looking at her lying on the bed in the simple tent, looking at her sickly flush and coughing, Xie An couldn't bear it and felt heartache.

He knew very well that if there was no eldest grandson Xiangyu, he and Li Shou would not have been able to attack Chang'an at all, and even if they attacked Chang'an, they would inevitably have to rely on her wisdom, but ......

"Rebels...... What's going on? Ahem......"

On the bed, the eldest grandson Xiangyu opened his eyes and asked weakly.

Xie An sat on the edge of the bed, shook his head slightly, and said softly, "Today's wind and snow are heavy, so the rebels have no intention of going out of the city to fight our army......

"The wisdom of mortals...... Ahem," Changsun Xiangyu struggled to sit up when he heard this, and said with a bit of ridicule, "Our army is located in the southeast of Chang'an, and it is currently in the northwest wind, but those rebels ...... Ahem, I didn't even attack ...... What stupidity! - Once our army is ...... gain a foothold," she covered her mouth and coughed repeatedly, and after half a sound, she took a deep breath and said weakly, "Call the generals to come in, I have something to tell them to ......"

Xie An's eyes flashed a little unbearable, took the velvet blanket and wrapped her body, hugged her gently, shook his head, and said in a low voice, "Xiangyu, you better rest for a while......"

The eldest grandson Xiangyu glanced at Xie An suspiciously, and said softly, "Brother An, there is only half a month's rice grain in the army, if we can't capture Chang'an, we will wait...... I'll wait, ahem......"

"I know, I know," Xie An nodded again and again, gently stroking the back of the eldest grandson Xiangyu, and persuaded in a low voice, "What do you think of this?" In the next few days, it is up to me to find a way to prepare the equipment needed for the siege, you don't have to think about anything, just rest for a few days......"

Looking at the look of concern in Xie An's eyes, the eldest grandson Xiangyu's heart warmed, and he chuckled, "Is Brother An concerned about the slave family?" ”

"Of course!"

Seeing that Xie An said so conclusively, the eldest grandson Xiangyu was stunned, and then said with a chuckle, "Don't worry, Brother An thinks that the slave family is weak?" Brother An didn't know that when he was young, he was in the eldest grandson's house, even if it was a cold winter, he had to dig ice to get water, and help his mother wash his clothes and bedding......"

"But that was just a decade ago, wasn't it?" As he spoke, Xie An gently held her hand and said softly in an irrefutable tone, "Be obedient, otherwise, I can only deprive you of the authority of the military advisor again......

"......" The eldest grandson Xiangyu heard this, his red lips opened slightly, and he looked at Xie An with some astonishment, then sneered, shook his head helplessly, and held Xie An's hand with his small hand, pretending to be dissatisfied, and said quietly, "I know how to use this trick ......"

"Works, doesn't it?"

"Giggles," the eldest grandson Xiangyu chuckled and pouted, "Then, you have to build the camp as soon as possible, and the wind is now against our army...... cough, it's not good for our army, and besides, we have to ask the officers and men of the army to cut down the surrounding trees and build wells, ladders, and ......"

"I remember."

"Beware of rebel attacks on the camp at night...... Ahem, Chang'an is no better than the previous cities and passes, and it is the only place left for the rebels, so the rebels are bound to fight back......"

"I know, I know......" Nodding again and again, Xie An carefully supported Changsun Xiangyu so that she could lie down on the couch slowly, and then looked at her slightly pale face, and said easily, "Just think of it as if I was doing it for you, you have a good rest, don't think about anything, and when I am ready, I will ask the eldest grandson military division for instructions on how to conquer Chang'an...... How is it? ”

"Giggle......

"But there is a word first, if you don't rest well and your condition doesn't improve before our army attacks Chang'an, then your position as a military advisor will be gone!"

"Why ...... like this," eldest grandson Xiangyu pouted sullenly.

"If you don't want to do that, these ** will have a good rest," stretched out his hand to stroke aside a few strands of messy hair on the forehead of the eldest grandson Xiangyu, Xie An lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Think about it, our army is 150,000, the rebels are 150,000, once the war starts, it will be a battle with 300,000 soldiers and horses thrown into it......"

The eldest grandson, Xiangyu, trembled his eyebrows, and his chest rose and fell slightly.

Looking at her appearance, Xie Anxin smiled secretly, he knew that what the eldest grandson Xiangyu longed for most was this kind of grand scene, which allowed her to show her talent, so he was not afraid that this woman would not take the bait.

"The sex of the slave family, Brother An really sees it thoroughly! - What a nuisance! The eldest grandson, Xiangyu, pouted and glanced at Xie An.

It's no wonder that she, who has always been accustomed to grasping the initiative, was gradually seen through by Xie An, so that Xie An could prescribe the right medicine and restrain her, which was indeed a little uncomfortable for her.

However, for Xie An, he was very keen to see this kind of thing, after all, in his opinion, the woman of the eldest grandson, Xiangyu, was actually a wild and untamable horse in her bones, and she was even more unpredictable than Liangqiu Dance.

"Alright, let's get some rest!" Bowing his head and kissing the eldest grandson Xiangyu on the forehead, Xie An walked out of the simple tent.

Outside the account, Su Xin, Li Jing, Fei Guo,

Tang Hao and other generals in the army were gathering together anxiously, discussing a lot.

"Your Excellency is out!" Zhang Dong's eyes were sharp, and when he saw Xie An coming out of the tent, he hurriedly walked over, clasped his fists and said, "My lord, I don't know how the condition of the eldest grandson military master is?" ”

It may be that when he was in Luoyang, Zhang Dong had no temper at all when he was defeated at the hands of the eldest grandson Xiangyu, so he had special respect for the eldest grandson Xiangyu, even more than Xie An and Li Shou.

"It's okay, it's okay," Seeing the generals coming around, Xie An waved his hand and said, "That is, she is weak, she has been tired of driving and riding for the past few months, and the weather is cold at the same time, and she has suffered from the wind cold, so she will be fine after a few days of recuperation......

"Oh!" The generals breathed a sigh of relief, after all, seeing that the battle of Chang'an was about to begin, but the resourceful military advisor fell ill, which was really a blow to the generals of the Zhou army.

"My lord, why don't you go up the mountain at the end of the meeting to see if you can hunt some mountain flavors, make a soup, and let the military advisor drink it to drive away the cold?" Su Xin volunteered.

It's no wonder, after all, in Su Xin's opinion, that Miss Changsun is not only the military advisor of the 150,000 army, but also very likely to become Xie An's wife in the future, as Xie An's confidant general, how can Su Xin sit idly by?

"What General Su said is extremely true!" Tang Hao nodded, then clenched his fists and said, "When our army came, the last general saw that there was a lake thirty miles away from here, and there were faint signs of swimming fish in the lake......

"Okay, okay," seeing the generals' discussions, Xie An waved his hand and said with a straight face, "You need to remember that the top priority at the moment is to set up a camp before the rebels go out of the city to fight us, so that our army can gain a firm foothold!" As he spoke, he paused and said in a deep voice, "During the period of recuperation of the military division, this officer will temporarily lead the army...... Do you have any objections? ”

At present, Xie An is no longer as prestigious as he was at the beginning, and his prestige in the army is no less than that of Changsun Xiangyu, so that when the generals heard this, they smiled at each other, and said in unison, "What did the adults say!" ”

"Good!" Xie An nodded, and said in a deep voice, "Since this is the case, this official will order you to wait and build a camp within one night!" ”

"This ......" the generals looked at each other, among them, Li Jing said in embarrassment, "My lord, the general does not respect the general's order, but ...... Overnight, this ...... My lord, the nearby forest has been cut down by the rebels, and the forest closest to our army is also fifteen or sixteen miles, this ......"

Xie An smiled slightly when he heard this, and said lightly, "Who said that forest trees must be used to build a camp?" ”

The generals were stunned, and suddenly realized, and said one after another, "Could it be the ...... of Tongguan?"

"Not bad!" Glancing in the direction of Chang'an, Xie An chuckled and said, "The rebels think that after cutting down the nearby forests, our army will not be able to establish a camp?" - Dumb them off, guys! ”

The generals glanced at each other and clenched their fists.

"No!"

I have to say that the Chang'an rebels were still very careful this time, as early as before the 150,000 Zhou troops of the Western Expedition arrived in Chang'an, they mobilized more than 100,000 people to cut down the nearby forests and not give enough trees to the Zhou army of the Western Expedition to build a camp.

In the eyes of the Chang'an rebels, the Zhou army of the Western Expedition did not have enough forests, so they could not build a camp in time, and could only be frozen in the cold wind, and when the wind slowed down a little, they killed from Chang'an City, and the Zhou army, which was already frozen, could resist their attack without any defensive facilities such as camps?

However, while the Chang'an rebels thought they were proud, Xie An ordered the whole army of 150,000 people to gather snow into ice, and in one night, in an open place twenty miles east of Chang'an City, a city of ice and snow with a circumference of more than 30 miles.

When the early sun rose on October 22, the rebels in Chang'an City were stunned to find that in the distance on the east side of Chang'an, a city shining with the unique silver glow of ice and snow appeared in the winter sun.

Amazing!

If God helps!

How can a city be built without wood or masonry?

Xie An clearly informed the rebels in Chang'an City with the actual actions of the army under his command, can!

It is worth mentioning that when the construction of this ice and snow city was completed, some soldiers in the Zhou army of the Western Expedition were very skeptical, doubting whether the houses built of ice and snow could be inhabited, after all, in their opinion, those houses were made of cold and biting ice and snow, and if people lived in them, they would not freeze to death?

But to their surprise, when they burrowed into the igloos, they were surprised to find that the inside of the igloos were much warmer than the outside, especially when a layer of hay was laid.

As the eldest grandson Xiangyu said, the rebels missed the best opportunity to attack, if the rebels could brave the cold and biting northwest wind to engage the Zhou army, then the Zhou army would inevitably suffer heavy damage, but unfortunately, they missed this opportunity.

Of course, this does not mean that the strategy of the rebels is incorrect, from the perspective of common sense, any general will choose not to send troops for the time being, so that the Zhou army suffers from the cold wind, the only negligence of the rebels is that they did not expect that the Zhou army can still build a camp overnight without timber.

It has nothing to do with the level of wisdom, it is only the gap in knowledge, and the insight determines the correctness and possibility of a person's judgment of certain things.

But having said that, even with Xie An's idea of transcending this era, the current situation is still extremely unfavorable for Zhou Jun.

The first thing is the weather, although it is only the end of October, but the weather is even colder than Xie An imagined, the cold wind with ice crystals blows on the face, like a knife scraping, faintly painful.

Attacking Chang'an in this situation is almost equivalent to looking for death.

To make matters worse, the Zhou army in the Western Expedition had almost no clothing that could be used to keep out the cold, although Xie An had asked the court for a large number of cotton clothes in the name of General Li Shou Anping a month and a half ago, but so far, there has been no movement from the imperial court.

It is conceivable that it is obviously Tai Li Wei who deliberately procrastinated in this matter.

At this moment, the number of cotton clothes owned by the 150,000 Zhou army is only more than 10,000, and this is Ou Peng, Bubai, Zheng Hao and others who quickly transported it from the Hanguan area after learning about the situation on the front line.

150,000 soldiers, more than 10,000 cotton clothes, what does this mean?

This means that a soldier can't even own a cotton coat!

To make it clear, although the Zhou army had as many as 150,000, there were almost only more than 10,000 that could be used on the blade, and the rest of the 140,000 soldiers could only huddle in tents or igloos at ordinary times, and once they were exposed to cold weather for a long time, they would be frostbitten.

This is also the reason why Xie An has reduced the time for changing guards from two hours to half an hour several times, after all, just wearing thin clothes, the soldiers of the Zhou army can hardly stand in the cold for half an hour, but fortunately, the Zhou army has 150,000 people, and it is not a problem to turn over in one shift.

The second is the problem of food, I have to say that the Zhou army of 150,000, plus 20,000 rebel prisoners who have almost surrendered to the Zhou army, the rations of as many as 170,000 people, the daily consumption is simply an astronomical amount, and the food in the army can only last less than half a month.

Although the words of Su Xin and the others reminded Xie An, making Xie An think of splitting some people to hunt in the nearby mountains and forests, after all, Xie An knew that before late autumn, animals would prepare food reserves for themselves, such as squirrels and so on, but then again, how much can it be?

To put it mildly, even if the nearby mountains and forests are turned upside down, I am afraid it will not be enough for the consumption of these 170,000 people in a few days.

Of course, it's better than nothing.

After the food, the biggest problem in front of Xie An was that he did not have enough trees to build siege equipment, and the nearest mountain forest from the Zhou army camp was more than ten miles away.

How to transport the trees more than ten miles away to the barracks is Xie An's biggest headache at the moment.

Although it was confirmed from the mouth of the eldest grandson Xiangyu that there were some internal reactions in the Chang'an rebels who were willing to surrender to the Zhou army, and these people would open the city gates when the Zhou army attacked Chang'an, so what?

Put all your expectations on the rebel generals who don't know whether it was a real surrender or a false surrender?

Apparently impossible!

In the final analysis, those rebel generals who intended to surrender to the Zhou army were at best the icing on the cake, and could not play the role of sending charcoal in the snow, in other words, Xie An had to think of a good idea to transport the felling more than ten miles away to the military camp and turn it into wells, ladders, rushing cars and other siege equipment.

How?

Looking at the marching map in his hand in the tent, Xie An fell into deep thought. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to register as a member to recommend this work, your support is my biggest motivation. )