At the end of the year, it was originally comfortable and relaxed, but on the night of the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, the urgent report from the front line still reached the Dongwang Mansion like a life talisman and reached Han Jian's hands.

More than 10,000 cavalry in the vanguard of the Xianbei people had already targeted several cities west of Yangguan, and the cavalry came in the wind and clouds, causing some places in the old land of Xiliang to suffer from war in less than a day. The original garrison of the old land of Xiliang did not dare to move the Xianbei people to the south, so they could only guard in the key pass and watch the Xianbei cavalry rage. At this time, even some cities in Guanzhong also tightened their city defenses. Until there are further instructions from the imperial court and the Eastern Palace, a qiē will be mainly fortified.

Han Jian held an emergency military meeting overnight to discuss countermeasures, although he had made preparations for the Xianbei people to go south, but no one expected that the invasion of the Xianbei people would occur at the New Year's pass. Han Jian also seemed a little caught off guard in his heart.

Compared with the West Palace, the Xianbei people are more brave and good at fighting, and the Xianbei cavalry comes and goes like the wind in the plundering battle, and with the strength of the soldiers and horses of the Wei Dynasty today, they cannot compete with the Xianbei people head-on. Even if there was a war to drive the Xianbei people out of the territory before, it was because the Xianbei people themselves wanted to attack the city and conquer the territory, and messed up the plundering warfare that they were best at, but this time the Xianbei people had the guidance of the rebels of Xiwangfu, and they did not go to the north but took the Xiliang old land and Guanzhong as a breakthrough, and they came to plunder, and they would not give the Wei Dynasty soldiers and horses a chance to fight positional warfare at all.

The emergency military meetings lasted for more than an hour, and by the end it was almost dawn, and urgent front-line battle reports continued to come to Luoyang City. All of them took place on the 26th and 27th days of the lunar month, and the Xianbei cavalry advanced rapidly. At the farthest time, it has arrived less than fifty miles away from Yangguan, and you can almost see the pass of Yangguan.

The key points of the old land of Xiliang, there are still three left in the imperial court, which can be said to be foolproof in a short period of time. There were several thousand soldiers and horses stationed in each of the three key passes, and the total number of soldiers and horses was more than 15,000. However, with infantry as the mainstay, there were few cavalry, and there was no chance of victory in a head-on battle with the Xianbei people. For the time being, Guanzhong has to stick to the three key passes of Yangguan and the Western Capital and Chang'an, although Han Cui's command, who led the troops in Guanzhong, has 40,000 or 50,000 regular troops, which are still mainly infantry, and even the more than 10,000 Xianbei cavalry cannot fight head-on. The one who really has the ability to fight with the Xianbei people is Lin Zhan's department in the north. However, Lin Zhan's department is now stationed on the front line of Beiguan, and it is too far to transfer to Guanzhong, and he is facing a problem. Now it is only more than 10,000 Xianbei vanguard cavalry who are plundering the old land of Xiliang, and it is unknown from which direction the subsequent Xianbei cavalry will invade.

After the military meeting, Han Jian only gave the order to stay and wait for reinforcements to go to the front line. The plan previously specified with Han Cui's clan was also to use the cities as a joint defense to resist the Xianbei people.

It's winter after all. The food of the people has been taken back to their homes. If you want to really not be robbed by the Xianbei people, you can't fight hard with the Xianbei cavalry outside the city, so you can only try to move the people outside the city to the city. However, because Yangguan has not yet shown signs of being lost, the people of Guanzhong are only in panic, and they have not really faced the point of being snatched by Xianbei people. At the end of the year, how can anyone want to move out of their homeland?

Han Jian knew that after the order was issued, it would be equivalent to suffering for the people of Guanzhong. It depends on whether Han Choi can carry out his intentions. Although it is not to be a strong wall, it is actually similar to a strong wall. Fighting with the Xianbei people, the Xianbei people will not bring too much food, Xianbei people are experts in warfare, if you really let go of a large area of territory and let the Xianbei people plunder, that is the sorrow of the people in Guanzhong. In the end, not only the grain, but also the population and livestock will be plundered by the Xianbei people. For the Xianbei people, the growth of the population is the most important, and the people of the Central Plains will be driven like slaves when they are plundered, and then these people will really have no return date.

At the end of the meeting, Han Jian urgently entered the palace to discuss with Yang Rui.

At this time, there was also an urgent meeting in the palace, and in the Ye'an Pavilion of the Imperial Palace in the early morning, the Shangshutai of the Central Dynasty of the DPRK, as well as the ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Households, urgently sent an edict to the Ye'an Pavilion, and Yang Rui personally presided over the meeting to discuss the front-line war. Yang Rui is not only here, she also asked Yang Xi to be invited, although Yang Xi, the prince, has no status in the court, but maybe Yang Rui wants to use this way to train him.

When Han Jian arrived in the palace, the atmosphere in Ye'an Pavilion was a little dull. Yang Rui seemed to be angry because of something, and when she saw Han Jian coming, her tone was not much kind: "King Dong, but Yangguan is in a hurry?" ”

The front line has never sent an urgent battle report of Yangguan, and the Xianbei invasion has only happened for two or three days, and the Xianbei people will not launch a threatening attack on Yangguan, the western fortress in Guanzhong, so quickly. However, due to the chaos of intelligence at night and some speculation in people's hearts, Yang Rui mistakenly thought that the efficiency of the Xianbei cavalry was terrifying, and they could actually kill Yangguan in a day or two, so that Yangguan was in a hurry.

"Back to Your Majesty, Yangguan is temporarily stable." Han Jian said, "The day before yesterday, 6,000 steps had been mobilized to ride to Yangguan, and at this time, there were nearly 20,000 horses in the defenders of Yangguan. ”

Yang Rui nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's good, it seems that you ministers don't have to be too anxious." The barbarians may just plunder the land of Kansai and withdraw their troops, and will not threaten the hinterland of the Central Plains, so you should go back and rest first! ”

Yang Rui's words reassured some ministers, but some ministers felt that Han Jian's words might not be credible. The invasion of the Xianbei people is such a big thing, if the Xianbei people are not prepared, they will kill so loudly? Now that Yangguan is safe and stable, it has the meaning of reassuring the hundred officials, and if they go back, what Han Jian and Yang Rui said should be the point.

With some doubts, the officials left one after another, and Yang Rui asked Yang Xi to go back to the palace to rest first. On the contrary, they left behind Gu Weipan, who was old and heavy, and Ning Yuan, the second assistant, who were also the pillars of the Chinese officials.

There were only four people left in the palace, and Yang Ruicai asked, "What's going on?" His eyes looked at Han Jian and asked.

At this time, Gu Weipan and Ning Yuan's eyes were also a little sincere, they all wanted to know the latest battle situation on the front line. But in fact, Han Jian had already sent a copy of all the battle reports on the front line to the palace, and the situation that the palace knew was roughly the same as him.

Han Jian said: "Everything that should be said has been said, Yangguan is temporarily stable." That's all. If His Majesty has any doubts, he will have to wait for more battle reports from the Guanzhong front in the past two days. But perhaps the Xianbei people will not take the road to Yangguan when they enter the Guanzhong, and the Yaowukou generation in the northwest of the Guanzhong still has flaws in garrisoning. In addition, there are rebels plotting rebellion, which may provide a convenient passage for Xianbei people to enter the customs. ”

Because the imperial court and the Dongwang Mansion pacified Guanzhong, the Dongwang army did not take the normal channel to enter the pass, but first detoured with some entry paths, and finally captured Tongguan. The same strategy may be used by the Xianbei people, after all, this time the Xianbei people are coming aggressively, behind the backs of the rebels. If the Xianbei people are connected with the rebels in Guanzhong. The shape of Guanzhong will also take a sharp turn.

"I said that I wanted to put down the rebellion earlier, so why do I have to suffer today?" Yang Rui seemed to be a little angry, blaming Han Jian for his ineffective efforts to suppress the rebellion in Guanzhong. But he knows his own affairs, and Yang Rui actually understands in his heart that it is not that Han Jian does not try his best to quell the rebellion, but that Guanzhong itself is very complicated, and the soldiers and horses of the imperial court and the Dongwang Mansion have just pacified Guanzhong. In many places, there is still a disobedience between the yang and the imperial court. Maybe today to say goodbye. Tomorrow will turn around and support the rebels. The imperial court itself did not have too many soldiers and horses to pacify all the cities in Guanzhong, and then garrison the garrison, so that this phenomenon could not be fundamentally eradicated.

In some Guanzhong cities, this phenomenon is already obvious, and if it is replaced with some old places of the Western Palace, like the cities around the Western Capital, this phenomenon is even more obvious. Many of the people in the old land of the West Wangfu thought that the West Wangfu was good, and felt that being ruled by the East Wangfu and the imperial court was like a lost refugee. Even if the imperial court comes up with a series of pacification measures. The people still don't appreciate it.

"Your Majesty should also be at ease." Han Jian said, "There is an early sign that the Xianbei people will go south. Guanzhong, including the Xiliang land, has long been prepared, and now the Xianbei people have no intention of attacking the city, but are plundering the most basic war resources, if the defense is done properly, with Yangguan, Chang'an, and Xidu as the main guards, the Xianbei barbarians have no gaps to take advantage of! ”

Yang Rui nodded and said, "That's good." Master Gu, Ning Shangshu, what do you think? ”

Gu Weipan and Ning Yuan didn't know how to evaluate at this time, both of them were civilian officials, and they were still a little incapable of being responsible for the deployment of materials behind the scenes during the war, and they didn't know how many people there were in the wartime defense before, and they didn't know the original deployment of each city, let alone what the strategy arranged by Han Jian was, so they couldn't comment lightly.

"Back to Your Majesty, with the King of the East here, everything should be fine." Gu Weipan didn't say anything, but Ning Yuan said with a smile, as if he was very flattering to Han Jian.

Yang Rui sighed, but nodded and said, "Then you guys should go down too!" ”

Gu Weipan and Ning Yuan just left, in fact, both of them had a look of embarrassment on their faces, obviously they didn't have any good measures for the affairs of the Xianbei people, and they were a little afraid of being scolded by Yang Rui when they came to the palace.

When the two of them also left, only Han Jian and Yang Rui were left in Ye'an Pavilion. Yang Rui stood up directly and said, "Can you tell the truth now?" ”

Han Jian sat down on the chair on the side and said, "Could it be that what I said before was a lie?" To deceive the ministers of the imperial court to make them feel at ease, and hide some important war reports from the front? ”

Yang Rui looked at Han Jian angrily and said, "Then let's ask my husband, since my husband has already taken precautions, why did Xiliang's go back to Xiliang to launch some people from Xiliang's old department to fight against the Xianbei people, but in the end it didn't become a joke?" Now there are only three key passes that Xiliang can really defend, but these key passes can be interfered with by the cheap maid? ”

Han Jian knew that Yang Rui's good impression of Mrs. Luo was close to zero, and his title was directly referred to as "cheap maid", so he knew how angry Yang Rui was in his heart.

"Since Rui'er doesn't think it's useful, just act as if nothing happened." Han Jian said, "You just appointed her as an insignificant minister of Xiliang, and there is no loss to the imperial court, so why is it useless?" If it is useful, it is good, and if it is useless, it should be reassuring. Or Rui'er, do you think that the Xianbei people can rule the vast land of Xiliang with only 10,000 cavalry and make the people submit? ”

Yang Rui frowned and said, "What do you mean?" ”

"It's simple." Han Jian said, "At the beginning, Mrs. Luo was the minister of Xiliang, which was to make her willing to serve the imperial court. As for how many people from the old Xiliang Department will listen to her, that is not in consideration. After all, Xiliang is not as good as the Central Plains, Huaminfeng, Xianbei people are not the land of Xiliang, their goal is still based on the fertile soil of Guanzhong, and now their looting in Xiliang seems to be menacing, but they want to attract me to attack the soldiers and horses to fight him head-on. As long as we hold on, even if they pass through the key passes through the gorge and reach the land of the pass, they will still only focus on plundering. When the people who were still loyal to the rebels saw that the rebels in Guanzhong had recruited a group of jackal-like bandits, I am afraid that no one would support the rebels anymore. When the edge of the Xianbei people passes, it is time to counterattack and completely drive the Xianbei people out of Middle-earth. ”

Yang Rui thought for a while, and finally sighed: "In this way, don't the people of Guanzhong have to suffer from war?" Just like the people of the north last year, they are going to be plundered by the Xianbei people? ”

"How else?" Han Jian said, "Although the imperial court has pacified most places in the north in the past two years, there is still a shortage of cavalry, and the most basic cavalry lacks training and supplies, and even the war horses are not as good as the Xianbei people. To fight with the Xianbei people on the back, it is difficult to climb to the sky. In this way, we can only make use of our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, and stick to the city. ”

Yang Rui didn't say anything more, as if he was very tired.

Han Jian could see that Yang Rui was still very concerned about state affairs, even if she could have ignored too many things and handed things over to Han Jian, Yang Rui still did it himself.

One night, Yang Rui was also worried about the night, in fact, from the beginning, Yang Rui hoped that Han Jian could enter the palace to discuss with her earlier, but in the end, Han Jian came, which was what annoyed her the most.

Han Jian personally helped Yang Rui back to the palace, and then left the palace to return to the East Palace. Han Jian was also tired all night.

When Han Jian returned to Dongwangfu, there was a new battle report from the front line, and this time there was also news from the north, Lin Zhan found that the Xianbei tribe north of Beiguan also showed signs of gathering, and it seemed that there were plans to raid from Beiguan. The Xianbei people themselves lack the baggage to knock on the pass and enter the city to conquer the city, and the battle against the Central Plains is also mainly looting, Han Jian doesn't know why the Xianbei people have such great confidence and dare to fight on multiple fronts. Or do the Xianbei people have no fear, and they have prepared enough baggage to conquer the city in the past two years?

"Jian'er, I think it's more important to have something to do in the north." Han Songshi saw that Han Jian was holding the battle report and said nothing, "The Xianbei people are coming, and they will also come from the north, maybe the war in Xiliang is just a cover." ”

Han Jian shook his head slightly, in his opinion, the movements of the Xianbei people in the north were more like a disguise. If he is the Great Khan of Xianbei, it would be unwise to see the emptiness of Guanzhong's defense, and there is also civil strife, not to go to Guanzhong and fight against Lin Zhan's troops. (To be continued......)