In Hongnong City, Hu Luguang suffered the first defeat in the south.

"The thief led Yang Yan to ambush his troops in the middle, and when our division had traveled, he attacked from the side, and rushed to the battle, losing hundreds of our soldiers, and had no choice but to run back."

Speaking of the loss of soldiers due to an ambush on the way before, Hu Luguang couldn't help but show regret on his face. The first attack was overwhelming all the way, but I didn't expect to encounter an interception and ambush on the way to Tongguan.

In the final analysis, although Hu Luguang has been in the army for a long time and is proficient in strategy, he is only a human being and not a god, and it is inevitable that there will be negligence and mistakes.

If you count from the south of Jinyang to help, he has led his troops to thousands of miles away, and in less than a month to participate in several battles, all of them have achieved brilliant victories, whether it is him or the soldiers under his command are all supported by a group of exhilarating energy in their chests, once the situation is not smooth enough, it is inevitable to encounter setbacks and blows.

The so-called end of the strong crossbow and the potential to not be able to wear Lu Mian are said to be in this situation. Fortunately, Wei General Yang Yan's troops were not too many, and Hu Luguang did not blindly love war, and when he noticed that the situation was not good, he immediately withdrew his troops, which avoided suffering a greater blow.

On the way back, Hu Luguang also made some reflections, and felt that his behavior of continuing to attack Tongguan was a bit rash and reckless: "The army has been coming south for more than a month, and it has been more than a thousand miles away. The road ahead Tongguan is the world's strongest, although the new division is afraid that it will be difficult to overcome, if you continue to fight, I am afraid it will be in vain."

But not everyone is like Hu Luguang who can understand the truth of moderation after being taught a lesson, and Gao Guiyan, the king of Pingqin, who has always been looking forward to being able to make meritorious contributions, said with a disapproving smile after hearing this: "Hu Lu Kaifu has repeatedly been the vanguard of the army, and he has been invincible in battle, which can be described as magnificent. A small setback for a while is not a cause for concern, and besides, I have tens of thousands of strong soldiers here, and there is not only one person in the army? All the generals have their responsibilities to win the battle, and if they want to advance and retreat just because the battle is unfavorable, how can they explain to the officers and men of the army?"

There are not a few generals in the hall, and when they heard what Hu Luguang said, there were also some generals who expressed their agreement. Although they pursued the defeated army of the Western Wei Dynasty as the victorious side, the hardships of braving the wind and snow to cross the mountains and mountains were also borne by themselves, and with the elongation of the battle line, there was no shortage of soldiers who had the intention of retreating.

But when Gao Guiyan finished speaking, the generals' minds couldn't help but change. Yes, Hu Luguang has been a pioneer all the way to the south, and has many performances, whether it is the previous attack on the river bridge or the capture of Hongnong here, it is a very brilliant victory, it can be said that it is out of the limelight, whether it is military merits or the capture on the battlefield is very rich.

However, the soldiers of the armies who came here were reduced to background boards and endured the same hardships, but neither their performance on the battlefield nor their actual gains were as good as Hu Luguang. When Yiyang discussed the attack before, it was you who insisted on it, but now you are full of ambition and self-conscious, and after encountering a small setback, you began to retreat, which can convince the public?

Duan Shao didn't want to continue the attack before, although now that he has conquered Hongnong City and killed more than 10,000 Western Wei soldiers here, it seems that the results are brilliant, but in fact, the significance is not much.

In addition to killing more than 10,000 enemy troops, it is considered to have eliminated a considerable amount of enemy force, such as Hongnong City, this harvest is simply difficult to preserve. It must be known that Hongnong and Heluo are separated from the stretching Kunshan Mountain, and the existence of Yubi City in Hedong also makes it difficult for Jinyang characters to reach Hongnong, and the cost of garrisoning is extremely high, and the only thing to do is to destroy the city.

At this time, hearing that Hu Luguang's attitude had also changed, Duan Shao also spoke: "You are eager to kill thieves and intend to make meritorious contributions, which is indeed a commendable ambition. However, the thieves are only in Kansai Africa for a short time, and it is by no means an overnight effort to eradicate them, and now the victory of our division and brigade has been enough to comfort the feelings of the countrymen, and if we continue to invite the war, the morale may not be enough. Besides, there are thieves in Heluo, Li Boshan, who is about to come, if he can be sympathetic to Shili and take advantage of this victory to break the battle, it is enough to return to the country and boast of his merits, why not?"

Most of the generals here are Jinyang nobles, and when they heard the speeches of Hu Luguang and Duan Shao, the voices of the war were also restrained.

However, Gao Guiyan was still a little unwilling after all, and after a little muttering, he said again: "Once you will lose, everyone will think about it, and the big *** battle for thousands of miles will be in vain! Tongguan is close at hand, if you leave without a fight, you can't do it

Willing? In any case, I will lead my troops to attack, and victory is gratifying, and defeat is not regrettable. You and the others often boast of their bravery, when this country of stubborn thieves, can they dare to fight side by side?"

"What the king says is exactly what I want. After running for many days, is there any reason to leave without a fight? I am willing to fight Tongguan with the king!"

As soon as Gao Guiyan's words fell, several generals stood up and said.

When Duan Shao saw this scene, he was also a little helpless for a while. He, the so-called commander of the army, was originally temporarily appointed by Hu Lujin, and he did not have absolute authority in the army. And Gao Guiyan is not just an ordinary general, in addition to the identity of the king of the Gao family, he is also the favorite of the current emperor, when he is bent on continuing to attack, Duan Shao is also difficult to restrain him.

Faced with this situation, Duan Shao could only allocate some soldiers in addition to Gao Guiyan and others' headquarters, and put together a team of 10,000 people to attack Tongguan. And he himself couldn't directly abandon this division and brigade, and still led his troops to temporarily stationed in Hongnong City, and sent another division to escort the captured personnel and materials to temporarily withdraw to Yiyang Jiuqu City.

War is full of variables at all times, and it is difficult for any resourceful person to predict everything. Li Tai, who led the army into the Heluo region again, had already prepared for the worst in his heart, but he didn't know that there were many discordant differences within the Qi army that was advancing westward, and Duan Shao and other major generals were not very confident in Kou entering Tongguan.

Similarly, Duan Shao and the others only deduced based on common sense that the personnel arrangements left in Heluo were quite considerable, and they could effectively resist Li Boshan's attack under the dispatch of Hu Lujin, a veteran general, but they didn't know that the current situation in Heluo had become quite dangerous.

Outside Kim Yong City, with the successful pouring of the ice-built sand embankment, the morale of the soldiers in Xiangyang was greatly boosted. On the other hand, the Northern Qi soldiers in the city could not help but be a little depressed and worried.

People's joys and sorrows are not only based on the current situation, but also come from the judgment of the future trend, such as the continuous singing and attack of some forces in the future against one side, even if it is just some views that violate common sense and confuse right and wrong, it will also cause collective pessimism and self-denial.

The way of using soldiers is to attack the heart, and Li Tai has always known how to flexibly use various strategies to attack the heart. After the construction of the long fence of the sand bank, he did not stop there, but continued to carry forward this low-cost and effective way of building the wall.

Next, he arranged for the soldiers to continue to carry sand and draw water, and continue to advance inward along the long fence of the sand embankment, and build more sand embankment walls to extend in the direction of Kim Yong Cheng. From the perspective of the defenders of Kim Yong City, it was as if tentacles had grown out of the long perimeter outside the city, extending towards the city they were stationing.

"May I ask the Master, what is the intention of the thieves to build these sand banks and long walls? Do you want to use this to attack my city?"

At the head of Kim Yong City, Gao Rui, the king of Zhao County, overlooked the enemy soldiers carrying baskets of sand and soil dumped in the gaps of the plate building and sprinkled water to pour it on.

Hu Lujin frowned tightly after hearing this, and he was constantly thinking in his heart. These sand banks extending to the city are not more than a few feet wide, and it is difficult for the horsemen to step on and retreat, and the effect he sees is only to divide the space between the long wall and the city into small areas, as for the real meaning, he really can't guess.

After hearing Gao Rui's question, Hu Lujin said in a deep voice, "Li Boshan has always been scheming, cunning and cunning, so you need to be especially cautious when fighting against him. Fortunately, in my city, the division and brigade are strong, and the material use is sufficient, and the fortified city is fortified, and the thieves are also poor!"

These words are equivalent to not saying anything, but they also point out their own advantages, that is, as long as they stabilize the current situation, they can be said to be invincible. No matter how much you toss outside the city, it is difficult to shake the city defense itself.

But Hu Lujin's idea was too absolute, and he was slapped in the face after nightfall. At night, Hu Lujin had already fallen asleep, and suddenly a thunderous explosion sounded in the city lord's mansion, and then the crowd ran and screamed, and Hu Lujin was also dragged out of the room by the soldiers at the first time.

"It's a river cannon!"

One of the tent governors said with horror in his eyes that they had heard of this powerful stone cannon, even if they had not understood it. After some searching, I searched

When it came to the source of the explosion, a falling rock weighing dozens of pounds shot in from outside the city, directly smashing the stable on the side of the city lord's mansion and killing two of the war horses.

"The Heyang cannon is very powerful and has a long range, so tell the army, don't stay in the open space for a long time, and find a wall and bunker!"

Hu Lujin has felt the power of the Heyang cannon, and even this stone cannon is named after the battle with Li Boshan in Heyang before, so he also has some experience in dealing with this stone cannon, and he even ordered it.

Fortunately, in addition to this cannon stone this night, the Wei army did not launch any other attacks, but the defenders in the city did not dare to think of luck, so they still tossed all night. When I went to the city in the early morning and looked out, I saw several huge Heyang cannons erected on the dirt hill south of the city, and hundreds of stone bullets were piled up on the dirt mountain.

"Taishi, do you want to send elite troops out of the city, capture Tushan, and destroy the enemy's Heyang cannon?"

Gao Rui, the king of Zhaojun, was also disturbed last night, and after seeing this scene on the earth mountain, he opened his mouth to ask Hu Lujin for instructions.

"For thieves!"

After pondering for a while, Hu Lujin nodded slowly, and said hatefully in his mouth, and then selected more than a thousand elite soldiers to go out of the city with hanging baskets and launch a tentative attack on Natu Mountain.

He originally intended to stick to the city and didn't want to fight, but he didn't expect Li Boshan to put out the Heyang cannon as a big killer, forcing him to send men and horses to fight and rob, in his opinion, he was calculated by Li Boshan.

However, Hu Lujin didn't know that Li Tai was not fishing for the defenders in the city at all, and the real murderous heart was still to come.