Chapter 384 King of Qin (VI)

After the sun came out, strong winds raged along the Hanzhong Plain, and the surface of the Luo River in the northwest was sparkling.

“Hiss…” The neighing of war horses and the whistling of the wind came together in the southeast direction and were blown into Yangzhou Tangcheng.

Hundreds of Shu soldiers lay on the top of Tangcheng City, looking at the northwest in shock and panic. Countless cavalrymen came out from the Tangluo Road in the north and formed a large team on the pontoon bridge to cross the Luo River.

Looking from the west city of Tangcheng, the view faces the rising sun, the golden water surface is dazzling, and the large group of cavalry that came out of nowhere is vaguely reduced to black shadows. Between the alternation of light and darkness, one can only see thousands of cavalry rushing and crashing straight into the empty Hanzhong Plain.

Zhang Qianyu, the defense commander of Yangzhou, stood on the top of the city wall with a sullen face. Beside him, his deputy general explained in a panic, “The garrison at Huayang Pass was changed a month ago. One battalion and three squadrons were left to guard the pass. Even if more than a hundred people can’t defend the pass, they should have enough strength to warn the south… Huayang Pass didn’t warn us, and we were not prepared. The floating bridge on Luoshui River was built early this morning, and we were completely too late to stop it…”

“idiot!”

Even at this time, this deputy general only knew how to shirk responsibility. Zhang Qianyu was really furious, but apart from cursing, he had nothing else to say.

Yangzhou is located at the exit of Tangluo Road, a strategic point in Qinchuan. It has been a strategic location since the Han Dynasty. There have been countless wars in the past thousand years. Logically speaking, the defenders of Tangcheng should not be so careless that they did not even notice that the enemy was building a pontoon bridge at night!
But if you think about it carefully, it is indeed reasonable. In the past 30 years, not only has the Tangluo Road been used by a large army, but even a small team has never sneaked across the river. Moreover, all the post roads along the way have been destroyed. No one would be stupid enough to use this road to cross the Qinling Mountains. Moreover, there is a Huayang Pass in between, which blocks the road and makes it difficult for anyone to cross.

With all these conditions mentioned above, the troops stationed in Yangzhou have been somewhat slack for many years. Moreover, the enemy of Shu has always been Qi, and it has always been only at the stage of verbal battle with the Liang Dynasty, and has never fought with real weapons. How could they really guard against the Liang army sneaking south through Tangluo Road?
Even if we take a step back, wasn’t it said that the Liang Dynasty had undergone a major change and the Central Plains was in civil strife? Where did the troops come from to march south from the Tangluo Road? !

Zhang Qianyu had a lot of grievances that he couldn’t express. He frowned and felt very depressed as he stood on the top of the city wall.

When he was held accountable later, he could not escape the charge of dereliction of duty, but looking back at the present moment, he was actually helpless against the army crossing the river to the west.

According to the decision made by the Chengdu court three months ago, the Hanzhong troops had been deployed in Fengxiang by Wang Zonghe and Tang Daoxi. The main force of Nanzheng was divided into the Western Route Army led by Tang Daoxi, the Central Route Army organized by Wang Zonghe was drawn from Yang, Feng and Lizhou, and Wang Zongyou’s Eastern Route Army also recruited a group of auxiliary troops from Hanzhong when it marched north from Chengdu, so the Hanzhong troops were actually divided into three routes to enter Qi.

Therefore, Zhang Qianyu now has only two thousand soldiers at his disposal, and nearly half of these two thousand soldiers are distributed to the stronghold on Xingshi Mountain on the southeast side of Tangcheng. Therefore, there are only a thousand troops in Tangcheng at present!

The troops coming along the Tangluo Road were so deadly, like a pack of mad dogs rushing straight into the chest of Shu Kingdom!

“Look at the Lord!”

While Zhang Qianyu was thinking in confusion, the deputy general beside him suddenly shouted, then pointed to the northwest and said: “They actually burned the pontoon bridge!”

Zhang Qianyu leaned on the bricks of the city wall in astonishment and looked out. Sure enough, he saw that the cavalry that had raised countless smoke and dust, after all of them had crossed the river, simply set fire to the pontoon bridge that they had built with great effort without hesitation, and then, without even looking at Tangcheng, they headed straight to the west with great momentum.

Why is this?

Zhang Qianyu was confused again. How could the floating bridge that the troops had built at night be burned down? You know, even if the thousand men under his command could not fight them head-on, if they wanted to stop them halfway across the river, they could also cause them massive casualties.

“They…” the deputy general said carefully, “Are they trying to prevent us from advancing westward?”

Zhang Qianyu was speechless for a moment.

Tangcheng is located at the junction of the lower reaches of the Han River and the Luo River. The entire city is surrounded by water on three sides. If we only talk about the city defense, it can be said to be impregnable. However, if you want to cross the river to the west, you still need to build a floating bridge or use boats to ferry people.

It seems that once the pontoon bridge is destroyed, it will take a lot of time for the Yangzhou garrison to pursue westwards. Not to mention that the other side is equipped with horses. I am afraid that by the time the Yangzhou garrison crosses the river, they will have arrived in Nanzheng.

Zhang Qianyu shook his head and said, “This group of troops sneaked across the river, and I’m afraid they are heading for Nanzheng. However, they have no baggage or equipment, and are almost an isolated army. Now they have cut off their own retreat and are trapped in Hanzhong. Even if they break through the defense line and enter the heart of Hanzhong, what threat can they pose?”

As he spoke, he ordered his deputy general, “You must lead the troops from both cities to the north to recapture Huayang Pass and cut off the possibility of the northern army moving south!”

The deputy general clasped his fists and accepted the order, then asked: “But these thousands of cavalrymen have crossed the Luo River and headed west. Even if they are isolated, the imperial court cannot hold them hostage until the dry food they carry runs out. Should we also send a warning to the direction of Nanzheng?”

“Light the beacon.” Zhang Qianyu was a little annoyed. Although he knew that this isolated army without baggage could not pose any threat to Nanzheng and other cities, even if they wanted to attack the city, they could only cut down trees on the spot to build wooden ladders, etc. In the process, the imperial court would only lose some villages and settlements that had been basically drained by this war. Sooner or later, the court would be able to dispatch a large army to encircle and annihilate them.

But he cannot escape blame as the army is passing through the border. No matter what, he will certainly be held accountable afterwards. How can he not be depressed?
What’s more, this army is full of weird things. When a lone troop goes deep into a territory, the commander will definitely look for a way to retreat first. This is human nature! But the man I saw today did the opposite. It seemed like he was seeking death with thousands of deadly cavalrymen!
“You bastard!” Zhang Qianyu couldn’t help but curse the commander of the smuggled troops: “What a lunatic! If I’m going to lose my head, I’d better watch how you die before I die!”

——

The army galloped westward for dozens of miles, and all the counties and cities along the way lit beacons, obviously sending crazy warnings to Nanzheng where Wang Jian was.

Less than a hundred miles away from Nanzheng City, in the north of Chenggu County, on the bank of the Weishui River, shirtless Guide Army soldiers were also frantically building a pontoon bridge. Gongyang Zuo had already led the Yebushou to collect large and small boats upstream and downstream of the Weishui River to serve as the main body of the pontoon bridge to support the war horses so that they could cross the river easily.

“Greetings, General!” “Your Majesty…”

Xiao Yan came back from the south with a few riders after observing the terrain and military intelligence. Many soldiers along the way clasped their fists and bowed to him. Some greeted him while others just saluted. However, countless people were looking in Xiao Yan’s direction.

Because they often hung out in the military camp and the Guide Army belonged to the direct line of succession, almost all the soldiers recognized Xiao Yan’s face. But at this time Xiao Yan was very different. Compared with when Tang Daoxi was captured, his cheeks were terrifyingly thin, and his beard was even thicker, especially the two short, straight beards on the upper jaw that extended horizontally, with the ends of the beard slightly curled. He lost his handsomeness, and his dignified demeanor had a more sturdy look, which was very different from his previous neat image.

But seeing Xiao Yan like this, especially now, everyone’s mood was very different than usual in the camp. Looking at the countless gazes, the soldiers seemed to be greatly encouraged!

Xiao Yan had been with them all the way, sharing the joys and sorrows. Although they had been alone and deep in Hanzhong for nearly 200 miles, with enemies on all sides, if nothing else, at least the soldiers would not think that the general was sending them to their deaths.

Countless people saluted and clasped their fists. Xiao Yan’s response was very casual. Not everyone made any gestures. He just nodded to his left and right from time to time: “Follow the general’s orders…” “Everyone has his own duties.”

Yu Zhong and Li Si’an, who were also shirtless and working on building a pontoon bridge, came over with their generals. Xiao Yan dismounted and stood on the bank, looking at the pontoon bridge that had crossed the middle of the river, and then glanced at the dozen or so knights on horseback on the opposite bank who were looking over here and giving instructions.

The sky was gloomy at the moment, and it looked like it was going to rain. There was heavy fog on the water, and neither side could be seen clearly. However, Xiao Yan simply squinted his eyes, twirled his beard with one hand, and spread his other hand to the side.

“Get the bow.”

Ye Bushou immediately went to fetch a large bow that Xiao Yan usually used. All the generals held their breath and were silent. The soldiers who were also busy all looked over and saw that Xiao Yan didn’t need to aim at all. Several long arrows whizzed through the air and swept across the extremely wide river. Several knights who were gathered in the middle on the opposite bank were instantly hit in the forehead. As the arrows pierced their skulls, several people fell off their horses into the river as if they were drowning, causing many exclamations on the opposite bank.

“Good shot!” “Great shot, my king!”

Countless people, including the generals, cheered suddenly, and the atmosphere was particularly high. The remaining knights on the other side did not even dare to salvage the bodies, and fled in panic, leading a few ownerless horses.

Xiao Yan’s expression did not change. He just pointed to the other side and said loudly, “Cross the river today, fight your way into Nanzheng, and capture Wang Jian for me!”

The situation was out of control for a while. Thousands of people felt goose bumps on their backs and blood rushed to their heads. Amid the roars, many soldiers who had just felt tired seemed to be revived in an instant and joined the team building the pontoon bridge with their bare chests.

All the generals had already arrived. It was only at this time that Xiao Yan handed the large bow that could not be pulled by an ordinary person to someone else. His eyes swept over generals such as Yu Zhong and Li Sian, most of whom were shirtless and joining the work. He especially stayed on Li Sian for a moment. It was not easy for this guy to humble himself and set an example for the tired soldiers. I wonder if he was secretly competing with Yu Zhong and other generals of the Guide Army.

“Thank you all for your hard work.” Xiao Yan clasped his fists.

The generals naturally hurried to return the greeting.

Gong Yang held up a map in his left hand, while Ye Bu Shou was busy inserting two wooden sticks into the ground on his left and right.

Xiao Yan took off the Taiping from his waist, pointed at the map in front of him with the scabbard, and said calmly: “Nanzheng, Dingjun Mountain, Bailaoguan.”

Then he moved the Taiping Sword downwards for a long distance, stopping at the word Jiange, and continued, “According to the intelligence gathered by Ye Bu Shou, the Shu general Wang Zongbi is leading the Jiange troops northward. There may be two purposes: one is to advance northward to Qinling to support Wang Zongkan’s retreating troops, and the other is to protect Wang Jian in Nanzheng. But no matter what, they are one step behind us.”

He held the sword in front of him and continued, “Once the floating bridge is completed, our army can march out and march straight into Nanzheng. But I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to send a part of the troops to seize the key position of Dingjun Mountain at Bailao Pass and take Dingjun Mountain into our hands.”

Yu Zhong asked, “Your Majesty, are you planning to use Dingjun Mountain to block Wang Zongbi and prevent him from rushing to Nanzheng’s aid?”

“Yes or no.” Xiao Yan said, “When Wang Zongbi leads his troops out of Bailao Pass and across Dingjun Mountain, our two armies will cooperate to encircle and annihilate him. If Wang Zongbi doesn’t dare to fight, Dingjun Mountain will block his retreat, and he can only go north. Our army can occupy Bailao Pass, drive south along the main road, sweep the entire Lizhou, and then directly capture Jiange Pass!”

Suddenly, several generals looked at each other with nervous expressions.

All the generals gathered around him, very close to him. Xiao Yan could clearly see the expressions of the people. It seemed that many of them were somewhat confused.

However, Xiao Yan won many battles, and his prestige in the army reached unimaginable heights. Now he is the King of Song, General Tiance, and the only powerful minister to support the new monarch. The entire military and political affairs of Daliang are decided by him, so no one has ever questioned his decisions.

However, Li Sian relied on his stubbornness and said, “General, why don’t you gather all the troops to capture Nanzheng? As long as we take Nanzheng and capture Wang Jian, we will have enough equipment and food. What can the Shu army do to us? We can also rely on Nanzheng to fight for reinforcements.”

At this time, no one would dislike Li Sian for daring to contradict Xiao Yan. The generals of the Guide Army had never thought that this guy was actually quite pleasing to the eye. At this time, Li Sian had obviously asked the question in most people’s minds.

Xiao Yan looked around and said, “I only selected the elite soldiers from the Guide Army and the Imperial Guards for my surprise attack on Hanzhong this time. We only had 7,000 men available after crossing the Tangluo Road, and nearly 1,000 pack horses died along the way. 7,000 soldiers equipped with horses may seem like a lot, and they are enough to sweep across Hanzhong with the advantage of mobility, but our army is isolated after all. Regardless of the north or south, the Shu army has hundreds of thousands of troops surrounding us. If we can capture Wang Jian alive this time, it will naturally make Shu hesitate, but Wang Jian also left the crown prince in Chengdu, and the Shu court in Chengdu is unlikely to abandon Wang Zongkan’s nearly 100,000 troops in the north just because the emperor was captured.”

He said, “Relying on Nanzheng and relying on the sharp edge of our army, we can indeed defeat the reinforcements of Shu, and I have no doubt that our soldiers can hold on for a long time. But if the Chengdu court wants to fight to the death and let both the north and the south continue to send troops to Nanzheng until the strength of one side is completely exhausted, then why shouldn’t I fight Wang Zongkan on the front battlefield?”

Some people understood and nodded in thought, holding their chins.

Xiao Yan paused and continued, “Shu is doomed to fail, but I want it to fail badly! It’s a question of whether Shu will be seriously injured and only lose Hanzhong, or whether tens of thousands of people will be killed and the whole country will surrender, and Daliang will unify Qinchuan.”

Li Sian, Yu Zhong and others looked serious and nodded thoughtfully.

Xiao Yan raised the Taiping Sword and drew a circle on the point of Nanzheng with the scabbard: “Wang Jian before was the goal. But you must remember now that Wang Jian is an illusion, just a trivial thing! What we want is the entire Shu Kingdom!”

He looked at the generals and asked, “What will happen if we kill Wang Zongbi and capture Jiange? What will happen if we win? What will happen if we lose?”

Yu Zhong replied: “If we win, we can open up the key points to Sichuan and block all the troops in Chengdu in the south. If we lose, then the retreat route…”

“If you lose, there is no way out!”

Xiao Yan looked around and laughed loudly: “If we lose, it will be no different from defending Nanzheng to the death. Sooner or later, we will be overwhelmed by the endless Shu army! But if we win, we can directly take Jiange, and even overlook Chengdu from the Xiongguan Pass, cut off the entire Shu Kingdom in half, and cut off Wang Zongkan’s military supplies. The battle will determine the outcome! As long as we win, do we still need to consider retreating?”

Yu Zhong suddenly realized, and Li Sian and other generals also agreed.

Xiao Yan’s expression became stern again, and he said in a deep voice: “We don’t need to show fear or hesitation. Since we entered Shu, we have no way to retreat! The men are full of vigor and the achievement of destroying the country is in sight. How can we look back? We must march straight ahead, we must play with the entire Shu army in the palm of our hands, and we must let the princes of the world know what a tiger and wolf army is!”

The generals bowed in a loud voice, “The general is mighty!” “We are willing to serve the general…”

Xiao Yan hung up the Taiping Sword again and laughed loudly: “Everyone prepare your troops and reorganize your soldiers. In half an hour, cross the river and march westward!”

“Yes!” All the generals clasped their fists in response.

——

Nanzheng.

The city was in chaos. When people heard that the army from the Central Plains had arrived in Hanzhong, they flocked to the city to escape the disaster. However, the defenders on the city wall refused to open the gates, saying that they were afraid that the enemy spies would enter the city and endanger the emperor.

In a private house somewhere in the north of the city, a handsome blond man was carefully manipulating a long sword to perform sword techniques and stab objects in mid-air.

Inside the room, a ferocious giant with a slightly dark blue skin color sat at the table, mixing the gunpowder meticulously and then installing the fuse. He repeated this process over and over again, and a small mountain of gunpowder had been piled up in the corner.

(End of this chapter)