Chapter 3677 Tongguan Key
Hangu Pass was once an ancient battlefield where war horses neighed and armor clanked. Millions of corpses lay buried and blood flowed in the pestles. It is said that I rode a green ox here to leave the pass and became an immortal. It added a bit of humanistic color. The throat of Chang'an has always been a battleground for military strategists.
This pass is located on the plateau in the west, bordering Juejian in the east, Qinling Mountains in the south, and the Yellow River in the north. It is located on the "Old Zhou-Qin Road" and is close to the bank of the Yellow River. The pass is in a valley and is as deep and dangerous as a letter, so it is called Hangu Pass.
The Yellow River rushes down and twists and turns. The Zhongtiao Mountains on the north bank are lofty and long, and the Qinling Mountains on the south bank are dangerous and undulating. The ancient road connecting Guanzhong and Luoyang runs through Juejian, heading west from Hangu Pass, and the other side stands on the bank of the Yellow River. There is a Tongguan.
The two passes are sandwiched between each other, forming a natural chasm. Whether leaving or entering the pass, it is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
……
Zuo Wuwei walked through the valley, flags fluttering, and marching rapidly. When the army arrived at Hangu Pass, Cheng Yaojin issued orders one after another. The cavalry guarded the rear, the infantry advanced, and the crossbowmen were in the middle to deter the pass. At the same time, ladders, archery towers and other siege equipment were assembled one by one.
However, before the siege equipment was assembled, the gates of the city gate were already opened, and the defenders filed out, surrendering voluntarily...
Cheng Yaojin was not surprised.
Now that Li Ji is approaching Guanzhong with hundreds of thousands of Eastern Expedition troops, he is a powerful force that can influence the situation in Chang'an. Since Li Ji has never expressed his stance, neither Donggong nor Guanlong dare to take the initiative to provoke Li Ji. of anger.
Now that the Eastern Expedition army wants to enter the pass, it can only let it enter the pass.
Since there is nothing to stop him, why risk irritating Li Ji and pushing him to the East Palace to hit an egg with an egg...
Zuo Wuwei successfully entered Hangu Pass, disarmed the defenders and expelled them, ordered them to return to Guanzhong, and then took over the defense of Hangu Pass.
In Guanxia, they made a fire to make food, and after dinner, they rested on the spot.
Early the next morning, a brigade of soldiers was left to defend the city pass, while the rest of the soldiers and horses set off, rushing all the way to Tongguan.
……
The Yellow River came from the north, roaring and turbulent, and hit the foothills of the Qinling Mountains. It was blocked and turned eastward along the terrain, running wildly between the Qinling Mountains and the Zhongtiao Mountains.
The river flows south to Tongguan Mountain, so it is called Tongguan.
North of Tongguan, on the other side of the Yellow River, is the famous "Fenglingdu". Hundreds of years later, there will be a girl with bright eyes, white teeth and beautiful bells who will stay at the ancient ferry at night and listen to others talk about the legend of "The Condor Hero". A heart turns and lingers, and feelings arise secretly...
Tongguan and Hangu Pass are hundreds of miles apart, and they arrive in the morning and in the evening. On the loess hilly plateau on the north bank of the Yellow River, there were two Tongguans built in the Han and Sui Dynasties. This is because during the Sui Dynasty, rain washed out a new road on the hilly plateau ten miles south of Tongguan in the Han Dynasty, and the march could be avoided through this path. Hantong Pass, along Jinggou and Tongshui, goes south and bypasses Hantong Pass and goes straight into the middle of the pass. Therefore, a new city gate was built here to guard the new road.
Tongguan is located at the crossing of the Yellow River. It is the key to entering and exiting the Three Qin Dynasties. It is also the east gate of Guanzhong. Its strategic position is even greater than that of Hangu Pass.
In fact, since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Hangu Pass has been gradually abandoned, and Tongguan "has one man in charge of the pass", shouldering the important task of sealing off the pass...
Zuo Wuwei rushed all the way, crossing valleys, climbing hills and mountains, and reached the foot of Tongguan along the narrow passage that could only accommodate one car. However, this time the defenders defending Tongguan did not take the initiative to open the city to surrender and let out of the city gate like Hangu Pass. Instead, they closed the door tightly, closed the troops and horses, and lined up to prepare.
After all, Tongguan is the last barrier to enter Guanzhong. As long as you cross Tongguan, it is a smooth river. With the brave and elite Zuowu Guards, if you want to intercept it, you must use several times or even ten times the force to guard the pass before getting authorization from the high-level officials of Guanlong. Military generals dare not abandon the pass without authorization.
Of course, we don’t dare to start a war without authorization...
Cheng Yaojin led the army to Guanxia, and when he saw Guanxia approaching, he asked those around him: "Who is the guard general of Tongguan?"
One of the deputy generals said: "It should be General Xue Hu Wu Ren of Huaihua."
Cheng Yaojin naturally recognized this person, chuckled, and said disdainfully: "It turns out he is a lackey of the Changsun family... He sent people to Guanxia to shout, telling Xue Hu and Wu Ren that the sensible people should quickly abandon their weapons and surrender, and withdraw from the city pass. Otherwise, once the commander launches a fierce attack with all his troops, he will be shut down and killed without mercy.”
"Here!"
The deputy general received the order and quickly sent two soldiers with loud voices to take off their armor, drop their swords, and go to the pass to shout.
Not long after, the soldiers returned and reported: "The commander-in-chief, Xue Hu and Wu Ren can't hold on. I kindly ask the commander-in-chief to wait for half a day until the order from Chang'an arrives before making a decision."
Obviously, Zuo Wuwei suddenly accelerated across Hangu Pass and arrived at Tongguan. This move greatly exceeded the expectations of Guanlong's upper echelons, and he was unable to give the Tongguan garrison the order to respond in time. In the absence of orders, the Tongguan general did not dare to decide whether to fight or retreat. He was not only afraid of provoking Li Ji and causing him to surrender to the East Palace, but also afraid that Tongguan would easily fall into his hands and isolate the pass.
Cheng Yaojin sneered: "When we are marching and fighting, how can we allow him to do whatever he says? Send the order, and the whole army will line up. After ten beats of drums, if the defenders still stay behind closed doors, attack immediately!"
"Here!"
The order was issued, and the morale of the Zuowu guards, who had been driven crazy by the fast march in the past few months, was greatly boosted, and they quickly formed an array. Amidst the howling of "Woooo", the crossbowmen, shield bearers, and spearmen all took their positions. Troops were raised and cruising on both wings, and siege equipment such as ladders and arrow towers were quickly assembled.
The war drums "rumbling" sounded, and the murderous aura stirred the wind and clouds and shook the surrounding areas.
The clan troops following Zuo Wuwei were all frightened and quickly gathered their troops and moved aside, fearing that their actions would be misunderstood by Zuo Wuwei and be attacked. In front of us is Tongguan City Tower, and behind us are deep valleys, ravines, and Yellow River waterways. Once Zuowu Wei launches a strong attack in these areas, it will be difficult for anyone in the world to rival him...
Above Tongguan, guard Xue Hu Wu Ren looked down with a stack of arrows. Amidst the rumbling of war drums, the Zuowu Guards were clearly lined up and filled with murderous intent. Countless ladders and arrow towers had begun to be assembled. They would be assembled in a short time. They were all soldiers. Climb the city wall along the ladder, and the crossbowmen will climb up to the archery tower and shoot at the gate from above. A fierce battle will break out.
The garrison at Tongguan was only five thousand, while the Zuowu Guards at Guanxia had tens of thousands, and they were all elites who were brave and good at fighting. The contrast in military strength and combat power was extremely different. Once a war started, there would be no victory but defeat.
However, Tongguan tightly controls the throat of Guanzhong and is the key to the Three Qin Dynasty. Once Tongguan is captured by Cheng Yaojin, hundreds of thousands of Eastern Expedition troops will unstoppably enter Guanzhong and attack Chang'an, which will play a decisive role in the current war situation. Until now, Li Jizhi's position is still unknown. If he is allowed to enter Guanzhong under such circumstances, it will eventually lead to the failure of Guanlong's "military remonstrance". How can he, Xue Hu Wu Ren, shoulder this responsibility?
Coming down from the arrow stack and hiding behind the parapet, Xue Hu and Wu Ren were sweating profusely and asked urgently: "Is there any news from Chang'an?"
Last night Zuowu guards occupied Hangu Pass without bloodshed and camped under the pass that night. The news had already reached Tongguan. Xue Hu and Wu Ren were not sure whether to fight or surrender, so they could only send people to Chang'an overnight to ask Guanlong's senior officials for a clear answer.
However, until now, the news has not been reported back...
The deputy general also looked anxious and shook his head and said: "No news has arrived yet... General, I'm afraid it will be too late to wait for Chang'an's order. Whether to fight, surrender, advance or retreat, you must make up your mind quickly, otherwise you won't wait until Zuo Wuwei We started to attack the city, but it was too late.”
Xue Hu and Wu Ren were pacing back and forth anxiously, undecided.
If they fight, there is no doubt about the outcome, they will definitely be unbeatable. Zuowuwei was a powerful army of the Tang Dynasty. Among the hundreds of thousands of troops in the Eastern Expedition, it was in the first rank. Its tyranny and scruple of combat power could only be matched by a few armies such as Youtunwei. The five thousand troops and horses above Tongguan are all a mob. Once the war breaks out, the fall of the city gate is almost certain.
If he surrenders, it will be equivalent to handing over the throat of Guanzhong. Without knowing the decision of Guanlong's senior officials, he is very likely to be charged with an extremely serious crime.
After all, the strategic position of Hangu Pass has long been far less important than Tongguan...
"Dong dong dong" The sound of war drums under the city suddenly became intensive. The captain leaned over the arrow stack and looked down, exclaiming: "General, Zuo Wuwei has begun to attack the city!"
Xue Hu and Wu Ren were shocked. He looked over quickly and saw the formation of the Zuowu Guards at Guanxia starting. The shield bearers and crossbowmen formed a cross formation and arrived at the place where the arrow was shot. The crossbowmen drew their bows and nocked arrows. The shield bearers raised their large shields, while the rear formation slowly moved forward carrying ladders, crash carts, arrow towers and other siege equipment.
As soon as these siege equipment arrives at the city, the crossbowmen will fire thousands of arrows to suppress the defenders with firepower and cover the army's attack on the city.
The captains around him all turned pale and urged: "General, make a decision quickly!" (End of Chapter)