"You're really here?" Yang Jun said in a deep voice with a serious face.
"Yes, we are already within a hundred miles..." The scout lowered his head and reported. He saw with his own eyes the battle flag of General Zhengxi, and also saw Zhang Liao and his men camping by the forest, and even saw them in the forest.
Animals were caught inside, and fire pits were lit to roast and cook food. It seemed that the fragrance of the food could be smelled with the wind.
But what the scout didn't know was that when he was lying on the hillside staring at Zhang Liao's camp, Zhang Liao's scout was also hiding in the grass watching him...
When it comes to bionics and camouflage, Youzi, an old scout under General Zhengxi who learned a few things about later generations from Fei Qian, would never stand on a hillside and show off, because even though he could see far in that way, he would still lose sight of his own body shape.
It has been exposed. The best way is to tie some grass or branches to your body, and then squat in the grass or climb the treetops. In this way, you may not be able to find it even if you walk in front of it.
"Is there any contact?" Yang Jun asked.
The scout cupped his hands and said, "There has been no contact, and I have not seen the scouts sent by him..."
"No scouts were sent?" Yang Jun frowned, then waved his hand to let the scouts go down first.
Yang Jun couldn't help but stand up, frowning, pacing back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back.
Maybe it's because of overconfidence?
Perhaps it was because they were afraid that the sent scouts would alert Tongguan?
Yang Jun stopped slowly, smoothed his beard, and smiled slightly. Zhang Liao came very quickly and very secretly, but to no avail. After passing Shaanxi County, it is a relatively large county, which is Southwest
Zheng County in the direction was the original most important base of Yang Jia Hongnong. Although it was destroyed to pieces by Dong Zhuo, it still had some foundation after all. Therefore, after Zhang Liao's whereabouts were noticed by the locals, he quickly reported there.
Yang Jun here...
"Just come."
Yang Jun slowly rubbed his hands, and a smile slowly spread to his face.
If Zhang Liao's traces were not discovered in advance, then when he attacked Tongguan, he was suddenly attacked on the back. Naturally, even if he could resist, it would be a tragic victory, not to mention if one was not controlled well...
However, now that he is prepared, with Zhang Liao's small force...
Yang Jun has already sent people to ambush on the high slopes leading to Tongguan in the northwest of Zheng County. No matter who comes, they can only take one way to Tongguan. Even if General Zhengxi comes in person, he can only go from
Attacking the slope from bottom to top will reduce Zhang Liao's cavalry advantage to the minimum.
If you are unwilling to attack by force, you can only have a confrontation. And a confrontation is definitely unacceptable to a small army like Zhang Liao. Although the force is small, although it is flexible, it also means that the baggage is limited, which is conducive to a quick victory.
, cannot be corrected for a long time. Another very important point is that the longer the delay, the more likely it is that Zhang Liao's troops will be surrounded and caught in the middle by Yang's reinforcements coming from Heluo!
No one would be willing to take such a risk.
Although Zheng County, southwest of Shaanxi County, was within Zhang Liao's attack range, Yang Jun did not think that Zhang Liao had the guts to capture a heavily guarded county with a thousand cavalry.
You must know that Zheng County is also a large county, with 1,200 regular soldiers, 1,800 auxiliary soldiers, and five or six large and small forts nearby. Even if it does not belong to the Yang family, it is still related to the Yang family.
After going to Zheng County, Zhang Liao's thousand troops were not enough.
Therefore, since Zhang Liao's troops came here, they could only pass through the high slopes in the northwest of Zheng County, and then rush to Tongguan!
The distance of more than a hundred miles can be reached in two days at most if it is slow, and it can be reached in one day if it is fast. Therefore, Zhang Liao is repairing a hundred miles away, which is also in line with the requirements of the art of war. He is probably planning to launch a surprise attack on Tongguan tomorrow.
?
Who would have thought that they were already prepared?
Thinking of what he was proud of, Yang Jun almost laughed out loud. He coughed twice to hide his emotions, and then said in a deep voice: "Come here! Send the order! Retreat the troops early today! Reorganize the defense! Send another person there.
Gaopi, Zheng County, let them prepare well and be sure to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!"
Since Zhang Liao is coming, let him come!
After recuperating his energy, he just happened to use Zhang Liao's head to undermine the morale of the Tongguan soldiers!
"Wei!" the ordering soldier standing outside the tent responded loudly, and then hurriedly ran to convey the order.
Yang Jun was a little excited. After all, this was different from attacking a city step by step. It had some elements of strategy and calculation, which gave him a somewhat strange sense of excitement. Although he ordered the soldiers to rest early, Yang Jun repeatedly thought about himself.
The more he thought about the plan, the more excited he became, and the more he couldn't sleep. It wasn't until midnight that he barely squinted his eyes and lay down for a while. Early the next morning, Yang Jun got up, and then thought about it again and again.
Over and over again, I made the best preparations for the upcoming battle, just waiting for Zhang Liao to appear...
As time went by, the tense atmosphere before the battle became more and more intense, and even Ma Yan, who was above Tongguan, noticed something was wrong.
Because Yang Jun was uncharacteristic today and did not send any soldiers to continue attacking the city. Instead, most of them were repairing around the camp, and even sent some troops to the east.
Would Yang Jun be so kind and willing to let the defenders of Tongguan take a breather?
Ma Yan didn't think so, and for the side with the numerical superiority, if they wanted to attack the city, they could only use the human wave tactic to exhaust all the strength of the defenders, and they would naturally win.
So, what happened to the east?
No matter what, Ma Yan didn't dare to rush out of Tongguan without information about the battlefield, but since Yang Jun was not attacking the city, he took this opportunity to take a good rest...
The entire battlefield in Tongguan suddenly became silent, as if everyone was waiting for something.
However, no one expected that after noon, Zhang Liao's men and horses did not show up, and they waited until the sun turned to the west, but still no one appeared.
Yang Jun couldn't sit still anymore. He took the risk of being discovered by Zhang Liao and once again sent out a large number of scouts. However, when the scouts rushed back, they all looked surprised...
Zhang Liao's troops disappeared.
If he hadn't seen the remains of some camps near the forest, even the scouts would have doubted whether the men and horses they saw before were real or fake...
Zhang Liao did not come to Tongguan, nor did he stay at his original location. He just disappeared outside Yang Jun's perception range.
Where did Zhang Liao's troops go?
Yang Jun walked around in the big tent, thinking for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what happened.
Hidden?
But what's the use of hiding it?
gone back?
But if we go back, won’t we lose the meaning of understanding Tongguan?
Yang Jun was restless, anxiously waiting for the scouts' follow-up detailed investigation. Until there was no updated news, he could only wait.
Besides waiting, Yang Jun has no better way...
After another night, at dawn the next day, Yang Jun finally waited for the scouts to pass back the latest news. Zhang Liao's troops did not go to the Tongguan defense line, but returned the same way they came, turning around and heading east.
Yang Jun was puzzled. He couldn't understand why Zhang Liao would go back with his troops.
Isn't Zhang Liao ready to relieve the siege of Tongguan?
This was contrary to common sense in the art of war, and even made Yang Jun wonder whether the scouts had made a mistake and had been deceived by Zhang Liao. It was not until noon that new scouts came back and confirmed that Zhang Liao was indeed heading east.
After going, Yang Jun accepted the result with hesitation.
But Yang Jun still didn't know. Since Zhang Liao was not planning to attack him, why did he lead his troops here?
Although Yang Jun couldn't understand it, in this case, the troops originally sent out to ambush were useless and had to be withdrawn first. The ambush soldiers could not be allowed to lie in the fields every day in order to prevent Zhang Liao from discovering them.
Let's sleep in a nest every day, right?
If that were the case, Zhang Liao wouldn't have to attack personally. He only had to wait two or three days before the ambushing troops would get sick and all of them would be disabled.
Therefore, laying an ambush for a day or two is more or less OK. But if it lasts for a long time, it will be useless and must be withdrawn for repairs. Moreover, these soldiers were set up to ambush Zhang Liao's troops, but Zhang Liao does not come, so the soldiers will be wasted in vain.
Hard work is meaningless.
Should we send people to check further?
Yang Jun was hesitant. If the distance was more than a hundred miles, if the army was not on the march, it would mean that the scouts would not be able to shorten the distance on their way back. In other words, a round trip would take two or three days. In this way, not only would the scouts be tired,
It's unbearable, the loss of war horses is also very large, and I only have this flexible scout manpower, which is somewhat not worth it...
Yang Jun thought about it for a long time and finally decided to give up the reconnaissance beyond the distance and just keep the scouts at a distance of a hundred miles. Even if Zhang Liao returned with his troops, he could detect it immediately and have a full response.
time.
However, Zhang Liao's trace was uncertain. Even when Yang Jun was commanding his soldiers to attack Tongguan again, he felt a little uncomfortable and would even involuntarily look back to the east from time to time. Such emotions seemed to have infected Yang Jun's soldiers.
, the attack on Tongguan was somewhat feeble, and the atmosphere of perfunctory was also spreading.
On the third day, early in the morning, there was still no news from Zhang Liao's troops.
Yang Jun thought this was Zhang Liao's bluff. After all, the siege of Tongguan was indeed here, and it was Zhang Liao's ultimate goal, but why not come?
At this time, Yang Jun suddenly longed from the bottom of his heart to have a cavalry unit, not too many, just two or three thousand, so that he would not be like now, holding only two hundred cavalry, like a golden pimple.
, reluctant to use it, and dare not use it indiscriminately.
Cavalry...
After this battle, I must recommend that Duke Yang form a large enough cavalry team!
It must be built no matter what, even if it costs a lot of money!
There must be at least three thousand!
Even if all the cavalry in Guanzhong are mobilized, they will not hesitate!
If that doesn't work, just ask the noble nobles in Guanzhong for war horses. These people must have some horses, and together they can form an army!
The feeling of being led by a thousand cavalrymen like this, unable to hit or catch, is really uncomfortable. I have completely lost the initiative on the battlefield...
Just when Yang Jun was thinking about the future, the latest news was delivered to Yang Jun.
"What? Towards Luoyang?" Yang Jun could hardly believe his ears.
The scout nodded and said: "Yes, we can already see the black smoke from the beacon fire in the direction of Heluo. It must be heading towards Luoyang..."
Yang Jun sat blankly, blinking hard.
Instead of coming to Tongguan, we went to Luoyang. What did you want to do?
not good!
Hangu Pass!
It must be Hangu Pass!
Because Yang Jun passed through Hangu when he led his troops, he knew the situation inside Hangu Pass. Because it was already an internal pass in Hongnong, there were not many troops stationed at Hangu Pass. There were four hundred regular soldiers and auxiliary soldiers.
Six hundred, which means a thousand people...
Moreover, a lot of transshipped grain and grass are stored in Hangu Pass!
Zhang Liao only had a thousand cavalry. As long as the defenders at Hangu Pass were awakened, made some preparations after seeing the beacon fire, and closed the city gates, it would not necessarily be an easy task for Zhang Liao to attack.
Thinking of this, Yang Jun slowly sat down, exhaled, and calmed down.
In the camp, it was the time for dinner, and the soldiers gathered around the fire, setting up cauldrons and cooking porridge. The army gathered, and the food and grass were consumed faster than anything else. A few days ago, they were piled into mountains.
The grain bag is now a lot smaller. Some of the wild vegetables in the surrounding areas have been pulled out and eaten. If you want to get more wild vegetables, you have to go farther to pick them.
Oops!
Yang Jun looked at the rising smoke, and suddenly his heart skipped a beat, and his head felt a little dizzy.
Food and grass...
forage!
Yang Jun stood up suddenly and slapped his forehead hard with his hand. His forehead suddenly turned red. Damn it, why did he neglect it?
Neglected!
They only thought that Zhang Liao would come to raid the camp, but they failed to think that Zhang Liao would turn around and go to Hangu...
The terrain from Luoyang to Tongguan is too special, like a long pipe, thick in the middle and thin at the two ends, and these two ends are Tongguan and Hangu. Then there is another section to the east of Hangu Pass, some of which are similar to the
It looks like a tied sausage.
And once such a sausage terrain is cut off at the joint...
Just like General Zhengxi seized Tongguan, he immediately cut off the connection between Hongnong and Guanzhong. Of course, there are other routes, such as detouring to Hedong and then heading to Guanzhong, or turning to Yuzhou and then taking Wuguan.
You can also enter Guanzhong, but these other routes are not as convenient as taking Tongguan directly.
The same is true for Hangu.
Let’s not talk about whether Hangu Pass can be captured by Zhang Liao, but as long as Zhang Liao is still wandering around Hangu Pass, the grain and grass from Hangu will not be transported!
what to do?
Yang Jun let out a long sigh. He had no other choice but to procure grain and grass from Zheng County again.
It's not that Yang Jun didn't have the awareness to protect the grain road, it's just that when he came to Tongguan before, he had already transferred grain and grass from Zheng County once for convenience. He originally planned to transport the second batch from the east of Hangu and the Mianchi area.
The grain and grass came over, but they didn't expect that Zhang Liao would get stuck in it at such a critical moment. As a result, the second batch of grain and grass might not be shipped temporarily.
Although it is said that they can be recruited from Zheng County again, it will inevitably offend the people of the Yang family in Zheng County. After all, as a member of the Yang family, I am also aware of the current situation. In order to support Yang Biao in Luoyang, Hongnong and others
In this area, whether it is Zheng County or Shaanxi County, it can be said that they have tightened their belts. When they prepared food and grass for themselves before, Zheng County can be said to have dug out all their old foundations...
But now, I have no choice but to squeeze him again, which is really unbearable.
Yet it had to be done.
Alas, we can only use the supplies from Guanzhong to make up for it after we conquer Tongguan!
"Come here! Order the rear army to move to Shaanxi County! This thief must be killed!" Yang Jun gritted his teeth and ordered. He could only withdraw food from Zheng County as a emergency. He must eliminate the threat of Zhang Liao before he can truly concentrate on his work.
Attack Tongguan!
At almost the same time, Yang Biao, who was in Luoyang and received the beacon warning, said almost the same words, dispatched the only cavalry troops in their early 1,000s and hurried to Hangu Pass.
Yang Biao also believed that the invading cavalry of General Zhengxi would not be able to capture Hangu, but would put great pressure on Yang Jun who was in Tongguan, and would even cause Yang Jun to be unable to take care of the beginning and end of the attack on Tongguan, so
Regardless of whether it is defeated or repulsed, such a force must be cleared out of the Hongnong realm no matter what, otherwise the Hongnong land will never be able to live in peace!
