Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 289 Chang'an is in danger
Kim Yong Fortress.

Soldiers were transporting soil outside the city to build a hill.

Vehicles transported soil and stones, and high mountains were erected outside Jinyong City, almost as high as the city.

The camps of the 100,000-strong army were set up in various places, stretching continuously, with a huge momentum, which was extremely extraordinary.

In the army, Yuwen Hu was riding a tall horse and inspecting his own soldiers.

Yuwen Hu was followed by many generals. Whenever he arrived at a camp, he would reward the soldiers and encourage them.

When Yuwen Hu returned to the main camp, many generals were already waiting for him there.

Yuwen Hu sat in the upper seat, and the other generals sat on both sides.

Yuchi Jiong frowned, walked up to him solemnly and saluted him.

"Otsuka Zai!"

"Duke Shu, we have been attacking for more than ten days, why haven't we taken this city yet?"

Yuchi Jiong said solemnly: "Grand Chancellor, the commander in the city, Dugu Yongye, is a famous general in the Pseudo-Qi. He has hundreds of carefully selected warriors around him. Whenever we climb the city, he uses these people as the vanguard to attack our soldiers fiercely, making it difficult to stop them."

"Although the number of Heluo soldiers is small, they are very well-armored and are all elite."

"With a powerful general leading the army, I'm afraid we won't be able to defeat them easily in a short period of time."

"I think it would be better to leave an army behind to continue to besiege the many cities of Heluo. The Duke will continue to lead the army forward to expand the victory, occupy advantageous terrain such as Mangshan, and attack the enemy's reinforcements. Once the enemy's reinforcements cannot arrive, the morale of the Heluo soldiers will surely drop. At that time, we can easily break through this city, and then take down the enemy's reinforcements in one fell swoop, and aim at Yecheng!"

Yuchi Jiong gave his own suggestion. He thought that since it was impossible to capture these fortified cities, it would be better to surround them first and deal with the enemy's reinforcements.

Yuwen Hu frowned.

"No."

“We must take it down!”

Yuchi Jiong was stunned for a moment and looked at the generals standing beside him.

Da Xiwu and Wang Xiong both lowered their heads at this moment, pretending that they heard nothing.

Just then, a young general came out.

This general was very young. Among all the people present, there was no one younger than him. Although he was young, his face was cold and extremely serious, making people dare not look down on him.

He saluted Yuwen Hu and said, "If the Grand Chancellor is unwilling to send troops, then let the generals occupy the key roads of Mangshan. Our army is strong and the enemy may not dare to approach easily."

This person's name is Yuwen Xian.

Yuwen Xian is the fifth son of Yuwen Tai and the younger brother of the current emperor Yuwen Yong.

Although he was young, he was extremely talented. At the age of sixteen, he went to Shu to take charge of the area. He made great contributions to the governance of Shu, and the people erected a stone tablet to commemorate his achievements.

In addition to governing, he also had some accomplishments in military affairs. Although he had never fought a real tough battle, many generals admired him very much.

Yuwen Hu looked at him, and finally there was a smile on his face, "Let's do as you say."

"We must capture Dugu Yongye and the others and take over the cities of Heluo!"

"Da Xiwu! You lead the troops to cut off the Heyang Road and stop Qi's reinforcements!"

"The rest of the generals will occupy the key roads."

Yuwen Hu issued many orders.

The generals walked out of the military camp, all of them looked unhappy.

Yuwen Hu did not understand military affairs and was not a very generous person, which made people afraid to give him advice easily, for fear of being misunderstood.

Just like Li Mu, he once petitioned Yuwen Hu, hoping to lead 10,000 troops to attack Yangcheng County and join forces with Quan Jingxuan.

However, his proposal was rejected by Yuwen Hu, and he was directly sent to the rear with the euphemism of being in charge of logistics matters.

Everyone was afraid of suffering the same fate, and even though they knew that some of Yuwen Hu's orders were unreasonable, they did not dare to advise him.

General Wang Xiong hesitated for a long time, but couldn't help it, so he walked to Yuwen Xian and blocked him.

"Duke Qi, I don't understand why you don't support General Yuchi's strategy?"

Yuwen Xian said seriously: "The Duke of Jin has no intention of dividing the troops, so we can only propose a strategy that he will agree with."

Wang Xiong shook his head and said nothing.

Everyone dispersed, and Yuwen Xian returned to his own camp. As soon as he walked in, he saw a young man who looked like a scholar walking towards him quickly.

This young man was very tall and looked to be about the same age as Yuwen Xian. He had a short beard, bright eyes, and a sense of pride between his brows.

"My Lord, how is it going?"

Yuwen Xian gestured for them to go inside and talk, and the two of them walked into the camp and sat down.

Yuwen Xian then said, "It is just as Zhao Xuan said. The Grand Chancellor is unwilling to divide the troops and insists on capturing Dugu Yongye and others."

The young man sitting next to Yuwen Xian was called Gao Jiong.

His father, Gao Bin, fled from the east to the west and initially served as Dugu Xin's aide. Yes, he was close to Dugu Xin.

Gao Jiong was intelligent and talented since childhood. At the age of seventeen, he served as a recorder and a senior official under Yuwen Xian.

Yuwen Xian said: "The current situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable to us. Although General Quan has conquered Yuzhou, I am really worried about General Yang."

"He was eager to achieve success and underestimated the Qi people. He led his elite troops to attack the enemy's hinterland. I am afraid that if he is defeated, he will not be able to retreat unscathed."

Gao Jiong said calmly: "My lord, what you should worry about is not Yang Yu, nor the reinforcements coming from Jinyang now."

"My lord, you should worry about Liu Taozi in the north."

"Liu Taozi?"

Yuwen Xian was stunned, then said: "Although Liu Taozi is a famous general, Duke Sui is not inferior to him. Duke Sui has elite soldiers around him, plus the troops from Lingzhou, Yanzhou, Xiazhou, and the troops from the imperial court to support him. There will be no problem in stopping Liu Taozi."

"Liu Taozi is most likely to rob Liang and Gan."

"But if we can capture Jinyong City and defeat the enemy's reinforcements, then Lianggan won't be a big problem."

Gao Ying narrowed his eyes, "Not necessarily."

"Suiguogong is indeed brave, but the officials of Ling, Yan, Hui, Xia and other states are closer to Jinguogong. Even if they are willing to obey Suiguogong's orders, I am afraid they may not help with all their strength. As for the reinforcements, Hou Longen can be the vanguard, but it is difficult for him to command an army. He lacks courage. He can be used by others, but he is not good at using people. What's more, there is the deputy general Chongyegong. Excuse me for being blunt, but Chongyegong has bad behavior and has always been hostile to Suiguogong. Hou Longen cannot control him."

"It seems that Duke Sui is in danger. If Liu Taozi defeats Lingzhou, there will be no garrison all the way to Chang'an."

"impossible!"

Yuwen Xian interrupted Gao Jiong and said seriously: "Even if it is as you said, even if Liu Taozi can take Lingwu, he will definitely have to pay a huge price. The whole army is exhausted. I don't believe that under this situation, he can continue to march to Chang'an!"

"When the Duke followed the Kingdom to attack Jinyang, wasn't the army exhausted? Did they want to capture Jinyang?"

"Liu Taozi doesn't need to take Chang'an. As long as he can lead the cavalry to appear outside Chang'an, our army will be in chaos!!"

Yuwen Xian could no longer sit still and quickly stood up.

"No, I have to go find the Duke!!"

"That's too late."

"what?"

"My lord, if it is true as I said, Liu Taozi should be resting his army and preparing to lead the cavalry to Chang'an. If you try to persuade the Duke now, not only will you fail to change his mind, but he will even be afraid of you."

"I think the best strategy now is to find a way to defeat the enemy's reinforcements and then send troops back to help. If we can't defeat them, we must ensure that the entire army can retreat safely."

The two young men had a heated discussion.

In Jinyong City, Dugu Yongye once again repelled the enemies who rushed up the city wall. He raised the enemy general's head high in his hand and roared loudly.

The soldiers shouted loudly, and the Zhou people retreated like waves.

Dugu Yongye panted, wiped the blood off his face, his face full of excitement.

"These Western thieves really think that grandpa is made of clay!!"

After losing to Yang Zhong in the north, Dugu Yongye had been holding a grudge ever since. He thought that he was betrayed by his own family members for the defeat. The damn Gao Anagong and Gao Ji teamed up to deceive him.

Every time he thought of this incident, he felt so angry that he couldn't sleep at night.

Now encountering the Zhou people again, Dugu Yongye fought to the death, and the soldiers under his command fought more and more fiercely. The Zhou army of hundreds of thousands was unable to defeat him.

Yuwen Hu, who was in the camp outside the city, was looking at the piles of earth outside the city with a frown on his face.

Why can’t it be broken?

Just as he was wondering whether it was appropriate to send troops this time, a scout came running over.

The scout had a look of fear on his face. When Yuwen Hu saw his expression, his heart trembled, knowing that it was bad news.

"Otsukasa!!"

"General Yang Zhu was defeated by General Lou Rui of the Pseudo-Qi in Huaizhou. His entire army was routed and he was captured alive and surrendered."

Yuwen Hu's head buzzed and he almost fell to the ground. He shook several times before he could steady himself.

"What did you say??"

The scout lowered his head and sobbed. Yuwen Hu's eyes gradually became fierce, "Yang Yu surrendered?"

"He has been fighting for more than 20 years. Didn't he win every battle? Didn't he never lose to the Qi people? He! He!"

Yuwen Hu was so angry that he couldn't speak and his lips were trembling.

"Someone is coming!!"

"Call the generals!!"

Yuwen Hu gave the order and the scouts went out one after another.

Yuwen Hu sat in the upper seat, his face red as if burning. But when the generals from various camps came here together, Yuwen Hu had regained his composure and was no longer as angry as before.

His eyes gradually became clear.

"Everyone, Yang Yu was defeated and captured alive."

For a moment, all the generals were shocked.

Yang Yu's past battle record was still very good, at least it looked very impressive. He never suffered any loss even when facing Hou Jing. He himself was famous for his righteousness and bravery.

How was he captured alive?
Yuwen Hu wanted to comfort the soldiers, but at this moment, he didn't know how to comfort them.

He himself did not understand what was going on with Yang Yu. How could a general who was famous for his loyalty and might, who had defeated many powerful enemies, and who led elite soldiers to attack the Qi people, be captured alive by an enemy who was outnumbered? ?

Yuwen Xian sat aside with a complicated look in his eyes.

What he worried about still happened. When Yuwen Hu ordered Yang Yu to advance, he did not agree.

But now it's no use saying anything.

I hope the thing I fear most has not happened.
Yuwen Hu took a deep breath and said seriously: "Gudu Yongye and other bandits have been besieged by us for many days. Although Yang Yu was defeated, it is not enough to affect the overall situation. Starting tomorrow, we will attack with all our strength and take down Jinyong City at all costs!!"

Just as Yuwen Hu gave the order, another scout walked in. That scout looked even more frightened and his face turned pale.

When he saw this scout, Yuwen Hu's heart trembled again.

Here comes another one? ?

Did something happen to Quan Jingxuan too?

No way! !

The scout saluted, looked up at Yuwen Hu, and said tremblingly: "Grand Chancellor! The traitor Liu Taozi broke through Lingzhou last month. Duke Sui and all the soldiers died in the battle. General Hou Longen was killed by the traitor Gao Changgong in Huizhou. Duke Chongye was captured and the whole army was annihilated. Liu Taozi's army is now heading towards Chang'an!"

Yuwen Hu stood up suddenly, his face red again.

"you you!"

Yuwen Hu became so angry that he fell backwards. Yuwen Xian was quick to support him.

The generals were all confused at this moment.

Yang Zhu was captured alive, Yang Zhong died in battle, and Hou Longen died in battle
At once, a duke, a general and a junior tutor were lost.

Lingzhou was lost, and even Huizhou was lost.

For a moment, the generals could not help but stand up and talk loudly, and no one cared about Yuwen Hu.

Yuwen Xian gently patted Yuwen Hu's back. Yuwen Hu, breathing heavily, was helped to sit down.

He looked at everyone in horror, "Return to the army! Return to the army!!"

"The army will head to Chang'an immediately!!"

Yuwen Hu didn't dare to imagine what would happen if Chang'an fell, let alone if the emperor was captured alive and the families of the generals were arrested.

Yuwen Xian hurriedly said, "Grand Chancellor, the army is so large that we cannot return immediately. We must return in batches."

"If we march rashly, I'm afraid Qi's reinforcements will come after us!"

"Please lead the army back first. I will retreat with several generals in turn to prevent the enemy from attacking."

At this moment, Yuwen Hu's head was still buzzing, his ears were tinnitus, and his whole body was shaking.

He was really scared.

He had never been so scared.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered a memorial he had submitted in the past.

Many years ago, the people of Qi sent Liu Taozi as an envoy to Yubi City.

Wei Xiaokuan once wrote to himself, saying that Liu Taozi must be killed no matter what, otherwise he would become a disaster for the Great Zhou! !

Yuwen Hu also clearly remembered his original attitude. He once gathered all the ministers to madly mock Wei Xiaokuan's memorial, thinking that Wei Xiaokuan was simply crazy for being so afraid of a mere seventh-rank general.

But at this moment, the wild laughter at that time was like a sword piercing my heart.

There was unspeakable regret and guilt in Yuwen Hu's eyes.

If I had listened to Wei Xiaokuan and killed Liu Taozi,
At this moment, he looked at Yuwen Xian in front of him again.

Yuwen Xian was the younger brother of Yuwen Yong, a man of both literary talent and military strategy. Yuwen Hu liked him but was also a little wary of him, only regretting that he was not his son.

He originally said that he was unwilling to divide the troops no matter what, but looking at Yuwen Xian's face, he seemed to see Wei Xiaokuan's memorial again.

"it is good."

"Just as you said."

Yuwen Xian was stunned, and Yuwen Hu forced himself to stand up.

Yuwen Hu, who was particularly dissolute when he was in an advantageous position, suddenly became powerful when he was in such a disadvantageous position.

He looked at everyone and said sadly: "I am only sad for the death of the two brave generals. As for my useless son, even if he is still alive, I will just regard him as having died in battle."

"Everyone, His Majesty is in Chang'an, and your families are also in Chang'an. If we let the enemy soldiers enter Chang'an, we will be sinners for all eternity."

"Please don't panic. Liu Taozi has fought his way from Yongfeng to Chang'an and has been through a great battle. He certainly doesn't have the strength to capture Chang'an!! I will lead the cavalry back quickly and make sure Liu Taozi doesn't dare to threaten Chang'an easily!"

"After I leave, you will all obey the orders of the Duke of Shu! Don't make any mistakes!!"

The generals who were originally in confusion quickly calmed down and saluted in agreement.

Yuwen Xian was a little surprised. His own Duke of Jin was really a strange person. He would act recklessly whenever he had an advantage, but would become normal when he was at a disadvantage.
They temporarily blocked the news and, led by Yuwen Hu, began to lead the army to retreat in batches.

At the same time, on top of Mang Mountain.

The two burly generals were looking at the enemy camp in the distance, their faces filled with surprise.

The older general was none other than Hulugu, the leader of the elite reinforcements.

The younger general was the ferocious-faced King Ande.

The little fat man looked at the camp in the distance and asked, "Why are they starting to retreat?"

After learning of the Zhou attack, Duan Shao ordered Hulugu and Gao Yanzong to lead more than 10,000 troops to provide support.

As for Duan Shao himself, he led his troops out of Jinyang and continued to observe the situation.

He did not dare to go to Jinyang alone, because once he left, Jinyang and Yecheng would be empty, and the Zhou people still had Yang Xun leading the troops to advance.

He doesn't want his nest to be robbed.

After learning that Lou Rui had defeated Yang Yu, Duan Shao had no more worries and led the rest of the army to attack here.

However, Hulugu and Gao Yanzong, who had arrived earlier, did not dare to start fighting directly.

It’s not that they are not brave enough, but like Yang Zhong, the disparity in military strength is too great!
With such a small number of soldiers, how can they fight a desperate battle with the Zhou people?

The Zhou people had many soldiers and their generals were not weak either, so they could only watch from afar and dared not go forward.

But at this time, the enemy began to withdraw its troops on its own initiative.

Gao Yanzong scratched his head, totally confused, "Are we going to withdraw our troops just because we lost Yang Yu?"

"Even if King Pingyuan comes, we are still at a disadvantage in terms of military strength. Are we so cautious?"

Huluguang frowned and gently stroked his chin, "No, something is wrong. It can't be because of Yang Yu. Yang Yu only led a small army. Could it be Liu Taozi?"

"Ah? My brother? No way, doesn't he have Yang Zhong over there?"

"I heard someone say that even you can't beat Yang Zhong. Could it be that your brother is more powerful than you?"

Hulugu's face turned dark. He hated this naughty kid.

He also hates Liu Taozi.

"The outcome of a war depends on many factors. No general dares to say that he is victorious in every battle. Isn't that the case with Yang Yu?"

"The enemy is in a hurry to withdraw. It seems that Liu Taozi has defeated Yang Zhong and may even threaten Chang'an."

Gao Yanzong was startled and raised his lance suddenly.

"So what are we waiting for?!"

"Let's kill him!"

(End of this chapter)