Jinting Han people

The Jin army did not gain much in this attack.

To prevent being discovered by the Hu people along the way, Suo Jing dispatched only a little over 6,000 men. The attack took place in the middle of the night, when the darkness was hazy, making it difficult for the Jin army to completely encircle the Hu food train. Aside from Juqu Zha and others who attempted to form a battle array, many Hu people, seeing the situation was dire, simply threw away their torches, overturned their food sacks, and fled on horseback into the darkness, abandoning their troops.

As a result, the Jin army only beheaded more than 400 people and captured more than 300 people in this battle.

But despite the casualties, the Jin army's harvest was extremely rich. The 30,000 hu of grain brought by the Hu cavalry was piled up on the spot, like small mountains. Although some of the grain was ignited by the torches on the fire arrows and turned to ash in the blazing flames, most of the grain was preserved. Some bags had holes, and the golden corn flowed to the ground. The heat heated it, giving off an alluring burnt aroma, as tempting as gold.

Most of the soldiers who joined the army had been farmers before. At this moment, they could not resist the temptation of the fragrance. They grabbed two handfuls of beans and millet from the ground, held them in their hands, sniffed a few times, and showed a satisfied smile.

The soldiers immediately began to prepare the caravan and horses, sorted out the captured food, and naturally planned to take it back to Niyang.

But Suo Jing quickly rebuked them:

"Put them down! Put them all down! What are we carrying these things for?"

"If the barbarians find out and send a large army to fight, these things will just be a burden. How can we escape in the end?"

This was the original strategy of Suo Jing and Liu Xian. They had used the mobility of their cavalry, avoiding engaging the main force of the Hu people and instead constantly harassing their food routes, thus increasing the pressure on their logistics. However, if they were to bring in captured food, their speed would drop dramatically, and their original advantage in mobility would no longer exist.

But the soldiers looked at the food and felt very sorry and reluctant to part with it. They said, "What should we do with all this food? Should we burn it? That would be such a waste."

"Of course we can't burn it." Suo Jing pointed in a direction, his face showing compassion.

"We've let the people down by fighting this. I'm old, but I still remember the principle of taking from the people and giving back to them. Gather all the refugees around here, and we'll all disperse!"

Everyone looked in the direction of his finger and found some shadowy figures on the slope of the forest. Then they suddenly realized that there were refugees watching there.

Guanzhong is now full of refugees, with more than hundreds of thousands of homeless people. Whether in the mountains and forests of Weinan or in the plateaus of Weibei, their presence can be seen everywhere. Both the Hu people and the Jin army have become somewhat accustomed to seeing them.

Before this, the Jin army's scouts had discovered the Hu people's grain train by gathering information among the refugees. Now that some refugees had come looking for them following the scent, it was completely normal.

When the refugees heard that Suo Jing was going to distribute the looted food, they were ecstatic. Without much publicity, word spread quickly, and soon nearly ten thousand refugees had gathered. Suo Jing also promised them that if they would inform the Jin army of the Hu people's movements, he would continue to distribute food.

For the refugees, the Hu people were the culprits that caused them to wander around. Now that they are starving, they only need to inform on others to get food. This is an option with no disadvantages and only benefits.

The next morning, when the rebels arrived to investigate the ruins, they found that all the food had been taken away. The scene was littered with smoke and ashes, and the bodies of the stripped-off Hu people remained. This infuriated the rebels, who immediately drew their swords and chopped down trees, determined to avenge the Jin army's surprise attack.

So the Hu people in the north of Wei gathered together, transporting food while setting ambushes along the way. Unfortunately, in the following days, no matter how well they planned, their plans were almost completely hidden due to the observation and reports of the refugees. Suo Jing easily learned the enemy's intentions, so he chose to temporarily avoid the enemy's attack.

And when the Hu people relaxed their vigilance, he immediately appeared with his troops and quickly led the cavalry to fight for food and grass.

This time, the Hu people escorting the grain train were much larger, numbering approximately 6,000, roughly equal in number to the Jin army. However, for the Jin army, with just a little planning, they could easily defeat their opponent.

They encountered Wuxing Pavilion east of Wugong at dusk when the sky was filled with sunset glow.

When the Jin army gathered its forces and the cavalry suddenly galloped out from the hidden mountains and forests, the rebels were gathered together to cook a meal. No one was riding horses at this time, and many people sat around the campfire, taking off their armor. As a result, in this rare moment of relaxation, the Jin army galloped forward, swept in like a flood breaking through a dam. With a single charge, they cut through the Hu people's ranks and then launched a one-sided pursuit.

Amidst the screams of agony, the Hu people suffered even greater losses. The Jin army beheaded over 800 of them and captured over 2,000. The Jin people mercilessly tied the captives together with ropes, hung stones from their feet, and then pushed them directly into the Wei River. After a futile splash of water, the captives sank to the bottom.

Suo Jing, as promised, distributed the 30,000 hu of grain he had seized to the surrounding refugees. The refugees, rejoicing over the food, chanted "Long live the Jin army!" The ordinary people, disappointed by the Jin army's successive defeats, regained some confidence, believing it could prevail.

On the other hand, the loss of food and supplies in two consecutive attacks finally attracted Qi Wannian's attention.

From a purely morale perspective, these two defeats had little impact on the front lines, but rations presented a real problem. It was already late spring, and the Hu army besieging Chang'an had reached a staggering 130,000 men, with daily rations consumed at an astronomical rate. Any fluctuation in rations would be immediately reflected in the army's diet.

Qi Wannian stared at the purple corn porridge in the bowl, took a sip, chewed a little, and said to Juqu Mokang beside him, "How long can we eat the mulberries we harvested?"

Juqu Mokang, Juqu Zha's nephew, replied, "It will probably last twenty days."

After their staple food supply was reduced, the soldiers on the front lines had to collect mulberries from around Chang'an as food and cook them into porridge with corn to make a living. This was indeed a temporary solution, but to persist for a long time, they definitely needed a smooth food supply route.

Qi Wannian asked again, "Are the harassing Jin troops still not captured?"

Chi Nukou on the side did not answer directly, but said: "The Jin army has a large number of horses, and they come and go without a trace. We have to send people to guard the grain team. It is not easy to resist normally, and it is even more difficult to catch them." The subtext is that they have no way to deal with this Jin army at the moment.

Indeed, the grain route between Chencang and Chang'an lay along the flattest bank of the Wei River in the Guanzhong Plain. Apart from some woods, it offered no dangers, making it an ideal place for cavalry to gallop. Previous designs had proven that an ambush was impossible.

Even if the Hu people led cavalry as escort, they were still the active party. This meant that the Jin army could choose the time to attack at will, and could flee if they were defeated. However, the cavalry had to worry about food and fodder and could not pursue them at will, let alone capture them.

Qi Wannian certainly understood these difficulties, but the siege of Chang'an was now crucial, with both sides racing against time. To this end, he even went so far as to transform the area outside Chang'an into a living hell. If the harassment of a mere few thousand cavalry ultimately led to a shortage of food and fodder and a forced retreat, how could anyone accept this? Wouldn't the dream of conquering Luoyang be reduced to empty talk?

For the sake of his future, Qi Wannian pondered in the army for two days, carefully thinking about the situation in Guanzhong and trying to find a new solution.

He knew that the Jin troops currently harassing the grain route were mostly from Beidi County. After all, according to intelligence, there were no other Jin troops outside of this area. Based on the descriptions of the captives, he also knew clearly who the general commanding the Jin army was.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met Liu Xian a few years ago.

That was a long time ago, but when Qi Wannian thought about it now, it was still vivid in his mind. The thing that impressed him most at the time was Liu Xian's unwavering composure. While his moods did fluctuate, after spending time with him, it wasn't hard to see that his heart was as solid as a rock, as if he held some unshakable conviction.

Therefore, Qi Wannian made a judgment that this was a person who was both bold and calm and careful.

Back then, despite Sun Xiu's frame-up, Liu Xian had dared to risk his life to surrender. Now, with tens of thousands of troops at his disposal and Suo Jing and Li Han as support, he naturally wouldn't give up easily. He had previously allowed someone to open a path through Fengyi, and he had indeed underestimated the enemy.

But what should he do next? If he only dispatched 20,000 to 30,000 troops to attack Niyang, his chances of success wouldn't exceed 50%. Another defeat would be disastrous. If he dispatched more troops, he wouldn't have enough to besiege Chang'an, and he wouldn't be able to advance any further.

Qi Wannian quickly made a judgment: because of the existence of the Jin army in Beidi County, the time to attack Chang'an was no longer ripe.

The world only knows that the difference between famous and ordinary generals lies primarily in their tactics. However, there are also differences between famous and famous generals. While the use of local tactics may secure some victories, without a calm assessment of the overall battlefield, it cannot prevent the final destruction. Those victories achieved through sheer effort, regardless of the outcome, ultimately serve only as a dirge for the losers.

Only those generals who have mastered the art of war and renounced their emotional attachments are qualified to ascend to the pinnacle of power. Those who are lamented by the world, such as Xiang Yu and Liu Bei, actually fell at this step.

Qi Wannian thinks he is an unprecedented hero, and he always demands this of himself. Even though he should be ambitious and face life with an optimistic attitude, he must never make the mistake of deceiving himself, and must not be confused by temporary illusions or blinded by momentary impulses.

He currently viewed the situation this way: while Chang'an was already in imminent danger, it was actually a logistical battle between the two armies. Since Sima Rong had abandoned the civilians in the city, it was unlikely to fall in the short term. Therefore, his side must maintain a long-term siege of Chang'an to ensure the security of the food supply route, but they had currently failed.

If they waste time under the city because of unwillingness, it will only lead to the consumption of more and more food and grass, and the soldiers on the front line will become more and more hungry and tired. In the end, they will have to lift the siege. At that time, the Jin army will go out of the city to pursue them, which will be an unprecedented military disaster.

If he risked everything on a direct attack on Chang'an, he would suffer unbearable losses, regardless of success or failure. If the Jin army sent a reinforcement, they would easily defeat him.

Therefore, the correct answer was clear: they should abandon Chang'an immediately, taking advantage of the fact that the Jin army in the city had not yet recovered, and completely annihilate the Jin army in Beidi County. This would still maintain their advantage in Guanzhong, but would only prolong the time it took to capture Chang'an.

Thinking of this, Qi Wannian finally issued an order, ordering the Weinan army to lift the siege, return to Weibei, and then attack Beidi County.

After this order was issued, the troops under his command were in an uproar. In their view, it was just a minor difficulty in the rear, far from a point of withdrawal. Some leaders came to see Qi Wannian and asked him to rescind his order.

But Qi Wannian had made up his mind. He ignored all objections and insisted on rescuing the siege. He then made a series of adjustments to his subordinates:

Yang Nandi led 10,000 men to occupy Weiqiao and continue to monitor Chang'an;
Juqu Mokang led 20,000 men to stake out Tongguan, blocking any possible reinforcements from the Jin army.

Chi Nu Kou led 10,000 men to occupy Huanglong Mountain and block the passage from the north to the east.

He personally led an army of 90,000 to attack Beidi County.

Qi Wannian acted swiftly. After the military meeting at noon that day, the Jin army in Chang'an was surprised to find that the Hu people's flags outside the city were gradually heading north of the Wei River. Except for the Red Crow Army, which was left behind, the main army had already crossed the Wei Bridge and was marching north of the city.

At dawn, the flags of the Hu camps outside the city could still be seen. The Hu people gazed indignantly at the walls of Chang'an, deeply angered that they had not been able to capture this huge city. Some of the camps that the soldiers had completely evacuated were already ablaze, leaving behind a mess of ruins.

The Jin troops in Chang'an were puzzled, wondering if the imperial court had sent reinforcements. So Zhang Fang reported this to Sima Rong, the Prince of Liang, requesting a request to leave the city and pursue the enemy. Sima Rong, on the spur of the moment, agreed to the plan.

But as soon as the city gate was opened, the refugees who were placed outside the city surrounded Chang'an and blocked the city gates. They knelt down and begged for food. This made the Jin army soldiers who were preparing to leave the city very embarrassed. They could neither advance nor retreat and could only watch the Hu army leave.

But even so, the Jin army in the city was still extremely happy, as it meant that they had passed the most difficult moment. Everyone cheered and celebrated the relief with deafening gongs and drums, while carefully trying to find out the news.

As a result, all military pressure shifted to Beidi County. Chang'an's most dangerous time had passed, while Beidi's most dangerous moment had just begun. (End of this chapter)