Chapter 280
Hangu Pass has a long history and has been reinforced in all dynasties. After all kinds of natural and man-made disasters, it has stood up to this day. The fire set by Shangguan’s chaotic army was far from the most serious injury, and it was extinguished in time, leaving only the A trail of charred traces, and a lingering smell of smoke.
Han Ruzi set off on a starry night again, and when he passed through the city, he couldn't help but think, even if the enemy has a hundred times the military advantage of such a strong city, he may not be able to conquer it in one fell swoop. Assassins can't have this kind of power, something must have happened in the middle.
He stood outside the city gate and observed it for a while. Although Han Xing's soldiers were not as strong as those of the South and North Army, they were all regular soldiers dispatched from the frontier and other places, not a rabble that would disperse after a dozen.
Han Ruzi had already asked, but these soldiers didn't understand why they broke up in the first place. In everyone's memory, they all followed others, and they couldn't find the culprit.
Due to the serious shortage of horses, Han Ruzi could only take nearly 2,000 people, including the original soldiers, a total of 3,000 people and horses. The arrival of macros.
According to the news sent from the rear, Cui Hong will be able to arrive in half a day at most.
Han Ruzi caught up with the troops in front, Cui Teng sat on his horse and shook, and the King of the East Sea yawned, "Your Majesty, when are you going to run?"
"Until the defeat of Shangguansheng." One of the things that Han Ruzi regretted most was that he did not send troops immediately after hearing that Hangu Pass had fallen, and spent three days discussing countermeasures with the minister and making various preparations, so as to delay the fighter.
His enemy is no longer the irascible and courageous Shangguansheng, but someone else who not only stole the sword of Taizu in the capital, but also gave advice to Shangguansheng.
The more hidden the enemy is, the more he has to press him step by step, so that the opponent can show his true face, but Chai Yue's 5,000 troops are far from enough, and his prestige is not enough, so he may not be able to get the support of the Luoyang defenders, the more Han Ruzi thought about it. The more uneasy, so they have to chase overnight.
Suddenly there was a commotion in front, and it soon ended. A cavalryman came over and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, someone stopped the car ahead and claimed to see Your Majesty."
"Do you have a name?" Han Ruzi was very surprised. Another purpose of his rush all the way was to avoid "blocking". He didn't expect that in Kanto, in such a late night, there were still people blocking the road.
The cavalry thought for a while, "Qu... Qu what? He spoke too fast, I couldn't hear him clearly."
Han Ruzi led the guards to the side of the road, let the army continue to move forward, and then said to the cavalry who delivered the letter: "Bring him here."
Sure enough, it was Qu Zixi, who was in the dust, with only one servant by his side, not even a horse. It seemed that he had walked a long way. When he saw the emperor, he pushed away the escorting soldiers, spread his arms, slowly bent and closed, and then bowed. He saluted, but refused to kneel.
"Dr. Qu Zixi, the minister of the Imperial College, pays respects to His Majesty, long live my emperor."
Cui Teng was displeased when he saw it, and said angrily, "It's okay if the common people don't know the etiquette. How can Dr. Guozijian dare to see the driver without kneeling?"
Although Qu Zixi looked a little embarrassed, he still spoke with the demeanor of a famous person, and said calmly: "Your Majesty is marching on a starry night, there must be something extraordinary, and the ministers meet with military salutes, which is in line with etiquette."
Cui Teng was speechless, Han Ruzi jumped off his horse, went up to meet him, and said with a smile, "I won't see the capital for a long time, I want to rush to Luoyang to settle the chaos in Shangguansheng, Mr. Qu has been on the road overnight, why is it? ?"
"I just came to tell Your Majesty not to pay attention to Luoyang first, but unfortunately the mount was lost on the road, and the minister's legs were weak and he was not walking fast. Fortunately, I met Your Majesty here and did not delay the major event."
"What happened to Luoyang?" Han Ruzi was taken aback, thinking that another accident happened in Luoyang.
"Luoyang can still hold on for a while, but His Majesty's trip to save the city at this time will not help, but will only contribute to future troubles."
Cui Teng also jumped off the horse and said impatiently, "You are so long-winded, what's the matter, just say it directly? Do you have to ask His Majesty to ask?"
Han Ruzi waved Cui Teng away, "Don't blame Mr. Qu, he is so reckless."
Qu Zixi looked at Cui Teng's figure and walked away, as if he had some idea, but in the end he just nodded and began to talk about business: "I came from Luoyang, and I saw many refugees and bandits along the way, and they all went after hearing the news. Besieging Luoyang, I thought I would get a piece of the pie, but there are not many Su Guards under Shangguansheng. According to what I see, besieging Luoyang is a trick to confuse the enemy, and Shangguansheng's real goal is Aocang, which is further east."
Like Mancang in the north, Aochang is also a city dedicated to storing grain. It is located in the center and its location is more important than Mancang.
Han Ruzi's expression changed slightly, and Cui Teng, who was nearby, couldn't help but come over again, "Scholars can only talk in empty words. Soldiers all know that Ao Cang is difficult to defend. You must first occupy Luoyang before you can occupy Ao Cang. Shangguansheng is really captured. Aocang, he won't be able to transport those grains for a while, so it is the right way for His Majesty to help Luoyang."
Qu Zixi shook his head, "No, Shangguan Shengdong's intention to escape will not change. His occupation of Ao Cang is not to snatch grain and grass, but to destroy it."
Without any hesitation, Han Ruzi turned on his horse, ordered someone to deliver the horse to Qu Zixi's master and servant, and summoned the generals of the army to discuss matters on the side of the road together.
His idea was not accepted, Cui Teng was not very happy, and muttered: "The hard work to capture Ao Cang is to destroy the food and grass inside? I don't believe it."
The King of the East Sea next to him sneered on his horse.
"Do you believe it?" Cui Teng raised his head and asked.
"certainly."
Cui Teng scratched his head, glanced at the emperor in the distance, and smiled at the East Sea King: "Cui Family, you are the smartest, tell me what's going on?"
King Donghai lived in Cui Mansion since he was a child, and was treated as a family. At this time, it sounded a bit harsh. King Donghai held back for a moment and said, "Isn't this an obvious thing? The emperor is most worried about not Shangguan Sheng and Qian Qian. Famous guards, but refugees, that is hundreds of thousands or even millions of troubles, if you are not careful, you will have endless troubles. But to settle refugees, you have to use food..."
"Didn't you open the warehouse a long time ago?" Cui Teng interjected.
"That's just an expedient measure. The implementation varies from place to place. Shangguansheng can still recruit a large number of refugees to attack Luoyang, which means that the food supply is not enough."
Cui Teng scratched his head again, "Then Shangguansheng shouldn't destroy the grain. Wouldn't it be better to use the grain of Ao Cang to win over the refugees and strengthen the power?"
"Idiot." The King of the East Sea was never polite to Cui Teng, "You said it yourself, without Luoyang, it would be very difficult to stand alone in Ao Cang, how could Shangguansheng have time to release grain to buy people's hearts? No food available, no relief for refugees, more and more, and then…”
"Oh, I understand. There are more refugees, and there are more bandits. If there are more bandits, you have to send troops to destroy them. If the world is in chaos, Shangguansheng will be safe."
"Shangguansheng must think so." The East Sea King glanced at the emperor in the distance, and said in a low voice, "This trick will also work for him, and if it were me, I wouldn't care about the refugees and go straight to Shangguansheng, the first evil. Now that the refugees are removed, the refugees are naturally honest, what is there to fear about the remaining gangs of bandits?"
Cui Teng jumped on the horse, approached the King of the East Sea, and said with a low voice, "So you can't be the emperor? What you think is a traitor, and what your brother-in-law thinks is the world."
The always dull Cui Teng suddenly said such a sentence, Donghai Wang couldn't help but froze for a moment, then became angry and hummed a few times, but did not dare to attack.
Han Ruzi set off again, this time slightly speeding up the march.
Hangu Pass was not too far from Luoyang. Han Ruzi led 5,000 soldiers and set out in the middle of the night, rested once in the morning, and then kept on going. He saw Luoyang in the afternoon, and there were only 3,000 soldiers behind him.
Chai Yue had already chosen a place to camp, was inquiring about the enemy's situation, and was preparing to attack the next day. She was once again surprised by the emperor's quick arrival.
"The chaotic army is about seven or eight thousand people, divided into more than thirty camps, ranging from a few hundred to a thousand, and surrounds the camp of the Suwei army." The Chu army camp was built on a hill, and Chai Yue gave instructions.
Han Ruzi could see the majestic city wall and the large camp outside the wall. From a distance, there seemed to be 40,000 to 50,000 people.
"What's the situation in the city?" Han Ruzi asked, Luoyang City seemed to be very stable.
Chai Yue frowned slightly, "I sent someone to send a signal to the city, but I never got a response. I don't know why."
It is precisely because of this that Chai Yue is not in a hurry to attack. He has only 5,000 people. If he can get the help of the garrison in the city, the odds of winning will be better.
The chaotic army outside the city had launched an attack, but after being repelled, they did not come to challenge again.
"How about the armor and horses of the chaotic army?" Han Ruzi asked again.
"There are two or three thousand horses, and there are enough armour. I have heard that there are not many refugees in the chaotic army. Most of them are bandits from various places. They seem to have known that they are going to attack Luoyang, and they came a few days ago. Hidden in the nearby mountains."
"If the chaos continues, it will be even more difficult to distinguish between refugees and bandits." Han Ruzi became more and more convinced that Shangguansheng had received advice from an expert, so he told Chai Yue about Qu Zixi's guess.
"Shangguansheng is indeed not outside Luoyang City." Chai Yue glanced back, Qu Zixi did not follow, Chai Yue whispered: "I have heard of Qu Zixi, who has a high reputation among scholars, is arrogant, and often brags about himself. For the unparalleled advisor in the world, could it be that he is helping Shangguansheng?"
Han Ruzi and Qu Zixi didn't interact much, but there was a fierce confrontation. After thinking about it, he shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Qu is not such a person."
Chai Yue said no more, "Since that's the case, what's your majesty's plan?"
"My soldiers have been in a hurry for a day and can't go any longer. Later, I will lead the army to break through the camp of the chaotic army and open the way for you. You lead the 5,000 troops of your headquarters to Ao Cang, and no matter what, you can't let Shangguan destroy the food. If Shangguan Sheng sets a trap—" Han Ruzi must consider this possibility, "I hope you can hold on for a while, tomorrow morning, I will lead the Luoyang defenders, and possibly Cui Hong's army, to Aocang to support. "
Chai Yue was taken aback, "How can Your Majesty take the risk in person? If there is an emergency, waiting for the death of the minister is not enough to atone for the crime, so what's the use of keeping Ao Cang?"
Even Chai Yue was looking forward to the future. Han Ruzi understood the prudence of the ministers. Those "habits" might mean that they really regarded the people on the throne as emperors.
"When the smoke rises from the chaotic army camp, we will attack, and we will win this battle." Han Ruzi is very confident. Although it is not clear who the expert beside Shangguan Sheng is, he believes that this "expert" is related to Wang Qi. Like the others, they are better at tricking the mysteries, but don't know how to fight.