12dz Chapter 318: Xiahou Chang is not as good as others.
Chapter 318: Xiahou Chang is not as good as others.
Ye Kun was also struggling over whether to attack Chang'an or not.
Because the gunpowder can't keep up!
Moreover, if we attack Chang'an, food and grass will be in short supply.
We should be able to capture Chang'an at this time, but we will have to pay a huge price on our side.
Sang Buyi said: "If we can capture Chang'an in one go, we, Qin Erwu's army, and Huangfu Lin's army will be able to lay siege to Luoyang. But it is very risky because Yong and Liang states have not been completely controlled. Our logistics may not be able to keep up."
Zhuge Feng suggested: "We should eat the meat piece by piece. First stabilize Hexi and Yongliang Prefectures, then store up food and supplies, and then advance to Guanzhong."
Ye Kun thought for a moment and said, "I'm waiting for news from Zhong Tiankui, Huangfu Lin and others."
This guy Zhong Tiankui is determined to leave Ziwu Valley, and there is no news until now!
I don’t know if it was a landslide, but all five thousand soldiers were buried.
Fighting is easy, but digesting is long.
Ye Kun had to deal with the enemy soldiers who died in battle and bury them in deep pits to prevent the outbreak of plague.
He also had to reassure the people, publicize his policies, distribute a batch of farm tools to the people, organize the people to harvest wheat, and prepare for rice planting and summer production.
Three days later, news came from Hanzhong.
Zhong Tiankui entered the Ziwu Valley and marched for eighteen days. One third of his soldiers were killed or wounded. Finally, he was forced to retreat due to landslides caused by spring rains.
When they retreated to Guanzhong, Zhong Tiankui had only 2,300 men left.
In other words, this guy hadn't even seen a single enemy when he lost more than half of his 5,000 soldiers!
Wen Qi and Wang Bao held a banquet to appease Zhong Tiankui, and then unexpectedly sent executioners to kill him.
Then he took out Zhong Tiankui's original military order and asked his subordinates to review it.
Zhong Tiankui's subordinates also resented his bad temper and arbitrary behavior, so they accepted Wang Bao's reorganization without any objection.
Ye Kun received the report and sighed.
If this guy really leaves Ziwu Valley and sends a surprise attack to Chang'an, and we advance at the same time, then we will be safe.
What a pity, Ziwu Valley’s ingenious plan, haha!
News also came from Yan Liuhai's army that everything was fine and they were in a peaceful standoff with the Jiangdong troops.
But the situation on Qin Erwu's side is not good.
Xiahou Chang personally led the army with an absolutely superior force to retaliate against Qin Erwu, and had already driven Qin Erwu deep into Phoenix Mountain.
Fortunately, Ye Kun had anticipated this and asked Qin Erwu to build many bunkers and towers in the mountainous area, retreat step by step, and use the favorable terrain to consume the enemy forces.
Although Qin Erwu had been retreating, he was also killing the enemy.
But once you pass Phoenix Mountain, there is no way to retreat.
If we retreat further, we will lose the three counties of Shangyong and the gate to Hanzhong will be wide open!
Ye Kun ordered Huangfu Lin to send a small force across the river to harass Xiahou Chang.
He personally led the army and approached Chang'an!
At this time, we had no choice but to attack Wei to save Zhao.
Chang'an is an important city, Xiahou Chang must defend it to the death and must personally lead the troops to rescue it!
As expected, after Xiahou Chang forced Qin Erwu to retreat, he personally led an army of 100,000 to rescue Chang'an.
Ye Kun made a feint and immediately withdrew his troops, building a defense line in Chencang and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out.
In this way, Xiahou Chang's main force would be tied up in Guanzhong, and the pressure on Qin Erwu and Huangfu Lin would be immediately reduced.
Xiahou Chang knew that Ye Kun’s firearms were powerful, so he did not dare to attack. He sent someone to deliver a letter, scolding Ye Kun for being untrustworthy. He said that we should have a decisive battle in three years, and only a year had passed, and you already launched a sneak attack on me!
Ye Kun replied with a letter:
"I'm teaching you a lesson. All is fair in war. Your brother Xiahou Lai and General Gongshu Yu are very sensible. They sacrificed an army of 100,000 men. This is the tuition fee they paid to me!"
In fact, Xiahou Lai and Gongshu Yu lost a total of 60,000 soldiers and horses, less than 100,000.
But for Xiahou Chang, it was also a serious injury.
In the blink of an eye, it's already June.
Ye Kun’s pigeon communication center in Chencang has been established and put into use.
When he went to war in the spring, he brought three thousand baby pigeons with him. After one or two months of being raised in nets, the pigeons were already educated.
By sending the first batch of pigeons that are well-trained and able to fly to Hanzhong, we can then communicate with Hanzhong via carrier pigeons.
But unexpectedly, the first letter sent by carrier pigeon from Hanzhong brought bad news.
The widow Wang Zhenzhuer was seriously ill and was dying.
Ye Kun was naturally a little sad, and he couldn't go back to visit her, so he had to write back, asking Cao Duoduo and Moli to take care of Wang Zhenzhu as her daughter. If she really couldn't be cured, let Duoduo and Moli see Wang Ganma off to the end...
But there is also good news in Chengdu. A batch of transparent colorless glass has finally been produced.
This is a huge technological advancement!
Ye Kun sent a message, asking the glass factory to send someone with samples to Tianshui City so that he could inspect them personally.
In early July, Ye Kun received good news that Guan Yong, Zhao Biao and others had taken over the entire Wuwei County, and Xiliang was conquered with a single order.
At this point, the eastern part of the Hexi Corridor, the two states of Yongliang, and most of the Longshang Plateau were all incorporated into Ye Kun's territory.
Xiahou Chang was furious, but he was not as well equipped as his opponent and did not dare to take the initiative to attack Ye Kun. He could only stay in Chang'an City and engage in a stalemate with Ye Kun's army.
Han Chun suggested to Ye Kun:
"Lord Ye, we have now taken over Yong and Liang states and are eyeing Chang'an. The situation has stabilized. I think we should celebrate and reward all the soldiers according to their merits."
Ye Kun nodded and ordered Wen Qi, the prefect of Hanzhong, to come and serve as the prefect of Yongzhou; Wang Bao took over Wen Qi's position and became the prefect of Hanzhong.
He Zhongshu was appointed as the governor of Liangzhou and was fully responsible for the defense of the northwest.
Other civil and military officials, as well as officials who stayed in Chengdu, were promoted and rewarded.
Xie Tong was the governor of Chengdu, in charge of government affairs;
Jiang Yourong's elder brother Jiang Youbao was the prefect of Chengdu and controlled the military power of Chengdu.
Tea, Shu brocade, iron pots, porcelain, glassware, and sesame oil were all delivered from Chengdu via Hanzhong.
Ye Kun distributed these things to the officials of Yong and Liang states to win the hearts of the people.
At the same time, thousands of craftsmen were transferred to support the construction of Yongliang Prefecture.
Based on everyone's opinions, Ye Kun expanded the Wudu City and turned it into a transit station between Hanzhong and Longshang, as well as a grain storage center.
Wudu City, located at the junction of Qinba Mountain, is known as the throat of Bashu, the key to Qinlong, and the main transportation route between Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan. It has a mild climate and four distinct seasons, and is later called Jiangnan on Longshang.
However, Xiahou Chang was unwilling to accept the loss of the northwest region and the control of the Hexi Road. He paid a large sum of money to bribe the young Xiongnu king and led the Xiongnu cavalry to attack Wuwei.
To the north of Wuwei is the Tengger Desert.
To the south of the desert, there is the Great Wall of Han Dynasty guarding it, but many places have fallen into disrepair and have lost their defensive function.
The allied forces of He Zhongshu and Guan Yong were unable to withstand the Xiongnu cavalry, so they sent a letter to Ye Kun for help.
Zhuge Feng said: "Lord Ye, this is Xiahou Chang's treacherous plan to make us unable to take care of both ends. If we go to rescue Wuwei County, Xiahou Chang will send troops from Chang'an to attack Chencang and recapture Jieting."
"His thoughts are beautiful, but the reality is cruel."
Ye Kun sneered, "Ten days ago, our gunpowder was delivered. Now the gunpowder reserve is comparable to that in the spring. Moreover, this time, three hundred muskets were delivered, so our firearms are more sufficient. If Xiahou Chang doesn't come, it's fine. If he does, I will make him lose many soldiers and generals."
Zhuge Feng asked, "What is Lord Ye's plan?"
"I will personally deal with the young Xiongnu king, and I only need to bring 3,000 soldiers and horses."
Ye Kun was confident: "Leave the troops here to Mr. Zhuge for command. You, Sang Buyi and Han Chun will be the strategists. Wang Meng, Lu Kaijiang and Zhou Xuanwu will be the generals to deal with Xiahou Chang. Remember, hold on tightly and use muskets and artillery to kill the enemy from a distance!"
Zhuge Feng was a little worried and said:
"Xiahou Chang has an army of 100,000 soldiers stationed in Chang'an. They can arrive in three days. I'm afraid we won't be able to hold the Chencang defense line and fail Lord Ye. I have a plan that's more reliable."