Huan Rong

The siege continued for a whole day, and in the evening, there was a loud noise from the west gate, and the shouts of Qin soldiers could be clearly heard.

"Report to the Governor, Xiangyang West City Gate has been broken!"

The generals galloped to report, and Qin Qi was immediately refreshed.

Xiangyang is located on the border between the two countries and is a strategically important place.The strength of the Han army was inferior to that of the Qin army. After all, the city was high and deep, and it was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

At the beginning of the siege, Qin Yu made preparations for a fierce battle for many days.Unexpectedly, in just one day, the west gate of Xiangyang City was breached.

"Berkao's clever calculations, the reinforcements from Xiangyang really haven't arrived!"

"Great governor, although the gate of the city is broken, the situation of the battle is still uncertain. Huan Shixiu is a talented man of the world. He is decisive and can make a decision. He used the strategy of suspicious soldiers before, which prevented our army from advancing south. Although the gate of Xiangyang city is broken now, there may not be no layout in the city. It must be done." Defend."

"Furthermore, as the sky is getting darker, it is reasonable to withdraw the troops. However, the opportunity to fight is rare, and it is not wise to give up. The Han soldiers occupy a favorable location, and our army invades the city. We must be cautious to prevent accidents."

Qin Yu nodded, accepted Zhang Lian's suggestion, and ordered the cavalry to charge forward, and the infantry to follow closely behind, supporting both front and rear.If there is an ambush in the city, it can be dealt with calmly.

Under the gate of the west city, the battering ram was removed, and the Qin cavalry rushed into the city like a tide.

The sound of killing and the sound of war drums covered up the blunt sound of the planks collapsing, and the increasingly dark sky also made it difficult for the people behind the team to see clearly what happened inside the city gate.

boom!

Rows of rolling logs were thrown from the top of the city, and several ladders were broken.

The Qin soldiers who attacked the top of the city saw what happened in the city with the help of the skylight, their eyes widened and their faces were full of horror.Regardless of their own safety, they must raise their voices and shout to remind the comrades rushing into the city that there is an ambush in the city, so don't move forward.

As a result, as soon as he yelled twice, there was a sudden pain in the back of his head, his eyes turned black, and he fell to the ground with a plop.

"Tied up."

The strategy was completed, and the rattan armored soldiers and barbarian soldiers hidden in the city wall swarmed up and surrounded the Qin soldiers attacking the west city with an absolutely superior force. Knives, knocked out one by one.

Huan Shimin walked to the city wall, looked down at the collapsed long street, saw the Qin soldiers trapped in the pit, and ordered the archers: "Fire the rockets."

The bowstrings were drawn one after another, and arrows wrapped in oilcloth flew out like rain, setting fire to the wooden houses on the street one after another.

In the crackling sound, sparks splashed everywhere.

The fuze hidden in the house was ignited, and a moment later, there was only a bang, black smoke and dust rose together, and the roof was blown over by the heat wave.

In the thick smoke, a pungent smell rises, and when the evening wind blows, it fills the entire long street.

Needless to say, the cavalry who fell into the pit, the infantry who were more than ten steps away began to sneeze, their eyes watered, and the scene in front of them began to distort.

When the black smoke rose, the Han army and young men who were ambushing in the dark did not get an order, and temporarily stood still, covering their mouths and noses with cloth to avoid being smoked.All the Qin soldiers who were determined to enter the city were recruited. When they heard the sound of drums from the top of the city, they rushed forward, picked up the blasted door panels and wooden stakes, blocked the gap in the city gate, and cut off the attacking Qin soldiers.

The gap was not completely blocked, and soon a military cart was pushed out from both sides, the baffle opened, and the Qin army who rushed forward was forced back with the sound of breaking wind.

"quick!"

A larger military cart was pushed over, with a strange shape, and the body was wrapped in iron.

The military cart stopped at the gap, the baffle was raised, the soldiers pulled the mechanism, and three strange copper pipes protruded out.Lift the torch to the mouth of the nozzle, pull the mechanism again, and three fire dragons spew out instantly.

The flame is so hot that even if it is scorched by the heat, the eyebrows and beards will be burned off.

Qin soldiers are not afraid of death, and can fight with injuries on the battlefield.But facing this kind of weapon that he had never seen before, he couldn't help but feel withdrawn.

Replacing it with a battering ram is also useless.

Whether it is the giant wood that cuts open the city gate, or the thick rope that pulls the giant wood, including the military cart that transports the giant wood, they are all flammable.

Even the most experienced generals would never have imagined that the Han army could make fire-breathing chariots.In a hurry, naturally there is no suitable countermeasure.

It took less than half an hour from the time when the Qin army broke through the west gate to when the trap came into play and the Han army reversed the situation.

During this period, the North City Gate and the East City Gate were broken one after another, the same road collapsed, black smoke billowed, the cavalry was trapped, and the infantry was intercepted.Wu chariots appeared one after another, and the fire dragon showed off its power, forcing back the Qin army who was too late to enter the city.

At first, when Qin Bing saw the fire in the city, he thought it was a torch lit by his fellow soldiers fighting the Han army.

As the fire got bigger and bigger, the smoke was billowing, and the comrades at the top of the city continued to roar, telling everyone not to enter, the generals and soldiers gradually began to realize that something was wrong.

Some soldiers who desperately escaped were brought before Qin Qi. Their bodies were blackened by thick smoke, their eyes were red and swollen, and their voices were hoarse, indicating that there was an ambush in the city.

"Governor, don't enter! The city gates have been hollowed out! If people walk without incident, if the horses step in, they will fall to the bottom of the pit, unable to move!"

"what?!"

Qin Yu was astonished, and Zhang Lian was also shocked.

At this moment, a cavalry came galloping behind them, they were stopped dozens of steps away, and they rolled off their horses in embarrassment.Regardless of the wound on his arm, he shouted desperately: "The governor, the Han army attacked the camp! The camp caught fire, and all the luggage and luggage were gone!"

Hearing this, even Qin Yu couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.He raised his eyes to look at the top of the city, and clenched the spear tightly in his big hand, so hard that the back of his hand bulged with blue veins.

"How many Han soldiers are attacking the camp? Why did they rush into the camp?!" Zhang Lian was shocked and rushed straight to the cavalry who reported the news.

"The Han army, the Han army brought something to light the fire." The cavalry's throat was smothered by the thick smoke, and the voice seemed to be ground by sandpaper. It can burn, but it cannot be extinguished at all!"

There are fences around the camp of the Qin army to keep horses away. The wooden stakes are sharp enough to block the sneak attacking Han army, but they cannot stop the roaring fire dragon.

Almost in the blink of an eye, half of the camp was engulfed in flames.

The Han army rushed into the camp on horseback, continued to throw pots and burn tents.

In the cold wind, the fire was getting bigger and bigger, and soon spread to the Qin army's baggage.The Qin army guarding the camp had no time to save them, so they could only watch helplessly as the luggage was burned.

After setting off the fire, the Han army didn't stop at all, let alone engage the Qin soldiers. Instead, they turned their horses around and galloped away without a trace.

After listening to the cavalryman's words, Zhang Lian's expression was serious, he looked at Qin Yu, and said in a deep voice, "Governor, I'm still in the trap."

Qin Yu didn't speak, looking at the Xiangyang city illuminated by the fire.

No one would have thought that Huan Shixiu would be so ruthless that he would use the entire Xiangyang City as a bait to set up an ambush and set up traps, waiting for the Qin army to enter the urn.

"Mingjin retreats."

Qin Jun fell into the trap and would not have any chance of winning.

"Beat the drums to purge the team and retreat from Hanzhong."

Nothing can be done, in order to avoid greater losses, we must retreat.

With the help of the dark sky, the strategy of the Han army was successfully implemented.The Qin army can also take advantage of the weather to get rid of the Han army's pursuit.

The sound of the drum sounded, and the Qin army under the city was ordered to abandon the ladder immediately and gather at the place where the big banner was.

The Qin army at the head of the city could not retreat, so they simply abandoned life and death and continued to fight fiercely with the Han army, hoping to delay time and win a way out for their comrades.

The Qin army trapped in the pit couldn't move, and some people couldn't see. In a panic, some people began to trample on each other.

The Han army appeared soon, and together they spread the fishing nets, like fishing for fish, and successively fished up the Qin soldiers from the pit.The advantage is that it can avoid unnecessary casualties and restrict the movement of the Qin army, so there is no need to use ropes.

It's just that the number of fishing nets is limited, and in the end, the Han army still has to go into battle shirtless.

Because the smoke has not yet dissipated, the faces of the Han soldiers are all covered with cloth, only two eyes are exposed, which is quite funny at first glance.

But with a boss like Huan Shixiu, the generals below will naturally not care about the "small details".He tied a rope around his waist, held wooden sticks in his hand, and half hung them in the pit, one stick at a time, knocking out the flustered Qin Bing, and tied them up.

"Take medicine to wash their eyes. Doctor Hua said, it's not good if you delay it for a long time."

During this period, some soldiers of Qin bound him if they refused, and fought desperately.The long sword was swung wildly, and there were several dangerous situations, and the Han army was inevitably injured, but fortunately no one was killed.

"It's a man!"

Binding the wound with torn cloth strips, the commander of the Han army did not get angry, but raised his thumb, admiring the Qin army who could still find the direction with his eyes closed.

Qin Bing couldn't see, and Han Bing spoke dialect instead of official language, so he couldn't understand it for a while.

The Han soldiers who bent over to help Shichang untie the rope were speechless.

It's really a big heart to say this sentence with blood on your arm.However, Shi Chang was born in the Huan clan and had followed Huan's assassin for many years. It is really not surprising that he had such a "different" reaction.

Qin Yuming Jin retreated, Huan Shixiu handed over the affairs of the city to Huan Shimin, and personally led the troops out of the city to pursue them.

The Qin army in the back of the palace was all scattered by the military chariots.

What's more terrible is that the Han army used fishing nets on the battlefield by any means!There are also hooks in the net, and the hooks are obviously coated with anesthetic, so Qin Jun is really hard to guard against.

The arrows flying out of the Wu Chariot were coated with a layer of medicine. After being scratched, the wounds were burning hot, and within a few breaths, half of the body became numb, and they couldn't even hold the knife.

In terms of fighting alone, the combat effectiveness of most of the Qin army is better than that of the Han army.

However, the purpose of Huan Assassin is to win, not to show personal bravery.There are shortcuts that can be taken, and ingenuity that can be used, why do you have to use your own shortcomings to attack the other's strengths?

It's not to boost other people's ambitions, but to count all over Hanzhong County, no matter whether it is horse fighting or foot fighting, no one is Qin Yu's opponent.

Knowing that they can't beat them, what else can they be if they are not sent to death?

In another situation, Huan Shixiu might make a different choice.

But at present, it is related to the national destiny of the two countries, and the game between Jiankang and Chang'an, he would rather bear the name of cunning, and take down the [-] troops completely!

"My lord, the Qin army ran northward, are you still chasing it?" A scout got off his horse, held a torch to observe the horseshoe marks, then leaned down on the ground, with his ears pressed to the ground, and judged how far the Qin army might have run.

"Chasing." Huan Shixiu pulled the reins violently, "As long as he doesn't leave the Han territory, he must be captured!"

"Follow the order!"

The soldiers wore stars and moons, rode horses and raised whips, and clung to the Qin army tightly.

Marching in the dark was very inconvenient, so Qin Yu had to send a large number of scouts to explore the way.

"Great governor, you can leave the border of Hanzhong after a hundred miles."

When the scouts reported back, Qin Yu ordered the whole army to speed up.

Unexpectedly, just after riding for more than ten li, I suddenly encountered a group of cavalry coming from the flank.The person who came was wearing the leather armor of the Han army. From the perspective of equestrianism and tactics, he was a real Hu Qi.

"Don't panic, line up to meet the enemy!"

Those who came were none other than the Qiang Jie cavalry who succeeded in attacking the camp.

This cavalry rushed to the flank of the Qin army, two back and forth, not interested in fighting, but broke through a gap, grabbed the remaining clay pots, and threw them at the Qin army in the air.

With a few crisp sounds, kerosene splashed and fragments scattered, staining many Qin soldiers and war horses.

The flint was polished, and a wall of fire was instantly ignited.

"Don't get caught in the fire!"

The cavalry, who had seen the power of gunpowder and kerosene, shouted repeatedly, reminding their comrades to retreat.

"Governor, this thing is dangerous and needs to be avoided!"

Seeing the two war horses being scorched by the fire, neighing and rolling on the ground, the fire not only did not go out, but burned more and more vigorously, Qin Jun all gasped.

Fighting with real swords and guns, they will not be afraid, let alone take half a step back.However, the scene in front of me cannot be explained by common sense, so why not make people's scalp tingle?

Blocked by the firewall, Qin Jun had to change direction, abandoning his plan to go to Shiping County, and took a detour to Shangluo.

Running in the middle of the night, barely throwing off the Han army, the generals were thirsty and hungry.The scouts found a small stream, Qin Yu ordered strict preparations, and all the soldiers took turns dismounting from their horses to drink water.

Not daring to stay too long, the army moved on.

Just after running for a few miles, some generals suddenly yelled of abdominal pain. At first there were only a few, but soon there were dozens or hundreds of them.

In the end, even Qin Yu and Zhang Lian were not spared, his stomach felt like a knife was twisted, and his head was covered with cold sweat.

Not far from the main army, there are more than a dozen young and strong watching carefully.After confirming that most of the Qin soldiers were recruited, the young and strong whispered a few times, half of them stayed, and half flew on their horses to report to the pursuing Han army.

It turned out that in order to prevent the battle situation from changing and the Qin soldiers escaped, besides setting traps in Xiangyang City, Huan Shixiu had a lot of preparations, one of which was to put medicine in the water source.

A big river like Mianshui would naturally have no effect.

It would be unlucky for the Qin army to switch to the wells in the creeks along the way.

In order to prevent the common people from being recruited, all the water sources for "feeding" are guarded by young adults and villagers.By the way, add the medicine every day to ensure that the effect is not compromised.

The medicine poured into the creek was prepared by Hua Xian, it will not be fatal, but it will cause abdominal pain, collapse and loss of energy.

When Huan Shixiu arrived with his troops, more than ten thousand Qin soldiers fell to the ground, including Qin Yu and Zhang Lian.

In the Battle of Xiangyang City, all [-] Qin soldiers were captured without missing a single one.

Huan Shixiu became famous in the first battle, and his reputation shook the north and the south, no less than Sima Huan who led the army in the Northern Expedition.

The news was sent to Jiankang, and the city was full of joy.

After Huan Rong read the battle report, there was not much joy on his face.After discussing with important officials such as Xi Yin, Xie An, and Xi Chao, they announced at the court meeting that the royal family would march in person and vow to break Chang'an.

At the same time, the navy led by Huan Chong went northward along the Ru River and attacked Xiangyang directly.The army led by Xie Xuan and Xi Rong is still fighting Qin Jue in Xuzhou, and it is difficult to distinguish the outcome in a short time.

The Qingzhou assassin of the Qin State finally stopped wavering and raised his troops against Qin. Like the Bingzhou assassin, he surrendered to Huan Han.

Within the territory of Qin State, the three prefectures of Qing, Bing, and Ji were on fire, and the armies of Qin and Han in the three prefectures of Xu, Yu, and Jing fought fiercely.

At this time, the news of Emperor Huan Han's personal conquest came, and the morale of the Han army was greatly boosted. Regardless of life and death, they vowed to attack Chang'an in one go.

However, Qin Jun's combat power is in front of him, and it is not so easy to break through Qin Jue and Qin Yu's defenses.

Both sides come and go, each other wins and loses, and it will be December in the blink of an eye.

Several heavy snowfalls fell in the north, and rain and snow continued in the south.

This year, both the north and the south are hit by natural disasters, and the losses are not small.

The difference is that Qin’s grain was stretched, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to provide disaster relief and support the army; Huan Han still had a surplus of grain, which could ensure that the Han army continued to advance northward while providing relief to the people.

In the eighth year of Taiyuan, at the end of December, there was a continuous blizzard in the north, and the two warring parties had to temporarily suspend their troops.

In the first month of the following year, when the heavy snow had stopped, Huan Rong left Jiankang, and the imperial chariot marched in person, and the soldiers pointed directly at Chang'an.