Outside the city, Wei Yan stood on horseback in front of the formation and carefully observed the situation on the city. Although the shouts caused a commotion among the defenders, Yan Fei and Zhou Zhuo, the two highest military and political officials in Chang'an, came to the city in person to comfort them.

The panic of the defenders gradually calmed down.

"Yan Fei and Zhou Zhuo are not mediocre and incompetent people, and they didn't give me a chance to defeat them in a single battle. It's a pity that the nearly 10,000 horses that I brought with me were all cavalry, otherwise they would have been solely responsible for the recapture of Chang'an.

It seems that the only thing we can hope for now is to capture Zikou, and I don’t know how Zhang’er’s progress is going?”

Last night, Wei Yan had ordered his eldest son Wei Zhang to lead 3,000 troops to attack Zikou. He himself led the remaining troops to the gate of Chang'an City to call for battle, firstly to prevent the Chang'an defenders from sending troops to ask for help from Zikou, and secondly,

Let's see if there is a chance to conquer Chang'an in one fell swoop with the power of victory.

It's a pity that although the Chang'an defenders were frightened by the shouting, they still had more than 10,000 troops after all. In addition, Yan Fei and Zhou Zhuo were everywhere to boost morale and appease the troops. There was almost no possibility that the defenders would surrender without a fight, and it was impossible to be counted.

Thousands of Han troops captured the city in one battle.

Wei Yan saw that there was nothing he could do, so he devised another plan. He led his troops to evacuate Chang'an, ostensibly heading straight for Zikou, but in fact he set up an ambush in a forest twenty miles to the south, hoping to lure Chang'an.

The defenders went out of the city to rescue, and then attacked the enemy halfway.

When the news came back to Chang'an, Yan Fei and Zhou Zhuo were hesitant about whether to send troops to rescue Zikou Pass.

If we send troops to rescue, Chang'an may suffer losses. If we don't rescue and sit back and watch the fall of Zikou Pass, once Cao Zhen's army is trapped in Ziwu Valley and cannot evacuate, Chang'an's final outcome may not be good.

Just as the two were hesitating, another spy report came from outside. Zikou Pass had already lit up smoke to request Chang'an for support. After hearing this, the two became even more flustered and found it difficult to make a decision.

Chang'an City is only forty miles away from Zikou Pass. The cavalry can reach it in half a day's gallop, and the infantry can reach it in one day by speeding up their march.

In the past two years, Han armies have been attacking frequently, and Cao Wei's army on the middle road is moving south from Ziwu Road, so the location of Zikou Pass has become even more important.

Before Cao Zhen's southern expedition, he set up a hidden beacon every five miles along the forty-mile road from Zikou Pass to Chang'an to facilitate the rapid transmission of military information.

"Mr. Yan Fu, Chang'an is the fundamental place of our Wei Dynasty in Guanzhong, and it must not be lost.

Besides, although there are no less than 10,000 soldiers and horses left behind in Chang'an, most of them are field soldiers under my command and sergeants newly recruited in the past few months. These people are weak in combat and can barely defend the city, but it will be impossible to let them go out to fight in the field.

He is no longer a match for Shuqi.

So I think the best policy is to hold the troops still, and there is nothing we can do at Zikou Pass to help." In the Chang'an Prefecture, Zhou Zhuo broke the long silence and said sternly to Yan Fei, who was sitting opposite.

Yan Fei was silent after hearing this, and sighed after a moment: "Oh, why don't I understand this truth? But the safety of Zikou Pass is equally important right now. Once this place falls into the hands of Shu thieves, the army in the middle will be in danger!

Once the army in the middle route is defeated, Chang'an will be difficult to protect. Once Chang'an falls, the entire Guanzhong area will surely fall with it. At that time, you and I will be the eternal sinners of the country, and will never have the face to return to court to see the emperor.

Therefore, we must not do nothing and sit back and watch Zikou fall into the hands of thieves. We must find ways to reduce the defensive pressure on Zikou, otherwise once Zikou falls, you and I will definitely go to Tingwei Mansion."

Zhou Zhuo thought that this was indeed the case. He was ordered to stay in Chang'an and was responsible for ensuring the smooth flow of food routes. He could not ignore the pleas for help from the Zikou garrison. Otherwise, he would definitely be blamed when the Grand Sima was held accountable in the future.

However, the old guy Yan Fei is a prefect and a scholar, and he can't move easily. The task of going out to rescue Zikou Pass will probably fall on him 80% of the time. However, there are many Shu soldiers outside the city, and they bring troops with low combat effectiveness such as field soldiers.

If he goes out to support, he will definitely not be a match for Wei Yan. If he fails, he may end up dead in battle.

No, a certain family still has a bright future, so they must not die easily. The task of going to rescue Zikou must not fall on him under any circumstances.

But Yan Fei, an old man, always wanted a certain family to lead troops out of the city. Hmm, he said it lightly. He had to find a way to pass this fatal job to others.

Who should he blame it on? It seems that he is the only one in Chang'an who is qualified to fight against Wei Yan, so who else can he blame on?

Yes, there are none in Chang'an City, but there are many people outside Chang'an City. I'm so stupid, why didn't I think of it earlier?

"Although what Mr. Fu said is reasonable, guarding Chang'an City is our top priority after all. Of course, you and I cannot ignore it at Zikou Pass. We still have to save it, but I think this is

There’s no need to use the troops and horses in our hands, right?”

Yan Fei asked curiously: "Oh? What does General Zhonglang mean by this?"

"Haha, why did you forget that there is a group of soldiers and horses near Chang'an that can rescue Zikou Pass? Besides, they are all cavalry, so they are much more suitable to deal with Wei Yanyuan than us." Zhou Zhuo smiled slightly.

Yan Fei suddenly realized: "General Zhonglang means General Gongming? Oh my, why didn't I think of that? Yes, General Gongming's troops are all fine cavalry, and they are indeed much more useful against Shu cavalry than the infantry under your command.

But if they pursue Feng Chong's troops, they may have already chased them into Feng Yi County. Will it be too late to come back for rescue?"

"There's enough time." Zhou Zhuo said confidently: "Although Wei Yan's troops are far more powerful than the Zikou defenders, the Zikou Pass is dangerous and the fortifications are strong. It will not be a problem to hold on for two or three days."

Yan Fei said: "Okay, without further ado, we will immediately send out fast horses to find General Gongming for reinforcements. If we are lucky, they will be back within two days."

"Well, I'll arrange the manpower right away."

Outside Zikou Pass, the sound of killing shook the sky.

Three thousand Han cavalry were divided into ten teams, dismounted and fought on foot, taking turns to launch wave after wave of fierce attacks on Zikou Pass. Bows and crossbows were fired, arrows flew everywhere, people kept falling to the ground, and people kept carrying shields and fighting bravely.

forward.

Wei Zhang, who was supervising the battle behind the formation, galloped on horseback, shouting loudly and constantly encouraging the soldiers.

However, the terrain at Zikou was very narrow, making it difficult for large groups of troops to deploy. Although the Han army had far more troops than the Wei army, attacking one team at a time could not fully exploit the advantage in strength.

Coupled with the bravery and command of the defending captain Qu Bin, the Han army was unable to break through despite their fierce offensive.

"Major General, the soldiers have been exhausted after attacking for most of the day. Why don't we pay for the troops and let the soldiers retreat to rest for a while?" Dai Yong, the deputy general, drove his horse to Wei Zhang and said with cupped fists.

Although the Han army took turns taking turns to fight, they had indeed shown signs of weakness so far. Although Wei Zhang was anxious, he could only sigh and ordered his troops to withdraw to the camp.

As the son of Wei Yanchang, he is already thirty-one this year. Although he has been in the army for a long time, his reputation is not obvious and his achievements have not been established. Seeing that among his peers, Yang Qing, Guan Xing and others have become famous all over the world, he is naturally very anxious.

When he went on an expedition with his father this time, Wei Zhang took the initiative to ask to be the vanguard, hoping to make some achievements. Sure enough, he took the lead in the cavalry battle a few days ago, killing generals and capturing the flag, which was quite meritorious.

This time he attacked Zikou Pass, and he took the initiative to take on this important task. He wanted to take it quickly and show his face in the army, but he didn't know that the defenders had a strong will to resist. Today, he had tried his best, but he still couldn't.

I can only look at the pass and lament.

"Cao Zhen's army is about to return. If you delay for one more day, it will be more dangerous. If you fail to block Cao Zhen's army by then, not only will you be held accountable, but your reputation will also be damaged." Wei Zhang paced back and forth in the tent.

Step, I thought worriedly.

Who knows what he was afraid of? Dai Yong suddenly broke into the tent and brought him another bad news.

"Young General, the Youwei lurking in Ziwu Valley have just sent information. General Zhang He of the Wei Army personally led 3,000 troops to Zikou Pass and traveled through the starry night. They are expected to arrive here tomorrow."
Chapter completed!