Tongguan is the east gate of Guanzhong. It has always been a battleground for military strategists. It is surrounded by mountains and peaks, deep valleys and cliffs. The mountains are high and the road is narrow. There is a narrow trail in the middle. It can only accommodate one car and one horse. It is known as The road to the world ends at Tongguan Pass.
This level is truly one that cannot be opened by one man.
Because the terrain is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack, once Tongguan is controlled, the connection between the northwest and the interior of the pass will be almost blocked.
Throughout the ages, it has been extremely difficult to conquer Tongguan. Under Tongguan, countless dead soldiers live.
Although Tongguan is the gate to the northwest and east, and its geographical location is extremely important, guarding this pass has never required too many troops. Even if faced with a million-strong army, as long as a few hundred people guard the pass, it will be difficult for the enemy to advance, and The soldiers and horses in Guanzhong also had enough time to come to support.
When Qu Yuangu was guarding the northwest, the control of Tongguan in the early years was not in the hands of Qu Yuangu. Instead, the imperial court appointed generals to garrison it. However, because the garrisoned generals exploited and exploited the merchants, Qu Yuangu took advantage of it and later deposed the original commander. Guarding General, with the help of Queen Qu's pillow, Qu Yuangu got his wish and sent his confidant general to guard Tongguan. A few years ago, he even transferred his adopted son Xue Ren to Tongguan to help him guard the east gate.
Qu Yuangu also fought in the north and south in his early years. Although he did not make many military exploits, he had qualifications after all, and he also had a group of soldiers who had followed him for many years. This Xue Ren was single-handedly promoted by Qu Yuangu and sent Xue Ren to Before Tongguan, he even adopted Xue Ren as his adopted son. According to what his colleagues said privately, Xue Ren was as loyal to his adopted father as a hunting dog raised since childhood.
As the sun set, the guards above Tongguan saw a group of cavalry appearing from the west and immediately reported to Xue Ren.
If soldiers and horses appear from the east, the trumpet sound will be sounded above Tongguan immediately, and the Tongguan guards will be ready for battle in the shortest possible time.
Tongguan's stone wall is so thick that it is really an insurmountable barrier, and the wall is extremely high. Due to the terrain, those siege weapons such as ladders are of no use at all.
In the eyes of the defenders, the team coming from the west were naturally members of their own family. However, the sudden appearance of hundreds of riders still made the defenders a little surprised. The cavalry team was already close at hand.
"He is a warrior under the eldest son." Xue Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He was a confidant of the Qu family and naturally knew the situation of the Qu family very well.
The eldest son recruited brave men from the northwest many years ago and formed the so-called warriors. According to the eldest son, there are many people in the northwest who are resentful of him. He must have an elite guard by his side to protect his safety. Qu Yuangu After giving him an establishment of 300 people, the eldest son recruited 300 people one by one. These people were indeed rigorously trained and well-equipped, and their pay was far higher than that of the Northwest Army.
The money spent on raising a mere three hundred guards is, of course, a drop in the bucket for the Qu family.
As soon as he saw the equipment of the cavalry, Xue Ren recognized them as the warriors of Qu Manbao.
He was confused. These three hundred knights were Qu Manbao's bodyguards. They had always been responsible for guarding Qu Manbao's safety. But Qu Manbao was now guarding Xianyang and had a heavy responsibility. Of course, he would not leave Xianyang easily. In this case, why were the knights under him? Want to come to Tongguan
He was confused and did not go down to greet him immediately.
The cavalry finally stopped in front of the pass. Xue Ren only glanced at it and knew that the number of the opponent was about three hundred. In other words, almost all the three hundred warriors of the eldest son were dispatched. He was even more confused, so he At this time, he suddenly saw a person walking out of the team, followed by a rider on the left and right. Xue Ren was heartbroken when he saw that person, but he already recognized that it was Qu Manbao.
"Young Master!" Xue Ren shouted from the top of the city: "Why are you here?"
He was full of energy and his voice was loud.
Qu Manbao, wearing armor and a helmet, raised his head, but did not speak immediately. He glanced at him from the side, coughed slightly, and pressed the hilt of the knife with his right hand. Qu Manbao glanced sideways, eyes widened, and finally raised his head. Said: "Xue Ren, is there any battle report coming from the front?"
"Back to the eldest son, the general led the army with overwhelming force and has defeated two cities." Xue Ren said loudly: "There are no new battle reports yet. If there are battle reports, my subordinates will immediately send people to Xianyang."
"I have something to discuss with you." Qu Manbao said, "You open the door first."
Tongguan is a pass with a gate on each side. Between the two thick walls, it is very spacious. The defenders can eat, drink, sleep, and sleep in it. There are also warehouses to store food and drinking water. In addition, there are many more Small weapons are also stored in it.
Xue Ren was about to order someone to open the door, but he only raised his arm halfway and did not continue to raise it. He hesitated and then said: "My eldest son, you have come here in person. What are your orders?"
"Open the door first." Qu Manbao said, "There are some things in Xianyang that I can't decide on. Come over and discuss it with you."
"Xianyang?" Death, other than that, I have no qualifications to interfere with any other matters. Regarding the matters in Xianyang, I... I don’t dare to say anything."
The cavalryman beside Qu Manbao coughed again, and Qu Manbao immediately said: "Don't talk nonsense, we'll talk after you open the door."
Xue Ren felt more and more that something was wrong. He glanced at the team behind Qu Manbao. Before he could speak, he heard Qu Manbao shout loudly: "Xue Ren, I heard that those two cities were conquered by Manchu troops. Is that true?"
"Exactly." Xue Ren immediately said: "It is indeed the young master who personally led the troops to attack."
"He has made great military exploits in the pass. Do you want me to wait in Xianyang?" Qu Manbao suddenly cursed: "I thought about it, you go to Xianyang to guard it in my place, I will lead the troops into the pass, catch up with the army, and follow Let's attack Luoyang together with my father."
Hearing this, Xue Ren's heart, which had been tense, suddenly relaxed.
Qu Manbao appeared in front of him with three hundred warriors, which really surprised Xue Ren. He didn't know what Qu Manbao wanted, and he heard Qu Manbao just ask him to open the door, and his words were vague, and he was suspicious. At this time, he heard a few words from Qu Manbao After saying this, I was immediately relieved, thinking that the eldest son was dissatisfied with his younger brother's military exploits in the pass and wanted to enter the pass to make meritorious deeds.
Naturally, he knew quite a bit about Qu Manbao's temperament. It was not unusual for the eldest son to have a desire to strive for merit. He cupped his hands and said, "My eldest son, since the general keeps you in Xianyang, he naturally has the right to be a general. Xianyang It is an important place in the northwest. The general is worried that if the army enters the pass and the rear is empty, people with ulterior motives will take the opportunity to cause chaos and leave the eldest son behind. Naturally, it is because the eldest son has the ability to take charge of his own affairs. As long as you are in Xianyang, no one in the northwest will dare to act rashly. If the eldest son enters the customs rashly, this...!"
"What, what should I do, need you to teach me?" Qu Manbao's tone was unkind.
Xue Ren said hurriedly: "I don't dare. It's just that the eldest son asked his subordinates to go to Xianyang to guard, but I don't dare to accept the order. My subordinates have little talent and are worried about guarding Tongguan day and night. How can I be qualified to guard Xianyang? The eldest son , I dare to persuade you, although the young master has made great achievements in the pass, if the eldest son ensures that the northwest is peaceful and peaceful while the general is on the expedition, then it will be a credit that no one can compare with, and the general will definitely be very happy."
Qu Manbao thought for a moment and then said, "I'll think about it first and then open the door first."
If it had been anyone else, Xue Ren might not have opened the door, but despite Qu Manbao's repeated requests, he had no reason to shut Qu Manbao out. He cupped his hands and said, "My lord, please wait a moment. I will open the door for you immediately."
After Xue Ren disappeared from the top of the city, Qu Manbao breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately his face turned ugly and he did not look back. He just said: "General Qi, I have followed your instructions and asked him to open the door. I also hope that you can Commitment."
"Don't worry, eldest son. I said that as long as you help me, I will never hurt you." A cavalryman behind Qu Manbao smiled and said: "We captured Tongguan this time. The eldest son has made a great contribution. In the future, we will have wine and beauties." The eldest son will never be missing."
The cavalryman who spoke was naturally Qining.
Qi Ning led his troops to attack Qu Manbao's camp at night, forcing Qu Manbao to kneel down and beg for surrender. However, Qin Ning did not delay. He selected 300 elite Chu soldiers and put them into warrior uniforms and equipment, and then forced Qu Manbao to lead his troops to Tongguan.
The terrain of Tongguan is dangerous. There is a long and narrow road from the pass to the northwest. It is narrow and difficult to navigate, but the road from the northwest to the pass is much wider.
But even so, Qining also knew that it would not be easy to attack Tongguan. Even if his side had a large number of people and strong troops, even if Tongguan was finally captured, the Chu army would inevitably suffer numerous casualties.
In fact, he had already prepared for the worst and was prepared to pay a heavy price.
However, a secret letter changed Qining's original battle plan.
Qining led dozens of warriors to capture two checkpoints on the Ziwu Road in the Qinling Mountains. However, Xianyang knew nothing about all this. Qining waited at the checkpoint for several days, and the troops led by Duan Canghai finally arrived in time. Arrive.
During this surprise attack on Xianyang, Qi Ning temporarily mobilized troops in Xichuan. After getting rid of Shu King Li Hongxin, Qi Ning immediately commanded the assembled 10,000 troops and horses to march north.
Qu Yuangu led his troops into the pass. Qining knew that in a short period of time, all the attention in the northwest would be on Qu Yuangu's northwest army. No one would notice the movement in Xichuan, but as time went by, they would definitely The night is long and there are many dreams, and Xianyang is attacked by surprise. Naturally, the sooner the better, there can be no delay.
In order to ensure the secrecy of the march, Qi Ning and Ban Yun deliberately staged a drama of encircling and suppressing the fleeing bandits in Hanzhong, while Duan Canghai had already led nearly 10,000 troops and horses into the Qinling Mountains quietly.
According to the advance combat plan, Qi Ning led 2,000 men to attack Tongguan, while Duan Canghai led the main force to launch a surprise attack on Xianyang. In order to ensure that nothing went wrong, Lu Kang was arranged to lead hundreds of people into Xianyang City, and then the inside and outside should cooperate to attack Xianyang. Caught off guard.
Compared with Duan Canghai, Qi Ning had no experience in marching and fighting before. He knew that a surprise attack on Xianyang was not a child's play. He had to hit it with one hit, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. Therefore, Duan Canghai, who was experienced in combat, was assigned to lead his troops to attack Xianyang.
The main force of the Northwest Army has already entered the pass, and there must not be many soldiers and horses left in Xianyang, so the defense is weak. When the time comes, Lu Kang cooperates with the main force of the Chu army, and they may not be able to invade Xianyang in one fell swoop.
After leaving the Qinling Mountains, just as they were dividing their troops, Qining suddenly and unexpectedly received a secret letter.