Wuguan is quite spacious, with tall and thick walls from north to south. The barracks are at the north gate, and there are caves under the cliff for storing food and fodder.
The two-story building in the middle is the council office, with the first floor for offices and the second floor for the commanders to live in. There are covered bridges leading to the towers above the north and south gates.
Wei Yan looked around and ordered, "Change the guard immediately and gather everyone in the barracks. I have the Prime Minister to pass on the order."
Xiahou Cun flattered: "Brothers have just arrived in Guanzhong, so it would be too hard for them to guard the pass. Why not..."
"No need to say more!" Wei Yan looked indifferent, patted his pocket and said coldly: "The Prime Minister's secret order is here, who can bear it?"
Wuguan is connected to the Chang'an post station, and we don't know if there are scouts secretly monitoring it. The news may leak out at any time, so we must subdue these defenders as soon as possible.
Xiahou Cun did not dare to delay and immediately ordered his deputy general to pass on the order to withdraw all the guards at the pass and to gather everyone at the parade ground.
Wei Yan divided his troops into 500 to guard the gate, while Hu Ji led his troops to take over the armory. He and Xiahou Cun arrived at the military camp, only to see that all 5,000 defenders were lined up to wait for them.
"There is no need for training today, so why do you need to bring weapons?" Wei Yan waved his hand and said, "Put your weapons back and sit on the ground."
Xiahou Cun shouted, "This is General Yang Wei, the Prime Minister personally appointed you to guard the pass. Now the Prime Minister has ordered you to put down your weapons and sit down. Listen carefully."
Cao's army placed their weapons on both sides of the parade ground and was busy when the garrison suddenly came to report that a batch of grain and fodder had been transported from Chang'an and had arrived outside the pass.
Xiahou Cunxi said happily: "This must be because Governor Zhong knew that the general was coming and sent the food and grass here early. I will go and get the food now."
Wei Yan's eyes were slightly stern, and a murderous intent flashed in them. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay, General, please go out to meet us. I hope you can introduce me to him later."
"Of course!" Xiahou Cun nodded repeatedly and quickly rushed to the north gate with a few trusted men.
Hu Ji asked in a low voice: "If Xiahou Cun leaves the pass, the news will definitely leak out, why not kill him?"
Wei Yan sighed, "This man was deceived by me. It's really pitiful. I can't bear to kill him. I see he doesn't have much ability, so I'll spare his life!"
The original plan was to kill Xiahou Cun when entering the city and seize Wuguan in the chaos, but unexpectedly things went more smoothly than expected.
Not only did Xiahou Cun cooperate very well, but the defending army was also controlled without bloodshed, which made Wei Yan feel embarrassed to take action.
Hu Ji frowned and asked, "Then what should we do with these defenders?"
Wei Yan said: "Persuade the garrison to surrender. Those who are willing to join the army will be incorporated into the army, and those who are unwilling to return to farming will be resettled in Nanyang. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
Hu Ji nodded slightly, waited for Wei Yan to go out, and called in the two thousand Red Flame Army guarding outside the camp. They were fully armed, drew their bows and aimed their arrows at the Cao army sitting on the ground.
Cao's army was suddenly in an uproar. Seeing Xiahou Cun and Wei Yan leave one after another, the new generals suddenly drew their swords and stood up one after another.
"Don't move!" Hu Ji shouted, "Everyone, we are the soldiers of Jingzhou. Xiahou Cun has been beheaded. Those who surrender will not be killed!"
Buzz—
There was an instant commotion in the camp. The expressions of Cao's soldiers changed drastically. They all stood up, but had no weapons in their hands. They huddled together in panic.
Hu Ji shouted, "Cao Cao is rebellious and cruel. General Liu Qi is a benevolent ruler. I'm sure you have heard about the battle of Nanyang. Those who surrender will not be killed. Sit down!"
"Those who surrender will not be killed!" All the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices as loud as thunder.
Swords and spears were pointed all around the parade ground, flashing cold lights, arrows were on the bowstrings, and the air was filled with murderous intent. Cao's army had no choice at all.
Seeing that most of the people were still standing there in a daze, Hu Ji drew his sword and shouted, "I'll count to three. If anyone stands again, I'll kill them all!"
"One... two..."
Outside the north gate of Wuguan, Xiahou Cun and his entourage were welcoming the grain carts. As they were greeting the generals transporting the grain, they suddenly heard deafening shouts from inside the pass. They turned around abruptly, only to find that the gate had already been quietly closed.
Xiahou Cun was shocked and rushed to the pass, shouting, "General Yang, what happened?"
Wei Yan laughed and said, "Xiahou Cun is so smart, but he is really blind. I am Wei Yan from Jingzhou, and I am here to take over the pass on the orders of General Liu."
"You, you are Wei Yan?" Xiahou Cun was so shocked that he took several steps back, pointed at Guan for a long time and couldn't speak, then asked in a crying voice: "How come you have the Qinggang Sword?"
"You don't need to ask more questions!" Wei Yan put his hand on the top of the city wall and said loudly: "I can't bear to kill you just now because of your meritorious service in surrendering the pass. I will spare your life. You should return to the Central Plains to retire. The battlefield is not suitable for you."
"Wei Yan, you bastard, how dare you lie to me?" Xiahou Cun's face flushed red as he shouted, "Do you dare to come out and fight to the death?"
Wei Yan sneered, "Xiahou Cun, my patience is limited. Leave quickly while I still have a trace of mercy in my heart. If you make noise again, I will kill you outside the city and leave no one alive!"
"You...you..." Xiahou Cun took several steps back, and realized that he had no soldiers, so how could he fight? He turned around and ran back, shouting as he ran: "Wei Yan, wait, I will be back."
“Next time you come, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Wei Yan laughed loudly towards the sky at the pass and ordered the drums to be beaten.
The deafening sound of drums echoed throughout the valley. When the Cao army that was transporting grain heard the news, they did not dare to stay for long. They abandoned their chariots and fled with Xiahou Cun.
At this time, the defenders inside the pass had not yet been completely subdued, and Wei Yan did not dare to leave the city rashly. Seeing Cao's army fleeing, he turned back to the barracks.
Hu Ji had already taken control of the situation and killed more than a dozen people who attempted to incite resistance. The rest sat obediently on the ground, waiting for their fate.
Hu Ji said worriedly, "The garrison, including the servants, totals more than 6,000 people. They were forced to surrender, so we don't know how sincere they are. We only have 3,000 soldiers. Cao's army will definitely come to seize the pass upon hearing the news. If we don't have sufficient defense, they may take the opportunity to cause chaos."
Wei Yan said: "Those who are willing to join the army will follow me, and the rest will be sent out of the pass tomorrow. We will collect prisoners in Nanyang and settle the surrendered soldiers. Cao's army will definitely know about it. Let them return to Nanyang and leave or stay as they wish."
Hu Ji ordered more than 3,000 people on the left to follow Wei Yan out of the camp. It was already dark at this time, torches were lit on the city gate, and the soldiers were divided into three teams.
Wei Yan shouted, "Just now a batch of food and grass was transported to Chang'an, but the soldiers have been killed by me. Since you are sincere in surrendering, please transport this batch of food and grass to us, which will be a merit."
Cao's army looked around, some with joy on their faces, some with puzzled expressions, and all their eyes were looking at the door that was slowly opening.
When the gate was opened, Cao's army left the city one after another. Wei Yan walked to the gate calmly and watched the figure disappearing in the night.
Although this move will let many people go, those who come back will definitely surrender sincerely. No matter how many people are left, they can be used with confidence.
The moon rose in the east. Half an hour later, there was a sound of cars ahead, and a large group of vehicles arrived at the city.
Three captains came to report that all the food and fodder had been taken back. Many people fled to Chang'an at night and they could not stop them.
Wei Yan breathed a sigh of relief. There were actually two thousand people returning. It seemed that Cao Cao was indeed unpopular. Especially in the Battle of Nanyang, he used human flesh as food and fodder, which completely chilled the hearts of the soldiers.
This batch of food and fodder seems to be quite a lot. It must have been sent in advance by Chang'an to prepare for the garrison to spend the winter. It's just a good deal for me.
Wei Yan personally went down to the city to bring in food and fodder. After everything was settled, he ordered the entire army to celebrate. There was a cheer in Wuguan City and the banquet lasted until late at night.