Wei Yan successfully captured Wuguan and ordered his men to report the news to Liu Qi and bring back the Qinggang sword.
Wuguan was built by the Qin State to defend against Jingchu. The mountain roads outside the pass are rugged and steep, with high cliffs and deep valleys, and are narrow and difficult to navigate. However, the terrain inside the pass is open, and there are even highways in some parts, which are precisely for the convenience of sending troops and transporting food.
During the Chu-Han Contention, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang took advantage of the emptiness of Guanzhong and entered Guanzhong from Wugu Pass first. During the Wang Mang period, the rebel army conquered Wugu Pass and headed straight for Chang'an.
The loss of such a dangerous place was like opening the gateway to the pass. Wei Yan was certain that Cao's army would launch a large attack, so he trained his men and horses in preparation for battle.
The next day, Cao's army returned again, and Wei Yan was quite surprised. Wuguan was nearly 500 miles away from Chang'an. Although there was a highway, it was built in the mountains and the road was rugged. The reinforcements arrived too quickly.
The sound of drums resounded through the city. Wei Yan dressed neatly and ran straight to the west gate from the covered bridge. He saw a group of soldiers outside the city with murderous intent. The leader was Xiahou Cun. He couldn't help laughing.
Xiahou Cun fled to Shang County and sent someone to report urgently to Chang'an overnight. At the same time, he mobilized the garrisons of Shang County, Shangluo and various post stations, with a total of 5,000 troops to make a comeback.
While Wei Yan's foothold was still unstable, as long as he intensified the siege, there were still 5,000 elite soldiers inside the pass. Once they got the news, they could take advantage of the chaos and retake Wuguan with the help of both inside and outside forces.
Seeing Wei Yan appear at the critical moment, Xiahou Cun's eyes were bloodshot, and he raised his spear and shouted: "Wei Yan, you bastard, you cheated me of my city, why don't you come and die?"
"As you wish!" Wei Yan snorted coldly, ordered Hu Ji to guard the pass, turned around and went down the city, and went out of the pass to meet the enemy.
When the gate was opened, Wei Yan came out with his sword in hand, shouting, "Cao Ren was also captured by me. I spared your life, but you insisted on dying. Don't blame me for being merciless with my sword."
Xiahou Cun was anxious to take back the pass, and he was furious: "You are just using evil tricks, today I will let you know how powerful the Xiahou disciples are!"
After saying this, he spurred his horse and raised his spear, going forward to fight with Wei Yan. At this time, he had been secretly accumulating strength, and just wanted to kill Wei Yan as soon as possible so that he could take advantage of the chaos to break into the gate in one fell swoop.
when-
The two horses crossed each other, and there was a loud bang. Xiahou Cun's spear flew out, whirring in the air, and fell into the deep ravine.
"Ah? You..."
Xiahou Cun was horrified and before he could turn around, Wei Yan swung at him with a knife and cut him down from his horse.
"Kill!" Cao's army was in chaos and before they could react, Wei Yan urged his horse to charge forward.
At this critical moment, the drum beats became more frequent, and the order for the entire army to attack was issued. Not only did the one thousand elite soldiers out of the city follow Wei Yan to attack, but another two thousand troops rushed out from the city.
Suddenly, there was a deafening cry of killing outside Wuguan City. Wei Yan swung his sword and killed several people in a row. No one could match him. The central army collapsed. Cao's army turned around and fled, huddled together, trampling on each other, with countless casualties.
"Those who surrender will not be killed!" Wei Yan brandished his sword and shouted while chasing, and all those who put down their weapons and knelt on the ground were spared.
The pursuit continued until they reached the border of Shang County. The battle was over in less than half an hour. Most of the 5,000 Cao troops were killed or wounded, more than 2,000 were captured, and only a few hundred escaped.
The soldiers of Jingzhou collected their weapons and retreated into Guanzhong. The captives they brought back were placed in the same way as before, and a few officials were selected to inquire about the deployment of the post stations ahead.
…
"The wind whistles and the Han River is cold. Once the warrior leaves, it will be hard to see him again..." Outside Xiangyang City, Liu Qi personally saw off Xiahou Ba and the other two. He clasped his fists and said with regret: "We will say goodbye today. Each of us will serve his own master. We will no longer be able to drink and talk happily together!"
Xiahou Ba returned the greeting and said, "General, you are generous and brave. If it weren't for the last resort, I would not want to be your enemy."
Xiahou Mao also said: "I am very grateful for your kindness, General. If I lead the army one day and our armies meet in front of the battlefield, I will retreat thirty miles to show my gratitude."
In the past few days, Liu Qi entertained the three people warmly and sent them two more sets of desks. The large and small carts behind him were loaded with things like mountains, two or three times more than when they came. In addition, Xiahou Mi also wanted to make friends with Liu Qi because he had a private house in Xiangyang.
"Ahem... We have finished the wedding ceremony as promised. Goodbye!"
Xiahou Ba quickly interrupted him and said goodbye to Liu Qi. This guy didn't know the seriousness of his words. The confrontation between the two armies was a national affair, how could it be treated as a joke
Zhang Fei also laughed and said, "If you three want to relax, just come to Jiangnan. I, Zhang Fei, will be waiting for you anytime."
Xiahou Mao nodded and said, "Of course!"
Wouldn't I become a prisoner if I come again
Xiahou Ba looked embarrassed and laughed dryly, "Take good care of my sister."
He said goodbye to Xiahou Juan again and urged Xiahou Mao to mount his horse and set off. If they continued to exchange pleasantries, who knows what he would say.
The sound of carriages could be heard as Xiahou Ba and his entourage returned with a full load. Cao Tai personally escorted the carriages from the rear, while Zhang Wei mingled among the household generals and accompanied them to guard them, paying special attention to several marked carriages.
The furniture in the car was inspected in the yard and then disassembled and loaded into the car. The gold was loaded into the furniture and waterbed in batches, and no one noticed anything unusual.
Seeing the man behind him waving from afar, Cao Tai sneered, "We have taken away three thousand taels of gold from Jingzhou, but Liu Qi is still in the dark and is so eager to see us off. What a son of gold, I just can't stand stupid people!"
Zhang Wei nodded and said, "Liu Qi has lost more than he has gained. He will become a laughing stock in the world in the future. The three young masters have made great contributions and saved the prime minister's face. They will definitely be rewarded handsomely."
Cao Tai laughed and said, "This gold is enough to offset the losses in the Battle of Nanyang. Master Zhang has also made great contributions. When we get to Xuchang, he will surely be highly valued by the Prime Minister!"
The roads in Xiangyang were flat and wide, and Liu Qi sent people to lead the way, so the journey was smooth. By noon they were close to the Han River.
The convoy came to the shore to rest. Zhang Wei had already asked his acquaintances to find a fleet. Although most of them were fishing boats, they were sufficient to carry the cargo.
Xiahou Ba and his two followers specially arranged a large ship for fear of seasickness. Seeing Zhang Wei's cleverness, they all praised him highly.
"I found the person!" Xiahou Mao looked at the two of them proudly when he boarded the boat, his chin slightly raised and his lower lip raised high.
Normally, his peers all looked down on him, but without his clever visit to the brothel this time, how could such a remarkable feat have been achieved
The servants moved the furniture onto the boat, and the accompanying officials said goodbye to the convoy and left. When they reached Jiangbei, they hired another carriage to transport the furniture.
The beginning of winter had passed, and the river wind was chilling people to the bone. Everyone took shelter in the cabin while Zhang Wei called on the fleet to cross the river.
While they were eating and drinking, the boat suddenly began to shake violently. They heard shouting from outside and hurried out, only to see that a strong wind had blew up and the waves on the river were rolling.
"This... What should I do?" Xiahou Ba held on to the side of the boat tightly, feeling a little dizzy.
"Oh no, the boat capsized!" Cao Tai shouted, pointing at the fishing boat that was bobbing on the water.
The cold wind was howling and the turbulent waves were rolling in. One boat was overturned by the waves and disappeared in the river in an instant.
Xiahou Mao felt a pain in his flesh, stumbled to the stern, and shouted, "Retreat, retreat quickly!"
The boatman was trying hard to steer the boat, and he shouted, "The boat is in the middle of the river, we can't turn back!"
At this time, there were constant shouting sounds on the river, and two more fishing boats capsized, with tarpaulins and furniture parts floating on the water and drifting with the current.
"Go into the water, quickly and fish it out, bring back the furniture." Xiahou Mi's eyes were red and he shouted hoarsely.
Xiahou Ba and Cao Tai also rushed over. The big ship was also shaking violently. They were so panicked that they could not care about anything else. They shouted, "Boatman, row the boat to the shore!"
The boatman shouted, "Don't worry, gentlemen. My boat is famous for its speed!"