Chapter 10 Winning the Central Plains The twenty-seventh night was already very deep, the candles in the big tent were swaying, and Li Hong's lonely figure was wandering in the light or dark candlelight, hesitant and melancholy.

Zheng Xuan and Xiangkai sat in the corner silently, frowning. The "Shijing" was written by Liu Xin, a great Confucian of this dynasty, and Master Bangu included it in the "Hanshu Law Chronicles" when compiling the "Book of Han", precisely to explain to the world the basis for the Han Dynasty to inherit the fire virtue.

The order of the ancient emperors has been passed down for more than two hundred years, and it is possible to find a reason to say that it is wrong? Li Hong stopped, looked at Zheng Xuan and asked, "Mr. just said that the era of the appearance of the "World Classic" is almost the same as the era of Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty, in a sense, it may be ......" Li Hong hesitated,

"Maybe it was tampered with and used by Wang Mang, right?" Zheng Xuan looked at Xiangkai, looked at the empty tent worriedly, hesitated for a long time, and then said slowly: "I have studied the scriptures for many years, and I have read almost all the classics of modern and ancient scriptures, and I found that the "World Classics" does have problems in the ranking of ancient emperors. Li Hong was suddenly ecstatic, walked to Zheng Xuan's side in a few steps, and said respectfully, "Please tell me about it, sir." ”

"Back then, Wang Mang admired and trusted Liu Xin very much, worshiped him as a national teacher, and he was the initiator and supporter of the flourishing Zen Rang Theory." Zheng Xuan looked at the dim candle flame on the side of the case and spoke eloquently.

The establishment of the lineage of ancient emperors began in the Warring States period. During the Warring States Period, Zou Yan, a yin and yang artist, explained the change of dynasty according to the five elements with the five emperors with the five directions, and the five elements of earth, wood, metal, fire, and water.

Since then, all dynasties have been named to

"Five virtues have always been said" as the legal basis for the establishment of the dynasty. According to Zou Yan's

"The Five Virtues are always said", "Lü's Spring and Autumn Period Yingtong" and "Historical Records and Feng Zen Book" all deduce the change of dynasty in this way: the Yellow Emperor has Tude, Xia Yu has Mude, Shangtang has Jinde, King Wen of Zhou has Huode, and Qin has Shuide.

However, this sequence of deduction was questioned by the middle of the dynasty. First, from the perspective of the lineage of ancient emperors constructed by Wrinkle Yan, only the four generations of the Yellow Emperor, Xia Yu, Shang Tang and the Zhou Dynasty are narrated, Liu Xin and other Confucians believe that there are ancient saint emperors such as Fuxi, Shennong and Yandi above the Yellow Emperor, and "Lü's Fengqiu Yingtong" and "Historical Records of Feng Zenshu" only describe the four generations since the Yellow Emperor, which cannot be fully covered, so they need to be deduced upwards and reordered.

The second is to explain the change of dynasties and arrange the lineage of emperors according to the order of the five elements of earth, wood, metal, fire, and water.

If the five elements win each other, they tend to change the regime

"Revolution". At that time, Wang Mang's power was strong, and the imperial power of the Liu family was in jeopardy. In order to prepare for his usurpation, Wang Mang first initiated

"Ordered by a different surname" and the same surname

The controversy of "more ordained" instructed Liu Xin to put forward the Zen theory. In order to provide a basis for the Zen theory, Liu Xin created a new theory of the five virtues based on the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

From the "World Classic", it can be seen that Liu Xin's imperial lineage is as follows: Taihao Fuxi is Mude, Yandi Shennong is Huode, Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan is Tude, and Shaohao Jintian is Jinde.

The Gaoyang clan is the water virtue: the emperor Gao Xin is the wood virtue, and the emperor Yao Tao Tang is the fire virtue. Emperor Shun has Yu's for Tude, Boyu Xiahou's for Jinde, and Chengtang for Shuide; King Wu of Zhou was Mude, and the Han Dynasty was Huode.

When Liu Xin arranged this lineage order, he first denied the beginning of the Han Dynasty

The "Five Elements Victory Theory" defines the Han as Tude, and determines that the Han is Huode, so it should be replaced by Tude.

Wang Mang called himself a descendant of Yu Shun Miao and Emperor Shun Tude in "Self-Original". Therefore, Wang Mang should be a native virtue, so it is inevitable that Wang Mang will stand on behalf of the Han Dynasty.

Here's the problem

"Taihao Fuxi" and

"Yandi Shennong's Clan". Fu Xi is the ancient creation god, there may not be a person in history, he was included in the lineage of ancient emperors, and was pushed

"The Head of the Three Emperors",

"The First of a Hundred Kings". Taihao may be recorded in the ancient books

"Taihao" is the ancestor and leader of the Dongyi tribe in ancient times. (The Dongyi tribe lived in the eastern part of present-day Henan, Shandong and Anhui.)

In the reliable texts before the Great Qin Dynasty, Yan Taihao did not speak of Fuxi, and Yan Fuxi did not speak of Taihao, and Taihao had nothing to do with Fuxi.

Xunzi was born at the end of the Warring States period, and he mentioned it in the "Positive Treatise".

"Taihao", said again in "Cheng Xiang Chapter".

"Fuxi", two people see the same book, it can be seen that they are not the same person. Similarly, Emperor Yan and Shennong are also two people, two people without any origin.

The first to call Taihao and Fuxi one, and Emperor Yan and Shennong as one, was Liu Xin, and he established a new lineage of ancient emperors in the "World Classic" for this reason.

What is the reason why Liu Xin called Fuxi and Taihao together, and what is the reason why Emperor Yan and Shennong are called together? According to Liu Xin's theory of the end of the five virtues of the five elements, the emperor should start from Mude.

So he found a basis from two aspects, one is contained in the "Seventeenth Year of Zuo Chuan Zhaogong".

"Tanzi came to the court" inferred that Taihao was the head of the ancient emperor. The second is to find the basis from "Yi Chuan". "Yi Chuan" said: "The emperor is out of the earthquake", the earthquake is the hexagram of the East, and the five elements belong to wood.

According to the order of the five elements, the first is wood, and Taihao is the emperor of the East.

"Dongfang Yi", so Taihao is paired with Mude. There is also a saying in "Yi Zhi Xia": "The king of the ancient Bao Xi clan is also in the world", so Liu Xin continued,

"The Pao Xi clan succeeded the king of the sky, the first of the hundred kings, and the first virtue began with wood, so it was the emperor Taihao." Fuxi is Taihao, Taihao Fuxi stands after the sky, Shennong and Yellow Belt all stand after Taihao Fuxi.

Liu Xin's reason really can't stand up to scrutiny. Fuxi and Taihao are both ancient gods, and it is impossible to conclude whether they are a person or not, but Emperor Yan and Shennong are definitely not a person, which can be argued in many historical books.

Li Hong was very excited and said excitedly: "Sir, can you understand it this way, Liu Xin's "World Classic" is simply for Wang Mang's Han, and it is pure nonsense?" Zheng Xuan's face showed pain, and he was silent for a long time.

"Sir......" Li Hong called out and urged, "Why doesn't Mr. speak?" ”

"General, Liu Xiang and Liu Xin are the ancestors of ancient literature and classics. Confucianism in this dynasty was divided into two schools, modern and ancient, and the two sides struggled for more than 200 years. If Liu Xin's mistakes in the "World Classics" are pointed out now, it is tantamount to acknowledging the criticism of ancient classics by Confucian scholars in modern literature and classics. This will directly lead to the resurgence of disputes between the two schools, and the government and schools will once again be strongly impacted. Xiangkai sighed and explained to Li Hong.

After Wang Mang claimed to be the Yellow Emperor and Yu Shun in the "Self-Original", he divined in the history of the Spring and Autumn and Jin Dynasties

"Earth and fire multiply", Wang Mang said that Han is the queen of Yao, and he is the queen of Shun. Han is the fire virtue, he is the earth virtue, according to the principle of the five elements, the earth virtue will replace the fire virtue of the Han.

If Wang Mang is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and Yu Shun, then according to Liu Xin's theory that the five virtues of the five elements are born together, Wang Mang is not a native virtue, and he cannot justify himself.

So in order to make up for this huge mistake, Liu Xin called Fuxi and Taihao, Emperor Yan and Shennong in the "World Classic", and according to this new ranking of ancient emperors, Wang Mang is Tude.

After the revival of Guangwu, modern scholars have debated the order of the ancient emperors in the "World Classic".

Many people have suggested that the ancient history system described in the Shijing is based on five books, namely "Yi Zhi Zuo Chinese", "Sacrifice Law" and "Kaode", but none of these five books is reliable, and they are all pseudo-usurped works by Liu Xin.

At that time, "The Biography of the Spring and Autumn Period" was all under Liu Xin's control, and he could change it as he wanted. Based on this, scholars of modern literature and classics have deduced that a large number of classics of ancient literature and classics have been modified and forged by Liu Xiang and Liu Xin.

Although now the imperial court has integrated Master Zheng Xuan with the strengths of modern and ancient scriptures

The "New Classics" were set as official studies, but the modern and ancient schools of scripture did not disappear, on the contrary, the two schools of famous Confucianism used their own subordinate

The new ideas and theories drawn from the "New Classics" are constantly being launched to the other side

"Attack".

"General, once this matter begins, the two factions of modern and ancient literature and classics are bound to take advantage of the situation and fight fiercely, and the official schools dominated by the 'new classics' are bound to suffer a heavy blow, which is extremely unfavorable to the great cause of Zhongxing." Xiang Kai dissuaded,

"General, if the imperial court deliberately provokes a dispute over scripture and learning at this moment, it will have an immeasurable impact on the new policy being implemented, so please be cautious." Zheng Xuan sat on the seat, looking frightened and uneasy.

Of course, Li Hong knew that denying the ranking of the ancient emperors in the "World Classic" would be equivalent to denying Liu Xin's theory of the five virtues, which would then lead to disputes between the modern and ancient schools of literature and classics, but his purpose was not in this, he only needed to know that there was a problem with the ranking of the ancient emperors in the "World Classic".

"Back then, Emperor Gaozu built the Han Dynasty, and the minister Zhang Cang thought that the Great Qin Dynasty was only a short fifteen years, not a dynasty, and should be attributed to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, according to Zou Yan's five virtues, it has always been said that the Han is the virtue of water. But in the time of Emperor Xiaowen, the minister Jia Yi and others thought that the Great Qin should be regarded as a dynasty, so they changed the Han to Tude, but there were many opponents. It was not until the period of Emperor Xiaowu that the great Confucian Dong Zhongshu put forward the theory of 'three unifications', which completely solved this problem. Li Hong looked at Zheng Xuan and Xiangkai, who were enlightened, and continued: "Mr. Dong Zhongshu believes that the way of heaven is repeated, and the change of dynasties is not based on the five virtues, but according to the 'three unifications', that is, the cycle of black unification, white unification, and red unification. Each dynasty has its own ruling system, and each dynasty has its own system. In history, Xia was orthodox, Shang was orthodox, Zhou was orthodox, and this dynasty should be orthodox. The cycle of the three unifications is the manifestation of the will of heaven, and the new emperor of each dynasty is mandated by heaven to be the king, and he must determine and change the Zhengshuo, the color of the clothes, etc., according to the position of the cycle in the three unifications, otherwise it will not be unclear and go against the will of heaven. ”

"There is a contradiction between the three unification theory and the five virtues, so Emperor Xiaowu took the Zhengshuo in the three unification theory and removed its clothing color, and took the clothing color in the five virtues and removed its Zhengshuo, the two are compatible, and enshrined in the law of the Great Han, so far it is determined that the Great Han is the Tude."

"The Three Unifications Theory is one of the fundamentals of Confucianism in this dynasty, whether it is modern scriptures, ancient scriptures, or new scriptures, all of them are based on this."

During the reign of Emperor Xiaocheng, Master Liu Xin presided over the revision of the "Taichu Calendar" based on the theory of three unifications, and this new calendar was also named "Three Unification Calendars". The "Four-Minute Calendar" used in this dynasty was revised by the minister Li Fan and others on the basis of the "Three Unification Calendar" during the reign of Emperor Xiaozhang, and in the final analysis, it is still the basis of the "Three Unification Calendar". Li Hong waved at Zheng Xuan and Xiangkai, and said with a smile,

"I give this example to tell the two masters that for Han Confucianism, the Three Unification Calendar is the authority and the absolute truth."

"If we re-elevate the 'Three Unifications' to the height of the fate of the society, then if we redefine the Han as Tude and re-establish the capital of the Han Dynasty in Chang'an, no one should dare to openly jump out against it." Li Hong pointed to Xiangkai and said,

"The master is more inclined to Huang Laozhi's learning, if the imperial court uses the reason of 'three unifications' to redefine the Han Dynasty as a local virtue, and for this reason to set the capital in Chang'an, will the master dare to jump out and oppose it?" Xiangkai stroked his white hair and shook his head again and again,

"I don't dare to make enemies of the corporals of the world. The great Confucian Dong Zhongshu is the originator of Confucianism in this dynasty, and the theory of three unifications is the foundation of Confucianism in this dynasty. Today, who dares to say that the theory of the three unifications is wrong? Zheng Xuan had already understood Li Hong's intentions, the haze in his heart was swept away, and he looked at Li Hong with a little more admiration.

In order to set the Han Dynasty as Huode, Emperor Guangwu did not hesitate to choose Liu Xin's new five virtues. Although the Han Dynasty's succession to Tude has been written into the Great Han Law by Emperor Xiaowu, and the Three Unifications of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty are still in full swing, Emperor Guangwu turned a blind eye, and he only needed to be able to prove the reason why the Han Dynasty had Tude. Li Hong said,

"Today, we do the same, taking only the reasons we need. As for Master Liu Xin's new five virtues, we always say that we turn a blind eye, and we also turn a blind eye to the ranking of ancient emperors in the "World Classic". ”

"In those days, the scholars of the Han Dynasty were able to tolerate the decline of the Three Unifications, and today, of course, they are more willing to accept the revival of the Three Unifications."

"Although some scholars who study ancient literature and scriptures may always be quite dissatisfied with the new five virtues that the imperial court abandoned Master Liu Xin, since Master Zheng Xuan knows that there are many doubts about the order of the ancient emperors in the "World Classic", I believe they will not dare to risk a fiasco and go against the imperial court publicly, right?" Li Hong looked at Zheng Xuan and smiled,

"The basis of Confucianism in this dynasty is the 'Three Unifications', and opposing the decision of the imperial court is tantamount to opposing official learning and opposing themselves? If they even smash their own jobs, it can only mean that they are crazy. "Take advantage of Dong Zhongshu's

The "Three Unifications" changed the Han Dynasty to inherit the Tude, which could not only persuade the people of the world to agree with the strategy of the imperial court to set the capital of Chang'an, but also skillfully avoid and alleviate the contradictions between the two schools of modern and ancient literature and classics, and at the same time be beneficial

The development of the "New Classics" in official education was conducive to the steady and rapid promotion of the new policies of the imperial court in various prefectures and counties. Li Hong's method was unanimously approved by Zheng Xuan and Xiangkai.

"Tomorrow, when you discuss the issue of the capital with the ministers, you will bring out the 'Three Unifications'. If someone is not open-minded and is still entangled in the ranking of the ancient emperors in the "World Classic", you will push Master Dong Zhongshu out and ask them whether Master Dong Zhongshu is the originator of Confucianism in this dynasty, or Master Liu Xin is the originator of Confucianism in this dynasty. Master Xiangkai chuckled lightly,

"General, don't be in a hurry about this matter, it's better to think long-term."

"There is not much time left for the imperial court." Li Hong said,

"If we can win Guanzhong this year, then the matter of Dingdu must be determined before the end of the year. I also ask the two masters to help. ”

"After returning to Handan, I immediately discussed this matter in detail with the great Confucians and celebrities from all over the country." Zheng Xuan said,

"The students at all levels of schools in Hebei can also start a debate on the 'Three Unifications', and strive to link the 'Three Unifications' with the Han Zhongxing in the shortest possible time, so that the 'Three Unifications' can help the imperial court quickly make the decision to set the capital of Chang'an."

"I can walk around, visit some old friends, and use their prestige to make a little influence on the court. In addition, the disciples of the Dazhitang can also help, allowing them to preach the prophecy that heralds the prosperity of the Han Dynasty when they travel in all directions, so as to play a role in fueling the troubles. Xiang Kai smiled,

"The imperial court is about to set the capital of Chang'an, and the prosperity of the Han Dynasty is just around the corner, at this critical moment, the Wei Fu Rui that predicts the fate of the Han Dynasty is bound to emerge in endlessly, and the disciples of the Dazhi Hall can quickly spread the news of these Wei Fu Rui all over the world."

"Don't be too anxious, the general must have a process for everything, I believe that by the end of the year, the general will definitely be able to get his wish." Zheng Xuan comforted.

Li Hong thanked him repeatedly.

"If the two masters are free these days, they will write a few letters to Prime Minister Cai, Master Wang Jian of Jinyang University Hall, and some old friends and disciples in Jinyang to persuade them as much as possible." Li Hong said,

"Although a letter may not be able to change their minds, it can at least make the resistance of the eldest princess and the court less and less, so that the contradictions between the ministers can be eased, and the counterinsurgency war in various places will not be delayed." In late June, Jiangdong's envoy Zhang Hong arrived at Xingyuan.

He has Sun Quan's authorization, as long as he keeps the final bottom line, he can handle other things flexibly. In order to maintain a close relationship with Hebei, Zhang Hong took the initiative to take a step back, saying that he could accept Cao Cao's opinion and let the priest Feng hold a wedding ceremony first.

On the issue of the ownership of the two counties of Yangzhou and Jiangbei, Zhang Hong refused to give an inch and resolutely demanded that Cao Cao give up Jiujiang and Lujiang.

The tripartite peace talks have reached an impasse. Under June, Yuzhou, Runan. Yuan Yao led his army north and joined Liu Pi and Huang Shao, who had arrived in the early stages of the Yellow Turban Army, in the lower reaches of Rushui.

Due to the sudden and frequent activities of the Yellow Turban Army in the Runan area, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei immediately led a group of men and horses to encircle and suppress in the Xincai and Ruyin areas.

The leaders of the Yellow Turban Army, Gong Du and Bao Man, encountered Zhang Fei near Gepi. The two did not dare to face the battle, and led the army to run all the way along the Lishui River, intending to meet the army of Yuan Yao and Zheng Bao first.

Before the two of them fled to Xincai, Yuan Yao received a report from the scout, and he hurriedly discussed it with Liu Ye, Liu Fu, Lu Mian and others, and then decided to set up an ambush in the hilly area twenty miles north of Xincai City, so that Gong Du could speed up his retreat, lure Zhang Fei's forward army into the encirclement, and then concentrate his forces to rob his rear army of food and grass.

Zhang Fei didn't expect that Yuan Yao, who was far away in the Lujiang River, would quietly cross the Huaishui River and was waiting for him near Xincai.

Zhang Fei led two thousand forward troops to pursue quickly, plunged into the encirclement, and suddenly the war drums rang out in unison, the arrows were like locusts, and four or five hundred people fell in a blink of an eye.

Zhang Fei was furious, did not retreat, but advanced, and commanded the army to fight bravely. In his opinion, thousands of Yellow Turban troops are vulnerable, and sooner or later they will all be dead souls under the knife.

Sure enough, the ambushed enemy seemed to be frightened by Zhang Fei's momentum, resisted for a while, turned around and fled.

Zhang Fei was excited, roared with a spear, and continued to chase with the army. But before he could catch up with Xincai City, the scouts came to report, and the rear army was ambushed by the Yellow Turban Army, suffering heavy casualties, and all the grain and grass were lost.

Zhang Fei was so angry that he gritted his teeth, and in desperation, he could only hurriedly withdraw to Runan County to Zhiping Yucheng. The first battle was won, Yuan Yao and the soldiers were elated, and surrounded Xincai City overnight.

Xin Cai Ling is a protégé of Yuan Valve, and he has met Yuan Yao several times. One of the two was in the city and the other was under the city, and after a few simple words in their throats, the new Cai Ling opened the city gate without hesitation.

The first thing we said after meeting was, are you still leaving? Yuan Yao said, I don't want to leave, but someone will drive me away.

Liu Bei would not let me stay in Runan no matter what. This new Cai Ling said, if you are determined to stay in Runan, we will help you drive Liu Bei away.

After Liu Bei's army arrived in Runan, he recruited troops and horses, and under the pretext of killing the Yellow Turban Army, he increased the collection of taxes, and also borrowed money and grain on credit from the wealthy men in Runan three times and twice.

Runan was very angry up and down, and complained to Yuan Shao in Luoyang, but Yuan Shao replied that Luoyang is now in crisis and urgently needs to borrow Liu Bei's strength to defend Yuzhou, so please understand and support you to tide over the difficulties together.

Yuan Shao's attitude made the Runan people very dissatisfied, especially after Yuan Shao would rather let Yuan Tan go to garrison Peiguo than let him sit in Runan, the Runan people felt that Yuan Shao deliberately borrowed Liu Bei's hand to loot his property, so he was even more resentful.

This new Cai Ling tried his best to persuade Yuan Yao to stay, help the Runan people drive Liu Bei away, and took the initiative to open the granary arsenal of the county seat.

The situation in Runan greatly exceeded Yuan Yao's expectations, and Yuan Yao was overjoyed, writing letters to Runan's relatives and friends, asking for their help, and discussing with Liu Ye and others how to defeat Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

There were 15,000 troops of Liu Bei stationed in Runan, but they did not have an advantage in numbers, and they did not have the support of the Runans.

However, most of Yuan Yao's subordinates are Yellow Turban Army, and if they fight face-to-face with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they have no chance of winning.

Liu Fu suggested that the Yellow Turban Army should give full play to its advantages of being familiar with the terrain of Runan and being good at guerrillas, and pull the army out into the field to fight.

As long as we seize the opportunity, repeatedly annihilate the enemy with superior forces, constantly consume the enemy's troops, food and grass, and undermine their morale, we will definitely be able to gain a foothold in Runan, and at the same time, we will be able to successfully complete the orders issued by the general.

If Yuan Yao can take Runan as the foundation, constantly expand his strength, and even occupy the entire Yuzhou, he will definitely be able to help the general quickly conquer Luoyang and take the Central Plains.

Yuan Yao followed Liu Fu's advice and led his army across Rushui and moved towards Ancheng and Northern Yichun.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei joined forces and then pursued. In late June, Henan, Xingyang. Xin Ping received an urgent report from Lu Kuang that the Northern Xinjiang Army was assembling on the east bank of Bianqu, and the camp tents were increasing day by day, and it was estimated that they would soon cross the river to attack, and asked for support.

In recent days, there have been more and more warships from the northern Xinjiang that have gathered at the Pinggao ferry on the other side of the Yellow River, and Zhang He's battle flag has also appeared in Pinggao City, and it is estimated that the northern Xinjiang army in Jizhou has been stationed in Hanoi and is preparing to cross the river to attack Henan and ask for support.

Ma Yan, who was stationed in Guancheng, also urgently reported that in the past two days, the Northern Xinjiang Iron Cavalry frequently appeared outside the city, and the Northern Xinjiang Army showed signs of attack.

The Northern Frontier Army is about to attack. While reporting to Luoyang urgently, Xin Ping replied to the guards in various places, asking them to take precautions and send more scouts to investigate to determine the real direction of attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army.

Xin Ping stood in front of the map, looking at the battlefield in Henan, quite emotional. In the spring of last year, Yan Liang and Wen Chou of the Northern Xinjiang Army suddenly entered Henan with a large army, occupied Chenggao, Aocang, Xingyang and Guancheng, and relied on this cone-shaped battlefield to support for more than two months, dragging Yuan Shao's 60,000 troops, allowing the Northern Xinjiang Army to be unimpeded, and successfully took Yanzhou.

Today, a year later, on the same battlefield, the two sides have switched positions. At the beginning, Yan Liang only had to hold on to this battlefield for two months, but I didn't know how long I had to hold on to see the situation change.

If you want to hold Luoyang, the key at present is not whether you can block the Northern Xinjiang Army in the Henan battlefield, but depends on the Guanzhong battlefield thousands of miles away.

I hope that there will be a miracle on the battlefield in Guanzhong. Two days later, Lu Kuang once again urgently reported that the camp of the Northern Xinjiang Army on the east bank of Bianqu had stretched for several miles, and the battle flags of Gao Ran and Zhang Xiu had been erected one after another, and what was even more alarming was that the battle flag of General Li Hong had also been raised high today, and the main direction of attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army was undoubtedly Aocang.

If the Northern Xinjiang Army breaks through Aocang, Xingyang will immediately fall into encirclement, and the army can only retreat to the Tiger Pass.

Xin Ping no longer hesitated, and immediately ordered Gao Xiang and Bao Mi in Xingyang City to support Ao Cang with an army of 8,000, and be sure to block the Northern Xinjiang Army on the front line of Bianqu.

On the third day after the reinforcements left Xingyang, Guancheng Ma Yan reported urgently that Yu Xuan and Chen Jian of the Northern Xinjiang Army attacked Guancheng with an army of 10,000 foot soldiers and asked for support.

The Northern Xinjiang Army attacking Guancheng only had 10,000 foot soldiers, and none of the Northern Xinjiang generals such as Liyi, Yushi, Yan Liang, and Zhao Yun were seen, nor did the Northern Xinjiang Iron Cavalry, so it was obvious that this was a feint, and they wanted to deceive themselves and let themselves throw the main force on the battlefield of Guancheng.

Xin commented back to Shu Mayan, this is a feint attack by the Northern Xinjiang Army, you have 4,000 defenders, you will definitely be able to block it. A day later, Ma Yan reported urgently.

Overnight, the strength of the Northern Frontier Army under the city has more than doubled, and the offensive is extremely fierce.

Xin Ping didn't care, the more fierce the Northern Xinjiang Army attacked, the more it could prove that their main attack direction was in Aocang. Don't worry, you'll be fine for two more days.

However, Ma Yan couldn't hold on. There are more and more Northern Frontier troops under the city, and the offensive is like a tide. The soldiers in the city suffered heavy casualties, morale was low, and the city was about to fall.

Ma Yan was so angry that he continued to ask for help, but Xin Ping was unmoved and refused to send troops. The city soon fell.

The soldiers of the Northern Army, under the command of Poison, killed Xingyang. Jump to