Chapter 1223 Shi Bao and Sima Shi
Since the Shangdang Incident, Shangdang's armies have suffered successive blows, and there has been no news of reinforcements from the imperial court for a long time. Their morale has already been extremely low.
General Guan, who arrived in Hedong first, made adjustments to the defense in Hedong and rushed to the aid of Shangdang, but did not mention Shangdang at all.
The main reason is precisely because of Wei Yan.
Since even the Central Protector could not suppress Wei Yan, General Guan knew that with his own status, it was even more impossible to make Wei Yan obey.
Otherwise, even if he holds the Emperor's Scepter and he really wants to force the order, and Wei Yan does not obey, it will only lead to more chaos among the Shangdang armies.
So under this premise, she could only acquiesce that the situation in Shangdang was irreversibly corrupted, and only wanted to save Hedong and Taiyuan first.
Wang Han’s arrangement is also based on his inability to solve the current deadlock:
To save Wei Yan, I'm afraid he will fall into a trap by the bandit army.
If Wei Yan is not rescued, the morale of the army will be unstable, and it will be difficult to defend Gaoping Pass.
In this case, it is better to let the people from the engineering camp retreat to the east of the river.
As for the impact this move will have on the army, he has no way to take it into consideration.
After all, Wang Han’s first priority is to protect the engineering camp.
As for Gaopingguan, you can observe the rules.
If you can't defend it, you may die for your country at worst.
For Wang Hanwen and Shi, the engineering camp was more important than Gaopingguan.
What he didn’t expect was that he was sent back to Wenshi, and was transferred back not long after:
“General Wang!”
“Wen Xiaowei, why are you...?”
Wenshi dismounted from his horse, walked forward quickly, and walked to Wang Han. He held Wang Han's arms tightly with a look of joy on his face:
"Zhongduhu, Zhongduhu has sent people, and the imperial reinforcements have arrived!"
"I know I know!"
Wang Han was also a little incoherent.
It’s not easy.
He almost gave up, but unexpectedly, Zhongduhu sent someone to arrive at the last moment.
Wang Han raised his head and looked behind Wen Shi, and saw a man, surrounded by several guards, looking towards him calmly with a smile.
Shi Bao was already very handsome. At this moment, when Wang Han saw this man, he felt that he was simply the most beautiful man in the world.
But when Wang Han crossed Wenshi and walked up to Shi Bao, he saluted excitedly:
“Ham pays homage to General Zhonglang.”
As for Shi Bao, Wang Han not only heard of his name but also met him before.
When General Guan swept through Bingzhou, Shi Bao contributed a lot of force.
Zhongduhu was able to clear Hedong in a short period of time, and he also relied on this person.
After the First World War in Guanzhong, Shi Bao was awarded the title of Dian Nong Zhonglang General due to his meritorious service, and was responsible for farming in Hedong, redistributing fields, clearing acres, etc.
At the same time, he is also responsible for patrolling the Hedong Salt Lake and cracking down on salt smuggling in Hedong.
Because of his cruel methods, he was called the "Stone Evil Dog" by many aristocratic families in Hedong.
Until Wei Yan attacked Shangdang, Feng Duhu appointed Shi Bao as the deputy general Zhonglang, and also as the general who conquered the east. At this time, the general who conquered the east was Jiang Wei.
Feng Duhu sent Shi Bao to Jiang Wei's side, with the obvious intention of asking Shi Bao to report the Shangdang's war situation at any time.
This is a normal thing. After all, the Central Protector is in charge of internal and external military affairs and has the right to know the battle on the front line at any time.
Moreover, no one could have imagined that the attack on Gaodu would end up like this.
It is a pity that Wei Yan was probably really jealous of Feng Duhu.
When he decided to change his original plan and intensify his attack on Gaodu, he sent Shi Bao back to Hedong to collect and supervise the transportation of grain and grass on the grounds that Shi Bao was familiar with Hedong.
The official level is overwhelming, let alone the fact that Wei Yan is the supreme commander in this battle.
Shi Bao could only obey the military order and return to the east of the river.
Who would have expected that before he could collect enough grain and grass in Hedong, Wei Yan would ask Jiang Wei to lead his troops back to Tongguan.
Shi Bao joined the army as the general who conquered the east. Logically speaking, he wanted to follow Jiang Wei to Tongguan.
But Wei Yan did not send anyone to replace Shi Bao, so Jiang Wei naturally did not dare to take him away easily.
Who would have expected that the situation in Shangdang would change suddenly, as if just overnight, the host and the guest had changed.
At that time, Wei Yan was only focused on trying to restore the situation, so how could he remember who Shi Bao was?
With no military orders coming, few troops on hand, and the situation in Hedong being equally tense, Shi Bao could do nothing but stare.
Then the Han Dynasty Joint Reserve Bureau expanded its seats. Every family in Hedong had money to contribute, grain to provide grain, and strength to contribute.
After the military order from Chang'an came over, Shi Bao, who was familiar with Hedong, finally didn't have to contradict him this time.
Because he wanted to assist Jiang Bin, the governor of Hedong, and Zhang Bao, the general of Anhan, and others to prepare food and fodder for the army coming from Chang'an.
General Guan rushed to Taiyuan and did not have to worry about food and grass, precisely because Hedong had made preparations in advance.
It wasn’t until Feng Duhu came to Tongguan and took over the entire battle that Shi Bao truly regained his organization.
Feng Duhu was still waiting for Li Qiugufu to lead his army. When he learned that Gaoping Pass had not been lost and he had no extra troops on hand.
So he ordered Shi Bao and Hu Zun to lead the Tuchen Army, one of the Chinese troops left in Hedong by General Guan, to go to Gaoping Pass first.
Although the Storm Front Army is a new army, it also has some veterans who have served as its base.
Facing elite rebel troops, it may not be feasible to fight in the field, but if you defend according to danger, there shouldn't be much of a problem.
The most important thing is that in these days, the Shangdang armies have been scattered and defeated.
The life and death of the coach Wei Yan is unknown, and Wei Chang, who was supposed to stay at Gaoping Pass, is isolated and helpless outside the city.
The officers and soldiers in Guancheng were in a state of confusion and low morale.
The arrival of reinforcements led by Shi Bao and Hu Zun was like a shot in the arm, allowing them to finally see hope.
But I saw the stone bud supporting Wang Han:
“General Wang, thank you for your hard work!”
While he helped Wang Han up, he patted Wang Han's arm hard.
Turning around and looking around, Shi Bao said to Wang Han:
“General Wang, the war is of paramount importance, so I don’t need to be polite. Please tell me first what is the current situation of the war.”
Wang Han did not dare to neglect and hurriedly explained the battle situation in detail.
After hearing this, Shi Bao walked to the heights of Guancheng and looked down at the Wei army below Guancheng.
After confirming that the Wei army had not made preparations to attack the city, Shi Bao turned around again and said to Wang Han:
“General Wang, please invite all the generals and commanders above in the army to come over.”
As soon as Wang Han heard this, he quickly responded.
At the same time, he couldn't help but secretly thought that General Shi was quite aggressive in his actions.
When all the generals and generals arrived, Shi Bao stood on a high place and said straight to the point:
“Commanders, I am the deputy commander of the army. I have been ordered by the Central Protector to come to reinforce Gaoping Pass!”
Although it was rumored that the imperial court had sent reinforcements, when they saw the leader of the reinforcements with their own eyes, everyone still started a commotion.
Shi Bao held the tiger talisman in front of the crowd and continued:
“In the face of a powerful enemy, all the officers and men ignored the danger and suffered heavy casualties without retreating. The imperial court knows the bravery of all the officers and men!”
"The Central Protector sent me here with special words: The fault of the superior party was not that the soldiers were not killed, but that the thieves were too cunning."
“The officers and soldiers of the Hedong Dudu Mansion faced an enemy several times stronger and defended Gaoping Pass in times of danger. Their loyalty and bravery set an example.”
…
These words showed that the imperial court did not give up on them, and the Central Protector did not blame them, and even meant to commend them.
Seeing this, Shi Bao drew out his long sword and swore:
"A certain incompetent person has been entrusted by the Central Protector to come and guard Gaoping Pass with all the officers. I hope that I can work together with all the officers and men to defeat the thieves and make new achievements!"
"If the thief does not retreat, I will not retreat either. If the thief retreats, then I will finally be able to drink the wine of victory with you!"
The soldiers of the Hedong Dudu Mansion, whose morale had reached rock bottom, finally began to rebound.
Triumph?
Do they still have hope of triumph?
Shi Bao shouted: "The Central Protector has now gathered hundreds of thousands of soldiers at Tongguan. The army will arrive in the near future. By then, we will surely destroy the traitors and return in triumph!"
“Triumph?”
“Triumph!”
Proclaimed his identity, expressed his determination to defend Gaoping Pass, brought the attitude of the court, plus the arrival of reinforcements.
Let the remaining soldiers of the Hedong Dudu Mansion be in high spirits.
After boosting the morale of the officers and pacifying the army, Shi Bao asked the generals to go back and reorganize the army and obey orders at any time.
Wang Han was left alone and said:
"When I arrived, General Wang asked Lieutenant Wen to lead his army back, and he was reorganizing his army to leave the city. Could it be that he already had a death wish?"
Wang Han was silent for a while, then he smiled bitterly and sighed:
"If Zhonglang hadn't arrived in time, I would have been unable to do anything. What else could I do but fight to the death?"
"Oh?" Shi Bao raised his eyebrows and looked at Wang Han meaningfully, "Then how does General Wang feel now?"
Wang Han didn’t notice Shi Bao’s eyes and just said:
"The Central Protector sent General Zhonglang here. I think he must have made a decision and will not obey the arrangements of General Zhonglang."
“Including continuing to organize the army out of the city?”
"Huh?" Wang Han finally felt that something was not right after hearing this. He raised his head and looked at Shi Bao, "What does Zhonglang mean by this?"
Shi Bao smiled, turned around, looked down at Guancheng again, cast his eyes on the Wei army camp, and said in a deep tone:
“General Wang, please see, the bandits’ current arrangement is to focus on the north and ignore the south.”
"From this arrangement, it seems that the thieves not only want to prevent General Wei from entering the city, but also strictly prevent the defenders in the pass from leaving the pass to respond."
Wang Han followed and walked up.
Over the past few days, he has seen the layout of the Wei army under the city countless times.
"What General Zhonglang said is true. But even if we know the traitor's plan, we still have to find a way to rescue General Wei, otherwise..."
The words were not finished, but Shi Bao understood.
"But it's different now." Shi Bao interrupted, "General Hu and I led the army, and the traitor..."
Shi Bao stretched out his hand and pointed at the foot of Guan City, "The thief still hasn't responded."
Shi Bao turned his head and looked at Wang Han:
“This is the opportunity!”
Wang Han was immediately surprised: "What does the general Zhonglang mean?"
Shi Bao said word by word: "Get out of the city and defeat the thief!"
Wang Han was stunned and a little unbelievable:
“But, General Zhonglang, the soldiers have just arrived here.”
"So I need your help." Shi Bao emphasized, "Even you can't think of us doing this, so the thieves can't even think of it."
The arrival of reinforcements must not be hidden from the Wei thieves outside the city.
When tomorrow comes, as soon as they are on guard, the opportunity will be fleeting.
"I brought back the engineering battalion, so now General Wang, you have three thousand elite soldiers."
Shi Bao began to tell him his plan, "So we can follow your original plan, General Wang, and send troops to the north to meet General Wei."
Wang Han didn't speak, he was waiting for Shi Bao to reveal his next plan.
Shi Bao turned his head and looked to the other side.
Hu Zun, who had been standing there without speaking, clasped his fists:
“Just give me the order, Commander-in-Chief.”
Shi Bao smiled slightly:
"But it was not General Wang who broke out to the north, but General Hu and his Tuchen army."
When Wang Han heard this, he quickly said:
“General Zhonglang, Chen’s army has just arrived, and the soldiers are very tired. How can they shoulder the important task?”
"The engineering battalion has three thousand elite soldiers. We have accumulated elites for a long time. It's time for them to be used. Let me go!"
Shi Bao held Wang Han down and shook his head:
"General Wang, it is precisely because your three thousand elites have other uses that I asked the Tuchen Army to break through to the north."
“Is there anyone else useful?”
"Exactly." Shi Bao stood at the top of the city and pointed to the south. "Did you see that although the traitor is focused on the north, his flag is in the south."
"I know that the three thousand elite soldiers under General Wang's command were sent by the Central Protectorate. They are rare elite soldiers."
"So," Shi Bao said with emphasis, "I want you to unexpectedly rush south when the thieves think we are going to meet General Wei and entangle General Hu with all our strength."
Hearing this, Hu Zun and Wang Han finally understood:
“Zhonglang thought this was the west and showed it to the east?”
“No, this is to show the north while wanting the south!”
Shi Bao’s eyes stared at the two of them closely:
"The sudden attack on Chen's army is a feint attack. If you use too much force, you will be trapped in a tight siege. If you don't use enough force, you will not be able to attract the thieves, and it will even be difficult to retreat into the city."
“And as General Wang said, the Tuchen Army has just arrived and it is a new army, so General Hu, you have to grasp the balance and be extremely careful.”
Hu Zun smiled casually when he heard this:
"General Zhonglang, don't worry. Although the Tuchen Army is a new army, it is for elite soldiers like the Tiger Infantry Wudang Army."
“It’s just a feint attack, it’s not a real breakthrough. I have been leading the troops since they formed the army. No one knows them better than me. I know it well.”
Shi Bao nodded: "That's good, don't worry, I will pay attention to the two generals at the top of the city. If there is any disharmony, I will immediately go to support them."
"Two generals, please also pay attention to the top of Guancheng. I will send you news at any time."
Without further delay, Shi Bao, Hu Zun, Wang Han and the other three are not mediocre people, and they all know the principle of speed in fighting.
After deliberation, take action immediately.
Sima Division just learned that a supporting force seemed to have arrived at Gaoping Pass, but it was unknown how many people there were.
As soon as the gate was closed, a Han army rushed down, with a very clear purpose, and headed towards the hilltop where the remaining Han army was guarding.
After sensing the Han army’s intentions, Sima Division’s first reaction was:
"No! The bandits are trying to take Wei Yan back to the pass while we are not paying attention!"
According to common sense, when reinforcements first arrive, they usually need to take a rest.
The first is to restore physical strength, and the second is to readjust defense.
The rebels acted so unconventionally, and it was obvious that they wanted to catch themselves off guard.
Don’t forget, the original defenders in Gaoping Pass had intended to break out.
"Come here, please pass on my military orders immediately, then mobilize your troops and go to support. Be sure to stop the rebel army!"
“Here!”
After the messengers left, Master Sima frowned, with a little worry in his eyes and a look of fear on his face:
"It's coming too fast. How could the thieves' reinforcements come so fast?"
This was his first time leading an army. In line with the principle of being cautious in everything, Sima Shi became somewhat hesitant.
(End of this chapter)