The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Chapter 297: Bloody Battle at Xiaoguan (Part 1)

At this time, the land of Guanzhong was engulfed in flames of war and filled with smoke.

After Zhang Han successfully defeated Li Ze and others on the Liyang front, morale was greatly boosted. He led an army of 200,000 to pursue the victory.

Zhang Han was already well-versed in military tactics, and had accumulated rich experience in leading troops in battles during this period. It was easy for him to fight against the army of less than 20,000 led by Li Ze and Li Feng.

Li Ze's troops fled all the way north. They were panicked and unable to resist.

The soldiers threw away their weapons and armor, looking miserable and desperate. An atmosphere of despair permeated the ranks.

Zhang Han's army chased Li Ze and others like hungry wolves, all the way to the Zhengguo Canal area.

Here the river valley is deep, the road is rugged, narrow and long, like a winding giant python, stretching across the earth. The army marched with difficulty, the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps echoing in the valley, deafening.

Zhang Han stood on the high slope, looking at the road ahead with a frown on his face. He knew that this place was not conducive to the passage and fighting of the army, and if he forced the pursuit, he might suffer an accident.

Finally, Zhang Han gritted his teeth and ordered Xinxin to withdraw his troops.

Li Ze and Li Feng fled to a hidden valley. The remaining troops, less than 6,000 in number, were sitting on the ground exhausted, gasping for breath.

Li Ze stood at the valley entrance, gazing into the distance, his eyes gleaming with resentment and self-blame. He clenched his fists and said in a low voice, "This defeat is all due to my poor command, which has implicated all the soldiers."

Li Feng patted his shoulder and consoled him, "Brother Li Ze, don't blame yourself. Zhang Han is already very powerful, and we are outnumbered. We are lucky to have escaped here. Now we need to re-strategize and find a way to defeat the enemy."

Zhang Han's original intention was to completely wipe out Li Ze's army in order to eliminate the great threat to him.

After getting rid of this group of rebels, he can lead his troops to continue advancing until they reach Xiaoguan.

However, at this moment, in the city of Xianyang, thousands of miles away, in the magnificent palace, Qin II Hu Hai was sitting on the dragon throne.

When he received the battle report from Zhang Han, he smiled contemptuously. In his eyes, Li Ze and the others were just a bunch of defeated soldiers and were not to be feared at all.

"Humph! Such a mob is like an egg hitting a rock!" Hu Hai snorted disdainfully.

Immediately, he issued an imperial decree: ordering Zhao Ben to lead 30,000 elite northern troops to rush to the Zhengguo Canal area to station and defend.

The eunuch beside him hurried forward to take it, and then hurried away to convey the emperor's will.

However, Hu Hai still felt that this was not safe enough. After a moment's contemplation, he made another decision - to withdraw 50,000 soldiers from the huge army led by Zhang Han and transfer them back to the capital, Xianyang, to specifically guard the safety of the imperial capital.

After all, Xianyang is the heart of the Qin Empire and must not be lost.

Not long after, the second urgent edict was delivered to Zhang Han at full speed.

When the imperial edict was unfolded, it clearly stated: Zhang Han is ordered to lead the remaining troops immediately and rush to Xiaoguan to support General Feng Jie.

Zhang Han stared at the successive imperial edicts in his hands, feeling helpless. But the emperor's orders could not be disobeyed, and as a subject, he had no choice but to obey. Despite his reluctance, he clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and loudly issued the order for the troops to depart immediately.

For a moment, the entire military camp was busy. Soldiers packed their bags and sorted out their equipment. The sound of horses' hooves resounded through the sky, and flags fluttered, covering the sky.

At this moment, Xiaoguan seemed to be shrouded in a heavy and depressing haze, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Meng Tian sat upright in the tent, his eyes fixed on Xiao Guan's every move.

Meng Tian frowned slightly at this moment, thinking to himself, "Feng Jie is known for his cautious approach. He would never act rashly without absolute certainty. However, the situation is urgent now, and we must find a way to break the deadlock..."

Having made up his mind, Meng Tian acted decisively and secretly sent his personal guard Meng Da to a nearby village to try to get in touch with the local mountain people.

Soon after, several mountain people were quietly brought into the tent.

Monta stood in front of the table and placed a bulging, heavy bag heavily on the table.

As the bag fell to the ground, there was a dull sound. It was obvious that it was filled with yellow money and dazzling jewels.

The personal guard, Meng Da, raised his head, looked around, and fixed his gaze on the villagers in front of him. He said slowly, "Everyone, if you can follow our instructions, create chaos within the pass, and spread certain information, then this bag full of gold, silver and treasure will be yours!"

After saying that, Meng Da gently patted the bag containing the treasure.

The mountain people looked at each other and saw a flash of greed in each other's eyes.

After a brief silence, they began to whisper in low voices, as if weighing the pros and cons.

After a heated discussion, the mountain people finally reached a consensus and nodded in agreement to accept the task.

At the same time, Meng Tian issued another order, asking his soldiers to tie the important news that the late emperor had designated Fusu as the successor to the throne to extremely sharp bows and arrows.

After everything was ready, five thousand well-trained archers lined up in front of the battle.

With a command, bowstrings sounded and a rain of arrows poured down into Xiaoguan City like a swarm of locusts.

Inside the majestic Xiaoguan Pass, sunlight shines on the ancient and sturdy city walls, casting a mottled light and shadow.

Teams of soldiers in uniform, armed with spears, were patrolling along the city walls and checkpoints.

At this moment, a sharp sound of breaking through the air suddenly rang out, breaking the silence.

I saw black arrows falling from the sky like lightning, piercing straight into the hard ground, and the arrow tails were trembling slightly due to the huge impact force.

A soldier who was responsible for patrolling the area heard the noise and immediately hurried forward to check.

As he bent down to pick up the mysterious arrow, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a piece of cloth tied to it.

Driven by curiosity, he untied the cloth and carefully read the words written on it.

However, as he read deeper, his eyes widened, and the originally calm expression on his face was instantly replaced by extreme shock.

"How...how is this possible?" the soldier muttered in disbelief, clutching the piece of cloth tightly in his hand.

Seeing this, the other soldiers gathered around.

"Show us quickly! What kind of news can scare you like this?" an anxious soldier couldn't help but urge.

The soldier who got the cloth handed it to everyone with trembling hands, and the surrounding soldiers leaned over to watch.

Just one glance and they were stunned, followed by exclamations one after another.

&34;Oh my god, is this true?&34;

&34;I couldn't believe my eyes!&34;

For a moment, the soldiers began to whisper to each other and talk.

All kinds of speculations and doubts filled the air, and the tense atmosphere hung over everyone's heart like a dark cloud.