"Ge Yiren?"
In the Juyong Pass Grand Camp, Niu Ben held a letter. It was a secret message Lu Fei had just received.
As he was preparing to sally forth, a furtive servant outside the city caught his attention. Suspecting the man to be a spy, he immediately sent men to apprehend him.
Unexpectedly, this servant handed him a secret letter, claiming they were sent by Ge Yiren.
"General, who is this Ge Yiren?" Niu Ben knew nothing about the officials in Chang'an.
Niu Ben placed the secret letter on a candle, burning it to ashes. Then he said, "This Ge Yiren is from the Ge family of Chang'an. It is said he has some private connections with Elder Fiji and once served as the Left Grand Imperial Secretary in court."
"Left Grand Imperial Secretary?" Lu Fei exclaimed, "That's a first-rank official, a powerful minister!"
Luo Hong, having served as a general in Chang'an, was naturally familiar with Ge Yiren. He said, "This Ge Yiren is very good at shifting with the wind. Now that he has sent news of Prince Zhao's intention to attack Juyong Pass, he must be aiming for future opportunism."
Niu Ben said, "Regardless of Ge Yiren's character, if this is true, we must take precautions early. Now that Prince Liang and Prince Yan are dead, he probably can't sit still. It's inevitable that he might collude with the barbarians now, like a cornered dog."
"Yes, General," the generals said in unison.
After a pause, Niu Ben continued, "Bai Mu, you immediately dispatch hussars to find the whereabouts of Prince Zhao's army. The rest of you will hold Juyong Pass with this general."
The generals received their orders and departed.
Niu Ben then had Lu Fei count the number of soldiers in Juyong Pass and deploy the city's defenses.
To take Juyong Pass this time, Lu Fei had brought only 30,000 elite troops, plus Qi Guangyi's and Bai Mu's cavalry, totaling 70,000 men. The remaining soldiers were in Qingzhou City.
Now that Prince Liang was dead, attacking Qingzhou City made no sense. Prince Zhao's dispatch of troops to Juyong Pass at this moment was undoubtedly well-considered.
With Prince Liang and Prince Yan dead, the only one who could lend him a hand was the barbarians. If Juyong Pass was lost, the barbarians could only attack Xiao Ming's army through his fiefdom.
Yuanzhou.
This was a military stronghold in Zhao, adjacent to Liang, located 200 li northwest of Chang'an. From here, it was 180 li west to Qingzhou, and 150 li northeast to Juyong Pass. Ever since Prince Qi's army invaded Liang, this place had become unprecedentedly bustling, with large numbers of soldiers from all over Zhao entering the city.
"Your Royal Highness, now 120,000 troops have been assembled in the city, including 20,000 musketeers, 30,000-50,000 cavalry, and 50,000 archers and shieldmen."
Inside the Yuanzhou Grand Camp, a group of Zhao generals gathered. Zhao Yuanliang sat in the main seat, listening to the generals' insights on the battle.
"Zheng Chengwen has sent word that the 100,000 troops the Golden Horde lent him are still under his command. At that time, we can attack Juyong Pass from the inside, and they can attack Juyong Pass from the outside. In this way, with attacks from both inside and outside, those meager forces at Juyong Pass will surely not be able to hold out," Zhao Yuanliang said thoughtfully.
This time, Prince Qi's army fought all the way from Yunzhou City to Qingzhou, which greatly alarmed the officials and generals in Chang'an.
Because Qingzhou City was less than 200 li north of Chang'an City. In just a few days, Prince Qi's army could reach Chang'an City.
Facing Prince Qi's relentless advance, Prince Zhao had no choice but to withdraw troops from Bashu and send them to Yuanzhou City, preparing to attack Juyong Pass and Qingzhou City to prevent Prince Qi's army from moving south.
But unexpectedly, Zheng Chengwen suddenly dispatched a messenger. The two quickly agreed to launch a fierce attack on Juyong Pass.
While taking Juyong Pass, they also opened a passage for the Golden Horde to move south.
"Your Royal Highness, there are only 30,000 Qi army soldiers in Juyong Pass. An attack of 200,000 on Juyong Pass will surely succeed," a general said.
Zhao Yuanliang narrowed his eyes. He said, "Speed is of the essence. General Deng has already led 50,000 men to Juyong Pass. The rest of you, immediately rush to reinforce him. Additionally, General Zhao will immediately lead 20,000 Black Armored Iron Cavalry to Qingzhou City to prevent the Qingzhou City army from reinforcing Juyong Pass."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness."
The generals received their orders and immediately returned to prepare. That day, two large armies set off from Yuanzhou City, heading respectively for Qingzhou City (Liang Capital) and Juyong Pass.
Three days later, Prince Zhao's grand army arrived at Juyong Pass. What they saw were Prince Qi's soldiers covering the city walls.
"General, they've come." Lu Fei put down his telescope.
On the horizon, some shieldmen wearing black armor first appeared in everyone's sight, and besides them, there were some archers.
And mixed among these soldiers were some cannons pulled by horses.
This was not the first time Lu Fei had seen such a sight. Prince Zhao's army was densely packed, like ants crawling out of a disturbed nest, making one's scalp tingle. They formed neat square formations, their long spears and short swords held vertically, shouting morale-boosting slogans. The shouts came from afar, like rolling thunder.
"Do not underestimate Prince Zhao's forces. Among the many vassal princes, Prince Zhao has always been known for his prowess in warfare, and this time, the one leading the troops is Zhao's great general, Deng Yuan." Niu Ben's expression was grave.
These past three days, they had continuously sent men to scout, and they had basically learned the details of this army that had set off from Yuanzhou.
Hearing the name Deng Yuan, Luo Hong and Luo Xin's faces were even graver than Xiao Ming's. This Deng Fei was from a military family, and had repeatedly led Zhao's army to defeat invading barbarian forces, rarely suffering defeat.
This time, Prince Zhao had appointed Deng Yuan as the main general to lead over 100,000 soldiers in attack, so they had to be extra vigilant.
After all, there were only about 70,000 men in Juyong Pass now, and they also noticed movement on the grasslands. Zheng Chengwen had not gone far but had been waiting for an opportunity.
This time, they might face a war with vastly disparate numbers.
"Luo Xin, when the time comes, fire those cannons at them fiercely!" Niu Ben instructed Luo Xin. Having experienced several battles, Niu Ben grew fonder of cannons, because cannons had a long range and great destructive power, capable of killing many enemies in every battle.
"Yes," Luo Xin shouted. Although Juyong Pass only had 30,000 musketeers this time, almost all of the artillery from the western campaign were concentrated in Juyong Pass. Over 300 field guns were enough to give Prince Zhao's attacking army a tough time.
With clear division of labor for each general, the rest was just waiting. And as Prince Zhao's army approached, the atmosphere of war grew heavier.
"Boom, boom..."
In front of Juyong Pass was a wide, open area. The rumbling footsteps of Prince Zhao's army continuously echoed. At three li from Juyong Pass, Prince Zhao's army suddenly stopped.
Then, Prince Zhao's army began to encamp around Juyong Pass, intending to wear down Juyong Pass for some time.