The Nameless of the Common Clans

Jiang Qi's death was just a chance achievement for Ma Dai, but for the whole of Henei, one of the two men who had the power to mobilize troops was trapped and the other was killed in battle. The troops in the counties of Henei were left without a commander. Cui Geng took advantage of the situation to occupy Yewang, Heyang, Pinggao, and all the prefectures and counties, and his troops were directed to Huai County, the county seat.

Within ten days, half of Henei was captured by the Guanzhong army. The defenders of the counties hardly resisted, and Yan Liang's food supply was completely cut off.

The encirclement was complete. Although Wen County was not completely surrounded, Gao Shun asked Ma Dai to bring some surrendered soldiers. He did not arrange for them to be internal support. He just let them know the current situation in Henei and put them in the city to persuade Yan Liang to surrender.

These surrendered soldiers had already surrendered after being defeated, and did not understand why Gao Shun let them go back. They went straight to Wen County and asked Yan Liang to take them into the city.

After confirming that there were no ambushes around, Yan Liang had people take them to the city with ropes.

"You are Jiang Qi's generals, where is Jiang Qi now?" Yan Liang summoned these people and asked.

These people naturally did not dare to say that they had surrendered and were released by the enemy. They only said that Jiang Qi was defeated in Chen County and Bo County due to insufficient troops. When he fled to Wen County, he met Guanzhong general Ma Dai, Jiang Qi was killed, and the remaining soldiers fled. They fled all the way to Wen County.

The death of Jiang Qi made Yan Liang feel a little guilty. If he could give more troops to Jiang Qi, Jiang Qi might not have died in this way. But if it were not for the sufficient troops on his side, Wen County might have followed the footsteps of Chen County and Bo County at this moment. The Guanzhong army came this time with great momentum, but the lord was not well prepared, and the troops guarding Henei were far from enough.

Of course, this is also because Henei has experienced several wars, and most of the population was taken away by Chen Mo. The big families in Henei, such as the Sima family, have gone to Yecheng to seek refuge. Although there are countless fertile fields, this place has become the frontier of the confrontation between Yuan Shao and Chen Mo. Even the population that stayed behind, those who are capable, have also migrated to the north. Today, the population of Henei is much less than before.

Chen Mo wants Henei, and he also hopes to have a place on the north bank that can exert enough strength. Yuan Shao obviously does not care too much about Henei after losing its population. Yan Liang stationed troops here because he found that Chen Mo frequently mobilized troops after the failure of capturing Chenggao, so he let Yan Liang and Jiang Qi stay here to guard against Chen Mo's attack, otherwise, it would be easier for Chen Mo to take Henei than it is now.

From the perspective of reaction speed, the gap between Yuan Shao and Chen Mo and Cao Cao was reflected in this battle. Chen Mo and Cao Cao mobilized troops more smoothly and timely, while Yuan Shao's reaction speed and adaptability were undoubtedly half a step slower. Yan Liang's letter for help had been sent to Yecheng for several days. At this time, Yuan Shao just began to mobilize troops and ordered Han Meng to lead the army to help. But even if the reinforcements arrived and could save Huai County, it would not be easy to lift the siege of Wen County.

After Yan Liang learned that Wen County had become an isolated city, he felt a little heavy, but he was quite confident in defending Wen County. After all, Wen County was strong and had sufficient food and grass. Even if the enemy cut off the food supply, it would be enough to support it for a long time, enough for Yuan Shao to attack back. Now he just needed to hold on.

However, the rumor that all the counties around Wen County were under attack gradually spread in the army, and the uneasy mood spread as time went by without any reinforcements arriving.

Perhaps in Yan Liang's eyes, this was not a big deal, but the soldiers and civilians defending the city began to worry about their future. Although Chen Mo's reputation was better and he had never massacred the city, who could guarantee it in such a chaotic world?

Moreover, after the city was broken, it was difficult to restrain the soldiers attacking the city.

Such uneasy emotions became more and more serious as time went by. Even though Gao Shun had not attacked the city, the reinforcements and food and grass in the rear were not sent. Morale began to decline and some people began to flee. When Yan Liang realized that something was wrong, such uneasy emotions were already difficult to appease.

"General, Han Meng has led the army to Huai County. General Cui was defeated and retreated to the prefecture and county. Looking at Han Meng's posture, it seems that he is going to kill all the way to retake the city. General Cui sent people to ask for help." Several deputy generals did not know why Gao Shun surrounded Wen County but hesitated to attack. Now Han Meng came to kill. If Han Meng attacked Licheng, the siege of Wen County would naturally collapse, and all the efforts made before would be in vain.

"Pass on my military order. Attack the city tomorrow morning. Wen County must be taken in one battle!" Gao Shun nodded, stood up and said loudly.

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the generals bowed and responded immediately. Although they were surprised why Gao Shun did not attack the city after besieging it for so long, but attacked the city at this time, and given the solidity of Wen County, even if the Guanzhong army was strong, it would be difficult to take it in one battle, right?

But Gao Shun's military order had been issued, and the generals did not dare to neglect it. They immediately issued an order to prepare for the siege.

The next morning, when Yan Liang was inspecting the city as usual, the Guanzhong army appeared in his sight, forming a neat formation. When large siege equipment such as catapults, wells, battering rams, and ladders continued to appear on the battlefield, Yan Liang did not care. With the solidity of Wen County, it would be no problem to defend for more than a month.

However, when the soldiers officially started and the charge horn sounded, and the dark mass of Guanzhong troops pushed various equipment to attack the city, Yan Liang, who had been in battle for a long time, realized that something was wrong. The morale of the soldiers defending the city was low and they were unable to fight. No matter how Yan Liang tried to boost morale, it was useless. People's hearts had been scattered during this period of time. As the commander, Yan Liang not only failed to notice it in time, he had not even done much to boost morale. Now, if he wanted to encourage people on the battlefield, he could not do it. In a rage, Yan Liang even killed several generals to intimidate the army, but to little avail.

As soon as the battle started, the defenders could feel the obvious decline. Although they successfully blocked the first fierce attack, they paid a lot of price. Yan Liang was furious and personally took up his sword to continuously kill the Guanzhong army that rushed to the top of the city. The ring-headed sword in his hand was chopped until the blade was bent, but the Guanzhong army was as powerful as the tide. Yan Liang was only one person after all. How could he stop the Guanzhong army that rushed up like the tide with high morale?

When the war lasted until noon, Yan Liang also began to be exhausted. He was already famous for his bravery, but he was still a flesh and blood body after all. How many Guanzhong soldiers could he kill by himself? A faint sense of powerlessness lingered in his heart. He would lose! The thought that Wen County might not be able to be defended kept popping up in his mind, and the sword in his hand seemed to have lost its power. As time went by, the feeling of powerlessness became heavier.

Perhaps Yan Liang never dreamed that one day he would be so rude in battle. The indomitable momentum of the past seemed to have disappeared, and it was difficult for him to muster it up no matter how hard he tried.

Gao Shun could clearly sense the state of the defenders. After looking at the sky, Gao Shun turned his head and looked at the flag officer: "Entrapment Camp... Attack!"

"Yes!"

The flag officer agreed and waved the flag repeatedly.

"Woo~"

The horn sound with strange penetrating power was still clear even in the noisy battlefield. The Guanzhong army attacking the city spontaneously separated a path, and an armored army rushed out of the army and headed straight for the second wall.

Yan Liang, who was fighting, felt the pressure suddenly relieved and his mind was slightly relaxed, but when he saw the nightmare-like army appear in his sight, he suddenly felt cold all over.

It can't be defended!

Yan Liang's heart was cold. Although the knife was still moving, his heart gradually sank. His already shaken faith was completely destroyed with the appearance of this army.

On the river bank that day, this army shocked him too much. With twice the number of troops as the enemy, and at a time when morale was high, they were killed by the enemy and fled in panic. Even Yan Liang, who was known for his bravery, found it difficult to muster the courage to face such an army.

His confidence, which had already been destroyed, was completely lost when this army appeared.

"Withdraw!" Yan Liang gritted his teeth. With the appearance of this army, Wen County, which was already shaky, might not be able to be defended. He chose the wisest approach. Since it was difficult to defend, he would retain his manpower and deal with the enemy.

When the defeat was certain, it was understandable to make such a choice, but when a military general known for his passion and bravery chose such a rational approach, it was tragic for the general himself.

"Yan Liang is useless, there is no need to be afraid!" When Gao Shun learned that Yan Liang led his troops to escape from the east gate, he did not ask anyone to intercept him, but only ordered people to light the wolf smoke and let Ma Dai lead the cavalry to follow and pursue.

No one understood what Gao Shun meant by this sentence. Perhaps it was just a declaration of the victor. However, in the subsequent battles with the Jizhou Army, it was gradually discovered that this famous general from Hebei, who was once the bravest among the three armies, seemed to be no longer as powerful as the legend once said.

Of course, this is a later story. The war has not yet ended, and Wen County has not been completely occupied, so it is not considered a victory. Although Gao Shun used troops sharply, he was more cautious. He was not famous for his personal bravery, but every time he fought, he was invincible.

The young general who was ignored in Luoyang and was only responsible for training troops in Xiyuan, now returned to the Central Plains, and in the first battle, he killed the famous general from Hebei, who was famous all over the world, without any chance to fight back. Gao Shun's name will probably be awe-inspiring in the world from now on. Of course, Chen Mo's ability to judge people may be admired by the world after this battle.

After Gao Shun entered the city, he immediately assembled the Xianzhen Camp and said in a deep voice: "Pass on my military order. Those who kill civilians without permission will be beheaded! Those who plunder civilian property will be beheaded! Those who take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos will be beheaded!"

The first thing Gao Shun did after entering the city was to enforce strict military discipline. In this chaotic world, it is actually very common for the army to break through the city and take advantage of the opportunity to plunder property. This is almost a default rule. There are not many generals like Gao Shun who strictly control their troops in this era, and even fewer can control them. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the only one.

The Xianzhen Camp immediately received the order and quickly formed teams of ten people to disperse into the city to control the three armies. Gao Shun sent people to Luoyang to report. In this battle, Henei was Chen Mo's clear territory and the battlefield for the subsequent battle with Yuan Shao. Now that Wen County has been taken, it has a foundation on the north bank, and Chen Mo's army can cross the river in a large scale.