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Chapter 278 Huo Guang retreats

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    In Guishan City in the Western Region, the city walls are in ruins and corpses litter the fields.  If it weren't for the somewhat damaged Han flag on the dilapidated city wall, people would even think that the place had been conquered by the Parthian army.

    It is now more than a month after the witchcraft case occurred.  The number of people in Chang'an who have been implicated in Gongsun He's witchcraft case has reached over a thousand, many of whom are important officials from powerful families. Just a few days ago, even Chang Ping Hou Wei and his wife, as well as Princess Yangshi and Princess Zhuyi were also implicated.  Got involved.

    Prince Liu Zhi's intervention did not seem to control the situation, but the situation was still developing out of control.

    At this moment, the outer city of Guishan City has become dilapidated. Large sections of the city wall have collapsed. Corpses have piled up on both sides of the city wall. There are soldiers under Huo Guang's command and soldiers from Anxi.  At this time, the two sides had been fighting here for more than three months, and the total number of casualties on both sides was no less than 60,000 to 70,000.

    Outside the outer city wall, several strange machines are embedded in the broken city wall.  This kind of equipment is entirely made of iron. It looks like a simple frame with a crossbeam fixed on it. A thick and huge iron column weighing several thousand kilograms is hung with an iron chain. One end of the iron column is connected to a  A long chain.

    The Parthian Army transported this kind of equipment to the city wall, and then thousands of people dragged the iron chain from behind, pulled up the huge iron pillar high, and then let go and used the huge inertia of the iron pillar to hit the city wall.  This kind of pendulum-like siege equipment is so huge that it is unimaginable that the originally strong Guishan city wall will collapse after a few hits.

    In Guishan City, Huo Guang and others were taking a short rest after the battle.  Both sides were exhausted from this protracted battle. Every day, the armies of both sides fought inside and outside the city walls, and finally repaired their respective parts in a tacit understanding.

    The only good thing is that because this is a city defense battle, Anxi's most powerful armored cavalry has never been able to be used.  So although the battle was a bit brutal, Huo Guang's side was still able to handle it with ease.

    "Grand Governor, news from Chang'an." Dongfang Shuo hurriedly approached Huo Guang and raised the envelope in his hands.

    "Is this the progress of the witchcraft case again?" Huo Guang asked as he took the envelope from Dongfang Shuo.  Huo Guang had received news about Gongsun He's witchcraft case half a month ago. Although the battle in Guishan City is fierce now, the news channels are still open.

    Dongfang Shuo did not answer, but looked at the fire paint seal with a special mark on Huo Guang's hand.

    Huo Guang subconsciously glanced at the sealing paint. The mark on it was a bird from mythology and legend. This bird looked like a phoenix, but its feather crest and tail were different from those of the phoenix. This was a divine bird called Qingluan.  .

    Qingluan mostly refers to a woman or a messenger. Because of this meaning, it was chosen by Huo Tang as a symbol of identity.  In other words, this is a handwritten letter sent by Huo Tang.  Huo Guang had received no more than three autograph letters like this since he left Chang'an.

    Huo Guang opened the envelope and looked at the contents of the letter solemnly. The more he read, the more frightened he became.  Huo Tang's autographed letter records the latest situation of the witchcraft case, and it also contains some clues that Huo Tang discovered.  "I have implicated so many people I really underestimate this person"

    "Prepare the pen and ink." Huo Guang stood up and threw the letter into the brazier.

    Soon Huo Guang wrote three letters himself. After packing the three letters, he carefully sealed them with fire paint. Finally, Huo Guang took out a goose egg-sized seal from his arms and placed them in three places.  The fire paint was stamped with his unique seal.

    "Send to Chang'an immediately. This is for the Hou Mansion. This letter is for Fuli Hou. This letter is in the hands of Marquis Wanguan." Huo Guang wrote Anyang, Fuli and Wan Guan on the envelopes respectively.  Afterwards, he handed the letter to Dongfang Shuo.

    "I'll do it now." Dongfang Shuo bowed slightly and took the three letters.  No one knew what was written in the letter Huo Guang burned just now, but everyone could tell from Huo Guang's expression that he was extremely anxious.

    "Pass me an order to order Zhao Ponu to lead 30,000 Hexi troops out of Yangguan and stationed in Wu'an City." Huo Guang said, and Sima Qian immediately wrote it down.  Nowadays, in addition to writing historical materials, Sima Qian is also involved in drafting documents and other things. In this tragic war, Sima Qian cannot stay out of it, so he naturally has the ability to contribute.

    "Bai Zheng." Huo Guang continued to call Bai Zheng's name.

    "The end is here." Bai Zheng bowed and clasped his fists.

    "This governor has decided to abandon Guishan City in three days, and all our troops will retreat to Wu'an City. I will order you to be the vanguard and wipe out all the enemy forces blocking the front." This time Huo Guang made a major and surprising decision.  Most people showed confusion and confusion when they heard Huo Guang's order to retreat.

    "Nuo" Bai Zheng once again bowed to accept the order. He didn't show much doubt, he just accepted the order naturally."Li Ling" Huo Guang ignored the others' doubts and continued to call out Li Ling's name.

    "The end will be here."

    "I want you to lead 20,000 elite soldiers to break up the rear." Huo Guang spoke again.

    "Nuo" Li Ling also accepted the order, but there was some confusion on his face.

    Huo Guang paused, then glanced at everyone present, and said to everyone: "At dawn three days later, the entire army will retreat. This place is no longer suitable for us to defend."

    "No." Everyone present bowed in unison.

    As Huo Guang¡¯s retreat order was issued, everyone began to get busy again.  It is not an easy task for tens of thousands of people and some Dawan nobles to retreat. There are many places that need to be prepared.  A military discussion ended with a brief rest.

    "Brother, why do we have to withdraw? There are still nearly 50,000 elites in the city. Anxi's army now only has less than 150,000 troops. It will be no problem to fight for at least another year and a half?" The white soldier at the head of Guishan City asked in confusion.  asked his brother.

    Bai Zheng was one of the few generals who did not have any doubts about the retreat order.  In Bai Zheng's view, Huo Guang's decision to retreat did make some sense, and he could think of at least three advantages to the Han army.

    "I usually ask you to learn more about the art of war, but you don't listen. Now you know that your brain is not enough?" Bai Zheng glanced at his brother with a stern face. At this time, he did not forget to educate Bai Bing.

    Bai Bing scratched his head and said sheepishly: "I don't have big brother here. I just charge and kill the enemy. You are enough for me to use my brain!"

    "Our Wu'an City is on a hillside, with gentle slopes on all sides. With this tilt angle, the metal siege equipment of the Parthians cannot be used. This is one. Second, Wu'an City is less than a thousand miles away from Dunhuang.  , This will greatly shorten our supply line, and if the Parthians advance further east, their supply line will increase by more than 1,500 miles, which will naturally be more beneficial to us." Bai Zheng patiently told his brother  explained.

    "Then why didn't we defend Wu'an City from the beginning and waste three months here?" Bai Bing was still a little confused. He felt that what his elder brother said made sense, but the more this happened, the less he understood why he didn't choose to do it from the beginning.  Fight in Wu'an City.

    When Bai Zheng heard this, an inexplicable smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then he lowered his head and whispered quietly in Bai Bing's ear: "Look at who is left around us? And the materials we have used in the past three months are all  Whose?"

    Bai Bing subconsciously turned his head and looked around. He didn't pay much attention at first, but after Bai Zheng reminded him, he suddenly discovered that most of the remaining soldiers on the city wall were Hexi troops composed of Han people, and there were also a small number of Wusun soldiers.  , in the end, Dawan people could only see a few of them occasionally.

    "Thisis worthy of beingthe Governor of Tu" Bai Bing said in a daze, almost blurting out some words he shouldn't have said.  Thinking back to what Bai Zheng said about the materials used in the past three months, Bai Bing already understood the essence even if he was not good at using his brain.

    Huo Guang used Guishan City as the front line. In the three-month war, nine out of ten Dawan soldiers were consumed, and the entire Guishan City's supplies were exhausted.  In this way, not only Dawan was consumed, but also the Parthian Eastern Expedition Army was consumed.  And if Huo Guang retreats to Wu'an City from the beginning, then the resources of Dawan will be taken over by Anxi and become part of the Anxi Eastern Expedition.  In that case, what Wu'an City has to face may not be Xi's 180,000 Eastern Expeditionary Army, but probably 200,000

    Of course, Huo Guang is not the kind of person who wants to kill them all. The Dawan nobles who initially surrendered to him are all doing well now. Even in his retreat plan, Huo Guang did not intend to abandon these Dawan nobles. As long as these people are willing, as long as they are defeated in the future  After resting in peace, these Dawan nobles can still return to their homeland.

    Bai Zheng is not the only smart person in the Hexi Army. Dongfang Shuo, Suwu and others have also noticed that Huo Guang has taken the initiative step by step. Although it is a seemingly tragic war, he still has the initiative in every aspect.  This kind of overall view is no longer limited to the gains and losses of one city or one place. All aspects considered have even been involved years and decades later.  With such foresight and strategy, Huo Guang has surpassed all famous generals in the past and present.  In the eyes of Dongfang Shuo and others, what Huo Guang used was more than just military tactics!

    In the Dawan Palace, Huo Guang packed up some simple things and threw some documents into the brazier to burn them.  Beside him, Dawan Zuo Mo Cai stood with his head bowed and said in proficient Chinese: "According to the command of the governor, in addition to the grain and grass that he carried with him, the remaining grain and equipment have been piled together. We are just waiting for the command of the governor.  But they were all burned!¡±

    "No need to wait, let's burn it tomorrow." Huo Guang continued to throw documents into the brazier and said without raising his head.  ?He had ordered that all the remaining food and supplies be burned, and he did not intend to leave any for the Parthians.

    "Then do you want to pick out some of the treasures of the successive Dayuan kings in this palace and take them away?" Mocai hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to ask.

    "What? Prime Minister Zuo is reluctant to part with these treasures?" Huo Guang turned around and asked with a consistent smile on his face.

    "I don't dare I just feel it's a pity!" Mo Cai buried his head lower. The treasures collected by Dawan Kingdom over hundreds of years are naturally very impressive, so it is reasonable for Mo Cai to be reluctant to part with them.

    Huo Guang threw the last document into the brazier, then clapped his hands gently, stood up slowly, took a few steps closer to Mo Cai, and finally stopped four or five steps away from Mo Cai.

    "Don't worry, these things are useless for the Parthians to take. They are just for fun, and they cannot increase their combat power. These are just temporarily placed in the hands of the Parthians. If you can trust this governor, then believe me,  It won't be too long, this is still our place, you can continue to be your left prime minister, and those treasures will still be in this palace. Of courseif you can't believe me  "Haha" Huo Guang said to Mo Cai seriously, and then smiled harmlessly.

    This smile scared Mo Cai so much that he broke out in cold sweat. He quickly knelt on the ground and said, "I don't dare I have dedicated everything to the Governor, including my loyalty and my love to the Governor."  trust."

    "Get up. In this case, go gather your confidants and go to Wu'an City together." Huo Guang lowered his head and looked at Mo Cai and said. For these smart people, Huo Guang is not only good at showing kindness, but Huo Guang will die in this world.  There are already too many smart people under his command.

    Mo Cai Rumeng stood up with amnesty, subconsciously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and was about to turn around and exit.  He really didn't want to spend more time with Huo Guang. This depressing feeling of walking on thin ice made Mo Cai a little scared. He finally understood the meaning of the Han people's saying, "A company with a king is like a tiger."

    "By the way, I forgot to tell you. As long as a person's life is still alive, things can be taken back. If you take things but lose your life, it's not worth it. Help me tell this to other Dawan nobles.  "Before Mo Cai Lin went out, Huo Guang suddenly said something again.

    "I understand, and I will tell everyone." Mocai bowed again and said. He understood what Huo Guang meant, and he also knew how to persuade those Dawan nobles who were unwilling to leave.

    When Huo Guang was the only one left in the palace hall, he raised his head and looked at the sunset sky outside the palace, with a look of anticipation in his eyes, and then said to himself: "Madam, daughter  Just waitit won't be long before our family can be reunited"
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