At dawn three days later, the defenders of Guishan City, who had been in a defensive posture, took the initiative to attack uncharacteristically. However, the direction of their attack was not the Parthian army's camp, but the Parthian army's line of defense in the east.
The sudden battle did not allow the armored cavalry in the Parthian camp to fully dress up. The Han army had already broken through the eastern defense line of the Parthian army. When the eastern gap opened, the Han army poured into the gap like a tide. . Later, the Parthians discovered that this was not an ordinary attack by the Han army at all, but a breakthrough of their entire army.
The armored cavalry who hurriedly dressed up and lined up could only see the smoke and dust left by the Han army's retreat eastward. Heavy cavalry such as armored cavalry were invincible in frontal charges, but the thick armor completely made them lose the ability to pursue.
"Stop the pursuit, check Guishan City immediately, and find out the movements of the Han army." Ourobazuo understood that Huo Guang's army was lightly armed and only consisted of cavalry. If he wanted to break out of the encirclement, he would not be able to keep them at all.
The final breakout was extremely smooth, so smooth that there was almost no fighting. Even the troops behind Li Ling Palace did not go through any decent battles, and they fought scatteredly with some small-scale Parthian troops for a while. After half a day, not even a Parthian army could be seen behind them.
When Huo Guang led nearly 50,000 troops to retreat to Wu'an City in the hinterland of the Western Region, Eurobazo also led the five monarchs and countless Parthian nobles into Guishan City.
Three months of war has turned this once prosperous and prosperous town on the Silk Road into a state of dilapidation.
"Dear Prime Minister, all the food and supplies in Guishan City have been burned. The flames were not completely extinguished when we arrived. There are still a large number of treasures in the Dawan Palace. Anyang Hou Huoguang did not take these things with him when he retreated. ." The secretary stood in front of Eurobazo and reported the collected information to the commander of the Eastern Expeditionary Army and the prime minister of the empire.
Eurobazo stood on the spot, his body turned slowly, and his whole body turned in a circle. His eyes also followed his body, scanning Guishan City completely. Finally, looking at the Dawan Palace in front of him, the only complete one in Guishan City, Eurobazo suddenly showed a strange smile on his face.
"Haha What a powerful opponent We lost this battle What a respectable opponent, the great Oriental Anyang Hou Huoguang " Eurobazo ignored the curious eyes around him and suddenly burst into laughter, and then said something incredible.
It was obviously the Parthians who forced Huo Guang to break out of the siege. The city that Huo Guang defended for three months finally fell into the hands of the Parthian army. Why would the Prime Minister of the Empire say that the victorious side lost instead? This is the doubt of all Parthians, including the five great kings.
"Bring the map of the Western Region." Ourobazo suddenly stopped smiling and ordered the secretary.
Soon the secretary brought a map of the Western Region and unfolded it on the spot in front of Eurobazo and the five kings.
"Are you all curious and want to know where our opponent, Anyang Hou Huoguang, has gone now?" Eurobazo looked at the map seriously, and then asked the people around him.
No one answered, but they all nodded in unison.
"Here this place called Wu'an City. Our opponent did not break out after being defeated. He just went to a place more suitable for him to fight and waited for us This kind of retreat should have A name that belongs to it let's call it strategic transfer!" Ourobazo said intermittently, as if he was still thinking as he spoke. In the end, he did not characterize Huo Guang as being forced to break out, but gave him a brand new term. This behavior was called strategic shift by Ourobazo.
"Strategic shift" The five kings and secretaries all repeated the new vocabulary mentioned by Eurobazo in a low voice.
"Yes this is not an escape, just a transfer It seems that we need to readjust our deployment. Secretary, have our knights found the Huns' royal court?" Eurobazo's expression He said seriously, and finally looked at the secretary and mentioned the Xiongnu whom they were not familiar with.
"Dear Prime Minister. We have contacted King Youxian of the Xiongnu a month ago. At this moment, our envoy may have met the Chanyu of the Xiongnu." The secretary replied respectfully, while Eurobazo was still attacking Dayuezhi. , in fact, many envoys have been sent to contact the Huns.
"Do we really want to fight against the Han Dynasty together with those barbaric and stupid Huns?" King Elimes asked reluctantly. His family is an extremely ancient aristocracy in Central Asia, even older than the family of Mithridates II, the King of Kings. King Elimes has always looked down on those races on the grasslands.
"There are no eternal enemies,"?There are no permanent friends. We cannot expect that a Xiongnu defeated by the Han Dynasty can in turn defeat the Han Dynasty, but they can help us contain the northern army of the Han Dynasty, just like the Pontic Kingdom helped us contain Sulla. They are like lions and tigers fighting each other, and we will be the last hunters! "Olobazo said still confidently and calmly, not frustrated by this small defeat. In his eyes, this was just a small episode that had no impact on his overall situation.
The five kings and nobles around Eurobazo all showed relief. Then they all bowed their heads respectfully: "Dear Prime Minister, your wisdom will surely lead An An to become the master of the world!"
Everyone is sincerely convinced, with admiration and enthusiasm in their eyes.
When Huo Guang led the army to retreat to Wu'an City, the 30,000 Hexi elites led by Zhao Ponu had already entered Wu'an City one day in advance. Now Wu'an City has gathered 80,000 troops, and this time at least five of the 80,000 troops Wan Du is a true elite of the Hexi Army.
"Immediately send an order to Xutuo Mi to temporarily abandon Chigu City. The Wusun tribe will all turn into a nomadic state and not to fight with Anxi's army." In Wu'an City, Huo Guang strode into the meeting hall of Wu'an Jun's Mansion. He had just arrived in Wu'an. Cheng didn't take a moment's rest and had already started a new deployment.
Currently, the senior officials of Hexi who are currently in Wu'an City followed Huo Guang and entered the meeting hall one after another. This was originally a city built by Baizheng. It is a city with a complete Central Plains style. It is now also the fiefdom of Wu'an Lord Baizheng.
There was also a sand table in the meeting hall. Huo Guang approached the sand table and stood at one end of the sand table. Others stood around, waiting for Huo Guang's further deployment.
"In addition, the Juyan tribe is ordered to stop harassing the Xiongnu, and at the same time, all the herdsmen who can be armed will be converted into combat soldiers, and the passage from Juyan into the Western Regions will be strictly guarded." Huo Guang stood in front of the sand table and issued the second order.
These two orders and deployments are aimed at the two main foreign tribes under the governor's rule, one is the Wusun and the other is the Xiongnu. Wusun occupies most of the northern frontier of the Western Region. Once they re-enter the nomadic state, the Parthian Legion is accustomed to the frontal legion combat method, and basically will not divide its troops or large armies to look for the Wusun people. The Huns in the Juyan tribe now have a population of nearly 100,000. At this time, the characteristics of the nomadic people have exerted a huge advantage. Once these young herdsmen are armed, they can immediately become good warriors.
"Instruct Yin Huajun to start recruiting troops in the four counties of Hexi In addition, in the name of the Governor's Office, inform Chang'an about our army's retreat to Wu'an City. Remember, we must say that we retreated in defeat. !" Huo Guang issued another order.
Everyone looked at Huo Guang curiously. Everyone could understand the recruitment of troops in the four counties of Hexi Province, but they didn't understand why Huo Guang deliberately emphasized that he was defeated and retreated. Commanders leading armies throughout the ages would not admit defeat easily, not to mention that Huo Guang was not really defeated. Even Dongfang Shuo was a little confused at this moment, and he didn't know what Huo Guang's real intention was.
"Have you written it all down?" Huo Guang looked at Sima Qian and asked.
¡°I¡¯ve written it all down,¡± Sima Qian raised his head and replied. Now the Taishi Ling of the imperial court feels like he has completely become Huo Guang's scribe.
"Then send it out as soon as possible." Huo Guang waved his hand and said.
"Grand Governor, Lord Lucheng is now behind the Parthian Army, do you want them to withdraw as well?" Dongfang Shuo stared at the sand table, his eyes falling on Lucheng where Yi Jixuan was. Here in the southwest of the Western Region, there is Shendu, Lucheng and Yi Jixuan's army of about ten thousand people, but Huo Guang did not mobilize them from the beginning of the battle of Guishan City.
"No need, that place has no strategic significance except for monitoring the body poison. Europazo will not be interested there until we are defeated." Huo Guang thought for a moment and said, did he forget that he and Lu Cheng This place, but the miscellaneous soldiers of the small country in the Western Region with less than 10,000 people are really not of much use. The battle for survival between the Da Yuezhi and the Daxia region has become increasingly fierce. Huo Guang felt that keeping Lucheng behind would allow him to better understand that region.
When Eurobazo and Huo Guang were making their own calculations on the eastern battlefield. Sulla's legions were also engaged in head-on confrontations with Mithridates VI's army in the province of Asia Minor.
On this battlefield in the west, there is no tug-of-war like that between Huo Guang and Europazzo, who can fight for several months based on one city. Here, Rome and the capital are the most direct battles between legions. Military formations numbering in the thousands or even tens of thousands were laid out on the land along the Mediterranean coast. The heroic soldiers fought in the most primitive and barbaric way. This was a duel of pure strength and courage.
And here there are not only wars on land, but also wars between the huge fleets traveling across the Mediterranean Sea.??. In addition to using long-range arrow shooting, warship combat during this period mainly relied on the collision of warships, and then the warships approached each other and fought on the deck.
"Caesar, it seems we have to work harder. We can't keep our friends in the east waiting too long!" Sulla sat on the chariot and looked at the huge legions fighting each other on the plain with a calm face. When he was fighting with the army of his own country in full swing, he received news that Europazo's 180,000 Eastern Expeditionary Army and Huo Guang were constantly fighting in Guishan City.
"Compared with the lag in getting the news from Rome, the news from Chang'an City is much smoother. When Huo Guang re-arranged the defense line in Wu'an City, the urgent military information reported in the name of the Western Region Governor's Palace had already appeared in the Xuanshi Palace in Chang'an City.
Prince Liu Ju, who has been busy with the witchcraft case recently, has not held a court meeting for almost two months. However, when this letter of military information from the Governor's Mansion appeared in Liu Zheng's hands, he was not allowed to ring the huge bell of Weiyang Palace.
After all, Liu Zheng was still the prince of the country, the highest decision-maker in name in the name of the imperial court. When the courtiers who were still able to go to court sat on the seats in the Xuanshi Hall, Liu Ju spoke directly: "The Governor's Office of the Western Regions urgently reported that Guishan City had been lost four days ago. The Governor Huo Guang led the remaining troops to break through and arrived at Wu'an. The city rebuilt its defense line, and mobilized Zhao Ponu to lead 30,000 Hexi troops to converge in Wu'an City. At the same time, the Governor's Office has issued a conscription order to recruit troops in the four counties of Hexi."
Seeing that there were only half the number of courtiers in the palace, Liu Zhi sighed helplessly, and then continued: "Do you have any good ideas?"
When he received the Hexi military report, Liu Ju was really panicked. In his eyes, Huo Guang, who was once invincible, was actually defeated. If Huo Guang was defeated again, once the land west of Hexi fell, the Parthian army would be able to march straight in.
"Your Highness, the Parthian army is pressing hard now, coupled with the stagnation of trade in the Western Regions, it has had a great impact on the country. There is little trade in the two cities of Chang'an, and the prices of salt, food and other commodities on the market have begun to appear chaotic. Such a situation is like a dangerous egg. Now, I think I should ask His Majesty to make a decision." Sang Hongyang was the first to come out and said. He directly described it as a dangerous egg, hoping to invite Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to come out.
What Sang Hongyang said is true. Since two months ago, the two cities in Chang'an have become increasingly depressed. All kinds of shops have closed down, and the prices of a large number of commodities have been chaotic. If it weren't for the government-owned supplies that were evenly priced, I'm afraid Chang'an City has long been in chaos. Of course, Sang Hongyang did not tell the truth, that is, the main reason for all this was not the war in the Western Regions, but the impact of the witchcraft case.
When the military situation of the Western Region Governor's Mansion appeared in the hands of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a glimmer of light once again burst out in the eyes of this waning old man.
"Zhang Anshi" Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty held the military intelligence report in his hand, stood up slowly, and called Zhang Anshi's name.
"I am here." Zhang Anshi took a step forward and bowed in response.
"This decree is sent to Liu Quyou and Jiang Chong to stop the investigation of the witchcraft case and close the case first!" The first decree issued by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was not about the military situation in Hexi, but the witchcraft case.
"Huo Shan" Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty called Huo Shan's name again.
"I am here"
"You immediately go to Chang'an and summon officials with more than 2,000 shi to Ganquan Palace." This time Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked Huo Shen to summon all the officials with more than 2,000 shi from Chang'an. It seems that he planned to hold a court meeting directly at Ganquan Palace.
Huo Shen and Zhang Anshi took the order and left, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also turned and walked towards the inner hall. He said, "Su Wen, change my clothes for me."
At this moment, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty walked in a new style, losing a little of his old demeanor. At this moment, the style of the heroic leader of his generation seemed to be back!