Chapter 190 Jiancheng

Everyone has been waiting for a long time. Sorry.

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A flying cavalry flew across the Yellow River!

After Yelu Shuogu captured Lingzhou, he did not stop and immediately divided his troops into two groups to advance west. The east route was on the east bank of the Yellow River, the west route was on the west bank of the Yellow River, and the east route was on the east route to Mingsha City, Gaolanzhou! Mingsha City is not a strong city, how can it withstand the tens of thousands of Khitan troops? It was captured soon. Yelu Shuogu led his troops to advance again and surrounded Ulan Fort!

Although Ulan Fortress is not a natural danger, it was originally due to the power of Zhang Mai and Guo Wei's ability to shock the Khitan. Now Zhang Mai and Guo Wei are not there. They only rely on Dou Jiannan to use a small Ulan Fortress to block the Khitan side troops, but how can they resist the frontal attack of the Khitan army? They were in danger in just one or two days.

The east bank of the Yellow River is not bad, but the west bank of the Yellow River is difficult to walk on, but due to the lack of sufficient troops to defend, the 30,000 cavalry on the west side advanced step by step!

Nine days after the fall of Lingzhou, the vanguard of the 30,000 army approached Baishan Shou, the former site of the Great Wall!

At this time, Ulan Fort was already behind the Khitan cavalry! Two thousand Khitan cavalry turned around and surrounded Ulan Fort from the west bank of the Yellow River - Dou Jiannan was immediately in a huge crisis of attacking from front and back!

As for the vanguard's main force, they advanced, advance, advance, advance! Baishan Shu was the second stronghold of the Tang army on this line of defense. There was originally a mansion's troops defending here, but now the people left the fort! The Khitan seized Baishan Shu effortlessly!

Fifty miles further from Baishan Shu is Guzang Grassland. After passing Guzang Grassland, Liangzhou is!

As the ruling center of a regime, being forced to this distance is basically equivalent to being at the gate of the city!

The hundreds of miles from Lingzhou to Liangzhou, except for the desert and grassland, the farmland was left with only frost and hard land, and the farmers hid in various strongholds. The Khitan army could not find a guide. Fortunately, Yelu Shuogu made a lot of preparations for this war. There were people in the Khitan army who knew the roads long ago - although they were not as familiar with the big roads as locals, they could still guide the Khitan cavalry in the right direction and calculate a relatively accurate distance.

"Liangzhou is so close!" Khitan vanguard Yelu Heng shouted: "Planting Liangzhou is right in front of you!"

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One shocking news after another spread to Liangzhou in more than ten days!

Khitan breaks through the Yellow River!

Khitan captured Hetao!

Khitan surrounds Xiazhou!

Khitan captured Lingzhou!

Ulanburg is in urgent need!

Baishan Shou lost!

The gates of Liangzhou facing the east were completely open, Marshal Zhang Mai was not there, while the Khitan cavalry had already reached the city!

Just when countless people were in a hurry and didn't know what to do, a huge fire broke out in the Guzang grassland!

Guzang Grassland is a plain river east of Liangzhou!

The Guzang grassland is a hundred miles in radius and is an excellent pasture. Since Zhang Mai established this grassland as a training ground for the new soldiers of the Tang army. Although there were no houses on the grassland, there were countless fixed tents of different sizes and sizes. In spring, summer, cattle and sheep were everywhere, autumn and winter, there were a sea of ​​hay piles. The grass on the entire grassland was harvested in an orderly manner, and together with the crushed grains, they were piled up like mountains, preparing for the winter.

In addition to firewood, there are also some heavy equipment that are difficult to move, such as hundreds of fixed catapults for drills!

Since the Tang army has been training in Guzang Grassland for a long time, in addition to firewood and equipment, there are countless daily necessities and training supplies. This is trivial, but it is enough to provide the daily life of a hundred thousand troops. Because it is too messy and too large, it is unlikely that all of them will be transported to Liangzhou City.

The manpower and material resources spent by the Tang army in the construction and investment of Guzang Grassland are immeasurable.

But at this moment, a huge fire broke out there!

Something happened in Guzang Grassland, which was equivalent to the Khitans who had already reached the doorstep!

"The Khitans have already reached the Guzang Grassland!"

"What to do? What to do? What to do?"

Fear envelops countless migrant residents, while settled residents are in a state of helplessness.

"Dad, we might as well run away!"

"Escape? Where can I escape?"

"Go to Lanzhou!"

"Lanzhou is east, how to get there?"

"Then go to Ganzhou!"

"If Liangzhou is lost, will Ganzhou be far away?"

The Khitan's actions in Taunan were well known to the entire Liangzhou under the propaganda of the monks of the Bianwen: the houses were burned down, the men were slaughtered, the women were banned, and the livestock were captured...

That is not the monk who is spreading rumors, but just conveying the true story. It is precisely because of the true story that it is even more terrifying.

"Where the Khitan passes, no grass grows!"

Now, the fire on the Guzang grassland has verified all this! Moreover, these Khitan cavalry who had no grass left have already stepped into Liangzhou, and soon the iron hooves will step outside the city! Will this famous city in the northwest usher in its doomsday after years of prosperity?

The urgent military situation quickly walked, faster than the news of the business!

The entire Hexi Road was shocked. Once Lingzhou was lost, the Hexi prefectures knew that the Khitan cavalry were aiming at Lianglan this time! However, when the cavalry arrived at the city, the shock brought by the shock was still unimaginable beforehand!

"Where is the Marshal? Where is the Marshal? Where is the Marshal?"

From residential areas to commercial areas, there are people in panic asking each other everywhere, and some businessmen are also secretly connecting with each other. Several major temples in the city are already in secret contact, and even the prostitute women cry.

On the corrections stage, there were even voices questioning Zhang Mai.

"We shouldn't have fought eastwardly at the beginning, we really shouldn't have fought eastwardly! If the marshal is still there, if the army is still there... we still have the power to fight back!"

Panic is like a virus, spreading constantly and spreading... However, it did not spread throughout the city!

A 12 or 13-year-old boy with yellow hair but wearing Han children's clothing left his playmates, ran into a yard, shouting, "Grandpa, grandpa, it's not good! The Khitans have been killed, the Khitans have been killed!"

In the yard, there was a disabled old man with a cane. It turned out to be An Liu. He was very old. He had been at ease in Liangzhou for retirement in the past two years. He also adopted a pair of orphan widowed mothers. The widowed mother became his daughter and the orphan became his grandson - the yellow-haired boy. After being adopted by An Liu, he changed his name to An Xiangdong. Although An Liu was disabled and had many of the spoils accumulated in his early years were dispersed, a generous gift was sent regularly to support this new family. Therefore, his adopted daughter took care of him with peace of mind. When An Liu was free, he gave An Xiangdong Wuyi, hoping that he could join the army when he grew up.

An Xiangdong rushed into the yard, pointed to the east sky and shouted: "Look, look, I heard that the Guzang grassland was burned!"

His unrelated mother, An Liu's adopted daughter, burst into tears when she heard this, but suddenly heard An Liu shouting, "What are you crying! What's there to cry!"

"The Khitan is here... Daddy, what should I do? The Marshal is not here..."

"The Marshal is not here, I'm not dead yet!" An Liu shouted: "There are still city walls, and the Khitans may not be able to enter the city! Even if they enter the city... to the east!"

"ah?"

"Go to the bed and bring my box!"

An Xiangdong ran away excitedly. After a while, he came back and took back a blind man. An Liu slapped the box with one hand, and five or six knives fell from it. He inserted a horizontal knife into his waist, and handed another horizontal knife to An Xiangdong and said, "For you, if the Khitans enter the city, try to stab me to death! Then I will recognize you as my grandson in the next life!"

An Xiangdong said, "What if two?"

An Liu laughed and said, "Then I will be your grandson in the next life!"

An Xiangdong laughed, An Liu picked up another dagger and handed it to his adopted daughter and said, "This is for you. If someone dares to touch you, please pull him to the underworld together! You are my daughter and cannot be humiliated!"

His adopted daughter took the dagger in horror, swallowed her tears, and said, "Yes."

Then An Liu leaned against the door, looked at the ashes floating in the sky, and murmured: "The Guzang grassland... is it really gone?"

"I heard that it's gone... The soldiers on the city were burning when they saw it!" An Xiangdong said.

"Dad, do you think the Khitan can conquer Liangzhou?" An Liu's adopted daughter said, "Marson...will he come back to save us?"

"I don't know if the marshal is back or not." An Liu sneered: "But it's not that cheap for them to come in Liangzhou City!"

Just then, a sound of scammers came from outside the yard. When An Xiangdong heard the rhythm, he screamed: "The martial law is fine, the martial law is fine!"

"Is martial law going to begin now?" An Liu raised his two white eyebrows and said, "Hmph!"

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The test of a nation's resilience depends on her performance in the face of the crisis of destruction, and whether a city is strong is on her attitude when facing war!

Liangzhou City, after all, is not Luoyang City! It is not Kaifeng when the descendants of Jin soldiers forced the city! It is not Chengdu under Liu Chan's rule!

This is an emerging city. In this city, a considerable number of them are the families of the Anxi Tang Army - the backbone of them, who have experienced the eastern expeditions! From then on to now, it is not enough to make them forget the hardships of the past. For them, war was once an ordinary thing like eating.

In addition to Tang Jun's family, there were a large number of businessmen, but they chose Liangzhou's merchants before the world could be fixed. Most of them had a certain adventurous spirit, because this was a paradise for adventurers to pursue wealth, not a place for people to enjoy comfort!

Although big merchants must have courage, small vendors are more courageous! As for the caravans stranded in the city, they all have experienced many difficulties and hardships along the way.

In addition, it is the representatives gathered here from Anlong, monks from various temples, etc. The people in the northwest are martial and can represent one of them to enter Liangzhou. Most of them are not weak people. As for the French and Hu people who have already accepted the sinicization, they are even more powerful by nature.

There are people who are in a hurry and crying, but they are not mainstream in Liangzhou!

Especially the ruling class, they were not panicked at all. Logically speaking, the civil servants were most afraid of war, but the civil servants group of Tiance worked normally when the fire rose. Logically, the women were most afraid of war, but the female members of the Tiance Army seemed extremely calm at this time.

On the day the Guzang grassland was in flames, it turned out that a group of female relatives and more than a hundred wives rode together to go to Tianning Temple to pray for blessings.

Xue Fu's wife Zheng Xiang originally wanted to take a bus, but was rejected by Guo Fen! She followed Guo Fen timidly. When she set off, she couldn't help but worry and asked Guo Fen how the war was going.

Guo Fen said lightly: "What's there to be afraid of? Even if the Khitan really has 300,000 troops and Xiazhou has not captured it, a total of 100,000 people will go to the besiege of the city? From Lingzhou to Liangzhou, the road along the way is difficult. The 200,000 troops will reach here, which cannot be reached in ten or half a month. If you march in an emergency, you can reach Ulan Fort at this time. Even if you capture Ulan Fort, you have to prevent our husband from attacking from behind. You must leave troops to protect your retreat. You can reach Baishan Shou for up to 50,000. Within three days, you can cross the Guzang grassland to reach here, and you will have to reach 30,000. And these 30,000 cavalry must be light cavalry and have no equipment. How to attack the city? That can only be used for surprise attacks - so as long as we are not panicked and do not give them the chance to attack, they have to retreat even if they come - what's there to be afraid of!"

Therefore, she did not go to inquire about military information, and led her wives to burn incense. General Tiance's mansion was located northeast of the city, but Guo Fen went from East Avenue to the Tianning Temple in the south to pray for blessings. He followed the West Avenue back and almost walked around half of Liangzhou City. The people in the city gradually felt at ease when they saw the marshal's wife being calm and calm.

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Just as some censors who were not aware of the current affairs of the Taiwan Complaint Taiwan were still discussing whether the marshal's strategy was inappropriate and whether there was any mistake. The old man from the State Yang Dingguo ordered: According to the Constitution of the Law and the Constitution, the Taiwan Complaint Taiwan was temporarily disbanded during the war!

Zheng Wei ordered that the whole city should implement pricing and rationing. Each household can use the signing and detention of the Fangzheng where they are located to go to the official designated grain store to purchase necessary grain and firewood. Liangzhou City has sufficient grain reserves to support the whole city for one year and enough firewood and coal to support the first quarter. Therefore, the price and quantity of the official sale is implemented in wartime, and the Liangzhou official has no pressure. As for the grain stored by each household, the official has not requisitioned.

As for the city's defense, it was also carried out in an orderly manner. The gates began to guard and various defense facilities were quickly taken into place. The militia heads, who had been resting for a long time, quickly assembled strong men from the people and entered various militia battalions.

Inside Liangzhou City, there are relatively strict organizations for each yard, street and temple. Hexi does not prohibit people from possessing weapons, but weapons must be registered with the official registration if they want to be brought into Liangzhou City, otherwise it will be considered illegal.

Having weapons is a right, but at the same time, there must be an obligation, that is, if a war or a major public security incident occurs, you must accept the command of the chief of the archery in your residence, or be recruited into the militia battalion and be managed by the militia head. This mechanism is used to maintain public security in peacetime, and if it is time to war, it can be successfully martial law throughout the city.

Moreover, this organization has a partial drill once a month, and once a six-year, there will be a city-wide drill. This rule has been practiced six times since its establishment. When Zhang Mai advanced to the west, Lianglan was both the rear and the front line, so he was prepared to resist various sudden changes. After Zhang Mai passed away, this major event was not abandoned.

Therefore, Liangzhou City, both the military and civilians, were quickly organized after the fire soared into the sky. Since the city was already quite large, it was impossible to organize as tight as the civilian army during the Long March of the Anxi Tang Army. However, with a treacherous fight, the parties performed their own duties. The panic and rumors in the city were quickly cut off, and the entire city calmed down within half an hour.

After all, this is a city that Yang Dingguo and Zheng Wei have been running for many years, and is incomparable to Lingzhou.

When the militia battalions were in their positions, Murong Qiuhua also climbed to the top of the city.

When he came back from Luntai, he just went to Zhang Mai, Qinzhou to report military information first, and then returned to Liangzhou to take charge of the equipment offensive and defense part of the city's city defense.

In addition to the self-produced by Liangzhou, a large number of firearms were transported from Kucha and Shule, and were unpacked and arranged by well-trained fortification soldiers. Outside Liangzhou City, there were also some hidden pile points, and only Murong Qiuhua knew the specific location of the piles.

Just as the militia were looking east, they found that the fire in the Guzang grassland was getting stronger and stronger, and they were reluctant to stop.

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To be continued...