General's Mansion in Chang'an City

Zhong Yao sat there quietly, without saying a word, falling into a kind of silence, a kind of fearful silence.

Not only Zhong Yao, but also the entire hall fell into silence in the blink of an eye.

Everyone's face was flashing with shock and suspicion. They couldn't figure out how the mighty generals like Wang Shuang, Han De, and Hao Zhao could be killed, and how the Xiegou Dazhai, which was so dangerous since ancient times, could be easily breached.

Woolen cloth?

This is an unprecedented shame for Zhong Yao and even the entire Sili region.

"Xiegu is a dangerous place in the world. The five sons of Han De's tent are called the five tigers of the Han family, and they also command an army of 50,000 people. How can Ma Chao, who is still young, attack Xiegu instantly?"

Zhong Yao's face was gloomy, and he had strong doubts about the battle report he had just received.

The soldiers who reported the news then told how Ma Chao united with the Xiliang Army, attacked from both sides, and launched attacks at the same time. They also acted very quickly. The entire Han Army was caught off guard. How Han De fought hard and was finally outnumbered.

After hearing the whole process, Zhong Yao lost his temper and could only accept this cruel reality bitterly.

In the main hall, the atmosphere was deathly silent, and everyone's face was cast by a heavy shadow.

Zhong Yao originally planned to send troops to Xiegu, after forcing back the Chu army, defeat Xiliang in one fell swoop, and then march to various parts of the Western Region to complete the western war. However, now that Chu Jun has defeated Cao Jun, all plans seem to have been ruined, and it is even worse.

Yes, it is very likely that they will attack Chang'an directly, break through their central position, and then point eastward towards Luoyang and Xuchang.

In the silence, someone sneered disapprovingly.

Everyone looked and saw that the sneer was none other than Zhong Hui.

Zhong Hui also disagreed, and then said with a smile, "Although Xiegu has been lost, if Generals Ma Chao and Lu Bu want to attack Chang'an, they still need to cross the Wei River and cross the rolling Qinling Mountains. These two places are easy to defend but difficult to attack. With the abilities of the generals,

We only need to hold on to one of these places, as well as the troops and horses left behind in Chang'an. Ma Chao and Lu Bu have nothing to fear even if they come with an overwhelming army."

Zhong Hui's words were like a ray of sunshine, piercing the gloom that shrouded everyone's hearts.

Zhong Yao turned to look at his son, nodded slightly, and his expression improved a lot.

Zhong Hui continued: "Father, there is no need to worry that the enemy will attack our important territory of Chang'an. Instead, we should move our heavy troops to these two passes. Once the enemy army is defeated, we must make great efforts to conquer the Xiegu Valley and regain the initiative in the war."

right."

Zhong Hui's eloquent words of confidence made Zhong Yao suddenly enlightened, as if he was born with self-confidence, it appeared on his face again.

However, just when Zhong Yao's confidence had just recovered, the words of the leader Han Hao once again dealt a heavy blow to Zhong Yao's self-confidence.

"What Zhong Hui said is reasonable, but it's a pity that it was a step too late. Several troops from Nan'an, Tianshui and other places went to attack the Chu army's stronghold in Xiegu in an attempt to recapture Xiegu's natural barrier. However, they retreated one after another in defeat. Now the morale of our army is low.

At the bottom point, all the troops around us have been defeated, and there are almost no soldiers left to defend the enemy."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was horrified.

Zhong Yao's expression changed even more, and he said in shock: "Why are these three defenders so impulsive!"

Han Hao said silently: "These three generals are adjacent to the direction of Xiegu. If they wait until the Chu army is fully assembled, their strength will be far less than that of these three counties. They say it will never be possible to defeat the Chu army, so they chose

The Chu army rashly wanted to take advantage of the Chu army's unstable foothold to recapture Xiegu, so they sent troops to attack the Chu army."

Only then did Zhong Yao suddenly realize.

"Ma Chao, Lu Bu and you guys are so powerful. You have turned our Sili area into this."

In anger, Zhong Yao gritted his teeth with hatred.

Zhong Hui, who had always thought otherwise, could not help but be enveloped by a dark cloud on his leisurely face.

He pondered for a long time, and said solemnly: "Since the three armies have been defeated by the Chu army, and the soldiers and people in Chang'an City are panicked, under such circumstances, it is absolutely impossible for Prime Minister Cao to personally lead his troops to end it."

At this moment, faced with such a crisis, Zhong Hui, known as a think tank, also fell into a kind of contemplation.

"Chu Army, Chu Army."

Zhong Yao's sunken eyes were filled with endless anger.

At this time, he stood up slowly, and then walked slowly to the door of the main hall. He stood inside the door of the main hall, looking in the direction of the sloping valley, with a hint of unwillingness hidden in his angry eyes.

The heart of this Sili Colonel of Cao Jun was tortured by anger and unwillingness. After a long time, he could only sigh helplessly.

"Send the order to the whole army and march to the north bank of the Wei River."

Zhong Yao finally chose to march reluctantly, and the faces of the civil and military officers present showed unwillingness.

That night, a hundred thousand troops broke out and set up camp on the north bank of the Wei River.

Chang'an Avenue.

Zhong Yao personally led an army of 100,000 people through Chang'an Avenue. The generals accompanying him included the leader Han Hao, generals Xu Zhi, Wang Zhen and others.

Zhong Yao sat in the carriage, gently opened the curtains, and looked outside through the window. He saw that there was no one on the empty street, but the street was in a mess. Not only did the small merchants and hawkers come,

There are various businesses that are being sorted out, and some rooms have doors that seem to be closed but also open.

Zhong Yao lowered the curtains and listened to his son next to him say: "Father, there is no need to look, there must be a big chaos outside, and nine out of ten people in the entire Chang'an city have already escaped."

Zhong Yao asked in surprise: "We still have an army of 200,000. What are these people worried about? Why are they running away?"

Zhong Yao never understood that these people left not only because of the reputation of the Chu army, but also because the Chu army did not collect any taxes from the newly occupied areas. This was the fundamental reason for their departure.

Zhong Hui said calmly: "Father, do you know where these people have fled to?"

"where?"

"They all fled to the west."

"West?"

"Yes, they all ran to the place newly occupied by the Chu army,"

The more Zhong Yao listened, the more confused he became. He still couldn't understand why these people left him and chose to follow the murderous Chu army?

Zhong Hui told him that it was because every time the Chu army occupied a land, they would promulgate their new land law. The new land law would not charge any land fees for three years. After three years, a tax method of one out of ten taxes would be adopted. Of course,

Countless people took refuge in the Chu army one after another.

Zhong Yao finally said impatiently: "Stop talking, these damn Nanbarbarians, let me teach them a lesson this time and send them back to their hometowns completely."
Chapter completed!