Chapter 23: The Bloody Battle of Tongguan Begins

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  Li Chengguang was a fierce general who had been through countless battles, and had crawled out of piles of dead bodies numerous times. He had seen all sorts of people, and could sense what kind of person someone was just by their aura, with an accuracy of eight or nine out of ten. What left him perplexed was that the current Yang Hui was completely different from the Yang Hui he used to know, as if he had become a totally different person. He was no longer the carefree and idle rich young master, but now emanated a terrifying aura that only those who had experienced the baptism of war and had been through life-and-death struggles could possess.

  Moreover, his actions were not ordinary boldness and decisiveness, daring to repeatedly ask the emperor for orders to lead troops to rescue Tongguan, and able to lead three thousand soldiers to rush overnight for three hundred miles to reach Tongguan. How many generals in the army can achieve such speed?

  Moreover, after Yang Guozhong led his troops to arrive at Tongguan, he killed Huo Baren with one sword, who was preparing to hold Geshu Han hostage, making people admire and fear.

  The Yang Hui in front of him seemed like a completely different person from the one he knew before, and didn't even resemble Yang Guozhong's son at all.

  Well, all that can be said is: the former Yang Guozhong might have been a real person who didn't show his true face, originally hiding and not revealing himself. Now at this critical moment he reveals his true character, no wonder Emperor Li Longji and Yang Guozhong let him lead the army to rescue Tongguan Pass.

  Gao Shi did not know Yang Jie before, and had not even heard of the name Yang Jie. Otherwise, on that day when he led Geshu Han's order to enter Chang'an for an audience but was rejected, and ended up drinking alone in frustration, he would have recognized Yang Jie. Not knowing Yang Jie beforehand also meant there wasn't a huge psychological gap.

  Perhaps it was the feeling of being first, Gao Shi's impression of Yang Gui was not bad, and his recognition was higher than that of other generals. After hearing Yang Gui's words today, a surge of heroic spirit rose in his heart, and he responded first: "Don't worry, General Yang, I will definitely do my best to guard the east gate! As long as the city is intact, people are safe; if the city falls, people perish!"

  Li Chengguang also reacted immediately and followed Gao Shi's loud shout in response!

  But he still felt a little strange in his heart, was it just the first impression playing tricks on him?

  Yang Kai knew that the two generals in front of him would definitely have many doubts and didn't bother to explain, instead observing the surrounding terrain.

  Yang Hui observed the terrain inside and outside the city for a while, and also made some simple deployment arrangements.

  There were crossbowmen in the army, and they were also equipped with large-scale bed crossbows. These were extremely lethal weapons that could attack enemy forces from a distance, shooting out from the height of Tongguan City Wall, with a range that was definitely farther than those shot up from below.

  Yang Kai also made a gradient defense, that is, when the rebel army approached about 300 steps from the city wall, about 400-500 meters away, they started shooting with bed crossbows. After the rebel army entered the range of various crossbows, they used strong crossbows to shoot, killing and wounding the rebel army first, waiting for the rebel army to approach a closer distance, then the archers began to shoot, while the crossbowmen continued to shoot at the rebel army's follow-up troops, trying to inflict the greatest casualties on the rebel army.

  In the era of cold weapons, the best weapon for combat is certainly the crossbow and non-bow arrow. These are long-range lethal weapons, and large-scale array dense shooting has a great killing effect on the charging side, especially in the dangerous terrain situation like Tongguan City. Yang Hui believes that if Tongguan City has enough soldiers and sufficient arrows, no matter how the rebels attack the city, the city will not be broken!

  There is another important point, now it's the scorching summer season, soldiers can't wear very thick armor to defend against bows and arrows, or they will suffocate. Without sufficient protection, the lethality of bows and arrows will be greater than in winter. He must make use of the abundant bows and arrows within Tongguan City to make arrangements, so as to inflict the greatest casualties on the enemy during their attack on the city.

  Yang Jie didn't hesitate and made arrangements, although they had already ordered these arrangements, Li Chengguang and Gao Shi were still a little surprised. It seems that Yang Jie is not just pretending to be a certain way, but actually has some military strategy. Their impression of Yang Jie underwent another change.

  This majesty, such calmness, such firm decisiveness, could it be that a pampered young master would have? Why did Yang Hui have such an expression, they had no way of knowing and didn't have time to figure it out either. Now all they could do was follow orders and act accordingly.

  Yang Hui did not know what the two main generals in front of him were thinking, but he knew they must have had doubts. He didn't explain anything and instead gestured for the two to go about their duties while he went up to the city gate tower to take another look at the terrain. As Li Chengguang and Gao Shi led their troops away, Yang Hui also gave orders that if Pang Zhong and Li Fude's units retreated back, they must open the city gates to let them in! If things took a turn for the worse, they would also send people to provide support.

  It is now the best time to establish his personal prestige and restore morale, he cannot let some hurtful things happen, otherwise it will lead to an irretrievable situation, making the remaining soldiers of Tongguan even more unstable and causing them to collapse without a fight.

  Pang Zhong has already begun to obey his generals, and Li Fude is a trusted figure of his father's. He will not abandon them no matter what, and they must be allowed to return safely, for there are certainly great uses for them in the future!

  Yang Kai knew that relying on a small number of troops to block the rebel army could only slow down their advance, and it was impossible to defeat them. Even if all the troops in Tongguan City were deployed outside the city to set up an ambush, it would be impossible to annihilate the rebel army. Moreover, this place outside Tongguan City is only suitable for defensive battles, not for setting up ambushes, because the terrain is too narrow and dangerous! As long as Li Fude and Peng Zhong's troops complete their tasks and can slow down the rebel army's attack, that would be enough!

  Looking around, Yang Kai judged that the most critical place was where he was standing now - Tongguan City. This would be the main battlefield for blocking the rebel army's advance, and all forces must be gathered to defend this city built by the Sui Dynasty!

  According to Yang Guozhong's rough estimate, as long as he led the army to defend Tongguan for two days and one night, Chen Xuanli's large army would definitely arrive at Tongguan.

  He certainly knew that the subsequent reinforcements were not like the three thousand men he led, and had already gathered to wait for orders. It was impossible to recruit and assemble, integrate and set off again, and it was already very good to arrive two days later.

  Inside Tongguan City, the raging fire in the Dream Trench was burning fiercely, with the flames growing larger and louder explosions echoing from time to time as the oil and fat ignited. Yang Hui's heart was silently praying that they could burn all the corpses piled up in the trench as soon as possible, for the terrain of the trench was treacherous, otherwise the southern gate would become the most likely breakthrough point for the rebels.

  After Li Chengguang and Gao Shi led the troops to leave, Yang Hui led Yang Dong and Yang Zheng and several other close guards to climb up to the gate tower, looking towards the direction of Hantong Pass. Since he asked for permission to go on an expedition in the imperial court and got the approval of the emperor and his father Yang Guozhong, he finally led the army day and night to rush to Tongguan, and after killing Huo Baren cleanly and neatly, Yang Hui found that Yang Dong and Yang Zheng, several close guards who were relatively prominent in the mansion, had a completely different attitude towards him than before. Whether it was Yang Dong, the head of the Wei State Duke's Mansion Guard, or Yang Zheng, his personal attendant, their attitudes had changed completely. From their eyes, Yang Hui felt a deep respect, even admiration and adoration, which was completely different from the way they treated him when he first woke up, or even when his mother agreed to go to a wine house for a drink. There was no longer any hypocrisy!

  He believed that from now on, no matter what he ordered them to do, they would definitely not dare to perfunctorily obey and disobey, but could only obediently follow orders.

  "Yang Dong, Yang Zheng, if the rebels break into the city gate, you two follow me to the city gate and fight the enemy. We must not let the rebels capture Tongguan City!" Yang Hui commanded in a cold and majestic tone.

  "Yes, Fourth Master!" Yang Hui's unintentionally revealed aura caused Yang Dong and Yang Zheng to involuntarily shiver and mechanically respond.

  However, Yang Dong had experienced many things and had always followed Yang Guozhong's orders. He was used to big scenes and knew his mission in times of crisis. Although Yang Hui's aura made him feel suppressed, he still spoke up: "Fourth Master, before we left, the old master repeatedly instructed us to ensure your safety at all costs. I implore you, Fourth Master, please don't personally take part in the battle. If something goes wrong at Tongguan, I will lead my brothers to escort you out of Tongguan immediately! The old master will definitely arrange for someone to meet us halfway. You mustn't try to hold on here, and you absolutely cannot personally fight on the city walls!"

  Yang Dong's words made Yang Hui immediately turn his face, glare at Yang Dong with a fierce gaze, and only then say: "Yang Dong, you must remember that you are the head of my personal guard, and at all times you must obey my orders! I have already sworn an oath to His Majesty and my father, and I will definitely lead the army to defend Tongguan City! You must remember, as long as the city stands, we stand; if the city falls, we fall! If Tongguan City is breached, not a single one of us can escape alive, including myself. I will fight to the death to defend the country!"

  Yang Dong felt a chill run down his spine, all because of what Yang Hui had said and the murderous look in his eyes. He didn't dare say anything else, he could only nod in agreement.

  Yang Dong's performance was satisfactory to Yang Kai, but he also wondered why his intimidation of Yang Dong and others a few days ago had not been effective. Hadn't he shown this kind of momentum back then? Oh! Maybe at that time, he hadn't killed anyone yet, and his aura was insufficient, so the generals continued to regard him as the fourth young master of the Yang family who mixed and drank. But today, he is the highest military commander in Tongguan, and has even killed a prince, which finally won over his subordinates!

  What great news!

  His momentum was sufficient, and Yang Kai's warlike personality immediately rose to the occasion. He even somewhat looked forward to the rebels' swift arrival, leading his troops in a fierce battle! In the first few days after waking up, he conducted restorative training at the mansion, including marksmanship and swordplay techniques. Not that he was preparing to personally take to the battlefield to kill enemies, but rather wanted to show off a bit when necessary. As danger drew near, his fighting spirit grew even more intense. He knew that at critical moments, the commander's performance in taking the lead could have an impact that was impossible to estimate, and he would definitely go up onto the city walls to personally slay enemies!

  Just as Yang Jie was staring at the distance in a daze, thinking about something, suddenly shouts and killings were heard from several miles east of Tongguan City, even the sound of arrows breaking through the air could be faintly heard, followed by the sound of people shouting and horses neighing, and intermittent cries for help.

  "The bloody battle of Tongguan has begun!" Yang Hui muttered to himself, he knew that this was the encounter between Li Fude's troops, which he had sent out in advance to set up an ambush, and the rebel army, and a fierce battle had erupted.