Chapter 78: Hidden Dangers Must Be Eliminated
The year is almost over, and Tang Yuan hopes that book friends will continue to have fun in the last few days of the long holiday. In the midst of play, he also hopes that book friends will support him more and pay attention to "Ao Tang"!
Yang Kai, in a good mood, said a slightly humorous complaint and then ordered the generals: "Everyone, follow me to the west gate to welcome the reinforcements led by Duan Hua!"
After a bloody battle today, the follow-up reinforcements finally arrived. Although the number of reinforcements is not large, with only over 3,000 people, the significance they represent is extraordinary. The arrival of the reinforcements represents hope. Dou Hua's 3,000 cavalry arrived, and Zhang Jian's 5,000 soldiers will also arrive at Tongguan in one or two hours! Whether it's 3,000 or 8,000, as long as the reinforcements arrive, they can be said to have brought greater hope to the defenders of Tongguan.
After the arrival of the reinforcements, the combat effectiveness of the Tongguan defenders will be greatly supplemented, and their morale will also be boosted. All this was reflected on the faces of the various generals, who went to welcome the reinforcements with Yang Gui, all with a joyful expression, and the other officers and men also breathed a sigh of relief.
When Yang Guozhong and the mobility-impaired Ge Shuhan arrived at the west gate of Tong Pass with a contingent of officers, Dou Hua's 3,000 cavalry had already reached the outside of the west gate.
"Dou Hua, leading three thousand soldiers under his command, arrived at Tongguan and requested General Yang's instructions!" Dou Hua, with a haggard face, stood upright in front of Yang Gui after saluting, loudly reporting.
Looking at Du Hua, who seemed a bit disheveled, and the three thousand soldiers behind him, whose military attire was in disarray but still managed to maintain some semblance of order, Yang Hui's mouth curled into a slight smile as he returned Du's salute. He then spoke loudly: "General Du, your efforts are appreciated! The soldiers' efforts are appreciated! The rebels have already begun their assault on the city, and it is truly fortunate for the Tang Dynasty that you were able to arrive at Tongguan Pass! With your addition, I am confident that Tongguan City will be secure!"
"Thank you, General Yang, for not blaming me for my late arrival!" With a sigh of relief, Tuo Hua stood up straight and shouted loudly: "Please rest assured, General! I and my soldiers will fight to the death and never let the rebels climb over the city walls!"
"Good, you have such determination, I am very pleased!" Facing a group of soldiers who had exhausted their physical strength and rushed to Tongguan, Yang Hui did not want to give a long speech. After just a few simple words of encouragement, he immediately ordered Duan Hua: "General Duan, order the soldiers to rest immediately. The rebels may attack the city at night, we must prepare for a bloody battle to the end!"
"Yes, Marshal. The subordinate will obey the order!" Upon hearing Yang Hui say this, Duan Hua didn't delay either and immediately ordered his soldiers to find a place to rest and recover their strength, fill their stomachs, and prepare for possible battles tonight.
To be honest, Duan Hua still felt a bit guilty. He already knew that Tongguan City had experienced several major tests before his arrival, and the rebels almost attacked the city head-on. If his troops could have arrived an hour or two earlier, the danger might not have occurred, and Yang Gui would not have been so overwhelmed in allocating forces. It was all because of this damn rain that their march was hindered, and they arrived at Tongguan nearly an hour later than planned.
He was prepared to be scolded when he met Yang Kai and other generals, but Yang Kai did not blame him, and the other generals did not complain, which made him feel better. However, he felt suffocated and wanted to prove himself and his troops' worth in some way. Therefore, while leading the soldiers to rest and eat, he strictly instructed them to seize the time to eat and rest, preparing for the night battle.
If there are soldiers who dare to shrink back and not advance, they will be severely punished by military law!
The troops led by Dòu Huá were the elite of the Dragon Martial Guard, with outstanding combat effectiveness and strict discipline. Although they had been marching continuously and were exhausted, after being ordered to rest, they did not disperse like a mob, but instead remained highly organized under the leadership of their respective officers in the designated rest areas, resting, eating, and sleeping. This left Yáng Xī, who had been observing from the side, quite satisfied.
Dou Hua's troops arrived at Tongguan just after dark, which reassured Yang Huiyan a bit and alleviated the concerns of other generals.
Yang Kai led three thousand troops to arrive at Tongguan, greatly boosting the morale of the soldiers. After today's fierce battle, reinforcements arrived again, and those who were worried that they might not be able to hold Tongguan immediately regained their confidence.
Successive reinforcements arrived continuously, and with Tongguan's natural stronghold to rely on, the rebels' large-scale siege was no longer feared.
The sky quickly turned completely dark, and countless lanterns and torches were lit on the city walls.
Yang Kai ordered most of his soldiers to rest, leaving only a portion of the cavalry on the city wall for patrol, strictly preventing any possible attack from the rebel army.
After a day of intense fighting, the defenders on the city wall were already exhausted and unable to recover their combat effectiveness without rest.
But contrary to his expectations, at dinner time, just after the sky had darkened and the moon was hanging in the air, the rebel army several miles back from the east and south gates did not make any moves, with no organized troops arriving near the city walls, making preparations for an attack, which made him suspect that the rebels were also planning to rest tonight and fight again at dawn tomorrow.
The rebels were quite "cooperative"!
About half a watch after Duanhua's troops arrived at Tongguan, around the time of late night, Zhang Jian's 5,000 cavalry also arrived at Tongguan.
Although the five thousand people who arrived at Tongguan were all exhausted, after Yu's three thousand reinforcements arrived, another five thousand horses and men marched to Tongguan City, which was equivalent to injecting a stimulant into the defenders of the city. The worries in the hearts of the various generals basically disappeared.
There were over 10,000 people and horses in the city originally. Adding the 8,000 reinforcements that arrived at night, the total number was almost 20,000.
Twenty thousand horses and men are defending the city, basically don't worry about insufficient troops, nor fear the rebel army's fatigue attack. With this number of defenders, they can take turns fighting and resting in shifts. If Chen Xuanli's subsequent 50,000 or more horses and men arrive as soon as possible, there will be more than 70,000 troops inside Tongguan City, which can be said to have sufficient troops, no longer worrying about being broken through by the rebel army.
According to the latest news, Chen Xuanli's troops are still about 100 miles away from Tongguan and will not arrive until tomorrow at noon.
"TMD, Chen Xuanli must be intentionally delaying time!" Yang Hui couldn't help but curse after receiving the latest news. He had a premonition that after Chen Xuanli led his army to arrive at Tongguan, although the defense of Tongguan City was strengthened, various contradictions would also emerge. This former palace guard who had once accused Yang Guozhong and gained Li Longji's trust might not sell his account, and might even quarrel with him.
This is a very bad situation, he must think of ways to avoid it as much as possible, and eliminate hidden dangers first.
He immediately wrote a letter and had it delivered to Chang'an by military officers through the postal station at the fastest speed.
Just as Yang Jie had just finished writing the letter, a soldier came to report that the rebel army was attacking under cover of night!
