The guard of Qipan Gate was unwilling to open the gate, but Sun Shunchao couldn't help but put pressure on him as Sun Hanshao's nephew. As a result, when he opened the gate and realized that something was wrong, it was too late.

After Wang Tongtong's Li Cunhui deceived the gate to open, more than 10,000 Zhou troops filed out of Baoxie Road and began to storm Baocheng County outside the pass.

Baocheng County is only forty miles away from Hanzhong, and it is not a pass but a county town.

After occupying Baocheng County, we can use it as a stronghold to besiege Hanzhong.

Historical dynasties have fought against Hanzhong from Guanzhong. If they have reached Baocheng County, the battle is basically over, and the leading figures in the separatist Hanzhong will begin to consider asking for surrender.

Because Hanzhong (Xingyuan Prefecture), like Baocheng County, is undefendable and it is impossible to resist the soldiers.

However, this time it was a little different. First of all, the Zhou Kingdom had only occupied Guanzhong for two or three years, and it followed the route of elite troops, so it was not able to mobilize a hundred or eighty thousand troops to march out from Baoxie Road like previous dynasties.

Secondly, the Shu army in Baocheng County turned out to be very tenacious. In addition, the Zhou army was quite exhausted after coming from a long distance and could not capture Baocheng County immediately. This gave Sun Hanshao time to deploy his troops and generals.

In the early morning of the second day after receiving the warning from Baocheng County, Sun Hanshao sent a message on flying horses to Wang Huan and Li Jin of Yuanzhou, ordering them to abandon Yuanzhou City quickly and bring 7,000 people back to Xingyuan Prefecture.

On the one hand, they exhausted the treasury of the Xingyuan Prefecture to reward the troops, and also recruited brave warriors from the people of Shannan Road to prepare for a decisive battle with the Zhou army on the bank of the Han River.

In the third year of Shaoming of Zhangzhou and the eighteenth year of Guangzheng of Meng and Shu, it was the seventh day of April in AD 948.

Sun Hanshao sent out 12,000 elite soldiers from Xingyuan Prefecture on the southern route of Meng Shu Mountain and recruited 20,000 athletes. He took the initiative to leave Xingyuan Prefecture and go north, hoping to rescue Baocheng County and fight the Zhou army.

Sun Hanshao said to the generals of the Shu army: "The soldiers from the north came from far away. In one month, they walked 500 miles south along the Baoxiang Road. They were also frustrated at Wuxiuguan. They must be extremely exhausted, and because they even looked down upon the city.

Our numbers are twice that of the enemy, but we still have the advantage of the landlords. If we can unite as one, we will definitely be able to defeat the Northern Army."

After Sun Hanshao and Li Congke Fengxiang raised troops in the Later Tang Dynasty, he submitted to Meng Shu as the military governor of Wuding Army in Yuanzhou.

Meng Zhixiang treated him extremely well. The soldiers under his command were never divided and were always controlled by Sun Hanshao.

At the same time, after Meng Chang succeeded to the throne, Sun Hanshao actually became Meng Chang's political ally.

Because he does not belong to Zhang Ye, Zhao Tingyin or Meng Zhixiang's veteran faction, and he has not much involvement with the big families in Shu.

Therefore, even though he was recalled to Chengdu by Meng Chang and held in high esteem, when Meng Chang learned about Sun Hanshao's role, he was immediately returned to Hanzhong. Moreover, Meng Chang also sent more troops to Sun Hanshao and did not even send a supervisory army. He was extremely trusting.

Sun Hanshao's identity in Meng Shu was deeply explored, and he could no longer be regarded as a minister.

You must know that without his instigation, Meng Shu would not have Hanzhong. In addition, Sun Hanshao has always been quite independent, and Sun Hanshao is actually a small shareholder of the Meng Shu regime.

The same goes for the Shannan Dao Shu Army in Hanzhong. If Sun Hanshao is a shareholder of Meng Shu, they are Sun Hanshao's shareholders.

Therefore, as long as Sun Hanshao is willing to fight, the Shu army in Shannan Road can fight.

On the eighth day of April, Sun Hanshao led an army of 35,000 people and arrived five miles southwest of Baocheng County in just one day.

However, he arrived a step too late. There were only a few hundred Shu troops in Baocheng County, which could not withstand the day and night onslaught of more than 10,000 elite Zhou troops. Baocheng County had already fallen before Sun Hanshao arrived.

Sun Hanshao had no choice but to lead his troops back, and the Zhou army had already discovered Sun Hanshao's army.

Fortunately, it was too difficult for the Zhou army to take the Baoxie Road, and the horses were not well trained, because there were not many cavalry available for battle, and the Shu army also had a small cavalry guard, which ensured the safety of the Shu army.

In the early stage of contact, the light cavalry of both sides continued to engage in dogfights. The Shu army reluctantly retreated six or seven miles northwest of Hanzhong City, and the escorting cavalry was scattered by the reinforcements of the Zhou army's cavalry.

Sun Hanshao could only camp underground and prepare to fight the Zhou army.

This area is the main grain-producing area of ​​Xingyuan Prefecture. Thanks to the irrigation advantages of the Han River and the flatness of the Hanzhong Plain, it is surrounded by good paddy fields.

It is now the spring plowing period, and the paddy fields are filled with water. Sun Hanshao has set up his camp around two hills with a height of tens of meters. There are two camps in the east and west, with the slippery paddy field silt as a barrier to block the surrounding areas.

Attack of the National Cavalry.

Luo Yu'er left five hundred people to guard Baocheng County as a logistics base, and immediately led the army to set up camp three miles in front of the Shu army camp.

After a little investigation, Luo Yu'er immediately discovered Sun Hanshao's idea. This was indeed a good place to restrict the movement of cavalry.

This place is approximately near Xingyuan Lake in Hanzhong City in later generations. The fact that a reservoir lake was built here during the Republic period shows that the terrain is low and the water source is abundant.

Luo Yu'er is not stupid either. He will not give up the advantage of cavalry and let the heavily armored infantry step on ankle-deep mud to attack the Shu army.

No matter how brave the Zhou army was, there was no need for such hard sex.

Anyway, he has already entered Hanzhong. Although the Baoxie Road is far away, it does not mean that he cannot supply supplies. I will spend some time with you first.

At the same time, Luo Yu'er continued to release the rested cavalry, asking them to plunder the grain stores of farmers in the nearby countryside and attack the Shu army's grain collection team.

This is not the time for Shi Renyi. Ensuring the supply of the army is the first priority. Even if Zhang Gao comes, he must do this.

On the second day of the confrontation, more and more Zhou army cavalry returned to combat strength. Luo Yu'er even continued to send small groups of troops to try to attack the city of Xingyuan Prefecture, which put great pressure on Sun Hanshao.

The current situation is that the Shu army on both sides has slightly more troops, but their combat effectiveness is lower.

As a result, Sun Hanshao did not dare to move around Xingyuan Lake in later generations, because if he left the protection of the geographical location, he would probably not be able to defeat the Zhou army.

So the anxious Sun Hanshao kept sending messengers to Yuanzhou to urge Wang Huan and Li Jin.

Last time, in order to reinforce Wang Huan, Li Jin took away most of Xingyuan Mansion's cavalry and a large number of mules and horses turned into heavy infantry.

Sun Hanshao hoped that Wang Huan and especially Li Jin would use the advantage of the cavalry in their hands to quickly return for reinforcements, then go around behind the Zhou army and attack him front and back.

Whether Xingyuan Mansion can defend it depends on Wang Huan and Li Jin's ability to support them.
Chapter completed!