Chapter 1086: Defeat at the Three Passes (Part 1)

Just as Yang Chao led his army to besiege Chang'an, the strategic passes of Tongguan and Pujin Pass, which guarded the city, also experienced unusual activities.
Pubu Pass, also known as Linjin Pass, is an important ancient ferry crossing on the Yellow River and a key strategic location between Qin and Jin.
The original commander of the pass was Liu Zhijun, the brother of Liu Zhiyuan, a trusted general of Li Jiancheng. As the situation grew tense, Li Jiancheng made great efforts to gather a force of 20,000 troops, led by the senior general Li Cunzhang and trusted adviser Sima Yi, to support the defense.
At this time, the Sui army's chief general and the overall commander of the Hebei Road marched with a hundred thousand troops. They followed the same route as Li Yuan's uprising in Jinyang. They returned from Yanmen, passed through Jinyang, entered Taiyuan, crossed Huoyi, and headed straight for Pujin Pass, exerting pressure on the Guanzhong region.
The hundred thousand strong army advanced with grandeur, carrying the momentum to annihilate the Turks, while the Tang army suffered defeat after defeat. Their crucial Turkic allies have also been lost, leaving them with downcast faces, waiting for the impending doomsday.
Upon seeing the situation, Sima Yi immediately offered advice to the commander-in-chief Li Cunzhang. He suggested taking advantage of the Sui army's long journey and unstable foothold by setting up an ambush along their usual route, catching them off guard and using this victory to boost morale.
Li Cunzhang was also extremely anxious about the low morale of the entire army. Therefore, he readily accepted Sima Yi's plan.
Immediately, Li Cunzhang left Liu Zhijun to guard the pass while he and Sima Shi led the twenty thousand troops they brought from the pass out of the city. They took a detour towards the northeast direction and concealed themselves in the dense forest.
As night fell, teams of Sui troops appeared within sight of the Tang army. Their armor shone brightly and their banners waved, creating a magnificent momentum.
"Kill!"
Speaking of Ding Maoqiao, taking advantage of the situation and having a slow reaction, he managed to escape with a few thousand soldiers and horses after being encircled by the Tang army. Along the way, they dared not stop and galloped for about two hours until they finally arrived at Liu Zhijun's location.
Liu Zhijun was an important gateway for Li Jiancheng to withdraw from the Jin region and enter the Guanzhong area. Sima Shi's move effectively cut off Li Jiancheng's path and left him spinning his wheels in place, angrily cursing Sima Shi and his ancestors for fourteen generations.
The Tang army, despite being suddenly attacked, did not panic. Instead, they seemed well-prepared as the archers in the center quickly formed a defensive line behind the soldiers with shields and swords. The crossbows were swiftly launched, and thousands of arrows rained down, causing casualties among the soldiers of Sima. In a short period of time, there were many dead and wounded.
"Dingdong, detected that Li Jiancheng has entered a fierce state, resulting in a +4 increase in strength, with a base strength of 96, now reaching 100."
The two young generals exchanged blows with their spears and swords, their horses galloping in a continuous cycle, raising a cloud of dust. They battled fiercely for eighty rounds, with Dingmaoqiao slightly at a disadvantage.
In this way, Ding Maoqiao felt calm and collected, daring to engage in another battle with Pu Jin Guan. He quickly exposed a flaw but still managed to command the besieged Wan Sima. He fled alone on horseback in desperation.
A tall and sturdy man named Ding Maoqiao, who stood only about four feet tall, held a knife in his hand and blocked the way with an imposing manner. The powerful voice shook Li Jiancheng slightly.
"The Tang army was not prepared early, it's difficult to say..."
In the chaotic situation of closing the gate, the city gate suddenly opens slightly, and a team of Sima soldiers with white cloth tied around their arms stream out from inside the gate, surrounding the disordered Sima troops.
Sima Shi, the young general who was originally stationed at the fortress, rushed to Ding Maoqiao in a hurry, coughing up blood and struggling to catch his breath. Behind me, I saw a blood-dripping head hanging from my horse, with wide-open eyes. Could it be my father, Niu Sijin? Translated: "
The father and son Sui Junshi died, and Sima Shi surrendered at the border. Li Jiancheng, who had escaped from the back, learned about this from the soldiers who had abandoned the small army and desperately fled towards Liu Zhijun. He narrowly avoided falling off the horse with his eyes on either side.
Squeak, squeak!!!
"Retreat, retreat!"
Before the words even finished, a bang was heard from under the city walls, and in an instant, arrows were released in unison. The soldiers of Sima fell one by one, and the sounds of their wailing and crying came to a sudden halt. In the rear, Li Zhanzhong took several arrows to his chest and shoulder, let out a small cry, and fell off his horse.
Li Cunzhang saw the closed city gate and immediately spurred his horse and shouted lowly towards the city wall.
The warm voice of Sima Shi sounded in Li Cunzhang's ear, and he had a content smile on his face. His lips moved, but in the end, he took his last breath.
It is a matter of life and death. At that time, Li Cunzhang not only went to seek instructions from the general Li Jiancheng, but also turned his horse's head and led the troops to leave.
"Traitor and rebel, Ding Maoqiao is here. If you are smart, quickly get on your horse and surrender. I may spare your life!"
Ding Maoqiao roared and swung his sword, rushing forward to strike. Li Jiancheng, seeing the fierce attack from Pu Jin Pass, did not take it lightly. He skillfully deflected every move and responded accordingly, adapting to each style.
"Ding Dong, it is detected that Pujing Pass has retreated into a state of fervor, with an increase of 5 in military strength. The base military strength is 97, and it will rise to 102 later."
"Surrender!"
"Open the city gates slowly, the Tang army is slowly approaching!" Translated:
“可别怪你,他们父子想跟着司马懿那艘破船一条道走到白,可你还是想死,所以,只能拿他们父子的人头去做敲门砖了!”
As soon as Li Jiancheng started running, Sima, who was already trapped, also lost their will to fight. They threw away their weapons and raised their hands, shouting, "Are you willing to surrender? Willing to surrender!"
After a short while, billows of dust rose before Li Jiancheng, indicating that the pursuing Tang army had arrived. To my surprise, leading them was the fearless Tang general Pu Jin Pass, whom I had just fought against.
"Do not let this Tang thief escape! Quickly mount your horse and surrender, or else death shall be his only fate!"
Still, Ding Maoqiao thinks for a moment. Suddenly, the sound of drums and gongs resounds, and the small drum sounds from behind, in front, right and left. It is known that countless Tang troops are surrounding us from all directions.

It is also a pity that Li Zongcheng reacted slowly and narrowly escaped in the midst of being surrounded by the Tang army. However, Li Jiancheng, who charged from behind, was not so fortunate. He changed direction to flee but was intercepted by a group of soldiers just a few dozen steps away.
Li Jiancheng shouted loudly and led the charge, wielding a long spear, leading thousands of soldiers and horses to rush towards Ding Mao from above.
"The general is escaping, the general is escaping!"
Although Sima Shi intended to present the heads of Niu Sijing and Li Cunzhao to the Tang army, due to my high loyalty, the system did not assign me to Yang Chao's command, so there was no effect of joining the enemy as a monarch-level enemy, the Sui army father and son.
Compared to Li Jiancheng, who perished in the Battle of Boleng Shanzhuang, Li Chengzhang, who inherited too little from Niu Sijin, quietly fell behind. Upon seeing this, his expression changed and a wicked thought instantly flooded his mind. Reply: Li Chengzhang's disappointment over his limited inheritance from Niu Sijin led him to have a sudden change in demeanor.
General Ding Mao waved his hand, and the soldiers in the command center accepted Sima's surrender without disorder. They disarmed us and separated us into different groups before taking us away. At the same time, they dispatched cavalry to chase down any remaining members of Ding Mao's forces who managed to escape.
When Li Jiancheng became fierce with a roar, he raised his long spear and galloped straight towards Pujin Pass. His eyes were shooting flames, determined to gamble everything.
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