Chapter 324 Han Shizhong attacks Yuguan In the large tent of the Chinese army of the Song Dynasty, Princess Zhao Yingluo stood side by side with Yue Fei, wearing a military uniform. With firm eyes, she was conveying her strategic intentions through messengers to Wang Zaixing and Han Shizhong, who were far away in two places. "Tell Wang Zaixing," Zhao Yingluo said to the messenger, "the military supplies of the West Route are working closely with General Yue Fei to besiege Yanjing. This battle is related to the national destiny of the Song Dynasty, so we must go all out." The courier took the order and left, and Zhao Yingluo turned to another courier: "Go to the east road quickly and inform General Han Shizhong, order him to lead his army to capture Yuguan and prepare for General Wanyan Zongyi's entry. In the battle of Yuguan, only Allow success, don’t allow failure.” The two messengers left quickly. Zhao Yingluo and Yue Fei looked at each other and smiled, full of confidence. As the military order was issued, the eastern and western armies began intense preparations for war. Wang Zaixing led the West Route Army, closely cooperating with Yue Fei's main force, and marched towards Yanjing. Their march was silent but carried an unstoppable force. At the same time, the East Route Army led by Han Shizhong was also marching quietly. Their target is Yuguan, which is the key to the pass and the key for Wanyan Zongyi to enter the pass. As night fell, the stars reflected the marching team, and the sound of the collision of armor and weapons echoed in the night sky. The footsteps of the soldiers were uniform, as if they were beating drums to cheer for the upcoming battle. The Battle of Yanjing is imminent, and the capture of Yuguan is imminent. The soldiers of the Song Dynasty embarked on the journey with the belief of victory.
A few days later, the West Route Army reunited with Yue Fei's main force, and Yanjing was completely surrounded. Wang Zaixing rode at the forefront of the army, his eyes shining with determination. "General Yue, the West Route Army is ready." Wang Zaixing reported to Yue Fei. Yue Fei nodded, his eyes as bright as fire, "General Wang, you and I will work together to capture Yanjing this time!" The two armies cooperated seamlessly and launched an offensive. Although Yanjing's defenders resisted tenaciously, they gradually showed signs of fatigue under the fierce attacks of the Song Dynasty soldiers. On the east road, the army led by Han Shizhong has also arrived at Yuguan. The towering walls of Yuguan were easy to defend and difficult to attack, but Han Shizhong was not afraid. "Soldiers, Yu Pass is right in front of us. If we take it, we can welcome General Wanyan to enter the pass!" Han Shizhong waved his sword and shouted, his morale was like a rainbow. In the main camp of the Chinese army in the Song Dynasty, the atmosphere was solemn and tense. Princess Zhao Yingluo was wearing an exquisite military uniform and stood side by side with Yue Fei, who was wearing armor. A huge military map was spread out in front of them. Outside the tent, the uniform footsteps of soldiers were intertwined with the occasional neighing of war horses, adding to the tense atmosphere of the upcoming battle. "Princess, how are the preparations of the West Route Army and the East Route Army?" Yue Fei asked in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on Yanjing and Yuguan on the map. Zhao Yingluo frowned slightly and replied: "The West Route Army Wang Zaixing's troops are ready to go and are just waiting for our orders. I have also sent orders to Han Shizhong of the East Route Army to prepare them to capture Yuguan." Yue Fei nodded, "This battle is of great importance, we must make sure nothing goes wrong." At this moment, a messenger hurriedly entered the tent and knelt down in front of Zhao Yingluo and Yue Fei, "Princess, General Yue, General Wang of the West Route Army asked, when can we start taking action?" Zhao Yingluo took a deep breath and said with firm eyes: "Tell Wang Zaixing that at dawn tomorrow, the West Route Army and the Central Route Army will set out at the same time to besiege Yanjing!" The messenger took the order and left. Zhao Yingluo turned to Yue Fei again, "General Yue, You will need to worry more about the battle tomorrow." Yue Fei cupped his fists and saluted, "Don't worry, princess, I will do my best to live up to my trust!" At the same time, in the camp of the East Route Army, Han Shizhong was also busy arranging tasks. He summoned his generals to discuss the strategy of capturing Yuguan. "The terrain of Yuguan is dangerous, and it is easy to defend but difficult to attack." A general said with a look of embarrassment, "We must think of a perfect strategy." Han Shizhong smiled slightly and pointed to Yuguan on the map, "Please see, although Yuguan is strong, it also has its weaknesses. We can use the terrain and weather conditions to formulate tactics." All the generals came closer to the map and listened carefully to Han Shizhong's explanation. Han Shizhong's fingers traced arcs on the map, "We can first send a small force to pretend to attack the front of Yuguan to attract the attention of the defenders. Then, the main force will take the opportunity to outflank the city from the side and use ladders to climb the city wall." A general asked worriedly: "But the city wall of Yuguan towers into the clouds. How easy is it to climb up?"
Han Shizhong nodded, "This is indeed a difficult problem. However, I have sent people to prepare special ladders and ropes. As long as we can successfully climb up and open the city gate, then Yuguan is within our grasp." After hearing this, the generals' morale was greatly boosted, and they all expressed their willingness to fight bravely and contribute to the capture of Yuguan. As night falls, little bits of firelight flicker outside the camp. The soldiers sat around the fire and talked in low voices about tomorrow's battle plan. The war horses were quietly grazing not far away, occasionally making a slight neighing sound. In Yuguan City, the defenders were also nervously setting up their defenses. They fortified the city walls and arranged intensive patrols. The guard stood on the city wall and looked at the Song Dynasty military camp in the darkness in the distance, his heart full of worry and uneasiness. Early the next morning, as the first ray of sunshine shone on the earth, the Song Dynasty's army began to take action. The West Route Army and the Middle Route Army, led by Wang Zaixing and Yue Fei, marched towards Yanjing. The soldiers marched on the road in high spirits, and the sound of the collision of armor and weapons was particularly loud in the silence of the early morning. The East Route Army also quietly approached Yuguan under the leadership of Han Shizhong. They used the cover of night and terrain to approach the foot of Yuguan City. Han Shizhong personally led a group of elite soldiers carrying special ladders and ropes and quietly approached the city wall. However, just as they were about to start climbing, it suddenly started raining heavily, which made the climb more difficult. Upon seeing this, Han Shizhong hurriedly ordered the soldiers to retreat and wait for a better opportunity. The rainwater made a crackling sound on the city wall, but the defenders did not notice anything unusual. After the rain stopped, Han Shizhong re-observed the terrain and architectural features of Yuguan. He found that there was a water source in the pass from a stream behind the mountain, so he came up with a plan and ordered the soldiers to build a dam upstream of the stream to store water. A few days later, there was enough water in the dam. Han Shizhong gave an order, and the soldiers quickly dug up the dam, and the raging stream rushed straight into Yuguan City along the mountain. The defenders were startled by the sudden flow of water, and the city suddenly fell into chaos. Taking this opportunity, Han Shizhong led the army to launch a fierce attack. Due to the chaos in the city, the defenders were unable to resist. The Eastern Route Army quickly captured Yuguan as if they were in an uninhabited territory. Han Shizhong stood on the city wall, looking at the defeated enemy troops and the conquered Yuguan, his heart filled with the pride of victory.