The army set out in two routes.
Bai Qi led the Demon Guard Camp westward and entered Dai County.
Ji Ling followed Lin Han north to Shanggu County and headed straight to Juyong Pass.
The issue of food and wages from the imperial court only disrupted Lin Han's original rhythm and made things go faster.
Originally, he wanted to advance step by step, wipe out the Xianbei guerrillas, and then deal with the majority of the Xianbei. Now he can only speed up the pace because he knows that Zhang Chun will rebel soon, and Youzhou will then be in chaos.
The Flying Cavalry Battalion advanced with unstoppable force along the way.
After clearing out the Xianbei guerrillas in Zhulu and Juyang, killing thousands of them, the army headed towards Juyongguan.
On the other side, good news also came from the Demon Guard Camp led by Bai Qi.
After the Demon Guard Camp entered Shanggu County, it passed Dai County and Sanggan, and slaughtered eleven Xianbei strongholds in succession. The Xianbei guerrillas were terrified of the Demon Guard Camp and were frightened at the mention of its name, so they abandoned their troops and fled.
With great victories along the way, Bai Qi successfully entered Gaoliu City and deployed his troops on the border.
At this time, there were only ten days left before the army set out.
However, according to the news sent back by Bai Qi, the Xianbei bandits in Dai County were much more powerful than those around Shanggu and Guangyang. There were countless small groups, all of which were mainly engaged in plundering. They were extremely scattered and difficult to hunt down.
Juyongguan is ahead.
Lin Han was on his horse, gazing at the outline of the pass in the distance.
The famous Juyong Pass is one of the Nine Fortresses in the World and one of the Eight Passes in Taihang Mountains. This pass is dangerous and the road is up and down, like entering the ocean.
As Lin Han marched, he saw refugees everywhere.
Especially before Juyongguan, there were refugees everywhere, and some were starving in the wild, digging up tree roots to eat. However, the city gates were closed, and the soldiers guarding the city turned a blind eye.
"Who is coming?" Seeing Lin Han's large army arriving with a fierce momentum, the soldiers guarding the city were all panicked and asked hurriedly.
"I am Xiao Hange, the General of the North Central Army. Who is your general? Let him come out to see me." Lin Han rode forward, showed his identity token and shouted.
"Xiao... General Xiao Hange?"
The soldiers on the city wall ran away in a hurry.
Soon, a commander climbed up to the city wall and breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Lin Han's identity token.
"I am Geng Qi, the garrison commander of Juyong Pass. I greet General Xiao." The garrison commander bowed to Lin Han and then ordered, "Open the city gates."
Seeing the city gate open, Lin Han ordered his troops to enter the city, and a large number of troops entered the city.
The refugees wandering outside the pass saw the city gate open and immediately rushed towards it.
"Stop them, stop them."
Geng Qi ordered the soldiers guarding the city to use their weapons against the refugees pouring in. When they saw that the soldiers intended to kill them, they fled.
"What's going on? Why are you using force against the people and preventing them from entering the city?"
Lin Han was furious and questioned Geng Qi.
Geng Qi pursed his lips and said with embarrassment, "General Xiao, I have a hard time expressing my suffering. A while ago, refugees entered the city. Lacking food, they stole and committed crimes, causing chaos in Guanzhong. Now there is no food left in Guanzhong to support the refugees. If the refugees continue to enter the city, causing further chaos in Guanzhong, and then the Xianbei bandits attack, I'm afraid Juyongguan will be in danger. Juyongguan is the gateway to the Central Plains. I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."
Hearing this, Lin Han nodded silently and no longer blamed him.
When Lin Han entered the city, some people were hiding in their houses and peeking through the windows. When they saw that it was the Han army, they breathed a sigh of relief and went out to the streets to greet him.
The people here all came here to seek refuge. The Guanzhong fortress was strong, and the Xianbei did not attack, so the city was at peace. Many refugees came here after hearing the news, resulting in starving people everywhere outside the city.
Entering the garrison's residence, Lin Han was considered to be the master of Juyongguan.
With Xiao Hange's reputation, the people in the city were all happy and excited.
Lin Han summoned Geng Qi to ask him about the situation inside and outside Juyong Pass.
"General, there are 3,000 troops defending Juyong Pass, but the imperial court has severely withheld food and wages, and morale in Guanzhong is low. It's only because the empire is in chaos and they have nowhere else to go that they remain. Xianbei bandits from Youzhou have entered from Guangning and Ningxian counties, and are now roaming around Dai and Shanggu counties. Everything north of Juyong Pass has been plundered by these bandits."
The situation inside the pass was less severe, but small bands of Xianbei invaded, numbering from dozens to hundreds. The Xianbei bandits were skilled equestrians, possessing many fine horses. We couldn't pursue or capture them, so we could only defend the pass. Upon hearing that General Xiao had arrived, the people of Guanzhong rushed to tell each other.
"From today on, I will take over the defense of Guanzhong until the Xianbei Rebellion ends."
"Yes." Geng Qi agreed, wanting to leave but hesitant.
"What else?"
"General, there is a bandit stronghold in the mountains east of Juyong Pass. They are eyeing Juyong Pass covetously. There are about five to six thousand bandits there," said Geng Qi.
"Bandit stronghold?"
"How strong are those bandits?"
"They are not weak. They have been recruiting young and strong refugees and growing stronger for several years. Before the Xianbei bandits arrived, they mainly operated in this area. Juyongguan is undermanned, and they rarely plunder. I dare not rush in to wipe them out."
Lin Han immediately asked Geng Qi to point out the location of the village and sent people to investigate.
It is not a good thing that the bandit stronghold is next to Juyongguan.
How can I allow others to snore on my side bed?
Two days later, the scouts brought back information.
The bandit stronghold is called 'Xuanyuan Juyong Stronghold', which is composed of three bandit strongholds. It is located in the mountains 20 miles east of Juyong Pass. It has a population of 20,000 and more than 6,000 fighting bandits with excellent soldiers and horses. The strength of the leader is unknown.
After hearing the scout's report, Lin Han's expression brightened.
A bandit stronghold of 6,000 people, the bandit stronghold of the Xuanyuan Guild.
In order to grow stronger and store troops and food, each guild has developed bandit forces, because the bandit forces have no restrictions on the number of soldiers they can recruit and are not subject to taxes.
All the major guilds keep enemies and exploit loopholes.
"Ji Ling, lead ten thousand soldiers and follow me to fight and wipe out the bandits."
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