A few days later, Xu Huang reorganized his troops and horses, brought enough weapons and food, and rushed to Wuguan to kill them.
When they were about to pass the pass, Xu Shang in front urged his horse to turn around and shouted: "General, something bad is going to happen!"
Xu Huang raised his ax and asked, "Why are you so alarmed?"
Xu Shang pointed forward: "General, please go see it in person."
Xu Huang was confused and urged his horse forward. He came to the front of the army and looked at it. He couldn't help but be speechless: "This...how is this possible?"
At the cliff ahead, a high wall appeared out of nowhere, three to four feet tall, as if half of the cliff stretched out of thin air, blocking the road.
"This is an ice wall!" Xu Shang was also shocked. "They mixed sand with water and built it into a wall. It is indestructible."
Xu Huang's face was ashen. Although the newly built ice wall was extremely uneven, with pits and slants, it looked more like a cliff, especially with the ice hanging on it, and more like a glacier formed by a waterfall.
This ice wall is twice as tall as Wuguan. It must be extremely thick inside. There is also an ice slope three to four feet wide under the wall, extending from the bottom of the cliff to the edge of the cliff. If you are not careful when standing on it, you will slip completely. In the stream.
The defenders continued to pour along the cliff, and the ice slope became higher and higher, like a moat. If they wanted to destroy it, the defenders at high places would definitely fight back, and many troops would be killed before they could reach the ice wall.
What makes Xu Huang even more helpless is that these ice walls will melt and collapse in spring. It is really not worth paying for them with human lives.
While he was observing, a basin of cold water suddenly poured down on his head, and Xu Huang hurriedly rode out to avoid it.
"Hahaha, Xu Gongming, how about taking a look at Wei's masterpiece?"
Wei Yan stuck his head out on the ice wall, holding the wooden basin and laughing.
Xu Huang looked up and cursed: "Wei Yan, the dog thief, dare to come down and fight with a certain person?"
Wei Yan raised his fingers and said, "Come up if you have the ability!"
Xu Huang was furious and was about to scream when he saw densely packed defenders appearing on the high wall and hurriedly retreated.
The soldiers were all carrying wooden barrels, and some were piling up large rocks and ice. At such a high distance, the arrows had lost their power, but a stone as big as a fist would be fatal if dropped. Even if a basin of cold water was poured on the head, the soldiers would be stunned. Can't stand it.
Looking at Wei Yan standing on the cliff with his arms akimbo, Xu Huang stood in the wind for a long time, gritted his teeth and cursed:
"Wei Yan, I, your ancestor——"
…
Liu Qi's sneak attack on Wuguan not only shook the pass, but also the whole world's eyes were focused on Chang'an to observe the movements of Cao's army.
Ma Teng stationed troops in Chencang. He was originally ordered to attack Hanzhong, but after hearing the news, he did not move. He used winter snow as an excuse to postpone sending troops until next year.
On this day, I was inspecting the stables with Ma Tie and his son. Xiliang is mainly cavalry, and the horses must be taken care of especially in winter. If there is insufficient fodder and fat, they will not be able to fight in the coming year.
Ma Xiu hurried over and whispered: "Father, Liu Qi from Jingzhou sent an envoy to visit."
"Oh?" Ma Teng rolled his eyes, nodded and smiled: "Liu Qi made a splash outside the pass and defeated the Cao thieves. It is really admirable. You will definitely do something here. Please come to the study room quickly."
After returning home to wash up and change clothes, he came to the study and saw a fifty-year-old farmer warming himself over the fire and drinking tea. Ma Tie introduced him as Sun Qian, the envoy from Jingzhou.
Sun Qian saluted and said: "I have heard about the general's name for a long time, but when I see him today, he is indeed very powerful."
Ma Teng clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Sir, I follow the emperor's uncle and work hard for the Han Dynasty. Ma has also heard about it. I am honored to meet you."
After sitting down again, Ma Teng ordered a banquet and said straight to the point: "Unfortunately, Uncle Liu Huang was killed. I heard that Liu Qi in Jingzhou inherited his ambition to prosper the Han Dynasty and defeated Cao Cao's thieves. It made people applaud. I am sending Mr. Liu to Guanzhong today. There must be someone there." Advice.”
"How dare you!" Sun Qian clasped his fists and said, "The eldest son has kept a low profile and has been hiding for many years. He wanted to work together with the emperor, but God's will is like this. He saw that there was also a general's name on the belt edict, and he specially ordered me to come to visit and discuss the solution. Policy."
"Oh?" Ma Teng twisted his beard and said thoughtfully: "I have also heard about the Battle of Nanyang, but Prime Minister Cao persuaded me and Han Sui to make peace. He is kind to me. If we turn against each other, wouldn't we be laughed at?"
Sun Qian snorted coldly, stood up from his sleeves, and said sternly: "The Han Dynasty is unfortunate. The traitor Cao is monopolizing power and deceiving the emperor. He is even better than Mang Zhuo. The general is the queen of Zhongliang and is in the position of a shepherd. He is willing to join the rebels." , There are no loyal and righteous people in the world, how painful it is to support the emperor!"
"Sir, wait a minute!" Seeing that Sun Qian was about to leave, Ma Teng hurriedly stopped him, cupping his fists and saying, "Sir, you have traveled thousands of miles to get here, and you must have some advice. I am willing to hear your advice."
Sun Qian sat down again and sighed with emotion: "The imperial mausoleum of the Han Dynasty has been late, and all the people are haggard. Mr. Liu is a clan member of the Han Dynasty. It is necessary for him to join forces with Zhongliang, clear the way for the king, and kill the evildoers. It is precisely because General Nian and the emperor uncle have received secret edicts to work together. I am from the Fuhan House, so I have come to discuss the matter of slaying the rebels."
Ma Teng sighed: "After becoming General Fubo, how can I not serve the country? However, Cao's thieves are powerful, and there is an edict from the emperor. If you don't obey, you will be killed. Teng Yi's death is not a pity, and his family members and ten people will be affected." How can I bear with the remaining ten thousand troops of Xiliang?"
Sun Qian sneered and said: "People don't want to hurt tigers, tigers are harmful to people's hearts. Even if they bow to the Cao family, how can Cao Cao accept the general? He is just afraid that the general's soldiers and horses are strong, and because Hebei is not yet settled, he does not dare to move lightly, so he went south this time. If we encounter resistance, we will definitely use our troops to the west.”
Ma Teng narrowed his eyes slightly: "How can you see it?"
Sun Qian said: "The traitor Cao persuaded the general and Han Sui to make peace with him, which is actually to capture Liangzhou! The general is now trapped in Chencang, and he was previously recruited into the court. Once he steps out of the pass, he will be a swordsman, and the general will be a fish and meat, so what can he do?"
Ma Teng laughed and said, "I have seen through Cao Cao's plan a long time ago. My father and son have been in Xiliang for decades, how can they leave their base lightly?"
Sun Qian said again: "When Cao Cao's plan failed, he came up with another plan: he ordered the general to attack Hanzhong. This was actually a plan to drive away tigers and swallow wolves."
Ma Teng said doubtfully: "Cao Cao promised me the land of Hanzhong, and he has declared himself the prefect of Hanzhong. Zhang Lu is just a self-defended thief. He can be easily defeated by someone, so why should I worry about it?"
Sun Qian smiled and said: "The Xiliang cavalry is invincible across the world. Dong Zhuo used this to suppress his colleagues and intimidate the princes. Now the general also has a hundred thousand elite cavalry, so Cao Cao's thieves are naturally afraid. But if fighting in the mountains, the cavalry is not enough. Because of fear, Yangping Pass is very steep and deep in the mountains. How can we attack it with Xiliang soldiers and horses?"
Ma Teng frowned and nodded: "Sir, what you said makes sense. If not, I would have already sent out troops according to the order, but it has been delayed until now because the troops, horses and weapons are not enough to attack the city."
Sun Qian stroked his beard and said: "Cao's thieves used this tactic. Even though they could not attack Hanzhong, they still caused the general to lose his troops and retreat to the next best thing. This is a tactic of killing people with a borrowed sword. Once the general loses power, he will be killed."
Ma Teng was suddenly startled, slapped the table and cursed: "Thief Cao, I, Ma Teng, are incompatible with you!"
Since they refused to join the court to assist the emperor, Ma Teng and his son were also uneasy, worried that Cao Cao would reprimand and retaliate.
Unexpectedly, Cao Cao not only did not have any complaints, but instead sent envoys to appease him. Since he was unwilling to enter the court, he asked Ma Teng to serve the country, sent troops to attack the rice thief Zhang Lu, and declared him the governor of Hanzhong.
The father and son couldn't figure out what Cao Cao was thinking, so they kept hesitating. At this time, Sun Gan exposed it, and they realized that it was a poisonous plan.
