A light snowfall in winter failed to cool down the flames of the war in the Central Plains. After the two armies of Cao and Liu faced off for a test, Guan Yu finally couldn't hold himself back and led his army northward, while Zhang Liao retreated to Kunyang.
It was cold and windy outside, and the stove was burning in the tent. Zhuge Liang received the secret report from Hanzhong and discussed with Guan Yu: "My lord's army went out to Baoxiang Road, but it was also difficult to advance due to heavy snow. He ordered Yide to return to Wuguan quietly, and asked the general to allocate two elite troops. Wan, attack Chang'an from Lantian."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled and said: "Fortunately, my third brother was not seriously poisoned. Now that he is able to go to war, he should mobilize his troops. My troops are now divided into four groups to capture the Central Plains. We also have Soochow Wu in Xuzhou to contain us. Even if Cao Cao is in Xuchang, it will be difficult to resist him." .”
Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "Cao Cao was seriously ill, but he went far away from Liaodong. He must have known that he could not do anything. He only went to fight Xianbei for the sake of his posthumous reputation. Regardless of Guanzhong or Yuzhou, as long as he broke through at one point, Cao Cao's army would surely fall apart, and the restoration of the Central Plains would be just around the corner. .”
Guan Yu's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he lay down: "Today, Cao's army is heavily stationed in Kunyang, blocking Lu Mountain in the west and Ru River in the east. This month's confrontation has been watertight. Zhang Liao is a good general in the world. His martial arts skills are on par with Zhang Liao's, and he knows well that Tao Lue, I wonder if the military advisor has any strategy to deal with the enemy?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "As the saying goes, Cao's army is now on the defensive. Sooner or later, there will be a flaw. The victorious soldiers will win first and then fight. The most important thing in seeking stability is to be cautious. Since the general knows Zhang Liao's bravery, he should wait for the opportunity to move. , beware of its counterattack."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled proudly: "Zhang Liao defeated Sun Quan in Xiaoyaojin because all the people in the east of the Yangtze River are like rats! I regard the generals in Cao's camp as nothing but grass. How can I let them come and go as they please?"
Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "It was because of the fear of Yun Changhu that Zhang Liao did not dare to send troops rashly and retreated to Kunyang. This is the throat of Nanyang Central Plains. In the past, Guangwu fought here, and the battle lasted for two hundred years. Now the general counterattacks In the Central Plains, we are fighting in Kunyang again. With the people from the Imperial Country, why worry about not being able to win?"
A flash of light flashed in Guan Yu's eyes, and he said loudly: "Although Guan does not dare to compare himself to the ancients, since the two brothers became sworn brothers, he has been determined to prosper the Han Dynasty and restore Luoyang, so that he can live up to his late brother's trust."
While they were discussing, Fu Kuang returned to the camp. He saw that his armor was broken and he was in a very embarrassed state. He asked the general to punish him and said, "It will be unfavorable for me to take Yique Pass at the end. I was ambushed by Cao's army before reaching the pass. Please punish the general."
Guan Yu was surprised: "I didn't expect that this place would be heavily guarded. What should I do?"
However, Zhuge Liang signaled his assistant to stand up, comforted him, and ordered him to retreat and rest, saying: "Although Cao Cao is marching north, he has already made arrangements for his future affairs. In Guanzhong, Xia Houyuan will be the general, Xun You will be the military adviser, and in Huainan, Cao Ren will be the general. In the middle, Zhang Liao was left to guard, and Jia Xu was appointed as the military advisor. This man is good at planning and has a careful mind. He may have expected that we would sneak attack from a small road."
Guan Yu said worriedly: "I know that Jia Wenhe is deeply scheming. Cao Mengdeshang feels ashamed. This person needs to be cautious in the army."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Don't worry, sir. I have already predicted the battle at Yique Pass. This move is just to arouse the enemy."
Guan Yu asked in confusion: "What is the profound meaning of the military advisor's move?"
Zhuge Liang said: "Funiu Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles and is very steep. After this battle, they will definitely strengthen their defenses. I want to mobilize Cao's army, so I create a suspicious formation to make it difficult for them to distinguish between true and false, so that they can defeat the enemy in one battle."
Guan Yu caressed his beard and asked, "Fukuang is defeated. What other countermeasures can the military advisor take?"
Zhuge Liang said: "You can order Yang Ling to attack Yique Pass again. I have ordered Wenpin to send troops from Jiangxia. There is Wusheng Pass there. You can take the hinterland of Runan directly from Dabie Mountain. This is the way for King Chuzhuang to dominate the Central Plains." , if we pass this pass, we can directly attack Qiao County, and the Central Plains will be in chaos."
Guan Yu frowned and said: "If we go deep alone without backup, we may not be able to accomplish anything. If we only send a small force to harass, it may be difficult to win."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Since ancient times, when using troops, we should use surprise to win. Only by combining surprise and right can we get the magic of military tactics. I use surprise troops to bluff and make the enemy tired of guarding, which will inevitably reveal flaws. Zhang Liao does not dare to divide his troops to harass the rear. At this time, he can wait for the opportunity to advance." .”
Guan Yu nodded and said, "Congratulations, military advisor."
Zhuge Liang added: "Now the two groups of surprise troops have moved. It's time to march from the front. Zhang Liao will guard Kunyang and block the main road in the Central Plains. The general can send a partial force to capture Mopo and ask him to save himself. I have my own countermeasures."
Guan Yu said: "Mopo is guarded by Lejin, and it forms a rivalry with Kunyang. Only Gan Xingba can't do it."
"Yun Chang coincides with me!" Zhuge Liang nodded and smiled, then sent an order to raise the tent, with Gan Ning as the vanguard, and led the troops directly to Mopo.
Gan Ning happily accepted the order and left. This time he failed to follow Liu Qi in the western expedition, so he stayed in Nanyang to wait for the battle. He had been waiting for a long time, and finally it was time to show off his skills.
Mopo is located to the east of Lushan Mountain, with only some hills and rivers. To the east is the boundless Kunyang territory of Pingchuan.
Gan Ning personally led the troops in front, and Su Fei then responded. As the troops were marching, suddenly the sentries in front stopped. The defenders came to report that there were defenders patrolling on the hillside in front.
Gan Ning saw the flag flashing in the distance and sneered: "Cao Jun was indeed on guard, but it was nothing more than a mantis' arm acting as a chariot."
While observing, an army came up on the hillside. A general with a horizontal sword shouted sharply: "I am Cao Xi, the general of Wei. Who dares to invade the country?"
Gan Ning set up his battle formation, stepped out and sneered: "Ever since Cao Cao's thief usurped the throne, people's hearts have been divided. There is no one available anymore. They are all useless descendants of this clan."
"Today I will show you how powerful I am!" Cao Xi was furious and urged his horse to fight.
The two horses crossed each other. Gan Ning swung his sword, and with just one move, Cao Xi's upper arm went numb. He was so frightened that he turned his horse and fled.
"You are indeed useless!" Gan Ning laughed and led his troops in pursuit.
The Han army rushed to the mountain with great force. Cao Xi was defeated and Cao's army was in chaos. The two armies fought in a melee for a while, then abandoned the camp and fled.
Gan Ning wanted to pursue him again, but Su Fei reminded him, "Le Jin is a general of Cao's army. How can he use such a useless person? I'm afraid there is a scam ahead."
Gan Ning smiled and said: "These children of the clan are only in important positions relying on the merits of their fathers, but in fact they have no ability. Even if Le Jin is ahead, what do you have to fear?"
Gan Ning led his troops forward and pursued them across two mountain ridges. The Mopo camp was already in sight. When Le Jin heard the news, he quickly led his troops to come to the rescue.
The two generals clashed, but they couldn't even close. Suddenly, the drums of the rear camp were beating loudly, and Le Lin from the left and Cao Xi from the right led their troops to charge forward.
Gan Ning laughed and said, "It's just a small plan, what can you do to me?"
Faced with such an ambush, Gan Ning was well prepared. Instead of retreating, he advanced and fought hard with Yue Jin. He ignored the ambush on both sides. Su Fei's troops happened to arrive from behind and urged the army to come to meet him. The two armies were fighting in a melee. Instead, Cao Jun was surrounded. When Le Jin saw the chaos among his troops, he retreated in confusion.
It was getting late at this time, so Gan Ning urged his troops to kill for a while and captured countless weapons. He rested his troops in Cao Xi's camp.
All the generals were delighted with a great victory. Su Fei patrolled the camp carefully at night, but did not see Cao's army coming to attack. Everyone could not help but relax their vigilance, preparing to seize the Mopo Camp in one go tomorrow.
