Cao Shuang clearly explained the four routes into Hanzhong from west to east. At this moment, a loud voice attracted the attention of the generals.
"Report to the General."
Xiahou Ba, the army guard who conquered Shu, looked at the march map and thought for a moment before he stood up and said:
"Chencang Road goes west to Chang'an for hundreds of miles. It is a long way. It is very inconvenient to dispatch armies on all roads. Moreover, if you need to go south from Dashan Pass, you may encounter obstacles from the Shu barbarians in Yinping County. Therefore, the general believes that this road plan can be No need to think about it.
The Ziwu Valley Plank Road has been in disrepair for many years and has been severely damaged and cannot be accessed.
Therefore, the general believed that among all the roads, only the Luogu-Tangluo Road had the widest terrain, and it was not far from Hanzhong in the south. This road could be the best choice to go up. "
After hearing Xiahou Ba's words, Cao Shuang agreed and nodded.
"Zhong Quan's words are wrong."
At this time, Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, stood up and retorted:
"Although the Luo Valley is wide, there is a lack of water sources along the way. I am afraid that the supply of tens of thousands of troops going south will be insufficient. On the contrary, there is Bao water flowing in the Baoxie Valley Road, so the water source is very convenient, and the distance south to Hanzhong is not far. Therefore, the general believes that it is most appropriate to go south via the Xiegu Road."
"Yeah." Cao Shuang nodded after hearing what Guo Huai said, and felt that it made sense.
Although he is the commander-in-chief of this southern expedition, when it comes to the true ability of marching and fighting, these veterans in the account are far better than him. Therefore, after hearing the ideas of Xiahou Ba and Guo Huai, Cao Shuang hesitated for a while, and he had no specific ideas for a while.
"Report to the General."
At this time, Ding Mi, the chief staff officer under Cao Shuang, stood up and said:
"My subordinates believe that although the Xiegu Road has a convenient water source as General Guo Huai said, the valley mouth of this road is narrow, making it a place that is easy to enter, difficult to leave, and easy to return. Moreover, this valley has always been valued by the Shu army. Once our army is ambushed in this valley, I'm afraid it will be difficult to retreat. On the contrary, the entrance of the Luo Valley Road is wide and can advance and retreat freely, so it is not easy to be ambushed. Therefore, I think it is most appropriate to go south through Luo Valley."
"good."
At this time, staff officer Deng Yang also stood up and said:
"The Luo Valley is wide and can be used by cattle and horses. Moreover, this area is a place where the Di and Qiang people live together. We can also use the Qiang cattle and horses to transport grain and grass. Going south from the Luo Valley can be said to be a great success."
"Well, Xuan Mao's words make sense." Cao Shuang nodded, seeming to have made a decision.
Just when he was about to decide on the route to the south, Li Sheng, who joined the army under General Zhengxi, stood up and said: "General Qi, what Deng and Ding Er said is very true, but my subordinates believe that what General Guo Huai said is not unreasonable." , how about we divide our forces?"
Li Sheng's suggestion was the result of Xia Houxuan's many consultations with the chief historians, Sima, soldiers, and chief clerks in Zhengxi Mansion in the past few days. Therefore, Xia Houxuan also nodded and expressed no objection to the matter.
Cao Shuang saw that Xia Houxuan, who was the deputy commander, also nodded in agreement with this strategy, so he was convinced. He turned around and continued to ask the generals in the camp: "The strategy of dividing the troops is indeed the best. However, the commander of the west road, Xiegu Road, Who should be the general of the army?"
While everyone was still hesitating, Guo Huai suddenly stood up and introduced himself:
"General and Governor, Huai has been guarding Yongzhou for many years and is familiar with the terrain of Xiegu Road, so Huai is willing to personally lead the army to divide the troops on Xiegu Road!"
At this moment, Xia Houxuan felt a little worried, but after thinking about it again and again, he still did not make up his mind to recommend himself.
Xia Houxuan was worried that Guo Huai, as an old friend of Sima Yi, was unwilling to let Cao Shuang win. If he separated the army but did not respond in time, something big would happen.
Among the generals in the account, Guo Huai and Xiahou Ba were naturally the most qualified based on their seniority, but by virtue of his position as Governor of Yongliang and General of the Expedition to the West, he had no problem leading an army on his own. But what Xia Houxuan is worried about is that after all, he has no experience in commanding tens of thousands of troops alone, and he is not familiar with the terrain of Xiegu Road. If he accidentally falls into an ambush by the Shu army and loses his troops and generals, wouldn't he become like Zhao Kuo and Zhao Kuo? Ma Su?
Thinking of this, Xia Houxuan finally suppressed his desire to recommend himself.
Everyone in the camp understood that this strategy was the best choice, and they could lead the army alone. Except for the two veterans Guo Huai and Xia Houba, the others probably did not have enough experience and qualifications, and the deputy commander Xia Houxuan did not express his position, so everyone had no choice. No matter what comments he made, the whole hall was silent for a moment.
"Okay, since everyone has no objections, I will start to deploy and dispatch. All generals will obey the order!"
"The last general is here!" When all the generals in the camp saw Cao Shuang issuing orders, they all stood up and listened to the general's orders.
"General Guo Huai, I have ordered you to lead 30,000 soldiers and horses from Longxi, Tianshui and Nan'an, enter the Qinling Mountains from Xiegu Road, and go straight south to Hanzhong!"
"Got the order!"
"General Xiahou Ba, I have ordered you to lead 20,000 auxiliary troops and horses as the main forward of our army, and go south from Luo Valley!"
"Got the order!"
"Yang Wei and Yang Zong listen to the order, and I have ordered you two to lead Xinping and Beidi's five thousand light cavalry to guard Luogukou and respond to the majority at any time!"
"I obey my orders!"
"Xia Houxuan, Sima Zhao, Deng Yang, and Ding Mi listen to the order. The four of you will lead an army of 40,000 people and follow Gu into Luo Valley, go south to Hanzhong, and join forces with General Guo Huai!"
"Got the order!"
"Do you all understand?"
Cao Shuang came from a well-educated family and was well versed in military literature, so he understood the importance of making important decisions three times.
"I will obey the general's orders!"
The generals listened carefully to Cao Shuang's orders, so everyone had no doubts.
"Okay, let's all rest in Chang'an tonight. At Yin time tomorrow morning, all the armies will go south together!"
"yes!"
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In Chang'an City, under the steps of Weiyang's old palace.
Xiahou Xuan was isolated in the palace, looking up at the stars in the sky, thoughtfully.
In his opinion, the Qinling Mountains have been a natural danger since ancient times, and the road to Shu is difficult to pass. No matter which valley road the army goes south, it may be ambushed and attacked by the enemy.
Although the school affairs office had already discovered the news, Jiang Wan, the Puppet Chief Sima of Shu, was recuperating in Fucheng. As his successor, Puppet General Fei Yi was also accompanying Jiang Wan. The only defenders in Hanzhong were Wang Ping and Prince Junhe, the Puppet General of the North. With the 30,000 useless flying troops under his command, it stands to reason that there is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and us, so the odds of victory should be extremely high. However, Xiahou Xuan thought that with the great display of his own army this time, the enemy might have already discovered the strength of the Wei army, and since the road to Shu was difficult to travel, his own side might not be able to win.
Xia Houxuan even vaguely felt that this battle might not go well.
He rubbed his somewhat swollen temples, hoping that he was just overthinking.
————————
In the early morning, the sky has not yet faded away from the color of night.
The phalanx of Wei Jun's Xuan Jing and Xuan Jia was sneaking quietly in the darkness along the Wei River. Gradually, the outline of the Qinling Mountains in the distance became clearer and clearer.
As dawn dawned, General Cao Shuang and his troops finally arrived at the outskirts of Zhouzhi County at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains.
Cao Shuang started the final arrangements for the 100,000 troops at the foot of the mountain.
"General Guo Huai, the entrance of Luo Valley is just ahead. Gu is taking one step ahead. I hope the general will win and meet Gu in Hanzhong as soon as possible."
Cao Shuang got out of Jingfan Cong and came to Guo Huai's side. He personally held Guo Huai's hand and asked him earnestly. He knew that although Guo Huai had always been friendly with the Sima family, he had always been able to distinguish between public and private affairs. If he wanted to succeed in his expedition to Shu this time, he would not be able to do without the efforts of this veteran general.
"Don't worry, General, Huai will do his best!" Guo Huai gave a military salute to Cao Shuang, then got on his horse. On the horse, he cupped his hands to Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuanlue, and then led his troops towards the entrance of the inclined valley to the west. went.
Cao Shuang looked at Guo Huai's 30,000 men who were gradually disappearing in the dust, and murmured: "I hope Guo Boji will not only try his best, but go all out."
"The three armies obeyed the order, entered Luo Valley, and marched directly to Hanzhong!"
After the herald conveyed the commander's order, the army began to move south quickly.
Cao Shuang, Deng Yang, Xia Houxuan, Xia Houba, and Sima Zhao led various armies to march slowly along the Tangluo Road. They traveled 500 miles on the mountain road. Unknowingly, more than half a month had passed.
This was the first time that Xia Houxuan personally led an army of more than ten thousand people over mountains and ridges, and he immediately felt how difficult it was for a general to lead an army. If it weren't for the two brothers Xia Houxian and Xia Houfeng, as well as the chief strategists Li Sheng, Sima Fan Can, and the brothers-in-law He Kui, Deng Ai, and Le Fang who joined the army and did their best to help them manage the generals of the army, large and small, With his own strength, he may not be able to successfully lead the army out of Luo Valley.
There is no water source that flows all year round on the Tangluo Road. The streams and rivers everywhere are hidden in the mountain streams. Therefore, every time the army marches for a day, Xia Houxuan must arrange for athletes who are familiar with the terrain and good at searching to find water sources. If one day someone under his command If the soldiers of a battalion failed to find a water source, their morale would naturally be extremely low.
Sometimes, soldiers from two battalions even fought over a water source. When Xiahou Xuan first heard that some people were killing each other, he was naturally furious. He originally planned to deal with these fighting soldiers with strict military laws, but he Gradually, I found that at this time, the more severe I was, the more serious the resentment and dissatisfaction of the soldiers became. In some military camps, individual soldiers even fled into the mountains.
Xia Houxuan, who discovered the problem, immediately changed his approach. He immediately ordered Xia Houxian and others to summon the generals of each battalion.
At the first moment of the You hour, ten army commanders, Yamen generals, and twenty music commanders all arrived in front of Xia Houxuan's camp on time.
As for the hundreds of governors, dubo, chiefs, and corps commanders of each battalion, they continued to lead the soldiers in search of water sources and dry firewood.
Xiahou Xuan saw that all the generals had arrived, so he ordered Xiahou Fenghe and his one hundred Xuanjia guards to transport a hundred carts of water bags and buckets that the commander-in-chief carried in his carriage and specially for the generals of the Zhengxi Prefecture to drink from the personal camp. .
Xia Houxuan, who was wearing iron sleeves and armor, was majestic and looked like a god general. At this moment, he stared at the bewildered elites of each battalion in the camp, and said something that no one could believe:
"Brothers, I know that there is a lack of water in our camp these days. Previously, I used military law to deal with several brothers who robbed water sources. Although this was legal, it was very ruthless. Today, Xuan is here to give all brothers I'm sorry. In addition, I have moved all the water sources for Zhengxi Mansion's camp here. Although the water distributed is only enough for the whole army to drink for two days, Xuan has already safely explored the terrain and can move forward hundreds of miles. Here, we have arrived at the source of golden water, which means that in less than a day, we will have sufficient water!"
Among the army commanders, tooth generals, and commanders present, half of them had hated Xia Houxuan because the commander could not solve the water problem. But at this moment, they seemed to have no aristocratic attitude and were willing to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. Xia Houxuan's eyes turned red after hearing Xia Houxuan's sincere words.
In this way, the four main armies led by Cao Shuang struggled to support themselves. After walking along the path opened by forward Xiahou Ba for more than half a day, they finally arrived at the source of the golden waters.
The soldiers of each battalion, who had endured hunger and thirst for more than half a month, cheered and waved the water bags and barrels in their hands, and ran towards the river valley.
Cao Shuang looked at the relatively gentle hills scattered in the Golden Valley in the distance and nodded.
"Sun Tzu's Art of War has a saying: Wherever the army is facing an enemy, a mountain is nestled in a valley. The place where life is considered is high, and the battle is not successful. This is where the army of the mountain is." Cao Shuang was observing the terrain in the distance while reciting Sun Tzu's Thirteen The garrison rules in this chapter. The hills in front of us are exactly what the Art of War calls a "high ground".
He immediately waved his flag, and the herald immediately rode forward.
"Instruct the three armies to open strongholds on the hills ahead and station and wait. Each army will immediately replenish water sources and search for firewood. In addition, go to the forward and the tents of each army and ask Governor Xiahou, General Xiahou Ba, and Deng Shenjun to hurry up Come to the general's camp to discuss matters."
"Yes." After hearing the general's order, the herald immediately galloped into the formation to deliver the order.
