Meng Chang slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, "Oh - yes, yes, Qinzhou, if you didn't mention it, I almost forgot!" Then, Meng Chang ordered Qinzhou Jiedushi Han Baozhen to send troops from Qinzhou, and there was an accident. Pass and attack Qianyang (now Qianyang County, Shaanxi Province). Qianyang is located to the northwest of Fengxiang, Dashanguan and Baoji are located to the southwest of Fengxiang. Meng Chang used Han Baozhen to contain Zhao Hui's energy.
In order to clear the way for Hou Shu's reinforcements and to show his strength to Hou Shu, Wang Jingchong sent his troops out of the west gate of Fengxiang to attack Zhao Hui. However, he was defeated by Zhao Hui's defensive counterattack. Not only did he not open the gap, Instead, Zhao Hui took advantage of the victory and occupied Guancheng on the west side.
Wang Jingchong hurriedly retreated into the city, while Zhao Hui pushed the battle line forward, dug trenches in Xiguan City, and continued to send troops to challenge.
"Come out if you can!"
"Come in if you can!"
Different from Li Shouzhen's persistence in closing the city, what supported Li Shouzhen was faith, a firm belief that things that were destined could not be changed by human power; while Wang Jingchong relied on the powerful external force - Hou Shu.
In Guo Wei's counter-insurgency strategy, the main force was originally to gnaw the hard nut in the river first, and to contain Chang'an and Fengxiang. Zhao Hui's strength is insufficient in attack but more than sufficient in defense. Once Hou Shu intervenes strongly, it will break the balance of Fengxiang's battle. This is Wang Jingchong's wishful thinking.
Zhao Hui knew Wang Jingchong's thoughts well. Don’t you want to see reinforcements from Hou Shu? Come on, I’ll change one for you.
Zhao Hui organized more than a thousand elite soldiers, wearing armor and holding weapons, to secretly return to the Qinling Mountains. Then, holding the flag of Hou Shu, they came from the direction of Dashanguan with great fanfare and spread the news: The army of Hou Shu has arrived!
Wang Jingchong was indeed fooled and immediately sent thousands of people out of the city to greet him. As a result, the ambush troops broke out and thousands of Fengxiang soldiers were wiped out inexplicably. Wang Jingchong closed the city gate tightly and never dared to send troops out of the city again.
After General An Siqian of Houshu really came out of Dashan Pass, Zhao Hui stationed the main force in Baoji, controlling Fengxiang in the north and looking at Dashan Pass in the south.
An Siqian first laid an ambush of two thousand troops in the bamboo forest southwest of Baoji, and then used hundreds of weak troops to lure the enemy deeper. Zhao Hui fell into the trap, and the Hou Shu ambush troops took advantage of the victory to pursue and broke through Zhao Hui's Baoji position in one fell swoop.
However, when An Siqian sent the main force to Baoji, he received news: Zhao Hui had sent an additional 5,000 troops!
An Siqian was horrified and said to his subordinates: "We have few soldiers and few generals, and it is difficult to supply food and grass, while the enemy has many soldiers and generals and can supply quickly. It is not appropriate for us to go deep. It is best to make other plans."
Xu Tu plans to take a long-term view, so... lean back first. As a result, the Hou Shu army staged an incredible scene. Although they clearly won the battle, they retreated from the Wei River to Dashanguan, then to Fengzhou, and then to Xingyuan Mansion. Go back wherever you came from.
Hou Shu interfered in the internal affairs of Later Han for the second time, and it ended in an anticlimactic manner.
Wang Jingchong wanted to cry but had no tears. Shushu, why do you want to leave after a defeat? Why do you still want to leave after a victory? For the sake of my son, please give me a hand! He kept sending messages to Meng Chang of Later Shu, asking for emergency support.
In his letter, Wang Jingchong described the turmoil in the Central Plains with great detail. The general idea was that the Central Plains suffered from natural disasters and wars for many years. The people were in poverty, the country was weak, the young ruler ascended the throne, the young ruler was suspicious of the country, and the political situation was turbulent. The three towns in the west echoed each other, and only rebelled against Wang Shi. The righteous flag points to the restoration of the Central Plains...
Meng Chang of Later Shu was very moved, so he ordered An Siqian to send troops to support Fengxiang again.
An Siqian had no choice but to set out from Xingyuan, stationed in Fengzhou, looked at Dashan Pass in the distance, and then asked Meng Chang to transport 400,000 dendrobium grains to Dashan Pass first. Without this supply of grain and grass, the ministers would not dare to leave the pass!
When Meng Chang received the report, he was furious and said to his surroundings: "I don't think An Siqian will open up territory for me at all!"
In fact, since Meng Chang came to the throne, military and political power has been in the hands of Tuogu and important ministers. Just this year, a relatively large political struggle took place in Hou Shu. Meng Chang finally overthrew the elders of the previous dynasty and took control of the country. The story about Meng Chang's personal administration will be left in the following article.
Obviously, Meng Chang consolidated the power of the central government, but the power dispersed in the local areas has not been strengthened, especially the feudal officials who were stationed on the border.
This is the law of history. Different political systems and different groups of people must face the same law. Whose chimney doesn't smoke?
An Siqian's move is a typical example of threatening the bandits' self-respect, playing tricks on the bandits, and threatening the king. Although Meng Chang was angry, he had nothing to do. While cursing his mother, he ordered nearby states and counties to provide tens of thousands of grains for emergency relief.
An Siqian's request was not excessive. Whether it is the Central Plains' expedition to Shu or the Shu's Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, logistical supplies are always a more important factor than weapons and equipment and the number of troops. The Art of War says that before the troops and horses move, food and grass go first.
After receiving the guarantee of food and grass, An Siqian went north out of Dashan Pass and defeated Zhao Hui's vanguard at Yunütan outside Dashan Pass, forcing Zhao Hui to retreat to Baoji. An Siqian took every step and moved forward cautiously.
Qinzhou Han Baozhen was still ordered to contain him in the northwest. Han Baozhen, who was in charge of the feint attack, did not dare to launch an attack rashly, and the troops of the Later Han Dynasty did not dare to take the initiative to fight. The two sides faced off in the Longzhou area.
Zhao Hui, who was under Fengxiang City, was unable to do what he wanted. He had to encircle Fengxiang and split his troops to deal with the invasion of Hou Shu. Zhao Hui actually fell into a dangerous situation surrounded by enemies on three sides. Zhao Hui quickly asked Commander-in-Chief Guo Wei for help.
The Western Front was in emergency, and Guo Wei personally rushed to help. Before leaving, Guo Wei warned Bai Wenke and Liu Ci, saying that Hezhong is still the top priority of the entire war. The outcome of the battle in Hezhong will determine the final outcome of the war. After I leave, they will definitely break out of the West City. You must improve your skills. Be vigilant and guard against death!
When Guo Wei advanced to Huazhou, good news came from the western front: the Hou Shu army had withdrawn its troops and retreated to the south of Dashan Pass due to lack of food and grass.
An Siqian's judgment was correct. There was no food. How about beating?
Guo Wei also immediately returned to the river.
As Guo Wei expected, Li Shouzhen sent the powerful general Wang Jixun to lead more than a thousand elites to cut stairs on the cliff. Then they unexpectedly appeared in front of the Later Han army in the middle of the night. They set fire to create chaos and launched an attack with loud shouts.
The Hou Han camp immediately fell into panic and was defeated. Only Liu Ci was calm and calm, calming the soldiers' emotions while leading his troops to organize a counterattack.
Yan Jinqing sighed: "The enemy's armor is covered with a layer of yellow paper, which is very easy to identify under the light of the fire. It's a pity that the soldiers have no fighting spirit and are in disarray!"
Li Tao, a junior officer, took the lead and shouted: "It is a matter of loyalty to the emperor to eat the emperor's salary. Since we usually receive the royal salary, how can we not fight desperately now?" He waved his spear and tried his best to kill the thieves.
