The mountain wind howls and is as cold as water. The wind enters the mountain forest and brings with it the sound of waves of pines.
The further south you go, the more trees there are and the terrain becomes more steep.
"Most of the enemy forces have passed through Qishan Mountain and are heading to Li County in the southwest."
A man carrying a command flag, wearing a hood and a helmet on his head, half-kneeling on the ground, reported the military situation ahead.
Chen Wang reined in his horse and looked past the soldiers toward the towering Qishan Mountains not far away.
Qishan Mountain is located to the east of Li County, Gongchang Prefecture, and to the north of the West Han River.
It starts from Beiciao in the west and ends at Lucheng in the east, stretching for more than fifty miles.
With its beautiful mountains and towering peaks, it is known as "the most famous mountain in Kyushu and the most majestic in the world".
The ground strangles the throat of Shulong, and controls the offensive and defensive key points.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang was the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. In order to revive the Han Dynasty, he led troops out of Qishan Mountain six times to launch the Northern Expedition. Qishan Mountain became famous all over the world.
On the top of the central peak of Qishan Mountain, there was a strong city built during the Three Kingdoms period. It can be said that one man can guard the gate and ten thousand people can't open it.
However, with the development of the times and the changes of the years, this once solid city has long since disappeared into the long river.
As the frontier of the Central Plains continues to move northward, Qishan Mountain has also lost its original role. This dangerous pass has now become a sparse and ordinary place, and it no longer has the function it once had.
There are no more heavily guarded military fortresses here, nor are there any ambitious armies gathering behind the mountains.
Everything in the past has disappeared with the years. Zhuge Wuhou died of illness in Wuzhangyuan with his unfinished ideals. Even though Jiang Wei tried his best, he could not save the building from falling.
When Hong Chengchou first entered Shaanxi, he divided his troops to guard the dangerous passes at the junction of Shaanxi and Henan and Huguang to prevent Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong and others from escaping into Henan and Huguang provinces again.
There are only a total of more than 48,000 troops that can be mobilized across several provinces, and the military strength can be said to be stretched thin.
There are not many soldiers defending Gongchang Mansion at all, that is to say, there are many battalions temporarily transferred from Ningxia and other places in the city to assist in the defense.
There are not many soldiers in these camps, and the wages given to them are not much.
They are not well equipped and can defend the city together with the guards and local brave men, but it will be difficult for them to fight in the field.
Shooting two guns before the battle can be regarded as worthy of the food and salary issued by the court.
There are only more than 300 soldiers in Qixian County. They are all guards and there are no camps.
The guardsmen were unable to fight, especially the farther inland they became, the more they became corrupted.
Not only is it difficult to deal with rogue bandits, but ordinary bandits and thieves are also difficult to deal with.
At this time, the inland guard posts were in ruins, there was a shortage of people, and there were many people fleeing.
Fifty-six out of ten escaped from one school, and the rest were regarded as private property by the Guards Military Academy as domestic slaves. They had no decent combat effectiveness.
In the mainland, there are often bandits that want to wipe out a group of ten or dozens of people. They actually have to mobilize the entire Qianhusuo army, or even combine several Qianhusuo soldiers to attack together.
Qishan did not become an obstacle. Li Yangchun, Lin Shengquan, and Li Guo led their troops through Qishan smoothly.
"How is the situation in Li County?"
Chen Wang's eyes narrowed slightly and he asked.
"Townships around Li County were looted. Dozens of black smoke could be seen from a distance. Bandits roamed the forest and valleys, looting wantonly."
"Our department stayed up all night to inspect the ruins. No one was found killed. It should be a warning in advance. Local officials have moved people into the city to take shelter."
Chen Wang was slightly reassured. He had already sent messengers to the south of Qishan Mountain to send warning messages to the prefectures and counties along the way, asking them to bring back the people in the surrounding towns and villages who were unable to protect themselves in the next few days. .
Of course, Chen Wang naturally used Hong Chengchou's tiger skin as a banner. According to his current level, he could not command the magistrates and county magistrates in these places.
After all, there are only a few county magistrates like Wang Zhaolin. The majority are those "gentlemen" who think highly of themselves, talk about benevolence, justice and morality, wear gorgeous official uniforms, stand aloof, and are separated from the world.
Although he deliberately let go of Li Guo, he also let go of Li Yangchun and others on purpose.
These bandits were driven to the south of Gongchang Mansion by Chen Wang. If all these disasters are taken into account, Chen Wang would bring them to Gongchang Mansion.
But this is also the future development, and we have to do this out of necessity.
Chen Wang stared at the Qishan Mountains in the distance, his heart not wavering.
People in the world have the best of both worlds, and there are always gains and losses. He has made the best choice possible to save more people.
He worked hard, stalled for time, and made plans, just to be able to enter Hanzhong Mansion, break away from the shackles, and save a fortune.
The separatist regime in troubled times has always been said to be a belly of grass with golden horns and silver edges. However, although Hanzhong Prefecture is a hinterland, it is not a belly of grass.
Hanzhong Prefecture is adjacent to the Qinling Mountains in the north. The Qinling Mountains are high and steep, steep and circuitous, making them insurmountable.
To the south is the Daba Mountains. Although the mountains are slightly slower and lower, the mountains are extremely winding and stretching.
Hanzhong Mansion is sandwiched between the narrow mountains of Qinling Mountains and Daba Mountain.
In addition, there are mountains on the east and west sides. Hanzhong is surrounded by mountains. It can be attacked when advancing, and it is easier to defend when retreating.
To occupy Hanzhong, you only need to hold on to a few important passes, and a small number of troops can block the entry of most enemy troops.
Hanzhong has always been a battleground for military strategists. Liu Bang was the master of Hanzhong in the past and went on to become the world leader.
By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Hanzhong's status had not decreased much.
If we completely occupy Hanzhong, we can go to Huguang in the east, Sichuan in the south, and Shaanxi in the north and west.
The most important thing is that the successive years of famine in the late Ming Dynasty hardly affected the Hanzhong Basin. The Hanzhong Basin was undoubtedly the most suitable place for residence and development at this time.
Chen Wang was determined and looked back to the east.
For some reason, after sending Tang Bao to Guanzhong, he began to feel a little uneasy.
Thinking back carefully about his actions, Chen Wang always felt that he had missed a lot of things, but no one helped him check and fill in the gaps. Now he needed to think about everything by himself.
No one can give him advice, no one can advise him, or make plans for him.
Chen Wang's eyes were filled with energy again, and he raised his hand holding the riding crop.
After entering Qishan Mountain, two roads were placed in front of Li Yangchun and others. One went south to Sichuan. Naturally, Li Yangchun and others did not dare to choose.
The other one goes to Hanzhong Prefecture in the southeast via Lixian, Xihe, Chengxian, and Weizhou.
The terrain along the Li County-Weizhou line is fairly open. Li Yangchun, Lin Shengquan, and Li Guo all have elite cavalry and horse troops. Without the burden of infantry, hungry soldiers, and the old and the weak, they can travel hundreds of miles in one day at extremely high speeds. , it won’t be long before the troops arrive in Weizhou.
What they have to do is very simple, which is to break through Yuguan, the pass between Hanzhong Mansion and Gongchang Mansion.
He led his troops in pursuit, traveling forty to fifty miles a day, and delayed it to seven or eight days. As long as Li Yangchun and others were not useless, they could break through the Yu Pass.
At that time, you can follow Li Yangchun and other troops into Hanzhong Mansion...
While Chen Wang was thinking about it, a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats suddenly reached Chen Wang's ears from behind.
Everyone turned around and saw a messenger dressed in red arrows and dressed in red arrows galloping from the official road to the east.
When the visitor reined in his horse and stopped, Chen Wang saw clearly the appearance of the visitor. Chen Wang was stunned for a moment, hesitated, and then shouted.
"Brother Ming, why are you here?"
Chen Wang frowned slightly, feeling something bad in his heart, and immediately stepped forward to meet him.
The person who came was none other than his clan brother Chen Ming. Like him, he was working as a servant under Cao Wenzhao. He should have followed Cao Wenzhao in Guanzhong, but why did he come to Gongchang Mansion instead.
Chen Ming did not answer first, but rode up to him and handed a well-encapsulated letter to Chen Wang.
Chen Wang was slightly startled and took the letter from Chen Ming's hand.
The moment he received the letter, Chen Wang's heart sank suddenly.
He saw Cao Wenzhao's personal signature on the letter.
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster.
Although he did not open the letter, Chen Wang had already noticed something unusual.
(End of chapter)
